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!!

BBB great news about your DD2 and hopefully things will get better with your DH.

Tantrum lasted 20mn.
He won! I was trying to get him to nap as he was tired, grumpy and whingy but he normally stops after 10mn. I managed to get him to nap in the afternoon but he only slept for 20mn. So tonight was an early night. But no fever today,

IC I found this thread on the bilingual board and thought the website may come useful for you.

BBB good news with NHS. Happy for your DD.

PA yeah!

BS When DCs are ill, it is not tantrums. I do what they want even if I am tough the rest of the time. Hope he gets better soon. But if your are exhausted yourself you can let them cry .
DD2 is still very weak, skinny but my smily, cheeky baby is back.

PA yeah! cheers! [silly dance emoticon]

BBB yum!

IC It also depends on sexes! Sorry but on medicines, males and females are not equal (I can find the cote when not that tired ask me again later).
IME, ibuprofen works much better on high fevers and pain but has more potential side effects; low fever and mild pain (i.e. teething) = paracetamol. Personally, I always found paracetamol useless on period pains but it was fine for the post CS pain (that or they cut the nerves ending and I didn't need anything anyway).
But I only have DDs and a DH who whinges and refuses to take drugs.

Thanks for all the thoughts on ibu/para - very interesting. I'm not sure which I "prefer" personally as an analgesic. I used to be more of an ibu fan, but I worry about the side-effects/long-term effects of using it. I'd been using ibu for DD's teething (figured the anti-inflammatory aspect made sense), but the paracetamol may have got better results, I'm not sure.....

It's okay, Mous - there are biological/biochemical differences between male and female babies, I totally accept that (some are hard to miss!). The bit I tend to rant argue about is the assumption that male and female brains are "wired" differently and that certain types of personality differences are generally assumed to be "innate" according to the sex of the child.
I'm very glad to hear your DD2 is perking up!

Thanks for the link, SB. I hope your DS is starting to recover from the tonsilitis.

BBB I bet you feel vindicated (DD2's hypermobility) now! It's good to hear it's not too severe and should be easily dealt with.
And lots of positive thoughts your way for getting to a better place with your DH. Let's hope he sticks with the programme this time.

PA Yahoo!

I can't believe we've only got four more nights left in Madrid...! DD's slept through the last three, too - and I've had better sleep as well. Typical, just as we were acclimatising....! Still, they tell me the UK is expecting a heatwave in the coming days (which fills me with slight horror, given how badly equipped most UK dwellings are to deal with heat...)

4 nights IC! Are you organising a leaving party?

PA when are you starting your trip?

mous sorry to hear that your DD2 is still poorly.

DS is getting better, but I think his throat is hurting him a lot - this or the canines are - as he spent most of his day with his fingers in his mouth, even when eating.

Hi all,

I have finally got time to go back to when I last posted and catch up properly so this is going to be another long post I bet...

mous Glad you managed to get the logistics sorted so you could have the blood test.

I'm so sorry that DD2 has been so ill - poor little girl and poor you having to deal with the worry. It's great that she's getting back to her old self now.

Stonebaby That's really sad you can't afford to have another baby at the moment. Do you think it will be feasible once Sam starts reception class? You are a young'un so you have plenty of time.

Sorry he's not been well - hope the antibiotics do the trick.

LBH Fantastic that you got a sleep-through. How was your birthday?

Bethy It's wonderful that DS1 is doing so well on his new diet - hurrah for bonkers boys. Sorry to hear about your arm, hope it gets better soon. Great that DH has a raise. Hope the meal out was lovely.

I'm going to Take That next Thursday with a friend at Wembley. Very excited.

Scones DS says 'nooo' for nose too - and sticks one finger up each nostril as well just to make surewe know what he's talking about.

I hope you have a lovely weekend in the cottage.

PA Ha - you don't need to explain re. preg libido etc. Lucky your DH! I had it, especially in the second and third trimester.

Hurrah for no more work

Alex hasn't slept well for a few weeks now. He hardly sleeps through and generally wakes around 5. It's been affecting me and my ability to do things and so I am not only tired but feeling guilty that I'm not focussed enough on being a good mum and tend to zone out or not talk to him enough. My mum took him out for four hours this afternoon and I had a bath and slept for over an hour but was still asleep and very groggy when she bought him home. I didn't really connect with him over dinner - just stuck a DVD on my laptop for him to watch while I read the Guardian magazine.

I find that when things are going well it feels like they've always been good but when they aren't it's hard to remember what it's like when they are.

I took him to the park this morning and he fell off the roundabout and has a big graze/scuff on his cheek.

