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March 2013 - time to wrap them all up in tinsel

997 replies

StormyBrid · 04/12/2013 11:21

Old thread here.

worse we're like Plonky on the timings - we keep mealtimes and milktimes separate. I spotted something in Evil Baby Whisperer that suggested around this age milk should be at the time you'd give a snack. Thinking about it, that's pretty much what we do - milk at the crack of dawn, 11am, 3pm and bedtime, food at 9am, 1pm and 5pm. It seems to work, and Fartypants is definitely in the process of reducing milk herself. Those middle two feeds, she's having about four ounces now.

How is the worselet on mush? Does she show any preferences? If we were sticking with baby led weaning we'd be getting absolutely nowhere. Savoury mushes, she'll try a mouthful then get distracted by the cat. Fruit mushes, she practically inhales. For a reduced stress option, can I suggest getting yourself to Asda? They've a hell of a range of cheap fruity mushes, and then at least you're not having to throw away purees you've spent hours lovingly creating.

Incidentally, six month old Molly may love her porridge, but all that means is that Molly's a total weirdo - porridge is vile. It's weetabix all the way round here, with mashed banana in.

eco hang in there, it does get better. How long until 37 weeks for you?

I am thanking my heathen gods we don't have crawling yet. Nappy changes with rolling are bad enough. Especially when it's a particularly horrific one.

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
StormyBrid · 20/01/2014 09:26

I suppose. And it beats SHOUTING because she's not lying down!

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worsestershiresauce · 20/01/2014 19:29

What just sitting there Stormy? This is excellent news. She must be in line for a seat in the house of Lords Wink

Major stress here tonight. Wtf do I pack in a packed lunch for nursery? I'm almost tempted to pick her up an hour early just to avoid the hassle. Actually that's a lie, I'm not that stressed Grin. Ideas though would be great. Tomorrow is chicken burgers, with some veg puree and crackers to eat if off, and a mini fromage frais for snack time. Things like fruit and veg pieces are out because the tiddler thinks those are for frisbee practice not eating, and given toast is her tea time treat I try to avoid bread at lunch. Babies are complicated beings aren't they. Or toddlers even.... because that is what they are now isn't it?! Argghhhhhh... all grown up, and so fast.

Biggest news here, we had a 12 hour stretch last night for the first time ever. Utter bliss. I am sure she will make us pay for it tonight, but hey it was good while it lasted.

DH is on alate one tonight, but I'm not stressed. No, not me. Dogs are fed and exercised. Baby/toddler/worselet/whatever is fed and bathed. I am chilled, and no electricals have gone on fire. The day is good.

ecofreckle · 20/01/2014 20:02

yummy I have just left a message with the nurturing sleep lady Ann about working with her to help us with sleep issues. I have had ENOUGH. You're not alone. Am sorry you having a tough time. Wretched isn't it? Good luck for tonight

Pud Thanks Dare I ask how the day panned out?

Worse foodie ideas? Ok I'll have a think, hopefully some will be ok for worselet. Snacks: spelt and apple stars from river cottage book which are basically sugar free baby biscuits and suitably carbohydrate for worselet, pot or pouch of fruit puree (if she likes yoghurt then the fruit puree in a pot may confuse her into eating it), flapjack things whizzed up in processor with oats, maple, dried apricots, dates, figs (that might help with the poo too Grin ), those flavoured rice cakes, corn cakes. Lunch is harder, I struggle if can't reheat stuff: the fish cakes from the river cottage book are portable and tidy and popular in this house, rice salad thing with stuff in it, cous cous with cream cheese and pureed veg in it, spelt pasta and pesto. That's all I have for you right now!

Plonky we really ought to have a wedding update soon. Betty and I are curious about how plans are coming along! Are you going away for the night or back home?

Gerry or Worse did you hear screaming 0000 til 0200 and 0330 til 0430 and then again from 0600 on Fri eve/sat morn from where you live? Wouldn't surprise me if you did. We were very troublesome house guests. The 4 month old of the house showed us up by sleeping through Angry It was a trying weekend! We did move the yurts though so that was good, and very efficient we were too! That's because we had five baby free hours. First time you leave them with someone who's not the dad or mum is significant eh? By that I mean, you run gleefully from the room nostalgically thinking about your old carefree life Grin To be honest I didn't worry about her much and expected a big grin upon being reunited. That didn't happen. We got tears instead! 'how dare you leave me?'! Eek.

We had the 8 mums and babies over here today. Crowded! And filthy upon them all vacating. That's babies en masse I guess. Lovely fun though. Tomorrow we're in search of solitude and woods to calm down again I think.

