March 2013 - still too sleep deprived to think of a funky title

[StormyBrid]

Old thread here.

We seemed to be running out of space (again) so I made us a new thread.

[Anypants]

I know vj - I welled up with nostalgia, remembering how awesome it was to show DD off. They looked so happy but they'll never know how hard it is to do it like us peasants.

[SoYo]

Broody? Madness! I feel like I'm only just learning how to keep my head above water!

My wonderful friend has come round to stay tonight and keep me company as DH is on nights. She's brought with her a 3 course meal, PJs and face masks...it's a girls sleepover!!! What are the chances of getting madam to bed to enjoy this? I'm thinking slim!

Eco, the cheek of that woman, it's amazing what seem people think is ok to say when you've got a baby. I'm sick of people telling me I'll spoil DD when I cuddle her when she's moany. It takes all of my inner zen power not to tell them to bugger off!

Madam's doing an odd roll both ways now but hasn't done it overnight yet, I think the sleeping bag is currently stopping her, but she was on her side last night for the first time.

[Plonkysaurus]

Oh Eco I would have been very tempted to tell hero do one (I have a friend who does this, complete with proper swearing) but in reality I probably would have made a pithy excuse and hurried on with my 'busy' day. Fwiw I too get flack for putting my 'tiny' baby in a forward facing maclaren. Sometimes I wonder if he'd be any happier in £700 monstrosity, but then I remember how practical what I have is! Stupid old cah, bet she's got loads of friends .

I think my weaning plan is to be as blw as possible, and just not worry about it too much. I've not read any books on it, just a few websites and watched some youTube clips. We'll probably start in a few weeks with fruit and veg seeing as he grabbed a blueberry off me earlier.

Ohh so broody. I kept looking at that baby's head thinking how lovely and soft it looks. I bet it smells good too. Bit perturbed by wills' comment that they'd not spent much time with him so far. I thought Kate might've been tempted to launch into a tirade about how she's been up all night nursing Prince Caspian while he got a solid 8 hours. Alas, she has rather more dignity than me us mere mortals.

SoYo you officially have the best friend!

[vjhist85]

Plonko- when he said that I assumed he meant 'we only met him yesterday' in a cutesy new dad kinda way - I'm sticking with my theory as yours makes me sad for the tiny thing. I felt a bit sad that he was surrounded by all that noise and general scariness at a day old.

Did anyone else spot that he wasn't strapped into his car seat properly? Naughty royals

[worsestershiresauce]

Ok, I'm officially knackered. It's the heat I tell you, and possibly the return of the builders to my life. Just go away already. I do not care if the back corner of the kitchen is not finished... truly I don't. DH unfortunately does. Hey ho, this too will pass etc etc

Will catch up with all your posts, but just wanted to add my 'awww isn't he cute' to the royalist support list. I'm broody too plonky, horribly so. No idea why, as I have the cutest baby on the planet already... it's just, well awww....

[Eigmum]

I know - I had a couple of tears at the sight of them on the steps of the Lindo wing. all going rather well here. I am touching wood as i say this but missy is self settling and not sick and taking a bottle without fuss before her bath .... as I result I am looking much better and have started selling my maternity stuff and new baby stuff that I havent been able to give away on ebay!! Yeah for getting stuff done!

[Eigmum]

vj - plonky funny I heard will's comment and thought - oh, was the baby ok at first, maybe he needed oxygen etc and that was why the birth announcement was delayed? (can you spot the mother on here with the baby who is always ill!!) Also could have just meant such a short time so far ie only a day like vj thought!

[SoYo]

It was lovely to watch them looking so excited & nervous & exhausted all rolled into one. Bless them. It makes you realise how big ours are getting already!

Well mine is up after only 3hrs. I marched her around the house for a while trying to settle without feeding but she started sucking on my neck/chest/arm & I eventually accepted that she wasn't going anywhere without a full tummy. I can never understand how some nights she can go 7hrs & some 2 but is always hungry. They're a big bag of contradictions these babies!

[vjhist85]

I'm so cross with DH I could scream! Casually mentioned that myself and my friend might go away for 2 nights in September to visit another friend who has moved away. Basically got told I'm not allowed (not in so many words, but he certainly wasn't very impressed with the idea despite the fact he's away ALL THE TIME) then at 10 "I've got to get up early so I'm going to bed'. Oh really? Because I was planning on having a big old lie in, so don't you worry, I'll tidy up after dinner/sort the bottles out/stay up to do the dream feed. There is no bloody joint parenting here at all, believe it or not I think he's worse than when I was bfing, when he would at least take her off me when I'd fed her so I could sleep/shower/eat. When she wakes up in the morning, he brings her to me. I think he thinks this is his job done. He NEVER remembers that she's likely to need a nappy change first thing after 12hrs in the same one, I ALWAYS feed her, every single bloody feed. This morning when he kindly plonked her in my arms he had the gall to sigh in an irritated manner when I dared to ask him to go and warm up a bottle and bring it to me. He has to ask EVERY time how long the bottles need zapping for, and he says things like 'did you notice I wiped down the dining table?' YES!!! Did YOU notice I did every single other household task whilst also keeping an entire human being alive? But thank you so much for doing that 20 second job, what on earth would I do without you?!?

