April 2011 - Hello Grindstone. Nose here, reporting for duty.

[DairyBeetle]

Plumps comfy pillows, shakes warm fluffy blankets, passes them round, sleeps

Well the person I have sent my SS to will open it immediately, because like a total idiot my brain was just thinking 'parcel' rather than 'Christmas present'. So the wrapping is the jiffy bag. I also had to write my name on the outside for the customs declaration which rather gives it away all round!

Ali!! I had to rewrap mine for the exact same reason! I didn't think about the customs thingy! Oh well, we were all going to try to guess anyway!

I sent my SS on Saturday, so that should be on it's way already.

I put baby I in his brothers old car seat last week and he is a different baby in the car now. He is so much happier and drops off to sleep a lot easier, rather than crying himself to sleep which is what happened before. It is forward facing and we keep it on full recline which I believe is safer than upright if we are involved in an accident. We also have one of the more robust makes of car, so that makes me feel a little better too.

Is anyone else's little one not that interested in breastfeeding in the daytime? He likes it for comfort when he's tired but it just doesn't seem to sustain him for long anymore. I think I might have to start introducing a mid afternoon snack. Our food bills are going through the roof .........

ILike - I've done that with T. He has something at 3.30ish when DS1 does now and it makes for a calmer dinner time.

DD normally has some food about 10.30/11ish as she then sleeps through 'lunchtime', if we're out & i've remembered snacks she has one in the afternoon too, if we're at home I often forget and just BF her

I know her BF demands have dropped as I don't wake up engorged anymore - about time too 7 months in!
I may possibly start to lose some weight now - have 2 stone to get to ideal weight

It's blowing a gale here at the moment. The wind is howling outside. I suspect it might wake P up tonight if it continues like this. We had a marginally better night last night though, so hopefully I'll cope!

DD is definitely taking less and less milk at each feed. I've was uncomfortable all day today until she had her bedtime feed. She's already dropped her post lunch BF and suspect it won't be long until she drops another one.

Is there any particular order in which it's recommended that we drop feeds? For some reason I'd imagined that I'd drop the mid morning one next but am now wondering if it would be better to drop the mid afternoon one instead. P eats a really good solid breakfast and lunch but is never as keen on tea. I'm wondering if it's because tea is sandwiched between two milk feeds? She never really takes that much mid afternoon but I think I would have to replace the BF it with some sort of snack.

Evening all! :)

Had a hectic weekend as it was baby R's christening on Sunday! It was a great day, only ruined by me somehow developing a pretty severe urine infection literally during the church service!!! Was fine when we first went in, the service went on for quite a while as it's the run up to Christmas etc and by the time we left I was desperate for the loo - went to the toilet in the church hall, then went again when we got to the hotel and then again about 5 minutes after that, by which time I was starting to think something was up. By the time I went again (about 10 minutes after that!!) I was passing blood!! So ended up having to leave our wee reception and going to the minor injuries unit for antibiotics!! I'm never bloody ill and of all the days for something like that to happen it would be on R's christening day!! Needless to say it kinda ruined it for me as I spent the rest of the day downing pints of water and going to the toilet 5 times an hour! We never got many pictures done either a) because I wasn't there half the time and b) because R was teething something chronic and wouldn't stop gurning all afternoon :( Eeee never mind, was a good day all the same and R was really good in the church and was completely spoiled with gifts etc.

Oh and after getting my nails done last week with DPs voucher (got extensions as a treat because I can't normally with work) one of them came clean off last night! The woman in the shop told me there would be no way on earth they could come off without her specially removing them - one can of coke later and ping - off it went! Going back in tomorro to complain, the others are now looking a bit dodgy too :( Typical.

I'm full of christmas cheers today aren't I!! On a positive note our tree is now up and my SS gift arrived today so I can hopefully get it wrapped and posted tomorrow. What is this customs declaration thing all about? I've never heard of it before.

