1. Beach Babies
2. He Be Bees
3. Oopsies
The Beach and The Garden. I asked Son 1 aged 4y 2m to keep Son 2 aged 15 out of the way while I took the Big Pram through the kitchen. He led him by the hand to the door. A little figure in a dark blue parkha, holding hands with a fat round anorak half his size, tottering ahead of the Pram. So sweet. Fantastic weather, blue skies, clear air, no wind, crisp and cold. Except on the beach, where Son 1 was running around in his sweatshirt and I took my jacket off. Son 2 walked a bit and played a bit, and then insisted on eating his way through the lunch box.

One of the Wednesday Mums has married in secret. At Halloween. I am absurdly pleased. Hardly anyone we know is married. although Wonder Nanny has just got engaged. Wednesday Mum says it was a necessity - like going for a smear. She asked the Registry Office if she and her partner could have a Civil Partnership, but apparently not. On the way back to the car there were about 20 bees on the flowering Hebes in front of a hotel. Honey Bees and Bumble Bees. Whoops there go the ice caps.

Back home Son 2 fell flat on his face. Nosebleed. Ibuprofen. I sat with the howling child on my knee, dose of ibuprofen in a hovering teaspoon, waiting for breath to be drawn so I could pop it in his mouth. A great globule of blood landed in the teaspoon, turning the cloudy white liquid red. Nice. I put Son 2 to bed and Son 1 and I watched Shrek 2. Then we played with the balloons we blew up for Wonder Nanny’s birthday. They were weasels. They had to be captured, fought, rounded up, thrown downstairs and chased. Son 1 barked orders; I obeyed. Nanna arrived. She too had to obey. I got Son 2 up. He burst a balloon with his toe nail. Mmmm. A little sign that Mummy’s been skiving one of her jobs again.

1.  December Sunshine

2.  Decorations

3.  Marvellous Him

We went to The Beach.  Sheltered from the bitter prevailing wind, it was paradise.  Cold, but spectacular.  Blue sky, blue sea, bright sunshine and crisp fresh air.  We shared it only with about 20 dog owners and their hounds.  And a couple of old ladies in swimsuits and hats having a dip in the sea.  Our party numbered four mothers, six boys aged 4 and under, one girl aged 18m and one old sloppy dog.  The other dogs stayed down by the water (for a change.)  The boys stayed up on the sand (for a change.)  The sloppy dog didn’t try and hump any of the other dogs (for a change.)  And the mad woman with the spaniel who beat the sloppy dog when it tried to hump her dog wasn’t there.  So many Good Things.  Son 1 aged 4y 2m was exhausted, and fell out with his best friend.   Son 2 aged 14m slept for about 20 minutes and was then woken up by boys yelling.  They were not at their best.  I packed up to go and Son 1 played on a wooden table top.  And then slid off, head-first, stuck, upside down, legs on the table, face wedged on the bench.

Son 2 roared, Son 1 whinged. I got them home and fed them lunch.  Er… at quarter to three.  See previous comments about how well they behave for Wonder Nanny, who has never been known to wing a meal.  The Man came back and took Son 1 out to get a Christmas Tree.  I put a reluctant, over-tired, Very Loud Indeed Son 2 to sleep.   A tree arrived, together with a blitheringly excited Son 1.  “We can’t go in the loft for the decorations while Son 2 is asleep.  We’ll wake him up.”  Son 1 has never seen any reason to mind if Son 2 is awake.  This has been the root of a great deal of tension between him and us over the last 14m.  We went in the loft for the decorations.  Son 2 woke up.  Nanna came round.  The tree was decorated.  The little boys were entranced.    

And through it all,  Son 2 walked.  Ten and twelve steps at a time.  Backwards and forwards in the kitchen, wearing his Marvellous Me expression.  Wobbling round the beds upstairs.  To the washing machine.  On the beach, just a little bit, to show everyone what he could do.  And then afterwards he needed a finger to hold on to.  This is obviously confidence-gathering time.  But he walked for Nanna, he walked for The Man and he walked for Son 1.    He cuddled Son 1 before they went to bed, he fell asleep almost straight away, and he’s (so far) stayed asleep.  Mmmm.  Is it possible that this Walking Thing might sort out the Sleep Problems?

