How to nail a good night's sleep (7 tips)

Sleep is such a big thing for me. 

I hate insomnia. I mean that in itself is the dumbest statement ever. I never heard someone they love insomnia. 

Lying in the darkness, ticking through conversations, your to-do list, and any other detritus lying about in your brain. You roll over and look at the clock. 2:21am. Surely you'll fall asleep soon. You lie there for what feels like forever. Toss, turn. Rearrange the covers. Toss, turn. Repeat. Look at the clock 2:26am. Ouch. You count sheep. Those sheep keep coming. Those sheep are not going to stop. 

You get up. Wander around the house. Find that the only movie on right now is Escape from Alcatraz. Not exactly the best sleep inducing fodder, but given your obsession with crime shows, it will have to do. At least the strolling and Clint Eastwood's hairline distracts you. Shakedown.  

After a while you think you'll test the waters and crawl back into bed. It's now 3:42am. Pretty soon the birds will start their morning song. The sun will start creeping it's way into the sky. Life outside your walls will become louder. But you just lie there. Blinking in the darkness. The frustration only works to further awaken you. 

You toss, you turn. Repeat. 

It's not until much later that your eyes become heavy. Your body starts to relax. And voomp. You're asleep. It's just flipped over to 5:16am. You're alarm goes off at 6:02am. 

Sleeplessness. Such a cruel beast. 

I've gathered seven tips to help make for a good night's sleep. Well here's hoping.

1. Don't go to bed with your phone: In fact, ban phones from the boudoir. You don't want your last waking hours to be staring at a lit up screen, being stimulated. Bedrooms are meant to be sanctuaries. Spaces of relaxation and rest. Research shows that you should have a full hour of screen-free time before you hit the sack. 

Oh but you use your phone as your morning alarm? Get a real clock and ditch your incessant social media check ins. Your sleeping self will thank you. 

2. Take a bath: It's science baby! Your body temperature naturally dips around 2 hours before sleep time and bottoms out at around 4am according to a 1997 study conducted by New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in White Plains, N.Y. When you soak in a hot bath your temperature rises, while the rapid cool-down afterwards relaxes you. A shower, though less effective, can work too.

3. Make a list: So often my mind is churning through the day that's been - and the day to come. I'm processing thoughts, to-do lists, and sometimes it won't stop. I'd love to be able to turn it off, but instead if your brain is busy, make a list. Keep a notebook and pen next to your bed so you can jot down anything that's keeping you up. There's a reason Santa makes lists and checks them twice. So he can sleep.

4. Routines aren't child's play: Get your mind into sleep mode with a routine. Putting out your pyjamas, brushing teeth, washing your face - it all helps your brain get prepared for sleep. 

5. Cut the caffeine: It's really a no-brainer, but try not to drink caffeine after 3pm, try a herbal tea instead.

6. Evict the electronics: By doing something relaxing, such as curling up in a comfy chair with a good book you'll be slowing down your brain. Try cutting out the tv and computer before bedtime so you can really relax. This will help melatonin production (a hormone that helps you get ready to sleep) - production of which is reduced when you're in bright light.

Which brings me to another point, dim the light in your bedroom, and use a small bedside light for reading and getting ready to tuck yourself in. 

7. Exercise: I find days when I exercise, sleeping can be a cinch. My body's worked hard, it's ready for a rest. And we've got the rhythm baby! But try not to exercise late. It brings your body temperature up, it stimulates you. And if you think you can't exercise because you're using the old "I'm too tired" line - that could be your problem. 

Research shows over and over that regular exercise improves heart health and blood pressure, builds bone and muscle and helps fight stress and muscle tension - and lifts your mood. 

Exercise can also help you sleep for longer and more soundly, and help you feel more awake during the day. WINNING!

Got any solid gold sleep tips to share?

New Finds:: SOMN by ELK

You guys have NO idea how excited, delighted, totally ridiculously ecstatic I was to discover that Elk has a new sleepwear collection - called SOMN (Swedish for to sleep).

We - you and me - we know how much I love to sleep. It's one of my favourite things to do. 

For me, this is a match made in heaven. My favourite Australian accessories label creating sleepwear. HELLO! 

Created with the idea that quiet moments are almost a luxury - Elk's SOMN range is to make ever night feel a little more special.

Using raw, stone washed linen and soft cotton in calming neutrals, they look good enough to wear out of the house. That palette is just MWAH! Perfect. I can imagine spending many hot summer days lounging around the house in this simple collection. 

