March 2005 part 5 - Can't believe they're almost 1!

[busywizzy]

This time last year, we were all enormous, waiting for them to arrive - now they're almost 1

[jambot]

Hi. Munchkinsusie and Amy. The more the merrier. My DD Lauren is March 9th.

Her routine is pretty similar to Amy's. The clinic I go to monthly recommends phasing out the afternoon bottle at 11 months and offering juice and piece of fruit or muffin/biscuit instead. They also recommend that you start to phase out milk from a bottle from month 11. Giving half morning milk in a cup first thing and rest in bottle after breakfast for two weeks. Then all milk in cup in the morning. For evening, do the same over a two week period. Half milk in cup after dinner, then half in bottle before bed.
I think I might just go cold turkey on the morning bottle as Lauren is very into her cup for water during the day so think it won't be too difficult to get her off the bottle.
Lauren is still sleeping 2 sleeps. From 9:30/10 to about 11:15. Putting her back down about 1:45 and she sleeps till about 3ish.

[jambot]

I love working from home. Just looking out the window to see our secretary walking Lauren round the garden. Bet it's killing her back!
If I have to go out she just gets handed to one of several aunties to look after her for a while. They all fight for a go!
Don't remind me of this time last year! Not a fun time. Luckily I've developed selective memory of the last month and can't quite believe how big and uncomfortable I was when I look at the pic taken of me the day I had Lauren. 40 degrees on the day!

[JoPG]

After much umming and aahing I have decided to start to give Freya some formula before bed. I have been b/f her for all her milk, but I would really like to give up at about 1 so need to replace it with something. Well I tried a 4oz cup of SMA progress with her last night, and she loved it! I then b/f her, but I will gradually cut that out. I know it seems silly, but now she has had it once I feel much better about it - I kinda felt it would make her grown up, and of course it hasn't

BW - Congrats on the diet.

Jambot - V over your weather. It is so miserable here.

Off to Center Parcs on Friday for a long weekend. Am really looking forward to it. DS loves it there, and Freya will enjoy the swimming. It will be lovely to all spend some time together.

[busywizzy]

Jo, well done with the bottle feeding - glad it has gone so well. Have a great time at Centre Parcs, I love it there too.

Jambot, are you giving formula or cows milk. Not sure what to do when we move to a cup.

Have updated the photobucket at last Grace and Lauren are adorable.

[Cristina7]

Welcome Munchkinsusie and Amy.

BW - what diet are you on?

Jo - have a nice weekend. We are off to see DH's parents and sister this w/e.

Sylvia sleeps 1-2 hours in the morning and sometimes another 1-2 in the afternoon. I keep meaning to phone the nursery and ask what routine they'll be on there so I can get her into something similar before she starts in March.

[jambot]

Busy. Keeping with formula until a year and then onto f/c cows milk. She has normal milk in her cereal.
Not having much luck with the milk in her cup after dinner. Don't think it's the cup - just don't think she's very interested in having milk then. Tonight I'm going to offer it all in a cup at bedtime, but have a bottle on standby.
We are now officially on two words! A few days ago it was light (li..), and last night it was duck when she was in the bath. She is crazy about lights and keeps on wanting to turn them on and off. Still no sign of 'mama' and she says 'dada' to everything, so don't know if she associates it with DH.

[leogaela]

I started topping up Niklas's nighttime bottle with cows milk and was going to increase it and reduce the formula slowly, but then he got the sickness bug so I stopped with the cows milk and haven't started again....

Jambot - I'm interested in your clinic's suggestion of phasing out the afternoon milk. Why would you want to replace the afternoon milk with water or juice? I usually give Niklas a snack and milk in the afternoon. I thought that continuing with the milk would be healthy for them.

Do any of your babies seem to have a problem with yogurt? It seems to make Niklas sick!

He was very sick (after eating yogurt) before he went to bed last night, he wouldnt' drink his milk and as a result woke up hungry and 1.30, then woke again at 2.30, 4 and 5.30 ! I've got a cold and am not feeling great, so added to tiredness I can't get rid of I'm feeling pretty awful today!

Someone has given me a book - Something like 'every child can learn to sleep', it claims that every child can sleep 11 hours without waking up from 6 months old! Some can just do it naturally but others have to learn it. Its in German so a very tough read, but I'm giving it a go! Hopefully we will get results from it !

Welcome back Munchkinsusie !

Right, if I dont go to bed at 8pm again tonight I WILL update the photo bucket !

[busywizzy]

Leo, so Niklas is still being sick (yogurt is one of Harrison's favourite foods so no adverse reaction here) and that you are feeling so grotty. I've got a cold too and it's horrid isn't it having to care for a baby (never mind a poorly one) when you don't feel great yourself. I hope you get better soon.

