Good Luck, my only recommendation is that you stick with it for a 3 nights before giving up... 'they' say it takes at least 3 nights to make a change.
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Had a good chat to my mothers grp today about overnight sleeping. I have decided that I am going to only feed Chloe once between 7 and 7. To get there I am not going to feed her if she wakes before midnight and only one feed after that time.
Will see how we go tonight
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Good Luck, my only recommendation is that you stick with it for a 3 nights before giving up... 'they' say it takes at least 3 nights to make a change.
2011 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
fuzzy - good luck, how are you planning to settle her without feeding her if she is hungry? Or maybe if she is not hungry and just wants the comfort of knowing you are there so sitting with her might be all she needs? Hopefully you find something that works for you. Just asking because Isaac seems to have always had very similar night sleeping patterns to Chloe so just curious as to how you do it. Last night he woke at 9pm, quick feed he was back to sleep and then didn't wake at 11 like he usually does so I carried him to bed (he sleeps in the living room until I go to bed), changed him into a night nappy and then he woke up and grizzled. He didn't wake of hunger, just because of the nappy change so I didn't feed him, just gave him a dummy then laid down with him and turned the light off and he just went back to sleep. He fed at 3:30am, the only feed for the night until he woke in the morning. I think they will just naturally develop longer periods of sleeping especially now that they are more mobile. Let us know how you go
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Good luck fuzzy. My regieme sp? Has worked perfectly for us p is sleeping soo much better and gets one feed between 7 and 7. I am on the itouch! I agree you have to do it for three nights and commit to loosing even more sleep for a couple of nights. The first night was hard but it has just got better and better last night she fed at 11 and when she woke at 4 I just patted her for about five secs and she went straight back to sleep! Soo much better than waking every hour or so! In the morn p is hungry but she still only drinks one boob so she is not starving. The first night I comforted her without picking her up two mins after she woke, left for five min, comforted her, left her for ten mins, comforted her then went back every 15 mins until she went to sleep. I was up for a couple of hours that bight. Ps day sleeps have also improved heaps and she is happier because she is not tired anymore and hopefully soon I will catch up on some sleep too!
Last edited by Chuckie; May 26th, 2011 at 10:51 PM.
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Chuckie - that's awesome! Well done. And well done for sticking it out. I am so glad that you're able to get some sleep. I didn't know that Pearl had a twin... hugs. Thanks for the tips too on how you did controlled crying. It's reassuring to know it's worked for you and was worth it.
Fuzzy - oh dear, I can't remember what I was going to say.
Belfie - thankyou for what you wrote.... it was just perfect. I am trying not to beat myself up too much for the mistakes, and I just try to "reset" and start again. OMG that picture of Annika is too cute. Hope the dizzy man gets better and the new meds don't make him sick.
Vix - so you liked the amber necklace?
Bec - hope the passport comes through.. how many sleeps til you go? I often wonder that myself, "what I am getting so worked up about?'. I have decided that next time I feel like that I am just going to excuse myself, by saying, back soon, go into another room and hum. I am seriously, if she is grizzling or crying, it's not hurting me, its just noise. Perhaps I am just a closet control freak. Oh I wouldn't worry about Isaac missing his earlier feed. He'll just make it up during the other feeds if he needs it.
AFM - Hannah had her weight etc checked today. 9.03kg, 72cm long and a big boofer head. Remember how she had stranger awareness/anxeity? Well it used to be adults but the last two days it's been other kids. She was playing with babies her own age Wednesday and Thursday and after a while she basically looked at them and cried. Poor wee girl. Apart from that, she is just a delight. It's so nice for us both to be well again. H usually wakes once a night, and I feed her. I had been thinking about night weaning, but I am not prepared to listen to her cry just now. She usually only has one sleep a day ranging from 30 mins to 2 hours ( but the 2 hours is swimming days).
I am really enjoying being Hannah's mum. It's hard work, and I am busy but people ask me what I have been doing and I can't remember. I don't even come on BB that much anymore.
Take care.