Personally I've got my eyes on Kvall Pyjama set. 

And the Nuit Pocket dress. 
And the Sove Pyjama set

Check out the whole SOMN by Elk range here. 

Winter Bedroom Makeover With Adairs

This is a sponsored post

Matt and I talk a lot about our bed. It's the source of marital unrest. No. Not that. 

It's the blankets. And the layers. And the sheets. Particularly in Winter. 

At the start of the Winter season I declared that we were on the hunt for a Winter weight quilt. Matt looked at me blankly. I don't think he realised there were different weights for quilts - and that our regular quilt was not going to cut the mustard this Winter. Particularly if we were to get through the big cold without major tussles in the sack. 

I know I've written about it before. I like lots of layers. Matt, not so much. I love snuggling down under a plethora of blankets. Matt is not into it. I like both sheets -  fitted and flat. Matt likes just a fitted and a quilt. I say tomato. He says tomatoe. Potato. Potatoe. Let's call the whole thing off. 

Or should we?

Adairs gave me the opportunity to make over our bedroom. Keen to eliminate any rising tensions in our boudoir, I accepted the challenge. 

This is how it played out:

I know you think I am some kind of nanna, but I defy you! I am truly, madly, deeply enamoured by cotton flannelette sheets. Our house is like living in an igloo, and flannel just makes edging those toes into the depths of the bed so much easier. Flannelette is my friend, and I have convinced Matt that yes, flannelette does very well in our bed (particularly since I am not such a fan of the sweaty electric blanket). 

A brand spanking new quilt. HELLLLLO wool quilt. This. Is. Bliss. Just as light as our regular quilt, but so much warmer - and it's machine-washable. Did I mention how warm this little baby is? We went for a King size so that it drapes over the sides of our queen size bed. This has also reduced the number of bedroom tussles we have - there's no sneaky quilt thief cocooning themselves at night. There's plenty of quilt for everyone! Well the two of us at least. And two squirming bodies in the mornings. And sometimes in the middle of the night. Yawn. 

And just like your favourite t-shirt we opted for this awesome jersey quilt cover - it's super comfortable! The grey marle is a win with both Matt and I (I've never met a man that doesn't love grey marle), and is the perfect muted tone for our Winter bedroom make-over. 

I switched the lamps around in our bedroom, tidied up (heck if only you'd seen the mess of the before shot - actually, let's rethink that, so glad you couldn't make it over to mine), commissioned a family portrait by Tiny, and tossed some fresh tulips in a vase - et voila! Bedroom make-over complete!

If you feel the urge to give your bedroom an overhaul - head over to Adairs right now! The Adairs Massive Mid Year Sale is on, and you can snaffle some very excellent deals.

Are you a massive fan of flannelette sheets? 

Behind Closed Doors: In My Bedroom

This is a sponsored post.

I love sleep. Being in bed is almost my favourite thing. I don't get enough sleep - therefore I covet it. And it's well-documented that I really love bed linen. It's even in my bio. Obviously sleep and bed linen go hand in hand. I love them both. 

So when Adairs asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing their bed linen - well I could hardly turn them down in the pursuit of a better night's sleep, right?! I even got to peruse their bed linen online and choose what I wanted - hello!

After spending most of my weekend tidying our bedroom, moving furniture (one of my favourite past times) and re-making our bed - this is the end result. I'm pretty chuffed with it - and so is Matt - and that's pretty important given we share the bedroom. 

And before you say - "Hey PottyMouth, you didn't iron the cover" - well let me just inform you that I like a relaxed look in the boudoir. I can assure you nothing matches in our home - and that's the way I like it. An eclectic patchwork of pieces we've found on the side of the road (actually, I've found, and Matt's begrudgingly helped me re-home), and pieces that have been passed on to us - mixed with a few newer pieces here and there. I like linen to look comfortable and lived in. And PS - I don't have time to iron my quilt cover - who does (however I DO iron my pillowcases - I know, go figure).

So the pieces I chose are:

Vintage Washed Linen quilt cover:: oh aye carumba! This Home Republic quilt cover feels and looks like luxury. I am SO in love with this - it's pure linen, lightweight (perfect for Summer), and will last a long time - the more you wash linen, the luminous and softer it becomes. FACT!

