Princess: A freshly squeezed orange juice.
We put in our order and wait and wait.
Me: Where is that waitress with our order?
Princess: She’s coming, patience Mummy.
Waitress arrives.
Princess: See, I was right.
Me: Yes dear, how is your orange juice?
She continues sipping and turns her chubby hand from side to side in mid air (meaning medium).
Me: What’s wrong with it?
Her (sotto voce): I don’t think it’s freshly squeezed, Mummy.
I tried it, it wasn’t.

It was just as well that Sunday’s outing passed off peacefully because on Saturday we had an absolutely hideous trip to a tea shop.  We all went out and bought the Princess a new anorak. We bought a ski jacket on the basis that it would be warm and maybe we might all go skiing next year (oh stop sniggering). It is pink.  After one afternoon’s wear, it was filthy. An excellent investment, clearly.

After the success of the anorak, we decided to go for tea and a bun. A dreadful mistake, we went to this place on Rue du Bailli where the food and decor are lovely and the staff are vile.  And really, that’s ok, if it’s just two adults, but two adults and three small children? It’s a disaster. Mr. Waffle (with Michael strapped to him on the sling) and the Princess
ascended the steep stairs (which I had forgotten) to the tea
room. I tried and failed to get Daniel up the steps in the
buggy.  The woman from behind the counter gave a deep sigh and marched around, I assusmed to help me, but no to bang shut the door I had left ajar. I concede that it was freezing, but I was distracted. Another staff member came and told me that the buggy was in the way. I tried despairingly to get up the steps again, but they were just too steep. Mr. Waffle came down to help me (Michael still in sling) leaving the Princess precariously sitting on a chair minding a table. The staff snorted as we, relatively briefly, blocked the staircase. We all sat down. The boys were as good as gold, as was the Princess.  The staff continued nasty, they disliked our paraphenalia. It’s hard to blame them, I suppose, but they were so rude and unpleasant, that I was more than willing to try. I ordered a milk shake and asked for a small glass so that I could pour some of it in there for the Princess. “We have no small glasses”. “Well, maybe a mug.” More snorting.  The waitress decided that she would ignore that particular bizarre request. Lovely.  I think that you will get the flavour of the unpleasant spirit that animates the establishment when I
tell you that on their blackboard, they had emblazoned in large letters “No second spoons with ice cream/deserts”. It was all a bit grim but our little Princess sat smiling, eating her ice cream and saying to her frazzled parents “We’re having a lovely time, aren’t we?”

A letter from my father:

“I was amused (not quite the right word) by your account of your troubles with people parking outside your garage today.   I remember your mother’Â’s story.  She found a car parked outside the gate when she wanted to go somewhere.  There had been a few similar episodes, and she lost her temper and telephoned the guards.  They sent a guard to investigate.

It appeared the car was registered to a woman in mid-Cork, some distance away, and she was telephoned and told to remove the obstruction.  The car was being driven by her daughter, who had business in [town], but she (the daughter) could not be found, so the registered owner had to make the trip into [our] road and remove the obstruction.  Revenge, satisfaction, removal of an obstacle… all very well, if one was not acquainted with the culprit.”

In other
news, the Princess skipped off early to school today for gym (or pyschomotricité as
it is known in the language of diplomacy and romance, you might note
that it
may not be spelt that way).  She has no idea what it is, but she
is all excited,  I hope that she is not in for a bitter
disappointment.

belgianwaffle

on 27 January 2006 at 09:12

Hello CACOchyme, encore un Belge, the excitement. In fact, I was very pleased with the plumber and frankly half an hour late isn’t really very late but he did cost me, sharp intake of breath, 142 euros.
Peggy, hmmm, you go and stand with pog in the coin colere.
FT, would have been insufficient to defray substantial costs.
Oh yes, Kristin, no circle time for us, humph. Fridge is fab and much bigger than last one. Mr. W. says it’s just a fridge. Pah. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

Madam’s teacher told me that she (the Princess) was a genius and miles
ahead of the other children (see, proof that hothousing works) and that
really she should go to the next class up but she wasn’t quite mature
enough.� However, she suggested that our immature genius should
spend a morning a week in the next class up and I basked in her
reflected glory.

