Carry on camping!

Very soon Little Man (LM) will be experiencing the joys of outdoor living as we are going to take him camping!

We have been camping for many years and were thrilled the first time we took our dog camping and she loved it as much as we did. We are hoping LM will take the dogs lead.

The only niggly concern I have is how I will keep LM warm when the temperature drops at night. Initially we were going wild camping with no facilities - however due to me being a ridiculously over concerned mother we are now going to a site with electrical hook up. I am now feverishly reviewing the best type of fan heater to buy and use in the tent to keep us warm and toasty.

My other concern about the night time chill is the fact that LM is still regularly breastfeeding throughout the night. So I am concerned that a very delicate part of my body could freeze and fall off ;)

Anyone else camped with their little one? Any top tips you would like to share?

Co-sleeping - I can't stop!

Last night we thought we would try the gentle progression of Little Man (LM) sleeping in his own cot in his own room - GULP!

At the moment LM sleeps in our room in our bed, so its quite a change.

With LM out for the count, full of breast milk, I carried him into his room and carefully placed him in the cot. Went back to my bedroom and immediately checked him on the video monitor. Looking forward to my first night sleeping without LM, I got comfortable to go to sleep (after checking the monitor again). I closed my eyes, heard a noise and checked the monitor again (LM was fine). Pulled the covers up to get warm after checking the monitor again.

It was at this point I felt a pang of "I miss my baby". What a ridiculous situation! Our house is not the biggest of houses and LM and his room is but a few steps away, but I felt lost without him near me. Trying to ignore these feelings I turned to get some sleep (after checking the monitor) and at this point LM woke up.

Me and Hubby (H) watched as he grumbled and rolled onto his front, sat and then grabbed onto the bars crying and complaining. I sat up to go and get him, H laughed and called me a soft touch.

I walked into the bedroom and there was LM in his sleeping bag, standing up in his cot holding onto the bars (that's quite an achievement I don't think I could have done that!). Bringing him back into the bedroom and our bed he soon settled down and both of us slept like the proverbial baby.

So rather than LM not being able to sleep unless co-sleeping maybe its me with the problem! We will try again tonight - if I can handle it!

Stressful few hours

Well yesterday started with a bang, well a thud actually. Little Man (LM) had decided that overnight he would work out how to pull himself up and over the side of the cot. The day before he was able to just about sit up - he had moved along in his development milestones at an increasing rate!

He does't sleep in the cot (he co-sleeps with me) and I only placed him in there whilst I popped to the bathroom. So after a call to NHS Direct and a visit to the doctors LM was given a clean bill of health. Not a mark on him - he must have pulled off the perfect wrestling move of landing on his back and therefore saving his precious head.

I spent most of yesterday a teary mess feeling like I must be the worse mother in the word, LM on the other hand was his usual cheery self. After a call to my mum and a chat with some friends I was made to feel a little happier and told that unfortunately these things can happen and the more mobile LM becomes the more the risk.

So not the best of days, topped off with the nursery (we thought we had sorted for when I return to work) no longer able to provide care on all the days required. I'm not in the mood to sort this out today!

Yawn!! Where's my coffee??

Bleurgh! Another night of Little Man (LM) waking up at 3am on the dot :(

I blame the blooming clocks going forward it seems to have affected him worse than when they went back.

So from 3am to about 6am he is very restless and wont settle. LM has never slept through the night and has always woken for milk (EBF), but normally he falls straight back to sleep on me (co-sleeping a whole different future blog post!). But at the moment he won't settle and constantly fidgets, moves, cries, wriggles and moans until he near enough passes out with exhaustion - I feel like doing the same!

I think that with his two front bottom teeth coming through is another reason for the sudden nightly disturbances, as apart from this he doesn't seem to have experienced any of the usual teething issues.

So another day of feeling like a zombie, willing him to take his afternoon nap in the vain hope I too can get a bit of shut eye.

I'm dreading tonight already :(

Can I put human bed as a skill on my CV?

Yesterday Little Man (LM) refused to take his normal naps - sleep was for wimps. I even had to battle to get him to go to bed last night.

Today he has had a change of mind and is making up for yesterdays lack of rest by having a very leisurely snooze on me.

I am still his most favourite place to sleep. His cot or travel cot just don't compare to me apparently. If I put him in his cot he will immediately wake, if I leave him on me he will continue to catch zzzzz's like Rip Van Winkle.

Should I add this talent to my CV to show I have continued to grow and develop during my maternity leave?

What skills do you thinking parenting has added to your life?

Like the legend of the phoenix...

...and so begins the Daft Punk summer hit of 2013 Get Lucky.

Every time I hear this song I get all sentimental as it reminds me of the first few weeks with Little Man (LM), me and my husband bumbling along with this tiny person completely reliant on us and us not being 100% confident of our actions!

It now feels like an age ago and LM has changed so much. He no longer lies still waiting to get changed, he is now far wrigglier and more interested in getting up and seeing what is going on in the World!

The tiny baby, whose head needed supporting and mostly slept and ate is now a big baby who still loves his food but doesn't want to sleep as he may miss something! I love how much he develops everyday.

Which songs or music remind you of those first precious days and weeks?