March 2011 Windy bums and a good nights sleep - Will these wonders ever cease?

[GeekLove]

welcome to the new thread fellow March Mums!

Now they are all rolling suckin and gearing up for weaning!

hi ladies very quick post as have to get Oscar in a min but just to let you know that DH has returned 3 weeks early from Afghanistan scaring the shit out of me on Friday afternoon!!! We went to collect Oscar from school assembly cue lots of tears from me, DH, Oscar and a couple of the teachers!!!!
So apologies haven't posted but do read as and when i get 5 mins!!
petty and purple am still up for thurs but Cassie has her baby sensory so i will be there for around 11ish if that ok?? Will check out FB page to see what was suggested after this!!
Think Cassie has come through her separation bit , she's not too bad now, whoever was asking for tips?I just kept on doing everything i normally would as in still did the hoovering and went for a wee!! Just talked really loudly so she could hear me, the HV said to make sure you spent as much time with her and reassuring her but to not carry her around with you all the time but let her know what you doing etc, she won't come to any harm as long as you leave her safely whilst you do said wee!!!! also if you pick her up all the time you will still be doing it 2 years later like my sister and niece
Weaning still on the purees but have progressed to giving her marmite on toast She loves it!! Still not really ready to give her proper finger foods yet i am SUCH a chicken, at this rate she'll still be on puree when she goes to uni!!!!
Sleep seems to improved too, maybe it was just because she was in a travel cot in new surroundings, when she went to bed after staying at friends you could almost hear her sighing " ah home sweet home"!!!

Our routine;
7am Bf
8am breakfast
9.15am sleep 45 mins usually do toddlers or swimming at 10am
11am bf
12.30PM lunch
1pm-1.30 play
2pm-3.30-4pm sleep
4.30 bf
5.30 tea
7pm bath bed and bf
10.30pm bottle formula ( which daddy can do now hurrah!!)

She will wake normally anytime between 4-7am looking for food and i will feed her when she wakes, this morning it was 4.45am and she slept til 7.40am!! So our routine is very flexible and i never wake her in the mornings!!! But if it gets close to 8am i havew to as i have to feed her before i do the school run!

Well, DH gone to get Ds so am going for a cheeky nap!!

lozario 2.5ml up to twice a day then! Hope it settles!

Sam glad DH is home, what a relief. So pleased for you all. Big

Lozario potty training went brilliantly... he has been back at nursery for nearly 2 weeks now and hasn't had a single accident. In fact the only time he has had an accident in the last few weeks was when DH was looking after him! It was quite a slow start and it took a few weeks for him to get it. The first few weeks I just made him sit on the potty every half hour (literally set the timer on my phone - if I told him to sit on the potty he wouldn't but if my phone timer went off he would just go straight to it - the phone ALWAYS gets obeyed!! ). Then we had a few weeks where he would go and do wees on his own volition but not poos, and now he is fully there. Can even hold it in for 3 hours before asking to go now!!! When he was refusing to go and still having the odd accident, then we said he could have a mini packet of chocolate buttons in the bath in the evening if he DIDN'T have any accidents. Much more effective than a single chocolate button whenver he performed IYSWIM!

I agree GF one week training is complete tosh.

Weaning on to bottle still useless. So not interested. However, have ditched trying purees as he just cried, and today gave him a banana which he happily scoffed some this morning, and at lunch gave him a piece of toast in finger sized pieces and he attacked it. I think he actually ate maybe 1/5 of it!! so I will be going BLW with this baby methinks!

sam lovely you have your DH back. My next door neighbours hubbie is about to go back there for a second tour and she is out of her mind with worry so I see what it must have been like for you!

Hey ladies...

Missed so much and not had time to catch up. Working hard back at work and trying to keep up with Anya too is hard work. Love her so much and miss her while at work. OH is coping well with her during the day but is still a little lazy and won't take her out during the day. She gets so bored and I have to take her for a walk after work.

After returning to work and moving house and being up at all hours it is fair to say I'm exhausted. Currently lay down with the laptop on my knee, hungry and tired but I really don't have the energy to move. I think all this expressing milk is making it even worse. I'm always hungry.

Hope you are all getting on better than I am. Cherub - I hope he takes the bottle soon. I'm sure he will eventually when he realizes it is that or nothing.

