How did we end up in March?! + Zach's Sleep Training

I took a trip down south with the boys to see my family!

The laid-back approach to eating lunch...

The 9-hour train journey home...  keeping Oliver busy!!

Reunited! My boys watching the dolphins at Aberdeen harbour

February has been a big baking month for me and Oliver

Ben's Mum came to stay! A lovely break had by all- especially me!

Oliver coaxed Nanny T on to the digger :)

Getting grown up

Ben pointing out lighthouses at Aberdeen beach

An amazing sunny day in Stonehaven

Zach eyes up the icecream

Hoodles playbarn!

Ben and Zachy baby

So all in all a very happy time up here.

Zach's Sleep Training

The past week has been tiiiiring because we finally bit the bullet on Zach's night feeds. He is 9 and a half months old and was in a happy cycle of getting me up four times a night for feeds, every night... so I put my foot down and told him NO MORE MILK IN THE NIGHT. Here is the proof that sleep training works, and it is making us all happier:

Night 1: 
Woke at 10.20pm. We told him 'no more milk, it's sleepy time'... we soothed and left... he cried... after 5 minutes we soothed and left... he cried... 7 minutes... soothed... etc. He fell asleep by himself at 10.55pm. Wahoo! The first time he'd woken and gone back with no milk.
Woke again at 2.35am and we did the same regime... this time he fell asleep after an hour, 3.35am
Woke for good, happily, at 7am.

Night 2:
Woke at 10pm (uh oh) Same regime. This time it only took 13 minutes. Easy peasy.
Woke again at 3.40am... he tested the new regime and was up until 4.50am.
Woke for good at 7.30am.

Night 3:
Woke at 1.50am (wow!) Same thing. Took until 3.35am: zzzzz.
Woke just before 7.30am (HE ONLY WOKE ONCE? Wahoo!)

Night 4:
Woke at 4.35am (!!!!!!!) Same thing. Took until 5.35am, zzz again!
Woke at 7.30am.

Night 5:
Woke at 2.40am (not bad still!) Neaaaarly got himself back to sleep in 15 minutes but then got very cross... ended up practically screaming himself to sleep two hours later (he was calm when we went in though!) That was the saddest night.
Woke at 7am.

Night 6:
Woke at 4.45am(!!!!!) Same thing. Went in four times but it definitely made him worse so decided to leave him to it and fell asleep a lot quicker after that. Maybe 6am?
Woke for good at 8am.

Night 7: 
Woke at 5.40am (woweeeeeee! He was asleep by himself for 10.5 hours!) I went in once and he clearly didn't want me in there and was pushing me away so I left him to it again at 6.15am and he fell asleep happily.
Woke for good at 7.45am.

So! There you go. Some people might think it is unkind, but if you saw how quickly he is soothed once we go in, he really is totally fine. Also, he is happier during the day and I am too, since we are both getting more and more interrupted sleep! More sleep will make him be able to take in more around him, me function better too... wahoo! I can highly recommend, especially since the nights were so interrupted anyway it is not really any worse! Ta-da. Here goes Night 8!