There's a New Sheriff in Town

Dearest Lili,
I still love you more than life itself, and I still believe you are just about the cutest little chicken there ever was, but I am tired... and I think I am done with giving you a full bottle of milk in the middle of the night EVERY night! 

(Happy Lil' in her cot!! The fact that she is not in my bed is HUGE.   I also just realised that it looks like a circus in there-- complete with El Elefante looking on from the corner.)

Several weeks ago I foolishly bragged about how Lili had slept through the night, but obviously that didn't last.  Yesterday when my favorite health visitor, Sharon, came for a visit, she confirmed that my roly-poly, Botticelli baby really shouldn't require night feeds anymore.  She weighs nearly seventeen pounds, for heaven's sake!  So last night...or this morning, rather, just before 4 am, Lili was offered a nice bottle of water when she woke up.  She drank a few ounces and drifted back to sleep until almost 6:00, at which point I happily served up as much milk as she could chug.  That's more like it!

Sharon, wise nursery nurse that she is, suggested that if she's only offered water, Lili soon won't bother to wake up anymore.  We shall see, but I definitely think we are making progress...especially since Lili spent about half of the night in her own crib (instead of tucked up right next to me).

(Sharon, our brilliant health visitor)

In other news, Sophie is still looking forward to her birthday... only one week now.  Last night she made a "Happy Birthday" banner for herself.  Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands, you know.  She accidentally drew only five candles on the cake, and when I pointed out that she was actually going to need SIX candles this year, her jaw dropped as if she had never been so shocked.  A sixth candle was immediately squeezed in, but I am still feeling a bit shocked about it all.  Can she really be turning six!?  I plan to enjoy the last week of "five."  Next week, we shall see how "six" feels, but today she is still five, and five is pretty fantastic!