November 05 Babies

[Rodeo]

A new thread for us and our little 2, 3 and very nearly 4 month olds, where is the time going??!!

Awwwww,its easy to forget about the hard bits sometimes, especially when theyre being soooooo angelic!
tbh ive had one or two broody moments, but have gone back and read through the old antenatal threads, reinded myself how s**t i felt for 95% of the pregnancy and thought twice!

Hi just a quickie from Thomas to wish all the lovely girls on this thread a Happy 1st Valentines Day and also to all their yummy mummies too!!!

Can quite understand why you lot are feeling so broody the bunch are adorable at the moment aren't they, all smiles and cooing - I'm really enjoying this stage this time when I hated it last time, it really is amazing how quickly they change though I'm wondering where my new born went!

Thomas is officially adorable as far as I'm concerned but 2 is definitely plenty for me - now I'm just going to have fun practicing!!! Beks

Funny you should say that Busy, I looked at our first antenatal thread yesterday! Made me feel strangely sad and nostalgic, we'd all just found out we were pg and we were about 5 weeks or so!! Dp says I live in the past because I constantly say things like 'Oh, this time a month ago we were.....' or 'this time last year......' God knows what I'll be like when I'm an old lady!!!

Chacha, Z only 10 weeks, ah, what a dot!! I forget he was a Dec baby, Jess and Nat are 'big' 4 monthers now! You're right those (dare I say 'hellish' ) first few weeks are a very distant memory. Enjoy the help

Beartime LOL at the potty thing, I did daft things with Bella when she was tiny, like the time I announced I was going to teach her 'baby' sign language after watching something on it on Richard and Judy( never happened BTW)! Now with baby no.3 I'll just be grateful if she grows up half normal

BoB, that's brilliant! I'd love to see them too You always are so chirpy, I have a mental image of you now, sat at your sewing machine, one foot on the pedal, the other foot bouncing Oskar in his chair, you chattering away at him with one eye on the sewing!!

Right Jess has awoken, better go x

newborn nostalgia..aaw...

i can get into that, only having the one at the moment, but i will take the higher wisdom that says wait!!!(for at least 2 years..lol)

rodeo..if only..
these days oskar so asserts himself I have to be right there cooing at him whenever he's awake (it's so great to have those 'chats'...you all know what i mean..)
i only got things done as dp and my brother were around to takeover...though i did neglect myself..on sunday morning i realised I hadn't had a shower or brushed my teeth since friday..

i also stayed up late sunday night sewing away, dp probably presumed it was oskar that caused the eye-bags, but no..teehee
also made it much better during the night as i heard oskar kicking at his cot ( which means 'i'm waking'...) and made and warmed the bottle in time before he got upset and cried..teehee

oh, and oskar says happy valentines to elizabeth and rosie..he hopes next time he will be a bit more awake to get to know you..

(he's wearing his tux again today..we don't even 'do ' valentines, but its an excuse to dress him up and take pics..lol)

Hi everyone!
Hope ypu all had a great valentine's day! I had a lovely time in Chester with DH and Libby - gorg pizza at 'Zizzis', and a bit of retail therapy! Must say I'm really getting into 'Lush' - their ultra-bland cleanser is the best I've tried, and I've tried the lot (lurve my products ). Now I'm trying to find out how many syns in a ferrero Rocher!. DH had made a card for me, and drawn a picture of him and the girls with some pastels - I was so touched ! He's a really good artist so dds actually do resemble them in real life!
RODEO:did you get your second card? . Not offended at all by your opinions on age gap- we're all different, and not many chose the path I took! Don;t actually have strong opinions on this at all, just wanted them to be close friends (that bit has worked), although I had the advantage of dd1 being at nursery when I was pregnant with dd2 (I went back to work when dd1 was 5 months). Interesting about what your HV said about small gap and PND, as I had this after dd2 was born, but not with dds 1 & 3 (touch wood!).
LONDONER: the film was Chicken Little ; god it was awful, but girls enjoyed it which is the main thing. DD2 (age 3) was a little scared at bits, and dd1 was worried that Scarlett would get into trouble with the animals in the film as she's 3 (dd2 had noticed 'U' means age 4 upwards) cute!!. Bet your next film is a little more exciting! I would love to see Final Destination 3!(loved the other 2!).
BOB: would love to see your dresses - we could all put orders in and then at our London meet-up would be all co-ordinated! Plus we could tell who was who!
LOL at baby belly Bob - find myself holding it in too, especially when meeting colleagues at work today! (one person - male I should), looked at my stomach straight away - bloomin' cheek!.
Hi Beks and Bam; agree about baby nostalgia, but remember too the awful sickness...I rememberv this time last yearv thinking that I was pregnant (I wasn;t) and buying a valentine's card ready to give to dh from bubs, and then my period arrived! Had to wait until the next month when he had positive test and card from beanie on his birthday!
Well, those bottles won't do themselves!
Diege and Liberty

