Enchanting Ernie

Well.

After last night's bedtime debacle, today was.....interesting. Let's just say there have been several moments today when I laughed out loud...and more than a few moments when I wanted to cry and/or find the nearest bottle shop. I promise that I am laughing, really, really, really deep down inside. Really deep.

Jack and Phoebe went to the dentist with Daddy this morning, leaving the Mouse and I do to some housework. There was only one thing for it - we cranked up the Spice Girls, hopped in the Jolly Jumper (uh, Maisie did, not me!) and got to it! Mais was laughing her backside off, bouncing and flapping and jumping, and I could actually see progress in my cleaning (which I'm sure you realise is a rare event!!) It was during this time that my new phone was delivered, a very exciting thing given that my old phone has been playing up for quite some time now. I haven't been able to send text messages for over a month, and even making or receiving calls was becoming a dodgy business. So getting my new iPhone today was just a wee bit excellent!!

The big kids arrived home late morning, just in time to have a play outside before lunch. I thought I'd quickly get my phone going while they were occupied in the sunshine (by the way, here's a completely unrelated source of hilarity and disbelief - the Apple iPhone can do almost anything you could think of. I reckon it could even do the dishes if you downloaded the right app. So why, oh why, did I need to go online and search the net for a good 30 minutes to find out how to insert the SIM card? And in this world of astounding technology, who on Earth thought it would be a good idea to make a PAPERCLIP the essential item to open the SIM card dooverlacker?? Seriously? You need to push the end of a paperclip into a teeny little hole to make the SIM card hole open. Where's the app for that???? A paperclip. Pffft.)

Anyhow, I hadn't been fruitlessly searching on the internet for 10 seconds before the kids came inside. And went out again. And in. And out. And...Mummy did her nut. "Jack, what is it? What do you want? What are you doing inside?" demanded cross Mummy. "I need to do a wee. Can I do a bush wee, Mummy?" "Yep, brilliant idea. Fantastic. Now just stay outside for a minute, ok?" And silly me looked away for ten seconds...

When I looked out the door a moment later, I was faced with two bare little bottoms, both with pants hitched down around the ankles, both with hips thrust forward to do a "bush wee". Only problem was, girls don't have much success doing standing-up bush wees. Jack had chosen the edge of the path to do his wee, which was bad enough - there were rivulets of wee-wees running right where we walk! Phoebalina had followed suit, and as a result had soaked shorts, undies, and shoes, as well as very wet legs. She wasn't too happy with me when I explained that girls can't do standing-up wees, and then she was really upset when she ran across the carpet with a wet, bare bottom to see our neighbours and I got shouty! Oh the joys.

Some friends of ours dropped around this arvo for a cuppa and a chat, and the kids were predominantly well-behaved. Nobody really minded that Phoebe spent the majority of the afternoon sans undies - she just kept forgetting to go to the toilet, so in the end it was just easier to leave them off! By the time we got to dinner time, we were all fairly exhausted, and Christian and I just wanted to get the team into bed. We were a bit frayed around the edges, to tell the truth, so I nearly missed the cutest moment of the day. Maisie had a habit of falling asleep in her highchair - I don't know if it's the soporific effects of my company or the effort of feeding herself, but she regularly starts snoring with a mouthful of Vegemite sandwich. To avoid this, when I noticed her slowing down during dinner tonight, I quickly swapped her pasta for a bowl of yoghurt, which she adores.

I don't know what it is about it, but I love watching Maisie eat yoghurt (early onset, dementia, perhaps?) She makes little noises of enjoyment, smacks her lips together, and leans forward to see where the spoon has gone. I've never known a kid love yoghurt more than Mais. While I was indulging in this moment of baby deliciousness, Ernie jumped up on the chair beside Maisie. Ernie is our big ginger cat, absolutely beloved by the kids, and a true saint when it comes to pulled tails and screeching toddlers. The second he jumped up, Maisie nearly leapt out of the highchair with delight. She began "Da!"-ing and cooing at him in this sweet little voice, reaching out to pat his fur with fingers coated in yoghurt (totally welcome, I assure you!) I couldn't believe the purring adoration between these two - they were both so utterly besotted with each other. I'm sure much of Maisie's appeal for Ernie is her leftovers that cover the floor below the highchair - but tonight he sat right next to her, and let her pat him to her heart's content. I was waiting for squeals or shouts, but none came - she was so gentle and quiet, and clearly enraptured with her furry friend. It was a beautiful moment to watch. If only she was always that gentle with the poor old man!

By some miracle, all three kids went to sleep almost straight away tonight. Tomorrow is Tuesday, which means kinder for Jack, daycare for Phoebs, and pretending-to-be-an-only-child for Maisie Mouse. And for me? Well for now, I have a bakery-fresh mince pie, a cup of tea, and an iPhone that continues to bewilder me...