The obsession with his Daddy …a Mums journey from primary carer to obsolete!
Boys club is on the rise in The Burtt house. Since lockdown or pregnancy — it’s hard to know which one — Louis has become obsessed with his Dad.
Where as I used to be the one that would get him dressed, do his teeth, help with bedtime routine — (the primary care giver) — now, if Daddy is around, I am defunct.
Now in some respects I’m lucky. Being heavily pregnant I get pretty tired, so having to sit on my bum whilst James battles with the bed time routine of teeth brushing, pee pee, PJ’s and made up bedtime stories, I start my chilled evening. Normally watching a no brainer TV show like ‘Masters of Flips’ or ‘Buying and Selling’ — love them both!
If James is working upstairs in the office then I am ‘allowed’ to help Louis go to the loo. But if Daddy is around, Daddy is on bum wipe duty. Often it will be just as we have sat down for lunch or dinner!
The other day he had a complete meltdown because I was driving him to his Nan and Grandad’s house, but he wanted Daddy. I refused to give in…. until I drove two meters down the road and thought I was going to go into early labour from the stress of the screams coming from the back seat. I drove back to the house, shouted for James and had a little sulk moment, “My child hates me”.
My position was redeemed later that night when Louis woke and could not get back off to sleep. Now, unfortunately Louis is not the best sleeper and often wakes in the night — sometimes it’s just a wee he needs, other times it’s like he is wide-awake wanting a full-blown conversation.
Again, whilst I am like a beached whale wrapped around my over sized pregnancy pillow, James is on the night waking duty, putting Louis back to bed (yes I know I’m lucky but I do keep reminding him that soon I’ll be squeezing another baby out of my vagina and that shuts him up a bit). But on this night I heard “I want mummy” coming from a crying Louis. Needy much? I sprung out of bed and that’s no easy thing at the moment I tell you.
Knowing we were in for a night of drama, and with Daddy rightly losing his patience, my pillow and I dragged ourselves into Louis room and snuggled into his single bed. I did actually manage to get some sleep so we all woke up feeling ok the next day.
I always manage to get lots of cuddles and kisses from Louis and definitely get more ‘sofa snuggles’ then Daddy, but it’s clear that Daddy is the fun one. I mean, I don’t agree, I am much funnier then James — everyone that knows us knows that’s right, right??? (he he)
Just yesterday Nanny asked Louis why he cried when Mummy tried to bring him over, his reply was “because Mummy is boring”. She asked why and he said “because she makes boring food” — I mean how very dare he!
I’ve got a family fridge dinner chart and everything that neatly details our meal plan for the week — there is huge variety I’ll have you know. But it did make us laugh!
But he is still a Mummy’s boy when he hurts himself or is feeling upset, so I still have some use it seems.
My original thought was that since lockdown he is just taking advantage of having Daddy around the house every day — before he would be travelling for work most days. But the other day someone I was chatting to suggested that it might be because I am pregnant. That’s an interesting thought. I mean Louis loves my bump and chats to baby all the time, but maybe he feels secondary or something so has bonded with Daddy.
Plus there is the fact that I am in fact pretty boring at the moment. Louis and Daddy go on long walks through the woods and I can just about waddle to the end of the driveway. I tried to chase Louis around the garden a few weeks back and almost snapped my ankle. So, yeah, Louis calling me boring is pretty fair.
I have been told that once baby is born Louis might go the other way and be back over me like a rash. Then I’ll be moaning that it’s all too much and James will probably stick pins in his eyes! Ha ha
To end I just want to say a massive thank you to my hubby James Burtt who is really being incredible during this time of my heightened pregnancy. He has definitely taking over the primary carer role to Louis and hardly lets me lift a finger around the house, well apart from cooking dinner as, if left to him, dinner would be late every day. But in all seriousness he is fantastic. Shout out to all the single parents out there raising kids or the parents that have to fly solo most of the time… it can be a tough gig!
