January 2014 -- the birthdays are coming!

[TobyLerone]

Just wrote a long message on the old thread only to have it not post because we'd filled it.

We really ought to do less chatting and more sleeping

O has broken me She didn't sleep well at all last night because of this cough and cold. Dh had her downstairs until 2 and then I've been up with her since. Really don't know how I'm going to get through the day.

broken here too! Little puggle woke up about 9:30 and was on and off asleep until 11:30 when the screaming started. Really highpitched distressed sore screaming. Has a cold, maybe teething too. Was really at the end of my tether so woke DH to ask if he could take him for 5 mins. Got "well there's no point us both being up" and refused to get involved. Half an hour later I was sobbing with exhaustion (and self-pity) but had LP a bit more settled. DH then announced I needed to take him downstairs to feed him as he must be hungry. It was bloody 12:45 and he's breastfed!!! Apparently you need to feed a cold. Managed to rock the poor wee thing to sleep eventually standing in our freezing room but he was awake again just before 6. I wouldn't mind so much but DH refused to get involved at all when he was working and I was on mat leave as he needed his sleep (earplugs etc). This week I am consultant oncall for emergencies all week so its as busy stressful week and I'm oncall Mon Wed Fri Sat Sun overnight as well as daytime. I have no idea how we'll manage if I have to go in at night as I worry that DH has no patience or compassion for poor little Hugh when he's crying.
Today I am really wondering why I married him.
Pity Party!

Ah puggle sounds rough. I too have a busy stressful work week. They must be able to sense it. I've bought the biggest pile of crap food into work with me today in the hope that will see me through. Maybe if your Dh did have to cope with one night it might make him a bit more sympathetic and considerate?

puggle, that sounds really hard :( It's horrible to feel like you have no confidence in your partner. And yours certainly sounds like he's being a total arse. How dare he?! You have a very responsible job and you need to be able to be on the ball.
Calpol for little puggle, and for you.

This cold is a bastard isn't it, nature? M has been coughing until she's almost sick, and she can barely breathe. She's smothered in Snuffle Babe.

Nature and Puggle I really feel for you Puggle your DH is being a nob. It's not just your responsibility to be up through the night! You have a job to do too and it's especially bad if you're on call too

Toby I hope M is feeling better soon.

toby O is smothered in snuffle babe as well but it doesn't seem to be helping. The only way she managed to fall asleep last night was lying on my chest while I sat upright.

Thanks, felix. She's never been ill before so I suppose we've been lucky.

Poor O :(
Poor babies :(

I honestly don't know how you lot do it when you have to go to work too! all round!

Felix I don't think I'm doing anything particularly effectively at the moment, which isn't helping.

Toby what are you using for M? I've got snuffle babe and raised the end of her cot. I'm going to get a vapour plug in today as well. Is there anything else I can use? not that I am at all desperate!

I'm clueless too! Raising the end of the cot is a good idea. I thought of it, but she doesn't have a 'head end' as such. It depends what side I've fed her as to what end her head goes when I put her down. But I could just sort it out so she's the same way round.
I'm going to get some olbas oil in a bit, when she wakes up. She's been asleep on me for over 2 hours. I need to go out!

nature, that is the curse of the working mum, I think. It's a horrible feeling when you think you're doing badly at all of your jobs. You're not. You're a legend

Thanks toby. I'm making myself feel temporarily better with biscuits

CHeers all - also self medicating with haribo and the poncetastic christmas thread

Glad you have some haribo to see you through puggle. I completely sympathise. My DH can be similarly crap but I don't have an important job to do. Trying to work just makes me resent DH too much so I completely admire you. H is a very lucky baby.

nature you are doing much better than you think. Don't worry about it.

We are in the cold and cough club still. I was just thinking how great it would be if I could find some olbas oil. Haven't seen any here yet though.

DH has gone to abu dhabi til friday. The past few days have been a mad dash of emails and delayed visas. They also got his name the wrong way round on the plane ticket and I had to do everything from applying for the visas and answering emails to buying socks, booking taxis and online check in. Am I a massive tool? Just beginning to breathe again now.

I second the idea of your DH doing a night puggle. They really have no idea unless they do.

Another sick one here. Again. She seems fine in herself, she just keeps sneezing, even in her sleep. Right now I'm listening to her rolling around in her cot via the monitor.

To all. It's going to be a long night...

I will check out the christmas thread puggle. I am going to try and do some stealth christmas stuff, maybe mince pies or a galette des rois. Definitely trifle. But I will have to make my own mincemeat so chances are I will be too lazy!

N sleeps quite well (please don't hate me!) at night but only has short naps. Even MIL who adores him now agrees that a cage is the only way forward. He is either in the bin, washing the bath with the toilet brush, tormenting the cat or flattening DD (he is quite impressive, he jumps on her, growls and bites her all at once. ). I thought I would have more time before they started fighting! Right now he is sitting in front of me smacking himself on the head with a jigsaw frame and laughing. Babies are weird.

I bet the one night your DH is on baby duty mini Puggle will sleep like an angel! That's usually how it works. I remember DP having S for the weekend when I went to visit a friend months ago and S slept so well for both nights after being an hourly waker usually. TB!

I was on the poncetastic Xmas thread at the start and made my own mincemeat and Christmas cake but I've not had time for anything else with the house move. Hopefully after this weekend I will have. I have bought some ace retro Christmas fabric to make S a dress and stocking so I'll have to get my finger out and do it soon!

I have made a Christmas cake and DD and my sister made stockings for all the DC with their names on. On Saturday we're going to brave Westfield. I know On payday weekend before Christmas. But we figure it won't get any better from here on in. Going to try to squeeze M in the Moby because there's no way we're taking the pushchair!

Sorry if your newest bout of snot is our fault, book. Princess DH now has it too.

Urgh. Gave up on the cot at 9 after 3 wakes in 2 hours and I came to bed with her (DH tried first but she wouldn't have it). She's been feeding ever since, and now she's on a pillow on my lap while I sit up in bed. Newborntastic.

altered lol at washing the bath with the toilet brush. That's given me the total giggles....

book did you manage to get some sleep?

O didn't go down until 9.30 but thankfully slept well, only 2 wake ups. Not sure if it was the raised bed end, the calpol, the snuffle babe or the vapour plug in but I'll be doing all of them again tonight!

We had a decent night too, considering. Wake ups at 11, 12 something, 2 something and 5.30. Then she came in with us and woke at 7.45.
Snuffle Babe, Olbas oil and raised head of the bed here. I'm with you, nature -- it's all happening again tonight!

Hope last night doesn't set you back too much, book.

Glad M and O slept better. No sleep at all here. She can't even nap this morning, poor thing.

It has knackered the sleep plan, the sleep lady goes off on holiday next weekend. We only had gradual retreat left to do as well.

A is sleeping pretty well at the moment. Has only slept through once but it's a massive improvement on a month ago.
Unfortunately there seems to b something wrong with our house alarm and it goes off once/twice a night. Unbelievably the dc sleep through it but I'm finding it makes me quite anxious even though I know it's a false alarm and stoppng me from sleeping.

I think the night before last was a fluke for us. She woke up at 10.30, 12.20, 2.30 and 5.30

I also seem to have managed to traumatise her in some way as she she now screams when I lay her down in her cot, or even if I lay her down on the floor to change her nappy etc. It's very odd. She never used to complain when I put her in her cot before I started trying to sleep train her