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

[DairyBeetle]

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

X posts with you Mrs W.

Have you got a jumperoo or doorway bouncer? I couldn't be without mine now. DD loves it (most of the time) and sticking her in it gives me 10 minutes to whip round the living room, hang the washing out or have a cup of tea. I know that you can pick up nearly new doorway bouncers pretty cheap on Ebay. Might be worth having a look at if you haven't got one?

Yes please star. we are at the copthorne in salford so I know there's loads around the quays. but we'll have so little time a winter or two would be great!

Sore throat has turned into hacking cough. was still up at 2 this morning because I couldn't sleep for coughing. sooooooo tired today.

Poor Fizz, hope you are feeling better for the Manchester jolly.

MrsW, I got a jumperoo on ebay and it's great. C is crap at entertaining himself (limpet child) but I can get a good 20 mins to half an hour in it before he requires his slave's attention again.

Sassy, your post could have been written by one of my best friends when she had her baby. I've watched their relationship unfold (their DD is now 10) and my advice to you is to try to positively encourage your DH to do more. I think quite often with the fathers confidence plays a big part in how keen they are to be involved. If he's trying to do something and you tell him to do it differently it could undermine his faith in his ability. That he always takes her to his or your mum suggests that he's nervous of looking after her himself. You might be reading this and thinking "nope, he's just a selfish, lazy git", and I might be wrong, but is it worth considering? Also, what about saying that you need an afternoon to get your hair done, have a pedicure or somesuch, create a few occassions for him to be in charge when you're not about. Try to accept that DD will probably be better behaved for him (they do that to spite us!) and realise that he is unlikely to ever appreciate quite how tough looking after a baby all day, every day is. If you can get him to do more and create a better balance it might help you to feel better. He's not pulling his weight, you are right to be angry. I would try to sit down and talk about it when you are not already cross about something. I hope that helps.

Go get em, ilike.

It's really useful reading everyone's routines (hats of to ecuse for being way more chilled that I could ever be!).

In case others are finding it helpful, here's mine:

07.00 wakes up and has a bottle
08.00 breakfast. Weatabix and some fruit
09.30 Nap for about an hour
11.30 bottle followed by lunch, or sometimes both together. Usually a puree and some rice cakes or baby biscuits
13.30 Nap for an hour
15.00 Bottle
16.00 Power nap to avoid early evening meltdown, 30 mins, usually out in buggy
15.00 Tea, puree, yoghurt, fruit
18.00 Waybaloo!!
18.30 Bath, bottle bed

I like a routine.

Sassy I can only sympathise and agree with the others on a one to one with your DH. Hope things look better today.

MrsW M has been trying to crawl for at least 6 weeks now and still can't really manage it, other than a caterpillar type crawl on our bed which isn't very effective. Yesterday I noticed she was very slowly bum shuffling too - I think she just can't decide how she wants to move - sometimes it's commando, sometimes trying to get on knees, sometimes trying on feet . She gets very frustrated about not being able to do it and I'm never sure whether to move her when she cries or let her keep trying for a while.
So R might not be on the move soon, though maybe she could get it quite quickly. Can you give her some kind of toy to play with on her front? I also find the jumperoo useful, and we've also got an inflatable ring which M sits in and plays with toys.

There are definitely some restaurants round Salford Quays Fizz. I haven't been down there for ages but off the top of my head, I think that they're mostly round the Lowry Shopping Mall and Lowry Gallery. Think there's a Pizza Express, Cafe Rouge etc. There's also a bar called Lime opposite the Lowry which is alright for a drink. There might well be some more places that have sprung up recently now that some of the BBC staff have relocated to Mediacity.

If you're feeling up for it, I'd suggest getting the tram into town after the game. There's loads more choice in Manchester City Centre. I can recommend some yummy Spanish, Indian and Italian, Steaky type places if you fancy any of them?

Also, it's worth checking Manchester Confidential - it often has come good restaurant offers on it.

Finally, if you do venture into town and want a special birthday treat, go for a cocktail in Cloud 23 in the Hilton on Deansgate (you can't miss it, it's the tallest building in Manchester). The bar is on the 23rd floor (hence the name) and has amazing views by day over Manchester, out to the Peak District, Cheshire etc. I'm thinking that it'd be really cool tomorrow night with it being firework night. Think it's meant to be clear in the north west, so not only will you see the city all lit up, you'll be able to see all the fireworks that are going off for miles around.

Thank you so much for all the advice/reassurance. I feel so much better just knowing I'm not alone. I talked to dh this morning when he got home from work and ironed a few things out so fingers crossed.

Glad things are going in the right direction Sassy

Well, no resolution at the small claims court. The Judge didn't want to hear the case, so mediation is the next step (even though I had agreed to this earlier and the our old tenant didn't - grrrrrrrr). I somehow held my Tongue through it all, but evrytime I hear or see that bloody woman I feel the urge to spit vitriol. She has never grown up and argues like a child, you just can't reason with her. I don't see mediation working tbh as she thinks she is totally in the right and won't bend. Of course I totally think I am in the right!, but will bend to get a resolution, but I won't have the piss taken out of me.

