FEB 2010 Tottering into our second year...!

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

A few first birthdays left, then we're full tilt into walking/talking and a mountain of mischief

Hi chinook [waves]
Taking of stairs CS and going down backwards IC... dd2 discovered stairs yesterday . Before she would hesitate at the bottom step and look worried; yesterday she just went for it. so I spent half an hour letting her climb up and then down backwards to give her some practice. She loved it!

I treated myself to a haircut and highlights today and dd2 was fine with my parents, until dd1 saw me come back and said 'Look there's Mama' - cue dd2 howling!! My mum kept trying to reassure me that she was actually fine while I was away and seemed a bit embarrassed that the baby was screaming as soon as I walk in... I do know anyway because I came right round the house and only heard her start crying when I opened the front door

My mum just told me that my new haircut makes me look young (so apparently I looked pretty old before - she's the one who told me in October that she bought shampoo and conditioner for me for blond hair but that it was useless because I wasn't blond... more brown and grey!! Charming, eh?)

We are off to a carnival procession later and dd1 is beside herself with excitement. I am not quite sure she knows what to expect (except that all the children dress up, there are floats and they may throw sweets - it's the first and last she is rather keen on

My DS will also cry/scream if i leave him with Dh but calm down after a minute or so then starts again when I'm back.
He can climb stairs to but I'm worried anout him going down. How do you teach them to go backward?
The day started at 6.30am today DS is in a cheeky mood, very chatting and wanting to walk. That's going to be a long day!
IC the yogurts and cheeses will give her the calcium but if she's like mine his bedtime (and only of the day) milk bottle is more a comforting, switching off routine IYSWIM. Do they do single pack of ready prepared formula in Spain? It may help with the transition.

Meant to say IC that afternoon milk is not essential at this age so she could have water if she prefes it . Sounds like you are giving enough cheese, yoghurt and milky sauces in any case.

Just heard (from someone who works there) that the job I wanted went to an internal candidate from the 'at risk' pool... so nothing else I could have done or could have done better. Slightly infuriating!

Hi chinook . I bloody love Take That. . Yesterday I managed to bag guestlist for the 2 big Hyde Park gigs I want to go to . I am stupidly pleased with myself as I really want to go to the gigs but didn't want to splash the cash in case I go into early labour and have to miss them.

IC My DD is the worst eater so I don't have any advice. When desperate I just force some vitamin drops down her and some cake. Today's lunch was a bit of Kit Kat as she had rejected ham sandwich/banana/egg/blueberries.

BG very annoying job news.

Thanks bethy hope you get better soon. Her cough is rather disgusting at the moment I suppose she is getting better.

IC my niece never drank cow's milk, and won't touch the stuff. She wasn't very fond of formula either. Since her last bottle she never had any (before 1). Orange juice for breakfast, dry cereals and plenty of cheese and yogurt (fruity ones the plain ones taste too much like milk). She is a tall active and bright 5 yo. So far so good. If I recall correctly my brother never had milk either, may be a bit with a bit LOT of nesquick for breakfast until he could drink coffee.

I'm hiding in the study pretending to write while DH has the girls downstairs (DD2 also cries when I go and reappear but is fine in between), so I'll be quick.

Re. the milk, we haven't done daytime milk for ages. The transition to cows milk has been fine, now we're starting to think about moving from bottle to cup for milk. I'm very much enjoying not sterilising and have already given the steriliser and most of the bottles away!

I'm still no clearer on the job front, but have asked for more info on the editorship before I start trying to work it all out. I understand what everyone is saying about thinking long term about my career (such as it is), but I simply can't see my childcare costs going down very much as I'll still need wraparound care if I'm commuting and that's not cheap. My other issue is that DD1 may well not get into a school with wraparound care, in which case I have to either use an agency (which I don't want to) or find a childminder, which then throws up logistical problems about dropping and picking, with DD2's nursery close to home. And then there's 13 weeks of school holidays a year...

IC bummer on the sleep (yours, that is). SG well done on the Hyde Park gig passes. Chinook that's a lot of teeth! beth hope your little man is better. LBH yay on the sleep! stone when your LO is at the top of the stairs, turn them round so they are facing backwards, and it encourages them to go down feet first in a crawling fashion, ditto for beds etc.

Oh, and I love Take That too, but only this time round. Wasn't bothered the first time...

Yepee DS is napping!

CS I hope you'll find a solution soon to your job/childcare arrangements. Thanks on the backward step, DS does this already to come down the sofa so hopefully it'll be easier.

LBH good news. Enjoy a glass of as a reward

bethy you've inspired me with our potty method so I'll give it a go (just need to go and buy a potty). I also read about elective communication and it's worth giving a go as it seems so full of common sense.

chinook crakey, that's a lot of teeth

Thanks for the milk reassurance, Shro, BG - LOL at Stangirl's DD's Kitkat lunch!!
DD doesn't spit out milk, she'll usually swallow a couple of mouthfuls, but then pushes the cup away. So I think it's worth continuing to offer it in the hope she may get used to it. But meanwhile, yes - she has plenty of dairy from other sources.
I doubt she'd go for formula, Stone, but I may give it a try if I spot a small enough quantity for sale.

