November 09, new skills are fun - look what I can do now, Mum!

[DontWorryBaby]

New thread for our little handfuls!

MsI Yes, we moved Ethan so that Luke can have the cotbed. Ethan is also a wriggler but seems to have got his bearings and has only fallen out of bed once (last night). I spoke to DH who checked on him before coming to bed and he said Ethan was lying with his head at the foot of the bed so we've agreed to turn him round if he's in that position again as I think he knows where the edge is if he is the right way round, if you know what I mean. He does love his bed and is always happy to climb in at night time. Today after a failed attempt at a late morning nap, we had lunch and I asked if he wanted to have a nap. I got a very clear "no!" in return. I suspect he just likes the word & the reaction but it's still funny to hear.

Hi all, thank you for the good wishes and welcome back. It's great to hear about your little ones.
DWB I have recently swapped hens naps to the afternoon, he now sleeps for 1 to 2 hours from about 1pm, that seems to work for him but like you say they are all so different you just have to see what works.

Scorpion and Ursi glad your pregnancies are going well, I look forward to hearing some baby news soon.

Misinterpret your story of Rosa made me smile, she sounds very similar to hen, he picks up a new word and uses over and over.

Hen is still in his cotbed and will probably stay there for a few months yet or until he learns to climb out! He is such a monkey that his cot is the only place I know he can't get into trouble.

I better get myself moving, we're off on holiday tomorrow and I still have loads to do.

Hi all

Been lurking a while but now have time to post!

Fruit so sorry to hear your news, thnking of you and hoping for the best outcome for you and your family.
Tigger hope you're starting to feel a little brighter. I had pnd after DS1 and it's not fun, but you do find a way out of the dark eventually so hang on in there. Feel free to PM me if you want someone unconnected to chat to.

We got back from holiday last week, and I managed to pick up an ear infection on the way home , but other than that it was just brilliant. DH and I got on really well and it was so nice to have time to relax and just enjoy the boys. Work is, and was, pretty mental so it's almost a distant memory already!
We have a weekend away next weekend visiting the in-laws in Aberdeen though so that will be a nice few days all together again.

It's harder now being on my own with the dc's after having DH around for 10 days on holiday. We got into quite a good routine with sharing the looking after Ioan and I even managed to get through a few books!!! Both boys ended up staying up later and so sleeping in later, which meant that for the first time in 2 years I actually had a week of 8/9 hours sleep!!! I felt like a new woman
It was our wedding anniversary on Thursday so we went out for dinner which was lovely. I am hopeful now that we can fix things, but I still think we have a bit of work to do to make sure we don't lose all the improvements we've both made and slip back into old habits. I think we'll probably go back to Relate and see if our counsellor can help us find the best way to reconcile, so that it's more moving in together again rather than him moving 'back' in iyswim.

As for other toddler things... well, Ioan is just so funny now! Strong willed and we do have the odd tantrum but he knows there is no budging from me (stubborn, moi?!) so they seem to be getting less. He's still in a cot but I am starting to think now of moving him in with DS1, which would mean a bottom bunk. He still naps after lunch and definitely needs it, sometimes it's only 3/4 hour but other days it's 1.5 hours.
We've stopped the nightly bottle of milk now, I couldn't get any warmed up when away and he seemed fine without it. We now do a drink of milk, not that he's that interested, and stories. He is so much more like a little boy now, not a baby at all. I think we got to feel like he was a baby for much longer as he was bum shuffling for so long. Now he's been walking for about a month/6 weeks and the transformation is just staggering - he almost runs about now!
His speech has come on really well and he can now make himself well understood - he copies pretty much anything now which can be funny or embarrasing! We have lots of 'shushing' aimed mainly back at DS1 and the inter-sibling bickering has started with them two now that Ioan is interested in his toys and is now a force to reckon with

Quickly popping in to share this link to an interesting article on tummy time with an adorable film.

Waves to Scarlotti - so pleased things are going well with DH, it's quite inspirational how you've both worked hard to make things better. Hope it continues to go from strength to strength.

DWB thanks, that's really sweet of you to say.

What a lovely film!! Made me all gushy! I have to admit to never doing tummy time with any of my 3, I did try once or twice but they hated it so I stopped bothering. Didn't seem to hinder them at all

scarlotti, how nice to see you back, especially with such good news. I really hope you and your husband can work things out but you both seem to do a really good job and care about it.

