BabyWhispererForums.com
SLEEP => Sleeping For Toddlers => Topic started by: Rebecca247 on January 03, 2010, 21:48:04 pm
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I have no idea how many times i have posted the same post, Max finally seems to be sleeping great for a few weeks/months then BANG he's back into terrible sleeping habbits which leave me with no idea how it really happens! I'm suffering terribly this morning with lack of sleep and feel like i am not going to make it thru the day! I felt like i saw every few hours last night! :(
Max goes to sleep really well on his own in his cot every night (he does have a milk bottle b4 bed) I know that everyones advice will be too get rid of the bottle, I'm not quite sure how to go about that (abit scared :()
Generally he is in bed at 7.30/8.00pm every night but then he wakes about 11.30/12.00 and asks for another bottle. The last few nights i have been offering him water and making him go back to sleep which takes a little while.....once he finally resettles he wakes again a few hours later and asks again for a bottle and wants to come our bed. Usually if he wakes around 5ish I do give him a bottle and take him in with us just for some decent sleep! I know thats not ideal but i need sleep to function and i shouldnt give the bottle but he is a terrible eater al day so i'm thinking he is slightly hungry its a vicious cycle i know cos having bottles during the night effects his daytime eating! i have been thru this so many times, he is turning 2 next week so he should be sleeping right thru the night, I havet had a decent sleep in almost 2 years!
Any advice will be greatly appreciated, it makes me feel like such a failure as I have 2 older kids who are 8 and 6 so i should be able to handle baby #3 but he has been completely different.....
Bek
xxxx
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Is he falling asleep with his bottle in his mouth? Or he has a bottle just before bedtime?
My advice is pretty harsh but I would go cold turkey on all bottles between bedtime and morning. If he needs water he can help himself. I would talk to him through the day about how there are no more bottles at night, he needs to wait until morning. To signify morning, you could put a little nightlight on a timer set to come on at 6.30am (or whatever you consider to be a reasonable time), or one of those specialist sleep aid clocks. Show it to him, show how it works, tell him that when the light is off that means it's night time and time to stay quiet in his cot. When the light comes on, that means it's morning and time to get up.
I'd leave a non-spill sippy of water in his cot with him, point it out and let him know he can have water if he wakes up in the night. But there are no bottles.
How are you getting him back to sleep when he wakes in the night?
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Hi anna, thanks for your reply. xx
he doesnt fall asleep with his bottle in his mouth, he lays in the cot and drinks it then yells out for us to take it away when hes done, then he turns his aquarium on himself and falls asleep, but the wakes up, sometimes i think he wakes more then a newborn! :(
the last few nights I have been putting a sippy with water in the cot with him and when he wakes at 11.30/12.00 i offer it to him, he will sip it but when i walk away he starts to cry, I leave him to whinge and whine in the cot, the only time i go in is when he gets upset which isnt much, its mostly just a whingy cry, nothing over the top. he settles back down but only for a few hours and he's back up again about 5am! So do you think he still shouldnt be having a bottle at 5am i should push it out til at least 6.30am???
If I do the 6.30am he will drink it and fall back to sleep a he usually sleeps til after 8am (yay)
I do expect that to change once he starts sleeping thru the night as he wont be so tired
He has a slight cough and runny nose at the moment so It makes me feel bad for making him have a whinge, but i have given him panadol so he wouldnt be in any pain, and If i dont do something now then there will always be an excuse, i will just keep putting it off!
Thanks again Anna xxx
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Hey sweetie,
Sorry you are having issues again!! We have just had a shocker of a week with Dyllan too not settling down and waking constantly all night. After about a week of this he came in with a tummy bug, so was obviously on the way down and that is what our problem was!
Like Anna, I wouldn't give ANY bottles in the cot, I would actually give him his bottle on the couch then do his teeth and then put him to bed. Explain to him how we don't have bottles in the cot anymore, but his sippy is right there if he feels thirsty in the night :) You have done this successfully before sweetie so don't be scared of doing it again, I know you can do it :)
You are a wonderful mum by the way, you really are. Hang in there lovely xx
Hugs
Lizzie
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Agree with other ladies. I wouldn't give bottles during the night either. I'm on the fence about the last bottle in the cot as its part of his routine and he isn't falling asleep on it so I think thats upto you but I guess you have to cut it out at some stage. I'd tell him that there is no more milk after that until breakfast time.
