March 2013 - 6 months down, 210 to go!

[StormyBrid]

Old thread.

Keep on rambling, ladies, we have a whole new thread to fill!

Sounds grim, Betty. Hopefully it'll be over soon.

We're having a better day than yesterday. Mainly because this time yesterday I was crying my eyes out. Watching my dad deal with a tantrum yesterday definitely helped. She's tried to have a few this morning but I've managed to defuse them without giving in.

Oh no Betty I hope you're feeling better soon. Grim isnt it, looking after a baby when you think you might die on the bathroom floor.

Stormy it sounds like you're really stressed at the moment. Any chance for a change of scenery? We're having to do an awful lot of distracting at the moment to stave off tantrums, it's exhausting.

I'm at work on my lunch break. Have gotten so used to inhaling my food that I've got ten minutes to spare and I'm bored! I used to think 30mins was a stingey break, now I know better.

Betty I feel for you - OH had similar for 5 days solid so I had to clean him up whilst DS was pooing through his clothes/bed four times a night. Not sure if I'd have coped it I'd been ill too. Feel better please.

Food refusal (and screaming meltdowns) is happening here too. I was meant to be working from home today but DS only managed breakfast, lunch was choked on and thrown around and then dinner started out ok but ended in disaster. No idea if he's in pain or just hates the mash he formally loved?! He starts eating then just suddenly starts howling...

Anyway I've done none of the mountain of work. Music group this morning wasn't great either, he burst into tears as soon as the leader started playing her flute ( much to everyone's amusement) and then proceeded to passionately scream during the 'relaxing parachute' bit. Combined with a spectacular fall-down-bashing-skull-on-floor-audibly it was a trying experience!

Leni you look very foxy on your fb....you never mentioned you were a cover girl? Nice :-) We too went to music group today (presma) and ecobaby was mesmerised by the carousel bells. Funny to watch.

Betty betty betty. You need a helping hand. Anyone brave and kind enough to come and help you out. It sounds wretched. Hope your DH is back and useful. How did you poison yourself?

Plonky nothing like parenthood to puts some things in perspective eh? I had a mum friend over for lunch. I'd made a mushroom bisque (get me....but pretty yucky actually) and we really didn't get to eat it in any kind of nice way because the babies were so time sucking. Lunches at work sound quite nice. Do you get to quaff something nice alongside the food? I have rose tinted specs perhaps.....
Stormy please tell us how your dad deals with tantrums. We all need to know. Lots of those around the corner for us all I suspect. Hoep your day continued well.

Gerry we can only go backwards here. MiniVJ and ecobaby shoudl get together and have a good natter!

I'm on the hop once again as it's bathtime but did just want to say I met a CM on Monday and she was nice. She held her arms out for a cuddle with ecobaby before I'd set foot over her threshold and she was very sweet with her (as you'd expect). Everything was quite reassuring (the garden doesn't have any grass or green stuff, it's 'groundforce'tastic with decks and paving which makes my outdoorsy heart go gggrrr a little bit but that's a silly reason to not like the CM). I asked her about TV (as there was a big tv in the main room) and she answered honestly: it goes on for an hour when her 6 year old daughter gets home. DH and I have discussed this. Can I just ask you ladies whether you'd be ok with that?I Think I need some sense kicking talking into me. Thank you!

Eco I get to try whatever's out on our tasting counter. Sadly there's not a nice wine to match with baked beans, but I do get the occasional bargain and brought home two nice bottles tonight. It's nice to get 30 minutes of peace to myself though, must remember to take a book tomorrow.

And no, an hour of telly so her dd can veg out after school wouldn't bother me. Your dd will get plenty of stimulation throughout the day and setting her down on a mat to play quietly while the TV's on in the background might provide some much-needed down time.

As for tantrums, ds can be distracted from them sometimes. Other times I try to interpret it as a sign that he's overstimulated and needs an opportunity to calm down, so we might go out for a walk, or he'll go into his highchair to play, or he'll get a dummy and a cuddle. Though I'd also like to know what stormy's dad does!

Work was incredibly dull today. Treating myself to slow cooked spag Bol and a glass of Malbec for comfort.

Oh that cover was ages ago, I'm clinging to the old me!

TV... Ok I admit ours is on a lot, but not as a babysitter (if only!). We also listen to the radio a lot and play a lot; I refuse to feel bad because I actually think he's learning language, seeing things that fuel the imagination and enjoying stories.

Yes leni you're right, they will be learning stuff. I watched the children's programmes on BBC when I was small but I'll so ancient there were only about half an hour of them, but I loved it and came to no harm. I have no idea how young I was when the tv went on for me, guess tv for babies is relatively new. And Plonky, you're right too, there's only so much in your face mad playing you can take I guess before it all gets too much. I'm not sure why I'm being so sniffy about it. Maybe the paranoid part of this pfb mum is imagining poor Eco baby plonked in front of it 0800 to 1800 and me being none the wiser. God I need to get a grip. Wing I want your child minder please.

