November 2014: The one that needs baby-proofing!

[ladydolly]

And maybe ends with 1st birthdays!!

Haven't Ours seem to have been similar on the patterns of sleep development so let's hope they continue! I think babydolly is playing the same game as babyhaven't, she refused all food at dinner time until after I gave her bf. I've been trying to drop the one I give her when I get in from work but she's not up for it that at all/ I don't know how I'd start to stop bf'ing to be honest! has anyone else made the transition yet from boob/bottle to cows milk?

Well, we're walking!

Has been at 6 steps for a couple of weeks. Today? Walking from kitchen to hall. Literally overnight.

He is a tiny terror!

My DD doesn't seem to bother with lunch anymore but tends to eat plenty of dinner. However, having refused her own lunch yesterday, she made her 'I want that' sign (similar to the offical baby signing sign for milk if you remember my confusion when nursery praised her baby signing a while ago) at my soup. I dipped some of her uneaten bread in it and she loved it and ate nearly a whole slice of bits of soupy bread. It was lentil and bacon soup. I didn't dare check the salt content on the pack, but will have to careful not to eat too much soup around her over winter now unless I can be bothered to make my own with low-salt stock or something.

She is finally well enough for nursery today. I wondered if she would have forgotten it and be upset to be left there after being at home with me for 2 weeks, but wasn't according to DH. Apparently, she woke up 3 times last night after I left for work but not for too long, and, on one occasion, she wasn't crying so DH didn't go in and she settled herself back to sleep!

ladydolly we are still using Wysoy dairy-free formula for feeds when I am not home, but I think we won't get any more once this tin is finished. If we haven't succeeded in introducing a fully dairy-inclusive diet to the extent that she will tolerate cows' milk to drink, I will get a suitable soya or oat milk and she can have warm milk in a cup. She has recently got better at actually drinking water from a cup rather than spitting it down her and pouring it over everywhere. DH and I think that, if I am not there with an alternative, she drinks it much better so I only see her failing to drink any water and so worry that us getting rid of bottles will be a problem. With DD1, who didn't have the added complication of being dairy-free, DH offered cows' milk in a sippy cup once she was over 1, and she was ok with that. When she was 2 she sometimes chose milk in a cup rather than a breastfeed at bedtime even when I was home and self-weaned that way. She was generally a lot easier, slept better and was more accepting of things than DD2 though! I guess it is easier for me in a way because my babies haven't had a choice, because I have to be at work at bedtimes so they are forced to accept a transition to bottles/ cups/ other kinds of milk. Do you have the option of hiding downstairs/ going out while DH gives her bedtime milk? She might take it from him if you aren't there with her preferred alternative. Or maybe you have tried that or he isn't home at baby bedtime?

We are doing so much better on the sleep front here, have started working with sleep consultant and already some great improvements. Down at 7.15 last night (but with a good bit of crying- DH had to pick her up and cuddle to sleep in the end), a quick wake half an hour later - I got to her fast and cuddled her back to sleep - and that was it until 5am! When I heard her crying I looked at the clock and said 'woah'! and dh said 'I know!'. A feed and then back to sleep until 7.15am when DD1 crashed into her room to wake her up and scared the crap out of her poor baby

I'm not sure about when to stop breastfeeding either, I hope DD is getting enough milk but overall I think her nutrition is fine. I haven't given her straight cows' milk yet as a drink as we have some formula to use up. She'll drink a bit of formula from a cup but not loads. Her middle of the day feed seems to be the main one left apart from the one at night. I really can't believe I have lasted to almost 13 months with DD2, I never thought I'd make it this far with her but am pleased it's worked out this way. I don't see us continuing beyond Christmas at the very latest but I'm fine with that. By the way if anyone on their first stops boobing in the next few weeks or months don't be surprised if you feel a bit shit for a week or two afterwards - it's hormones...of course...

Anna YAY on the walking! Up the hall and all! Dd can take a few steps now so I guess is officially walking too but the hall run is the real test I love their little faces when they realise their power!

haven't DD2 had so many bugs recently and her eating fell apart a bit, lots of refusal going on. Now that she is better the eating has improved so much, I am quite relieved as she was weighed recently and had fallen back to the 2nd centile. Thankfully she is back into her food for now and eating really well, vegetables and everything. She cries loudly for a mandarin orange the second she gets into the highchair - that or points at the cupboard where the tea and coffee is kept and wails 'Tea!' (Liga biscuits are also stashed there, I'm sorry to say DD2 has become addicted to them and they are used as bribes at least once a day )

The walking kinda terrifies me, tbh. Its like he's a toddler now and I don't think I'm ready! I was just getting good at the baby stuff! I need more time!

