Summer Holiday Shenanigans #2

Following on from this post about last week, here's what we've been up to this week:

Monday 19 August
Up early and off to Longleat for the day with my friend C and her son H. Fabulous time had by all, including two trips into Postman Pat's village to press buttons and generally run around having fun.
The thing about taking two grumpy 1 year olds out for the day is that if one isn't grumping, teething or due for a nap, the other one will be - so we didn't see all of the park, and missed out a lot of the animals. We drove around the safari, but S was crying for the first half and asleep for the second. It didn't matter though; we all had a fantastic time running around, and C and I had a good old natter at nap time.

Enjoying pressing buttons in Postman Pat's Village

Tuesday 20 August
Lazy day. Didn't make plans because we had to go to the health visitor at lunch time. Now that I'm back at work I can only see her when we're on holidays... A walk in the morning, followed by a nap, then a mad dash to the other side of town... only to find that we had the wrong day, her clinic had been moved to Monday. So we did some pootling around town, then came home and played with the toys and made a mess.

Having a little run around in the bedroom

Wednesday 21 August

Walk in the morning followed by a nap; S is teething pretty badly, so lunch was a bit of a non event. My sister A came round and played with S for a while, building Duplo models and giggling. We went into town to do some shopping and feed the ducks, then came all the way home only to remember we'd not put any money on the electricity key, so we went straight back out for a walk to the shop. Once we were home, S spent a long time running up and down the hall, laughing like a maniac and generally having fun.

Having a little walk together

Thursday 22 August

Another fairly lazy day. A long walk in the morning, followed by a nap, and a visit from my sister A. We went to the Cathedral Close and S spent an hour exploring, wandering around the grass, then along the paths, and into the stones next to the entrance. She enjoyed stepping between the different surfaces and finding her footing on the stone. I had to draw the line when she started rubbing her hands in the stones though, as she was making a bit of a mess and I wasn't entirely sure it was safe. We also spent a fair bit of time walking between the lights that are set into the ground around the cathedral. She loved to stand directly on them, turn around, and then move onto the next one. It's safe to say we'll be going back to the Close again soon!

Sitting on Auntie Af's lap

Friday 23 August

Another long walk in the morning followed by a nap; am trying to get her back into some sort of routine before returning to nursery so we've tried to do the same thing as much as possible where naps are concerned. My sister Z finally had her baby, so in the afternoon we popped up to meet him. You're not really meant to take children onto the ward, and S was not in the mood for sitting still, so we didn't stay long. We left and had a nice long walk along the hospital corridors instead, before catching the bus home. The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with as many toys as possible, often at the same time. We played catch with the big yellow sensory ball, read almost all of the books, and practised hanging upside down. S's latest thing is to investigate how things look from a different angle. So she'll lean backwards over the side of the ball pool to see what the TV looks like from that angle, and loves to be dangled upside down by me. Easy win for some giggles!

Leaning over the ball pit to see the TV from a different angle

Summer Holiday Shenanigans #1

As you may already know, I am currently on a 2 week holiday from work. S's nursery closes for 2 weeks, so I have no choice but to take that time off work.

As I mentioned in this post, I had been a bit worried that, after 3 months of her being entertained at nursery, S might be bored by just boring old me. I was worried that, since she has grown and developed so much over those 3 months, I might have forgotten how to spend time with her.

Actually, it turns out we're having quite a lot of fun. I thought it might be fun to make some posts about what we've been up to...

Monday 12 August

Went for a walk into town; bought some things for messy play, walked in and out of the M&S automatic doors about 50 times.

Had fantastic fun with messy play cake dough (which you can read about on Edspire); also made cakes and played with that silly soap stuff. S was not impressed with that though.

Went for a long walk with my 2 sisters and the trike.

S had tea and then the world's shortest bath before zonking out 10 minutes before bed time. Successful day!

Tuesday 13 August

Despite going to bed early, S had not slept well and was rather tired. We didn't go for a walk in the morning; instead she played on the mats for a while, then had a rather long nap.

Both of my sisters came round for a while, and iced yesterday's cakes while we went out to visit my cousin, who lives on the other side of town.

Once S had gotten used to seeing different faces, she had a fabulous time. She made friends with the giant Newfoundland dog, poked at the rabbits, almost allowed the guinea pigs to escape, and spent a good half hour just running up and down the garden.

When we came home S was a little cranky, so she sat on the work surface next to me and played with some bits while I made tea.

S had trouble sleeping again, so I put a dvd on for her; but she fell asleep really quickly, and slept through til 7 the next morning!

Wednesday 14 August

Out for a walk in the morning; I have learned this is the best way to guarantee a good nap! In and out of M&S automatic doors several times, but a meltdown when I introduced S to the escalator, and another when I allowed her to climb the stairs in Boots (holding my hands) but not to immediately go back down and do it again. We did spend 10 minutes in the downstairs window of Boots waving at passing cars though.

After S had had a nap and lunch, we went to soft play with both of my sisters.

We had never been to soft play before; it was fun, and S enjoyed herself; but I did not enjoy the lack of supervision of the older children, and the number of rude, obnoxious children who came into the baby/toddler area and jumped around or threw things so that it wasn't particularly safe for the younger ones. I got really angry to be honest, and in the end we gave up and left. S had a fabulous time though, and thoroughly enjoyed going down the slide!

Super messy tea (not on purpose), then bath and bed. Out like a light again! 

Thursday 15 August

Off to Bournemouth with my sister A, to visit the Oceanarium. We timed it with genius precision, so that S slept for almost the entire bus journey down there. Fabulous time had by all in the Oceanarium, slight rain situation did nothing to dampen our moods and we had a lovely toddle through the gardens before catching the bus home. Lovely day.

Friday 16 August

We had no plans, but we'd had a reasonably busy week so decided to have a quiet one. Accidentally went puddle splashing in the morning, when we nipped out for some bits and it started peeing down. S was happily splashing about in her rain coat; I was trying to be patient in my white top and no coat!

S had a massively long nap over lunch time, then we played a bit more, made cakes, and went back out for another wander. A nice lazy day!

You can read about our second week off here!

