The new Saturday morning normal

Recording a fairly ordinary morning because I want to remember these things. This is normal now. In a few months it'll be different. Phoebe is 37 weeks and 3 days old. She can sit up but not yet crawl, though I think that's coming. She wakes up a lot at night (though a lot for her is every 2-3 hours. I'm well aware for some babies that would be brilliant. Big hugs to anyone dealing with hourly wake-ups) and I'm very tired!

It's been one of those less good nights. I put Phoebe down to sleep at 715. She woke up at 8 and sat on the sofa watching Star Gate: Universe with us because I couldn't be bothered to fight. At 9 something we went to bed - Phoebe and I snuggled in the king size bed. Rob would be up for a few more hours playing StarCraftII and whatever else he does before sleeping on the sofa. (His preference incidentally. He prefers to sleep alone and not be woken up).

Phoebe woke at midnight (sent back to sleep by ten minutes of mummy milk), 4am (longer this time, both breasts, a nappy change and some time talking to the baby in the bathroom mirror) and at 6am when she was crying inconsolably and not even milk or the mirror could settle her enough to go back to sleep. So, I gave up the idea of sleep, opened the blackout blinds and we spent a couple of hours with me dozing, her playing on or next to me, intermittent milk and the occasional crying session (her, not me) until around 8, we were both hungry and I was in need of coffee.

Breakfast involved first emptying the kitchen of drying washing (leaving it in there overnight with the dehumidifier running is the easiest way to get it dry without filling the house with damp) and moving the highchair and a dining chair into it. Rob woke up at this point and moved himself to the bedroom. Which was probably a good thing as it means he gets more sleep and isn't grumpy about being disturbed.

Phoebe and I ate breakfast. Banana pancakes and strawberries for her, muesli with banana and yoghurt and blessed coffee for me. I spread cashew butter on some of the pancakes which tasted yummy, but of course became smeared all over Phoebe's hands, arms, face, hair etc. So, a bath became necessary. The monkey likes baths and I like giving her baths. She had a lovely time eating her ducks and I got most of the mess off (though I found cashew butter in her ear later). But she also managed to do a sneaky poo which I didn't notice until emptying the bath. I thought I'd noticed her poo face, but couldn't feel anything at the time (I put emollient in the bath water for her dry skin, which makes it cloudy). Goodness knows how long it had been there. Oh well.

I got her out, dried her off and smeared her with newly prescribed emollient cream. Then she sat in her cot for a while playing with (i.e. eating) a board book and a muslin square while I tidied the bath and the kitchen and got dressed. There were only a couple of squeals when she fell over. She's good at sitting, but can't get up if she topples over. The cot went up on Monday and I've been trying to get her to sleep in it without success, so it's great that she was happy to play in it, even without me in the room.

Eventually she got cranky and tired, about 9.30am. By then she'd been awake for 3.5 hours, so she was ready for a nap. I fed her to sleep sitting next to the cot, but she squeaked when I tried to put her down in it, so we moved to the sofa. Now I'm sitting cross legged typing as she sleeps. Except she's stirring. I think nap time is over. Oh, back to sleep. But I'll post this now.