December 2011: The one where DSM gets married...

[LittleMissFlustered]

:o

Early night for us here after last night I don't want to just dose up with preemptive calpol but he has very very red cheeks tonight. Will see how we get on.

9 month development check booked for 4th October what should I expect?

What are these eight and nine month checks? We don't seem to have them...
Hope you all have better nights tonight. I fear we are in for a bad one, v v snotty snuffly baba, keeps waking up due to her blocked up nose. I put baby Vick on her back (only bit I could reach without waking her as she sleep on her tummy now, and has done since she has been able to roll) and a drop or two of baby olbas oil on the very top corner of her sheet... I know it's supposed to be on a tissue but she likes to put them in her mouth ! She hopefully won't end up that far up the cot. I can hear her snuffling through the monitor and giving little sporadic cries. Poor little bean. She wasn't that bad during the day at all.

I've no news! I know I'm so lucky to be only working 2 days a week but sometimes I find it hard having a plan for every day. But if we don't get out and meet people that's hard too. If I could afford nursery fees I'd go 3 days a week working I think. Today we went swimming, mixed reactions, tears and smiles but she was such a little duck in her spotty swimsuit. Too cute!

I think it's really interesting how working lives are developing- not every job requires a man to be at a desk for 7.5 hours per day....men want to be at home more, women want to work out of the home more, fewer people want to work full time, then there's all the issues about what people can actually afford now, never mind want to do about work.

I think ideally I'd do a four day week, but it won't happen in my current role. The team is tiny, there's only me doing the work (and only me that can do) and frankly I could do with a six day working week.
I'm just glad my boss is a dad of an 18 month old so we can commiserate about crap nights' sleep, and he's massively flexible about when and where you work, as long as the work gets done.

I want a picture Mopsy, that sounds cuuuuute!

figgy our check was very low key. She started by saying that all babies dvlp at different times, so it's just to ensure everything is going in the right direction. That is, is baby healthy, are you getting the support you need? She basically just handed BOi some toys and watched him while chatting to me. She gave him a rattle, he took it and then passed it to his other hand (tick), does he respond to his name? How mobile is he? Is he chattering yet? Is feeding going ok? Are you reducing milk yet? Then some advice for the next year. Then ok see you when he's 2.
missree chuckle chuckle at DP's finger test! He he he!!
kristy sorry to hear about more DP ishews. Take heart in that you're not the only one. This too shall pass and we shall all live happily ever after. Alternatively we shall set up a wimmin and baby commune and eschew menfolk altogether.
Good luck with new venture and 36 hr in 3 day weeks. I would love that! (I think). Fingers crossed for good news in dec.
hawthers I only had boob pain when I was engorged, no pain since. So I hope that goes away soon.
Good luck with ASDA kitty. Ugh - smear - I am well overdue.
northern how refreshing to hear that your DH was the one with a wobbly lip when LO went to nursery.
aethel sounds like your return to work is going well.
lmf good luck with referrals.
And good luck to those ttc.
I had a wobbly day at work today. I'll put it down to very little sleep for a few days (BOi has a horrid cold) and the arrival of AF. so emotions were high and the tether was short when I realised that I'll be away from home for 16out of 39 days in the next weeks. The final trip - to china - takes place on my 40th birthday, and the b'stards aren't letting us fly business class. (it'll be fine of course, I just got emotional with the injustice because the boss is flying businesswith Finnair and they were proposing putting us on a different route altogether with emirates, which is half the price of the Finnair cabin class rate, but an extra 5-6 hours travel.)
Grrrrrrrrr! I bit my lip and gracefully declined the emirates option.
If it was just me and said boss, I'd be ok to fly business. But there are more people coming, so we all get the shittier option. We're travelling all that distance for a 2 day meeting. Grump grump grump.
I know. I chose the nice house and career. I should put my big girl pants on and mum up. I've just got my first AF in 18 months, I'm allowed a wobble.
Ok, rant over.
As you were.

You're definitely allowed a rant Oi. pleb class long haul UGH! Poor you! I mean that's all I've ever flown except once when I got bumped up due to overbooking (I was v late due to my earlier connecting flight which worked in my favour for once-business class is lovely!) and it's crap when it's for work that you have to go. Booo stingy company!!