DWB, thanks for the link. I remember with Paula I was quite shocked when I finally heard that we were supposed to do tummy time as I had not been aware of it. And then I didn't do it anyway, as I found it a bit silly to make them do things they don't like. Well, we had a bit of tummy time during the daily massages when I massaged her back but she was always fine with it (I guess, because I had started so late with it). So your film is very reassuring.

Well, I am still pregnant, hopefully for at least another 10 days as now there is litterally no one who could watch Paula. All our friends who she would know well enough and have some experience with children are on holiday at the moment. Those who would be around, have never spent time on their own with a small child. And I'd rather go to the hospital without my husband than having him there but worrying about Paula.
Anyway, I wouldn't be the first woman who gives birth without her partner present and last time I found him annoying or useless for half of the time anyway. Until he wanted to go to the loo . Luckily I didn't say anything but I found it really outrageous that he would dare going to the loo while I was in labour...
Well, in any case, it's getting close.... and I can not imagine how it will be. Strangly having 2 seems much more grown up than 1 and therefore a bit surreal for me.

ursi fingers (and legs ) crossed that that baby stays put! Agree that having two seems more 'grown up' somehow. Funny.

scarlotti glad to hear you had a good vacation and some positive progress with DH. That's good news indeed.

After 3 days of working full-time I have to say... work is really easy compared with staying at home! It feels like cheating, almost I ride my bike (yay, exercise!!) to and from the office, everyone is really nice, I sit quietly at a computer for 8 hours, eat lunch outside on the patio with my coworkers, there's no diapers or housework or crying. Then I go home and it's utter chaos! :)

longway how great to hear that starting work has been enjoyable! I hope it keeps going well.

ursi sympathy for the tricky situation with Paula. Hopefully things will all go according to plan. Famous last words...

Scarlotti Glad you had a good holiday. Things sound really positive for you and DH. I agree you are a real inspiration who I think of a lot, especially when DH and I aren't getting on brilliantly, I think of how strong you are and how you're working hard to save your relationship.

Not much to report here except feeling with all this rain it's getting autumnal... and

Scarlotti thank you for your kind words and offer of support, it's good to hear of others than have gone through the same, I've had depression on and off for almost 10 years now! I've always come off ad to get pregnant or because I'm already pregnant rather than because I'm ready. It always seems worse once bfeeding has ended too. (maybe due to the hormone change?)
Anyway enough of my rambling, it's so lovely to hear that you and Dh are getting along well and that you had a great holiday.

Ursi fingers baby stays put until you are ready.

We've just got back from a wonderful holiday, for the 1st time in years Dh relaxed and had fun with the boys.

Any news, ursi??

Tigger- glad you all had a lovely holiday

Scarlotti- can you believe our older boys are going in to year 1 in sept?

Ursi- hope all is well with you

Longway- how is work going?

DWB- love the photos of your boys on FB. Gorgeous!

MsI - very soon we will be moving C to the bottom bunk with DS1 on the top bunk. Sleep has become so much better here and I'm a little scared to change things. We will play it by ear.

Just a little update on my dad. His cancer is contained in the prostate, which is wonderful news. He now has a gruelling 6 months of treatment ahead. Lots of drugs and then radiotherapy. There could be some health problems after the treatment, but there is hope he will get better in time. Prostate cancer is very curable so we have a positive outlook. Has been a turbulent few months and a long way to go yet. It's hard to think or talk about it at times.

I've given up breastfeeding. We got to 21 months and I'm over the moon we got so far. It was a hard few days weaning him. More on my part with the engorgement and having to remain strong. Have felt a little low and I guess down to hormones and the worry of my dad. C has accepted it well. He has asked me a couple of times for a feed, he gets a little upset for a few seconds when I've reminded him it's all gone. Nice to have my body back and move on to the next chapter of my life.

Hope everyone has a lovely long BH weekend

Fruit, glad to hear that you got relatively good news about your dad's cancer. I hope the treatment will work well and that he is not going to suffer from too many side effects.

