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.

Thanks for inflicting sharing your earworm so generously, CC

It must've been love but it's over now, must've been good but I lost it somehow.....Arrggggh brings back teenage memories!!

My two girls are tough cookies! dd2 woke frequently in the evening but I gave her nurofen when we went to bed and she slept reasonably well until 6ish. I had expected much more wakings, so feel quite relieved. She's very snotty today but at least the temperature is down. Wish I was as patient when being ill but I turn incredibly grumpy usually.

Get well wishes to BG's DDs and LBH's DD. LBH I have no idea how much calpol is too much, but a mum friend of mine gives her DD calpol every night just in case she is teething. Doesn't seem to do her any harm. Might it decrease the effectiveness over time though... I don't know; watercress may.

watercress any news of your dad? Thinking of you.

bethy happy birthday for yesterday! I hope you are having a really lovely, relaxing, enjoyable day at the spa. You really deserve it. Your choking incident sounds extremely scary. I have done a baby first aid course but I think I need a refresher, I'm not sure I'd know what to do. What did your DS choke on? DD is eating only finger foods now and it's a very limited range as I'm paranoid about choking.

Also you give that consultant hell about the monitor.

Well DD and I have had a really pleasant couple of days . I have my happy smiley baby back now that she's over her cold. And mealtimes are SO much nicer now that I've abandoned trying to spoon-feed her. Yesterday she very sweetly ate some peas, one by one, but delicately left the sweetcorn. I'm loving watching her eat! I'm with you CC (I think it was), getting excited over normal development. But it makes such a change to see her eat something! [excited and proud mum emoticon]

Wonder what Abs is doing in Paris. I would like to be in Paris!

How can I not be enchanted when a tiny little thing with lunch all over her top and a green runny nose beams at me, calls me Mama, and offers me a bite of her snotty half chewed piece of bread....

What a sweetie, BG

Great news on the eating, scones! Yes, some babies hate being fed with a spoon and yours is clearly one of those. I love watching my DD with her finger foods, especially in the last few weeks. Having teeth has made a huge difference to her enthusiasm for "proper" food and it's great fun watching her selecting what she wants to eat and schmooshling it into her mouth!
She's never gone for peas, though. Or broccoli. Too green...! We'll keep offering them every so often, though.

BG [smile at your DD

I wonder if DS knows what is going to happen tomorrow night as he has been very easy to put to bed over the last few evenings Unfortunately, sleep training is still going to happen as I want him to settle by himself in the middle of the night and really want to make the dummy disappear. I think where the lack of dummy will be the hardest will be at nap time...

LBH I have given DS nurofen every night time for the last 2 months as it helped him to relax and therefore to fall asleep.

bethy hope you enjoyed your day. You well deserve to put your feet up for once.

DS says maman now, he's now trying to master daddy. My heart melts everytime he says maman

LBH GF Personally, I am not a fan of calpol or nurofen!
I even considered complaining to them because I want my girl (DD1 obviously) to stay ill when she is ill. She goes bonkers about 20 min after having it, even if she has had a fever over 39C. I want her to rest and get better.
I wouldn't give too often, though, just because it is full of manitol and sorbitol (sweeteners, sorbitol can give you diarrhea if taken regularly), sweeteners definitely makes DD1 eczema worse (as is calpol). And I am also suspicious about the azorubina used to give that lovely colour.
Not sure if you can get used to it, and need higher doses in the future for it to work, watercress might have the answer to that.

bethylou Happy birthday! hope the spa was good!
How scary that must have been.

GF You will melt a lot! DD1 has been writing "I love mama" in my dairy, I ended up in a puddle!

DD2 says "papa" now. DH is melting too.
She is taking the finger food thing a step too far. Grabbing anything she can (even from the bin , boak). Her main troffies are a pot of actimel and onion skins from the bin and a knife full of nutella (DH mistake ) that she really enjoyed! I have stopped counting the paper, leaves, petals.... She is even licking the walls if they have a different texture than she is used to. (mainly in other people houses, then )

You have to check how they are eating their finger food though. If they swallow whole you should limit what they can eat (really soft or melting food) until they have their molars and can chew. Once they have learnt to swallow whole it will be very difficult to make them chew properly.

Now, a very naive question, can you give them whole peas and corn? I have been mashing them, I thought they where choking hazard, like nuts and raisins .

Those getting rid of the dummy tell me how it works, it might decide me one way or another.