When we got out the snow had, alas, got heavier.� The Princess was
beside herself with delight and ran around sticking out her tongue to
catch snowflakes.� While normally I would be charmed by this
behaviour, I was anxious to get home quickly before Michael got
hypothermia (Daniel was safely wrapped in blankets and a rain sheet in
the buggy).� I harried her along with middling success.�
About half way home she said “Mummy, I want to do a wee”.� “Can
you wait until we get home?”� Really I don’t know why I bothered
to ask.� Of course not.� We crouched down between two cars,
exposing the imperial bottom to the snow and also wetting the hem of
the imperial trousers, but better than the alternative, I
suppose.� Unfortunately, while crouching, I crushed Michael’s legs
(you will recall that he was in the sling) and he did not like this and
proceeded to bellow in indignation all the rest of the way home.�
The Princess blithely� ignored his protests and dawdled along.

By the time we finally got into the building, Michael had worked
himself into a state of near apoplexy.�� I put saintly,
sleeping Daniel in the lift and turned to the Princess and asked her to
get in.� I could barely hear her reply above Michael’s indignant
roars but I gathered from her hunched shoulders and the fact that she
was still sitting on the stairs that it was in the negative. �
Apparently she wanted to walk up the stairs.� I pointed out that I
could neither carry both boys up the stairs nor abandon them in the
hall.� “I bet you can” she said sulkily.� A protracted
negotiation session followed, Michael bawling the while and eventually
she consented to get into the lift.

At lunch she tasted and then rejected the following foods:� smoked
salmon, chicken, foie gras (stocks replenished and I know it’s
sub-optimal for the under 3s but I was desperate).� She eventually
consented to have “a little pasta with olive oil, Mummy”� and has
finally just gone for her nap.� Daniel still sleeps and Michael is
attached to me as I type but mercifully looking somnolent.� I
think that I will have a restorative cup of tea.

]]>

When we
were down town, we saw a woman and her daughter begging.  The Princess wanted to know why they were
sitting on the pavement and I said that they were poor and begging for money.  I explained that not everybody was as lucky
as us with a nice house and plenty of food to eat and nice clothes and
toys.  The Princess was fascinated.  On the tram on the way home, she kept pointing
at people and saying, very distinctly (and accurately), “I think heÂ’s poor Mummy”.  Then she said to me “Mummy, you know, there
are a lot of poor people at my school”.  I
see social death approaching.  Mind you,
itÂ’s not like IÂ’ve made friends with a lot of the mothers and fathers.  I keep smiling in a hopeful way but they keep
ignoring me.  Yesterday, this woman was
collecting her daughter who is in the PrincessÂ’s class.  She has twin boys!  Who are four months old!  What a coincidence, would you like to chat
about all the things we and our daughters have in common?  Apparently not.  She cut me dead and continued talking to her
friends.  I was crushed and reduced to
thinking bad things about her poor dental work.  Also she made having twins and a toddler look
very easy and we all know that it is extremely difficult and I am fantastic to be
coping so well.  Humph.

geepeemum

on 25 January 2006 at 11:53

She was probably being rude because she looks at you and wonders how she could ever in her wildest dreams cope as well as you do; clearly you make her feel inferior! (As indeed you should, given that she is a very rude lady) 0
Sweetie(s) given    

jackdalton

on 25 January 2006 at 12:54

Don’t be crushed, ‘waf. People who do that sort of thing eventuually get what’s due…. silly old billy old cow.
[Her. Not you.] 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 27 January 2006 at 09:06

Pog, am sure you are right. Oooh, I like that GPM. Peggy, rich expats are people too. Sniff. Still no friends though. I suppose it has only been a fortnight.
JD, am glad you clarified that. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

Update:  Met Mr. Waffle for lunch, he says that he hopes, over
time, to reach a point where he can hold up his little finger and
Daniel will instantly fall asleep.

Minkleberry

on 25 January 2006 at 08:37

Good old Daniel-thats some magic finger. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 25 January 2006 at 08:51

I know people (though not about the rum FT), fingers crossed and all that. Another full night for young Daniel last night. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

Bobble

on 25 January 2006 at 18:58

Hurrah! 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 27 January 2006 at 09:07

I know, Bobble, and four days later, he’s still at it. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

In an effort to persuade the Princess to give Cinderella a little time off, we have
been doing some work with Snow White.