Wow. This has made me very shouty. Sorry for all the capital letters. I'm feeling very capital-letter-y today.

Bet Kate won't have any of these problems. Cow.

[StormyBrid]

vj when he says he's going to bed, you say, "Really? Does that mean the Bottle Fairy's going to be visiting then?" And when he looks confused you point out that they haven't been done, and ask who's going to do them if not him. And when he says, "You'll do them," you ask why. Why it's your job, and why he's just swanning off assuming you'll pick up the slack when he doesn't extend you the same courtesy.

As for the first nappy in the morning, for that I'd catch him at a quiet moment and just say, "By the way, when you get the baby up in the morning could you do the nappy please?" Hard to say no to a direct request like that without sounding like a knobhead.

Alternatively you could just thump him round the earhole and tell him you're going away in September and he'd just better get used to it. Although if your genders were reversed and you tried that I'd be horrified, so maybe not.

So that sleeping through thing was clearly a one off. Two feeds last night and then she woke up at six. Which shouldn't bother me, as I've been awake since half past two, but I feel like a very grumpy corpse nonetheless.

Forgive me not joining in the talk about Prince Caspian (good name for him, by the way, plonko). I just can't muster up much excitement. Maybe it's the sleep deprivation, or maybe it's just that it's just a baby, and mine's ours are far cuter. I hope the kid doesn't inherit Ol' Jug-Ears's defining features though, that would be unfortunate.

[worsestershiresauce]

Oh vj sympathy. DH's have no clue. I'm also monumentally pi55ed with mine. He's not bad at baby stuff, but completely unhelpful at everything else. If I have a tether I'm thinking today I'm pretty much at the end of it. Reasons to thump DH today:

1. He arranged for people to turn up at 7.30am to do some work in the garden, but did not tell me. Result generally chaos as I tried to catch two dogs, get the gates open, deal with a very wakey and cross worselet, and give instructions when I had no clue as to what those instructions might be.
   
2. He forgot to tell me he's got a work dinner tonight so will get home just late enough to miss any of the evening baby stuff, and will then snore all night because he'll have had a drink.
   
3. He 'guessed' rather than measured the chemicals for the pool which has messed up my nethers again. BV for those who aren't eating and might want to know. Bstrd
   

So, can I be SHOUTY with you please ?

SoYo you are officially super woman. I feel I have a v easy ride in comparison.

Eco what a rude old bat. I might have told her she was a rude old bat. Alternatively I might have expressed great interest in what she was telling me, and promised to go away and immediately buy a buggy to her exact specification. It would depend on my mood. Either way I'd actually do nothing. People are a pain. Fact.

As for the stomach muscles - in a word, bad. I was forced to spend the most boring 45 mins of my life doing pilates to 'work' on them. I f**king hate pilates.... I am neither zen nor Gwyneth Paltrow, and my idea of fun is a 10km run. The worselet didn't even have the good grace to have a minor melt down and rescue me. Oh no, she slept right through, which is so unusual I'd almost suspect her of feigning it just to wind me up. I appreciate that nice Mr trainer man knows his stuff, and stuff says that if I don't do small muscle movements to try and get my split stomach back in line I could well end up with it bulging out and a pot belly. Given the shape of the rest of me a pot belly would look frankly weird so I'm keen to avoid. HUGE sigh.

OK I have 40 mins to waste before the next wave of people turn up to annoy me do some work, so a morning walk in the cool is out. MEGA sulk.

OK people, cheer me up. Funny stories anyone? Anyone's mini done anything particularly cute? I bet they have.

[LaLaLeni]

Eco - the old cow with the lovely advice who accosted you - how do people think that babies will learn to talk from staring at a face for an hour in a buggy? DS spends maximum an hour a day in his and as we're walking alone and I'm not saying anything because he falls asleep the minute we move, I fail to see how the other 8 hours a day when he stares at me and I am talking to him will be cancelled out by him facing outward!

Did Wills call Kate 'poppet' or did I imagine that? It was when they moved to the other side and after Wills took him . It did make me emotional too - just because it reminded me of that overwhelming feeling of being sent out into the world with DS. She was patting him so nervously, poor little man thrust without a choice into papp madness! I think Wills meant as he was only a day old they hadn't had a chance to figure out what names suit yet.

I too am strangely broody - especially now DS needs his big bed and I'm thinking whether I should sell the co-sleeper....

