FEB 2010 Coming on in leaps and bounds and little steps

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Where did our babies go?!
Anywhere and everywhere, the moments our backs are turned!!

well DD decided she would eat last night. Tried a new tactic of putting her food just out of reach. She ate a whole pinto bean burger (which I put too much paprika in so plenty of nappy evidence this morning). Three heaped tablespoons of fruit chopped in natural soy yogurt and then after all that she decided she would actually eat a potato wedge (just one mind). I also discovered if you squeeze some lemon juice on your wedges after you've cooked them it really improves them (and they were pretty good to start with if I say so myself ). I tend to do half and half, half with herbs, half with spices.

She then slept until 5:20, DH got up with her and she went back to bed at 7 and slept straight away (normally have a few resettles and crying) So she and I woke at 9am, which was a nice surprise as I didn't get to sleep until 1am. She has done a few sessions now of sleeping through but waking early (if that makes sense) so fingers crossed. Although I'm in the LBH stage of where it seems to amplify bad nights. Hopefully get my sleep sorted soon, the last two weeks at work have screwed me over.

scones I also agree with you, those kind of comments made me squirm inside. I'm not sure how I'll deal with it when we have more contact because the ILs do like to enforce gender. I also know they are older and wouldn't understand so atm I'll just live with it. They are always asking if she has been 'good'

sb enjoy the rest of your trip

bbb and soc how you doing today?

Pleased to say I have my children back. dd1 had a fantastic day at nursery (9-3, so a decent day) and I picked up a very balanced child who was chatty and helpful and happy. dd2 really enjoyed having a good nose around dd1's room in her absence , enjoyed going to playgroup with me and played well with a boy her age. She did have a meltdown at lunchtime and asked to go to bed at 11.45. Asleep in seconds and slept undisturbed until 2.15. I also had a good hour of very deep sleep and felt much better afterwards. So, happy children, happy mummy . They also played in the garden earlier without dd1 running dd2 down with her scooter...
Well, better go and put dd2 to bed. She refused a few minutes ago and demanded Papa time, so she is currently climbing all over him

scones I would also be lost without eggs. Scrambled eggs are a big hit with DD2, especially if they have smoked salmon in. Fried and boiled not so much, but eggy bread is also a big thing.

When giving a new food, I make sure I have it on my plate first. That way, she is immediately interested (much like PA putting food out of reach initially!).

Sounds like there is some good sleeping going on. Long may it continue (and improve!).

Soc glad things are better. "Scones* I don't think you are being PFB. We all have things that rattle our bones - I hate the word hideous, DH hates the word horrible. With the ILs, I try and not let it bother me (most of the time, though I do occasionally have a rant on here or to DH) - they have their ways and I have mine, and unless it is massively disruptive (like getting DD2 up at 5:45am) I let it go. In a way I think it makes the DCs less rigid. And there's no doubting the amount of time, love and attention that my ILs give, even if they do resort to CBeebies more than I do!

I have a posh work do tonight, so I'm working from home today. Partly because I prefer to get ready at home, but also because it means I can nip into town and get my eyebrows threaded and buy a bra to go under my dress (I need a strapless one and haven't bought one since my boobs annoyingly shrunk two cup sizes a few months ago).

Have a good day everyone x

DS is not eating at the moment. Or sleeping much. Although he has been asleep since about 8.30 today (now 10.30) - although he got up at 5.30.

Routine out the window. Has two premolars coming very fast at the bottom and had fever over the weekend but not now.

My street party went really well on Sun (bar the rain) but have that empty feeling you get after something you've planned for for ages is over (remember it well with university exams).

Would really like to start a job two days a week but at a loss as to who would have me/what I would do.

bear the photos of your street party look fantastic! What a brilliant thing to do!

dd2 just fell asleep while having lunch. I saw her stop chewing, spoon halfway to her mouth, and her head slowly going forward . Just before she reached the food I called her name and she really jumped! She was very grateful when I skipped dessert and took her to bed. Asleep already... I have no idea what she is up to in the nights in her room for her to be so tired in the day. Secret teddy bear picnics? Reading books with a torch? Long conversations with her cuddly bear?

Bc that street party looked ace! No wonder you feel a bit anti-climactic now.
Poor old DS, I hope whatever's bothering him gets sorted out soon.

Have fun in France, SB!

