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

[DairyBeetle]

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

Thanks Ali

Dont go unless you need the £ fizz

Fizz how far away from work are you? Can you phone up on Monday morning to see if they remembered then go in if they have?

I meant to say Mrs Wajs I'm at you letting R watch cbeebies... I only let M watch what I'm watching - I'm hoping with so much Homes Under the Hammer she'll become a property tycoon before starting school. And if that fails she'll be on Pointless.

Chilli I know, I did it a few times to begin with so I could put her down and get on with things, I now think she's turning into a bit of a telly addict
It did just used to be what I was watching but I figured Jeremy Kyle might be corrupting her innocent little mind!! I think you know that there's been too much cbeebies on the TV when you're singing the "I can cook" theme tune whilst in the shower!!!

Hi all,

Choca fancy a coffee on Thurs avo around Waterloo? Any others up for it too? C isn't sitting up yet either. He just keeps trying to stand, which is very over ambitious.

Fizz, that's shite! Good idea to call first thing Monday, but I'd probably go in as you'd said you would. Good opportunity to make a huge fuss about it if you're there!

Mrs W, yay for toast! C can't manage toast yet so I'm impressed. We like cbeebies too. And the Baby Einstein DVD, which is fine because it's educational, innit?

Kitty, hope S is ok. Poor you.

ilike, excited about Strictly tonight? I am.

Frak, what a nightmare. Hope you manage to get something sorted. What is the popular method of childcare?

caramel, hope something has worked but I find cooled boiled water makes a big difference.

Oooh, it's so nice and quiet here. C is asleep and DH is on his way back from Oxford (where he went to a gig and had a kebab. Is he single and a student?). I should really be cleaning the house but I am having a nice cup of tea and surfing. So there.

This week DH is going to New York for five days. It's a work trip and they are flying him business and putting him up in the W. It's ok to ask for a divorce over this, isn't it? I am unspeakably jealous.

Mrs W that's probably why I'm avoiding cbeebies - I've enough baby related tunes going round my head as it is... "Five little ducks went swimming one day....."

JoEW you are right! I'll just turn up at 8.30 and if there is nothing doing I'm not staying. I was hoping to get some training onthe new system they were installing just as I left, but I think thats a bit optimistic! I just knew it was going to be like this, huge company but no one actually knows whats going on!

We had a dreadful night with B waking every 2 hours! It's been a while since we've had a night so bad. He's sleeping now though!

F1 quali on, I love it!!

Welcome choca sorry I missed u last time

Jo s is fine in himself thankfully. And yes. I'm jealous for you.

fizz teething maybe? S stops sleeping when Ill or teething!

I'm off out with the girls tonight to 'wet s's head'

Fizz rubbish effort on work's part. Go in and if they've not got anything sorted then don't stay. Hope tonight brings better sleep for you and B.

Sassy yes please! It's only a rubbish local radio effort for the town I come from back home but I'm terrible at reading my own work and have no experience of writing for radio.

Jo most people here use creches but they get booked up way way way in advance and the care isn't that fab. Plus they mostly speak the local bastardised version of French which DH is really against exposing DS to. Good on C for trying to stand

kitty :( on the illness. Hope poor S feels better soon.

MrsW hurrah for the toast! It's a slipperly slope and you'll be finger foods all the way before you know it.

Ooh Fizz that's pants.

Yes Jo, it's grounds for divorce. I'd harumph, a lot.

H just pulled himself forward using his arms while up in his knees, it wasn't exactly a crawl and only lasted two second but it's scarily close!

JoEW just make sure he gets you some goodies from Macy's or the like! MAC make up would be my choice! If no gifts are forthcoming then get thee to the lawyers office :o!!

I'm now nursing an injury which makes looking after B difficult. "Was peeling veg for the soup last night and the peeler slipped and peeled off the top third of my finger nail. Tis bloody sore! Healthy eating is BAD for you!!

Fizz ouch!!

T is having a nap, in his cot! I am hoping he will get to like it in there more and perhaps stay asleep in it for longer chunks at night

Oh. My. God.
R was up EVERY hour last night :(
I am shattered. Think it was a combination of teething and a cold. Hope she sleeps better tonight.

Looks like F's got a tummy bug. Some unbelievable puking. We're on our 5th (I think) outfit.

I can't find the ear thermometer but he doesn't feel hot yet.

I need your tips please!

Are you still BFing? If so then feed as much as possible. Bland diet - banana, rice, apple, toast - and just keep an eye put in case he starts getting very hot and dry or very clammy. Poor you much sympathy and get well soon vibes!

Thanks Frak. I'll panic when the river of drool starts to abate!

Choca I'm in Stamford Hill. Jo I would normally be up for meeting but I'm off to stay with my mum for a few days next week. Next time!

Random question of the day: anyone else's little girls constantly scratching their chuff? I can't keep her hands off it! She's got a lingering nappy rash which isn't too bad but I can never entirely get rid of. The HB has had a look and says it's not fungal. I try to give her as much nappy free time as possible when we're at home to keep the rash at bay, but when she's got no nappy on she's almost constantly scratching herself. The vulgar little tyke.

Happy Sunday, one and all!

Hi ecuse, F and every little boy I know goes for his winkie as soon as his nappy's off. I can't imagine why girls would be any different!

BM didn't stay down frak, I've given him some water.

Any suggestions re bedtime? Should I put him to bed as normal? Move him in with us? (not our bed!)