Also, it triggered a totally shit night last night. 3 wake ups, each one lasting a loooong time. And each time I had to stay in the room, shivering, for about 20 mins after he went to "sleep" as I could tell by his breathing he'd wake as soon as I opened the door. So had to wait till his breathing turned heavy which took forever.

Anyone else curse living in an old house? Every single floorboard creaks!

(Well I presume its the walking making his sleep regress.)

He's utterly fearless and takes off like a rocket. And so strong! Nappy changes are gruelling. Pull Ups all the way now cos fuck that. So he really is very full-on, physically.

Someone said to me the other day "Boys wreck your house - Girls wreck your head". Maybe its true! He's definately a house-wrecker, but even more definately NOT a head wrecker.

I suspect his language will be late though. Not a word yet and he's always finding his dummy and determinedly shoving it in.

Anna great news even though you are still getting used to it! Yeah, old house here and few squaky floorboards. Getting out of the bedroom once DD has gone down is like dancing ballet. Should look into performing Nutcracker for next Christmas.

happy dd does take a bottle, she has one during the day at the childminder and after the recent blip of refusing to have anything to do with DP at bedtime she will now take a bottle of formula from him as well. So I guess I just don't know how to move from formula to cows milk. Can I give cow's milk in a bottle? Does she actually need cow's milk? How do I know how much?
I'm going to be apart from her for 4 days in a couple of weeks so might be a good time for change before then.

Lady we started on the cow's milk this morning...if you can call it that... She had Cheerios for breakfast and I poured the leftover milk from her bowl into her beaker. She quite happily drank maybe 25-50ml, so not masses, but at least she didn't chuck it on the floor (straight away...must have been a whole 2 seconds before it was thrown across the kitchen )

Dd is at nursery full days 3 x a week now, so I've asked them to give her a beaker of cow's milk with her mid-morning snack from today onwards. For the last couple of weeks she's only been having one BF a day and no other form of drinkable milk - I've been filling her up with yoghurt, cheese and broccoli in the hope that it will give her the calcium she needs. We're not giving her any formula and I don't want to start down that route really, so will stick to the cow's milk and calcium-rich foods.

Anna, I'm thinking walking is pretty exciting...until Dd starts and then I'll be thinking again . It's not just old houses that require you to be a complete ninja when creeping out their rooms: new houses are thrown up and so also have squeaks everywhere! (well, ours does)

I wonder if I could swap the bf when I get in from work for cow's milk?

Our flat was relatively new but the wood floors were a nightmare and we used to have to tiptoe past dd's room. Now we live in a relatively new house with carpet and dp and I regularly frighten the bejesus out of each other by appearing in rooms silently but it's great with getting out of dd's room without waking her!

Hello all looks like I am here just in time to reinfect the newly recovered thread!! DD has hand foot and mouth and it's horrid- the blisters round her mouth have got infected from all her teething dribble and she looks awful. It's impossible to keep dry. She's had all kinds of stuff slathered on her face to no effect. We do have antibiotics now thankfully. Off nursery obviously, it so annoys me that she picked it up there and then they ban her while she has it and of course we still have to pay. And i have had to take two days off work. Ah well. At least I have plenty of annual leave. Terrible timing as we were at my parents at the weekend before it appeared, and she learned to do kisses so everyone she came into contact with got a good slobbering...

She's been waking every hour or two through the night with it, and only wants me, so I'm totally knackered. Come join my pity party :-)

Anna well done to DS on the walking! gives me hope- DD took her first steps about 4 weeks ago now but hardly ever does any, she always drops to crawl as she's so fast. Only place she really tried was at a playpark with wood chip on the ground!

Oh moggle , you have my utter sympathy. Dd had that about a month ago (until then, I thought it was only something cattle had...not realising they're 2 totally different things ). On a positive note, it didn't last too long....

We're on 2 x bfs here, morning and bedtime. He gets offered cow's milk in a beaker before morning nap and while watching ITNG before bath. Strangely he's started wanting / getting given water in a bottle before he'll go to sleep. Basically tonight he had both boobs then was not settling and I was not willing to offer more as he'd been a bit toothy. Offered him his water which is normally just for night wakings and he drank 4oz then wiggled round for 10 mins and went to sleep. He did the same the night before last.
Babies are weird.

