September 2006 Babies - growing in front of our eyes!

[Lysettes]

New thread everyone!

clairemow - how old is your ds1? he sounds very like mine although I still wrestle him into the double pushcahir!! he is 2.9 and the pushchair is getting really heavy now so might have to go for it and make him walk everywhere... eek....

DS1 is 2.7 now, and usually pretty good at walking (although I do usually take the double buggy and he can jump in and out), but today he just wants to watch CBeebies... maybe he's suffering from post Christmas fatigue (bit like his mother!). His latest thing when I ask him to do something is to say "in a minute" - drives me up the wall, but I have a horrible feeling he's got it from me saying "in a minute" when he demands a drink/biscuit/TV etc. etc....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I am with you all sayijng it's good to get back to normal! I was willing DH back to work....aren't I mean??! DS1's eating has gone haywire over xmas - I can't get him to eat a proper meal at the moment, if it's not a yogurt, ice cream or cheese straw he is not interested.
Re: weaning - I am definately holding off as long as poss, even if it means feeding more often. I agree that giving certain things such as gluten too early can cause allergies as their tummies don't have the correct acids present to break down certain foods. A friend of mine weaned at 3 months and gave her DS a boiled egg at 6 months and he now has an egg allergy and is lactose intolerant.
Our daytime naps are still not happening, after about 20-40 minutes he wakes up yelling, I cannot seem to crack that long lunchtime nap. He is chewing on his fist at the mo, and i've given him teething powders but he still seems to be in pain, the only way I can make him feel better is either boob or calpol.
We tried the door bouncer this morning which he loved, ds1 thought it was great fun pushing him backwards and forwards singing 'swing swong' , but he has to be strictly supervised, i have visions of ds1 clocking his head on the door frame!!!!

fogot to say congrats redz!!!!!

Redz - Congratulations! You must be so excited
DS had a bit of an unsettled night too and was waking a bit more than usual, 1am, 4:30am and 7:30am last night. It is interesting hearing about early weaning, I'm going to hold off for a bit longer but I may start doing some FFs rather than all BFs as I'm due back at work in march.
Liquid hasn't been off for a while has she? I hope she is ok.

mabel and myrtle - so odd that we re all having unsettled nites at the mo. ds daytime feeds up the shoot too with little or no routine to them.
mabel - re napping - we too, are having 30 - 40 min power naps. he has one a couple of days of 1.5 hrs but they are one offs . if things improve please let me know how you did it!

same here, daytime feeds are all over the place. but i think if his gums hurt he is sucking for comfort rather than food. night time sleep has improved again, this morning he only woke up because ds1 was shouting DADDY!!!!!! at the top of his voice at 6am

hi all!

will start new thread tomorrow - will send link as well.

redz congratulations - it's a wonderful time and enjoy it all

we have had fists in mouth, drooling etc since around 16 weeks, and it's just getting worse! really proper crying at certain times now - mainly in the evening when he's most tired before bath and bed. we tried teething powders and have resorted to bonjela and in extreme cases calpol - hope one appears soon, he's just in such pain!

weaning is slow at the moment - we are on pear today and not turning our nose up which is at least something!

xxx

Redz - That is so wonderful!!

Cori - didn't realize it was that extreme with your friend!

Jameson has been on rice cereal every night in his formula since he was 8 weeks old & so was DS1. No one in either of our extended families has food allerges and no sign of anything at all in DS1 over the past 3.5 years ... in fact, was unaware there was such a hard-and-fast connection, especially as pediatricians here advocate rice cereal at 2 months & food at 4 ... honestly hadn't ever heard of the other side to this viewpoint, so have found your follow-ups very interesting.

I had a gut-flinch reaction in a way since sleeplessness greatly contributed to my depression with DS1, and I cut a corner, so to speak, by not bf with DS2 ... never really know what a mom's reasons are for dong the things she does ...

hi all
HAPPYNEWYEAR[GRIN][GRIN][GRIN]
congratulations redz what a lovely way of proposing. My dh just came out with the question no ring no knee no nothing, just simply shall we get married. It must of been enough though i said yes.

Ds is going to the hostpital next week to see a consultant about a heart mummer that was picked up at birth, 6 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks. Have not felt worried up untill now, but the closer it is getting the more i seem to be thinking about it. I know that most are innocent mummers that they leave alone i had on has a child also.
Do any of your lo's have anything similar i know that they are common in lo's.

kseaj, neither of my DSs has a murmur, but my brother had one when he was a baby - it disappeared and now he's a really fit 31 year old! Hope it is all fine. x

ksaej - when my dh proposed he called me frm Singapore and said "I can't talk for long this is costing me a fortune.... so, do you wanna get married or what?"
....How could I refuse.......

where do your lo's take their daytime naps and how long should I expect ds (16 weeks) to nap during the day? I feel he is getting far too little sleep in the daytime and the quality of his naps is compromised because of his refusal to nap in his cot. How do I get over this one?!

when my DH proposed, he was drunk and Scotland had just got knocked out of the World Cup ('98) and we'd already gone to bed, so I was half asleep. Sounds like our DH's are all about as romantic as eachother...!!!

