FEB 2010 Teeth, nosh and smelly bums - it's all go, six months on!!

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Where did the last half a year go??!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Aw, BG, your poor DD. Hope she feels perkier soon.
I've been wondering about offering DD pitted olives, but worry about the saltiness. Guess I need to find some marinaded in oil and not too saline...

DD's been in a funny mood today. One minute full of smiles and excitement, the next minute really drowsy and wanting to comfort breastfeed and the next having a sudden unexplained crying session. She seemed fine when I put her to bed, otherwise I'd wonder if she was coming down with something. Maybe it's her teeth? That first one is so close to breaking through, I can see it clearly...

It's DD's first night in her cot tonight - still in our room though. The plan is to give her this week to get used to the cot, then move her into her own room at the weekend (we'll sleep on a mattress on the floor in there - we've got guests) then see about leaving her to go solo.

Both DH and I disturb her sleep (as she disturbs ours), but she still wakes at night, so it'll be a bit of a pain to have to go into a different room to feed/settle her. And I will miss having my baby right next to me, despite the disruption to my own sleep... (although she'll probably still keep me awake with the help of the monitor...!)

We'll see how it goes.

And DD can now roll onto her tummy without help, although she doesn't do it very often as it's not her favourite position. She hasn't yet worked out that she can do a 360, though...just rolls back the same way, usually.

She loves trying to pull herself up to stand in her bath so I'm wondering how long it'll take for her to have a go with the help of the cot bars....

DS has now decided he can stand by himself so when we hold him up, he let go... the problem is that he can't. He's also learning how to lift himself up from seated but most of the time he falls on his side, he can do it if he can hold of something.

We've lowered the mattress in his cot because of this.

I'm full of cold and think /i'll be better in bed but need to go to work as I've got loads to do.

IC you are right about the salt I think I am more lax in my attitude with dd2. As it is I think she comes after dh's Spanish side... She could happily live on bread, cheese and olives

Hi All
I hope you don't mind if I join this thread my DD was born 2nd Feb and I've only just discovered you all! I haven't read the thread in detail yet but have scanned some of the posts and now I'm worried that DD is a bit behind in development.

Currently she rolls and sits unaided but doesn't crawl. She has strong legs and loves bouncing whilst held up - she also "dances" when sat up to music.

She has no teeth at all and doesn't really show any indication of teething.

She sleeps 7pm-7am.

She has breakfast, lunch and dinner but loses her appetite if she has a slight cold and because she is dinky every meal really counts. She eats mostly stage 2 type purees but also some finger foods and bits of olives etc.

She babbles but uses no words and shows no recognition of her name etc.

Please reassure me that she isn't too far behind!

Hi Stangirl Welcome!! We are quite a friendly bunch and our babies are all very different but all totally gorgeous!! Your dd is completely normal!

Hi Stangirl. Your DD sounds like a typical 7 months old. You will find that some of us might be envious of the 7-7 sleep pattern , very good for you.
Welcome

Hi Stangirl welcome! I'm a jealous one of your DD's sleeping . Last night I was up every two hours, I have totally forgotten what unbroken sleep is like.

Your DD sounds at a similar level to mine, sitting not crawling, no recognition of her name. I'm sure she is absolutely spot on developmentally. They are all different after all, and will naturally do different things at different rates. Plus I think there are some very advanced babies on this thread (talking BG's DD2!!!).

I hope everyone's well. I just feel a bit today. My best friend has decided to take a job in Australia and she will be moving in three months. I will really miss her. And the wedding planning is just getting on top of me, whenever I crest one hill there is another one in front of me. And I should have put another load of washing out as it's such a lovely day, and I didn't. I think I need someone to tell me to get a grip.

Do you want a hug first fizi? I need one. Then I can kick you

Hug to fizi

My DS impressed nursery today as he had one nap from 9.20am til 9.50am and THAT's it for today! I've managed to get him to sleep in the car seat now. So I keep going out to check if is awake.

