Fat feet, tight shoes

Denial, denial, denial. That’s what my mami is in – complete denial that her feet are bigger, wider, and fatter and that she will never again fit into the shoes she wore before I was born.

Daddy and I think she should have realised this by now, after all I’m 17 months this week. Get a clue!

Every month, mami goes into her room, takes out her shoes and attempts to squeeze her feet into them hoping that they would have shrunk back to size 4 (UK not US).

“All those shoes, and they don’t fit. What a waste!”

“I just can’t bring myself to give them away,” she says. Then daddy pipes in “not to mention all that money!”

(I just think why does she need so many? I just have 3 pair, and thats enough for me!)

See mami has a lot of shoes in size 4. And I mean, A LOT! Years of buying shoes, and now they take up space in her closet because now she is a size 5.

It pains mami not to wear her shoes

Worst part of all, she even has some stored in my room! I was playing with the closet door this weekend and managed to finally get it open. I was so happy to finally have been able to do it on my own, that I started taking everything out!

I was dancing around my shirts, shorts, pj’s and my shoes, when I picked up a blue shoe with a high heel. It didn’t look like anything that I would ever wear so I walked to the kitchen where mami was preparing lunch and handed it to her.

She looked  at the shoe and I realised that she did not know where I had gotten it from. She followed me to the room and she dropped to her knees, completely ignoring the mess I had made (that was a first!) and said “That’s where I put them!” and dug through the rest of the shoes she had put away a year before.

Seeing that mami was having so much fun, I helped pull out the shoes and even got a taste of a few of them (not too good, I wouldn’t recommend them, especially her sandals, yuk!)

And again she tried them all on, and again got the same result: fat feet, tight shoes. Silly mami, doesn't she know that feet grow? Like mine!

I just hope she moves her stuff out of my room!

Mamas, did this happen to you too? Did you go up a shoe size?

There's no business like SHOW business

Over the past few months I’ve noticed that mami often stands in front of the mirror making funny faces and her voice changes to a tone I’ve never heard before. She acts very, very different; like she is someone else.

Over the weekend, I saw her do it again. I had wandered into the bathroom hoping to get my hands on the toilet paper roll they often forget to put away, when I saw her talking into the mirror. I pointed up at her and called for her to look at me.

She kept looking ahead so I tugged at her shirt and she looked down at me smiling and said “hola mi amor, la mami esta ensayando para su estreno/ hi my love, mami is rehearsing for her show”. And then I realised, she is pretending to be someone else – just like when she reads to me and does funny voices!

 

Mami as Camp Commandante Regina R. Random (she's in the middle)

Daddy came in to scoop me up and said “see that, your mami is a “DRA-MA QUEEEEN”. Mami just looked over at us and said, “nooo, just a sensible artiste” and then they both broke out into laughter.

But now I get it! Mami is staring in her first play in sixteen years! She calls it her “London Debut”. After I was born she kept telling daddy that she wanted to do something for herself, really go for it, but didn’t know how. In January she joined an amateur theatre group in West London. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to dedicate the time but nowadays she is very quick to rush out the door on rehearsal days! Hmmm?

And here she plays "Maria" in Funeral Games (She's in blue!)

Mami gets to make all of those funny faces and voices in two Joe Orton plays; The Erphingham Camp and Funeral Games at Questors Theatre in Ealing, London. Opening night was Wednesday the 9th of June and runs through Saturday the 12th. She is nervous but really excited to be a part of it all!

I was excited too! But then I heard mami and daddy talking about getting a babysitter for me. Wait? What? After all that time I spent watching her practice; I won’t be able to go?! Oh no! Daddy said it wasn’t for little ones and that it would be past by bedtime by then.

I guess I will just have to hear all about it – and believe me, I will hear about it.

Countdown to CyberMummy

Since little ones can't attend the CyberMummy Conference, my mami is going on my behalf. Remember, I am the blogger here! She just provides the material.

