The summer of two and beyond

We haven't had much of  a summer this year, with the wettest August on record, so what sunny days we did have we made the most of them! Joel turned two on the 27th July, a sunny but windy day, we spent the day at the big park in Morecambe with his Gaga (my mum) and then the following day with my dad (who he reminds me of, a lot, both in looks and in his sense of adventure)

Pretty much round about that time he has (almost) dropped his afternoon nap (hence the silence for the last few weeks) and started going to nursery two mornings a week. Both of these developments have led to a very trying couple of months. The first making for impossible times with an over tired toddler (between 3pm and 6pm is now known as Beelzebub time) and the second pushing my patience and then anxiety levels to the max. When you say your child has started nursery people always go "oh that must be nice for you" well in a word No it wasn't!

Watching the farmer take away this years bales

The first six weeks of nursery I spent most of my time at the nursery sat on a tiny plastic chair, amongst the children all making car and choo choo noises. Some of the kids even new my name, anyone would have thought I was a new member of staff, I had to stay so long into the sessions before Joel would let me go (though truth is I resorted to sneaking off as the 'Goodbyes' caused too much anguish) and what I thought would get easier got worse, because he then learnt that I was going! There came a point after a few weeks where I thought, it's too soon for him, I'm going to wait until he's older and re-start him.

Wheel spinning

But that was for me not him, our days had gotten repetitive and dull and he was spending more and more time doing naughty things out of frustration (trashing stuff and having tantrums) plus I've never dealt with conflict or anxiety very well and this had been heightened since having Joel. So we persevered and now he has whole sessions without me.

Re-arranging labels on a display of Succulents at the local Horticultural Society gardens

There have been many tears (both of us) but having observed him through the nursery window (as I'm sure so many 'new to nursery' mums do) he has an amazing time and is enjoying all the learning and interaction with the staff and the other children. The best thing of all is we have fab time together on his non nursery days, it had become over facing having so many full days on my own with such a physically active and knowledge thirsty little man.

Echoes into an abandoned boat house

So now I am starting to thing 'Yes, it is nice that he's at nursery' Joel gets to play without his my watchful eye and I can hopefully start to get 'Me' back, at the very least twice a week!

His first ice cream