December 2011: Smiles and giggles and coffee and truffles.....

[aethelfleda]

Voila, a new positive thinking thread for us!

Onward and upward, ladies. Do come on and post if you're a lurker or want to join our merry band, all welcome!!

It's called Draw Something. There's a free version for iPhone/pad:) not sure about android?

There's a Facebook app too:)

lmf and msbuggy I've added you both. I'm lexeva. I'm addicted to it.

We had my friend and her DS round for lunch then went to the park to play football to save our plants from destruction. Eva is very snotty and her eyes are watery. Could it be a cold with watery eyes or does it sound more like hay fever (DH bought me flowers for our anniversary)?

I think there's a thread in chat about this...

I have a samsung galaxy ace is that an iphone? I can post on mumsnet with it :)

Off to check chat.

If you can get applications for it you might be able to get the draw something one. I'm not sure about android phones >_

I also have a fist sucker here. He tries to put everything in his mouth. This afternoon he was having some wriggle n kick time on the floor on a furry throw. I was answering emails. ...when I went to tickle him he had amassed a small fur ball in his mouth from chewing on the throw. [bad mum emoticon]
I'll be using the reverse suedey side from now on.
Got the mortgage application meeting tomorrow morning.

another thumb sucker here - I'm shocked at it, she just started about three weeks ago and now is almost always doing it when awake.

Just spent £15 on cute hair clips for DD2 and I'm really excited as never really had the chance with DD1 as at 2 she's still bald at the front.

Think I'm spending too much time concentrating on DD1 and not really giving any playtime to DD2, not sure how to redress the balance without DD1 going into a massive spoilt whining session :(

Dribble dribble dribble from DS: thanks to whoever rec's funky giraffe, I've a second order in....
...and have really overdone the nappy ordering, but they were soooo cheap and I reeeeally couldn't resist and... Sigh. Will have to Really Stop and check my stockpile when they are all here, then be firm and flog on the excess, there's only so much cloth one bum needs and I ain't having any more! (mopsy did you get on with the motherease once you'd got over the comedy sizing?)

Arg. Far too late. Bed.

Can someone please slap me with a large fish?

I'm still fuming from SIL (DH sister) giving DS (13 weeks and 1 day) some of her Mr Whippy ice cream on Sat.

Not sure whether I'm more annoyed at her or me 'cos I didn't bloody say anything. I'm much too polite and scared of making a scene to challenge someone 20 years my senior. Despite the fact she talks shite most of the time. Aargh!

kitty you are far too polite!! I'd have taken the fish and taken her out with it! How ridiculous!! Stupid cow. How dare she!?!!
This is my fear of going back to work. I want to decide what Ali eats, and I fear that either my mum or my SIL will sneak in some early weaning foods when I'm not around. Family members seem surprised that I intend to continue to bf when I go back to work. They seem to think I should simply switch to formula and wean him. And I'm told that I won't be able to feed him soon -he'll need more than I can produce. Grrrrrr!!!
Just let me have a go at doing what I believe is best! It's worked so far. He weighs over 7 kilos and is bright as a button.
Everyone else knows best.
Mr Whippy ...i'd have gone ballistic.

Yep, she's not being left in sole charge. Ever.

To be honest by that point I had practically bitten a hole through my tongue. She's got a sodding opinion on everything. And is always right obviously. DH adores her, he is the youngest by quite a lot (his Mum thought she was going through the menopause until she felt him kick!) and both their parent passed away a few years ago. She has neatly stepped into her mothers shoes.

I rang my Mum this morning (as soon as DH left for work!!) and told her how annoyed I was. But it was to be expected. When she came to stay when I was pregnant she tried to vetoe some of the baby names!!!!!

An a lighter note, DS had not had a pooh for nearly a week. This obviously led to conversations about gripe water and cooled boiled water. I said I wanted to let him be for another 24 hours as he'd been full of cold. He had a monster pooh whilst sat on his Auntie the next morning (without needing anything other than Mummy's milk ) which she bizzarely tried to take the credit for. As I said to my Mum this morning "It would appear she literally bored the shit out of him!".. This has kept me smiling (when not fuming about the ice cream)

Hope you guys don't mind me dipping in and out of this thread. I have taken on a new client so I have kinda started work earlier than planned but while the kids are asleep. It's a bit of a nightmare but the client is too big for me to just turn them down. DH now officially working flexi and leaving work early to relieve me so that I can work from 4ish to well into the night.

kitty you are a saint for not losing your rag, btw!

To anyone that has managed to convince their bf babies to take the odd bottle of expressed milk and/or formula, can you tell me how? DD so far has been a complete refuser just like her older sister, we must be missing a trick here.

kitty love your comment about the poo producing quality of your sil's chat.

fusam f takes a bottle of expressed milk or formula every evening. I have no idea how but seems to be blind luck. His brother was the same, just took to it (please don't send a Haddock this way they both needed to as they've needed help.to gain weight).

