I guess I was getting smug or something. Maddles had gone from waking up twice a night to once a night, and the time she was waking was getting later and later in the morning. We even had one night where she slept for seven hours straight. And yes, despite the warnings from everyone who has children, I was hoping that this was going to continue.
It hasn't.
Since we've returned to Melbourne we are back on bi-nightly wakings. And as someone said to me going back to this almost makes you wish you'd never had a taste of seven hour sleeps. You get a tantilising glimpse and then they're whisked away. Now I'm wondering what went wrong. Is it me? Is it us? Is it some minute variation in our day that has brought this about? And if so, which one? It has been suggested to me that she going through a growth spurt. Ah... the growth spurt. It seems to be used as an excuse for just about every change in young Maddles that we encounter. She's sleeping a lot = growth spurt. Not sleeping = growth spurt. Crying more = growth spurt. Forgetting to take out the rubbish bins = growth spurt. The only thing I hate being told more is that it (ie whatever is happening) wind. Arghh! And it's impossible to dispute! The irony is that I was worried that going to Adelaide would mess up her 'routine' (whatever that is) because she would be shunted around from house to house and keeping different hours. But she slept much better in Adelaide than she has ever slept here. Perhaps she finds routine tiresome. Perhaps she craves variety. I dunno.
But still, there have been other good things. Things that once the crust has dropped from my eyes and I've resigned myself to being Up For The Day remind me why I'm doing this. The smiles are nice - really nice (especially the wide open gummy ones), and in the last couple of days there have been some very, very cute gurgling sounds. Hers are almost as cute as mine.
Smiles and gurgles. Does this really make up for having no sleep? Clearly, I am insane.
On a completely different topic: yesterday I blearily wheeled her into our local bookshop and almost knocked over a Go Girls book display with all the titles on show. The one I wrote last year is there, along with the fresh new sparkly-covered one called Back to School. At the moment you get a free tote bag with every Go Girl purchase. What more could you ask for? (besides, of course, seven hours straight sleep).
