The One with the Lamp

Let's face it. Tigger hates sleeping. Sleep is the worst kind of torture for him. For many hours he must lay still with his eyes shut and the world is still going on. He must stop playing/running/driving his car/screaming/singing or whatever he's doing at that moment and go to bed. Duuuh boring. He has no time for it. So we fight. Classic conflict of interests. Luckily I still have something to say here. He's not too happy about it. 

Last evening we decided it's time for a big boy bed. We already removed one sidebar from his cot so got used to it but last night was the final step. My boys got to work. Tigger helping pulling out the screws and putting them back. He was so excited. 

Once he was sound asleep I stayed there, in his room, watching him and my heart hurt a bit. My baby boy is growing up. I couldn't believe how big he was.

So who should be asleep?

Obviously Mummy is more comfortable than my bed

Today I decided to give him a bit of independence. Something about the sleeping part he could control - the lamp. I had this little lamp without a shade. So I made one out of thick paper. I didn't want it to give too much light and I wanted it to look cool.

He had so much fun with it. He choose the spot for it (sorry Dog), I placed the switch on the edge of his bed so it's easily accessible and the fun began. He switched it on and off for very very long. Then he discovered that the fluorescent moon on the ceiling disappears when the light is on but appears again once it's off. Finally he got so tired that it was impossible for him to fall asleep. He needed my help so we did it the way we used to do. I rocked him in my arms, close to my heart. Once he fell sleep I held him for minutes, watching his peaceful face and listening to his rhythmic breath and feeling his heartbeat on my chest. My arm got numb (he's not that tiny baby anymore) but I couldn't bring myself to put him back to his bed. How much longer before he doesn't need me anymore? Before I stop being the best, the more important, the only remedy for every scratch and bump? 

The one with the moon

October/November means I'm back at school. The good news is I don't have to wake up at insanely early hour when the entire world is still enveloped in a deep sleep. However the down point of it is that I don't finish until 8.30pm. Which is late. Especially if the last class is about Asian languages and their influence on English grammar. Or something similar. No one really knows what this class is about and how does it contribute to the main subject. 

Recently the nature amazes me with its beauty. Or maybe, thanks to my inquisitive toddler I notice more things around me? Only few weeks ago we had this beautifully amazing rainbow. It was full arch and it was massive and vibrant in colors. Tigger was amazed, I stared at it in awe. It was one of these moments when you just which the world would stop so you can just stand there for as long as you want knowing it won't disappear in a few seconds. And that you took your camera. 

Well, today I had another of these moments. This time it was the Moon. Tigger loves the moon. We always look for it before going to bed to check if it's watching over him. I always explain to him that the moon is waiting for him to fall asleep. The clouds are its blanket for cold nights etc. So, last night it was a full moon. The sky was clear, the air was crisp. And this morning at 7 when you usually see just a small, pale stripe of  moon we had a full display. It was hanging there, still round, still bright, huge. Below the fog was rising from the lake. The picture doesn't really show the magic of it. I wished Tigger could see it however I was happy he was still fast asleep in my bed (we had one of those "mamamamama" nights). 

The One with the 2nd Birthday

My sweet boy turns 2 today. And I'm not with him. I'm in a basement of this futuristic building of linguistics department listening about assets, debentures and Indian import.  All I want to do is to hug him tight, kiss his warm cheecks and whisper to his ear so only he can hear:' thank you, thank you, thank you. For appearing in my life, for making it the best adventure ever. Ther is no way to discribe how much I love you'. 

I've never thought one can love that much. That pure, non- egoistic overwhelming  unconditional love. He makes every waking hour THE hour of my life, turning ordinatr things into an awsomeness. 

Because I'm not there I organised his b'day party last week. First birthday was for us, adults. He couldn't really care less about it back then, so I wanted to ensure that his 2nd was all for him. I invited his little cousins (who are only a year older than him, so they were on the same page) and a friend and set off into turning my mind into a toddler's one. What would they like to eat? How make it more appealing to them? There was one HUGE fan of meat only and a 4 yo vegetable eater (going into the garden and eating a raw courgette is no news for him). I searched the Internet, mums' blogs, Pinterest and came up with few ideas. I may have gone overboard a little but hey, it's better to have leftovers than toddlers screaming for more food. I settled for colorful, easy to pick, almost no mess food.

As for the birthday cake. Last year I mead this tractor so now I needed something else. Tigger is still a huge fan of farming so tractor, harvester but also a digger and a crane. The choices were endless. I've decided on a harvester and started to draw some pictures of the cake. But then they started to excave the street in front of hour house. Tigger would spend hours i. Front of the window watching incoming the trucks and a DIGGER. Every day we would go to the construcrion site to watch it working. Well, it was pretty obvious I has ro change my concept right? I ordered yellow and black food coloring and set off. I have ro say it was easier to make than I thought and I was really pleased with the result. What do you think?

On Saturday night the additional ideas started to pour so I made as well a paper train for snacks as a decoration (knowing Tigger loves trains as well), and some deecorations, and thank you gifts for the kids. It's not a custome we have here in Poland and juging from the reading it's a real course abroad. However I wanted the kids to have something small to take with them home. And because it would be done for the fist time there was no bar I has to match. Anything would do. I made paper barnlike bags for them with small construction cars for bys and dolls for girls. I baked as well sponge bears with chocolate. 

Day 627 - The One with Grandma

We love spending time at Grandparents' house. I personally still feel like home there plus it's never boring for Tigger. Goats, chickens to chase, rabbits to feed, tractor to drive - endless fun.  There is no better friend than Grandpa, of course. He always has time for him, and loads of patience to show and explain. There is as well his great Grandma who will be 80 this December. She lives in a little yellow house full of magic. Like that stove in her dark kitchen always full of dried apples. And let's not forget about the cat and his tail. Just waiting to be pulled.

 She always makes something delicious

The One with the Happy Baby

I just love this little man to pieces.  He's such a joy to be with. With his mischievous smile and infectious laugh no one is safe around him.

What's better than a happy baby?

What he loves the most at the moment are tractors. And everything related to them. If he hears one outside he would run like a crazy to the window to see it. Favorite book? You guessed right. 

That was plum and chocolate jam. Obviously he liked it

but Mum, Melman must go with me

Day 653 the One with the Playground

Over the weekend we went to visit my brother and his brand new baby and to celebrate 3rd birthday of his daughter. On our way there we got stuck in the traffic which didn't agree with Tigger too much. He was a brave boy after all. On Sunday we took him and his older cousin to the best playground I have ever seen. Oh boy. It was like being in a paradise. Tigger didn't know where to go first.

He was spoiled with choices: swings, cars, slides. Damn you height/weight restrictions. I wished to be a kid again. 

The sand box was the size of our living room.

To my horror he literally had to try everything. Well, that face says it all, doesn't it?

Even the ride there was an adventure for him.

And then the most beautiful sight: kids tired to the point of falling asleep without any fuss.