October 2014- thread 8. Growing up fast, 6 months already!!

[MundayCakes85]

Morning all! A shiny new thread for Easter.
Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, I'm off to eat copious amounts of chocolate whilst hiding in the floor of the nursery with Ewan the sheep

I don't 'do' social media, including Facebook. I'm still here reading most days. Is everyone in the Facebook group having great sleep?

Dd isn't having great sleep, I've had children (both my boys as it happens) who slept better. But DDs sleep is within my expectations so not concerned.

Makes a difference that I'm a SAHM. If I was facing going back to work I would probably be much more concerned.

Our current biggest problem is an acute case of mummyitus. She only wants me, for everything. I don't mind. But quite heartbreaking for DH and also my Mum, who's close with all my children but DD won't settle with her.

I think I would feel happier if I wasn't going back to work. It'll be crappy! But less work than looking after 4 children probably!

I'm still here reading too. It so hard when they are not sleeping I wish there was some words if wisdom I could offer but all I can say is its totally shite.
I don't do Facebook either, baby wing has two teeth and I can see some top ones through the gums. I've definitely noticed he's more grumpy recently but I can remember the others being really bad tempered just before they started crawling think it was frustration of not being able to get where they wanted to be.
I had a mini meltdown a few days ago little ones being monsters and dd1 came home with nits really not what I needed!
Whilst i was snotily complaining to dp about how hard it was at the moment he came up with three cracking suggestions.

1. You need to get out more on your own.
2. You need to take up a hobby outside the home.

3.you need more adult conversation- you need to go our with your friends more.

Sometimes there are just no words!

We have a fair to moderate sleeper here. Has never been very good, seems to need very little in the day and still wakes at least once (most often twice) at night. She's showing very few signs that she'll ever sleep though the night!! By sleep through I mean a solid 11 or 12hrs - it is possible DD! Anyway, never seen the Facebook group, have enough trouble keeping tabs on this without hopping over there too.

We've had DS 3rd birthday weekend celebrations just finish. One excited boy with lots of cool presents and one knackered mummy who can't believe she has a 3 year old son!

Awww glad to hear your DSs birthday celebrations went well igotta

One of mine came home with nits just before half term Buttwing. Delightful. Very quick and easy to treat though, which is a blessing.

I keep thinking that since I have a 10 (going on 16) year old DD that I am going to have to get to grips with facebook and whatnot soon, so that I can keep tabs on her. I have rules that she'll not be allowed a FB account until at least 13 years old. I wonder if I can hold it off even longer? Here's hoping...

I'm having such a shit day . Think my poor uncle has had a stroke, he's only 48 and beat cancer 3 years ago, i am bloody gutted!! ... Heard other awful news yesterday aswell about someone really young, is this joy of getting older ? So much bad news? Sorry for being a Debbie downer, i just have to do something to keep my mind off things. Plus i have a cold sore on my lip that made my lip swell to twice its size .,, i look like someone off "botched up bodies" only i am £3000 better off !!

Oh STIGZ that's crap. How is your uncle and family? My Dad had a number of strokes in the last 10 years of his life so I know how devastating they can be. But there is life after a stroke

We found my Mum needed more support than my Dad did in the aftermouth of his strokes.

Have you tried baking?

I always bake my way out of anything when I need to take my mind off things. I remember giving up smoking, I did several batches of baking every singe day! Friends and family would be happy for your produce too.

Oh fate its just a mess, since chemo he has been in a right state, he's been bed bound since october as he needs a hip replacement but couldnt have one quickly as he has a diffrent thing each month from pnemonia to cellulitis to a collapsed lung ... Honestly you couldn't make it up, he's been in hospital for 12 weeks and was meant to be out on thursday and now this .

Sadly no baking cakes for me as baby is just so clingy just now and will not nap longer than 30mins . There is just no pleasing her at the moment but she's been not well for the past two months so i dont blame her, wee soul

STIGZ sorry to hear what an awful time your uncle is having. I'm sure having his family around him is a great comfort. Hope you start feeling better soon, sounds like you're run down with a cold sore as well.
Happy birthday to your little dude Igotta!
DH and I are just recovering from norovirus, luckily DD didn't get it and I was only one end. Unlike poor hard-done-by DH who is apparently dying

Stigz so sorry about your uncle. Hope you get good news soon.
I'm a baker/cook like fate for everything. I tend to make stuff if I've been up all night and started the day at 5am too. That way I have some yummy treats on hand to go with all the caffeine I need to neck! Can you wear baby? We are going through a major clingy phase too. It's hard work on the arms as he just wants to be ferried about the place and play with nothing for longer than 2 minutes!!

Been manning the Hop, Step & Jump event at District Sports today. 17 local schools. That was fun (NOT!).

I forget how damn competitive some parents are. It's only a bit of fun, but from the sidelines they are full-on coaching their child, being rude about umpire decisions, criticising and being generally obnoxious. We had one child in full on floods of tears and one Dad shouting at us because the darling children didn't win.

