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.

and I wonder why that is.......how's the head?

Banging. DD slept until 5.45am which was fab.

I cannot wait for her morning nap...I will have one too.

I remember why I used to avoid wine and champagne. They keep me awake and give me a headache...I should stick to vodka.

LB

So today there is less than 1 inch of snow and schools are closed and most nurseries. So I'm at home with DS. What really p me off is that I still have to pay the nursery fee for the day THEY close! And the forecast for the rest of the week is worse so I'm guessing I'm going to spend most of my week at home on unpaid leave.

Nice bit of napping, GF! Get it when you can, that's what I say...

Oh, LBH, wines had/have the same effect on me - but I can't resist a wee bit of bubbly if it's coming my way... Hope the hangover clears soon!

CC, I have to admit to an element of staging for the camera there...the really serious violence is usually reserved for when she knows it's not going on the record

bethylou have you tried a Mooncup? You don't have to empty them all that often (unless you're having a heavy day, but for spotting, no need for a while...) and you could save a fortune on STs etc.

Well, DD had her 10-month check with the paediatric nurse today and it's all good. She's now over 7kg and has actually jumped up a curve for her height, which was a bit of a surprise. Everything else is as it should be and the nurse was pleased with her, for all DD's dinkiness. And we didn't get any lectures about animal protein/the sling, the nurse is clearly more relaxed about that sort of thing than the paediatrician. In fact, she was impressed by the sling, so there you go. Consistency? Nah, who needs it

Typically, we had a bit of a flurry to get ready on time after DD's second waking at 05.00 then lengthened into a 1.5+ hr resettle (I was DETERMINED to get her back to sleep - I knew she was an hour short of the 10.5 hours per night she needs) meaning I had to rush around to get her fed and dressed in time for the appointment at 08.45. Just about made it. Phew.

Ha! Ha! GF I love the idea of you sleeping in the car... that is hilarious! What a good idea...

Bethylou great story about your DH being left to look after the DCs, and you tittering in bed... Mooncup IC? please explain...

My mum wasn't in the room, we had adjoining rooms with an interconnecting door so she could just walk in. I suppose I had visions of DP and I having passionate sex and her walking in which made me a bit tense. I tried to persuade her to take DD for a walk but she said it was too cold and she would prefer playing with DD in her room. DD was crying which made me even more tense... so we had sex, DP enjoyed it but my head was elsewhere!!!

It is -5.5 here today and I nearly froze taking DD out with the dogs. Time to invest in a snowsuit!

Littlebear I feel for you... but it sounds like you a good party on your own

GF That sounds so unfair about having to pay for nursery when they're closed. And having to take unpaid leave to look after your DC. It just doesn't seem right at all, I would also be really pissed off.

LBH - Hope the head is feeling slightly better now. Have you had a nice strong coffee?

GF There is no shame in napping in the car! Very sensible if you ask me. I think it is out of order for the nursery to charge when they shut. I understand the thing about charging for holidays but not for that sort of thing. Especially if the roads are still usable.

Bethy Sorry if I didn't say before but happy belated birthday and so glad you had a good time. You really deserved it.

IC Glad the check went well. Good about the weight gain.

I am just waiting for DS to fall asleep for his morning nap. Until a few seconds ago he was whooping it up in his cot but I think he may have gone to sleep now. Oh no - a bit more chatting there. He seemed very wakeful when I put him down. Maybe I left it too long. He woke up at 6 and I put him down for his nap at 10.

He slept from 7 - 6 straight through last night but I didn't get to bed until 11 and there were some disturbances - cat scratching in her tray and coming up and mowling, DH snoring and some arseholes clanking trying to start a moped outside at about 5am.

There is a soft play centre a five min drive from our house so as it is getting colder we tried it out. The 0-3 section is quite small but it's good enough, there are padded blocks and a ball pool and a little padded slide. They also do fairly good coffee which is important.

DS doesn't want to sleep. He has been so good about napping recently. I don't get it.

