April 2011 - cake-offing, gin-guzzling, wine-sipping, dreams of sleeping

[fraktious]

Thread 3!!!

GGF are you starshaped?

No, not star

who has a baby p??

Liv with the beautifully named Phoebe??

Well done Fizz.

I'm . A friend on FB has just posted that 6 people including 3 children have been stabbed to death in Jersey . I've just googled it on BBC news here

When I saw that Liv GGF I thought of you, how awful. This might be a sweeping generalisation, but I always think of the channel islands as bening sleepy where things like that never happens. Mind you, things like that generally never happen anywhere :(

Did I every say that Phoebe was our girls name?

How sad am I? I'm staying up to watch the golf!!

Liv/GGF I thought of you when I saw that!

T has been a nightmare to settle today. Feed, feed, feed.

Argh, bloody laptop, nearly finished a post and it disappered on me.

Yes, generally the islands are safe, not as perfect as the tourism boards would like you to believe but pretty close.
I saw on the news that a neighbour said he heard the children screaming in terror. How awful, I hope he gets some decent counselling.

Ali I've had the opposite problem tonight. We spent the day in Herm with DS and our local PN April '08 group. P stayed at home with her Nan. I BF P both sides this morning before leaving at 9.15, and left 3 bottles of 7oz FF to ensure they had plenty. (She's 19wks and weighs 12lbs) My very enthusuastic DM fed her until she'd drained every last drop of all 3 bottles so DD wasn't exactly hungry when me and my full boobs got home at 6pm. Her eyes did light up at the sight of them and she latched on with a vengeance but her tummy was too full and most of it came back up again. We also managed to squirt BM all over the place as she kept turning around to gaze at DS when feeding

Fizz Glad you like Phoebe, it was my Grans middle name. I also have a shortened version of her first name as my middle name. Unfortunately I never got to meet her as passed away when my mum was in her teens.

Phew, there was a lot to read, you've had a busy week! Sorry not to name check.

I'm glad that the London contingent are safe and sound, I was thinking of you all while watching the riots on TV.

I hope those of you who having sleep woes with your LO's are managing to get some kip in somewhere.

Whoever suggested the Ashton and Parsons powders a while back, you are a life saver! S had some horrid teething troubles while we were away and they seemed to be the only thing that gave him a rest from the pain . It was a bit of a mission to find them though, I think every baby in Whitby was teething as every chemist had sold out of them (and Bonjela etc).

Anyway, S's first holiday wasn't exactly great. It pee'd it down nearly the whole week so we were stuck in a cottage with my DMum and DDad and (not always so D)Gran. I don't know how DH managed to cope, I wanted to hit them all round the head with a bucket and spade at times and they're my family! My parents did offer to babysit but the combination of PFBness and S still not taking a cup or bottle meant that we didn't get any time off. Did manage to fob some nappy changes off onto my parents, though I doubt my Dad will offer again anytime soon after what he has christened 'The Avalanche'...

S is starting to get interested in food, he's spent most of the last week staring at people as they eat, intently watching forks as they go from plate to mouth! He's also getting pretty determined about trying to sit on his own, he gets frustrated that he can't.

As for me, I managed to pull my stitches enough to make them bleed thankfully all seems back to normal but now know not to attempt 199 steps 4 times in one day!

JKS - difficult question to answer but in light of the guidelines we have here it's surprising that there isn't similar instruction. Is their baby ill a lot? I had a very short period where my steriliser broke (it was coming on but then turning off after a minute and I only realised when I was in the kitchen and saw it happen) and C got a horrible tummy virus that meant he didn't want to eat at all and was really miserable. He was also very sleepy and filled lots of nappies. If their LO is similar then it might be because of the way they are making the formula. Could you just act surprised that the guidelines here are so different and suggest they try it to see if it helps? I think the temp thing is a personal preference. C likes it room temp, rather than warm or fridge cold.

Facebook group sounds like a lovely idea.

Facebook page is a great idea, my other PN thread have one too and it's lovely seeing all the other LO's. I would attempt to set it up but everytime I try to do anything on FB other than check my profile, it freezes

Dairy How old is S now? R has always been interested in food!! She gets cranky if she's not at the table seeing whats going on. Last night we gave her a weaning spoon to play with and she didn't have any problem knowing where to put it!! Although hardly a good indicator as everything goes in her mouth anyway lol!!

