December 2011: Of Mice, Men and Tables

[NorthernChinchilla]

Here we go...I hope!

Better (well, less 'ormonal!) day. Got DS checked by the doc and his chest was clear, so the little blighter is just being stubborn rather than ill. I still feel hugely guilty when he nuzzles for milk, but that will go, it's only 9 days since I stopped. oi not everyone gets comedown but it's like baby blues in that a transient lowering of mood is very commonly reported in the days-weeks post BFing.

Highly recommend libraries as a heat-escaping strategy. Only 24 hours more to get through and then predicted rain!!!!

Glad to hear it aethel- I don't know how you wrangle three, let alone do that and do DIY, and I speak as someone who loves children and DIY ! Add in the wibble hormones and I'm not surprised you're having to scale it all down.

What are you doing for your hen DSM? Are you having a whole weekend and hitting the town in London, or doing something more sedate with family and friends? But sounds like a lovely life at the moment, not but wouldn't mind swapping places for a little while!

That's great news Xiao, but bloody hell what a long winded process. I'm sure the law is about the needs of the service, not the random-thoughts-of-everyone-in-the-office-including-the-cleaners! Mind you, I'm sure you'll know the laws round that better than I. Do keep us all updated on how it goes, got our fingers crossed.
DP is doing the same thing, only he can't work from home. He's asked to go down to 9.30 to 3.30, from 9-5, and will considering going half time too; he's not hopeful, and has said he will not return to work if they won't let him work flexibly. Will cross that bridge when we come to it....

Don't normally drink in the week, but have promised DP a cocktail in the garden as it's so hot....hmmm, what to have....

northern I never drink in the week mainly because I forget to bother but we've been in the garden with a nice bottle of Pinot grigio tonight

dsm you are a braver woman than I entering into London for the 1st weekend of Olympics def tell us the plans!

Mortgage appointment was a huge success. After we've paid off all of our outstanding debts if we borrow the maximum amount we'll have 25k to do much needed work on the house :o. The best part is that the monthly payments will also be at least £100 per month less than we're paying for everything now.

Blub Blub Blub. 24 hrs in A & E.

Great news seven!

Hi all! Sorry not posted much, only just got back. Will reply to everyone tomorrow, busy thread!!!!

The jumpaline was unearthed today, so thing1 and thing2 spent hours reacquainting themselves with it while octoboy shouted a lot, demanded boobs and refused to nap. When he did go over the other two woke him. Grumpy octoboy was grumpy >_<

I've got a gammon in the slow cooker. The cats are going insane:o In morning I'll drain it, then bung it in the oven for an hour with dome glaze on to dry it out and give it some flavour:)

The one occasion when DD sleeps later than 5 and DS manages to wake her up, not happy!

oi have I missed something who's in a+e?

figgy programme on channel 4 last night called 24 hours in A&E

Doh of course it was

Bleurgh. Feeds at 10.30pm, 2am, 5am and 7am. I think DD has been having a growth spurt since she was born :(

Aethel Glad your feeling better. Hoping it carries on getting better for you

Seven That's great news about your mortgage

LMF That bacon joint sounds yum

My hen is in our nations capital on Saturday. We are going on the train into Victoria. There is 13 of us (friends & family) we are seeing Wicked the Musical & then going for dinner at a Turkish restaurant. Not sure what's happening to me other than that

Both my girls are still asleep, so am just chilling with a cuppa in bed.

Gee Thinking of you. DD must get the idea soon that sleep is good.

((((hug)))) gee, that's really tough. dS had a month of two hourlys and , that was crippling so I really sympathise. Thread moves quickly so forgive me if I've misremembered but are you still BFing? I had a similar issue with DD2 and added a single 7oz botle of formula at 8pm, it kept her down for a few hours longer to let me recharge.( DS wouldn't take this due to being a bottle refuser which is why I've switched completely recently). Might be worth a try unless you are anti formula for allergy risk or similar? Are you still needing to feed for those wakeups? Have you tried the no-cry-sleep-solution or Baby Whisperer alternatives to controlled crying (both should be orderable from local library or secondhand from amazon). In meantime

LMF, I am SO with you on the DCs-waking-baby thing. Especially when said baby hates napping and resists with all his might, FINALLY conks out, and then DDs scream at each other or make loud bangs and wake him, sigh. Someone should invent baby earplugs!

