Bug = 3 YEARS!!
Bub = 1 year 2 months 18 days What was Linus up to at this age?
Bud = 9 weeks 1 day gestation
Last weekend we (Daddy, Nana and I) had nearly reached the end of our tethers with Linus. He is getting quite cheeky and defiant – blowing raspberries and yelling at us are two of his favourite ways to vent.
As a result, I decided – among other things – that I need to try to give Linus more of myself during the week. It’s very easy for me to get bogged down in the endless chores of housekeeping. Just the basics of dishes, washing, and making meals seem to take up my whole day! It’s important that the children see this work being done, and help (or “help”) me when they can. But fun is important too, and I know that if I don’t prioritise some fun time with Linus and Ada, it won’t happen.
So this week I had fun with Linus, and – it may just be coincidence – he’s seemed to be a much nicer child this week.
A Walk in the Park
On Monday morning, we left the house before 9am (virtually unprecedented!) and went to the Botanic Gardens.
- We walked (with Ada in the buggy) up the hill to the aviary, where we met a friendly kea.
- We inspected and tested the toilets.
- We sat on a bench in the Rhododendron Dell and had some morning tea.
- We walked through the “forest” down the to the Lower Gardens.
- We visited the Information Centre and got some seed to feed the ducks. (Linus had his bag of seed stolen almost immediately by an enterprising duck, but luckily I had a spare bag which I made last a little longer!)
- We went to the herb garden and puddled in the fountain.
- We walked around to the playground where Linus played quite nicely with some other children.
- We walked back to the car.
It doesn’t sound like an awful lot, but I was surprised when I realised it had taken three hours – the entire morning! I think it was good for me and Linus to do things at his pace for a change.
(I know I haven’t mentioned Ada much… she was quite happy in the buggy almost the entire time. Once I let her out and she just ate some dirt then wandered back to me. The other time I let her out to explore, I turned around a minute later to find that she had climbed back into the buggy!)
The Skateboard Ramp
On Tuesday, I’d like to say that I was again inspired to focus on fun with Linus. However it was more a case of me throwing a pointless tantrum in the middle of the afternoon and Nana kicking me and kids out of the house for our own good. In any case, the resulting fun was the same.
Linus always wants to go to playgrounds, but I decided it would be a nice change – with more free-form play – if we went up to the huge sportsground at the top of the hill. With Ada in her buggy and some snacks and balls on board, we wandered up to the park and kicked the balls around for a bit. We then ended up at the skateboard ramp and were soon joined by some other children – 6-year-old twin boys and their 7-year-old sister.
Linus loved watching the older children play, and they were very friendly with him, encouraging him to climb up and slide down the ramp. I sat on the nearby bench, gave Ada (and myself) snacks, and enjoyed watching Linus holding his own with the big kids. At one point, they were trying to get him to slide down, and he said matter-of-factly “I’m a little bit scared actually“.
Bed Play
One of Linus’s favourite things to do is just play with Daddy or Mummy on our bed, so on Thursday afternoon while the washing languished in the basket and tea sat in bits and pieces in the fridge and pantry, I decided playtime had come and went to bed. It was amazing how little I had to do to keep Linus entertained – the bulk of my “work” was lying under the covers with my knees up as a “mountain” for his toys. Ada was welcome to join us, but seemed to prefer entertaining herself in the hallway.
Playtime ended after half an hour when my required contribution had become so meagre that I was in danger of falling asleep!
Forest and Reservoir
Yesterday I put Ada down for her afternoon nap and decided that Bob would enjoy a bit of time at home (effectively) on his own, so I took Linus up to the sportsground again. This time we avoided the fields and skateboard ramp and instead went into the “forest”, a very narrow strip of pine trees at one edge of the park. We ambled through, and Linus enjoying thrashing the attractive Amanita muscaria with a stick.
At the end of the forest we crossed the road to the new reservoir. I didn’t want to be negative so I didn’t mention anything to Linus, but I silently and bitterly wondered why they’d made such a lovely feature and then chosen to surround it not a walking track but with a high fence topped with barbed wire. I lay on the grass beside the fence while Linus entertained himself with dirt and prickles and grass for an incredible amount of time.
Eventually Linus came and sat beside me and said “Soon, maybe, someone will come along and cut a hole in the fence and then we can go down by the water and I can throw a stick in the water!” Great minds think alike!
Next we wandered to the shop (for ice-creams) and the playground, and finally – after two hours – back home to discover that Ada hadn’t woken up yet and Dad was really enjoying his bonus alone time.
