September 2011 babies are rolling into 2012

[ssmileWithFairylights]

Hello in new thread come over and chat part two from the September edd babies arriving thread.
Just watched strictly dancing final part one but can't keep eyes open for part two so off to bed now will watch.it tom. Sleep well.....zzzzz

Morning! How was your night jimmi?

Bit of a disturbed night here, but we discovered a sharp little tooth stub yesterday, and he was very keen to have something to chew on (at 05.30am!) so I'm guessing we'll have some teething issues for a few days. Happy lad though, I do love the squeals he is making at the moment (combined with him having finally found his feet with his hands, it is a very sweet picture). He is currently doing a bizarre goldfish impression - silent, but clearly practising a new movement.

It wasn't us with the bottle issues - DS has had a bottle feed since the very early days, though then it was ebm and now he is exclusively forumla fed. I have been b/feeding for comfort for a few weeks, but that is getting less too. In fact, DS is dropping milk intake now that he is on 3 meals a day. Still has around 20ish oz but this has dropped by at least 8oz over the past 3 weeks.

We're planning a bluebell walk next week as they are just starting to come out around here. In fact, we joined the local Wildlife Trust recently and I have been really surprised by how many reserves, woodlands etc there are around here. We have an excellent backpack carrier since DS got too big for his Bjorn, and he loves watching the world go by from his elevated position! He also gets much admiration and coos from passing ladies, which he encourages with big smiles. Just like his father, ha ha.

Sorry for essay. Hope the colds disappear soon (DS has yet another viral rash as a result of exposure to DH cold, but not the cold itself) and the transfer to own rooms is a success. Aren't they growing up fast?

Happy Wednesday - and enjoy the Apprentice!!

Hope your night went ok jimmijam sounds bit hardcore for me though.

Lovely sunny day ere if you dodge the odd downpour, spent morning outside at park wearing out DD1. DH away for 3days :( will miss him as we had nice time together over Easter break, plus eldest gets up normally at least once a night so coping with babe too, going to be tiring.

Hope you enjoy your walks tiddly I've just got our backpack out of the loft so we can try it out with babe in. Needs a clean first as been stored for 3yrs, but be nice to do bit of coastal path walking as our eldest is good now will do 3miles+ with abit of icecream encouragment :)

I'm fascinated to know whether holding off on the night feeds worked Jimmi. I've been wondering whether I can start doing similar with DD but she's still doing two big feeds during the night so I don't think she's quite ready yet. Plus she's still in our room and spending half the night in bed with me so perhaps we'll just do one step at a time!

BLW is all very well but ime they don't get as much food down them as spoon-feeding, and DD hates being spoon-fed so I guess I'm just going to have to soldier on through the night feeds and being back at work full time for a few months

I am quite lucky though in that DH has managed to get DD drinking formula or EBM from a cup when I've been doing my KIT days. She won't drink made-up formula though, only the ready-made from a carton DS was much harder with a bottle; we had to sit him in his bouncy chair in front of the tv! I worried less about it with DD and figured that she wouldn't starve when I was working and she and DH just worked it out between them.

Well DS refused formula again tonight but did have some last night then DH woke him at 10 and he had some some more so I only fed at 12.30, 3.30 and 5 ish. Is still awake as keeps coughing and waking himself up - poor snotty love. Will try formula later....

Crap night up every hour from 12.30-5.30 am now hanging with both girls to look after :( Ho hum hoping for better tonight as I can't kick this cold either constant sore throat last 10days gotta love half terms!

Also getting worried abit about how I'm going to wean Lo off breastfeeding. With DD1 I had set fed times so I just dropped one fed at a time swapping over the formula in a cup fully by 9mths. This one I've just fed on demand and even thou demand is dropping the number of times I feed isn't. So instead of 10min she has 2-3mins at 9.30&11.30 and big feed around 2pm. I had really wanted to wean her off breast feeding by 9-10mths but I'm not sure how we gonna get there. Oh well guess I gotta keep trying with milk in a cup as she likes water and Apple juice in a cup but just small amounts.