Our Week: 28th January - 3rd February

Monday 28th January
Having been to the doctor for her nasty, snotty cold, S developed a rash over the weekend. So back to the doctor this morning. This necessitated cancelling both the morning appointment with a lady from Home Start, and an afternoon appointment for physio because of the time of the only available appointment. Home to find scaffolders encasing the entire building in poles and planks. Delayed visit from Home Start co-ordinator for a chat about life, death and the cosmos.

Tuesday 29th January
More scaffolders, more noise, less light coming through the windows. S super grumpy from poorliness. Stayed in the house all day. Brief afternoon visit from A with Costa and tissues. Did I mention she's a bloody legend?

Wednesday 30th January
Up early and off to visit the council and hand in various documents to show I have no money. The important document, the one they need in order to pay my housing benefit, has not arrived from the other benefit office yet, so I can't submit it. Brief trawl around town, then home to spend a day making mess and giggles with S. Managed to dye my hair and cook curry as well. House looks like a bomb has hit it. Who cares!

Thursday 31st January
Boring morning spent doing not a lot. Sister A came round at lunch time and looked after S for an hour while I popped out. Visit from F when I came home, afternoon spent playing with an S who refused to nap. There were a distinct lack of zeds throughout the day, evening or night.

Friday 1st February
Celebrated the first of the month with an early morning jaunt to the Job Centre in the rain. First time I've set foot in the place and I have to say it stinks of despair and despondency. Even the security guard looked dishevelled. Home for a brief visit from sister Z. Grumpy S meant an afternoon Baby Jake marathon. Heaven help us all.

Saturday 2nd February
Morning spent cleaning and tidying. Afternoon spent working (!) in a local pub while my sisters A and Z split S-sitting duties. S had a fabulous time, and so did I. To be explained in a proper post soon, most probably. S in bed late in a Tigger onesie.

Our Week: 21st-26th January

Monday 21st January

As mentioned in this post, I've had a fairly rubbish week, brain wise. On Monday we did very little. I think taking the bin out was the highlight of my day. The council did come round and rip down some plasterboard from my bedroom ceiling though.

Tuesday 22nd January

Another day of feeling miserable and wallowing... until I started griping on Facebook that I'd run out of milk, and then a very dear friend came round with milk and smiles and we had a good old chat and I felt a lot better. She helped me to put a few things in perspective, and to make a few decisions.

Wednesday 23rd January

D had called on Tuesday afternoon to say she couldn't make our usual Wednesday morning, so we were on our own. Remember my friend C? He proved himself even more legendary when he spent the morning texting me, telling me I really should just go out of the house. This, coupled with similar texts from my friend B, meant that we did finally go out. We had a quick walk to town, bought some essentials and came home. Afternoon spent not doing much.

Thursday 24th January

Another day spent sitting in the house. We were meant to go to see our photographer friend to have our photo taken, but since S was up all night, finally settling around 6am, and slept until 8, we cancelled. S had 2 long naps; I tried to do OU work. A came round after college to drop a couple of things off, because she is a legend. S didn't settle to sleep again, so had her downstairs in her bouncy chair for the evening.

Friday 25th January

Went to see the GP in the morning for a bit of reassurance that S just has a cold and not some terrible snot-producing disease. Came home, played a bit, had a visit in the afternoon from a friend and her two children, which was nice for all of us.

Saturday 26th January

Walked to out of town Tesco with A in the morning, then came home and had a quick wander round town. Afternoon spent with D, who was unable to visit on Wednesday. Brief and supremely irritating visit in the evening from a drunk and frankly stupid HYM. Not impressed. Evening spent struggling with OU work. 

Our Week, 14-19 January

Monday 14 January
Up at usual time and off to Wetherspoons for breakfast with a friend. Lovely start to the day. S fell asleep on the way home and didn't even stir when I bumped the buggy up the stairs. She ended up having a 2-hour nap, which was handy as I was rather sick. Afternoon spent feeling rubbish and wishing I could just go to sleep. No such luck. Perked up a little in the evening. Fingers crossed sickiness appears to have been stress related rather than bug related or anything else related.

Tuesday 15 January
Stayed in all morning doing fun stuff like housework and general mucking about. Health visitor at lunch time with my sister A for company, then a little wander around town before coming home to muck about a bit more. Finally finished my OU module, just in time for the next one to start in a couple of weeks. Eep!

Wednesday 16 January
Visit from D in the morning, then off out to our new Wednesday class. Baby-robics was fun, but turns out S is rather heavy after four rounds of squats. Bloody cold so straight home afterwards to snuggle up and play in the living room. S went to bed on time, but woke pretty much hourly and generally made me feel a little like I may never sleep again.

Thursday 17 January
Visited two nurseries as part of my trying to figure out whether to go back to work. Both are local and lovely. Still hate the idea of leaving S for that amount of time, that often. Saw my sister A, who brought cornflake cakes she'd made with Z. Bought a leopard print fur coat for S in a charity shop. Day complete. S did not settle well, I had a cough which made it worse. Loooonnnnnng night.

Friday 18 January
Wake up to find it has snowed. All plans scuppered. Day spent in living room doing naff all. Even taking the bins out was abandoned in favour of looking out the window and playing with shiny things. A came round for the afternoon and went to the shop for us because she is a legend (as you know). Had been planning to spend the evening with company, but company turned up drunk, so I spent the evening doing boring geeky things. Should have taken the opportunity for an early night, since S really did not sleep well.

Saturday 19 January
Woke to find the roof had leaked in a massive way. Swore a lot and spent half an hour carefully positioning trays and pans to catch drips. S had slept badly but made up for it with a fairly long morning nap. Did not venture out of the house due to a fear of falling over on the ice with my little pickle. Very bored and tired and the lack of air did nothing for my mood. Evening spent doing not a fat lot. Such is life these days.

Our Week, 7-12 January

Monday 7 January

Up early to drag ourselves to the hospital for physio. Considered rearranging the appointment, since I felt rough, but decided to just suck it up and go. Got there and found my physio was off sick any way. Walked back to town, bought some vegetables, bumped into several friends, including my niece who is awfully grown up and mature these days. Had an impromptu coffee with a friend, which was nice. Afternoon spent attempting OU coursework, and feeling sick. Evening spent doing much the same.

