March 2005 part 4 - The nights are getting quieter.....

[BonyM]

Not that I want to tempt fate...

Very quiet on here. I hope you're all enjoying Xmas. We've had a lovely time, very quiet and peaceful. We let Dominic do what he wanted (late nights, no food, lots of DVDs and PlayStation)and life was so much easier. Sylvia is a little clown, very sweet.

This evening we went shopping for snowboots and gloves for Dominic for Vienna. We'll be meeting there an Englishman DH knows off the internet (OneTouchFootball website - not just about football, your DHs might be interested). Many years ago we met someone (German or Austrian, I can't remember) in Bucharest he knew off the same site and it turned out I knew the guy's wife as we'd been to the same highschool.

I'll be off now as food is ready. Bye. Cristina

Cristina7 - I can't begin to imagine what that visit to the grave must had been like. Christmas is such a time for focussing on children you must really feel his absence.

We're in Wales now, but heading home in the next couple of days and hoping not to get stranded in the forecast snow.

Fortunately dp and dd1 made a good recovery by Christmas day and have been making up for lost time, eating everything in sight! Iris has loved all the packages, and paper. Not to mention the extra attention from doting grandparents.

We're utterly pooped though, as Iris has gone back to getting up at 5-5.30am, and then only sleeping for an hour (in two slots) during the day. I know it could be worse - she could be waking all night, but I'm realising what a wuss I am on the sleep front. I just can't handle getting up at that time. I've been going back to bed during the day - not going to be an option when I return to work on Jan 10th. GULP!!

Pidge - thank you for your thoughts. I hope travelling back home won't be too bad. Are you going back to work full-time? Have you found good childcare for Iris?

I'm looking for jobs ATM as my current contract expires 30 April and I feel it's time to move anyway (a 2 year job that got extended little by little till i've been in the same job 5.5 years). We're even considering moving out of London for a couple of years, depends how desperate (for money) I get. We can sit tight for another 6 months or so and i'll be looking for jobs in London but if nothing turns up we may consider something further afield. They'd have to be big towns, with universities (Leeds, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol etc).

We're off to Vienna today. Have a good beginning to the New Year and a good 2006 throughout. It would be lovely to meet you and the little ones. Happy New Year. Love, Cristina

Hello everyone, hope you all had an excellent Xmas.

We had my family over which was nice but just like DD's first Xmas, Harrison found all the attention a bit overwhelming. He has now decided only mummy will do and screams the second I leave the room or heaven forbid, hand him to someone else Other than that, we've had a really lovely few days, DD got loads of pressies which she loved and I got a breadmaker which I've wanted for ages and it is fab. Hot bread for breakfast each day is doing my figure (what's left of it) no good at all. Diet for me starting next week.

Just like Iris, Harrison's sleeping went a bit off kilter as DD woke the whole house at 5.30am Xmas morning and Harrison has decided ever since that he'd like to get up at that time. He's also been a bit out of routine with visiting relatives etc so the next few days, we're just staying at home to get him back on track. He's also got another tooth just cutting through the gum (that'll be six) which is adding to his upset

Pidge, glad DD1 and DP were OK for Xmas day. We had that sicky bug in our house and it's horrible. Hope Iris picks up on her early morning starts - can totally sympathise and I'm not going back to work until end of February.

Cristina, my thoughts are with you. How sad to loose Louis, I can't imagine the pain. But what a joy to have two healthy children. Enjoy Vienna.

Today I'm batch cooking for Harrison as all our 'mush' is used up and I'm now making him much lumpier food which he has really taken too. Found some fantastic recipes in the back of the [whispers] Gina Ford weaning book and they seem to be going down a treat. Am also making fairy fudge with DD and snowman biscuits from a cookbook 'Santa' bought her.

