March 2013 - time to wrap them all up in tinsel

[StormyBrid]

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.

Hi any .

Ecobaby well done for only having 1 feed. It makes all the difference doesnt it eco. We had 2 excellent nights of 11pm-6.30. Milk given and wakes at 8.30am. The first night was by accident as he was very ill and I think exhausted with the broken sleep. He seems to have stayed on that sleep cycle for now.

rainbow i forgot to say earlier but its good your dd has learnt to sign. I wish I stuck with using sign with ds.

pud i feel for your friend. Sleep deprivation is like torture.

plonky I sense you will have an overtired ill baby on your hands today. If you are not working I think you both deserve a duvet day.

Ive just had to do a major clean up operation when ds knocked my plant pot over and started helping himself to soil. Anyone would think I don't feed the boy!

plonky working full time or longer hours can be tricky but it is completely doable - you suddenly get a lot more efficient somehow because you have too! What I actually found when I increased my hours to fulltime in January is that I have more free time because of DH sharing the housework equally again and because I have a much bigger vested interest to be more efficient at work as well. Perhaps chat to your DP about splitting house stuff, wedding planning and childcare to reflect longer hours against his hours and that make it more doable?

eco I have seen all in one rain suits for little ones that might work if your doesn't like the carrier cover?

pud massive sympathy for your friend - it's so hard when you don't get proper REM cycles yourself.

Pud I'm feeling your friend's pain. We've been back to 3+ wakings for a while now and yesterday yet another cold kicked in and I couldn't get her to sleep despite her being exhausted and having flopped on me for hours before, I gave up at 10 & brought her in with me and she finally slept but woke up for a whinge and wriggle every 30 mins and then 2 screaming fits ending in feeds overnight. I can't believe we're back here again and am starting to lose hope of seeing any improvement before I start work again in a few weeks.

Sorry for the self-centred moan but can't really think of anything but exhaustion now!

Eco I hope your improvement continues, the more of us sleeping the better!!

Well done eco !!! Makes such a difference doesn't it. We are trying hard to drop night feeds completely. Not sure how it's going but a bit of progress. Bit of those whose LOs did it themselves months ago!!! I do love my sleep .

Still standing despite the gales. Horrible isn't it? Actually sunny here now so will be going for a nice walk later .
Hope everyone feeling better and less snotty!!

Plonky DS is doing well. Abs seem to have knocked out ear infection though still somewhat snotty - as am I, Stormy you still have members in the snot club! Much brighter in himself, and the proud owner of a third tooth exactly a week after number 2 showed up.

Commando crawling picking up speed, does the odd one proper crawl but then surprises himself and collapses. this isn't funny at all

Had crying at nursery drop off today for first time. Felt a little bad, esp as I left him overnight for first time this weekend to take my mum to a show, but his key worker is lovely and I know he'll be fine as soon as I'm gone.

Working ft is hard, and give and take with dh - even though he's pt now - is the only way. We try to assess the week and work out how slack our housekeeping standards need to be!

I seem to have broken the thread

Too soggy to post. Can it be spring already?

Im here but very wet. Despite the rain and wind I had to get out for a walk. I had decent sleep last night only because dh couldnt sleep so he dealt with the night wakings.

So what is everyone doing for first birthdays and what are you buying for a present?

I think we will be cutting a cake at home with immediate family. I bought a few decorations to set the mood. Not sure about a present though. My cousin suggested one of those push along bikes (not sure what they are called), hoping we have decent weather.

I'm a bit stumped for presents. There are no noticeable gaps in DD's toy heap, and I don't want to get her something she's basically already got just in a different style or colour. There will be books though. Lots of them. She's finally worked out what they're for (aside from chewing, obviously), and keeps grabbing them, climbing up the nearest person's leg and demanding to be read to.

meant to say earlier, was it miniyummy who is walking? Yikes! And well done minipud too for increasing mobility!

Betty. Hello! How is today? Rocky patch presently by the sounds of it. I know I mentioned it before but I have every confidence in our sleep consultant Ann. Might that be something to consider pre going back to work? Sounds like you'd made good progress yourself though prior to this current blip. Might it be ww?
Any, hello to you too! I was thinking of you the other day and hoping all was well. Glad your dh related storm has passed.

