FEB 2010 Longer out than in and first Christmases around the corner...we're 9 months on.

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Shiny new thread, as promised fellow FEBers!

Figured we would start another new one to mark first birthdays, bethlou, so I've held fire on referencing that landmark in this thread title - hope that's okay with y'all!

Anyway, welcome everybody, pull up a comfy chair, someone get the wine out and I'll open a huge box of chocolates for us all to share.

Well done IC

I finished work at 2.15am this morning which meant that I had been up for... 20h in a row. DH did a great job taking care of DS. The best thing is that he has now experience what I do every/most days ie. getting up at 6am and entertaining DS while he sleeps. Im' looking forward to my bedtime

Hi everyone! IC thank you for the new thread It made me chuckle to read everyone asking you to start it. I too had been thinking "Hmm isn't it time IC started a new thread..." Tee hee!

Belated happy Diwali watercress, I'm glad you enjoyed it in the end. Re your DH - well, glad that he redeemed himself but really, sulking for days isn't on is it . My exP used to do that and it drove me mad - if you've got something to say, say it, don't give me the silent treatment!

GF what a cute picture!!!

stoof commiserations on the job. But 3 / 64 is doing great. OK, no cigar, but keep positive, you will get there.

I'm not even considering weaning from the breast yet. DD doesn't eat enough!! She certainly gets the bulk of her nutrition from me at the moment. I'm happy for it to continue that way, while offering her food, for a couple of months. I tell myself I'll worry after Christmas. Hopefully she'll be sharing our Christmas dinner though.

CC you are mad! But good for you!

bc what is your night time routine now?

GF I wanted to say, an early bedtime does not necessarily (or at all) equate to an early wake-up time. (According to my scary sleep book.) Certainly since DD has been going to bed an hour earlier, it hasn't affected her wake-up time. The time change did that.

Naps... DD has an early morning nap about an hour and a half after waking, a late morning nap, and a mid afternoon nap. All used to be 45 minutes, you could set your watch my them, but they seem to be veering more towards 30 these days... which scares me...

She has an early bedtime (6.30) and wakes for the day around half 5, but I resettle her and she wakes again half 6 to 7. This morning she slept from her feed at half 3 through to 6.45 - not bad at all by her standards.

Right Strictly is starting! Evening all

I also agree that every 2 hrs (or more, sigh) is a killer after you have a few good ones.

As for day naps, she has an hr between 6-9am, about an hr at lunch time and sometimes one at 4.

I'm only going to do up to 3 mils runs until xmas. As for it's location, it's just in the town. I guess one of the reasons it seemed like a good idea, it was a very spontaneous decision.

stoof sorry about the job, but hopefully it's some commiseration that you knew you were off your game.

As this is the thread for the run to Christmas, what about a Christmas recipes' exchange which can be made in advance and then frozen, preserved... and keep us sane especially with our LO?

Here is my Christmas cake, not traditional but a success every year.

Good idea, GF, now...

...GET TO BED !!!

PS That cake looks YUM

PPS scones that sounds like my DD - 45mins consistently every couple of hours for a few months, then suddenly 30mins max...hence the perambulating to try and get a bit more sleep out of her.

Just when you start feeling you're getting the hang of it, the blighters change...!

oh abs thanks for the compliment. I found weeks 3/4 quite hard as it mundanes sets in. I've always been in awe of IC for the getting through the supplemental feeding stage onto EBM.

and one more thing, LO now plays peek a boo, where she's the one hiding. She stands next to the sofa, crouches down and pops up at which point we say peek a boo and giggles/smiles all round

I did a lovely goose recipe by Ottam Yottolenghi a couple of years ago - with cranberries and quince - here it is www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/dec/06/christmas-recipes-main-course I couldn't find any quinces so I used ripe pears and that was fine - the cranberries dyed them a lovely blush colour.

scones Bedtime routine is usually bath (but not always), dress in sleepsuit, zip into sleeping bag, sit in his room on the sofa with dim light, story (he tries to eat the book), boob, put him in cot and tuck soft toy bunny under his hand.

