December 2012 - Smiles all round!

[SpottyTeacakes]

And the one where Spotty's gang gets some sleep

Now I feel bad. We were so structured with ds1 in bed just after 7 from a young age. Edward just stays up too we go to bed at 9ish. That said he has started to have a bath, pj change and tonight into Moses basket, in the lounge with us. Must do better. Got 4 hourly day time feeds mastered though but not sleeps, but cos we are often at groups for ds1 it is harder. I do try and get a lunch nap routine so I can nap too!

H will not give in to any type of routine. I bath, then feed her at 8, sometimes she goes to sleep sometimes she doesn't. The only thing i have noticed with her is that she will go to sleep at 4:30-5am and stay asleep till 9ish. However somedays she does manage a good sleep. If she sleeps well during the day she tends to sleep well of a night. We seem to be getting 2 good nights followed by 3-4 bad nights.

Mama have you got drops for your LO to stop you passing the thrush backwards and forwards to each other?

Hales, I got one dose of fluconazole (sp?) and some cream for me. The GP said they tend not to treat the baby unless its affecting bfing. I have another appt with the same GP on Thursday (baby's 8 week 10 week check) so I can always ask a few more questions then when I see her.

A friend of mine said she went to her GP with suspected thrush and got told there's no such thing as thrush in the nipple, and it's not mastitis, so go home! I'd have been irate and pointing out the NHS guidance on the issue!

First night of putting C to sleep in her crib in the evening, now that we have a baby monitor. I have been weirdly anxious all night - she's never been in a room alone before! She's so tiny! What if she's lonely? Won't she be feeling abandoned!? I am fully aware of how ridiculous I am being but my mum instincts are obviously kicking in.

Her evenings are pretty routine - feed/nap during the witching hours (after 5pm) and have a massage (sometimes) and bath at 6.30pm or 7pm depending on whether my husband is rushing home for it. Then feeding until she's done, cuddled until asleep. Usually asleep by 8 or 8.30pm, then wakes at 12am ish for a feed then again at 3/4 and 5/6. We're going to try my husband giving a dream feed tonight, at 11.30ish. Might all go tits up but we'll see.

2 hours 45, 2, 1.5...... I'm soooo tired! Luckily I feel ok in the day it's just at night I struggle. I'm starting to wonder if he's waking for comfort rather than hunger. He's just had a few mouthfuls and fallen asleep again but what can I do?

spotty dd is very much like that, as the night goes on the intervals get less just done a full clothes/gro-bag change too-third night on the trot, this child's bowels are not right I'm sure of it!

Also, outof interest, those whose babies had their jabs and felt unwell/unsettled after-how long after? Have organised to see les miserables on wed night but forgot dd had jabs at 1.30pm-starting to regret my decision in case she's unwell and would prefer boob to bottle!

O has given himself a vague routine; major daytime sleep after lunch to mid aft then again in early evening. Feed on and off and final feed in darkened room, either bed or living room till goes down between 11-12 and awake again 3ish, 5ish and 7ish.

Dm took him this eve for our first night out without him as early valentine's. Was a bit unsure due to him not being v used to bottle but they did really well! We had a lovely supper and back by 10, I even had 2 glasses of wine! woohoo.

On the negative side this means dh may think he is okay to leave with pils this Sunday during this gig we have tickets for; i just don't feel comfortable about it...

Oh dear, been up for several hours with dd2 being sick. Poor wee soul, she's being very brave. I have 2 sets of sheets in the machine, 2 towels and a pillow in the holding area (bath)! She's asleep now, and I'm just feeding dd3 - so hoping that she and I don't get it.

spotty, poor you. Not sure what you can do - I remember you saying he wasn't keen on a dummy and hadn't found his thumb. Can you try stripping him off to keep him awake for a fuller feed? Annoying I know but might break the habit? Or wait a bit to feed so he's fully awake - hard I know when you don't want to wake dd.

Pidj Good luck with the interview.

Good luck today pidj

Ds was really unsettled last night, ended up co-sleeping with us from about 1 and is still sleeping. Dp not happy though and left for work looking really tired.

Hoping the sleep stretches got longer.

I posted earlier and it's disappeared

Good luck pidj I'm sure you'll be wonderful so don't stress!

WL poor dd2 I hope you and dd3 manage to stay germ free!

Well DS2 was really unsettled least night and spent most of it on my chest, he is pretty snuffly though so I wonder if its a cold making him upset/sicky/clingy.

Good luck Pidge.

WL hope your DD is feeling better soon.

