December 2011: Of Mice, Men and Tables

[NorthernChinchilla]

Here we go...I hope!

Aw I want a nanny to come and organise my closet. (Is a "closet" a room with a mahoosive wardrobe in it, full of clothes, plus clothes piled high on a bed, and some more clothes in boxes? most of which really need to be charity-shopped. *To be charity-shopped - there's a new verb for you. ;) )
Anyway, she sounds fab.

anyone else playing with Sing and Sign? No classes for miles but we've just started using the DVD and signing at mealtimes...

I've got the sing and sign DVD was really disappointed with it, not sure what I was expecting but I'm not sure I will remember enough to do it with DS.

An thinking I'll head to work in a bit Brekkie still down, need laptop for wfh tomorrow and my commute is only 9 miles and at this time of day can be there and back in less than an hour. Will just cause so much more hassle tomorrow if I can't get it and don't feel I can just turn up and take it so going to have to go in show some effort for a few hours. Headache still hanging around

Figgy go in looking white as a sheet. Lurch towards desk, grab edge of desk and sit down heavily. Grab laptop and whatever else you need, clap hand over mouth and rush to loo. Return to desk looking forlorn and clasping head. I bet it will take less than 5 minutes before someone tells you to go home. WFH rest of the week.

And the worst best thing is, you actually feel like shit so no acting required! Hope you feel better soon...

Well I got to the end of the garden felt dizzy and decided couldn't drive, dh drove me in as he was stopping for lunch anyway. Lurched in grabbed stuff and ran/crawled back out the front door before my boss could ask how i was.

Laptop and lucozade acquired which feels like an achievement now to watch crap weekend tv before DS is returned at 5.30.

Aww, no fun figgy, glad you got out of there, now try to rest and get better! Shame you don't like the sing and sign DVD, it does feel like a lot of money for 40 mins of rehashed nursery rhymes, but the concept is a good one. We only use about six signs but they become second nature to use: just sign "milk" when you ask baby if they want their milk/drink, sign "food" when you ask them if they want lunch (or tell them it's time), sign "more?" when you're halfway theough feeding them, sign "all gone!" when you're finishing and "where?" when you're looking for stuff. They sign back at about 11-12 months (when they want something) and it's lovely.

aethel is there any research showing that getting kids to sign impedes their language development? I've heard anecdotes darkly warning against signing because then there's supposedly no impetus for a child to speak. I love the idea of DS signing "milk" to me though.

Nah, it's fine: the dark anecdotes are when you sign INSTEAD of speaking to them, the whole thing with baby sign is that you speak normally and then re-enforce the important word with a sign. Think saying "bye-bye" and teaching your child to wave at the same time. Initially they wave, then later they vocalise and wave. It's just like that with a few more signs that are important things for them (food/milk/gone/more/bed). There are some basic things that aid good communication like paying them attention, encouraging eye contact, getting them to mimic you and giving lots of praise when they do sign back: all the stuff we will be doing to encourage speech anyway. Anectodal evidence of two: my DDs were signed/spoken at from six months, started to sign a few signs by 11-12months, then as their words devel

Developed the signs just naturally dropped away. Sometimes in the 18-24 month age range, they would say the word (eg more/again) and then if I didn't react/do what they wanted they would repeat the word louder and sign too for emphasis! More Thomas, mummy! Etc.....

Hmmmm... DS, putting the 'nip' in nipple since, oooh, last few weeks ? Actually it's not too bad, just the odd one on his evening feed when he's tired and arsing about.

Another bad night was had here, DP said the only hour he didn't 'see' was 4am; he didn't go to parent and baby group as he felt he wasn't safe to handle the car. DS has completely conked out thought, so hopefully he'll sleep better tonight.

Bloody miserable though, I'm wearing a nice woollen jumper. In the South East. In mid-July. Sheesh.

I think the signing is a good idea; I guess it's just like learning any other language, and so it can only be beneficial, or at the very least not harmful. They do it at the nursery that DS is going to, and I thought it was great- saw a load of the kids using it when I went!

Do hope you're feeling better figgy- the headache may well be dehydration, are you getting enough water/squash down you?

From what I remember Xiao, moving is not an option for you? One thing I do and have done for years owing to caring/family responsibilities is take lots of long weekends throughout the year and only have one or two whole weeks off. Works for me, and there's always a mini holiday to look forward to !

We have a friend coming to stay for one of these said long weekends, and so I'm planning to clean the bathroom and shower over three nights. Y'all know how much I luuuurve that job, so am splitting it up to make it vaguely more bearable..

Freya has been absolutely 100% fine today. I have therefore deduced that she is the devil child who can voluntarily raise her temp to scary levels so mummy doesn't go to work and she gets to play with the nice doctors and nurses

The elder child was like that, though she preferred to obtain stupidly daft injuries in order to go play in the children's A&E. They like the attention. Sods!

dS has taken five bottles today, and last boob was in the early hours of the morning. I have just expressed a tiny amount to avoid total carnage (well, to stop it hurting anyway). Am hoping this time it will work OK. He fell asleep at 7pm after a 6oz bottle, it's not going to be fun if he wakes wanting a night feed and gets a bottle instead....