Anyway... I should go and express some milk so that my OH can offer it to her after her dinner and wonder why she doesn't want it and then throw it away. It is a shame that I'm considering switching to formula because my OH is unable to follow simple instructions... If I switched to formula for the day feeds while I'm at work would my supply hold up for weekend or would I need to give her formula then too? I'm too lazy/disorganised to make formula...

Oh Catherine - I have no advice but I feel the OH not following instructions pain. The other night DH was stompign round the house and because E woke up he went in brought him to the bright Eastenders filled sitting room and tried to make him go back to sleep for 1.5 hours then brought him toi our bed. Cue moaning from me and him thinking he is being absolutely reasonably and me getting up and putting E back to bed with a little feed. Men honestly - you are not alone and I have to leave them all for 2 nights of the week with DH - who knows what good work he will untangle.

Our routine doesnt really include much solid food but I must get on with that now. Am just trying to take a laid back approach and give him stuff from our plate. He had humus the other day (Muser I am funnily enough making humus this week amongst other things for a dinner party on Saturday). So (and the solid feeds are in theory):

6-7am Milk
7.30-8.00 Breakfast (weetabix/porridge with milk from the earlier feed)
Naps in pushchair on school run
10.30-11.00 Milk
12.00 Lunch
12.30 Nap (1.5/2hrs - This is the one I plan to retain until we nap no more)
2.00 - 3.00 Milk
5.00 - tea
6.30-7.00 Bath, story (the bookstart ones he loves) bed (occasionally he comes in to hear a bit of Roald Dahl with DS1 and DS2 but they have the same routine.

hey gals sorry could not message for long and have glanced over the messages

lozario my LO also had bad bad constipation last week, it was like pebbles, we gave him lactulose and tried orange juice he dint wanted it, also stopped solids and gave him some extra water. Rice, potato, carrot, banana, high protein food causes constipation, also after solids you must give bit of water.

we just started solids its so much fun if he eats and cleans the spoon but its equally irritating when he doesnt.

Just a quick one to say muser thanks for the BLW encouragement. It's SO cool!! Lara DEMOLISHED a finger of toast this morning after refusing her gloopy grim baby porridge. Just need to decide what the fecking hell I'm going to do with the freezer full of bloody pureed apple I have!!! Although she does like some of the purees so I'll keep going with them til they're gone, with finger foods all the way.

She ate some of DS's pasta tubes last night too! Amazing to see this little thing nibbling at a bit of penne, holding it like it's a chicken leg or something!

I struggle to get her to take water but I think I just need to keep plugging away. (with the tommee tippee first cup - given up on bottle now!)

Lozario I think we are heading down a BLW route after trying a bit of both. DD grabs the spoon and pulls a face when the pureed food goes in her mouth. On the other hand she has enjoyed feeding herself plums, carrots, bananas, cheese and toast. I loved how she sucked the butter off the toast and then gummed it til all that was left was the crust. The only thing is I need to make sure my diet is up to scratch so she gets a good mix of foods.

She also doesn't seem to want any water and certainly can't drink out of the tommee tippee cup. Does this matter? Do I keep trying or get a new cup?

catherine No idea about your supply and as I understand everyone is different. I go back when DD is 9 months and was hoping to BF morning and night when I'm at work and during the day when I'm off. However I know people who dropped breastfeeds to morning & night when their babies were 6mo and their supply went completely. Maybe ask in the bf/ff forum?

cherub When are you back at work? I hope O takes to BLW quickly/manages a cup soon.

Lozario use the frozen apple purée in an appletini - I am saving any excess mango purée for similar purposes

Lovely to see Purple, Bethan, Sam and Cassie again today our babies are getting so big (Ok Arthur is a massive porker).

Have had lovely day meeting again with petty and purple Arthur isn't a massive porker he's a boy!!!! petty went to john lewis after but they were mega expensive..will hunt out some material in Dunelm
On the down side i got a letter demanding my council tax which i always forget to pay at the beginning of each month and they want the whole lot . i know its my own fault but hey paying that bill is so far down my priority list i always forget until the last min! Oh well, just have to phone and say can you take it £1 week, as i am on SMP you know!!!!!!
Off to make tea for Dh and DS as they on way back from football practise have good evenings

Great to see you both today Sam and Petty and of course it was fab to see Arthur and Cassie. Am still wondering if I should catch the bugaboo bee bug and then the 3 of us can sit there with matching prams - which could then be cutomised by the wonderful skills of Petty