His newest word is clock. Although of course it does sound more like 'cock'. I wonder if it's because we watch Trumpton so much which starts with the bit about the Trumpton clock. He points to pictures of clocks and says it and actual clocks as well. There was a coockoo clock in one book and he said 'clock' and then made his tweeting bird sound and made his hand into a beak which I thought was very clever.

DH and I are getting on a lot better and not snapping at each other half so much. I have to make a conscious effort to not criticise and to thank him for nice things he does and to not answer back aggressively when he is grumpy. It makes for a much happier household. He's making the effort too and he's been doing a lot of cooking which is wonderful. I feel like it's real achievement especially as we are both sleep deprived.

I have been buying things to take to Camp Bestival. There's a thread over on camping that I've been reading for inspiration (but not posted on) - so far we have solar fairy lights, ear defenders (white) for DS, glowsticks, home-made bunting that my SIL made and waterproofs for all of us. DS's little red waterproof trousers arrived this morning, they are so cute.

IC heatwave probably means temperatures reaching 23 degrees...

Evening all. We've been out for dinner and after a whole large glass of red wine I have to admit I'm a little tipsy . To think I used to down a bottle an eveing at the weekends at university. (PA I was not at all offended about the Take That comment - jus forgo an emoticon to show my amusement. Glad you have finished work. Enjoy your break.) BC hope you enjoy the show-it's a good nigh out. Talking of those, I will be going to see beach volleyball, canoe slalom and football at the Olympics. Thank goodness for DH's bonus (which we'll have spent several times over by then, but hey...)

BBB great news about your DD2 in my humble opinion - no nasty surgery required and you have an answer . Hoping you feel the same and that DH keeps up his efforts for you.

Mous glad to hear that your DD2 is on the mend and SB hope your DS is properly on the mend too.

BC I often feel that I don't connect as well as I think I ought to with either of the DS - I often feel I am not a natural, but you sound like you do lots of lovely things together. Hope you feel better again soon. I reckon everything is better afer some sleep. We've had three good nights this week but I feel more weary - think my body is reacting to actually having some sleep after 16 months of being very sleep deprived. DS1 has gone to sleep at grandma's tonight and it was lovely to see him so excited. He has, however, learnt to lie convincingly this week which has come as a bit of a surprise.

DS2 has new shoes today - size 5.5G! He can now say about 40 words I would guess (including cake, chocolate, cookie etc.. which DS1 would never have known at this age ). it's due to the high fat and calory diet that DS1 has and DS2 also knows the word 'crumb' - often pronouced 'bum' because thats all he gets! However, I'm still extrememly jealous that SC has not one, but two children who sit down for extended periods of time. In fact, I shall be avoiding you in Bristol if we all meet up, but then I'll be the one running over the nearest hill trying to catch DS2 while DS1 plays on the M5 moorway in my absence!!

It's definitely time for bed (and DS2's bloody alarm has just gone off ). Though I would just leave you with this picture though - my DM just retunred half an hour after leaving from a babysit to collect her phone that she had left. Unlocked front door without knocking and knocked only on the glass lounge door. Thank God she didn't do this a week ago!! And definitely time for a namechange me thinks, although it seems to want a different email address (see I have actually tried!) Any tips on how to do it?

Maybe should be using the bonus to get the keyboard fixed and then a lock attached to stop DS1 removing the letter 'T' ever again! My apologies...

Beth I had a reality check today during dd1's birthday party when 5 three to 4 year olds ran riot (on scooters) and two toddlers (mine, and her little friend who's four months older) in the local park ... It was mayhem! I was so glad my friends (birthday guests' parents) were there because I had no chance to keep track of everyone.

BBB brilliant news and much more constructive than the last appt

I am totally shattered but watching Glasto is just too tempting. I did a treasure hunt with map etc for the children and they had to search in four different locations in the park. The treasure chest was in fact hidden in dd2's pushchair and on the way to the park I coached her in pointing at the treasure on request . So when the older children came back disappointed because they could not find anything I wondered out loud if someone might have taken it, then asked dd2 if she knew where the treasure might be! Bless her, she performed on cue and pointed at her pushchair . I told the children the baby had been very naughty to take the treasure while they weren't looking. Guess I'll only get away with that kind of stunt once though .
dd2 had a brilliant time herself and tested all the scooters while the older children were doing an egg and spoon race using Kinder surprise eggs...
It was pretty hard getting her into bed earlier and she happily chatted to herself for quite some time.

Oh, and dd2 kept trying to feed her baby friend with chocolate cake and strawberries,grapes, raspberries, cherries etc. (her friend is teething and hardly eating atm). dd2 seemed to find it just too strange that another child her age was not stuffing themselves with yummy cake and fruit

soc sounds like a lot of hard work, not sure I could have put something like that together. Hope your DD1 had a great time

Am liking how late everyone is up tonight

beth 40 words She was mesmerisied with the parade today so I was able to hold her for the hour without wriggling around everywhere, it was really good actually - have orderd DH to write something about it, but my camera battery was dead. She's even having a second nap.

