September 2011 babies, making more noise, more mess, but growing more amazing by the day.

[100years]

Old thread

Hey, here we are again, moving on to the next round of exciting things our little babies are getting up to. :) I hope no-one minded my title, but there hadn't been a big decision and given we were so close to the end I thought I'd just go for it.

I shall update stuff from me tomorrow.

Just a quick one to say still here, but been quite busy! Can't believe getting married tomorrow... it's come around so quickly, but then only started organising in March! Typical, weather forecast looks awful, but nevermind!

Toy library sounds such a good idea... but doubt anything like that round here.

100 - well done on getting the hours you wanted for work.

Good idea on a safe drawer - LO isn't quite at that stage yet, except at my Dad's house as she has a walker there, and shoots up and down the lounge, but mainly heads towards a sideboard, and keeps aiming for the drawers. Going to have to baby proof those quickly!

Well, day of cleaning and tidying the house (got guests staying here tomorrow night) and making lists of what we need to take tomorrow to the wedding... all centred round LO!! I'm going to get ready at a friend's, so leaving LO with DH2B, so can see lists/instructions/clothes left out etc etc

Right, best go and shower and start the day (DH2B left at 6am with DSS to go to Eistedfodd as he's competing in a choir). Lots to do...

Ah how exciting Sebs! I have been rubbish at posting lately as so busy but just wanted to wish you a wonderful wedding day!

You sound so excited and also organised! Hope you have a magical day, look forward to seeing the pictures! xx

Aw sebs, that's great stuff. It's come round really quickly. :) I hope you have a fab day and what bit you are outside is nice and dry. "sebs is getting married in the morning" tra la la :)

Hope you have a wonderful day sebs and the sun shines all day long. It's supposed to better down ere so will keep fingers crossed for you x

Hey ladies. I've had a little name change, because I have some news....

I'm a regular in here, and I'd be happy to share with any of you who I am, but I'm not posting it, although it might be easy to work out if you know how to look. Anyway....

I am in possession of 5 HPTs with 2 lines on them. The first 2 are very faint, but the line is getting stronger. It's very early early days yet, but keeping my fingers crossed I'm all nice and sticky inside and that I don't get sick again.

Baby number 2, hopefully due early to mid February. :)

I'm never going to get a full nights sleep again am I? faints

Oh and if you know who I am and know me on FB please say nothing. It's definitely not common knowledge :) only between 4 and 6 weeks, not sure as cycles not regular.

I have a question. Now I'm still bf, but I have a few nights out planned and I'm not about to start expressing on the off chance of my LO wanting a feed while I'm out. I'm going to get in a carton of formula in case she needs some milk. Do I have to get the 6 month plus stuff? Or is the normal 'infant' up to 6 months ok for a one or two off?

Expressing for me would mean starting from scratch, not sure how much I'd get, only get chance to do it after she's gone to bed and I also need to scald the milk because of lipase making it go soapy. So it's a big thing expressing, and I can't really be bothered to start it all again if she doesn't need it while I'm out.

Yaaaaayyyy Sebs, I can't wait for the pics. Have a lovely lovely lovely day

Look, huuuge congratulations to you (esp if I can figure out who you are/ were )

I have been totally slack with expressing and DD just has formula when I'm at work as I really CBA. Personally, there is no point in me expressing at the end of the day, I have to do it in the morning if I'm going to bother. Our LOs are 9mo and so ime there's a pretty strong chance that they'll turn up their noses at any hard-won EBM as they'll be full of food (this is what DS did ).

I think I remember reading that there's not really any extra benefit in giving them 6mo+ formula as opposed to normal, it just has some extra bulking agent in and they should be getting what they need from food anyway. The only positive to it is that you can buy it on offer as it's not a BF substitute once they're over 6mo.

Ah brilliant I'll have a look at cartons tomorrow :) I might even get my dh2b to try some at the weekend, so I can have a rest

Many congrats LookAtHerGo :) hope this pregnancy goes well and you don't feel so old this time.

