June mummies '05 thread 7 -The one with their first Christmas

[katzglitterytree]

hello all

come and join us new and old junies

Hi everyone

I'm so pants at keeping up with you all!

Dd is 6months in 8 days so next weekend is solids time! I can't believe it's come so quickly! Still 100% b/f. I thoughtwe were going to have to start weaning early when she started to wake a couple of times in the night at about 4 mths, but she was just sleeping too long in the day and after a bit of tweaking she was back to sleeping through again - huzzah - hate that night waking feeling though!

I emailed Annabel Karmel herself for some advice on adapting weaning routines for 6 mth olds - everything around atm is for early weaners. She just said to buy her updated book!!!! Probably will anyway...sucked in by the marketing ploy - doh!

No rolling yet, but she loves sitting on the floor (with cushions!) for about 10 mins at a time, which is more than ds ever bothered doing. She can also eat her feet - ds couldn't even reach them cos he was such a lard bucket - but v cute though

Just re-read that and it reads like Annabel Karmel isn't rolling but loves sitting.... I need a cup of tea and a wee sit down!

xmas - LOL at Annabel Karmel! I know what you mean about weaning books - they all mention starting at 6m but actually the advice does seem to be for starting from 4m. I've given her a few tastes of baby rice (because I got fed up of defrosting my purees and chucking it all away!) and a bit of banana finger food. Am not brave enough to try something like toast yet but may do so when DH is around. It's maybe a little early anyway?! 25wks on Sunday.

DD has been sitting really well for a while, is suddenly standing quite well but is still very reluctant to lie on tummy, roll over etc. Fair enough, I say - we're all different!

hi racers Mrs CD and mcmudda

welshy - we've found a difference! ds can't roll at all, but now sits up happily for half an hour or so. also very smiley, but going through a less chatty phase at the mo. very infectious sid james laugh still. glad the work thing working.

Hello all,
Just popping by before I put dd2 to bed to say hello. Still lots of night time waking here but I take heart from your posts Lummox. DD2 is 23 weeks I think. I am still not weaning although today I bought her a beaker and have washed all the spoons and pots from the first time around so maybe my subconscious is telling me I should start soon. I think she is probably ready but DH has IBS and bad hayfever and allergies in his family so I am being ultra cautious. I do feel I am suffering for it though the amount dd feeds and all from me. I am tired can you tell.
Welcome Racers too! Good to see you.
Our BFBS radio has been having an auction tied in with the Market and has raised over £20 000 in the last two days. Amazing.
I forgot to mention the highlight of the Christmas market was Santa arriving on a helicopter! You don't get that every day. He arrived on a fire truck for dd's xmas party last year. Still too warm here for snow you see.
Right I am off...

I'm going back full time for 2 weeks, then having two weeks holiday, and then starting from 3rd Jan i'm doing 3 days a week. I wasn't going to go back until Jan but i'm getting married next year, so i could do with the money, and whats two weeks in the grand scheme of things? Plus the money will pay for the Church so it'll be worth it.

Going to an Anne Summers party tonight. I'm dreading it tbh. Not been out without dp for a long time. It'll be very strange. I can't drink though. Unfortunately. Its 20 minutes drive away! Oh bum!!!

Hope everyone is ok

You are going to an Ann Summers party and not drinking??????

MrsCD - that was my plan but i've been doing it since antenatal threads so obviously not very good!!

evening all
welcome racer
hi trib- bummer with broadband and assorted utilities.

well dd 6 months today, half year birhtday.she is now, thankfully, asleep and i really hope it lasts. making my dinner and planning on feet up until i keel over.

night all, now where is that wine...

Lol KVG - I keep thinking about buying a calendar for myself, it was a rarity where I grew up and I always dreamed about them. So, I thought, Ok i'm grown up now I can just go and by myself one! Then I thought again... well I'll eat all at once anyway - might as well y a nice bar!

Hi McMudda - You have a very good point! I have been wondering the same... I keep hearing people say - well I waited until 6 months and went straight into finger food! But really, DS took 3 weeks to discover he was supposed to swallow the food... Don't think I can just jump into the program for 6 month olds that have 2 months of experience, IYSWIM! Do report on the new AK book if you get it! I though about buying it, but I'm keeping vegetarian, so I'm using Carol Timperley instead. Anyone else raising babies vegetarians?

Welcome Racers!

Oh yes, Trib there is gas as far up as Manchester!
Maybe you just went up a bit too far up north!
Now, seriously, how are you guys keeping warm?! Hope it get sorted out soon!
BTW, how is the new job going?