1.  Finger shadows

2.  Finger walking

3.  Finger food 

 I am comforting Son 2 aged 14m to sleep  by putting the fan on for white noise, sticking my head in the cot next to him till he drowses, then straightening up my pulverised back and kneeling down with my hand on his chest till I dare take it away, put the cot side up and tiptoe out.  This is progress from the weeks of getting him to sleep by lying next to him on a double bed, and having him in the bed with an adult overnight.  So.  He woke this morning at 0515.  The Man went down and lay next to him on the bed.  Son 2 cried and cried.  I gave in. I went down, put him in the cot and did my bent-over-the-cot-my-head-next-to-his-soft-fluffy-hair.  He went quiet.  He lay still.  And then he started making shadows on the wall of his cot by waving in front of the light from the extension lead… and making fish noises.  Which progressed to bah bah bah bah bah.  Translation: I’m really bored and I want to get up, but I can keep myself busy if you want your head like that.”  My back again made the decision and I took him downstairs for milk and a snack.  It was five to six.

We went to The Beach.  Both sets of Wednesday Friends, a gloriously mild day out of the north wind.  I’d wrapped both boys up, but they ended up just playing in sweatshirt sleeves.  Son 1 aged 4y 1m and his Friend stuck together, dug together, menaced smaller children together, raided the food together, demanded ice creams together.  Son 2 crawled and finger-walked and watched them, and watched the dogs and ransacked the food bag.  Doesn’t like peanut butter.  Spat it out.  We got coffee and tea, they got smoothies, the weather was great.

Back home Son 2 went to bed (in the cot… second time today, hooray hooray.)  Son 1banned from watching telly for squirting bubble mix in his brother’s eyes this morning, lay on the kitchen floor sticking Charlie and Lola stickers in a book.  I made a roast chicken meal.  A lovely young man came round to mend the tumble drier.  Nanna arrived.  Son 2 woke up and went nuts in the kitchen because of the cooking smell.  First The Man, and then Nanna took him outside.  We managed to sit down, all five of us at the meal table together.  Star for us in the Family Mealtime book.  Both children asleep by 7.30pm and then I went running.  That’s quite a few more than three good things.

1.  Clapped Out

2.  A Big Clap

3.  Clapping Song

Fireworks, flags and fanfares, Son 2 aged 13m slept in his cot all night.  Possibly unconscious with exhaustion after an evening from hell.  I had to leave him in his cot to cry himself hoarse while I put Son 1 aged 4y 1m to bed. Then I finally got him to sleep on the double bed.  He woke up again, by the time I got up there to pick him up he was frantic.  No voice left, heart beating so hard it felt like it would burst through his little chest, face soaked with tears.  I gave him the rest of his (bottled) milk, and again, I got him to sleep on the bed.  And when I went up I just popped him in his cot. Where he stayed.

He can stand now, for longer and longer.  And looks round for attention when he does it and claps his hands. “Applause please, everyone. I did it again.”  He’s gorgeous.  We went to The Beach in the morning - had to keep ducking for cover in rain showers - and then, for various reasons, went over to our friends’ house afterwards.  Son 1 and Friend Aged 3y 11m played, Son 2 stood by the toy drumkit and rumba-d.  He pointed at the dog a lot.  And snap-snapped with the toy crocodile we got him from the Bird Park.

We’d just got back when Nanna came round.  Son 2 was in the Big Pram asleep.  Son 1’s school photos have arrived - they’re definitely worth giving his whole nursery class his tummy bug.   Son 1 watched CBeebies; Son 2 woke and grizzled and griped until I worked out he was hungry, and sat him in his highchair with breadsticks and hummous.  Then they all ate an M and S fish pie I’d efficiently remembered to take out of the freezer before we left in the morning.  I checked the bag to see how long to heat it: “For best results, cook from frozen.”  At bedtime Son 1 and Son 2 played together in the bath, charming and giggly.  Son 1 and I sang “If you’re happy and you know shout ‘we are’” and Son 2 clapped his hands and laughed in a definite “I know that one!”  Son 1 and Nanna went to his room for stories while I put Son 2 to bed. I gave him some milk, cuddled him and sang him a lullaby, and then put him down on the floor while I blacked out the window with a blanket.  As I finished there was a click.  He’d power-crawled across the bedroom  and was out the door looking for Son 1 and Nanna.  Again, a nightmare getting him off to sleep.  Day 5 without feeding him.  

