March 2012 - Brewed to Perfection!

[TroubleAndFyfe]

Hello all, come and add your babies to the list and let's see what adventures they bring!

Lots of fun eh law?
pink Fyfe loves his sassy sensation station and Sophie giraffe the best.

So cool to hear about how mobile your wee ones are, Trouble and Law. LO caterpillars along, lifting her bum up in the air and scootching forward but she can't get more than a few inches. Progress is slow at this end!

Broody - the 'That's not my...' books are a big his here too. She only has 2 but they're much loved! Books are stupidly expensive, but luckily the public libraries are really good, so we go most weeks and get a fresh stock of books for her. She loves the Ladybird 'touch and feel' ones the most: Red Riding-hood and Jack and the Beanstalk have been the best, apparently, although their toned down storylines grate- R.Riding Hood ends with the wolf running away because he sees her dad and gets scared and granny, daddy and Red all have a hug

Pink - started making a treasure basket for LO today. She's happily balanced when sitting up now, so figure it would be a nice thing to play with. Here's a link about them in case you're not familiar with them www.littleacornstomightyoaks.co.uk/Articles/Treasure_basket

Thanks for the ideas. We also have a well loved Sophie Giraffe and loops links. I'll look into the other suggestions.
We do have a vetch caterpillar that's really annoying but Izzy loves it!

I've not come across that Bee, will look at that too. Thanks Ladies!

We've done treasure baskets at a group, he loved it!
'That's not my...' Books very popular here too. I pick them up in charity shops, usually 50-75 pence.

Yeah, it's pretty cool how much they seem to over homemade toys, isn't it Trouble? At the same group where she's played with treasure baskets, we've made quite a few homemade toys which she's loved. The most enduring favourites are a load of milk carton tops with holes hammered through the centre and linked with a piece of elastic (makes a fab clacking sounds when she tosses it around and is good to mouth, it seems) and a piece of netting which you can untangle from a shower scrubber thingy filled with marbles, corks and all shorts of things which you couldn't usually give a baby and tied at each end so that it's safe. Mind you, she hated the rain stick I lovingly made; it made her cry

Oh trouble I can't keep up with her!! She's now started pulling herself on things she's crawled to I turned around this morning and she was stood up holding onto the kitchen cupboard grinning at me! Thing is she's an absolute dot it looks so odd!!!

Fave toys apart from everything her sister plays with... Lamaze knot block Sophie the giraffe and tomy eggs which say from 12 months but are IMO suitable for now they are her sisters and she's 2.5 and still loves then £8 in tesco I've bought some for Xmas pressies! Also laugh and learn teapot by fisher price which is also her sisters and is still a big hit 2 years on!

I am really looking to proper movement from dd. she's doing all the pre crawling moves and shuffles a tiny bit backwards and last night was shuffling on her bottom when she was sat up on the floor so I'm sure it won't be long. But then mobile poppy.... :o

Did any of you ladies see this morning yday and the piece on the celeb sperm bank?!

Didn't see it broody.
I have discovered Fyfe will only crawl if nothing interesting is going on. He will not crawl if Granny is here and he will not do it for the camera (my phone is the most exciting thing ever) - rather annoying as I want my mum to see him do it!
How's everyone getting on in other areas? We moved Fyfe in to his own room two nights ago and it's going really well!

Glad the over went well, Trouble . I found it way more traumatic than Erin when we had to move her into her own room. I dragged a single mattress in there and slept on the floor as I was scared not to be next to her, even though it takes me literally 4 paces to get from my bed to her room! Feel a bit silly in hindsight, how sad I was about it .

Still no crawling here from us but success this week was with swimming. DH took annual leave on Tuesday so we could take her to her first swimming lesson together. He went in the pool and I was on the side, looking on. Anyway, she howled through lots of the lesson. It was awful! She generally hates new places until she gets used to them and realises that everything is ok (think she might turn into a bit of a sensitive soul). I took her on my own on Tuesday and then we went as a family this morning and she loved the baths! She was kicking and splashing, so I think we should be good for her next lesson. Phew! She was the same with the bath at home- worst thing in the world at first and now loves it.

What was the celeb spermbank thing about, Broody? I've always thought George Clooney and I would make beautiful babies

Has anybody thought or been asked about Christmas yet? My folks were asking what I wanted for LO and I found it hard to predict what she'll want at that age. I asked for This for her. I have a couple of things stashed away for her too which are a bit too advanced at the mo. What to babies that age like? Any ideas?

We are going to be putting dd in her own room tonight. I am dreading it because the only other time we tried - about a month ago - she got herself into a raging hysterical mess and was really unsettled for the rest of the night and following day and wouldn't be put down keep everything crossed for us.....

