2nd day back in the saddle

So the boiler is completely knackered and we basically need a new one. Luckily we know a plumber who cam round last night, assessed the problem and can install a new improved boiler by the weekend. Since we have been talking about sorting the heating and hot water out for a number of months we are going to bite the bullet and get it done. At least once completed we should be able to run two showers at the same time – or shower while the washing machine is running.

However the house is freezing as there has now been no heat for >24 hours so we all got dressed in Teds room this morning since he has the oil filled radiator keeping his room snug.

This morning was alot less fraught even without heating and hot water and we were all up and out on time. Ted was ok when I dropped him off although he cried when I handed him to Jackie and left, so there I was feeling terrible but in the 60 seconds or less it took for me to get to reception and look at the CCTV he was crawling off to the cuddly toy corner without a tear in sight so I think it was only for the moment that I left then he had a cuddle and got on with it. He loves all the cudly toys apparently, bless.

Work is fine – have a meeting this afternoon to discuss the offer of a promotion and assuming the package is acceptable which I am confident it will be I should be able to crack on with a new role from tomorrow. This is good as things are quiet in the office which is nice for me to ease back into things but it would be better to be busy. Oddly the hardest thing is spending so much time looking at the computer screen as I am not used to that at all.

Despite my concerns about the separation anxiety Ted slept well last night waking for dummy at 1015 and 550. I took him into bed at 615 as he was settling only into a light sleep then wanting attention and it was easier to have him in bed and cuddle up to get the last half hour in before getting up at 7.

All in all things going well considering we are having boiler issues to deal with on top of my return to work.

Bloody boilers packed in

Well of all the mornings for the boiler to pack in this morning had to take the biscuit. I was up and showered but our pilot light went out (which has been happening alot lately after one shower) so Ry went to light it again and it just won’t stay alight. Ironically we have a service booked for Friday – will have to see if we can move it forward.

I was up and ready with Ted but what with fiddling around with the boiler was late leaving and had minor spat with Ry as we were both late and I was abit tense and so first day back at work has all been abit hectic. At least things can only get better.

Worst case scenario we can get through til Friday by using the oil filled radiator in Teds bedroom, living in the lounge which has a gas fire and showering downstairs as its an electric shower. With no gas central heating or hot water on tap its going to be a challenging week. I guess its a good thing I am not at home all day with Ted!

Ted was ok when I dropped him off, as I handed him to Jackie he turned around and reached out to come back to me but she took him off for his breakfast very efficiently and I just made myself scarce so am hoping he was quickly settled into his day. He slept ok last night oo – just needed me to give him his dummy at 1015, 2 and 445 and then I woke him at 740. I slept terribly though waking every hour and struggling to settle – alot on my mind with work and nursery and the big house move about (which went very well) and now have just realised that its that hormonal time of the month just to top everything off.

Never rains but it pours

Great big sort out

Today is our great big sort out – TV romm becoming full on play room, dining lounge becoming a adult TV / movie area, conservatory becoming a primary dining area. So the big TV is off to Ryans domain upstairs for the game zone, the smaller TV is coming down to the playroom, the projector and screen are coming in from the gym to the long lounge, all the bookshelves are moving to the conservatory, the wine racks are being moved to the lounge, the table and chairs might be moving to the kitchen and the whole house will be chaos just in time for my return to work tomorrow. Also means we may be without internet for a little while until Ry figures out how we recable everything with all the boxes and sockets and cables needing moving – might not happen until next weekend that he gets it all done but can’t imagine he can live without internet for more than a day or so!!

Ted is doing ok – had a terrible night on Friday as he was awake snuffling and coughing from one til three (ghastly time to be awake) but last night there were very brief dummy replacements at 11, 2 and 6.30, but other than that he slept through and was less coughing and spluttering so hopefully now the tooth is through we might be over the worst of that.

Yesterday we had Grandpa over with Sam and Charlie, went to the Natural History Museum to meet Granny after her meeting. Sam loved it but I think most of it passed Ted and Charlie by – although they enjoyed the outing. Ted slept on the way back so went to bed late last night which might be one of the reasons he slept well.

