Friday 4 September 2009

Family matters

Dilly and the children have gone away camping for a few days. It was blowing a gale yesterday, but they didn't leave until 4 o'clock, when Al shut the shop early and went to help them set up the tent. I had a text from Dilly later to say they were all tucked up warmly. Al will go and join them again on Saturday evening.

Ro is coming home this evening, just for a day. He's got various things to look out and take back, including his passport. He thought he knew where it was and asked me to look, but it wasn't in the drawer he keeps that sort of thing - he probably needed it for ID sometime and just put it somewhere afterwards - he'll find it easier than I would, I certainly don't want to start looking through all his stuff.

And Weeza and Phil have asked us round for dinner next week, for my birthday. Ro will join us, and we'll go early in time to play with Zerlina first. Weeza, who finds that routine suits her baby best, asked that we arrive before 6 or after 7, as if we arrive during the run-down to bed time, Zerlina won't want to go to bed when she usually does, and then she'll have a restless night. So we'll pick up Ro from work and go then.

Both Weeza and Dilly had the babycare thing sussed so much more effectively than I ever did. Mind you, I was only 20 when Weeza was born, and getting into a steady routine was certainly something I resisted. A bit more organised when Al came along a couple of years later for practical reasons, but I didn't want our life restricted by fixed times for a baby - you have to remember I was a 'child of the Sixties' and whilst I was by no means a hippy (too young, too sensible, and, though still so far in the closet that I didn't even know it myself yet, too control-freakish), I had something of the relaxed attitude to life and still do. It is restricting for Weeza and Phil, who will rarely stay out past Zerlina's getting-ready-for-bed time, but they are rewarded by a child who welcomes and enjoys going to sleep. When it's getting near nap time during the day, Weeza will get out Barry the Bear and little z reaches for him and gives him a cuddle. Then Weeza gets out the little pillow that someone just gave them from New Zealand, and z takes it and snuggles her face into it. Off they go upstairs to read a book, z goes into her cot and, though she may not go to sleep for a while, she rarely fusses but just lies there happily talking to herself before drifting off. It's remarkable. Well, it is to me. I love it that my daughter is a better mother than I was!

12 comments:

Dandelion said...

Lovely.

My nephew actually leans out of your arms and reaches out to his cot when you take him up for his nap. I'd never seen anything like it.

Z said...

When I remember the way Weeza used to scream when left...there's no justice, you know!

How do we know said...

wow... u have a birthday coming up next week!

And it must be really wonderful to see ur daughter do so well on the putting baby to sleep routine.. mine is still a nightmare..

I, Like The View said...

I had two who'd go to bed/cot and then sleep easily and one who didn't. . .

it was the first born who didn't, and I was still holding his hand and singing songs and quietly trying to shuffle out of the room when he was four and the others (a toddler and a baby) were already tucked up and fast asleep. . .

funnily enough, now they are older, the first and second go off and fall asleep quite happily and it is the youngest (now just 12) who reemerges hours after bedtime saying she can't get to sleep

you have me humming Crosby Stills Nash & Young Teach Your Children Well now!

(-:

Z said...

Thank you, Dyanna - you're most welcome.

Yup, HDWK, I'll be fifty-six. Ouch. Still, I'm glad that I'm glad it's better than the alternative, so I'm going to enjoy it!

I had years of insomnia when I was a child, ILTV, although I was a sound sleeper as a baby. One of the reasons I go to bed late now is to be exhausted enough to be sure of getting to sleep.

Weeza does know how lucky she is (she's worked hard too, to be so lucky) and she's wondering if she'll come down to earth if they have another one.

Sarah said...

I don't want to be a granny yet! though probably will in about 10 years if No1 can hang on that long!

Sarah said...

I don't want to be a granny yet! though probably will in about 10 years if No1 can hang on that long!

Z said...

Well, you're young yet. Grannying is much easier than mothering though.

Earthenwitch said...

Yes - we find that routine works better for the witchling too; like Zerlina, if she gets out of the pattern that she's fallen - naturally, I might add - into, she tends quite rapidly to get spread a little too thinly, and thus the chaos appears...

Z said...

I could have done so much better if I'd known this 35 years ago! Mind you, I'd not have taken any notice. One knows so much more at 20...

A wildlife gardener said...

Babies are all different, as are Mums and ideas about 'How to'...

Yours know you love them...that's all that matters...and, you ARE a great Mum, no doubt about it :)

Happy Birthday next week :)

Z said...

I thought I cracked it with my second baby, who was very easy as long as I didn't mind getting up to feed him every couple of hours. Then I had a third. I found that I'd just been lucky.

Now, I just expect my children to idolise me, and I take their advice, which makes all of us happy.