November 2012 - Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, your ornaments are history.

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1917769-November-2012-The-last-few-first-birthdays-then-were-on-to-Christmas

That's brilliant luis

Morning guys :) and hi back :) I miss you all when I don't get to post regularly!

I too try to channel my inner horsey when it comes to e and eating. I find it to be the thing that stresses me the most! He is a good sleeper but not such a good eater sometimes and there are some days/a few days at a time where I am not sure what it is he's surviving on! horsey It must be very hard not to worry :( bless you

pikz how are things this morning?

misslaughalot and pr and vq and yw how are the poorlies at yours now? Sorry if I've forgotten anyone, I bet I have

Glad she didn't fall the other way vq!!

pass dipping things seems to be working for us ATM. I am cautious with him as you all know and have only let him try to dip foods recently as he is so messy I usually give him a loaded dipper, whatever that may be. He can dip soldiers of bread into soup, naan into curry and chips into egg and has eaten much better at these meals. I am trying to offer a spoon to keep him busy the only problem is E literally flings food everywhere purposefully once he isn't ravenous and no matter where food is on the spoon he takes it off and chews the spoon instead. It can be very frustrating! at the moment he is mad for satsumas and cries when he's finished one, but I daren't give him more than one at a time because of tummy ache!

Been meaning to ask, how often is it normal for them to poo? e is not going for five or so days at a time and it worries me a little that it's quite a while. He seems to go off his food more the longer he hasn't had a poo for.

Sounds like one helluva day yw!

det Ely sucks a Muslin too so o is not alone!

That made me chuckle luis!

Not bu gt

Forgot to say, I finally plucked up the courage to put e on cows milk Monday night. He has had it twice and drank it twice, had one wake both nights. I keep making a bottle of his AR formula as I am paranoid but I have enough left for 3 more bottles. He will have been on cows milk 5 days by then. Is that long enough to say it's ok and has worked? My paranoid brain wants to buy a tub and keep making up his formula for however long that tub lasts 'just in case'

Hope everyone has a good day today!

Are dummies frowned upon in the UK?

That's a memory to store up and tell future girlfriends luis :o

Very lucky yw must be good karma for protecting the cat from the pup :)

Can't answer on cows milk kyz but if he is not strainig orin pain when he finally poos then I wouldn't worry too much about the constipation.

Both dds gone to nursery this morning. Am v pleased I ran into the baker as I was leaving this morning who warned me that the roads were icy. Cars all over the place, skidded myself a few times even with winter tyres. Tomorrow the main road will be closed so have to go right round over the tracks so I hope they aren't slippy then as the tracks have big ditches either side...

Have a day of laundry and housework planned woo hoo. Was going to pop to the shops but will wait til the roads defrost. Hate winter driving.

kyz I don't understand your milk question. But if he's ok with cows milk then Cary on with it. As for poo, e goes 2 times a day generally. But keep offering water and he should be ok. There's wide ranges of normal. Plus e eats so much fruit and veg here!!

pr I hate winter driving too!! Have a good day sorting stuff out! I need one of those but looking unlikely!

vq have you been short listed? My application away from PO is under further consideration lol

Sorry, should've been clearer, he has had cows milk in a beaker in the morning since a year old and cows milk in cooking since 6 months. Since about 11.5 months he's had just the one bottle of ar formula at night and ar formula is really thick. He will drink cows milk from a beaker but I didn't want to upset bed time and was nervous of giving cows milk instead of the thick formula he's used to before bed. I decided to try a cold turkey swap and see how it went and if not leave a week then try mixing gradually. Monday night he left 1/2 oz, Tuesday he drained it. I am wondering when it's ok to stop making a bottle of formula for back up as I have enough for 3 more days in the tub I have so I might as well make it up until it's gone. But if he's drank cows milk and no formula for 5 days with no ill effects and is quite happy doing so, do I just count it as a success? It's just the bit of me that panics a lot wants to buy another tub of formula and keep making up a bottle as back up in case he decides not to drink his cows milk. But that is silly right?

With the poo I don't think I'd worry if it weren't for the fact he drinks 4-6 beakers of water a day , one of milk, has an orange and raisins daily, has a fruit pouch daily as a snack and eats quite a bit of veg :/ he has fruit as a pudding at least once a day and it's my go to snack, raisins or halved grapes or cherry toms or something. He often has weetabix for breakfast. He also has watered down fruit juice for some meals. Have started writing a food/toilet diary again in case I need to take him to the doctors, last week he strained quite a bit and did a hard pebble poo then the next nappy was runny up to his shoulders and down his legs (was gross, sorry tmi) and he seemed in better spirits. Today is day 4 again and he has woken all miserable again and refused breakfast and I think we have a pattern emerging. Only I don't know what else I can do to help him poo without going to the gps, or even if it's abnormal that he's going so infrequently :/

pr to add E has a dummy at night or when poorly

kyz ditch the formula. Def a success!!!

