Today was the start of my second day this week looking after both my children on my own, and the only day we didn't have anything pre-planned. It is also possibly the last day I will be looking after 2 children under 2 on my own as C turns 2 next week. At which point everything gets miraculously easier right?
Breakfast went smoothly and Baby B went down for his first nap around 8:15 which allowed my a good 45 minute window to have some one to one time with C. I had recently purchased a number of items from Little Birdie House's Get Creative range and this seemed the perfect opportunity to give them a try. I opted for a bracelet and tiara from their Fairy Wings set.
Now I appreciate that I could have made the basic shapes myself (similar to the butterfly wings we made here) however as a "grab and go" craft which required no pre-planning this was brilliant. C spend a good half an hour meticulously decorating her tiara and bracelet, and she was very pleased with the end result. We decorated ours with stickers but you could also use crayons, paint, glitter, sequins, the list is endless!
Having had a good stretch of "Mummy Time", C was happy to occupy herself with Thomas the Tank Engine themed imaginative play while I fed a now awake baby B and made a start on lunch.
Baby B went down for his next nap at 10:45. C was beginning to complain she was hungry and as there was an hour until lunch I gave her a second biscuit to keep her going. I'm not going to lie, that next hour was extremely difficult, with C still hungry and decidedly grumpy. This culminated in a massive tantrum as I was dishing up that woke baby B up. The result was one unhappy Mummy!
After lunch, C went down for her nap and I fed and entertained baby B. Today I was not going to get a stretch with both of them asleep at the same time. Luckily baby B is turning into quite a happy little soul and was content to play in his baby gym while I ate my lunch.... something that a baby C would never have done!
I knew I needed to go to pop to the Post Office in the afternoon therefore as the weather was fine I decided to combine it with a walk to the village and play in the park. For short walks I find it easiest to use our Bugaboo Bee with baby B in the pushchair and C on the buggy board. Unfortunately it appeared that the Bugaboo was in the back of Daddy's car. Not ever so helpful when he was 100 miles away. My next preference would have been the double buggy but I knew it would not fit through the Post Office door. We were therefore left with the option of having C in the Quinny Speedi and baby B in the baby carrier. With baby B now easily pushing 17lb, I was not looking forward to the uphill trek to the village while also pushing a pushchair.
We huffed and puffed the 1 mile walk to the village and posted our parcels. We then headed to the local park which I was amazed to find was empty considering the sun was shining and it was half term. While C was running around I put baby B in the pushchair to save my back. He seemed quite happy to sit and watch C try out the different equipment.
If wasn't long before C announced she was hungry (again!) - I swear she must be going through a growth spurt! We therefore headed back to the village where I intended to nip into the corner shop and grab something to keep her going until we got home (it would have been too organised of me to have thought to have brought something from home). Walking down the High Street we passed the coffee shop. Was I brave enough to attempt to sit in and have a cup of tea with both of them? Why not!
I ordered a cup of raspberry tea for myself, a glass of water with a straw for C and a slice of Victoria Sponge cake to share. Baby B was happy to sit on my knee and it was all going surprisingly well until poor C tipped her glass of water all over herself. I tried to calm her down and dry her off. I shouldn't have left the glass within her reach. Lesson learnt! That aside, she was very well behaved and was happy to watch the various local customers come and go.
My phone rang. It was Daddy. He was arriving home earlier than expected and would be there in 10 minutes. Did we want picking up? Yes please!!!
The day on my own was cut short at 4pm but this saved my back the 1 mile walk home, as well as avoiding the ever darkening sky that I had been watching worryingly out of the corner of my eye. I had left the rain cover for the pushchair at home and had no umbrella to protect baby B and I.
As days go, I think today was quite successful, helped by the fact the baby B is getting into more of a routine which allows me to set aside dedicated time for C. I could have done without the midday tantrum but with C approaching the terrible twos I know all I can do is try and stay one step ahead to mitigate against them the best I can.
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