Ssmile - you are me and I am you (except you have 2 LO) Was up all last night too and was chatting to friends today about weaning of bf as DS snacks rather than feeds most of the time and am not sure he is getting enough really but does have 3 meals a day. I think I look for excuses to stop feeding though as I do love it and it has many practical advantages but think it would help sort his sleep out if he went longer between feeds, snacks and meals.
He took 4oz of formula from me tonight and is asleep so shall see how long it lasts.
Feral how did you do last night?

candr I stopped BF my first at 9mths but I'd been back at work 6wks and we were down to feed at bedtime and morning, plus overnight comfort, I actually got awful Noro virus and lost all my milk for 3days which forced the issue but I found working and BF really hard going. But stopping didn't help the overnight sleeping issue at all, so if you enjoy it I'd carry on. I suspect I will prob just drift on until I'm forced to tackle it :) however it would be nice to get ME back as I just don't feel sexy with milky boobs :) plus it takes a lot of personal energy to BF which I don't think you realise until you stop fully.

Bloomin hope for better sleep tonight I'm knackered and I've just made 20cup cakes and a Victoria sponge in the oven cooking. It's DD1 big birthday party Sat, twenty five yr olds so I'm cake icing tom, and sandwich making.

Ye gods ssmile, that will be seriously noisy but hopefully lots of fun. You will hve sandwiches coming out of your ears by this time tommorow. Sending sleep dust your way as soon as I have doused DS in it

Hope it all goes well - any spare cupcakes gratefully received!

We have friends over for dinner this eve & I feel a bit bewildered as to how I am possibly going to shop, cook, prepare & get myself ready for their arrival. Pre-DS they were the sort of mates you end up fairly merry pissed with, still talking at 3am. Question is, can I stay awake beyond 11pm & still function? Teething again here (second lower) and thus nights are a bit of a gamble. He woke with an almighty shout at 4.50 last night.

Anyway, sun is shining (for now) & I have stuff to do!

Happy Friday :o

Thanks tiddlypom made me smile as feelin bit crap this morn after yet another bad night. Thankfully party is at local hall so my house descend into a tip today and it doesn't matter too much :hope you have gd time with your friends TP :o

If it all gets too much ssmile just think:

'what would Kiefer do?'

I'm sure the kids will have a terrific time!

(really hope you can grab a nap on Sunday too)

SO I've changed my ringtone to purp purp like 24, I've practiced rolling on the floor under the table with my hands in pointy finger styley and done a mean kick box leg to open the door (with hands in pointy pretend gun position) but nope....hasn't helped get the cakes finished.:o has made us all giggle though. :) glad DH is back tonight so at least I hope to get a nap sun, but he will be exhausted too as been working vlong days in London.

Right back to prep as just stuffed in sarnie....

Extremely proud of myself in one hour and ten minutes I've iced 20 cakes, iced a second large Dora birthday cake, and made twenty sandwiches cheese &ham, bagged them all with a mini sausage &cherry tomatoes :) as you can guess babe was asleep the whole time, now I've sat down with a cuppa she waking up....no rest for us 24girls daadoom phew think I'm done now on the party prep. I'm never doing one of these class parties (on the cheap hence I've done everything) again!

Ooooo, can I come?

Well Done ssmile

Polishing my medal :o :o

at CTU agent Ssmile.

Nights here are a bit all over the place; on Weds I decided I'd see what happened if I just left DD to settle herself after feeding her at midnight-ish. Two hours and a massive battle of wills later, I admitted defeat and DD ended up in my bed, attached to my boob, happily snoring away. Last night I was so knackered I didn't even bother trying so DD was in bed with me from 2am.

Tonight she was being a PITA and biting me during her last feed so I put her in her cot and left her to settle herself which she did after 10 mins of belly-aching so it's not as though she can't do it. I felt evil leaving her but I had school work I had to finish for Monday and I hadn't had any dinner and DH is out so couldn't help.

I'm back at work on Monday and am feeling very about it. I just keep thinking about how it's the end of a really important time in all of our lives and I probably won't ever get the chance to spend this much time with my kids ever again. I'm really going to miss my afternoons with DS and not having anything to think about apart from him and DD.

I spent the whole day yesterday working and as a result yesterday evening was a nightmare with both DCs over-tired and miserable, DS playing up and DH getting thoroughly hacked off with both of them. It just made me feel really really crap about going back and knowing that I'm going to have to put my job first sometimes. I've never thought it before but I really wish that we could afford for me to be part time. And of course DD isn't sleeping through and so that's going to make it doubly hard as teaching is bloody exhausting even when you're getting a proper night's kip.

