Sometimes big girls are babies
Mar. 24th, 2009 08:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ailbheLinnea was crying in her sleep a good deal last night and woke unhappy and small-acting today. She sat on my lap and snuggled a good deal, and moped around, and burst into tears when I gave her the wrong size spoon for her muesli, and that sort of thing. Eventually she said "I am the only one who is not in school except Buttercup!" and I asked "Will I call Buttercup?" and she groaned in an affirmative-but-miserable way and I arranged to collect Buttercup from her house and then Linnea said she was too tired to get dressed. So I had to dress her.
She felt a lot better when she was warmer. So we addressed the parcel for our new cousin - Baby Sióg was born on the 17th, one week ago today, and Emer chose her a stripy elephant and Linnea made her a card. That's the fourth child born to my eldest sister, and probably the last, I think. But there are four more of us!
We posted that parcel and collected Buttercup and walked to the Community Gardens, where we met a man who seemed again shocked and surprised by how I look after the children - he says things like "My goodness you have servants for everything!" to them, and "Aren't you lucky!" because I've packed us all drinks and snacks. I mean, I had a flask of tea for myself, because I think every outing is improved by calorific replenishment and a hot drink, until it's too hot for hot drinks, but he still interpreted the whole thing as being somehow for the children's benefit.
I prefer children who are warm and not too hungry. Cold (or very hot) hungry children are no fun to be around, even when they are being brave and noble and uncomplaining about it.
Anyway, we played, and cleaned the pond, and watered the plants and each other, and then went for lunch at McDonalds and then brought the recyclable rubbish home and collected the swimming kit.
I phoned the pool to check that bringing two children and a toddler was ok, and ask which pools were open, and what it would cost, and did I need cash, and so on. Then we walked down, and Linnea walked incredibly slowly, and we got there, and as I was paying I found that the information I'd been given on the phone was wrong and instead of the (very warm) Teaching Pool we'd have to use the (warm enough but not bathlike) Recreation Pool. We were in the pool at 2:30. And then after we'd been in a few minutes a school arrived - that is, a mixed-age group of schoolgirls in uniform swimsuits - to have their lesson, in the Rec pool. We were moved into the Teaching Pool and warned strictly not to bother the babies, and then put under pressure to leave at 3, but I had told the manager that wasn't acceptable when we were first moved around. So it was ok. We left at 3:20 in the end, and really I think my two children had had enough by then.
So we dressed and had another drink and came back home and keeled over; the children put the telly on about 4:15 and I sat in front of a computer.
Emer fell asleep before dinner in spite of being given chocolate at 5 pm, which usually works perfectly. But Rob made us a lovely beef-and-lentil pasta bolognese and we ate, and then he took Buttercup home and went shopping, and I snuggled the girls on the sofa. Linnea is still small and sad and acting very very young.
They've had a bath now and are almost ready for bed. So am I.
She felt a lot better when she was warmer. So we addressed the parcel for our new cousin - Baby Sióg was born on the 17th, one week ago today, and Emer chose her a stripy elephant and Linnea made her a card. That's the fourth child born to my eldest sister, and probably the last, I think. But there are four more of us!
We posted that parcel and collected Buttercup and walked to the Community Gardens, where we met a man who seemed again shocked and surprised by how I look after the children - he says things like "My goodness you have servants for everything!" to them, and "Aren't you lucky!" because I've packed us all drinks and snacks. I mean, I had a flask of tea for myself, because I think every outing is improved by calorific replenishment and a hot drink, until it's too hot for hot drinks, but he still interpreted the whole thing as being somehow for the children's benefit.
I prefer children who are warm and not too hungry. Cold (or very hot) hungry children are no fun to be around, even when they are being brave and noble and uncomplaining about it.
Anyway, we played, and cleaned the pond, and watered the plants and each other, and then went for lunch at McDonalds and then brought the recyclable rubbish home and collected the swimming kit.
I phoned the pool to check that bringing two children and a toddler was ok, and ask which pools were open, and what it would cost, and did I need cash, and so on. Then we walked down, and Linnea walked incredibly slowly, and we got there, and as I was paying I found that the information I'd been given on the phone was wrong and instead of the (very warm) Teaching Pool we'd have to use the (warm enough but not bathlike) Recreation Pool. We were in the pool at 2:30. And then after we'd been in a few minutes a school arrived - that is, a mixed-age group of schoolgirls in uniform swimsuits - to have their lesson, in the Rec pool. We were moved into the Teaching Pool and warned strictly not to bother the babies, and then put under pressure to leave at 3, but I had told the manager that wasn't acceptable when we were first moved around. So it was ok. We left at 3:20 in the end, and really I think my two children had had enough by then.
So we dressed and had another drink and came back home and keeled over; the children put the telly on about 4:15 and I sat in front of a computer.
Emer fell asleep before dinner in spite of being given chocolate at 5 pm, which usually works perfectly. But Rob made us a lovely beef-and-lentil pasta bolognese and we ate, and then he took Buttercup home and went shopping, and I snuggled the girls on the sofa. Linnea is still small and sad and acting very very young.
They've had a bath now and are almost ready for bed. So am I.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 08:43 pm (UTC)Our pool only allows 2 under 8's with 1 adult. It's quite hard when I go now as Kate can swim anywhere & Holls is still splashing at the shallow (er) end in armbands.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 08:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 08:53 pm (UTC)Is Linnea a night time person? I'm a morning person, Holly is too, but not sure about Kate yet. She's started sleeping later as she's gotten older & 7.45 is her weekend waking up time now.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 10:21 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-25 12:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 09:08 pm (UTC)And show you that someone appreciates it even if they don't.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 09:11 pm (UTC)alison ...
Date: 2009-03-24 10:13 pm (UTC)Did you get the small piece of paper that was next to it? After you left I realised I should have given you Butterucp's YRP, and then later in the afternoon realised that I could have given you one of the 2 vouchers I was given yesterday when I went and booked 4 children worth of swimming lessons. (I'm not sure this is standard ;-) Have cultivated useful relationship with the pool manager, similar to yours with Marjorie, lol.) But we are unlikely to need 2, as C very rarely swims with us and I pay monthly for me and Gwenny and Ernest and can thus swim free whenever we want. Anyway, thought you could probably use it.
Re: alison ...
Date: 2009-03-24 10:14 pm (UTC)Re: alison ...
Date: 2009-03-24 10:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 10:16 pm (UTC)With Linnea acting "small and sad" is there any chance she is hatching something like an ear infection or strep throat, or is it just a temporary "need Mommy" period?
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-24 10:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-25 05:55 am (UTC)