The One With: swimming pool and Happy Monday

I took Adam to the swimming pool yesterday. It was really ad hoc as my sis called me 2 hours earlier saying they were going and asking if we wanted to come along. Sure thing we wanted. Although M prefered to cycle in the rain instead. Suit yourself then. Adam loved it. He's a sharkie, this little boy. Splashing and all that stuff. He spent most of the time in the shallow pool playing with his new rubber friends. And he absolutely adored jaccuzzi. Can't blame him, really. 

He still has trouble sleeping at night. He wakes up, usually once, and it takes him up to 2hrs to go back to sleep. Can't find the solution to that. But I love morning Adam. He comes to our room ( I pretend to be asleep) , stands next to our bed and either stands there silently waiting for me to wake up or he puts his warm hand on my cheek. Really, really softly. I open my eyes, look at him and there it is. The sweetest, most genuine smile that lightens up his entire face. Pure happiness only because he sees me and I'm awake. "Hey" I say "Good Morning". "Hey" he sais back. Usually I get the morning kiss as well. It's such a treat. To be a Mama of this clever, sweet boy. 

I had to run away again today as my exams starts on Saturday and I'm so behind with the material. He went for a walk with M and I cycled to my Mum's. It was good to actually do something sportswise. Winter is really good to us this year. January and we have +10C instead of -15. I'm so out of shape, I realised. It's going to be hard work, the next 7months leading to my very first triathlon. So looking forward to it. 

Happy Monday everyone out there

The One with Studying, Running and Playing

Tigger woke up at 6 this morning. after sleeping through the night. I guess it's better than waking up between 3 and 5am and then sleeping till 8-9 which totally disrupts our daily routine. By 8.30 I was already having breakfast after ... wait for it.... nice 2 -mile jog in the forest. Yes, I did it. I started my running year. Well, the triathlon won't run itself, so I better start preparing.  I was racing a doe. For 2 seconds, that is. and then she was gone.

So I'm trying to study, right? Last Summer I told myself that next time (meaning now) I will start studying waaaay sooner and not the last week before the exams. Rrrrright. How could I possibly do that with Christmas and New Year and Grandma's b'day? Impossible, right? Thanks Heavens for my parents who are helping me immensely. I just leave Mr Tigger with them knowing that he's well fed and rested and spends some quality time instead of just being on his own (meaning playing on his own). Like he knows how to do that <chuckles>. He used to be pretty good at it, the independent play, but recently everything is funnier with Mama <proud> <exhausted>. 

So today I just run away and hid next door at Grandma's house. She was happy to have company, even the silent one, and I had few undisturbed hours for myself. It was good, I managed to revise the vocabulary (it turned out I already know 40% of it) and read one chapter of incredibly boring book on economy. Then we had a nice chat with Grams over a cup of tea. 

This morning we played hide and seek. He told me to hide in his toy house and closed his eyes. I looked like Alice after drinking growing potion. My feet sticking out. And then we played a game invented by Tigger. He put his hand on my forehead and push me slightly telling me to lie down on the carpet and then he closed his eyes several times showing me to do the same. So I did. He sat on a stool next to me and we just sat-lied like that, in silence, for several minutes. Explanation: I was "sleeping" and he was watching over me. Apparently it's Grandpa's favorite game. I do understand why. After a while he quietly came close to me and ....

- Boooohoooooo!!!!!

I jumped which sent him into a fits of the giggles. Mischievous little rascal

The One with the Sentimental Mummy

It was Sunday evening. I was walking home after spending weekend away at University in Warsaw. I was exhausted after so many hours of listening and taking notes and remembering the stuff I wanted to forget the minute I heard them. And 2,5hr bus ride.
The village was so quiet and deserted. It brought back the memories of the times when I was maybe 6 or 7 and The Dynasty was on. Every Sunday at 5pm there would be no one on the streets. Entire village were glued to the TVs watching the intrigues between Crystal Carrington and Alexis. 

The snow was quietly falling down on the iced pavement and crunching beneath my feet. If I'd stay still I could probably hear the snowflakes landing. I looked at our house, warm light seeping through the living room window, my little boy probably playing with his new train set inside and I felt pure happiness. I had a place I could call "home". There were people waiting for me inside, with a hot dinner and a cup of tea ready to warm my cold hands. And most of all, there was this little man whose face would lit up when he sees me, saying "Mama" in this tiny, sweet voice of his. Warm, soft arms would wrap around my legs and wouldn't let go.

Later on, when I was putting him to bed he pointed to the pillow next to his saying:" Mama, here". "You want me to lay next to you?' I asked. 'uhm' he smiled. Then he grabbed my hand and laid his cheek on it forcing me to kneel next to his bed. I had no choice but to put my head next to his. And we just laid there, with one eye buried in the pillow, staring at each other with the other eye, our noses almost touching. 'Mama.Adam' he kept repeating happy that I was so close to him. I stayed like that until he's eyelids become too heave to keep them up. Slowly I retreated my numb hand from underneath him and left the room. I left the door ajar and watched him falling asleep. The most beautiful sight in the world.

I left my little boy at my parents' today hoping to get some stuff done while I'm alone. I despise these exams. They rob me from that precious time I could be spending with my little boy and no, I do not feel any wiser. I know I will forget all of it as soon as I put the pen down after the last exam is finished. 

The One with Sleeping Under the Christmas Tree

We're staying at my Mum's. Tigger and me. I'm studying to some preposterous mid-term exams and his playing with Grandparents. Going through some reading assignments (i.e. something about the Chinese grammar) I just wonder what the heck is actually my major. Well, I won't win with the system so better just do it right? Anyway... Putting my Nugget to sleep wasn't an easy task. It never is. this little man just hates sleeping and I really mean hates it. since he was a wee thing he would fight with all his might to stay awake. He sill does. He just wants to stay with me. I don't blame him. I like to stay with him as well, but hey little man, you do need to charge your batteries or you will make our lives pretty miserable. 

He's sleeping in a room with the Christmas Tree. I remember being little girl (I was maybe 4 or 5) used to love to sleep under the tree. I would take my fav pillow, the one my Mum made for me when I was born (still have it and it travels with me everywhere I go. Fiance thinks it looks awful, which it does but I love it too much. It just has the perfect shape, and fits my head and it's always cold which is THE best), and my monkey and I would just lay under the tree and look at the lights and fall asleep. It looked like Tigger wanted to do exactly the same. My boy. He just laid on the floor and refused to be moved. So I put some extra blankets there and laid with him, his warm, soft hand in mine, stroking his hair and telling him the adventures of a little yellow tractor (obviously it had to be a tractor these days). I felt like that 5 year old again. I looked at my sleeping boy, so peaceful and content and couldn't believe his actually mine. How did you get there? 

And today he just surprised me with drawing this perfect little tractor. all by himself. Not too bad for two year old huh? I am very proud Mummy today.

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