Carly at Mummy's Shoes had the good idea to do a little virtual meet and greet in order to get more acquainted with all of the mummy's attending. It's difficult to keep track  - I should know!

So here she is, my mami!

Her name: Maria Jose Ovalle

My blog: Mummy's Busy World by me, Little M

She tweets for me: @verybusymama

She insisted I wear that monkey costume  - I wasn't thrilled.

Let see, she is about 5ft tall, brown hair and green eyes. Oh, and she speaks English with an American accent.

She has a bit of a funny laugh, but don't be scared off. She may break out in impromptu song and dance, but  its over very soon. She is a proud Gleek, likes to run for excercise, loves the theatre, had a big collection of pretty bags and shoes, and she takes her coffee with milk, no sugar.

She'll see you soon!

A week of spew and poo

Why do I always get blamed when we are all sick at the same time? Why can't it be that mami had a stomach bug and gave it to me? No one ever thinks of that - its always my fault! Every time mami and daddy feel sick they say "Oh, I think I've got what Little M has".

And last week was no different. On Thursday night I got sick all over myself and bed. After having my bedtime milk my tummy didn't feel so good and then I just couldn't keep it down any longer. The next day I heard mami saying she wasn't feeling too good and keep holding her tummy and scrunching up her face. On Sunday, daddy woke up saying his tummy hurt and mami had to come home from theatre rehearsals early because she felt she was going to "spew" on stage. I said it was nerves, but she failed to see my point.

On Sunday I felt tired, my tummy ached and admittedly was being very nasty towards mami. I just didn't want her near me - I just wanted daddy to hold and cuddle me. Mami looked sad as I shooed her away, but I just wanted my space, to be left alone and to whine and cry on my blanket on the floor.

By mid afternoon, the poo and spew began. Daddy was reading The Economist when he suddenly piped up and said "uh oh" and took off running to the bathroom. I still didn't want her to touch me so I tired to follow daddy, but he had closed the door.

After a few minutes, mami suddenly looked down at me, and just by the look on her face, one that screamed absolute fear and panic, she jumped up and ran out of the living room. I followed her into the hallway and I saw her banging on the bathroom door and saying (very loudly) in a panicked voice "please, I need to get in there, its an eeee-mmmerrrrgennncy" I couldn't quite hear daddy's response but mami kept saying "hurry please, PLEASE!"

Daddy soon appeared in the doorway and mami shoved him aside and locked herself in. Daddy came out and he looked just like he does when he comes back from a long run! I think he got it the worse, spew and poo. But hey, don't blame me! Any one of us could have given it to the other.

Mami re-emerged after a while and just shook her head and said "uuughhh" before sitting back down next to daddy and I.  Mami just stared straight ahead, I was snuggled up on daddy's lap with my blanket and dummy and no one said a word.

It was a long night - many more trips to the toilet by mami and daddy. To top it all off, my molars are coming through and I was in absolute pain - teething bites!

Tummy bug gone now. No more spew and poo - and I still say it wasn't my fault!

Festival time!

No wellies, mud or tents required for this festival! Erica at Little Mummy has organised The Great British Blog Festival in order to celebrate and get everyone talking about all things blogging!


I love festivals and blogging so I was happy to contribute a guest post. I wrote on the topic of being a new (and very young) blogger and the discoveries you make on a daily basis. Remember, I'm new at this! You will be able to read all about my day to day adventures this week over at Me the Man and the Baby.


As you know, I blog for mami and I am constantly trying to improve and looking to you mamas for support and advice. 

Today is the first day so please go and check out all the wonderful posts at:
Englishmum.com
Cafebebe.co.uk
Littlemumpreneur.com

I’ll let you know as soon as mine is up!

Little M

Mami and me days

Mami and Me Days

This week was a really sunny week and that means I get to spend more time at the paddling pool and my personal favourite, the sandbox! Mami goes to the office 3 days a week but on Wednesdays and Fridays we get to be together.

