Cat on a hot tin roof
Trip Start
Sep 16, 2011
1
120
290
Trip End
Nov 20, 2011
Southport, Queensland, Australia
Thursday, February 9, 2012
We approach the start of today with a little bit of trepidation. Preschool did not go well yesterday and Woody does not seem that much keener today.
Noah gets Woody dressed and then we draw some pictures for the preschool teachers. Big tick for the parents – this is a great distraction and, even better, Woody does get a bit excited about taking showing the teachers. He draws a entitled 'Mr Benn with sunscreen'. So, I am feeling like a winner that we have overcome the ‘preschool jitters’. And then it is time to get the car, and Woody legs it back to his bedroom and tries to hide from me. As I retrieve him from the corner of his room, I notice a sneaky half smirk on his face. This 3 year old is deliberately giving me the run around, I think.
So , we get into the preschool without any issues. I have a quick ‘conversation without words’ with the teacher which involved a series of nods, subtle eyebrow movements, a quick shake of the head, and a final nod. So we say goodbye to Woody and things go downhill much quicker than I thought possible. He is screaming and crying and being consoled by the teacher and Noah and I are pretty much in pieces by the time we get to the car. Not good.
At home, we have some brekkie and Noah heads into Broadbeach to pick up something up and gets the car cleaned. Since becoming a Mum, I have got into the habit of using any child free time efficiently. But frankly, this does not happen for me today. I do some things; pay bills, update the to do list, do the filing, but I just cannot get into the groove today. And I think it is because of the traumatic way we left Woody at preschool. I consider calling to see how he is doing, but I could not bear to hear that he is not happy, or worse still, hear him crying in the background. I know they will call me if they need me. So, I am ‘a cat on a hot tin roof’ for the remainder of the day and struggle to get my head into anything.
When Noah gets home, we decide to head out looking for a distraction, to get some fresh air, and to do something positive. We pop to Australia Fair as I need to get some Clinique bits and then we head to Southport Surf Club. We have some pretty average meals and some coffees which may well have been made in heaven. Delicious. We also have a very productive conversation about our little business idea and we both feel positive and buoyed. We are running behind on where we wanted to be at this stage, but we do not intend to let that get in the way.
We head back to preschool to collect Woody. We spot him, before he spots us, and he is clearly having a blast. He looks happy and relaxed and the teacher gives me the thumbs up when she sees me. Phew. Noah checks out what Woody has been up to today, and I chat to the teachers. Turns out he was absolutely fine and it is so obvious he has developed such a lovely rapport with the teachers. It rained today, and the kids did not play outside after the rain, and Woody bragged that his daddy lets him play out in the rain. He says daddy puts boots on him and they take umbrellas and jump in puddles. And he is very proud of this. The teacher tells us that she replies to Woody by commenting how Super his dad is. Noah is in earshot when she says this, and actually does an air punch at the preschool in front of the teachers and the kids. I believe we have at last reached the dizzying heights of embarrassing-parentdom. Very good.
Noah and I fancied a wander around the shops, by now it is chucking it down with rain, so we head to the shops. Elwood has $2, which he found in Helen’s sofa, so he is happy as he has it in a wallet and is allowed to wander around and choose what he wants to spend his money on. We actually have a lovely and pretty relaxing time, and buy a few little bits. Woody wants to buy a plastic lion with his money. Trouble is, he is $1 short, so we do a deal where he has to do $1 worth of dusting for me tomorrow, and I give him an extra dollar for the lion. Everyone is a winner.
There is a fantastic moment when Elwood goes to pay for the Lion. He starts chatting to the man at the counter long before he even gets to the counter. He is saying that he is buying this Lion with his own money, and he already has some lions and home, and that he is hoping that all of the lions will be able to be brothers. He asked the checkout bloke if he thought this would be possible in a very serious tone. The bloke considers this and he says that this is a great idea and the lions should most certainly be brothers. Woody is relived. When we leave the shop Woody is hyped by this exchange and his new lion. He says 'that was so cool, this lion is so cool'.
Woody has some dinner whilst we are out, and then we head home. On the way home, we look at the stars and Elwood insists we all make wishes. I wish for sunshine and smiles tomorrow, Noah wishes that all Elwood’s wishes come true, and then it is Woody’s turn. He says, ‘I wish for a new car’. We love that boy.
Randomly, Woody asks if he can go to Preschool tomorrow. This takes us completely by surprise. He says he does not want to stay for the day, but he would like to go and see them and chat to them for a bit tomorrow. I am really not 100% sure what is going on with preschool.
Woody goes to bed and I suggest to him that we make some scones in the morning. Woody replies, ‘Yes, I will help you make scones because you are my sweetheart’. And that, my friends, is why I love being Woody’s Mum. Beautiful, beautiful moments when you least expect it.
Good night and sleep tight. x