I've been trying with the formula cartons apatamil 3 there's supposed to be extra Iron in the level 3 milks I think.

Got to get packing today off on hols tom :o can't wait we all in need of some R&R and my eldest is just SO excited that the holiday cottage has stairs! We don't ere :o sod the fact it overlooks the sea, no she wants to play on the stairs.

Thanks ssmile :) I'll look at the aptimil. I'm kind of against SMA as they've been bought by Nestlé, no offence to anyone who uses it, just my personal thoughts on the matter. So I'll be trying to steer clear of SMA.

Enjoy your holiday :)

Huge congrats Look (not sure who you are) but keeping fingers crossed for you.
Sebs, I hope you had a magical day today and the sun shone at least for parts of it.
Feral, LO has his own 'plastics' drawer that he can reach from walker and throw every item out around the kitchen. Also have safe and dangerous cupboards so need to get locks sorted.
We have a toy library here run by the sure start centre. Is 50p for small or £1 for big toy for a month so great for trialling those bigger toys you are not sure they will like.
Am working hard on DS sleeping to get to self settle. Seeing some improvement but also trying to wean of bf as he bites a lot and has become a game for him. Would def help if DH did the same as me but he still tries all sorts of things to get him to stop crying like nappy change etc which is a pita as makes my hard work useless.
Ssmile, have a lovely holiday. I would lov to go away somewhere as have only been to inlaws for short visits since last summer and they are only an hour or so away.

Hi all, hope you are all well. Just on to have a moan about the fact that DD was up at 3.30 this morning for an hour and a bit and then I didn't get back to sleep again until gone 5 so am totally shattered today.

DH is dealing with her during the night now and when I went in to her this morning and changed her nappy she had a horrible big dry poo in there that had obviously been what had kept her awake so clearly he hadn't checked properly. I had to try so hard not to have a go at him as he was knackered too and in a hideous mood. I just don't get how he can not check her nappy when she's awake and grizzling for over an hour If I go to her at night then she just gets really angry because I'm not BFing her so it really is DH's responsibility now that he's on leave, it just irritates me when he doesn't do something as obvious as change a nappy.

So clearly DD's brilliant night of full sleep was just a fluke. I was talking to a friend last night whose DD slept through from three weeks Conversely I was talking to a colleague today whose son was four years old before he slept through I realise that Ssmile is a veteran of sleep deprivation but just the idea of another 3 years of crap nights sends a shiver down my spine!

Hi feral,

Just wanted to post for solidarity.

Our nights aren't great either and it's so hard now I'm back at work, my eyes have been so heavy the past couple of days and I look like I've been punched as my eyebags are so dark!

My lo has recently started crawling and pulling herself up and because of this she seems to want to practice at night, she's been sitting up in her sleep for about a week now and waking herself up! This would be fine if she went back to sleep but that hasn't been so easy either, we've had a fair few mornings where no sleep has been had past 4am!!! I'm hoping this is a phase

I've pretty much knocked bf on the head too as she was biting me and laughing and I just wasn't sure of how much milk she was taking anymore. She now has bf in the morning and bottle about 11am and then bottle before bed, feel like it was the right time to wind down and stop bf and she seems happy with it too and still nice and cuddly!

Sending sleep dust to you all and big hugs xx

Thanks Candr :) we're currently trying the self settli thing too, first night it was 90 mins and I had to feed her in that time, last night 60 mins and I think about half an hour this evening, I also (me the bf mummy of said child) gave her a bottle of formula and much as she played with it a bit, biting the test she took 5oz of it. I was more surprised she had any considering it was me giving it her. She's also been biting me a bit more recently, it's hard work trying to stop it and it blinking hurts.

Aw feral. What a sucky time for you. One of my OH's sayings is 'have you checked her bum?' I am currently at the, LO isn't sleeping through yet. She might not for ages, by which time I'll (hopefully things stick in me) be too big to sleep myself then number 2 will arrive, so it's start all again!