Cruise, the daytime naps can be so frustrating can't they. DS sleeps brilliantly every time in his buggy and car seat if we're on the move, and 7/10 times well in his cot too, but the cot is definitely the place he will cry more than in the buggy/car seat - and always after 45 mins. I reckon if he sleeps for an hour in the cot then he'll go for a couple, so I always feel a bit tense around that 45 min to an hour time after he's gone down! I think you just have to persevere and keep trying and trying... It does seem to help Fraser now that I've put the cot legs on a couple of books at one end so it's not completely flat but gently sloping. Don't know why though..!

interesting about the cot legs claire, might try that! our feeds have been better today back to three hourly, and no crying like yesterday, but still only napping for 45 mins tops.
ds1 starts pre-school playgroup on tues, i am looking foward to the break, but no idea how he'll be having never gone to nusery, so is used to me or someone he knows taying with him. however it is at the same place as his mother and toddler group with the same staff, so hopefully he'll be fine. they have told me the best thing to do is to drop him off and then jut go, rather than hang around.....

Can i ask an opinion on taking a toddler on a long haul holiday? it's not me, but my brother and sil have booked to go to sri lanka in november next year, their daughter will be 17 months old, personall I think they are being incredibly selfish and a bit stupid... apart from the long flight she will have to have innoculations and malaria tablets, god knows what she will eat (I have been there and unless you like curry or lots of fruit it's not excatly easy to find toddler food), also if anything were to happen to her, I would question whether the medical facilities would be particularly good. Am I being horrible and mean, or does anyone else think the same - or any experience of doing this?

i guess they are all the same! DH and i were living together in california when he non-challantly said: so do you want to get married or what?" i suspect it might have been different under other circumstances. (((we didnt want to have the very very long distant relationship any longer, so in order for him to stay in the states with me, we had to take the plunge...and it has been one of the best choices i've made...next to having the baby, of course )))

on another note...
ds has been done very little today, outside of sleeeeeep and eat. quite literally! and no peculiar fussing like he has been doing over the past week or so. here's hoping he sleeps tonight, after sleeping loads today.

and mabel, like you i'd be concerned too. not for having the child on the long haul flight but more so for the location. scary! im taking my ds on a 14 hour flight in march (will be 5 months then), but thats to california where there will be no concern about health care/hospitals/etc. i guess if she has all the necessary injections beforehand, there shoulgnt be a problem. fingers crossed.

Kseaj - I have a heart murmur now, as an adult, and it's never interfered with anything I wanted to do - scuba, skiing, sky diving, etc. It's a mild one.

Cori again - Please pardon me; I think I misread; flying through my life & posting to this site, and just didn't read carefully enough. I was meaning food as an addition to bf/formula, which in this family continued\s for a full year. You were meaning cutting out formula entirely and substituting food, correct? If so then of course at 11 weeks that's insane.

Liquid & Claire - never responded to say thanks for sentiments Honestly just feels good to be able to eat breakfast again!!!

Liquid - I got lazy & didn't translate; 64F is 17.7C; we keep the house 20C in winter and 23.3 in summer... The gro bag is excellent! We are actually using it more during the day than at night, as falling blankets can throw the swing off balance! Also it's the hit at the gym's childcare; no one's ever seen one before.

Mabel - I agree would seem better for the toddler - also much easier and enjoyable for her parents - if she were left with family at home.

Cruise and Claire - I love your proposal stories!

Mabel, I agree about the destination issue too. I would be nervous taking a toddler somewhere where upset tummies might be likely, although I know other people do it. We are having to take our two on a long haul next Sept to Australia and Fiji, as my BIL is getting married out there, and DH is best man. We've booked to go in one flight, with 2 hours in Hong Kong, I'm terrified already!

trying to summon up the courage to go to the Mall today to take some Xmas things back to swap.. don't know if I can face it...!

clairemow, you brave woman!! DH & I went to NZ end of 2003 (the big holiday before children only to find out I was pg when we got to Auckland !!!!); direct flight with a 3 hour stop in HK...bloody tough going & that was without children - unless of course you are going first class with flat beds all the way!!!!

Mabel, personally I wouldn't but people do all the time....

