Macabre?

GM runs from bed to bed, playing the doctor to the girls patients.  Lolly puts the bandage under her nose and days “doctor. I’m Grandma J”, “Oh, is this your cannula? Like grandma’s” GM asks. This confirmed, the game progresses, involving inhalers, the need to sit up, struggling to breath and a very good simulation of being confused. Indeed, Lolly acts out her and GM’s visit to the hospice that GM’s mum is currently in. GM plays along, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but suspecting that her discomfort is more her bag, and not to do with the play being ‘wrong’ in any way.

The play moves on, leaving GM feeling slightly confused herself!

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play time

LML comes into the mostly functional parents bedroom at 7am, followed by Lolly.  She has one of their bags over her shoulder.

“Me going shopping,” she announces,  “bye bye, shopping now” she says as she leaves the room waving, with Lolly following behind her, also waving.

Sometimes it’s those simple things that give so much hope.

Carnival

GM holds her freinds 10 week old baby in her arms.  The babe has fallen asleep, comfortable against the ample breast.  She looks down the slope, scanning to see where LML and Lolly are.  She watches as CD hides around the corner of a big container …

“RRRRaaaa!!!!” he shouts as he jumps .. LML and her friend shreik and scream and flee around the corner of the container.  The game repeats and then repeats again.

GM spots Lolly rolling down the slope, followed by her freinds husband.  Lolly gets up and runs over, full of delight.  She pokes her tongue out and there is grass all over it.  GM picks it off and takes over ‘following’ duty, the baby still comfortably asleep.

They make their way over to the playing girls and Lolly joins in, lagging behind as younger sisters so often do.  After half a dozen more “RRRRRaaaaaaa’s” the group make their way back to ‘base’ to refuel and regroup.

GM feels deeply content, surrounded by these lovely folk.  She looks at the baby in her arms and wonders how hard it would be.  “We could do this, if we had to” she thinks, imagining BM having another baby, the call from SS.

“No!” whispers CD in her ear.  He looks at her and smiles, but says “No” again, as he takes off after LML.

Naked

LML takes her pajamas top off and is laughing.

“It’s early and still a bit cold darling, you should keep that on,” states Crap Dad.

LML ignores him and runs around laughing. Soon she’s slipping off her pajamas bottoms.

“Don’t be daft, put ’em back on” encourages CD.

The response is a laugh and a defiant, “No!”

She spends the rest of the morning, until she gets dressed for nursery, in various states of nakedness.

Later that day Crap Dad arrives home just after the kids have been bathed. LML is running around without a top on laughing.

“I see nothing much has changed then,” he says as he puts his bag and jacket down.

Life in a box – day 3

The pool is cool. The girls love it, but LML is just a slip of a thing so swimming is cut short. Her teeth are chattering until she is fully clothed and running again. The girls have hot chocolate and a snack to get fully warm. Whilst CD and GM discuss what to do next, Lolly makes her escape. CD searches for her and finally he finds her being herded back into the building by a young boy – he had seen her going out side and had followed her. When they leave the swimming complex their table is awash with hot chocolate and quavers.

The family get back to the caravan and the girls are just too tired to eat their lunch. They sleep for an hour and a half, and only wake up at CD’s gentle suggestion. The playground is dry enough to play in at last, so they do, and then it’s on to the ‘funworks’ for another mad half hour of lights and music.

After tea GM puts LML and Lolly in their pretty dresses to go to the pub. LML twirls around in her new dress for her daddy, and Lolly copies her. The mostly functional parents are better prepared for their ‘night out’ this time, and are armed not only with snacks, but also sticker books, paper and pencils and an agreement that ice-cream can be used ruthlessly if necessary. Their pints are not quite finished when LML falls over and howls. Its time to leave.

Cleaning Up

Txt from Grumpy Mum to Crap Dad

“5 mins to go to the loo, clean teeth and get dressed. 45 mins to clean all the washing up liquid off the carpet in the living room.  What on earth made me think it was OK to leave LML playing in the kitchen sink?”

kids in the park

We met up with our kids brothers in the park today. The problem parents have the two girls and their brothers are placed with another family. It’s always lovely to see them and Little Miss Loud  was really excited to see them. Lolly  hasn’t really worked out what’s going on yet, she is young and was only placed with us 6 months ago, but she still ran around all excited.

The girls also have 4 half siblings, who we meet up with occasionally.

There is a bit of a family resemblance, so today, again, Crap Dad could see people looking and thinking, ‘what’s going on there then?’ There are these kids that look like each other but don’t look like the their parents.

The problem parents family has grown to include not only their own kids but also the girls siblings and their adoptive families. It’s a richness that Crap Dad hadn’t anticipated when he began this journey.

Sisterhood

Grumpy Mum watches as her two young daughters walk down the hallway, and disappear into the living room.

Little Sis (now known as Lolly, because she is so laid back, and lolls around so much) started to walk entirely independently two weeks ago, and her development in every area seems to have been vertical since then.

GM feels her heart swell, as she sees the girls negotiate around one-an-other, LML accommodating her young sibling in a way that was inconceivable even a month earlier.

A few minutes later GM hears Lolly laughter and LML squeals and takes a peek into the room.  The children are playing their own version of peek-a-boo, enjoying and entertaining each other.

Bliss.

Sock it to her …

GM is feeding risotto to Little Sis, and the opportunistic spoonful to LML as she goes in and out of the dinning room.

LML comes back into the room to the high chair. She has put one of her socks on her hand and proceeds to play with Little Sis, tickling her face and neck and generally being very lovely.

All are delighted.

The Age of Innocence

“Mummy, ook, Sis” says LML as Little Sis falls, with style, off the settee and heads towards the reluctant older sister.

Little Sis has developed two games that she really enjoys, getting on and off the settee and following LML about. Both are fraught with danger.