Hotel Royale Cotton Blanket:: Matt and I constantly tussle over bedcovers. I like layers. He doesn't. But a cotton blanket is mandatory in our household - and this one ups the stakes in luxe in high quality cotton. Plus it's oversized so it fits our queen bed generously. It washes well and the charcoal colour is lush! It's probably a little unhealthy just how much I really love this blanket. 

Stella Zig Zag 250tc cotton percale bed sheets:: I'm a little nutty about chevron - and what better way to bring it into the boudoir (they also come in aqua) than with these Mercer + Reid sheets?! You can mix them back with a block colour too to change the look.

Vintage Paris cushion:: Once upon a time Matt and I went to Paris. He spoke French. I did not. I loved this Mercer + Reid cushion for its simple graphic - and love that it works with our whole room.

It feels so good to go to bed! 

The good news for you is that Adairs is offering PottyMouthMama readers 10% off across the site (includes full price and discounted items). The offer is available online only - and valid until January 31, 2013. (Can only be used once per user and can not be used in conjunction with any other offer). Promotion code is MAMA10. 

When Small People Won't Go To Bed. And Steam Comes Out Your Ears.

I am like this hamster running on one of those wheels. Running. Running. Running. And getting nowhere fast. 


Tiny is totally punishing me lately. 


All week she's been a reluctant sleeper, there have been raised voices. There's been hollow threats. And a threat of punishment (and I struggle with this because I can't think of anyway to punish her - because her response is always so non-chalant).  Once she's finally wrestled down to sleep - I find myself in the middle of the night pushed to the edge of the bed - with no covers on me. Cold, uncomfortable, and with no pillow.


This week her bed linen had been changed after an accident, and had literally been replaced, when she came out to me and told me her bed was wet. 


She denied denied denied, then blamed it on the Doctor and said he wee'd on her bed. I told her that the Doctor didn't do it (because I know the Doctor better than she does), finally she admitted that no, the Doctor had nothing to do with it. Instead she had been playing with water on her bed, and now her doona was wet through. 


I was pretty cross. 


It was one of those nights when you're like a jack-in-a-box, up and down, up and down, putting the smalls back into bed. Then they come out again. And so on for around 15 minutes. Then the steam starts to pour out your ears, and you walk them back and tell them once more - don't come out again. It's late. It's bed time. 


So this is where we were. I stripped the bed again when there was an almighty crash. I peer into the Doctor's bedroom and he's inadvertently smashed his bedside lamp. Glass everywhere.


If someone was checking my blood pressure, I think that cuff thing they put on would have been torn to shreds as I turned into the Incredible Hulk. 


Seriously. The bed humdrum is killing me. And not softly. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Images - despite being totally unrelated were something that made the smalls and I laugh today. We went to visit my sister, Sarah at Calico + Ivy today, and en route to get some smoothies, we spotted a plane vapour trailing his way through the sky. 'Marry Me'. We stood with our mouths agape looking skyward, causing other pedestrians to do the same. By the time the pilot got to me the marry had blown away and looked like a mangled version of the word. Whoever commissioned that - I hope they got in quickly. 

How To Be A Morning Person

I am not a morning person. I never bound out of bed in the morning, joyful to see the sunshine.

Nope.

Never.

I am the kind of person that hits snooze 89 times before my senses come to realise that I have 0.567 seconds to get ready for work or the school run, and that I better get my ass into gear and get out of bed. I love bed. I love sleeping. Oh do I love sleeping.

But I really want to be that person that gets up early, that goes into the day full of excitement. I don't want to be the slippery little slug that takes 1/2 an hour to rouse from my slumber.

I want to be the person that can go - BOOM! I am up, I am into the day. I am embracing the day. I am sledging everything that needs to be done. I am a morning person.

Tell me dear readers, how does one become a morning person? Or are they born morning people? Shed some light on this subject.

Is sleep for the weak? I know I'd like to sleep for the week.


Are you a former non-morning person turned morning person? What's your secret? Spill!

image by Mary Blair - it's her 100th birthday. Do you think she was a morning person?

Where's Tiny?

Can you spot Tiny amidst the jumble of soft toys, sunglasses and crowns that litter her bed?

Every night, as did the Doctor, she takes a whole bunch of her favourite things. No matter how big or small.

When I went to kiss her good night, at first I struggled to locate her. Ahh, sweet little cuddly Tiny. How I love thee!

Tiny. Tiny. Tiny.

