In which Felix turns a corner (we hope)

So last night I did Felix's bedtime downstairs whilst Daddy was upstairs with Jambeans. It seemed to work well as after a long cuddle he told me he wanted to go into his bed then settled down like an angel. Babymomma finally had a scream-free bedtime! Fingers crossed I can put the Supernanny costume back in the cupboard...

Not quite little angel

Ever since our week in the West Country getting spoiled (and fed) by various grandmas and aunties Felix has turned into a sleep rebel. Only Supernanny-type resilience is working but after 7 nights of screaming, clinging, procrastinating and other remonstrations I'm getting a little fed up. And it's much harder than new baby sleep training because Felix (now 2 and 1/2) has a vocabulary and has used this to fine tune the art of emotional blackmail. He has a way of screaming-wimpering (scrimpering? it kinda works) "Mu-mmy mu-mmy" that gets me every time.

Sleep trouble

Sleep training. Again. What a fucking nightmare. And I'm totally crap at it, mainly giving in and letting Felix fall asleep on me, with me, next to me, whenever and wherever he likes. But this afternoon I am RESOLVED not to let the little bugger get away with it. So the shit shield goes up and I lay him down in his cot every 15 minutes and ignore the sobs, and the snot and the tears.

And then he only goes and throws up everywhere so I have to pick him up and sort him out. And then he has the cheek to fall asleep on my shoulder while I carry him downstairs.

He's totally cheating. No fair.

It had to happen some day

Bf and I are having a really tough couple of weeks. We're just so wiped. Work is tough. Kids aren't quite 100% and various bugs that keep attacking are lingering and wearing everyone down.

Felix is onto 6 teeth now. They're coming at an alarming rate. His cold has been hanging around for over 2 weeks now. And he's waking up in the middle of the night consistently. He wouldn't settle this evening. Cried like a mad thing, and he's normally so easy. Had to go upstairs and check him after I put him down. Found him standing in the cot, peering through the bars, snot and tears pouring off his puffy little face. He was standing in the cot. And doubtless couldn't get down again. Felt that familiar twinge of a baby growing up. But he looked so helpless, and desperate. And totally adorable. Warning sign though. Next he'll be talking - then the demands will come. Just like his diva of a sister...

Jambeans' phases of sleep rebellion seem to be lasting longer and longer. After sounding so confident she wasn't going to get horribly ill, she went and got horribly ill again. Though to be fair, nowhere near as bad as we've seen her in the past, so reckon the drugs are still keeping various horrors at bay.

Last night, for the first time in about a week, we got her to sleep through in her own bed, rather than wake up and then moan for a mummycudd for the next hour till we give in. She's acting a bit weird these days (as in diva weird.) Bf says he can't wait for her to recover fully, then we can stop giving her the montelukast and get our normal, pliable, amenable daughter back. Somehow I'm not holding out much hope.

Sleep rebel

Jambeans latest 'phase' is refusal to go to bed. Every night turns into a battle of wills as a screaming, insistent toddler insists that she's not tired and wants to stay downstairs. This evening she even said she would sleep on the sofa, proving she is two going on sixteen. We get her upstairs and to sleep (alternating the firm-but-calm approach with some JFDI style manhandling), but of late she's been reliably waking up at 3am and then moans for mummy. We just bring her into bed with us because we don't have the energy to resist, and I spend the rest of the night with her sleeping in my armpit. Add into the mix Total Daddy Rejection and it's all getting a bit wearing.