Glad Freya is better, misree! And really hope you get a better night gee and others: I must admit that during the 3-4 weeks of every-1.5-two-hours wakeup zOmbie hell , co-sleeping was what got us through.

Glad your little madam DD is fine MissRee, and hope all goes well with work if you get there!

And good luck with the boobage withdrawal aethel, sounds like you're nearly there...

Totally exhausted. DS1 been up every hour ish but DS2 made it through to 4. Despairing of ever getting a full nights sleep ever again...

Am on the coach and F is safely delivered at Nanny's! I've got that horrible nagging feeling that I've forgotten something...

Well done missree, have a good day. It's very odd getting used to them not being there, after having them with you constantly from birth. I'll drop him off, and then I'll still be looking in the mirror, ready to give a big cheesey smile, expecting to see him in his car seat.
I can last a day without feeding now, but until Sunday night he'd woken twice in the night for a feed. So any swelling was then released. Sunday night, he only woke once, so by yesterdaylate afternoon my right boob was in severe discomfort. I fed him his 7pm feed, and gave a bottle at 11. he still woke 2x for a feed through the night. My boob reclamation project is going slowly. But it's OK, I can wear a normal bra, without pads, during the day (today's is a Charnos, very beautiful, cream creation), he takes a bottle without problem, and I can feed him at night and not mess about looking for clean bottles and teats etc in the wee small hours.
But he really has to start sleeping through!
Caffeine, please.

Morning all,

Another 5.30am wake up call from DS...I'm going to try cutting down his daytime naps to maximum 2 hours at a time, I think him having 5 hours worth of naps in the day might be causing him to need less sleep at night! Trial and error...I'll see if it works!

Oi unfortunately our car seat doesn't attach to the pram. I spoke to DH and he said he will speak to FIL and get FIL to sort it out for us! Definitely taking the lazy option

Xiao The in laws live in the middle of nowhere up a mountain in the NT :o FIL is off to Chinatown today to see if he can find a cheaper deal on flights for himself (we were going to travel together at least one way, but he seems to think he can find cheaper flights than the one DH found him by searching zillions of websites ). Dh's uncle has a 2 year old daughter, so I'm hoping he might be able to pick us up and have a car seat, otherwise Dh's aunties husband is a taxi driver, so he might be able to pick us up. Anyway, I'm sure FIL will sort it out...fingers crossed!

I'm looking forward to going, we went in 2008 and had a great time, this time should be better as we won't have Dh's sister with us...we've since had a major fall out, but even back then a little of her went a long way, she's very "me,me,me, everyone look at me!".

Will come back and name check properly later as need to get DS off for a nap.

oi I'm amazed you can go without breast pads!

Well done misree, and good luck for the day

29 hours since last BF. I think we've officially cracked it.

Forget the coffee, I need something stronger. Just seen the dress I bought from Karen Millen in the sale. Reduced to £40. I bought it as I quite liked it, even though it doesn't fasten right at the front, but mainly because I could breastfeed in it. It wouldn't matter if I really really liked it.
I reckon my right boobicle went about 38 hours before it was bursting and really, really tender. And then when I fed BOi to relieve the soreness, that hurt too.( - I can only go without breastpads now for a limited number of hours. I should be safe until bedtime.

And hang in there hawthers, you're doing a great job and it WILL get better

Def not a veggie plus on hols in s France with les grandparents so adult to nipper ratio is high

Having an organised day today! Spent the morning cooking enough food for meals for Jack for a month so I don't have to bother making things everyday. He's still getting on really well with solids and his milk feeds have started to drop a bit. His nappies are vile now though, wish we could go back to milk! He's also pooing much more frequently now, is that normal with solids?

Booked to have his settling in sessions at nursery next week, ready to start at the beginning of August. Time has gone far too quick.

Well done to all for the sucsessful reclaiming of boobs :) and sympathy for those having bad nights. We are a bit up and down with nights at the moment, sleeping through on the odd night but on others waking very frequently.

Had a couple of scary moments with Jack standing and then falling and hitting his head, on cot, wall, table etc. But it doesn't seem to bother him and he's now mastered the art of sitting back down instead of falling straight over.

Also balancing for a few seconds when he lets go now, my baby is growing up far to fast

Afternoon all

Had afternoon planned off before was ill yesterday so still took it off. met my ante natal group girls for a drink as they all still off on mat leave we were actually talking About whether we would be having 1st bday parties which was a terrifying thought.....hes going to be my baby forever yes it's all going too fast!!

After the catch up i took lo to get weighed and he's still slap bang on the 98th centile. Good boy!!