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.

Ok well I have a lot to catch up on here so bear with me!!

No doubt I will ask silly questions!!

Hi to everyone!
I must say I am dreading tomorrow's on set of CC. I know she will cry for at least two hours. Hopefully it wont be all night.

If this helps anyone, her daytime naps have improved though. I have stuck at it and it seems to have paid off. She does 40 mins at 9am and and hour and a half/2 hours after lunch so 12.40pm.

The long nap normally involves a re settle or two. This afternoon she has done two hours...but we co slept!! (I am trying to gain strength for tomorrow night.)

If it goes tits up then we go for a drive or a long walk at 4pm so she naps for another 20 mins and this gets her through till bed time.

Scones..how the hell do you get baking done??? I am in awe. All DD has done today is whinge every time I leave the room and want to climb up me. She wont play on her own at all. She will only sit in her high chair if being fed!! :)

Thanks for the cookie, scones - and the finger wag

Good luck with the CC, LB. Keep saying "Calm and consistent..." to yourself and set a deadline, say a max of 5 nights.

Very impressed with your nap situation, though!
DD will nap in her cot sometimes, but if I want her to sleep for longer than 25-30 mins at a time, we have to go out for a walk with the pram.

Bloody weather!!
This morning I parked on the public carpark (which is one of the pier on the harbour),open the boot of the car, unfold the pushchair, leave it underneath the boot (I have a Zaphira so it creates a 'shelter'), put the raincover on top to keep the pushchair dry, get DS out of the car, go back to the pushchari only to realise the raincover had blown away because of the strong winds!!! So DS go wet on our way to nursery and I sent DH to the 3 shops which does baby accessories to get a new raincover... They're all out of stock So I need to go on internet and find one somewhere (making sure that the delivery fee are not atrocious! )

LB it's question of will, you will succeed if you are determine. It all depends on how long you can stand the crying. My DS cried for 30mn this morning when he woke up and I wasn't pick him up but he fell back to sleep.

GF Thanks. Still umming and ahhing over whether to lose the dummy too as she will only throw it. DP reckons we should. Have got her comforter so will leave that in with her. I normally take it away as she plays with it rather than going to sleep.

That is bad luck re the rain cover. It is horrid out there. We have been in all day.

DD is very clingy. Is everyone else experiencing this??

very much so LB which is hard as DH is the SAHD, but she cries when I go and clambers all over me (and practically falls out of DHs arm) as soon as I get in (which is nice, guilty inducing and sometimes awkard). I sometimes get trapped in one room as if I walk through when DH is feeding her, she'll stop.

Thanks everyone for your supportive comments re the lack of sleep. Ds is very clingy too LittleBearH (welcome, btw) and I suspect this is part of the problem. He sleeps just fine on my knee or next to me in bed. I think separation anxiety starts at 8/9 months doesn't it?

To reply to the questions about ds's naps. He is the same for naps and night time sleep so I have taken to having one long walk a day to make sure he gets at least one long nap in the pram (even in the horrid weather today. Halo gleaming emoticon!) I have done co-sleeping at lunch time too to make sure he weget a nap. I have had to stop the last nap at 4pm ish because it just wasn't fair on dd, who has just started school, to leave her while I tried to settle him.

BG are you still in Germany?

ABs that choking incident sounded awful. You did really well. Well done.

Bethy have a great weekend.

Having a bit of trouble with ds's food this week. He keeps eating inappropriate stuff. So far we have had cat biscuits, half a Jaffa Cake, a salt and vinegar chipstick and a home made biscuit with loads of sugar in. Dd thinks she is being kind giving her baby brother treats when my back is turned. Not the cat biscuit though. He helped himself to that. Classy!

chinook at your DS eating cat biscuit. My DS also eat a few snacks during the day but only at weekends as he eats just before us and I need to give him some finger foods which can go from tasuma to chips

Yesterday he eats a thick piece of Auvergne ham (like Parma ham) I thought he'll suck it but no! He put it in his mouth, chew and then swallowed it!!!!

