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

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Where did the last half a year go??!

CC what's the problem?

I've started my Christmas shopping too GF! If I don;t, I fear December will suddenly be upon me and I'll have to brave the actual shops!

Meant to say earlier, my DD is much smaller than many of those on here - she's still well under 7kg and I've only just put away the last of the 0-3 month clothes (she is nearly eight months old). She's quite long, but very slim - if she stays this way, she'll be a supermodel!

Thanks for the welcome :)
Christmas (gulp) I'm still in denial about Summer being over! My wee man's 18lb+ or was last time he was weighed. Just slightly below the 50th, no teeth yet, but lots of teething and back to waking at night this last week or so. He eats EVERYTHING... even my lentil stew concoction... and nothing gets weighed or measured. He can crawl now, albeit faster backwards than forwards and is just the smileyest most gorgeous wee boy!

Good to be back :)

(just to clarify the worried look was a reply to GFs xmas planning)

watercress we're still in a few 0-3 stuff and well under 7kg, but have the same problem with her being long but very skinny. Glad there's another LO

missed you sunny

Like the picture GF. I have been thinking about Christmas too because we had expected me to be back at work and earning and have changed our plans due to our sickly boys. I gave DS2 the Early Learning Centre catalogue this morning and he has been planning his presents!! Now I've got to work out how to afford them!

DH is home in one piece and I feel quite an achievement that I've made it through the weekend (with help from my mum for some of it. DMIL didn't come due to a sore back..)

DS2's alarm went off in the night and I was very disorientated. I knew that I had to turn the light on to study his colour (as the paediatrician says it's the only thing that will interest him into doing any more tests - stupid man). Have you tried studying your LO's colour as soon as you turn the lights on at 4a.m?! My eyes couldn't function and DS2 was lying on his front. Having had a rubbish night prior to that, I decided not to turn him over and wake him up.

Have sorted out my holiday snaps and will really get on to a photo shortly. The ones I've seen are fab of you lot!

Here's me feeling guilty yet again... We finally made it home and it feels like we were away for longer than a week (which I consider a sign of a good holiday). Dd2 got incredibly animated over dinner when I gave her some lentil bake I still had in the freezer. I think she was pretty fed up with a slightly random approach on holiday with an unusual number of baby jars (very convenient during walks because she will eat it straight from the jar)... So as well as unpacking etc I've just done some guilt cooking and made a fresh batch of baby food. She's not quite yet eating our family meals mainly because her meals are still earlier than ours.

Also loved all your pictures... been reading but could not always post due to dodgy internet connection when we were away.

yippee? over the flu good and proper, DH over the flu and looks like the DC's have escaped (phew).

BG whereabouts were you staying in kesville? s'my DH's home town and most of the family still live there.

Bethy glad you got through your weekend - sorry the alarm went off again :(

welcome back sunny and absb

WaterC (see i didn't shorten that time!!) I need to get my head around school forms too? got to be in in a few weeks and haven't worked out even where to get the forms from, or what our options are where we're living (also seems a bit silly really, given that we're not likely to be living where we are next september!) hmm

have a couple of 'proper' jobs to apply for, which is better than none, though one is in Kendal and the other Workington, so both a good hour from where we are at the moment? should hear this week whether my old job (loved it and it's currently vacant) will be advertised externally, or if it will be ringfenced for internal aps as they're restructuring? got my fingers crossed, cos that would be ace!

we've agreed that if i land a job before christmas (everything crossed!) that we'll get a last minute self-catering week somewhere? v cited about that thought - haven't had a hol since 2008 (despite spending the last 12 months in nz!!!!!)

best go? DS needs a clean nappy and breakfast, and i need to get ready for work.

have a good week all!

Hi all,

IC Monkey music is a music class for babies - we sing songs and they have different instruments to shake - maracas, bells etc. It's fun and the lady who leads the sessions has a lovely voice and it's in an old church so the acoustics are great.

Glad you had a better night and she's over the tummy upset.