Take That are a Quality Pop Band chinook, I bet they'll do a terrific show.

Pah, BG, that IS irritating about the job. I sometimes wish companies would just appoint the internal candidate they want and not bugger everyone else around with false hopes (although supposedly they're supposed to offer a transparent and open recruitment process).

Ah, my apologies - it was you, CS, who talked about teaching LOs to take stairs backwards! Great tip.
Here's DD showing off her new dismount technique.

Great video IC DS dive head 1st to get off the bed but go backwards to get off the sofa Tomorrow I'm starting the stairs learning.

He has also decided that self spoon feeding wasn't fun and messy enough so he now hold the spoon with one hand and uses the other to dive in the plate and stuffed it in his mouth

stan well done on the passes (but I have to admit I don't know those groups )

dd2 did two steps and crashed into her target We are on (for even more bruises...)

Congratulations on the teeth and walking/dismounting.
DD2 is going backward on the stairs far in advance (about a m before them) very cute! SB you just turn them around over and over and over until they get it.

SB I have no idea what they are talking about and so "take that" is way past my time (I think I was in japan and they weren't big then and there), he was already single when I came to the UK.
Well done stan freebies are always good.
I am crap at music anyway. DH excuses me because of my hearing. Apparently the music is not the same mono and stereo.
I am ashamed of being an old fart now if I say any of my musical preferences I am really the granny of the group!

very cute IC

Oh! have a look at
that was DD1 wants to be: a gymnast ballerina, I kept saying it doesn't exist. I am wrong !

PA How did your meeting go?

Yeah! good luck again for your meeting PA if it hasn't gone yet. already had a or 2 so not sure about the time difference

PA yes how did it go?

schrod I would have also thought that it existed too. One learns every day!

Hello all!!!!!!!

I am absolutely fine (thank you for your concern Beth and SB)... I have just had rather a lot going on... I had my birthday last weekend, got lots of presents from DP and DD, and had a really nice family party.

I also thought I was pg as I was a week late, had morning sickness , and was really bloated but unfortunately the MN jinx passed me by! Very disappointed after my test showed negative. Very jealous of you pg ladies. It reminded me a bit of when I was ttc before DD and every time I turned on the telly, the news presenter and the weather girl were pg... and I thought it was a conspiracy.... I am bleeding really heavily (TMI), not sure if that's because of bf, but it's completely draining.

Sorry I've missed some of your DC's birthdays, I just haven't been able to keep up. Happy Birthday to all those I've missed, the pics on FB are really sweet.

DD seems to be doing new tricks everyday. She can now pull herself up to standing and wave at the same time. Her favourite thing is crawling up to the windowsill in her bedroom and pointing at the birds in the trees. She is also crawling up the stairs, and sliding down (although I have to hover behind her as she is still a little unsure). She also points to herself and nods whenever she hears her name in conversation. We've had a week of sleeping through which is definitely a welcome change after nearly a year of no sleep!!!

Scones what news of your dog? Have you found him a new home?

CS I decided to become a SAHM because I would have had to have paid to go to work. I worked out the cost of childcare, travel, dog walker, food, etc. and it just wasn't worth it for me to go back to work. I still have mixed feelings about it as sometimes I wouldn't mind having a few hours at work in a 'normal' environment but it just didn't make sense. Only you can make that decision. My work wasn't my career even if I did enjoy it at times.

IC I am also wondering about the ending bf introducing the evening milk thing. I just don't know how to end the evening feed as it really does help her relax and she understands it. I can't see her taking to a plastic sippy cup instead... I'm going to the theatre with some friends in April so need to have it sorted by then! Usually I go out after I've put her down, but this starts at 7 in Central London so no chance... any transition tips? I don't want to introduce a bottle at this stage?

SB I am with you on the potty training thing. I think DD might be quite good as she already says "poo" when she's doing one...

I had better post this before I get distracted or before you post another five pages!!! Sorry if I've missed any of you out, I can't remember what happened on the other thread.

Evening all. Happy birthday for last weekend Abs Sorry to hear the MN jinx passed you by. Next time Enjoy the trying!

I'm afraid this is going to be a very self-centered post. The dog left today. It was all rather sudden. DH had a lot of interest after putting the ad on a specialist lurcher website and a couple came this afternoon. I was in a state after a few really bad nights and went upstairs to bed, left them to it. They all went out for a walk (DH, DD, dog, the couple). When they got back DH dropped DD in bed and woke me up - she was stone cold and crying poor love - so I spent half an hour cuddling and feeding her and warming her up. When I went downstairs DH was saying goodbye to the dog I thought they would at least go away and think about it. And give DH some time to think about it. It just seems very precipitous. Oh dear I'm crying again thinking about it. He willl be so confused the poor dog. And DH has not stopped crying all evening. We've hardly talked. We've never spent an evening like this ever. I'm really worried I've done irreperable damage to our relationship. He does love that dog to distraction and I know that. I just hated him with a passion. Could I have put up with him? I've been asking myself all evening. I don't think I'll sleep tonight no matter what DD does (and if the last few nights are anything to go by, she'll be up every few hours ).