Last night we decided we were only going to get him up once for a feed whatever happened - we stuck to it but I am very tired. It does at least prove that with perseverance he will go to sleep without being fed but he woke about 4 times and took ages to settle each time. He even cried in his cot after the nice long feed. I am hoping for a good morning nap at least.

IC Thank you for the new thread.

We took DS to the natural history museum yesterday afternoon. He had a really great time - there's this new bit called the cocoon and there were loads of tables with moving pictures being projected onto them - as it was quiet we'd plonk him on the tables and he'd try to touch the projections. Also there was an art installation about the Amazon and he was crawling around in front of giant projections of frogs and waterfalls. Obviously we would have kept him constrained if it had been busy but as these bits were fairly empty we made the most of it. We bought some dinosaur tat for him of course - hand puppets and a chomping plastic dinosaur head on a stick.

CC That is so cute about the peek-a-boo!

Bless you for the awe, CC! It wasn't easy, but worth the effort. Don't think I could do it with a second reluctant breast-feeder, though, not with a second DC to look after...
Peek-a-bo sounds so cute!! Video clip, please!

...on the subject of which

NHM sounds like a great idea for the LOs, bc

Hello. Well done IC for new thread. Marking place during compulsory 10 minute mummy break introduced by DH to try and keep me sane and healthy!!

A mummy break!! Great concept, bethylou!

bethy only 10 mn! You should bargain more time with your DH. What about having a mummy bath once a week when DH takes care of the kids? (in addition of course to your mummy breaks )

CC at peek a boo

bc well done on the feeding. It seems i more the sucking that he needs. The dummy may be a solution for you (I know what I said about it before) but if it keeps you sane and give you some rest.

Bad night for us. As DS keeped on waking up between 11pm and 0.45am. I finally managed to get him to sleep in my arms. He was fighting the sleep so much. I guess this was linked to the teething and maybe the rain/wind combo we had outside banging on the window. On the other hand, I should not complain as he has slept since 0.45 and that he is still asleep now. I'll need to wake him up soon. I am tired this morning I must confess.

Have a good day

Bad morning for me - 3 dirty nappies and 6 lots of sick from DS2 before 9:15a.m all dealt with by me with a migraine! On such days, I think we should close the curtains, turn up the heating and hide from the world! Anyone care to join us?!!

OK night here - 2 wake ups before 07.00, both resettled quickly after a feed.
DH is just completing the afternoon pram nap, so a welcome sit down with a cuppa for me!

I'm annoy about nursery!
They changed one dish on the menu - bean jar (local cassoulet) to chicken fricassee. So today I didn't tell the staff to give him the vegetarian option as the menu was changed. Hence my surprise when they told me he really enjoyed his bean jar. The staff told me it wasn't done yet and were surprised when I say the menu was amended.

So, so far he has done very smelly farts and 2 dirty nappies in one hour Oh, I forgot he also has lots of belch! No doubt he is my DH's DS

Is your DS vege then GF? I seem to recall there are a lot of veges on this thread. That christmas pudding looks delicious by the way!

An OK night for us last night after a TERRIBLE night Sunday, culminating in a 5am wake-up . Oh, I was TIRED yesterday. And my work meeting was absolutely pointless, they didn't tell me anything new, the HR man is going to call me on Thursday with a redundancy package (which could be just statutory - I am trying not to get excited!) and possible other roles within the org. Why we couldn't have had this pointless meeting over the phone, I don't know .

bethylou sounds like you're due another mummy break

GF

Bethylou I have had a headache all day which paracetamol and ibuprofen hasn't shifted. I can guarantee it will turn into a migraine over night and I will be having a snugly day at home tomorrow. God I miss my lovely prescription drugs!

Ds has been having a busy few weeks. He has gone from not even rolling over 3 weeks ago to doing very speedy crawling, pulling up and a bit of cruising. He loved his first bonfire and firework display and has re set his body clock nicely after the time change. We found with dd that when her sleeping became a problem for whatever reason we would 'smash' her routine by disrupting it completely ie, by taking her out late to a bonfire, then we found it much easier to re set a better routine.