Rant away oi, that's a stupidly long way for 2 days, what's wrong with Skype and conference calls?! And the first AF after birth is horrible, must be worse when it's been so long since you've had one.

figgy the check DS had was pretty much like oi described, along with measuring weight, height and head circumference. She didn't observe him though, just asked if he was doing x, y, z etc. Eva has hers in a couple of weeks. Hope you get a better night.

mopsy there's a page for it in the red book so you should get one at some point. I think it's a 6-12 month review, most just do them around 8-9 months, I just assumed because most should be sitting and babbling etc so it would be more noticable if anything was wrong iyswim. Hope minim is on the mend again soon.

Watching one born every minute -a twins and triplets special, and blubbing all the way.

morning thanks for the tip on nine-month check got on the scales with Ds. This morning and there was a 25lb difference if he weighs that much now he will be off the charts by the time of his check. He's still having well over 20oz milk 3 meals a day and snacks must cut his milk but not sure how is it easier to cut big am/pm bottles down or the 4oz ones he has in day?

BOi has about 30- 35 oz a day over 5 feeds, plus 3 meals when he's at home. He gets less at nursery. I think we could change the routine to
0800 breakfast weetabix (with formula milk)
1000 7oz formula
1200 lunch and fruit or frube
1400 7oz formula
1630 dinner
1830 7oz formula
2300 7oz formula
With the intention of dropping that bedtime feed... Last night he didn't wake for his bedtime feed at 11, but he woke at 1, so got it then.
Mum and dad have been on hols for 2.5 weeks. They were supposed to be staying until Saturday but are coming home today. I think they are missing BOi.
So, this might give DH some time to do some decorating tomorrow, if they are ready to step back into their childcare routine!:)
DH upped his game yesterday whilst BOi was at nursery, he said he'd applied for loads of jobs, all kinds of things, even v low pay things. If nothing else he's hoping for some interview experience. This is a good thing.
Have a great day y'all.

Morning all!

Woke up at 6am to a crying baby with a big stinky nappy Poor old DS has got nappy rash now because of the diarrhoea :( will be popping to Boots later to buy more sudocrem!

People keep nagging me that DS has "lost weight", I got him weighed on Monday and he's 20lb 1.5oz and he hasn't lost weight, but he's dropped down from between 75th to 91st centile to between 50th and 75th centile which does coincide with him crawling. The HV definitely wasn't concerned, I think he's just long and lean myself!

At the moment our day goes
7am 7oz formula and weetabix/porridge for breakfast with a banana/apple/pear
11am 7oz formula followed by lunch which is a warm meal like lemon and tarragon chicken, cous cous, broccoli and peas
4.30pm tea which is usually a sandwich or something on toast with yoghurt and another piece of fruit.
7pm 7oz bottle and then bedtime

I think I need to introduce a 3pm snack and push back tea to around 5pm.

Oi fingers crossed something comes up soon for your DH! Hope your work trips go smoothly.

Mopsy I know what you mean, I feel like if I don't get out with DS we end up having a boring or stressful day! I don't always feel like going out, but I usually feel better for it!

Northern it's good to have a boss with children especially young ones - hopefully they will be more sympathetic when you're tired or if you need to take time off!

oi i hated (and refused) to work in pleb class, never mind fly long haul in it lol

Our day atm is-

7am between 6-8oz milk

8Am breakfast usually cereal and fruit and toast if he's extra hungry

10 am snacks of rice cakes and fruit

11.00 -11.30 lunch and yoghurt

2Pm snacks

2.30pm 6 oz milk (hv said drop this bottle but he's starving?!)

5Pm tea

6-6.30 8oz bottle

If anyone can see how I can change it for the better I'll love you! It gets to 2 and he is so hungry he can't wait

kri5ty, minim has 3 bottles still too and in fact only recently dropped the fourth. Her routine was until this week:

7am 7oz bottle
8am breakfast of natural greek yoghurt & fruit
11-11:30am lunch - a pot of honemade mush (beef stew, chicken curry, fish pie etc.) and a pot of stewed fruit sometimes with more Greek yoghurt
2pm ish 7oz bottle
4:30pm dinner - as for lunch
7pm 7oz bottle

But she doesn't finish all of the bottles sometimes and I've managed the past cpl of mornings to give her breakfast first thing and no bottle which I presume she will want about ten. I'm guessing the bed time bottle will be the last to go. She also has rice cakes for a snack and a baby biscuit sometimes also.

It's so tough to know what to do isn't it?!

I didn't think of dropping the breakfast bottle! He's so anxious for his bottle though 1st thing! I may give it a go!