I am making a treasure box as an advent calendar for DD1 with "diamonds" (stones from the geo museum at 30 p each) and a few chocolate coins. I have to make 24 origami boxes for inside, so I have to go. I can only do it during nap time, as DD2 will think it is her snack .

Have a nice day.

Random thoughts...
dd2 is attracted to all things green, oddly, and happily munches her way through peas, broccoli, courgette, spinach, beans and just now sprouts! She is not so good with red things esp tomato based sauces. Mamaloco I find peas squash nicely so have no problem feeding them. Sweetcorn goes straight through, so also no problem; they swallow that whole. What I am wary of is apple and grapes esp small ones.

Agree with mamaloco, not very keen on pain medication for babies, especially Calpol (the smell reminds me of sick - probably because that's what dd1 did when given it - and the stains are almost impossible to remove from carpet...)

Anyone else not having stairgates? I think watercress said she would not. I've taught my two to go backwards down steps as soon as they could crawl. Also, we had a stairgate briefly at the top of the stairs for dd1 and it caused her most serious fall to date when she wanted to help mummy and pushed it through, falling down the entire long stairs onto the tiles in the hallway. She was totally safe on the stairs - it's the stairgate that caused the accident! This time round I am also quite aware that dd1 may well be able to open it, creating more danger both for herself and dd2 and a false sense of security for me.

stoof haven't done the cake yet. Possibly this afternoon although dd1 wants to go to Ikea (groan) because they have a lovely play area there.

mamaloco what a lovely idea for an advent calendar. Do you also celebrate St Nicholas where you are?

Just tried to check dd2's temperature and my thermometer reads 34.7 which seems unlikely . I'll try new batteries first I think before getting a new one.

Two little anecdotes that made me smile today. dd2 was exploring in the kitchen while I made lunch and then came up to me to bring me a bra (it was on a wash stand). She seemed very pleased

This afternoon I briefly put dd2 into her playpen (fabric one with zip 'door') and came back into the room to find dd1 in the playpen and dd2 outside it!! It looked as if the baby had locked her sister in... . So much for babyproofing things if you have a smart toddler who can not only free her sister but then lock herself in...

As for Christmas present, I am with those with more than one dc that it seems odd not to get something for the baby, so I have a few things.

Sleep training starts now. DS is having a tantrum for now 5mn.

I will succeed...

BG I'm having stairgates as DS is very quick at crawling and I will fear that he falls down the stairs but my gate is not at the level of the stairs but further on the landing as we have a corner so no risk of falling when opening it.

Tantrum over, now whinging...

GF good luck with tonight!
CC happy thanksgiving!
watercress really really hoping all is well with your dad

my brother is busy tormenting me with tales of the first snow, christmas markets, mulled wine... Not fair.

mamaloco nice advent calendar idea!
Sounds like nothing is safe from your DD2...!

at your DDs, BG!

Blimey, if the tantrum was over that quickly, GF, hopefully the sleep training won't be too traumatic! Good luck, hope it works FAST.

We don't have stairs, so that'll be a whole new experience for DD WHEN she starts crawling/walking. She still seems to prefer pushing herself to sitting position from all fours rather than trying to go forward, although she does a bit of commandoing on our bed after her bath.

Tonight when I put her in her cot at bedtime, she immediately sat up, which made my heart sink a bit. Thankfully once I'd turned out the light she lay down again and fell asleep. When she wakes up in the night (which was only once last night ) I often find her sitting up - which makes it easier to lift her out of the cot, anyway.

My DD's opposite to yours, BG, she avoids anything green (except roast courgette), although she hasn't been overkeen on tomatoey things yet either.

DD proved to be a great Xmas shopping companion today. She and I got virtually all of DH's items sorted inside one hour. DD was in the sling - still a front carry, although her weight and tendency to grab my nose and mouth or jab me in the eyes means it's not going to be TOO long before she's going on my back. Then she can pull my hair, oh joy
Luckily, she usually stops that kind of malarkey once we're out and about as there's too much to look at.

Maybe sleep training is not the good phrase.. For us it's more a getting rid of the dummy training!

So far, he went to bed after his bottle at 6.30pm tantrum and cries until 7.00pm. Next cries were at 7.20 until 7.27 (I didn't had the time to go up and check on him).

I think CC was also going to do some sleep training this weekend as it was a long one for her. I wonder how bc LO is doing?

Hey everyone!!