Re: car seats, we hadn't considered an ERF seat and I doubt we'll be getting one now that I've checked the price of them.I know that sounds terrible and I shouldn't put a price on R's safety but we really can't afford it. However, I'm guessing R weighs about 18lbs or so just now so still small enough to stay in the baby seat a bit longer yet.

Oh Mrs W - passing blood? Eeek. That sounds painful. Really hope you're ok and that it didn't ruin the day for you. Typical how these things happen just when we could most do without it.

MrsW - about the christening. How is your dad?

I don't think it matters what order you drop feeds, just go with whatever suits you and your baby. With T I find it depends what we're doing, but I am roughly steering him towards dropping the ones in the middle of the day so that I can start to go out in a proper bra and clothes without buttons down the front! So for now he still has one about 30-45 minutes after breakfast, and then sometimes not another one until around 3pm. He is very good with a beaker though and can drink from it himself so he has water with his lunch to make up the fluids.

Spoon mastery here today, fed himself shepherd's pie if we loaded the spoon for him. That is a good thing because increasingly he will not let us feed him so we've been a bit restricted to things that can be made into finger food.

Whinge away MrsW I find it's like therapy! I hope you are making a speedy recovery.

SS parcel posted today, but I didn;t have to fill in a customs dec. I have in the past but maybe that was recorded delivery.

Dad and DH are sitting watching the football and I am bored! I'm actually considering going to bed! Bodes well for when B is bigger and football daft like his dad! I'm going to have to have more kids to make sure at least one of them will keep me company!!

Hope you've got some Cranberry juice/Cranberry supplement MrsW, they make your wee less acidic so less stingy!

Glad I'm nit the only one desperately racking my brains about a car seat. H is about 20lb now but so long it's getting a bit tricky. We don't have a car so need one that belts into other cars but also I'm dreading changing seats as the current one clips onto our pram chassis and the next one won't

Am waiting on 8am to call the GP, H woke up with horrendous, sudden onset nappy rash that's all blistered. He's also got a rash by his mouth so I'm wondering if it's impetigo... Hmmmmm

Cycle it is a pain losing the convenience of clipping them onto the pram straight from the car, or being able to carry them in the seat.

Fizz you need to train B. My two like to watch Strictly with me

When b had hand foot and mouth his bum really blistered too.

Has h got any little spots on his wrists or smiles?

Ankles not smiles must proof read!

How's H doing now Cycle? What was the verdict from the doctors?

We had another crap night, with another two hour wake up and screamathon between 12 - 2. I'm finding it incredibly frustrating. She slept for 5 hours either side of the wake up, so she can do it. I wish I knew what was going on with her.

She's going crazy every time I put her down in the cot - rolling over, sitting herself up, trying to crawl (all inside the grobag). No wonder she can't sleep. Has anybody else experienced this and if so, any tips on dealing with it?

I hope H is ok Cycle.

I wish I had answers for you Star. I was terrible for waking himself up by moving around in his cot, and it seems to happen in patches. Which makes me think it's developmental 'stuff'.

It's my birthday today - hooray. But I don't feel so good and I think I am coming down with something - boo. We were going to go out for a family meal at dinnertime, but we've changed the plan toDomino's once the boys are in bed. Rock and roll!

Its not hand, foot and mouth thankfully but GP agreed it looked nasty so we've got some (rather stinky) cream to put on it. H cries as soon as I put him near the changing table as it's so stingy

Happy Birthday ILike You are 21 aren't you Dominos sounds yummy and it's twofortwosday!

Poor H Cycle, B like his bath when is bum was sore with the HFM. Nothing in it just warm water.

Buck very of you meeting Tim Minchin. His is my absolute favourite. I'm trying not to play it too often as it makes me blub.

Got my SS present in the post today! Hooray! Posting mine tomorrow.