I was always really paranoid about my LO being hungry but now that we have had several really bad eating days with teething she has still slept ok so I am confident in not feeding her in the night and offering more food the next day. I wouldn't give a bottle at 6.30, I'd leave it until he's up for the day otherwise you may find he'll start wakening earlier for it and you'll be back where you started.
You can do this. I remember how great you felt when he starting STTN the last time. Hopefully that'll give you some motivation to get there again xx
We've had the most ridiculous NWs here the last week (think combination of cough, teeth and being out and about lots over Christmas) for 2-3 hours at a time so i'm starting to tackle that tonight as I was just taking her into my bed (so lazy I know). My LO slept in my dads last night with my sister and she phoned earlier to LO she was asleep at 8.20, woke at 6am for a hug apparently and slept to 10.15am!!! Wee rascal!
Siobhan x
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I'd talk it up that there are going to be no more bottles in bed. A bottle before bed, then brush teeth, then a story and sleep. If he wakes in the night and needs water, he doesn't need you to offer it to him - if he's crying, you can walk in, say 'there is water in your cup if you want it', and then leave him to it. It sounds to me like he's trying it on to see when he can get a bottle. If you tell him there is no milk until morning, and stick to it, my bet is that pretty soon he'll give up on whining for it.
I wouldn't give him any bottles until wake up time. If his day runs 8am-8pm, then no milk til 8am. I would also give him that first milk of the day in a sippy, if he doesn't take much then no dramas, he can just eat more for breakfast.
Could also be worth a check of your routine, how is his napping?
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Just wanted to throw in....You said he's a terrible eater during the day b/c of the bottles during the night etc. etc. Cyclic and all. Since YOU feel guilty that he may be hungry....could you try offering him food/snacks/milk MORE often during the day than you do now, for a day or two? If he's playing for instance, could you hand him a sippy of milk or a couple of crackers. It's probably not necessary but would make YOU feel better about NOT giving in at night?????
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Agree with Nicole - a BIG snack before bed, like maybe a banana or some porridge/rice pudding or a peanut butter toast or something - will just give you that reassurance that he's really not that hungry.
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Thats a great idea, we often have a bowl of porridge before bed if we've had a rubbish eating day.
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Thanks so much to all you gorgeous ladies for the great advice and words of encouragement. I know i can do it as we have beforehand i just need to find the willpower within i think!
I will definately from tonight (as we are home for once) offer the milk on the couch not the cot (worth a try) and see how he goes!
Since he is such a terrible eater and NEVER asks for food this sounds terrible but I sometimes forget to offer him food as he rejects everything anyway!
So i will start to offer more during the day, he has just woken up from a 1.5hr nap which he had milk before he went to bed but he hadnt eaten anything all morning except one bite of toast and a few shreds of grated cheese! he isnt 100% well either so a trip to the Dr wont go astray just incase he has a sore throat or something, his cough is quite croupy!
I will go and offer him some yoghurt or something now and see how we go!
Thanks again ladies you are all truely amazing! xxx
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Hope it goes well. It stinks when they're not eating well.
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Well he got the all clear at the Dr's today, nothing wrong with him at all :) yay.....
So the NEW routine started tonight!
He actually ate a full bowl of beef and veggie risotto for dinner and a tub of yoghurt (yay yay again)
He then had his bath and DH read his book to him twice and i gave him his bottle on the couch while he was catching up with DH after he finished work, I took him to the bathroom and we brushed teeth, he was quite happy to take his sippy of water to bed and he went straight to sleep.....So that part of the routine went reasonably well i think! :) I'm sure it wont be so easy at 2 or 3 or 4 or 5am but hey we will conquer that, i'm abit more positive about it tonight!
I told him there is no more milk in the cot and he wont be having any during the night, he repeated what i said, so we will soon see!
Thanks again Ladies, i couldnt get thru these times without you all!
xxxxx
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(((hugs))) Rebecca, I'm sure it will be a few rough nights but hopefully he may surprise you!
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Sending you "stay strong and stick it out" vibes...it's so hard to stick with a plan at 2, 3, 4, 5am...I know.
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Glad he was so happy to have his milk on the sofa! Good boy Max!!
