Caution! December 2011 babies can be hazardous to health, bank balances and carrot sticks!

[LittleMissFlustered]

Morning - huge sympathies on the lack on sleep some of you are getting. Being with a baby all day is hard enough on decent sleep - I know I would not be coping with DS and Freya at all well if I was as lacking in sleep as some of you. I found it hard enough this morning when Freya was being such a pain and crying and crying when she needed her morning sleep. I had to put her in her cot and walk away as I was getting angry at her when I know it is not her fault. She eventually went and slept for an hour and a half!! unheard of as she is normally a cat napper in the day.

I also can relate to those of you who are having DH/DP issues - it is hard being a parent and a wife/partner I think as the children take so much out of you there is little left for the OH. It does get easier as they get older though - they are more independent and you get some time/sanity back!

Fed up of this rubbish half term weather though. Today's plan is sorting the house for the weekend and going to Tescos to pick up glasses and some food bits for Freya's christening on Sunday. I am looking forward to seeing family and celebrating Freya. Hope the weather improves though.

My sister and BIL are coming tomorrow. They gave us a hand and feet print kit for Freya for Xmas so I thought I d better do it before tomorrow - completely arsed it up! I got a good handprint down on the canvas and then instead of being satisfied with that I thought I would do a foot - one big smudge later.... I will of course keep it but it wont be going on the wall. I think it needed a 2 person approach so bit sad I tried and mucked it up.

DS bless him is asleep on the sofa. He was complaining he was very tired and then he said his face hurt - he pointed to his eyes and forehead so think he has a headache! Fed him some calpol and tucked him up on the sofa.

We are meant to be watching some sailing at the Olympic site tomorrow but I think the gale force winds might but pay to that.

We are off to sunny portugal for a week on Weds - can't wait. Someone was asking about flying with LOs - we have not been with 2 before but have flown with DS several times from about 9 months old and it has always been fine. People are generally helpful and apart from having to taste the milk/food you take on the plane it is easier enough.

I feel like a really bad mum at the moment I'm struggling today with severe PMT I'm irritable and full of tension and both the girls want me at the same time and I just snapped at DD1 feel a bad mum right now.

Hope is sleeping in my arms and air is watching Thomas. I have told him if he wakes Hope he will be sent to his room!

I think i have it.backwards. Hope should be upstairs in cot but every time i put her down she wakes screaming :(

I think she has speration axniaty (sp?) I cant leave her without her screaming and putting her hands out to me for me to hold her :(

air snap, I can't put Eva down, she cries as soon as she can't see me. She's asleep on me now.

dsm sorry about the bad PMT, you're not a bad mum. I bought tangled but DS doesn't want to watch it. Is it worth me watching it after he goes to bed any good?

oi we can't afford a cleaner unfortunately.

We had an offer on the flat this morning, 35k below the (very reasonable) asking price. I've rejected it, we can't afford to let it go for less than 15k below the asking price.

Seven I think it is brilliant and would def watch once putting DS to bed.

Air have you got a sling or anything to hold Hope in whilst you do other things?

Sky isn't happy unless being held either tbh but not alot I can do about it today.

Got DD1 making a christening card for Sunday. My cousin is having his 3 month old DS2 christened and DD1 is creative so have put her to the task

Spoken to Doc about my PMT and he said to take EPO for next cycle and see how I get on. If no better have to go on Anti-Ds

i have a moby wrap but its a faff when in the house.

Air wake her up so now he is in babyproofed livingroom watching Thomas and Hope is in cot playing. Im on the bed next to cot mn.

Dh has week off for us to declutter and rearrange things at home so there is no point me doing anything yet.

I love my Moby Wrap when Sky is being grumpy & clingy. x

Swimming was a success (if you discount DD2 bumping her head on waterslide.......fortunately the first aid people were very nice, and I'm a dab hand with steri-strips and she seems OK. She's developing a cracking black eye though, whoops!) the neoprine baby wetsuit thingy (no arms or legs, held on with enormous velcro panels) worked really well and he didn't seem at all cold, yay, and really enjoyed the jacuzzi pool bit.

Am re-lanolising his lovely wool shorties after a monster poosplosion, and gently tidying/cleaning (totally agree with the idea of a cleaner oi, but can't really justify it to myself as our house is small and I would have trouble decluttering in time each week). Am hoping to go out with my antenatal mummies from DD1 tonight assuming DS plays ball and sleeps! Must try and stuff him full of puree at teatime.

Sympathy for the clingy babies and stress DsM and air, hope you both feel a bit better soon.

