Dear Freddie (3)

Dear Freddie

I drove you, Mamma and Dada home and then stayed with you all as planned until Christmas eve before I drove home for Christmas.

I wanted you to remember I was here and find me, but Mamma brought you into my room on the 1st morning. Once I was dressed I sat with you and Dada on the sofa. I chatted with you both…but you were playing with Dada’s camera and gave me “the look!” The” “I’m focused on something, don’t disturb me, don’t interrupt what I’m doing” look. Apparently its happened before, but I think its the first time I got it!

We got Dada’s old train set out to play. You learnt very quickly that you could turn the handle, to make the bridge lift up and open. I’m amazed how quickly you learn things. Sometimes though, you decided it was easier to lift the bridge up yourself. You haven’t yet worked out how the train can run on the tracks, but you enjoyed seeing the train go down the bridge with gravity.

While I was staying we also met up with your twin, the boy who was delivered at the same hospital on the same day as you. We met at soft play, my goodness how noisy it was there. You liked climbing up the mini slide. You obviously didn’t read the sign saying this was not allowed! Your twin is walking, and since meeting him, its like he has inspired you to work on your walking.

We also went for lunch at Harvester. Poor Dada’s water turned a funny colour after you played with it. Putting the cucumber slice, from my salad bar trip, in the water, then fishing it out. Later discovering that you can hit a spoon insider the glass to make a noise. It turns out even mealtimes are not out of bounds for your experiments! Mamma was really excited about the salad bar and made sure I and Dada knew where the dressings and toppings were “hidden”. You particularly enjoyed olives and croutons from our bowls. Mamma had ribs and you loved gnawing on a rib. Dada had an ice cream sundae for dessert…they’d decorated the glass of ice cream with an ice cream cone. He put a tiny bit of ice cream in it and gave it to you to have while you were sat on my lap. Somehow I got ice cream dripped on me!

You needed a nappy change while we there there. I wonder when people thought of 2 ladies and a baby going into the disabled toilet together! The changing table was for up to 1 year and about your weight. There were a seat there too for an older age and higher weight, but I’m not sure how you are meant to change a nappy on it. Changing your nappy takes 2 people! You are such a wriggler, that it takes 2 pairs of hands. I’m scared of nappy changes on my own, I’m unsure about how to fold your Terry nappies and use the nappy wraps.

We also went to St Albans just as shops were closing. The Abbey was also closed by the time we got to it. There was lots of pretty lights all over the centre of St Albans though. We also went into a toy shop. I think you were tired though and asleep on someone’s back.

We didn’t get to play on my last day with you, Christmas eve. You had vomited and were feeling a bit delicate. Mamma knew what you needed and made sure it was a slow day.

I rang you over Christmas, you cried loudly but calmed down after I spoke to you a bit. I also video called you, you studied my face seriously before giving me a smile. Dada and I both wondered if you had cried on the telephone call because you missed me. I miss you too boo boo, but tomorrow I drive to yours, collect you and take you to my home for new year. I can’t wait to see you again, and I’ve no idea how I will cope in the new year when you aren’t staying at mine. I love you! You’re my beautiful boy!

from Aunty xx

Dear Freddie (2)

Dear Freddie

I should be sad you’re boiler is broken, but its been wonderful having you to visit so soon after your last visit. Leaving you in bed with Mamma and Dada each morning as I left for work and then returning to you crawling out of the living room, smiling, as I enter the front door.

You again looked on my bookshelves, but this time, instead of pulling everything off the shelves onto the floor, books, games, jigsaw pieces, you touched the books one by one, taking in the colours, almost like you were searching for just the right one to look at. You notice your cog toy, still lying in the fire place and crawled to fetch it. Loving the turning cogs, but this time able to notice the little handle for turning the master cog.

You still love food and this bring me much joy. You eat tempura prawn’s from Dada’s rice bowl. We “share” a mince pie…but I only get a few crumbs. You love mince pies, I’m glad I bought the mini ones, so you don’t fill up too much on them! At the carol service I go to break a small section off my chocolate mini roll for you…but in my error, I held it near to you, and before I know it the whole thing is in your hands, and in your mouth. None for me! You drink from a glass, and from a can, Mamma’s iced tea to be specific, you chug it down, its yours now, not hers.

Not learning from last time, I cook with you again. Unroll the ready made pizza dough, spread over the tomato salsa, layer up salamis and mozzarella. You stand on the step stool, the perfect height to see, but don’t help me putting the pizza together. Instead you provide the quality control, first tasting the tomato salsa, then the mozzarella. The mozzarella goes in your mouth, before being dropped to the floor. Does that mean it’s passed the test, or that it failed?? I’m mortified when you topple off the stool when I’m not watching. You scream and cry. Thankfully Mamma’s response, “is that these things happen when you are tired”. You feed on mummy milk and within minutes are asleep. Mamma knows you so well!

You race up and down my stairs, they feel far safer than your stairs at home, with their carpet on them and larger size. You sit in a foldable crate and relish being pushed around in it. Is it a car? Is is a boat?

We set my laptop up in readiness for the Strictly Come Dancing Final. You enjoy watching the penguins in the show before. Then I introduce you to strictly…but the show is too long for your concentration, and your are wandering off before we get too far into it.

I leave you 1 evening to attend a Christmas meal out. Sad to have missed seeing you, I tap on your door when I return. Mamma says I can come in. You are nowhere near sleeping, but full off beans. You happily bounce around the bed, even getting out to spend time with me. I’m so glad to get time with you. “Land of the silver birch,” our bedtime song is not sufficient to settle you for sleep. I spray the room with lavender spray as Mamma tells me to send in Dada – you need the “big guns” to get you to settle this time!

You regularly stand yourself up, using the sofa or the kitchen cupboards to pull yourself up to standing. One day I hold your hands, and with my support you walk all the way from the kitchen to the living room. Later during your visit, when you don’t think too much, you do a few steps of walking. The rest of the time, you either crawl, or “walk” around on your knees! It seems balancing on the knee joint is the challenging part, not the walking!

Mamma orders my Christmas present to arrive while you are staying and to be delivered to a local shop. There is a mix up, the box is there, left by the delivering driver, but the shop owner says he no longer takes deliveries for that company so won’t release it. Mamma is so sad. I take her to a supermarket, my happy place…turns out its her idea of hell, oops. She tells me its something for us to use while you are visiting. I’m slightly concerned it will be a Wendy house or teepee that will take up space in my flat. She shares what it is, its a car seat so I can drive you places. She had visions of Sunday lunch in a country pub. Thankfully I have a friend in that delivery company and she pulls strings to ensure it gets delivered to us before you leave. The plan is to for you to leave on Tuesday…but I get Mamma to check the ticket, its an open return. I convince you all to stay longer, then I’ll drive you all home as I’m coming to stay before Christmas anyway. We drive home on Thursday after Dada and I finish work. Dada takes aaages fixing your car seat into my car. You are hangry on the drive, so we have to stop at the first services we get to so you can have a feed and we can all eat. Dada and I eat in the services, forgetting poor Mamma, hungry and feeding her baby in a dark services car park. We eventually get home by 11pm. You are unhappy to be woken up to be carried in to bed. I stay the night and have 3 more days with you at yours before driving home for Christmas.

Love Aunty