Lozario the baby of the year voting finishes tomorrow evening and then winner announced next fri.... which reminds me... I have very shamelessly added the photo (from the comp) of Beth on my profile on here - so if you click my name at the top of this post you should see it!! If you then wish to vote text SABABY 0612 to 80363 (remember to leave a space between the words and the number) Thanks xx

hello, haven't had a chance to post in ages although lurking on here and reading most days!!
Sam fab news about your OH coming home early!!! Hope you're having a great time!
Still exhausted here, finally got doc to take us seriously about what she calls Angus' 'colic' and he's now on ranitidine but still crying all evening EVERY evening!! And is also so constipated he screams with pain when straining trying to do a poo, last few evenings have spent ages bicycling his legs and holding his knees up to his chest until he's finally managed to get the hard little pebbles out but last night he didn't manage to poo until 3am and cried lots until then :( Am waiting for doc to call me back now for more advice, he's on lactulose and getting prune juice and fresh pineapple.
Really lost faith in my hv, she made me feel like I'm moaning and told me I needed to do controlled crying (which I've tried, but doesn't make a difference as he's in pain!)
Sorry to moan on here but just so fed up of seeing my smiley happy little boy turn into a writhing crying mess every night, feel like I'm failing quite badly at this mummy business, and everyone keeps telling me he should be sleeping through by now....also get the impression that most people that meet him don't believe me as he is sooooo content in the daytime.
Anyway, rant over, hope evryone else getting on ok.

Have been skimming posts as much as possible these days between Franz' crying and neediness, and our new news: we're moving to NY at the end of October. Have mixed feelings, am sad to leave the city where my baby was born, plus am nervous about whether NY is child-friendly (not as convenient as the UK, for sure, but has its own perks!) It will be nice to have family around to watch our LO grow...

Highland, I'm so sorry to hear about Angus' pain and know what you mean about feeling as though you're failing, which you're not, when you're trying everything possible to make him feel better. Shame on some of the HVs and GPs for ignoring us when we know something is not right! I'm still having this trouble w/ his reflux on most days and know it's causing him discomfort, which makes him cry, arch his back, & whine most of the day.

Cheese, I hope you are fully recovered! Can't imagine what you (and Iz) went through!!!

Purple glad voting option is still open, and good luck to Beth! Sounds like you ladies (and Arthur) had a blast, and Petty, I'm impressed by your creativity -- both with the buggie AND with the mango-tini!!! :)

Sam great news about DH and hope you are all enjoying the time.

Catherine, I hope you've been able to find some time to rest after your recent transitions, and I'm sure Anya misses you, too!

I spoke to a weaning HV yesterday and was flustered to learn that I was not going about this solids thing as well as I thought. So I took her advice and he's not having any of it today. Hmmm...

Franz' recent hilarious skill is that he rocks on his hands and knees as though about to crawl, then lunges forward! Must make sure nothing hard is in front of him, though he still manages to end up 5 steps backwards, much to his dismay.

Highland you poor thing- don't feel guilty, you're trying your best to fix things. I really hope Angus gets better soon- poor little thing.

Don't feel like your the only one with nigh issues either. E still isn't sleeping through- things are much much better but I don't begrudge feeding him once or twice in the night if he needs or wants it. We were down to once a night but he has another stinking cold so I can't just cuddle him now in case he's thirsty!

ckny exciting news! Are you from NY originally? (Sorry- the clue may be in your name!)

Highland Sorry to hear about Angus.. I hope they help you sort this out really soon and he is back being a lovely smiley happy boy in no time!!

Ckny - New york... wow, how exciting, but can understand mixed feelings.

Sam Hope you have sorted out the council tax issue!!!

Baby comp voting is open till midnight sunday not today... so you can still vote... (I am so shameless!!)

We have amazingly, fantastic news here.... went to JRH in Oxford today for Beth's Echo (heart scan)... Everything is great, just as it should be... there is still a slight disproportion of size in the left and right chambers, but he thinks this is entirely Normal
She will be reviewed again at 1 year old and if all looks good then, her next heart check-up will be at about 5 years of age and then maybe as a teenager!!! He thinks this will be the pattern and there should be no major surprises at 1 year of age!!!!!!!!! I am so happy this time last year my baby was incompatible with life now she is developing beautifully and so far no major hiccups!! She was weighed today too and is 11lb and 8oz!