Interesting about FF babies getting bored of the taste of milk ILTMI R definitely seems to go on and off it.

DP keeps nagging me to start R on baby rice, despite only being 16 weeks today and totally not seeming all that ready to me. Wish he would read up on stuff so he knew what he was talking about sometimes, instead he just accuses me of ignoring all his opinions and doing only what I want where DD is concerned!! Erm, well yes I will do what I think is right because I've read up about it!! Not just based on what my mum has told me!!! Grrrrrr

Oh my god a poo explosion has just gone off in the bouncer, better run....

I'm going to start weaning today! I'm quite nervous/excited! Conor is 25 weeks, corrected to 17 and everything I've read suggests that premmie babies should be weaned at around five to six months real age - so we're going to give it a go.

I've got the Annabel Karmel weaning book, which lots of people have recommended to me.

I'm hoping that starting on food will be an enjoyable experience for little C, who has had a rubbish time with feeding since he was born. He goes nuts over the teeny bit of watered down orange juice that I give him one of his meds in, so maybe new flavours will be equally exciting. I think I am going to start with carrot. Wow. Will report back on progress.

Ouch, Dairy.

ooh! so excited to hear how C takes to carrot, Jo!

F is 20 wks today. I'm really excited about starting weaning. I want to 'do blw' (by which I mean be cheap & lazy) so I suppose it all depends on when F decides to start munching.

We've started sitting him at the table in his highchair at mealtimes. And he watches with fascination/frustration. He stuck his hand right in my dahl the other day when he was sitting on my lap! I was a bit surprised and wiped it off before he got it to his mouth.

MrsW, I'm having similar issues with DH and the blw book. Lots of our conversations go "well, if you'd read the book you'd know!"

One of the babies from boob group is 3wks older than F and was munching on pieces of chicken & tomato yesterday.

Oh yes, forgot to say I think the FB idea is great. I'm happy to set it up, any suggestions for names? Frak ?

MrsW S is 18 weeks. He's watched us eating for awhile, but now seems to have moved onto the "Actually, I'd quite like some of that." rather than just watching. Despite my nagging while we were on holiday my Dad did manage to sneak S a bit of Ritz biscuit. I wasn't there but my Mum told him off . Apparently S quite enjoyed it...

I'm not sure why the prospect of weaning is so exciting when I know it's going to be harder work, and much messier, than milk! We're BLW (I really want to change it to 'Lazy Weaning'!) which is probably a good thing as S seems to think the weaning spoons make really good drum sticks at the moment.Off to Ikea to get the high chair on Saturday, just got to decide what colour!

Good luck with the carrot Jo!

Hello all,
I'm not sure why I feel like we're having such a crappy day but M and I have been having a who can cry loudest competition at times this morning :(
It doesn't help that DH did another coat of paint on the front door yesterday which takes ages to dry so we can't go out and I'm feeling a bit trapped. My mum commented on the phone last night that maybe I let DH do too much and I should give him a break so I've been wondering exactly what she meant and feeling guilty he does the night time nappy change (which I'm considering dropping) and other changes when he gets in from work, also an evening bath and massage but I feel he and M need some one to one time too and I'm really grateful for the break, even if I am washing up, sorting clothes, etc.
I've been going nuts this morning that she won't be put down without crying, which isn't unusual it's just bothering me today.

Sorry for the rant - considered ranting on Facebook but my mum would only come back with some 'helpful' advice like leaving her to cry.

I'm actually looking forward to weaning too. I wanted to get a highchair this weekend but DH said to wait until we've got room (i.e. cleared the junk I've been wanting to get rid of for ages).

Do you think if we set up a Facebook group we'll find some friends in common in real life?

How about "the march, april, may birthday club" doesn't give too much away, although I believe you can make the group private if you want so only the people on this thread could view it?

We still need to get a highchair too, although not sure how R will take to it just yet, we tried her in a bumbo type seat last week and she kept flexing herself right out of it, not sure why?? What kind of highchair are others getting? My gran gave us money for one when R was born but a lot of people I've spoken to have said not to waste money on an expensive one and just get an ikea one for £15!!

Despite my moaning about DP I am itching to start weaning too but just want to make sure I do it at the right time for R and not just because I want to!! A friend also told me to put it off for as long as possible because bottle feeding is far easier and less messy!