I really hope the book helps with Niklas sleeping. Great admiration from here that you are able to read a German book.

Harrison is well and truly on the move now and has started pulling himself up onto the furniture (oh well, it was nice whilst it lasted) He loves doors unfortunately and makes a beeline for them the moment he is on the floor. Sits happily for ages just pushing them backwards and forwards - strange boy.

Another successful visit with the childminder yesterday when I left him for an hour. He cried when I collected him but only for about 1 minute and then carried on playing with all the toys.

I'm off into town now as Harrison's baby monitor has broken so need to exchange it. Hope everyone else is OK and having a nice day

PS - Crisitina I haven't been following any particular diet really just been eating regular and healthy meals. Cereal for breakfast, soup or jacket potato for lunch and something with salad or vegetables for tea. Only fruit in between and trying to exercise with the Davina DVD twice a week. I'm getting there slowly but surely and only 4lbs to go until I hit the magic 1 stone loss. I've really impressed myself how good I've been but then being able to fit inot my clothes a week on Monday has been quite an incentive

[leogaela]

Busy - Niklas also loves yogurt, its really annoying that it makes him sick! He is ok with a little bit, so I will keep trying.

The book has lots of nice diagrams and pictures in it !

Good to hear that Harrison is doing so well at the childminders !

Jambot, I am really impressed that Lauren is picking up so many words! I did think last weekend that Niklas knows I am 'mama' as he kept coming up to me and saying it, hasn't said it all week though and is back to 'dada'!

Niklas is having an extra sleep this morning, so I am quickly off to the photobucket before he wakes up...

[Cristina7]

Sylvia loves doors too, especially the ones to her clothes cupboard. She gets all the clothes out and I've given up on trying to put them back in in some kind of order.

Harrison seems to be making up for lost time with all his moving about now

Well done to Lauren for her first words.

We are still meeting up on the 11th March, aren't we? What time? I think I'll come on my own (I mean with DD of course) but not with DH or DS as they are going to a football match in the afternoon.

[popsycalindisguise]

cut and paste from old thread
We haev been in hospuital since tuesdya morning and have just ogt home.
Poor Harry has been very poorly.
I knew the lump in hi neck wasnt rigth so we went back to gp on monday then again on tuessaday then got sent to hospital as the swelling was getting huger and huger and he couldnt swallow properly.
anyway - he had 3 infected lymph nodes - the actual lymph nodes themselves wrere infecte.
there was talk of operating to drain them as it was touch and go asd to whether an abcess had developed
anyway
3 full days of intravenous antibiotics and things improve.d
home now with 2 different does of oral anitbiotics for a week and a review next friday

oh and work have agredd to me going 2 days from march
am overwhemlmed and weepy

needless to say, sleep has gone arse over tit again
if you will pardon my french

[busywizzy]

Popsy, so v. sorry to hear about Harry. My DD had something similar when she was 13 weeks old - got a huge lump on her neck from an infection which turned into an abcess, had to be rushed into hospital, IV drip for medication and then an operation to have it drained. We were in for about 10 days and I remember it as being one of the worst times of my life so I totally sympathise.

The good thing is once she was out of hospital she picked up really quickly and other than the scar on her neck, you wouldn't have known anything was wrong with her a week later.

Hope everything gets better for you soon - you certainly deserve your share of good fortune

Cristina, yes still on for March 11th - can't wait to meet you all and babies. Leo's opens at 10am so anytime after that suits you all really.

Leo, how is Niklas?

[busywizzy]

No words here (there's a surprise ) but he does say 'ummmmmmmmmm' whenever food goes into his mouth, he can grrrrr like a lion and ssssssssssssss like a snake

[popsycalindisguise]

busywizzy - that is exactly what harry had - but they caught it just in time and it didnt turn into an abcess thank goodness...your poor dd and sotiny too!

The nurses all loved him though - he was such a charmer without having to hide in the shadow of ds1 who is a whirlwind at the best of times. The worst part was putting the IV in him....they tried three times before they found a vein - poor little thing was distraught (and so was I). After that, if anyone went near his hand, he yelled and yelled.

The scariest thing was that I knew on the previous Wednesday that the swelling wasnt right. Went to GP who immediatley referred us to hospital who sent us home ('just a virus brewing') then another gp on the Monday sent us home then a 3rd gp on the Tuesday sent us back to hospital where by this time, the poor little man had 3 huge lumps in his neck and it was touch and go as to whether they thought it was an abcess.

Anyway - glad to be home/....