Tuesday 8 January

Didn't leave the house all day; not fantastic for my already low mood. Health Visitor came in the morning for a brief chat, and afternoon was spent begging S to please take her nap or at least stop crying and clinging to me. Neither was achieved. Bed time was not amusing, and neither was the night.

Wednesday 9 January
D visited in the morning, played with S while I made a call and did my washing up for me. The woman is a legend. Quick lunch followed by a power walk to the other side of town for a "Mum & Me" fitness class which was actually quite relaxing since it focused on stretching out all the muscles that usually ache. Extended walk home to accommodate nap time. Afternoon spent playing. Split up with HYM. Nothing more shall be said on the topic.

Thursday 10 January

Didn't do much of anything. A bad night's sleep, but at least I was woken at 6am by a happy baby chattering to her hands. Popped to the shops, bought some food, came home. Entire day spent playing with toys and trying to avoid whining and crying. Didn't always manage that. Awesome sister A came to visit briefly though, which was nice.

Friday 11 January
S slept awesomely; I woke at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. Cancelled BuggyFun because I felt like death. Visit from my brother L and his wife L which was nice but embarrassing because the house is a tip at the moment. Went to doctor about suspected eczema on S's leg, came home. Exciting day, I think you'll agree.

Saturday 12 January
Feeling less than fantastic. Morning spent doing housework... ok, well I did some washing up. Sister A came round and played with S for half an hour while I went to town for supplies. Entire trip spent feeling like I'd left the buggy in a shop. Afternoon spent playing. Evening spent watching truly awful Saturday night TV. Seriously, whatever happened to Saturday night telly?

Our Week, 31 Dec - 5 January

Monday 31 December
Last day of the year. Celebrated by doing housework. A visit from a dear friend and her three children, and a brief, damp visit to town, and then more housework. Rock and roll.

Tuesday 01 January
Finally, a break in the weather! Celebrated by bundling S into the pushchair and going for a wander around town. Good to get some fresh air and do some thinking. Afternoon spent catching up with an old friend, who enjoyed playing musical instruments with S while we chatted. Brief visit from mother and a family friend, then bed time. Happy New Year.

Wednesday 02 January
Up early to go to a poorly-timed doctor appointment. HYM was supposed to come with me to entertain S while I saw the doctor, but he didn't manage it. Instead, I tried to bounce her on my lap and keep her away from the blood pressure monitor and various other things on the doctor's desk while we discussed various things. Home by 10:30, visit from D, afternoon spent preparing food and playing with noisy toys. There is a lot to be said for noisy toys when you have things in your head you need to be distracted from.

Thursday 03 January
OU tutorial in the morning, where it was confirmed I really need to get my arse in gear and, you know, actually study if I want to complete the module that finishes in two weeks. Then a quick trip to town to pick up bits and bobs, home for some lunch and a visit from a wonderful friend who always brightens our day.

Friday 04 January
Up early for a visit from a truly awesome friend that we really don't see often enough. Especially since he turned up with Costa and croissants, and had driven all the way from Oxford just to say hi for an hour. Friends like this make me wonder why I've ever bothered with all the losers I've put up with in my life! Afternoon visit from two sisters and some nieces, evening spent with youngest sis A and a Chinese.

Saturday 05 January
S up in the night poorly, but slept in late. This is good in that I got some sleep, but bad in that it put her whole schedule out. We do like our schedule. Morning spent cleaning and tidying. Afternoon spent with more of the same; evening spent with HYM.

Our Week 24-29 December

Monday 24 December
Up horrendously early and into town for some last minute shopping before the marauding hoards came out to play. Home for lunch, and then back out to the pub to meet with some lovely friends. Briefly joined by HYM, then home for another couple of visitors. Evening spent preparing Christmas dinner.

Tuesday 25 December
Up horrendously early again, this time trying to persuade S to open presents. She was more interested in the paper though. Morning spent with HYM and my sister A. Hilarious moments trying to figure out what the hell to do with the turkey. HYM left, mother arrived, S opened a couple of presents. I produced an outstanding Christmas dinner that relied heavily on bacon. Nobody died. S opened a couple more presents. In the evening my sister Z and her boyfriend L joined us, and HYM came back. Then everyone but HYM left, and we had a nice evening snuggling on the sofa.

Wednesday 26 December
Up a little later but not so's you'd notice. Morning spent cleaning up the house while S played with more presents she hadn't yet unwrapped. In the afternoon we went to meet HYM's family at their house. Daunting, but they are lovely. Evening spent watching bad TV with my sister A, who stayed over on the sofa.

Thursday 27 December
Having spent most of the last few days cooped up in the house, we had to get out. And I needed to get my watch fixed, since it stopped working on Christmas eve. Spent the morning in town with A, then came home and had lunch. Spent the afternoon with my sister Z and her boyfriend L, visiting my brother L and his family. S was poorly though, so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked.

Friday 28 December
Morning spent wandering around town as I tried desperately to figure out what I'd come out of the house for. Visit from the older sister S and her husband and step-daughter in the afternoon, as well as A. Evening spent with HYM, curled up on the sofa watching a movie. Heaven.

Saturday 29 December
Horrible weather meant a distinct lack of motivation to leave the house. Most of the day spent cleaning and tidying; I find that recently my tolerance for mess and clutter has lowered considerably. Tree and decorations put away, everywhere vacuumed, big sigh. HYM came round for a couple of hours, then buggered off again.

Our Week 17-22 Dec

Monday 17 Dec
Up and ready relatively early for our toddler group Christmas party; put S in the sling as there are usually so many pushchairs there it's a nightmare to get in and out... plan backfired when she was monumentally sick all over both of us on the way there. Skipped the party, did a quick dash to a couple of shops and took my poorly baby home. Poorly baby then proceeded to spend the afternoon shouting at her toys and watching Tweenies without a care in the world. Visit from sister (A) in the afternoon who entertained S while I made S a Christmas stocking, which I shall be proud of for the rest of my life!

Tuesday 18 Dec
Up early due to a distinct inability to sleep; get it every Christmas. Baked 2 trays of brownies before 10am, then a visit from the health visitor, lunch, brief shopping trip with A, half an hour at toddler group and an ill-timed blood donation appointment. Impressed with myself I didn't pass out this time. Score. Got a sticker too, which is a bonus.

