How to be helpeful at 4am
Posted on 17th July 2008 by Andy
Evening all. A couple of things. Firstly - hope you are all well. Sorry it’s been a while. We’ve been kind of busy lately and I’m finding it hard to type one handed while changing a nappy with the other hand and testing the temperature of the bath water with the other.
Secondly - Isaac remains an awesome blessing. The past few weeks have been pretty tough but the best tough we have ever faced. Even better than Hulk Hogan and he’s tough… A little bit of advice though. The other night we had had little sleep. It got to around 4am (I think - to be honest I’m making the times up as I can’t really remember) and I was asleep. I was going to put ‘we were all asleep’ so I didn’t look too bad but I think it might have just been me as Isaac awoke from his sleep in his Moses basket and started crying.
Before I go any further I will just warn you - this post is about to get x-rated as I will explain our sleeping arrangements. I sleep on one side of the bed, Isaac sleeps by the window and Sian sleeps between us… so Isaac is on the other side of the room from me. That’s kinda important.
Anyway - Isaac started crying and I did what every loving father would do and put on my best ’soothing a baby voice’ and said “sssh sssh sssh” (in what I thought was a cute way - not a telling off way). I didn’t move though. I just went “sssh sssh sssh”. At this point Sian, who may not have been asleep and may have been a bit more fed up with the crying than my sssh sssh sssh would indicate I was said something along the lines of “There’s no use shushing him when he’s over there” (indicating his cot) and I said “He’s not over there, he’s here with me”.
It was at that point that Sian realised I was probably mostly still asleep and that shouting at me wasn’t a very good idea…
I’d also like to mention, for the geeks among us, how delighted I am that Wordpress 2.6 is now out. I’ve updated about 16 websites with the thing now but it’s great because the automatic update of plugins works so much easier than the old version. I can now just click a button and it will update my out of date plugin. Very useful. Now I just need to convince Wordpress to include an “Update all” button.
Andy
July 17th, 2008
6:20 pm
Hmmm… I’ve read this back and get the feeling you had to be there. Maybe I should have ended with a “so - what funny things have you said or done when half asleep?” that might have saved it.
Great Aunt Pat - what do you think?
Susie
July 17th, 2008
9:24 pm
Once, when I was travelling with some friends, I was staying on the top bunk and my friend Claire was on the bottom bunk. I climbed down the ladder in my sleeping bag (quite impressive not to slip off), and got into Claire’s bed and said, apparently in quite a hacked off tone, “there’s somebody up there. I’m sleeping down here”. Claire said ok (there wasn’t much else she could do) and about 15 miutes later I half woke up and realised I wasn’t where I should be and went back to my bed.
I feel like I’ve told that story on the blog before.
Does Aunt Pat read this?! Hello Pat!
Susie
July 17th, 2008
9:59 pm
Livenation and TicketMaster are annoying me. I decided to buy the Brooke tickets but it seems like the only option is special delivery! Which is rubbish for two reasons. One, it costs a lot, and two, how do I know when to stay in to wait for them?! What happens if I’m not there? Is it just like a parcel, do they leave a note and then you go and pick it up? Because that’s ok. Except the money bit.
Pete
July 17th, 2008
10:02 pm
Ive not heard that story before. I am guessing that Aunt Pat is not Pat B, because calling him Aunt Pat is just wrong.
I don’t really have any good half-sleep stories. I have had many occasions where I have fallen asleep late afternoon / evening, and woken up around 5 or 6 o’clock, it was dark outside, and I was very confused as to weather or not is was evening of the same day, or the morning of the next day.
Sushi (why not sushi anymore), I need still need to send you the geeky email
Andy
July 17th, 2008
10:12 pm
I don’t know if Aunt Pat is a regular reader but she has been here…
flipperr
July 17th, 2008
11:29 pm
You poor sleep besmushelled people!
All I can remember of those times is not actually knowing whether I’d been to sleep or not - and Matt waking up in the morning saying things like ‘Oh! Were you up much in the night?!’. Somehow, despite those inane remarks we remain married and everything!! The sleeping thing does get better - eventually - most of the time!
Aunt Pat, if you’re reading I’m the great niece in law who for years sent mail meant for you to your neighbours - sorry about that!