Stormy one nap? Still post lunch? Great news for your day structure. We're on holiday at present and are doing a week of enforcing a routine and this is giving us very brief pockets of time to sight see in as we're trying to give her cot naps. As a result we're staying close to home. Luckily home is rather nice to spend time in.

Rainbow thanks for all in one suggestion. Ecobaby has just grown out of her padded all in one thing which had feet. Our next size up waterproof job doesn't have feet in so it's her little feet that are getting icy and wet this crazy weather combo of gales and rain! Baby rearing is a never ending problem solving task

Worse, are you in the pantry? Or stranded because of nearby floods? Hope neither. I hope that you are euphorically running around the fields because worselet is well, eating AND sleeping. The triple!

Plonky did you decide about work yet? I am different to rainbow. Before having ecobaby I had cut down to four days a week a couple of years prior. For me that made the balance better. A day to do 'stuff' and still a full weekend untouched by the 'stuff'. Now there's more 'stuff' due to baby I'd anticipate needing another 'stuff' day

Yummy we are keeping birthday low key I think. Mostly because dh will be starting a new job three counties away the previous day and won't be around We might flee to sister and grandpa! However the nine of us nct ladies, gentlemen and babies are hiring a village hall in couple of weeks time and having a crazy very hungry caterpillar themed joint party! Carnage There will be pin the head on the caterpillar, pass the crysallis, a caterpillar cake with nine circular cakes one for each baby, caterpillar fruit kebabs and of course salami, pickle, ice cream, cherry pie and chocolate cake..... Sounds bonkers eh? And the babies will remember not a jot!
Present wise something very low key for her to do something with. Pushing stuff through holes is the current fad. But not shapes into holes! Oh no! The hole has to be much bigger than the thing.

We have a Skype chat with sleep consultant at two so dh is trying hard to get baby asleep as prescribed of the packet. Time will tell. Better dash....we just had better offer on our house and one we're likely to accept

We've got DD the ikea kitchen. She's just discovered the joy of emptying cupboards and she loves playing with my godsons plus I think it'll be something she'll play with for a long time.

My DPs have got her a scramble bug little ride on trike thing. I think she might be a bit little but will hopefully grow into it over summer.

I think the gaps in our toy collection for the coming year or so are going to be a garage, a train set and some outdoor toys if those are any handy ideas. Madam loved playing on a little rocking see saw thing at play group the other day.

Stormy, books are a ridiculous big hit here too, she just loves them, both flicking through herself and being read to. I go to the library every week to chop & change and keep it interesting as it's nice to have something she'll keep herself amused with for 10 mins!

Hi all, I've been lurking, but having one of those weeks where I haven't got time to do more than say a few words before ducking out. Which seems rude. Especially when everyone else goes to such a lot of effort.

Will try and catch up properly tomorrow, naps allowing, but will summarise for now by saying the worselet seems to have finally kicked the last of the bugs, and not actually be ill. Although that may soon change given she was at nursery this morning!

Betty, just wanted to commiserate re the sleep deprivation. We finally moved him into his own room at the weekend thinking it would help. It hasn't. At all... Still wakes up at least 3 times per night, won't sleep at all unless he's in our bed, looks to be fed (albeit briefly) at least twice and when he wakes up, does this weird half-awake thrashing around which leads to him pulling my hair and gouging my eyes. Awful at napping during the day unless in the car or buggy. You would think this would all lead to a very tired boy during the day??? Alas no, he never stops moving and is just about walking. Add into the mix, my efforts to toilet train ds1and I am basically a walking zombie who is constantly being peed on...
Sorry, after that very self-centered moan hope you're getting more sleep tonight! Hope all the sick little ones are getting better.

Morning one and all. I'm having a late start to my working day having been up most of the night with DS. I'm crossing everything that this is just a blip brought on by teething, or possibly our attempt at using reusable nappies at nighttime, as he's been sleeping lightly, thrashing around and moaning for no discernible reason. So we're ditching the reusables at night. Eco how do Naty's fare?

Can'tturn I think you deserve a cake-based medal and a big slurp of tea. Or wine. Or gin. How long until DS1 can go to nursery/school for free? I've a friend who's struggling with toilet training too, it just seems like a never ending clean up job.

Betty hugs. Lots of them.

Worse I feel the same. It's a massive effort to stay on top of the house stuff and work let alone making sure we're all fed and DS is happy-ish. I think this is a direct result of him learning to crawl. You lot must have been knackered for months!

Pud glad to hear things are steadily improving. Has he got his voice back yet?