When will she learn? Tiny just can't expect to stay up to 11pm and soldier on the next day. Tonight she fell asleep with the book on her head. She not only had bags under her eyes, more like a whole collection of Louis Vuitton luggage. The girl's got stamina. But man oh man, when will she realise she can't burn the candle at both ends? Someone - answer this question that plagues me so! Matt called me to look at Tiny sleeping. I couldn't see her anywhere and thought she must be hiding. I had to look really hard to spot her, fast asleep under the book.

I Sleep. And I Sleep Like A Log.

Since starting my new job, I sleep like a dead donkey. Seriously. Nothing can rouse me. Except a small child calling "Mama, mama." Nothing can raise me! Nothing.

An old flatmate used to go out late and come home early the next morning. Like 6am early. An Irish friend of hers taught her the adage, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

Alas, I am not of that ilk. If I was out on the turps and caught sight of the time, and it happened to be beyond one or two in the AM, I was outta there - I was like Cinderella. I hated the thought of messing up the day ahead and being Crankelstiltskin because I hadn't had enough beauty sleep.

I love me some sleepytime.

Making Music. But at 10:14pm.

Tiny (aka The Boss) is up to her old tricks again and is enjoying late nights. I've pretty well given up on her day sleeps because at least if she skips a day sleep, she goes to sleep sort of early. Sort of.

She was so insanely tired today (and to be frank, so am I, no stamina post-wedding) I coaxed her into sleepytime.

And now we're paying for it because she's banging on drums, playing the xylophone and won't stay in her bed.

On the upside, when she WAS sleeping today, I managed to tick off lots of things on my to-do list.

When Tiny stays up late and drives me a little bit bananas she acts as the ultimate contraception.

It's Just A Wee Problem

Last night I was having trouble sleeping. Firstly I couldn't get to sleep. Then Tiny woke up all out of sorts. Then decided she wanted in on our bed. Fine, I love that snuggly little body. When the small legs are not under my neck. And when she's not wiggling like a worm.

At 1:58am I roused from my half-slumber to Tiny getting all excited and sitting up in bed, and a small voice whispering, "it's wet, it's wet". A little unsettling in the wee hours."It's wet, it's wet." Thankfully it was a small familiar voice whispering it, and not a large unfamiliar voice. That would have been really unsettling.

It was a wee problem. Not only was Tiny still singing like a birdie in our bed at 2am, but the Doctor who had gone to bed with his croupy cough (aaaahhhgain), but he'd wet the bed as well. Man alive.

Kids. Let's regroup in a few hours. When the sun is shining. Sounds good? Sounds great!

I hate wet the bed nights. Disrupted sleep nights.

(Dandelion - aka wet-the-bed - image via etsy)

Sleep? What Sleep?

Last night was a little different. Matt and I had planned an early night. Ever since a middle of the night attempted break in last year, I've hated going to bed. I put it off until I fear I may turn into a pumpkin.

So we bunkered down in bed and I was watching Stephen Fry on QI. I love that show. It's silly how much I adore it.

And then Tiny struck up. Not singing, screeching. Crap!

I convinced Matt that he should definitely get up since we had just turned off the light and it was an extra opportunity for Tiny cuddles. After a few minutes of faux arguing, he got out of bed.

Mandatory cuddle and put Tiny back into bed.

Screeching ensued.

CRAP!

Time crept by. Tiny kept screeching. We took turns. Was she pretending to be a newborn? Who knows?

By 11:50pm I had gotten up for the third or fourth time, and all the mad racket had roused the Doctor, who had coincidentally wet the bed. And then Tiny decided she wanted something to eat.

Are you freaking kidding me?

So there we are at midnight - the Doctor talking to me about swimming, Tiny sitting at her tiny table eating a banana and having a glass of milk.

I imagined if someone was looking in at us, it would make a curious picture. And all the while Matt was trying to convince me that the wee patch in the Doctor's bed wasn't that big (no it's just soaked through three layers of mattress protectors, not much at all - here sleep on this).

And then the Doctor came to sleep with us. With his hands and legs stuck underneath me. And me wedged on a thin slither of bed.

Sleep, where for art thou?

Awkward family photos courtesy of Awkward Family Photos

Magical March: Sneaky Day 5

Autumn is playing with me. Already racing me up in the morning, making it all crispy, cool. What a flirt!

Late at night I jump into bed, rustle under the covers, try to get a little warmer and ahhh - bliss, I am asleep. Tiny slept through last night. What a champ!

This morning I woke to a duller morning, I could even call it a little bit cold. I grabbed my hoodie and got the washing on.

