New routines for Phoebe

Our little poppet is 4 months old tomorrow! How that time has flown! I guess the "new born" phase is wearing off now. Phoebe is chatting, squealing, playing, rolling over and many more things you begin to expect (although each one is still exciting when it happens)!

Jono and I have been starting to think about things for further down the track. Do we want Phoebe to settle herself down to sleep? What about using a dummy? How long should she be sleeping in the day? What about at night?

We have been very blessed with our little girl in that she has always been a pretty good night sleeper. From a few weeks old she would almost sleep through the night! This has changed in the last couple of weeks and it's made me question a little bit more about whether there is something different I am doing or should be doing! So I am trialling some different techniques at the moment.

We had our church camp this weekend! It was a great time of reflection and fellowship. But I bought a book today called "Calm Baby, Confident Mum - A common sense guide to managing your baby". It was recommended by a friend of mine. It is perhaps one of the best books I've read so far on what to expect and ideas. It's easy to read, clear, set out in age based chapters and I have already got some different things to try!

So, what's new! Well, tonight I tried putting Phoebes down and not rocking her to sleep. Normally she protests bed time and cries for a good 10 minutes when you try to put her to sleep. Instead tonight I tried something different. Bath time, cuddle, say good night and into bed. I am a little astounded - she didn't cry, looked at me for a minute or two and then just rolled over and put herself to sleep! Wow. What a change! Now, I don't pretend to think that this will always work but hey, it worked tonight!

The book also suggested a few reasons as to why she may not sleep through the night at the moment, and why day sleeps may be hard to come by. All things to consider and trial!

Anyway, in other news. I've gotten even more excited about my new online store. The *working name* at the moment is Lavender Lullabies (thanks Jem! :D) and I have so many ideas on what I want to make and things. If I get a chance this week I'd like to start to make some prototypes and maybe get some feedback.

The other thing I'm getting excited about is photography. I got a new camera for my birthday (Canon EOS 550D). It takes stunning pictures and I am gradually learning more about how to use it and what makes a good photo. I am so blessed with a family who spoils me - thanks mum, dad, Andrew, Bess and Jono for my great gift! I took a few shots (as seen throughout this post) at camp testing out my manual focus skills and some earlier in the week.

A little plant I found when I was wandering across the campsite!