October 2011: Crawling, teething and (we hope) sleeping through

[Penelope1980]

Sorry guys - posted the 1000th message without realising , so hopefully you can all find this thread!

Country - we built next to my parents for support and its been the best thing we ever did with 3 under 3! Huge congrats again! Such good news.

Pink - sending hugs x hope things get better soon x

Fuzzzy sorry about your job, can you not work part time with them until you find full time? Or do temp work for families until you find something? Hopefully the support you are entitled too won't take too long to come through x

Busy day here making wedding cakes, cleaning the house and picking up Ayse every time she falls over in her constant attempts to stand (very glad I invested in a thick pile carpet!)

bb3 there is just no nanny jobs here at the moment. I've been looking daily for the past few months as I knew this would be coming. Scottish schools finish for summer at the end of June so think people are hanging off just now to advertise. I really want to do something different so may start looking further afield. Just frustrating!!
How is your job going? Did you decided to extend you maternity leave? How was your holiday? (sorry for many questions!! )

Haha I was about to post pretty much the exact same as mama

Congratulations countrymama I'm also a bit as I know that M will be our last. Have you told doc/midwife yet?

Mhairi has started been sick a couple of times after a meal but I think it's cause she's too greedy for her own good I'm over feeding her. She currently has:

5am Bfeed
7am porridge (small bowl)
11am Bfeed (or formula if I'm at work)
12ish lunch usually a bowl of lumy mush
3.30pm milk either breast of formula depending wether I'm there or not
5.30pm more lumpy mush and a yogurt
7pm Bfeed
11pm Bfeed

Greedy sod
I haven't had her weighed for 3 months now bad mummy!!

BB3 I'm halfway between Glasgow an Edinburgh and happy to meet up if your free.

sassy hope your mum is getting better and things are getting better with Chloe and her dad.

I was back to work last week for 2 KIT days and despite not liking my job v much I loved being away from the kids for a cpl of hours then felt terrible for enjoying time away from them You can never win as a mum can you!

Took kids to get their pictures taken last week ad get them back in a couple of weeks I can't wait! Will post a cpl on FB when I get them

fuzzy so sorry to hear about your job really hope you get something sorted soon ((hugs))

fuzzy sorry about your job. I forgot you were on you own. Can't imagine how stressful it must be right now. Hope that something good comes from job centre x

Sorry to hear about your job fuzzzy :( hope you find something soon.

So much for not cutting down milk and doing BLW so they eat less. Am trying to do ff for lunch. Ordered C a cheese&mushroom oatcake (like pancake but made with oatflour) for lunch while out today and he ate the entire thing! Adult sized! Plus some tomatoes and blueberries. I'm offering him 6oz milk still 4x a day, but he's not drinking it, only taking 2x 4oz in the day. And anyone who wants to criticise that can come and try force him to drink more themselves!

Will catch up this eve as just on phone now.

Thanks again for the continued advice girls. I've fed L myself today in between her three meals. The past few nights she's woken every two hours, hopefully that won't continue now I'm feeding her again.

Ed, our daily plan looks much the same as yours, Lizzie is definitely solid !

Fuzzy sorry to hear about your work, I wish I could afford a full time nanny and employ you! I hope your benefits get sorted quickly.

Have you thought about a franchise of something like Baby Sensory? I think that one is quite expensive (£7000+), but there are other more affordable ones. With your nursery and nannying experience I'm sure you'd do well at it. Have a look at baby sing and sign.

PP, sorry to hear that you're finding things hard. Sleep deprivation is a nightmare.

Thanks for all the support, and good to hear that I'm not the only one going through a difficult patch with sleeping at the moment, although obviously it would be great if we were all having long sleeps iykwim.

