November 2014 - The one where we figure it all out... Or at least try.

[Arkkorox]

Couldn't see another thread ladies! Crap title I know but I couldn't think of anything else!

Thisis how on earth did you manage to put the nappy in the wash!

Eek catg you must be worrying like mad. 6-8 weeks is a long time in baby land.

Anna I hope you can relax a bit with DH there tonight.

I seem to have put my happy smiley baby down somewhere and picked up a clingy grumpy one. Am wondering if it's the result of jabs. Although shes thoroughly entertained by crufts on the telly at the moment keeping fingers crossed she grows up to love dogs so I can have more

How do we reckon I go about teaching her to say ' daddy I want a standard poodle' as her first words?

We're having nap nightmares and very grumpy afternoons as a result. It has coincided with him self-settling for bedtime. Last night I couldn't feed him to sleep because he refused to feed (although he'd already fed quite a lot) so I just gave up and dumped him in the cot with EWAN and he just went to sleep within 5 mins without crying. Similar tonight. If I can sort out naps I'll be so happy!
Annarose2014

I think its growth spurt time. Wonder weeks said this one's a biggy.

Poodle flashcards ark!!!

Got to be worth a shot ladydolly haha!

Ark when did dd have her jabs? My dd was very unsettled for a few days after hers.

amy we found similar with dd - suddenly she wanted to self settle. However as soon as night time settling got easier, daytime naps got bloody hard work! I really struggle to settle her in her cot so its mostly naps on me or in the pram or carseat for now. Unfortunately these are all very short (sometimes just 10mins) & she is usually exhausted & grumpy by tea time. Roll on the longer naps!

ladydolly are you hitting the 12 week growth spurt or the 4 month one? DD is 15 weeks (12 adjusted) but I havent noticed an increase in her feeds recently so not sure if we've had ours yet!!

omama she only had them on the 3rd so think that's still upsetting her as she's just the most chilled baby ever normaly!

I'm prepared for you to all now hate me, and let me point out this was after an evening of her screaming and nothing would help, but DD has just woken up after being put down at 10:30 last night. I'll take the screaming if it means a full nights sleep!!

Well omama babydolly is 15 weeks (17 adjusted) but by 'we' I meant all of us in the group, accorsing to wonder weeks this leaps is from 14 to 19 weeks so that just about covers us all!

She's been waking more than 3 times a night and that's in top of a 10 pm dream feed and tanking up late afternoon. She's definitely more clingy, she won't be left alone too long and seems less confident at baby groups. This coinsides with the catapillar move and being able to sit up with minimum suppport now so I'm putting it down to a growth spurt.

Although overnight shes developed a horrible cold and struggles to sleep and settle. I got about 4 hours last night. Today will mostly be spent in our pj's, on the sofa. Wonder if she's ready to watch my favourite film, the film that cures all ails, hangovers and colds - Labyrinth!

Re blackout blinds: we got one from Amazon that comes with Velcro for attaching it to the window. That makes it a perfect fit so no light can get through. We have had one in the nursery since DD1 went in there 3 years ago, and have just got a new one for her new bedroom. We borrowed a gro-anywhere blind when we went on holiday last summer but it didn't actually fit the window so we had very early mornings.

Our nights are so variable. Some nights she will only wake once (though I am starting counting from when I go to bed at 11ish, before that she sleeps downstairs with us as she hates the Moses basket and DH is not able to climb in the attic and get the cot out yet), and some nights she wakes every couple of hours. Last night she didn't wake until after 3 but then wouldn't be put back down until nearly 5.

Anna, hope the palliative care nurses can help. They should have advice of how to get through this both practically and emotionally. Try to take care of you too.

Thanks for all of your support ladies, big success here,he agreed to stop using the urinal and just wee in the commode by the bed instead. Thank God! Though he freaks out a bit trying to transfer from bed to commode "I can't feel my legs! They're collapsing! I'm going to fall!" Etc etc. But we get him over before he knows it. He's a bit embarressed about the bum-wiping and stuff but we just remind him of all the times he wiped our bums!

His mind is definately floating all over the place and he's very confused. Last night he was banging a plate cos he "was trying to see what was underneath it". But on the flip side he's full of love and gratitude for everything we're doing. The GP established yesterday during their chat that he hopes he'll get better in time, so there's still hope there. Very important psychologically.

If I sound better its because the meds are definately kicking in, I haven't felt panicky since the night before last. Feel quite balanced and able to cope. My sister and I are working together really well, one toilets and dresses Mum (who is v elderly I think I mentioned - Dad was always "the good one") and one toilets and dresses Dad. And Baby trumps both at present as he's louder. (Mum is voluntarily going into a Nursing Home after Dad dies, she's adamant, which helps a lot. )

DH has taken Baby away for the day today which is brilliant. He still wakes more than normal at night but I just cuddle him back to sleep if its been less than 3 hours. His napping is starting to become less frequent, from every other hour and constantly cranky to only three/four times a day and happy in between. So I'm hoping we're slowly coming out of the Hellishness - he's 16 weeks but 18 adjusted by the way. He's sitting up with minimal support now, able to be stood on his feet with locked legs a good 10 secs before collapsing, and has been caterpilling for a couple of weeks. He just seems a bit happier in general. Its extraordinary to see how he's come on!

cat My friend had a baby who didn't turn left - it was the way his head was in the womb. She just did everything to the left of him for weeks and it sorted itself as he had to keep looking left to see what she was doing. Its very common, don't worry.