Good luck broody! Try to stay positive, she may feed off your mood? Fyfe is continuing to sleep well waking twice a night between 8-8 which is a vast improvement.
How is everyone who is doing blw doing on the weaning? He still barely eating anything really. Today he ate about 1/8 of a weetabix, 1/25 of a slice of toast with cheese and a cm of potato, cm of parsnip. Please can you give me a breakdown to compare?

BLW. Is going well with us, Trouble, but it very much depends on how hungry she seems to be on how much she eats. Today for breakfast she ate maybe 2 porridge fingers but I've seen her wolf way more on other days (put some dried apricots in them the other day, chopped into tiny cubes and she loved that btw. Just another thing to try and get more iron into her). Yesterday at dinner I made some high protein pancakes - they had oats and bananas in the batter - and she devoured an entire one, followed by a few spoons of yoghurt. I was really surprised by how much she ate. But then at lunch she ate hardly any of her bean burger that I had made her. Mind you, because I'd left out the sweet chilli and bound them with puréed sweet corn instead, I think they turned out a bit tougher and may have just not been her bag.

So in short, it really varies and depends on how hungry she is! She's capable of eating a good bit but doesn't if she doesn't feel like it. I think that's positive though, and hopefully she's just learning to regulate her eating. It says in the book about it being between 9 and 12 months before they really start eating more substantial amounts of food, doesn't it?

How long before eating do you BF Fyfe, Trouble? I'm trying to leave at least half an hour to an hour between breastfeed and solid feed, just so she may be a but peckish.

She's recently started to sleep from 7pm until between 6.15 and 6.45 as long as I dreamfeed at 10ish. It's not every night, maybe half of all nights, but she'd never slept through before a couple of weeks ago, so I'm pretty stoked! Long may it continue (hope I haven't jinxed it).

BLW is going well here, Izzy loves having food to eat/play with! Our most successful things are broccoli (eats about 1/4 of the florette), greenbeans (1/2), many varieties of bread, favourite being bagels (~1/8), apples or pears (~1/4), pasta (1 shape), homemade breaded fish finger (tasted it). She also loves pinching my shreddies. There is definately plenty of food being consumed as the nappies have changed a lot! We went out for lunch today and she was so good in the highchair eating our food, I really enjoyed it.
I haven't been asked what she wants for Christmas yet. I'm hoping to get a nice dolly, a shape sorted and maybe some other musical toys as the rainmaker and tambourin are popular.

thanks both, I feel mug better about it again!
Long may the good sleep continue for us all!

*much

Hmmm interesting. Poppy eats - and I do mean eats - absolutely tons!!!! She has porridge for breakfast (Ella's kitchen, 5 tablespoons mixed with formula) or half a weetabix with half a pouch of Ella's kitchen puréed breakfast, then lunch is fromage frais with half a banana, apple or pear and a few sticks of cucumber or carrot. Tea tonight was pasta twirls coated in Philadelphia with steamed carrots, sweetcorn and peas. She had about 10 pasta shapes with about a palm full of veg. On another night, she may have mashed or wedges of potato or other veg, with yoghurt, toast or fruit (depending on what she's had at lunch).

Eating like this, my dd should be absolutely sleeping through!!!!! Xx

Hi all. I haven't posted in here before but wanted a few pointers to see if I'm worrying for no reason.
DS was a late march baby do just 7mo. I'm not sure whether he's developing as he should be. He can sit up but wriggles and looks around so much he topples over so never sits for more than a few seconds. He is mobile but doesn't seem that interested in trying to crawl, he just rolls and shuffles. He can feed himself (we are doing combination of purees and finger food) but can't lift a beaker.

Do these things sound ok or should he be doing more?

Thanks. He is pfb so could be me worrying too much :)

Sounds perfectly normal to me english!

Hi english welcome!
You sound like me - almost apologetic for worrying and being protective of my pfb! I'm actually make a joke of how I am, haha, so don't worry

My dd is a few days away from turning 7 months and although she sits very well independently, has great head control, reaches for toys etc, she doesn't do much rolling either. She may go on to her side if she gets a bit excited while playing but generally won't roll all the time. She made a few efforts of lifting her bum off the floor when doing tummy time (to make like a triangle shape) a few weeks back but since then, she's not done it again. Same as shuffling on her bottom.

I completely understand where you're coming from with your concerns because I worry whether she's on track too, especially now shes stopped doing her bum lift (ooer, sounds wrong!!) but I think the old rule of every baby is different is bang on here.

