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

Hello again everyone from the other side of the world!
As always lots going on while I have been away. Hello ozmum and welcome. I am down in your neck of the woods at the moment... Well, next door anyway. rosie you have such lovely stories, what a wonderful start to baby Rosie's life!
Have been reading everyone's lovely and warm posts, will respond properly soon. All is quite on the go at the moment. Not least because we had the 12 month jabs just before we left (12 days ago) and sure enough BG has a mild case of measles. He is not a happy bunny. Still, he was thrilled by his first beach experience this morning - much sand was consumed - and the little train ride through the NZ bush this afternoon also went down well. Scarecrow thanks for the advice on the sleeping, we have tried to be as much to routine as possible and it has been fairly ok. Except for last night, when there was a power cut and BG woke up. You can imagine just how pitch black a rural, bush-clad countryside is without any lights on a cloudy night... The poor thing freaked a little, but hooray for Ewan and his red tummy. Also of course the hardy NZers don't believe in central heating so it got pretty cold.
Tomorrow we are off to Hot Water Beach. This is a military operation to get there for the right time for hot water pools in the sand.

morning all

quick question, wattage or stage can you put kids in jumperoo? never used one for dd as she hated that kind of thing, but ds is just that sort of kid. Plus will help with eternal task of keeping him upright some days!

I feel so weary, much more than I'd expect. Not sure if cumulative broken.sleep on holiday and guests or just having two kids in 40s. I hesitate to admit this but I long for child-free time... what were those supplements, Somewhere?

scarecrow I bought Jumperoo mid may when dd about 3.5 mo and she used it straight away, altho still building up bounce/speed in it now! Friend's dd of same age already outgrown hers (much more physical baby I think). Btw she's selling hers and lives in SW london if any use to you? Sorry re weariness - have no idea how I would be with 2 DC - one is hard enough

Great to hear from you goat - first beach trip is so special. Hope bg is better soon.

Hiding in loo on phone after wakeful time since 5am

x post Goat: so glad you having a lovely time, though so sorry BG is poorly. He sounds a trooper though.! Lots more tales from below, please, so we can live vicariously

Eagle - I am def interested. Do you want to pm me with any info? I'll pm my email.

I put on a light dressing gown with Chinese embroidery this morning and DD thought it was my princess dress to wear to work (she has seen a photo of where I work and it is quite an ornate building so she decided I work in a princess palace)... so basically she thinks my job is being a princess (plus I wear jeans every day of life si clearly never otherwise look like a princess )

I should add that I am the least princessy person I know!

Goat. Glad all arrived safe and sound. Hope m measles clear up quickly. Dylan went to the beach to last week. Can't beat a spot of sand good fibre.
I get the worst mum award today he got hold of the tv remote and pulled off a bit and dp had to fish it out his mouth I couldn't find it. It's been me telling him dont let him have that remote the small front easily pops off and while he sat on my knee I let him have it. He is fine I am upset but lesson learnt
Bbh. Glad a sleep is better we are worse hete up 5 times last night. What did the specialist suggest you did differently?

Thank you for all the warm welcome
yes i am from down under and it is winter here right now. i have got this cold for a few weeks now.
just wanted to say hi and now i am going to try catch up on all your recent posts

Goat, so glad you made it to NZ.
Scarecrow, I don't like too much this thing, if T is not ready to stand and is put in it, he might tiptoe and that is not good for the feet development, or so I was told. It is better to have a playpen to let him hold it if he wants to stand, A has done so and started walking pushing it here and there.
DS has left this morning with DH to visit DH's parents for 2 weeks, I m going to miss him.

goat hope the measles clears up soon! the black out sounds scary! i would have been scared too! and no central heating brrr

scarecrow my DS1 used to have one of those bouncers that u attach to the doorframe. he loved it! he was around 5 months at the time. how quickly time passes!

rosie i love your stories

eagle i totally sympathise with you! when my two were little, i would put a note on front door for DH to be sshhh when he comes through the door after work! and i would insist he tiptoe around the house when baby is sleeping lol

question please ladies

has anyone done the 5:2 dieting? have read good things about it and just want to know if anyone has done it?