He cut his sixth tooth so he has two bottom and four on top.

I think I might have to go up there.

Well it took him half an hour to get to sleep - really not like him.

Here is a video of DH giving him tickles. The quality is not great but it is lovely to have a record of him laughing so much www.flickr.com/photos/26339121@N00/5217056747/

BC looove the video, you can't stop laughing ins't it they are so cute.
LBH I wish I had a cup of champagne too, I have a headache and a hangover (without even drinking last night )

Bethylou AbsB Mooncup! lots of threads in MN to explain, it is like a cupped diaphragm that hold the blood (sorry TMI) you just empty and wash. I thought it was the answer to all my problems (allergies to Always and similar, and other brands difficult to find). Not practical at all with a curious toddler who follows you EVERYWHERE... I was just getting some privacy back when DD2 showed up, will try again in 4 years time then...

GF good for you with the nap! Honestly I can't see the traffic on guernsey being so horrendous that they have to close the schools, even with some snow. You can probably walk everywhere at worse.
The good thing is that the UK seems to have taken the snow from us, you can keep it...

BC love the video and so does dd2

BC that's a lovely video. And a fab new name! I will have to copy you and Christify mine.

Hi to everyone else. I can't keep up! DD has dropped her late afternoon nap so now I only get two 45-minute naps during the day. And this morning, her first nap was only 30 mins. She did a couple of random longer naps over the past few weeks, I was trying not to get my hopes up that she'd nap longer and it seems I was right not to.

Lots of snow here today, but it's now a lovely sunny day and it's all melting.

Well I have a list of Things as long as my arm to Do and nap-time is rapidly running out so I'd better dash.

Corking video, bc!! DD enjoyed it too.

Ah, scones, we've been down to two naps for a few weeks now. By this age they can go 3-4 hours without a kip, as I discovered when putting DD down after 2 hours was reaping less and less napping. And now the first nap is again starting to reduce - heavens are we heading for one mega-nap (hopefully) but brought forward a bit?
Mums of two (we haven't got any bigger families on this thread, have we?) - do you remember roughly when your first DC went down to one nap, out of interest?

The pram has now been officially replaced with the buggy and DD seems just as fine napping in that as she was the pram, thankfully. I'm not so keen because I can't see her so easily now she's facing away, but I guess I'll get used to it.

DH and I had a spat today trying to get DD ready for her nap. She was getting fretful as we fiddled and flustered trying to get her bundled up sufficiently against the weather (it's been snowing most of the day, although not settling, thankfully) and strapped into the buggy.
At one point DH snapped "You need to get her to learn to nap in her cot," which made me pretty dischuffed, given that I have tried on numerous occasions (and haven't given up on the idea) but can't face up to all the crying and lack of actual sleep the cot-battle creates.
I stomped off in a strop, but DH ran after me and apologised, bless him. What a good job one of us doesn't sulk! (although I don't for long).

Meanwhile, there was I in snood, coat with furry hood and topped off with a huge flowery rain poncho. I must have looked a sight.
Still, I was toasty warm - and so was DD, I presume, as she nodded off within five mins and slept for 1.25 hours.

Oh honestly don't worry about a little row like that. DH and I are terrible for the shouting, neither of us likes to back down and he won't even step away when I'm saying "look let's go into seperate rooms for 5 monutes" - I keep saying we need to have discussions rather than rows but we do set each other off.

I went to soft play AGAIN today - it's going to be my second home until we get nice weather I think. It was great, he loves it - the social aspect and the exercise BUT the people who work there are really useless. They say you aren't allowed to take your own food - you can only consume stuff that is bought at the cafe and they supposedly sell Ella's pouches. Fine, I thought but they didn't have any. I asked them what they did have that was suitable for a 9 month old and the woman didn't have a clue - couldn't even suggest anything. So I went for macaroni cheese and peas and we did a combination of self feeding and me cutting it up and spooning it in (they didn't have baby cutlery either). I met a lady and her little girl who I have seen at other things and chatted to a few other people and their babies so that was nice. There was a beautiful tiny 3 week old boy that made me melt.

