August Babies...part 2!

[elena2]

Hi everyone!

awww poor you two!! hugs to u both.
ds1 didn't really get to grips with the potty, he had much more luck with the big toilet.. think it made him feel like daddy. We had a little boys wee thingy that my mum got us, it was a small plastic mini bowl that stayed hooked on under the toilet seat and turned upside down into the toilet bowl to be emptied toilet could be flushed to clean it out.
he then moved onto the actual toilet and used the step that came with the potty. He kind of had to get on with it in his own time, when he was ready (now where did he get that stuborn streak from)keep persevering tho it will be worth it in the end.
try getting him some character briefs and say "you dont want to wet xyz do you?" worked a treat with us although he sometimes decided to wee in some unorthodox places, his bin, a corner, a toy box..... boys do this often I'm told.
well will stop waffling on now

Hi, How is everyone doing?
I have had a sick 4yr old this week with a 40 degree plus temperature! took 2 visits to dr over 3 days to finaly find white spots on his tonsils! He is now on the mend. DD has also been awful but that is because she has decided to cut 4 molars all at once! my boys didn't cut a molar till 12mths and did them 1 at a time. here she is at 10 mths and is obviosly in a hurry! 2 have cut through this week and the other 2 are white gummed and very painfull. She is also doing that foul acid poo and has a sore bum even though I change her as soon as she does one. I suppose on the plus side, doing all 4 at once, at least it should be over quickly.
She is crying again so must go.

Hi KMS
You poor thing. DS (5) had tonsillitis a couple of weeks ago and it was terrible. I was just about ready to give up and go get some antibiotics when he turned the corner and started to get better but he was wiped out for about a whole week.

We went camping this weekend. All the glorious weather we have had so far but when we finally get around to going it comes down it buckets! It was fine to pitch the tent - a lovely evening but the following morning when our friends arrived the clouds piled in literally as they pulled onto the site and it got heavier and heavier. Never seen to many pairs of wet socks. Fortunately we have a large tent and we all still had a great time. Sunday was lovely so at least we packed up in the sunshine. Can't wait to go again now but we are tied up for the next few weekends.

Its our 7th Wedding anniversay today. Can't beleive its been that long. And wonder of wonders we are going out tonight - Just us!

Do you realise that if this thread is going to carry on then we need to rename it soon. There will be a new August Babies group soon - we need to be August04 babies.... mind you its pretty quiet on here now so maybe its time to let the thread sleep.....

Oh KMS, that sounds horrible - why are doctors so reluctant to peer down children's throats? Hope he is feeling better soon and that it's the last you and Katherine both see of the dreaded tonsils.
We can't let "our" thread die...not with Champs due back at work, Wills building a property empire and Katherine's mother moving in! Not to mention our little marvels turning one soon...what do the rest of you think?
We had ds' fifth birthday party at the weekend and Wills' wonderful list of games, plus Katherine's Musical Hats, were deployed to great effect. Dh and I are both knackered, but going the tea party at home (rather than playbarn/entertainer) route paid dividends in that we had the chance to chat to some parents and get to know some of ds' little classmates better. Priceless when you both work outside the home and don't often get to the school gates.
Considering we had seven little boys and one feisty little girl I thought they all behaved so well. Also so touching to see how at 5 or so they start to empathise with each other and be more socially adept. Big change from four, I thought.
And as for dd...boys. Everywhere. Dd heaven. She just sat with her mouth ajar, with the odd croon for attention and a bit of yoo-hoo, over here, waving. Teeth are still coming through on a random basis, giving her a mad, adorable smile. Not crawling...but so nearly there, and nowhere near pulling up or cruising, but she gets around. And she finally has her ears appointment in late July...I wonder if our celebrated and hugely overbooked Paed ENT consultant will even check her tonsils...
Where's everyone else? More news needed! Have a good week, everyone.

Hi everyone - oh we can't let this thread die! Even if it is a little on the...quiet....side.

KMS - hope your little ones are feeling better soon - molars, wow! Not looking forward to those coming through! Glad the party went well, marina, and camping too Katherine!

We're all fine here - dd is doing really well - she's SO close to walking - she's walking really confidently round all the furniture, and yesterday made us all laugh by setting off, hanging onto ds' ride-on engine! But she is desperate to get off on her own, and keeps having a go. I tried to buy her some 'cruising shoes', but her feet were only size 2, and the cruising shoes only start at size 3! Ds seems to find it hilarious to knock her over unfortunately, so it's a little stressful in that respect, and we are still battling on with the potty training - it seems to be taking a long time! But, I'm sure we'll get there.