I have been feeling a bit up and down myself recently about several things which isn't really like me at all. Ds just doesn't stay asleep and it does get me down sometimes. He goes to sleep for naps or bedtime really easily but just can't stay asleep when I put him in his cot, or stop pushing the pram. It makes every day a challenge as I cannot get anything done and I get frustrated. Especially as he sleeps much better when I get to bed and have him next to me. Then I feel guilty as he is still so little and of course he feels happier when his mummy is next to him. In the back of my mind I am thinking that he will be starting at nursery at the beginning of next year and need to get him to fall asleep on his own by then or it will be awful for him, but nothing I try seems to work. If I put him in his cot awake he cries if I walk out of the bedroom but if I stay he thinks it's playtime. Shush patting used to work but now he finds it funny. If I try to hold his hand he eats my fingers and if I leave him to cry a bit he quickly becomes hysterical. Any advice would be gratefully received.

Gosh that was a long me, me post. Sorry about that.

scones and stoof sorry about your employment issues. I really don't want to go back to my old job, but I realise I am lucky to have it and it does pay well and the part time opportunities are really good so realistically I have to stick with it for now.

cc I am in awe of marathon runners. I used to manage 5k's and was inordinately pleased with myself for that. Am v impressed.

Well I know ds is awake already as I can hear he has switched his mobile on. He really is utterly gorgeous and I know he will have his 'look mummy aren't I clever' face on when I go in to see him. I just wish he would sleep......

lovely new thread IC thanks!

ta for all the commiserations?

naps? two or three here - first one 2.5/3 hours after he's woken up, second one after lunch, and occasionally a third later in the day - usually all 30 mins each?

DS has another two teeth coming which will make 10 all told. He's started with eczema on his face and tummy, and for about 10 weeks now has had a dry cough? Doc reckons he may be asthmatic with this combination, but unable to tell for deffo at the mo cos he's got a chesty cough? fingers crossed, bless him - no family history of it on either side? he's a real little trooper though and (fingers crossed) seems fairly unfazed when he's poorly (unlike his big sis who was always a pain in the bum, though less so now!)

DS has been clapping for a couple of weeks now, and also plays peekaboo

long post, sorry! got another job ap to complete, so best go! DH has an interview tomorrow - everything crossed!!

oooh, x-post chinook?

would trying pick up put down be worth a go with him in the cot? took us three nights with DD - fortunately not needed to (yet!!!! fingers crossed!!) with DS?

DD would never stay asleep for naps either - i used to get incredibly stressed about it cos i never got a moment? i used to take her out every day for an hours walk just to get her to sleep for a decent period of time! It improved enormously when she got to about 16 months and started walking...

scones no he is a meat eater but the bean jar is a stew of beans cooked with pork trotters. Lovely but a bit windy! Which is why I'm worried about the effect it'll do on DS digestive system (especially if you think what it may do to an adult tummy).

chinook commiserations on the sleep.

LO thoroughly enjoyed her scrambled tofu eggs yesterday. I was sooo proud (how sad is that)

She has also taking to having 2hrs awake time in the middle of the night at about 2-4am

stoof crossing some more stuff for you. DD has also got a flare up on her face.

looks like a few of us are struggling with sleep. To be fair we've changed DD's feeding pattern, we've been trying to just give her one bottle in the day, with me feeding her just before I leave and at 5:30

We'd also like to change her bedtime to a bit later, but am wary as a lot of you have said that it takes a while before they wake up later (if at all). At the moment DH goes to bed at 9 to cope with her in the mornings and she's being put to bed when I get in, so it would be better all round if she shifted by 90mins. atm I don't really see DH or DD in the week

chinook yeah it took me by surprise that they get crawling and cruising at practically the same time. You should also save being impressed until I'm actually a marathon runner.

good news is that I might have found a climbing partner, which I really need to make me go on a regular basis. We're just trying to see if we have compatible schedules. When did getting/having friends gets so complicated. I don't really like work people, but it's hard to give yourself social time and to even find social events. Also since we're only here two years, there's a bit of "what's the point'

Did you lot ever arrange a meet up in the SE?

though she does love lentils, she's such a good girl