In June we attended a Convention for an American TV show called “Once Upon a Time” in Birmingham and on my first night flying solo from River and Frankie I attended a Champagne(less) reception to meet one of the main cast members. During this few hours I met the lovliest gang of ladies a person could hope to rub shoulders with. Honestly, just beautiful people inside and out.
I’ve harrassed them and clung on to them for dear life ever since and forced them into parting with their hard earned cash to attend Wales Comic Con in December. We got excited and the prospect of seeing each other and having a small reunion and at the chance to have a small pretend pre-Christmas. Matching pajamas bought and secret santa organised we booked a (insanely cheap by the way) barn and we were off.
It got to the night before and I started to worry about River being shy, he tends to koala a mummy when he sees people that aren’t us – even if he does already know them. I was worried about him sleeping, as always. My whole bloody life now is a constant worry about sleeping. He doesn’t love a travel cot and we’ve only just got him sleeping in his own bed for longer that 6 seconds at a time. I was worried about his eating and I was worried about the convention being too busy for him.
Well as for shyness – he was. But he soon came round, in full River style. Parading around with no pants on and running up to people demanind “wind the bobbin up” over and over again. We ordered Chinese food for the adults and buried down a niggling guilt as I poured baked beans into River’s bowl for him. I knew there was no chance he would eat Chinese and honestly I just wanted to give him something I knew he would eat. I looked at the island and knew there was no way I could get River to sit there safely and there was a 3 second decision that time seemed to freeze for as I contemplated where I was going to feed my child. The floor it was. Bloody genius, the bowl suctioned to the floorboard and didn’t shift and I just baby wiped the whole area when he was finished. Tempting to remove all furniture at home after that little brainwave.
We filmed the weekend and I particularly enjoyed this segement of us eating, you really get an insight in to what life with a toddler is like.
Sleeping was… meh. He cried. A lot. It was all brand new to him and he let it be known that he was not up for the sleeping arrangements. I spent half an hour in purgatory on the stairs whilst Frankie bobbed in and out seeing to him and reassuring me that he was okay. And he was okay, he was just very vocally challenging. It’s hard to explain to a small giant that we couldn’t bring his whole own room to Wales with us and if he wanted his own room then we couldn’t be in Wales. He finally fell asleep and good god did I enjoy the prosecco that popped shortly after.
When we got to the Comic Con, it was raining. It was freezing. The queue was massive and River was already in a foul mood and showing no signs of compliance as he wailed and rocked to get out of his buggy. I’d forgotten his raincover like the giant brain fart I am so we were hovering over him with an umbrella which didn’t suit Sir as he couldn’t nose at everything like Norris Cole. Our friends were so kind and sent us to the local supermarket to warm River up and keep him calm and said just come back when the queue was near the front so that’s what we did. It made the world of difference. In fact by the time we got back River was close to a sleep and when we eventually got in he was out for the count. Result. Except we had dressed him up as Negan and he was missing it all. 2 hours of it all to be exact.
I got to geek out and Frankie got to meet Joyce Summers (Kristine Sutherland) from Buffy and I’ve never seen anyone look so happy to meet a mum from a TV show. I bought more Harry Potter merchandice than I know what to do with and we ate the worst burgers I’ve ever seen but we were having the best time. Negan woke up, refuelled (at which point I got my very first ever “well done” from a woman for feeding my child and I felt amazing) and paraded around the venue like an absolute boss.
I’ve never been prouder than when stars of TV shows I watch were coming out of their seats to speak to him and look at his costume. He needs to work on his posing skills because any time someone wanted a picture he would koala up on to one of us. Not very convincing, Negan.
We had a fake christmas dinner, fake christmas present opening and played party games that night. River slept better and I (absolutlely didn’t) relaxed about it all.
I already can’t wait for the next reunion, the next River cosplay and the next convention.
Stepho 
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