May Babies.......part3!!

[Egypt]

boo!

In our small town there are only two known childminders and one supposedly much better than the other. You have to do a get-in-quick job to be childminded, here.

My work pattern is so erratic that I'm unlikely to find any godmather fairyish enough to take DD on.

should prob. become the third childminder and solve both problems in a one-r.

yes my mil has offered to look after dd for me to go back to work. Quite lucky really as I need to go back full time to pay for the wedding and everything else ie my NEXT store shopping obsession and I couldnt afford a child minder full time.
I have no idea how im going to express so much milk which is why im going to wean at 5 months. I ve just borrowed a electric pump from the hospital to see if its quicker than a hand pump. My theory is that every 3-4hrs im going to have to lock myself away at work and express a feed, then the next day DD feeds on what I expressed the day before. If this doesnt work ill do formula at day and breast at night.

We weighed in at 12lb 10ozs so shes gained 8ozs over 2 weeks. At least its a gain and its got us back on track.

heres a new piccie
yummy

ahhhh kbaby. dd has found that everything tastes yummy too! as soon as i touch her hand or anywhere near her face she grabs my hand and shoves it in her mouth! she's also started a constant growling noise, which she does for ages. i don't know why she does it. she used to make lovely chatty, cooing noises, now she just goes eeee,eeee,eee in the back of her throat. strange.

my mum called today. she hasn't seen dd for 4 weeks, which isn't long, but in baby terms is iyswim. i was telling her what dd can do now and she started to cry. her mum, my nan, has found out that she is likely to have bowel cancer, and that coupled with us being 150 odd miles away has just sent her over the edge. she called back later to apologise and just started again. bless. i feel awful. as soon as i get my new car, i think i shall drive to norwich and surprise her...with dd of course. although, m and d are coming up to us in 2 weeks' time, i'm not sure she can wait that long. it's horrid. :(

Oh Egypt, so sorry about your nan. your poor mum, sounds like your dd has an important job to do ...

I breastfed dd1 for 10 weeks and stopped because I was going back to work. She was still getting up and feeding through the night. Once on bottles she carried on waking through the night for feeds until she was about 5 months old when one night all of a sudden she slept through.

dd2 has been on bottles full time since she was 6 weeks old and has slept through the night since she was 10 weeks old. But I don't think it's anything to do with the bottles I just think she's different from dd1, dd2 seemed to be born with a better sleeping routine right from the start would feed all day then sleep midnight -6am, she's just different from dd1 I think.

We had giggles in the bath last night, first time ever. Dh was holding dd2, she's too heavy for me to hold and wash at the same time, I was washing her and when I washed under her arms she gave this huge big chuckle it was so funny and cute to hear. Hasn't done it since though. She's been very grumpy today but I think she might be coming down with the cold that I had or maybe it's her teeth that are bothering her. She doesn't have a temp. as I've been checking. But she didn't eat as much today as usual, she had the same amount of feeds but didn't always finish the bottles like she usually does.

when I go back to work Dh will look after dd2. I'm part time and work the same hours every week and Dh just works when I'm not, hence the reason he works evenings most of the time. We did the same with dd1 although at that time I was in a different job and worked full time then I stopped working and became a SAHM. Got myself a part time job when dd1 was 3 and I'm still there.

Was talking to a mum today at dd1's ballet class and she has a 15 year old son when he was a baby the weaning advice was 12 weeks then when she had her dd, same age as my dd1, it had changed to 16 weeks. Another reason I think we should wait to wean is that we're going to London in October and don't want to be faffing around with solids while we're away would much rather be at home and relaxed about it all. The only thing dd2 likes to chew on at the moment is her hands. She won't hold onto any of her little toys although if you put something into her hand she holds it for a while but then she lets it go so she can stuff her fingers back in her mouth. Even when we're trying to feed her we have to pull her hands out of her mouth so we can get the bottle in.

Egypt, sorry to hear about your nan. I think a surprise visit would be a good idea.

