September 2014 - Babies turn 1!

[lilone1234]

First birthdays are starting to arrive and our babies are becoming toddlers! What will the next year have in store?

Urgh his eye is still gunky!

And he is not still not well it's been about a month!

Urgh Cookie its awful isn't it. A has had a cold for ages now, really hitting him this week though and his eye has gone gunky. Nursery have now said they can't have him in without drops so I have to try and get him to the doctors today to see if they will give him anything otherwise its another day 'working from home' tomorrow. Which would be fine if I could work haha. Hope your DS starts coming out the other end soon.

Regards to the tree Kitkat, we have a tiny living room and no space, last year we bought a small one that sits on top of a unit so A can't reach it. I don't really like the tree as I love Christmas and it doesn't feel christmassy enough for me, (in previous years we have had a massive real tree and I miss that) but its the best we can do at the moment. Guess that doesn't really help you either!

We are gonna get a small tree and put it up on the dinning table

I am shattered

DD was OK with Santa lilone. But then it is a bit different for us because DD was with her 3 siblings so was not on her own with Santa. She just kept milling around while her brothers and sisters went to Santa, then had her turn.

KitKat - in my experience, I have always had the tree out of our living space from Aged 1 until Aged 3. It's fine when still a baby (like last year) but is likely to be pulled over this year and also next year when they are 2. By the time our babies are 3, then the tree comes back into our living space. Until then our main Christmas tree moves into our porch and we just have a small tree on top of a cabinet in the lounge.

Are you OK Cookie? Let me tell you about my joys of parenting moment from this evening, as a means to cheer you up:

DD pooed in the bath. I pulled out plug the to get rid of brown water (this was a big mistake). Poo collects in plug hole and blocks the drain. Frantic fishing out of bits of poo so that the blocked drain doesn't get any worse triggers my gag reflex. Retching. Lots of retching. Vomit in bath (mine). Vomit can't be washed away due to standing water from drain blocked with poo. Husband working late. Baby is wandering around upstairs naked, shivering and tired. Three other children also need putting to bed. I decided I just couldn't deal with it so the poo, vomit and icky water are all left in bath until my husband gets home. He can deal with it!

That's quite a story Fate. I have a similarly joyous story of bathtime pooing. It was my first day back at work so I was keen to get DD up and dressed asap (we bath her in the morning as it just suits our routine better as we have less time in the evening). Unfortunately for us DD had obviously eaten something that had disagreed with her, and in the bath did an enormous loose poo. Frustrated as I really didn't need to be running late on my first morning back to work, I got DD out of the bath whilst I tried to clean the poo out of the bath, and let her potter around on the floor naked. Turned around after starting to clean the bath to see that DD had done an even bigger loose poo on the floor and sat herself in it, so we are talking an entire bath and bathroom covered in a poo river by this point and one really disgusting baby. Doubly frustrated now, I quickly run a second bath to clean poo-covered DD up in (running really late now). What did she do? Yes, she crapped in it again.

Hahahahah!!

You can't beat a good poo story! I assume you were late for work in the end that day? I've been known to stand fully clothed with baby in the shower to quickly rinse baby after a poo explosion.

When my eldest was a toddler she managed to remove her nappy during her lunchtime nap, pooed and then started squashing it in her fingers and splatting poo everywhere in her cot. I could hear her on the baby monitor but since she wasn't upset I assumed she was just playing so left her. By the time I went in it was carnage!

Oh poo stories!! My DS2 was about 18 months and had been running around the living room in a nappy and tshirt. He stops to pick something off the floor and says 'mmmm chockit' and put the piece of 'chocolate' in his mouth. It was only when I saw his disgusted face while he chewed that I realised he hadn't had any chocolate to drop on the floor so got up to take the old dirty chocolate off him only to smell it as I got closer to him. I have no idea how it managed to drop out of his nappy but yes, my son had just eaten his first turd.

Not his last though....

Ewwwwwww!