So I am basically just feeling crappy all round atm

Hope you're all a bit cheerier and that DD1's birthday is great Ssmile.

Super tired after lovely eve but wanted to make sure ssmile got her medal & couldn't leave without giving feral a big hug.

Will post again when sober awake.

feralgirl big hugs for work its SO very hard to leave the Los. I hope it gets easier as you all get used to your new routine.

I'm doing 4days when I go back and quietly dreading it at the moment but its not till Aug, but I'm really really hoping after a year I can get it to 3days as I find that gd balance for my personal ying/yang.

Lo was star last night after a few horrid nights she fed at 10pm, 2am and is still asleep! I've been awake since 6am my head whirling :) this kinda of night I love, after last night I was seriously contemplating sleep training next wk once DD1 back at school, as I'd had enough.

Tiddly - I had an old uni mate stay over last night and felt a bit bad crashing out at 11 while he stayed up watching TV, he then was up at 6.30 with me as LO decided to start shrieking like a dying parrot when he woke up as he wanted to play. Not like the old days when that is the time we would have 'gone' to bed
Ssmile - well done you, sounds like a mammouth operation. Was hearing the '24' theme tune when reading your post [frin] Long may your good nights continue, am very
Feral, my night was like yours. I have one good night where I get him to settle without picking up and back in crib after feeds so allow myself a glimmer of hope that we have turned a corner then it is back on the boob cuddled up in bed with me. I don't know how I am going to get the energy to sort this out and get him to drop feeds and wake less.
Jimmi - how has it gone with LO in own room? I am eagerly waiting for you to say it was brill and LO slept through cause it is just that easy. Love the idea of a video monitor but DH says no.

tp & candr hope you both had good nights with friends.
We found within a year of having DD1 our friends most definitely sat in two camps BC (before kids) and AC (after kids) . Our DD1 hardly slept so we lost touch with lots of BC friends as they didn't have children or if they did they were angels who slept 12hrs by 6wks and just couldn't understand why we had turned into zombie hermits who just sleep walked through everyday utterly exhausted barely socialising. But the lovely thing about kids is you do get the opportunity to meet lots of other parents and we have slowly built up a newer network of friends with kids. I'm SO looking forward to a few warmer afternoons so we can get the BBQ out it makes it much easier to socialise when kids can run around the garden :) &us oldies can enjoy glass wine

Lo was ok again last night she did wake 10pm, 12.30 ignored her but by 1am I fed her but then she woke 4am so I tried 10sec cuddle and put down she resettled till 5am so I tried again, had to do 2cuddles with 5min crying in-between but she went back to sleep quickly after and slept till 7.45am :o so I'm pleased she actually went 1-7.45 with out a feed, for third night in a row.....hope it continues

Ssmile, we've got a similar situation; we were pretty much the first of all our friends to have kids and felt a bit isolated for a year or so but now they've all got them too and we see people a bit more!

Just on to say it's first day back tomorrow and I'm alternating between being OK and absolutely dreading it. I have done as much organisation as I possibly can and am just hoping that I get some kip tonight. Since DD has just woken up and is now howling I am guessing probably not. DH is just sitting and twatting about with his iphone so I guess it's up to me to go and settle her.

So I'll see you all on the other side; this time tomorrow I will be officially off maternity leave

Hi folks.

Sorry I've been AWOL for a little while. Moving LO through to her own room wiped everything out of me as she was not sleeping any better and instead of just kind of co-sleeping and her going off really well she would fall asleep on me and then just wake as soon as I put her down so I ended up spending loads longer awake and I just had no energy for much at all. Physically going to a different room also made it seem 10 times worse, and meant i was awake loads longer after a feed. I'm very sorry. Anyway. LO is still in her own room, despite me saying I'd move her back through if it was no different. Friday night was the worst night ever, in fact I think worse than when she was newborn, I think I had half an hour sleep before 3:39 and then she was awake at 6 again! But we saw some friends on sat who I chatted to, and the upshot of it was that I ended up giving LO some baby porridge and we had an ace night last night, only awake twice I think. I half spoon fed half let her put the spoon in her mouth (as per blw that we are doing) but I kind of gave more guidance than I normally do. So I'm trying a bit of supper with her for a while to see if it was a co-incidence or whether it helps her. See she would feed for England when I went through in the night and only once in 2 weeks of her being in her own room (ave of 4 wakings a night at 2 weeks =56 times) did I ever manage to settle her without feeding. Well I'll give the supper a go for a while. Plus last weekend she was ill so I spent 2 nights sleeping either on the floor or in a chair in her room. So it's been a really hard couple of weeks. Keep your fingers crossed for the supper working for us. I'm happy to do a bit of semi spoon feeding alongside blw if she needs it. Also I discovered that bloody draw something game so instead of posting in here on the odd times I had half an hour I ended up drawing pics for a game. How rubbish am I?