Scones that sort of thing would get up my nose, too. Luckily, all the GPs are very much in tune with the way DH and I do our parenting, thus far, thankfully. I'm hoping that's the way things will stay.

Soc I can't imagine my DD ever doing that falling asleep thing without some sort of encouragement or cue. Even when really exhausted. Maybe when we get to one-nap-only she might....

Ooh, fc, how exciting! I hope it all goes well!

I like your food out of reach tactic, PA! I might try that.
Unfortunately, DD doesn't tend to show much interest in what DH and I are eating, although I always offer her some to try on the occasions when she does...

Today was a bit of an "interesting" one. DD slept through (yay!) but then made a big fuss when I tried to feed her her porridge as I usually do. In the end, I gave up and chucked in some flakes of Special K (well, the cheap Spanish own-band equivalent) and a few raisins and left her to scoop them out. Which she did quite happily. Clearly it's not the taste of the porridge that bothers her, she just doesn't want to be spoon-fed anymore.
I used the same method to get some pea-and-pear puree (with added chick-pea protein) down her - but this time gave her chunks of banana and black cherry to dunk in. Again, pretty successful - although she took ages to eat it.
DD's got nappy rash at the moment, so I decided to leave her nappy-free after her bath. She proceeded to do three wees in the space of half an hour. What a good job our flat doesn't have rugs or carpets...

Well since I can't sleep I'll MN Last night didn't get until 2am and then worked/napped from home as slept badly so worried I've thrown it all out. Despite having had enough the sleep the night before I was still too tired at work I have various lab equipment booked for the next two mornings so hopefully that will help re-set me

DD has another good day with food, although the tofu thing was too peppery so today, lo and behold, she ate a load of oven chips . I also think more peas were swallowed as opposed to being accidentally discarded when she opens her mouth for more. Our veg box atm has a lot of fruit so we're still enjoying our fruit and natural soy yogurts as dessert. I was a bit worried about giving her fruit in yogurt in case she tried to swallow it whole but she cottoned on chewing. Only she didn't like the apple because it too long and she wanted the next bit, so it kept getting discarded She does normally eat apple. DD is interested in what I'm eating, but as soon as she has it, it gets discarded because she wants the next thing I've picked up.

IC DD does that when she first has nappy time but soon starts going longer, but yes hardwood floors are a blessing. Makes up the massive bruises she gave herself when she first got mobile. Our rugs have all been rolled up.

We weighed her on our bathroom scales and it puts her at about 18lbs which if true is great and means she's piled up 2 lbs in 2 months.

end waffle

18lb is fab PA

Way to go, PA's DD! That's heavy...
I hope you sort out your sleep soon. Is it basic insomnia? To do with work patterns? Related to your DD's sleep?

We're going to try DD on a tofu cutlet thingy at lunch today. I'm not holding out much hope, but hey....
Also, we're going to do finely mashed spud with other veg and extra cheese mashed in in the hope DD will go for it in the same way she does soup (mopped up with small cubes of bread).
She likes potato in its fried forms, but mash hasn't been terribly popular so far...

Yes, I worry more about DD peeing on the sofa/bed/her cuddly toys etc....

I've got quiche for dinner but don't think dd2 will be fooled. She got very cross with the spanish omlette I made a few weeks ago. She liked the potatoes and vegetables but spit out every third mouthful because it tasted too eggy for her...

Soc are you feeling better?

BBB how was your work do? Have you lost weight (in ref to the annoying boob shrinkage)?

Bc what is your next project going to be?! I'm soooo with you on the job front (well, apart from being 20 weeks pg ). 2 days a week would be my ideal, but 2-day jobs don't seem to exist. What did you do before? Can I ask why you haven't gone back? (very nosy) I have a job int on Monday - for an admin position 29 hrs a week - far too much, but I thought, if they offered it to me (ignoring the huge bump?!) I could ask for fewer hours. Hmmm...

IC DD won't let me spoon-feed her any more, not even yoghurt. She just can't manage it herself though and I'm afraid the mess does stress me out. She lets DH feed her quite nicely still. And she lets him clean her teeth

PA what's up, is it pg insomnia? I got that so badly in 3T last time, just hoping hoping hoping it doesn't recur this time (but prob will). for the 18lb!