Me: But Snow White wasnÂ’t really dead, it was just that the poisoned apple had stuck in
her throat. When the handsome prince
kissed her, he dislodged the piece of apple and Snow White woke up.

Mr. W (sotto voce): That’Â’s some kiss.

]]>

Is it any wonder with all this sleep deprivation, that I left the
Princess’s buggy behind me at the tram stop this morning?  She was
a bit distressed but I reassured her that it would be there when we got
back.  My faith was misplaced.  Who the hell takes a 20 euro
supermarket buggy from the tram stop?  Fortunately, she is not old
enough to be embarassed by her mother inquiring in neighbouring cafes
whether anyone had handed in a buggy.  No, nobody had.

However, to restore your faith in human nature, let me tell you the
following heart warming tale.  Outside the church we go to, there
is a group of regular beggars.  The Princess and I have built up a
special relationship with one of the beggars, a very nice man, who is
always very sweet to our girl.  This morning, it was perishing and
I had forgotten to bring along a hat for her highness.  Our friend
was very concerned about this and insisted on giving her his hat. 
I was against this for a range of reasons, some of them worthy (the
poor man will be frozen, we have lots of hats at home, we can afford
more hats), some of them distinctly less so (where has that hat been
and what is the bizarre smell?).  However, my attempts at refusal
were scuppered by madam who clutched it in her little hand and clamped
it on her head.  He says that we can give it back to him next
week.  You will be relieved to know that he confirms that he has
another hat at home.

beachhutman

on 22 January 2006 at 22:38

Alas, it was a seven years stretch in our case. Ultimately disasterous. Get them BACK in that cot! 0
Sweetie(s) given    

Berry

on 23 January 2006 at 01:55

I just came across your blog today and you got it going! How you manage so well with 3! I only have one whose sick at the moment and can’t imagine what it must be like.
You’re little ones are too cute! 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 23 January 2006 at 09:14

Phoebejo?
Kristin, BHM, I see you give conflicting advice, but I feel that there is something in what the BHM says.
FT, well, yes..
Berry, you are kind, I’d rather have 3 well ones than one sick one,hope that your mite is feeling better. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

JoJo

on 23 January 2006 at 14:37

Indeed! Hope you had a better night last night chuck. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

Minkleberry

on 23 January 2006 at 19:54

Jimi has taken to swearing in a lullaby voice when Seth snuffles awake in the wee hours. I find it oddly comforting and it sends me right off to sleep.
I wonder the damage to the poor boys psyche.. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 25 January 2006 at 08:50

Thanks Jojo. Minks, I LOVE that! 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

Did you
know that twins suck each otherÂ’s thumbs? 
Or noses, or shoulders, or whatever happens to be in range.  They weigh nearly12 kilos between them
now.  ThatÂ’s a lot of baby to be hefting
round.  They are developping personalities.  Daniel is a big baby with an
amiable grin and relaxed manner who reminds me forcibly of his uncle (my
feckless brother – I foresee a lifetime of getting extra keys cut).  He looks very like his big sister and moves
like she did at his age (why should I hold my head up?  No, really, why?  I donÂ’t intend to crawl until I reach 11
months).  Michael is a very different
child.  Unlike the Princess and Daniel,
he is not a bald baby (how extraordinary). 
He loves having his legs bicycled and already puts weight on his legs,
an ominous sign that he may walk early. 
Where did we get an athletic baby from? 
Unlike his older and bigger brother he believes that sleep is
for wimps
but he is a lot more amiable on his four hours a night than I suspect
Margaret
Thatcher ever was.  I, however, am finding the regime
challenging and, of course, the Princess likes to add her mite.  I am sure you can imagine the joy in the Waffle
household when after a night awake with the boys, the Princess knocked
on our bedroom door at 6.02 this morning.

