Things you used to be smug about, then realised your mistake when a new baby proved you were just lucky!

[perceptionreality]

My older two children, from babies slept and slept through every illness and ear infection without needing calpol or anything much before returning to their normal selves. Why on earth did people buy these over the counter medications, my dh and I used to say? Why does anyone need them?

After I had dd3 I quickly woke up to the fact that people buy these things because for some children, a slight sniffle is red rag to a bull! And that they represent the only hope of a wink of sleep for you and said child.

My lot seemed to alternate between easy and ' feisty' ...

Ds1 did nothing but eat and sleep for 6 months.
Ds2 did nothing but howl , be a miserable clingy wotsit for 6 months, who would wake at 1am when he was 18 months old , treat the household to approx 40 renditions of ' the wheels on the sodding bus' at 200 decibels whilst rocking violently from side to side and then go back to sleep....
Ds3 - see ds 1
Dd1 - see ds2 , but her song of the moment was unintelligible
Ds4 - see ds1 .

I'm too frightened to have any more !

My MIL called my 1st (DS) the "spawn of Satan" and I'm very sad to say that I secretly agreed! He whinged, moaned and generally didn't sleep for more than 2 hours at a time til he was almost 4! I remember me and DH lying in bed arguing about DS being peacefully asleep between us and not in his own bed! By this time, I was so wracked with Sleep deprivation, I would have done anything.

Imagine my horror when I found out we were having twins! DDs 2 and 3. I had 3 under 3 but would you believe it, they were amazing! Yes, Twins are hard but they were just totally different- or maybe it was just me? :/

Oooh, it worked the other way around for me. I thought I must be a shite mother when DC1 screeched almost constantly for the first 3 months. She didn't sleep well, she didn't feed well, she was basically a very naughty baby ;) DC 2 was predictable and easy. He fed like a dream, slept like a log, rarely cried. He would spend large parts of the day sitting in a bouncy chair grinning at anyone who looked at him.

However, he did fantastically well at weaning and I thought it was because we weren't doing purees. Oooooh, check me out, all casual with my 'BLW', aren't I the groovy, chilled-out parent? Well, I was until he was about 2 and starting refusing to eat anything but bread. He's nearly 4 now and still won't eat meat or pasta, ffs. What child doesn't eat pasta? Ridiculous.

Oh wombat :( DD now lives in the sling. It's the only way!

Just to say about the Reflux babies and where they throw up - DS2 actually managed to throw up into my mouth!!! I was (stupidly), holding him up in the air and talking to him - and he threw up - into my open mouth!

DS1 - slept through till about 4 months - we were going - why is this so hard - everyone complains but we are fine - he then didn't sleep for the next four months - at all - that got rid of our smuggery!

This is a fun read. I've only got one precious first and only but find it virtually impossible not to be unbearably smug about things he's good at (reading) and riven with guilt about the regrettables (shyness, asthma - what did I do wrong?) All of this is a welcome lesson in perspective . . . Thanks!

Ditto Marytuda

I am still smug at easy labour of pfb - was all down to keeping fit in pregnancy you know.... in reality I'm hugging my smugness round me like a warm duvet as I am ttc no.2 and don't want to be taken down a peg or two - please may I keep my smugness??

As long as you come on here after DC2 is born to apologise to the rest of us!

Oh I will definately!!! I will be un-smugged in a jiffy and crawling on my hands and knees for forgiveness, no doubt about it.

Am printing out this thread to post anonymously to MIL, who (allegedly) had 2 angels

(She also claimed her 5 hour-long labours were a result of being 'focused', at which point I had to stick my fingers in my ears and sing 'lalalala').

DS1 is v wilful (childless friend: 'gosh, he's a ... live wire, isn't he?'). Although he has always been a jolly little soul which goes a long way toward making the bad bits tolerable. However, the little fecker didn't sleep for 2 years. I thought I was going to lose my mind.

DD1 due in 6 weeks. Please, please, please let her be a sleeper...

- live wire love that!

Yeah... subtle. Can't wait till all these people have kids.

Ds1 was wonderful. Slept through at 6 weeks, eats all fruit and veg and was calm and smiley in personality. I thought I was so lucky!

Dd1 was also wonderful. After the colic had passed she slept through from 9 months. She eats brilliantly( although we did have to stop her eating as much fruit and veg as she wanted - it played havoc with her bowls.) By this time I was convinced it was all down to my parenting and was very smug.

Cue ds2. He started as he meant to go on by not even having the decency to let me get to the hospital! He took just 20 minutes to arrive. He is the fussiest eater going and won't eat anything with a vitamin in it. He also still wakes up all bloody night and he's now 3yrs and 3months!!! Talk about payback!

I have torn up the rule book and am now winging it. Not sure if that's a good idea

Have been unable to indulge in any baby related smuggery as both DC were Velcro, sicky, colicky babies who fed constantly and went from calm to too-angry-to-feed in 12seconds, god forbid I didn't get my boobs out quickly enough, even if we are in the freezer aisle in waitrose.

However DS1 is a really (comparatively) easy toddler, hardly any tantrums, very bright, polite etc. A bit smug there. DS2 is only four months, but he has a very naughty looking glint in his eye, so have a feeling it will be shirt loved smugness

LOL @ the naughty looking glint :)

Theone...winging it sounds like the best plan :)