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Hey guys, well the first night Chloe woke at 10:45 and I left her for about 10 mins before trying to resettle her, i.e. picked her and her stuffed dog up for a cuddle. To cut a long story short, she ended up crying for about 1.5 hours and then crashed until 4:30am. So no feeds between 6:30 and 4:30. I fed her at 4:30 and she slept until 7. Last night was better - she had a short grizzle at midnight (5 mins) then slept until 3 when I fed her then awake at 6. I, however, have had a shocker - got the tummy bug thats going around and was up all night running to and from the toilet. Gotta go have a lie down now while she is asleep - will chat up on posts later
2011 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
just a quick question for everyone, what kind of play do you do? Sometimes I feel like I don't do enough. Isaac has some playtime by himself with toys, but also we might roll balls around, bang them like drums, 'hide' them under scarves etc, I crawl around with him, hide behind the couch and kind of play peekaboo, hold him on my lap and play with toys or whatever objects are around, lift him in the air, hold him in front of photos or the mirror to 'see the baby', lots of sitting up and standing up, tickling with funny noises, blowing raspberries and lots of kisses, and also reading books and singing songs. But he does have lots of time playing on his own, and now gets into everything now that he is crawling around so I think it might be time that I started to play more with him to keep him from getting into cords and plants etc. So basically I need some more play ideas for this age because I just don't know if the things I am doing are enough for developing his motor and social skills.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend
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Fuzzy - feel better soon pet.... must be so hard when you're really ill to take care of Chloe. Sounds though like she's starting to get the hang of this sleeping thingy. Can't say H has at the moment, but she's sick and I reckon all bets are off when the are sick and I just have to suck it up.
Bec - Ah mother guilt. I often wonder too, if I do enough to help stimulate Hannah through play. Sounds like you're doing all the right things with play time. I am not sure of ideas though now Isaac is mobile. I got a book out of the library a while ago by the Gymboree people, might have even been called that. One thing we did that was new this weekend was put H in the swing at the park ( put her in backwards and she sort of flew, lying flat rather than sitting up? hard to explain) and also put her down the slide while holding her. Both were a hit and drew lots of snotty smiles ( H has another cold). Maybe give him some blocks to knock down and build up, some nesting cups, some safe kitchen items? Don't worry too much about Isaac having alone time for playing, he's learning a lot while he's doing that. You're doing a great job.
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Bec - I think a bit of alone time is a good thing... it will give him a chance to use his imagination aswell. But it sounds like everything you are doing is great!
2011 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
thanks Dory, a swing is a great idea. I will see if I can get one of those baby swings from Big W next time I am there. When I read your post I also remembered I had some of those nesting cup things that you can join together to make balls or stack them which Isaac got for christmas so I got those out, he enjoyed playing with them. I hope Hannah's cold clears up soon.
Mother guilt is a shocker, just wait until you start EC'ing, if you decide to. I think I might have mentioned that Isaac has not done number 2's in his nappy for weeks now, I have been reading his cues really well and catching them all in the toilet (I need to buy a potty to make it easier for me). Anyway I missed his cues the night before last and when I changed him into a night time nappy I discovered he had poo in it, and wow.. I just felt disgusted that I had let him sit in his own poo for I don't know how long, and felt so guilty. Now I understand why the African mamas were horrified at the thought of using nappies for the purpose of leaving their babies in their own waste, it's a very unhygenic practise when you think about it. I only hope I have the same level of communication they have with their babies, I'd really love to be able to 'catch' Isaacs wees too but I just can't see any signs that he is about to go. (Just to be clear if anyone doesn't know about EC, it is not potty training, it is about communication. Also I don't mean to offend anyone by saying nappies are unhygenic, I would be offending millions who use them including myself!)
Connie - thanks, I usually do give him lots of time playing alone. I have to so that I can things done but the problem is now he is mobile I can't really just leave him on the floor. He is getting into everything and into places he really shouldn't so I really need to be with him. I did discover a new very safe place he can play on his own today though, the hallway! I don't know why I didn't think of it before. No power points, no cords, and no shelves or chairs he can pull down
fuzzy - I hope you're feeling better soon, tummy bugs are awful.
