Feb 2010 - we're stroppy, sassy and splendid (and that's just the mums!)

[BigBadBear]

New thread!

Mmm, cupcakes...! I am truly enjoying eating cake for two atm

Well we seem to have moved from bad nights to early wakenings Today and yesterday DD woke at 5.45am and absolutely refused to go back down. This is out of character, she usually wakes some time between 6.30 and 7am. I need to nip this in the bud. Any ideas folks?

Also on the topic, BBB when did you start training your girls that they stay in bed until 7am, and how did you do it again? I am just not human before 7 in the morning. Tomorrow DH starts his new job, which means he'll be back for bath - hurrah! - but will have to leave so early I'll be on morning duty - boooooooooo.

bethy hurrah for you that you had a good night It does make such a difference. Oh sleep, sleep, sleep! If only we could all get enough!

PS I know I've said this before, but could those of you with two please hold my hand and tell me it's possible?! I am freaking out ever more about it - I just don't see how I can possibly cope on my own with two all day I mean it really does not seem possible to me. I know that millions have done it and continue to do so - but I just don't see how I was hysterical a lot of yesterday telling DH that I can't do it and he just calmly tells me that I have to Which is true but doesn't really help!

Scones there is a regression between 19 and 22 months according to angeldog (the narrow window is helpful )

We've had midnight wakings for the past three nights with a few early starts as well. Thankfully her naps have compensated otherwise I'd be a mess. I think DD is having a speech development spurt

scones cam't help but can hold your hands for comfort.

BG did the same last Saturday!

Wonder how LBH is doing?

beth you are a supermum! Well done! And thank you for your advice on the SPD - I have asked to be referred back to physio.

stone glad you got a good night's sleep.

PA I'm impressed your DD likes swimming so much. DD2 finally enjoyed this week's session after screaming te place down for the previous three weeks. Not a peep this week. What a monkey.

Scones I did the 7am thing when DD2 was well under two. She had always been a splendid sleeper, but started waking at about 6am. Her language was so good that I drew a big 7 on a piece of paper and put it next to her clock sayig that the first number on it had to match before she could shout for me int he morning. Amazingly, it worked! And if she ever slept until after 8am (rare, but it did happen) we would find her just lying in bed waiting...

As for coping with two, it really isn't as big a jump as going from none to one. You already have a routine in the house set by the older one, and the baby slots in because they have to. You are much more confident the second time round, and just don't have time to question what you are doing! And while the thought of broken nights might make you quake, remember you'll have all those post-birth endorphins in your body and you'll be just fine. And you won't be knackered from being pregnant, either!

What I would say is get yourself sorted out now to make your life as easy as possible for the first few weeks. I made sure I had a few meals in the freezer (though I love cooking), had booked a couple of grocery deliveries, had money all ready to pay the cleaner and so on. And if someone comes round and offers to help, don't be polite and say no. Ask them to put on a load of washing, or hang some laundry out to dry, or unload the dishwasher, or take your other DC to the park NOT hold the baby while you do these things. They won't mind. Ditto if someone calls and wants to pop in and asks if you need anything. Say yes please, I'd like some nappies/biscuits/Touche Eclat/toilet rolls.

Here, DD2 has turned into a little fiend. She's up during the night, and shouts at me all day. Good job she's so cute, that's all I'm saying...

you should see how many biscuits I just scoffed with my cup of tea

Scones big hug coming your way! I agree with BBB that the second one just fits in with the older one. I also found myself much more confident the second time round and did not have to think about changing, feeding, comforting etc. I really really enjoyed the first few weeks with dd2 and had a lot of cuddling on the sofa in the evenings after dd1 was in bed. I got dh to make a very big fuss of dd1 in the first weeks to make sure she did not feel left out. When on my own with both I got dd1 to 'help' choose baby sleepsuits, fetch nappies, put baby lotion on dd2's feet etc. so she felt it was her baby as much as mine. Have a wonderful picture of dd1 showing dd2 how to use her baby gym... . I am sure you will be fine and the children will enjoy being close in years to come

I wonder if I made a mistake to play horse and let dd2 ride me down the landing and into her room... I may be a while

Werewolf alert
It's the full moon on Wednesday

DS is getting more and more creative playing. At the moment his favorite hidding place is under the dinning table, he even goes under there on his scuttle bug! It's good as today I wasn't really able to go on the floor: I slip on the wet pavement outside my work and crowned my knee and bruised my elbow.

scone I second BBB re the frozen meals. I did that before DS birth and for the 1st few weeks, that was very helpful. Parboiled potatoes are great as once defrosted they can be roasted/mashed...

Just back from A+E. Mum took Alex out for the afternoon but he had a fall off some wooden decking at the sandpit and got a nasty cut on his forehead. She took him to the GPs and the nurse saw him straight away and put a steristrip on it but said we should get it glued so mum bought him back to me and we got the bus to King's together. He was fine although he would go crazy every time we had to go into a treatment room - he is fully stuck and glued but the nurse reckons there will be a little scar.

and how you feeling about it BC

I'm ok really - it's funny I thought I would be the sort to go to pieces about this sort of thing but I'm really quite sanguine (ha) about the whole thing. I'm actually going out to meet my friend at the pub in a minute and leaving DH to read him a story and put him to bed.

good for you, enjoy your drink

Oops! BC, he will be fine with a scar, if there is one. I have one on my forehead from running into a marble table at 15 months, nobody ever mention it! It is even less noticeable for a boy. Don't blame your mother, it would probably have happen with you there too... must have been scary though. Take it easy, and try to relax...
It is probably not the last time [helpful emoticon]. DH knocked himself out with the door when I was 8 months pregnant with DD1, I had to take him to get glued at A&E at 1 am. Everybody let us go 1st because they thought the baby was coming out! I had to reassured them that I was fine and they could go ahead (that poor girl obviously had a broken finger).

