En route mauvaise troupe!

New horizons...

Well, we're basically packed and ready to go. One more sleep, as they say.

I've spent the last few weeks worrying (not constantly) about the flights and the jetlag in both directions but I'm over it now. No more worrying. Let's just get this one day of our lives out of the way and get stuck into some awesome family time, AT HOME!

The routine I hate.

I don't mind routines. We have lots of them throughout the day. I guess that figuring out systems with babies is key to getting through the day so routines naturally develop.

There is one routine though that I really dislike. Hate is a strong word but I am inclined to use it in this case.

Most of the time, Hugo falls asleep while breastfeeding. I then delicately place him in his cot where he usually rolls over and sleeps soundly.

I like that routine but sometimes it doesn't work and so the dreaded routine comes in. This is how it goes:

Hugo feeds for a while and then, for whatever reason, instead of falling asleep, he'll spring back up and start crawling all over me. I try to get him back to business but to no avail. Since it is naptime, I gently put him down in his cot, give him his teddy bear, crank the volume on his sleeping music, give him a kiss and leave the room.

He knows what is about to happen and from the moment I place him in bed, he starts looking panicked until I leave. Then, the real tears begin.

Within seconds, he is standing in the corner of his cot, crying out for me or whoever else will rescue him from the horrible fate of having to nap. If only he was aware of the irony...

At that point, I never know what to do and all the "bad mother" vs "good mother" rhetoric starts spinning around in my head.

Should I go in and pat him even though I know it won't put him to sleep? Should I just go do the dishes and wait until he falls asleep? He's bound to fall asleep eventually, right? Define 'eventually'...

Usually, when the crying gets more intense and he is still firmly standing in the corner, I go in and feed him. By that point, he is so exhausted from crying that he falls asleep within minutes.

I hate it because it feels like a cruel game to let him cry until he is exhausted enough to feed and fall asleep. I wish it didn't have to be so dramatic but I honestly don't know what else to do short of letting him literally cry himself to sleep.

When we come back from our Christmas expedition to France, I think it might be time to devise a plan. Until then, I'll just be glad he doesn't hold grudges.

9 months: as long out as in.

9 months is such an eternity. A friend of mine, who fell pregnant around the time of Hugo's birth is just about to have a baby. Any day now. It's strange and funny to think that we have both been counting the weeks, her with her bulging belly and me, with my growing baby.

We have both come a long way already but it keeps going. Soon, my friend will find it hard to believe she was ever pregnant as she cradles her newborn and Hugo will keep moving on, leaving his current exploits behind without a second thought.

Everyday, I watch Hugo in amazement as he teaches himself the next variation, from his worm-like hopping to crawling to standing to cruising and on and on. He isn't interested in marking any moment in time. He isn't interested in looking back. I sometimes wonder how he knows what to do next. As much as I can, I let him figure things out and he does, slowly and doggedly.

The only time he stops is when he is asleep. It's not always easy to get him there and most of the time, I still feed him to sleep. Once he is asleep, it is so beautiful and peaceful. His naps are quite long at the moment, a well-deserved rest before the next round in his busy little life. He still has two naps a day and they are as vital to him as food and water.

I am almost certain that while there is a genetic element to it, Hugo's calm, easy-going and happy disposition has a lot to do with our peaceful routine day after day. I feel that my job is to organise the universe to minimise interferences with Hugo's needs. Putting him first actually makes my life easier because he is a lot more predictable and meltdowns are few and far between.

My Mum and step-Dad visited us for about 10 days and of course, it went wonderfully. Obviously there is the amazing practical side of having six hands on deck rather than two during the day but more than that, I love the idea of people getting to really know Hugo. With strangers, he doesn't give much away. He doesn't cry but it takes him a little while to get comfortable, laugh, play etc... which is why it's so special when Chris and I aren't the only ones who see Hugo behind-the-scenes.

Last week-end, we celebrated my 31st birthday amongst friends. There was breakfast, cake, music, sushi by the beach. The only thing missing was a sleep-in but you can't have everything. The low-key celebrations brought back memories of last year's festivities. The people haven't changed much but I was the pregnant one then. This year, it seems that just as I regain my pre-pregnancy figure, it is time for some of my close friends to pop. Funny to imagine where we might be in another 9 months...