May 2007 - They are off and running, wobbling and falling down again.

[JamInMyWellies]

New thread needed.

[Pinkjenny]

Love the title Jam - definitely accurate. L keeps standing up, looking as if she's going to walk, then realising she's not sure what to do, and sits back down again.

So, do you think I should ask my mates to help me out on Saturday with the crying? Is it too much to ask? My boss has just offered to stay over and help me!

[JamInMyWellies]

MID I was working like a navvy by 16 I did babysitting, waitressing in a Beefeater in the days of the uber attractive red and yellow uniform and I had a job on Saturdays in Waitrose. She should be well able to get a job to pay for stuff.

Just took Archie for his 12mth jabs honestly the noise even the nurse was a bit taken aback the boy can scream!

PJ sounds lovely.

What a fab day scoot has for Ascot lucky lady.

LG&T how are you feeling my love had the MS got any better.

Tilly Mrs JB well done by now all the nast chemicals are out your body and its sheer will power keep it up you can do it.

[JamInMyWellies]

Yes get as many people in to help as poss and open the wine put the music on and that way it will be less painful as you will be too drunk and the music too loud to hear her. In all seriousness I do think thats a great idea.

[Pinkjenny]

That's what I was thinking. Will sound my friends out tonight. Hopefully they won't judge too much.

Poor Archie. L has her 12 month jab next Tuesday. I remember the first time we went, I was asked to 'quieten her down, she'll be upsetting the mums in the waiting room'. She was OK for the 2nd and 3rd lots though.

[AprilMeadow]

I had a job at 15yrs old working in Clarks for 2.75ph for a max of 4hrs per Sat with the odd bit of overtime. It was great fun!

E has her mmr on Thursday next week, not sure how she will react but she was fine with the other ones she had as a teeny tiny.

Thanks for the cups ideas. I had a peek on boots website today and got a selection of 'grown up' cups.

Well done to MrsJB and Tilly, keep it going

Mrsjb, thanks for the note, quite spooky as i was going to text you today and check the date! Typical Jack has been asked to 2 parties that day but will just not have to tell him about them

[madeindevon2]

thats for reality check. she is just being lazy and expecting everything on a plate. she likes sports and says she wants to do sports nutrition ulimately i suggested she get involved with some kids activity holiday clubs. DH knows the director of sport at their local uni who do kids camps....he has sent an email but then dsd dropped the bombshell that she cant be bothered and just wants to have a laugh with her mates.
ive been thinking more about it actually and she has a bad history with money (she cashed a load of cheques on her mums account without her mum realising....ended up quite a bit of money but unfortunatly was never really punished properly for it which did her no favours to be honest..she learnt nothing. dh and i wanted to get police involved to scare her but her the ex and the grandfather (ex's dad) both refused that. she was grounded for about a week and then it seemed to be forgotton...i disagree with this but unfortunatley i dont get a say.
she seems such a nice girl when i see her (granted thats not very often) but has behaved pretty badly to dh often he tells me.

[madeindevon2]

actually i cant believe the ex isnt making her get a job to pay back the money.
she had to borrow the money from her dad to pay back the bank the massive overdraft that dsd created!
this is the problem with step families....u get all the crap but have no say in anything. in my experience.

[TillyScoutsmum]

Can't believe we've filled another one up already !

[cameroonmama]

God, teenage girls. Can't wait

TYG, the drinking from the sucky cup thing rather than a bottle, normally provokes a few days of resistance, then finally when no other milk is forthcoming mine normally give in Obviously I am from the softly softly approach to parenting.

Pink - I love the idea of getting your friends to do your dirty work help you. Go out and get wasted, leave dh at home. Noone is going to judge you, she is your child and its your relationship. I'm sure they will be happy to help.

[twelveyeargap]

Don't get me started. I am at the stealing money! Obviously nobody pointed out to her that it was STEALING and therefore ILLEGAL and IMMORAL. How would she feel if her mother had raided her piggy bank when she was a child? Jaysis.

