January 2014 -- the birthdays are coming!

[TobyLerone]

Just wrote a long message on the old thread only to have it not post because we'd filled it.

We really ought to do less chatting and more sleeping

Oh, amazing!

Ahh congrats again nature - so lovely to hear the heartbeat already.

Eeeeeeeee nature how lovely! Does it feel more real now?

Yep more real. May have 12 week scan next week if she can fit me in, if not just after Xmas. We were thinking of booking a private scan but probably won't bother now. I'm only 10+2 I think so can't believe she found the heartbeat!

Nature I missed that in my quick catch up, Congratulations! Very exciting!

Felix she's 47 weeks, almost 11 months (I only know exactly as she was weighed today!). She took her first steps at 8 months, so is very ahead at walking, but she didn't combine syllables until quite late, so I think she'll be a late talker. Her cousin in 3 months older and took his first steps at 10 months, but got confident at walking much quicker, the two of them at 11 months were about the same. It is strange how different they are, but they all catch up pretty quick.

How lovely to hear the heartbeat nature :) Like O, P has to be dropped in the cot and abandoned to go to sleep alone, otherwise I just mither her and she shouts at me. She's been great this week, and did 7-7 last night. I had to go in at 6 because I was convinced something was wrong as she hadn't even murmured since 10pm. She's been lovely since her sleep has improved, much less whiny and doing a lot more laughing. The sleep consultant was the best money I'e ever spent, definitely.

No proper words here (except "no", which she can say amazingly clearly ) but we had her first steps last week. She does say "mumumum" and "BABA" a lot, but nothing else. I'm glad we took her to baby signing, she can only do a few but it is really nice to feel that she is actually communicating instead of just crying at me. That sounded a bit wanky didn't it, but it is true!

No, I'm glad we did baby signing too. She's suddenly started busting out the signs and it's great :)

I'm so glad it's all coming together for you re P's sleep, book. It must be great :)

I am suspicious. It's DH's turn to put M to bed. They've been in her room for 20 minutes or so, and not a peep from her. When I took him up a cup of tea and poked it round the door about 10 minutes ago, he signalled that she was still awake, but just lying there quietly.
Who has swapped my baby for one which doesn't throw a hissy fit when lain in the cot?

Spoke too soon. She's yelling intermittently now.

Good luck if you're starting tonight, fizzy!

Book it's so lovely to hear a success story with regards to sleep. I'm so pleased for you

I have to do the drop and run with S now too, otherwise I keep her awake. Tonight she whinged for 15 minutes but went to sleep eventually. Once she's over this cold I'm going to try and kick the night feeds once and for all.

Just a bit of info from Becca's DH which he posted on the other thread she was active on - her funeral will be on Thursday and he has posted a link to some information (including a link for donations to two charities which were important to them both, if anyone wants to donate). Link is www.beccajohnson.co.uk

Sorry I can't link properly as on the app, hopefully someone else can do it properly?

puggle hope you're feeling a bit happier now?

nature that must of been lovely :)

So glad babies are learning to sleep. H slept through tok last night

I posted on FB about h being bitten by piranha child ( I counted 10 bites) at nursery yesterday. They have said they are doing baton approach (someone stays with biter constantly). Has anyone heard of this?

www.beccajohnson.co.uk

Thanks felix

Felix, thank you so much for posting the link for Becca. I was so sad and shocked to hear of her passing. Her posts were always so lively, and it's heartbreaking to think of the huge loss to her DH, DD, Archie and her family. There's no sense to this world sometimes.

Thanks for linking Bamboo.

Sorry not heard of that but hopefully someone else will have.

