June 10 babies are growing apace, teething and crawling all over the place.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Here we are ladies. Let's see if we can manage to chat a bit more on this one :).

[Fillybuster]

Lentil mush must have been well hidden as they've asked me to drop everything and come back to meet the management team today. At 2pm. Eek.

Thank god for lovely aupair and MIL who have both insisted that I should indeed drop everything and go, as I was going to say I couldnt make it.

New company, CSWS - I don't really fancy going back to my old one, what with my boss leaving in 3 weeks and all.

Aarrgh. No clean clothes, frizzy hair, no make up on and need to leave house in 1 hour straight after feeding Mia. Suspect lentil mush may be in evidence today...

[greensnail]

Yes, being stuck at home is definitely the worst bit so far. Although being up at 3am trying to stop Alice scratching herself to bits wasn't much fun either.

madamef yes, I'm still bfing both my girls. However Alice has a tendency to go off her milk when she's not feeling well whereas DD1 wants to feed loads when she's ill. I suppose this could be one explanation why DD1 doesn't seem to have it yet. She is feeding loads today and yesterday, but I'm not sure if this is because she's not feeling well or if she's fed up of being at home.

Good luck for the interview filly! I really must step up my own job hunt.

[MonkeyMargot]

Good work filly and good luck with stage 2...I'm sure you'll be brill! (note - check shoulders for porridge/vom/milk).

Boys both crawling and humping their little bums in the air. Very funny. Both fat now, weighing over 24lbs each. They both eat loads and are down to one milk feed a day now. I gave them my last BF 2 mornings ago, when Rafferty decided to chew on my nip and drew blood. Ouch. So that's it for me - the last time I'll ever BF a baby.

I went into work last Friday to meet my new boss who joined after I went on maternity leave. He seemed lovely and it transpired he too owns a dog called Margot! A good sign me thinks.

Have been interviewing nannies this week and think we've found the one. Fingers crossed! We are moving house next month from London to Oxfordshire, then off to France for 2 months, then back to new house and back to work. So need childcare in place ready.

[Barbeasty]

Ooh Filly, hope it went well this afternoon.

I think the closest we've got to chickenpox so far is the sibling of someone at the nursery who run the playgroup we go to- hopefully not close enough to catch on top of the colds we've had for over a week now.

But, despite the colds we're off into Bristol tonight to celebrate my brother's engagement. Bless him, his GF got home from work and was told to pack for 4 days but not where they were going. He took her to Venice and proposed on a gondaler. I'm quite proud!

[MrsAlwaysRight]

Hope all poorly babies make a speedy recovery.

Hope yesterday went well Filly

MonkeyMargot where in Oxfordshire did you decide on?

We have finally got an appointment through for Alice to go to the allergy clinic. Only a few more weeks to wait.

Alice still waking up 1-2 times a night. I have decided to stop feeding her when she wakes overnight as I don't think she really needs it and is just having it as its on offer IYSWIM. 3 nights in and she doesn't seem to be missing it and settles again after a quick cuddle.

DH has buggered off for the weekend again to watch the Rugby. My "fed up with being abandoned for yet another weekend of sport" vibes paid off though as he has bought me flowers and chocolates this morning (have eaten most of these already!

Also became an auntie this week. SIL had a girl called Polly 5lb and 1/2 an ounce. 4 weeks early as SIL induced due to pre-eclampsia.

Have a fab weekend ladies

[Elena67]

crawling around the cot in the his sleep and waking himself as he bumps the end or ends up on his front... Anyone else experiencing this - is it perhaps his sleeping bag that's winding him up? Are pyjamas bettter and if so, do we use a duvet as well as pjs? He has a sheet and light blanket(s) over him in his sleeping bag so I suppose he could be too hot, maybe...? He has always been such a good sleeper and now that he is missing his 11pm feed he wakes at 5.30 so it's too hideous that he wakes in the night as well! Any advice would be most welcome.

[BraveGirl]

We get maybe 1 undisturbed night in a week here - lots of teething but no teeth. J seems to sleep better on his side. Should i be worried about this or go with it?
On a brighter note, J has realised what he's supposed to do with food. Consequently, he's now racing up the centiles after 9 months at 0.2...hurrah! Milk feeds not dropping off yet though.
Good luck with the nanny search MM - it has made a huge difference to us having our lovely nanny full time from half term.

[greensnail]

BraveGirl I would definitely go with the sleeping on his side - I think the advice is that once they can turn themselves its fine to leave them in that position. Alice has just worked out how to roll onto her side and seems much more comfy like this (she's still not rolled over yet).

Congratulations on becoming an auntie MrsAR. Loving the name. Fantastic news on the allergy appointment - hope it provides some answers and help for you.