Yay for the mortgage seven, you must be relieved.

What was the eventual cocktail of choice northern?

Hen night sounds exciting dsm, hope it's lots of fun and involves a screening of Magic Mike!

Another scorcher predicted. At least it's still cool now.

Aethel I've heard mixed reviews on Magic Mike.

Gee we have had the same the last two nights so massive sympathy. And this morning, voila - I found tooth number three, top right!

I think there could be more teeth as there is a massive dribblefest today.

Yes am still bfing. Have got her to take 4oz in a sippy cup at dinner time but otherwise still bfing. She usually sleeps really well until midnight so not sure formula last thing would help as its the early hours she keeps waking up for.

Feel like I have tried EVERYTHING to get her to sleep except CC and I really don't want to do that. Have had some success putting her down awake for daytime naps but I have to lie next to her for an hour or so before she'll give in and its just not sustainable with DS to look after! She just screams and screams with anything like shush pat or PUPD.

It seems vcrazy that she's still feeding so much at night. This is our usual routine:

7-7.30am BF
8.30 breakfast, usually fruit, yoghurt and/or porridge
9-9.30 nap
11am BF
12.30 lunch, usually sandwiches, toast, rice cakes, yoghurt
1.30 - 2pm nap
3pm BF
5.30 dinner, 4oz formula, puree and some kind of fingerfood
6.45 bath, bedtime routine
7.15 BF
Usually wakes 11.15pm but settles quickly, then feeds 2am, 5am and 7am in the night.

She is 91st centile but still seem to just be feeding her all the time!

Sympathies gee. That sounds rough. BOi is the perfect baby apart from sleeping. We are partly to blame as he doesn't have a defined routine. For the past few nights he's been very restless, and needed frequent shushing/patting. But has not woken properly, or needed feeding.
But last night he woke at 3 and was v upset. We immediately jumped to go prepare a bottle, so he screamed for the 5minutes that took, which properly woke him up. The bottle didn't send him back to sleep. he took the full 7oz and then wanted to play. It took to beyond 4am to get him back down.
As soon as DH ran off to get the bottle, I thought, he's probably just thirsty in this heat - maybe water would have been enough. I'll have that ready tonight if he wakes, and I'll have a hot flask/bowl/carton/bottle and scissors by the bed.
He still has a late night 7oz when we go to bed at around 11pm.

General Routine of sorts - 4 days per week:
7:30 4-5oz
8:00 breakfast - a couple of spoons of weetabix or porridge and toast
(30mins nap)
11:30 5-6oz
12:00 lunch - fruit, frube, pasta or other leftover or sandwich
(30 mins nap - sometimes as much as 1hr)
16:00 5-6oz
16:30 dinner - leftovers
17:00 20-30 mins nap
18:30 bath
19:00 7oz
20:00 sleep!
11:00 7oz

Gee Could you try giving a bottle of formula at the 11:15 wake up?

Sky's routine is:

7am wake up & 8oz bottle
9:30 breakfast, which can consist of: Porridge, Weetabix, crumpets, toast, toasted muffin, with either dairylea, marmite or jam. & fromage frais
10:45 8oz
11:15 2 hr nap.
15:30 tea with Darcie. Whatever, we have had for dinner the previous day or whatever Darcie has.
17:30 8oz bottle
18:30 some fruit.
19:45 8oz bottle and bed.

On waking (anytime after 5.30 at the moment) 7oz
8.00 Porridge/muesli/weetabix
11.00 4oz
1.00 Lunch (if at cm or out a jar of veg/ sandwich/crumpet)
3.00 4oz
6.30 Dinner (Veggies and protein or pasta)
7.30 bedtime story and 7oz

If he wakes up in the night he has another 4oz as he very rarely goes back down without it as %oi% said he just wakes up more the longer it takes to give him what he wants but that thankfully does seem to be less often than it was. He tends to have full baths on Sunday, Tuesday and Fridays but sometimes I do them in the mornings and sometimes in the evenings so there is no real routine there.