Thanks all for asking, officially 39 weeks from today, still pregnant, still no name actually and I am a little bit depressed that we are unable to find one. We have a short list of three, maybe 4 names (to make things more complicated, three of those 4 are on my sisters shortlist of 4, due end of october, some names have never been mentioned in any conversation between us). We had both different favorites, with maybe DH being a bit more flexible but after this long search without movement I feel as if they are all wrong and that I will be unhappy with whatever decision we make, even though I like all of them in theory. I have even started to browse my book again.
Other than that, things are fine, I get sets of 4 or 5 contractions occasionally, since weeks, so not sure if that means anything. MIL is arriving tomorrow night so I only have about 26 hours to not go into labour which seems very possible at the moment.
I'm not sure if it is back to back though as I had many contractions in my back which I hadn't with Paula. And I can feel too many limbs and seem to be unable to find the back of the baby.... So hopefully it will turn into a better position but at least it is head down.

I hope you are all enjoying a nice bank holiday weekend with your family.
I'll keep you posted

Thanks Ursi. I had latent labour pains second time around. I had a good 2 or 3 weeks of contractions before the big day. I think it helped my labour be much quicker and a little easier. Hope baby is in a good position for you. Best of luck if we don't hear from you for a little while. I'm sure the baby name will come once you meet him.

Fruitpastels, that's really positive news about your Dad. Hope the treatment goes well for him and he can get on with enjoying his grandchildren for many years to come. I can imagine it has been an awful time for your family and wish all of you all the best.

Tigger, glad you had a good holiday. Sorry, I haven't got any experience with depression, but you are in my thoughts.

Ursi, hope you are well. Funny you should mention names, we are pretty much at the stage of calling the second one Lucy as well... We seem to have struck gold with that one and it has been a nightmare to find a second girl's name we both like. One came to me in a dream (quite an unusual one) and to my great surprise DH loved it, too. However, he then included it in a list of names he discussed with his parents (I know, he realises his mistake and I am still deciding on a suitable punishment) and they picked it as one they hated.... We're waiting to see what she looks like first, I think. At least I have a lovely middle name for her (my mum's grandma's - Lucy's middle name is my mum's mum's - if that makes sense...). It's so hard, isn't it? Anyway, good luck with everything, will be thinking of you. Oh, and if your knees can take it I heard lots of time on all fours promotes good position, ie back to front.

36+4, yikes! Baby engaged, 2/5 head palpable. It sort of feels like it's ready, too, which is really scary, as we are not AT ALL. Everything is still in the loft... DH going on an expedition there today or tomorrow. She's really active and pushes down quite painfully a lot. I am walking like a duck.

I'm also awfully irritable at the moment, especially with poor Lucy. She herself seems to be going through a phase of getting frustrated with pretty much everything within five seconds (please tell me it's a phase not a character trait), is quite clingy and whiney, cries a lot and has mini-tantrums by the dozen, so her short fuse combined with mine seems to be making for an explosive mix... Let's just say I spend quite a lot of time gazing at her while she sweetly sleeps and feeling like the worst mother in the world... God I hope it's just hormones...

Sorry for ranting. Hope you have a great bank holiday!

Hi everyone.

Scorpion & Ursi - best of luck with your impending arrivals! My labour was three times as quick so be prepared for a very different experience. Hope all goes well.

Just wondering if anyone has started or thought about potty training yet? Can any of our mums who have done it before recommend a book? I'm wondering about things like whether to bother with a potty or just use toilet & also, I'd heard you should wait until the child can dress/undress themselves but with Ethan wearing real nappies, there is no way he could get his trousers over them!

Hope everyone is well. Can't believe we're fast approaching second birthdays!

DWB- potty training ds1 went very smoothly. He is November born and we waited until spring time after his 2nd birthday, so around 2.5 yrs. The weather was milder and we could strip him down and let him run free at home. He made a few accidents and when I caught him in time we would swifty get the potty. He soon cottoned on to the idea and we really praised him each time. From what I remember, we taught him to stand at the potty for a wee very early on. We didn't go out for a week, I could then keep him nappy free for daytimes. Probably not so ideal when you have more than 1 child. I took him to Disney store for a treat and bought him a new toy and some cute character underwear and he loved it. It worked for us and he was dry within a couple of weeks. We kept a travel potty with us for outings for a period of time. He was unable to properly undress/dress himself, but capable of pulling bottoms down. We didn't use pull ups. We moved to night time training when he was 3. By that time I was able to give him rewards for night dryness. Hoping ds2 will do it with as much ease.

Just to add. It didn't take long for him to move on to the toilet from the potty. We bought a special seat and step.