I'm due back at work Feb 13th - however am taking an extra 6 weeks off till April 1st as I just can't face it quite yet. DH mumbling about money; gratefully work have paid me 6 months full pay so the extra 6 weeks will be unpaid which wasn't such a problem before the boiler went etc etc so the money I was saving went on that ....it's going to be tough but I'm just not ready this time around. I'm also asking for part-time....didn't get it last time around as have boss from hell that just doesn't budge one inch - however this same boss is having a baby in April which could soften her but apparently she's quite open about hiring a full time night & day nanny plus she asked whether one still hires a wet nurse !! I kid you not....plus she has said she'll be back in the office at 6-8 weeks after the baby is born if not before. This is a woman who has achieved immense things career wise, earns a fortune, DH in the city & at the age of 40 has managed to get pg & still is going to employ people around the clock to look after it...whilst I'm all for giving women choice etc I just don't understand at all.

Brave or just plain stupid?? We figured just get it over and done with... We're leaving on Fraser's first birthday - DS1 was walking by then, so it could be a nightmare...

Re your boss, I don't get it either. Although I'm definitely not cut out to be a SAHM full time, I couldn't leave someone else to essentially bring up my babies.. LOL at the wet nurse, although if your boss isn't planning to bf, it's a good alternative I suppose! Maybe she'll completely change her mind, I used to work with someone like this, big career lady, now she works part time and would prefer not to work at all if she could...

lol at the wet nurse - are we in the middle ages or something, good grief - i do wonder why some people bother having kids..... I think some people like the 'idea' of it rather than the reality....maybe she'll come over all gooey...my old boss did after her kids, she was a hard nosed workaholic before!
hmmm - glad it's not just me being mean spirited about the long haul thing. at 18 months old all she really needs is a beach and a bucket and spade in my opinion......
DS1 has disappeared for the day with my dad who is till off work, they are going to plant broad beans on his allotment, so I am trying to paint the newly plastered hallway, while ds2 naps, so in other words in 45 minute spurts, i could really do with him having that long lunchtime nap today....

mabel - I agree with you too. But then I'm a bit of a wimp and panicking about a trip to inlaws which involves a 5 hour drive and staying in the same room as dd. I'm convinced it's going to upset her sleeping and we'll all have no sleep but dh says I'm just being silly... grrrr

Another quick moan about dh... he has taken today off as 'sick' and has gone to bed claiming he needs to recover from Christmas I did ask who I should phone in sick to next time I feel like a day in bed and I was met with a frown.... is it just me or do men have a much easier life?!!

compo...i have the same issues on occassion as well. my dh says "when are you going to bed? i would like to have my 1 hour of 'man' time before bed". ((man time, as he calls it, is time to unwind and play a videogame or on the laptop, just time to do whatever he wants to do)).
I think he's taken little man out with him once in the pram when he went to fix his fathers computer..but even then, my mother and sis n law watched and played with ds! But when i mention wanting/needing to do a touch up on my roots or in need of quiet time, its always the same response: "you know how he gets when you're not in the room! what good am i going to be?" i could totally bonk him on the head sometimes, i swear! not to mention, dh sleeps downstairs during the week so that he doesnt get disturbed sleep! i guess he thinks that just because im on maternity leave at the moment, that i LUV to have broken sleep, myself.

Yes, compo, they have it easier. i'm due to return to work, late july. (took the extended leave). so im scared of how much work at home that i'll still be doing even after a day in the kitchen.

and on the subject of returning to work....are all of you planning to pay for childcare? or do you have the fortunate luck of family to mind your lo's when you go back to work? although its months away, i'm beginning to wonder what the better option is. here's the issue: my position will be held for me exactly as i left it, same hours, wage, etc. 30 hours a week, not on a high wage at all, seeing at im the newest in the kitchen i'm the lowest on the pole. the child care rates that i found in the area ran around 3-400 pounds a month! so after my wages come in and childcare is taken out, i'll have maybe 100-125 in pocket. yes its 'something' and its contributing to the family funds. but at the same time, does it really make sense to work only to be paying for child care with the wages?

would you work only to be able yo pay for someone else to raise your child?

Munkibaby, that's a difficult one... I think I probably would, as when I was at home full time with DS1, I did start to go a bit bonkers by about 9 months.. and working just 2 days a week has saved my sanity... Now when I go back (March - bit afraid that might be a bit early...) my pay will cover both boys' nursery but like you, not a lot left over. But I think my brain needs a bit of stimulation outside of childcare, and I need to speak to other adults other than my Mummy friends during the day, otherwise I find myself unable to talk about anything but nappies, poos, sick, tantrums and sticker charts. (haha hahaha !!).

I know what you mean about the DHs too - I always feel I need to check with him first before I book a hair cut or whatever. I think it's my problem really though, and I should just do it, and he'll cope...