Have a good few days all and everyone going travelling - have a great time. I'll think off you all as I'm sitting at home watching the boring TV

What pressies did all the little ones get. Despite giving specific instructions for NO BIG OR NOISY TOYS Harrison got a wooden rocking reindeer which he can't balance on as his feet don't touch the floor and a huge plastic thing which flashing lights, hideously loud music and loads of balls which he's learnt to fling across the room causing maximum damage to anything it hits (often my face) Added to all the Sylvanian Family stuff DD got, I now need an extension to keep it all in

Well, I hope that everybody had a great Xmas. Pidge - I'm glad you were all well by the time Xmas day came around.
We all had a great time, DS1 loves all his presents and also enjoyed opening all of Freya's for her! Freya was a bit overwhelmed and kept on crawling off! She got some lovely pjs which she looks really funny in - I am used to seeing her in sleepsuits. She also get a great wooden activity cube from toysrus which is quite big and has a different activity on each side. It's lovely and should last her quite a while.
As I mentioned before we got her a Tumble Time Tigger, which I think DS1 likes as much as she does!
DH has been off over Xmas break so we have been swimming a couple of times and have been to the park. We got a bit of snow, but not enough to really play in and it turned to slush quite quickly. Did anyone else get enough to make a snowman? Leo - I'm afraid you don't count, you always have loads of snow!
Anyway, Happy New Year to you all.

Happy New Year everyone! Got back from our lovely 10 days at DH's brother's river house. Weather was hot but quite windy, which was actually a blessing as it cooled things down a bit. Quite hard to sleep at night as it was so hot.
Lauren loved her Christmas. She got a brick trolley, a ring stacker, buckets that you make into a tower, a swing and a musical telephone, which is her favourite. Every button plays a different song and she rocks away to each one. Any music on and my child is rocking and jiving!! So cute to see.
Her top two teeth are coming through and I think she'll crawl in the next week. Can get onto her knees but doesn't go any further.

Hope you all had a wonderful Festive Season with your babas. Next big event will be their birthdays!

Hi everyone! Happy new year!

So how many of you made it to midnight on new years eve? I just went for a little lie down around 11 and I couldn't wake up enough again to get out of bed , I celebrated in dream land with Niklas!

Good to hear everyone is doing well!

We had a good holiday, but like Harrison Niklas was a bit overwhelmed by so many people (4 adults, 5 very noisy children, 1 play station and us) and became really clingy, screamed everytime I walked away or put him down and when he wasn't screaming was crawling up my legs!
Niklas has almost 7 teeth now (2 not quite through), which means that 5 have appear (or almost) in the last 2 weeks!
He is still waking up in the night but we have managed to stop him drinking milk until about 6 in the morning, just cuddle him back to sleep, I keep thinking about letting him cry it out but i think we will see how it goes when he is a bit more settled again. It seems like a step in the right direction although his routine is completely messed up and his bed time is now around 9pm again instead of 7!

He has twice taken steps on his own unsupported ! I think it was accidental, each time was just two steps then sitting down but I am quite proud !

He has also almost started playing with toys now, but still prefers remote controls, telephones etc....

I managed to do 2 half days snowboarding and spent an afternoon teaching dh's niece to snowboard. yesterday morning was the best! There had been about 50cm of snow over night and due to a small person I was of course up early, dh looked after the small thing while I went snowboarding. Because it was early on new years day I was very often completely alone breaking the new snow! A snowboarders dream, freshly fallen, untouched, deep powder snow... mmmmm!

Pidge, my only advice to cope with work is to go to bed very early, its gone 10 and past my bed time already!

Happy New Year everyone

Had a lovely, quiet NYE as we stayed in, got a curry take-out and was snuggled up in bed with DH by 11. Saw Big Ben chiming and watched the fireworks on TV, then zonked out until his lordship decided it was time to get up at 6.15am having been asleep since 6 the previous evening.

at sunshine and snowboarding - we have rain!!!

Harrison has been a little horror for most of the Xmas break - a combination of tooth cutting through, severely disrupted routine and too many people wanting to come too close for his liking. He's cried on and off for days, his daytime sleeping is all over the place and is still very clingy. He had a mammoth sleep this afternoon though and has been much more like himself since waking so hopefully, he's on the mend. Thankfully, he's been OK during the night and even seems to be over his 5am starts (thank god)

Leo, so glad to hear Niklas is doing better at night. 5 teeth no wonder he was an unhappy bunny for a while.

Right, have joined the MN 'Loose a stone in the New Year' thread as having lost all my pregnancy weight very quickly, I've slowly put lots of it back on I'll need loads of encouragement from you all as have always been fortunate weight wise and have never had to diet before so this is all new ground to me. Need to have lost the weight by Feb 20th when I go back to work or my suits won't fit!!

Lovely to have some of you back on line - missed everyone

Happy New Year from here too!

Had fully been intending to go to bed at 10pm and ignore the whole thing (due to total exhaustion after weeks of 5am starts). Then two friends rang and we ended up having them for supper - everyone yawning furiously, but we did hang in there for the chimes from big ben!

