And for her next trick...

Imogen will put foot in mouth (yummy, yummy!) then laugh manically when Mummy struggles to put nappy on!

Books to read

Having got upset when I picked up a book of someone else's bookshelf and panicked when we weren't doing the exact routine that it prescribed (Dave soon banned me from reading it any further) I'm reluctant to recommend any parenting books. But, these two books have been lovely, don't dictate anything but instead offer support with a balanced & healthy outlook on life.

"What Mothers Do..." was given to me by a friend when Imogen was born and, having found it a great read, it's now being passed among other Mums I've met. It's written by a woman who runs discussion groups for mothers, and also does counselling, and gives a realistic and reassuring viewpoint. When someone said to me that "babies are great for wasting time", I could have got really upset, but from my instincts and having read this book, I knew that it just isn't true (and in fact I just laughed!). I found myself agreeing with, and relating to, quotes in the book from Mums and the commentary alongside just seemed to make sense; it made me feel better about "doing nothing" - especially in the very early days.

"What Every Parent Needs to Know..." was recommended to me by my yoga teacher, as a book that gives information about caring for your child without dictating or prescribing some fantasy routine that never works. This is the paper-back version - the hard-back version is called "The Science of Parenting", and is perhaps a more informative title; it's a look at the evidence on how nurture, love and play affects a child as they grow up, and later into adulthood. Although it's got a scientific basis to it, it's not difficult reading, and gives some great information on the development of the brain and how hormones and chemicals in the body work together - either for good or bad. But, although it gives the evidence, it doesn't use this to dictate what you should do - it just gives you the information so you can make you own mind up about things. A case in point is sleeping - it gives details on co-sleeping and children sleeping in their own bed, with no "right or wrong", just information for and against each. A lot of the methods it suggests seem very natural and common-sense, but it's good to know that nature does the right thing!

(BTW I don't necessarily recommend Amazon for buying these, or any other books - it was just an easy way of putting a link so anyone can have a closer look at the books if they want)

Sleep positions

I think we've see the last of Imogen sleeping like a baby - on her back, arms up at the sides of her head. She's been wriggling for a few weeks now, kicking off the cover blanket & pulling on the bottom sheet. But last night she didn't want to be on her back at all - each time I put her down (at bedtime and again after feeds at 12.30 & 4.00) she wriggled over, got her bottom hand free, stuck her thump in and went to sleep on her front. Very cute!

Update - it's been a while

The last two weeks have been hard, with the routine we'd got into going out of the window and illness all round.

We went away with my family to a caravan over on the coast for a long weekend - a nice time, but hard work, with Imogen being put in unfamiliar circumstances and with big cousins to play with! I'm not at all blaming Molly & Charlie - they're great with her - but with constant attention from them and the rest of the family, Imogen just didn't want to sleep! And the thin walls in the caravan didn't help - she'd just get to sleep and then some noise would wake her again.

And since then, things have just been all over the place. Sometimes she'll go to sleep quite well - even settling herself if we're having a really good time! - but then at other times there seems to be nothing we can do. Several times she's woken in the night and it's been two hours before she's gone back to sleep, and at times we've also had her in bed with us.

We don't have a problem with co-sleeping - in fact, I don't know what all the fuss is about when it's something that it such a natural thing - but our bed just isn't really big enough! If we had a bigger bed, we'd probably be co-sleeping all the time, but as it is, it's not something that we can do regularly because I don't always feel as though I've slept properly. But when it's a choice of sitting in the nursery with her, but being so tired that I'm at risk of falling asleep with her there - far more dangerous - or her coming and snuggling with us, then there's not really a dilemma.

It's a bit of a mystery why Imogen is being so unsettled - maybe we're just expecting too much of her when she's only 4 months old. I can understand her waking if she's hungry or has a horrible bum, but it's when that's all sorted and she won't settle back, that things start getting to me. Lots of people have given us lots of well-meaning advice, but it's just hard to know what is right for us. "Teach her to have a routine during the day", "Maybe she should be in her own room", "Is she hungry?", "Is she too hot?"

llnesses probably haven't helped. She had a horrible snotty cold a while back, which led to conjunctivitis when we were at the caravan. She's all over that now, but I caught the conjunctivitis from her. Added to that, I've been constipated and vomited one day last week, and yesterday I had a migraine. I don't know whether I'm just tired which is why I seem to be suffering, or whether part of it is hormonal changes (my hair is falling out as well, which other people have said happens around the time that periods start again - hurrah!)

Rolling & Routine

In the last week or so, Imogen has started to roll on to her side. She's done it half-heartedly before, but now it's very definite - rolling over to reach something, whether that be a toy or my boob for milk! The other night she rolled on to her side in her crib and when Dave & I went to bed, she was asleep on her side, thumb in and cuddling a muslin! She hasn't yet made it onto her front, but I guess it's only a matter of time.

The other thing that has happened in the last few days is (what seems to be) a better routine to our day. I've not really ever pushed her into a routine, preferring just to go with the flow and see what happens. But in the last few days, she seems to have wanted a routine herself (or at least a more regular sleep pattern). I don't know whether she's always wanted it and I haven't been picking up on the clues, or whether it's only just dawned on her that sleep during the day makes life better for everyone. She been wanting a half-hour sleep mid-morning (about 9-10am), and then another one at about midday, with a longer sleep (about two hours) during the afternoon.

She's been a lot happier between these sleeps, especially late afternoon when she used to be really crabby. And the bedtime routine seems to be getting better as well - in fact last night, she had a bath, fed, had a bedtime bible story and then went to sleep, all by 7pm!

She's been a bit better about going to sleep as well. She doesn't seem to be going to sleep on the boob, but now will sleep when cuddled. She puts up a bit of a fight, between sucks of the thumb, but does go a lot better than she used to. I do try and put her in the cot for a time as well, as sometimes she does put herself to sleep, but if she needs cuddling, then that's OK by me.

I don't know whether this new routine will continue, but for now I'm enjoying it. I'm able to get more bits done around the house and last night's 11 hours of sleep was certainly good!

Photos from last weekend

I've finally found time to sort out some photos to upload. Thanks to Gramps & Aunty Wendy for supplying them - if anyone else has got any we'd love to have copies.

My Water Baby

Imogen and I have started swimming lessons. I've been wanting to take her for a while, and we decided to pay a bit more, and go to lessons with Water Babies. We've been a couple of time so far, and it's been great. Imogen didn't smile and laugh, but she didn't cry, so I guess that means it's just a bit different for her and she needs time and practice to get used to it.

The classes are really small - just 7 babies - and take place in a hydrotherapy pool, so the water it lovely and warm. Double layers of nappies ensure no accidents and contamination! We've also bought her a little baby wet suit, so when we go on holiday etc, we can take her to "normal" pools and she won't get too cold. That also goes for during the school holidays 'cos the lessons don't run then :(

It's all about building confidence - both mine and hers - and using a baby's natural gag reflex to "teach" them to hold their breath under water. She's been for a couple of underwater adventures already, using the cue "Imogen, ready, go!" We can practice in the bath at home too, using the same cue before pouring water on her face. Not surprisingly, there's a lot of use of songs as well, so if you hear me singing Humpty Dumpty at a swimming pool near you, don't laugh too hard!