Let me S.P.E.L.L it out for you

Our little man seems quite on the ball for a 2.5 year old, you can’t tell him we’re off on an adventure because he will want to do it right there and then. That could just be mummy’s impatience rubbing off on him actually.

As he’s getting more articulate and his memory is getting better, I’m more aware of what’s on the TV if he’s in the room – especially the News. I believe that there are things a little one just doesn’t need to see, we’ve no idea how much he’s taking in. I wasn’t sure when this would happen but knew it would at some point.

The funny side of him changing, listening and remembering has been entertaining.  If he over hears me talking on the phone and I mention the park, he immediately says “Park please mummy”. If I go to the freezer to get peas or ice cubes, Rocco will push me out of the way and reach for the lollies. If I call my mum on handsfree, Rocco will immediately say “can we visit Papa now please”.

We can’t mention holidays without Rocco requesting to watch the video on my phone of him on a plane last summer and asking when we’re next going on one. Good point actually son.

I’m finding myself more conscious of the conversations we have in front of him, there are just some things he doesn’t need to hear, although our adult conversations are all kid orientated these days anyway.

So I’ve taken to spelling key words out when I’m talking to Mr S, but for someone as clever as Mr S he just doesn’t get it!

For example Mr S will ask what we’re up to today.  I will spell out the words Park, Farm, Swimming etc and I’m not sure why I bother because as soon as I spell it, I can see Mr S spell it out in his head and then say it out loud!  The Rockstar hears it and is off to find his shoes and go on and on about it until we actually go out. Thanks Dad.

Rocco also has a thing about new stuff from shoes to toothpaste – he doesn’t like them, if he knows about them! I also don’t make a big deal out of new stuff to the little man, trouble is daddy does.

I bought Rocco a different toothpaste the other day but didn’t mention it, just popped it on the toothbrush and he cleaned his teeth. That night Mr S was getting him ready for bed and said ‘ Oh Rocco look you’ve got a new toothpaste’  to which the reply was “Nooooooo daddy I don’t like it”.

I had bought Rocco a new pillow and popped it in his cot (yep he’s still in the cot and I’m in no rush to move him) anyway new pillow in cot, Mr S puts him to bed and just before I can say ‘don’t mention the new P.I.L.L.O.W’  he says ‘Oh Rocco look at this lovely soft new pillow’. Then I hear the screaming “Noooo daddy I want my other pillow”.

Oh Daddy will you ever learn?

I wonder if it’s a mummy thing. Until recently my sister and I were still spelling words out in front of my niece, she’s now 7 and reminds me that she can spell now.

Maybe Mr S and I should start communicating by writing things down in future or maybe carry on as we are and our son will be a genius speller or at least Daddy may get the hang of it!

Right, I’m off to call the girls and organise a night out for a glass of W.I.N.E!

I want to talk about death

Recently we seem to have been surrounded by death. We recently lost Mr S’ Grandad, he’d had a good innings at 91 but still a great loss, my dads brother passed away this week- I didn’t see him much but still a loss for my dad. A friend has been left devastated by the sudden death of his dad and then just this week a guy I have worked with who fought cancer for 6 years passed away leaving his wife and young son.

It’s the latter that has made me think long and hard about the need to lay out some plans incase death strikes our little family before it should. My friend knew what the outcome was going to be so I am sure as a family they had discussed it and their young son was aware of the invetatable but it still breaks my heart to think of a little family being torn apart and left to rebuild their unit. I don’t know whether the time to talk and prepare is better than it suddenly happening. I know I have the need to talk about death with Mr S but not with a 2 year old. He hasn’t asked about Great Grandad yet I’m not sure what we will say, I suspect he won’t ask for a few years yet, pictures of him suffice.

Mr S isn’t one for talking, let alone about dying. I need to know my wishes are in place, not just so I get what I want, after all I won’t know, but to make things easier for my family that are left behind.

I know of families that have fallen out over funeral plans, fallen out over the Will, I don’t want that, it’s just not needed. Mr S will have enough on his hands with the Rockstar and clearly grieving for his loss, without worrying about what happens next.

As an ‘organiser’ I want my funeral to run like clockwork, in fact I’ve already written the ‘event schedule’ for it! I’ve made suggestions on where the after party should be, food and drink. It’s what my friends would expect of me.

I haven’t got a huge amount of ‘special items’ but I’ve listed who should have what. I imagine the girls going through the wardrobe for coats and handbags whilst drinking fizz.

The next thing I want to do is get back to writing more emails for Rocco to read over the years. I have no intention of leaving him just yet and I hope I will still be around when he reads them but just in case something happens, I need to get back on top of that. I constantly fill his memory box of reminders of our adventures. I print off lots of pictures and pop them in little albums for him to flip through.

Mr S and I have talked briefly about what happens if we both die at the same time, who would have Rocco?  It’s an easy one for us when we have such close siblings whose morals and values are the same as ours, so it’s not actually something I really worry about. Once we decided that Rocco would be an only child I did panic somewhat about him being alone but that’s not a concern since we have talked about it.

Since we have been talking about death, Mr S has told me of a few things he would like at his funeral, I didn’t know these things, so talking has helped. It hasn’t felt morbid, yes it’s an awful thought and one I hope we don’t go through for some time but after the last few weeks you just don’t know.

I’ve downloaded some info on writing your own Will just so it is there in writing although for me it’s not about who gets what, it’s more about making sure people know how I feel about them.

If the last few weeks have taught me anything it’s taught me to talk more about what happens next, it’s not morbid, yes it’s a bit scary but it needs to be done. Find out what your loved ones want, work on that bucket list, call your mate you haven’t spoken to for a while, just spend some time doing fun stuff because life really is too short.