Big news here .... I have just left Iris for the first time ever with the childminder. Gulp. She's having 3 days of short sessions to get used to it. She seemed fine - very happy in fact, as she had no idea what was going on. Might be a different story tomorrow when she has realised that mummy saying "bye bye" means mummy is actually going to disappear.

Leogaela - top tip on the work front. Though my bed time is already 10pm, so maybe that means I'll have to aim for a 9pm shut-eye!!

Am absolutely dreading it at the moment. Working for a consultancy is ghastly - I don't have a desk to go back to, I don't have a project to work on, I don't know which office I'll be working in. Am trying to just ignore it at the moment!

We had a lovely Christmas. Iris got stacking blocks, two phones, some books, rattles.

She's now standing really well, and such a happy kid (except at 5am!).

OK - must dash - lots of jobs to distract me before I pick up Iris.

Pidge, great news on the childminding front. Hope Iris settles well and that work isn't too bad. Will be thinking of you.

Just remembered Jo asked me about childcare - sorry I didn't respond. Yes I have found a childminder who I'm very happy with. She used to be a nanny but started childminding instead when she had her own children. She now has a little girl of 3 who is absolutely adorable and a little boy the same age as Harrison so how perfect is that As an added bonus, her DS will be going to the same nursery as Harrison so he'll have a friend from day one and I won't have to worry about picking up. DD has met her and they got on really well so I feel much happier about all this now. Going to sign contracts tomorrow evening and will then start phasing visits (which I'm dreading)

Harrison slept from 6.45pm until 5.45am. Gave him his blankie and left him and he went straight back to sleep until 7.15am. Hurray He's been back to his happy, cheerful self as well since his mammoth nap yesterday so hopefully, he's back on track now.

Right, off to take down all the cards, Xmas decorations and bin any leftover food/crisps/sweets which might tempt me. The diet starts today !!!

Update on crawling - hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

He can now move himself around the room backwards by laying on his tummy and pushing with his hands but he keeps backing into things which stop him going any further (walls and tables mostly) He has no concept of pulling his knees up under him so crawling is still some way off I think.

Just as well as DD got so many things for Xmas with little bits that they're all going to have to be moved from the playroom into her bedroom. She is still in her nursery bedroom though (which Harrison is going to move into) so we need to decorate her new bigger bedroom (where Harrison and I currently sleep) so she'll have more room. That leaves me to sleep ................ back on the sofa unless DH looses some weight. So diet for him as well me thinks

justa a qucik one...forgot to mention crawling. ds2 decided that Christmas day was a good time to actually crawl forwards after months of going backwards and rolling for England!

Now he is driving me insane with pulling himself to standign and climbing

busywizzy, good luck with the diet, do you have any idea what you are going to do?
Good to hear that Harrison is getting back to his routine again.

Pidge, good luck with the childminder today! Enjoy your last days before going back to work. Does not having a project mean that you can go into work late, come home early or even stay at home or does it mean you get some boring task to do in the office?

I'm back at work today, I am really missing Niklas doesn't help that he cried and was trying to crawl back into my arms today when we left him . I called at lunchtime and they said that he had been crying quite a lot in the morning. That's it, I am leaving early to pick him up !

Any tips on how I can motivate myself to actually generate some interest and actually do some work!

Happy New Year everyone - good to catch up on everybody's news and glad that you all managed to survive Christmas!

Good to hear that Pidge and Busywizzy have managed to sort out childcare - must be a big weight off your respective minds! Am I the only one not going back to work?

We had a lovely Christmas although there was a fair bit of travelling around - up to Yorkshire to visit the in-laws and down to Devon to see friends. Grace hates being in the car so the journeys were a little fraught.

She has now learnt to crawl properly (ie, with her tummy off the floor ) and really gets up some speed - she will follow us in and out of rooms now which she thinks is a great adventure. Pulling herself up on anything and everything - loves to be up on her feet and is "cruising" like a good 'un!

We had bit of a shock yesterday - put her down for her morning nap and after about an hour heard her cry so dh went into her and she was crawling on the floor under her hammock . No idea how she managed to get out - luckily it's quite low to the ground so she wouldn't have fallen far but we obviously couldn't risk it happening again so we have assembled the cot and she spent her first night in there last night. She was not a happy bunny and we had a very disturbed night. We had been a bit concerned about how she would make the transition from a cosy, moving cocoon to a big, firm, non-moving mattress and it was just as expected. However she had a decent nap in the cot for an hour this morning and has been asleep for almost 2 hrs this afternoon so hopefully we will fare better tonight.

