Sunday Sunday

What a day - I've been in need of caffeine all day and never got round to having any!

Creche went really well. We've discovered "magic bubbles" - I think they have a sort of PVA glue in them, you can catch the bubbles and hold them and they shrink and pop and leave a sticky residue... so the kids got bubbles in their hair, their clothes, one decided he liked the taste of them (even though the tub said it tasted nasty, even if it was quite harmless) and then caught one on his nostril and tried to breathe it. But they all loved chasing the bubbles and catching them! Ben then coped all the way through the second service, taking me and Steve outside to play with boxes, finding toys in the corner, needing nappy changes, finding his own personal babysitter so Ste and I could BOTH listen to most of the preach.

He's grown up SO much recently. I'm sure I keep saying this but all this attachment really does seem to be paying off finally. He knows that we are here, he knows we're not going away, he's finally able to let us out of his sight. He chats away to people, decides for himself whether he likes them or not, is quite the entertainer! He is making friends for himself. He's amazing.

He decided that he wanted to walk home from church. Not go in the buggy, he wanted to walk. So we walked for a bit, then he wanted cuddles (he was knackered!) but DIDN'T want to go in the buggy. There were tears. More cuddles. Bribery with chocolate - which didn't work and he didn't want. Then the barriers came down for a train to go past so we watched the train. Still didn't want to go in the buggy. Then the barriers came down once more and I said Ben another train's coming! Shall we go and watch the train? Yeh yeh yeh says Ben. Shall we get in the buggy so we can get to the train faster? Yeh yeh yeh says Ben excitedly, and allows himself to be put in the buggy!! Fell asleep not long after... so we took him round the back of the house and left him to sleep for a bit as he was all togged up anyway.

Afternoon passed by in a bit of a haze. I think I dozed off at one point, I woke up with a start as I felt Ben start to fall off my lap. I made dinner while Ben played with pigs and chickens (also known as Angry Birds) with Steve. That's what this picture is about. See that concentration on Ben's face!! He's learning how to play. I'm sure it won't be long before he's playing it by himself.

But we had dinner (in the living room, while Steve and Ben skyped Steve's parents!) and then got ready to go out. Yes, out!! Babysitter arrived (booked last minute, yesterday, when it suddenly dawned on me that we were going out and had no one to mind Ben... thankyou Kathryn!!), Ben greeted her with a (foam) sword and started swordfighting. He was going to be fine.

We've had a lovely evening out with friends old and new, talking, sharing life, getting to know people better, laughing and encouraging.

Ben went to sleep with his eyes open. Kathryn said he'd been fighting sleep for a while, kept popping his eyes open and she'd be telling him to just give in, go to sleep. Then he went quite still... but with his eyes still open a little bit. "Ben.... are you asleep?" No answer. Nothing. Ok..... snuck out.... still nothing....

Steve does that too. Freaks me out still. I blow on Ben's face if I spot him sleeping with his eyes open.

And my living room has been tidied!! A total surprise and a wonderful one at that. So lovely to not crunch random things as you climb to the sofa ;)

Gingerbread and hot chocolate now, and then creep into bed and have another cuddle. These cuddles are working. They're fixing things.


PS.... Apologies for sporadic commenting... just shattered!
PPS Here's part of the reason why we're both so tired.
PPPS That's the last PS.
PPPPS Promise.