Cheeky monkeys

A woke up on the wrong side of the cot this morning (I'll blame it on last night's time change). I think he was just feeling a bit jealous and, to be fair, he ruled the roost for 27 months so why wouldn't he? But he was a combination of cheeky and grumpy -- a bit much to handle before even having my coffee

We'd had plans for a week to finally go to the movies -- A, M, our friend S and her daughter E -- to see the Muppets. A has never been to the cinema nor does he know what the Muppets are but after many conversations he was quite excited for the whole thing. Which is why, I'm sure, Spring sprang today --- it turned out to be a gloriously warm, sunny day. A, M and I set out after lunch. I took the buggy but A wanted to walk and was adamant that he did not want to nap today. We walked along the canal and I indulged his every whim -- up this ramp, down these stairs, let's sit on the swan statues. It was fun, and M slept. We picked up a salad, a yogurt with 'the chocolate balls and the white balls' and some melon and headed to the small plot of land on S & E's street. It was not a day for the cinema but I figured I'd let S make the call, and she quite sensibly aborted the Muppet plan. I explained it all to A and he seemed okay with it.

After our picnic in the park we met up with S & E and S's sister J in the Meadows, and went to the 'abandoned swings' as we call them -- there's a huge, elaborate playground at the end of the park, but about 100 meters away is this rather lame but spacious and fenced-in playground that's perfect for toddlers.

A was still full of cheek but we had a great time with our pals and then they ended up leaving quickly as J needed to catch a train. I lured A out of the playground by telling him we'd get an ice cream and we did, as you really should do on the very first warm, Springy day. Right? Yesterday M was in a snowsuit for goodness sake!

Last summer, when I was pregnant with M, A and I would often go to the Meadows and no fewer than five times we attempted to approach the 'big monkey'. A, who is not normally timid, was rather terrified, even when the lovely man inside the costume would lift his mask to show he was just a regular guy. But the last time we approached him (I believe it was October, when my friend Cindi was in town), he ran right up, sat on the seat and drummed away like it had been his calling in life.

The winter must have erased A's memory of this as today he didn't want to see the monkey and was just as terrified as ever when we went for a visit, even though it looks like he's having a grand old time in my photo. Don't be fooled -- he spent most of our visit hiding behind my legs. Hopefully the Spring weather (if it lasts) will wear my little monkey down again and warm him up to the big monkey, and I'll be sure to get a photo of it for my blip.

M was in the baby bjorn facing out today for the first time and as happy as can be. And A was so shattered on the way home that he actually asked to go into his buggy (a first) so that we could 'get home quicker'. He was asleep within 30 seconds -- clearly a successful day outside as he was way too tired to be a cheeky monkey on our walk back home.