Sorry for long and self-centred post. I feel so miserable. But this is what I wanted.

Not had the meeting it, it's in two hours. Really a meeting at 4:30 on s Saturday.

DD's sleep has gone entirely to pot and me and DH still feel rough. It's times like this we realise how isolated we are. Her naps are also shot, ever since she was ill. Those three weeks of 1-2 hours naps seem like a long time ago now.

stangirl I meant to say, don't worry about lack of street cred. I grew up on a lovely council estate, police raids every other week, school was worse in the county and I still have no street cred.

abs good to see you again and LBH

will update later (I don't plan to tell him I'm pg or I don't plan to stay, but he asks I'll be unable to keep it). I am going to look into different departments and consider research in a new area.

Hello all! Had a rare couple of hours free as DH had to spend time recovering the PC upstairs which crashed as soon as he installed Win 7, and DD coincidentally is sleeping well so far tonight after waking at 6.30am this morning napping for an hour from 9.30 till 10.30am then staying awake till 7.30pm. Which I promptly spent on the internet....

Managed to spend 2 of said hours catching up on the posts.... I had been lurking a couple of months back for a while but hadn't been able to log on for ages since, see if I can guess who the new names are. PA are you climber? Good luck thoughts to you on the meeting - you must be having it right now.

Oh dear DD's stirring, be back later....

well I'm back. It was an odd meeting.

Basically despite the email stating he thought my family situation was hindering my work. All we did was touch base and discuss plans for the next few weeks.

It's fair to say his mess with your head games are going to continue. I guess he'll never be direct because then people can pull him up on his actions. So he hides behind making people feel inadequate through insinuations and comments here and there.

rainbowweaver it is lovely to have you back, have you hunted out he fb group yet? Let us know how you've been and what DD is up to.

I was climber yes (though am back climbing, even have a climbing injury atm )
Schrodingers... was mamaloco
stonebaby was guernseyfrench
chesnutsoup was watercress
sconesfortea was fiziwizzle

Can other people please reassure me that their DCs are also not sleeping through. Normally I'm OK, but did feel at the end of tether last night and this morning. Though to be fair it was worse than a normal bad night. Wakes at 9, 10, 12, 1. The naps are probably impacting sleep and vice versa. I think the naps might be related to the fact that she eats a lot less than she used to and longer naps used to generally follow big meals.

Me and DH were thinking how it's hard to imagine DD not walking and that not all babies are walking, but then I realised I'd take sleeping over walking anyday. It's just babies are all the same overall, but at different stages in different areas

IC That video was very impressive. I showed it to DH who was gobsmacked at how you could train her. I've been trying to get him to train her on certain things but he thinks its impossible so isn't giving it a proper go. His solution to the kitchen cupboards is to put boxes and suitcase in front of them Then again I'm not here so shouldn't complain how he does stuff, it's up to him. Speaking of which I'm working tomorrow. Will hopefully get all of next weekend off for DDs B'day.

Hi rainbowweaver! Great to hear from you again.

Lovely to have you back Abs - happy birthday for last weekend! Also great news on the sleeping through, yay!
Re the milk supper...I'm not going to offer a bottle, just a sippy cup (although if she won't take milk by the time we get to that point in a few weeks time, I may offer a late supper of yoghurt and just give her a bit of water in the sippy cup).
My plan is to do a couple of stories, sing her usual lullaby and use the spoken cues I've always done, then pop her in her cot with her bunny to cuddle.
I fully expect protests because it's a change and yes - like your DD, the BF usually relaxes her and gets her sleepy.
Basically, I'm geared up to do CC to break the milk-to-sleepy habit if needs be. All being well, it should only take a few days, then she will have forgotten the old way.

Aw, Scones, sounds tough . Your DH has just said goodbye forever to a much loved friend and companion, so naturally he's upset. And yes, chances are he will feel resentful about
it for a while.
But I'm sure he'll get over it. In the meantime, I suggest you make it clear how much you appreciate the sacrifice (don't keep apologising though) and make a bit of a fuss of him over the next few days. He's a grown up, I'm sure it'll be fine again soon.

PA, I think a bit of training in certain areas is a very good idea. I try and keep DD away from certain things (the oven, electric cables etc.) and if a firm "No" doesn't work, then I physically remove her.
I'm all in favour of non-coercive parenting, but frankly at this age they don't understand subtleties and if you're keeping them safe, I think it's important to deliver a clear message. Also, child-proofing your own home is fair enough, but what about when you have them at other people's houses?
That said, I try not to say "no" all the time because it's natural for LOs to want to explore things. Sometimes I just keep vigilant instead of forbidding an activity.
Anyway, that's the theory...

Well, DD slept through again last night (with apologies to PA - but the previous three nights weren't so great...) and although I was restless, I think my sleep was a bit better too. Fingers crossed for both of us.