I think DD is trying to move from two naps to one. The last few mornings she's been refusing to go down for her morning nap and this morning I gave up as we had a group at 10.30. She was blimmin knackered and grizzly all morning. Gave her lunch at normal time and she's been in bed for an hour so far. If she'll do a nice long afternoon nap, fine, one nap a day it is; but I'm concerned she'll wake any minute and surely an hour's sleep isn't enough for a whole day for a 15m old?

When did/have yours dropped a nap? How did you manage it?

DD non taker for quiche here either. Pasta for tea, stirred in with Philadelphia and red pesto. Gordon Ramsay eat your heart out.

Well, dd2 did a few very cute full body shivers but bravely attempted the quiche. I had cut it up and mixed in about the same amount of peas, but she wasn't fooled. She ate most of it though! Unlike dd1 who refused to even try it... which annoyed me because a few weeks ago they made little tartlets in nursery, almost exactly the same, and she scoffed the lot on the way to the car. I'd never force a child to eat anything or to empty their plate, but dd1 refusing to even try it did get to me.
I still have a head full of cold (I am very good at the blocked sinuses thing ) and had to give my apologies for a committee meeting I normally sit on. This one would have been a long one (they won't finish until past 8 tonight I imagine) and I couldn't see myself managing to sit through that AND use my brain.

scones good luck with the interview!
dd2 dropped down to one nap a day quite a while back. I have found that I had to give her lunch much earlier again, between 11 and 11.30 because otherwise she got very tired and teary. She sleeps from 12 for between 2 and 3 hours (although has cut her sleep lately and can get by on 1 1/2 hours). Then dinner again has to come in early at 5, and she begs to go to bed from 6 onwards. I always try to drag the time out with bath and books until closer to 6.30 though. She then sleeps until between 6 and 7 in the morning.

As for learning to eat with a spoon, I used a jam spoon for a few days with dd2. She held on towards the front and I could gently help guide it into the food and towards her mouth by holding the end bit. Worked a treat and she's been eating really well on her own for a few weeks.

LBH I can get my two to eat absolutely anything if it comes with pesto

BBB yes, how was the work do? I would dread it. I think I have lost the art of small talk...

Oh, and the other thing I did to help dd2 learn to eat with a spoon was to give her one and have one myself. I would then use my spoon to put food on to hers and she would eat it. She liked that arrangement before she could load a spoon herself. And as I mentioned before I think, I found some Ikea pasta plates which have just the right angle at the sides for her to push her food onto a spoon but not over the edge.

scones DD2 dropped the nap a few months ago, as usual in my parenting style, I didn't manage it, DD2 seems to have done it on her own (I have always put her to bed if tired regardless of the time). Not much help sorry, but she does seem to manage very well with 1h nap per day (DD1 was more like 3 to 5 h, so a shock to me!).

No potatoes here, except chips (I don't really do potatoes at home anyway, unless DH swedish's genes are yearning; would you believe that swedish people eat even more potatoes than the british? ), but eggs are OK. She is getting fussy too. Only fruits are welcome all the time, otherwise she is probably italian and was really happy at the indian tasting all the dishes. She refused to be fed and want exactly the same as everybody else.
Still spitting the first bite,... and hugely messy as she likes to rub the smooth foods onto her thighs (yogurts, soft cheeses, humous, porridge...)

soc hope you get better.
BC good luck with the job thinking. I have been thinking for 6 years and I am nowhere near a solution.

Waves to everybody else!
FC new house! exciting!

Now I'm paranoid if she does weight that. I think I'll send DH along to get her weighed proper with a full belly. The two spoons works for us as she gets impatient with her efforts.

Yes I think it is pg related insomnia (meaning when I so get to sleep I can't sleep well) but combined with some work (meaning I get to sleep later).

Scones what have you applied for?

Good luck with the interview, Scones!
Still on two naps here, although I don't think we will be for much longer. Usually an hour 3 hours-ish after DD wakes up and another 30 mins between 3 and 4pm, then lights out at 19.30.
I recommend you stay flexible - some days she may need two naps, other days (like today) she will only take one. Various sleep experts say this is the trickiest nap transition and it's worth not being too prescriptive about how you manage it...

Ha, spoons, yes... DD is interested and likes to hold a spoon. She can sometimes load up on her own and will sometimes put the right end in her mouth, but it's all very random and rare that the two go together. She absolutely won't be helped by either of us, so for now I'll just keep giving her a spoon to play with until she gets more committed to the idea of using it for eating rather than for bashing vaguely at her food.... Very impressed to hear of fully-fledged spoon-feeders already!