What stomach Diege??

Diege - how far apart are yours? Does anyone know anyone else who's got pg while bfing?

I'm holding in my stomach too and wearing a clothes size up on top so it doesn't show so much! Gap jeans are great at not making your thighs look so flabby too

Anyone's baby waking up in the night for no apparent reason? I think mine may still be jet lagged as we got home a week ago. Its hard figuring out what to do to get him back to sleep tho - I'm afraid to rock him cos I did it a few nights and I think he might have got used to it, but I hate listening to him crying too! I just let him cry for 50 mins tho and he finally went to sleep (you can all yell at me if you like), but I already went in 3 times at 15min intervals to calm him down, and fed him too - so didn't know what else to do!

Ha! -the one I had tucked into my trousers LAYLAANDSETHSMUM !!!
Hi Beartime! My first are 16 months apart, with a 3 year gap then between dd2 and dd3. Worked for us! Re: night wakings, I think you're doing fine personally, as (living in the real world) if they aren't hungry,it's night-time, and you've tried settling them at regular intervals, I think you do have to let them cry it out at times - bear in mind that I am probably the hard-liner of the group on this, and that I will probably be in a minority! If it is the jet-lag, it could be that things revert to normal soon anyway. Certainly not the easy option letting them cry (within limits), as you've discovered! BTW, might try out those gap jeans .

Cha Cha breast feeding is about 98% effective in preventing pregnancy if:

You are exclusively breastfeeding offering no other drinls, formula or solids.

You are feeding at least every 4 hours ( day and night)

Your baby is under 6 months ( which he is).

So in effect as soon as one of these doesn't apply its possible to conceive!!( Right will take off my nursey hat now ) Nighty Night xxx

Happy Valentines Day, or whats left of it.
I was pleasantly surprised as I got a voucher for a spa treatment & facial from DP. Sorely needed!
Had an interesting day. I'm on the lookout for a job in York & my paid mat leave ends at the end of April. I rang up York Hospital & had an informal visit today, despite being told there weren't any jobs. Well, it went very well & it looks like there may be a job or two coming up, after all. They gave me an application form to join the nurse bank in the interim & 2 of the Sisters were fighting over me!! Makes me feel much better....I was starting to panic about the job situation.
Tomorrow I've got some mums coming over from our postnatal group so I'm looking forward to that.

Diege, Zizzis is good isn't it? Well done for spotting more retail therapy opportunities!

Rodeo, I've decided to teach Ella baby signs when she's a bit older. Now that I know her personality so well, it will be absolutely necessary! She can be a little, ahem, impatient & gets frustrated quite easily so anything that helps will be wonderful.

Beartime, might have to look at Gap. I'm at that awkward size, 14 too big & 12 too tight. Hmmph.

BoB, I'm very of you with all that dressmaking. Been thinking about making some Roman blinds for ages now. Never got to the next stage...measuring windows.

Chacha, know what you mean about that milky drunk look. Its great, isn't it? Melts your heart.