Wednesday 19 Dec
Horribly unsettled night and non-existent morning nap made for a stressed mummy today! Visit from D in the morning, followed by visit from Z and A, copious amounts of vomit on a library book, and an evening spent doing anything but settling. Meanwhile I struggled to finish an OU assignment, and wondered how the hell I'm going to get through the rest of the course if my child never sleeps again.

Thursday 20 Dec
Woke up feeling a lot like death but had lots to do. Braved near-torrential rain to go shopping for last minute Christmas presents and party food; S loved being in the pushchair under the rain cover. Afternoon spent wrapping presents and making vague attempts at tidying the house. A came round to help and even went back to town to pick up the things I'd forgotten.

Friday 21 Dec
Seeing that I would be waiting in all day for a delivery, I decided to invite people round for Christmas shenanigans. It was a last minute affair, and I didn't really prepare at all, but a few people came round and we had a good giggle. Two friends brought little girls a couple of months older than S, and she learned a few new tricks from them which was fun. She is now happily walking across the room with hands held... we appear to have skipped crawling altogether.

Saturday 22 Dec
Mad dash around town in the morning before it got busy, followed by an afternoon cleaning, tidying and wrapping presents. Evening with the HYM, who gets better every time I see him. Happy days.

Our Week: 10-15 Dec

Monday 10 Dec
Mini Movers in the morning, followed by a messy lunch and an afternoon spent tidying the house. Mostly failed at the tidying, but S had a fun day. Visit from HYM in the evening, which was lovely. I never get tired of discovering new ways in which is he is completely different to the ex. Beautiful.

Tuesday 11 Dec
Up late after a restless night. Morning spent attempting more tidying, but achieving little, since S didn't fancy naps at all. Afternoon spent at toddler group, where we did bright pink hand prints on paper, ready to make them into calendars next week. That toddler group is awesome. S spent the whole evening asleep upstairs (only woke up once) and slept really well overnight. Wondering if we've turned a corner... That would be sod's law, since I spoke to a researcher for a TV show about baby sleep issues, who wants to feature us.

Wednesday 12 Dec
OU tutorial in the morning reminded me that I really need to find time for my study. Visit from D, who brought us iced buns and big smiles, and entertained S for 20 minutes while I was on hold to several different government departments trying to get some answers regarding my return to work. After D had left my sister Z and her boyfriend L came round, and we went for a little wander into town before going to see my brother L and his family. A fun afternoon spent lounging around a very Christmassy living room, gossiping and playing with the children. S had a fantastic time.

Thursday 13 Dec
Wide awake at ridiculous o clock so got up and had an early breakfast. Morning spent doing important things from the To Do list, which I subsequently lost before completing. Then a lovely visit from a dear friend I'd not seen for about 10 years, and good old chin-wag. Being up so early scuppered S's meal/nap routine, so afternoon was spent with a grumpy, tired baby who really didn't want another nap. Winner.Visit from HYM in the evening slightly embarrassing, since he'd found this blog and read the post I wrote about him.

Friday 14 Dec
Up early again - not sure if it's S's poor sleeping or my excitement/panic for Christmas. Went to a last-minute hospital appointment for S where they kept us waiting for over an hour before poking and prodding and putting the fear of God into me, then smiling cheerfully and telling me everything is fine. Afternoon spent trying to pry my fingernails out of my palms.

Saturday 15 Dec
Brief wander around town with S in the sling to try and get some stuff done. Failed miserably due to the fact S is rather heavy in the sling these days. Afternoon spent at a Christmas party in a church, which was chaotic and carnage and quite fun.

Our Week: 2 - 8 December

Sunday 2 Dec
Morning spent baking brownies, with a visit from mother. Hot date in the afternoon. evening spent... watching TV. Oh yeah, I know how to party. S barely slept through the evening, but did sleep for 5 solid hours in the night so can't complain.

Monday 3 Dec
Off to the Childrens' Centre in the morning for "8 Month Contact." Afternoon spent playing with S whilst moving furniture and bringing living room junk back downstairs now the floor is down. S had 3 long naps, which was odd but she's been sleeping badly lately.

Tuesday 4 Dec
Accidentally stayed in all day. Housework in the morning, and a visit from the nursery nurse about S and her eating/sleeping/development. World's messiest lunch: the kind where both mine and S's outfits needed to be changed afterwards. We were going to baby group at a local church in the afternoon, and looking forward to it since there was a Christmas tree festival to visit. But S decided to have a long afternoon nap, and we missed it. Had intended to go to the shops afterwards, but S did not wake in the world's best mood, and we'd already been through 2 pairs of socks today so abandoned all plans.

Wednesday 5 Dec
Up and out for a long walk in the morning, then an afternoon visit from a very dear friend I'd not seen forever and a day, and her gorgeous son. Evening and overnight spent trying not to hear the neighbours partying, and panicking about my maternity leave ending.

Thursday 6 Dec
Morning spent having a go at housework and waiting for a Tesco order. Afternoon spent at the local panto, Sleeping Beauty. We went with D, who got us tickets through Home Start which was awesome. S slept through the first part, but loved the lights and colours in the second half. Got home late (5pm) and neighbours had already begun their evening festivities so S slept in the living room in her bouncy chair. Again. No idea what we will do when she outgrows the thing, and the neighbours are still inconsiderate drunken idiots.

Friday 7 Dec
Off out to Buggyfun in the freezing cold; really didn't fancy it, but as usual once we got there it was great. then back home to feed S lunch and get my hair cut by a friend. Sneaky nap on the sofa followed by random housework tasks and a vague attempt at OU work. Must try harder with the OU stuff.

Saturday 8 Dec
Another morning pretending to do housework. I did vacuum though so that was good. Made brownies and tarted myself up for my hot date with the Handsome Young Man.Went out for hot date; bumped into my mother on the way home, whilst I was still with HYM. Awkward.

Our Week 19-24 Nov

Monday 19 Nov

A night of sleep interrupted by screaming from S to confirm her teeth are indeed still working their way out of her gums. Out for lunch with some dear friends from my gym-going days, including a 2-year-old who was so quiet I forgot she was there! (definitely taking notes from her mother!). Afternoon spent playing; evening spent trying to get S to sleep. Teeth won that battle hands down.