Isaac got his passport delivered today! 20 sleeps to go
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When I had my first son..nearly 5 years ago...EEEEEKKKK!!!!!......my CHN asked me about the time I spent with him. I was worried that he was 'delayed' in some kind of way so with this worry told her for the most he played by himself and every now and then I would pop into his little world and show him what evlse a toy could do or give him a tickle. Sometimes if I was in the kitchen, I would call his name or catch his eye and blow him a kiss or simple say 'love you' with a smile. She told me that was the best form of interaction as they know you are near by, but are also experimenting with their toys and learning about their little bodies. They don't need attention 24/7 just like us, we need some quiet time whether it be reading a book or just sitting (on the loo!! lol). I have continued to do this with all three of my kids and find they are less demanding on my time, we enjoy are each others company and the kids play very well together without needing Mum or Dad to help them play if that makes sense.
just a quick question for everyone, what kind of play do you do? Sometimes I feel like I don't do enough. Isaac has some playtime by himself with toys, but also we might roll balls around, bang them like drums, 'hide' them under scarves etc, I crawl around with him, hide behind the couch and kind of play peekaboo, hold him on my lap and play with toys or whatever objects are around, lift him in the air, hold him in front of photos or the mirror to 'see the baby', lots of sitting up and standing up, tickling with funny noises, blowing raspberries and lots of kisses, and also reading books and singing songs. But he does have lots of time playing on his own, and now gets into everything now that he is crawling around so I think it might be time that I started to play more with him to keep him from getting into cords and plants etc. So basically I need some more play ideas for this age because I just don't know if the things I am doing are enough for developing his motor and social skills.
Hope everyone is having a nice weekend
The other day I was reading a book and my youngest son popped into my world for a minute to ask me what my book was called before he popped back out and went back to playing. I thought that was sweet of him to take an interest in my world!
Aahh, Mothers Guilt.....the burden of wonderful, caring and loving mothers!
Hope all is well!
xxxxx
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George is going through a phase... the clingy, I dont want anyone to ever leave me phase! It doesnt even matter who it is, he just wants SOMEONE to be with him all the time. If I go to the kitchen, he follows me and tries to climb up my legs... if I sit on the couch, he comes and tries to climb on me... if I go to the toilet, HE COMES! Lol He's also being a real whinger... it seems anything can set him off at the moment.
Is anyone else finding nappy changing time to be a struggle as well? He wont sit still for more than 5 seconds at a time. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
2011 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
thanks Vixstar, I think my post made it sound like I do those things all the time! I don't, usually I am hovering around doing housework or cooking, but still talking to him every now and then, looking over, etc. I do try to play with him at least once a day though, one or two of the things I listed but I do read to him every night, I also wear him a lot when he is a bit grumbly, so I am always 'there', but just not doing play. I just wasn't sure if I was doing the 'right' kind of play.
Connie - hehe, I have the opposite problem, it's me chasing after Isaac all the time! When he does get grumbly and wants to be held I just put him on my back in the Ergo and continue whatever it is I'm doing. Nappy time is a pain here too at the moment.
I am so proud, Isaac is now turning the pages of the books when we are reading! he even leans forward to see what's on the next page before he has turned it completely, yay!! I really hope he grows to love books
The last two nights Isaac has had red spots on his face (around his mouth) after dinner. 2 or 3 spots with a tiny little lump in the middle. Could this be food related? He had vegie quiche both nights (new foods for him in it were mushrooms, onions and spinach) They came up while he was eating then disappeared over night so I'm not worried, just wondering if I should stop feeding him the quiche.
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Hi all,
Bec I wouldnt be too worried. Perhaps just give it to him at lunch next time so you can keep an eye on him the rest of the day.
The night sleep training worked and she only wakes at 3:30-4 am then at 6:30 she is up. Every night without fail - it is bliss.
I am a little worried about Chloe in that we cant read to her. I mean, she will not sit through a book, unless it is a book that has some sort of movement/touch associated with it, e.g. puppets, flaps, touchy-feely stuff. I can get through one page and she is off or cries. I am worried as I know how important it is to read to babies but she just wont sit still long enough. Any thoughts on this?