Blimey how do you all keep up with each other? I tell you now, I will be cr@p at it.

Hello all, thank you for your welcomes

So, what are you all doing for Christmas? We usually spend it at home and sometimes have my parents to stay (DH's are asked but never come). This year we were invited to my sister's - along with mum and dad - so that will be good. DD will be lavished attention by her teenage cousins and grandparents while we have no cooking to do

Love new Xmas names.

DS obsessed with feet, very cute! I'm battling sleep problems trying to get him not to go to sleep via the dreaded booby, but without doing controlled crying.Any advice would be appreciated form the sleep obsessed club. SFX our naps are all over the shop too, and if he doesn't have them he's so miserasble it's not true, he only naps in the buggy, car or my lap (shameflul I know)

Welshie - My weaning's going ok. I'm really crap about doing regular meal times but I'm trying breakfast and teatime ish and he does seem to like everything so far, but particularly Apple, Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash (AK roasted recipe with butter) The latter I can't bare so cannot believe he likes it LOL. None of it is volume based for me it's jsut about tastes and geting used to food not milk. Have also introduced bottle with water at meal times which seems to be working toothough he's not interested in sippy cup yet sadly. Still the bottle's a massive breakthrough for me. Haven't tried it with ebm in yet (I'm still BF exclusively). Also today tried him on a jar ... know lots of people disapprove but I feel I've been really restricted by not managing to introduce a bottle and I'd like to be able to just give him a jar because we're out, stuck somewhere or whatever. Or that someone else can look after him without me having to do everything! Also braved some baby rice mixed with pear for the first time tonight after the porridge discussions here. So thanks all!

KVG - I have toddler meal planner and the Baby purees book, someone gave me one after I'd already bought the other one. If pushed I'd choose the meal planner because it will last past the purees and still has tons of mush recipes.

2Many - iad a blocked duct earlier this week and after a days hard massing etc it went away, it was only afterwards I realised Id just sat in our sitting room rubbing my boobs without a care in the world, what must the neighbours think!

Hi Racers - I think I've seen you elsewhere. Welcome!

Would be fascinated to know details of any routines for the Junie babes. What time youget up, go to bed, nap, feed etc.

Can't get over Santa in a helicopter. someone needs to tell Rudolph he's lost his job.

lua (for I assume it is you) and KVG, not to worry. We still have gas fire in living room and also two excellent Swedish electric heaters, so we were fine. Gas man has returned and all is now toasty warm chez Trib.

Haven't started "new" (yet old) job yet Lua, that's Monday's treat. I have been put on [LIPPY CLOSE YOUR EARS] Choose and Book - have been assuring all my doctor friends (and my GP) that I have nothing to do with this so will be playing it fast and loose from now on.

Still no broadband. Reason for non-appearance on dial-up is only BT socket is on main bedroom windowsill, so have to use laptop perilously perched on a packing case, on rare occasions when either dh or ds is not asleep in here. Not to mention 0845 access number, yikes.

Have abandoned ISP anyway, now they are demanding their "moving house fee" due to us "leaving" them after their masterful move of our service to this address, where it has never worked. Ha ha.

Have fun all!

okay since some of you are doing this any advice? returning to work and breast feeding. have started a seperate thread but al advice welcome

Am going to start dd2 (6months) onto a routine tomorrow, so by the time i go back to work in Jan it should be something like this

7am - brecky with Breast Feed
10am - Bottle EBM
12 - lunch with water
2pm - bottle EBM
5pm - Dinner with water
Breast on demand after that

I will be able to express the morning bottle before work and hopefully the afternoon one at lunchtime. Does this sound reasonable?

Hi Cratchit (what's your usual name?) - I've been around on the odd bf thread as it has been my main area of 'interest'! DD's naps are erratic so I don't think our 'routine' would be of use to you. She feeds roughly at 7am, 10am, 2pm, 4pm, 7pm though. I remember Skyler from the 20wk weaning thread . But I'm not a prolific poster by any means! I tend to steer clear of controversy! Katz, your routine seems like a good plan.

God how annoying are my 'inverted commas' in that posting!

well dd not planning on allowing me to relax

she woke up 3x since she went to bed!!! hope its not a new thing. usually dh settles her in such occasions but he is out tonight.

i use the AK book - feeding your baby and toddler got it on a baby related panic buying binge a week before she was due

am also trying breakfast and afternoon meal sometimes lunch, but for some reason she has been refusing most food for the last few days, extra fussy in other ways too poor poppet.

btw dont think jar is a crime, have a few for emergencies and while out if needed.

routines well not much for timetable

usually wake up between 7-8
some bf then while in bed.

