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Wednesday 28 November 2012

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Birthday!

Wow! Odessa had another wonderful birthday, thank you very much to all her lovely little friends, she keeps saying how much she loves all of you and I  was very glad to see all your happy faces. 

Like I mentioned in the previous post, she started her birthday very early. After a morning with her parents she went to her nursery, proudly riding her new green scooter and wearing her cat dress. She was mega-excited! Everyone in nursery made fuss over her and when school finished, I went to pick her up with Lelia - which was a surprise for her. She was the happiest girl in the world when she saw her friend waiting for her. 

At home we prepared a carton box house for the kids,  which they could all decorate (the house was very much liked by everyone, even the cats!) and later in the evening we had a treasure hunt in the garden. I bought some £1 torches from Tiger for the children and it was one of my best ideas so far I think. Kids loved running in the garden with torches and finding chocolate coins. Now I use the torch to read for Odessa in dark (so cool!) and for shadow theatre. Honestly go to tiger and get yourself a torch - such a fantastic toy :)

Anyway Tim cooked lovely and healthy food (he even made his own humus) and baked the best birthday cake ever - Caribbean carrot cake, we served hot wine for adults and had jacket potato mice for the kids.  House was full of laughing children - which is still my favourite sound.  



















Sunday 25 November 2012

black cat

Odessa's birthday was full of wonderful surprises, starting early in the morning when she decided to surprise us (for reasons unknown she got up 5.30 am!). I forgot how the world looks that early (Tim doesn't - he works crazy hours).  Anyway as a result she had very long birthday! It was still lovely to spend the whole morning with her (after I had two very strong coffees!!) we had breakfast all together with her dad (which doesn't happen that often for us), we opened a few of her presents and prepared a book to take to the nursery - rather than buying sweets, Odessa's school suggested we buy a book and write a dedication for Odessa inside. The book was read to the kids later on and they all sang happy birthday to Odessa - which I thought was a wonderful idea. 

One of Odessa's presents from us was a 'black cat dress' - which she badly wanted and asked for every day! Tim and I were wondering where that idea came from... she has always loved cats, but why black? None of our cats are black and none of their kittens were black. What we constantly heard from her was 'I am a little black cat' or 'I want black cat dress from my birthday' and today finally we found out why. I was given a script of the play they are preparing for her drama classes and she was given the part of a black cat in the 'Magical Chamber'!  So she was right, she is the black cat! My beautiful little black cat!




Thursday 22 November 2012

Once upon a time there was little girl called Odessa

My Dearest Odessa, there is little story I would like to tell you and it's not about cats this time, I'm afraid. 

A few years ago, before we had you, before I even dared to dream about your beautiful face, your Dad and I travelled by train trough the Sri Lanka jungle (yes your parents do cool things from time to time). And it was so amazing - you would love it. The people were singing in the train, kids touching my face amazed how different it looked to theirs - I know it would make you laugh. You could smell fresh samosas somebody was selling on the station and you could hear the jungle...  And all the colours in the world outside were breathtaking. It was such a relief to be out of the commercial space of our hotel, being among real people, far away from our every day life in this fascinating country, everything was so different... You know your Dad and I are always telling you how wonderful reading books is? Well travelling is even better.

I felt so alive, so touched, inspired, free. I felt it with every little inch of my body.  I looked in your Daddy's eyes and for once, despite all the differences between us, I saw that we felt the same. It was such a wonderful feeling. And then I looked out of the window and I saw a Golden Buddha statute on the horizon, covered in the golden light of the rising sun. So exceptionally beautiful, beyond words, unreal like a dream and still it was happening and I wanted it to last forever I thought nothing ever going to match it.

And then on the 22nd of November 2008 you were born, and the first moment you opened your eyes I knew that everything, the best in life, is still before me. The moment you opened those amazing huge eyes of yours I knew that you are everything and I don't have to travel anywhere else to feel this absolute happiness.

And, Odessa, I would like to tell you something important now, something I wished I knew when I was a kid: your parents are not always right. Nobody is always right. We all make mistakes just like we all sometimes cry or scream and that's OK  - I have told you that already. For the mistakes I have made with you and for those I'll surely make in future, I would like to say I'm sorry... I always want the best for you but still don't always do the right thing.  No, your parents are not perfect - but I can promise you one thing: since the day you were born when I look in your Dad's eyes I know just like I knew back then, far away in that Sri Lanka train that he feels what I feel... Even when we are sad or angry, despite still being very different people, now we always feel the same: unconditional love for you.  

Maybe one day we go all to Sri Lanka together and we'll take this  train. And maybe we'll manage to pass this Buddha and there is going be sunshine on it's calm face, yet still it wouldn't be enough to show you how much you mean to me.

My dear daughter this isn't a story about cats or rabbits or even Tiger who came for Tea... this is a story about you. This is a story about how you changed the whole world around me, and for that once again I would like to say thank you, you are perfect, I love you. 

Happy Birthday darling, mama.