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Fuzzy - woo hoo I'm so glad to hear the sleep training worked for you, that's awesome! I meant to post at the time you were doing it to cheer you on, but I think I missed it. You must be feeling like a whole new woman
Bec - do you think they looked like classic hives? They sound like it, "red welts with a very small white lump in the middle" was what X's were like. He showed up with his at about this age and we didn't know what had caused it (his exposure was through my breastmilk). I'd certainly keep an eye on it, and as Fuzzy said, if you have concerns about a food, try it in a daytime where you can really watch for a reaction. I don't want to alarm you or assume it is a food issue, but I'd certainly keep an eye on it. FYI when X got his they were all over his body, not near his mouth. You can also try just rubbing a suspect food on his cheek to check for a reaction first too if you're worried. When I tried Annika with eggs & nuts, I started with a skin rub test (cos I'm paranoid! ha!) then technically I shoulda rubbed it on her mouth but I got impatient & just tried it. Also, Isaac doesn't have eczema does he? Tends to be much higher rates of food allergies among kids with eczema (which both my kids have, meh).
Re the playing stuff, oooh they go through a horrible time when they have more ability than sense and you have to watch them SO much! I wish I could say something useful, but I reckon you're doing everything great already. Do you have a toy library you can join? Sometimes it's great to have a rotating variety of toys to keep them entertained. And the only other things it the recycling ideas, which they often seem to like more (but I suspect you do anyway)... dry pasta in a water bottle is a great shaker, a box... etc etc. And yes, they seem to love kitchen implements for a while there too. Anything different & interesting. It can be fun to start the day with a little "play-station" of new items. I agree with what everyone said re having some time on their own to play, but clearly you're doing that too anyway. Re the EC, wow that is interesting. I don't know if I can imagine myself doing it, but good on you
Connie - sorry no nappy changes here, but then Annika is actually a giant slug! Lol I shouldnt' really say that, but seriously... she's only JUST started rolling from her back to her tummy! So nah, she's pretty good. We used to always have a tub of toys next to the change table to keep X occupied. I remember he went through a stage where he totally didn't want to stay still and we were throwing ANYTHING at him to keep him happy (a silicon pastry brush and a whisk worked wonders for quite a few weeks!).
Vixstar - wow, your oldest is nearly 5! Do you have just the 2, or are there other little munchkins in between?
Chuckie - how is the sleep going now? I hope you've managed to get some catch-up!
Dory - how is HB's cold? I hope she's on the improve. Poor little mite with her separation anxiety, Anni is tending to a bit of that too. It's quite new to me as X didn't really have it at all (which I think is quite unusual actually!). Love the fact she has a boofer head, we have company heheh and lovely weight too. I can just imagine the fat bracelets.
AFM, well we're all good here. DH isn't trialling the meds yet, so we're still enjoying healthy enought times. I was going a bit nutso cos I was trying to line up Annika's nap with X's... but they always tag teamed, she would wake LITERALLY the second he went to bed... then she'd go down for a nap & he'd wake! Arrgh. So I had started to tweak her naps, after the MCN told me I shouldn't be putting her straight down after her morning feed (duh me! Probably a good point). But then I read routines on the net & they all said to keep her up for anywhere between 90 mins to 2.5-3 hours after that first nap. Well that didn't work either. She dropped a heap of sleep (sleeping only about 2 hours a day - which is what X does!) and didn't seem right to me... even tho Mr Google tried to tell me that was just fine. But then she was ferally overtired every evening. So I kept tweaking tweaking and it wasn't working. So fiiiiiinally I rang my sleep lady back and voila, problem fixed. So thought I'd share our routine.
Sleeps 12 hours overnight (and yes I am very lucky - I mean sleeps... she doesn't wake unless teething - and that hasn't been often)
7am-ish: up for 1 hour (BF & brekkie only).
8am - 9.30am: down for minimum 90 mins
9.30am - 11 or 11.30: up for 90 mins-2 hours, snack, play, BF (depending how tired she is) .
11.30 - 1pm: down by or before midday for another minimum 90 mins,
1pm - 3pmish: up for play, snack (maybe) & BF
3 - 4pm: down for little bonus mini-nap mid-late arvo (no minimum, anything is a bonus here)
4pm: up for dinner/bath/BF
7pm: bed (sometimes earlier if she's tired).