How is everyone else doing? And, isn't it lovely that you go outdoors at four and it's still light!Smile This makes me very happy.

BettyOff · 20/01/2014 20:15

Urgh, this has not been a good few days. No more vomiting since Saturday morning but constant nausea and I still can't eat. To top this up I've got an infected nerve root under one of my fillings, have been up all night for 2 nights with a throbbing face and am now on antibiotics awaiting a root canal. It's a big birthday week this week and DH has taken the week off work and is now also struck down with my bug, not quite the fun week we had planned. We're supposed to be off to a fancy restaurant with rooms for the night on Wednesday (with DD of course) but it doesn't seem like much fun at the moment.

Wors I can sympathise with the biting, it's not quite as frequent here but it does bloody hurt! I thought she might have actually bitten my nipple off the other day!

Stormy I look forward to finding out later in the mouth if mini-Stormy mark 2 is going to make an appearance!

Something I hope you've had a better day today!

Yummy bedtimes don't sound much fun there, hopefully it's a fight for independence and just a phase!

As for all the arse chat, mine used to be a bit more sticking out than I would have liked but got plenty of good attention and I was rather proud of it, but it it flattening as we speak Sad

I'm having a complete breakdown about feeding DD today. She used to eat so well and now every mealtime is something I dread. She's mostly living on breadsticks, raisins and yoghurt with weetabix for breakfast being her only substantial meal. Every fruit and veg plus all other food types are just swept onto the floor without trying anything. It's driving me crazy. She eats less every day and the refusal to even put anything to her lips drives me mad. I'm terrified she's going to be a child that only eats beige foods and I slink around everywhere hiding my face in shame and praying she doesn't get rickets! Grin

BettyOff · 20/01/2014 20:22

Cross post Eco

For pity's sake promise me you'll pass on any sleep tips....we definitely need them in this house! Bedtime is now fine, it's after midnight the fun begins!

Plonk Eco is right, a wedding update would cheer me right up, any planning you need Eco and I to do we're in!

StormyBrid · 20/01/2014 20:29

You know that thing where you get so angry you shake and feel sick? If anyone fancies putting their feminist hat on and making some scathing remarks to FIL on facebook I'd be much obliged...

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ecofreckle · 20/01/2014 20:40

done stormy Thanks

Gerrythetootallgiraffeswife · 20/01/2014 21:09

Done. Hoping he's got sufficient brains to detect my barely disguised sarcasm, but I wouldn't be surprised. What a plank

StormyBrid · 20/01/2014 21:20

Thank you both, and very nicely put, Gerry, you did make me laugh. And now he's on about "misguided women's lib"! I get the distinct impression he thinks I'm out of order to expecting the man to, y'know, look after his own kid at times.

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Pudtat · 20/01/2014 22:02

I didn't realise I could expect my partner to do EVERYTHING now he's pt and I'm ft. Sure the news will go down well....

worsestershiresauce · 20/01/2014 22:03

Betty Flowers. Sounds tough going. I'm willing everything to go your way tonight.

My tips for getting healthy stiff into a food refuser: if she'll eat breadsticks or crackers dip them into a thickish veg puree or meat bolognaise, ditto sweet rice cakes and fruit puree. Have you tried home made burgers and meat balls? The Annabel Karmel book has recipes for chicken and beef ones, which are a big hit here, even though she won't even consider un-burgered meat.

Thanks so much for the lunch box ideas Eco, I've made notes. Didn't hear the screaming, I was dead to the world last night. Fingers crossed things get better soon. You're brave - 8 babies was it? Eight????!!! And you're not a gibbering wreck?! Grin High five for surviving.

Stormy not been on FB today. Sounds like I should have been! Sounds like Gerry has the measure of him though. You can always rely on a teacher for a clever put down Grin

DH has just put the worselet to bed, which was brave. I'm off now to inspect the bite marks.

StormyBrid · 20/01/2014 22:13

You made a man put your baby to he'd, worse? Shock. FIL would be horrified. You'd better check his penis hasn't shrivelled up and died in response to the trauma. Don't you know it's against nature for men to do any childrearing whatsoever?

(In case you couldn't guess, I am still annoyed!)

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Plonkysaurus · 21/01/2014 07:19

He was being an enormous tool, Stormy. Does he really think that or is he a wind up merchant?

