My girls graciously offered to babysit our friends' beautiful son on Thursday night. Toddlers look just so adorable don't they?
My girls "forgot" they had also committed to attending an all "marathon movie session" that night. Convenient huh!
I got the chance to remember what bloody hard work toddlers are - to identify the fact that over time my house became child unfriendly. Reminded that toddlers will find the sewing kit first, can empty the contents of a cupboard quicker than we can go to the toilet and can make just one piece of peanut butter toast spread over an entire household. As his mother slept off her night out, and my girls came home at 6am needing sleep before their respective work, Christian cleared off fishing out at the islands - Marley and I amused ourselves.
I did enjoy watching him on the front verandah in the rain. We went to look at it and I enjoyed watching him learn the difference between the dry floor and the slippery wet floor. I loved how he blinked at the rain and first tried to catch it with his hands and then with his mouth. We both got pretty wet and dirty (never knew I had that much dog hair on the front verandah actually) as we slid on our bottoms and knees and as I watched his first clumsy attempts to walk, and falls and then as he mastered the slippery surface.We both needed a bath afterwards.
I did forget the dirty nappies. I really did. Completely. And I gagged and my eyes watered and I ... was so pleased those days are over for me. That was another bath. I threw him in the bath fairly often actually. Good thing he likes them.
For his birthday about 5 months ago I made him a paper mache dog. He recognised a pig and a teddy bear made out of the same materials and painted similarly - but the pig has a much smaller money hole than his dog. He knew to find my purse and hold it towards the bear and pig to indicate to me he wanted to play put the money in. So we did. Until I had exhausted every possible coin pile in the house. We even went out to the cars to find coins.
That is a picture of his dog the day I gave it to him.
It was an interesting experience - something I did for so many years.. and yet I was so tired when they departed. I kinda rushed them in the end - the poor mother had a hangover and was dodging phone calls for a BBQ she was meant to attend. I even packed up three types of salad for her to take to the BBQ so that she didnt have to attend the lines at IGA. I have enjoyed the relative freedom that happens once the children become semi-independant. Going to the toilet and having a bath alone are examples of what you gain with their growth.
But at the same time - the marvel at their skills developing every minute your with them. The pleasure when he repeats the words as I point to the picture and say the word. My dogged behaviour wherein obviously he has been taught rediculous words for the pictures and I want him to use the "real" one. The slow embarrassment and blush when I realise it is so not my place to do that. But I persisted anyway. "Nah, not birdie - BIRD - Nah not a woof - it's a dog!"
He used Rocky (our dog) as a climbing stool. Rocky didnt seem to mind Marley just climbing on him first before the pull to the sofa. My dogs became agitated if Marley whinged. My dogs also constantly stole his food and waited behind him to see what he would drop next. Dotti even ate his grapes! I guess if the kids eating them they must be ok? They happily cleaned up the dropped pasta and three bean salad that he dropped on the floor.
The pleasure when he freely hugged and mouthed me.An open mouth slobbering on you isnt quite a kiss. Or as he twiddled both my hair and his hair around his fingers as he reluctantly fell asleep.
No comments:
Post a Comment