JoJo

on 22 January 2006 at 14:54

Sez – afternoon nap, you say? Ha ha ha (come on, join in waffly) ha ha ha. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

Berry

on 23 January 2006 at 01:52

ahhh. So cute!! 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 23 January 2006 at 09:10

Sez, Jojo is right as ever. Kristin, Berry, thank you. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

poggle

on 20 January 2006 at 13:48

Fabulous – Ab Fab, in fact. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

Bobble

on 20 January 2006 at 14:03

As said previously she should have her own TV show, on the fashion channel. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 23 January 2006 at 09:09

You are all very kind and virtuous. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

Email from
my friend D.

“Saw this
and thought of youÂ…particularly your description of bringing Princess to school
with the twins in tow, one in a sling and the other in the buggy.  I feel
that this is not a viable option into the future as the twins get bigger..http://www.magicmum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=18600

 Hope all is
ok with you.  Baby A has a cold and was awake crying from 1am to 4 am last night.  I am
shattered.  I don’t know how you possibly manage with three.  In fact
I am surprised that anyone in the world has siblings at all, now that reliable
contraception is available….

Yours in exhausted bewilderment, “

You will
note her wisdom in the matter of siblings.

belgianwaffle

on 23 January 2006 at 09:08

Good Lord Kristin, how extraordinary. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

Princess (to Mr. W.): Phtum, you’re me.
Princess (to me): Phtum, you’re Daddy.

Me (to Princess): Who are you?

Princess(aggrievedly):I’m MUMMY.

Mr. W (as Princess): Waah, get my doggy.

Me (as Mr. W): Don’t shout, be good and I will get your doggy.

Mr. W (as Princess): PLEASE get my doggy.

Me (as Mr. W. to Princess in role of Mummy): Is that sufficient? Will I get her doggy?

Princess (as Mummy): Yes, she is only two and a half, you know.

poggle

on 19 January 2006 at 12:44

Fabulous. She’s going to be (possibly foul-mouthed) Oscar winner one day. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

belgianwaffle

on 19 January 2006 at 19:14

Thanks Amerly. V. prob foul mouthed, pog. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

UndercoverCookie

on 20 January 2006 at 11:56

your two and a half year old is giving you parenting advice. haha!
I’m torn between recommending Mr Waffle be more demanding and him being more flexible and accommodation. I fear the former may just give her more inspiration and the later give her unrealistic representation of herself. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

belgianwaffle

on 20 January 2006 at 12:17

I know, UC, I know, and I’d love to know where she gets that smug manner from as well… 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

]]>

Our fridge is broken.  I rang my sister for sympathy. 

Me
(dolefully):  Guess what?

Her: What?

Me: Our
fridge has broken down.

Her:  Thank God, I thought that you were going to
say that you were pregnant.

I rang the
BaronessÂ’s agent (yes our landlady is a Baroness, welcome to Belgium, land of minor aristocracy) but
Charles-Emmanuel was unmoved by our plight.  Â“But” I pleaded “we have twin babies, we
really NEED a fridge”.  Â“Madam” he said
unmoved “everybody needs a fridge”.  In
fairness, however, the Baroness and her ex-husband (all the tenants wish that
theyÂ’d get back together, heÂ’s very handy and efficient) turned up to inspect
the offending fridge, pronounced it dead and have since arranged for a new one
to be purchased.  Delivery is, alas,
still pending.  This is a matter of particular
regret to me since I bought a lot of post-Christmas discount foie gras (in Belgium, foie gras is for Christmas not for
life) and now it all has to be chucked.

Bobble

on 18 January 2006 at 15:49

We’ll come round and help you out with the eating. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

jackdalton

on 18 January 2006 at 20:48

Just as well, knowing what foie gras is supposed to do to the libido…
0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 19 January 2006 at 12:08

It is very gratifying to discover that you all like foie gras.
Baroness, with all due respect, no matter how old a baronetcy is, I think that it’s pretty low down the pecking order. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

poggle

on 19 January 2006 at 12:45

That’s awful – just awful – throwing away foie gras is a tragedy … 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 20 January 2006 at 12:15