Ah well, Chinese takeaway tonight with a glass of wine, glee and dh. I may even crack open the Christmas Baileys!

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I do have a door bouncer but getting her in it on my own is a bloody nightmare, she does like it when she's in it though. A jumperoo is on the Christmas list, although I'm beginning to think she might be getting too big for it by then?? And my mum has a ring thing and a baby einstein at her house which she got from a fellow granny friend so I might comandeer the ring for here, but leave the einstein at hers as it's handy to have when we're there!!

Chilli Hope R follows M's lead and takes her time with the crawling! It's definitely frustration causing the tantrums. She keeps rolling over in bed now too and getting her feet stuck, not sure a toy to play with while on her front will help she still just gets annoyed. Caught her trying to pull herself up onto her car seat this morning because it happened to be within reach!!!

Glad you managed to have a chat Sassy, hope things improve for you.

Ali, I meant to say, I loved your notion of the morning bottle/milk being like a cuppa . I can't start my day till I've had my tea.

Ilike, what a drag. I was a landlady for a couple of years and it drove me mental. And that was with nice tenants. Hope you get it sorted. Enjoy the take-away and booze!

I have (another) group question. How many babies are still not sitting independently? C doesn't and at our last appointment I was told that if he wasn't sitting in 4-6 weeks (so a couple of weeks from now) we should get the wheels in motion for physio. I was quite surprised and have been trying to get him to sit since. He just doesn't fancy it and tried to either lie down or, if I am holding him, stand up. He loves standing and can bear weight on his legs really well. Interested to know if that's strange. He is 6.5 months, corrected.

Thanks ladies. I am always asking qs about development!

Joew L still isn't sitting up by herself but no one has suggested its anything to worry about. I've seen babies her age and older that aren't either so guess she'll do it when she's ready.

Jo P has been sitting up unaided for about a month, so since she turned 5 months. However she's the only one of the 6 month old babies from baby group who is sitting up independently. She was later to roll than some of the others though, so I think it's swings and roundabouts really.

I thought the NHS book said babies could start sitting up anytime up to about 8 months?

Jo is sitting ish at 27 weeks. Has been for a while but she keels over after a few seconds. Getting gradually longer but I certainly can't leave her sitting alone. No healthcare professionals have ever asked me about it.

Hahahaha at being called chilled out. LAZY is what that is.

It seems ages since I posted but I have been reading!

Sassy I hope the talk with DH helps. I've found that my DH is much more sympathetic now he has S all day once a week and knows that between 8am and 6pm he's on his own! This evening I got back at 5.30 and DH was snoozing on the sofa by 6...think he's finding full days of solo parenting a bit tiring!

Ilike Boo for no resolution, hopefully the mediation will either work or get over and done with quickly.

And thank you for talking about Cole, we made a donation too.

MrsW R seems to be at the stage S was a few weeks ago. This past weekend I suddenly realised that he can properly play now and can keep himself entertained for a good half hour sometimes. Though I agree the bad tempered i-want-to-but-can't-yet winge/cry is horrid!

Fizz Hope you have fun in Manc-land (just remember things are so much nicer the other side of the Pennines )

I'm really hoping to get some housework done this weekend (pathetic weekend or what?!). With work and S still not sleeping well (reverse cycling is evil, he's still not taking more than 4oz of milk while I'm at work, usually less) I'm crashing as soon as he's in bed so I'm behind with the washing and there are areas of the house that are filthy Think I'll have to get some wine for tomorrow evening as an incentive!

DH and I also need to have a good talk about what we'll do if we have to move for his work. He's applying for jobs to stay in the same dept, and there are some in Durham and Cambridge but there are also some in Melbourne. I liked Australia when we visited but it's just so far away...

Then again I'm feeling rather dissatisfied with my work at the moment so a move might not be such a terrible thing. My maternity cover, who is a lovely bloke and very good at the job is going to run an important event. 7 months in the job and he's been given more responsibility than I've had in 2 years. Bit of a kick in the teeth, especially as I've gone back to find that all the big stuff I was working on has either been dropped, side tracked or taken over by someone else Meh, it's the weekend, I'm going to try and forget about for now and look at some pretty slings instead aka 'Sling Porn' as DH has christened it...

(sorry for the mamouth post!)

R still can't sit totally unaided, she's getting there but the balance is still a wee bit off. Is he making attempts to try and sit if you help him? If so I wouldn't be too worried. R didn't start rolling until last week at nearly 6.5 months so I think they all just develop at different rates.

x-posts Beetle I live in hope that in a few weeks time R will also be entertaining herself solo!!

Also - question for the room - how the hell do you get banana stains out? Or - better yet - stop it staining in the first place?? We've only been doing this two weeks and there are black marks on everything!

at sling porn Beetle

Food stain wise, I try and rinse everything out whilst it's still fresh and then chuck it in the Nappy bucket with a load of Napisan.

The bucket has never been used for it's intended purpose. I bought it with good intentions when Pg with DS as I was going to use reusables. However, due to the amount of laundry a reflux baby can produce I never quite got round to changing from the disposables. .