Anyone's toddler started to stutter? DS1 has just this weekend started to stumble over m and w. He is 2.7 and never had a problem before. DH helpfully suggested that it might be because I've shouted at him too much recently. Great. Am doing my best but its bloody hard keeping hold of your temper on a solo 14 hour shift with both ds'. Any advice on how to deal with it?

Sorry, no helpful advice for either of you fusam/hawthers

DH gave Seb a bottle on about day 6 (I was asleep and it was against my wishes but he did have his heart in the right place - wanted to let me sleep and we were doing cup fed top ups which were getting more and more difficult as Seb got stronger as he kept wrestling himself free of the swadling and knocking the cup out of DH's hand!) We were lucky - he took the bottle and it hasn't caused any problem with the BF.

No experience whatsoever with toddlers, but would imagine you need to make as little fuss as possible while somehow encouraging him to talk so he doesn't feel any pressure. Easy I'm sure . I've a friend studying to become a speech therapist - I'm seeing her tomorrow so can as for some suggestions?

We've established I'm not too good at confrontation but think I might have sweetly told DH to f* right off if he'd said that to me

kitty I'd be furious at SIL as well. Definitely say someth

Whoops! Something if a similar situation arises.

I'm getting really fed up of all these night feeds. I can't seem to make him go longer than 3 hrs at a time no matter what I try. All of you seem to be progressing except me . DS1 was sleeping through on numerous occasions by this point. Don't know what I'm doing wrong. DS is currently 14 weeks - any advice?

Had a worrying day due to today's news as DH is in lashkar gah. However he phoned at 615pm to let me know he was ok. It was fantastic to hear from him .

hawthers no experience of stuttering but I v much doubt it's due to shouting and really unfair of your DH to suggest that. If you're at all worried go and see your GP as I'm sure early intervention would be helpful, if it continues.

Didn't even make 3 hours

for your DH hawthers . Temporary stuttering in the under-fours is very common, appears randomly (so NOT usually linked to distress!) and most you just completrly ignore it, act as normsl and it goes away. If there's a strong family history of it persisting esp if Daddy stutters ( more common in boys) then if he stutters beyond 3,5 or it gets worse, some kiddies do need speech therapy. See what kitty's friend advises and I'll see if I can dig out a link as I had a friend with this issue 2 years ago.

Hi fusam , grest to see you!

And f usam and scooby the answer to taling bottles is (I'm afraid) blind luck! Some babies sleep well, some babies take bottles, you just have to try a few different ones and hope repetition leads to them taking it. DS is a bit indifferent to bottles but if it's mot me trying to give it he will sniff and fuss for a monute and then take it. He's only had a few bottles at the weekend but I want to be able to leave him as an opition so need him to take bottles a bit later (plan for some work later in year).

Mr Whippy?!?! I would have been very cross and told her so in colourful English! Tell her that gluten and dairy foods before 6 months is VERY BAD for babies (fret not yourself, as one taste is not a huge risk but you don't want her foing this repeatedly). It's the lack of respect for your parenting that makes me cross for you: you don't want her ramming in porridge, rusks and flat Coke next time you turn around!!!

hawthers, this website has a useful guide on what to do if your preschool child starts to stutter ( downloadable pdf) and useful links/advice.
Extra warming for you on the radiator....

scooby glad your DP is OK. Hope your LO goes longer soon too...

I have had no sleep. I suspect I'm going to be very short tempered today:;

lmf is octopus boy ok? Sounds like strong on a drip is required.

aethel thanks for the advice. He takes a bottle, as like you, I wanted to be flexible and be able to leave him with others. Unfortunately, it makes no difference to his sleep pattern.

Morning all. Commiserations to all having a hard time. I think babies taking bottles/sleeping through etc is all a matter of luck/baby's natural rather than anything we do. It's tempting to think I'm in control but I know perfectly well I'm not. I've tried to get minimopsy into a routine before and she doesn't really comply. The routine we have that works is based on me following her, I'm just lucky that she seems to like to feed roughly ever three hours. She just started sleeping through to 6am at 14 weeks which is also her. Not me. I do have to get up three or four times a night and stick her dummy in but it beats doing a night feed. I know several people who were very smug about baby no. 1 being a good sleepe/eater and not crying, then having a second baby who is the opposite and realising it wasn't actually their great parenting skills at play, just luck! As far as I'm concerned, I think I'm pretty luck with minimopsy, of course she has her moments but in general she's very contented. I think it's the parents of babies who cry a lot and have sleeping issues or feeding probe that have the the real skills.

So hats off to you all, you're amazing!