While it's mundane, days at home are some of my very best. I love being able to hang the washing out at my own leisure. The Doctor and I have made a simple banana cake, the smell has filled the house with that goodness. Tiny has given herself a beauty treatment with a Laughing Cow cheese (she must have read in Baby Love that it's good for her hair and complexion). Life is good. Autumn is super.

So Autumn, we're in love. Even if you don't know it yet, we're in crazylove.

A Slice of Summer

This morning the Doctor and I set to baking some ANZAC biscuits. Instead, because I was distracted by the phone, it turned into an ANZAC slice that got covered in chocolate. A freak accident. I never saw it happening, completely blind-sighted. Ahem. The results. A little too delicious. And with a piping hot cup of tea - a little too completely delicious.

Next blog post may be titled: I Am The Christmas Pudding (look out for me with the sprig of holly shoved in my hair - and let's not forget the flaming brandy).

Please excuse my shoddy photos. Someone very small may have grabbed the lens on Christmas day, and until I find the lens cleaning cloth, it's smudgy. Or we could call it 'soft focus'. Something I'd use on myself as I age ever so gracefully.

Anyway. It's stinking hot. The Doctor has been for a swim with his aunty. Tiny is teething with one heck of a molar poking it's sharp, fierce head through. Makes for bad sleeps. And a slightly cranky mama.

At least I feel as though I'm on holidays. All this heat. It just makes me think, even if it's house work, it's kind of relaxed. No work at the moment. No client phone calls. Just me and the smalls kicking back summer stylie.

How's your day?

The Big '1'

It's one year ago today that my baby girl came swooshing out into the world. This is her birth story.

The day before Tiny's birth, we decided to treat ourselves to a meal out. Actually, it had become some sort of - quick every week before the birth of this baby let's go out and make the most of it. I walked around the restaurant and remember clearly the feeling of walking like a waddling duck. I visualised the head waaaay down. In my heart, I knew the little babe's birth was imminent.

We got home. The Doctor was sleepy, and what two and a half year old wouldn't be at nine pm? We tucked him into bed, then I had a mini-freak out. I'd been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions all day, I'd had my hair cut, been to the beautician. I'd gone into lockdown - it seems I know when birth is on the horizon because I start not answering phones and emails.

Anyway, back to the night before. I had a mini-freak out. I decided to quickly read through my friend Sheila's book because for my second birth, I'd done very little reading. I thought, yes I better write a birth plan, though Matt and I pretty well knew what I wanted. And then I thought, hmm, things are going along, maybe I better pack a bag.

We went to bed, I slept 'til around 4am. Woke with contractions getting ever stronger. Dozed a little, then got out of the bed around 5:30am, and as I did - guuuushhhhhhhhhh.

"Oh my, I think my waters have broken." I grabbed anything I could to mop up the Niagra Falls. Raced into the bathroom. Contractions continued stronger from this point, and Matt called the birth centre. By this stage the Doctor was still asleep. In my mind, I was waiting for the little man to wake. If I had had my way, I think I would have liked to home birth, but NSW laws are ridiculous, and it's a little too costly for us at the moment. Birth centre it was. A birth centre across the city, at least 40 minutes drive, could be an hour and a half in peak hour.

I asked Matt to put the bath on. I was determined to labour at home for as long as possible, and to hopefully wait for the Doctor to wake up so I could say goodbye.

Matt told me there wasn't time for me to have a bath and that we should go. He was thinking logically, he (and the midwife) thought things were going to hurry along, and I think he had visions of me birthing on the side of the road. I had discussed the possibility of this with the midwife previously. So while Matt was putting the bag in the car, I snuck into the bath. I felt so scheming. So clever. The Doctor was still sleeping. The one morning he ever sleeps in.

I rode out those contractions, they were coming harder and more frequently, and then when it got a little too much, I told Matt it was time to go. I had to sneak in to say goodbye to the Doctor. I got half way in his room and ---- bIIIIg contraction. I snuck out. I had to keep breathing. Keep breathing.

The car trip was comical.

My first birth (with the Doctor) my sister came with us. She drove. She's cool under fire. Matt sat in the back of the car on that trip. I felt every bump of it.

So this trip, Matt's tension just made me laugh. I couldn't help myself. He was hilarious. We were making very good time careening through the tunnels. By this time it was around 7:30am. We were talking, I was breathing, I was getting ready. Then we were coming 'round the last bend in the last tunnel and I started to transition. Ah transition. I think the hardest most panicky part of birth for me. But this time I said, "We're really not doing so well - we're not there. I need to get there." I remember a semi-trailer on the right of our car. I remember Matt looking at me a little horrified at what I had said.

