Monday 2 January 2012

Dear 9 months old Alice

Dear 9 months old Alice,

May I ask you a question? Is your new ability to pull yourself up to stand an attempt to keep me away from writing on my blog? Of course, I could write at night when you are sound asleep but that would only leave me a window of less then two hours since you go to bed at 8pm and I rarely keep my eyes open after 10pm.

Maybe it is just me but I became totally aware that I was a mother when I looked at the clock on New Years Eve and told myself: "Shit, I will totally regret going to bed that late (it was not even 11pm)!"

I should not complain since you are generally a good sleeper but from time to time you still enjoy a sip of warm milk at 1am and another one at 4am. However, I must thank you for making your nightly snacks a breeze. Basically, you made a self service dairy buffet out of me. Let me tell you that your sleeping mother almost had a heart attack the first time you crawled to my bare bosom and started to suck clumsily!

Don't ever apologize for interrupting my snoozing time! I'm well aware that it is perfectly normal for 9 months old babies to wake up during the night. When people ask me if you sleep through the night, I proudly tell them the truth and add that I actually don't mind taking care of you in the wee hours.

For the moment, I have no interest in making you an "independent" baby. Your crib is still in our bedroom and you spend most of the night comfortably tucked between your dad and I (and the cat). As far as I'm concerned, why change something that works well. You are growing up so fast and I have no plans to accelerate the process.

On a side note, I gave your father a book called Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. It is a subtle message concerning a bad sleeping habit of his. As I told him, I have no pity for tired fathers who go to bed late in the name of computer games!!

Keep up the good work kitten since you are a pure delight.

Mom xox


* * * * *

vanessa - lynn david handbag co.: I hope that you had lovely holidays.

sixorangecarrots: I know. They are so funny :)

a loopy life: Thank you so much.

clairsy: Ah, thank you! I'm so happy that you like my blog. xox

sophie: Thank you. There will be more family adventures in 2012.

courtney: Thank you Courtney. You are not writing on your blog anymore? xox

lina: Merci Lina! xox

bugheart: As you said, now that I have a baby I have this need of doing some good for others. Maybe I'm not as self centered anymore, ah! You should get the DIY nativity set. It is super fun and easy to make. Plus, it looks very cool. Oh, we never did St. Lucia celebrations until this year. Having a little St. Lucia was very amusing and it made my Swedish friend happy.

taryn: I'm happy with how easy the nativity scene was to make and it looks super cute. It was a good investment. I hope that you had a merry Christmas.

kaylovesvintage: Wishing you a lovely 2012 with many wonderful adventures!

the franglaise: Now that Alice is a crazy little crawler, I'm also a zzz ZZZ zzz ZZZ! She can be pretty draining.


daniela: Thank you! I love doing little crafts :)

sometimes life is bliss and sometimes not !: I had such a good time making the pine cones. Very relaxing.

oscarlucinda: They do look magical! Oh, two words for little one who hates to leave her mama's arms : baby carrier!

sandra: You are right, I should take more pictures with cardigans made by my mother. I will do that this week.

bloom right here: So happy that you are also the kind of person that find doing stuff relaxing.

mummabear: Even with dental dog food, Brian smells pretty bad.

anonymous: Ah, don't worry! Brian is in good hands. According to our vets, it is a miracle that our dog is still alive since most people would not want to deal with all his medical problems (time + $$$). We just generally focus on the most "important" problems and his bad breath is not one of those (even according to our vets).

peanut: Yes, it is glue. It is "normal" epoxy glue that you can get at any hardware store. Just be careful with your finger...it is pretty strong.

9 comments:

Shannah said...

Loving that sweet little sled!!! She looks so adorable all bundled up. The cuteness is killing me.

Wishing you lots of restful nights in the new year:) I promise it gets easier.

shanon said...

You just wrote my life in this blogpost, except my babe is too noisy of a sleeper and our bed is too small (and I use too many pillow) for him to sleep with us every night, but other than that my babe turned 9 months today, is friendly to getting up at those times, and my husband needs that book.
=)

Lila said...

I love that you're honest about Alice's sleeping habits, it helps others realize that there is no normal sleeping pattern when they are babies.
The photos are adorable!

Anne said...

Ooh I must browse that book! Other books by Mo Willems are all great.
Like you wrote, the important thing about how you deal with your baby is to do what works for you. We do all the opposite but it works with us, he's a happy baby and we're happy parents. Alice does look like a cheerful gal and that's the important thing. Lovely colour-on-white photos!

emily said...

to echo what others said: thank you for posting about sleep habits. my baby sleeps so well BECAUSE she gets snacks during the night ;)

people, as you probably experience, always ask first thing whether or not she is sleeping through the night. nope! but she's a really happy baby. it appears alice is the same way. good for you! continue to relish those moments. unless ramona is sick and waking up every hour i love tending to her in the middle of the night and having her snuggle up between hubby and i.

thank you for your blog. it is so nice to have like-minded writers/mothers/artists to be encouraged by. happy new year!

taryn said...

Ha! I stayed up until about 10:30 on New Year's Eve and thought the same thing. Too late! It sounds like you have a lovely, cozy night together. Definitely something to cherish.

Rachael said...

Oh genius idea. These husbands! Every morning it's like, oh, wait we still have a baby?? I say, pleeze come to bed early with me, so we will both be cozy and awake in the morning....wishful thinking. I like your approach.

juliette said...

Likewise on all three counts! Nightbird husband, sweet sleepy and hungry growing 8 month old boy that i love tending through the night hours, and in no hurry to let it end. We live in the farther north corner of the US and would love to know who makes that amazing sled! cheers and enjoy your family, it is a very special time.

sara-ananda said...

August has the exact same luge as yours but so far, he hates it and cries like if we were big monsters pulling him to go to hell.
I hope he enjoys it in the future, it is quite practical!

About money: I may be in the same case if I can't find a job and finish school at the same time. Plus m'occuper du bébé, bien sur. Je passe des nuits blanches rien que d'y penser. Brrrrr

I am so bad dealing with money but I'd be happy to see your ideas. I hear this family budget planner is nice (available monthly as well) : https://docs.google.com/previewtemplate?id=0As3tAuweYU9QcHlVM3hrY2tocEkwUDZLSTNmbm1WRWc&mode=public
Good luck!