[jambot]

Poor Popsy and Harry. How awful. I remember my IV from my caesar - putting it in was the worst part of the whole operation! Glad that he's over the worst. Poor you - you have had a hard time of it.

[busywizzy]

Popsy, I'd forgotten about getting the IV in DD was so tiny that her veins collapsed every other day so we had to go through the whole thing about 5 times. By the time we came home, she'd had IV's in both her elbow joints, both her wrists and one of her thighs. Oh yes, it's all coming back to me now.

Hope Harry (and you) are feeling better today

[busywizzy]

I don't know if anyone saw Aloha's article in the Times the other day about her non-sleeping baby here

Very interesting.

Popsy, how is Harry today? Hopefully starting to feel better.

[popsycalindisguise]

I saw the article online.

Harry is ok.
Swelling gone down considerably now but think he is getting some more teeth so he went off to bed with a dose of nurofen as well as his double whammy antibiotics - bless him!

Hope everyone else is fdoing ok - tryign to catch up!

[busywizzy]

Popsy, glad to hear Harry seems to be on the mend. Have you had hideous nappies - I remember those from when DD was in hospital - like an alien had taken over and was spewing out the most evil sloppy stuff

How are you doing?

[popsycalindisguise]

yes we have but I am so stupid that I hadnt made the connection between the nappies and the medication
dur!

I am ok I guess. Struggling a little but ok

[leogaela]

Oh Popsy, what a shock poor Harry must have given you. Something we should all take note of is to trust our instincts where are babies are concerned. I can't believe you were fobbed off by so many doctors ! Great to hear he is on the mend now.

The article gives us all hope ! We have been trying to leave Niklas crying longer before we go to him at night to see if he settles himself agian, but last night was hopeless! Dh was snoring and it took me over an hour to settle Niklas again and I only managed it by giving him milk! No eye contact is difficult as I can't check if he's asleep if I don't look at his eyes, quite often they will be wide open and staring at me! Double tiredness today as I was stupid enough to stay up and watch a film!

Otherwise Niklas is very well at the moment(thanks for asking Busy ) he is over all his colds, flu, sicknes (I hope its lasts) he has been incredibly clingy to me today, that seems to come and go, I have to say it drives me nuts!

[Cristina7]

Popsy - I hope harry's getting better with his health and sleep.

All fine here. Sylvia is so sweet and giggly. We went to see our PILs and SIL this weekend (in Cambridgeshire).

I have lots of work to do so I'll try and stay away from MN till Wednesday when I need to go in and see my boss (and show her the work I've done).

[jambot]

Leo - you asked my why I was cutting out Lauren's afternoon bottle a few posts ago. The main reason you can cut it out now is that at this age they don't actually need the nutrition from the milk at that time of the afternoon. I don't see anything wrong with continuing with milk personally but it's just not absolutely necessary anymore.
Lauren is now taking her morning milk from her cup quite happily. Going to wait a few more days and then also give her the bedtime milk in her cup. Will be nice not to have to bother with bottles much longer.
Hang in there Popsy. Thinking of you.

[leogaela]

Jambot - I just worry about the calcium if Niklas doesn't drink lots of milk, but I guess if they have enough other calcium rich food it should be fine. Is Lauren drinking from her doidy cup or a spouty cup? I keep trying to give Niklas water in a non-spouty cup, but he just pours it all over himself. he doesn't seem to understand that cups are for drinking from and thinks they are for talking into! I haven't got around to ordering a doidy cup yet.

Cristina - have you heard anything from the job in Geneva (or was it Lausanne?).

Niklas slept from 7.30 - 5 without waking us on Sunday night ! Once he has managed that for a week we are going to start working on the 5am wakings, he usually has milk and goes back to sleep so we are going to work on slowly reducing the milk, the long undisturbed nights seem to be within our grasp now!

I wonder how Pidge is getting on in her new project.

[Pidge]

Thanks Leo for the mention totally frantic here, but enjoying it. Only working one day this week due to half term, and off to Oxfordshire for a couple of nights to a lovely looking pub with nice restaurant. Plan to install the girls to sleep upstairs in our room whilst we swig wine and beer and eat nice food downstairs. Only downside is all having to sleep in the same room, I will be sporting ear plugs to try to sleep through Iris and her snorting and snuffling!

Popsy - what a fright with Harry. So glad he is on the mend. And also that you get to cut your hours back soon.

On the milk front - we're on 3-4 breastfeeds a day. But I know that's different to bottle feeding, because the breastmilk gradually diminishes as the baby gets older. Anyway, Iris still generally scoffs all her food so she's obviously not too full of milk!

Must dash ... train to catch ...