It is so hard though not to compare, isnt it? She doesn't have any teeth yet and the two things that people keep asking are whether shes crawling or if she has teeth! We did NCT antenatal classes and there are babies almost half Poppy's age who have at least one tooth. It gets me down often tbh but I know it'll come soon, I've just got to be patient!! Not something I'm blessed with though, unfortunately

I forgot to ask if your DS was premature? I know sometimes preemies don't develop as quickly as those who went full term, near enough or just over. Have you seen your HV recently to discuss your concerns? Or had him weighed so there's an excuse to see one and casually drop in a few questions? Might be worth it if you are still worried in a few weeks? Til then, stick round here and tell us more about you and your LO xxx

Hey, broody, I'm glad to hear yours doesn't have teeth yet, either. That was going to be my concern-of-the-day :) Although it was also my potential excuse for Tessa not eating much... She gums a lot, but usually spits it back out or just holds it in her mouth. Those who are eating green beans - do they have teeth yet? I think green beans are too tough for Tessa to chew. She likes them, but can't even seem to mush them. Maybe I need to really overcook them?

We survived Germany! The flights were no problem. Tessa slept each one, and also wasn't the only baby on board each time so I didn't feel so self-conscious. She enjoyed touring with her Dad while I went to the conference, and they came by every few hours to feed. I also got to visit with my friend in the maternity hospital - she'd just had her second, 2 days old! My, the new ones are tiny! It's amazing how much DD has grown already.

I have no idea what is normal for movement. DD sits but also flips over onto her tummy after a minute or so. But she can't get off her tummy, and then gets all agitated. She's started occasionally pulling a knee up, but crawling is still not here. I suspect your DS is fine, english, but if you're concerned it wouldn't hurt to ask the HV. I bet they're used to first-time Mums asking all sorts of concerns. :)

Hello all, mind if I join?

My DS was seven months a week ago. He has two and a half teeth (a top one has just peeked through) but only sprouted the first about a month ago ? once they show they seem to grow very quickly. I?m quite sad not to be able to call him my ?gummy monster? anymore!

We?re doing a combination of BLW and traditional weaning. I have become quite obsessed with checking the sugar content on everything. I?m still breastfeeding so have been giving vitamins, is anyone else doing this? I give Vitabiotics Wellkid as he readily accepts these but was alarmed to see sugar listed as the second highest ingredient, no wonder he likes the taste!

English your baby sounds perfectly normal to me. My DS rolls backwards and forwards constantly but this is quite a new development ? he rolled for the first time very early (at about 3 months, I think) but then stopped completely until about 5 weeks ago. He sits steadily and crawled about 6ft last week, but has now reverted back to rolling to travel around. It?s amazing what we worry about with PFBs, isn?t it? I remember analysing his ?toy batting? technique for many an hour, wondering if that was normal ? looking at him now that seems like a very distant memory.

How are you babies sleeping? I was very impressed to read that a few of your babies are now sleeping in their own rooms. My DS is still tending to wake every 2-3 hours during the night after going to bed at 8pm. He wakes so often that we co-sleep for most of the night now. I was wondering if this was due to him being breastfed but he seems to only feed for a few minutes before drifting off again, so I thought it could be more of a case of separation anxiety?

Sorry for the long post, I hope you don?t mind me interrupting!

Welcome pommes
Sleep is a very sore subject with me. Dd is just awful. We had nearly 13 solid weeks of incredibly tough nights, when she would only ever sleep for 30 minutes and then take the same to get back down again. Absolute misery.

Got a bit better for the last two weeks but to us that means waking 4/5 times a night - many people's absolute worst nights!!

Then two nights ago, we decided to move her into her own room and the crap nights have started again. Not 12-15 times a night though because she just won't be put down and will only be calmed with a BF so it's all on me as she will just bawl if DH goes to her.

It's all so stressful tbh I was virtually pulling my hair out last night with it all as the fatigue and worry and stress had really got to me and that created a massive row with DH - we never row normally - and he made a v hurtful comment. I've not spoken to him since. V tough times chez broody

Broody, I am sorry to hear you are struggling with sleep too. I really do sympathise. My DS does seem to sleep much better beside me, but I spend most of the night up worrying that either one of us will roll onto him (and then becoming very painfully stiff as I haven?t moved an inch in several hours!). Each time I have tried to coax him back into his cot I have failed miserably, through tiredness, by about 1am and he ends up right beside me again!

During the day DS is lovely, always smiley and pretty much happy with cuddles from whoever is offering them. When tiredness creeps in from about 6pm, however, he becomes very clingy and cannot by comforted by anybody but me. It does make it that much more difficult at night, I hope your DH offers a lovely big apology Broody (and a box of chocolates, or two).

How are you babies getting on with ?speech? development? The sounds that DS makes have become much more clear/defined recently. I was delighted that a lady standing behind me in a queue this morning thought that DS was calling me, I neglected to tell her that he also refers to his dad and the cat as ?Mamamamama? too!