Dummy run

Incredibly, a good night's sleep was had by all last night - including mummy and daddy.

The previous night, we couldn't get Jamie settled properly and it looked very much like several more hours of torture lay ahead.

Then, in a just-before-bedtime conversation with my mum, she suggested we try him out with a comforter (or dummy to me and others who know nothing about these things).

I know some people have reservations about the use of these little devices and I do understand the arguments. However, life is not perfect and neither are the Whites.

My mum, like Vanessa's mum and the rest of her family over here, has been a rock over the last few days. She had also taken the trouble to provide us with a large bagful of essential baby items in advance of Jamie's birth, a new born comforter being among them.

So I raced to find it, sterilised it as per the instructions and hoped for the best.

It took a couple of goes but, after no more than a minute, he was slurping away like Maggie Simpson and, as the comparison above shows, even adopted her famous posture.

The result of this episode was that he only woke up twice in the night and, last night, only once for a feed. Sheer luxury.

This run of good fortune is bound to come to a shuddering halt soon but we're enjoying it while it lasts.

PS I was passing by the telly just before lunchtime today and happened to spot ex-UB40 frontman Ali Campbell being interviewed on Sky News. I always imagined him as quite a cool kind of bloke so quickly pumped up the volume to find out if I was right. He sounded just like Noddy Holder. How looks can deceive.