Eco enjoying your break? I wish we was on us olidays. God I'm so bloody Midlands. Sucks about DH starting the new job the day before DD's birthday, but at least you've had a realistic offer on your home. Have you found anywhere in MH yet?

There's babies popping out all over the place here. Well, one is a friend's in Madeira, but I know of three babies born in the past week! People clearly had too much fun on their summer holidays last year. Oh and it turns out the nursery have been teaching DS sign language. I suppose I'd better find out what he's trying to tell me! If it helps to cut down on the whining (which he really only does to signify things like hunger and full nappy) then it's all to the good. DP can't understand why a baby who's not deaf needs to be taught sign language I think he's pulling my leg. He says all these things with a big daft smile on his face. Oh and presents. Yes Stormy lots of books as it'd be nice to start incorporating this into bedtime, and I have no idea where the library is in this one horse town. Possibly a balance bike. Definitely a Colin the Caterpillar cake.

Right, best get down to work I'm definitely not procrastinating by putting together a list of songs I want played at the wedding

eco yes, still one nap. It's actually working brilliantly! Means I don't have to worry about waking her up in the morning in order to have time to fit naps in, I can just let her sleep instead. Today she had milk just before 6am and slept until 8.30. Yesterday she was up at 8.30, we went to our baby group, came home via Asda, lunch at noon, then nap. She went straight to sleep and stayed that way until I went to wake her up at 3pm. Tired enough by bedtime that there was no fuss there either. Very glad we've made the switch, now I just have to rejig everything else we ever do, to accommodate always being in the house in the early afternoon - before that was prime going-out time.

Betty a kitchen does sound like a good idea. I suspect at the moment DD would just dribble all over it though. Will it keep it in mind for Christmas. Ditto train sets - I keep seeing little wooden ones and thinking they're adorable and having to stop myself because I know she's too little to get much out of them yet. And, much to the man's disappointment, she is still too little for scalectrix, or whatever it's called.

worse with the amount of one-liner posts I make from the front doorstep, I don't think anyone's going to mind if yours are pretty brief! And yay for quitting the Snot Club!

I can highly recommend this book. DD loves it. Also these are a tremendous hit with just about every baby I know.

Anyone else finding the realisation they're about to have a one year old a bit scary?

Stormy I'm amazed that my tiny bundle is now a boisterous 11 month old. Where on earth has the last year gone?! He'll be one in 25 days...Seriously, WTF?

As for train sets, how about something like this? Brio is a huge hit in the house and it basically lasts forever.

The HV has just called and we're off her watch list now he's mobile. Thank god. The less I have deal with clinics the better.

Either you can't count or I've got my dates wrong, Plonk. Thought DS was the 7th. Any is first though, right? Must be very soon for her.

My counting is poor, but no he's the 9th, a delightful ten days late. The day after your DD I believe? You'll be needing to update that spreadsheet

Have spent the morning trawling evil but very convenient Amazon for possible birthday gifts. A balance bike and books should suffice.

Finally, five minutes to myself. These days this is an almost unheard of luxury so I intend to make the most of it.... by doing nothing productive whats-so-ever.

So much going on - lambs, sleep improvements, sleeps regressions, birthdays, presents, house selling, loads and loads. I can't keep up! It is great to hear about everyone else's day... stops me getting stuck in a rut with mine.

So, what's new here then? Well, we're not sick. None of us! Not even a little bit. This rocks.. and as an added side benefit the worselet not being sick means she actually eats, and even sleeps, so I sleep, which is another unheard of luxury. My week as you can see has started well.

Eco yay on the sleep front. Be prepared for it all to go t*ts up again some time in the very near future, when just as you think you have got it sussed another cold or batch of teeth sends everything crazy again. At least that is what happens here. I'll have 3 nights no wakes followed by a week of zero hours sleep. The worselet likes to keep me on my toes.

On the night wakings front, I'm far less knackered now we've got her on a self settle routine. I can't fathom why I was so resistant for so long now, given how painless it has been. Last night she went down at 8.30pm, woke at 10.30pm for a random unknown reason, so I gave her a cuddle, put her down again and held her hand until she dropped off. Early morning she woke and cried but settled again when I said 'shhhhhh....'. It's like magic! Massively relieved we've got this far though as I have a week on my own coming up in the near future, and I confess I was dreading it.