Hope the night went well xxx
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The night went reasonably well, he woke at midnight and asked for a bottle when i went to him, i told him no more bottles in the cot and he started to cry a little so i just layed him down and walked away, he whinged off an on, a few times he let out a little scream but it was just in anger so i left him, he didnt take long at all to resettle, he then woke at 3.30 and same thing happened until he woke at 5.30 and came in with us, he asked for a bottle but i just told him not until the morning and he slept until almost 8.30am which was good! We went to the pool this morning and he had a ball and came home very exhausted so i'm hoping when he wakes he wants something to eat because he still hasnt eaten a great deal even after having no bottles! But its only day one, things should improve all around in a few more days
Thanks so much for all the hugs and vibes, they are greatly appreciated!
xxx
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Hey that is really good going! Well done! :-* Stay with it and keep us posted.
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That sounds like a great start!!! I had to laugh at him screaming out in anger though when you said no bottles in the cot! Wee monkey!
Keep up the hard work! Very soon to Max's birthday!! What day will he be a big 2?
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They sure do "voice" their opinions don't they?
Fantastic job sticking with it!
Hope it continues to improve.
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Last night was even better, he still woke at midnight but when i went in and told him to lay down, he did it straight away without complaining, he had a small sip of water and went straight back to sleep, NO crying, NO screaming, I was amazed! :)
yes Shiv he is a wee monkey for the screaming, just goes to show how much they understand.
He will be the big 2 on monday, time does fly! having a big elmo party this year!
Thanks so much everyone
xxx
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Great boy Max!! Sounds like it won't take long at all Bek!
And you're right about the understanding. They understand so much more than we give them credit for half the time! Elmo party sounds brilliant!!!
Keep up the hard work!
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Awesome. DD LOVES Elmo so that should be a blast.
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Well last night wasnt as good! :( he had a huge meltdown at 3am that lasted for ages and ages! we dont mind him coming in our bed early hours in the morning, but just with NO bottles, so i bought him in and then he started crying to go into the cot again, so i put him back in there, then he was crying out to come into our bed, I bought him back in and he cried for the cot so dh took him back into the cot and we left him to whinge and whine it out with a few angry screams and at one stage he was even yelling out 'help me".....lol which was very cute!
He slept until 8am after that and had a full weetbix and some fruit, so we are making progress, just wasnt prepared for a 3am meltdown last night. Hoping tonight goes better as dh goes away over night saturday night and not looking forward to doing it on my own with all the kiddies in the house!
This morning dh is setting up and early bday pressie for Max, and elmo table and chairs set, I'm hoping it will encourage him to sit and eat more! :) heres hoping!
Thanks again gorgeous ladies!
xxxx
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((((hugs)))) Stick with it, it's so hard when they are more vocal and are crying for 'help' - poor sweetie ;) :-*
I'm sure he was just testing to see if you're really serious about this 'no bottles' business.
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Yeah i think he's just trying to work out if you really mean it!
Its hard when they are asking for help! We're getting lots of 'oh dear, i sad' and 'oh no, tears' here and it does tug at the heart strings! Unfortunately for Miss Maeve I have grown wise to her tricks!!
Hope Max like his table! Sounds very cool!
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Thanks Shiv and Anna, I'm sure he is just testing me cos when he woke this morning at 8 he said "bot bot now Mummy" so he does understand! I offered him water this morning and he ate more brekkie! :)
He loves his table and he has been sitting at it on and off since we set it up, he has eaten more aswell, at the moment he is sitting with his sister and they are both eating yoghurt with strawberries! He has whinged alot this morning but i'm putting it down to the meltdown last night and he will be going to bed in about 40 minutes if he lasts that long!
thanks again
xxxx
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Too cute!
It really sounds like you're getting more calories into him during the day....excellent.
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Thanks Nicole, I'm really trying too, he lasted the 40 minutes (just) til nap time but was OT because he didnt settle and wanted more milk :( arrrgghhh.....so i gave him a tiny bit more and he went to sleep.
DH has gone to do some food shopping and is going to get Max's fave chicken meat so hopefully he will have a nice snack when he wakes!
I'm feeling tired right now so maybe a little 'mummy' nap is just what i need!
Thanks again sweet
xxxx
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oooh mommy naps are nice! I am back at work so not getting them right now.