Good luck
With the flights jiggle and have a great holiday.

Good luck
With the flat seven, lets hope that the 35k under was an initial cheeky offer and that somewhere on another thread there's a mama squealing "oih, I really want that flat, lets make another offer'l

Gah Bristol zoo off it's just horrid still dry now but very windy and cold, think I'm PMTing too as am stropping like a teenager over not getting out and want to throttle dh for fannying about over dinner. He's gone to get a curry to cheer us up but I'm not even hungry, am past the point of rational .....boo to the weather.

Lo has had a Heinz taste of home pasta bolognese tonight as not defrosted anything woops, how much notice are people taking of the age guidelines on pre made food? Any jar I have got has been 1st stage so guess very smooth but things like rice cakes are all from 7 months/12 months do I just plod on regardless? Guess with blw he could be chomping on a chicken leg so should just get on with them?

Mmmm... fajitas are cooking, can't wait!

Glad you had a good night DSM, that's great.

I've just thought, we'll need to look at moving DS into his own room, or rather moving DP back into our room in a bit. Should give it a go, with DP being on night duty as he's still on leave- it may disturb DS less, or it may be hell with DP going up and down stairs twice a night, but we should try. How many of you have or are planning to have DCs in their own rooms?

AWCH, thou art a braver woman than I going to Lakeside! It is indeed one of the lower circles of hell, and the Ikea actually falls somewhere below the lowest circle you couldn't pick us up some highchairs while you're there could you? We're just going to watch the footie too, and I have joined in the office sweepstake: got Portugal and Croatia, meh.

Blimey seven, that's ridiculously low! You did right not to accept it.

You are adventurous aethel with the picnic and the swimming. It's awful though when a child gets a black eye (I have been that child on several occasions) and you just want to wander round with a sign that says 'I LOVE HER AND IT WAS ACCIDENTAL, HONEST'. She sounds like she's coping OK with it, as it must be sore for her.

Figgy, wanting to throttle OHs for fannying about is normal; it's actually if you do them any harm you have to worry .

Northern, I was going to move minimopsy last w/e, but chickened out. Don't particularly go by the book for anything else but decided to wait until she's actually six months until I move her. That's in 2 weeks. Hope will get more sleep then. Finding work hard at the moment. It's hard to be self-motivated when you're so exhausted. Heigh ho, I'll keep plodding on and eventually I'll get there. I WILL finish this PhD!

How's that PhD going Mopsy, are you making good progress overall? I'm sure you'll get it finished in time, but you're doing really well as we're all aware of what a drain on the grey cells the LOs can be- mainly through sleep deprivation!

Kids in bed, might get a vodka and coke...mmmm

Northern both my dcs have their own rooms. Dd went in hers on the 3rd night - controversial I know but it worked for us and she's a brilliant sleeper. Waited about 3 weeks with ds because of my cs recovery but again it's worked well. Ds isn't such a good sleeper but still very good, and if he does wake, he feeds then goes back down in 20 minutes! I realise it's not for everyone, and I do occasionally have to get out of bed in the dead of night to check on them!

Aethel injuries aside, glad you enjoyed swimming. I use one of those wetsuit thingys for ds, and for dd when she was wee, they are really effective and good for grippage!

DSM hope you feel better following your gp visit. I don't suffer badly but do get a low mood when I am menstruating. When I recognise it as pms, I always feel a bit better. Hope the epo works.

Seven rubbish re flat offer! And I loved Tangled - saw it with dp at the cinema. He suggested it and enjoyed it too, he has a soppy sensitive side!

Jiggle fingers crossed for decent weather on Sunday, im sure you'll have a wonderful day regardless

Figgy strop away! I hate when plans get messed up, so annoying!

I'm planning to put BOi in his own room as soon as we move in and get it ready. It's going to be tough as I love those bedtime snuggles. He sleeps with us every night. We are rubbish! We say we'll mum up and make him sleep in his crib, but he's just too adorable to keep out in the cold, where he rolls and gets squished in the bars.
figgy I'm doing blw so you're right I wouldn't look for ages. He's 26 weeks tomorrow, so I chanced my arm and gave BOi some yoghurt, care of a Frube (thanks for the heads up, aethel). He needed help not to squeeze it out all over him, but he liked it and "got" it, and ate quite a lot. They are 15% sugar. But f* it, it's Friday!
It was peach flavoured, so I also gave him a slice of fresh peach which he pulled his face at but still did quite well with.
Oh and when I picked him up from nursery, the lovely Ivana told me that he had been crawling. I have yet to see evidence of this, but he's very fast at moving backwards and around in circles. He doesn't move forwards, and doesn't "crawl" yet.
And... The handprint kit arrived today already -great service. So we made secret hand and footprints this afternoon. Ssssh!