Hope you're all well! Mxxx

NO NAP!!! would really like to keep this thread open. I just didn't want to shamelessly bump it.
Marina-- am back at work now

so glad to hear from all of you.

Well my excuse is that my computer blew up and its taken me a couple of weeks for parts to arrive and for me to fix it. Life in the Wills household is fine. DD2 is just recovering from chickenpox (something dd1 has managed to avoid so far) and I'm rather pleased it happened before I return to work. Talking of which I had to return into work for the first time yesterday to find out what they're going to offer me as a job. You see unfortunately I work for a non politically correct Banking Institution and they gave my job away to someone else whilst I was on leave. Another woman has just won her case for sexual discrimination whilst on maternity leave and reading the papers its like reading my own life. . Although I would have a good case against them I don't particularly want the stress of court case for either myself of my family the end result would not be worth it. However her winning of the case has made my work extremely "jumpy" and they have informed me that if I want my old job back there is the possibility I could have it - but how about I have a look at these jobs before . If I do ask for my old job back they are in the very sticky position of having to inform the current owner of that position that for no reason other than a cock up he is now jobless! The ball at the moment is in my court so I am sitting back and seeing what happens.

Nevertheless I don't want to go back . I can't believe its almost a year. I have to return on the 26th of July and am trying very hard not to spend the next 3.5 weeks simply foccusing on that. I really don't want to go back but no matter which way we look at it it makes more sense for me to return and for my dh to give up and carry on trying to build up a property empire . I earn a lot more than him and he has experience of building houses from scratch. We have hired a nanny share and she is gradually taking over. She is wonderful and most importantly she seems to already care for the kids.

Champ how was your return? I suspect that my dread of returning is greater than the actual returning iyswim????

Katherine - am off camping next weekend (9th). It will be our first this year and given the number of events we have going on possibly the last although I hope not because I really enjoy it. No doubt it will rain.

Katherine - need help re nappies. Want a nappy that is thin but that is absorbant, tumbledryable and has a fleece liner - is there such an item???

Update - dd2 has two teeth and is pulling herself up trying to walk. There are days when I think she's mearly hours away from walking and then there are days when I'm adament that we're months. She has a very odd commando crawl and likes to sing - especially to old Mac Donald where she has mastered the chorus. She's getting stunningly fussy over food and this is our greatest battle at the moment. The two teeth arrived whilst we were on holiday and oh boy given the amount of noise that their arrival induced I can't bear to think about molars!

Wills- re nappies, Hemp is probably the most absorbant. for a slim nappy with a fleece liner I would say fuzzis (or other stuffable wraps) with either hemp or microfibre inserts. inserts can be tumbled (so can fuzzi but dries very quick without) you can also sfuff with a terry or prefold it you wish but not as slim fitting.
Katherine have you got any other ideas?

I was just about to suggest fuzzis myself. I've only ever had one though as I went down the stuffable route for a newborn and it put me off - too much stuffing with all those changes. However ran out of nappies after camping (yes we camped with cloth! - couldn't really not do when the place had composting toilets ) so I squeezed her into the small fuzzi and it worked really well. Was tempted to get some more as a result. Would be handy too as once they are stuffed its just like putting on a disposable so good if you have to leave it for someone else to do.

However I really like the system I am using now. I use a wrap which is a combination of fleece and PUL (although the fleece is for show so you can get just PUL ones like nature babies to be thinner). The use a mix of nappies - peeweez are lovely but thick, cutie patooties as pretty slim and slimmest of all my old clapped out kooshies (on third child) - very thin and loads of people slate them but with the right wrap they seem fine to me. I've never tried a hemp nappy but have always wanted to - what about Ellas House there have been loads on the b&s forum lately. I prefer the hemp san pro as they really are much much thinner so I think the nappies would be great.

However all my nappies - even the really thick ones dry quickly in the tumble dryer. Its a neighbours washer/dryer combo which I borrow every now and then and they don't take long at all.

