Sleep... what on earth is that??

OK, I am joking, because actually, compared to his big sister, Matthew sleeps beautifully at night, well apart from the past three weeks which those who "know" call the 4 month growth spurt, where he has just been awake in the night, and not wanting to sleep, despite Mama begging, pleading and otherwise...! He is back to sleeping at night, but during the day THIS BOY WILL NOT SLEEP! He literally nap for 20 minutes, 30 if I am lucky, which is not a heck of a lot.... I barely get anything done, and poor Em is getting a bit neglected! (thank goodness she goes to nursery, or she would be hooked on CBeebies, as I seem to spend a lot of my time either frantically trying to tidy, or trying to persuade her brother to go back to sleep when he has decided a 20 minute cat nap is sufficient!)  All my friends tell me it will pass, except for one honest friend, Nina who cheerfully told me that her second son was a bad napper, and he didn't improve! Thanks Nina, at least I am not living in la la land and you can console me  when Kim and Aggie (How Clean is Your House?) come to my house to fumigate and clean it because I haven't had time to even find the vacuum cleaner much less use it, and I need a shoulder to cry on!
OK, maybe I shouldn't moan, he does sleep at night, but oh, when I hear people tell me he "should" be taking at least 2 long naps in the day, I just laugh, and say "tell him that, please?"

I give up, entirely. My home will slowly get messier, I will just let Emily loose with the pile of paper to be filed, and let her learn to use the shredder, because lets face it, I so don't have time to sit and file all the bank statements, insurance documents and important paperwork. I will randomly clean bits of the house when I find a spare moment, and Matthew will probably develop an early appreciation for Barbie dolls and play dough as I bounce him on my lap when he is tired and whiny, (from, ahem, not napping) whilst trying to spend time with his big sister, who it has to be said, has handled his arrival and the fact that her Mummy gets little time with her right now, remarkably well.

My son wont sleep, but heck, he is very cute, sociable, ahead of himself in his developmental milestones, and weighs 19lb and 7oz at 5 months. I cant win them all I guess. Now I am off to hunt down a clean pair of boxers for my poor husband, who has given up asking "is there any clean underwear" and has started bringing home chocolate more regularly for his frazzled wife, because he knows that sometimes only chocolate will do when I haven't stopped all day!


Oh and before all the sleep "experts" out there chime in... I am not prepared to leave him to cry, it breaks my heart, makes my boobs leak (sorry, t.m.i but that's how it is) and we have tried swaddling, rocking, singing, patting, shushing, and all the "techniques" out there. He will nap if I lay on the bed with him, but that is not practicable, I am pretty sure social services would question if I just go to bed for 2 large blocks of the day with Matthew and leave Emily to her own devices (maybe I could train her to clean the house?) so for now, I give up, we soldier on, and one day (I hope and pray) he will do nice long naps for his Mama, and life will feel more under control!

Good night all, I need to go and do all the things I don't get to do in the daytime, then head to bed! Til next time.....