Push it

Round 10: Winter 2014


Ben Cooper is 36, Denise is 28, Riley is 4 and Liam is 2.
(Ryland and Jackie are 63, Dawn and Zach are 10.)

Narrated by Denise Cooper

We're trying to sit down for a meal together at least once a day. It's easier during the weekend when we're all home. For some reason Liam hates to be in the high chair so he doesn't join us. He prefers to drink his bottle of formula sitting on the floor so he can get back to playing with blocks or drawing on the activity table.

Riley is such a big boy already. Ben's little brother Danny has been babysitting him every now and then and he's especially smitten with Ben's mom Elissa. They talk on the phone almost every day. Riley is always asking grandma about her job in the police force. Maybe we have a little detective in our hands.

Ben and I both work quite decent hours these days so we get to spend more time together. I'm dreaming of another child even though we agreed that we'd wait a few years before trying again. I'm not even 30 yet so we're in no hurry. It's just that I love our kids so much that it would be nice to have another one.

Then there are times when I feel that two is enough. Liam is usually a very happy toddler but he's going through the terrible twos and can throw a huge tantrum if things don't go the way he wants.

Ben's quite busy with his job so occasionally he has to work during the weekends. I usually invite family or friends over. Mom and dad came over for lunch with Dawn and Zach. The kids weren't hungry so we let them play together while the adults ate. I'm not much of a cook and I always feel a bit embarrassed to serve cheese sandwiches to mom who is the owner and chef of one of Wellington's finest restaurants. She never complains though.

It's funny to see the kids playing together when you think that Zach and Dawn are actually Riley and Liam's uncle and aunt. They're only a few years older than Liam and Riley and Rianna's kids.

I'm getting pretty annoyed with our subtenant Christa. She's a bit weird. Like on Sunday she just stood there staring at us but didn't say a word to anyone and wouldn't join us for lunch. Ben and I have been talking that we'll probably throw her out soon. We only took her in so that we could pay our rent in time and now we're making enough money to manage on our own. It would be nice to have the apartment for ourselves and not worry about this stranger lurking around.

It was nice to see mom and dad. Dad is so proud of me being a City Council member.

Riley is being so helpful even though he's only 4. He takes old newspapers to the garbage and I even caught him cleaning the toilet one day! It seems that he's inherited Ben's neatness which is great because I'm a lazy slob at heart.

Ben has a drafting table in our study so he can work from home every now and then. We'll still need the nanny for a few hours though because you simply can't design houses and office buildings if you have a 2-year-old asking for attention every 5 minutes.

We're really happy with our apartment but I think eventually we might build a house for ourselves. Ben has been talking about building his dreamhouse and I wouldn't mind having a proper garden.

We like to sleep late during the weekends - or at least we'd like to. The kids usually wake us up soon after 6am so at least one of us has to get up.

Seeing those little faces in the morning just fills my heart with love and happiness. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Notes:

• Title "Push it" by Garbage
• Riley aged up to a child but he's not in school yet. He'll start pre-school at the age of 5 like all the other kids in Wellington.
• Denise has had the want for another child ever since Liam was born. Ben also had a want for another one but it rolled away. I'll definitely let them have at least one more kid since Liam and Riley are so darn adorable!
• Christa is very annoying. There is a vacant bedroom downstairs but she prefers to sleep on the couch which is just incredibly stupid! I don't know if I'm supposed to do something to make her use the room but I don't really care anymore. I'll throw her out the next time I play this family!