Sharing a Room

Just yesterday, the Mushroom announced that he'd like to sleep in the same room as his sister Molly so they both won't get scared.

He's currently going through some stuff.  Spiders, mice, darkness... you name it, he's scared of it.  He has a night light, mouse spray, spider spray, constant reassurance from us that there is no need to be scared of anything that is one hundredth of his size... (don't make me do Math, my head hurts) but you know what the rationale of a 4 year old is like...

Now I can count on one hand, how many nights Molly has woken up in the last month at night and I can count on one finger how many nights that Mushroom has slept in his own bed in the last 8 months.

WTF

I am opposed.  Vehemently.

Juffin thinks it's a good idea so we can turn one room into a play room and we can get all the f-ing toys out of the lounge room.

Between you and I, we know that the statement above will never happen.

So let's go through my reasons for not wanting to do this:

Mushroom has a night light
Molly is still in a cot
Mushroom still needs someone to sit with him when he goes to bed (Yes.  It's fucking ridicuolous.  Don't even get me started!)
Molly is a light sleeper
Mushroom is a nutcase and wakes multiple times at night and creeps into our bed, if we take him back he becomes hysterical and WILL wake another child who would be SOUNDLY SLEEPING in the same room
Molly is a fantastic sleeper and I literally cannot cope with one child in my bed let alone two.  I'm too fat.

Now I don't care that they're opposite sex, they're kids.  I think it's sweet that he wants to share a room with her.  I just don't think that my girl will enjoy having a room-mate.  She's a very independent little thing and I think she likes her own space. She is still breastfed before bed and literally says, nigh night Mummy when we put her down and she rolls over and goes to sleep.

Oh if the first born would do that!  We'd be in HEAVEN!

I guess we could trial it and if it's shit, go back, but will that stuff the good sleeper up forever?  I like my three hours of unbroken sleep!  I need it!!

What's your advice fellow parents?  What would you do?

Their hair is almost exactly the same colour!  

Remember me?

Hi guys!  Remember me?  I've just been over here trying to cope with the fact that my daughter is now one, and my son goes to school next year.

One!

School!

Where the fuck did the last 5 years go?  I have no clue.  I literally cannot fathom the passage of time.

Things that have happened since I last posted:

• Juffin got a new job!  Huzzah! 
• I started a book club
• Mushroom started eating more vegetables
• Molly turned 1
• Nga (my Mum) came to stay 
• Wine was consumed 
• Our first family camping trip 
• Mushroom went back to not eating vegetables
• I got my hair done
• I finally had my hospital appointment 

On Mother's Day my MIL took some photo's of us.  She's been begging me for ages and I just hate it.  I hate having my photo taken because in a photo, you can't hide the fact that I'm a whale.  It's a hard pill to swallow.  I mean you know that you're fat, but when you're looking at a photo of yourself and you're literally taken aback by what you're seeing.. I'm just quietly dying a little bit inside.   

So she took some photo's.  I wish I'd known and dressed better, put a nice plain shirt on Mushroom, got Justin in a button down, had Molly in some handmade, but they're not awful.  And while I am not happy with my appearance, I am happy that we are smiling.  I am happy that my kids are laughing and healthy and loved.  And I am happy that we've stuck it out and we're still here, together. 

Us - 2017

 

Swimming

Sometimes you have to admit defeat, and today, was one of those times.

Mushroom has been going to swimming lessons since he was 13 weeks old.  That's 3.5 years of swimming lessons, and since having a new sister, he has lost the fucking plot.

I have to force him into his swimming togs, on a Monday morning no-less, whilst he whinges about how he hates swimming and doesn't want to go. I talk it up, how fun swimming is, how Mummy loves it, how the pool is nice and warm (probably full of pee...) And he gets in the car without complaint.  He even jumps out and walks to the lesson without complaint.  It's only when we get poolside, that's when the drama starts.  He hides behind my legs, he cries, he screams, he won't get within a metre of the pool's edge.

Last week I just put him in as I had to go to the toilet and I could hear him screaming from the bathroom.  Cuddle cuddle Mummy, cuddle, CUDDLE!

If I force him to get into the pool he has a complete meltdown.

If I sit on the side of the pool and put him in front of me, meltdown.

If I just walk away and ignore him, bigger meltdown.

My son  has gone from swim school superstar to total shit that no-one wants to deal with.

To be honest the instructors at the swim school have been pretty pathetic about it and I'm left standing by the side of the pool wondering why the fuck I wasted a hundred odd dollars on lessons where my son refuses to get in the bloody water.

This morning I did the whole routine and then thought fuck it, grabbed our shit and walked out.  It was only 9.07.  I was sick of the sympathetic shrugs from instructors and all the other parents looking on as I try to wrangle 15kgs of hysterical boy child and a new baby who should be going down for a nap right on the start of his lesson. Being on the verge of tears and feeling pretty fucking angry every Monday morning is not a great start to my week.

After we'd gotten him out of his semi wet togs and into clothes, I had calmed down enough to ask the front desk to see what we could do, maybe I could get my money back.  

Guess what, no-one had even fucking mentioned that Mushroom was having a hard time!  The booking guy was astonished and asked when this had started.  I said it had been going on for months and he was genuinely surprised.  I tried not to get too annoyed and he gave me a few options for a different day or time.

Now I was sick a few weeks ago with a migraine and Juffin had to stay home, and guess who went to swimming and had a fabulous time?!  Unbelievable!  That's right!  Goes with his Father and has a stellar lesson, smiles all round and Juffin thinks I'm full of it.  So we have booked in for Saturday morning and Juffin and Mushroom can have a Daddy Son swimming date.

We came home and I made a plunger of coffee and a batch of cheese scones, of which Mushroom and I ate too many of, and breathed a sigh of relief.  No more rushing around on a Monday morning and dragging a baby who needs to sleep out of the house and a pre-schooler who hates being there with me.

Please let this be the end of the drama and my son go back to loving the water.  We live in a house with a pool for F's sake.  He has to like swimming.  No if's or but's about it!!

Our day started nicely....

Hide and Seek

My son is both adorable and awful equally at the same time.

On Friday last week we were playing hide and seek. He loves hide and seek. Who doesn't love hide and seek? I love the look on his face when he's been searching for me for ages and he's starting to get a bit panicky and I jump out and scare the crap out of him. Mummy moment.

Anyway we were playing for ages but we'd run out of good spots so it was getting a bit boring, when I heard Molly wake up. I told him to go and talk to her while I peed quickly. I go to the main bathroom and when I'm finished I walk into my room to find him pushing his NEWBORN sister UNDER MY BED.

He had taken her from the middle of my bed, CARRIED her BY HER SLEEVES, put her on the floor and then using two hands pushed her by the bum under the bed.

My heart nearly stopped.

Mushroom looked at my face and his face fell.

'Its alright Mummy. I was berry gentle, Molly's juss hiding'

I scooped up my daughter, who was perfectly fine, cooing and smiling, flapping her sleeves around and I took a deep breath.

I smiled/grimaced at my son.

'Please darling, don't pick Molly up, she's only very little and if you drop her you could really hurt her.'

'My know that Mummy! She juss wanted to play hiding and seek as well!!'

Dear Lord. Give me strength.

Butter wouldn't melt

And my phone camera has stopped working so I can only take selfies at the moment.  It's ridiculous.