Aw. Sarah, great for her moving, but not for the practise in the middle of the night. I think they all do it at various points.

Well, my LO is biting me more, gah, my boobs feel a bit deflated, so I'm not sure whether early pg is affecting my supply. I think I was through to her 6 or 7 times in the night last night. I think some of it was for comfort though. I need my sleep.

Look, I feel rubbish for moaning now as I can't imagine being early-stage-pg + up with a baby. It must be rough.

And YY to the eye bags Sarah, mine are more like suitcases!

However DD never fails to be contrary as hell and slept through again last night. Not a murmur from 7.30 - 7.30. I just don't geddit How do I make sure that it happens again? What did we do 'right' last night ffs?

Oh gosh feral, please don't feel like that at all. Pg or not wakeful nights suck. Great on the sleeping through last night :) when you've figured it out, please let me know.

LO is out of sorts. 4 pooey nappies, a snotty nose, mucho tears, weird playing with both ears, has a couple of spots, so I'm not sure if teeth are an issue, if she's getting the pox, or if she's got a tummy bug or ear infection. Her drooling has gone up a notch again, so I'm thinking it might be teeth again.

I forgot to say congratulations look

I think I know who you are now too

It all sounds very exciting, I remember you saying how you would be pleased if it happened quite soon after first lo. So happy for you xx

P.S how do you go about self settling? My lo has done this a handful of times but as a rule will scream and scream until I go to her and I don't think I'm cut out for controller crying

Look, were you something to eat? - still trying to work it out. Hope LO feels better soon, must be rough for you.
Yay Feral, 2 nights is better than none. We had to go in about 15 times tonight and he seems so tired he doesn't know what he wants. You pick him up he wants to lie down and vice versa. Put him down at 7.15 and he eventually fell asleep at 9. Could not cope if was pg too. Have considered sleeping on his floor to try and keep him asleep in cot but feel he needs to do it without me.
We now have hand clapping and taught him how to kick a ball the other day which is very cute. Love the fact he is copying things now and trying them out on his own.
Sarah, have really dropped feeding but woke up the other night as full as when DS was tiny, forgot how much it hurt but I think it was as we had fallen asleep curled on sofa he fed on and off for 1.5 hours - seems to have boosted supply. He gets bottle now before naps when at home and bf after lunch if I really need a nap, bf at 1am ish and from 5 onwards as he is in bed with us by then and has started 'helping himself'

Thanks Sarah. I'm doing a version of this I'm not leaving her alone in the room. But I'm leaving her in her cot unless she starts bawling. Winging or moany cries I leave I'm her cot, soothe her with a pat or hand on her tum, proper cries she gets settled until she's calm enough to go back down. I won't leave her, I'm not cut out for CC either. I'm hoping it will work, day 3 has seen a quicker self settling, but she's still woken up since. But I'm still feeding and soothing in the night. Although when I went through before I changed her bum and put her down again and left her till she slept. OH actually sat by the cot this evening with me in there, so she settled for him.

Thanks Candr. I'll pm you :) clapping is ace isn't it. They seem so pleased with themselves when they do it.

My LO clapped while stood not holding on yesterday. Multi tasking child! Whoa.

Oh yes, my LO does a lot of standing in her cot before she lays down. And I have to lie her down a few times before she thinks oh I'll lie here and suck my thumb. But I just let her do it for a while, just gradually reminding her to lie down.

I'm hoping it works for us long term. Time will tell.

Firstly... quick catch up... (it's sebs71 by the way... just a temporary change of name!!)

ssmile - hope you're having a great holiday.

LookatHerGo - look at you go!! I'm pretty sure I know who you are... and a BIG congratulations to you Hope all ok, and remember to take it easy as much as you can!!! Not easy, I know!