I don't measure food either. I'm probably the laziest here with regards to giving him pre-prepared stuff. I do cook my own as well but it's always more of a struggle to get him to eat it so I seem to be giving him more and more bought meals. Ella's kitchen or Plum brands.

I didn't realise the time. I've got to give him a yoghurt and get him down for a nap. Back later.

What are the daftest things you have done while sleep deprived and with a head full of cold? Let's have a list of the best to cheer us all up... Here are just two of mine of the past two days

1. I tried to reheat some food in the microwave for dd2 and instead of putting it on 50 seconds somehow managed to do 50 minutes... Realised something was not right when it got to 46 minutes and started stinking.

1. just now I put a tea bag into a mug and then poured freshly brewed coffee on... Only realised when the coffee tasted odd and I found a teabag floating in it.

Right, and now I am late to take dd1 to nursery...

Great news that you're better, stoof - how are the boils? Good luck with the jobs, too.

Christmas shopping?!

Actually, if I'm honest, we actually got a few Xmas presents in August....

Glad you had a good break, BG!

Pleased to hear your weekends sans DH wasn't too traumatic, bethylou. But about the alarm going off again. And there's nothing worse than sceptical doctors, eh?

Another early crawler, sunny!! Wow!

And CC and watercress, my DD is almost certainly sub 7kg too - and not tall, either. At least, I assume she's sub 7kg - she was just over 6.5kg last time she was weighed, but admittedly that was a few weeks ago now. I only think about her weight etc. now if we go to the pediatrician - in the early days, I was obsessed (but she was teeny and was under observation to start with).

Well, DD's overnight sleep is getting worse again, post tummy bug. Four awakenings last night, the first only three hours after she went to bed (and she's been managing 5 hours plus lately). I tried to put her back down with only cuddles, but she wasn't having it so in the end I gave in and fed her. I'm hoping we won't have to do Tough Mummy all over again to get the sleep patterns improved, but I fear we may.
Oh well, not quite back to Square One - at least she still lets me unlatch her and put her down

Ooh, meant to say thanks for the nappy advice!

I haven't ruled out disposables if I can't sort it out.

Last night I reinforced the sides of the Popin with an extra soaker to catch anything. It seemed to to work, so maybe that's the answer. Makes the nappy even bulkier, though!

BG not long after DD2 was born and I was on my knees with exhaustion a bit tired, I couldn't find my mobile. Eventually I found it in the fridge.

And once before DD2 was born, I forgot to leave the motorway at the correct exit to go to work. Took me two hours to get to work that day (instead of the usual 45 minutes - the next exit was a looong way away).

And once just after DD1 was born, I washed my watch. Nothing too serious there, except that it wa a wedding present from my ILs and I had to pay the best part of £60 to get it repaired...

BC I use the babyfood pouches too - very convenient when out and about as I only need a bib and a spoon. And they give them out free at Ikea if you buy an adult meal!

I agree the pouches are great (the Ellas ones are on deal in Asda from the 5th Oct) and it was DS wolfing down the lentil one that inspired me to create my own concoction recipe.

Other faves are...

Sweet Potato, mashed with any veg or cheese. Spag bog whizzed a little finer with the food processor with mini pasta.
Porridge - the normal stuff but a finer version, with milk or fruit.
Shredded Wheat, squished up and soaked in milk/ fruit juice.
Anything he can feed himself so lots gets spread on rice cakes or bread.

What's your faves? Oh and do you try them too? I do

Ooop, he's awake from his nap...

My dd2 hates the pouches because the food is too smooth for her... Her current favourite is proper coarse, almost chewy porridge and anything with big lumps in.

watercress Love your examples and glad it's not just me...

stoof we stayed in a flat overlooking the church and graveyard (very peaceful)

Dd2 took her bottle without comment or protest this morning which makes me believe she's a little monkey and wonder if she was staging a baby protest of some sort. Both girls are incredibly happy to be home.

Do your LOs reserve a special voice or smile for their daddy? dd2 uses a very soft tone of voice and goes 'Papaaaah'..then beams at him. She will also give him a very sweet smile . I get the cheeky grin and something more like 'Mam- MAH! ' as in, come here immediately.