I'd go to the gp about the constipation definitely. ESP if he's grumpy and it's following a patern. Just to see.

Morning quiche.

I got covered in vomit from head to toe at 2am but then he slept til 7 and actually ate something this morning.

Finish work for Xmas today. Thank fuck. Am on my knees.

pikz I hope you are feeling better today. I think we go through a bit of an identity crisis when we go back to work, are we a mum? Are we a career person? Is very hard to get it all balanced in ones head. Over time though it levels out. You are not the person you were when you left on maternity leave, you have become someone new with new priorities and lots if different thoughts running round your head. L's poor lines this week must have exacerbated all of that. Treat yourself at the weekend, go out for a family tea if illness allows, or something. Be gentle with yourself.

at your day yesterday yw

I have just out O in his cot for a bit because I just needed a minute and I need to make a phone call that I will need to concentrate on.

The last 24 hours have had me embroiled In the confusion that is the NI way of applying for preschool places. Is all different from England and seems much more ahhhhhh. A lot of the local providers are playgroups which I find really weird and I can not consolidate a playgroup with good preparation for staring in school. I might be wrong, but is the wording.

My first choice, to confuse things more, is a reception class on a primary school, that is not the village school, but an integrated school about 15 mins away which I am really impressed with. We then would not need to apply again when he goes up to primary. This is applied for via a different form from the regular pre school form.

My second choice is the nursery attached to the village school, which goes on the regular form.

Am bracing myself for the fact that our first choice being a shock to everyone.

I now need to phone the education board to check what I am doing with these forms is correct.

I had my complimentary massage yesterday and it was whirring around my head the while time, as well as the wonderful school 15 mins away vs ok school but in the community question.

AM I DOING THE RIGHT THING?

Who knows?

Brilliant pikz have some chocolate and a big fat hug. Xx

Christmas trip to big M&S today! Anyone need anything?

Boo to winter driving pr

Hooray for cows milk kyz go for it.

I think most of us have an " am I doing the right thing " wobble eliza with big life changes. I am sure will. All be ok. And as you say, if you hate it, well, it end of world, you can move on. Xxx

Lucky you soph re big m&s. They have been opening up branches of the food section round Paris and I found myself trying to work out which was is closer and could any of them be less than a three hour drive away. (No)

Tricky one re the schools. My two will be going to the village school here but unless we go private we don't have a choice. Everyone goes to the village school.

And I'm fine with that there are two reasons we jumped at the chance of renting in this village: the nursery and the schools :o

Most people do just go to the village school, but on investigation there is quite a bit of choice for a rural area. My DH likes the integrated aspect of the other school and he worries about the influence of certain peeps on the board of governors on the local school. It is all still quite old fashioned and certain people in the village have a lot of influence.

There are people from our village who do go to the integrated school so is not unheard of.

I see the dilemma. What's an integrated school?

Protestant and catholic children go there. All other schools are one or other round here.

Oh of course. Suppose people will understand if you have a religious preference. Makes things complicated though. We're reminded on a regular basis that not only are we not true villagers but we are also not of the region. It's the arguement which comes out every time we dare say something about anything... The locals hate Parisians (DH) and I am a foreigner so can get away with pity rather than being despised :o

From that side of things we are ok, I suppose DH and all his family are from here and everyone has been v welcoming. I think most people go to the village school because people always have, but I have come here fresh and so naturally look about.

I just happened upon this integrated school by accident and I popped in yesterday for the forms and was introduced to the head, who showed me round. There was a lovely industrious but calm atmosphere and it just felt lovely and welcoming. I checked out their inspection report and all seems v good. Then when I discussed it with DH he leapt on it.

Right. I am off to toddlers now, someone else can get a word in!

I'd go with the school you feel comfortable with then. People will get over it, though I do get the reluctance to make waves.

Enjoy toddler group :)

Sophia I think you could use your outsider status as an excuse as to why you want them to go to an integrated school - i.e. at home most schools are integrated and it's what you're used to, without offending folks.

My sister has the same issue - catholic dad, she is Protestant but neither practice or care.

Weirdly despite being in Central Scotland one of our key reasons for wanting to move is that the local community is still massively segregated. The two primary schools are within the same campus which is seen as a huge step forward that they can share a building.

How are you feeling today pr? Just been skimming recently so keep missing things

Am good thanks pass. Well enough to be eating quiche for lunch. Was a bit wobbly yesterday but could be due as much to the lack of sleep as all the gross stuff. Feeling back to normal today. I was sure those '24 hour bugs' excuses were a euphemism for hangover, but this was a 12 hour thing!

Lasted less time than a proper good hangover of yore :o