1.  Sleep

2.  Blue Skies

3.  Home Win

The Man slept with Son 2 aged 1 last night, so I got some sleep.  Son 1 aged 4 came in at 5am and we had lovely snuggles.  Son 2 woke at 6 and I went down as soon as I knew Son 1 had gone back to sleep. Son 2 was on great form, pointing at things to eat and feeding me Cheerios with a delighted smile.  Then he was happy to play on the floor.  Breakfast I thought, making myself some cheese and crackers.  Then there was a wail from upstairs.  Son 1 had wet the Big Bed.

The Man stayed around while we got ready for The Beach.  We were the last of the Wednesday Friends to arrive.  The others were sitting on benches in glorious mild sunshine, with no wind.  Son 1 was wearing his reverseable Fireman Sam outfit.  Son 2 played in the sand, Son 1, the 3-year-old friend and two 2-year old friends formed a scary boy pack and had a small brother and sister playing nearby in tears.  i told Son 1 if the other children cried again we’d go home - which meant I had a very nervous half hour while they all settled down to play together. And then they were fantastic.  The boys had a great time; the mums got their coffees.

School Mum went to pick up the Eldest Friend, the Other Mum and I decided to have lunch in The Beach Cafe.  The Man joined us.  I really should have brought sandwiches for poor Son 1, he had a meltdown because he was starving.  ”I hate vanilla, I want chocolate.” So The Man bought him another ice cream (he hasn’t read the Perfect Parenting Pamphlet.) “This is coffee.  I hate it.”  He cheered up when he sprang the suprise Bob The Builder outfit change on our friends.  Son 2’s tally today included first smoothie drunk in entirety, first taste of ice cream and first taste of ice lolly.  Back on the beach the boys were pirates and I walked the plank many times.  During a drink break, two young women sat down very close to the large hole the boys were using as their swamp.  They buzzed like mosquitos , chatting to and ha-harring them.  The girls left.   We stayed nearly five hours and left to get back for Nanna.  The Boys Done Well. 

1.  Breakfast

2.  The garden

3.  Five boys

4. Visitors

A 0430 start today.  Son 2 aged 1 woke up and then wouldn’t go back to sleep.  Nappy change, calpol, lying next to me on the double bed, fan on, he finally passed out at 0530.  Son 1 aged 3y 11m had woken and gone upstairs to wait for me in the Big Bed.  I snuggled with him for a few minutes, looked at the clock, saw it  was 6am and snuck downstairs for coffee.  Son 2 didn’t wake till 8am and the knock on the door from the organic veg man.  Son 1 didn’t wake till 9am and the phone call from Nanna.    I listened to the radio and did some Office work while I was waiting.

It was a beautiful morning.  We met the Wednesday Friends at the Garden next to the Beach.  Son 1 and one friend played pirates, climbed trees, ran through hedge tunnels, trampled down mighty elephant grass, went ankle-deep in boggy mud and pestered for Twiglets.  Son 2 and the friend’s younger brother played in the gravel surrounding some mega-succulents.  Son 2 chewed on very round stones, carefully laid stones on the grass, examined the plants and crawled and crunched.

The Son 1 and his Friend wanted to go onto the beach.  I pushed Son 2 in The Big Pram till he slept, and then went down to the water with them.  They stripped off and went in, shallow paddling, splashing.  The other two Wednesday Friends arrived, running towards the two in the sea.  The first Friend’s little brother ran in.  They were lovely.  Joyful, innocent, unselfconscious and full of delight in the moment and delight in one another.  Although there was a lot of wet sand throwing going on.  The sand was shining, the sky was blue and the sea was rippling in with very tiny, widely spaced waves.  It was very special.

We had to get back for two because more friends were coming round.  As I hunted for a parking space, there was a familiar sound from the back seat.  Son 2, vomiting like the exorcist girl.  ”Get me out of here! It stinks!” yelled Son 1, helpfully.  I parked in a one-hour bay, scooped the boys up and got them indoors.  I cleaned up and changed Son 2. The friends - pregnant mother, two boys aged 4 and 2 - arrived.  I gave her Son 2 ,and went out to move and clean the car.  And when I got back he was being sick again.  Nanna and Elder Sister came round, Son 2 ate minestrone soup and cheese and then was sick again.  And then had a nappy which overflowed on to the floor.  He’s in bed now.  I do so hope it’s not that bug he had before.  