Those stories cheered me up no end and believe me I needed it today ; thanks ladies
We still haven't had any poo story and I am not looking forward to one anytime soon...

These stories did make me smile!

How is everyone? I'm so ill :( probably the first bad cold i've had since I had DS and it has floored me. 11 days and counting and no better. Finally gave in today and called in sick to work. How are you supposed to rest to recover when you have a little one? I'm in awe of you mummies who have more than one I really am. We are getting close to the time when we said we would try for another and being ill is making me nervous even at the thought.

Aw, Lilly hope you feel better soon.

I initially wanted to start trying for another about now, but think we will be leaving it for another year or so. More for financial reasons than anything. But A is starting to be hard work, he always wants to be on the move! And we have many bruises from trying to walk too fast!

Who was having the issues with shoes? And did you find a resolution? A got his first pair a couple of weeks ago, but he is refusing to wear them. We get tears and fighting and if I do manage to get them on his feet he just stands bolt upright as won't move. Grrr!

Think I'm vaguely getting better. At least it should be over with by Christmas!

Well we have agreed we will start trying in January. Am I the first one on the thread to start trying again? Scary!

Shoes are a while away for us, DS is nowhere near walking. No doubt he will also go nuts when I do have to put shoes on him so I will make sure I take note of any helpful hints!

Wow that's exciting Lilly!

Glad you ate feeling better. A little different for me when poorly because although I have 4 children, I don't work and 3 are in school. I've been poorly today as it happens. Wrapped in a fleece blanket most of the day, me and dd have just hibernated in the living room not going anywhere between school runs.

Cumbrian, walking skills going backwards when first in shoes is normal I think. DD used to walk straight legged when she first went into shoes, no idea why! She'd also walk flat footed, like stomping a foot down.

She just got better at it and used to it the more she wore them. If it was me I wouldn't push the issue with shoes. DD has been walking since summer and even now I rarely put her in shoes, only when I know she'll have to walk outside our house. If she's just in the pushchair, I don't put her in them.

Hello all.

Oooh that is exciting LillyBugg. I always wanted about 2 years between DD and a sibling too, so the subject of TTC has also come up again here. DH I think is open to having another but he is a bit anxious re: financial issues. I think he wants to give it another couple of months before starting trying again. But I do keep lurking on the conception boards I already know a couple of ladies in RL with babies about our age who are already in the second trimester. Another reason for us to hold off for a couple of months is to do with nursery costs because it would help if by the end of a second maternity leave Jessica was already 3 and eligible for free nursery hours, because we physically couldn't afford to have two small children in nursery during my work hours otherwise (it would be about £800 a month).

Struggling today. Having a crappy time at work (not my fault, and to be fair my manger is being supportive) but have hardly slept the past two nights and really feeling it today. Just want to go to bed but DD just wants to play. Sigh.

Re: shoes, DD still tries to pull off shoes if she has them on. I think it's fairly normal though. I also don't bother with shoes though if I'm just taking DD out in the buggy. I usually just put her in socks but she pulls them off too. DD's nursery keep asking in their newsletter for children to come in with a pair of 'indoor shoes'. I have to admit I've been ignoring this request. Most of the time I pick her up she is barefoot and the nursery staff acknowledge that it's because she just pulls her socks straight off, and so I don't see the point in buying some indoor shoes which she will also just take straight off.

Is everyone looking forward to Christmas? I have to say in many ways I'm more excited for DD about this Christmas than last Christmas (even though last Christmas was her first) because although she doesn't really know what Christmas is exactly still, she is definitely interested in the Christmas tree, and all the lights, and I'm sure will inevitably be interested in her presents on Christmas day.

Thanks for the shoe advice. For now we are leaving it, but we have the shoes out and he is playing a little with them, so hoping to get him used to them that way.