Welcome stangirl don't worry all our LO are different but great, I personally envy you for the 7-7 sleep pattern DS is not crawling neither but it's because he's not bothered.

Hi stangirl, welcome to the gang!

Your DD sounds virtually at the same level as mine (apart from the sleep ) - she knows her name (when she chooses to respond!!) but otherwise, is pretty much as you've described yours. How are you doing with motherhood? I take it this is your first DC?

GET A GRIP, FIZI!

Don't worry. Weddings are stressful things to plan, but I'm sure it'll be fine. Sorry about your friend moving away, though. That's tough.
Skype is the thing!!

Can we do a survey on where everyone is? Not too specific, obviously ie NE England, nr Paris etc.
I get the impression we have quite a mixture of ex-pats from one country or another here!

I'll get the ball rolling:

IC - Madrid, Spain

Well, first night in the cot went well. DD only woke twice between 1930 and 07.00, which is very good for her - went straight back down after a quick feed in each case, too.
It was probably partly because DH slept in the other room. We all got better sleep as a result - he wasn't disturbing DD by turning over heavily in the bed, me by snoring (albeit quietly) and he wasn't keeping himself awake by being paranoid about disturbing our sleep. Bless!

BG Cardiff, Wales and we are an odd mix of a family including German/Welsh/Spanish backgrounds(with some English and Hungarian some time back...)

IC can I have some Cava too? Please? Fizi I am getting hugely excited about your wedding! I am sure it will be fine but I remember how stressful it can be beforehand. Keeping my fingers crossed and sending a big hug your way too

Oh and regarding development, my dds both started talking early but are clueless when it comes to crawling and walking and climbing early.. HV once said to me they usually do one or the other early but rarely both. So if anyone's dc is climbing on the wardrobe but doesn't say a word, it's quite normal then . Apparently one of my cousins did not walk until he was 2, and another cousin did not talk until he was nearly four and then spoke in full complex sentences...

Welcome stangirl as the other lovely ladies have said, your dd sounds absolutely normal. My ds doesn't say anything or seem to recognise his name. Mind you he is probably confused as I use his proper name but dp always calls him one of about 3 nicknames. He sits well but doesn't crawl or try to pull up either. His eating is very unpredictable and he much prefers any of those Organix rice cake/biscuit type things to my lovingly prepared veg . Don't mention sleep either... He is a rather prolific teether though (has 6 with another any day). Oh and did I mention he is utterly gorgeous!

You can all share IC's cava if you like just as long as she promises to leave me a glass (or 3) of Rioja and a tortilla. Am salivating at the thought of that now.

I am finding it a bit wierd just being me and ds in the house now dd is at school. I seem to have forgotten how to entertain a young baby. If I am being honest I find things much more enjoyable when babies are a bit older and interact better.

Fizi I did do that extra load of washing because the sun came out. However it is still sat in the machine as things got a bit hectic!

IC am in south east England

welcome stangirl

am home in cumbria having recently unemigrated from new zealand (yippee)

welcome aboard Stangirl. My DD is like many others here is nowhere near sleeping through. So you're well ahead on that front!

I'm in south east England - North hampshire. Chinese ethnicity, my grandparents from China. Parents are in south east asia. must have nomadic genes, each generation in a different country :)

Hey chinook we should meet up!

and for those of you interested, we've started potty training!

heh heh - have to admit it's only the first stage so doesn't involve any potty. Just cueing DD to poo when either DH or I holds her upright seated between our legs, saying "poo-poo".

Hello stangirl (nothing to do with stannage by any chance?) Your LO sounds very normal, I'll take sleeping over crawling any day (shame I don't get to make the choice).

We've had a lot of banged heads on the cot and (hardwood) floor. Do I just hope she learns soon to climb up or should I try and soften things up a bit?

