My life can be a balancing act with all these women in my life and I sometimes I have my back to the wall and am in trouble, other days I am a skilled practitioner. This week for example Lucy was less than happy with me once again when I went away for a few days. There was no welcome home or hug, just very grumpy. I think this is kind of a strange compliment, I think in female language she missed me! Anna who would not talk to me for days last time I went away greeted me with many hugs, smiles and giggles. I am never going to work out the female mind?!? They kind of have me between a rock and a hard place and on tip toes to react to every hormonal shift and unpredictable behaviour. Life is simple as a man, I missed them all and wanted to shower them with kisses and hugs. Quite simple. P.S Lucy please don't tell everybody at nursery we are going to Care Bear Land in Ireland, as we are not!
Lucy has had a favourite toy for some weeks now and they are inseparable. Meet 'Oddball', Lucy's most treasured possession. They go everywhere together and there can be very loud and long outpourings of emotion if 'Oddball' gets lost for example. 'Oddball' was purchased from a charity shop after a several week obsession with the film 102 Dalmatians, which to those less cultured of you is the sequel to the original. She is a feisty little thing and can regularly be seen hurtling down the stairs in our house for example. After a busy day the pair of them cuddle up all night and the faithful mutt does not leave Lucy's side. The bond between dog and owner is indeed a deep one. The holiday is over and we all return to work or nursery tomorrow. Anna, again, did not hear her daddy's pleas for a decent nights sleep and was a screaming nightmare last night. She has though had a very positive day with less stropping and has been in good form in the spring sunshine. Maybe the omens are good for tonight. It will be interesting to see how she is after going back to nursery. I have two nights in a hotel this week to catch up on my sleep. Thank you God, thank you so much...
The driving lessons are going really well and I am pathetically pleased that I managed to drive to King's Lynn the other day, although it is a little disturbing that Lucy has managed to master it before I do! Although she also looks a little worried. Anna on the other hand is simply driving me mad this week. I have not slept for days. To use the excellent description stated by Amy the other day - she is foul! Virtually the whole week has been taken up by listening to screaming, screaming and more screaming. We have been able to do nothing with her except pull our hair out. She has exhausted me with having to get up to her in the night so much. The other morning I gave up at 4am and brought her downstairs, having attempted to settle her down for hours. Please, please, please Anna let your very tired daddy have some sleep tonight. We think she is teething, but a suspected early case of the terrible twos has been thought of as the root of the problem as well. God help us when she is really two!
The family Hammond hit the dinosaur park for a grand day out today with Uncle Peter and Auntie Doris and had a cracking one. There were many lessons to be learnt too - dinosaurs eat pensioners and children, they roar as demonstrated by Anna and my good self and the last, most interesting and obscure lesson of the day learnt by Lucy was that if you pull your knickers and trousers down in public and attempt to run with them around your ankles you will fall over! Valuable life lessons that should always be reflected upon. On a beautiful spring day we bounded around the park attempting to find the dinosaur stamps so that we could collect our medal at the end of our adventure. I have to say my stamp 
enthusiasm wained a little at the end and Peter and I did contemplate violence with the attendant unless he handed over at least two medals for the girls. Picnic, ice cream, sunshine, giggling, mocking pensioners and playground after playground made up a wholesome family day. Thank you to one and all.......
The girls have had an eventful week with a few moments I am not quite sure what to make of. Let's just say I have entered new parental ground and I am confused. The week began with Anna taking more of an interest in wanting to be a big girl and use the toilet, apart from the fact that she did not bargain on actually falling in the toilet which she did. Lucy, when told of her sister's distress, giggled and said 'can she do it again so I can see!' Anna has also developed a habit of going into the yard, getting some stones and putting them in the toilet. Oh joy! She can now say I love you though, so that makes up for everything. Lucy has become obsessed with bodies. I have previously noted in my blog that there is no privacy in this house, particularly in the shower. Based on the fact that Lucy sees everything and barges in on adults in the shower, we now have the worrying development this week that Lucy draws a penis and testicles when she draws a picture of daddy and adds nipples on a picture of mummy. Not good, not good at all......
The girls and I have had a lovely Easter filled with trips to the swimming pool, playing at the park, a carpet picnic at Grandmas and a massive Easter Sunday tea at Granny's and grandpa's with Uncle Stu, Auntie Kate, Evie and Matilda. The girls have received huge amounts of chocolate - the like of I have never seen. The sun has even shone, something that rarely happens to the family Hammond's bank holiday weekends. A less pleasurable end as a clearly exhausted Anna refuses to go to sleep and is screaming the house down. I have been winning the 'going to bed battle' for some time now and thought I had cracked it, but tonight she is really going for it. She wants to come back down and I don't see why I should give in! She is stubborn and never backs down. Neither does her daddy. Lucy has had a fantastic weekend, but today's picture epitomises the volume at which she has conducted herself - please note the wide open mouth in the very loud position. Let's say there has not been much peace and quiet for the last three days!