Goat, hope BG is feeling better. Hot Water Beach sounds rather nice!
Scarecrow, we haven't got a jumperoo but this which is similar, and DD has really enjoyed it since she could support her head properly. BBD makes a good point about tiptoes but in this, DD's feet are flat on the floor and she loves it, as she loves to be standing. She also liked her door bouncer from about 4 months but she's already exceeded the maximum weight for that! about your royal job!
LRM, don't beat yourself up, we've all done stuff like that. I surrounded DD with cushions when she first started sitting up but there was a gap and I told myself she'd be fine whilst I fetched another cushion, and of course she toppled over and hit her head on a book shelf . She was fine but I wasn't.
BBD I'd really miss my DS as well if he went off, will you be able to speak to him regularly?
Ozmum, I haven't done 5:2 I'm afraid, I'm too much of a pig picker, but my sister does it and has lost weight. I think if you can handle the hunger, it does apparently get better. She has days at work where she's so busy, she doesn't get any lunch so it suits her lifestyle, whereas I'm at home and the fridge/biscuit tin/crisp cupboard regularly call my name. I prefer to workout every morning whilst DD is asleep. I've got another 7lbs to go though before I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight.
Had a lovely day in London yesterday, ate a bacon sandwich the size of my head in Borough Market, and a chinese takeaway when we got home. Missed Rosa like mad, but she had a lovely day with my parents. I'm cooking for the freezer for her today - have made chicken in tomato sauce with cumin & coriander so far, and am about to make another chicken one, with butter beans, herbs & creme fraiche. It's a tad warm in the kitchen though. Hope you're all having nice days x

ozmum SomewhereBecomingRain will be along sometime (soon probably) and she is our 5:2 (and other ratios) guru. I'm the C25k monitor

knotty wow and yum at chicken with butterbeans....

Ooh does that make me Jillian Michaels monitor?? {jumps up and down with hand in the air}.
Scarecrow, here's the recipe (from a booklet I got with a baby mag I think). Chicken & cannellini bean stew (I happen to have a tin of butter beans in the cupboard though). Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole dish and fry 1 chopped onion for 2-3 mins. Add 4 halved skinless boneless chicken thighs (I'm using breasts though) and 2 chopped cloves of garlic and stir until the chicken is browned. Add 150ml of no-salt chicken stock or water, 8 halved cherry toms, 100g broccoli, juice of half a lemon, and a drained tin of beans. Bring to boil then cover & simmer on a low heat for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked. Add some chopped parsley or whatever herbs you've got, and 2 tbsp creme fraiche. Heat through, then blend to whatever consistency you need for your baby.
Hope it's OK!

Ozmum. 5:2 diet ok if not breastfeeding very few calories. I could not do it need calories to get through the day. If it helps I have 3 very low carbs calories meals a day no snacks or crap. I have lost 5 stone since new years day. It's one of those diets you do for a few weeks and the hunger gets too much. I lovey food too much. My friend tried it and was tired and crabby most days very little energy.

LRM, so sorry baby monkey is so hard at night, the osteo I saw did not give any advice but she could feel that around 7 months, something happened to A that created some pressures in her back. These pressures were uncomfortable so at night she would wake up trying to find a more comfortable sleep position. We wrongly thought she was hungry so fed her and now she has taken the bad habit of being fed at night. Also the feeding position relieved her back and she would fall asleep. This is quite consistent when I think back, A had a fall from my bed around 7 months and she started waking up randomly at night, I could not see a pattern, I thought the schedule with DS and hers were wrong, I changed that a bit, I thought weaning was also involved.... Since I have seen the ostopath, she has managed to sleep almost through a few nights waking up only once instead of 2 or up to 5/6 times. Coincidence or not, I don't know but I might try again some gentle sleep training if she keeps on sleeping and waking up only once a night.
I m quite happy with this osteopath but unfortunately she is in France and was recommended by my MW. Not very practical though as I usually live in London ! Can anyone recommend a good baby/toddler friendly osteopath in NW or Central London ?
First time I saw her was a few weeks after birth, A then took ages to burp, one session and she was burping almost immediately once she was put upright. She advised me to come back when A would start to be mobile. Once a year for a check up is enough according to her to realign things unless big falls happen. I will try to see her again in Dec though.
Another friend of mine is seeing someone to help with sleep for her 2yo DD. But I don't know if it has shown some results.
She also mentioned not to try to help babies with walking by leading them with your fingers as long as they have not by themselves started to cruise with one hand on furniture. This movement means that their hips and ligaments in this area are ready to support front walking movements (as opposed to crab/side walking, if that makes sense). Trying to teach them early might induce incorrect position of feet and walking with feet inwards later on. so no rush, our babies will walk when they are ready
Sorry for long explanation but I m trying to think in English when being fully immersed in French for the past 5 weeks...