I'm sorry to hear about your work troubles Wills. It must be so hard. I am in the fortunate position that DH is happy for me to stay at home. BUT we have no money and a half derelict house so I am very tempted to look for work. I've applied for some classroom assistant jobs and am thinking about teacher training again but I look at DD and think I must be mad to want to leave. I do think I need something a bit more though. There is something missing. The other option is to take on DHs pipedreams about raising our own organic chickens and pigs. We could make a little bit of money - not much - but would have a ready supply of organic meat which would cost a fortune otherwise. And all the kids could join in with that so I wouldn't need to worry about childcare at all. I really don't know which way to turn at the moment.

Stalemate with mum too. We've had an offer accepted on the perfect retirement flat and she's had an offer on her house but the people buying it have yet to sell. Very frustrating but I'm worried about what she expects from me when she moves here anyway. Another reason to get a job!

Wills where are you off camping then? We will be going to Dorset at the beginning of August and maybe Pembrokeshire at the end.

DD1 has another school visit this week. Sob sob! How can she be so grown up already. What will I do without big sister to entertain DD2?

We are off camping soon too. We are all going to Green and Away in glouscester(sp?) (for the summer conference for the nappy business I am an agent for.) Not sure what to expect as I belive it has composting toilets and solar powered showers, yurts and even a sweat lodge! We will be there for Jessica's birthday!!

Katherine- I like fuzzis at times but use the lollipop rainbow at night stuffed with a terry and a microfibre or any booster i have to hand. her bottom is bone dry in the morning! Also looks great flashing out under her dress during the day! But is a little bright for some outfits and not as slim fitting as a fuzzi.

Wills- were you mainly after slim fit or absorbancy or quick dry?

Katherine- we would love to have a smallholding to raise freerange chickens and pigs! But no way could we afford enough land at the moment. i am very envious, what part of the country are you in?

We can't let this thread come to an end! It can be quiet but we do still need to keep in touch!

What does Bumping a thread mean???

Thanks for all the nappy advice. KMS I suppose absorbancy however on wet days it will be quick drying and dd2 is a small baby so big nappies look extremely odd.

We're off to the new forest for camping.

And bumping means bringing the thread back to the top of the active conversations

Thanks Wills. can you tell me what "flip" this thead at the top of this page means? I am so illiterate with this sort of thing.
What nappies do you use at the moment?

Jess has spent all morning walking her walker up and down the lounge. She gets really cross when she comes to the end ubtil I turn her round andshe can go off again. Wouldn't be so bad if we had a big lounge but it only takes about 8 steps! She did let go once while standing!

Apart from musica's genius "again" talker do any of the other babies on here say mummum or daddad and mean it. i can't remember when this starts as Jess just chats away in her own babble and nothing resembles mum or dad.

I reckon our mummums and dadadas are still pretty random sounds but I am convinced DD2 says cat! She only says it when she's looking at them and gets so excited by them (we have 2 kittens).

Flip a thread means to turn it the other way up so that the old stuff is at the top rather than the new stuff. Handy if you are coming to a thread later on and want to read through it without scrolling backwards.

Just had 2 really horrendous nights. I'm sure it is tooth no 5 arriving but then she's never been great. Am starting to get a bit tough about trying to settle her without feeding though now, like when she makes mid evening. I'vre also started waking her up once she's fallen asleep so that she gets the other side too. Not seen much improvement though.

Can't beleive how mobile she suddenly is though - pulling herself up and just starting to crusie. She looks so tiny!

We live in the Peak District and although we don't own much land ourselves there is plenty of unclaimed land around where we can squeeze a few pigs etc.I love the idea of being self-sufficient, at least to a degreee.

I think DD says "tat" for the cat too, but thought as the rest is so random that I was imagining it.

Thankyou! I have now flipped the thread and it is soooo much easier! I can't belive I have spent the last 20 odd months scrolling to the top and back down, to check who said what, when writing a message. Oh well better late than never!

Sorry you have had such a bad couple of nights.
DD is always up at about 3am (more often at moment) and I still just feed her, as at the moment I would rather 5min feed than pacing for an hour and then having the boys woken too. I did crack down on it by about 9mths with the boys, but as she is my last she will get away with it for a bit longer I think. Although I do try to put her to bed awake as often as I can.

