NorWesters suck

Okay, technically they blow, but they suck too. There is nothing quite like a Fohn wind to drain all the vim out of your vigour, and leave you exhausted, hot, scratchy and headachey.

Yesterday I realised that Braeden suffers as much as his mother in NorWesters; probably more.

He could/would not sleep all day. He'd try, poor little scrap, but within a few minutes his eyes would spring open and if I wasn't *right there* gazing back at him, he'd be sobbing his heart out.

By 2pm I cried uncle, and lay down on our bed with him, after stripping off as much of our clothing as I could get away with. The fan was on full blast (but aimed at the ceiling so baby was never in a direct draught). Braeden snuggled as close to me as he could get (ick, swelters the mother!) and sipped away at the milk bar on and off for hours until he ran that one dry, then threw a tanty during the few moments it took for me to swap sides of the bed so he could attack the other boob.

Yeah I could have swapped him over, but I like the baby in the middle of the bed because he's starting to get a lot more mobile than I thought a six week old kid could!

If we hadn't been expecting Granddad to visit, I'd have popped us in the air conditioned car and gone drivies.. but Granddad rang at 4 to say he was delayed and he'd see us next weekend.

Ah well, next time a strong NorWester is forecast, I'm in that car and gone! Now that I've got some togs ("swimming costume" for the Northern Hemisphere friends!) for Braeden, I think we'd be much happier popping down to the indoor pool in Ashvegas and getting a bit of relief.

Braeden was so exhausted last night that when he finally went to sleep at 9.30 (when the wind died off), he slept right through to his 3am feed. You could set your clock by that 3am feed now; by 3.01 at the latest he's awake and gnawing on his fist, grumbling with hunger.

We did try to wake him at 11.30 when we went to bed, but that was an exercise in futility, so we just put him to bed fully expecting to have to get up in an hour and feed him. Nah, see you at 3am Mum!

I was too lazy to make up a bottle feed, so I popped him on the boob and by 4am he was full and snoring. In to bed he went.. only to wake instantly and grouse that he was still hungry. Another top up, and back into bed at 4.30.

He woke at 5.03 full of complaints, and as soon as I picked him up he relaxed and went back to sleep (awful child!)

Nothing for it.. I spread some cloth nappies on the sheets, and lay down with him and flipped open the bra. Kidlet helped himself to a snack then happily snored away until 8am this morning.

Wayne got the groceries yesterday on the way home, and bought a tin of the thickened formula to try. As morning is Braeden's "most likely to chunder" time, I decided there was no time like the present to see if we could effect an improvement.

So baby got one half of the milkbar, then I went out to the kitchen and made up 100 mls of the thickened formula, and mixed in two sachets of Infant Gaviscon. Baby snarfed that, then went back to the milkbar for a few minutes' more feed, and then declared himself full and satisfied. He'd probably had about 240 mls if you add it all up - not bad for a six week old piglet!

Anyhoo, there was a small upchucky on my shoulder when I coaxed his last burp out of him, but that was NOTHING compared to what we normally see in the mornings! (Clue: you shower after you feed the baby! Around midday is often considered "safe", or at least, "safer".)

Then he played in his bouncinette while his parents ate breakfast, but after 20 minutes or so he started to fuss and complain. Wayne wrapped him in the sheet so he'd feel more cosy in the bouncinette (will it work today?) and before he'd even finished the job, Braeden was fast asleep.

We popped him in his cot at 9.30am, and he's still there, sleeping beautifully.

This bodes rather well for a much more enjoyable day for Mum and Baby!

It's Robyn's last visit today, and I want to get a photo of her holding Braeden so I can put it in his album. Bit of a 'must have' actually, so he can look back and see what the lady who was so very essential in his progress into the world looked like. I hope she agrees to the pic :-)

Damn.. I'm going to miss her. I might have to think about having another kid so I can keep in touch ;-)