I think S is fine in the 0 carseat for now. She's not 13kgs and her head isn't above the top so I think it's ok to leave her in it isn't it? I remember having no idea when I was supposed to move DS up too. I seem to have a brain-can't-compute when it comes to car seats.

MrsW that sounds hideously painful.

Is H ok now Cycle?

Ooh, sounds nasty cycle. F's had nappy rash recently. Not sure why, he seems fine with it, fortunately.

Aussie he played that one with Brian Cox accompanying him on the piano! Beautiful!

The car seat we're getting is a "from birth" one anyway, so we can move F to it as soon as it arrives.

Get well soon MrsWajs. BTW a customs declaration only has to be filled out if you are sending a parcel to far and distant shores .

My secret arrived on Saturday, I did not, no I absolutely did not read the customs slip to see who had sent it . I hid it in the top of the wardrobe before DS could spy it and rip it open so it's still sealed in its jiffy bag and there it will remain until Christmas day.

Happy Birthday Ilike, hope the pizza's good, I won't ask what you're planning for dessert!

Car seat wise, P will have DS old one, despite the fact he's worn the cover bare in patches because he never sits still . I'm not too worried about it being front facing, the speed limit here is generally 25mph, and the maximum 35mph. There aren't really any long straight roads so I very rarely get to use 4th gear and I've never managed to get to 5th.

Cycle Hope little H's improves with the stinky cream.

I wouldn't worry about the next car seat not being transferable into the buggy, they'll soon be too heavy to move like that without doing your back in. .

Morning all,
Sorry, I've been reading and not posting. Hopefully my SS should arrive at it's destination in the next couple of days. It's my birthday today :) and we're off out for lunch (baby meltdowns permitting) but first off to BF group, or at least the cafe for a brew, not sure DH really wants to join BF group! :o

Did I mention we have crawling? She finally cracked it at the weekend.

Hurray for stinky cream, boo for me catching a mix of tonsillitis, cold and tummy bug. Eugh.

It seems every time I'm on MN I have a new moan, sorry girls but I feel like hammered shit on a hot road.

We're still debating the car seat options but I think we too will have to go forward facing when the time comes. H has amazing head and neck control and is very strong, I just hope that makes a difference. Money is really tight so importing one just ain't an option.

I LOVE the phrase "hammered shit on a hot road" Cycle Never heard it before but I think it's applicable to me too at the moment!! Hope H's sore bits are getting better with the stinky cream. Poor soul.

Chilli Yay for crawling, R is now making attempts at getting the knees up and pushing up on her arms but that's about it for now thank god

GGF I realised that after I googled it and then realised that I maybe shouldn't have asked and brought attention to those who had to complete them!!
Are the roads really like that in Guernsey? You never use 5th gear?

Happy belated birthday for yesterday ILTMI Hope the pizza was good.

Star Sorry I've no advice to offer on your situation, R went through a brief phase of constantly rolling over in bed but seems to have stopped it again, so maybe just one of those things you'll have to ride out? Not ideal when you're all sleep deprived though.

Well as for me, my lovely UTI reared it's ugly head again this morning (5.30am to be precise) and I now feel as bad as I did on Sunday all over again :( and that's after 2 days of antibiotics!! R woke up at 6.30am, which seems to be the new time of choice for getting up , so am fecking knackered and feeling shit - excellent!! Tried to phone GP surgery for an appointment and was told there were none left, nor were there any phone appointments and that I'd have to phone back tomorrow, cue me going ballistic down the phone and then crying (not cool) about how much discomfort I was in. Duty Dr phoned me back 5 minutes later and so now I have another prescription for different antibiotics to take for nother bloody week! Ugh!! I'm so over this already.

R is teething again :( and still has no teeth!!!! Is she the only one left with none? I've started singing "all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" to her in the hope that it might coax one through

SS parcel posted, apologies for my wrapping skills! Didn't factor in the shape v's wrapping aspect when I was buying it!

No teeth here either, both boys had lots by now!