Never been to the peak district. but I hear it is stunning.
I'd love self-sufficient(ish) too, but here in bucks, land is way too expensive. we have considered Wales but still wouldn't get enough land to support us, as DH wouldn't be able to commute to itv job in London.

dd2 says ag for dog aaaaahnnnnn for her big sister Annabelle and mummummummum for me . I swear I heard her say elo the other day but have heard nothing since so it must have been coincidence. Oh and she "sings" aiieeeooo for the chorus for Old MacDonald. DD2 was still getting us up at 3.00am until a few weeks back when I got a little more firm. My approaching return to work is looming in my mind and full nights sleep seem to have become more important to me. Agree that the only reason I hadn't been firm until now has been the thought of 5 minutes instead of an hour and the horror of dd1 getting up to join in as well . That said I still make up a bottle "just in case" when we go to bed.

We had a bit of a landmark yesterday - was cuddling dd on sofa, next to wall with ds' artwork on, and she got very interested in a Thomas the Tank Engine collage, and then looked at me very intently, and pointed! She's kept pointing at things, and it's so sweet. She's also really into waving at the moment, especially at herself in the mirror.

Does anyone else find that they read what all the other babies are doing, thinking 'mine isn't doing that, mine can't do that!' in a paranoid fashion. I'm not as bad as with ds, but still worry about every little thing. Even though she seems perfect! And what's more, I don't want her to grow up too fast.

Hi all!! wills-- sorry to say I still hate leaving ds!!

ds2 loves to wave too musica, I think it's natural to look at other babies and think that yours is not doing stuff they are, but try to remember kids are so indivitual in what they do when, yours will be bound to do things that others can't ( apart from that so and so mother that swears blind theirs do it all)

Marina-- great news about your dd!! she may walk before her first b'day!!

Wills-- It is so much harder to work when they are not supportive or even down right horrid!! Hope something sorts itself out for you. you are right to try not to spoil last few days.

Hi all. Well it took 3 weeks for all 4 molars to come through, and what a fun 3 weeks we had!!! things had improved for the last week then she started screaming all night last night! today i peared into her mouth to find a canine is trying to erupt!! will we ever get a break from teething!!

KMS - think we're in for a night of it too - she's been crying for 2 hours now, is totally shattered, but still very upset - dh is taking a turn in with her. Can't get her off to sleep at all. Sure it's teeth.

Ugh. We have the same problem here only she decided to do it at 2.00 am in the morning in the middle of a camp site . We were not popular . The weekend camping was great despite the rain. Imagine if you can a train of kids from 5 down traipsing around in a line all in their wellies and waterproofs around the forest campsite hunting bugs. Really gorgeous!

Champs - am in real agony at the prospect of returning to work but am trying really hard not to let it spoil the last few days. Work is being awful and have so far only come up with temporary work for me which is not really acceptable. I could go back to my old job but they are seriously laying into the emotional blackmail to try and stop me but are not really coming up with any alternatives. Not nice at all.

Sorry to hear about the teeth, all. Dd has had a hacking cough which has led to disrupted nights, but we've still got the molar/canine pleasures to come.
Wills, I am SO upset for you about work. I found it hard enough going back to a broadly supportive and welcoming organisation, and to a really supportive department. It makes me seethe they can get away with this. And I am seriously impressed about how cheerfully you embraced a wet and creepy-crawly camping weekend...
Dd finally crawled! And having accomplished this is now crawling UP people to try and stand almost immediately.

yes we did have a bad night and as DH is on nights this week it is all down to me! At least she didn't wake the other two up last night.
Musica- hope your night wasn't too bad!
Wills-camping sounded fun! shame about the rain. i really feel for you about the work situation. How can they have given your job away! They really should sort out an alternative for your replacement not for you!
Have just been chatting to my brother in Seattle and his wife has just had their first baby! But she has 6 weeks off before she has to go back!! i cann't belive it! 6 weeks!!
Great news about the crawling Marina! They really do progress sooo fast!

I can't believe we are nearly in August! This time last year we were all getting near to our due dates (mine was July 21st), and now look at them! Dd is standing alone now (when she's got something else to think about!), and is so desperate to walk. Ds is very sweet, and sometimes crawls with her to keep her company!

Wills - sorry things are bad at work. Hope they sort out so it can be a happier return for you.

Marina - excellent news about crawling! Although, it is the end of leaving them happily with their toys, isn't it! I've noticed a real difference between ds and dd - ds LOVED his toys - is a real 'player' - if I leave dd in the living room and go into the kitchen, I instantly hear 'pad pad pad' following me in - she's much more of a company person!

Are any of you doing anything for their birthdays? I'm going to try and do a little tea party for dd, but nothing too adventurous. Happy birthday to all the little ones!