We raced into the birth centre. Jacquie, a new midwife was to be with us. And the midwife that I had been seeing throughout my pregnancy, Tess was on duty. Familiarity. Ah.

It was the same room the Doctor was born in. Double ah.

I got into the bath. I laboured for a while in part-darkness. Silence. Just Matt and I. The midwife occasionally coming in. Then I felt Tiny's head click into place and I told Matt it was time to push. I held his hand tight and pushed. I remember feeling her feet kicking the sides of my belly. Incredible.

Fifteen minutes, and no lie, Tiny just swam out - a beautiful water birth. Just swam like a little goldfish. Sweet babe of mine. I had to do some crazy leg manouevring as the umbilical cord was a short one, and then that babe lay in my arms. Oh my. My little vernix covered baby. Two weeks early. My sweetheart.

So my darling Tiny, I'm so glad you are here with us, shining smiley baby girl. If we can't get you a pony, will one of these do?

SwaddleMe

Some days I wish I was swaddled. I mean, who wouldn't love being wrapped up tight, popped into a snug little bed, and patted off to sleep. I know I would. Definitely today.

I've been meaning to post about this for ages, and since today is one of those days, here it is.

This is SwaddleMe by Kiddopotamus.

I must admit, when one of my favourite friends gave me this, I wasn't convinced. I am a muslin cloth wrapping gal from way back. I prefer muslin to any other kind of wrap/swaddle. Not only does it have less give - for me that means less Houdini manouevres - it just seemed more wholesome. More crunchy.

But one day, when I was feeling reckless (probably the same day I decided not to brush my hair), I decided I was going to give the SwaddleMe a go.

My baby girl was restless, wriggly, overtired. It's difficult to wrap a wee babe when their limbs are flailing all about. And against my forethought, SwaddleMe came to my rescue. It turned out, SwaddleMe (say that many times and it starts to sound a little like swami - ok it did to me, but I am delirious) was a bit of a saviour.

Particularly good when babes are overtired, their wee little arms are tucked in snug, and their legs are in a little cocoon.

It's all secured with velcro, and is easy to change nappies without unwrapping them, the leg pouch pops down, it's super easy..

AND - this is the clincher - you can easily strap them into their car seat/capsule as there is a back slit where the harness can be connected. Too easy.

I've also read about people that find them particularly useful when they're at the grandparents place, rather than teaching them the origami art of wrapping. And while we're on the origami side of things, have you ever seen this book - Baby-gami? It's beautiful. I borrowed it from the library yonks ago, and it's sooo beautiful. Such gorgeous ideas, and plenty of beautiful babies to get you lactating.

Ok enough. I am off. Wishing I was snoozing somewhere in the sun, but instead, driving Miss Daisy.

Don't forget to pop over to Leni & Rose for today's tips and tricks!

Boats, Birthdays and Sleepy Sundays

Yesterday we went to see Bateaux Jouets at the Australian Maritime Museum. It was good. Though I was expecting to see some little boats in action. Nope, they were all concealed behind glass - I wanted to see those babies sailing - even replicas would have been good! Noah's favourite bit was the TV (how predictable), and then checking out the boats on the harbour. It was such a stellar sunny day, and so good to be out and about.

Today is my sister's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHOC! She's waaay over in Perth, so we miss out on cake, though we did manage a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday this morning. We were pretty excited about her present (hello Betty Jo!). We hope she loves it as much as we do.

Anyway, today has been a bit of a slow one. Scout had me up six times throughout the night and I am a huge grouch. And that was a total understatement.

Bedtime here I come!

Love Bugs

Gentle, funny little man. Rare quiet moments punctuated with so many questions, so much to learn, to grasp. Days of constant chatter, commentary making me giggle at the mundane.

"You're my best friend, Mummy". Sweet love.

Sporadic sloppy kisses and your wide-eyed wonder.

My inquisitive, funny Noah. My Tookie Catty. Currently detesting sleep time. Loving train time.

Sometimes I sneak in to watch you sleeping. Gentle arcs of closed eyes. I smell your warm, milky breath and hover. Trace your soft hair. My heart fills. You move or snuffle, I freeze for fear I may be caught. I leave the room in love. Full of unyielding mummy love. When you do wake, you're full of secret smiles.