Nutters Grove: Six weeks old today

I have a confession.

If things don't settle down soon, I'm going to find it very hard to stay smokefree. What's more I'm too tired to mind very much about caving in.

So far I'm holding off (juuuuust) but even Wayne commented last night as we patiently took turns trying to settle a very willful child into his own bed "Yeah at this point I could take up smoking, too".

Don't get me wrong - I adore this kid and so does his Dad. It's just that as the child of two very strong willed people, he's got personality in bucketloads and this does not make for an easy child! He's smart enough to constantly try it on, then once he gets around you, it takes days to untrain the bad habit. Take the "Oh no, I don't burp!" scenario he started with his father a couple of days ago, leading to a horrible day all round. I'm still working the kinks out of that one, and he still tries to outfox his father with no-burpies given any chance at all. Bloody ludicrous when you realise this kid can out ~braaap~ a trucker in a speedburp competition.

Then you take the two nights he woke up miserabubble with the cold and needed cuddles in bed with Mum & Dad. Two nights of that (and not all night, thank you!) and suddenly it's "Oh no, I don't sleep in my cot any more!"

But you get smarter too. You also realise that BB (before baby) you talked utter shit.

Take my hard and fast "No Dummies!" rule. Hah.

Ha bloody harr harr harr!

I not only use a dummy, but yesterday's biggest triumph was when I worked out (all by myself, damn I'm clever!) how to burp the child while keeping the dummy in his mouth. (It involves both hands, and a strategically placed tongue between your teeth for effect.)

Why would you want to, I hear you ask.

Well, it's a damn good trick to have when you're trying to burp a stubborn child who would rather go into melt down instead, and suck more air than you're trying to extricate. Being orally-fixated, as long as his gob is being stalled in a holding pattern, you buy a few valuable moments to get the wind out. It doesn't work every time, but it's better than the alternative :-)

Btw - you know you're an overtired parent when you find yourself in the supermarket, rocking the trolley back and forth automatically as you scout for price comparisons in the coffee aisle. That sounds perfectly reasonable until you remember that baby is asleep in his car seat, in the car, with Dad for company. Ah well.. even trolleys need love I suppose.

Here's some pix taken over the last two days of our little darlin' at his cutest. One of these days I should get some pix of Angry Braeden, Outraged Braeden, Desolate Braeden and Overtired-but-won't-sleep Braeden to balance things out. After all, if you just went by the pictures alone, you'd think this is the most easy going kid on the planet. I hope I can jolt my knackered brain awake enough to take in the expert advice the Karitane nurse will offer today when she visits to help us with getting this kid to his own bed, at bedtime!

Shee-ite but he's going to be *interesting* as he grows up ;-)

The only place Braeden will sleep in daylight (second only to on Mum of course). Auntie Poodle stands guard. (Baby looks bigger than dog because he's elevated - the pic was taken with me standing above him).