Hope you are all ok. Have a great weekend. xx

Brilliant Purple such wonderful news- you must feel on top of the world. Hope you have a lovely weekend to celebrate. Hope Beth wins her comp too! xx

Oh that is fantastic Purplefan. Glad little Beth is doing well - she is such a little fighter.

Highland - don't let anyone make you feel like you are a bad mother. I'm sure we all know that you are not. I personally think using controlled crying when your child is crying because he is in pain is dam right evil! Controlled crying is debatable anyway and I know it works very well for some but it is only for when a baby is crying for attention. My OH will let Anya cry when he knows there is nothing wrong with her and she just wants cuddles, I'm quite impressed that he can do it as I break too easily and give her a cuddle. Although I understand that sometimes even when a baby is crying in pain you have to leave and get your head straight. Anya has the occasional bad night teething and sometimes it gets that bad that it brings me to tears. You are doing extremely well coping with this every day. A friend's baby who is now 9 months old always struggled with constipation until she had her on 3 meals a day. She said with change in food and the fruit juices her LO became very regular - apparently she has never been happier to change a poo-y nappy. :) I saw the picture on facebook of Angus eating quite happily so hopefully soon this constant constipation will be a thing of the past for you. General rule with HV - if you disagree with them, ignore them and ask someone else .

CKNY - good luck with the move. I moved down the road to the next town over and that was stressful - I hope it all goes smoothly for you. V. nice that you are moving closer to your family. I sometimes wish I was close to my family so they could share in Anya growing up.

Congrats Purple that is excellent news I think you should celebrate by getting a bugaboo bee

Sam hope you get the council tax sorted. My mum used to work for citizens advice bureau and she always told me that if I got in to difficulty, offer £1 a week - they can't really refuse

Highland Our sleep has had it's good moments (not quite sleeping through) but is back to crap. I don't really know anyone whose baby is sleeping through (proper 7-7 with no dream feeding malarky). It seems as soon as they get close, something new throws it out the window - screeching, rolling, teething, more sleep regressions. First bloody question anyone asks though isn't it? Has the Dr referred you to a paed for the reflux?

Ckny how exciting but daunting. I would love to move to NY. DH is looking for a new job but is threatening me with Norwich - not quite as glam

running out of ideas for feeding Arthur - tried left over potato waffles, fish fingers, cheese and beans tonight - it was not received well! Trying to move him on to our food now (ok, not all of it, the good stuff!) as cba boiling and pureeing! Finger foods still hit and miss - Arthur loves them but my stress levels can only take so much gagging. I know its really important for me not to show my panic when it happens but I do try some real solids with each meal. He mostly likes whatever I am trying to eat (esp the chocolate fudge cake I had this afternoon ).

Right mammoth post over, Hello to everyone else I didn't name check up there

lol Petty... I felt guilty letting Anya have Brioche! You know Anya really loves scrambled eggs. I do them in the microwave with no milk as to not add oil and to avoid any reactions from Anya.

ooh I have some brioche in the freezer, but perhaps I should try the scrambled eggs instead It will be no time at all before I have him on fruit shoots and greggs sausage rolls

Yes purple def bugaboo!!! SOOO happy for you and Beth, go beth go .
Have you found her book though??
Petty you make me at choc fudge cake!! I left M&S early on fri as i was too tempted by the cakes!!!
highland has A tummy ache recently started or has he always been poorly at night?? Could it be his constipation hurting him at night which is why he is in pain? Also just a suggestion, but have you thought of taking Angus to a cranial oesteopath?? I myself took CASSIE WHEN SHE WAS A WEEK OLD AND SHE CONTINUED TO SEE ONE UNTIL SHE WAS 3 MONTHS, JUST TO SORT HER OUT FROM BEING CRAMPED FOR 9 MONTHS AND SHE TOO HAD A TIGHT TUMMY AND SUFFERED FROM TUMMY ACHES A LOT.
My sisters LO used to wake sporadically in the night and then poo at 5am, although she wasn't constipated per se just struggled a bit.