Do you think she's ticklish Linnet? I was wondering if that's something that they get later on, as DD doesn't raise an eyebrow when you poke her in the oxters. Whereas if you do that to me I am likely to buckle at the knees and/or wet my pants. Let that be a warning to anyone who meets me in RL and takes a notion to poke me in the oxters...

um, does nobody want to see my photos? (pathetic face emoticon)

Oh yes she's very tickly. If you tickle her feet she tries to escape, lol and Dh likes to tickle her back when she's lying down, tickles her at the side and she sort of rolls away from him, sort of still hasn't mastered rolling yet, then he tickles her back, he's so cruel to her in a nice way, lol

she's really mastered this lying on her front with her head up thing, still can't leave her to long though or she gets annoyed. but she holds her head up and her legs go as if she's trying to crawl, pity help me when she finally gets mobile she's going to be into everything.

Spots I'd love to see your photo's I'll CAT you I must get some photo's organised, I'm waiting on my broadband to get going, hopefully I'll be able to upload my photo's then, it wouldn't let me do them the other night

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Twiglett

We are all over the place at nights... Last night more 'not-really-hungry-just-wanting- something-may-as-well-feed' type wakes which are very hard to deal with. But DH has realised the error of his ways and deigned to pat the baby asleep ... which worked for a bit. We persevere with the dummy and bottle of water but at first she thinks it's a game, then gets annoyed. My concern is that if she wakes for too long at night then she'll sleep during the day to compensate, and then not be tired enough overnight. A vicious circle.(that's a picture of a vicious circle). Basically she's MUCH worse at sleeping than she used to be!

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yes spots, i want to see your piccies! will CAT you.

yeeeeahh, we had a giggle last night too! 3 in fact, then she got bored! i tickled her when she had no clothes on, from tummy up to under her chin and she gave a sort of coughing laugh. bless. hasnt since though.

well twiglett, i am doubly but well done - you lucky thing! dd was a nightmare last night! she went to sleep at 7.15, then woke starving at 8.30!! fed loads, woke again at 12, then 2 then 3.30 then 7.15. i am whacked :( when is this going to end????? hope it's a growth spurt. she is now 14 weeks and weighs over 14lb. praps she's trying to keep her weight the same as her age!! ;) and going for the 15 mark before next weigh in!

my sister and her friend are here, so hopefully they will be taking dd out for a few long walks whilt mummy sleeps :)

thanks for comments about nan. she's having tests tomorrow to confirm either way, but it looks likely, she has all the symptoms.

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I woke up at 4.30am this morning thinking what is that noise, oh it's dd2. Tried to ignore her but she kept grumbling, so I got up and she'd kicked her covers off so I covered her up and went back to bed but she wasn't having any of it. She was getting a bit more vocal so I decided that I'd better try and feed her so made up the bottle, already have the water ready just need to mix in the powder and she gets it at room temperature so no need to heat it up, and she took 4oz of milk then went back to bed quite happily. But during all the crying before hand dd1 got up and came into bed with me and dh. I'm not going to mention to my granny that dd2 was up as she'll just start on the solids thing again. On the way home from school this morning I went into Asda and bought a grobag. Can I ask anyone else who's using one do you just put them in the grow bag and put them to bed or do you put a cover over them as well? don't want her to get too hot but at the same time I'm wondering if she's waking because she's cold then decides that she might as well have something to eat while she's awake. although it's probably more likely to be a growth spurt.

Spots your dd is so cute. she looks really long as well. DD2 seems to be really long, longer than dd1 was anyway.

