January 2014- the one where the babies move more, but sleep less!

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Hope this is ok!

Toby that is a good article. I think I will try adding other food with stuff S already eats to get her to eat more. She seems to exist on crumpets, cream cheese sandwiches, toast, omelettes and sweetcorn fritters at the moment. We save her a portion of whatever we have had for tea the night before but she hardly eats it.

One trick I've found is giving her a main meal at lunch time rather than dinner time because she wolfs everything down after her nap but isn't too bothered when it's 5pm, and would much rather eat a sandwich or something then.

I am struggling big time recently. S is extremely clingy and won't let me leave her alone at all. DP is busy working towards a work and uni deadline so I've been at it on my own for a while. I am really wishing our families lived closer so she was used to being looked after by someone else for a few hours. I am at my Mums this weekend without DP so hopefully that will give me a tiny break. I don't know how lone parents do it I spent a couple of hours wandering around Asda tonight when S was in bed and it was blissful

Feel your pain Felix. I am in the same boat. I dream of having a poo in peace, or being able to go for a run or join a gym. DH is useless.

I am fighting to stay awake today. Only got three hours sleep last night and I am not functioning. N slept well though so is bright as a button. I have already dropped off once and he came and woke me up. I just hope he doesn't get up to mischief next time.

Ugh altered 3 hours

I feel a bit bad for saying this now, but S slept through last night for the first time ever!!! It was probably a massive fluke and will never happen again but I am amazed. She went to sleep at 7, stirred a bit at 11 but didn't wake up then only just woke up now at 9.20 No idea why she slept so well. The past couple of weeks we have been back up to 3/4 wake ups a night so it's baffling.

Glad you had a good night Felix. I have now self medicated with caffeine and atrocious French music (N has some seriously dodgy musical tastes) so am much more alert.

The kids are fine, even DD has been going to bed OK, it is DH keeping me up. It is bloody ridiculous.

Why is he keeping you up?! That really is ridiculous. If the DC are sleeping well then you should be able to as well

is pretty much the only thing that N will sit still for. I don't think I can take much more of it though.

He is trying to get some work stuff done so goes out to study in the evenings, and then has questions about English when he comes home around midnight. . I have to be up at 6 to get DD ready for school.

But on the other hand I am doing the bare minimum at home and cooking only one day in two. There are toys and shoes scattered liberally throughout the house and I have no intention of picking them up.

That song is really bad I feel for you having to listen to it repeatedly!

That's really unfair of him. Why can't he ask you these questions another time?

It is awful isn't it? She seems to only wear white in her videos too, I am weirdly fascinated by her awful fashion choices.

DD's favourite is which I like much better. If there was a competition for most French person ever, I think he would win.

About DH, he just isn't home because he works a lot.

It really does seem to be a difficult stage. Sympathies, Felix. It's hard by yourself. We've bought yearly tickets to every local attraction going, just so I can get out of the house and do something with M. Hope you can get a break soon. Glad you got a lie-in, though!

Boo for the lack of sleep, altered. M has started to sleep 8pm - 5am ish. It's nice, but sometimes it means she's up for the day at 5.
Last night I woke at 4.30am with the worst migraine I've had in years. It made me cry. DH got me some paracetamol and then M woke up. My head still hurts, but it's much better.

M took about 6 or 7 steps today. Finally!

Altered sorry, that sounds tough

Toby YAY! Send her up here to teach S. She went through a phase of trying to stand up unaided a few weeks ago but won't do it now.

We have been to soft play for the first time today. It's actually a really good one and was extremely clean but S wasn't keen. I've figured out she's teething and in lots of pain so that's why she's so clingy. She wouldn't let me put her down the whole time we were there. Will go back when she's a bit older though as it wasn't the hell on earth I was imagining

I'd still not say she was walking yet, but getting there.
Glad soft play wasn't awful. Poor S :(

That article is great Toby, it's what I've always said we should do so it's good to have confirmation! I hope you feel better soon.

for altered, being tired is horrible.

3 weeks until my exam and then my degree is over! DH is being wonderful and, apart from next week when he's away and I'm staying at dad's, is taking L every night until I've finished. She still hates sleep.

GSR that's good news! I bet you can't wait for it to be over. DP will still be doing his for another 2 or 3 years then wants to do a masters too

S just had another 3 hour nap and didn't get up until 4! So I've officially started making some tiny clothes to sell. Scary!!

Ooh felix, first dibs for us lot please!

Well, this week I had resolved not to stop drinking booze on weekday evenings and to eat sensibly during the week. I am sitting here eating a Magnum and drinking a pint. Percy has ditched her second nap for the last couple of days, so has been awake 11-7. She was so overtired that she was just screaming and falling over . I have no idea what is going on, but please let this phase be a very short one! She also woke at 1.30 this morning. DH settled her again in 15 minutes, and said she just wanted a cuddle. I am hoping this isn't going to start happening a lot too! She refused her dinner and has only had half a banana and half a beaker of milk, so I expect she'll be waking up tonight too...

I have already bagsied the first Felix original :o

Book it sounds like the magnum and pint were totally justified. Do whatever you can to get through the horrible phases

Yes Toby is my first official customer. I am so happy! Feeling very optimistic that I can make the whole sewing thing work now.

I'm sure it will be a huge success felix

Urgh, P woke up four times between 11 and 12 last night. No idea what s going on, other than perhaps overtiredness from not napping properly. She only manage two half hour naps in the car today, but we put her to bed at 6.30 and she did a lot of running about today so hopefully she'll sleep better some hope! I guess she might finally be going to one nap, but it is really bloody inconvenient if she is - all her baby groups will clash with her nap.

Book I'd probably try one nap now and see how it goes. I have the same problem with S - she sleeps from around 12-2pm and a couple of the groups I'd like to take her to start at 1.30. I suppose her naps will change at some point then we will be able to go!

N has gone to one nap this week too, usually from 11 til 1.30 which is a total pain because it is the time I have to pick up DD from school. FIL is picking up the slack but don't want him to get fed up.

I had an asthma attack during the night the night before last. It wasn't too bad and luckily I have a nebuliser at home that I had bought for N but I was totally washed out yesterday. I shipped the kids off to PIL with DH and slept all afternoon. I woke up this morning a different person. I hadn't realised exactly how sleep deprived I was. I was beginning to feel really down about the state of the house so it is good to know that it is just tiredness.

I had a magnum too when the kids were out yesterday.

Good luck with your business Felix. I want to order too for my niece please!

I received M's dress today, felix, and it's gorgeous! When the weather warms up again next week (apparently!), I'll take a photo of her in it and post it to your business page if you like.

Hope you're feeling better now, altered. I know that feeling after an asthma attack. It's proper exhaustion. You poor thing :(

I am feeling better thanks Toby, though I don't think the flare is quite over. I have a chest infection plus peak hay fever season and perfumes/air pollution/smoking so it is not a great combination! But we have a good weekend planned so I am feeling fine.

I am also going to book flights back to the UK this weekend for an extended summer trip. I am so excited it is unreal, though I hope we can make it to France too for a bit. Proper cheese, and chocolate, and supermarket kids' clothes. And having a big garden. It will be amazing. The trouble is just that DD always hates coming back here and it takes her a couple of months to readjust. Let's hope her teacher next year is sympathetic!

Summer is killer for asthmatics. I'm the same lately, only without the chest infection. Glad you're feeling mostly better.

How exciting about the trip!