Tuesday 20 Nov

Another night of screaming – way more than Sunday night, and medicine and cuddles made no difference. Up and dressed and out to see the health visitor, which was nice. Asked if there was any help available; answer was no. Afternoon spent trying to get S to drink horrid-tasting medicine.

Wednesday 21 Nov

Teething has combined with snottiness to ensure Macbeth has definitely murdered sleep in this house. Morning spent with D; she played with S long enough for me to tidy a bit, and also rocked her to sleep for me. The woman is a legend. Afternoon spent trying to entertain a rather grumpy baby. Evening spent similarly. Less said about the night, the better.

Thursday 22 Nov

Although there was precious little sleeping involved, S did sleep from 6:30 to 8am laying on my chest, like she used to when she was a lot smaller, which was a nice feeling and almost made up for that being the longest stretch of sleep we had all night. Shopping in the morning, playing in the afternoon with a brief visit from my sister.

Friday 23 Nov

Can’t tell if it was a slightly better night, or after a week of awful sleep, I’m just getting used to it. Went to town to buy the food I forgot/couldn’t be arsed to find in the shop on Thursday. Came home, ate some lunch and made gingerbread men. Afternoon spent waving my hands and pulling faces while S giggled. Every day should be like this.

Saturday 24 Nov
A visit from my sister; normally we would go out for a walk, but the weather was awful so we stayed in. Went to visit a neighbour whose son has a birthday today, while S was napping. Came back to find S had woken up and forced her auntie to play stand-up/sit-down with her. Decided against leaving the house; spent the afternoon napping and trying to do OU coursework. Not entirely successful at either.

What We Did This Week

Monday 12 Nov

Up early and off to the hospital for a physio appointment. Then back into town and out the other side for a GP appointment for S. Then a walk home in the rain, and an afternoon of CBeebies. Evening spent doing OU work. I am living the dream.

Tuesday 13 Nov

Off to town to buy mincemeat supplies and pick up jars from my cousin, then home to mix all the ingredients in a massive bowl. World’s messiest lunch with S, then a visit from the nursery nurse, who ended up staying close to 2 hours while I talked about things completely unrelated to what she was visiting for.

Wednesday 14 Nov

A long walk over a very steep hill to deliver a book to a friend, then a mad rush around town to buy random things. Home to cook the mincemeat, and super messy lunch for S. Seriously, at the moment she’s going through 3 outfits a day.

Thursday 15 Nov

Quick trip to town in the morning to buy… I can’t remember what we bought. Main purpose for the trip was to get S to have a nap. Came home and made a vague attempt at tidying up the house in preparation from visitors. Lovely visit from a friend whose daughter is 3 months older than S; it’s like a taster session for what I have coming soon. Must baby-proof the flat ASAP.

Friday 16 Nov

Morning spent doing such fun stuff as washing and tidying. Little sis came over and painted my Christmas decorations, which was a bit awesome. Then went to cash & carry with a friend to get supplies. More fun than it sounds!

Saturday 17 Nov

Out for a walk with my sis A in the morning, then home. Had big plans to do all sorts, which I scrapped when I realised we were both knackered. Shared a long nap, then made a big old mess with some jelly. Bath and then bed for S, baking for me.

What We Did This Week

Monday 05 Nov

Up at 7, breakfast in our shiny new high chair, which was messy and fun. Then into town to meet a friend for coffee with her little girl. S sat in her pushchair shouting in excitement, playing peepo with my friend’s 3 year old, which was nice. Then home for a monumentally messy lunch, a short nap, and a short trip back to town to pick up the things I’d forgotten earlier. Bed time routine disrupted by fireworks for the third night running.

Tuesday 06 Nov

Wander around town in the morning with S having a little giggle and chat to herself. Bumped into my favourite aunt, which is always a bonus as she is awesome. Super, ultra messy lunch followed by a fun afternoon for S, watching me move furniture and books, then hoover and scrub the floor, then move more furniture. Bed time was more successful, possibly down to the fact she ate shedloads for tea. We may be onto a winner here!

Wednesday 07 Nov

Weekly visit from D in the morning; S played with her on her newly positioned play mats and shouted at the TV. Unsuccessful lunch attempt followed by visit from Auntie Smooch (Z) and a trip into town, wandering about the shops. Am so excited for the Christmas lights to go up; S seems to really enjoy looking at lights in shop windows. And on the living room ceiling, oddly. She had three naps, which was not ideal, but she still slept fairly well in the evening so can’t complain.

Thursday 08 Nov

Picked up copies of photos taken last week for local paper’s baby competition. S looks amazing, obviously. Came home to see something on Facebook that reminded me of the nasty situation with S’s father, kind of ruined my mood for the day, which S picked up on. Did manage to paint a wall though. S had an unsettled evening, but since I was feeling decidedly headachey and ropey, I just went to bed early and she settled.

Friday 09 Nov

Lazy morning spent lazing about the flat. Decided that since S was still in her PJs at lunch time we may as well make as much mess as possible, which was fun. A man came round about the water meter, and had fun trying to find the right tap outside. Brief trip into town to buy food (mainly to get out of the house), then home for tea and early to bed for a very sleepy baby… who slept of her sleepiness and was wide awake in her bouncy chair by 8pm. No point in leaving her upstairs, since people around here still have a lot of fireworks to get through, and the neighbours appear to be trying to chisel their way through the floor. Or the wall. Or perhaps just through my temper. Bang bang bang effing bang.

Saturday 10 Nov

Morning spent at a charity soup morning with S being passed around extended family and friends, wowing them with her smiles and giggles. Felt pretty smug! Feeling replaced by nausea when I came home to find that the baby S’s father conceived with his babysitter while I was pregnant has been born – seemingly exactly 7 months younger than S. How does one deal with such a situation? Answers on a postcard please.

Our Week: 29 Oct - 03 Nov

Monday 29 Oct

Despite not wanting to go to sleep in the evenings before me, once we both go to bed S does seem to settle well these days. Short walk around town punctuated by wailing and shouting any time we stopped for more than 5 seconds; made queuing really fun. S had a 3-hour nap in the afternoon, which was odd but she had been woken early from her morning nap so probably good. Evening spent lying next to her for 2 hours, reading the Kindle. Praise the Lord for Kindles.