I think it's better he's wanting milk (even if just before nap) during the day.
I hope he enjoys his chicken! I think it's DD's fave. ( I recently let her have some with ketchup to dip...mmmmm she kept re-dipping the same pieces! LOL)
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aww thats cute, Chicken meat is Max's fave and grated cheese. I have tried normal cheese cut up small but NOPE has to be grated!
funny little things
xx
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Hey gorgeous,
Sounds like you are doing a brilliant job, well done!!! Knew you could do it!!! He will get there, just keep it up :) Honestly some of them eat like sparrows, but they still seem to grow and do well...it really is a good sign that he eats a good variety even if it isn't huge quantities :)
Lots of love to you all, especially on Monday (we are in the process of moving so will be a bit scarce!)...big hugs sweetheart
xxLizzie
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aww hey Liz, been missing you my special friend hope your well?
I'm slowly getting there I think, really need it down pat as we are going away in march for a wedding and leaving all 3 kiddies with MIL :-\ she is fantastic with them but I have never EVER EVER left max at all, so i will be a mess.....But my baby cousin is getting married and i wont miss it for the world, but we are only doing a quick over night trip!
Thanks for the well wishes for monday, I cant wait for the party but scares me that hes turning TWO :'( :'( :'(
i'll post again tomorrow about our night tonight, fingers crossed theres no meltdowns!
xxxx
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Ok so last night was better, much better he actually didnt wake for the first time until 5.30am this morning, i was really happy with that. He came in with me as DH was up getting ready for his fishing trip and he went back to sleep until 8am
So yay Max, hopefully he keeps on that track. he hasnt eaten much this morning though :( he is too busy playing all the time. I feel like i have to follow him aroud and pop food into his mouth all day!
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Thats great progress! Well done Bek!!
I think at this age they are almost too busy to eat. Too much else to be doing!! Hopefully he'll get hungrier as the day goes on!
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well he ended up eating a full weetbix at 9.45am before we went out :)
then we went to my mums after shopping and he had a sandwhich for lunch and then some of my lunch, so he caught up!
:) :) :)
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So glad to hear he's doing well.
I am going to follow my own advice though and stop letting my own DD take milk at night. It's not a usual occurrence, but when she does wake she requests "milk" and I think DH and I are going to offer her water or nothing and try to make that a non-appealing thing so we don't end up with a bad habit.
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Yay!!! Good boy Max!!
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Thanks Shiv he is doing well, we had another great night last night :) today we are in the process of getting party preparations on the way for the BIG 2 year old tomorrow :(
Nicole, its amazing how quick a habbit happens isnt it! I would def offer water aswell, and since its been very very very hot here offering water is alot better for Max anyway!
Its very very very hot today and i cant believe i am in the kitchen baking cakes in the HOT oven.....the things we do for our little treasures!
Lucky its a pool party tomorrow! :)
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Thrilled you'd another great night!
On a completely different topic, I find this time difference so strange. You are always up and about when I'm headed to bed! I have cousins in oz and was talking to one of them on facebook last week as it was her birthday and she was up and already in work, having had a birthday breakfast but here it wasn't even midnight so not her birthday in my eyes yet!!
Good luck with the cake baking!! Is he getting an Elmo cake?! I'm dreading Maeve being 2 (not until April but still). Just seems such a big age. Pool party sounds great though!! It so cold here that I can barely be bothered going out.
Good luck with all the party prep and yay for Max for being so co-operative with having no bottles!! He's the best boy!
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I hate winter. It's soooo cold here right now.
Rebecca-The last time she did ask I told her it was night time and the milk was sleeping. or something to that effect. She went back to sleep so that was good. I can't even imagine her being 2 yet. That really is something.
:)
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Oh Gee Shiv and Nicole, i do love the summer but the huge heatwave we are experiencing at the moment really makes me wanna jump on a plane and come visit you guys in the cold! :)
My fabulous friend is very clever at bday cakes so she is making him an elmo cake, I am just doing little cupcakes, but i have some "little" helpers so i have no idea how many will be left when i'm done!
I'm also ordering him a HUGE elmo balloon from the party shop, he will love it!
Wow Nicole I didnt think of saying the milk was asleep, thats a great one, I'll use that if i need too...
Thanks.