I can't wait for Christmas, although A had a Christmas party at nursery yesterday and he was in tears when Santa came out

DS pulls his shoes and socks off if he is in the car seat or pushchair but is otherwise good. We have our tree up and he does pull the lower decorations off then try to put them back on but we are both working full time now so he isnt home all day. He loves all the twinkly lights and always points when he sees them. He is still waking up at night and starts his day early. We always said we only wanted one and nothing has changed!

Santa went to ds' nursery yesterday and ds was not prepared to go near him let alone having his photo taken with him !

I always thought if I have children I will have two- until ds was born and then I thought this is so much harder than I ever imagined and there is no way I can manage two- nearly a year and half later and things are easier and ds is ever so sweet; so I feel I am going back to my original thoughts now- but i have various problems; one is my age; the better age gap in my opinion is between 3 and 5; that makes me between 40 and 42 when my second baby is here; that is if I want to try again- and then it is the financial side ; i think we can happily manage one but two would be a struggle ; and then thirdy: how can one manage two kids on daily basis? How on earth ! Confused confused

Lilly and KitKat I'm in my third trimester now - DD2 due in February! First trimester exhaustion hit very hard this time around, and I got scared about how I would handle two under two. But I got some energy back and am feeling more optimistic now. Benefits of a small age gap: DD1 won't remember being an only child and so hopefully sibling jealousy will be kept to a minimum, and also we're only barely out of the baby stage so it won't feel like starting ALL over.

Good luck!

Congrats Harimad! Have you been on the thread before with a different name?

I was just recently wondering about when someone on the thread would announce next baby! I recall a few people saying they would start TTC in Jan but IRL seems lots of people have much smaller age gaps! We were at center parcs this week and seeing lots of little babies did make me miss having a little one! No plans for TTC here til after wedding in June though. Finding the isolation and boredom quite trying at the moment, not found any good groups or met any mum friends since moving and DP getting on my nerves just generally!

I might have posted ages ago (I can't remember), but no name changes. Mostly just lurking.

A good friend of mine has a newborn and it is soooo lovely holding the baby. I find it quite nice this time around because I know I'm 'done' so don't feel broody at all. Just enjoy being able to enjoy other people's babies, if you see what I mean.

Congratulations Harimad and great to see someone new posting! Don't go back to lurking, do join in the conversation.

I have three Christmas concerts / nativities next week. I always, always cry. You'd think I'd get used to them and be a bit less of a wuss, but no.

Oh, and regarding little age-gaps, turn the clock back 10 years to 13-12-2005 and I had a 15 month old and a 3 week old. It was a whirlwind. I grew so much as person going through it all though. Definitely a baptism of fire into parenthood. Everything is easy compared to those first couple of years. It's an exciting time Harimad

How long would you wait before going to doctors if your LO has fever ladies ? How many dose of calpol before I give up ? It is just more than 24hrs but the fever just comes back after each dose ...

Nhs website says 5 days!! 5 days of fever? Are they kidding ????

Hello Harimad and congrats!

Nazly how high is your DS's fever? Do you know? Does he have any other issues? It's always worth calling 111 for advice if you are unsure. x

Nazly, worth remembering what a fever physically means. A raised temperature is a biological response of your body fighting germs. So it means your DSs body is doing exactly what it should be doing - fighting and destroying a virus.

Your DSs temperature is not a sign of a virus, it is a sign of his body fighting the virus. So actually the temperature is a good sign, not something to be immediately worries about.

Assuming his temperature doesn't go so high to suggest something else is wrong, then there is no need to treat an average temperature with antibiotics.

The reason NHS say 5 days is because after 5 days his own antibodies should have been able to fight the germs, which is much better in the long term. If after 5 days his body is still having to work hard to defeat the virus (so still has same raised temperature), then he might benefit from antibiotics to help fight the virus, hence seeing the doctor then.

Your DSs immunity will be higher if he is left to produce antibodies to fight infection naturally. This will mean tolerating a high temprature and treating as a symptom (fluids, cool clothing, calpol as needed). That way he will stand a much better chance of not getting ill next time he is exposed to the same virus. So he won't be poorly so often.