Beksmum, thank you so much for your helpful reply. I was going to buy some Bach's a while ago & can't remember why I didn't. It'll come in handy during the screaming! To be fair, she only hits the high notes when she's really tired. Once she cries for any length of time, she gets all snotty, her nose blocks & she can't breath when she feeds. This leads to more howling. I use saline drops to clear her nose which makes her this colour!! Still, it;s much easier when you know why they're so upset.

Off to bed now, & hi to anyone I've missed out.

Im feeling quite bogged down today, i seem to blink and everything multiplies...the washing pile....the washing up....sweeping..mopping.....dusting.....the list goes on. Some days i feel like im in quick sand and sinking-today is one of those days

I had an incident earlier...a women rang about debt consolodation and whilst I was trying to figue out who she was(a matter of seconds) ds1 got a toy hammer(with a semi sharp end) and bashed ds2 over the head with it several times, I deposited ds2 on the sofa and dragged ds1 to time out. Went back to comfort ds2 and he was absolutely screaming his little heart out, it happened at 6.45pm and even when ds1 went to bed, and i got him to sleep, he was sobbing in his sleep till 8.20pm
I felt really bad for not being quick enough to stop him doing it, but also had to hold myself back from smacking him too as i was very very cross. I felt terrible as on inspection ds2 had large white marks on his head and grazes in between, I dont dare go to clinic this week in case they think Ive been hitting him or something
Talk abut the daily grind though, every now and again I think that ds1 is really settled with alfie and takes little notice of him other than to give him the occasional kiss, then he has an outburst like that which just enforces the fact that i cant leave ds2 in a room with him for even a few seconds at a time......aggghhh.

has anyone else had problems like this? anyone got any advice to offer me?

At the moment i feel like i need 6 extra pairs of hands and at least 4 extra eyes......

On a good note though, dp gave me a voucher for valintines day for meridians health and beauty so i can book a full body massage and a few other things for myself

Diege - thanks for the comfort about the crying - I needed it! Babies are so funny - after all that he still woke up grinning at me this morning!

Laylaandsethsmum (can't you have a name thats easier to abbreviate?! )thanks for the bf info - really helpful, as dh and I were discussing it last night. D'u happen to know what the chances are?

Karma - still throwing chocolate down your neck? I still think of you saying that! If I do it Caleb can't stand it

Busy - that must be hard with your situation - how old is ds1? Maybe you should take him with you to the phone or something? Or have a playpen downstairs for him that is out of bounds for ds2 that you could put him in at moments like that?

oops I meant ds1

I have a cordless phone and i was only talking for a matter of seconds. We're in a masonette(sp?) so dont have to go up/downstairs........??? dont know what to do really. ps ds1 will be 2 on the 22nd feb

Morning everyone! Poor you Busy- agree with Bear that maybe playpen/travel cot may do for emergencies?. Difficult I know - just as you think you are ok leaving them, something like this happens! (I've heard the toy hammer thing before with a friend - must be an attraction!)Hope both ds's are ok today - they are very resilient as I've found out myself! (don't think you overreacted with ds1 BTW - it's not like you can watch him every second, and you dealt with it the 'right' way I think . Sod the housework! I have days like this too, and either leave it, or make a mental list of one or two things to attempt so you don;t feel too overwhelmed?
Well, whinging toddler situation ('i waanna be a big girl!!!!!'). She's started standing on the scales like me, but thinks it's a clock and asks what time it is (thnakfully!)last thing I want is a weight-obsessed 3 year old . Must be careful!
Diege, Libby and Scarlett

Morning everyone ,
Busy, you poor things, that sounds so upsetting. Can understand you not wanting to tell the professionals although I'm sure no one would think it was you, these things do happen all the time among siblings. How is ds2 today? 2 days ago my ds2 managed to hit dd1 in the eye with a tennis racket and she now has a very impressive black eye. I have many stories of just the sort of thing you describe, please try not to feel too guilty about it and I agree with you on just trying to make sure you don't leave them alone together, although obviously it is not possible to keep an eye on them 100% of the time. Please do call a doctor if you are worried about ds2 though, it doesn't matter what people think.