He seems happy as Larry now (shouting at the cat), just can't keep anything down.

Buck - I would suggest carry on bf'ing, if any has got time to absorb at least he'll get some calories as well as hydration. If he wants to eat, feed him, if he doesn't, just keep offering milk. It's probably a bit late now, but do what makes you feel most comfortable, and what you think is best for ds. It seems obvious, but just go with your gut (no pun intended)

Do you think there is something in the air? ds3 was up every two hours in the night last night. dh was a star and shush patted him, and he went straight back to sleep, but when he woke at 4am he was hungry and I fed him, luckily he went back to sleep again until 7.

There just doesn't seem to be any consistancy with his sleeping. He has a couple of good nights, then it goes downhill again, then better, then worse. Gaahhhh. He is defo the worst sleeper of all 3 boys. You would really think that it would get better wouldn't you?!

Ali - did you convince T that he loves his cot?

Baby I is really moving around the floor via a combination of rolling and banana bending. No sign of crawling yet, however in bed he does lay on his stomach and get his knees underneath him. I could really do without him crawling anytime soon........

Buck - I would BF as much as possible. We had to take DS1 to hospital once with an awful tummy bug, and they said they recommend BM above everything else for a sick baby because it is the easiest thing for the gut to absorb.

ILike - T is a worse sleeper than DS1, which is really saying something. We have the same problem, complete lack of consistency despite the fact that he has his meals within an hour window, and has his bath at the same time every day.
He did have a decent nap today actually, he was down for about 1.5 hours which is v.unusual :)

ecuse - my boys have both gone for their willies from a very early age, I think it is really normal!

T is pulling himself up all over the place, he is getting really fast at it and today he has started cruising from one bit of furniture to the next. I think it isn't helping with the sleeping, because as soon as he starts to wake up he's starting to stand when he is still half asleep. It is a nightmare tbh because he is really wobbly and unsafe!
It does look so, so cute though because he is so little :)

Thanks ILTMI & Ali,

He hasn't vommed since 4 and has had water and about 3 BFs since then. So I'm hoping (really hoping) all the drama is over. He ended up happily taking the water from the bottle. I expected him to be a bit annoyed to find it was only water, but no!

He's been in bed since 7:30, woke once for more milk. I think I'll be able to sleep happy in the knowledge that he won't be dehydrating overnight.

I've rung work already to say I'll be off tomorrow filling him.up with BM. Yr11s are out in maths exams anyway, so not a bad day to miss.

Ali I'm amazed at T cruising already! Do you think he's keen to join in with your older one(s)? Most likely he is just a genius!

Still no rolling here. Although DH swears F does a bum shuffle to reach toys probably because DH is too busy playing PlayStation.

Bedtime I think. Thanks & night all. I'll be back if he kicks off again.

He's just been sick again. Only a little green mucus more than 5hrs after last BF, so not bad. His nappy was a bit damp, so some milk/water has gone into his system.

He's now wide awake though!

Hoping that's the end of it now.

Eugh, I feel like I have hot coal in my throat, lame!

H woke at 1, then at 5.30 full of beans, sigh, he's just pooing now.

I'm a little morose today, late last night we heard an almighty banging and realised police were breaking into the flat next door. A lovely elderly lady lives there and the other neighbours and I have been worried as we've not seen her for a while and she didn't take in her milk delivery twice this week. The curtains have stayed shut and she didn't tell anyone she was going away, which she normally does.

I'm really hoping it's not what I think it might be. She was among the lovely neighbours who were so excited for us and love to coo over H.

Aww cycle I hope it's not what you think it is. How sad.

Buck Hope the worst of the bug is almost over now, can't be nice for you or F.

Ali Can't believe T is cruising furniture already!! DPs nephew walked independntly at around 8-9 months it was totally surreal! In saying that their most recent child is 3 months younger than R and weighs more than her already! We call them the bionic children!

Ecuse R will rummage about when her nappy is off too - not ideal when she's needing her nails cut either!! I'm terrified she's scratching lumps out of herself!

Fizz Ouch!! Hope today hasn't been a complete waste of time at work.

Wonder if it was a full moon on Saturday then with all these babies misbehaving!! I can honestly say that was horrendous, worse than the first night we brought R home from hospital when she was born!!! I'd had a couple of glasses of wine at night and the combination of that and next to no sleep all night made me feel like I'd been out all weekend by Sunday morning!! :(
Last night was thankfully much better. Poor little R's nose is full of snot though and it's getting everywhere!

Still having feeding issues, R is just refusing bottles left, right and centre if there's even a sniff of solid food on the go! On saturday she had a bottle at 7.30am and then refused another one until 5pm!!! That then meant that she wasn't hungry at bedtime so wouldn't take her bottle at 8.30pm and ended up staying up til 10pm - coud maybe attribute that to her not feeling well but she did the same on Friday night too although she refused her bedtime bottle and just went to bed on an empty stomach, meaning she woke to be fed at midnight :( Don't really want to go back to night feeding at 7 months when I haven't been doing it since around 4 months!!

Hello, can I join you all? I have Henry, born at the end of April this year, as well as a 6 year old dd and 4 year old ds.

Buck I hope your baby is better soon

MrsWajs I am with you on the hourly waking shift - I scratched my car on my own front wall today and am sure sleep deprivation was a factor :(

Oops can't write more as he's woken from his (micro) nap... hope to catch up on this thread soon, kids allowing!