1. X and Y

2. Why Oh Why

3.  IOU 

There was an Event.  To mark Son 1 aged 3y and 11m leaving the nursery he’d been at since he was 6m.  I went in to the Nursery bag this morning to get a nappy because I couldn’t be bothered to go upstairs.  And there was a whacking great file from The Nursery.  Two typed pages on his development and achievements, pages and pages of Nursery records of how he does on all their tick-sheets… artwork… and loads and loads of photos of him at the Nursery since way back before he was Son 2 aged 11m’s age.  I rang The Man: “You silly banana pants.  (picking up language from each other goes both ways) I mooched round all Monday night telling you I felt odd because there was nothing to mark Son 1 leaving The Nursery, and there’s a massive file about him in the bag.”  “Oh yeah.  They said there was something there to give his next place.  I didn’t look at it.” 

We went to The Beach with the Wednesday friends.  It wasn’t raining, but the wind was so strong it whipped the fromage frais pot and spoon out of my hand as I was feeding Son 2.  There was another baby on the beach, an 8 monther we know through a Wednesday Mum’s friend.  Huge.  I’d finally decided to accept what the entire medical profession kept telling me, and to stop worrying about Son 2 being small.  And so a 75th - 90th child was sent to make Son 2 look minute.  I rang The Friend Whose Baby Was Thin.  “I can tell you the name of every fat baby we met in his first year,” she said.  “He will grow out of it.” 

I got some money out of my bank account today.  This is a Good Thing, a saga dating back to Aug 4, when my cashcard wouldn’t work.  I realised it had expired on July 31.  I messaged my bank to ask where the cash cards were.  And the next day found the safe pile where Wonder Nanny had put the post.  I logged back into the bank. They had apologised, cancelled the ones they’d sent and would arrange for new ones to be sent.  I waited.  Then I realised they’d sent me another message, saying the cards were ready to go, could I please confirm the address.  Three weeks ago.  Then the new card arrived.  Then the old pin wouldn’t work.  Then the new pin arrived.  And today, hooray hooray, I have my money, I have my old PIN back… and all I need to do now is pay back everyone who has subbed me for the past five weeks. 

1. The parking fairy

2. Splash

3. The Good Hook

Wednesdays are great because I’m off, but they’re also hard because I need to do the housework, clear up breakfast, get lunches in the Buzz (Lightyear) Box and scoop up two small boys who haven’t seen me for two days.   At 10 to 10 today I remembered that I’d parked in the one hour parking last night because I was scrambling to get into the house so Wonder Nanny could leave.  And the one hour parking restriction starts at 9am.   So.  Shoes on Son 1 aged three and a half.  Son 2 in car seat in pram.  Boys in car, pram in car.  Car outside house.  Beach bag in car, other bags in car.  Drive round and round looking for space.  And then there was one.  Five cars down.  And Son 2 had fallen asleep in his car seat so we could get ready to go out again in peace.

“Wear your pirate shoes.” “No.” “But they’re beach shoes.  You’re wearing your pirate outfit.  So you should be wearing your pirate shoes.” “I want the flashing shoes.”  “No.  You’ll only run in the sea.” “I won’t run in the sea.  I want the flashing shoes.” “You always tell me you won’t run in the sea and you always do.” “I won’t. I really won’t. I want the flashing shoes.” “Well you can wear them, but you make sure you take them off as soon as we get to the beach.”  “I will. ” 

Splash.

A very good time at The Beach.  Our usual friends, plus our friend’s friend… who has a son at the boys’ nursery.  Six small boys and a baby.  Son 1 took two pirate hooks and a great big grey blue humpback whale.  Four small boys ran around chasing each other with the hooks, and sticks, and feathers.  Son 2, on very good form,  sat on the mat eating sand and limpet shells.  The sun shone, the wind was blowing the sun hats off.  The tide was going out, leaving yard upon yard of rockpools.  The sea twinkled.  Son 1 got his pirate trousers and pants wet.  We began to pack up and I realised that the good hook and the whale were missing.  I found the whale… and walked the length of The Beach four times looking for the good hook.  “Lost forever,” I told Son 1, who wailed.       Back home we did three laps of our block, and just when I decided to double park to unload everything but the boys… a space.  Outside our house. 