They all seemed to forget I was (a) volunteering my time away from my baby daughter to be there (b) just a parent like they are, but one who could be arsed to offer to help (c) not an Olympic level judge with Olympic level equipment (d) Missing my own children's events because of stroppy parents not giving me enough time to slide off and watch DD come 4th in shotput and DS come 3rd in sprint.

Grrrr. Rant over.

Anyway. Fathers Day at the weekend. Any plans?

Thanks girls for the kind words, he's has improved dramatically since monday which is such a releif! And dare i say it that dd's mood and sleep disturbances seem to have got better aswell . Still having to give her feed at some point in the early hours but she seems so much more settled and not coughing as much, its been a tough few weeks to say the least !

Its so quiet on here I'm guessing that everyone else has been run ragged ??

Hope your household is feeling better munday ?

sazzle my lo is interested in anything other than toys, iPhones, keys and bits of fluff stuck to the carpet seem to be her favourite "toys" at the moment

Mine ate dirt yesterday - loads of it. Turned her nose up at avocado, hummus, breadsticks and strawberries (literally spat them out).. wandered off and stuffed handfuls of dirt in her mouth. Nice. About 10 minutes after I'd cleaned her up I noticed her sucking something, fished around in her mouth and pulled out a stone. Urgh.

I've been at work today.. boyfriend had baby, which seems to have gone well. She's not settling nicely tonight at all though - well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but every time I fall asleep she does some crying or whinging in her sleep. I can hear her from across the landing. How come last night when I wasn't on duty, I slept like a log and didn't hear her at all, or even feel boyf get up to feed her twice? I can't lie in bed tossing and turning (also baking hot), so I've given up and come downstairs.

I'm googling Slimming World.. I feel like I need to do something to get rid of lard, but really just can't be bothered. Having always been massively anti having more children, boyfriend sort of stumbled over the contraception/vasectomy question the other night, sort of claimed he might want more children. Seeing as I'm 41, we don't have loads of time... so what's the point in getting all fit and thin? and other excuses to eat cake and icecream

No plans for father's day here apart from getting something for my dad - boyfriend ignored mother's day, so sucks boo to him getting anything.

Sorry to hear about your uncle Stigz.

Stigz so sorry to hear about your uncle . My dd2 is also mad clingy too - bloody separation anxiety! Wants to be carried everywhere.

Goats I've been doing the 5:2 diet for the last couple of weeks and am really liking it. The fast days (500 cals per day) are actually fine (I was worried as I can be a terror when hangry but, strangely, I'm not getting hangry). I've only lost about 4 lbs but I feel and look different - have had to tighten my belt and watch strap, even had to tighten my salt water sandals and birks (my foot size went up with pregnancy no 3 but I think it's actually weight). I'm getting compliments (which is nice!). I am doing zero exercise (beyond normal activities of being home with the 3 kids). And it is so easy - I eat normally on the non fast days so no one can even tell I'm dieting (I'm breastfeeding so am supposed to have extra calories on my fast days - I've chosen to ignore that as breastfeeding does not make the weight drop off me!). The 5:2 section of MN has loads of info. And enough of a ramble about that! The switch from one to two DC is much easier than from no DC to one btw

Fate I totally hate overly competitive parents too. I am at the carry on you describe. So bad to show kids that sort of behaviour...

I must say I'm loving having an 8 month old (clinginess and lack of sleep notwithstanding!). She is learning so much (waving, clapping and I'm convinced she can say hiya...I'm delusional about that last one I think ) and is such a cheerful soul and the older two love her. Much enjoyment watching her roll around and shuffle and try to pull herself up and go backwards (no forward crawling yet). She is a dote! And is currently asleep so I should get off mn and to sleep myself!

Forgive my 5:2 ramble! I am to see how long it was - on my phone so was oblivious (though am long-winded by nature ). I have the enthusiasm of the new convert (I am an anti dieter usually, as used to work in publishing and know that diets are basically a con, but the science behind this makes sense).

goats my mum is doing slimming world, she went from a size 14 to a 10 in 10 weeks. My friend is also doing flips one and she has seen good results aswell ..,, but seen as baby no 2 might on the cards you might not need any of them right now . #exciting

I'm doing slimming world I've lost 3 stone only 2 more to go

I like the sound of 5:2 mainly because although I'm naturally quite slim I've put on a 'mum tum' and too lazy to excerise it off and actually rarely have the time. And I know the tum is mostly over eating of crap/snacks/cake/biscuits etc. Plus I'm quite greedy and will pick at stuff all day long out of boredom so not being allowed to eat 2 days a week would do me good to get out of my snack habits perhaps...

So goats....talk us through baby no2

I like the 8 months stage too. Eating is better and more productive. Such a joy and happy thing in the day. His sleep is still shit but I'll let him off. Moves at some speed now as a crawl and pulls up to stand on anything and everything. No clapping though...need to train him up a bit more!