The heavens are trying to make me go crazy, a lot of interrupted sleeps from stomach bugs, pee in bed girls... when one girl sleeps the other wakes up when both sleep so far; I have been sick, I had an earthquake waking me up at silly o'clock and that f..ing toys go mad, I had the penguin talking and yesterday the monkey started to make noise all by himself at 2/3 am (he is still sitting on the balcony ), may be it is the full moon.

scone I agree the 2nd one just fit in. It has to. Mind you I was scared to death too, at your stage, so you are not alone. It will be OK though. Promise. You do have some hindsight so you kind of know what you will need and organised accordingly. (it might not be the same for you as everyone else just be selfish for once)

BBB very cute DD2.

BC

bc glad that you're both feeling okay. at the pub

mous Eathquake? The toys do get a life of their own. Read this thread to cheer you up

Knowing that we'll go often to A&E or GP once DS was born, I made sure he was on my health insurance, at least I do not worry about the cost of taking him to A&E on a Sunday.

SB At least A&E is completely free in UK mainland!
And I do know what an earthquake feels like now that I lived in Japan. Not like the 1st time it happens and I thought my brother was shaking my bed before I realised that I was sleeping on the floor on a futon Why do they have to happen during my sleep! There is absolutely no time to get yourself (and the kids!) under the table for safety... even more

I am not getting the monkey back! The penguin had his batteries savagely ripped off!

how could you mous

BC welcome to the glue club (now, that sounds a bit dodgy). Scars heal and fade very well at this age I have been told and I should hope so with dd2 currently in the lead on this thread with two times being glued in A&E within a few weeks... I am now watching her like a hawk to stop her mutilating herself even more, but she is determined. I actually wondered today whether to have her eyesight or coordination checked because she constantly falls over her own feet and walks straight into open doors or table tops... .

Had to arf at your DH muttering "nipple tassles" in his sleep...!

Hey, scones, sorry to hear you're feeling daunted, although it's thoroughly understandable. I'm sure you'll be okay. I think a sling is the saviour of a lot of mums of 2-under-2 I know....

Ouch to poor old DS, Bc. I'm glad to hear things have remained calm over his bump.

Another blooming sleep regression, PA?!

We've had a few more nocturnal disturbances lately - thankfully not last night. But we had a 05.15 awakening on Sunday morning and a couple of night wakings on the nights preceding. We're not sure why, maybe just bad dreams. DD usually settles back quickly if it's a late waking, but rarely goes back to sleep if she wakes around the 05.00 mark. For some reason, that tends to feel worse than if she's been awake during the night.

BBB I've been thinking we might get a sleep training clock for DD to try and get her into the habit of letting us lie-in until at least 06.30...

Our craft day yesterday (making things for DH's birthday) was a mixed success. DD couldn't get her head around the idea of baking with Mummy at all and got upset because she thought I was trying to force her to eat the cake mix rather than just stir it, then even more upset that I wouldn't let her eat it all (once she'd tried a bit).
She was dubious about the card painting and refused to put her hand in the paint to make a print, but I did manage to get her to daub some colour and shake some glitter, so a card was produced.
The fairy cake decorating was more successful, especially once DD had tried the chocolate bits for sprinkling on top of the icing. Thereafter, she would sprinkle a few things, then put one or two in her mouth while cutely watching me closely to check it was OK (it was). It was her first proper experience of chocolate, unsurprisingly she was very keen.

DH's birthday is today....we're doing the birthday thing when he gets back from school.

IC I hope your DH has a good birthday

bc is your DS okay? Hope that he slept fine.

scones you're coping?

Small victory... nursery has put DS on the potty today. I think my nagging is starting to work

mous forgot to ask how are monkey and penguin doing?

mous toys suddenly coming to life freaks me out too. But that's nothing compared to the shame my sister experienced when lugging a case off the luggage carousel at the airport and having to root through it immediately to shut up the jumper that was playing "You're my little teddy bear" (she couldn't stop it, by the way, and we ended up throwing said jumper in a bin as the music went more and more dischordant and more and more people gave us strange looks).

stone good news on nursery supporting your potty training. DD2 did a wee in the potty the other night and is now even more obsessed with it than she was before.

While I'm not quite up to beth status, I am feeling quite proud of myself today, as DH went to work pretty much as we all got up this morning, and I have had to do everything myself today (gets the DDs ready, do all the nursery and school runs, dinner, bathtime and bedtime on my own including hairwashing - and hardly any tears throughout!) on top of having to go into London for work and not feeling too bright. I got up to go to the bathroom last night and fainted when I got there, bashing my knee and head on the sink on the way down (and indirectly waking up DD2 because DH started shouting at me to see if I was OK). I think that's why I've felt a bit odd today anyway.

Me, me, me... I'm very dull sometimes, sorry.

PA thinks she's in labour!