Feral sorry that you are off maternity leave as of tonight. :( hope all goes ok for you.

As for everyone else, I hope things are ok, I have read through, but replying would take me forever.

Big good luck hugs feralgirl really hope your day goes ok

100 big hugs too sounds like you really had a rough couple weeks. Really hope the food helps. I've been doing mix of shove in spoon and BLW as babe was really hungry too.

Back to school this morn so mustn't be faffing on my phone must go pack buggy. Have lovely Monday all!

Hi all... sorry haven't been on for a while. We were away last week - went to Haven Caravan park in Pwllheli. Had a surprisingly great time as I was dreading it. Kids had loads to do (fencing, rope challenge, water activities etc etc) and LO gots lots of fresh air with walks etc. So, really good.

However, it's wrecked her very fragile as it was sleeping routine. The first night there she slept really well in travel cot, but then each night got worse. And, since we've got home, she's almost refusing to sleep in her bed. It's like having a newborn again, as OH was cradling her to sleep last night, whilst we watched a bit of TV on the sofa. We finally managed two lots of half hour sleeps in her bed, before she sneezed and woke herself up and thrashed around for ages, and so came in our bed again.

She's fine in our bed... so what's the big difference??? But, in hers, she'll drop off and 10 seconds later wake up and cry. You can see her literally fighting sleep, like she's forgotten how to. (Except now, as she's asleep in her swing).

So back to square one and sleep training again. I know I'm supposed to get her to nap in her bed in the day, but I haven no strength to start today - plus kids still home as it's a teacher training day. And, OH away again this week, so not sure I'll make much headroom with it this week, and I'll give up and have her in with me all week!!

Anyway, wedding plans coming on slowly... although I've put weight on not lost - you'd think I'd have an incentive, but finding it so difficult this time to lose weight. Can't make food for LO, then for kids/OH and then me... but going dress shopping this weekend with friends (YAY) so perhaps having a dress and having to fit into will spurn me on!

Sorry, so much to catch up on, but wanted to say a BIG hugs and good luck to Feral for today - hope all goes well.

And, hugs to 100 - sounds like you having a rough time...

TP - well done on lasting till 11.30 and drinking :) Can't believe I've got a hen weekend in May - I'll be slaughtered on the train after one glass of champers me thinks!!!!

And Ssmile - or AKA Kiefer - well done on b'day party and hope sleep patterns stay good with LO...

I know I'm missing loads more out - sorry...

Sunny day, but soooo cold, and with kids here, think I'll have a quiet day at home!!

Hi all!

Sitting down whilst DS has his lunchtime nap - I have decided to start researching holidays as poor DH is not enjoying work much at the moment and I think it'd help to have a goal in sight. We're planning on a staycation in June and then a week in the sun in Sept. The first has to be self catering and cheap reasonable, and the second I have no idea except that if we fly, we'd want to do so short haul and from B'ham airport. Any recommendations on happy holidaying with a 6-12 month baby?

Ooo, a weekend dress shopping with friends - sebs that sounds lovely, and well deserved whilst you battle the sleep routine...

feral all the best of luck for your first day back at work. Hopefully things will settle down and you'll find a happy balance soon.

100years so sorry that you've had such a hard few weeks. It is interesting that the supper has made a difference and I really hope things improve as a result.
The River Cottage book I spoke about a while back sort of advocates a mixed approach to feeding - i.e. baby-led but with some spoon feeding if this suits. We are doing majority puree, but slowly introducing finger food as he learns to chew & this does mean that I know he is eating well. Except if it's fish, which he currently will not stand for! Mind you, as 100years know from our conversations, I am a control freak routine-loving parent, so this suits us.

Right - off to google baby-friendly bolt-holes.

Have a great week all - and let's hope that ssmiles success with sleep is contagious :o