Busy, I had almost the exact same experience with Toby and Rosie. I left the room for a few seconds and heard Rosie start crying. For some reason I had a very bad feeling about it and crept back towards the living room as quietly as possible, just in time to see Tobes smacking Rosie and then running to sit on the sofa as if nothing had happened. It's so upsetting, isn't it. I even started a thread on it, I was so upset by the experience, but everyone reassured me that these things just happen sometimes.

I was so angry with Tobes but I did just as you did and sent him for a time out, then I rang DH and cried about how we were raising a serial killer. I talked to Tobes about how we don't hit people especially tiny babies, and I've been more vigilant since then. It's horrible but it is natural. Just make sure DS2 is OK and do your best to forgive DS1 and yourself.

BEKS, Tobes would love to come to the party but I do understand if you've got limited space. I know what these kids parties can be like, they just get bigger and bigger!

Another crazy day today. Thankfully, no workmen in the house but I've got to try to get everything back into the bathroom today. Yuck. Dust everywhere so it looks like I'm going to have to give it all a good clean first. Double yuck.

Right - time to show off - at last! The twins went down at 6:30 last night and went right through till 7:30 this morning. No, I did not use drugs (question from my sister!). We did get a bit of grumbling at 4am, but they went back to sleep pretty quickly.

You lucky ladies with your Valentines gift - my DH said he thought it was today..............Bet he is buying half-price gift as we speak.

Busy - think it is much harder with a toddler and a baby than with twins. Think you are doing a great job.

I do zero housework, don't know how you all fit it in as well as looking after babies/children.

Good morning all, just a quickie from me. Mum and co have taken Z to the shops and I am okay!! Not watching the clock yet anyway. Not quite sure how this has happened, did not plan to be this way. Wanted to be free and easy type mum. Oh well!

Busy - Agree with Londoner. If you're worried take him to clinic. Doesn't matter what they think. Am sure it happens all the time between siblings. Reminds me of friend whose son aged 2ish tells the HV that he wants to put baby sister in the washing machine..dead serious look on face too!

Karma - Job hunting sounds promising. DH's gift -very nice, just what the doctor ordered!

Golden - WoW!! No wonder you say showing off! That's amazing. Z woke up at 3am after his massive feed at 11 and decided that kung fu was on the agenda.

Have a great day girls x

ChaCha - love the kung fu! Does Z slap your breast while feeding as if to say 'hurry-up'? One of mine used to do that.

Warning - Me Post.

Have finally stopped breastfeeding the twins. Think 3 months is piss-poor compared to how long I breastfed DS1 but not going to beat myself up over it. Feel a bit sad, probably not having any more, so will never, ever, breastfeed again.

End of an era for me.......................

Busy - hope you are having a better day today?
I've got exactly the same problem with Tessa and Ash, though she will be 3 on 22nd Feb not 2! Most of the time she seems fine with him and then a hug will turn into a throttle or patting him will turn into thumping. Sometimes she seems to be pushing to see how we will react (the classic 'if I can't get any positive attention from you lot then negative will have to do"), sometimes its to see how Ash will react and sometimes she just does it!
I think you asked a while ago about the naughty step and I'm not sure if I replied. It works well for us (most of the time) even if sometimes it is to cool things down a bit - Tessa on the step and me in the kitchen taking deep breaths!) Usually its 2 warnings and then on the step but for hitting there are no warnings, she is straight onto the step as its something I will not tolerate, even before Ash was born. I always tell her clearly why I am putting her on the step and then walk away. After her 2 minutes (soon to be 3!) I will go back, tell her again why I put her there and then we have a hug. I will also get her to apologise and then I try and forget about it (which I find MUCH harder than she does ) It sounds like you did just the right thing dealing with the wrong-doer then lavishing all the attention on the injured party. It must have broken your heart though for Alfie to be so upset for so long.

