Baby Boy Giggles - Is anybody there?!

Happy Birthday Maw

When my Gran died Top Ender was quite upset and would often ask if she could call her. She knew that she couldn't really speak with my Gran, but she liked me to pretend to talk to her on her hand phone, by having me pretend to be my Gran (in my fake heavy Scottish accent) and tell her that I (as my Gran) loved her and missed her and had been watching her on my special Heaven TV.

Yeah you get to watch people on earth on your TV in Heaven. You can also watch any other TV channel that you like and there are no advert breaks; There is a channel of adverts that you liked or would of liked had you seen them. God is clever he knows how to sort things like this out.

Anyway the other week, whilst we were all in the Car, Top Ender realised that she hadn't spoken about my Gran for a while and that it would of been her birthday in a few short weeks (it would of been her 80th Birthday the day that Smallest Cousin was born) and so decided to call her on her hand phone.

"I'm going to phone Nanny Maw" said Top Ender holding her hand phone to her ear

She dialled a few buttons and waited for the connection to be made and just before she spoke we heard

"Hullo?!" in a very deep almost Scottish voice
"Hello Nanny Maw, its me...." answered Top Ender

Daddy and I looked at each other, eyes wide (and I was ready to change my under wear) before we realised that it was Baby Boy talking and Top Ender wasn't really talking to my dead Grandmother!

Top Ender Giggles - Death by Top Ender

"Sorry, but Mummy is suffocated on my bedroom floor"

That got Daddy running upstairs quite quickly, but he soon realised he didn't need to worry as he could hear me giggling into the carpet.

You see if we rewind back 15 minutes you would see that Top Ender had been throwing a bit of a strop in the car. It got to the point where she was repeating "Turnaround" every few seconds.

After a minute of this I started singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" well actually Daddy did because he knows the words better than me (Can you say Karaoke King?) and whilst Top Ender was still in a strop at least she had the decency to giggle at our OTT performance.

When we got home it was suggested to Top Ender that she might like to go upstairs to her room for a little while. I went with her and we sat cross-legged on the floor talking until she had calmed down. She climbed on to my lap to give me a hug and in doing so accidentally banged my head on the bedframe.

I decided to pretend to have been knocked out.

Top Ender knew that I was pretending and so did a couple of silly things to try to get me to react like ticking my very ticklish feet.

I didn't react.

And thats when you entered the story!

Top Ender Giggles- A fish out of water

"Mummy?" questioned Top Ender
"Yes Top Ender?" I answered

"Do you remember the time we saw all those fish?" she asked

"Yes Top Ender" I answered, even though I didn't know which time we were talking about

A few moments passed before I heard Top Ender again.

"How do you drown a fish?" asked a puzzled Top Ender
"Erm, well you would need to..." I managed to get out before Top Ender interrupted
"Its a rhetorical question Mummy!"

No fish were harmed in the making of this blog post - Only potatoes but they had it coming as they were eyeing me funny...

He was a terrific mouser

I had a horrid decision to make yesterday and subsequently last Night I had a strange dream that reminded me of the Film "The Three Lives of Thomasina" and in particular this scene;

Because today I am taking Dibbles, one of our cats, to the Vets to be put to sleep.

Dibbles is a very old cat, he must be 21 years old, and when my Mum had to move from the house I grew up in he came to live with us and our three cats. Although he was one of the family cats, he was my cat and he use to snuggle into me and my bed when I was only a few years older than Top Ender.

I have explained to Top Ender that Dibbles is going to go to sleep, and that it is whilst he is asleep that he will die. I couldn't come out with the whole truth, we have already too much loss this year.

We are Christians and as such, have taught Top Ender about life after Death. She knows that in Heaven we will see those who have gone before us and this includes pets. She came up with an idea this morning that pets that go to Heaven before their owners are looked after by relatives or special foster Angels until the owner can take over.

She has come up with a little first day in Heaven plan for Dibbles, where he will do all the things that he likes and will find a nice warm blanket to snuggle on before he goes and visits with his and our relatives. This little story actually makes me feel better about the choice I have had to make.

This evening we will bury Dibbles and say a few words, there won't be bagpipes, but Top Ender and I will have a good cry.

Top Ender Giggles - Age is all in the mind!

Top Ender brought me the phone today.

"There is an advert about people left over from the olden days, and you just have to dial 454545 and you get a free gift when you join"
"What Top Ender?"
"There is an advert about people left over from the olden days and you should join"
"Top Ender, do you mean the advert about planning for your funeral and the people that haven't died won't have to worry?"
"Yes that one, you should join you get a free gift"
"Top Ender, I'm not old enough to join that"
"But you get a free gift!"

Top Ender Giggles - Death becomes her

Top Ender is becoming morbid again. I thought we had managed to stop all of this a couple of years ago a few months after my Grandfather had died and I told her that talking about dying all the time made me sad.

Last night she and her Daddy drove past a cemetery.

"What's that?" she asked
"A cemetery" replied Daddy
"Where they bury dead people?"
"Yes"
"Can we go there?"
"Why?"
"So you can read the names to me!"
"There would be a lot, it would take a long time" said Daddy trying to get out of it
"That is okay, there will be a bench half way down that you can rest on and then when you are ready you can read the rest to me."

As long as she doesn't start wearing all black and start wanting us to call her a goth type name we should be fine!