We take naps, play games, and while I am busy running around she does some laundry and cleans up after me in the kitchen. I don't really help out, but I do like to watch her vacuum! 

These are some of my favourite moments from this weeks "mami and me days":

I got to play with play-doh. And when mami wasn't looking I even got a little taste!

I finally got to use a fork - and I'm pretty good for a beginner!

Mami always lets me get dirty - and I appreciate that very much!

(I think she's just given up trying to hold me back)

I finally gave in and let mami hold my hand. Normally I don't like to be restricted, but lately I figured I might as well be nice.

After weeks of daddy hinting that I need a haircut, mami finally declared that she loves my curls too much and won't be cutting them any time soon.

 Mami 1 - Daddy 0

Nothing like a stroll with my feet propped up. I just love the sun!

And to top it all off, I love taking a nap in my buggy after a long day out in the sun

Hope that all of mamis out there are enjoying the good weather and making the most of it. What was the highlight of your week?

Are you the nanny?

Me at two weeks old! How can anyone doubt she is my mami?

It happened again.

It had been several months now, and it took me and mami by surprise.

Mami and I were in a store on the high street trying on summer shoes when the girl from the shop looked down at me, smiled and said “oh, he’s a cutie”.

“Thanks very much" I thought and I stopped chewing on the foam bar on the buggy and stared up at mami who was looking at me all gooey eyed like she often does. She was just on the cusp of thanking her, when the girl quickly cut her off and followed the statement with the forbidden question  “are you his nanny?”

“Nooooo!” I thought, "not again!"

“Of course she’s not my nanny, that’s my mami” I screamed out, but I don’t think she quite understood me.

I pointed up at mami who had already lost that twinkle in her eye and then, keeping very calm and collected mami looked  her square in the face, and in a very clear and authoritative voice (a voice I know very well) said:

“Nanny? Nooo. He’s all mine”

Clearly the answer did not suffice, because the girl looked from mami to me and back again as if doubting her.

She then did something that drives mami absolutely mad. In a high pitched faux baby voice (which I find ridiculous and very ineffective by the way) exclaimed at me  “Oh, no? She’s not your nanny then?...Noooo, she’s your mummy, right? Your mummy?!”

I just shook my head and kept pointing at mami who was holding a shoe in her hand. I’m pretty sure she was fighting the urge to throw the shoe at the girls face. Thankfully she didn’t and we were out of there!

See, the first time mami was asked that question we were both absolutely gob smacked. She flinched in disbelief when the older woman at the park asked, “Is he yours?” Mami was so caught off guard that she nervously smiled and said muttered “of course” and walked away.

“How could someone ask such a question? Of course he’s mine!” She would say later at home.

“Unbelievable!” I would hear her tell daddy. “I would never ask anyone that question!”

Being less mobile back then, I just lay on my back, threw my tiny fists in the air and flashed her a gummy smile to let her know that I knew she was my mami!

As the months rolled by we would occasionally come across another person who would ask if I "belonged to her".

“Of course I’m hers!” I’d squeal. I still did not understand why anyone would doubt that she was my mami.

We learned to deal with it and move on. But in all fairness, mami and I had no idea that half of London was full of kids and babies being looked after by nannies. After all, we were new at this!

Mami and I now realise that many of the mamis at the park are in fact nannies, and she too finds herself wondering “mami or nanny?” Although a seemingly innocent question by the person asking, it can hurt many mamis feelings, especially since they dedicate so much time to us! Mami would not want to hurt anyone’s feelings by asking that question, so we just keep it to ourselves.

Even so, when the girl in the store asked her the “forbidden question”, it stirred up old emotions for both of us.

I reminded mami that just as many people have very kindly come up to us to say just how alike we look. That quickly cheered her up and she soon forgot about the “incident”.

How about you mamis out there - have you been asked this question? How did you react? Is it more a city thing? (It has only ever happened to us in London) Tell me about it!