Further freakingly fantabulous adventures of the 40+ Mummies Part 2

[blueblackdye]

Our 2nd thread is full but it won't prevent us from laughing, moaning, keeping on supporting each other, sharing and chatting over our new life with 1 or 2, even 5 children !
Here you go, fantastic 40+ Mums, a brand new thread for all of us, old friends from the pregnancy thread or new joiners

Sorry Knicky and knotty - I'm terrible for mixing up similar sounding names

Currently in ikea cafe eating things I shouldn't while BF and trying to stop baby E from yanking my top above my head...

Hello knotty yes I absolutely remember you - I was sorry not to see you on this board when I got here!

scarecrow so sorry things got on top of you during the holiday - you are such a fab, lovely, high achieving person on all fronts, you should always feel great about yourself, sadly I know it doesn't work like that. Yay to self-potty training. Ime it's a two steps forward ones step back thing and a lot is to do with their nerves developing to do the job of telling them its time to go. In boys this takes aaaages. Ime.

eagle knotty what's this shred business? knotty I've been doing the 5:2 diet, sort of. Instead of fasting all day on 500 cals two days a week sometimes I just eat in a six hour window 12-6pm. I have lost 9lb - can't believe it.

Hey knicky glad you are back - it all sounds like its going well. Can't believe baby k only wakes 2 times a night. I'm thinking of weaning baby s early -like next week - cause she is so huge so v interested in your thoughts. Also interested in blw.

AFM I got baby s some extraordinary satin harem pants from the charity shop for 75p. She looks so cute in them, like a baby clown. They make me so happy.

My sis dropped round today - called up and said she was outside the door. Really good to see her and dear niece but nephew, who had allegedly been longing to see ds, promptly hit ds and dear sis did nada. .

Omg Somewhere, this is horrible, poor DS. Would your nephew and sister understand if you frankly and abruptly threaten not to see them anymore if he does not change his behaviour ?
Eagleray, hope the constipation will ease quickly, water helps too on top of plums, how ironic, baby Eagle is famous for her massive poos :)
Scarecrow, you are fantastic, don't let anyone or anything put you down.
Wonder how Seaside is doing. Have not heard from her for ages. Hope all is well. Same with VQ. Bet Midget is busy cooking.
Re weaning, I have been giving finger food and spoonfeeding at the same time. Green beans, cauliflower, peppers, brocoli, watermelon, tomato slices, avocado, mango, mushrooms, raspberries, small blueberries slightly squeezed in your fingers, baguette, A is happy with all of these. I am not ready yet to let her touch porridge or rice or couscous. But sometimes she is very quick and dips her hand in yogurt ! I often have to wipe her hair as well as face and hands, not to mention floor and highchair ! Usually In the evening, bath follows dinner, not the other way round anymore.
Tried a macaroon recipe today, raspberry macaroon filled with passion fruit creme chantilly surrounded by raspberries. Beautiful to look at but tricky to eat. DS claimed he prefered chocolate brownies.... Pfffff, kids !
Off to bed now.

at BBD's DS. reminds me was trying to inspire DD about Alpine scenery or Ronan history of Autun but really all she wanted to know at every stop.was "can we go swingsslide?"

a,few weaning memories returning: for weaning and teething frozen buts of soft fruit - watermelon especially good. Good for adults too . Also breakfast before dressing, and I wore a cooking apron for meals. One day skirt wad downstairs so went down in too and tights: put apron on and forgot...as I went out front door for drop off and work felt bit breezy down below and realised still in apron with no skirt
DD rubbish at eating veg when weanibg; now pretty good frankly. Dont panic!
Finally I have found making her try stuff even if she has only two mouthfuls has often led to acceptance after a few goes. And never ever replacing rejected meal with a more popular alternative; instead I would bulk up "pudding" surreptitiously (eg doing custard with fruit or adding some carbs to a snack pot with fruit and a sweet treat) and aim to do our banker meal - pasta with pesto - for lunch or supper if was trying new food so knew she was having one good meal a day.
finally, ime snacks do great date to meals. I only allow occasionally by 10am

Weaning here too - alas not BLW, which went brilliantly with DS from just about 6 months - roast parsnips were and are a fave but literally just gave him everything we ate and he gummed away enthusiastically. He's been a fantastic eater until he has now hit a combination of belated terrible twos and realisation that DD is a fixture...

She is having to start on purees, which I don't want to do and is a MASSIVE PITA after the BLW, as only just 4 months and can't sit up or feed self but it's been recommended for helping reflux and general lack of sleep etc.