MIL has already suggested skipping the potty altogether. We do have one already and he's done a few pees in it before baths. Not sure what's best in that respect. And I hadn't even thought about leaving nighttime til later. Eek! I'll need to try the library for a book.

Fruit, that's what I thought about my contractions. They prepare everything now and it will be really quick once things start properly, hence my nightmares about rushing to the hospital with Paula in tow. So now that MIL is here, it is much easier. She will always be around to watch Paula and in the worst case I'll just have to take a taxi by myself and meet DH at the hospital. There is just this gap of 10 hours on friday when she is leaving very early in the morning and my parents only arriving late. But depending on how I feel I will ask DH to take the day off. Or maybe our babysitter will be back from holiday already.

skorpion, I hope you and DH will be able to choose that name. I like that it came to you in a dream. I am really sure that his family gets used to it. As far as I know all grandparents hated my younger brothers name at first. My grandma even announced in a shop that my parents hadn't picked a name yet, when she was asked about it, although I think in Austria you need to register already in the hospital
Thanks for the tip with being on all 4. I did remember that from last time as well and I am doing my best. I'm not 100% sure but I think it helped already. At least I can often feel a lot of movement so he is trying to turn, I'm convinced.
Interesting that you are going through the same thing like me, baby seems ready but we aren't. Well, finally we are, but it was already engaged about 4 weeks ago.
And I can only tell you that Paula was very clingy lately too. Lucy is certainly feeling the changes coming up even if she doesn't understand them entirely. I guess it is up to us to show them as much as we can that we still love them.
Last night I had lots of contractions (those nice ones which feel like a hug) and couldn't really sleep. And Paula was extremely unsettled too, finally even woke up and wanted to be really close to me. It took two hours before she finally went back to sleep properly. Much more sensitive than DH who was happily snoring next to us :)

Hello everyone! Remember me? I've been off for ages and ages and my only excuse is life - three boys, work, maths course at school, painting, house, blaaaa. I will have a good read of all your news but I've skimmed a bit, ursi and skorpian ooooh exciting news! Tigger I had a lot of problems after Toby was born (and in hindsight also after the other two) and I am convinced with me it was all hormone related. I'm much, much better now, but still have the odd wobble. I hope you are ok it is hard but it does get better. Fruit sorry to hear about your dad but I'm pleased it's not as bad as it could be and he's going to get treatment, bug hug to you too.

DWB as for the old potty training. Well, I've had one who was a total nightmare (DS1) which left me often in tears and ringing the health visitor for advice and one who loved his potty so much he used to get me to photograph his products to send to daddy at work! Toby is getting to the stage soon I think as he tells me when he's doing a poo but he's not there with the other yet so I'm going to wait a bit longer. DS1 was 3 1/2 when he cracked it, DS2 was 2 1/2. Mr Toes is still only 22 months (I think! I ought to know!).

Anyway, life is treating us well here - school holidays are hard with work as well but ho hum we plod on. I promise to visit more often. So nice to hear about new babies! I'd love one more but I don't think it's going to happen.

Hi all

ursi and skorpion well done for hanging on in there! Am sure babies will come soon enough but I will certainly echo the speed of the second one. Statistically too, most subsequent babies are born at night - the brain works out that the first child is most likely sleeping and so your attention can be given to labour and then bingo!

Fruit glad to hear the news about your Dad (if that makes sense as it sounds odd!) and that you're all coping well with it all. Am also amazed that we're about to start year 1! Seems like just yesterday C was a shy boy waiting to go to reception, and now he's just so confident and waiting to go back to school. Funny you should say about bunk beds as we're having the exact same discussion here. Am thinking I'll turn the cot into the cot bed for a few weeks and use a quilt as we're still in grobags here. Once he's mastered that I reckon we can then think about a bunk bed in DS1's room, which would then mean he's finally on the right floor rather than in the little room off mine in the loft. I then have grand plans to make that into a walk in wardrobe ... or more realistically somewhere I can put the wardrobe and all my crap and pretend it's a walk in wardrobe!

BBL good to see you again.

Busy here recently, visiting in-laws and then my Mum. Lovely to see everyone but feel like I could do with some time off now just to chill! Looking at various Uni's for DD to apply for and the open days are coming up now - does make me nostalgic, and wish I was 17 again with all that opportunity in front of me. Exciting times so will just have to live vicariously through her now instead!!