I'm full of cold and my sinus's are horrible and she's still waking up in the night quite upset. Still no sign of teeth and I'm starting to feel a bit guilty for giving painkillers most of the time. On the plus side, she's feeding every 3-4 hours, but that's mainly because she refuses to feed from me unless she wakes up relatively calm. If I give her bottles in the night, then I guess I should compensate by fitting in another express, which I don't want to do. Anyway I'm rambling. DH has been great while I'm ill, he's been looking after her most of the night (not that I can really sleep at the moment).

Now her cot is on it's bottom setting, it's looking a bit cage like.

We can't eat now without giving her something as well. We're BLW so sometimes she takes quite a bit (if its porridge, mash or whole soft fruit) and other times not (veggies etc). She gets upset easily, but is also easily distracted, keeping us on our toes. As long as she's doing some new and interesting (sometimes as often as every 10mins) then she is all smiles. DH had her facing outwards in her sling earlier today and she loved it, so maybe time to turn the pram into a buggy and turn it around.

Whoever said that post-docs are great for weight loss, it has proven true. I'm actually less than pre-pregnancy now, just need to work on the toning though.

A very me post, but hugs to all those with teething poorly non-sleeping babies (delete as appropriate)

Sorry location: Santa Barbara, California

On the off-chance, I'll be in the Midlands and Essex over Christmas, so if anyone is near and fancies a meet up, let me know.

morning? (at least i think so!)

DS will be 7 months this tomorrow? he is rolling and pivoting, has 5 teeth, started weaning at 25 weeks, prefers sweet to savoury and can't bear to see us eat if he's not.

He goes to bed by 7pm after a bath with DD and gets up at 5(ouch)? i reckon maybe 3 out of 7 he sleeps solidly for that time, but usually we have to re-settle a couple of times, and he still has a night feed every few nights (only just started to drop that)

DH is at home with the DCs and i'm at work full time on a temp contract until one of us can get a proper job with a proper income? hoping that happens soon or we might have to relocate to manchester (not that there's owt wrong with manchester, but its not home)

have a good day y'all?

erm, thats 'this tomorrow' as opposed to 'that tomorrow' obviously!!

IC Bucharest, Romania. None of us is born in the same, I was going to say town but it is actually country. Paris, Stockholm, Nottingham, Bucharest.
Last port of call was Wales, wave at BG, where DH was raised from 8.

When we post so early and forget things, we get on the most active!

DD2 has a cold so can't suck her dummy. Not much sleep! She is still night crawling and banging herself too.

I am in tears because of a head-on with a dentist , about DD1. (thread on children health)
Please and then tell me to get a grip too .

CC I don't know about the head banging, I let her deal with it. I tried some cushions but when they are moving there is no point really. I am too scared of suffocation and climbing out of the cot to put bumpers in.
DD2 is already better (except for night crawling ) after a few weeks.

IC to complete the genetic and expat things. We have french, belgium, luxembourg, finnish, russian, english (probably scottish or irish), some markers from native south americans (? One of my great grandmother was a fisherman's wife living in a port?), arabic or roma, adoption in sweden (due to the war finland/russia).
I am a serial expat and then I met my DH who also is, so we lived in France, Wales, Japan, NI, England, US, Sweden, Romania so far.
Our dream is Vietnam, we are moving in the right direction southeast from belfast but very slowly .

IC Guernsey, Me from France, DH born in Dublin.

mamaloco you're an international bunch

Night wasn't bad with only one 5mn awaking at 11.50pm and the day started at 5.45

Thank you all so very much for your reassuring words. Wow - we really are a brilliantly international bunch. I live in London (Brixton) and both DP and I are from England. So I feel a bit dull in comparison to you all.

IC she is my first DC and I'm loving motherhood. I'm on the older side (41) and it's like the best new hobby ever for my middle age.