Tuesday 30 Oct

Up early and off to town to run errands before entertaining two visitors (see Tuesday’s blog post). Made lamb casserole from scratch, ate it and didn’t die or anything. S skipped her afternoon nap, so bed time was an early and rather drawn out affair.

Wednesday 31 Oct

Visit from D in the morning; S spent the entire time sitting on her lap, playing and chattering. My sister Z came round in the afternoon, and we went for a wander around town in the pouring rain. Spent 2.5 hours getting S to sleep, then came downstairs in a daze and walked into the kitchen door. Or rather, I kicked it into my own face. No idea how, but there is a slight bruise I’ve had to cover with makeup for the rest of the week.

Thursday 01 Nov

Woken at 2am by roof leaking. Fuming. Called the council first thing, and then emailed my local councillor who seems willing to help. Then we went out to meet my friend K for coffee. She has the most gorgeous little boy who’s a couple of weeks younger than S, and it was so nice to have a good old gossipy catch up. S spent the afternoon puking her orange lunch wherever I pointed her face, which was nice. She went to bed early, listening to a classical lullaby cd I bought on a whim from Amazon. Best money I ever spent.

Friday 02 Nov

Took S to have her photo taken for the local Child Of The Year competition; younger sis came with me and we had a good old gossip. Very proud of S for managing not to vomit on her nice clean clothes until after the photo. Spent the afternoon playing with baby toys and discovering that No More Nails is no good for holding curtain poles above doors. Bugger.

Saturday 03 Nov

Our weekly walk with lil sis A was amended to become a walk to the out of town superstore for supplies. Then we walked back to town and went to Costa for drinks with the family. Realised my coffee order has become a farce, being as it is now seven words long. Came home and had an attack of the housewifes: made mango teething biscuits, beef casserole and bread rolls. Ruined the dumplings though; too much salt. Watched The Empire Strikes Back with S and then she went to bed and out like a light, but it’s highly likely she will be up within the hour, what with all the fireworks and shenanigans.

Our Week: 20-27 October

Monday 22 Oct

Up early after a less than peaceful night’s sleep. Went for a walk to my old office to drop something off for a friend, and to pick up a toy from another friend. That was basically our day. Walked the long way home in vain attempt to get S to have her morning nap. Failed miserably so came home and dealt with a grumpy baby who didn’t want to eat her lunch. Afternoon nap did not go well either, so in the end I took her upstairs and had a nap with her.

Tuesday 23 Oct

Up early so went into town for supplies before a visit from a nursery nurse, who came to fix all of our sleeping problems. Back into town after S’s afternoon nap to pick up the things we forgot in the morning.

Wednesday 24 Oct

Up early and into town to pick up what we forgot to buy twice on Tuesday. Our Home Start lady came and played games with S while I made some phone calls and sorted paperwork. After lunch we went to see my brother and his wife, who gave S a big black bag full of toys, as well as one of those zebra thingies for when she is a little older. No danger of getting S to bed on time so put her in her bouncy chair in a sleeping bag… she slept like a log til I went to bed.

Thursday 25 Oct

Up and off to the out of town supermarket to exchange something I’d bought at the weekend. Really it was just an excuse to get out of the house. S fell asleep while we were walking, so I took a detour around the park on the way home to prolong the napping. Came home and spent the afternoon doing not a fat lot. Evening spent rocking her back and forth in the pushchair intermittently begging her to sleep. Didn’t work.

Friday 26 Oct

A nice little trip to town with the baby sling followed by a quiet afternoon and another evening like Thursday. This seems to be becoming the norm and I am not best pleased about it.

Saturday 27 Oct

Long walk with my sister, A. Workout in the park that hurt both of us, then a walk back again. Cooked stew and dumplings from scratch and was pleased with myself. S slept through Star Wars all afternoon. In hindsight I should not have allowed this to happen, as bedtime was a joke. She actually laughed at me. There has been a lot of crying and a lot of running up and down the stairs, after I decided nothing but bad habits could come of having her permanently spending the evenings in the living room with me.

Our Week, 15 -20 Oct

Monday 15 Oct

Up reasonably early and off to visit a friend who lives on the outskirts of town, up a big hill. Perfect workout for the legs and the lungs, only slightly marred by being rained on. Had a lovely visit with said friend, though she did give me the whole “look how far you’ve come” speech and make me a bit emotional. Afternoon spent playing, evening spent trying desperately to get S to sleep before giving up and having her sit in her bouncy chair until I capitulated and took us both to bed at 9pm.

Tuesday 16 Oct

Tiring day. S slept badly, which meant so did I. Got up late, breakfasted late. S had the world’s shortest nap and woke up grumpy, so I took her out in the pushchair thinking she’d go back to sleep. She didn’t, but I did bump into my auntie, which brightened my day. Came home, spent the afternoon trying to placate her after another pointlessly short nap. Put her to bed and prayed. Had about an hour of quiet before S woke up. Went to bed early and had a couple of hours’ sleep before she woke up, and stayed awake and grumpy until 9am. Far from ideal.

Wednesday 17 Oct

Day started about 5 hours before I would have liked. D, my Home Start volunteer, brought cakes, biscuits and a gossip magazine. Spent most of the day trying to get S to nap, or playing with her. She’s not big into doing anything on her own at the moment. No housework was done, and I really could not be bothered to leave the house. The only way is up… right?

Thursday 18 Oct

Desperate to get S to have some proper sleep, I took her for a long walk. It worked; she had a 2 hour morning nap. But no afternoon nap, and no proper sleep in the evening. Called the health visitor and a nursery nurse is coming out next week.

Friday 19 Oct

Another day, another walk to try and get S to sleep. Sort of worked but not much. Very short nap, followed by lunch and another very short nap, and then a visit from my aunt and cousin. Still going through the motions of the bedtime routine and putting S to bed at 6, but it’s largely pointless; she’s back in the living room by 7pm and we don’t go to sleep til midnight.

Saturday 20 Oct

Another restless night followed by an early morning. Up and out for a walk with little sis, then back home for visits from other little sis and her bloke, a friend delivering clothes for S, and another friend showing off a shocking new hair colour. Three messy meals necessitated Bath Night, followed by lots of frustration at trying to fall asleep. S had three naps today, all relatively short; am not sure whether this bodes well or not for tonight’s sleep. Cross your fingers please!