Pog, I am delighted to add you to the long list of my readers who are foie gras fans. Perhaps we could set up a club. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

poggle

on 20 January 2006 at 12:53

Yes – we could have secret handshakes and codes (eg the grey geese fly at dawn). Ahem. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

jackdalton

on 20 January 2006 at 13:18

Hmmm, grey geese that fly at dawn etc. Another unexpected depth to the Pog(gle).
But what I really wanted to say was that I have vague memories of being emotionally savaged by a policy wonk / veggie type I loved deeply but too well because of what they do to geese to make foie gras. All about locking them in barns, force-feeding them, clipping wings and oversized livers that made their legs break. And so on.
Kind of put me off for a while. But I’m allright now…
Ain’t time a wonderful thing?! 0
Sweetie(s) given    

poggle

on 20 January 2006 at 13:20

Your policy wonk/veggie type was telling the truth. I am a bad person. Sometimes my appetite outweighs my conscience. But you already knew that, right? 0
Sweetie(s) given    

jackdalton

on 20 January 2006 at 13:51

We are all bad people in some small ways; unthinkingly dragging (one of our two) new blankets through the gutters of life. Except ‘waf. Who is amazingly stoic and clear-sighted or something.
(Can anything truly outweigh conscience? Just wondering…. ) 0
Sweetie(s) given    

poggle

on 20 January 2006 at 13:53

You’re right, of course. My conscience doesn’t generally get outweighed. Sometimes it gets pushed to the back because of an excess of vin rouge (or similar), but not for long. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 23 January 2006 at 09:08

Conscience? What’s that? The grey geese fly at dawn, my friends. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

jackdalton

on 23 January 2006 at 20:41

So that would be geese and conscience flying with the wind….. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 25 January 2006 at 08:51

Eh, yes Jack. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

In the
tram, the Princess peers at a fellow travellerÂ’s shoppping and, perceiving a
gift wrapped item, turns to me, points at the parcel and says “I hope that
present is for me”.

Bobble

on 18 January 2006 at 15:48

She needs her own TV show. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

poggle

on 19 January 2006 at 12:46

Bobs is right. I’d pay to watch that. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 19 January 2006 at 19:15

HJB, Bobble, pog, do you think if we put her on the telly she might start to pay her way? 0
Sweetie(s) given    

poggle

on 20 January 2006 at 09:37

She might at least employ you as her PA – that’d be a start … 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 20 January 2006 at 12:16

Pog, I think she’d be too demanding a boss. HJB, ta for sweetie, belatedly noticed.. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

When the
Princess speaks English, she sounds like a little Belgian.  Aside from the mistaken direct translations (e.g.
“I’m there” for “I’m here” and “I’m coming” for “I can do it”) her accent is
very odd.  She pronounces there “theyRE”,
here is “he RE” and chair is “chayRE”.  I
am baffled, it’s not like she’s ever heard anyone say “chay RE” and she obviously
has no idea how theyÂ’re spelt. 
She also laughs at my French pronounciation.  Her class is called
“accueil” and that combination of vowels is very hard for the non-
French speaker.  She now ambushes me saying say “écureuil, Âœil, feuille” Mummy.  Oh very funny.
]]>

pain quotidien (post mass treat) and no mass.” 

I don’t know why she objects, it’s far from the dull experience I had
when I was her age.  We check out the confessionals at the back of
the church and look at all the statues “Look, Mummy, baby Jesus. 
Oh Mummy, another baby Jesus”.  You get the picture. 
Incidentally, I am having some difficulty explaining  the role of
Joseph in the holy family, for the meanwhile he has been described as
Jesus’s Daddy which may yet get me excommunicated.

Looking at the pieta which features a rather grisly looking Jesus we had the following exchange.
Her:  Oh Mummy, poor sick Jesus.
Me: Yes dear.
Her:  And his Mummy Mary is sad.
Me: Yes she is, poor Mary.
Her: As sad as Cinderella?
Me: Possibly even sadder.
Her:  We give her a biscuit to make it better.
Me:  She is so sad that even a biscuit may not make it better.

NorahSplog

on 15 January 2006 at 19:16

Ahh biscuits. Is there anything they can’t do? 1
Sweetie(s) given    

poggle

on 16 January 2006 at 17:50

I’m sure the baboon would agree with her on the biscuits fixing anything principle … 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 19 January 2006 at 12:06

Pog, Norah, ahh biscuits. Thanks for the sweetie N.
FT, get your own blog.
Kristin, no problem at all, made me feel very popular.
Thks Sez. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

Me: And the clock struck midnight.
Her: Bong, bong, bong.
Me: And Cinderella ran away.
Her: Did Prince Charming say “feck” Mummy?