After being awake until 6:30am I handed the monitor over to DH. He went to her twice when she woke and got her down both times - so she obviously didn't need milk, just comfort. He then let me sleep until 9:30, I came down to find they'd all had breakfast and had made cookies. :)
I feel confident that it's not milk she wants when she wakes, so tonight DH will do most of the settling and I'll just get up if she's hungry.
We have had a lovely busy day outdoors with the ILs - lots of fresh air and attention for both the girls.
Cheshire - I was like you too - really tall in the last year of primary, but I think I stopped growing then - 5'3 - and DH about 5'6 (he says 5'7!!) - no wonder M is only on the 0.4th percentile for height!
Country - You must be very fertile to get pg despite lack of sex and contraception and bf - wow!! How are you going to prevent a DC4?? Congratulations though - and great that you will have the support from your parents.
Jealous of all you mums being able to meet up in Scotland - I don't think anyone else is in the Midlands?

scheh at thinking we were criticising. I only shared my own experiences with ds1 & ds2 and what I have read/learned as the WHO recommendations re milk for first year. Every baby is different. A baby will gradually decrease its milk, Hurry it's feed or refuse it in favour of its food in its own time. Sounds like that is what is happening for you. But they say to offer milk a bit before meal (not whole feed necessarily) so solids sandwiched between. I'll not say anymore tho as I don't want you to think being critical. This is a supportive thread and I'm really really sorry if you thought I was being otherwise

fuzzy I like MrsH's ideas about sing and sign etc.

pink I hope out get a better night tonight. Good idea for dh to try and settle.

MrsH hoping for good night for you too.

I've been a right bloody misery today. Ds2 refusing to go out because planes are hurting him even has ear defenders which he will not wear now. These 4 walls are Getting too much so even if dh stays home with ds2, I'll take ds1 and J out. I'm also on spot watch for the pox still.

Evening all.
sch just keep doing what your doing. S is def eating more in the day and less milk but still enjoying a full 7oz morning and night. She will take 7oz in afternoon but may stop after a few oz if she has ate pretty well for lunch. C certainly sounds like he is enjoying his food which is a good thing
mrsh I did look into franchises but the initial outlay is just too expensive plus I need to know that I will have a definite wage each month. I spoke with My friend who runs one and she can have good/bad months. Iv think if I had a partner who had a wage coming in too it would be perfect but I just can't risk it being on my own with S.
I was looking through NHS recruitment earlier and seen something else so will read into it more after baby sleeping. I just hate the stigma that goes with being a single, unemployed mother . I always said that I would set a good example to S and I fully intend to do it.
mama poor ds. Don't mean to sound mean, but what would happen if you told him he was going out, no questions asked? Would he kick off? I know what you mean though, a day in the house and I'm climbing the walls!! Are you any further on with the support?
pink for a few hours sleep and cookies!! Good idea about dh settling tonight and you going through if need be. Even if it's feeding a few times rather than every hour, you should hopefully get a few hours inbetween. I'll have my fingers crossed for you

fuzzy yes I think he would, I took him to post box and he sobbed I think it's worse at mo as he's feeling rough, low fever etc. I may just take them all for a well in forest tomoz just to burn off some energy. Got meetings set up after half term. He doesn't get aggressive thankfully but is really upset and scared hides under tables or just sobs. In all seriousness if his sensitivity to airplanes continues to the extent it is we will consider moving as we are under a flight path for Southampton airport.
I think you are setting a wonderful example. What nhs job is it?

mama poor boy . I find that sobbing much harder to deal with than the aggression. I hate to think of a child being that scared or upset. I remember one time when S sobbed like that, I had tears in my eyes to as it was heart breaking to hear her. A day in the forest sounds lovely, hoping to get out a walk here tomorrow to . The job is working in a health clinic in Glasgow. It's something I really want to get into so hoping that if I just keep pestering the NHS, they will eventually employ me

pink for sleep, hope you get some more tonight

fuzzzy about your job, hope you find something

scheh sounds like C has a great appetite I just let W have what he wants too, some days he won't eat much other days he'll eat loads. Don't stress over it or milk as long as its on offer he'll take what he wants.

pink hope you get some good sleep tonight
fuzzzy that sucks about your job, but good to hear you sounding so positive. Fingers and everything else crossed that something decent comes along soon.
scheh I am jealous that C is cutting milk and eating more food! That's as it should be!! I wish E would eat a bit more, but he's just not interested. As sp said, just offer it, if he doesn't need it he won't take it! You're not doing anything wrong . Fwiw my ds1 had cut right down on milk by 8 months, so it really does depend on the baby.