I'm a bit annoyed. DS has been slightly poorly the last few days and has a bad cough. He's been coming in to our bed as lying on his back just makes it worse, and co-sleeping means we get some rest at least. But dp is being a bit of a twat about it "does he have to come in now?" "Ugh I'll never get back to sleep now he's snoring, put him back in his cot". Just moaning and telling me what to do but doing fa himself, really makes me resent him. Is this the kind of equality I deserve? Obviously I work 3/5 of his hours (from home, woman's natural habitat) and have vagina, so I shouldn't expect more should I?

Think I may have to walk DS the mile to nursery today to clear my head.

Eco and Betty (hope you feel better soon btw, sounds shit!) wedding planning is going ok. Illness-based aresheadedness aside, he's taking it seriously. My dads currently pestering us into getting a dj but it's a flat no from us. We're thinking more of a dynamo/Derren Brown style entertainer, but the weddings in one of those truly crap towns, so it'll probably be a Gary glitter esque dj playing abba.

Booked the marquee (well, pagodas) though and feel very poor now!

StormyBrid · 21/01/2014 07:51

He reckons he's just joking, Plonk, but various comments and behaviours make it perfectly clear he really does think women should be in the kitchen while men go out and earn the money. The look on his face the first time he saw the man change a nappy! Proudly declared he'd never changed a nappy in his life, never bathed a baby, never got up in the night. His parental input appears to be solely financial. Likes to control people with money too. His daughter's at uni in Brazil; he wouldn't let her go unless she lived with her mother there. And he offered to put the man through college (in America), buy him a house and a car, etc, on the condition that he cut his hair off. Hair stayed on, all offers of financial support were withdrawn. And if he is just joking, then he's basically insulting me for his own amusement, and then getting arsey when I don't see the funny side. Knobhead, in other words. AIBU to say he can fuck right off and not come see DD over her birthday? It'll be the man's first long weekend in ages, it'd be nice if we could spend it together, and without me constantly having to bite my tongue.

Oh, and you should have told DP to go and sleep on the sofa if he couldn't sleep in the bed!

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Gerrythetootallgiraffeswife · 21/01/2014 08:27

Stormy I completely agree that he sounds like a nob, but I think it might be a tiny bit U to ban him from DD's birthday. My FIL is similar, although less sexist and more racist and homophobic. Other than this he's actually a great grandpa, much better than I was expecting him to be. I plan on saying to him 'I want dd to grow up thinking grandpa is the funniest, smartest, most interesting old person in the world. I don't want to have to take her aside and explain to her how wrong he is about some things. If you don't want me to ruin her view of you, don't say those things anymore' might that work? Obviously if there's more to it YWNBU to ban him!!

Plonkysaurus · 21/01/2014 08:54

I can see how it might be tempting to tell him to get lost RE DD's birthday, but grandparents are a blessing. By all accounts my dad's dad was similar to your FIL but I never met the man. I've heard lots of stories about him (apparently a very kind, considerate man when not behaving like he was still in the army), but definitely not the same as meeting him. My mum's dad had stupid views on women (thought I was mad for going to university) but I really wish he was still around, and am so pleased DS currently has a 'full set' of grandparents as I never had this. So, after lots of rambling, perhaps a quiet word about his stupid views on women's lib, a trade off between you two to say he keeps his mouth shut and you let him spend valuable time with his beautiful GD?

DP has been thoroughly reprimanded. And he apologised!

Right, best get on with some work now. I don't wanna.

somethingbeginningwith · 21/01/2014 15:51

My stupid shitting arseholes of am ex-work are making me pay back all my OMP. Not only do they, essentially, force me out of the job, but I have to pay for the privilege.

Shatteredmamma1 · 21/01/2014 18:04

betty Sad hope you're better soon.
Sounds rubbish.

something can they do that? That's
pretty harsh... Thanks

eco I need those recipes. They sound
great!!!

stormy I'm not on the FB page but your
FIL sounds like an eejit. Hope you can
get some sense in to him....

worse Grin to the sleep!!! Long may it
continue......., Smile

eco and yummy good luck with the
sleep. Fingers crossed. It's pants when
it's bad....

We have proper crawling here (instead of
belly shuffling) but also some screamy
grumping, wondering if it's wind or more
teeth. Who knows?

yummychocolate · 21/01/2014 23:07

something that is shocking and sly of them.

eco any tips from the sleep lady?

stormy I think everyone knows someone just like your fil. They make the world an interesting place. I agree with the others I think he should still be invited to dd's birthday party but stay away from him.

worse is that a full 12hrs of sleep without any wake ups?