AM - I forgot about these Vital Baby 3 Stage Trainer Cups. There is one part which is a recessed cover for the cup, with two small holes so that it's like drinking from a normal cup, but they can't chuck an entire cup of liquid over themselves in the process.

Cam - I'll keep at it for another while. I'm going to offer the milk in a cup with each meal, to see if that helps. She took a few sips of milk at dinner time from the cup I mentioned above to AM. She was highly suspicious of it and mainly wanted to empty it on the table, but it's progress of sorts. It's funny, after being sick earlier this week, she has now upped her food intake a LOT and doesn't want milk as much anyway. She was on 7, 7 and 9 oz milk a day and has dropped it herself, to around 5oz morning and afternoon and only about 4oz at bedtime. Weird. She used to go mad for the bedtime bottle, even if she'd had a good tea. Now she has a bit and pushes it away. Maybe she's making her own way to giving up bottles. Who knows? Not me anyway!

[Themasterandmargaritas]

I'm toying with a name change, whaddya reckon? Feels a bit funny...

[twelveyeargap]

Pink - If you're going to go "cold turkey" on the sleeping, can I make a suggestion? Don't wait until L is really tired to put her to bed. If she's already rubbing her eyes and yawning then she's already "past it". Keep an eye on her for a few days to watch out for the signs that happen 30 mins or more before that stage. With A, it tends to be falling over more, getting a little bit grizzly or frustrated with toys. Even though I say A is great at going to bed, if I leave her too late, then she'll take half an hour or more to wind down once she's in bed and she'll squawk and cry because by that stage, the adrenaline to stay awake has kicked in and it's much harder to nod off.

If you put them in bed before the point where they're rubbing eyes, then the "sleepiness" happens when they're already in bed and you don't miss the "window".

FWIW, when I went cold turkey with A, she cried for about 30 mins the first night, then only 5 or 10 the second night and went off without a peep the third night. With L it might take a bit longer, because she's older and more aware, but it really does tail off a lot after the first night. I know I did the right thing, because she looks so damn pleased to be going to bed at night. If I'd traumatised her with my actions, I reckon she'd be pretty miserable at bedtime.

[Madamejaffa]

Oh here you are!! tehe, that'll teach me for only watching my watched threads, doh, thought it had been quiet this afternoon.

Off to catch up

[elkiedee]

TYG, I hadn't thought of what you're saying to Pink before in relation to doing bedtime before the eye rubbing etc kicks in, but it really makes a lot of sense about D. Thanks.

[twelveyeargap]

Glad to be of service!

[JamInMyWellies]

evenin all

what do you reckon to this double buggy

[madeindevon2]

crisis averted. she has started applying for jobs. filled out a form for BOOTS today.
TYG yeah i know. lets not talk about the money thing. if it was my decision things would have been handled VERY, VERY differently. its outrageous imho.
the youngest is now acting up (14) and being a right spoilt brat. he only ever calls his dad when he wants something and hes rude and even put phone down on his dad the other day when dh refused to unplug his xbox (thats all been wired into surround sound and in a cabinet....would be very difficult) because dss's had stopped working a couple of days ago. dh is on the case with the guarantee trying to get it fixed or get him new one. and dss has got a ps2 AND a wii too!! so its not like hes not got anything else to play with AND hes at school all day during the week. it makes me MAD.
freddie is no way gonnna behave like this if i have got anything to do with it.

[Pinkjenny]

Good morning ladies, have had a hellish morning already, won't bore you with the details. L is absolutely streaming with cold, and had about, ooh, half an hour's sleep last night. Was PITA.

How welcome she'll be sneezing all over the vicar on Sunday, is anyone's guess. I blame nursery , they let them play out in the blardy rain on Thursday.

at dsd and dss. Its a slippery slope to bratsville.

Jam - like it - don't get it in pink or SOH will have a fit

TYG - I am taking it all on board, I am, I swear. OK, I'm not doing anything, but I am taking it all in. Did you leave A completely for 30 minutes, and not go in at all? L starts balking and stuff after a while, although its been a little while since I've tried, I must admit. Maybe tonight is the night... Can I do it when she's got a cold?