Sleeps he tends to have 30mins in the morning and 1-1.5hrs in the afternoon and if he is awake at 5.30 like he has been this week he has another 30-45mins prior to going to cm at 9am.

It is all very relaxed really.

DH and I are not getting on at the moment, he is not busy at work and so fed up being in house all day in case work comes in, he doesn?t want to have to get a job but doesn?t want to not earn a certain amount of money either. We agreed that when I went back to work I wouldn?t do housework in the week so I could spend time with LO, it was his idea and once he has gone to bed I do do things and I do plenty of washing, cleaning, tidying at weekends. Today he woke up in a mood so I pushed into telling me what the matter to be told I am selfish, lazy, cold, we have no time for each other any more etc. He says it is not all about lack of sex and I will admit there has been none the last couple of weeks as I am tired now I am back to work, AF but I know fine he is just in a sulk about it and throwing other things at me?..which is obviously no incentive for me to be a bit more ?enthusiastic?. We have very different standards in terms of the house and I am sure compared to his expectations I am selfish, messy, lazy etc but I don?t agree based on my more normal expectations so I guess that is not helpful either. Ho hum!!

I like this having a look at everyone elses routine it's quite interesting!

DS's current routine

On waking (6-6.30) 7oz
8am - breakfast - wheetabix/porridge/toast and fruit
9.30am - 7oz
Half hour nap at some point in morning
12.00 Lunch - Hot food e.g. fish pie/cottage pie/ pasta and fresh fruit
1.30pm - 7oz
4.30pm - 7oz and tea - savory muffin/sandwich/ricecakes and veg
6pm - 7oz
7pm bed
3am - 7oz (followed by frequent waking untill we get up)

Actually discussed it with HV today as he eats loads and seems to be increasing milk this last week again. But she said not to try and decrease it as this amount seems to be maintaining his weight between 25-50 centiles.

Plan is to try dreamfeed for a week to see if he drops the 3am feed. We are also having to switch to dairy free diet as anything with dairy is making his tummy a bit violent and him very irritable and wakeful, he couldn't tolerate the switch from comfort back to first milk either. HV suggested cutting dairy and reintroducing at 1 year.

Haddocks for your DH Figgy. Sounds like he is being a bit of a caveman and letting his hormones make him sulk which is unfair on you really.

Oh Bob Oi, we've got 24 hours... to watch tonight as we recorded it. I'm going to be a mess, aren't I ? Today's embarrassing welling up was outside Oxfam book shop, as there was a kids' picture book in the window called something like 'I will always be there' or 'never without you'...I need to get a grip.

I don't know how you're managing Gee, especially with her not napping and another DC to look after. Do you do dummies? When DS was 'learning' to sleep overnight, he'd just take a dummy instead of a bottle.

That's pretty pants of your DH figgy - sounds like he's grumpy about his work stuff and taking it out on you. I was absolutely knackered in the evenings for about the first 3-4 weeks when I went back to work (to the point where I thought I might be accidentally pregnant!), and it's to be expected. And as for lazy- has he noticed who's going out to work and being a parent?! Frankly if DP and I manage sex once a fortnight at the moment I'm happy!

It was a Long Island Ice Tea aethel, I mix a mean one- although sitting out has meant that some beastie has savaged my ankle, b'starding thing.

Right, to throw our weekday routine in...
6am DS wakes, goes into bed with Daddy
6.50am DS gets BF
7.30am DS and Daddy finally haul their lazy arses out of bed get up for the day, and get breakfast: about 3/4 of a Weetabix, or porridge, and half a nana mixed up.
9am ish- DS has 30/45 min nap
9.30- bottle (180 ml)
12ish- lunch of a houmous/cheese/egg mayo sarnie and some fruit
Nap at some point after that for 30/45 minutes
1.30/2 ish- bottle
4.30 ish- bottle
6.30- evening meal of soup & bread/pasta/mushed up roast dinner, etc
7pm BF

Then to bed, and as of two nights ago we dropped the dream feed, so that's it.

Yep you'll be a mess but next week looks worse.
Haddocks for your DH figgy. I shall Say no more.
I'll try and post more later. There is stuff to be said. But there is dinner to be had also. And I'm starving!