Well, the mash idea worked great, DD loved it (hers contained extra cheese, plus some hummus, some mashed up broccoli and a few peas) and she had small bread cubes spread with Philly to mop it up with. She also ate the tofu cutlet with enthusiasm and noshed an apricot, which she hadn't previously been keen on. Eating-wise, a good day!

Get well soon, Soc - sounds rotten.

Great to hear from you Mous.

Yes, pesto is usually quite popular with DD LBH - so handy!

I seem to have been nattering with you all over MN today, PA! When you're in Oxford, you'll have to try and make the West Country meet-up (which I will sort out once we're back)...

IC by the sound of it your LO may be quite good at forking things with a little baby fork... have you given that a try? Might be a lovely surprise if she stabs it and it sticks . dd2 was very impressed with her new skill when she first did that and soon realised cutlery is quite useful .
I also think dd2 has copied dd1 a lot at mealtimes and has worked things out that way. Plus she hates having things on her hands (when she's fallen over in the garden she comes to me to ask for a wipe for her hands ) so a spoon is quite useful for her... Given the chance she would eat raisins with a spoon

DD uses a fork, and a spork. The pesto pasta was a hit. She ate an almost adult portion of it, 2 broccoli trees and some sweetcorn. For pudding half a scone. Oh and for a fun snack earlier, blueberries with mummy armed with a can of squirty cream. The look on her face was priceless, and then a big laugh. (FWIW I hate cream.)

Today she said "nanny" my mum welled up. (still no mama, had a funny attempt at "penguin" though.

Oh and she can jump...sort of. She bends down to a squat, screws her eyes tight shut and springs up and falls down. It is hysterical. Must video it.

DD has 2 naps of sorts. I dont let her sleep past 10am if I want her to sleep at 1pm. She will sleep till 2.45/3pm. So for the morning, it is 20 mins in buggy or car somewhere as putting her in her cot is too hard for her to settle. She can survive on 1 nap (on the rare occasion she sleeps past 6.30am but I have to bring lunch forward and she is asleep before 12.30pm)

Oh if you havent done this already, buy a pot of bubbles. The reaction is magical when she tries to catch a bubble and it bursts. She can say "bubble gone"

This age they are truly amazing little people...

(keep your fingers crossed for me, had surveyor come to value our house today as we have applied to borrow some money...all hangs on the verdict tomorrow.)

Night all.

LBH love the description of what you and your dd get up to

Mummy was a dinosaur today too. Was good working from home today

Can't tell you how pleased I am that you are enjoying your dd so much!

Hello all. Gosh it has been ages since I have had time to post. I have been doing my 2 weeks of work, and am now looking forward to my 4 weeks off . I think my new part time contract is going to suit me just fine.

Lots of changes here the last few weeks, the main one for me is that I stopped bf 3 days ago. When I am at work I miss either the morning or evening feed and my supply was definitely affected. Then I also got my period back (I know how lucky I am it stayed away so long) and with it my migraines came back. I needed to take my magic pills which are not compatible with bf so it was a no brainer really. I feel a bit sad about it as I will not be having any more dc. On the plus side, dp has taken over all bed time and night waking duties until ds forgets about bf so I have shipped out to the spare room. Am having the best sleep I have had for about 18 months and am bloody loving it! If only I didn't have to get up at 4 am most days for work........Ds seems to be sleeping much better too and him and dp have built up a much better relationship.

Ds has really settled at nursery and is eating them out of house and home. This is the boy who refused to eat more than 3 mouthfuls of food per meal for months. I am delighted but struggling for ideas. Think I will try daal as all your LO's seem to like it.

My dd has been really struggling with me going back to work and was clinging on to me and screaming hysterically a few times. Extra mummy's guilt.....

I feel a bit more like the old me now I am back at work. I work with a real mix of people and different people every day and sometimes don't mention I am a mum at all. Is that bad? I have also enjoyed having a little flirt.

BBB just want to send a bit of sisterly love and support up the A23 to you. You sound like you have been having a rough ride. Hope your mum is ok? I think my dp has only just realised how much work it is having 2 dc's rather than one. Is there any way he could have both of them for a while so he could live a day or two in your shoes? Though if my memory serves me right you have your in laws near by so I suspect he would do what mine does, and the minute he has to look after the dc he takes them straight round to his parents. It drives me nuts.

Have waffled on enough now so will say good night and promise to be back soon