Can't believe you people have already been thinking and ttc! Mad and crazy people. But congratualtions CountryMama (and hello, I'm new!), it is exciting news indeed!

Thanks fuzzy. Health clinic sounds interesting (I'm a nurse tho need to do return to practice when I go back). I would like to do health visitoring/or more community based work rather than inpatient. Last place i worked was in psychiatric intensive care unit and don't feel that I am ready for that again for a while. Tho much care is now moving out to community with home treatment teams (which I loved). Sorry rambling. Work seems so long ago now as was when pregnant with ds2 I stopped, feels like a lifetime.

Yes I would love to be health visitor or work in some area of public health. I'm studying health and social care with open uni just now (could kick myself for not doing it straight from school). I tried a few years ago to do nursing at uni but wasn't accepted. Open uni is good (I took year off after having S) but I'm just thinking how I'll manage it when I start again in October juggling that, work (fingers cx) and baby. I know people do it, need to find out their secrets!!

Fuzz - That sounds really promising, good luck! My works a bit all over the place - goal posts keep shifting and making me question my decisions so im no further forward really!

Ed, yes definitely I'm free any when next week (wedding and family stuff sat Sunday then 5 days off!)! Let me know when and where is easier for you (I won't have the car but can get the train with the girls no problem). I'm happy to come to you ladies if Glasgow is easier (last time I was there I had some amazing French martinis in a bar in a square of shops/ restaurants - I was also 23 and at uni... How things have changed).

Oh mama poor ds - I hope the meetings go well. We are just starting another round of them for ds but thankfully now we are in the system these are much more positive than the initial ones. It's so difficult to know what to do for the best - aren't the red arrows in Southampton tomorrow? Hope you manage to avoid them whilst in the forest!

Sch - today the girls have had:

• Baby wheat flakes for breakfast
• 2-3oz ff at about 10am
• chicken pieces, pasta with cheese sauce and bread fingers for lunch followed by 1.5 petit filous' each
• 4-5oz ff about 3pm
• roast beef from yesterday mashed down for dinner about 5pm followed by a baby fruit pot between them
• 1-2oz of their bottle before zonking out at 6.45!

(oh and Edie also snuck in some haribo bears from her brother today!!!)

They'll take about 4 oz of milk during the night when they wake but that it! I too make up full 6oz bottles each time and they're not interested I'm getting more annoyed about wasting all the bloody milk making fresh bottles each time!!

Ds was bf'd until 10 months then refused ff, refused blue milk and has to this day never had milk again (bar a small amount in his cereal) so he weaned himself off. they lead the way and if they wanted more milk, they'd ask for it! (well scream for it ).

I'm in bed already and it's only half 8!

Hope everyone's ok.

bb3 count me in to! Love a wee road trip . Glasgow is much better than Edinburgh but what ever is easiest for you! mrsh you around? Think our babies were only 3 months old at our last meet! Next week I'm only free Wednesday or Thursday if that's any good?

Both good for me! X

Shame we couldn't have a boozy lunch think the kids would lower our street cred in the trendy bars

bb3 eek forgot red arrows. We have the guernsey/jersey flight path mainly overhead.

I am of your meet up, tho am very self conscious feel frumpy and fat and would um and ah about a meet up blush]

even

I'm free Wednesday and Thursday too!

I wonder if you were in Princes Square BB3 for your French martini? I had one there just last week! (And Lizzie slept through from the feed after that !)

Sorry pp I missed your post. I've been where you are, and it does get better. Can you talk to your HV for tips? Try to lay off the cleaning etc. There was a lovely poem in the nursery in hospital, it went:

I hope my children look back on today, and see a mother who had time to play.
Children grow up while you're not looking, there'll be years ahead for cleaning and cooking.
So quiet now cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep.

Is there anyone who could look after DCs for you one evening so you could have some 'me' time?