February '26 Roundup
Crumbles, sleep regression, and spring
Hello dear reader!
February, as it has the habit of doing, has passed in a blur. Perhaps it’s the 28 days that feel disproportionately shorter than other months, or maybe it’s the 5am starts with a baby that only seems to want to sleep if cradled in my arms. Whatever the cause, February has been and gone and I’m not sure I even noticed.
Since my first child arrived on the scene, I’ve been a little sceptical of sleep regressions. Are they real? Are babies not just in a new phase every week? Well, babba number two is making me rethink my scepticism after a couple of weeks of truly sub-optimal sleep, loosely coinciding with the “four month sleep regression.” I know this too shall pass, and I know I will miss the days of sharing a bed with and feeding this wee boy. I will also be grateful for a few nights of sleep with slightly fewer interruptions, when this “regression” ends. Safe to say I’m glad I didn’t give up coffee for Lent!
I was bemused to learn that in Ireland children are taught that spring begins February 1st. I initially scoffed at this suggestion, maintaining that March is certainly more appropriate. That said, the daffodils are now blooming, lambs and calves have been born, and there has even been a couple days of sun! When I mention “sun”, my toddler enthusiastically shouts “summer”, so maybe there is a fair bit of flux in the seasons after all.
What I’ve been cooking lately
It’s been a month of crumbles for Sunday dessert. We have apples stored in the shed from the autumn, so I’ve done a few batches of stewed apples, popping a couple in the freezer.
I also rummaged around the bottom of the chest freezer and was delighted to find the last bag of gooseberries and the last bottle of elderflower cordial from last summer. We enjoyed a gooseberry crumble and lashings of cordial the first Sunday of Lent when hosting friends. Eating up the remains of last year’s produce makes me very excited for this coming spring and summer.
There’s something very satisfying about making simple desserts with fruit grown on your doorstep. As I stood peeling a couple dozen apples that escaped the cider press, this piece by Hadden Turner came to mind. It’s a beautiful essay.
What I’ve been writing lately
I wrote for the Catholic Herald about the benefits of remote working, particularly from a Catholic perspective. I also had a piece in the Irish Catholic on why it’s important (though not necessarily easy) to take little ones to Mass. It was my first time pitching to the Irish Catholic, so I was delighted they took the piece.
What I’ve been reading lately
At very long last I finished Hold Onto Your Kids. Recommended to me by an extended family member, it’s only in the last month or so I’ve realised it has something of a cult following (in a niche sort of way). It’s come up in conversations on four separate occasions at baby groups the past month, which spurred me on to finish the (at times dry) book. TLDR: parents matter, and your four year old doesn’t need a dozen play dates a week while mum does other things.
I also finished Woodbrook, a memoir of a young Englishman’s time in Ireland. It’s a mix of romance and history, with a devastating ending. I would only recommend it to someone with an interest in Irish history; I found some chapters rather dense, finding myself looking forward to the more flowery chapters that would soon follow.
What I’ve been growing lately
The next couple of months will be busier for gardening, and there isn’t much to report for February. I filled a quiet afternoon with the boys by tidying up the pots in the greenhouse. Safe to say the toddler enjoyed stacking the pots and knocking them over – easy entertainment. We bought our seeds for the year this last week, and will get sowing in March.
That’s it for this month.
As ever,
Portia