I don't have older ones but I thought it was around a year when they start only napping after lunch. Not long.

DS went down without a whimper tonight. I fed him and put him in his cot and then sat down and spoke softly and then left.

Oh he finally went to sleep at 10.30 for his morning nap and the * man to read the electricity meter banged on the door 40 mins later and woke him. He was really upset and crying with his little face all scrunched up .

It's not even snowing here and I was wearing hiking socks and boots, leggings with jeans over, a top, a jumper a duck-down padded coat and a woolly hat and gloves. DS was in normal clothes, pramsuit and with a cozytoes over that. I put the rain cover on the pram as a windbreak as well.

OK going to watch University Challenge and try to answer more questions than DH. Have only managed that three times this series.

Mamaloco Thanks for the mooncup info... sounds "interesting"! I could have done with something like that after giving birth! I think I'm personally responsible for most of West London's landfill during that time...

Bearcrimble That video is ADORABLE, absolutely adorable! So cuuuute

Sheep school today was a bit scary and freezing! DP came along with DD and the trainer and I went into a field with lots of cows and sheep... Pablo was on a long training lead with a spray collar which I was controlling by remote control. Anyway, it was all going quite well, the cows were minding their own business and Pablo was looking away from the sheep and was responding really well when disaster struck! Someone else's Jack Russell had obviously escaped, got into the field and started chasing the sheep. They panicked and ran towards the cattle, the trainer, Pablo and I were in the middle of this very large field, DP and DD watching from outside the fence... the sheep started running straight for the cattle who also panicked and started charging us! I got really scared. The trainer told me not to run and we walked as fast as we could to the gate and I have to say got there just in time . We had about 30 cows running towards us (they had horns) and thank goodness the trainer was calm as Pablo and I were terrified and trying to get out of there as quickly as possible. I think the trainer was a bit shocked by the whole event and apologised. He also contacted the farm manager about the dog... phew! I kept on thinking imagine if I'd been trampled in front of DD!

Anyway, DP leaves again on Wednesday and we won't see him until Christmas eve.. so time to spend some time with him! Sleep well all!

I hate to break it to you IC but my DD1 dropped all naps well before she was two years old. She was down to just one at a year, and for the last week DD2 has been doing the same. She now has one 40 minute nap either before or after lunch, and that's it most of the time.

A quick round-up of everything else I can remember - GF good work on the carnap, IC glad your DD is sleeping in the buggy as well as the pushchair, LBH glad you enjoyed your champagne if not the resulting hangover! CC sounds like you are cracking some sleeping issues, BL glad you had a good birthday, stoof how's the snow?

TEETH we have part of TOOTH and it's really sharp (ow)

IC Mine did one huge nap well before 15 months I can't remember when exactly, if you push me I would say a little before 1.
But it can be much later for some babies around 18 months.

I have set events in DD1's life which makes it quite easy to remember the time, we moved when she was 8 and again at 15 months, DH was made redundant when she was 6 months we got married she was 5 months, DSB died she was 10 months , and she started walking at 11 months on a ferry to france during a storm ! She picked up the easiest 1st time, she was probably the only one who could walked, I had trouble!

AbsB must have been scary! good you had the trainer with you and not DD.

CC congrat on the tooth. It is like puppies isn't it? surprisingly sharp.

LBH that sounds familiar, I can add being bitten on a daily basis, forcefully cuddled, climb on, pinched. DD1 was even worse, very demanding baby, nice and quite easy to feed and go to sleep but needed constant attention and to be out and talked to all the time.

DD2 found our chocolate hiding place, and it does look like we have rats. She went through the cardboard and the foil and got really upset when DH took it away .
She also can climb on the book shelves , that is a naughty baby (so dangerous)! But She does seems to understand no, at least she turn and look at me. May be she thinks it is her name .
I have a "scary no" for when they do something dangerous (climbing out of the window, putting finger inn the plugs, touching the oven...) That usually makes them freeze.

