The Nonna Diaries – The Final Countdown

And so, as we begin our journey home. Nonna reflects on her busy week in charge of Baby B. Love them both! Thank you Nonna.

Day 6

My last day, mummy and daddy back tomorrow.

Whilst part of me is thinking ……. rest, the bigger part is sad. I will miss him. Miss his voice, his calling out “Nonna where are you” even though he can clearly see me !!! Miss his beautiful smiling face beaming at me first thing in the morning. For heaven’s sake he is only going home, not moving to Australia !!!! As you can tell I am feeling quite emotional !

Even our occasional arguments, mostly over the use of his favourite word of the moment …… NO, will be missed ! I must admit to really struggling to keep a straight face and not laugh. He gets a frown going, stares at me and very seriously says NO !! Bath B ? NO. let’s get dressed ? NO ! Come put your shoes no. NO !! You get the picture !!

Watching a child grow and develop is a fascination. Seeing in that child characteristics of both parents coming through so interesting. The love of eating from his mother. His father’s outgoing, entertaining manners. Apart from an obvious temper and stubborn streak, apparent when he is trying to do something that doesn’t happen fast enough for his liking, he is a delight. His good nature and sweetness obvious. Am I sounding biased and proud ??? I hope I do because I am.

I know his parents appreciate my involvement but I value the trust they have in my capabilities by leaving their most treasured son in my care.

Homeward Bound.

I write this as I sit in the lounge waiting for our flight, its just after 7pm. We got here a bit early (4 hours to be exact!) but you know what’s it is like on a travel day when you don’t really relax because you just want to get home.  This is of course heightened when going home means getting to see our baby boy, who we haven’t seen for 5 whole (long baths and lie in filled) days.

If you are a reader of Up All Hours, you will know that B has been with his Nonna, who has done a sterling job of looking after him. So much so that B has often been too busy to speak to us on Skype over the last 5 days.

So I am sitting here writing and my other half is filming every plane that takes off and lands for our aeroplane obsessed son.

Aeroplane Heaven

Travelling without your child is strange. I have spent the last 21 months moaning to my long suffering other half that I miss my freedom and my travel. I used to travel a fair bit with work and loved it. And now that I have jumped back into the saddle as Baby B is a little older, I find myself travelling, but still moaning. This time because I missed him.

The grass just isn’t greener! Travelling sadly, just not the same anymore. Damn, you Baby B – can’t travel with you and can’t travel without you!

There were a few perks to the last 5 days however. Mainly food related if I am honest. My greed often gets the better of me and although I have been promising my other half for the last 21 months that I will lose that last post pregnancy stone, the large portions and frankly ridiculous combos were too much to resist. (Pictures to follow!)

I woke up at 8am one morning which I haven’t done for well, 21 months and even indulged myself with a 20 minute soak in the tub but all the while, missing my little man and watching and re-watching videos of him that Nonna had been sending us.

So I sit here necking red wine to wash down my sleeping pill (don’t worry its not a proper one, nothing Valium related, not through lack of trying to get some) because we land at 8am and I walk straight back into mumma mode and have to try to survive a whole jet lagged day.

Honestly though, I can’t bloody wait.

The Nonna Diaries – Day 1 & 2

Whilst we are both away with work, Nonna has Baby B. When we went away before, she kept a wonderful Facebook diary of their time together. She has begun to do this again and I thought that I would share it with you.

So lets begin, the Nonna and Baby B diaries, day one and two.

Day 1

“Do I count this as day 1 ??? In theory I suppose I should as he has been with me most of the day. So, that being the case I will begin my diary of my week with Baby B. After picking him up and wrestling him away from his crying mother and fairly emotional father we picked up Aunty F and made our way home. I must tell you that our boy was quite unwell last week with the sickness bug. He has recovered thankfully, and the only reason I mention this is because it seems to be his sole aim at the moment to eat as much as he can fit in in a day ! So most of today has been B asking for, let’s face it anything ranging from bananas, Apple’s, biscuits, toast, to consuming his lunch, pudding, followed later by sausages, baked potato with grated cheese and baked beans for dinner ! And, I assume, because of all this ‘fuel’ he has put in to his engine he has been running at full throttle all afternoon! He is turning into quite the comedian and very entertaining and has hopefully worn himself out ! Nursery tomorrow and brief respite for nonna ! Thank you to Aunty F for being here today. Night night all.”

Day 2 

“Had planned to write my journal at the end of each day but just too excited this morning !!! B woke up at 7.10am !!!!! I on the other hand was up, 6am, bright eyed and ready to go !! All quiet. 6.30 still nothing so decided I would come down and put the kettle on, sure that as soon as I had made my cuppa he would wake up (little chance of a hot cup of tea when B is about !). By 7am I’m beginning to panic …….. up I go just to make sure that he is still breathing !!!! Fast asleep and breathing thank God. Blimey ! The little man finally announced he was awake with a ‘nonna ou est tu’, yes he speaks French !!!! Don’t worry friends, am not expecting this every morning but wow wee a good start to our week together no ??? After a breakfast of scrambled eggs on toast and sausage we were dressed and ready for nursery. Sad and tearful drop off (even though I know that no sooner is my back out that door he is fine) it breaks my heart to leave him. Now I look forward to pick up. Hope you all have a lovely day. A demain mes amis (B’s not the only one who speaks a bit of French !!)”

A child free long haul business trip (Like the old days!)

I am travelling with work this week. Proper travelling, I am talking 8 hours on a plane, without my baby. I cried twice on the plane (not to mention the 4 times before we even left the house this morning). I have Baby B’s soft toy cow with me. The spare of course, i haven’t been so cruel as to steal his comforter for my own comfort this week.

I used to travel a lot before having Baby B so this is nothing new but my god how it changes when you have to leave your Baby behind and spend a week in a different time zone missing kissing his face.

B is with his Nonna for the week as the other half is with me. We met at work and still work together now. Is has it’s perks but it can also be bloody hard work!

So off we went. Bags packed, feeling slightly like the old days but with the a soft cow toy tucked into my laptop case and a Kleenex on the go.

Flight was good. I watched two films. The WHOLE way through! Parents do you remember when you did this without having to pause or abandon all together? I haven’t done this since the famous New York flight of 2010.

After the films I got bored. So I turned to some audio. I flicked through the ‘pop’ music CD options BA had to offer before settling on ‘Now 83’. I acknowledge that is sad enough in itself, but what is more sad however, is that I knew none of the songs on the album. It didn’t help that the songs were displayed without the artist. I didn’t stand a chance. Who knows just the name of songs these days!!!

So I admitted defeat and settled on the Gypsy Kings. Which for the record is in the BA ‘essential albums listings’. Yes that’s right, I am with it!! Listening to Bamboleo, doesn’t make me feel old at all.

I spent the last hour of the flight wondering how on earth you would fit a 21 month old onto this changing table in the toilet

Changing table about the width of my thigh!

And wondering whether I was the only 31 year old on the plane listening to Susan Boyle because the Gipsy Kings had finished!

Good old Susan

Let the work commence and the countdown begin till I see my baby.