Today it was just Miss O and I, pretty much all day long. After we'd dropped Master R off at school, we returned home for some hide-and-seek. This is a current daily necessity, and always quite easy, as she has a handful of traditional hiding spots. Beside the sofa, under the poof, inside the blanket box, behind the IKEA chair, or in the cupboard under the stairs. She threw us all a couple of weeks ago by discovering that she could squeeze behind the guitar next to my bedside table. We couldn't find her for minutes!
I put on a load of laundry (she helped me choose dark items to go in) and then we grabbed our swimbag and two packets of crisps (traditional post-swim snack since the days I needed Master R to eat something noisy so I could hear that he was still alive in the back, on dark winter afternoons) and headed out. It's quite a drive out across the Suffolk countryside to get to our pool. Nice views though, except for the agricultural fields being systematically ploughed up to make way for industrial units. Miss O allowed me to have the radio on for half the journey, which was a treat, then requested Moana, which I really enjoy anyway. There was a bit of an incident when she was asking me an obscure, confusing question during the Voyagers song, so I missed all the best bits and had to re-start the track so I could fully enjoy singing loudly in some Polynesian dialect. But it was a nice trip.
Swimming itself was fab. It usually is. Miss O is a born swimmer. She's just always loved it. Always. A few months ago, at just about 3, she earned her 5 metre independent swimming badge. It was just after our holiday in France, actually. Because we said she couldn't swim as far as Master R until she learnt to lift her head out to breathe. So she did it. She's like a fish/dolphin/mermaid in the water. Totally confident and at ease.
"Hold my hand Mummy!" she demanded as the lesson before us finished up, so eager was she to climb down the steps into the none-too-warm water. Once she splashed in, as always, there were a couple of minutes of maniacal splashing and giggling. We were focussing on breathing correctly, then learning backstroke arms, then practising breaststroke arms to emphasise that some strokes require alternating arm movements, and other synchronised. It's getting quite technical, with lots of instructions to listen to and modelling to watch. She ACED it. She does need frequent reminders to keep her head above water in order to see and hear instructions, but she's so confident in the water than she imitates the teacher's movements with relative ease. She loved it, and I loved it. I'm really going to miss swimming with her when she graduates up to independent lessons in September. WaterBabies has been such a solid part of my week for the last 6 years non stop.
We munched our crisps on the way home and stopped to collect some bags of horse manure from a house in a village we pass by, as we often do. This week there were plenty, so I put 4 bags in the boot and then, at Miss O's request, one in front of her seat and one in front of Master R's emtpy seat. Cue giggly declarations that it was stinky!
Lunch was re-heated shepherd's pie from the freezer... the last one of that batch. We need to do a batch cook again because these are a fantastic lunch for us two. Since Master R and Rachel abhore mashed potato, we hardly ever get it, and we LOVE mash. So we've been relishing having quick and easy hot lunches with mashed potato. While it was heating up, Miss O had me read a lovely book about Frida Kahlo three times in quick succession.
She was asking such thoughtful, pertinent questions about it. Why is there blood? Was there a hole in her? How big was the hole? Why is that girl running that way? Why is he bigger? (that prompted a demonstration of perspective, using Master R's minion clock, which was helpfully on the table) Loads of questions bubbling from this child at the moment, and she really considers your answers carefully.
I was tired from a bad night's sleep, so I popped on Moana after lunch so I could snuggle under a blanket on the sofa and have some shut eye. Miss O is very used to this routine by now. In fact, the other day she looked over at me and asked "Why are you still awake, Mummy?" when I happened to be watching an episode of Maulwarf with her! I was interrupted by a fellow coming to check the level of insulation in our loft, and two toilet trips for Miss O, but I managed to rest a bit nonetheless. We had a bit more running-around-tickling-play after that. This is an important part of Miss O's day. I read somewhere that you can release emotional tension two ways; laughing or crying. Miss O requests running/hiding/chasing/tickling games several times a day and I always oblige. Not just because it's cathartic for her. She's utterly adorable so as much as it is repetitive, I do enjoy it. I know this stage will be gone before I'm ready for it, so I relish the regular rhythm of our routine.
Usually after our afternoon rest period, it's time to go and fetch Master R from school, but today he went to a friend's to play and have dinner, so we were oddly at a loose end. It felt SO weird not to be heading out at that time and walking to school. Really unsettling! We togged up in warm clothes and headed into the garden, because the rabbit hutch needed cleaning out. Miss O helped me to fill up the bird feeders first, then discovered some large logs in our nature corner and got to work building a "house" for Willy Pig on the path.
I got on with hutch cleaning, pausing now and then to admire the construction, the bucket of food and to fetch out various toys she wanted. I was keen to get on with some gardening jobs really, because the lawn needs raking to get bits of plastic bark, rocks and twigs off, the pebble area needs clearing of rabbit droppings (again) and the little fir tree is still sitting in the front garden covered in lights, and even I feel that it's now far enough from winter solstice to clear that up. But Miss O wanted to go to a park. So I locked up the house and off we wandered to the nearest park, which we call "The Train Park", because it's near the train station and has a toy train in it. The other park is referred to as "The Far Away Park" because it's a much longer walk. In fact, I walked to that park after my stretch-and-sweep when 9 days overdue with Miss O, to try to get labour started. It worked.
But this park is closer, so after a quick bike ride, we were there, swinging on the swings "Faster! Faster!" and whirling round on the swivelly toy that nobody seems to know the name of. She was loving having my undivided attention. On the ride home, she kept demanding that I watch her; "Look how fast my legs are going! Pretend you're looking at me and you see I'm on an icy puddle." I love that stage when they ask you to pretend to say something or pretend to see something. Something that you then ACTUALLY have to say or can ACTUALLY see. The irony.
We popped to the library on the way home so I could collect this book:
Which I'm going to be reading to get some advice about parenting this sensitive child of ours. Although for the last two days she's been in a terrific mood, her emotions and sensations are still very challenging for her to cope with, and sometimes I don't know how to help her. It helps that I can empathise because I'm highly sensitive myself, but there are times that I'm still at a total loss. So off to the books I go!
At home, Miss O was so excited for Mummy Rachel's return that she stood on the stool by the front door to await her routine. So cute. We had jacket potatoes for dinner, which was ideal for Miss O, since, as previously mentioned, mashed potato is about her favourite food. Maybe second, after "pampakes".
Master R was delivered back to us after dinner. Just as Miss O was on the toilet and Rachel was taking a work phonecall. Some minutes of chaos ensued, but it was manageable! It was a nice calm end to a really lovely day. Children in good moods. Simple, easy day. Happy Mummy. Love days like this.
P.S. Plus, I finally took photos of a blanket I recently finished...
Gorgeous, no?