Life is never dull

LIFE is anything but dull at the moment but Harry has decided that I still haven't got quite enough on my plate at the moment. No, he has decided that it's time for him to teach me Welsh. I arrived home the other day to be greeted by a very excited Harry who told me to go and sit on my carpet (at playgroup all the children have a piece of carpet). I didn't have carpet, rather a triangle cut out of green paper, but the thought was there. I was then presented with a series of flashcards by Harry who began to teach me the Welsh words to describe the weather. Harry and his mum had spent the afternoon creating the cards and putting them into a little case, which he now carries everywhere. I have to say, I'm very impressed and I've even started to pick up a few phrases although, as Harry put it, “You're not very good yet daddy.” When I'm not learning Welsh, I'm still getting to grips with looking after two children at the same time. I've now been left on my own a couple of times – with mixed results. On the first occasion, James slept the whole time Melissa was away which made life very straightforward. The second time, however, Harry was ready for bed and James just would not settle. I eventually decided to put James in his cot and take Harry upstairs regardless. Within minutes, James was shouting while I was still dealing with Harry. In the event, I decided to concentrate on Harry but it didn't stop me feeling very guilty about the crying downstairs. Typically, by the time Harry had dropped off (it was only a matter of minutes, but it felt a lot longer) Melissa had returned to find James shouting away in his cot. The look said it all. It seems I still have plenty to learn about coping with two children.