Finally, just in case anyone has the need for new clothes (for the dedication maybe) the Next sale starts at 5am on Saturday - very convenient only for new born babies me thinks!
Dad
July 18th, 2008
3:20 pm
I watched a film last night - get a tv/dvd fixed up in the bedroom Andy! It was Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio in “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” which came as a freebie with the Guardian one Saturday. Everybody else has probably seen it already but it was a revelation to me. Depp and DiCaprio are brilliant! Touches of “Rain Man” but better all round performances. Thought I’d mention it…
Pete
July 18th, 2008
3:37 pm
I tried to watch Batman Begins last night, in preparation for the new film. Problem is, the DVD is my dads, but I found it my my room, so presumably I was the last person to watch it. The bad part is that the DVD was not in the case, nor is it in any other case in my room. So it looks like i have lost it. My dad will probably want to watch it before seeing the new one, so I will have to buy a new copy. However, I bet they will have put the price right up because everyone will be buying it before the new film is released.
I have just done my good deed for the day, I have collected my Grans prescription from the GP, turned it into drugs at the pharmacy, and then took it round to her. All on my bike as I don’t have a car…yet…and even if I did I still don’t like drivers!
ok, so I am rambling now. I am trying to put off having to actually do things-productive things. Ive got lots to do, including writing my talk for camp (Andy, how do you fancy writing my talk for camp?). Might go make a cup of tea, then will do stuff…maybe…I did tidy my bedroom yesterday, that’s something!
Ros
July 18th, 2008
3:54 pm
Dad, I think it is one of Susie’s favourite films. I haven’t seen it for years but maybe we can watch is next weekend! I think we should start a blog film club.
mat
July 18th, 2008
5:44 pm
I was on a church lads brigade camp once and woke in the middle of the night, hopped down to the leaders tent and started talking gibberish to them about people rolling down the hill at me. They took me to the doctor’s tent and made sure I hadn’t taken anything! When I used to go camping I regularly woke up and believed I was trapped in my tent and freaked out too. I don’t go camping any more!
Andy, talking of Wordpress, how’s my website coming along? I’m kidding, I know you’ve got way more important things going on now, but I saw this Matthew Perryman Jones fansite the other day and it reminded me of mine…
http://breakingoutthewindows.com/
If you register on the site, you can listen to the new album streamed for free. It’s good!
Would you be able to send me the login details to edit my site and I’ll have a go at finishing it off? I’ve probably (definitely, I don’t have a baby, just a cat and they’re no trouble at all!) got more time to do it, and I’d like to learn to use Wordpress anyway, so this’ll give me chance.
Andy
July 18th, 2008
7:43 pm
Mat - I’ve emailed you about it…
Susie
July 18th, 2008
10:34 pm
Dad, Ros is right. Its one of my favourite films. I’m sure I’ve watched it with you before! Maybe not.
Kathye
July 19th, 2008
12:17 pm
When Darren and I first got married we regularly used to have arguments when I was still asleep as I sleep talk, he soon learnt not to talk to me unless he was very sure I was awake.
But I do have rahter a lot of stories of mad things I| have done when still asleep due to the sleep walking/talking thing..
I do remember in those early days waking up once convinced the baby was under the duvet and pulling it all off the bed in search of the baby, who was of course safely tucked up in the moses basket.
Gloria
July 21st, 2008
7:14 pm
When Susie, Andy & I were in New Zealand we went on holiday together to the Bay of Islands. That’s not important to the story. I just thought I’d mention it. Anyway, we stayed in a youth hostel so were sleeping in bunk beds. That’s not important to the story either. One night I was disturbed by the sound of some very noisy people talking outside, including one with a distinguishable Welsh accent. That is important to the story. Anyhoo, I vaguely remember looking at my clock, seeing that it was about 4am and saying, stroppily, “well, that is unacceptable”. I then went to the window, while still at least half asleep, and called out for the noisy people to be quiet. This was ineffective, so after a couple more attempts at asking them politely to shush, I finally resorted to yelling “Hey, Welsh guy. Shut up!” When I woke up in the morning I didn’t remember doing it at all, but as the morning went on, the memory slowly returned, in a very disturbing way!
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