Good to catch up with everyone's news - Naturegirl82 many many congratulations on your pregnancy! How amazing to hear the heartbeat! Like Toby I am I would love another baby but at 42 the odds aren't great, not least because it took us nearly 6 years to conceive DS. Also DH not keen which is a fairly big factor to overcome.

alteredimages you have my sympathies on the return of periods post-pg/BF - mine came on Friday for the first time since I got upduffed with DS, and 11 months to the day since he was born, pretty much. It was heralded by me waking up at 5.30am on Thursday and being violently sick, followed by days and days of diarrhoea and feeling utterly exhausted, achey and wiped out. Weirdly enough I had zero cramping (which was always a problem pre-DS), but to be honest I'd rather have stomach ache than puking and the squits

(Sorry if TMI!)

So interesting to read about the different developmental things happening for all the babies - DS says "Mama", "Dad" (not Daddy, strangely) and a lot of babababa gagagaga etc. No other recognisable words at this stage, but he's started to point at things he wants, and he definitely understands "No". PMSL at the cat being called "gentle" Toby - I am marvelling at M's verbal skills!

Lots of cruising her, and a couple of occasions of standing up not holding on to anything, but I think we've got a little way to go before DS is walking. However he now has 12 teeth! And is rapidly losing interest in BF - he's down to 3 feeds a day now (first thing, lunchtime, and bedtime) but I'm teetering on the verge of dropping the lunchtime feed as he's just not that interested any more. The only thing that's stopping me is the fact that one of the children at his childminder's hasn't had any vaccinations, so I'd like to carry on until DS has his MMR to try and boost his immunity just in case (yes, I know I am probably over-thinking this!).

Sleep is seriously variable here. Last night he only woke a couple of times, but the night before it was 4 or 5 times. I turned the radiator up a bit in our room (he's still in with us...) yesterday, so I'm wondering if the poor little bugger's been a bit cold and that's been waking him. He goes to bed in a long-sleeved bodysuit and a sleepsuit, and has a 3.5 tog grobag, but I might try an extra blanket tonight.

puggle I'm sorry your DH is being such a PITA. Mine hasn't covered himself with glory either over the past few days. Apparently I can't be ill without him suddenly developing a) a stomach bug, followed by b) a bad back. But it's OK because he can just take himself off to bed while I have to soldier on, evidently Thankfully my DM was down to stay for a few days over the weekend, but if she hadn't been here I don't know what I would have done in terms of looking after DS. I really want to move to be closer to my family as I have next to no RL support here apart from my childminder.

Felix, love the Christmas namechange and I'm so impressed with all your Christmas prep! I've done next to nothing apart from a bit of shopping and a few cards. I wanted to make some progress last week and over the weekend, but being so poorly made things too difficult. We're going to DM's so at least I don't have to worry about catering this year. And I too am going to borrow Toby's Christmas dec idea for DS if that's OK - such a lovely thing to do!

Hi to everyone else on the thread and sorry for the epic post! (can you tell I'm seriously procrastinating about my dissertation...?)

Hi EarthMither! Yeah, the period is pretty awful. Much heavier than post childbirth after the second day and the shakes are really bad! The worst bit is that we are camped out at PIL, tomorrow is DD's Christmas concert and I have promised to make mince pies. All the stuff is 30km away at home and I still am searching for glacé cherries, pecans, mixed peel, stem ginger and the bloody tart tin. Will try putting N in the sling and toddling (literally, my ergo is at home so we are stuck with the babybjorn) to the shops before DD gets back in an hour.

My DH is a complete wanker every morning. Because I'm up half the night with my period and the kids I am not waking up properly in the mornings to get DD ready for him to take to school. He had a massive tantrum yesterday when I was too ill to get up and today when I didn't hear him tell me to get up because "he is the only one who does anything in this family". FWIW in five years of marriage he has never changed a nappy, cooked a meal, bathed the kids or done any washing so I have kindly volunteered to give him free rein when we get home tonight. I really don't see why he can't get up 10 mins earlier and take DD to the toilet, dress her and give her breakfast. Apparently it would be impossible because he needs to use the bathroom and get dressed, plus he doesn't know where her toothbrush is (he does). Consensus around here is that he is right and all the above is woman's work. Am I mad or incredibly demanding? Sometimes I feel like it around here.