Sorry not to do a detailed name chack etc - I am shite at that at best of times but things are still pretty hard here and I'm grabbing 5 mins before she wakes from nap or I fall asleep. Wakes on cue.
ps try Rapley blw book. is v good but mainly just go for it.

Somewhere, the Shred is a Jillian Michaels DVD - only 20 mins long but hard! 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio, 1 min abs, repeated 3 times. I've got slightly obsessed with Jillian (can you tell? ) and have all her DVDs now. Congrats on the amazing weight loss! My Dsis is doing well on that too. I just don't think I'd cope with it, I'm too much of a pig picker. Those satin harem pants sound gorgeous .
BBD, my mouth is literally watering at the sound of those macaroons.

Scarecrow, at leaving the house in your tights & apron. DP did something similar a few years ago when he went to work in his boxers but no proper shorts. Thankfully he was working on his own (he's a carpenter) but realised when he needed to nip out to Wickes and couldn't find his wallet !
MrsWooster, sorry you can't wean your DD the way you'd like to - really hope it helps with reflux and sleeping.

Weaning with DD has been a dream so far (as it was with DS thankfully). If I'm spoon feeding her I just make sure she's got some finger food for practice and to keep her amused. E.g last night she had spinach dahl & sweet potato, and she had some strips of pitta with it. Similarly pud was Greek yoghurt and she fed herself the raspberries. I did the same with DS and he's now 9 and will literally eat anything, except mushrooms, even the smell of which makes him gag. So fingers crossed..... Just need to stop DD blowing raspberries when she eats - doesn't help that DP and DS think it's hilarious so she gets lots of attention when she does it!

Scarecrow, I remember this story of the missing skirt ! How hilarious ! But Knotty's DH has the palm here as he did leave without shorts !!! And he can't really say it is because of baby brain :) thank you to both for this laugh. I have left once with 2 different ballerinas, one brown and one black, but realised after only 2metres out of the house, not a big deal !

Knotty, I tend to wean the way you do, spoon feeding but finger food to keep A busy and it works.

The other day, I made some spinach and salmon pie as DS loves it and A quite enjoyed it too, Popeye helped a little bit with DS but A just opened her mouth wide and gobbled all up, I just haveto make sure I use chopped spinach.
Atm, they both enjoy Vietnamese food prepared wih love by my Mum. And I do too, I miss it so much when in London, proper homemade traditional Vietnamese meals, yum !

We are invited to a bbq tomorrow at my sister's inlaws. I m bringing some blueberries muffins. It is very trendy in Paris to present British food, interesting, isn't it ? So tomorrow morning, baking and baking for me.

Today DS and I went shopping. A new pair of trainers for him, a back pack with A's name embroided on it with a cute female goblin in the forest in the background as a birthday gift, and I m making a raspberry mango cake for A's party on Monday. Nothing big, us and only my siblings and their kids and my Mum. A has received tons of presents already, I will give her progressively her toys otherwise she will get bored of all of them too soon. Oh, I also found a beautiful beige wool and merinos knitted cardigan with fleece lining and hood, with 40% discount.

We have poo success here at last - I noticed this morning that she was red-eyed and looking a bit teary and wondered what was wrong. It was only after I had prepared another batch of prune/yoghurt gloop that I smelt something funny and realised that the watery eyes had been her straining! I think it's all out now (2 nappies full)

Gosh Knotty - you are a Jillian devotee - she would be very proud of you! I've lapsed with the shred recently but it's a great workout to do every day (I plan to carry on doing it longer term, rather than just for 30 days). I am now 2kg off my pre-preg weight, but I was overweight then, so next step will be to ditch another 10kg. Tall order, but it has to be done, and am finding that the weight is coming off fairly easily now, despite forgetting to do weightwatchers plan.

Somewhere - the harem pants sound adorable! Baby Eagleray had some raspberry pink Polarn ones which I just loved, but they had to go into the 'too small' storage bag yesterday Sorry you're still having the same problems with nephew - how depressing. I always wonder when parents ignore stuff what is going on in their heads? My nephew displayed some very odd behaviour when he was younger which my sister seemed oblivious to (and none of us dared say). Sadly she got a big shock when he started nursery and concerns were immediately highlighted and he finally got a diagnosis of ASD. Now I have Baby E, I can see how scary and heartbreaking it must be when your child is showing signs of having problems, but I hope I would be very conscious of things such as hitting other children. Hope your DS is ok.

BBD - I'm trying to train Baby E to take water from a bottle - currently no joy with doidy or sippy cup, and she became a bottle refuser after weaning from FF. I will persevere though as don't want another week without poo... I love the description of A's party as 'nothing big' but you have 9 siblings!! It will be a lovely family occasion, and the raspberry mango cake sounds lovely.

