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!!

Or pushing their boundaries. DS is doing lots of tantrums as he is testing me to see how far he can go / what he's allowed to do and it ends quite often in a No and remove from the place he is which causes a tantrum.

oooh I'll take a slice. I cannot eat enough at the moment.

Well I think DD's unsettled behaviour is down to a development spurt (wake up time of 4:45am, she and DH are now both napping). I've worked out in the last week she has

(i) learned to climb new things and worked out to use objects as stepping stones (I knew she was capable but thankful she hadn't worked it out yet and that we have high stuff) - she was found on our kitchen table yesterday and it is one of those high breakfast bar style ones

(ii) learned to jump (just a little bit)

(iii) mastered how to get down from objects she previously got stuck on, but can also sit down with legs over the edge and scoot herself along to the edge to get down forwards and as well backwards

(iv) climb down stairs (we don't have them)

It's also quite funny watching her take objects around with her, so if she's on something and wants to take it down with her, she throws it down first so both her hands are free.

Well we leave tomorrow morning but still much work to do so I better get on. finalised my spreadsheet last night so we can easily keep track of costs wrt budget and how much we have left (including a rolling day average) [saddo emoticon]

PA That's a lot, no wonder why your DD is not sleeping well; she must be processing so much during her sleep!

My cheesecake was a success so here is the recipe

Is anybody starting to put their LO on the potty?
DS now doesn't mind to seat on it with a book. The only issue is that I don't think he knows what it is for I'm trying to give him cues but only for poo as he turns bright red it's easy to spot but I can't cue the wee as I don't know when it happens

Yoohoo

We're back in Blighty, hoorah! And found a bit of un-passworded bandwidth to rinse borrow.
DD was a total star traveller, absolutely fantastic. She obligingly took a couple of decent naps in the car, slept through on the boat in their travel cot and had a two-hour nap the next morning without any buggy-pushing or rocking required and another hour in the car on the way from the port. She then topped off the whole thing by sleeping through for her first night in her new room.
Today I experimented with not putting the buggy on the rocker for her nap (without the Bay of Biscay helping out ) and she obligingly slept for another two hours.

LBH that's infuriating about your new boss. Are you in a union?

PA sorry for the shite sleep - but your DD sounds like she's really working those neurological and physical connections!
Have a wonderful trip, won't you?

SB one word: YUM!

BBB that grandma situation sounds hugely irritating. I hope your DH gets results.

Scones I hope you get things sorted to your satisfaction with your ILs.

Soc we're so close to you now! Did you see me wave from the top of the hill on the M5 overlooking the Severn?!

Must go - DH is doing all the unpacking while I'm MNing....

DD can now climb into her highchair which involves doing a pull up There is a pick of the highchair on the last blog I think. To be fair the tray was off, but there is a mini tray there underneath.

What a lovely day! We went to the beach and DS enjoyed playing with the sun.

Waves to IC and good news on the unprotected network.

IC Waving right back and offering cream tea to welcome you . Well done Rosie on being such a good traveller.

Wish I could say the same about dd2 but she's been a little terror last night and today. She stayed up all the way to the Midlands, falling asleep for the last ten minutes of the journey, which gave her a second wind and she then totally refused to settle in her cot until past 11pm! Awake at 6.15 this morning with deaf ears to our pleas for more sleep. Then only about 40 minutes nap in the pushchair at lunchtime. She is so over-tired we are very much on thin ice with her right now. Gave her dinner early and started feeding her from a spoon on my lap because I didn't think she could cope with feeding herself. She seemed okay and pointed at her highchair. So I sat her in, gave her plate and spoon and she did a very dramatic swipe at the plate which sent it sliding down the long length of the table! I caught it just at the edge and dd1 burst into tears! (Personally, I think she should have cheered that I made it in time ). Well, dh has just taken the girls to the playground for a few minutes and I will put dd2 to bed just after 6. Hoping for a better day tomorrow...

Forgot to say she is also completely adorable and incredibly funny . I love this age! With dd1 dh used to say he wanted her to stay the way she was (at any point, a few weeks, a few months etc) because she was just so lovely [soppy emoticon]. He's not said the same with dd2, probably because he knows they just get funnier and cuter and more infuriating with every passing month

We've got a canine this may explain the unsettle 1st part of last night. I hope tonight goes better as DH is on duty as I'm having a night out with a friend!!!
!

Glad you had a good journey and DD was so accommodating, IC.

Don't know if you saw it but they are having a big MN meet up in Bath in Sept - wouldn't be far for you to go. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/meetups/1244568-The-Big-Bath-September-Meet

No, SB not started with a potty yet. Some of my friends with similar aged toddlers have but I think I'll wait until he can say poo.

We had a great time at Take That. Got quite pissed. Lovely DH looked after DS until it was time for morning nap, then I just had to put him down and then go back to bed myself until nearly midday.

Today we went to a local school fete and had Pimms and bought about 5 really good board books for 50p each.

We went to a fete today. DD ran about like a looney, pinched my 99 ice cream and shouting woof woof at all the dogs that were there for the dog show.
We had a couple of attempts at the tombola to win DP a bottle of wine. We ended up winning the "star prize" which was massive ceramic bread bin. and a fruit shoot. I let DD have the fruit shoot. My god they are sweet. Like undiluted ribena. She loved it. But I took it off her before she finished it.
We googled the bread bin, turns out it retails at £60!! Ebay calls!
SB congrats on the canine. DD has top teeth showing through. I saw them when she was laughing laying on her back.

Last night she didnt fall asleep until 8.50pm. She went down at 7.30pm. No reall crying, just thumping her legs through the bars and humping her bear. I had to go in to soothe her so that she calmed down to sleep. Woke at 4am and 5am breifly and up for the day at 6.45am
Tonight though, despite all the sugar, she went out like a light at 7pm.