Oops that was a big post! The perils of using an iPad - you can only see half of it!

Delighted to read your post Anna I know things are still beyond tough, but you sound so much brighter than you have done. I think you're amazing for everything you're doing - your dad (and mum) is so very lucky to have such a great family. Lots and lots of love and wishes for an easier weekend :)

Babies not turning left makes me think of Zoolander!

ladydolly I hope Labyrinth did the trick, always a winner that film. I sing the dance Magic song to babyfloople when he's got himself all worked up and it seems to help.

He's been very out of sorts today, had scond jab on Wednesday and just started the mammoth wonder weeks leap. My mum is over today and she suggested some calpol (he's not had any before) and that has helped.

He is currently fighting sleep with my mum downstairs while I try and have a nap as I am exhausted today

floopledoop I think our babies are at The same point. DD had her jabs Tuesday and has been a totaly PITA today. I know she's just feeling grotty but sometimes it does feel
Like they do it on purpose!!! I've just realised it's 5pm and I've not eaten a thing today!

Do you think it matters if I put calpol in a couple of formula? She just spits all of it out otherwise. I cannot get it in her for love nor money!!

that didn't make much sense lol

catg - try not to worry. It sounds like torticollis - basically the muscle on one side is tight. Quite common esp. if baby was in an arkward position in the womb eg breach & easily sorted with physio. My ds was breach & definitely preferred to look left. His head went a little bit flat on that side but we encouraged tummy time (he hated it!) & tried to sit him up as much as possible to take the pressure off his head. By about 4 months he was moving his head much more & by 6 months all was back to normal, without any treatment. DD favours sleeping to the left but I am not worrying this time.

Ark yes very jealous! DD doesnt feed at 10ish anymore. If she has a good bedtime feed she feeds once at around 3am, if not then its night feeds at around 12-1am and again around 5am. Oh how I long for her to do her long stretch from 11-7!!!

Re calpol - do you have a syringe or spoon? We find syringe much easier with baby, squirt in slowly to the back of her mouth. Or under her tongue.

ladydolly - I LOVED that film! "You remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. What power? Power of voodoo. Who do? You do. Do what? Remind me of the babe...."

Is anyone else finding their baby is getting fed up of being laid flat in the pram? DD shouts & squeals & cries if she is in it - stops as soon as I get her out & she can see. Think she'll be going in the pushchair much sooner than I expected - little miss nosey!!

omama babyfloople has been in the buggy bit of his pram for a couple of weeks now and he prefers it. He'd outgrown the carycot. It's parent facing for now but I bet it won't be long until he's sick of looking at me and wants to go the other way round!

ark it's good to know others are going through the same thing. He is usually such a chirpy baby but is very clingy and whingey today. We used the syringe that came with the calpol but he still spat a bit of it out! Using the syringe reminded me of when we were using it to feed him expressed breastmilk while we waited for his tounge tie to be snipped. He was a week old then so it was 13 weeks ago, feels like a lifetime ago!

Babydolly LOVES calpol. And gripe water. And dentinox. She's a tiny little drug addict. This cold is hitting harder than the others, she just looks SO hacked off. See pic... this is the happiest she's looked all day. Even David Bowie couldn't cheer her up.

Oh she's scrummy even if she's pissed off ladydolly !!
This evenings routine has gone eat scream nap scream eat scream nap scream etc she's currently starfished on a cushion on my lap. I have Ben and Jerrys in the freezer but I darent move and disturb her!

Oh that picture is hilarious! "Just don't give me any shit, Mum - I'm not in tne mood"

Aww she's gorgeous ladydolly!! She is sitting up so well. DD likes to sit upright but her head is still pretty wobbly & she still need lots of support. What a difference 5 weeks makes!

Oh Ark boo for screamy evening. Hope she's feeling better soon.

DD was that shattered she fell asleep in my arms tonight. She's not done that for quite a few weeks!

Oh I wish there were Ben and Jerry's in the freezer here!

I know, she's like 'Don't let the bunny outfit fool you, I'm ready to fuck some shit up right now'

omama I think her being born big (and late) has given her a physical advantage. Plus her head is way lower on the percentiles than her weight, she basically has a peahead (like her dad) so it's easy to hold up. It did shock the mums of the older babies at baby group this week just how much she's grown and can do just in the last couple of weeks - which makes sense since I'm claiming growth spurt.

Enjoying the sofa and tv all to myself but so tired I think I'm going to have to go and curl up next to my little peahead shortly. It just doesn't get old, I love sleeping with her.

ladydolly a www, poor sad-faced baby. Hope she is feeling better soon.

And ark hope you and your baby have a better day today. It is rubbish when they won't even let you eat. I say eat all the Ben & Jerry's at the earliest opportunity today to make up for yesterday. Eat it for breakfast if necessary!!

anna good to hear you and your baby are happier. It is easier to cope with the rest of the shit life throws at you if you don't have constantly unhappy baby to cope with too.

I noticed the last couple of days that DD has become too nosy. I try to feed her and she is arching back looking around at what her sister is doing or what else is going on. This is inconvenient because a few minutes later she is crying because she is still hungry having been too distracted to feed, it means she is exposing my breast to view if we are out or have visitors, I can't avoid distractions because I have to feed her when DD1 is around. I worried it meant she would want to feed more at the times when it is quiet and dark, which is the time I want to sleep. She is having a long feed now. DD1 is watching octonauts on the computer, which is obviously not interesting enough to DD2.