Horrible night last night. Ds woke then my insomnia kicked in. Just as I would go to sleep ds woke again. All day he had been clingy and miserable on top of this I had cooked 3 course meal for guests tonight. Im shattered.

Anypants · 21/01/2014 23:15

something really? That's harsh. I'm having a few last stabs in the back from mine but paying back a shed load of money is hugely unreasonable and difficult. Why pay you then ask for it back? Have you spoken to ACAS? Citizen's Advice? Sad

ecofreckle · 22/01/2014 08:11

happy birthday Betty!! Are you feeling better? What plans do you have? I hope miniBetty rewards you with great naps, giggles and crazy new skills Smile Wine Thanks

worsestershiresauce · 22/01/2014 08:41

Something have you tried posting in legal? The employment lawyers on there might be able to give you a steer.

Stormy I think your FIL is making a sport of getting a rise of out you, as if he was that much of a chauvinist the very idea of his daughter doing something as unfeminine as studying when she could be having babies and ironing her man's socks would have him breaking out in a cold sweat. He certainly wouldn't be funding it for her. Personally, I think he is probably a little disappointed that your DP has chosen the lifestyle he has when he had the opportunity to study and really do something. I would be. I'm not so different, as I'll be supporting dd financially and emotionally do make something of herself, but I won't be giving her handouts. My parents did the same for me.

If you really want to give him one in the eye about this, prove him wrong. You write well, you have a brilliant vocabulary and strong political views. Why don't you branch out, get into political journalism? Do some study, start a blog, I think you'd enjoy it. If you wouldn't ignore me. Tis but an idea.

That aside, please don't keep him away from dd's birthday. Grandparents are so special. One of mine was by all accounts a fairly unpleasant man who my mum couldn't stand, but I adored him. He wasn't unpleasant to people under 2 ft tall.

Ah times up, the worselet's up. Apologies to everyone I have missed off.

Plonkysaurus · 22/01/2014 09:33

Happy Birthday Betty Cake hope you're feeling sufficiently better to actually eat some nice food and relax with your family.

Something they are giant, giant arseholes. They've mucked you about so much I'm not really sure where to begin! I think you definitely ought to fight them as much as possible. Remember what I said about a soon-to-pop friend and her distress? I think you have something similar. At least it screams discrimination to me!

So. This baby of mine. Turns out this Wonder Week is doozy. He won't eat, sleep, take his bottle, sleep, nap...just constant low level whining. Oh and did I mention he won't sleep?!

ecofreckle · 22/01/2014 11:02

shattered lovely news about the crawling! exciting times eh? Guess it's time to baby proof. Am on phone and inept so can't share recipe links but I will later. Brain allowing.

Yummy hello! The sleep consultant and I have an initial chat tomorrow but are unlikely to start proper work until mid to late Feb as she has a waiting list Shock I will keep you posted.

Plonky, I like doozy! what is it? Tell us more about wonder week, we're a bit behind you so have this joy to look forward to. Marquee eh? Got enough cutesy bunting to fill it? If not I'm your woman!

Worse, great sleeping! How about last night? Is it now a thing? Hope so. Luck or judgement? Very jealous interested.

I packed car with all the wet weather gear and headed off for walk but ecobaby fell sound asleep in car on the way so am currently freezing in car. The walk might have to be postponed as we have presma at 1130. Anyone had success with dealing with endless standing and crying as you lay them down for nap/sleep? Dh did about 30 lie downs at bedtime last night. This is a lovely new trick to add to the middle of night screaming. I went for a dark wet run to escape.

We're off to Bedfordshire again this weekend. Confused After years of doom about the housing market on the news one just assumes that's the way it is. However, things are selling really fast. We've seen two I really like and which are sensible but they've both gone within 24 hours of going live. It's a sellers market. Which is good as ours goes on market Friday. Today's job is to de clutter ready for photos. Am thinking a jumperoo doesn't look that enticing. Nor do nappy pails.

Oh I lost the plot there. William Hague's voice just came on radio. Better go and think about nice things.

somethingbeginningwith · 22/01/2014 11:48

Sorry for the shouty, sweary rant! Apparently, they think they can just take the money before giving it to me with only 3 days notice, so I've emailed and told them if they do then I'll be left short and have bills, etc relying on that wage so I think it's unjust that they give me such short notice. They asked for a meeting, so I'll tell them exactly how victimised and pressured I felt to leave too. Throw everything at them! worse I will pop over to legal (good idea!) and see if I have a case.

Happy birthday betty I hope you're having a lovely day and lots of Wine