NorahSplog

on 12 January 2006 at 10:32

Har! Fab. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

sonicson

on 12 January 2006 at 17:15

love it!! 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

poggle

on 12 January 2006 at 17:37

Oh – it reminds me of the days of Lazy Jack Silver and Her Imperial Highness’s haughty tones ….. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

Peggy

(Homepage)

on 12 January 2006 at 21:28

Adorable )
When he was her age, Tetan pretended he was Alice (in Wonderland). That worried me at some point (since I remembered giving birth to a baby boy). Nowadays, he sits on the side of the bathtub pretending he is a gargoyle (The Gargoyles on TV everyday at 8.00am). When I was 4, I didn’t even know what a gargoyle was… A spoiled generation. ���

cha0tic

on 13 January 2006 at 13:03

Please tell me you said yes. Please. I know I would, I couldn’t help myself. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

belgianwaffle

on 13 January 2006 at 14:09

cha0tic, said maybe.
Thank you Peggy, think we’re some way from the sophistication of gargoyles over here.
Ah yes, pog, I know what you mean – when I had time on my hands.
Bobble, Norah, Sonicson, ta. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

]]>

The
Princess is obsessed with Cinderella.  We
have seen the pantomime, the puppet show, the film and we are in possession of
a number of variations of the book.

Last night
Mr. Waffle put her to bed and he told me that she did her latest trick inspired
by the magic of the fairy godmother. 
“Phtum” she said waving an imaginary wand “you are Princess and I am
Daddy.”  “What did you do?” I asked.  “What do you think I did?” he said “I lay on
her bed while she sat in the chair beside me and told me the story of
Cinderella.

Diva

on 11 January 2006 at 17:04

Excellent! LOL 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 12 January 2006 at 09:53

Mike, that’s brought back dreadful memories.
Ta Diva.
FT, you may live to regret this offer. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

]]>

Monday went fine. Tuesday was ok. This morning she was in floods of tears. The problem is that she won’t sleep at school and she’s exhausted. I am collecting her at 12.10 today with a view to
giving her a nice long nap at home. If she does not nap at home,
I will shoot myself. Mr. Waffle is away on a business trip and
not coming back until tomorrow. Blind terror prevails.

Today will also be the first time that I have to collect her with the
boys as on Monday and Tuesday, I had people in to mind them. I am a little concerned that I will not be able to marshall all three of
them home (Princess on foot, Michael in sling and Daniel in buggy) so, despite the fact that the school is only around the corner, I think I might drive to collect her. Farewell, ozone layer. I cannot
tell you how much I am looking forward to trying to get her out the door to school tomorrow (up to now this has been her loving father’s task) with the boys in tow.

Thought I should mention that yesterday I was superwoman. Drove to the creche to drop off a little present and pick up a portrait of the Princess. Went to my place of work and passed the (immensely well behaved) boys to swarms of admirers. Left before they started to cry. Breastfed them both for half an hour in the back of the car while covered by cloth of decency and reading the LRB.

Lunched with Mr. Waffle while saintly Michael slept and I breastfed Daniel. Mercifully, a kind providence had placed us sitting beside two nordic gentlemen so, being Scandinavian and right on, they didn’t bat an eyelid, I’m not even sure that they noticed.

Came home, dropped the boys with G, set out for school, took Princess to the park and for a cup of tea. Came home, relieved G. With the Princess’s assistance, bathed both boys and prepared dinner for Mr. Waffle’s return at 6.45. Promptly collapsed with exhaustion thereafter.

