A sleepy lesson

A few days ago Alex decided he wasn't going to sleep during the day, I think we managed about 40 minutes in total over the course of the day, mostly made up of the following scenario:





1. baby looks very tired
2. mum puts baby into bouncer
3. baby cries
4. mum persists with rocking tired baby
5. baby keeps crying
6. mum picks baby up
7. baby looks even more tired but still refuses to sleep
8. baby eventually falls asleep in arms/bouncer/sofa/pram
9. baby wakes up after approximately 4.5 minutes
10. and repeat

I'd forgotten how exhausting it is and how difficult it is to get anything done at all let alone cook dinner, clean or tidy the house, even take a shower when you don't get those baby nap moments. Alexander is not a huge sleeper during the day but we usually manage at least a few sleeps which last around 45 minutes when I can get a surprising amount done.

By the time Haydn got home I was properly grumpy and completely knackered and so frustrated that I didn't do any of the jobs I was supposed to do.

That night I remembered something...

I get to spend time with my baby ALL DAY LONG and he is the coolest, cuddliest, most fabulous little man in the world and what the hell was I complaining about.

The next day he clearly had catching up to do and was in and out of sleep most of the day - I gazed at his peaceful sleeping face secretly willing him awake.

Babies don't keep

I saw this poem on a friend's facebook page and thought it was so lovely, as well as being an excellent excuse to avoid the cleaning and other chores for today!





Babies Don’t Keep

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.