I laughed at the cat biscuit too!!
My DD gags at lumps (yesterday a small piece of banana, the day before greek yoghurt) and then projectile vomits her entire dinner back up. I caught it in the bowl and it looked like it did before we started!!
Reckon will be on puree/mashed till she is two...!

oh CC big hugs? what a knobber for making you sad :(

welcome LBH

was wondering where BG had got to - glad you checked in, if only briefly!

hello everyone else!

howling with wind here - nights like this i'm glad we're renting!

not going to mention sleep here for fear of jinxing? still knackered tho, and in the got to be in bed by 9 club.. so night all! xx

Hello and Night stoof I am off to bed also.
DD has woken twice already :( DP on duty now

thanks stoof and abs for sharing, makes me feel a little more normal. Still quite emotional about it today (didn't even go in), but I have to try and tune out people like him.

Came on to say "Bye bye!" and hope the weather is better for our journey tomorrow!

Thanks for all the positive comments/sympathy etc..

Littlebear I haven't had a chance to read your previous thread, but the gagging on lumps thing immediately said reflux to me (as chief reflux consultant on here !!) Check out the symptoms etc.. on the support thread for 'refluxy' mummies in breast feeding topic before making any major changes - I could be way off here and just making assumptions form your one comment, but it might be affecting sleep, like it does with my boys.

See you next week if we survive the weather!

for a moment then bethy I thought you were leaving us for good.

I'll stick to flipflops and sunglasses thanks, hope you lot enjoy (and survuve) the wind

Ooh get you, CC, taunting us with your Californian weather!!
Blimey, sounds like the work thing has really hit you hard. That's really nasty to have to deal with. It's tough to be thick-skinned, especially when full of new mum hormones/lack of sleep. Is he generally a knobhead, or just singling you out? Is there some history to his behaviour (does he resent you for some reason?) that might explain it? Is there anyone at your workplace in a union rep/mentor type position you might be able to talk to?

Blimey, LB, those sound like pretty impressive gags.... bethylou might be onto something. OR your DD might just have an especially sensitive gag reflex (which presumably she'll grow out of).
How was last night, btw? And are the Anti-Ds helping at all yet?

chinook at your DS' foodie experiments!!

...and your DS is definitely part-French (if we didn't already know), GF, judging by his appetites!

Wotcher stoof

Clinginess? Not TOO bad here, although DD gets a bit ansty at times if I'm not in her line of sight and she's not sufficiently distracted.

Oh, meant to say, LB, if you're going to go for it, I think you might as well ditch the dummy too.... Good luck - tonight's the first night of CC, isn't it?

Have a great time, bethylou!

Hey, the thread has been really busy!

LBH Glad you could join us. Hope that the CC goes ok to start with and really good that your DH is on board now. Also good to hear you are over the bug. Yes, DS is the same with climing up to standing, right now he is in his playpen standing up, holding onto the bars and bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Bethy and AbsB How scary about the choking. Will keep my eye out for tape etc. You both had great presence of mind to get the things out of their throats.

Bethy hope you have a great time in Cornwall and the weather isn't too extreme.

AbsB So glad the time with your partner was so lovely. Scary about the gas leak!

CC How horrible about your arsehole work colleague. I feel all protective of you and want to come over and give him a piece of my mind. Do whatever is appropriate but don't let him get away with it. Keep a diary of things he's said/done, report to manager etc. Or if he's being clever and it is more nebulous just keep asking him "what do you mean by that?" in a pleasant way.

GF How annoying about the raincover! Definitely one of those moments when it would be helpful to be able to rewind time by a couple of minutes.

So sleep had been utterly terrible for a couple of nights and I was starting to get really miserable (you know when you can't stop thinking negatively about absolutely everything?) Night before last he cried from 12-3 and wouldn't go back to sleep whatever we did, even after a feed it was the same story. Of course this was the night MIL was staying on the sofa and heard everything. She's a lovely lady but I wanted her to think we were doing better! Last night he was waking every hour so from midnight DH took him in the living room in the pram and I only had to wake up for 40 mins around 4am to feed him and then he slept til gone 8 so I feel pretty good today. He's got a really runny nose so I think the slightly tilted position of the pram helps keep his airways clear.

We didn't do much yesterday as the weather was so horrible. Did go out for our music class but was so tired it was a bit of a trial to be honest. Anyway today should be loads better - going to see my mum and maybe go into town.

Also, going by the wonder weeks book - this week is week 33 (corrected) and it is meant to be a difficult few weeks that lead up to the leap at 35 weeks.