NorahSplog
on 11 January 2006 at 10:22

Good lord woman – you’ve transcended mere human and appear to have evolved into some sort of super-being. 1
Sweetie(s) given

UndercoverCookie

on 11 January 2006 at 10:23

you were superwoman not just yesterday but are so every day. Just the logistic of two babies and a (demanding) princess sound a nightmare, never mind all the other stuff. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

geepeemum

on 11 January 2006 at 14:49

Just reading that makes me tired. And I’m worried about the ski trip? Actually – yes, I’m still worried about the ski trip. 1
Sweetie(s) given ���

kristin

(Homepage)

on 11 January 2006 at 23:33

could the princess be more precious?! clever girl! ���

Bobble

on 12 January 2006 at 08:40

You should patent the phrase ‘cloth of decency’ my dear. 0
Sweetie(s) given ���

belgianwaffle

on 12 January 2006 at 09:56

Bobble, stolen from himself, I fear.
Ta Kristin, GPM, UC and Ms. Splog. Special thanks for the sweeties GPM and Ms. Splog. You are wise to continue to be scared of the week alone GPM..
SSC, yes, I used to love the sandpit myself.

Posted in Boys, Daniel, Michael, Princess | Comments Off

9 January, 2006 at 10:12 am by belgianwaffle

The boys
were christened.  Rejoice.  Mr. Waffle got two blankets from Marks and
Spencer to serve as spotless garments.  By
the time we got to the church, one of them had been trailed in the mud.  Alas. 
The boys were very virtuous and slept and were therefore left in the
hall.  In fact the poor mites spent a lot
of Christmas sleeping in halls.

As promised
earlier, please admire photograph of me breastfeeding twins and maintaining a
semblance of decency.  Yes, I know you
were all desperate to see that.

 

The Princess
eats eggs.  My parents-in-law are the
proud possessors of one egg cup.   One day it went missing.  My mother-in-law said “donÂ’t worry, you know
what makes a great egg cup?  A toilet
roll”.  She scurried off to the bathroom
to get a roll of toilet paper.  I said
defiantly “I am not feeding my daughter an egg from a roll of toilet paper”. “But
itÂ’s a fresh roll” she said.  The
Princess started to wail.  I conceded
defeat and gave her the egg from the roll of toilet paper.  It works perfectly.  I said to my mother-in-law “IÂ’m almost afraid
to ask but how do you know this?”.  “Well”
she said “when I was an airhostess in the 60s and we went to New York overnight, you would get a breakfast
allowance.  We wanted to save the money,
so we would buy eggs and boil them in the hotel kettle and eat them from the roll
of toilet paper.”  That woman is
determined to ruin my vision of the glamour of the glory days of aviation.

Comments

jackdalton

on 09 January 2006 at 11:13

All of life is, in a sense, about one of two blankets trailing in the mud.

Lovely pics: I particularly like the one where Cha is sleeping among the wine bottles… 0
Sweetie(s) given    

Friar Tuck

on 09 January 2006 at 16:07

After drinking all that wine, it is no wonder that they were snockered!
Great pics though. Your breastfeeding pic is even decent enough to be shown in America. It was surely a disappointment to the NSA folks, who, I am sure, have set a filter to find all references to ‘breastfeeding’ passing through the air.
Ha ha. Just kidding. I’m sure they are only looking for terrorists. No, really. I love America. I love G.W. Bush. Please don’t arrest me.    

Diva

on 09 January 2006 at 16:49

Wow, haven’t they grown! They look smashing ) 0
Sweetie(s) given    

Lilo

on 10 January 2006 at 21:16

So THATs how you breastfeed two – I’ve always wondered – they’re very accommodating little chaps aren’t they? 0
Sweetie(s) given    

belgianwaffle

on 11 January 2006 at 10:03

Lilo, yup, they are what is known as “good babies”.
Thanks Diva.
Friar Tuck, where have you gone? Why are you wearing an orange jump suit?
JD, profound.
Ta Norah. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

dmts

on 11 January 2006 at 20:15

I love Friar Tuck. Perhaps this is the wrong thing to be saying about a man of the cloth and all that jazz and I may be going straight to hell, but I shall quote him come the day of being judged…. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

ali

(Homepage)

on 12 January 2006 at 01:54

you definitely are a wonderwoman! i have enough trouble breastfeeding one!!!!    

belgianwaffle

on 12 January 2006 at 09:52

HJB, quite. I think he should start his own blog..
Ali, forget breast feeding, am deeply indebted to you for the info that Angelina Jolie is pregnant. 0
Sweetie(s) given    

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Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments Off