Sorry meant to say Chilli hopw today gets better for you. Know what you mean about ranting, my mum is on FB and mumsnet and knows my username, so no where for me to rant either!!!

Big hugs chilli doesn't sound like u should be made to feel guilty. My dh does evening nappies and bath time. He used to do night nappies but we don't change s in the night anymore. U r right they need time together and how else do we get house chores they don't do done?

mrsw time for a name change

Yeah u can make pages private.

I suggest we make the FB group private, but then if you want to be friends you can do that too. It can be called something quite simple like MN April 2011? Call it what you think is best Dairy, then let us know what it's called and we can then join.

I hope your day is ok Chilli. Days like that are tough. Ignore your mum and don't give her comments anymore of your time.

We've got Tripp Trapp chairs which I love. I love their design and I love that you can use them as a chair for years. They are expensive, but I see them as an investment and they sell for a great price secondhand. Then at the other end of the spectrum I love the Ikea, I think the design is great. Very stylish and easy to clean. The ones with a padded insert are a complete pita and quite bulky, but that's just my opinion!

Sorry you are having such a dreadful day, Chilli. Of course you are not asking DH to do too much, just ignore your mum's comment. You both had a baby and you are both parents. You are quite right to think they should have some time together and you need a break from time to time too. Grrr, on your behalf.

MrsW C also does that with the Bumbo. I'm not sure on highchair yet, will have to investigate.

While boiling the carrot I managed to burn it. Does that mean I get the Worst Mother Ever Prize? How can anyone burn a carrot, FFS?

Once I had made a non-burnt puree it seemed to go quite well, for a first try. He did push most of it straight back out and was covered in orangey-carroty-gloop by the end. I've no idea whether he actually ate any of it but he seemed to like the taste and yelled a couple of time till he got more. He was very good at waving the spoon around and getting food in his eyes. I have declared it a success. Carrot Boy is sleeping it off.

Thanks everyone, feeling a bit better now :) I did manage to get her to have a nap on one of the floor cushions so I got some lunch and have made pasta sauce for tea. I suspect I'll now be spending most of the afternoon with her snoozing on me while i type one handed.

Glad the carrot went well Jo

We've borrowed a bumbo from some friends, M seems to like sitting up in it and seing the world from a new angle. Then she'll get frustrated she can't move around in it.

How did the jumperoo constructing end up Fizz? Does B like it? M is still getting used to hers - likes the flashing lights and sounds but not really into the bouncy bit yet.

Dairy you should grab as many boxes of Ashtons & Parsons as you find as I think they've stopped making them. Or so I was told by the pharmacist when I tried to get some the other week.

I've got another question about bottle feeding. Does anyone put a bottle back in the fridge or cooler bag when it isn't finished? I know the guidelines are to throw it out but sometimes S will have only 1oz/30ml and it feels so wrong to throw the rest out and give her more an hour later.

On highchair talk, we've got this Eastcoast one. I'm sure you can get it cheaper elsewhere. It's great because you can wash it all and hardly any little spots for food to hide and go grim. The Ikea & the Tripp Trapp ones are great too for the same reason. I'd avoid ones with material/cushioning as they get filthy really quickly, especially if you're doing BLW.

Great idea to set up the fb group too!

We tried S in the door bouncer yesterday for the first time. I think she needs to grow an extra inch or so to get a good bounce happening but it was very cute to see her upright swinging about.

Argh! Can I join the "had enough for one day" group please? Had one of my AN chums round for coffee and B decided to have a screaming fit liek I've never seen. Nothing could console him and he had just been fed, so I didn;t think it could be that. For half an hour full pelt he screamed. Then out of sheer desperation I warmed another bottle. He took the lot . My friend then said once he'd finished, she was surprised to see him like that, but also glad, because all the other AN girls think I have it easy as all B does when we meet up is sleep. If only that were true!!

Jumperoo was constructed with no expletives chili. We popped B in, but I think it was a bit late in the day for it and he's still not quite strong enough. He seemed to be really tilted forward. Is that how M is? He did likethe lights though!

I've just tried to create a FB group, but I'm being thick! Do I create a page like a business, then let you lot know? Or do we all have to FB friends first then create a group? It will only let me create a group from my account if I add friends! need

He's screaming again :(

I've also been told that the £15 ikea highchair is good. L loves her jumperoo and likes flinging herself around! Fb page sounds good.