4 October 2021

Babysitting

Yesterday, Shirley and I were on babysitting duty. Our precious charge was the beloved granddaughter, Princess Phoebe. Her mother and father were attending the wedding of two friends they have known for more than twenty years.

Because of COVID, this wedding had been postponed three times. It was first meant to happen at Easter 2020 in Seville, Spain - a place much beloved by the bride and groom. They kept trying to reschedule the wedding as flights and hotels were booked and then cancelled. What was supposed to be a joyous event when first conceived turned into something of a painful saga.

In the end, the couple were married here in Sheffield. The ceremony took place in the old Abbeydale Picture House before coaches took the guests to Kelham Island  and a wedding feast with dancing in a repurposed industrial building called The Mowbray. At last Kira and Andy were married and the angst of the past two years could be relegated to memory. I guess that many weddings have been disrupted in this way by the damned coronavirus.

Anyway, back to the babysitting... Our duties commenced at midday and ended at one o'clock this morning. Yes, that's right - thirteen hours. This was not made any easier by the fact that Phoebe still needs mother's milk. Okay she's getting into solid foods now but nothing is better than mum's milk. By the way, she refuses to have expressed milk or formula milk - only human milk from two particular flesh-coloured receptacles will do. Consequently, before bedtime, we did a milk run to The Mowbray where mama was waiting with the heavenly liquid.

Afterwards, I went on to "The Hammer and Pincers" to participate in the Sunday quiz. before returning at ten thirty for the final babysitting stint. - allowing Shirley to go home at that point.

Princess Phoebe woke up just before midnight and was at first inconsolable but Grandpa calmed her after ten minutes and together we watched passing traffic on the road outside  as I sang:-

Half a pound of tuppenny rice
Half a pound of treacle
That's the way the money goes
Pop goes the weasel

When mama and papa returned as drunk as nuns in  an Ibizan nightclub, Princess Phoebe was under Grandpa's magical spell - calm and smiley but well ready for another milky top up. By the way, Little Phoebe is going to Canada on Thursday afternoon and in the picture at the top she is wearing her new bobble hat - bought specially for the two week trip. We are going to miss that little girl.

36 comments:

  1. Going to Canada before she's even a year old! I am impressed.
    I am even more impressed (but not surprised) at your skills as a granddad. Obviously, your singing is music in Phoebe's pretty tiny ears (I know - that's a cheap word play, but I could not resist).
    Weddings, birthdays; all sorts of celebrations have been affected by the pandemic, at least in countries where restrictions were in place or still apply. Hopefully, everyone had plenty of fun at the wedding, and nobody introduced the most unwelcome guest, the virus.

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    1. I suspect that everybody was vaccinated but any who weren't should not have been there.

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  2. Oh, precious girl. And Frances is mothering her the way I mothered mine. Twenty-four hour service!
    I remember when Owen was very little and I would take care of him some days while his mama worked. He was pretty happy to take milk, either expressed or formula, from a bottle but for a long time I would drive him into town so that Lily could nurse him during her break. I do believe that this makes a difference.

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    1. There's something deeply psychological about a baby's relationship with mother's milk.

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  3. When you got to "pop goes the weasel" did you put your finger in your mouth and do a proper pop!
    Safe journey for the little one and her parents. The check-in desk will take one look at the gorgeous Phoebe and immediately give them an upgrade.

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    1. Ha-ha! What a nice thing to say Carol!

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  4. How fun to babysit! I love the time with my grandson and hope I get lots of it in New York. It's tricky when they want only breast feeding and we have nothing to offer. ;)

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    1. I love Phoebe but there's no way I would grow breasts for her.

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  5. I've been to Seville. It's very nice and very hot but the beer and the pies are far nicer in Sheffield.

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    1. Aye, them theer foreigners have no idea about beer and pies.

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  6. Phoebe rocks that bobble hat. She is going to be very popular on her travels methinks.

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    1. Perhaps Lord Peregrine needs a similar bobble hat for Christmas.

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  7. Ta petite-fille est charmante.
    Haggerty

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    1. Oo la la professeur! Mercy! Mercy!

