Parenting is not for sissies...

In the words of a very wise friend, parenting is not for sissies. We are into crisis management here. The last few months, LBM has been so miserable and I have found this pretty disheartening. Right now, we need to work on improving our relationship and just get the little guy happy again before I actually end up buying shares in Bombay Sapphire. A lot of it is frustration, as he is not talking and gets annoyed when we simply just don't 'get it.' Routine, routine, routine I hear the gurus chant. But it's a tough call, as I felt strict routine was only making things worse as boy do you pay if you accidentally change something. And I am not talking biggies here. So I throw in a few gentle curve balls and hope for the best. It seems to help. This week I have also been letting LBM do all the things he knows and loves. He is happiest out and about with us and the dogs, jumping in mud puddles. Or at home with food and familiarity. Any sort of social situation at someones house where he decides he no longer wants to be (usually after 20min) turns him into something out of Monsters Inc. This is hard to manage. He's got to get used to it but at the same time, we just want him to be happy. When things are getting a bit too 'Is it too early for a gin?' I have to keep reminding myself how far we've come. Watching him reach out to LRUN for a cuddle on the weekend, I had a huge lump in my throat. Baby steps I whisper to myself. Baby steps. It really helps when I just try and view things from his little world. He is still not hugely interested in his toys. In fact, his best friend is currently, Miele, the hoover. Following a close second are the car keys, MY toothbrush and Iphone. Oh and hours of entertainment with my sock as a puppet.

His adoption court order is coming up in the middle of this month. We don't attend, only the birth parents do. I have faith they will grant us the parental order but you cannot be too sure in this crazy adoption world. Miss Delia is doing the prep and calls to asks me for my height for the report. Is this important? Blimey, are they monitoring our centiles too now? She explains they no longer put photos in the report, only descriptions. In that case, I tell her I have lost weight since she last saw me. She laughs. She says she had described me as slim build. Well I never. Now that really is a first! I must make room for more cake. Or maybe a Rhubarb Trifle. Bloody love trifle.