Feeling much better today for having some adult company - was starting to go slightly bonkers being stuck at home all day. Alice's spots are starting to crust over so hopefully she'll be allowed out and about again soon. They seem to be really itchy at night though which is a real nuisance. Had to strip her off and apply calamine in the middle of the night last night. Once the itching improved she was wide awake and decided to lie awake chatting and kicking for 3 hours, hopefully she'll sleep a bit better tonight.

[latrucha]

One disturbed night a week BraveGirl - How the hell did that happen!

I am getting pushchair frenzy again. I still love my Baby jogger double (although it's getting a bit tatty) but D is too small for DD's light pushchair and his two-parter is really comfy but too heavy and awkward with a buggyboard on the back.

Thinking of a Maclaren XT or XLR - any experience?

[MonkeyMargot]

MrsAR congrats on your niece - I love the name!
We are moving to East Hanney, near Wantage. Whereabouts are you?

bravegirl we've one more nanny to see, but I really want to make an offer to the one we met last week. It just felt right.

greensnail poor alice :-(

[roundabout1]

very jealous of the sleeping babies - 9 months & still waking frequently trying to convince myself that the recent teething probs & the latest cold are making it much worse than normal & that things will get better soon

mrs a r - congrats on being an auntie

la t - i bought an xlr when dd1 was 2, she was huge & too big for my other pushchairs, i love it. It's my main pushchair for lauren now, still loving it. Only probs i'm finding this time round us that the footmuff/apron doesn't come high up on her legs but i use a buggy snuggle instead & when it's reclined back even 1 notch it's hard to get into shopping basket. With dd1 i was using it when she was older & so had no criticisms at all. Great when they are older as being a bit bigger they don't look too big to be in a buggy iyswim. I used to get lots of comments that dd1 shouldn't need a buggy as she was big for her age people assumed she was older than she was. hope this helps.

[madamefreckle]

Well done filly - How did the meeting go?

MrsAR - Tell me more about cutting out night feeds. Did you have to go through any nights of Alice crying? Do you go to her in the night or does your DH? Do you cuddle her back to sleep or put her back in her cot while still awake? Has her appetite increased in the day?

Sorry so many questions. I'm wondering whether to try not to feed Emma at night but worry about her just shouting the house down. She usually feeds twice, say midnight then 4ish but then she refuses a feed in the morning and won't have any breakfast either. She doesn't want a feed at all until around 11am. That means she goes for 7 hours without anything...why can't she do it at night?
I'm thin

[madamefreckle]

Huh? Where did that "I'm thin" come from at the end there??? Ghost typing? Wishful thinking!! How very bizarre!!

[CantSleepWontSleep]

lol freckle! I expect you typed 'I'm thinking' and didn't quite delete all of it .

side or front sleeping here, but has never slept on his back. Has a purflo mattress so less of a worry than if he had a normal one. But as greensnail says it's not a worry once they can turn themselves over freely. We're back to swaddling him too now, which stops the constant standing up. Maybe you could try that elena?

[MrsAlwaysRight]

MonkeyMargot I'm in Didcot so not far away.

madamefreckle I usually get up in the night with her. She seems quite happy just to have a quick cuddle then back into her cot. Sometimes she is asleep when I put her back other times she is still awake. She isn't having any extra milk feeds in the day but is eating more breakfast. Previously some days she would only have a couple of spoonfuls but much better now.

BraveGirl Alice quite often sleeps on her side too.

[latrucha]

Thanks roundabout. Funny what poepl get wound up about, isn't it? I know a lot of people think dd shouldn't be in a buggy - including her! - but I insist at times because I don't drive and sometimes we just need the speed. Plus Daniel is not keen on pushcahirs except when he is pushed really fast.

We all went to a big party today and Daniel was in his element. He insisted on being finger walked on the dance floor with all the other children and was so jolly and happy for the whole rest of the day. He couldn't stop smiling.

[madamefreckle]

LaT - Aw! Sounds like you've got a l'il socialite there!

MrsAR - Thanks. I've just got to bite the bullet and do it!

[Fillybuster]

Ah, LaT that sounds deeply cute....Mia would have loved dancing but we're about a year away from any finger walking if my other 2 are anything to go by!

I must admit I lol-ed at MadameFreckles 'I'm thin'....me too....not!!!! In fact, my so-called diet has been going spectacularly badly for months, and I still weigh exactly the same as I did last October, which is really frustrating as I was determined to have lost all my baby weight by now. Obviously not quite determined enough to avoid pizza, pasta, chocolate, bread & butter & cheese, etc but even so :(

Now I have 4 weeks to go before we go to Israel for a week and spend most of that time on the beach in tel aviv with friends and not a chance of looking remotely unscary in a swimsuit. Eek, panic and triple panic....

I think I asked this before but might have missed the answer: Mia is now on 3 bottles a day (7.30am, 4pm, 7pm bedtime) - anyone know when we drop the afternoon milk or is that not for ages?