9.30-10 solids
sometime later milk and nap( all 20-30min of it)

12 -1 solids or milk , nap might happen

3-4 milk, or maybe nap here

5-6 solids

bath then milk at 7 or so then bed

as you can see half a*sed parenting but it seems to work for us. thankfully lately she has only been waking up once at some point during night
(she said ignoring last couple of days)

Hi Racers - I'm Twitchet normally. I roam around all over the shop on Mumsnet, lurking alot, contributing sometimes, and nearly always regretting it as I seem to have this amazing knack of killing threads!

Can I ask what time your DD goes to bed and how do you do it? End of the day can be a bit hectic sometimes, partic if it's been a bad nap day. We do naked and nappy free on our bed from six'ish, maybe a bit of calm music before or during, bath for 15 mins about 6.30 and then a breastfeed and then into his cot. Sometimes he goes to sleep and stays a sleep, well occasionally, and otehrtimes snoozes for 45 mins then wakes up and cries and it's obviously not food he needs, but can't get back to sleep without my boob in his mouth! Agghhh!

I love your inverted commas ... my problem is these ... can't remember what they're called now...have nappy brain. But also a big fan of dashes/hyphens.

Good to meet you Racers.

Cratchit, the Christmas name has got me completely fooled!

I'd be interested to know what the AK book says about weaning at 6 months too as I'm not really sure what I should be giving DS2, do I skip the purees or what? I feel like I've made a bit of a rod for my own back here as the going back to work date is looming ever closer and DS2 is still bfed, unweaned and somewhat lacking in routine . Katz, your routine looks pretty good to me, I think I'll copy yours seeing as our babies are born on the same day.

DH is working late tonight and bedtime here has been pretty fraught. Feel like I've earnt my glass (es) of wine and Lindt chocolate after listening to DS2's overtired crying for nearly an hour (did keep going in to try and settle him but nothing worked). Anyone else find it really hard to keep their patience with older siblings when the baby is kicking off? Felt really bad for losing it with DS1 because I was so stressed.

You can tell I haven't spoken to an adult for a while, I'm really wittering on...

Racers, I'll be spending Christmas Day at my sister's too, so no cooking for me for the first time in years yippee

All the very best of luck for Monday Trib. How was your wedding anniversary night out?

KVG, DS2 has got a nasty cold too - bought some Medised after seeing it mentioned somewhere on Mumsnet and it does seem to help his blocked nose a bit, as well as helping him sleep (not as perfectly as Lummox and Welshie's babies but we were only up once last night).

Happy 1/2 year birthday to Sfxmum's DD (and all the other Junies). Can't believe our babies are getting so big! Saw on the December ante natal thread that Sweetheart's baby is due next week

Off to bed now, sleep well all.x

Ahh Twitchet, it was you!

Sounds like you've had similar bed time issues as me tonight. With DS2 he's really hard to settle if he's overtired, but as I find it difficult to stick to a regular nap schedule because I have stuff to do with DS1, he is often overtired by bedtime.

Ah Hi Twitchet - you sound like me. Nearly changed my name to TheThreadKiller recently... (LOL)

Bedtime is the only time we have a clear routine and aim for her to be in bed for 7pm. We start earlier if having a massage and/or bath but if otherwise we'll start from 6.15-6.30 with a wash (plus no nappy time though I try to get that in during the day also), story, then bottle or leave the stories till last if we think she's awake enough.
She's had formula at night since 17wks - I was going to reduce bfs and finish at 6m but haven't actually replaced any more! The bedtime feed was really getting to me - it was taking so long and one time on holiday, 1hr 40mins, was about the last straw! She went through the bottle refusal which worried me but we got over that, at 17wks - maybe she couldn't accept ebm but could with formula? I also used to do the last feed upstairs and pop her in her crib but since we moved her into her own room, quite recently, we've just done it downstairs. She's quite aware that it's time for her 'big sleep' (commas again!) er is that helpful, I feel I've gone on a bit!

Oh re-reading your message - the 45 minute thing is common isn't it? That's the first cycle of sleep where they wake a bit before going into a deeper sleep. We often hear mutterings at 45mins. Would you consider or have you already tried a dummy at this point? I had to break the boob=sleep association and used a dummy in those circumstances. She still does fall asleep on the job for naps but doesn't need it at night and slowly but surely is using the dummy less and less in the night also.