Nursery (aside from the bugs) is going brilliantly. She loves it, has become much more confident, and has started to eat her lunch normally like a proper 11 month old child, not tiny baby. Honestly, it was embarrassing. A whole row of babies eating beautifully off a spoon... and one throwing crackers... . I'm kind of wondering if it was baby peer pressure or my dogged persistence and cunning tricks that got to her in the end.

Ah she's awake and hungry! Must be lunch time.

Worse you have the triple! The holy grail of winter babies = well + eating and sleeping! Envious. Your cautionary tale about sleep blips makes me feel a bit bleurgghhhh. I'm ready, after 7 months of shite, for some sleep. But that's stating the obvious :-) I will have to look when next wonder week is. And I'll have to remember that we only have 5 more teeth so what's that, 11 more to go? Sigh! Has anyone whose baby just sails through teething as is allegedly possible

Plonky we have had zero fails with Naty 4+ overnight but we have a girl and I'm not certain she's a heavy wetter like your DS. Mind you, she does have to pee out her 2 night feeds and the nappies stand up to that! We haven't found a house that works for us yet but have accepted the offer at £2k over what we'd hoped for so we're happy. It's happening! Us olidays are grand. It is proper wet and woolly today and we're in the glass room overlooking the bay so we feel very cosy and content with a tummy full of pizza and me eyeing up the Vouvray

Stormy, let's have a look at the baby/mother/dates data!! Do you have it? I'd love to see who was when so that we know when to dish out I'm going to look at your (and Plonk's) present suggestions now. Silly phone earlier wouldn't let me look. Your one nap day sounds like it can work really well. Mornings will be your new window.

Cantturn Betty, Yummy, Shattered and I are all in yoru club I think. It's a crap club. One whose membership one hopes to relinquish by the time they reach 1 year old. Bah! Onwards and ?

Just seen a photo of where you are, eco, it looks gorgeous!

I suppose I had better add all birthdays to my List. So, Fartypants is on the 8th, and Babysaurus is on the 9th. If ecobaby is 46 weeks today, does that mean her birthday is March 26th? If everyone could furnish me with their babies' birthdays I can stick the revised List on fb. Also, yummy, I quite understand if you don't want to share DS's name with all and sundry, but at the moment the only ? on my List is his name. Would you mind pming me and letting me know what it is? The ? niggles at me every time I see it.

Got my stalker hat on and went back to check the start of the first postnatal thread. So far I have ascertained:

MiniBetty - 27th of February
Rainbow's DD - 7th of March
Fartypants -8th of March (didn't have to check that one )
Babysaurus - 9th of March
Pud - did not specificy outright but said had been in MLU since 17th of March so am guessing that's when miniPud appeared
and Leni, bless her, got to be pregnant for two incredibly irritating weeks while the rest of us all had squishy newborns. Her DS finally put in an appearance on the 29th of March.

The rest of you somehow managed to get through labour without the aid of MN, and so weren't there at the start. And buggered if I'm trawling through all our threads to find dates!

Thanks Plonky, ds1 is actually in Montessori every morning and his free year starts in September (we're not in the UK). While it's great for him, it means that mornings have become even more chaotic and one if not three of us ends up being peed on! He's generally a very placid little man but is currently stomping around the house shouting "No wees on the toilet"

Ds2 on the other hand just climbed the stairs while I was putting his brother on the toilet so he's definitely a busy boy despite never sleeping.

For anyone thinking of Kitchens as a present-he absolutely loves his brother's one...as well as his cars, trains and blocks.

I am a stalker. Have trawled facebook and got nearly all birthdays. The first one is two weeks today!

stormy that is some serious stalking. You could have just looked at my birthday and added exactly 9 months on

We bought DS's birthday presents with vouchers we were given for his christening. Cheeky cheeky. We got him some first building blocks and a wooden push-along carty type thing because pushing things across the floor is so much fun don't you know?

Hooray to the triple threat Worselet too!

I'm missing DS today. After having all last week on our jollies with him, I'm angry at stupid work now. He's so much fun. And I agree, bringing books is the most adorable thing! I went out last night and DS refused to take his bottle from DP and chose to cry instead, and grizzled for about an hour after going to bed. I'm somewhat smugly assuming that it's because he's so used to me doing every bath and bedtime. He always goes to DP after his bath for a cuddle but reaches out for me straight away. It's very sweet, but I also know it's not good in a way!