Posts Tagged "Channel 5"

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Posted by cafebebemama on Dec 2, 2009 in Sleep Deprivation | 28 comments

Little Miss & Daddy- 2 Days Old

Not that I watch daytime television…seriously I don’t…we’re perpetually programmed onto Cbeebies from 9am-Whenever…but yesterday there was an interesting topic on the programme “The Wright Stuff” on Channel 5.  The topic was “Does your partner hear the baby crying at night?”.  Discuss!

I have asked this question in my head a number of times and out loud once or twice.  We have struggled with sleeping since Little Miss was 4 months old and went into her own room and into her own cot from the Moses basket.  It’s obviously more ME struggling as I COULD use all the sleep techniques in the world to allow her to sleep and settle better but I am a melty heart kind of Mummy who can’t bear to hear her baby crying.  Little Miss is a bit better now but she readily wakes throughout the night, calling for Mummy.  I lumber out of bed, shuffle into her room, tap on the night light, rummage around her bed for the dummy which has been lost and plug her back in.  9 times out of 10, she immediately re-settles with a gentle stroke on her tummy or back and back I shuffle.  9 times out of 10, this first waking occurs approximately 18 minutes after her Daddy and I go to bed.  Sweet.

In 18 months of parenting, I can count the number of times my hubby has gotten up to her on one hand.  I had decided, early on in this parenting game, that I didn’t mind “taking one for the team” as my husband had to work in the morning and I didn’t.  I still subscribe to this theory but there are times, when I have gotten up for the fourth time in the night and am shuffling back to bed, that I’m more than a bit cheesed off.  I usually settle into our bed with a mighty “HARUMPH” which is intended to communicate my frustration…sometimes he notices, usually he doesn’t.  Now, I’m not whinging about my husband, really, because we have talked about this several times and his honest reply is “I just don’t hear her!”.  So that’s my question…WHY DON’T DADDIES HEAR THEIR CHILDREN CRYING??

Maybe this is different for the Daddies who stay at home with their children?  Are they the ones with ultra-sonic hearing as opposed to the Mummies?  In these glorious 18 months of parenting, I have not had ONE uninterrupted night’s sleep.  Some nights we’re lucky- only 1 waking and only a semi-ridiculous o’clock rising from Little Miss.  Generally it’s more like 2-3 wakings in the night which require my attention.  Yes, I know, I can hear you…just let her CRY IT OUT!  Well, I can’t…and thus have created my own mini personal hell.  I have learned to survive on only maybe 5 hours of sleep in total each night (that’s a good night).  I don’t remember what it’s like to sleep through…will I ever again??  My husband, in fairness, is very good when Little Miss wakes in pain or poorly (nasty teeth!!).  He has always supported me and helped to get medicine down Little Miss when we needed to or held her while I ran around getting supplies.  In the early days, he would doze next to me while I fed Little Miss her bottles in our bed but soon I stopped that as I knew he needed the sleep in order to function at work the next day.  I love my hubby dearly and think he’s an amazing father but I would, just for one week maybe, like to switch ears with him so I could catch up on 18 months of sleep deprivation.  I know if would look a bit funny but I have a feeling that I would be a much brighter person on a wee bit more sleep.

So, how does it work in your household?  Is your partner helpful with night-time wakings?  Do you flop down in the bed with a mighty HARUMPH when returning to bed?  Do you remember what it’s like to have an uninterrupted night of sleep?  Would you like to come to my house and be my night nanny?

WotWots Mania

Posted by cafebebemama on Oct 8, 2009 in Little Miss Adventures, Travelling Adventures | 2 comments

Tuesday 29 September, Little Miss and I (and two of our best mates) had the immense pleasure of attending a special launch event for the WotWots at London Zoo.  What is a WotWot?  Many people are asking this!  If you have a child under the age of three and follow Channel 5′s Milkshake in the mornings, you will know the answer.  For those of you who don’t, visit this site for more audiovisual information: Channel 5 or WotWots Official Site.  We had a gorgeous day with lots of sun and a lovely visit around the zoo thanks to The Great Toy Guide who we were representing.  Little Miss adores the WotWots and she got to get a taste of what they’re like up close and personal…

On top of meeting the WotWots, Little Miss got to meet the co-creator, Martin Bayton, and the Channel 5′s Milkshake presenters!

