So I might have failed on the birthday-planning score, but it seems I’ve come up trumps on a few other things this weekend. I can’t believe my little guy is now two years old, and part of me can’t get my head around the fact that Craig and I are responsible for getting him this far. He’s walking, he’s slurring like a tramp after too many ciders (I’m told this is a good thing) and he’s got a little personality all of his own.
It’s been a tough few weeks for Dexter. Transitioning into his role as a big brother has been tough. He’s very intrigued by Heidi and wants to touch her all the time (annoyingly, this is mostly just minutes after mummy and daddy are celebrating the fact she’s finally gone to sleep). When he’s not stroking her face, prodding her cheeks or tugging at her legs he’s bringing over age-inappropriate toys to ‘show’ her and occasionally bop her over the head with.
So we wanted to make Dexter’s 2nd birthday extra special so he knows how important he is. It turns out I know my little guy very well.
Dexter is a CBeebies addict. I’m to blame for this. I don’t advocate using the television as a babysitting service, but it does really help when you’re busy breastfeeding a newborn. His favourite shows are definitely anything with Justin Fletcher in, Ballamory, and In The Night Garden. When any of these are on it’s pointless trying to have a conversation with him, feed him, or change his bum - he’s utterly transfixed by them.
So we decided to send a birthday card into CBeebies. Making it was a nightmare - the expression ‘too many cooks…’ springs to mind and Craig and I are definitely not likely to audition as Mr Maker’s apprentice anytime soon. We argued over everything, from the colours we used, to the picture of Dexter, to the composition of the card but eventually we ended up with something vaguely tv-worthy. It seems CBeebies agreed with us and Dexter got his five minutes of fame!
I wasn’t expecting this to go down so well with Dexter. I thought maybe he wouldn’t understand or recognise himself, but he definitely did. Having seen our masterpiece before it was bundled into jiffy bag earmarked for CBeebies’s PO Box, he recognised this, and seemed to understand that this for him.
I’m also giving myself pat on the back for the presents we selected for Dexter this year. I toyed with the idea of a climbing frame and slide for the garden, but Craig didn’t seem so keen. Dexter’s at that inbetweeny stage where he loves the park but needs help to play on all the apparatus. He’d quickly outgrown any plastic toddler slides we bought for him, but isn’t old enough for a big-boy one.
Instead we opted for a Little Tikes Country Cottage, and Police Car Cozy Coupe. I can’t sing their praises enough. Dexter LOVES them. Okay we might have messed up by wrapping these up in their boxes and not anticipating we’d have to spend hours ushering him away whilst we built them, but never-the-less he’s really enjoying spending time playing out in the sunshine in his own imaginary little world. They’ve even distracted him from terrorising Heidi.
As well as countless other toys and clothes, he also got a replica Dyson vacuum (in the same colours as mummy and daddy’s one). For ages Dexter has been obsessed with our hoover. We call it ‘The Floor Monster’ and it lives in the cavernous cupboard under the stairs. He’s forever trying to open the cupboard and stroke it, but the second daddy turns it on he’ll run away crying. As cruel as it is, this has Craig and I in fits of laughter. It’s also a useful tool for curbing any bad behaviour as we tell him that The Floor Monster will get him (whoops, terrible parenting right there!).
This bad boy even collects dust from the carpet, makes a noise like ours, and has colourful little balls in the cylinder to look like it’s sucking up dirt. Okay the sound is a little annoying when you’re trying to watch The Daily Politics, but I figure this is what I do to Dexter when Raa Raa The Noisy Lion is on so I’ll forgive him.
Seems I’m not such a tragic parent after all.