Ha, don't get excited folks, I think it might be a non-starter. I'm just putting all my maternity and nursing clothes on ebay tonight. Still not been able to sort myself out with baby clothes though. You'll be the first to know if we get anywhere with it. I agree that 8 months is super fun - to be honest, she's been fun since about 4 months, which was exactly where I thought I'd start to find her fun based on my experience with nephews and friends babies. I wish she'd sleep better though, because sometimes it's very wearing.

I tried 5:2 two months ago, and just couldn't do it. It was at the height of some dreadful sleep shit though, so that might have been to blame. I didn't like it much. I know what I need to do, which is eat in combination and go heavy on protein low on carbs, but we can't afford to be eating much meat at the moment, so it's a bit tricky.

We're cycling around a lot at the moment, Pip in her bike seat (usually falling asleep in her bike seat), so hopefully doing slightly more aerobic exercise than walking might shift some weight around on me. I've lost a few of the choc and cake cravings since I stopped breastfeeding too. Like always I just want instant results though.

I sway between moods of "thank god this is my last " and "oh god, i cant beleive this is my last" . But seeing my two children together and the bond they share already makes my heart melt . Dd1 makes her belly laugh like no one else does and she also does this ear piercing shriek of joy when she see's her in the morning . I count my blessings everyday, even though some days i think "how the fuck am i going get through this today" ?

Sazzle I just cannot be trusted being home with the kids - handfuls of peanuts/almonds/choc chips are my downfall or baking with the kids as an activity (and then scoffing the results!) or finishing their dinners. So exercising some discipline a couple of days a week is working for me (and on my non fast days I still eat normally...which today included two cupcakes and some peanuts and half a home made loaf of bread! See what I mean about can't be trusted ).

Buttwing 3 stone - wow, so amazing! Well done you!

Stigz I also love the bond between my three (even when they drive me mad!). Though I definitely feel that three is my limit both physically and emotionally. I feel done and it's a positive feeling (and I didn't feel it after the first or second).

Goats I've never done low carb but I find lentils/dhal is my lifesaver for fast days. Love the bike seat! Which one are you using? Our one is good from 12 months only (we have two and should really move the eldest to a proper bike...but I'll just keep using the radio flyer wagon instead to pull them to the town pool and out and about while DH is at work).

Hi everyone, is it too late for me to join this thread? I have an 8 month old DD2 & while she's absolutely delightful when awake, we ate suffering all the same challenges of wakeful nights and teething! DD1 is 8 years old so quite a big gap but they seem to love each other to bits and am loving their relationship already (I do see the fights & screaming matches in years to come though!)

Hello artistic! Never too late to join.

Shall we do quick intros for the late comers to the thread? I have DD who was 8 months on the 13th. She's my second baby, DS has just turned 3. He was a premmie born by section at 31 weeks but DD was full term normal and very fast! delivery. Very much doubt we'll have any more as DH isn't keen, my body really doesn't like being pregnant (very lucky to survive first preg and second one could've easily gone the same way) and I'm getting a bit old now! Little kids are draining the life out of me as it is!! DD is yet to sleep through the night but is much better than she used to be. She's on the verge of crawling, feel like it will be any day now. Err that's about it!

Thank you for the kind welcome.

8 months is such a lovely age - full of smiles, a bit of crawling, lots of babbling & wet kisses to mum dad & siblings. However we are also having crazy sleep challenges & totally lagging behind on baby proofing!

I am now struggling with my post pregnancy weight..unluckily I don't seem to lose any weight while bf..to the contrary I keep piling on more. Have cut down to 2 bf each day & slowly moving to formula. Is it too soon or is it ok to stop bf now? With DD1 I went on for much longer but struggled with excess weight for too long! This time I am determined to lose it before I get back to work (trying not to think about getting back to work!)

Anyone else struggling with weight - please share your tips for what to do that doesn't involve too much time away from baby...DH works all the time!!!

Artistic, welcome! Another here with a baby that doesn't sleep through the night (she will sometime!). I also don't lose weight breastfeeding and have no time for gym (am a Sahm to three with a husband who works all hours). So I'm into week 3 of the 5:2 fast diet (see upthread for my enthusiastic ramblings!) and am 5 lbs down (with 22 lbs to go!). I'm still bfing on demand (and feeding to sleep every night and most naps!). It is totally ok to stop breastfeeding if you want to - there's lots of experience on this thread for tips on reducing feeds etc.

IGotta great idea on intros!

I live in the US (just outside NYC in New Jersey). Had my first two in London and moved to the U.S. when dd1 was 6 months. DS is 5 and dd1 is 3. Had dd2 here (she was 8 months on the 10th). I still miss London but am happy here too (except for the bloody gun laws ). My husband is American (so we have the in-laws closer than when we were in London!) and I'm irish (counting down the weeks until our big trip back this summer!). I'm home with the kids and fit bits and pieces of work around them when I can.