Scarecrow - love the apron story! Wearing an apron is a great idea - I've got a lovely black linen one which I think makes me look like a great cook when I wear it - must get it out. With skirt of course...

Great to hear from you MrsW - hope things get easier for you soon.

So many interesting comments about weaning, especially the puree vs baby led. I've found it much easier to not think about whether it's one or the other and just give Baby E what I think she will like! She is currently going nuts for roast sweet potato mashed with milk, goat's cheese and quinoa. She doesn't allow any to spill so can safely say she loves it. Tonight is apple with a bit of cinnammon (it's a bit monotonous at the moment as have frozen some little cubes) but will think up some new things soon.

There's a very interesting AIBU thread about weaning here where a lot of posters have said pretty much the same thing - I think the misconception that you must do one or the other causes extra stress. Also, I'm finding I absolutely LOATHE the mess from food being thrown around and absolutely reserve the right on some days to shovel the food in rather than let DD express herself and chuck it around

Btw have posted a pic of weaning in action...

Hello all. I've missed so much and have only the time to skim-read.

mrsw great to see you back. Hope the weaning is going well.

scare I hope you're not too shaken by your episode. Good that it was short-lived and no doubt a result of holiday stresses. Holidays are a much less relaxing affair with kids but so worth it for all the new things they experience. I send you hugs as someone who has suffered the big D in the past.

AFM the tinnitus has faded back to the background hiss I was used to and will hopefully stay that way. I'll steer clear of the pill I think. If our sex life ever returns DS will have to go under the knife . Kids are great, and DD already rolling over - and needing to be flipped over in the night. What joys! She's also on the 95th centile, the big lummox!

Will catch up soon, but in the meantime hello to knotty and a wave to somewhere, bbd, lrm, badmissm and everyone else. Time to crash. Night all.

Knotty, Rosa is so smiley! I love the cheekyness of them.
Chairman, I guess you mean DH will have to go under the knife :)

Waiting for mine to get out from the Eurostar, 1 hour delay so far due to thunderstorms in France. It is not an early night tonight for me

BBD, I'd love a Vietnamese meal, sounds amazing. Hope the weather is OK for the BBQ. Eagle, baby Eagle is so gorgeous , and glad she's had a couple of good evacuations. And it's the same here as far as working out goes, I had finally got my head around it being a part of my life before I got pregnant and was exercising most mornings. Plan to carry on when I'm maintaining assuming I lose this last stone. Totally agree with your views on weaning, I think people get so stressed about doing one or the other, as you say, just give them what you think they'll like! ChairmanWow, tinnitus must be horrible, glad yours is getting a bit better. Like you, I've persuaded DP to have the snip but he didn't ring back in time to confirm the July appt he was offered so he's got to wait until September now.
Took DS & DD to the library this morning (1st time for DD) and she shouted at the books very loudly !

Just a quicko from Singapore Airport to wish Anastasia a very happy birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day and enjoy lots of presents!
BG was a star on first leg. Slept seven hours. We ended up with a bassinet after all but he wouldn't sleep in it so we were the beds. No problems on take off or landing thanks to large bottles, and much outrageous flirting was done! The other passengers were lovely and despite a couple of screamy episodes they assured us at the end that he had been very good and they hasn't noticed.
Btw love the photos. Blimey but us oldies make cute babies!!
Right. Another 12 hours on a plane to go...

Anastasia happy birthday. Xxx

Happy Birthday Anastasia! xx
Goat, your baby sounds like a star. Hope the final leg of your journey goes well.

happy birthday sweet Anastasia. And well done to her lovely mummy

Hello ! Thank you for your posts. Anastasia had a lovely day, tons of presents and lots of kisses from her Mum today. Sadly DH was in London but I got to kiss A for him... As if I needed a reason to kiss her ! Lol. Yep, 1 year already and I can't stop kissing her. She has been standing on her own and clapping a lot these last days or waving in the air as if she was going to take off ! The stair climbing has not stopped. Although she knows now how to get down the sofa or bed, I m not sure she would be able to do so with the stairs so I am still very careful. No more bumps lately but it will come soon because now she has a good balance next step will be putting one foot in front of the other, she has actually managed 1 or 2 steps, but nothing really steady yet.

Happy 6 months to baby Eagle !

Goat, baby G deserves a golden star. Hope the last bit will be as smooth as the beginning.

LRM, did D finish his first proper tea ? That was quite a plate ! What did he like most ?

Xxxxx

Happy first birthday Anastasia! And wow at her walking already! Glad you had a lovely day with her.