Btw my libido is dead and gone. My belly is a sad bag of skin that isn't pinging back. Anyone else? A friend who had her baby three weeks ago posted a photo of her bare midriff in her size 6 jeans on FB and I almost spat out my lunch

[worsestershiresauce]

Leni your libido will come back when you stop breast feeding. Tis nature's way I think. Ironic really, the bigger our boobs the more likely we are to punch our DH's if they go near them

[Plonkysaurus]

Ugh Vj I'd go batshit if that we're dp. Shout away, you're definitely entitled to. I think blokes are hardwired to think that making small gestures is cause for celebration because theyre genuinely blind to all the maintaining that mothers do. DP didnt come to bed til five am at the weekend because he went out on the piss (and couldnt lay down for room spinning) then had the audacity to moan that he didnt get enough sleep. he didnt notice that i did the nighttime and the early morning with ds like i always do, nor that ive not had a lie in since FEBRUARY. Honestly i think they dont intend to be inconsiderate but they genuinely dont understand how lonely and draining motherhood is. thank god its also the most rewarding, positive thing ive ever done or you wouldnt see me for dust.

You shout away too Worse, not least of all for unintentionally hurting your nethers. Does it hurt him too? Just thinking of revenge strategies.

Hmm tummy muscles. I think your regular swimming and lifting an increasingly heavy cherub will help. I know Pilates are really effective but they do make me a bit stabby.

I behaved like a withering hysterical woman this morning. I came downstairs with ds at 7 to find slug trails all over the lounge, a half eaten slug and a very unimpressed cat. I may have yelped somewhat, and decided that enoughs enough and we need to move. I don't want my pfb learnt to crawl on a sluggy ooze ridden carpet. I suspect IABU but I don't care.

On the other hand ds was ridiculously cute this morning and stroked the cat for the first time ever. He's also been trying to go 'ooh ohh' like a monkey (because we constantly do this at him). He can form the ooh mouth shape but ends up sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry.

[ecofreckle]

worse i'm currently sat in a lovely frock with the top pulled down and the medela pumping away. after a night of getting my boobs mixed up the left one is monumental in stature and therefore doing the 'sprinkler in a park' thing of multiple jets. that's a pretty funny sight. and, last night, after just putting on a black lace bra rather than the frankly couldn't-be-less-attractive grey cotton ones from m & s, dd gave me a rare but lovely snuggly cuddle with her face planted on my chest. she was of course very sick, all over the bra and a huge pile of curdled milk in my cleavage. grim. but a tiny bit funny. we're off to meet old colleagues today so dutifully dd is wearing one of the outfits they bought. it's a navy frock with matchy matchy socks and frilly pants. she should look uber cutesy but she actually looks like she's wearing some sort of football strip. that's the best i can do in terms of raising a tiny smile and distracting you from dh and your nethers.
vj put your foot down about september! bloody hell. i'm guessing you didn't decide on your own to have your lo before you got pregnant and that it was a joint decision. ergo you share the baby. do what stormy said. except maybe the thump. we could all have a quiet word with him if you like. the wrath of this nest of vipers might encourage him in the right direction.
eig you sound ike you're on a productive roll. you go girl!
and leni libido. what is that? (and worse i might be starting to see why dh thought 6 months was a good time to stop rather than my aspirational 12 months....)

[SoYo]

Libido is completely absent in this house, we still haven't DTD ! We have discussed how we would both like to at some point again but have never quite figure out the logistics with her being in our room! I'm sure it'll get back to normal at some point.

DH agreed with you that I am indeed superwoman this morning. Mini-Yo was up at 11, 12.30, 3, 5 & 6.30 then at 7.10 I had to how wake my friend up as she'd overslept & that was up for the day so when he got home from work at 9 we were all dressed, present & correct, kitchen was clean & I was pegging the first wash of the day out. This is very unusual I can assure you, we're normally still in bed at that point!

At the moment in eating breakfast in peace while madam chats to her favourite characters on BabyTV...send some bad mummy points this way.

[Plonkysaurus]

Very jealous of your babyTV. We're stuck with cbeebies but babysaurus seems to be quite keen on Charlie and Lola.

I've just got home from carrying DS on my back for the first time. What follows is a list of tips I wish someone had given me.

1. Do not go far. I got nearly a mile away before I realised he was heavy (like nearly 9kg heavy) and I'd have to come home at some point.
   
2. Don't do it on a hot day!
   
3. Expect a huge patch of dribble on your back.
   
4. Babies play with anything they can get their hands on, including the shoulder straps.
   
5. Everyone will stare at the slightly overweight girl with the really cumbersome backpack as she goes red in the face trying to huff and puff herself up the hill.
   
6. Don't turn around in a doorway. Baby head, doorframe...
   

You've put me to shame SoYo, I'd best go peg the washing out while DS is asleep.

