Happy New Year!
I feel like I haven’t properly stepped into the New Year yet. So whilst I crawl fully into 2013 here’s a photographic flashback, a pic from each month ranging from my favourite pics to a pic signifying a favourite or key moment….or, in a couple of cases, just food I like!
The theme in Tara’s gallery this week is Morning.
I’ve seen some wonderful photos over on Instagram of people’s mornings – from breakfast and that first cuppa, to sunrises, journies to work/school, what they’re wearing and photos of feet up with a book and a bar of chocolate! As ever, interpret the theme any way you like.
A nice cup of tea, and eggs, beans and toast popped into my head instantly. Then I realised. I hardly ever have time for brekkie when I’m rushing around in the mornings to get myself and Baby Z out to work.
One very memorable morning then came to mind. Sitting on what was a “dull” day we sat on the beach and watched the early morning sport enthusiasts jet skiing around. It feels like many moons ago now as I tried to eat my bodyweight in pancakes and omelettes for an entire week.
This is one of my best friends. (Not the girl in the foreground, that’s me!). She’s actually my cousin and a year and a half younger than me.
Growing up we fought like cat and dog and, as we both are the only girls in our families, we are the closest thing we each have to a sister.
She is brilliant and has always been there for me. Besides my small group of actual best friends and my hubby she is probably the one that knows most about me and the one who has been there at my lowest, my hungriest and my happiest. We come from the same crazy family and have been through a lot together over the years.
We are chalk and cheese but there is a strong bond there. The kind of bond that always meets with a massive hug, continues with non stop chatter at a 100 miles an hour and parts with a massive hug.
You can’t see from this picture but I was at an extremely low point in my at the time and she made sure I kept busy. We went out every weekend and ate and laughed a LOT!
(Don’t tell her I told you!)
P.S This is the only photo she’d allow. I don’t like being centre of attention of anything like that.
Check out the other entries in this weeks Gallery!
The last couple of weeks have been slightly strange. Ok, not strange. More like, bloody exhausting. A fresh wave of sleepless nights is visiting our household which I think I owe to the lovely age of “teething” we now seem to have entered. Coupled with the transition of getting the baby to sleep in his cot rather than the (3rd borrowed) basket that he has now grown out of, it has been tiring to say the least. It felt like I had a new-born again and, unfortunately, unlike the first lot of sleepless nights which I got through probably just on sheer baby euphoria, on this second wave I felt like I was starting to lose my patience a bit and go bonkers. Slowly.
Baby boy is now 6 months old and doesn’t sleep through yet. I know this is normal for a lot of babies so I’m not really worried and have become used to 1- 2 wake ups a night. This particular wave of sleepless nights though seemed to come from the depths of sleepless nights hell and meant I was regularly waking up about 4 times a night to provide feeds, cuddles, transfers back to cot, waiting at base of cot, waiting outside baby’s bedroom door, more feeds, cuddles, and so forth.
After about day 3 of sleepless hell, the lack of sleep was causing me to become a grumpy, stomping stroppy 5 year old type mooching about the house, trying hard to hold onto lunch dates / inkling of a social life / seeing other adults before 6pm (when the OH gets home from work). In turn, my moods were swinging from utterly weepy to utterly uber shouty bitch. Of course all of which was being directed to the Dear Husband. (“What do you mean you’re going to football / Do you never think maybe *I* might want to have a social life too??”). The OHs reaction to all of this is usually stunned silence or “don’t cry, calm down”. I’m not sure anyones told him that the only response to that is “What?! Am I not calm!??. I am calm! Dont tell me to calm down..!!” etc. On one particularly bad day, post bad night, I was meant to drive to a friend’s house about 15 minutes away and all I could think about was how tired I was. So after some huffing and puffing I eventually wailed that I was “sooo tired!”
OH: “Why don’t you have a nap then?”
Me: “Because I want to go oooout!”
OH: “Oh, I thought you were tired?”
Me: “I want to do boooooth!”