Hope the rest of the journey went ok Goat - and have a wonderful time in NZ

Baby Eagleray celebrated her half year by visiting a portrait exhibiton with mummy and trying to touch the noses on each exhibit. For dinner, she's had roast butternut squash with quinoa and a dash of cheese followed by stewed pear with cinnamon and yoghurt. And then she nicked some garlic bread this eve. It might be mostly mushy, but it's all cooked with love and it's still baby led as she wields the spoon and tells me what she thinks of everything, mostly by singing to herself as she eats

Things are v hectic here - overseas guest is here, plus twice as many family members as originally planned. Weather is atrocious so can't really go out and do anything. And barely any sleep last night. I have bought a box of wine for the fridge, that's all I have to say...

BBD, sounds like a lovely day - very exciting that she's walking already .
Eagle, happy half birthday to Baby Eagle for yesterday! Hope you enjoyed your wine. Can I ask, does she get the food in OK if she's holding the spoon? My DD loves to hold a spoon but just tends to turn it round the wrong way and chew on the handle! So I tend to give her one to play with whilst I spoon feed her.
Had a lovely day yesterday out with friends at the local outdoor museum. DS ran riot with his friends and DD had her first go in soft play, which she loved! She also looked aghast at the alpacas - couldn't work them out at all! She had one of her favourite teas last night - corn chowder with little cheese sandwiches and raspberry rice pudding afterwards. Quieter day today after 2 full-on days. Hope everyone is well xx

Happy belated birthday Anastasia xxx

Bhb. He liked abit of everything. Pork and carrot top of the list followed by fruit and custard. Need to advance with him using the spoon. Just started nibbling sucking and throwing toast.

Happy 6 months baby E

And happy six months eaglet. Xxx

So we went to see the osteopath today. Looks like A's fall from my bed a few months ago created some pressures in the back area and that might explain why her sleep is soooooo bad. She said it is a good idea to have a check up at birth, then when babies start walking and falling. It was A's second appointment and for the second time, she had a massive poo, wonder if osteo has an immediate effect on digestive system

Oh dear I've just totally lost the plot with visitors but more on that later...

Knotty the spoon feeding seems to have happened by accident. She figured out pretty quickly how to hold the spoon and shove the food in her mouth, but at most feeding sessions it's just not practical to deal with big amounts of mess and spillages so I put some food on the spoon then hold it so that she can grab it with one hand (whilst gently keeping her other hand away, and also not letting her grabbing hand slide too far down the spoon). Then most of the time she opens her mouth wide enough to shove the food in, although sometimes she doesn't open it and the food ends up all over her face. Every day she gets a little bit better at it though, and if it's something she really likes, then very little gets wasted... not at all greedy like mummy, oh no I find I have to be really on the ball as she gets very grabby and enthusiastic. I did manage to feed her in a cafe today, which felt like a minor triumph as it was the first time she's been big enough to go in any old highchair, plus managed to pack food, get it warmed by the cafe, then feed her without destroying the furniture, and keep her reasonably quiet so she didn't annoy other customers (she can get very shouty/singy when eating).

I'm with your DD on the alpacas Knotty - feel like I should like them, but find them spitty and weird.

Great to hear from you LRM - sounds like Baby Monkey is eating well!

BBD that's funny re osteo and poo - there has to be some sort of connection, but no idea what they do to make that happen?

So just gone proper batshit crazy at my family who are staying. DSis and her DH and two DS are all here (was supposed to be just DSis and one DS with the others camping but they got rained off so ended up all being here with no advance warning). I have slightly less tolerance than usual down to a) I have a paying guest in the house (who incidentally is really lovely and helpful and a delight to have around) and b) I have a small baby therefore I'm knackered and don't want the baby woken up.

At 11.30pm this eve, homestay guest was asleep, as was DD, and the kids are still refusing to go to bed, thumping up and down the stairs, squabbling etc, with DBiL shouting up stairs at them. I just lost it and asked DSis to get them to shut the fuck up as I didn't want guest or DD woken up. Then I went to the loo and found the toilet showered in pee - they've been doing it every time they go and when I raised it earlier today I was told by DSis they were too lazy to do as they're told and lift the seat so there wasn't much point in telling them again. I said absolutely they could be told again as it just wasn't on (I refer again to paying guest in house). So I find loo covered in pee again so just told DSis to clean the fucking loo too

So I have now flounced off to bed and left them to it - I'm not usually mean but I've fucking had it! I've made space for them all at short notice, cooked meals for everyone each eve, driven them places and tried to keep everyone happy but I am beyond tired now and felt like passing out when we were out and about earlier.

Anyway, they leave tomorrow so I will regain a little bit of sanity then

Sorry that was very sweary - not very grown up nor necessary

DD is waking 3/4 times in the night at the mo so I'm running on empty