Busy - commiserations on the weight front - I have put on about 5lbs over Christmas, due I am sure to missing out on my regular walks to and from school (not to mention lots of chocolate and cake! ). Like you, I have never had to diet before but I'm hoping that if I just cut out the sweet stuff (for which I have a huge weakness) and get back to my walking I should be ok. I have no willpower though .

Congrats to Grace on the crawling. Has she attempted the stairs yet?

Good Luck to BusyWizzy with the diet. I haven't been brave enough to weigh myself since Xmas yet, though I can feel that my jeans are a little tight. Am out for an 8 mile run tonight with a friend, so hopefully will see the results soon.

Christmas tree etc all went to day. Am pretty pleased to see the back of it, cos I was getting pretty fed up with saying 'Freya, no!' every time she tried to pull it over. She would then throw a fit when I picked her up to move her. Have any of the other little ones got a huge temper? Freya can be a right little madam if she does not get her own way, I am definitely not looking forward to the terrible 2s with this one! DS1 was not too bad, you could always kinda get round him, but Freya is a different ketle of fish, she knows her own mind .

BonyM - Are you def not going back to work? I haven't yet decided. I rang work today to test the water since I know that the job that I left does not exist anymore, and HR said they would get back to me (whatever that means!) Perhaps they'll ask me to do very little between the hours of 9.30am and 3.00pm a couple of days a week (excl school hols, obviously) for the same money I was on before?! Anyone know of any such jobs??

Also, congrats to Niklas on the 'walking' - it won't be long now before he is charging everywhere.

BoneyM - yikes - can't believe she fell out! Hopefully she'll get used to the cot soon.

Leogaela - well hopefully you're right - if I keep my head down, not being on a project should mean I can arrive late and slope off early. That's what happened after I returned to work with dd1. Except that time it took 8 months to find work, and after the first couple of months I was going slowly crazy. So I'd quite like to find something a bit quicker this time. But must be positive - no work = more time to bunk off and be with Iris .

Latest majorly cute thing here - if I'm holding Iris and I say "Iris, can I have a cuddle" she bends her head in and nuzzles into my chest. Aaaaahhhhhhh!

JoPG - so impressed at your 8 mile run - I'm trying to pick up my running again. Did 40 minutes on Monday, hope to be out again tonight. My new years resolution was to enter some kind of run - like a 10k or half marathon ...... Hmmmmmmm!

Jo - yes, definitely not going back to work! We're fortunate in that financially, we don't need my salary so I have decided I'd rather be at home. DD1 was only 6months when I went back and I hated leaving her (although it worked out fine in the end) so I am going to make the most of being with Grace. My current thinking is that I will go back to some sort of job when she starts school, unless I get sick of the "housewife" stuff before then!

Am very impressed at the running (Jo and Pidge) - I really must start some sort of exercise as my middle is decidedly flabby! I was idly flicking through the tv channels yesterday and found myself riveted by one of the shopping channels (which I never watch - in fact, never watch daytime tv at all usually!) that was selling "firm and slim" pants . I was really tempted to buy some but then thought that it was cheating and I really need to do some proper exercise! Might investigate the gym if I can bring myself to leave Grace at the creche.

Pidge - so sweet about Iris and the cuddles. Grace has no interest in cuddling or kissing us yet - she is much too busy trying to get everywhere she shouldn't be and grab everything she shouldn't have ! She is such a busy child - totally different from dd1 who was always a very laid-back baby and much calmer.

Well - we had a somewhat better night last night - she went down without a murmur and was fine until 2am when she decided that she didn't want to sleep anymore and wanted out of the cot! This persisted for an hour with much wailing and crying until I finally managed to get her to drop off again by stroking her head, and she then didn't wake until 6.50am. The sleepless hour aside this is a bit of a breakthrough as she usually wants a feed anytime between 4-5am. Of course, tonight is bound to be different again!

Have a good day everyone.

Bonym - have you still got Grace in the rear facing car seat? Niklas has started to enjoy being in the car again now he is in the forward facing one. He gets really excited!
Are you not planning to go back to work at all?