GF keep at it. DD falls asleep without dummy as it falls out when she cries! She loves her dummy too, so it suprised me. Last night she went through till 6.15am, didn't have to get out if bed once! She still has it for naps though. She has 4 in the cot tonight all on dummy clips so she can find one if she wants. She went sleep without crying tonight. Phew as the last few have been crappy.

DD eats everything so far. Have not found anything she wont eat. Even spinach But...I am not past mashed food as she only has one tooth and will choke on bread. She seems to prefer jars though, gets bored quickly on my food. Am a crap cook!!

Have a stairgate..she is very curious. Though all she wants to do is climb me and the furniture to stand up.

BG try a thermometer that is a strip you put across their forehead (as long as they stay still) I got one from Boots the other day as expensive ear one is awkward and never gives accurate read. Will keep it though for when she is older.

Mamaloco Thanks for advice, have not given calpol tonight.

Scones Glad DD is better and you have had a good time.

watercress Best wishes hope your dad is ok.

IC Well done on still using a sling. DD is too heavy for me (I think this is still from my coccyx being broken in delivery [ouch emoticon] for this. I still struggle to get to my feet from sitting if holding her too.)

Hope everyone else doing ok. Wish all a decent night!

have now lost two posts.. more tomorrow!!

aaaargh!

Lost your connection Stoof?? This has happened to me a few times. Fecking Sky broadband!! If I am doing a long one I type it in Word now and copy paste!!!

Hello Everyone!
Back from Paris.... which was GRRRREEAT!
DD, mum and I had a blast despite the fact that Paris is not very child friendly. We stayed in a big hotel in Montparnasse and would take DD down to a big buffet breakfast which brought lots of sighing from the wait staff, and dirty looks from businessmen but we didn't care a hoot! She ate her way through bits of pancake, cheese, hard-boiled egg, yogurt, poached pear, peach and croissant. She was hilarious and delighted by all the little plates of food on our table. The looks on their faces made it all the more enjoyable to leave a terrible mess all over the floor! She made them even more furious by doing lots of high pitched screaming and laughing.

We tried to keep to her schedule but she did her naps in the pram instead of her cot. We resorted to having our first lunch in an Australian restaurant (they were very welcoming and the food was fabulous), all the brasseries were packed and again were not prepared to let us in with a pushchair. Our second lunch was at the Westin hotel bar just opposite the Tuileries. Everything was very salty so I ordered fish or chicken without salt and DD ate whatever we were having. She really enjoyed it. Then sardines on toast or cold baked beans out of a tin for dinner in the room. DD was brilliant and didn't complain at all which means we can travel with her easily.

Having read in the Paris Timeout that "breastfeeding in public is still frowned upon" I found a quiet sofa in the Westin (which btw if anyone goes to Paris has VERY GOOD clean changing facilities) and did some discreet feeding. During the three days that we were there, the only nice people who laughed at DD and spoke to her was the hotel receptionist, a taxi driver and... obviously DP's work colleagues!!!!!!!!!!! DP is SO PROUD apparently he never stops talking about her/us and all these people kept on coming up to us and shouting DD's name!

Sleep was not very good. Mum and I alternated staying in the hotel room with DD babysitting and stayed up until 2 in the morning drinking wine and chatting. Oops! Then DD would wake up and jump around the bed until 3... I would then sleep with her in the bed until 6... when I would hand her over to my mum who would give me another hour in bed. I also drank too much coffee. Big mistake as I am an insomniac!

Eurostar there and back was brilliant. I had to stick DD on the boob on the way as she started to get a bit loud and irritable. There was a woman sitting across the aisle who looked so irritated by us, she kept on rolling her eyes and tutting. The best bit was that all the other passengers were sixteen year old Japanese tourist girls who were all obsessed with DD and kept on asking to have their picture taken with her. DD thought they were brilliant and kept on pulling their nicely straightened hair and drooling on their very trendy clothes. It was too funny!

Another warning for anyone thinking of going to Paris... DO NOT use the changing facilities at the Gard du Nord because they are TERRIBLE, DIRTY, APPALLING...

I must go to bed as I am exhausted. I took Pablo to sheep school today which was a great success... oh no more tomorrow as DD is crying. Sorry not to answer people individually except Happy Birthday Bethylou and I hope your dad is okay Watercress.

My dad has been and gone. His visit went really fast - can't believe it is over.

DS started waving today! It's really sweet.

GF Hope tonight goes well. Will be thinking of you.

Stoof It's so annoying when you lose a long post. I've done it by accidentally looking something else up in the window I'm on before posting so totally my own fault.