Our Week, 8-13 October

Monday 08 Oct

After a rather unsettled (and somewhat screamy) night’s sleep, we got up and walked across town to pick up some baby clothes. We were also supposed to walk to an out of town superstore in another direction to pick up an order, but I couldn’t be bothered. We came home instead, and spent a fair amount of time playing. And then a nap, and then more playing. Bed time appears to have become a two-stage thing, where S falls asleep and I sneak out, only to find her awake and crying 15 minutes later. This happened again, but fingers crossed it’s not a permanent change!

Tuesday 09 Oct

Walked in the pouring rain to the big out of town Next to pick up an order. Turned up at 9:45 to find they didn’t open til 10. Got drenched. Came home, got changed, and went to see the health visitor. My one has been off sick for months so I saw yet another lady I’d not seen before. It’s a different one every time these days, and far from an ideal situation.

Wednesday 10 Oct

Our Home Start lady came and brought cakes for me and two teething toys for S. In the afternoon my sister Z came round with some rice krispie cakes she’d made and I ate until I felt sick. We didn’t leave the house all day.

Thursday 11 Oct

Up and out early to run some errands around town. Home by 11am to attempt housework, but S had other ideas. Her poor sleeping pattern over the last few days has been getting gradually worse, and today she had no naps at all, and then couldn’t sleep at bed time. Ended up bringing her downstairs and pushing her back and forth in the pushchair until she fell asleep, then camping on the sofa.

Friday 12 Oct

Another day where we didn’t leave the house. Had plans to go out for a walk with a friend but after another poor night’s sleep I cancelled in favour of trying to get some rest. S actually managed a morning nap, and was in a fairly agreeable mood, meaning I managed to get a fair few things done. Unfortunately her afternoon nap, during which I was planning to sleep, was interrupted by a loud knock on the door, and so I spent the afternoon trying to distract S from grizzling; no mean feat. Despite this, I still managed to do some decorating, cleaning and washing – so not a complete loss.

Saturday 13 Oct

A slightly better night followed by a lazy morning. When it became clear S did not intend on having a morning nap, I took her out in the sling instead. She finally fell asleep after half an hour of wandering around the shops, so I stayed out for as long as I could in order to keep her asleep. Certainly feeling her weight gain in my back these days! When we came home she was in an agreeable mood, and even had a long afternoon nap, so I managed to get a lot done – baking, stewing and pureeing foods, cleaning the kitchen, washing up, more decorating, posting a gazillion items on Ebay. She is now in bed, but I’ve been up to her twice already. Fingers crossed she stays asleep now, and I get to have a lazy Saturday evening after a somewhat stressful week!

Our Week 30 Sept - 6 Oct

Sunday 30 Sept

S slept fairly well the first part of the night, but I woke up after a few hours feeling ill. It took  me a couple of hours to settle back down, and just as I did, S woke up thinking it must surely be time to get up and play. It took another couple of hours to get her back to sleep. On the plus side though, she did let me sleep in until 8:30 this morning so I can’t really complain. We had a lazy day: lots of laying on the play mats and giggling. We had a brief wander into town to buy a paper, but forgot the paper and came back with baby clothes that had been discounted in Sainsbury’s instead. And as it was a Sunday, I had a massive roast dinner delivered to my door in the evening too. Perfect.

Monday 01 Oct

S seems to have developed a body clock that thinks 4am is the time to get up and play. This is happening daily now, and really quite annoying. We slept late again, which was nice but not terribly useful, since we had an opticians appointment to keep. Walked to the optician, located inside a large out of town superstore. They took a ridiculous amount of time to do very little, and then so as not to have wasted the trip we wandered around the supermarket a bit, and bought some food we could have done without. Since S fell asleep as I walked back toward home, I decided it would be a good idea to wander around town a little. She read my mind though, and woke up as we got into town. So we had a little wander, then came home and spent a lot of time playing. S decided she really did not need an afternoon nap, which was fine until about 4pm when she turned into Grumpzilla. A friend came round and finished painting the living room wall, while S whined and cried and rubbed her eyes and I assured him she really is a happy baby most of the time. Ended up putting her to bed at 5:30 again. Have capitulated and ordered a copy of The No Cry Nap Solution from Amazon in the hope of sorting out this anti-nap stance she has developed. Evening spent writing a blog post I had really got into, and speaking to my OU tutor, who approved of my first essay submission.

Tuesday 02 Oct

We were up almost hourly all night. On the plus side, 8:30am seems to be our new wake-up time, which isn’t too bad. Weather was rubbish and I had things to do, so we stayed in this morning. I put the furniture back after the living room wall was painted yesterday, moved the flooring into a pile in the corner, washed nappies and towels, moved half my (rather large) book collection upstairs ready for the floor to be laid, moved a book case upstairs for the same reason, broke the loo roll holder I only fixed to the wall last week, and stewed some apples for baby food. S sat in her chair, lay on her play mats, and had a brief play in her door bouncer, resolutely refusing to nap until tiredness finally overcame her early afternoon. When she woke up we went for a brief wander into town to get out of the house for a while, bought a nice babygro from a charity shop on the way home. S had a second nap when we got in, which was nice, and she still went to bed on time.

Wednesday 03 Oct

A better night, and a slightly earlier wake up. Our Home Start volunteer came to visit, bringing milk for our coffee and post biscuits, which was nice. She stayed a couple of hours, long enough for me to make some phone calls and sort some paperwork. Managed to get S to have a nap, which was good. Afternoon was spent doing washing, watching a TV show about breastfeeding and tidying. Yeah, I’m living the rock and roll dream!

Thursday 04 Oct

S was awake half the night, which was not much fun for either of us, but worse for her as she seemed to be suffering tummy pain. Set an alarm for the first time in months to ensure we were up, bathed and dressed before the man from the council came to fix our windows at 9am. Received a phone call at 8:30am to say sorry but the man was ill. Appointment re-booked for next Thursday afternoon. Had a brief visit from a friend who brought a toy over for S but then had to leave because her daughter was poorly. S had a rare morning nap, during which I did fun things like take the rubbish out and sort the washing, and then we went for a walk around town. Narrowly missed running head-on into S’s father and his new girlfriend and child, which was a bit of a nightmare. Bought some material to attempt a home-made dribble bib. Came home for lunch and attempted an afternoon nap; it lasted 20 minutes, and then we played and blew raspberries for the rest of the afternoon. My sister came to visit for a while, which was handy as she played daft games with S while I dyed my hair.