Sorry about the capitals went back to add that!!! Couldn't be arsed to re typp

However, whatever any professional tells you, you are the best mummy in the whole wide word to Angus and if he could talk he would say ner ner to them

ckny do you think Franz has hit the separation anxiety period?? Touch wood Cassie's only seemed to last a week or so, but that coincided with DH being around more to take the strain sometimes!!

Cassie has started to have a few more finger foods, the pink panther wafer biscuits are a huge hit , i have given her french stick whilst DH and friend were around though!!! ckny Cassie also doing the rocking on all fours and then going backwards its hilarious!! I find her in all sorts of places when i come back after popping into the kitchen!!
I put her in a little denim skirt with funky tights today ahh she looked soo cute, but then saw her cheeks, and more to the point chins!!!! i lost count after 3 .
Well, am going to have a carrot and salsa as a snack not the same as a big family pack of minstrels!!

Yes, Kpidgeon, lived in NY before London as it was the love of my life before I met my DH and had my DS, so let's see how I'll feel about it now! :)

Wonderful news, Purple, about Beth, and she IS perfectly NORMAL and a strong, happy, healthy growing baby who is loved to bits by her mum, dad, and sister and many others!

Petty, I'm also running out of ideas to feed Franz. Was so upset yesterday when I wanted to get him on our foods and made a pasta bake with organic cheddar cheese which I then saw had a note saying NOT suitable for children (and pregnant women, etc)! So he just got the penne and a big baton of sweet potato, which he chowed DOWN, bless!!! :) I think I'm being too neurotic about foods and wanting to keep him away from preservatives, salt, and hormones for as long as possible to compensate for the months of formula. I think I need to get over it! Scrambled egg sounds good, and look forward to trying hard boiled, too!

Sam, not sure whether it's separation anxiety, though he follows me (and daddy) with his eyes wherever we go and whines non-stop unless I'm on his play mat w/ him! Maybe it's a combo of that and the frustration of not moving. Who the heck knows anymore?!

Oh, and sam, her outfit sounds adorable, I wish I could put Franz in cute skirts sometimes! :) And what is it about needing more cakes these days? It's become my habit now to have a fairy cake and cappuccino daily, in front of prying eyes...

Thanksfor all your support as always....spoke to another doctor yesterday and she was surprised he hasn't been referred yet, his eczema has also got worse with the extreme colicky pain, constipation and sore bum so she thinks he may have a dairy allergy and I've been advised to cut it out of both our diets for 2 weeks to see if that makes a difference.
Phew, only got a couple of hours sleep last night, had him in bed with me but he was waking and crying every half hour or so and would take ages to settle him down again.
He's sleeping on my chest just now so going to switch the computer off and shut my eyes for a bit....
Purplefan FAB news about Beth, I bet you're relieved and have a huge smile on your face, she is doing so so well!
Am definately going to try and find out about a cranial osteopath,thanks Sam, his birth wasn't particularly traumatic so I hadn't considered it before but I think anything is worth a go now.
CKNY wow, NY, how exciting!

Hi everyone.
I am very much on the road to recovery, although the doctors have warned me it is going to take another 3 weeks or so before I will be back to my usual antics. I have hated being stuck in the house but even popping to the shops has me shattered. We are normally out and about all day every day so poor isobel has been a bit bored too. I have had lots of help from lovely friends and family so she has had heaps of attention.

Right I have tried to catch up:
CKNY amazing news. I don't blame you for wanting to head home. Good luck with the planning etc and if you need a hand let me know.

highland glad the doctor is on the scae, dairy intolerance was going to be my suggestion. Hope it helps. Can't remember if you had tried apricots - Isobel had some yesterday and, my god, did she stink about an hour after!

purple fab news about Beth, I am so pleased for you and your family. I have voted, let us know how she gets on. She is a real bonnie baby.

sam are you enjoying DH being home? I have also been dressing I in tights and skirts/dresses. She looks so cute with her chubby legs. Well done on finger food, I know you were nervous about it!

petty love the martini ideas, yum yum.

weaning is still going well here. Isobel eats essentially what we do. So we had scrambled eggs on toast for brekkie, lunch is cucumber, tomatoes, avocado and brocolli with some cheesy mash and dinner is fish pie. I made meatballs and pasta the other day, she wolfed it down! I was impressed. Red meat in the nappy is particularly smelly though.

crawling is going well. She lifts her bum and drags her face along the floor. It is quite entertaining to watch, but she gets cross when she gets a sore face!