Jopg - Niklas also has a temper. He started throwing himself on his face on the floor screaming if i wouldn't pick him up or took something away from him that he wanted. It was tough but we just walked away from him each time he did it and now he seems to have stopped.

also haven't managed to do any running recently although I am going swimming today and arranged to meet a friend for a lunchtime run tomorrow. I also plan to join a gym and do spinning and pilates classes. I've been planning that one for quite a while now though !

Niklas really taking steps now! If I stand him a few steps away from me he takes 2 or three steps towards me and then throws himself on me.

I wasn't very happy when I picked Niklas up from the nursery yesterday. I arrived at 5.15, 2 of the carers had left at 5 leaving only one there. She had an 11 week old baby in her arms (feeding him), Niklas was sitting in a highchair screaming his head off adn there were about 6 other children running around. The parents were arriving to pick the children up but am i right in feeling very uncomfortable that she was left on her own with so many children even for a short time?

OMG Leo, that's bad. In the UK a carer can only be responsible for three children under the age of 5 and only one of them can be under 12 months. I would have serious words with the person in charge. How horrid for you as well to find Niklas like that on the day you were sad about leaving him again after the Xmas break Hope all gets resolved OK

at Grace falling out of her hammock. Glad she is OK and hope she settles better at night soon.

at Iris and her cuddles. Harrison is still big into kissing and sometimes I look down at him and he's looking up at me with his mouth wide open waiting for a big kiss from me. Loves to kiss DD as well but not DH !!!

Very jealous at all this running, especially as I'm trying to loose a stone and I'm on the chart that's been published so no getting out of it now. Had a good day yesterday food wise and today I seriously impressed myself. Came down this morning to the smell of freshly baked bread in my new bread making machine. Did everyone hot buttered bread for brekkie and I resisted the temptation and had shredded wheat instead - wow what willpower

DH is taking us out to lunch today as he's back to work tomorrow so I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to maintain such stamina all day

Well we have gone from 2 teeth to 5 in what seems like an instant. Knew Lauren's top two were about to appear, but I suddenly noticed another one on the bottom. Better get that teeth cleaning routine going - have been pretty slack so far.
Lauren has been a real misery guts lately. Think it's a combination of teething, frustration and the now quite common bumps to heads etc. And she got bitten by mosquitoes last night and is covered in itchy bites. My poor baby! I want my happy, smiley baby back!!
She is at my Mum's tonight as we are going to dinner with DH's German step brother who is out on holiday. We are going to his wedding in Germany in August.

Leogaela - I would definitely discuss that with them. Doesn't sound right to me. Busywizzy - I think those requirements are for childminders, but even in a nursery you're required to have 1 member of staff for 3 babies (still don't know how they juggle things frankly). That's what they had at dd1's nursery anyway, which she went to from 6 months. She was in a baby room with just under 1 year olds.

Went and bought some new running trousers today and committed to buying some new trainers (they're ordering my size) so now I have keep it up! Am also flabby round the middle, though pretty skinny elsewhere. My tummy is at least partially due to my fondness for biscuits and chocolate and my aversion to doing any post-pregnancy sit-ups. I feel another new years resolution coming on ....

I dropped Iris at the childminder this afternoon and she was quite happy. What a contrast to the trauma we went through putting dd1 into nursery at 6 months. So far so good. And I've had a whole afternoon to myself, getting my hair cut, pottering in the local shops. Tomorrow I hit the sales in the morning and HAVE to come home with at least one pair of decent trousers for work, otherwise I'll be going in my vomit stained jeans.

pidge could youexplain in detail what you did to get iris to sleep through?
getting desperate....
on a good night, we have waking at around 10, 1 and 4 (4am takes ages to get him back to sleep)
tia

Hooray, managed to resist all temptations at lunchtime for chips and pudding despite DH and DD eating copious amounts of both. Even gave Harrison the hot ciabatta bread that came with my salad.

Still haven't cracked the exercise bit yet (as in, I haven't done any) but DH is back to work tomorrow so hope to get out my Davina McCall DVD and do some hopping around with DD whilst Harrison is sleeping. Should be fun !!

Jambot, I had 4-5 days of Harrison being really grumpy, crying on and off and generally being major league hard work. Had a huge nap the other afternoon and has been back to his normal happy self ever since. No idea what it was all about so here's hoping Lauren feels better too soon.