Eco if you have a baby anything like mine that would be impossible. We have the TV on quite a bit but madam's usually far too busy wreaking havoc to care. There are times however, that it comes in very useful. If she's refused a nap and is crabby she'll sit & chill out in front of Peppa Pig & relax and recharge for a while.

Betty, more truth spoken. I'm sure nutterecobaby wouldn't tolerate that for ten hours. That'd soon teach her how to crawl!
Have you stopped toilet hugging and are you alone with dd still? Sending sips of lemon barley and a crumb of rich tea biscuit.

Helllooooo.... I'm back, I have broadband, and boy have I missed you all. It feels like I have been away an age! So much to catch up on, far too much to comment on, so can I get away with saying congratulatory slaps on the back to all you fitness babes, get well soons to the poorly ones, sympathetic hugs of solidarity to those going through the wonder that is wonder week hell, and a big old wave to them that have been away and come back and have lots of news to share?

As for me, well I had the best birthday ever, as holidays with littlies are just the best fun ever. Rainbow if you are worrying about routine, don't. The worslet loved every minute of it. Well perhaps not every minute off it. The creche went down like a lead balloon, and she kicked up such a stink I had to be summoned, but other than that she had an absolute ball and I'm fairly certain she didn't want to come home. Neither did her mum . If I could go and live at that place believe me I would. If I did I would have to insist on the kids menu though. Why is it tiddlers get nice normal food and grown up people are supposed to like semi raw fish and drizzles? This is a serious question. I blame the continentals with their olive oil powered longevity...

Speaking of food, Stormy don't fret it. The worselet is just as 'bad' if not worse than mini-storm. Today we had banana strawberry and yoghurt mush for breakfast. It was delicious. I ate it... she did not. Lunch was shepherds pie. A whole two teaspoons. Snack was half a mini rice cake, possibly, although I suspect most of that went down her vest, and dinner, well DH did that one, and I am reliably informed she downed a whole cm of banana and a prune, possibly, but she may have thrown it on the floor . Milk wise, she had 5 bottles. So null point for effort today then...

Bed calls.... I've been up since 3am, as DH was pacing about complaining the room was too hot. He then opened all the windows and froze us half to death. Somewhere in between all that the worselet woke and wouldn't settle. At times like that I really do take a big step back and wonder how exactly it is we are still married

Night all

Hi Wors, good to have you back. I'm very jealous of your break, it sounds wonderful! Did you get to hit the spa? Mmmm.

DH rang me yesterday early afternoon & when he realised I was still pukey he got someone to cover for him & came home. I spent the whole afternoon in bed which should have been great but I felt like I'd been hit by a truck. Much better today though, just a bit tired & achy.

Madam has just attempted a roll off the bed & been caught by her foot despite there being a bumper on. I think they should make full cot sides for king size beds.

I'm lying down feeding madam & was just about to press 'post' when I dropped the phone on her face. Cue big tears & bad mummy guilt

That's ok Betty. We spent last evening in a&e getting DS checked after he rolled out of his bouncy chair onto our stone kitchen floor. He's fine btw. Unlike his parents!

It's a rite of passage, pud. Glad he's okay.

The tantrum at my dad's was because Fartypants wanted to walk around (as usual) and my dad didn't want to walk her around (because he was having a cuppa and values his spine). He just sat her on his knee and held her firmly, talked to her in a calm but slightly stern voice periodically, and didn't give in to it. Once she stopped kicking off he distracted her and she was fine. He says he learnt how to deal with tantrums by watching his mother with us three. Also said my sister was terrible at not giving in to tantrums with her eldest, which I hadn't realised (what with her living so far away), which may explain why her eldest had so many of them. Although she figured out how to deal with them eventually, and by age four my niece was taking herself off to her bedroom, closing the door, having a good scream and then coming back out.

Had to persuade the man to take the day off work today. Just knew I wasn't going to cope. This is far too stressful.

Poor Pud & Mr Pud! It's horrible isn't it? Madam fell out of the bottom of a high chair in Waitrose on Tuesday but somehow caught herself & landed on her feet. Cue Mummy's heart in her mouth, laughing from my friend & tutting from helpful strangers.

Stormy hopefully it's a short phase. Try to get out of the house for a bit of time to yourself today!

Feeling a bit better after a) going back to bed until 11am and b) chicken and bacon on a multigrain baguette. Guess I'm having a day off the diet today, whoops.

Betty it's been nearly four weeks so far, so not a short phase. With a bit of luck it'll be over soon though. 37 weeks is supposed to be the magic moment when she sorts herself out, and that's next Friday. And at least she's not bitching about her teeth at the moment. The top two look weird. They've broken through the gum, but you can see the outline of them on the side of the gum.

