So this week we’ve been attempting to get Seb to sleep a bit more independently. I’ve obviously taken full advantage of this and realised I could write a post with all the fun that I know will be coming our way (mainly my way as I started on a Saturday knowing Henry would be working the next 3 evenings because I apparently like making my life difficult). So here goes…

Saturday, night one, full of hope.

7:10- We head upstairs, I put some washing away quickly. I Foolishly swap the monitors around in sight of the toddler, I should point out one is a video monitor and the other just picks up sound but the detector bits don’t look much different to most people (just not two year olds).

7:20- Toddler throws full scale melt down about swapped monitors… “will mummy still hear me”. Yes my child the whole town heard you when you wake up.

7:30- Shattered toddler successfully back in bed. Bottle for the boy.

7:37- Shattered baby asleep after gulping the bottle. He’s had one nap today that lasted about an hour so it’s anyone’s guess as to how many of the wee hours we’ll enjoy together.

7:50- I head downstairs with 2 baby monitors and risk a cup of tea while watching actual grown up tv (maybe scoff the last Easter egg in the house too).

8:30- The boy has a little fidget, luckily it’s just a case of pop the dummy back in.

9:45- I head upstairs with a bottle to try a ‘dream feed’ and check Polly too, then I crawl into bed as I’m not sure what the nap situation will have created for later, oh and set 6:20 alarm.

9:55- The ‘dream feed’ backfires and he wakes up again very upset and needing a big cuddle.

10:05- He’s back to sleep so I nod off too.

01:15- Awake and bottle time.

6:10- Awake, Henry pops down to get a bottle quickly as my alarm is due in 10 minutes and I’m not moving till I have too!

Sunday, night two, still slightly full of hope…

6:50- I head upstairs, it’s bath night which is proving fun at the moment with a toddler who suddenly doesn’t like bath time.

7:30- I put Polly to bed without drama.

7:35- Seb has a bottle and drifts off to sleep looking angelic like they do when they lull you into a false sense of security.

7:50- Time to head downstairs.

8:55- Seb starts stirring so I head upstairs for a little cuddle. Lie in the semi dark for 5 minutes and realise that I’m actually shattered so do the arm roll hug to break free, head downstairs to grab the Polly monitor and press the button giving up on the next episode of Fleabag before heading back upstairs to crawl back into bed after a quick Polly check. Oh and set that bloody alarm again. Here’s hoping Monday night aka Game of Thrones night sees me able to have an hour and a half downstairs!

10:301 Seb woke up crying after me being asleep for long enough to wake up wondering what month we are in but nowhere near enough to feel rested, I juggle him downstairs to get another bottle.

3:20- Seb awake, luckily I married a genius who had bought a bottle up already, I mean he’d fallen asleep on the sofa for an hour or so and probably woke Seb up in the first place but at least he redeemed himself by being prepared.

Monday, night three, hope is starting to dwindle…

Two very tired children so I took them upstairs at 6:45 as Polly was asking to go to bed.

7:03- With Polly all tucked in with postman pat, the snowman, Arthur the dog and various others Seb had his bottle in our room again.

7:15- He’s overtired so of course fussing a bit, trying to scratch my face off, but eventually seems to go when I fake being asleep myself (this is a very dangerous sleep strategy that will have gone wrong for every single parent at some point- my personal favourite involved me sleeping in Polly’s cot with her for half a night by mistake (that bloody 18 month sleep regression was a fun one!)).

7:20- Time to creep downstairs to see how much Game of Thrones I can watch before he stirs!

7:55- He’s woken up and won’t settle so I bring him down for a little cuddle as I don’t want him waking Polly.

8:20- 20 minutes of cuddles and half a bottle and he’s fallen asleep on me.

9:30- Basically this is a failure night as Seb is incredibly restless (always on a Monday though!). He’s been asleep on me while Game of Thrones messes with my mind and now I’m deciding to just head upstairs as Polly’s monitor has cut out for some reason.

10ish- I went to check Polly to find her awake, great. She asks to come in the big bed, thankfully she goes straight to sleep

2:40- Seb has a bottle.

6:30- Henry gets up to go to the gym and wakes everyone up, at least he brings another bottle up before he leaves but there’s no going back to sleep for anyone.

Tuesday, night four, hope is almost gone…

6:50- We head upstairs- the hot water tank went this morning so we have a fun filled 20 minutes wrestling 2 little people through the shower before getting them into bed.

7:30- Polly requests mummy read the story so I do as I’m told before heading to our room to give Seb his bottle.

7:40- I log roll off our bed and hope for a better night tonight!

9:15- A tired Henry retreats to bed as Seb has a fidget. On the monitor I can see Seb slowly inching over towards a big daddy cuddle. I give up after 15 minutes and head upstairs with a bottle at the ready to find them having a little cuddle so I check Polly then squeeze into bed somehow.

2:20- Seb wakes for a bottle and I’m genuinely convinced it’s 6am- very disorientating. Ironically ….

6:00- Seb wakes for a little bottle! Henry is on the case and he drifts off back to sleep for an hour and a half afterwards! Win!

Wednesday, night five, all hope is gone now…

7:20ish- We all upstairs and the kids are in bed by 7:30, it’s promising and Seb settles fine after a bottle.

8:10- Yeah teething is a real bitch and has officially shattered our hopes of this being an easy process. This is the scene by 8:20 as I don’t want to risk waking up Polly.

Basically we’ll try each night to settle him in his cot but right now he needs a lot of extra cuddles as he has goodness knows how many teeth coming through. And hey he is now napping in his cot by himself which is big progress!

Of course night six when I’m at work goes beautifully and daddy has him in bed at 8 with no fuss and I arrive home to find him still asleep. Pressures on now though for a repeat performance from both the boys tonight!