BC A bit that you DS still look like a baby, mine is gone, I definitely have a toddler now. sniff!

Have a nice day. Yesterday was really weird, 17C, storms, and mosquitoes attack during the night . Thinking about it, you can give us a bit of cold back...

here is DD2, real smile now, no more gapping mouth.
picasaweb.google.com/103527318755071340524/5Months#5545231589910229794

mamaloco she is gorgeous!! Loving all these pictures, keep them coming!! Haven't our little monsters come far?? My dd2's favourite activity now is to stand at the dishwasher and pass me the cutlery to put away (like her sister did before her... I like to start them helping young!)
Smelly bottom alert.. must go

I agree with mamaloco (gorgeous pic, btw - is your DD2 really only 9+ months old??!!!) about the Mooncup being tricky to use if you're being followed into the loo by a curious toddler. But if you're spotting, you can leave it in for 12 hours or so quite safely, so put in in the morning and don't worry about emptying until the DCs are in bed...

Interesting to hear about the naps, Mums-of-Two... yes, LOs are all different, but it's always comforting to know DD is within the normal range!

The onset of TEETH CC!! Uh-oh....

Crikey, Abs, that sounds scary. Glad you all got out of it okay, albeit a bit shaken. I've been charged by a herd of bullocks before and it's bloody frightening.

SO infuriating when something wakes them up from a nap, hey bc? I could cheerfully kill someone when that happens. Especially if you've just spent ages trying to get them off.
The soft play place sounds a bit lame on the food etc. front for LOs - you'd have thought they'd be more set up for it, given their clientele.

Here in Madrid there's a fab place called Baby Deli which sells all the decent makes of babyfood and other right-on baby products that you can't get anywhere else AND it has a soft play area and do a lovely cup of coffee and cake. We have to limit how often we go though, as we end up considerably lighter in the wallet department afterward..

IC no such things here! and the crisis had most of the softplay closed! when can I come to madrid?

DD2 is 10 months and 2 days now was 9 months and a few weeks in the pic, though.

That is a really good business idea actually.

ML she's lovely, but you're right she does look like a toddler rather than a baby. No such state of affairs here, what with the lack of teeth and crawling! My DD2 is very definitely still a baby!

Loads of snow today and the road is impassable (even the nearby main roads are at a standstill - it's pretty hilly here and people have literally abandoned their cars).

So my quest for today has been to try and sort out DD2's constipation. Poor lamb, she's going but it's such a struggle. She has loads of fruit, and has Weetabix each morning and is drinking plenty of water in between her (now just two a day) bottles of milk. So my latest ploy is to give her prunes as a snack. All ideas welcome, as I'm keen to avoid giving her lactulose or any other laxative.

Well, I'm back and needing gainful employment (I expect) next summer, bc - shall we set something up? I could probably pull together a bit of capital...

Baby Deli in action, if you fancy a little lookee...

You're always welcome, mamaloco - as long as you don't mind all of you sleeping together in the double bed!
Or you can do a quick flit with DD2 and leave DH in charge of DD1 for a night or two... (you'd still have to share the double bed though, you and DD2...)

Yes, prunes are good, wcress - also prune juice, fresh orange juice and apparently a little bit of sugar on the breakfast cereal (for medicinal purposes only).
I meant to ask, how is your DD2 sleeping now? Is she going through again?

Yes thanks IC, DD2 is sleeping again. Last night she did 7pm until 8:30am .

I'm genuinely pleased for you, wcress!

My DD did 19.15 - 07.00 last night.

With a wake-up at midnight and 04.30, the second needing and hour and two attempts to get her back to sleep

Actually, it wasn't too bad. It would have been awful if I hadn't managed to get back to sleep myself after the second time, but after a bit of tossing and turning, I did.

Night night everyone!!