Friday 05 Oct

A much better night’s sleep, though I did wake up several times in a panic because S hadn’t woken up to feed! One time I had to put the light on and pull at her arms until she moved because until that point I couldn’t hear or see her breathing. Panic stations at 2am do not make for a restful night! S had no clue though, and was sound asleep. Went to visit a friend this morning, which was nice for all 3 of us. Stopped in town on the way home to run some errands, though am sure I missed more than one. S played with her feet on her play mat for a couple of hours when we got in, and even had a short nap, but then got super grumpy and upset about something and was inconsolable until bed time, when she went out like a light. I think perhaps she is having a Wonder Week.

There is no entry for today yet, as it hasn't happened! We are off on a road trip soon to visit Big S (who my little S was named after). We've not seen her for aaaaages (since S was about 3 weeks old) and we're both super excited. 

What We Did This Week

I have decided that from now on, my Saturday post will be about what we’ve done in the last week…

Sunday

The weather was horrid, and we’d had a busy week, so I decided we should have a day at home. We didn’t do much. I honestly can’t tell you how we passed 24 hours. It was fabulous.

Monday

I had an optician appointment in the morning, but S had a very rubbish night’s sleep, so I called and cancelled the appointment. The weather was still poo, so we stayed in all morning; I did a lot of housework while S caught up on some sleep. In the afternoon a friend came to visit and we had a long chat about all sorts, which was nice. When she left the weather had improved a little, so we thought of an excuse to go to the shops, and had a little pootle around town. While we were out, S fell asleep so I walked around a little longer, to try and prolong the nap. Eventually we came home, and after S had a little play on her mat, I put her to bed. Half an hour later, she woke up screaming as if someone was attacking her, and continued to scream for about another half an hour, before calming down a bit. She was still upset though, and couldn’t settle, so I brought her downstairs to sleep in her bouncy chair while I had my tea. She slept most of the evening, but woke up when I took her upstairs to bed again. We had a fairly unsettled night, which was not much fun, but not as bad as Sunday night.

Tuesday

Having spent two days cooped up in the flat, I was itching to get out for a bit of fresh air and exercise. We walked into town to meet a friend and give away some of S’s old clothes, and then had a little wander around town. The walk extended to the large out of town supermarket to pick up my new glasses, when they called to say they’d arrived and I was too impatient to wait. When we got home, S was still asleep and I didn’t want to wake her by bumping the pushchair up the stairs, so we went back into town and had a little wander, during which she woke up, and I accidentally ran the pushchair into several students who were being a bit ignorant. When we got home, the neighbour brought her daughter round to use the laptop, while I played silly giggle games with S on the play mats. Have discovered she is entertained almost indefinitely by being set free with no nappy, to roll about as she wishes on her play mat. She also makes a lot of noise. It was probably the best fun either of us have had in a while. Turned out to be a little too much fun for S though; she fell asleep an hour before bed time and I had great fun trying to get her upstairs and into bed without waking her. I failed, but she went back to sleep fairly quickly and didn’t wake up again until I decided to have an early night at 9pm.

Wednesday

Up and bathed early because the gas man was coming to change the gas meter. He arrived at 8:30 and was gone by 9 so we went for a quick wander into town to buy some gas credit. When we came back S had a little nap while I did a little housework, and then our Home Start volunteer came round and we spent an hour or so chatting and playing. After lunch my sister came to collect us, and we spent a fun afternoon visiting my brother and sister in law. Their two youngest children are quite taken with S, and it’s funny to watch them hover around her, occasionally daring to touch her hands or feet. When we got home the neighbour brought her daughter round to make use of my laptop and internet again, and S spent a sociable half hour chatting to both of them. When they left, we spent a little more time nappy-free on the play mats until bed time. Upon putting S to bed, I went to draw the curtains and found my feet rather damp; the roof was leaking again. I was unimpressed to find that nobody would come out to look at it until the next morning, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I put some pans underneath the drips and spent the rest of the evening going up and down stairs to keep an eye on it

Thursday

Got up early in case the council actually meant it when they said they’d be out first thing for the roof. Someone called to ask where the leak was and said they’d send someone round, but that I didn’t need to be there. Took S for a walk in the sling, strapped to my hip rather than my chest for the first time. She seemed to enjoy being able to see more, and was particularly taken with the cashpoint. In the afternoon a friend came for a visit with her beautiful daughter. I suppose it’s possible all 1-year-olds look like that and I’ve just never noticed, having not really spent much time with that age group. She was very cute though, and spent a lot of time giving her shoes to S or trying to hug her. They brought us some toys for S too, which was awesome. Later in the afternoon, another friend came round on his way home from work to paint a wall for me. We had a good old chin-wag whilst he painted my living room wall bright pink. When he left S went to bed, and I congratulated myself at getting her fast asleep within 15 minutes. I came downstairs and started clearing up… only for S to wake up screaming 10 minutes later. She showed no sign of tiring, so I brought her downstairs and put her in her bouncy chair, where she stayed, wide awake and wanting to play, until I gave up and went to bed at 9:30. We didn’t sleep particularly well through the night either, and by 5am I was begging her to go to sleep. Poor thing seemed to be begging me to help her go to sleep, but neither of us could manage it.

Friday

Up early while S was still asleep; managed to have a bath before she woke up. Dressed, downstairs, breakfast and out of the house to walk up to the hospital for a physio appointment. After the appointment we walked back into town and went to a small, locally-owned an awesome underwear shop for a new nursing bra for me. My suspicions proved correct, and my weight loss has also affected my boobs. But they had to order my bra in for me, which was not so awesome. After that, a short wander around town before heading home for lunch. I gave in and shared S’s afternoon nap with her, and then we spent the afternoon playing on a blanket on the floor. Put her to bed around 6; came downstairs and had just enough time to take out the rubbish and do the washing up before she woke up crying. This is getting to be a daily thing, and I have to say I’m not a fan. She went back to sleep after a little Calpol though. Perhaps her teeth are playing up.