She's gone from sleeping maybe 2 hours in the day to sleeping 3-4hrs and seems MUCH happier. I'd felt really concerned about leaving her in her cot awake (sometimes she'll wake at 50 mins or 1hr 10 and doesn't go back off). But my sleep lady said she's still resting and if she' not unhappy (which she's not generally) then I don't have to get her up. She's still getting rest from it, and not being overstimulated. Again, according to Mr Google, that's probably on the high end of sleeping but she certainly seems to want/need it. And ironically enough they have sometimes overlapped nap times now even though I'm not trying to make it happen anymore given it always bit me in the rear when I did! I'd rather just have 2 happy well-rested kids! So I'm busily NOT kicking myself for not calling sleep lady sooner, but just so glad that it's working again for us.
Anyways, gotta go try stitch up a toy lion's nose. Hope you're all going well
Last edited by belfie; June 5th, 2011 at 09:34 PM. : it just didn't make sense! Hadda re-write
2011 BellyBelly RAK Recipient.
fuzzy - thanks, I'll give him some at lunch time tomorrow. I'm sure Chloe will start to be interested in books, maybe they seem boring if they don't have things 'happening' in them. Maybe only read the types of books she likes for a while, so she doesn't have any negative feelings associated with reading time, then re-introduce some normal books after a week or two?
Belfie - I don't know what hives look like, these are round, pink circles with a tiny raised dot in the centre. I've just realised he has had them on his forehead last week, can't remember what he ate though. No he doesn't have eczema. I'll try the skin test, great idea. Thanks for the play tips. He is getting into everything!! He loves going into the kitchen now, (cute pic here of him opening the drawers), so when he went in there today I gave him an egg flipper, plastic measuring cups and a water bottle with a bit of water in it (fascinated with water), and wow he got so excited. He played in there happily for ages. I had to staty in there to keep an eye on him of course though. I usually rotate his toys so he doesn't play with the same ones day after day. Also sometimes I might make him a new toy just for something different. The latest one was a folded up tim tam tray inside hot pink sari fabric! Soft but crunchy! EC is not hard, you see they are about to poo so just whip off the nappy and hold them over a toilet or something. Easy peasy, and so much cleaner. I don't think there's even a name for it in Africa, it's just what you do.
Wow that's quite a schedule! Thanks for sharing it. Does Annika have snacks? I haven't given Isaac snacks yet, am I supposed to? I have just been doing breakfast, lunch, dinner.
This time in two weeks I'll be in Malaysia, yay! Just stressing slightly about food while we are travelling. I was thinking I might have to buy some of that pre-packed baby food for the flight days, has anyone used this before? Are there any natural ones you can get? Isaac doesn't eat purees, so any ideas on what kinds of non-messy food I can keep in my handbag for him? And a question I'm going to ask in the BLS thread but I'll ask here too, how do you do BLS in a restaurant or public place?? I've given Isaac food at the park and at a cafe, just toast, but I can't just give him bread the entire time. I'd feel awful leaving a mess, and I don't want to do lots of clothes changes either.
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Fuzzy - great news that the sleep training has worked for you - it is such a relief when you can start to rely on a few hours of uninterrupted sleep each night! Do you feed Chloe when she wakes at 3:30-4am? I am still trying to work out what to do with Pearl as she still wakes at least twice a night and I am not sure when to feed her and when to resettle - what time is Chloe's rollover feed (I assume she has one at about 10pm?)
Don't worry about the reading thing P is only interested in the feely books at the mo so that is all we read - she has also started to show an interest in the flap books so I reckon that will be the next thing - I reckon they just go through different stages.
Belfie - thanks very much for sharing your routine - totally jelous of your great night sleeper! My friend here has a bub who was born on Sept 1 and he sleeps at least 5 hours a day in two sleep - she has started waking him up after 2 hours!! v interesting to hear the sleep lady said it is alright to leave them in their cot awake and happy as we sometimes do that in the morning and I feel guilty - nice to be given permission!