Tried cows milk in her beaker today. Screamed and thrown on floor. Tried in the bottle. Thrown on floor. No screaming though so some progress clutches at straws.

I've just got home from my first proper evening out since dd was born, went to see Frank Turner at Ally pally. Amazing gig, only now I can't sleep cause I had so much fun haha. Im going to regret this in about 4 hours....

Glad you had such a great time ark . About the same time as you weretying your post dh and I were showering off a ton of vomit from dd - no where near as much fun. .. poor thing just woke up crying and 5mins later everything was covered. ...about to get up and deal with the bucket of dirty, smelly bedding and sleep suit. She seemed absolutely fine when she went to bed so hopefully nothing prolonged as it's her birthday this weekend and we've got the gps over from Holland. ...

ladydolly, throwing the beaker minus screaming is definitely progress in my opinion. ..next step will be casually dropping it over the side of her highchair

ark I am so jealous. I had neither the money nor the babysitter to see Frank this time (though I did drop plenty of hints to DH). Last time I saw him I was pregnant but didn't yet know it.

havent hope your DD is better in time for her birthday.

I am MNing instead of crying over Black Friday, as DD1's Christmas present has sold out. Argh!

Another frank fan here, although only seen him at a festival. The closest I get these days is watching him on Sunday brunch. Realised this week I've only been out once since I had dd. ONCE! Oh how I would have scoffed at this before I had her.

What was it Happy? Are they selling elsewhere? Anyone else got bargains?

Probably because we don't have any family close to us, every time there is someone visiting, we have been making plans to take advantage and have managed to have number of nights out since birth of DD. I don't think it would be such a big deal if we could have free babysitter at hand all the time.

Not much bargains on BF, but I have done really well with different offers and discount codes for presents. I am very weary of hysteric events like BF as many retailers tend to play around with price tags to make discounts look more impressive than they actually are. Plus the very short time offers all designed for people not to check properly if the offer really is worth while and push them into buying.

happy have you checked if the present is on sale with other retailers? Most of them price match each other, you should be able to get it!

Yay Frank fans!! It was so good to see him. I actually saw him play a mini gig in Guildford in 2006, he played about 8 songs but kept chatting to us in between, there was only about 15 of us there so he said sod it lets go to the pub! We were talking till about 3am. He's such a brilliant bloke.

God dds birthday is in 9 days and I still have nothing!

The only black Fri deal I have made use of is 25% off everything at frugi plus £10 off a £30 spend with code chimney as I had been waiting for an offer for the Leo dungarees and sheep parsnip trousers so got both delivered for £24 n that was dungarees price on own at full price.

Poor baby has another cold/cough n is off his food other than mushrooms!! And skips. Oh n bloody hipp fruit pots.

His nappy rash has cleared up with fungal cream and his knees are still dry but no longer cracked n sore as been using diprobase.

Just treated myself to a new kindle fire after a year of night feeds mine needs charging twice day so ds1 who is 5 can have this one I use now.

Dinner for DS tonight: two very hastily toasted slices of white bread with slices of processed cheese and topped with chicken 'n stuffing sandwich mix. (Hey, its calcium and protein, right??!? )

You should have seem the lovely veggie and chicken thing that he refused! I could have cried. It was pretty mashed though, my own fault really as basically he's a TOTAL spoon refuser at this stage. This means anything soft is out, and worse he's learnt to distinguish things by colour so he painstakingly picks out all but the white foods i.e. All veggies.

Currently he likes:
Toast
Pasta
Meat

Even yoghurt is refused half the time.

It just so disproportinately stressful!

strawberry and ladydolly my BF problem was that we are getting 4yr old DD1 a dolls' house from ELC, and they had sold out of one of the sets of furniture. I'm hoping they will have it back in stock at some point but at full price. I didn't get any amazing BF deals, but I wasn't really trying, I just thought I had better buy some Christmas presents (might well have got something from Frugi though if I had thought to look)

We have bought DD2 a pop-up tent and ball pool balls to go in it, a cuddly Mog toy from Sainsburys (except DH cheated and got it on ebay), duplo, a toy pig for posting plastic circles in that also plays songs and counts etc, a toy phone because she loves phones.

happy have you looked on Amazon? They sell fair bit of Elc.

Happy I think frugi still have a discount on 15-20% and the code chimney will still give £10 off £30 spend