As I type I am pleased to report that DH hasn't actually cashed in any of his spare bed tokens for the last 3 weeks . You might remember that he is allowed 2 nights in the spare room. Well that just shows that Alex is improving at night even though I am actually starting to feel more tired. I think I am feeling it as its been about 11 weeks since I had a decent nights sleep and its taking its toll a bit. The downside is that I have to put up with 2 males in our bedroom 7 nights a week and all the burping and farting that comes with it. Think I might go and sleep with DD and leave them to it. Sadly I cannot do this as DH hasn't got the tools needed to feed the baby boy.
I have now tried a couple of times to bottle feed Alex with both formula and expressed breast milk but he is not co-operating with me at all. He wails and wails. I am feeling that I need a break from the constant boob feeding and it would be good to spend some time with DD on my own and leave him with DH. I will have to persist with this - it is quite different for a baby to feed from a bottle after being just breast fed for so long so a bit of re-training is needed......
The weekend passes by and me & DH are learning that there is not much rest to be had at the moment apart from in the evening when we make sure that both of them are in their beds by 7pm. At least then we get to eat a meal together and have some time in the evening without the little polluters (anyone watch 'The Wright Stuff' - channel 5 ?, very funny) needing our attention. Its not that we don't enjoy family time - of course we do but its taking a while for us to adjust to being a family of four instead of three, with a whole different set of needs.
Monday I started mum and baby yoga at quite a posh yoga studio near where we live. Such a lovely place, it would have been relaxing if it had been mum yoga rather than mum and baby yoga. Alex was a bit unsettled for the first half an hour but then settled down. I managed a few postures though. Nothing like a downward dog to crack a bit of tension out of your back and shoulders. Its an 8 week course so I am looking forward to next weeks session already.
Tuesday its time for another cranial osteopathy session for Alex. The horse whisperer lady calms the baby boy again and he gurgles through the session quite happily while she is seemingly stroking his head. £30 lighter this time but she says he wont need to come again for about 2 months. I think the treatment does affect him though as he cries and cries all afternoon. And as we are at a friends again as its Tuesday we all hear him. We are in serious need of ear plugs. BUT he has obviously worn himself out cos he goes to bed as usual at 6.30pm, is sparko by 6.45 and he doesn't wake until 2am.....woooo hoooooo. When I wake up to feed him I feel like I have had a full nights sleep (almost 5 hours as I was in bed at 9pm) After his milk he then goes until 6.30am........amazing.
And he does the same again on Wednesday night. This might be to do with me wearing him out at his first swimming lesson - little turtles. This is just my highlight of the week, its only 30 minutes but he loves it. I took DD when she was only about 3 months old too and it was by far the best activity I did with her. He wears the smallest cutest wetsuit you have ever seen and he smiles at me in the water. He does his first underwater swim too and isn't bothered by it at all, just c omes up with a suprised look on his face. DH comes in his lunch break to watch. Just before we go in the water he chooses to do a huge poo in his nappy (Alex not DH) Thank God he didn't do it in the water.
Thursday is pretty busy for me. He weighs in at the baby clinic at 11lb, 13oz, so almost 2lb in 4 weeks which isn't bad. I don't stay though afterwards as I am going to a friends house but I do feel slightly guilty and unsociable. Now I know I said that the village baby group was a bit dull and not for me but I think Alex is going to need some little friends as he gets bigger. I haven't got the network of new friends from NCT classes etc this time with babies. So next time I will stay and make the effort I have decided. I then go to my friends house for a couple of hours before going on to meet my new friend J ( mother of DD's future husband) for a long walk with the babes in prams. I definitely need the exercise but after the walk we go for lattes and scones with jam and butter so more than cancel out the calories burnt off walking. Never mind we tell ourselves - still breast feeding so we need the extra calories. Hmmm. Get home at 4pm, feed the boy and chuck something together for tea when DD and DH get back.
Its been a really good week, a bit more sleep for me and some interesting new things to do with Alex. DD has been really good and loving school. (and I have discovered the blogs spell checker - 50+ posts later and I finally find it)
Friday comes around again and I just pop into town to get some bits. When I get Alex out of his car seat he has been asleep but I notice rather a lot of yellowish gunk stuck to his eyelashes and some on his cheek. Oh shit..conjunctivitis. And of course I have been all over him, touching his face, hands and feeding him.
Watch this space.
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