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    2. Fier comme un Ecossais.
      Haggerty

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  8. This family knows about postponing weddings that we’re supposed to take place in Spain. The two had travelled to Spain just a few days before the country was shutdown for what was expected to be for just a few weeks. They had visited all the venues, tasted good and cake, done a hair and makeup trial, the families all had airline tickets and deposits were down. We had rented a house on the beach with six bedrooms and six bathrooms where relatives could stay. It finally took place a month ago in California and the couple are, at last, married. Wedding 2.0.

    Tell princess Phoebe that great auntie says maybe to try a little breast milk in the bottle of water that she gets. Maybe after a few days she might like to try mother’s milk from a bottle again. Or, even a few sips from a sippy cup. Oh my! She will be a very young world traveler!!

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    1. She is resistant to all of the cunning tactics of experienced mamas like you Great Aunt Donna.

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  9. Sounds like a good time was had by all. Miss Katie wouldn't take a bottle until she was 18 months except I went back to work when she was four months old. I worked nights and vaguely remember my husband in to the bedroom for me to feed while I slept during the day. I finally tricked her into taking a bottle by giving it to her at night when she was half asleep and then I "forgot" to wean her until she was seven.

    I hope they have a wonderful time. Where are they going?

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    1. Toronto. Wasn't he The Lone Ranger's companion?

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  10. Grand parents think they've died and gone to heaven when they get to babysit a grand child...especially if it's a first grandchild.

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    1. I have heavenly wings now but they are hard to flap effectively Red.

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  11. I love nothing more than to babysit the grands. I am headed out Thursday afternoon after work for the five hour trip to visit my Iris. I've got the pineapple bag all ready to go! When she wakes up in the morning, her 'ama will be there, and she will be a very surprised girl.

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    1. Have no fear Little Iris, SuperGran is on her way!

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  12. Milk runs are the very best of baby sitting service!

    My son postponed his wedding due to covid and then decided not to get married after all. It did him a favour

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    1. Why, what has happened between your son and his betrothed?

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  13. Anonymous8:28 am

    Phoebe is growing fast. Wait until she is walking and calls out, Catch me if you can Grandpa. My ex SiL's husband's daughter has had three attempts at an engagement party and now given it up as a bad job. Money better put towards home ownership in my opinion. My nephew's wedding cost over AU$30,000. Mind, it was the best wedding I have ever been to.

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    1. Did you sip some alcoholic beverages?

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    2. Anonymous10:30 pm

      In spite of mini buses being laid on to transport us from the venue, an orchard, to accommodation, I would not have had much more than a couple of glasses. Strange people, strange environment, have to stay nice and keep it together.

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  14. She is so pretty, and will charm all fellow travellers.

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    1. We are hoping that the plane will have some free space for her.

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  15. All four of my children had been in an airplane before they were one. Luckily, all were good travelers and were still getting mother's milk at the time, so it made traveling much simpler. Of course, that was in the days before it was necessary to go through massive security hoops. Hope that Frances, Stu and the ever beautiful and charming Phoebe have a wonderful, safe trip. I'll be hopping over the Pond in the other direction at the end of next week...metaphorically speaking. A visit to old Blighty. :)

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    1. I will tell The Queen to arrange the red carpet treatment for you Mary.

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  16. What a face! Those eyes! I'm glad you got some babysitting time in and the happy couple were finally able to get married. It's mind-boggling to think of all the ways that Covid has disrupted the world's plans. (We have a co-worker who was supposed to get married last summer and it still hasn't happened, although there are plans.)

    That's an interesting verse to "Pop Goes the Weasel." I've never heard those particular lyrics -- I don't know if they're different in England or maybe I just didn't get far enough into the song. I only remember something about a monkey and a weasel and a mulberry bush.

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    1. Did you taker mind mending drugs when you were at university Steve?

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  17. My G/daughter had similar problems until she changed to https://minbie.co.uk/
    No connection with the company, just what worked for her :)

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    1. I will pass that link on to our daughter Jane. Thanks.

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Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.

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