Interviews are going ok but no job offers yet....the very large consultancy I had a first round with 2 weeks ago have asked me to come back tomorrow (hell yeah, nothing like waiting for 2 weeks with no feedback then asking me to drop everything on the spot, right?) and the startup I saw twice last week want to talk me through their growth plans on Thursday afternoon. Thank god for my lovely aupair and my MIL....I may, however, have to go naked as I only own 2 shirts that fit and they are both currently dirty and unironed...

[NizzyNoodles]

Quick catch up so sorry if I've missed anything

Sam likes to sleep on his side and sometimes on his front but then gets a bit whingy if he can't roll back again - his sleeping bag doesn stop him a little bit. He has no trouble rolling around on the floor so I tend to leave him to sleep whichever way he's comfy. He does bash about in his cot though - which wakes me up but not him!

Only on 2 bottle here - after lunch and before bed - don't know why the morning one disappeared. It may have been something to do with trying to get all 3 of them out the door for the school run in the morning.

It's Sam's christening in a couple of weeks and people have been asking me for ideas for presents and I don't have any!!! Does anyone else have any ideas?? I can only think of books.

Formally on a "career break" from work now after much deliberation so need to stop shopping and spending like I'm still at work. Has anyone else decided not to go back to work?

[CantSleepWontSleep]

depends on budget nizzy, but these are gorgeous, or cufflinks, or little timbers in mk does some wooden boxes which are nice for holding christening memorabilia, or these are quite fun.

Oh actually there are wooden keepsake boxes here too.

Do suggest something to those who ask or ime you'll end up with a lot of money boxes and crockery sets!

[BraveGirl]

Typed a huge post on Monday, but it got swallowed....
Dr has advised to try dairy free diet for both J and I - to help his eczema and it may also help his sleep - I will keep you posted, although giving up dairy is very hard and not for the weak willed - If I weren't quite so desperate for good sleep I wouldn't consider it!
Still on a fair bit of milk here, although I think we're possibly dropping slightly - I used to have to leave at least 15 oz for the nanny, but now 12 oz will do!
Filly we are also planning to take a holiday next month - secretly I am dreading. All the trips we've done so far have been by car, but plane is a whole new ball game - anyone with any experience care to share tips?!!

[whenwillisleepagain]

Wow, thanks for the new thread, except it's not actually so new now is it! I really should be cleaning the kitchen floor while Alice sleeps but this is much more interesting.

Sorry to hear about various poorly babies, just skimmed through, so might muddle up details, but hope they are all improving.

I bought a Maclaren Quest just before Christmas - having literally run our old Maclaren Techno XT into the ground. I am not sure i'd recommend it. It's nice and light and manouevrable (sp) but doesn't have adjustable handlebars, so DH (6'2") not happy. Then the brake didn't work so it had to go back to Maclaren for over a week. As per usual the raincover has already ripped and had to be patched up with preserved bits of former Maclaren raincovers and (promise my anal Maclaren rant nearly over) it has an all in one cosy-toes thing which ties on with ribbons, slips down and is infuriating. Having said that if you're like us, live in central London and do at least one bus journey a day, then Maclaren is the only way to do. Wish I'd had XLR though...

Nizzy I could only think of books for DS's christening and that worked out fine...

[roundabout1]

morning everyone
sleeping still crap here, just seems to be one thing after another at the mo. lauren ill last week with cold this week dd1 (5) has been ill with a stomach bug, vomiting & stomach cramps since mon night, sick last y'day morning so hoping worst is over. She still looks dreadful but a bit more colour. I have a phobia about being sick so paranoid about anyone else getting it & going mad spraying dettox around.
filly - hope the job interviews went well. I seem to have a permanant clothing crisis, mountain of ironing & tbh no decent clothes anyway. It was my bday last fri am now the big 4 0 & ended up wearing a maternity sweatshirt for lunch out with my friend. Everything else either dirty, unironed or covered in dribble & food at the last minute.
wwsi - you have made me love my xlr more now, as def no such problems with it. Crap that the brakes should need fixing so soon though.

Lauren is now 9.5 mths & still not eating much, she'll happily have ago at pretty much anything which I suppose is the main thing. I have moved away from exclusively blw as (whisper) I bought some jars as some lunchtimes seem to have bugger all in the house & need something relatively healthy for Lauren to eat. Since feeding her custard off a spoon she will happily eat off a spoon which does make it easier at times. Love just being able to give her food to eat/play with rather than spoon feed though at proper mealtimes.
Right off to see to my patient

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Well a fun week here. Ds1 had sick bug (seems better today at last). Ds2 teething badly and also picked up sick bug, although has generally been able to keep bm down at least.
Then last night I slammed the car door to and forgot to remove my thumb in time, so am now in A&e waiting to be seen, having had an Xray a while ago.
And before I came here I had to go to dentist for filling.
I'd quite like a normal week with everyone well for once!