Scarecrow, I know what you mean by child free/me time. I have hardly had that luxury since DS was born except when I was back at work ! But if that was child free time, it wasn't Me Time. it is very hard to deal with a toddler and a baby, I feel I m constatntly rushing from one to the other and not have quality time with neither of them, not to mention enjoying the time I spend with them. I feel that I care for their basic needs but I don't nurture them. I wish I could have 1 hour a day per child when I could only play on the floor, crawling with A, rolling a ball or racing cars, building Lego with DS or reading something to both of them instead of trying to answer to DS' non stop questioning about the world while preparing tea or bathing A.
But tonight DS is away and A is asleep, the house is so quiet and emptiness is filing my heart. I already miss my sweet DS although he left less than 12 hours ago.

A is 53 weeks today, 76cm long and 9.53kg. She is now standing by herself steadily and even claps her hands as if she was saying she is happy of herself and inviting us to cheer her too.

My babies are growing up. I feel sadness creeping its way up. So much that I mentioned I was 43 a few days ago, but actually I am only 42. Doh !

Quick one before bed. Have added a photo of BG on the beach to my profile. Had a wonderful day in gorgeous sunshine. BG had the time of his life. We had to stop him marching into the sea!
Hello to all. Really really promise will answer you all soon!

Hey bbd an osteopathy tour de force - v v interesting. Re sadness battling it too. There's a thread on chat about this and while some mums are inconsolable others say it gets better and better (and easier).

goat can't wait to check out that pic.

oz 5:2 works for me - no impact on milk supply. Had to give up after four weeks but then started again and it was much easier. Think with all diets that require your metabolism to reeducate itself - fasting, low carb - a break can help.

5:2 isn't for everyone but for some people it's the only thing that works.

Howdy all.

I am running in from the house of vomit. So far DS, then me and now poor DD have been afflicted. I've never had to mop up so much sick. Exhausting and hideous. DD is happily sleeping it off now and actually wasn't as bad as me or DS, thankfully.

Goat, hope NZ is amazing.

scare the jumperoo is very popular in our house. DS loved it, and now DD does too. We've been using it a few weeks now. You're not supposed to start til 4 months but DD is huge and has excellent head and back control. She's jumping away already. I hadn't heard any stuff about it affecting the development of feet or impacting on mobility, but going off our own experience there haven't been any problems of that nature.

Off to chill as am shattered. Catch up again soon x

Oh dear Chairman, I hope your household will feel better soon.
Goat, has mild measles left baby Goat alone now ? Love the sand pic, btw.

Had a Skype with DS this morning. He seemed very happy, showed me all his toys. Sweet boy asked why I wasn't with him in the "castle", my inlaws have just had a new house built near Bordeaux, DS has always called it the "castle" to their immense pleasure.
A has eaten a huge portion of peas, carrots, salmon and couscous tonight. I love the way she picks peas between her thumb and index, one by one, slowly bringing it to her mouth as if they were caviar. We played peek a boo today, she was hiding under my maxi skirt... And laughed outloud. So so so cute. She is too starting to cry if being told No or if I remove something she wants to play with. Tonight she managed to steal a pen and a booknote from my bedside table. I asked her to give the pen back to me as she took it in her little hand by opening my hand, she brought it to me and her whole face went down. Then I asked for the booknote she had put on the floor a few meters away, she sat down on her bottom, went to pick it up and brought it. Waouh, I don't remember DS being that clever... Maybe I did not ask him to do any of these either.

Arrrgggh lost massive post on phone when MN connection failed.

Brief recap (as brief as I can be )

Goat and others am longing to see latest pics when I get on a real grown up computer (not mobile/tablet). Please keep them there.