G&G are back over today so Gpa can help Ry move all the heavy items of furniture around while I direct proceedings – I feel like if we can at least get everything in the right place and the screen and projector set up we will be a long way there. I can tackle the rest abit at a time.

I think I can hear Ted so best be off. Might be able to make a few short posts from work if our web is out for a little while.

Miracle of miracles

Seven teeth this morning – and he slept through last night……. went down after resettle at 955 and woke this morning at 730….. i woke up first at 645 and couldn’t quite believe it – if the movement monitor hadn’t been on I would have been in to check he was still breathing.

Thats 3 nights in the last 2 weeks that he has slept through -  as oppose to 2 nights in the previous 8 months. We must be turning the corner surely – if he can sleep through when he is snuffly and teething. Mind you I expect the Medicet helped a little.

I told Ry but he had a hangover so was not so excited and when I offered him the statistics he told me I was obsessed… he’s right – I am!!

Teething – poor Ted = Long night – poor me

Ted must have another tooth coming – very snotty nose, bright red patches on one or other cheek and slightly tetchy demeanor. Have just settled him after he woke coughing from all the mucus when he lies down, had to remove him from the cot to elevate the head end, then gave him Medicet to help him sleep, then put nasal drops up his nose to try and make him sniff back some of the surplus mucus, managed to hum him back to sleep with the Iggle Piggle song from Night Garden, am hoping he will go for a few hours. Did check his temp just in case he was sick, but its 36.6 which is very normal and given the house is warm and the crying I might have expected it to be closer to 37.

Anyway – won’t dawdle as I should go to bed right now as I suspect he will wake a couple of times in the night and will need nose drops which make him wide awake (if someone put saline solution up my nose in the night I would have something to say about it too!!) and then he will need resettling – probably best part of an hour a time….

Yet another blow to the sleep program, still we will press on …. he went down very well at bedtime so all is not lost :O)

Mild separation anxiety hitting the sleep program

but its all in hand and I am confident it will be resolved (she said with everything crossed :O)

Monday was ok – we had a nice swim in the morning and lunch with Josh, Aiden and Ellie and their Mums, then it was off to nursery for the afternoon. Unfortunately his morning nap was interupted by swimming and he dozed off in the car just before we got to nursery so he had to wake up again as it is not advisable to disappear when your baby is sleeping. The upshot was that he was quite tired and a bit clingy for the afternoon session – needing alot of one to one attention and once again rebelling against their high chairs, when I went to get him he was being bounced and had his cuddly toy and was being sung to and seemed a little subdued but fine.

He got home and went crazy – crawling three times round his domain and playing very independently ad I didn’t get him to bed before 8.45. He seemed fine although wasn’t happy for me to leave until he had dozed off – so there was some head stroking and hand holding to be done, but he went off ok. He slept through til 515 which was a good long stretch, but then he was awake and in the end, after an hour of making him lie down, stroking, holding his hand and humming the night garden theme incessantly – and having him doze off only to wake up after a few minutes, or after I stopped humming I left the room to gather myself (bearing in mind I had an interview this morning). Unfortunately this really set him off and the upshot is he was out of the cot being cuddled and having a bottle at 615 – he then went to sleep by 630 and I crawled back into bed for the 40 minutes that were left before I had to get up.

Suffice to say it tooko 20 minutes to fall asleep and I woke up when Teddy coughed after a further 10 mins – all abit of a write off really.

There were a number of firsts today – the first of which is that for the first time ever in his young like I woke Ted this morning before he woke up for the day – by 745, having showered and blow dried, flushed the loo and made as much normal noise as possible he was still asleep so I had to wake him up to get him dressed to go to nursery.

Ryan came too as he had a conference today and so could afford to go in a little later so he came and saw the nursery and we both dropped off Teddy for his first full day – he was fine and didn’t cry when we left – although he was being cuddled and I could see his little face following us as we walked out (oh the guilt!!). It was difficult and Ry and I both felt bad about leaving him, but at the same time recognise it is necessary for him and for us for him to be able to be away from us and being looked after by other people and be happy and hopefully we have managed to do it before the separation anxiety gets too much.

