Thursday, 6 February 2014: Three Hundred and Eleven Days Old.

I think I’d better start today’s blog at the beginning… 12am.

After going down to bed at 9pm, by 12am Ayla had already woken once for a feed.

By 6am, the time Ayla decided to get up for the day, she’d been awake nearly every hour.

Needless to say when I emerged from the bedroom and met Ayla’s Great Grandma in the kitchen my eyes were hanging out of my head and my skin was pale.

Ayla on the other hand kick started the day with even more than her usual gusto; squealing, crawling, climbing and playing like she’d been sleeping soundly on a bed of clouds to the sounds of angels singing.

Ayla’s overwhelming excitement meant that breakfast became some sort of ordeal and she refused to eat any of the fresh fruits and toast that she’s always looked forward to.

Great Grandma got on the tin pot lids and made up a distraction so that I could at least get some mashed banana into Ayla via a spoon, because given the hourly feeds all night I was completely drained.

At 9am Ayla was ready to return to bed and I welcomed the opportunity to catch up on some sleep! The long night meant I was now fighting off some kind of flu and without sleep I felt like I was going to implode.

But alas…. Precisely 37 minutes after going to bed Ayla was up again.

Thankfully Great Grandma came to the rescue and took Ayla out for a walk in her pram around the retirement village.

Their adventures gave me a good hour of shut eye and when I awoke I found my baby and my grandma playing happily in the lounge.

The smile on Great Grandma’s face was priceless – she and Ayla had seen ducks, and fish, and met a man with a puppy dog, and Ayla had been introduced to a few of Great Grandma’s neighbours.

The two girls had had a lovely morning of quality time, catching up on lost time, and I know it’ll leave lasting memories for all three of us.