Highs and lows

Sleepy snuggles in front of the AC during the heatwave. Such a beautiful moment, I loved it. 

Most of the time I think becoming a parent is the best thing I have ever done. Actually, I think that all of the time. And most of the time I really love it and don't find it that difficult (I think I can say that because my kids are at quite an easy age and every parent probably finds different ages have their own varying sets of challenges). Some mums I have met just love when their babies get a bit older and bigger. I, however, love the newborn stage. I love sleepy snuggles, the way your baby smells before they start solids and the fact that they can't escape and you can spend more time cuddling them... As they get older they get more independent and busy and cuddles are usually quicker because they have to run off to do the next thing. This time around when Olive is unsettled for the most part I just remind myself that when she is bigger I won't get to cuddle and hold her for as long, so I may as well enjoy it. Even though I have other things to do, there's nothing really more important or more enjoyable. The piles of washing can wait, and so can the sewing and trying to grow my business.

Last week I had moments with Milo where I felt like I was saying the same thing a thousand times over. We are teaching him to do something the first time we ask, not the third, fourth, fifth or fifty-seventh time. But last Monday and Tuesday it felt like the thousandth time I asked was when he would finally do something. Half the time I don't think he is trying to do the wrong thing, he's just busy. And since I don't want to pretend on this blog that life is all sunshines and rainbows I admit got to the point where I thought I would like a day with just Olive and Milo to be looked after by someone else. Just a day. And in that moment when I realised that I realised Milo needed the exact opposite. He needed time with just me, not me settling Olive whilst trying to do something with him, or telling him I was in the middle of something and to wait. That's what he didn't need.

So the next day I took more time to sit down and play with him, to build Duplo, to do some cutting and pasting, to read books. And he was such a good boy. And then on Friday Clarence worked from home so I took Milo to his friends' house for a play date and then we went out for lunch. He loved it. He was so happy. And while he was chatting away I looked at his beautiful face and remembered why I love him like crazy and how happy being his mum makes me. Do you know what he says to us all the time now? "Mummy and Daddy, it's so nice to meet you." Yep, Milo, it is so nice to meet you too.