I went off for the job interview and ended up in the office for a full half day talking to various people – then home for a late lunch and then to Mothercareworld for more stairgates (offer ended today) and before I knew it itwas time to pick him up. I had called at two to check up on him and he was doing fine at that point, and when I went to get him I was in the room a full five minutes and had to call his name before he realised I was there as he was so engrossed in the game he was playing with the carer. When I called him though his face was a picture – he looked up, saw me and dropped everything and came crashing over (his crawl is pretty fast now) and was all smiles – it was lovely. His day was fine, his issue with the high chair appeared to be the tray at lunchtime but by tea time he was in the chair and fine like all the other babies – he had two long naps, most of his meals and they said for a first full day he did very well and had not needed as much one to one attention as yesterday. I asked if they thought he would benefit from another half day tomorrow but they said they thought he would be fine. This was all a huge relief and he has been fine since we have been home, although he does fuss a little more when Ry or I leave the room and comes chasing after us to make sure we haven’t gone too far.

He went down like a rock tonight at 8 but was very tired and had pretty much fallen asleep on his bottle during the story. He did open his eyes when I put him down but I think he was too far gone to object. We will see how the night goes but its 830 and I am going to take myself to bed with a book so that if he is awake in the night for any length of time I am able to deal with it withought getting overtired.

Had a lovely chat with Emma today and it sounds like Ruby is coming along well and that she is enjoying her and Lola very much. We will have to catch up soon.

No plans for tomorrow – do need to go to the supermarket but thats about it so should be a nice easy day for me and a reassuring one for Ted. Also gives us flexibility if we have a difficult night – although I am optimistic he will do ok.

So thats the update – more later in the week.

I hate it when Ryan is right

He said that so much could change in a week and that I should stop stressing about how much Ted would be sleeping by the time I go back to work, and a week on, with a week to go it is a very different household here chez Perryman.

Sleeping seems to be improving daily and I keep steadying myself and telling myself that there will still be some nights where he goes backwards but things seem to be improving quite rapidly. He now goes down wide awake in his cot (although obviously tired) for naps and at bedtime and puts himself to sleep without me staying in the room, and for the last two nights he has only woken once and last night I was only out of bed for 20 mins so he must have been asleep after 10 as I sit and wait to see if he stirs again – there is nothing worse than getting into bed thinking he has gone off only to just be dozing off before you have to get up again!

Over the weekend he has been going to bed a little later than normal which has meant he has stayed in bed a little later in the mornings too which has been great.

Will be interesting to see whether nursery helps or sets us back a little – but whatever the case at least now I feel like I have a process that works and if we go back a step thats fine – we will just work through it again. I also feel much better about the fact he should go down for naps more easily at nursery without the requirement for comfort to go off to sleep which is great for me and them!

Swimming is also coming on really well and Granny W took some great shots of him at his lesson on Thursday – see below

1. practicing his alternate leg kick

doing his jump in with the noodle

doing his swim with the noodle

holding on to the bar

and in teds case trying to climb out

doing his vertical turn around underwater swim

doing his underwater swim to the wall

and coming up all smiles

the class has been excellent and has really good structure so I am really pleased we have found a Thursday class so we can carry on going. He was a little cold so in the afternoon we went to Kingston and bought him a little bodysuit swim suit for next time.  We also got a few other bits and pieces and generally stayed out of the house while Alita worked her magic.

Granny W went home on Friday but it was so good to have her to stay both for the reassurance, support and help with the occasional night wakings. Ted was also delighted with his cuddly Iggle Piggle which is now a constant bedtime companion – almost replacing Lion in the nighttime comfort stakes, and the little Night Garden figures which are now a staple part of high chair entertainment – although Macca Pakka did get rather covered in chicken and apple tonight.

The weekend has been pretty relaxed – we had a day out in London yesterday where we went for a long walk in Hyde Park and had a lunch at Khans – which is Zagat recommended and the food was excellent but the service was pretty dismal and we didn’t feel very welcome so I don’t suppose we would go there again.