Have the 8 month check next Weds. Can't believe how fast it has come round. Haven't had him weighed for a couple of months so will be interesting to see where he is on his chart.

Bethylou I too thought you were leaving us for good! The choking incident was quite a wake up call as DP tends to leave things lying around (easier to blame him as he's not on here ). There is so much crap stuff lying around, I feel like renting a carpeted bungalow for the crawling months... it's just too much to deal with!

Chinook I love the idea of your DD feeding your DS treats when you're not looking. And cat biscuits? Yuk! Actually I've never tried one but I can only imagine it would be quite fishy?

GF that is really bad luck about the rain cover. I am very aware of how necessary a rain cover is because I walk DD in her pram with the dogs twice a day no matter how bad the weather is!!! Really bad luck...

CC I can only reiterate what's been said here about your colleague. It must be extremely draining. Have you tried taking the bull by the horns and talking to him directly. Could you not offer to go out for a coffee and tell him that you have just had a baby, moved country, (you're a fucking star basically) and you really need his support at work. I would show willing to make it work and then if that fails I would speak to a manager. That kind of behaviour in the States is really not tolerated. And if that doesn't work, just stick some red ants in his locker or something...

BC my DD is in her 36th week now and I REALLY JINXED myself the other day by saying she was sleeping better!!!! She has been up at 10pm and then in bed with me for the last two nights! She is also much more grizzly than usual... I feel your pain believe me! I'm sure your MIL understands but I do know what you mean about making them think you are doing better. And what is this wonder weeks book you are referring to?

Littlebear Clingy? No. Because I am on my own with two dogs who are equally demanding, I spend a lot of time leaving her to play on her own so that I can do other things. At the beginning she would cry/whinge because she wanted to be picked up but I had to ignore her (I convinced her that she was better off in her playpen while washing shit off my dogs! )... and now she is pretty happy playing on her own while I get on and do things.

IC I have a website! It hasn't been updated for a year (obviously) and has a few issues.... but you can see some of my work here Please be patient as it is SUPER SLOW annoying

Wonder Weeks brief explanations link here

Yep, bc, now is the time when sleep goes to shite for loads of babies...and hey, aren't we lucky? There's another spurt only a few weeks later, so we get a double dose. It's fascinating to see how their perception develops etc., but oh...
Damn you, Nine Months Sleep Regression!!!

Bad luck on the crappy sleep, one and all. Chances are we're all on a tricky tip with sleep for the next month or so (except watercress, probably!!!)

Hmm, that's annoying - that link doesn't find the handy page anymore... (they probably realised too many people were using it and not bothering to buy the book....)

Not YOUR link Abs, btw - The Wonder Weeks one...

Oooh... I like your stuff, Abs! Especially the equestrian paintings, love your use of colour especially. Cor, aren't you talented!! Do you manage to sell much of it?

Sorry about DD's good sleeping :(

Welcome LBH. Don't worry about the lumps and gagging, it'll come. My DD2 isn't keen on very lumpy purees, but will happily eat proper food (even with no teeth).

CC, it sounds rubbish. I've been there and it's awful. Hope it gets better for you.

GF bad luck on the rain cover.

And hello to everyone else. Sorry for lack of personal comments - I am reading and thining about you all, but just don't seem to get time for posting (though I did defend pharmacies on another thread - not sure whether I won or not).

Don't apologise, watercress!! We're just envious, that's all!!!

Hello everyone.

Thanks all re the gagging thing. She has only just started doing it. So will just see. She has been not herself the last few days really. Gagging, refusing afternoon bottle some days and not others,clingy, whingy and maybe her teeth bothering her. She woke 4 times before 9.30pm last night!

I am already racked with nerves over starting CC tonight.
IC the citalopram has made me feel better,been less tearful. On a waiting list for CBT.

Will keep you posted on how tonight goes. We have decided to ditch the dummy too. Poor DD.

May actually try and watch Ashes to Ashes series over the next few nights which has been on the sky plus since the beginning of the year to take my mind off the crying for a bit.....!

DD is officially 9 months today!! Will check out this wonder weeks thing...

Hope you all have a decent night with the DC's...it is hell isn't it. Don't know how some of you do it with more than one. I can barely function some days!! :)