Thanks for the link felix.

The piranha baby sounds like N bamboo. Whenever he gets hungry, which is all the time, he goes round biting knees.

Talking here is proceeding slowly. He says Mumma, Daddy, Cook for the cat, Teta for Granny, and he tries to sing Twinkle Twinkle. All of these are inconsistent though, some days he just goes around shouting Bababababa all day.

Altered your post made me so mad, I hope you pointed out everything you do to your DH! (I may be projecting a bit, we had a similar 'We never get anything from this family' from my SIL a while ago, when the opposite is true!) You don't sound at all demanding, quite the opposite!

These useless DHs are making me extra grateful for mine. What a bunch of twats!

Nice to hear from you again, Earth :)

I can't stop.thinking about poor H, bamboo :( he's been so in the wars and it's just not fair.

The first period talk is scaring me. It sounds awful! You poor things
Mine can stay away as long as it likes.

altered, I am particularly cross on your behalf. Your life sounds hard enough without your DH being a misogynistic git

Toby I didn't want to say, as it kind of sounds like I'm boasting! But my period has returned lighter than before. It was very heavy and lasted 10+ days before having DD, now it's fairly light and only 5 days. Hopefully everyone else's will be similar!

I've just found out about Becca. Oh my gosh! Her poor family :(

It's really sad million

I'm hoping we may have cracked this sleeping thing. Another full night's sleep here last night. Dh thinks she woke at 2 but resettled and I heard her at 5.30 but again she went back to sleep within a minute. I had to get her up at 7.30 to get to work! It took her 4 mins to settle to sleep after I put her in her cot tonight. Fx we have another good night as I'm knackered!

I had 2 x 3 hour meetings today Urgh!

Good grief altered, your DH's attitude sucks - that must be so hard to deal with on top of everything else. You're certainly not being mad or demanding - or course he should pitch in with the day-to-day graft of looking after the DC. I'm not sure cultural differences are much of an excuse in the 21st century, but you must feel like you're swimming against the tide if PIL and the wider society you currently live in feel it's "women's work". Hats off to you for sticking with everything in spite of the massive frustrations and challenges. Also so sweet about your DS trying to sing Twinkle Twinkle (ahhhh)

Bambooshoots14, poor H! I really hope nursery can sort out piranha child. I've heard of the "baton approach" in a business / customer relations context, where it basically means passing the metaphorical baton of direct responsibility from one person to another to ensure continual, seamless coverage, which kind of makes sense if the biter is meant to be constantly supervised by one person at all times. I hope it works in this case!

MrsGSR, that is interesting about the lighter, shorter period - for me, I had a couple of very heavy days (like altered says, similiar to lochia) and then it petered out over another couple of days so not dissimilar to your experience (only in my case I put it down to my age and a possible segue into perimenopause, ha ha). Vomming and the runs aside, I'll be pleased if my new postpartum periods are lighter, shorter and cramp-free.

I gave myself a "night off" this evening - was meant to write some more Christmas cards, but by the time I'd settled DS and eaten my dinner all I wanted to do was have a glass of wine and sit on my backside in front of the telly while MNing. So that is exactly what I am doing right now

PS MrsGSR I also meant to say I hope your studies are going OK. I've got a meeting with my supervisor tomorrow lunchtime (announced by him at, erm, 4pm today) which I'm feeling pretty anxious about. He knows he's basically shafted me by not supporting me in a request for a deferral owing to his failure to process the paperwork I submitted when I went on Mat Leave (don't ask!), but I'm in no position to make a complaint as the field we work in is a small world and I am very likely to need him as a reference when (if!) I complete the course

Frigging teeth. I knew three good night's was too much to ask for. Also discovered at 2 am that we had run out of calpol.

Feel rubbish today so going to stay off work sick and try and catch up on some sleep.