Today we pottered this morning and went to Kingston for a late lunch at Prezzo – we had driven up to the ‘Urban Farm’ so Ted could do some petting – but he fell asleep in the car so we will do that another day.

Tomorrow we are swimming with al Teds little buddies in the morning, then he is in nursery in the afternoon and I am going for a massage! I am sure he will be fine and it is in preparation for Tuesday where he will go for a full day. I have no plans. I might spend the bulk of the day in bed – because its the last chance I will have to do that for a while!!!

Tonight he went down very independantly hat half seven so am expecting him to get up around six thirty / seven so I am going to have a cuppa and watch something random and take muself of to bed.

Happy Birthday Granny P xxxxx

We are all wishing Granny P very many happy returns. It was great to talk to you and so glad you had a wonderful day. Here are some gems from Ted in the bath the other night to give you a birthday smile :O)

this is what we call teds devil child face – it is usually combined with heavy breathing through the nose!!

this is Ted at his bathtime best laughing at Daddy

this is Ted doing his practise ‘ready go’s’ where we say ready, go before putting water in his face at swimming – now when you say go he shuts his eyes and screws up his face ready for the water – clever boy

Lots of love from all of us here xxxxxxx

Week of progress

So on Monday we had our first hour in the nursery – I stayed with Ted although he was not at all interested in me given all the other interesting things to see, explore, crawl over and other babies and people to meet so I spent the hour filling out forms and signing things to say that its ok for them to give him Calpol with a temperature, and who can collect my child, and details of his nap, meal, change schedule (or lack thereof). Anyway it all went fine and we went to see Emma and Ellie and the other mums and bumps for the afternoon which was great.

Took T for a weigh in at the clinic and he has lost 5 ounces – largely because now he is in the forward seat I have stopped the fattening programme and have also stopped the night bottles as part of the sleep training, so he is eating less. The health visitor was not at all worried though as he gained so much last time he is just back on his normal curve. I also took the opportunity to talk to the HV about his sleep as he had gone down awake and settled quicker on sunday night without the need for controlled crying although I still had to be there holding hands and stroking etc. She said this was almost certainly progress and to carry on with what I am doing and not switch to CC just yet – which is a relief for me – and probably Ted would be glad too if he had any idea!

After the clinic we went to Sainsburys for a shop as we were low on provisions and Ted was his normal charming self and helped me with the unpacking when we got home.

Monday night he went down more awake than the night before and fussed a little but settled alone in his cot. He woke twice and settled both times with me there with no bottle and only a little reassurance so that felt encouraging.

Tuesday we went to nursery again and he had an hour alone while I sat and had a cup of tea and watched on the CCTV. It was interesting to see how he got on and he seemed fine, a little period of fussing but they gave him the dummy and a cuddle and he was fine – he was tired as I had to wake him when we got there so I am not surprised it was a little wierd for him. After nursery we went to Humptys to see Catherine and Claire and their boys for lunch and some play – poor Catherine is even more sleep deprived than me as Ben is not a good sleeper at all so we had lots to talk about.

We left at 2.30 to go to Basingstoke to collect Granny W who had a good journey and arrived on time. Ted slept the whole car journey there and back so he was in fine spirits when we got home. Ry was away overnight so we stuck religiously to the routine, with Granny helping out in all the places where Daddy normally does and Ted went down quite wide awake with very little fuss. We went to bed not long after and I woke a couple of times before 550 when I woke up and realised Ted had SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! for me, although the last time he did it it was for Granny W so I am wondering if he will ever do it when she is not here!! but I did all the bedtime stuff so I have to believe the programme is finally working.  I didn’t really go back to sleep I was so excited but I dozed and he decided he wanted to get up at 645 – which was fine and when I am back at work this will be a great hour to get up as I will need the time to get us both ready and get him to nursery for 815 in time for breakfast.