BG at the bra story.

Bethy Hope you had a lovely birthday.

CC Ha. The only thing I have stuck in my head is "Yes, my name is Iggle Piggle..." even DH keeps singing the songs from In the Night Garden.

We had stairgates with DD1 (no stairs this time but we did find out that DD2 can climb very well the stairs at friends). Otherwise you can't go to the toilet or in the shower or answer the door (but may be you prefer to put them in a play pen or having them in your arm all the time).
But you have to take them out once they are old/tall/agile enough to get out of their cot (15 months for DD1, 6 months for me , 2.5 year for my brother). Basically only you will know if you need some or not... that is the thing with babies there is no rules, you have to adapt to your circumstances!
If you get some you do have to get proper ones, that even adult have trouble opening though.

So finished with the 18 boxes and 6 envelops for DD1 calendar, I need to cover the shoe box and put glitter numbers on. I hope she won't find it too naff!

BG We do have "st nicolae" here, the 6th is when most children get there gifts. DD1 has one too, as all her friends are romanians, she will be the only one at school without anything. She also have a santa klaus coming to her school with a real long white beard!!!

AbsB I find Paris more child friendly than London! (defending my home town, sorry ). But then we probably know where to go. Gare du nord is in a "bad" part of town! I know the eurostar can be very posh but the rest of the destinations are quite poor and violent, hence the station have more police than baby friendly/clean toilets.... Not a place where you want to hang out, even just to go to the toilet!

BG the ear thermometers are brilliant, except you have to be a certain size for it to work properly (may be around 1 yo) before that better use a forehead one. As a rule, for a quick check put your lips on the forehead. Your lips are around 36/37C so you will feel the forehead hot only if the person is near 38 or above.
The UK doctors recommended an underarm one for DD1! (impossible to get a reading with a wiggly baby) or the french, a bum one (not favored in the UK I know, but good to get winds out and sometime get things moving if constipated), I don't do it because it freaks DH out and DD2 has been big enough for the ear one around 5/6 months.

CC BC NO iggle piggle singing, pleeaaase. I have travelled far enough to escape from it!!

Morning all,

Well the night wasn't too bad.

6.30pm - bed time cried until 7pm
Woke up and cried at 7.20 until 7.27
Woke up and cried at 10.45 til 10.55
Woke up and cried 11.45 - 11.55
Then woke up and cried / tantrum at 1.10am until 1.50 (this was the hardest time of the night)
Slept until 7.30am this morning.

I also told nursery this morning to only use the dummy for naps. I'll get rid of it fully tomorrow but I thought it wasn't fair on nursery not to have it today.

Time to go to the dentist

Yes, mamaloco, it's the same here - the 6th (Epiphany, "Los Reyes") is the big gifts day for children. Luckily DD is too small to know that
They have big parades where loads of sweets are chucked into the crowd. The Spanish are total cheats full of initiative and take stepladders and upturned umbrellas to maximise the booty

Abs, sounds like you had a great time - I imagine the lost sleep was worth it for the fun you had! Done a pregnancy test yet?
Only kidding.
I must say, your descriptions of huffy waiters and "no pushchairs" makes me realise how lucky we are here. I've mentioned before that Hispanics tend to be very pro-babies and family - certainly, we've never been to a restaurant and had the pram refused and breast-feeding happens anywhere and everywhere without anyone batting an eyelid. All the buses have a space designed for pushchairs (although if there's one in it already, you have to wait for the next bus). Changing facilities are a bit hit or miss, but most people try and be helpful in that situation - a friend of mine recently had no trouble getting a builder to let her into a house he was renovating so she could change her baby!
That's one aspect of Spain I'm really going to miss when we come back to the UK.

Must admit, the (few) times I've used the thermometer, it's been up the bum (with the help of a little vaseline...) which made me a bit the first time I did it, but it was no big deal, really. Nice tip about touching lips to forehead, mamaloco

Ah, LBH, that's the advantage of a dinky baby! Clothes last longer (she's only just growing out of 3-6 mo bodies, for example) and so does your back! I wonder if she'll always be petite, neither DH nor I are particularly big people. I have a tiny niece and she's just started winning gold medals in gymnastics competitions, so being small can have it's advantages (it's a bugger when you go to gigs though, as I know only too well).
Sorry the last couple of bedtimes have been difficult. But it's still SO much better than it was, isn't it?

We're worrying about you watercress. Hope you're okay...