Rain, snot, bread

Today started the way it finished: with rain. 

I hustled the three of us out the door at 8:20 (five minutes late) and we made it as far as the first major intersection before big, fat drops appeared. Two minutes later we were drenched (two minutes later it stopped - grrr! Not sure why that is so frustrating, but it is!) We were wet enough, and still close enough to home that I then raced a protesting E back to the house and got her into a dry uniform and me into a dry jumper - C had been in the pram and so was largely ok. I then shoved them both in the car and was halfway through fighting with E over doing up her seatbelt when she did a huge, disgusting snort all over her face. Then wiped it away with her hands. Then licked her hands.

That was it. I stopped trying to persuade myself that her runny nose and cough were hayfever and asked her "do you want to go to kindy today?" She looked at me and said "no Mummy, I want to stay home with you." I said "ok." So she did. 

It was a pretty uninspiring day - despite the runny nose and occasional cough E didn't seem otherwise sick. There is still the possibility it is hayfever as her arms are rashy again and D plus various folk on his side of the family suffer badly from hayfever each spring. E listened to story CDs in her room, I asked her to use a tissue not her hands, I asked her to wash her hands, we played cards, I reminded her not to touch the baby, she watched tv, I asked her to use a tissue, she listened to more CDs, I asked her to wash her hands, she coloured pictures of Dora, I growled at her not to touch the baby. For some as-yet-unapparent reason the baby was grouchy and needy all day. She wanted to be held, she wanted to eat every hour, she wanted to be patted to sleep every hour and a half. 

In between all that we did make some pretty delicious herb and garlic bread rolls loosely following this recipe. And C did some pretty impressive tummy time for a baby who is definitely the weakling of the playgroup - until now "tummy time" has meant lying face down on the rug with grizzling rapidly descending into crying.

After D got home, just before it got dark, I snuck out for a walk. Within thirty seconds of me leaving the house it started to rain and I was reminded of the morning. But this time I was on my own and I didn't care if I got wet. I walked fast, I took big lungfuls of damp, chilly air. I looked at the horizon. I was grateful to be somewhere other than my living room and kitchen. It rained. I walked.