Weekend with a full on toddler

So much for my lie in! The boys arrived home from (what I can only assume at the time as a failed) camping trip early on Saturday morning, I heard the stair gate and pointed a bleary eye at my digital clock: 5.38am. Considering Silverdale is an hour's drive from us, Boy must have risen very early, and I assume, not very bright. Luckily, they were sharing a large, 3 roomed family tent with friends, so to bail on a camping trip at 4am did not pose quite as much of a conundrum as it may have. Except for the rule that the farm gate is to remain locked til 7am to prevent car noise on the site (hubby currently driving a creepily silent hybrid), luckily, the farmer had forgotten to lock it, result! I did enjoy my evening off however, which started at 4.30pm, and I spent it on the computer, doing my pregnancy Pilates dvd, having a blisteringly hot bath with a Lush bubble bar and the last chapters of "Three in a Bed" (not about threesomes, to my husband's dismay) and an early night.

HID had thought Boy needed his mummy, but it turns out he just needed his own bed, and slept til 7.30 without even laying eyes on me, a lie in by his standards. But not Daddy's, especially after a midnight bedtime, and two wakes before the ditch. So we quietly dressed and breakfasted, and went out to play at a friend's, returning only at naptime, ensuring Daddy got 5 and 1/2 hours unbroken lie-in, and even with nothing the previous night, that makes the day survivable. (Though, his plans to go out on Saturday night and sleep over at a friend's were scarpered, two sleepless nights are just too much! On the plus side, this ensures he will not be hung over when he wakes, and we can do a nice father's day activity like visit the zoo, instead of father's day treat of being quiet and out of the way. Which is dull and tedious.)

HID has decided that Boy is not quite yet old enough for camping. He is still what can be called a "high need" child, and while other children his age like to stay close to their significant adults, and sometimes like to rest and sit down, or play a quiet game, Boy is FULL ON action man/boy 24hrs a day. He doesn't walk, he runs, as fast and as far as he can, to explore everything. Fine, at age 7 say, but at 18m, he needs constant supervision, pretty much anywhere that isn't our own house, and by nightfall (when he gave up and went to sleep in the tent) HID was shattered. Slings are great for Boy. People always say, don't you get tired carrying him? But the truth is, he sometimes gets put in the sling so we can REST! He can't escape when he's tied to your back! And so you don't have to run round like a loon after him. But he won't stay in happily indefinitely, especially if you're not walking. But hey, 20mins of rest is better than none at all.

On Saturday, we had HID's company BBQ at the MD's (stunningly coveted) house, well mainly the (huge, delicately planted, making me sick with envy) garden, which held a large bouncy castle with slide, and an Olympic sized trampoline, and full size football net, along with two gazebos and 10 or so tables. Dotted round the garden were wicker baskets of gorgeous wooden toy sets for the countless toddlers attending, which must have belonged to her 3 grown-up boys (who were serving Pimms and other (non-alcoholic for me) delights, including sweeties! Behind a makeshift bar). The caterers were in with an industrial sized coal BBQ, and as every year before, the food was utterly sumptuous. Boy particularly enjoyed sampling the many salads (and stealing crisps from unsuspecting bigger children.). Even the vegetarians amongst us were well catered for. And the deserts.....Boy ate enough fresh raspberries and strawberries to assume the look of a dyed-red person til bathtime, and I ate enough to ensure I don't need to eat again til Monday. But of course I will. Especially as we were sent some with half a carrot cake and several mini shortbreads and chocolate bites in clingfilm by the MD's lovely wife.

I quickly succumbed to lots of SDP pain during the event, due to Boy insisting on (and needing help) climbing the huge steps up to the house, and HID did have to take over hawk duties. He ran circles round Daddy (and anyone else he met), by leaping on the bouncy castle while it was full of the 10+ age group (who were mostly not careful about jumping on tiny tots), when placed on the empty trampoline for a little bounce, running full pelt to the other side and ONLY JUST stopping before careering off the edge into next-doors garden (several times), insisting he is big enough, and skilled enough, to join in playing football with the MD's teen sons and a few 10 yr olds, and frequently picking up the ball and legging it in my direction laughing his head off, much to the bemusement of the other players, and his "audience" in general. Other antics may include attempting to dive off a high part of the split level garden, and running through the pool tournament in the open garage to play on the (thankfully quiet) road at the front. Yes, he is a high needs child. He "needs" to cause mayhem! It was much (exhausting) fun. We've still got Sunday to go!

Pictured above is all that remains of his first ever (whole) ice-cream from the ice-cream van (eaten wearing a cover-all bib in a highchair, I'm not stupid) which he devoured just before we left for the BBQ. You may think this snack high in e-numbers is the cause of such full-on toddler mayhem, but BELIEVE me, he does not need extras to ensure he behaves as though he has consumed 12 litres of pure Vimto. He's always like that, even on a diet of fruit and oat cakes....