If I'm doing BLW with P I use long sleeved elasticated bibs and put an extra one of DS old milk bibs on top to catch the worst, they are all going a lovely shade of orange but they keep most of it off the clothes apart from when she decides to sit on it for later.

P was 7 months on monday and doesn't roll that much and has only recently started sitting with support. She will quite happily backstroke her way along the entire length of the lounge though. This is where DS comes into his own as if i'm out the room I can shout and ask him for regular updates of "where's Phoebe" Answers: "on her mat", "on the floor" "by the chair" "under the trampoline", at which point I figure I'd probably better go and put her back on the mat again. . She can support herself sitting for a very short time but you've got to catch her when she launches herself at DS topples over.

There's still no sign of any teeth here either, I know technically they can chew with there gums but I can't bring myself to give her her chunks of meat or hard food like cucumber until she has a chance of biting it.

DS had some teeth by this age so it was easier. It must be a case of PSB (precious second born)

ecuse - you have to rinse the banana off in cold water, otherwise you get those black marks. Then it can go in the wash.

It will come out eventually after the 1000th wash

Quick question for those of you who have af again! When it returned, was it as before eg every month or was it more frequent to start with. Mine has come back in last couple of months but seems to be every week and a half to two! I'm thinking it might be an incompatibility with the pill I'm on but have nothing to compare with?

Sassy - my period always came back to every 30 days, but heavier than usual for the first few cycles. I should imagine there is a huge range of what is normal post birth, but if things haven't changed within a few months I would probably go and see the GP and start taking an iron supplement straight away. There is also a great reflexologist where I live who specialises in woman's health and does hormone balancing post birth, maybe there is oe in your area, if you believe in all that!

Banana is the work of the devil when it comes to stains. I double bib like Gache. matalan sell the long armed bibs for a decent price.

Dairy - come join me in East Anglia! I'm 30 miles from Cambridge . tis crap about your ML cover being given more responsibility than you ever were. I remember things like that happening to me at work and it pissed me off right royally. I never worked whether it was because my face didn't fit, because I was more than capable.

The Christmas Baileys remains intact. I had one glass of wine and it sent me to sleep by 9 last night

Beetle that is rubbish :( Is it a question of sexism being alive and well in your work place do you think?

Sassy I can't remember what happened with my periods after I had DS1. They must have come back at some point, but I've always had really irregular periods because of my PCOS so I think I'm a bit lax about keeping track of them! There is no sign of them at the moment.

ILike the situation with court sounds a nightmare, and what a waste of everyone's time. Hope you can get it sorted :)

We had a decent night here. T went down at 8.30, woke at just after midnight for a feed, and then only once more until 7am! And he went back in his cot really easily both times, no hour of being awake. Yay!

sassy hope ur ok. Have you been able to talk to dh? My dh still goes out too much for my liking. His mum said I need to lay the law down esp as I'm back at work in a week.

iltmi can u evict her?

Jo I think ignore them. He gas plenty of time.

S hS slept thru 2 nights in a row. Whoop.

Went to the nct sale this am. love a bargain!

In hotel room. room service ordered. thank you for the recommendations star but we are both knackered so decided just to veg in our pjs. then sleep sleep sleep!!

Afternoon all!

ILTMI It was lovely to hear all about Cole, thanks for sharing. It's lovely to think his influence on the world continues on.

Sassy sorry to hear what a hard time you've been having. If it helps, I'm glad to have gone back to work full time. I know I'm not cut out to be a full-time SAHM. DH and I sharing care of F equally has worked out beautifully for us (except that it's rarely the 3 of us together, but we're ok!). He's always been great, but got even better when he started looking after F by himself 2 days a week!

No AF here, but I've had some cramps this week, so bought my new moon cup today!

Since stopping pumping at work my mik supply has seriously declined. Which is a little bit sad, but fully expected. But, finally, F has taken a 4oz bottle of formula from me this afternoon! (he wouldn't normally entertain the idea of anything other than boobs when I'm around)

Sassy I really hope you're ok. Sometimes think the same here.

ILTMIMI I hate it when people take advantage of others in an entitled way. I hope you find a way out of it.

Fizz Enjoy the land of my birth! :)

I went into town yesterday.

F had an almighty screaming tantrum (lasting quite a long and embarrassing time!) whilst finding a table so I took both children out of the cafe and then had a chat outside whilst the staff looked on through the full glass window front. When I asked F if he understood he said "Yes mama, in food". I went back inside everyone watching with my face glowing red F ran ahead back to the table sat on a chair and I kid you not shouted "Shhhhh QUIET...food!" :) It was the first time ever that he seemed to understand me telling him off and responded in a sensible way. He did spend no joke half an hour refusing to leave the ikea toy section and running off every time I held his hand and started walking later on the day but I'm rather glad that earlier in the day e seemed to get it :)

I had my eyebrows threaded by a new lady and she has almost completely removed them altogether but oh well nevermind I can grow them out again there was at least the morning triumph