Stormy if dd wants to stand all the time have you thought about a door bouncer or jumperoo? Ebay or NCT sales are good places to look.

I second that stormy I put DS in his walker all the time and he's off. He absolutely loves it!

Quick question: how many flozzes should babies have at this age? DS usually has 3 bottles of 7 flozzes but for the past few days he's really not been interested in his afternoon one and I'm worried that he's not getting enough!

Sorry for the quick post, don't have much 3G at my mum's.

600ml at the moment, something, so you should probably persist with offering the afternoon bottle. Maybe shift timings of food around a bit so he's definitely hungry?

We have a doorway bouncer, but it doesn't work when DD wants to walk all around the house, unfortunately.

We've just been to the park to look at the fish in the conservatory. There was a man feeding the ducks with a pigeon on each arm. She was fascinated.

I find I just have to keep giving it to him in little bits. I've tried different times but he literally pushes it away, or more recently takes it off me and throws it. He drains his other 2 bottles but I suppose I'll have to keep distracting him while I feed him this one.

Have you got, or looked into getting, a walker stormy? DS goes from room to room in his so it might be good for mini-stormy!

Thought about getting one, but they're pricey and we haven't a lot of space. Might have to try one anyway just for my sanity!

Something don't forget, the 1pt they supposedly need is including all yoghurt/cereal/cheese etc. I think at this age, as long as they're hydrated/growing/active etch, you can trust DS to decide whether he wants it or not. I would keep offering if I were you, for a while at least, and just make sure the rest of his diet is balanced and healthy

Oh my god I'm tired. I have moved countless boxes today, been told off by an old gimmer wearing bright red corduroys and talked someone down because our head office dared to send promotional literature to an address he willingly gave. My job is boring as sin.

Pud glad DS is a-ok. That must have been ascary experience.

There's no way I could get a pint of formula into DS these days. He's having about 14 oz a day, so 3/4 of what he 'should' get. On the other hand he's eating well and drinks water easily.

Oh and he's going to nursery in pjs tomorrow in aid if children in need. I'd have thought turfing an eight month out in a sleepsuit would make him a child in need but apparently I'm wrong. AIBU to try to find his coolest looking pjs so he looks nicer than all the other rugrats?

Evening all. Sorry I've been quiet - a combination of work (and I don't want to MN on my work computer as they monitor things and I can just about cope with them seeing how much I FB!) and I've also been organising a nearly new sale in our village - the first one - for Sunday afternoon and it's taking up so much of my bloody time! I only offered to help a friend organise it but I've ended up doing most of it

Still, if it goes well, hopefully we will have raised a bit of money for the village preschool

Anyway, as for DD, she went off food a bit this week (very unlike her) but that's probably because of the nappy explosions we had after my very coconutty chicken korma on Monday night. Oops. It was like going back to the early BFing days...

DD loves the CM she's at. With regards TV, the CM doesn't have one as she's a Quaker(!) which put my mind at rest that she'd otherwise be stuck in front of it BUT I'm not saying all CMs do that! And anyway, we have the TV on for DS for an hour or so in the evening before bedtime and DD sometimes likes ITNG (mostly she ignores it) and also has been distracted for a while by Tom & Jerry so I'm not anti-TV at all. Oh and obviously we have the TV on at weekends.

Well I'd better get off to bed as I've got to be up at 5:25 to catch the red-eye train to London. I won't see the DC at all tomorrow, apart from giving them a kiss in bed asleep when I get home at 8ish :(

YANBU plonky. I endeavour to outdo others at every opportunity so go for it. Has he got a Wee Willie Winkie hat? Bunny slippers? Velvet smoking jacket dressing gown?

Pud hope you're all ok this evening. Every bump is a scary event, and having done the A&E trip myself I can sympathise with the feeling of hopeless panic such things cause. Just to warn you your HV will probably call, sounding very embarrassed, just to give you a minor slap on the wrists. Tis the rules apparently.

Plonky you have cool PJs?! I'm failing here. It's a good job the worselet doesn't have an exciting event to go to really as the best I could do would be a a pair without breakfast down the front.

Wing the red eye sounds miserable. Sympathy. DH had a similarly miserable morning, an early flight equating to a 3.30am alarm. There are days when I feel being a SAHM is the hardest job in the world... and then I take a look at the alternative and think actually.... that's probably tougher. Hope you don't miss the littlies too much tomorrow.

TV isn't on much here either, because i have yet to find something I can actually be bothered to watch. DH gravitates towards Grand Designs when knackered, so the worselet will probably grow up knowing all about building big modern glass boxes with obligatory open staircases, and not much else.

Milk, only 600ml.... I wish. I'd kind of like the tiddler to eat more and drink less, however she'd kind of like not to. I guess one day we will meet somewhere in the middle, but until then the baby rules.

Night everyone. Another one heading off for an early night.