Feral and everyone with sleep issues - right there with you, as always. But, some nights are definitely better than others - with NO idea either as to why. Wish we could also work out why, but then I guess I have nights when I don't sleep well, so even as adults there's no structure to it either.

Sarah - re the settling / CC thing. I hated trying the CC thing - our HV suggested it. In the end, I've settled for a compromise. We put her in her cot awake, let her cuddle her soft toys (she has a special one, "Magic Millie", a cute pink doggy!!) put dummy in and then I sit on the window sill (it's a small room - no room for a chair!) and just wait, and wait, and wait sometimes, for her to drop off. Some nights it's straightaway, sometimes 5 minutes sometimes can take an hour! Yay for my Kindle! Last week, because it was half term and DH (YAY - but more on that later) and kids were home, her sleeping and napping got worse - overstimulated and excited I reckon. This week, with routine and back to normal, it's better.

If she cries, we're there on hand to soothe her, but try not to pick her up (unless she looks distressed). It took a while but it now works. HV was trying to get me to start walking out the room whilst she's awake, but I reckon this works for us, I'm happy with it, let's leave well alone. She still doesn't settle herself during the night very well though :(

So... the wedding was great! Had such a fab day, enjoyed every minute. Weather was ... well, ok! Was forecast for constant rain, but it was only showers, and we managed a few photos outside by the (raging) river! Was windy and cold though! But, venue was gorgeous, food delicious, and everyone got one so well - despite about 3 couples not knowing each other. There were 37 of us (including 4 babies) and I thought it was just about the right number. Was a very relaxed and informal day - I was still making decisions throughout the day as to what was happening next. And, we got DH's mate to make a toast and only asked him 5 minutes beforehand! I made a speech (you couldn't shut me up on my wedding day) although DH had to fill in for me when I became overwhelmed trying to toast those not present (i.e. my mum and DH's brother). All babies were well behaved and LO sooo cute! My friend came with his 6 week old son - oh, were they ever really that small??? But fab fab fab day, loved it.

All back to normal now - we had a 5 hour honeymoon on Sunday - went for a ride to Llyn Celyn and passed Snowdon and had a picnic with LO!

Still sorting photos - I asked everyone to take, and pass on memory sticks etc. So, will post on here soon!

Right, reality bites - LO back from walk with DH (love using that now) and time for bath and bed!!

Sleep dust all !

Oh, and yes, clapping is brilliant LO was clapping away at all the guests during the meal - all very impressed with her! She'd only just learnt to do it to verbal instructions (i.e. just saying "clap clap clap" at her!) so friends were loving it! So she does high 5 one hand, then the other, then claps - but can't get her to put hands in the air yet... !!!

TheNewMrs - so glad you had a great day. Is exciting waiting for the pics so you can spot things you hadn't noticed on the day. Takes a while to get used to saying Mrs and husband but lovely.
Am now logging the sleep/wakings/milk/no of times to settle etc to see which bits are working and what we need to change. Didn't wake him for 10pm bottle and he woke at 12.40 for it but had taken 2 hours to get to sleep so that wasn't till 9pm - still is an improvement.
DS clapped all day today including with handfuls of food which was messy. He also did first wave goodbye to DH this morning which made his day
Look, would love DS to choose a cuddly or lie with thumb in but he prefers screaming bloody murder
Good luck all round tonight.

Yippee thenewmrsl - so excited to hear about your day! Sounds wonderful and lovely amount of people. We're hoping to get married in Santorini next year and will have a party of about 40 hopefully.

Loving the window sill technique, think I might try just sitting there for as long it takes. Do you have to avoid eye contact unless she needs soothing? The trouble I have is that she falls asleep with night time bottle so would need to wake her up, or if I try and put her down awake she screams straight away! Have to start at some point tho!

candr we kind of have hand clapping too, one fist is closed tho! it's very cute!

One of our favourite achievements is that lo now gives kisses, they are kind of open mouthed licks but when we ask for a kiss she will lean in and give us one! So amazing when they start understanding words!