Well he slept from 8pm to 7am with minor grimbling around 5 but he must have dropped off again. I feel amazing - we've been playing this morning and I've felt properly engaged with him. What a difference!

Beth am mightily impressed at 40 words - think DS has about 10-12 and some of them are so idiosyncratic in their pronunciation so that only DH and I would know what he means.

I don't think you need a new email address to change your name - you log into 'my mumsnet' with your current email address and password then go to 'registration details' and change your chat nickname in the relevant box.

I watched a bit of Morrissey at Glastonbury the night before last, he seems to be morphing into Bob Monkhouse.

Soc The treasure hunt sounds lovely, I'm sure all the kids had a great time.

DS's words that he uses regularly are: Daddy, Mum, no, yes, cat, that, ducks, decks (as in DJ decks), nose, door, clock, dog, balloon and baby. He will also get/do things if you ask him to so he understands shoes and socks, bin (put that in the bin), parts of the body, 'push the button', and can make a few animal noises (cat, snake, wolf, bird, lion).

Haven't counted dd2's words but she uses a handful on a daily basis. She's also said many words once or twice and then not again, so I am not sure how to count them
Finally a sunny warm day - a day late for our birthday party, how typical. What's the use of having a June birthday when the weather is still rubbish then?

I took the harness off dd2's highchair yesterday to use it as an extra chair for the party. Wondered this morning whether to leave it off because dd2 is fine in getting on and off by herself. So she sat down for breakfast and I started making toast etc, turned around and was confronted by this . Harness is now back on...

Her latest trick is to kiss her soft toys, complete with great sound effects 'Mmmmwwwaahhh!' Very cute

What a cheeky monkey your DD2 is, Soc!!
I love the sound of your treasure hunt party and how brilliant that DD2 performed her part to perfection!

Good to hear from you bethylou! I'm determined that Bristol meet-up will happen.... DH is wondering if Cirencester is do-able (his parent's house is also a nursery during term-time, so brilliantly set up for toddlers.....) - any thoughts?
40 words - wow, that's impressive! DD only has a handful so far, but it's clear she understands a lot of what we say to her now.

Bc what a relief to have a better night after a run of crappy ones. I know what you mean about the feelings we get when things are going well or not going well. It's the same with sleep, isn't it? Once they've slept through a bit, then don't then do etc. you quickly get used to uninterrupted nights, then wonder if they'll ever come back when you have a run of bad'uns.
Your preparations for Camp Bestival sound ace! We're going to WOMAD, but won't be camping as DH's parent's live ten mins or so drive from the site (shocking wimping out, but hell....).

I'm pleased with myself because I've just managed to master getting DD into a back carry in the Connecta carrier without having to start from a chair or some-such - that will be so useful on the festival site (not to mention quick jaunts to the park etc. where I can't be arsed to take the buggy)...
We had our summer gauze wrap sling nicked from the park the other day, though - I'm really fed up about it. Although the Connecta is great, wrap slings are brilliant too and that one was a great length for wrapping DD without trailing too much of it on the ground etc. Ah well. Perhaps I'll try and get another from eBay or something. Mind you, it's not as if I'm lacking slings, we've got the Kari-me stretchy as well as the Connecta... (ok, I admit it, I'm a bit of a sling addict...)

SB we had a farewell picnic in Retiro Park a week or so ago and now we're just doing a bit of mopping up of some of our closest friends, as it were. T'will be a shame to say goodbye to them.

Boy, it's hot now. It's got to the point where the air doesn't really get cool at all - even in the pre-dawn time. We went into the mountains today for a picnic and a swim and it was a good few degrees cooler, really lovely. DD took her naps on the way and on the way back, which was helpful too.

I'm going to try DD in the back carry before the road trip, should be interesting She does love piggy backs now and holds on.

Well DD decided she would wake about 6 times last night and then get up at 5:30, we got her down for a 90min nap at 7:30 at least.

Sun is shining here already (but I'm a bit burnt from yesterday and we were only out an hour). DD was in spf 50. Also my arms hurt from holding her for so long . I'm going to have to toughen up. The parade kept her mesmerised enough to not wriggle around.

I think she has around 15 'words', we counted at least 10 off the top of our heads so not as bad I first thought.

Our high can pin her in quite well, but all the ones in the shops are really easy for her to climb out off, even with the so-called 'harness'. Means we don't eat as often as could. Lovely pic though :)

Hello all.

Thank you for all my birthday wishes. Had an ok day, chinese takeaway and DD has slept through the last 4 nights which has been fab.

BC at clock/cock!! DD says please and peas, both sound like piss!