The event was a brilliant one, open initially to competition winners and journalists (I’d like to think I was a journalist!) and later to the public.  We were welcomed by event staff and co-creator, Martin Baynton himself!  After a quick nappy change for Little Miss in a makeshift baby-changing room, we entered the room.  There were bean bags all over the floor near the giant video screen and lots of kid-sized tables around the room with colouring pages, Playdoh and other crafty activities to keep the kids occupied.  There was also a face-painter who was painting absolutely gorgeous things on kids faces.  If I thought Little Miss would sit still long enough, I would have let her get her face painted.  Little Miss and her best mate enjoyed the bean bags while the others got their faces painted!  The event itself got underway with a VERY ENERGETIC intro and song from the Milkshake presenters (God, if I had 1/8 of their energy I could get so much more accomplished in a day) and then co-creator Martin Baynton came out to talk about the WotWots.

We also had the immense pleasure of meeting the series narrator, Nicholas Parsons which was quite an honour.  The WotWot’s even made an appearance and amazingly enough, Little Miss readily went to them and gave them some kisses.  This is quite impressive and says a lot for the pull of the WotWots as she won’t always go to people unless she knows them well and is REALLY SURE about them.  After the presenter festivities, we were treated to a new WotWots episode and then were sent out to forage throughout the zoo on a treasure hunt.  The goal was to visit 7 sites around the zoo to figure out a secret word (WotWots was the word…that wasn’t hard to figure out) and accumulate WotWots figurine parts to create our own WotWot.  This was good fun for the adults while the kids had fun seeing all the animals.  Once we completed the scavenger hunt, we finished back at the main stage room, received our little press packs (full of delightful bits and bobs) and were free to enjoy the zoo for the remainder of the day.  The big highlight after the WotWots was feeding time at the penguin exhibit.  The girls thoroughly enjoyed the day and the Mummies had quite the laugh as well.  A great time was had by all with the WotWots and the London Zoo.  Do go to the zoo someday soon, if you can, and check out Channel 5′s The Wot Wots next time you’re up at ridiculous o’clock with your toddler.  You’ll get a good laugh and your child will love it as well.

London Calling

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 27, 2009 in Little Miss Adventures, Travelling Adventures | 3 comments

Little Miss and I are hitting the big town this week!  Want to know what we’re doing?

Monday we’re heading down to Covent Garden for a very special press conference.  You can find out more about the reason and the cause by clicking HERE.  I will be writing about the specifics after the event.  It’s a very special event for a wonderful cause.  Watch this space for more.

Tuesday, Little Miss and our best mates will be heading down to London Zoo for a special launch of the Wot Wots range of toys from Playskool.  To learn more about The Wot Wots, click HERE.  We’ll be attending a special launch event where we’ll get to see/meet Channel 5′s Milkshake presenters, the creators of the WotWots and see some of the shows.  We are attending the event on behalf of The Great Toy Guide and will be reviewing the toys in the Goodie Bag we will receive in addition to blogging about our adventure to the Zoo.  Little Miss is CRAZY for animals and quite LOVES The WotWots so it should be a banner day all around- as long as it doesn’t R..A..I..N (shhh, don’t say it!).  Have a look at the cute WotWots:

Dotty & Spotty Wot

So, it will be a busy beginning of the week for Little Miss and Mummy…I’ll keep you posted on our adventures and please come back for more information about Pampers/UNICEF on Monday evening.  Anything you’d recommend seeing in London while we’re there?