See we are doing:

Wake Up (no set time) 6oz bottle
Breakfast 8.15 Weetabix/porridge 2oz
11am 4 oz + fruit/biscotti/rice cakes
1pm Lunch (if at CM small jar or if at home crumpet and dairylea or toast)
3pm 4oz + fruit/biscotti/rice cakes
6.15 cooked dinner
7.30 7oz bottle

So he is usually on around 23oz which doesnt seem massively over the 20oz recommendation but he is obviously a monster baby if he 25lbs already. At least he has stopped the extra night feeds now. He does drink water throughout the day too thankfully. I think we will have to drop down the wake up or bed bottle as when he goes to CM he takes a 250ml carton of SMA so has that across his 2 day time feeds, dont want to waste them as they are bleeding expensive now they have the new packaging.

He woke me up a few times last night crying out but not actually waking which he never usually does, went through at 3 and 5 to find him on his face (so cute) before he finally wanted rescued at 6.30. Could have been worse!!

cba cba cba cba cba... want to go home and play and not be here. :(
From the soudns of it, we are giving BOi way too much milk. We also are buying the ready made stuff, so could save some money if we reduce. (We buy the larger 500ml or 750ml? bottles frmo Cow and gate, or Hipp organics, they work out quite a bit cheaper than the aptimil 200ml cartons.)

DS gets;
0600 7oz Bottle
1000 Weetabix with full fat moo juice
1030 7oz
1400 Yogurt, some fruit or veg bits
1430 7oz
1800 Homemade meal or half a jar
1830 7oz
0000 7oz

Will have a rice cake and possibly half a carrot at some point in the day, and 7oz of water throughout the day.

Oi, we try not to buy jars too often, but if DH is working long days/hours I don't have the free time to cook....Aptimil do the big bottles around here, can't get Hipp milk anywhere but Boots!

Kri5ty, could you move lunch back by an hour or more?
That's what we've done so we can give DS a bottle just before bed (stops him waking twice in the night for milk).

Hope everyone is having a good day? He's teething & I'm AF-ing so we're having a lazy day!

He usually goes to bed between 12-12.30
And gets too tired to eat if we feed him later than half 11

Awch thats brilliant about the water! Monster will only have a few sips a day!

Hmm I need a book that tells me what milk feeds to drop and when!

He had his developmental check the other week. Apparently he'll be tall and thin like his dad! He's on the 25th centile for weight and the 75th for height!

I wouldn't worry too much kri5ty, he will prob drop it by himself when he's ready to. Minimopsy has.

Good news today:

1 - mil had to deal with what described as the biggest smelliest poo she had ever seen ......good boy.

2 - I got an unexpected salary increase for my positive attitude since returning to work, every little helps

Bad news today:

Teething is in full flow and DS is a whiny grumbly nightmare

Oooh, naughty figgy! But it did make me laugh, DS did his biggest poop ever at the ILs, I was there sadly... And great about the pay increase (and the compliment about your attitude)

Would it work Kri5ty if you did milk, then breakfast, then another milk instead of snacks? He'd fill up more, and earlier, on the milk, so you'd probably be able to push lunch back, and perhaps just try snacks in the afternoon before dinner and bedtime bottle? As the milk's more filling/nutritious for them atm, giving more of his daily amount earlier may help.

We're still (varies a bit depending on nursery)
6am - BF (I think it's total karma that my lazy late rising DP now has an adored son who thinks 6am is a good time to wake )
7.30am- cereal and fruit with moo juice
10am- bottle (anywhere between 100-180ml)
12pm- lunch
2pm- bottle
5pm- bottle
6.30pm- dinner
6.45/7pm- BF.

He dropped the night feeds 4 months ago and the dream feeds about 2.5 months ago, so can't complain.

Sorry AF is giving people gyp.

DP is hating being back at work, after only two days. I don't blame him; the cutbacks in his sector (mental health/social care) are massive, people have resigned, work is going through the roof, and his boss won't listen to suggestions.
He was most irritated today when his boss commented (he's not sure whether it was sarcastic, jokey, or serious) about the fact he was sending a text. He was in fact texting me to say nursery had let him know DS wasn't too well.

And opposite him were people giving a head massage and two others nattering about buying a car and printing off all the details.

DS is indeed very, very warm. Calpol has been administered but I'll keep a close eye on him. He's not been ill at all (bar a little diarrhoea one), not a sniffle, infection, temp, nothing, so it's all new...

Ah Northern welcome to the joys of LO starting nursery and picking up random bugs! It does settle down over time.

Welcome back kri5ty. I thought of you when I heard the news about the West Coast main line contract changing hands (at least I think I'm right in thinking that was you?!). Hope all works out OK for you in Dec.