My CM is putting her down knackered at 1pm (as dropping the morning nap) and letting her sleep till 3pm which is why she is not tired at 7pm.

I on the on the other hand, give her lunch at 11.50pm and put her to bed at 12.20pm and get her up at 2pm.

My CM cannot do this as they are still finishing lunch then. Not sure what to suggest. Maybe nap her for half hour in the morning, and only letting her have under an hour and half in afternoons? Gah bloody naps. I know I will miss them when gone, as peace etc. But they really are a bind.

My sil doesnt have this problem as the twins sleep whenever and wherever!

I am drinking martini and lemondade (all I could find in the very dusty drinks cabinet)..to help me cope with the fact DP has ordered the David Haye fight on Sky. God I live a glamorous life. 2years ago I would have been out in town on my 6th vodka!

I had a night out last night and came home at 10.15pm! And not drunk!

LBH my DS naps after lunch at nursery but in the morning at home during weekends. so I can't really suggest a solution [sorry]

dd2 fell awkwardly just before lunch and somehow ripped most of her little fingernail off . We didn't see it happen but she was in the garden with a snail shell in one hand, so I guess she didn't want to let that go and possibly tried to steady herself with her right hand, catching the nail somehow,maybe against the wall. We tried to put a plaster on but she wasn't having that. I washed her hand because there was dirt under the nail that was hanging off, then decided to take the nail off with a little tug. dh was horrified at that but she didn't react at all. What hurt her was the nail hanging by a thread and flapping on and off... Hope I did the right thing (my logic was a) the loose nail was hurting her and b) if it healed with the nail in place and dirt underneath it may lead to infection and much more radical treatment)? She was pretty upset and took 40 minutes to calm down and go to sleep, with me staying in the room with her. Poor little thing.

soc the poor little thing! I hope it won't disturb her too much. I think you did the right thing.

DS has got a small fever again (38.5C) due to I hope a 2nd canine showing through his gums.

mous how is your DD2? Long time you haven't posted, I hope she's better

Well, dd2 seemed fine after her lunchtime sleep. Her finger looks quite clean now, apart from 3/4 of her nail missing . I guess it will grow back... [hopeful emoticon]
Quiet on this thread today. Hope you all enjoyed some sunshine today.

It has been a loveky weekend. Gone to the beach yesterday and today we went for a walk on an island only accessible at low tide.

Thanks SB DD2's rash disappeared as expected in 3 days and she went back to her crazy self. Lots of screeching at the moment .

IC happy that you had a good trip, how good your DD was!

PA bon voyage!

soc ouch! poor DD2.

Sounds like you did the right thing, Soc - I'm sure her nail will grow back soon - you know how quickly children's little talons shoot out!!

I'm glad your DD2 is back to her usual healthy, riotous self, Mous!

Good luck to DD1 at her new school, BBB!

Thanks for the Bath meet-up, tip Bc! Sounds very interesting.....

LBH my DD says "oof" at all the dogs she sees, too - that, and "doddle-oddle-oddle". We should get them together and confuse all canines in their vicinity...!

On the subject of dogs, we got DD a pair of leather slipper type shoes for wearing in the house and they have dogs in little kennels which open on bits of Velcro - she adores them. And they stay on marvellously!

Well, we're all settled in and I'm now trying to sort stuff out like registering with the local doctor, library etc. etc.
DD has amazed us by suddenly becoming a rather easygoing sleeper - Last night she woke once, but resettled with no fuss and has otherwise been sleeping through. She's mostly down to one nap during the day now - and has currently been asleep for 2 hours since going down after lunch at about 12.45. Without the trundler!! I feel liberated and have re-activated plans to attack my novel again.
Yesterday, we went to a baby fair in Bristol and DD fell asleep while on my back in the Connecta - the first time she's ever done this. She slept for half an hour (yesterday was therefore a two-nap day) and I wasn't even walking - just standing around and chatting, mainly. It fills me with hope for WOMAD, I must say. I've noticed DD is now much more relaxed on my back, I can feel her nestling against me, all heavy and floppy, rather than feeling like she's on the point of trying to climb out. I guess she's simply got used to it and feels secure in there.
The buggy is now parked in the little bathroom next to DD's room as it's suddenly been relegated to siesta use only......

mous good news on your DD2

BBB glad to hear your DD2 likes her shoes. The cake sale went fine, we made about £30.

scones poor DD, it's hard when they're sick with high temperature! I always have the feeling that my baby has been exchange for an unwell, sleepy, grumpy one.

DS fever was down today but he's still unhappy which I think is linked to the heat. He already woke up once tonight - maybe due to been 23C in his room.

What will you do? DS has lunch at nursery at 12pm, then at home he has a 4pm snack (2 small yogurts and 2 small biscuits) then he has his dinner at 5.45pm - since this week this arrangement was working fine but he's now making a fuss at dinner time - as he's tired. So do I try to cut his 4pm snack to make sure he eats or do I carry on and hope that when/if the weather gets cooler, his appetite will come back?

The meal/nap balance is hard to find, I think. DD2 is currently "off" dinner - complains about getting into her high chair, has a strop about eveything I put on her tray, eats a few spoonsfuls then starts shouting at me. If I try and take her tray off to get her out, she starts crying. If I try and give her some different food, she cries. If I've detached her tray and try and put it back on, she cries. You'd think she was being tortured! And her shouting and crying makes DD1 want to compete so she shouts and cries too.

I dread to think what the neighbours imagine is going on...

So I try not to worry about it, and keep plodding on and hoping order will rise from the chaos. It will, won't it?

BBB DS does exactly the same! It's good to hear that I'm not alone.