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we had the hospital today for the heart murmur. everythings fine and its closed itself, thank god
dd's currently sat on my lap chatting to herself, she was suposed to be sleeping but decided to get a 2nd wind, actually since i typed that shes fallen asleep, so im quiet typing sshhh.. the only noises she makes apart from the chattering is sucking in her breath and as she does it she squeals. she started this on saturday.
anyones dd still need help to get to sleep. i still cant put dd down to sleep drowsy, if i try she just lies there for 10 mins playing and then cries until i get her by which time shes overtired. even now shes asleep on my lap. once i loosen my hold on her and rest her head on the pillow she wakes up. i have to hold her properly, hence the missing capital letters.

we use a grobag, weve got the summer 1 tog, the bedroom very rarely goes below 21c so i just put a long sleeve vest on, in the winter ill just add a pajama top or a babygro. i dont think you need to use any extra sheets etc. dd's hands are always cold with the grobag but ive checked her ears etc and they seem warm so i think shes ok.

last night i tried a experiment. instead of waking dd at 10.30 i left her, i wanted to see if she go until 3ish. she didnt. from 12 she was restless and i could hear her moving etc. in the end i couldnt sleep as i knew shed wake up it was just a question of when, so at 12.45 i fed her, just so i could get some sleep, she went then until 4.30 and 7.30. tonight i think ill stick to waking her at 10.30. at least that way she only wakes once.
breastfeeding group leant me a electric pump yesterday but god what a noise it makes, theres no way i can express at work using it. so back to getting rsi with the avent one.

dd's new trick at night is to knock her dummy out and then chomp on her hand. this means all i can hear from the monitor is chomping and slurping noises, very nice

good news about he heart murmur kbaby :)

we usually use a 2.5tog growbag with a bodysuit. yesterday i realised i have had a 1tog one in the cupboard for ages! so used that last night, with a long sleeved bodysuit. but dd kept waking. at 3.30 i decided she may be too cold so put on some trouser bottoms. she slept til 7.15 then. will put her in a babygro tonight. you musn't use covers or blankets with them.
look on the gro-bag website and they should give you the temp readings matched with clothing and tog ratings.

just checked, and doesnt seem to say. i have the figs on back of my grobag thermometer if you want them.

okay - who took my nice DS and swapped him for the devil incarnate? at least I know his 16 week spurt is textbook stuff! He has been so grizzly the last two days and nights.

Twiglett, your DD has been sleeping perfectly and mine has suddenly been doing the mardy thang - I am watching you!

Egypt, I am sorry to hear about your nan - I am thinking of you and your family xxx

thanks libb.

my lovely sister and her friend have just gone to tesco's for me and are cooking tea tonight. niiiice. dd is playing away in her bouncy chair and i am on here - smashing . actually she has hardly slept today and hasn't fed as often either. hoping for the less feeding to continue tonight and more sleeping to occur. oh dear, hear a grizzle right now. mardy baby

am I the only bad mum?
I met some other mums today who all asked if any of them had thought about spending time away from d's, the general theme was 'good god no, couldnt think of anything worse' when I said that my mum has dd all night friday they looked at me as if I had 2 heads. Now I love DD dearly but I do need a break and look forward to my peaceful friday nights. Am I wrong to enjoy them so much? one mum said that her DD wont be settled by her husband or anyone else only her, and that she loves this and is glad that its only her that her DD will be with. I want DD to enjoy being with me and DP and hope that she will grow up being close to both of us. The reason I allow DD to spend time with other adults i.e grandma's/friends is because I dont want a clingy baby, I want one who knows I love her but has the independance to play on her own or with others but knows that I am there for her.
Should I feel guilty for not wanted to be with DD every minute of the day and not wanting a baby who only needs me?

no way kbaby. you are so right. they might like the idea of being 'the one' at the moment but what about later. i wouldn't want a clingy baby/child...i hope that the time dd spends with others rubs off on her. i LOVE my times when she is asleep. that sounds awful, but i just need a bit of peace and time to myself sometimes to feel sane. i am worried that i find it so hard to leave her to other people though - that they may 'do things' differently to me. i have to get over this. i wish i was more like you and was happy about spending the night away from her, because boy could i do with it sometimes. i am sure that if my mum was closer i probably would. just couldn't with mil - wish i could. you are totally right in the way you are thinking and are NO WAY a bad mum...........blimey, you wouldn't be on here questioning your feeding/sleeping habits like you do and making sure you get the right advice. of course you love your dd just like we all love ours. don't feel bad.{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}