Not sure if any of that helps but I hope you are all feeling better today.

Golden - I'm very impressed that you managed to breastfeed them both for 3 months, well done you. Know what you mean about feeling a bit sad though.

Afternoon ladies

Natalie is in the hands of the childminder and I'm off to the dentists in a bit, but thought I'd have a bit of a catch up.

Something seems to have happened to Nats body clock, she now finds it really hard to sleep during the afternoon (not my problem this afternoon - phew!), and this is a bit of a pain as this is when I usually take her out. She's also shifted her night time feeds forward by an hour so we've got 12 and 3 instead of 1 and 4. I have no idea why this has happened? Her bedtime and get up time are still the same, as are her feed times so I'm baffled.

Lots of building work going on in our next door neighbours house, knocking down walls and completely gutting it, so we're getting a LOT of noise during the day now.

Natalie is trying really hard to turn over now. When I put her on her play mat she really thrusts around, so I reckon she might do it by the weekend.

Probably a bit late to answer questions but here goes..
Golden - Nat goes to bed at 7
Rodeo - our swimming classes are 30 mins
Haven't decided whether Nat is coming to the wedding yet - it's not until April 1st.
And to whoever asked - I wasn't hung over, just very tired. DH took the afternoon off work yesterday so I could have a sleep (although it was so that I wouldn't be too tired for nookie on valentines night!!)

Beks - weaning? I think I must have missed your post on this - when did you start? how much are you feeding? did your HV advise you to do it before 4 months? We've been invited to a weaning party held by Sure Start, but I can't make it. I'm still happy giving milk at the mo.

Hello to everyone else - things move on so quickly on this board there's probably tonnes of things I've not addressed...

hi all..

aw busy i'm sure that sort of thing happens all the time..babies are suproisingly resiliant too!

i know it's not the same but i was really nervous about O being around my mums cat and dog..i wouldn't leave him alone in the room incase one of them sat oh him or something, teehee
in actual fact the cat couldn't have cared less and just haughtily ignored him.
the swetest thing is when i'm staying there and I take O upstairs to nap, the dog will lie outside the bedroom door the whole time as if 'guarding' him...hehe

golden..you did well bfing for so long! especially with two, it must have been very draining!

very jealous of your valentines treats! dp is off on friday as we're travlling to yorkshire for a wedding so I may treat myself to a haircutand massage in the morning..hooray,

poor O isn't a happy baby!
I think he could be teething, he's got rosy red cheeks and he is drooling a lot - got a bib on permanently, also biting his lip and doing sad little sobs from time to time.
I looked at teething gel but it's all from 3 months plus, do you think I should get some anyway? he's only two weeks away...

best go..i have ambitious plans for dinner tonight and should probably get round to the washing up from breakfast first..lol

Hi all,

Well just about to jet off to Geneva - packing is proving a nightmare! I think I'm over-packing but worried I'll forget something - I've packed enough to change N.'s outfit 4x a day! And then there's the bottles, the nappies, the travel cot - arghhhhhh! Oh well better to have too much than not enough ... Easyjet may not feel the same way though .

Had a weird day yesterday as I thought my breastmilk had dried up - I tried expressing several times and got such a paltry amount that N. had mostly formula for the day (I'm trying to feed him 50/50). And then today when I expressed this morning I had plenty of milk - so I guess it was just a fluke. I'm glad though as I'd like to continue to give him at least some breastmilk for several more months and although I haven't really enjoyed breastfeeding I think I would kind of miss it if I gave up completely. Golden - I think you're a star for managing to b/f the twins for three months and understand how you feel about stopping.

I'm not at all a fan of Valentine's day so didn't do much, but DH did give me some chocolates and a lovely card from Nathaniel - I know I shouldn't have but I ate half the box yesterday! Size ten will remain a distance memory me thinks...

J xx