BG My DS isn't really talking yet but DH doesn't have to do much to get him to burst into fits of excited giggles. With me - I have to do the whole rasberry blowing, foot eating palaver to get a tiny chuckle.

Apparently it's an evolutionary thing - babies instinctively know to make more effort with their fathers as they will otherwise lose interest. Whereas us mothers are in it for the long-haul so babies don't have to try as hard to maintain our attention!

Having said that, DD2 definitely reserves her biggest and best smiles and gurgles for her sister - clearly she knows she needs to otherwise she'll get sat on/put in a dolly pushchair/have beads pushed in her ear etc.

Three random comments as in the middle of Spooks:

1. IC it usually takes DS1 a week of eating extra after he finishes a tummy bug before he has refuelled. Hold on in there a few days and you might just find things improve again once she has regained what she lost being poorly.
2. When I was 8 months pregnant I left the house in my slippers. Didn't get all the way there but was bemused nonetheless! Also ended up with DS1's slippers in my handbag for the day when I was 8 months pregnant this time round cos I forgot to hand them to the childminder!
3. Finally seeing physio on Thursday re pelvic girdle pain - will fill you in with any tips after the appointment.

DS definitely does big smiles to his daddy. It may also be because they do play a lot together (the games I'll not do as too scared to hurt him). But he always has a big smile when he sees me after nursery or 1st thing in the morning.

Back to work after a week off was hard, I'm still clearing up the big pill of docs I have on my desk, and I won't be done today as I'm due to finish at 2.30pm for a specialist appointment.

Sleep in going well with 2 awaking during the night (midnight and 2am) for about 5mn but we had a fight to go to bed as he was overtired.

CC enojy the good weather and temperature as for us it's autumn or winter with rain ad strong wind.

Nappy change is calling and then off to work

Rain and cold here too.
Can't find any baby boots for my monster it seems that she has to go sraight to shoes if I want to keep her warm .

DD1 is ill again, off school for a week.

DD2 loves dad and DD1, best people in the world. Only DD1 can make her laugh. She smiles for me, a very sweet smile, but no joy, delight or excitement for mum...

I found glitter in dd2's nappy this morning.... The joys of having two children

ic would shoo shoos fit? They are not boots but should be warm enough indoors with socks. I remember they were quite big on dd1 who was a late walker. The 12 to 18 mths ones are for feet 14cm long example

Thanks BG, Here they stop stocking at 12 months.
I need the 12 to 18 months one, preferably in some sheep skin. I found the baby ones, perfect, they just don't do it for children as big as her. Might have to get somebody to send them from sweden, in the mean time, she has cold feet!

dd2 is hilarious this morning and is trying to invent words. She says things like 'adat' or 'babuf', then looks at me expectantly if it means something to me and I maybe give her a piece of toast (my interpretation). She was also really funny in the shops yesterday and proudly sat in the shopping trolley going 'Mama??' quite loud. When I said Yes, darling (well, the equivalent in German) she would give me a cheeky grin. Repeat about 20 odd times... we got quite a few smiles from other shoppers...

Glitter in the nappy, BG

Thanks for the reassurance, bethylou! DD slept better last night, first stretch until 00.45, 5.5hrs, which is much better. She woke twice more after that before 07.30 (and took three resettles on the third), but overall it was a better night and we both managed to get a bit more kip, phew.

DH and I seem to be about even when it comes to comedy genius with DD. When we're eating, it seems whichever parent isn't doing the feeding is regarded as hugely funny by DD. Her GSOH has become more wide-ranging with maturity. As well as funny faces and peek-a-boo, "eating" her, mimicking her baby language and mirror play are among the things she finds most hilarious.

Cool October weather has just taken me by surprise here after a very warm September. It still gets pretty warm in the afternoons, but the mornings are distinctly chilly. Yesterday I went out with DD in the summer sling and suddenly realised I should have put an extra layer on both of us. It was a very rapid visit to the shops.