I'm on facebook too Shiv, we should become friends, you can look me up if you want
Rebecca Ravlich Berg...xxxxx
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I'll do that Bek xx
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Stole the idea from somewhere else....I can't remember where (a thread on here I'm sure). My mom used a similar idea with her when she watched her last Sat. night and she didn't want to go to sleep. "Your baby went nite nite. Your kittycat went nite nite. Grandma has to go nite nite. Ludo (her dog) went nite nite. Now Ava has to go nite nite." and she went back downstairs and Ava did indeed go nite nite....after she yelled "close it. Close it." and apparently wanted the bedroom door closed all the way. ;)
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aww thats gorgeous, we have to say nite nite to everyone here too before Max goes to sleep! :)
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Happy Birthday Max!
Enjoy the pool party!
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Thanks so much Nicole xxx
We had a FULL nights sleep thru last night too, how good is that! I was so so pround of my little 2 year old!
Happy Birthday Max xxxx
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Wooooooooooo hoooooooo!! Hurray for the full nights sleep!
HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY MAX!!! Enjoy your Elmo party!!
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Fantastic!!! Happy Birthday big boy Max!! :-*
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Thanks for Max's bday wishes, he has had a great day so far, a little morning tea with my family this morning and lots of pressies, now hes napping, all tired out... Hope he has a good sleep for his party!
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Hope the birthday boy was all revived for his party!!
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wow what a day, we had a very very very busy day but it was oh so much fun. the joy on his face when we sang happy birthday to him, he had a fantastic time! mummy is sad he is growing up but also looking forward to all the new adventures and milestones he will have! :)
he was totally exhausted tonight so i'm hoping for a good night!
xxx
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So pleased to hear you'd a great day!!! Looking forward to some photos!!
Hope he has a good nights sleep! Am sure you are exhausted too x
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It sounds like it went well. So glad he enjoyed hearing his birthday song. Good that he was exhausted by the end rather than hyped up and overstimulated. Will be crossing my fingers that he has a good night for you.
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we had a SUPER FANTASTIC night! :) He slept all night in his cot, i heard him yell out to me at 2.30am but when i finally got up and in there is was asleep again then i woke at 7.30am startled as he wasnt in my bed, he was still snoring in the cot and didnt wake til 8am! yay how good is that, turning 2 must have done it! :)
He didnt eat anything after he woke though so thats still a tad disappointing, i thought his appetite would have picked up abit but oh well i'm sure it will
Siobhan I put pics of party on facebook, unsure how to get any on here!
xxxx
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OMG ladies getting very excited now, this is the 3rd night in a row that he slept thru without waking in the cot. Its now 7.30am and he's still sleeping (in the cot) yay yay yay......
We have been leaving his up for an extra 45 minutes and it seems to be working! :)
yay yay yay!!!!!!
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Awesome! I'll take that as a sign that you've cracked it. :) :)
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oh i hope so Nic, i really hope so......:)
Thanks so much!
xxx
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Wow!!!! Good boy Max!!
Checked out photos!! Looked like a fab party! LOVED the Elmo table and chairs. And how fab was that cake!
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Thanks it was a fab cake, she did an awesome job! He had a great time
Last night was pretty good again, he did wake about 1pm and asked for a drink so when i went to get him one by the time i got back to his room he was asleep again..:)
Then the loudest truck went past my house at 6am (how rude) and woke him up so he came in an went back to sleep with me :) snuggle time!
So all in all was another good night! :)
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Awh nice to have snuggle time!! So pleased you had another good night! I think this is the start of lots of good nights of sleep!!
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I wanna see FB pics of the Elmo party!
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do you have FB Nicole, you can add me if you do and then see all the pics...
Rebecca Ravlich Berg! xxx
I dont know how to add photos to BW
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Yes I do..I'm Nicole Buttery so I will find you on there and check them out!
OR FB can't seem to find you for me. :( I'll try again later...or you can find me.
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I had bother adding you too Bek. FB doesn't seem to find you. I think in the end I typed just your surname. Do your settings allow you to be searched for?
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ooooh I have no idea i will check it out...Sometimes DH gets in and changes settings as I had an ex add me as a friend once and it didnt go down too well so he might have changed some settings without me knowing! ::) men and jealsousy!
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LOL!! Men indeed!!