Later, our friend texted to say she’d found the good hook in her beach bag.   

1.  High tide

2.  Asleep

3.  Tea party

We are fantastically lucky to be less than a mile from the beach and this blog always helps me to remember that.  Today though was hard because it was scorching.  Son 2 aged 8m was at Richter scale 6 for 45 mins before we went out and my skull felt like a sheet metal worker had been trying to flatten it out from the inside.   Son 1 aged 3 and a half wanted to take the beach tent Nanna brought.  In an ideal world I would have put the tent up and looked after Son 2 inside.  But I couldn’t get the tent up, look after Son 2 - who, having used up every calorie in his system on his screaming fit, was starving, - and fend off 5 small boys who instantly started runnning off with the poles and pegs.   Son 1 though was in transports.  Up to the pockets of his shorts in the sea (sunsuit still in the toy bag),  playing very well with the others, digging, collecting, mixing… and then back to the old game of beating the approaching sea with seaweed to try to stop it coming in, and shrieking with laughter when it didn’t work.  Son 2 ate his lunch, ate sand, ate stones, ate some leftover sandwich one of the other children left in the pop-up tent I parked him in.  Our physio friend thinks he’s maybe a bit young to be diagnosed with Scoliosis.  The water was turquoise, and there were people swimming.  Next time I’ll bring a costume, I thought, remembering last summer when I was fat as a hippo and cooled off in the sea.  But it was so mercilessly hot that we didn’t last much past lunchtime.

Back home I had two boys asleep at once.    I had last night’s leftovers for lunch.   I looked at the washing, the cleaning, the toys and the mess.  And then joined Son 2 on the big double bed and  had nearly an hour’s sleep.

Nanna came round just after we all woke up.  The Man was barbecueing.  So all I had to do was feed Son 2 (Don’t Want That.  Want Hot Milk.  Only louder.)    Son 1 was beside himself with excitement.  The Man shook down the astroturf (Concreted yard.  Very child unfriendly.  Got it on the net.) and collected about two buckets full of sand that Son 1 has just slung around from his sand table.     Tea was late and chaotic.  Son 2 refused leftovers from breakfast and wriggled,  chewing bits of white bread and throwing them on the floor.  Son 1 helped himself to a spoonful of salad, ate a couple of bits of pepper, and then carefully dragged a large strip of lettuce through his tomato sauce and lowered it into his mouth from high above his upturned face.   

1. Cleaning the car

2. The cot

3. The beach to ourselves

The Man and I are barely lucid.  Son 2 aged 8m continues his “WHERE ARE YOU ALL?” starting just before 5.  I cracked at 0530 and went downstairs and fed him.  The Man has hung an old blanket over the window because I think the problem’s the light.  He thinks the problem is Son 2’s teeth.  Today Son 1 aged 3 and a half slept in despite the noise.  So before 8am I  put  Son 2 in his pram, walked him up and down the terrace and he fell asleep.  And then The Man got the extension lead out and I… vaccuumed the car out.   It now looks like other peoples’ before they clean them… but it’s a start.

Son 1 got up at gone 8 and said that as he’d slept through, he had enough energy to go to the Trade Show today.  Very disappointed that it’s not on yet, and went off next door for breakfast.  I put Son 2 in his cot so he could hang on to the side and stand up.  He loved it.  Screams blue murder if he has to lie down, but a smile as big as his face for standing up.  He’s twice done a very funny baby leg-stomp when he’s fallen over or his legs have buckled.  Sheer temper, and hilarious now at 8 months old, but I do wonder whether we are in for stormy times as he gets bigger.

Down to the beach to see our friends.  The tide going out, and no-one else there.  Son 1 clunked instantly in to playing with the others.  Son 2 slept for a few minutes and then was very happy playing on the sand and having his lunch.  Our friends said how much they’d enjoyed the christening.  The couple who run the beach cafe are selling up.  Can’t help thinking that it’ll be £3 lattes in its next incarnation, instead of 40p mini-milks.  The wind was onshore and very cold.  I had to retrieve Son 1’s beach ball, and left Son 2 with one of the other mums.  “If you just feed him Cheerios, he’ll be your best friend.”  When I came back her 22-month-old was feeding him the Cheerios.  So sweet.