I have given DS pre-emptive Calpol in the hope of a better night tonight. Tooth no. 4 is about to emerge and there are a few others lurking just below the surface too.

Our routine:
6.30ish 5oz bottle
8ish breakfast of weetabix with cows milk
10.30-11ish small snack and 5oz bottle
12.30-1ish lunch of something hot, followed by fruit
3ish small snack and 5oz bottle
5ish tea of something like sarnies/breadsticks/cheese on toast, followed by yogurt
6.45ish 7oz bottle
7ish zonk

He drinks water throughout the day and with meals. Usually gets through about 7oz in the day, but this is from a bottle as he's still crap wiith his cup

I'll drop mid-morning and mid-afternoon when he's about a year old if he hasn't done it himself by then. Hope the morning bottle will get later and will become milk with breakfast. Eventually bedtime bottle will become bedtime cup of milk with stories, which DD still has (she's almost 2 and a half)

Must dash and dish up dinner. Sorry for lack of namechecks....have once again been just about keeping up but not finding time to post

Brilliant news on the pay rise figgy!

I'm a bit worried about DS, he's had diarrhoea since Saturday :( I thought initially it was because he ate loads of watermelon, but it's been going on a bit too long for that IMO. I took him to the HV on Monday and she was pretty adamant it was down to teething and it should clear up soon. I tried to get a dr's appointment today, but they're fully booked so I'm going to ask for an emergency appointment tomorrow.

In addition to the diarrhoea we now have nappy rash and a bleeding bum :( surprised I managed to keep the nappy rash at bay until yesterday with all this pooing! I think I have done at least 10 nappies today. For once I'm a sympathetic mummy as DS is screaming in pain when I wipe his bum...I feel so guilty and was apologising to him while I was doing it.

Hope everyone's doing ok and lots abides sleep well tonight :)

Hello all - namechanged Tyel here, finally with some good news to impart. I took a break from the thread because every time I sat down and started writing something it was just so negative me me me that even I disliked myself. But now I have some gooooood news!!

Basically way back in July when I went back to work I put in a flexible working request, to work two days a week from home. They kept me waiting for nearly 2 months (policy states they should have decided within 14 days), all the while I was trekking 2 hours in, 2 hours home, every sodding day, never seeing DS awake except during his very frequent night wakings and on the weekends. Then - decision on Monday - application was rejected out of hand. I said FINE I'M QUITTING YOU BASTARDS and they went uhhhhh don't be hasty, would you accept part time?? (Um, yes please!) So starting from 1 October I will be working Tues/Weds/Thurs! And then helping out with my auntie's hedge fund on Mondays and Fridays...lining up a full time job that will be 100% from home so I can quit entirely when I've passed the magical January mark and get my returning bonus and then I can give them the v sign and leave them in the dust. Or something. So I hope that will work out, fingers are firmly crossed.

All other signs are fair to good:

DS is huge (95th centile still), 11kg or so of blonde haired blue eyed chub and has started stumbling and faceplanting walking

We're still BFing morning and night!

The nanny is fabulous and is running our household with an iron fist, we luffs her to bits

The half has started here after a wonderful summer of DH being the SAHP, which was actually brilliant for his confidence as a parent, his cooking and general household management, his relationship with DS and our relationship - the role reversal I think really forced us to see things from the other's perspective to everyone's mutual benefit (no more competitive tiredness...)

My periods came back yesterday for the first time since DS was conceived which has been a mixed blessing (yay fertile! And now I want to get pg again if only to get rid of miserable periods for another year or so)

And I made 7 pots of damson jam from damsons picked in the back garden and it is very tasty

But the best news is I have lured aethel to move down the road so we can go LARPing together!! Come on, you know you want to...

Oh your poor DS cherry, that's rotten for both of you! Definitely get him to the Doc's tomorrow- you're right it's too long, I think the general rule of thumb is if anything's been going on for more than three days it should be checked out. I'm surprised they didn't fit you in today. Hope you get in tomorrow.

Yeah, I've seen the kids in the extended family, in DP's family and my two much younger half siblings go through the germ warfare stage I'm just dreading the first round of nits/worms/actual bugs as I will Hope you get a decent night Kate, good luck!

We're just about to watch the other half of the OBEM Special, if my poor worn-out nerves can take it...

Hope DS is much better soon Cherry, poor little mite

Welcome back Xiao and I'm so pleased to hear it's with fantastic news