OH “Shall I drive you?”
Me: “Nooo, its meant to be a girlie day”….[Insert more weepy whining here]
(Yes, there is something about lack of sleep that brings out the whining a bit extremely).
After about Day 8 of sleepless nights hell, the “teething” pain seemed to subside without any kind of visible result. Although i’ve realised that most unknown pains or cause for crankiness are now always classed as “must be teething”. This week Baby Boy is also taking to the cot which is a massive relief. Not sure where we would have found yet another basket for him to sleep in that was actually big enough and wide enough for his little river-dance-in-his-sleep legs. We back to the “normal” amount of wake ups a night. This week we (umm.. *I*) have had no tantrums. So far. But its Thursday already. That’s definitely good!
Long live 1 – 2 wake ups a night (for now. Sleeping through is very good too. Just for info).
Last night was a bad night for baby. He had spent the evening throwing up owing to a nice little bug that’s going around. It then took till 9pm to settle him down completely. I dropped into bed by 11pm, tired, hoping we would both have a good night.
What happened next was a bit of a blur, but it goes something like this…
Baby was completely unsettled most of the night and crying on and off. I decided to cradle him in my arms and sleep sitting up. I’d just about dropped off when the OH started sleep talking.
“Let go of my arm.” I ignored it. He sleep talks quite a lot and I’ve learned to filter it out, whilst keeping an ear open for any funny bits. Tonight wasn’t funny and so I ignored it and tried to settle to back to sleep again.
He repeated it, this time tugging at me. He’s also done this before too. Ignoring him again I carried on trying to sleep.
“Let go. Wake up!” Tugging harder now he suddenly shook me out of sleep. I sat up in bed puzzled. I looked over to the basket where baby had been sound asleep all this time. It dawned on me I’d been dreaming but hugging the OHs arm tighter and tighter thinking it was the baby.
I think I need some proper sleep.
So yesterday I came home with you in my arms, a teeny tiny bundle all lost in the baby grow that was too big for you, and big wide eyes silently soaking up the brand new world. And in what feels like a few weeks, you’re a 6 month old!! A cheeky little 6 month old at that!!
This month….
1. You now know your name. You whip your head around, all ears, as soon as someone calls you. And we call you a lot! Just to watch you all alert. I know it’s a bit mean. Hehe, sorry!
2. You have learned to jump like a little jack in the box in the jumperoo. But you will occasionally stand so poised you remind me of a little ballet dancer. Other times you look like you’re doing a little jig.
3. You can now scream from about 7am till 8pm in the evening. Blimey, it isn’t half deafening. You don’t seem to tire of it at all! Whilst it’s cute (well, ok not so much anymore), I won’t miss this phase when it’s over!
4. You can give hugs!! (hurrah hurrah!!). It’s not really a full blown proper hug. More, you grab my face and either burrow your own into it, or you try to bite my cheek, complete with a generous layer of drool. I class it as a hug. Muslins are good!
5. You’ve started enjoying fruit, phew. I did worry a bit at first and had visions of you living off veg (mainly the smelly stuff!) and porridge but I think we’re both getting there! Let’s try a bit of baby led weaning next month.
6. You love the theme tune of This Morning. It has a similar effect as saying your name. You whip your head around and will stare happily at the TV and then go about your way when it’s finished. I haven’t noticed you do it to anything else yet but I’m sure it’ll happen.
7. You love being picked up. By anyone! A smile flashed in your direction and you’re anyones.
8. Having said that though you constantly turn around to check your Daddy or I are in the same room. Else a little nervous laughter comes out. Shortly followed by “get me out of here” whinging.
9. My manager came to visit you this month and you spent the whole time pulling his hair, smacking his face and tugging at his shirt. Thank god he has 3 boys of his own. He loved playing with you. I think!
10. You can now put your dummy in your mouth perfectly. The HV said once you could do that you’d be ready for BLW. Hmmm, so next month is going to be interesting!
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