Northern Sky was 18 weeks when she went into her own room - right next door to ours and she kinda sleeps better in there still waiting for the over night sleep. However, hoping for a repeat of last night

DP took me to see Prometheus earlier so I could have a break and relax from my girls - film was pants but needed the break. DD1 is staying at nanny's and DD2 is home with us.

Hope everyone has a good night and sorry for all the mememe posts x

northern figgyboy has been in his own room since about 11 weeks as he was sleeping thru from 8 wks to 18 wks except for monumental thrashing which woke me up every night for nothing. he's a good sleeper apart from the need for a very rapid night feed.

Lo was chomping on strawberries today and had a play with his first bit of toast so going to buy some rice cakes tomorrow. He's been having a rusk as finger food at lunch and they're also hugely high in sugar need to replace them with alternatives.

ditto rash - ds was in his own room with monitor on next to my bed on about day 3 and Freya got to about 6 weeks before she was turfed out I think as she woke more frequently but settled quicker than DS. She didn't even get the monitor next to the bed! Perhaps controversial but everyone sleeps better for it in my experience and DH and I cannot cope without sleep. I think it has helped Freya be a self settler (ie I am lazy and don't go in with every little sound!) The other morning she woke at 630 - I decided it was too early and I would see if she would re settle - lo and behold it was then 730am!

Re weaning I have tried Freya on fromage frais from about 24 weeks - a bit early but I was looking for alternatives. She is pretty rubbish at getting anything in her mouth herself though. She can get an empty spoon in but not any bits of fruit, veg or toast. Though the other day she grabbed a handful of DHs sandwich , shoved loads in and then choked it all back up again. I couldnt do BLW, purees here. Freya loves her fruit (melon and strawberry puree a particular favourite) and will tolerate veg but not moved onto to other things yet - putting it off until after holidays.

I def recommend Annabel Karmel rice cakes - Sky loves them. They come in different flavours too

Think we are going to turf f out into his own room this weekend. Currently f is on our room and DH and I are in the spare room until after the first wake up. Hmm sure its not.meant to be that way around.... He is 24 weeks so only a little but off 6 months.

We had 1.30 and 6.30 last night Phew. Hope we get a few more of those. And DS1 has done poos on the potty for the first time yesterday and today!! I really hope that this is the beginning of the end for the training.

Oh Bob Oi, I so missed it when DS had to move into his cot and out of my bed. I mean, sure, I had appalling tendonitis owing to the way I was sleeping (in safe mode!), and he wriggled, and there were the two poop moments, but it was sooooo nice having him in there...

I think it just feels odd having had someone in with him for six months- I know that give it a week and we'll hate the thought of being back in a room with him but I think it's time for the big changes: own room, weaning, and getting him out of the cot/pram and turning it into a sitting up pram/pushchair bet everyone else stopped using their cots months ago

Thanks all

That's all sounding really good on both fronts hawthers, whoop for DS1!

I too had a vodka and coke this evening Rashka, my favourite Friday night drink!

Well done to your DS1 hawthers!

northern DD has been in her own room since 6 weeks. She wakes at 5 most days but otherwise sleeps very well.

oi Eva is still yet to crawl but I think she's close, she can do both the arm and leg motions but not at the same time. I'm amazed how quickly she can get where she wants to go by turning herself round and rolling though! When BOi is in his own room you'll have to bring him into your bed for lazy weekend morning snuggles.

aethel hope your DD2 is ok bless her. They offered another 5k but won't go higher, that thread will be 'AIBU expecting to buy a flat in Southwold for 90k?'

dsm I've only just stopped but I'll definitely watch it on Sunday night when DH is at work.

We haven't started on finger foods yet, except for a bourbon that she stole from me, but she just dribbled on it then threw it on the floor :o. We'll probably start on rice cakes next week, whole rusks are just too messy!

Bourbon biscuit, as opposed to bourbon whiskey :o

Gah 11am and then an hour long 3.30 wake up i try to not feed him but he just thrashes about until he gets a bottle. He cant be hungry he had 2 meals, fruit and 5 7oz bottles last night i just dont know where its going to end. At least its stopped raining

Morning all by the way ......

11pm not am......clearly, its on days like this i wish i drank coffee