As a few have you have commented, my DD does sleep well. I don't know if it will be of any help but the big change came when at 6months we moved her out of our room, started feeding her solids and switched to formula feed - all on the same day. The 10:30 feed was dropped within the week (I'm convinced 'cos we were no longer waking her up when we went to bed) and the 4am within a fortnight. We have also always had quite a brutal going to bed routine (mainly because I didn't know there were other ways of doing it) whereby we do a last milk feed, read her a story and put her down and then immediately walk out - whether she is asleep or not. She settles within a minute and has done since 1 week old.

Hope everyone has a good day.

Hi and welcome stangirl - your daughter sounds at about the same stage as my little boy. He still can't crawl - DOB 15.2.10, he tries by sticking his bum in the air and bouncing it up and down, or by raising the front of his body but letting his legs lay flat. I try to put him in the position for crawling but he can only raise one end or the other!

I have a very, very soft bedtime routine - I stay with DS until he's asleep. I kind of wish I'd started a "brutal" one early on but it's too late to worry about that now.

IC We had first night in the cotbed last night! He wouldn't settle on his own. I had to feed him to sleep in my arms and then transfer him. He woke at 9, 11 and 2.30 - at 2.30 he wouldn't go back to sleep in the cot - I tried for over half an hour - so I took him into the other room with the futon on the floor and managed to get him to sleep by shushing/back rubbing and he stayed asleep til 7.20 (I didn't though - because he was quite fidgety). I guess it was a start - I didn't think he'd sleep in the cotbed at all on the first night.

Wow, mamaloco - your family really is global. Sorry to hear about the dentist issues... I hope they get sorted. ((Big hugs)).

Fiz ((hugs)) to you too. Sorry your friend is moving away - that is a blow... even with email/skype it's not the same as seeing them in person.

BG Poor little baby - how is she doing now? Hope things are better. Love the image of her begging for bits of food... do you think sometimes, especially if they have a bit of fruit that they're holding in both hands they look a bit like a squirrel nibbling a nut?

Hi to everyone I've missed out on mentioning personally - a bit tired...

Now here's the me-me-me bit:

After returning from France we had some great nights, one time he only woke once. I was in a much better mood and we had more fun during the day. The last five nights have been crap. The night I described above is about normal. So we've 4 or 5 proper crying wakings and multiple fidgets, semi-asleep BFing on my side etc etc. I feel like shit. I spent the whole of yesterday afternoon moaning to my friend and feeling really angry and resentful towards DH (who has now gone to Hamburg for the next couple of nights on work so I'm alone) because he said he couldn't help at night because he had so much work. Honestly, I felt like every minute consisted of doing washing/tidying/washing up (DH has dermatitis on his hands and can't wash up - it is really manky, he's not making it up).

I understand it is my job as a SAHM to keep the house looking ok, but when you're picking up his pants off the floor and putting food-that-would-otherwise-be-spoiled back in the fridge, finding dirty cutlery everywhere otehr than in the sink you start to feel like a skivvy. I felt like I had no time to play with DS and it made me sad. Also DSs morning naps went out the window for the past few days which really threw me. I'm used to having about an hour and a half in the morning to do washing/emails etc. He is at least napping well today hence why I am here. And he's had a runny nose for the past couple of days and has a nasty sore place by his nostril and I don't know whether that's because of my constant wiping and feel guilty every time I look at it - now I have a sore throat...

Sorry - end of moan.

I live in SE London, born and bred here. I'm half Italian but don't speak it that well. DH is quarter American and has some German ancestry as well. I've never lived anywhere apart from SE London, even went to university here (Goldsmiths). DH born Scotland, raised in Oxfordshire and lived in Brighton when I met him.

Thanks bear dd2 is getting a bit better but this morning dd1 was very impressed by the large snot bubbles dd2 was producing . The biggest was easily 2 inches in diameter...
bear hope you don't come down with a cold, too...

dd2 waves by opening and closing her fist. It looks so cute I can barely stand it