Chair- really hope Wow Towers all recovered v soon. Poor you.

BBD - my heart goes out to you DS going off like that. Why can't you go?? Thanks too for advice on osteopathy etc. Very interested to see if can help T with reflux, though definitely improved in last few weeks, or at least wind side has. Love your descriptions of A.

Called off our 12 day bid to potty train DD today and she is back in nappies. I felt unexpectedly low about it: a real feeling I'd failed her. Think being cooped up so much hasn't helped. Also DH nearly finished six week holiday and my vision of visiting friends away from London, going to seaside, family day trips etc not materialised as DH obsessively restoring his car almost every minute so feel I'm doing childcare or nagging him. Again I wonder why I am so passive or weak about this kind of thing. In other ways I'm not, but can't get balance right. I end up being passive and overtly resentful, which is worst combination. Think I'm also worried about funding second half of maternity leave too. Need a good shake!

To end on a more cheerful note, had a funny experience today: there was a woman in the sports club today who is a celebrity with a lovely reputation (I would never have known but my sister pointed her out). She had a baby v similar to T so I said hello as I went past and asked how old her little boy was....except it was a girl. Oops! Good thing I was not trying to impress her My sister has disowned me! She was very nice though

Knotty - definitely Jillian Michaels monitor You have tempted me to try. Except I don't have a DVD player since we rashly ditched our TV to stop DD nagging to watch it

Scarecrow - you don't need a DVD player - I just do the Shred on Youtube! In fact, all this discussion about it jolted me back into doing it again (have lapsed of late) and so at 9am today I was doing star jumps and waving dumbells around while DD lay on the floor with a puzzled look on her face. V frustrating losing long post - remember to select text and copy onto clipboard as insurance before posting!

Having done the Shred over a few weeks earlier in the summer, I can say that although I still resemble a sack of potatoes, it is a slightly shaplier/stronger sack of potatoes. Also found doing the Shred first thing gave me a clearer head and a more positive attitude for the rest of the day.

Ooh re celebrity! Trying to guess who it was... I'm sure they won't mind the mixup, and no doubt enjoyed chatting to you! Potty training sounds even more hideous than weaning (and plenty more opportunities to feel guilty) - please don't feel it's failed. Just start again when she's ready and you have the strength to cope. Silly DP and his old car project - without wanting to sound sexist, I suspect that men are more fixated on satisfying their immediate needs whereas women probably think more about the bigger picture/family priorities (it's certainly what happens in my household). He may not feel so happy about how he's spent his time once he's back at work. I struggle with balance too as after most weekends we both feel hard done by in terms of chores/childcare. Feeling more and more inclined to do a timetable so we both get what we need - DP not keen but think it would resolve a few arguments.

BBD so nice you've had a chat with DS on Skype, and that he's so happy in his castle. Can just imagine A manipulating her peas

Chairman hope you're all feeling better soon. Vom is the pits. DD sounds v advanced in the jumperoo - Baby E not terribly inclined still to bounce very much but enjoys all the little toys in it. I try to balance any risk of deformed feet against the benefits I get from being granted 30 mins of hands free time to do essential stuff around the house!

Somewhere great to hear 5:2 is still going well. I would go bonkers with it I think, but then other days I think it might be the answer. No longer following WW, but it seems to have trained me into eating less as still losing weight.

Goat love the pic!! He looks so big and strong compared to the little sleeping figure in the other pic. Sounds like you're having the best time

I fed DD her usual mushy meals today, which she ate with her usual spoon-grabbing enthusiasm. Then I had a pang of guilt about lack of BLW (god knows where that came from as even the acronym gets right on my nerves). So I ended up steaming some tiny pieces of broccoli (twice actually as didn't seem cooked enough the first time) then let them cool and presented them to her in her feeding bowl. She stared at them intently, stroked one piece carefully and was about to pick it up then changed her mind and tipped the bowl over the side of her high chair, leaving me with a kitchen floor covered in little green florets. Tomorrow I will be serving mush again and am not relinquishing control of the bloody spoon.

In other news, have managed to bring forward bedtime by an hour to 9pm! Really big deal as that's one hour of my evening I've managed to claim back for myself let's ignore for now the fact that she's woken once already Have every confidence I can make it earlier still over the next few days...