Oh, and as for potty training, we waiting until DS1 was about 2 3/4 and told him that our caravan holiday was going to be the time. Went and chose pants before we went and then started the day we got there. Day 1 has about 8 accidents, day 2 about 3 and then none from then on. Nursery had sat them on the potty at nappy change times for about the previous 3 months but I hadn't at home.
DD was 2.5. I know many do it earlier but I was in no rush as I was working full time. I think both of them were about 3.5/4 until they were dry at night and even then I did the lift and pee routine at my bedtime to see them through.

I am a lazy mummy when it suits though

That's interesting about second babies being born at night, I didn't realise that. DS2 was born at 12.30am after a two-hour labour and only just arriving through the doors of the maternity unit on time (the midwife had also only just arrived and still had her coat on!). Of course this left me with high hopes for a one-hour labour with Toby which wasn't quite the case.

Hi Becky, lovely to see you again! Funnily enough I have just been thinking about the ladies we haven't seen in a while. I do wonder what everyone is up to.

Scarlotti, this really is not what I wanted to hear. Truth is we are pretty much stuck as to what to do with Lucy once I go into labour... All our family are miles away (well, only my mum could come up anyway and she doesn't drive) and all friends we have made since moving into the village have their own busy lives and I feel awkward asking them to take Lucy on for a few hours until my mum gets here. And the childminder is taking a week off when I'm due.... I think we'll have to stay at home as long as possible and then maybe I'll have to go in on my own. Just hope when it starts it starts, false alarms would be very inconvenient.

Do you get the picture how unprepared for this we are ??

welcome back BBL, nice to see you back.

scarlotti, that's really interesting. Already Paula was born at night and somehow I can't imagine that babies can be born at daytime anyway...
I think my favourite option is that we are able to bring her to bed ourselves, either because at least DH is already back home or because we really have to go in at night. I'm just not sure if my MIL will manage to get her to sleep without a trauma.
My mum has already done it so I know that wouldn't be a problem.

MIL is driving me crazy, she keeps telling Paula what to do (eating, putting on her socks,....), gives her food half an hour before lunch or dinner time, doesn't let her play like she wants (always explains and shows how it has to be done)...
And she only wants to spend time with her alone. As soon as Paula wakes up she wants to take her out for a walk. Good for me, I know. But I still find it odd that she doesn't want to share her (has always been like this, she even once got in her husbands way and just grabbed her when he wanted to hold her for the very first time!!!)

And I have just seen how they cross the road. The rule is that Paula has to hold her hand when crossing a street but I saw her walking in front with the pram and Paula 2m behind her with her doll pram. That really annoys me. We only have a few strict rules and this is one of them. Not only does she ignore once again that we are actually the parents and therefore make the rules but she even does an unsafe thing. We are in London not on Austrian countryside (and it doesn't matter that we actually live in a quiet street). And I am sure next time I want to cross the street with Paula she won't respect the rule anymore. Why should she as she is now allowed to do it by herself.

Oh, and she is lying to us! I can not believe it. Yesterday she brought some pigeon feathers back from the park. And they were actually stuck in the little bag where I pack Paulas food. I found it really disgusting and made a mental note to throw the bag away but didn't say anything as I was stressed anyway and thought that DH would think that I am exaggerating (I am a bit of a handwashfreak). So when he found one feather on the floor and asked her about it quite angrily I was positively surprised that it wasn't just me. First she said it was only one tiny one, then it was three or four (because he had already found more than one). She said that Paula hadn't touched them. When I asked how she had got them home, she said that they had been in her pocket. And I know for sure that that was at least her second lie as I had seen her.
I wonder if she will comment on the new bag which I had just bought today but not yet used or if she will know that I know
And the lying also annoys me because Paula understands already a lot and I really don't want her to grow up with such a bad example.
As usual, I lost the thread... with my favourite subject. Sorry.

skorpion, I know exactly how you feel. I was getting prepared as well that I have to go into hospital alone (and there is still the tiny chance if things happen on friday during the day as there are about 8 hours without grandparents or any friends, luckily I know now that it will happen at night time anyway).
Is there no chance that someone could come and stay for a couple of days with you? It might be nice to get some help for the last/first days anyway.
And I'm sure if your new friends would know about the situation they would be happy to take Lucy for a couple of hours until your mum can be here.