What do you get when you cross a banshee, a witch and a sloth? A mum of three boys during school holidays.

Yes, I know, your first initial thought might have been “you never look like that on instagram”, true, I take the photos of when I am actually showered, or when I am going out and on my good days, but the rest of the day/time that doesn’t included those days (which is 80%) I am unshowered, in the same clothes as the day before and no makeup. Just wanted to make sure that was clear before we proceed.

So, school holidays have been exhausting, as I mentioned in my last recap. I have been highly anxious and the kids were so feral in the first few weeks but on this side of Christmas, things are a lot better.

Freddie, as you know, since my sleep consultant guided me, has been sleeping soundly at night for around 3 weeks. Even when we went to Lorne (beach house), he was so easy to settle in the port-a-cot for his day naps and he always slept through the night when we were there, even though I was sleeping in the same room as him. We had this little winner! I was soooo impressed with him! What a gorgeous little man, giving his mummy and daddy some sleep and allowing his daddy to return to his bed with mummy and not the couch he has made his bed for the last year. Such a darling… until three days ago.

I have been so strict since Freddie started sleeping through the night, always ensuring his day naps are in his cot (or port-a-cot) and making sure everything is timed correctly and getting home in time to get him to sleep. Last week, I thought I would put the big boys into holiday programs (9-12pm) and I thought I would duck out to get some things done. Seriously, as the story of my life goes, when I try to do something for myself or to get more things done, it starts a chain reaction and something else gets stuffed up. In this case, Freddie’s naps were stuffed up and in turn, lead him to be over-tired and from three days ago, has been waking at night screaming non stop.

I had a doctor give him a once over to ensure he wasn’t sick. All clear! So, his good sleep pattern is un-done and I am battling, firstly, getting him to settle in his cot in the day and night and secondly, he is waking at night AND sometimes refusing his naps. Right now, I am coming up with a plan to spend the rest of the holidays in some sort of balance of ‘get out the house’ for the big kids and be back for the naps. The first solution is to move Freddie’s naps to one nap, which the sleep consultant recommended to me a couple of weeks ago, but I knew he wasn’t ready. Also, to host play dates at my house, so I don’t have to leave, but plan A, regarding the one nap, would be amazing and will be perfect for when school starts.

A quick recap on Freddies sleeping routine:

Wake between 5:30am-7am (if he wakes at 5:30am I will try to re-settle him to sleep until around 6am, then I stop trying, but if he does re-settle before 6am, he might then wake at 7-8am. This is rare, okay, it worked once… like I said…rare)

Before I was trying to give him one nap per day, I would just count 3hours from the time he woke and then I would put him down. He would go down perfectly! Now that I am pushing for one nap, I stretch him out by keeping him busy or fed until around 5hours awake (so if he wakes at 6am- I put him down at 11am)

Freddie will wake, he will have lunch (and I would give him a snack before he goes down for his ‘one day nap’ also).

When he was on two naps, I just timed three hours from when he woke from his last nap, to then put him down for his second but never let him sleep longer than 4pm unless I knew we were going out at night with him for dinner, in that case, I would let him have a little longer (but never over 3hours in total for the day naps).
The one nap, if he woke at 1pm, I count five hours and put him to his big sleep, so 6pm.

Then ideally, he sleeps all night. If he wakes and cries, I let him cry for 6mins and usually he goes back to sleep. If not, then I go in and comfort him by rubbing his back- refer to previous blog post.

Freddie has all his teeth.

Freddie just started to take his first steps! Aston walked at 12 months, Will at 13 months and just like I suspected, Freddie at 14 months. Unlike when he was about to crawl, I am excited for him to walk. When they first learn to crawl, it the beginning of the end for your days of being able to get things done and moments being able to just sit on the couch. I rather the walking stage, he is already active and I am used to not sitting and now I can start dressing him in neater clothes that won’t get knee scuffs and need wash after wash to get the stains out.

Eating wise- Freddie likes weet-bix or scrambled eggs for breakfast, sushi or sandwiches for lunch, cheese and fruit for snacks and loves his lamb and also pasta for dinners.

He has one bottle of milk, before bed.

Freddie is due for a haircut soon, his curls when his hair is wet, go all the way down to his shoulders and most of the time, he looks like the guy with the white hair that sticks out on the sides from Back to the Future, Doc is it?.

Now that Freddie is a toddler, sleeping better, and just in general not a baby, his personality is starting to show through. He is quiet but feisty, he loves being active and has amazing ball skills and fine motor skills. He loves to cuddle now, which is soooo beautiful, he loves to giggle when tickled but also still gives me that ‘angry-baby-from-the-Simpsons’ brow frown, annnnnnnd watching The Wiggles and eating an Arroroot biscuit will calm him down in an instant.