[TillyScoutsmum]

PJ - personally I wouldn't do it when she has a cold (fellow wuss here ). T can get a bit sicky when she's got a cold and I was worried about her throwing up if I left her. I'm also not sure you want to be doing it the day before L's christening. It may make her and you a bit grumpy for a couple of days and you're probably best doing it over a couple of days when you haven't got much planned. Maybe start putting her down in her cot next week and then finally going for it next weekend ?

Jam - I like very much I want one (and another baby to put in it obviously)

MJ - I know I posted on our non smoking thread but just wanted to say it again - WELL DONE ON DOING A WHOLE WEEK SMOKE FREE - HOORAH FOR MJ

[Lupins71]

HELP CANT TALK BUT ELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pinkjenny]

ELP??? What with!!!!

[madeindevon2]

ok. i think F teething ( can see something happening where his front 2 teeth should be!) but hes got temperature, all he wants to do is be cuddled. when he sat on floor alone first thing he didnt crawl anywhere (normally he cant wait to get going)
he was only up for 1.5 hours before he fell asleep again in my arms and i put him back in cot.
refusing food or even to hold spoon (unlike him) but had no problem drinking milk.
he only has 2 teeth so far and wasnt like this when they came thru....any advice? is this just teeth? my instinct says yes....contantly got hands up to mouth....
(ive been giving calpol....this started on on wednesday and has got worse. had 2 very unsettled nights) how long will this continue for? anything else i should do to make it better for him?
i tried bonjela before trying to give him breakfast and that didnt seem to do anthing
dh at work stressed, had argument with boss and likely to be called in again today about that. and has had call from his brother apparently dsd was on the green ourside his house with her mates making noise til 11pm last night. dropped litter, beeping horn to get mates attention rather than getting out of car! i said...call police if it happens again...irrelevant its dsd..there is a whole load of them.....dh brother has 3 kids under 7 and one is particularly bad sleeper. its just not on...

[twelveyeargap]

I'm just putting it all out there PJ. You don't have to listen at all!

What does she do at nap times? Do you lie down with her then or perhaps push her in a buggy or something?

I actually sorted out A's sleep by doing naps first. I put a travel cot in the living room (so it was a cot not a buggy she was sleeping in) and put her down when she was tired. Since I was in the room, (even though she couldn't see me) I felt better about letting her mooch around, plus, because it wasn't "bedtime" I think the transition was easier. Once she was used to being "put down" for a sleep, I moved operations to her bedroom. Once naps were cracked, then we did night time. With a younger child it might be a quicker process, (that whole thing happened in less than two weeks with us), but it still might be something worth considering.

Oh farking hell. Our downstairs toilet is disconnected from the main waste while we get a job done on the soil pipe. DH has inexplicably flushed the f'cking thing in the process of trying to remove the panel "concealing" the cistern. Cellar beneath it now full of water. ARRRRGGGHHH. And ARRRGGGHHH at the muppet who "concealed" the cistern in the first place and made the box around it like Fort Bloody Knox. It's taken DH over 2 hours just to get tiles off and start breaking through the back board. Why, why, why did they conceal every cistern in the house and not leave any screws exposed so you could remove the panel? Why would that be so hard?

[twelveyeargap]

And PJ, yes I just left her for 30 mins. I thought cold turkey was easier. 2 or 3 nights of hell, rather than dragging it out doing controlled crying for weeks. That sleep book I'm always banging on about - Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child - the doctor who wrote it thinks it's kinder too.

[madeindevon2]

PJ. its so hard but i think sometimes you have to take a few nights of hardship to get where you wanna be. will be better for her and for you if you can nail this sleep thing now rather than it dragging on til she is older.
sure you heard horror stories about parents still having their 4 year old sleeping with them or dh sleeping on floor next to childs bed until they fall alseep etc etc. be stong and try thing long term but i know how hard it is when they cry and it breaks your heart.
you got so much going on right now i would be inclined to wait til after the weekend is over but of course its up to you.
and i would let dh deal with it and go out with your mates while they staying....its only 1 night...