Bethylou and PA hope tonights sleep improves. I think most of my down days are worse when had interrupted sleep. I know that I try so hard to be the perfect mum and that is when I criticise myself or analyise my behaviour the most or feel guilty that I have not done such and such. IYSWIM.

IC How is the packing going? Looking forward to being back here??

PA Have you got used to not being at work? Feeling good??

DD has been good generally, but dear god does she throw a tantrum when she had to do something or go somewhere she doesn't want to!

Oh and we are back to straps in the high chairs...or DD stands up to climb out. Fab pic Soc made me gasp!!

What a long day! Got woken up at 5am by the Police who needed to access the pub! I managed to go back to sleep for 20mn but DH hasn't.

Lovely weather here too and quite warm, 27C but this means that DS had a bit of a fever tonight 38C. He wasn't unwell so I guess it may be the weather.

We've had a lovely sunny day and dd2 got her first taste of the padding pool (well, sand pit filled with water rather than sand). She wasn't so sure about the experience... Forecast for tomorrow is heavy rain, so there goes our heat wave

Horrendous night, 28 deg in DDs room. She was in a nappy and a sheet sleeping bag. Was up 5 times and ended up on her floor. I am assuming it was the heat that kept her up.

It is going to be even hotter today. Anyone else have a struggle last night?

I've completely lost track of everyone now, so advance apologies if I miss anything out...

LBH hope you had a good birthday and sorry last night was bad. My DDs seems to manage OK, thanks to short pyjamas, thin sleeping bags/duvets and open windows.

PA and IC good luck with the moves. PA I am also amazed at how little you travel with.

IC I have an Ergo carrier and have not mastered getting DD2 into in on my own on my back. I've watched videos on YouTube and still haven't managed it! So well done on mastering a back carry with yours.

mous glad your DD2 is better.

beth and bc, I'm very jealous about you both going to see Take That!

stone sorry your DS is under the weather.

soc your birthday party sounds lovely!

Someone mentioned children not keeping still a while ago. I'm lucky - although they can both be bouncing off the walls - I can usually get them to be still if needed, by playing with DD2 on my lap, reading them both a story or playing silly games with DD1 (I Spy is a favourite). DD1 also loves audiobooks, and will follow a book (even though she can't read) if the tape or CD is playing at the same time.

DD2 seems much happier though her cold is still going (and it's so hot now, it seems ridiculous that she has a cold), so I guess her teeth aren't annoying her as they were. I'm fine with her hypermobility diagnosis, btw. I'd much rather know what something is and how to manage it, that I never get hysterical about such things.

Very impressed at all the words. DD2 really only has Dada (for me, DH and DD1), baby, teeth (she's obsessed with her toothbrush), hi, bye, and up. She understands a lot though! It's such a contrast to DD1, who by this time was talking in sentences (I'm not kidding). Mind you, DD1 is such a verbal child, it's hysterical. She doesn't go longer than a few minutes without saying something ever. Even when she plays on her own, she chats away (imaginative play) and she's always chatting and singing. Most of the time it's great, but sometimes I crave silence!

BBB your DD1 sounds like mine, she is 6 now and still doesn't shut up! She constantly talks to herself or sings. I do crave silence too.
DD2 "talks" a lot too. Otherwise for real she has very little: She has "non, non ", "da" , "mama" (means miam, mama, DD1, DH, I need something or someone"), sometimes "papa" (dad or bye bye in romanian), she used to have "caca" ,"allo", "banana" but not for a long time, and recently "de yeau" (de l'eau in french to have a drink). I try not to worry and to remember that with the multilinguism she will be late. On the contrary to BBB's DD2, she won't sit and point at things at all, so I am a bit worried she doesn't get much input.
DD1 was bored with pictures at that stage and would point a lot, including to letters when reading, and at things when she recognised the word in random conversations.

IC I have an ergo too, the problem with back carrying is that the child has to be willing, or at least stay still. I do manage OK when DD2 is not moving (rarely then ).

soc I have been to a house with a triptrap and wonder why on earth they thought it was a good idea to design it like a portable staircase. (at least it is what DD2 used it for). Welcome to my world! My cleaning lady calls DD2 "the alpinist" .

Soc mous thank you both for pointing out the advantages of a non-walking child! And mous for reminding me that DD2 also says banana. Constantly. Sometimes it means she wants a banana, other times she just seems to want to say something...!

DD2 is obsessed with books, and will pull them down from her shelves until she finds the one she wants, before leafing through it. DD2 has always loved books and still does.

Mind you, DD2's current obsession is with jigsaws. Obviously she can only do the little drop-in ones, but it doesn't stop her pulling one of DD2's 60 piece jigsaws down from the table, then taking handfuls of pieces to DD2's little table. I swear she thinks that is all that is involved!