D is being clingy and grizzly still. He's also really fussy when feeding so wondering if he's got a sore throat or possibly the thrush is back in his mouth. When can they start telling you what's wrong? This guessing game is getting harder.

Poor baby honey. Afraid it's a really long time til they can join in the charades.

Thanks for your kind wishes, dd2 is much better now and is bright. Just giving her a bath to wash the sick out of her hair (the downside of beautiful long hair). She's keeping down the syringes of water I'm giving her so fingers crossed she's all done. (top tip - when littles have been sick and are really thirsty, to stop them guzzling then bringing it back, give a syringe of water every 10 mins then decrease the intervals if they keep it down. Hospital told me their tummies get like dried sponges so lots of water just runs off but small amounts are absorbed).

Best of luck pidj sure you'll be amazing.

Thanks WL I'm hoping I've got a genius who will somehow start talking in the next week or so or communicating with me telepathically...

Glad your dd2 seems to be feeling better and great tip about the water thanks.

Good luck pidj

Your poor dd WL. I know I'm probably tempting fate now but so far at 2.7 dd has never been sick I'm not looking forward to it! Never had an upset stomach either.

We just went for a walk to the post office and dd splashed in all the puddles. Had ds is the sling and he slept.

Honey hope Dash is ok.

Eugh food shopping done. Is it the most tedious job in the world? It's so expensive too!

Spotty, food in the UK is so cheap! I am dreading moving back to Australia (but only for that reason) - food and alcohol both unfeasibly expensive. Can't wait to buy a farm and grow my own...

Took baby C swimming this morning for the first time. She did so well, very relaxed, a real water baby. Not sure about needing 'lessons', I think I could muddle my way through pretty well.

Who's having pancakes for dinner tonight?

spotty did mine too - not helped at all by crying baby.

mama are you really buying a farm to grow your own? V jealous! Yep, pancakes defo here - I hide choc buttons in the big dds but for me traditional lemon and sugar can't be beaten

Hi everyone. Do you find your baby sleeps better at night if they've been more awake in the day?

spotty I have the same thing and the only way I can get DD to feed enough and sleep longer is to change her nappy and wake her during the night feeds. Sometimes she goes back to sleep as soon as she's back feeding though?

My DD is nearly 7 weeks. Should I wait until she's had her 8 week jabs before taking her to classes? What did you do?

Yes but at least it isn't cold! And in Australia there's a really yummy gravy (can't remember what it's called) plus just a hop to NZ where you can buy perky nanas mmmm

Oh dear WL are you having a bad day? Ds has been asleep for two hours so dd and I are snuggled on the sofa watching peppa.

Tbf I did do the whole week plus nappies for

My kids don't like pancakes

I might do some for me and DH if I remember to pick up lemons in town later. Posting off some eBay bits (£20 for a phone I had sitting in a delayer never to be used again! ). DS still not very happy with phlegmy sick, it must be this cold affecting him. :(

I did some eBayer made enough to buy ds's new grobag

Thanks all I did my best. Couple of areas where my inexperience showed, more stuff that was good, and the kids had fun and learned something. More news at the end of the month after the real teachers have had a bash!

Nice one Pidj.

Best thing about swimming is that we've been home half an hour and baby still asleep in her pram! Ate lunch, did washing, folded baby stuff, sorted the stuff she's grown out of - so productive!

WL, yes, longterm plan is to buy a farm one day as a weekender. It's a bit of a tradeoff- my husband will inherit his parents' house (he's an only child) and instead of us using the money from our flat to buy them a new place to live, they've decided to build onto the back of the existing house and live next to us. Me, next to my inlaws! But the payoff is that we can then use the money from the sale of our flat to buy a farm, which his dad will spend some time on. Once we move back to Aus, we will start looking, but won't probably buy for a good 5 years or so. Good plan though!

Spotty, yes, I am looking forward to a decent Aus summer. And NZ sweets! Mmm, pineapple lumps and Lemon&Paeroa! (I have no idea what gracy you're talking about though - sorry.)

Dutch pancakes in the MaPo house tonight - with onion, smoked sausage and gouda, then topped with stroep (a sweet syrup). Friends of ours used to live in the Hague and we'd always go out for pannekoeken with them. Also apt, as little C finally 'met' her Dutch great-grandmother over FaceTime this morning.

A bit spotty, also had poor dd2 in the trolley and DH who tries to help but actually gets in the way! He's off work today so was supposed to stay home with dd2 but just as I was leaving she threw a wobbled about coming too and I couldn't face the upset. Have escaped with dd3 to pick up dd3 now though.

mama amazing!