Bec - they are not mozzie bites are they? P had some on her face and everyone I showed them to agreed they were mozzie bites (she must have had a mozzie in her room one night). Maybe you could buy some of those rusks to have in your handbag. I have given pearl vegies from the vegie bar at the pub when we were having dinner there and she made a big mess but they did supply a high chair so most of it was on there. You could always feed him some food from a spoon while you are there. I am sure he would be able to eat rice by himself and you can give him bits of meat or bones to chew on (sounds terrible but they generally love it and not much mess if it is something like steak or a solid piece of roast chicken (too big to choke on!) I am sure you stimulate Isaac plenty - stuff from around the home is perfect for this age as they are exploring everything and learning as they go - if he was bored he would protest! P spends a lot of time on her own and I know she is fine and happy doing her own thing (she needs to be able to entertain herself to a certain extent so why not start them young?
Hi everyone else!
Gotta go P is awake!
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Bec - it sounds like a minor reaction - I'd do two things - separate out the new foods, so you've got more a chance of finding out which one, and second, like the others have said, give new stuff at lunch - means you're around and more likely to see any reactions and also less chance of a disturbed sleep for you.
About BLS in public? Just the same as home, if you're worried about mess, just clean it up after using some baby wipes. Sometimes I don't even clean it up.... I have had brocoli and carrot spread everywhere, and cheese. But its easier for you if you choose foods that are less likely to get squished....I just apologise when I am paying and leave. No guilt!
That is so cute about the books... H does that too. It's awesome. I agree about nappies, but I am have yet to do any decent research on it, so laziness wins out for me. Isaac is very cute opening the drawer!
Fuzzy - ahh well done you. You toughed it out and look how much well things are going now. I am super proud of you.... and you'll also be my inspiration during this time of transition for us. I agree with Belfie and Vixstar - just do what interests Chloe, no point in forcing it. She will come to it in her own time - even if all you get to read is a page, that's ok. Maybe you could sing it to her?
Connie - H is attrocious with wriggling when I am changing her. I try to give her things to distract her and it works sometimes. It takes so much longer to change them. Poor G being clingy. It's tough huh?
Belfie - that is amazing about A's sleeping! I can usually eek 2 hours out of H in a day... I do put her in her cot alone for some chill time though, even if she's not sleeping. H's cold is finally better - she was symptom free from about lunch time yesterday. Thanks for asking.
Wite - how are you going sweetie? Thinking of you, and hope you're getting by. Let us know how you're going if you can? Hugs for Harlow too.
Well, I feel a bit weird today. I have finally decided to stop feeding before sleep for H. It started for us because she was so hungry with my supply problems, and then she always went to sleep a bit easier and slept for longer when I did it and basically I enjoyed our special times. But now she's on solids and not sick, it's time to at least start cutting it out for the morning nap. After reading what Fuzzy said about 1.5 hours of Chloe crying, I feel I may have gotten off lightly with about 50 mins. I found every time I went in to try and settle her today I just made her worse, so I did the washing up and jumped on to BB to distract myself. and just ignored her. It seems she's asleep now, I will go and check in a sec.
Uhm but I do have to work on my responses to H's crying. I realised I was starting not to cope so I excused myself and left the room, but then what I did was just self destructive for me - I ate - lammingtons. My MIL made some for me, and I just ate them. I didn't even enjoy them. So now I have mother guilt and food guilt. Blah. I am not one of those women who have "lost weight" breast feeding. My friend put on 22 kgs with her twin preg and her girls are 7 months old now and she's lost 24 kgs and eats like a horse ( is how she describes it). Apart from lammington indulgences today, I have been ok with my diet. Not great, but pretty good. Oh well, as the endo said, I have the weight accumulation gene. Yay for me.
Oh I had such a great dream the other night - we had another baby!
I am off to check that girl of mine and cover her up. It's freezing here today.
Chuckie - hiya! P is doing a lot better with her sleep. If H wakes at night say before midday I don't feed her, but after midnight I do? Having said that she usually only wakes 1-2 times a night, and it's usually once.
Ahh - she's awake, guess the sleep thing isn't working for her today.... time for a cuddle....
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