Tea Please, with a side of sleep?

Today Rhys ate a macadamia and chocolate cookie. He then thought it would be a good idea to tell me how fantastically delicious it was. Not Cool!  :(

Yes, we're still pushing through.
No, I haven't blogged all week because quite simply I've been exhausted.

Last night was particularly bad with Thali waking every two hours and then deciding 4am would be a great time to start the day. Generally I would say she has been quite happy during the day which is an improvement. The sleeping is still no better though. This week has been particularly hard on me as I simply cannot get her to sleep. Having my baby girl screaming and thrashing in my arms is simply heart breaking. There is nothing I can do to calm her, other than feed her. Often this means I cannot transfer her to her cot either as she wakes unless I do it at exactly the right moment.
Rhys went back to work on Monday and I was a babbling mess by Tuesday. I have lost all confidence in my ability to get her to sleep. Which means my persistence is virtually non existant. I know that she won't sleep until I believe I can actually do it, I won't get that confidence until I can get her to sleep. Stuck - and too tired to do anything about it. 

Last weekend we had a party at Rhys' brothers. I packed snacks, meat, salads and even our own slice of cake (so we didn't miss out on birthday cake.) Our potato salad and coleslaw was devoured and enjoyed by all. Rhys had a few Gins, I had a vodka. The only real 'test' was when the roast pork was put down smack bang in front of Rhys. He just sighed. All in all a very successful evening.

We went to see a dietician on Wednesday night. She agrees that the failsafe is definitely worth a go with Thali. She has been through all this with her own son and it was nice to have someone else say, "no-one really understands what it's like, until they too have a baby like this." She didn't brush of my very alert, attention seeking description as a 'normal baby'. It was a very comforting appointment. She said that so far our food diary looks great and that we don't appear to be making any mistakes. So now we keep going as we are for the next 2-3 weeks. Before we can challenge (reintroduce food) we need Thali to have 3-4 good days in a week.

Our next big hurdle is two bucks parties for Rhys and a hens party for me. Then in Februrary we have my parents staying with us for three weeks, a week away, two weddings, a formal dinner and Thali's first birthday. I think it will be safe to say that the diet will be out the door next month. The dietician advised to keep Thali on the strict diet and not to stress too much about myself. It's all about trying to keep Thali's levels down. So, the small amounts she gets through breastmilk won't have as much of an affect as they would if her levels were already high.

I don't think Rhys will be sticking with the diet much longer, he hasn't been noticing big differences in himself and is missing his food. Me, I just really want a cup of tea - and some sleep.