Today he also had his first half day in nursery alone which went very well all things considered. He had fallen asleep in the car en route so he woke up to find himself there and surrounded by strange people, but I made a fast exit with no fuss and apparently he got on and had his breakfast, had a nap, had a bottle out of one of their Avent bottles which is a relief as it means I won’t have to take in a bunch of the Tommee Tippee ones, played and was apparently full of smiles after his nap, he made me a Valentines card which is sweet and they said he started to fuss when they put him in the high chair – the picture that they took of him in the chair with my card shows just how unimpressed he was so they took him out and gave him his lunch on a lap which was fine and he ate most of it. Whenwe arrived he was just cooling off as he had a slight temperature, but I think thats because he had a big fuss about the chair, and the room was quite warm as soon as we got out in the car he cooled down and this evening he was if anything a little on the cool side.

Anyway – he was fine, I was fine and I am glad the first time is over, and I am also glad the process has started. I had two long conversations with friends this morning that were uninterrupted by wailing, shouting or demanding, managed to write a letter appealing the chewed penalty notice and  do some other admin.

We then went to Staines and I had an eye test and picked out some new glasses which I have been meaning to do for ages but hadn’t got round to because getting an eye test with a small baby is a no no. Granny w looked after T who was in fits of giggles in the shop while I did my thing. My prescription has changed which might be why my eyes have been abit funny and I now have two very fancy pairs of glasses on order to replace my scratched, chewed up, bent old existing frames which will probably end up in the toy box since T is a big fan of glasses bending.

Home for some play and stories, Ted had a nap in town so we had to keep him going as he was very tired, but managed to string him out until 730 when he crashed out – I only just managed to get him into the cot awake and he just rolled over and went to sleep – but then it has been a long day for the little lad. So thats it – all good positive news and things are going so much better than last week I feel like a new person. Hoping tonight will be another good one although not necessarily expecting that T will go through at least now I have a very standard way for dealing with him. (and GW is still here, and Ry is back tonight.)

Much better after a lovely weekend…

Not that we got much more sleep but Ry and I had a chance to talk about everything and he has been a great help with Mr T, and Mr T has been on good form during the day and not too much trouble at night (although there is still a long way to go) so am feeling a good deal more positive than I was on Friday.

Saturday we went for a walk along the river and stopped at the Flowerpots pub for lunch and an afternoon of relaxation. Ted was in fine form and had some fun with Daddy..

Round and round the garden is proving to be a winner with T who gurgles and laughs every time you get to tickly under there – before any tickling has even taken place.

Ry is now quite the expert at dealing with Mr T and a pint concurrently – which is good as we spend alot of time on the weekend dining out. T is a nosy parking who is always checking out what anyone in the vicinity is doing.

Today Ry sorted out his motorbike – needed a new battery, as he is going to bike into work now rail fares have gone up – again despite no improvement in the service, so when he got back Ted had to have a little try

This afternoon Ry took me out for lunch for our early Valentines meal – on the basis I will be too tired on Thursday to do much more than stay up and see him home from work, let alone go out. We went to The Windmill near Shere / Ewhurst which was wonderful, fantastic food and service and spectacular views. Ted had the decency to nap through the first course and was content to chew on a parsnip through the main so he wasn’t difficult to handle until dessert and thankfully I had some toys and so we were able to keep him occupied without having him crawl on the floor – although his desire to stand at all times can be difficult – and dangerous!

Ted has his eye on something- and that rosy cheek looks like its signalling another tooth on its way

Ted has his own phone which he will play with a little – but it is nowhere near as desirable as Mummys phone and Daddys Tom Tom is the nirvana of phones as far as T is concerned – however it is the least accessible on account of how T treats phones (see below)

Back home we have kept him up later than usual – and I put him down awake at 7.55 and he went off pretty quickly – he was very tired, but it is the first time he has gone into the cot awake without a bottle. Tonight we are going to play it by ear and see how we go but there will be more controlled crying – as there was last night – if we have a long wakeful period at 4am. It did seem to have some effect of shortening the amount of time he was awake, but I have yet to be convinced – am however determined to do it properly otherwise its just mean.

Off to bed shortly – I think we are all going for an early night – unheard of for Ry but he has had quite a disturbed weekend on the sleep front too.

First time at nursery tomorrow morning for an hour with me so will have to see what he makes of it. Fingers crossed it will all go well.