[Anypants]

plonko fnar for the baby backpack tips - I just snorted coffee

[worsestershiresauce]

Thanks guys, you always make me laugh. Eco loved the football strip. DD has a similarly unflattering gift. A boden-mini (or is it mini-boden?) special with matching pants. It makes her look like a small bald Edwardian. The look might possibly be improved by ringlets, but that isn't an option right now.

Plonky, a back pack you say. I'm listening. I don't like what the front carrier does to the worselet's hips. She seems happy enough but I'm thinking won't thank me for the bandy legged look when she is older.

As for revenge tactics, put it this way any damage south of the border so to speak isn't going to work in his favour. I think he'll be measuring those chemicals very carefully from now on

Speaking of which, better a bit tardy than a bit soon SoYo. I went for the latter, and boy did that hurt. A lot. At least you won't have that memory to erase.

VJ I'm with the others - September is on, and he can just well, frankly cope. The last time I looked coping was a strategy equally available to both sexes.

Funny old day today as the tiddler is all off schedule and is currently asleep. I have no idea when to wake her or what feeds to give her. I am also flying solo until 11pm. I'm wondering whether handing the husband an off schedule possibly confused and definitely screamy small person when he gets in would be sufficient to make up for the hassle he's caused me so far today?

Warning: First world problem. Where the h*ll are ocado? They have my dinner. I have a sleeping baby. This is possibly my only chance to eat for the rest of the day.

[somethingbeginningwith]

Plonky you were correct! A royal baby George!

[Rainbowbabyhope]

plonky love the baby led weaning link. Today I gave DD a crust to hold while I ate my lunch thinking she would just play with it like with her toys - instead she shoved it in her mouth and ate quite a bit of it with such amazing enthusiasm it gave me a surprise! Wasn't expecting that at just over 4 and half months so now think we will be starting to wean slowly a little earlier than planned. Was thinking of baby led weaning with a bit of spoon feeding for stuff that I would eat with spoon like yoghurt and soup etc. However my DM is horrified at the concept of giving baby whole bits of food and keep sending me warning texts about babies gagging and suffocating. I know to go with my instinct but it's very hard not to have that support and know I will get constant disapproval when we eat with them which is most weeks. Anyone else facing this problem?

[SoYo]

Yep, I am too Rainbow. I'm planning on skipping the whole baby rice/porridge/other things mixed with milk bit and going straight for BLW with probably a few purees thrown in too. I'm not one for going down one path too wholeheartedly, like to mix it up a bit! I was trying to explain all this to my parents and that BLW is perfectly acceptable but my DM just did not get it. She kept asking why in the world I wouldn't want to introduce texture and taste gradually, mentioned choking a few times and said I couldn't possibly just give her what we were having....I might have to send her the link! I'm sure they'll get their heads round it once we start and they can see that it's ok. I can't quite believe we've got babies that are nearly old enough for this, the time is flying. I only I could persuade her to sleep at night then it would be so lovely!

[Plonkysaurus]

Something yes I've been very Derren Broen about this birth, it's all a bit woo. My DS is now going to grow up telling everyone he's a prince. It's an excellent name, they have exquisite taste.

Worse I use a Connecta carrier, it's soft structured so holds baby really close to you, folds up really tiny and keeps babys legs in the m position. He seems to love it, settles down in it quite quickly. I can't rave enough about them! What are you using?

I asked my mum about weaning expecting her to recoil in horror at the idea of blw. It turns out she did it with my sister in 1982! She also did purées and moshed up adult food but just followed her instinct. When I asked about choking she said take baby out of highchair, lay them on you lap facing down and smack their back. Seems my mum did a lot of parenting by instinct, and SoYo and Rainbow you're right about the support necessary to follow your gut. But you have support on here ladies, it sounds like a lot of us are keen on blw!

[worsestershiresauce]

plonky you star, I like the look of the connecta. I'm currently using a tomy carrier, which was perfect when the tiddler was tiny. Now she's bigger and wants to face forward it's a bit rubbish. Her legs are forced out and sideways, which doesn't look right to me.

I had the HV here today, and guess what, she's all for blw as well! Excellent stuff. I wasn't looking forward to freezing purées in ice cube trays. If life is too short to stuff a mushroom, it is definitely too short to faff about with ice cube trays.

At the risk of jinxing my evening someone has just drunk all her milk and gone to sleep. What is more she has stayed asleep! Wow... didn't I do well

[SoYo]

You did do well Worse, fingers crossed it continues.

Madam went down at 8, at 8.20 a doorbell rang on the TV and the dog went berserk and woke her up God only knows where she's learnt about doorbells as we don't have one, 8.45 she woke up again but a quick cuddle and bounce and she was back down. I've just got into bed and now she's stirring. Fingers crossed she's just getting comfy as that's what I'd like to do!