November 2014 - the one where they answer back.

[MrsAukerman]

New thread.
Hop aboard.

strawberry We have the opposite, dd was quite wary of family members she didn't see as often but now she doles the cuddles out for them all.

She's been out of sorts for weeks and then on Saturday she started screaming uncontrollably, she was writhing around so I rushed her down to the out of hours place but they sent me home because we didn't call in advance. By the time we got home she was shaking but not crying so gave her calpol and let her sleep with me. I think it may have just been constipation. Tonight she refused dinner (which never happens) and also refused to get off my lap so my dinner was eaten over her head. More calpol and bed. Hoping for improvement tomorrow.

How are those with their hands full?

Now DD just won't go to sleep for me at all. The last few times I have tried to put her to bed I have fed her like always but she has only drank a bit of milk then pointed at the cot which I thought to be a good sign. She lies in the cot ok, says "sit here mummy" so I sit down next to the cot and hold her hand but she doesn't go to sleep. She starts off lying nicely looking like she might fall asleep then moans and whinges then cries 'out, out' which sounds like 'ow ow' so I wonder if there is a reason, then shouts and cries properly. After I have waited more than a hour for her to go to sleep DH comes up and takes over and she is very happy and goes to sleep for him. She woke up at 3.20am today, did the same thing but DH didn't come in because he was asleep. Eventually I just got up with her at 6am. I thought she would be too tired for nursery and would stay at home pissing me off with over-tired whinging all day and ruining my only chance to wrap Christmas presents (DD1 stayed at MIL's last night), but she was happily playing and chatting away so she has gone. I think I might just give up on bedtime and let DH put her to bed every night and he can get up with her in the night as well (except he won't hear her waking up). I can't be doing with this shit anymore. I also can't find where I hid all the Christmas presents and have no present for DH as the website I bought it from didn't send a confirmation of my order email or reply to my query asking if they were processing my order or not so presumably isn't sending it, can't access online banking to see if they took the money anyway.

God we're all having a bit of a shit time of it aren't we :-(
We're having bad sleep times at the moment too which is so frustrating. Think it was triggered initially by a bad dream a couple of weeks ago - she woke in the night and refused to go back in her cot, seemed very upset if you tried - which morphed after a few days into refusing to go into her cot at bedtime, I had to lie on the floor with her clinging to my neck. I managed to bribe her with a biscuit to go to sleep if I sat in the chair in her room, but haven't had any luck getting out of the room. DH has more luck getting her to bed. Think it's linked to separation anxiety as well ,there's a lot of pained "mummy mummy mummy carry carry carry" going on.

She was ill yesterday - coming down with a cold and a temp of 39.5 - at least she was so tired she went to sleep on her own, but she was awake from midnight to 4am as were both of us. Despite that, her temp was normal this morning so she's at nursery and I'm at work (easier option than having to stay home to look after her!).

Don't like this 'christmas at the weekend' malarkey. I'm in work as normal this week, tues to thurs, and have so much to do but no time to do it and we're off to my parents saturday morning. Argh.

Hugs to everyone... Anna hope DD is getting better now?

Christ, isn't it supposed to be getting easier at night now? They're two for gods sake!

DD is coming out of it. We brought her back to the GP on Friday and he was reassuring and sure enough she perked up Sunday. I was deathly afraid I had fucked things up nighttime wise as had been co sleeping for a week (which I hate with a passion as I can't sleep that rigidly) and she was getting very arsey about her cot as a result, but I doggedly persevered and last night she slept much better in her cot - thank little baby Jesus and all the festive donkeys.

DS had a good week last week after finishing his steroids for his chest wheeze and all his ABs.......AND then on Sunday (yes the day she was getting better) he came down with ANOTHER cold and has been coughing his lungs up at night since. Typically about 90 mins after going to bed and it starts again around 6am.

I actually thought DH was going to weep on Sunday "Can't we just get a break for five fucking minutes from someone being sick??" Apparently not.

That said, DD is smiling like a loon every time she looks at me, so no regrets. She's the chubbiest softest loveliest thing ever and she has me wrapped around her finger already.

Happy if it's Any consolation, my gift for DH hasn't arrived either and I don't know if it will now. I got a confirmation but quite probably I left it far too late. I am going to literally end up giving him some socks and a top or something - which of course I haven't bought yet. Doesn't help that we live in a town where it is impossible to actually buy a CD or DVD unless the Big Tesco has it. All the music stores have shut down. I don't think he'll mind as long as I throw some chocolate in with it.

Anna there might be some householders where it starts to get better with night time since they are two now, mainly because they have been PITA all two years while so many other babies already slept through. Not saying anything particular as absolutely scared to jinks it....

On another note DD has started to sing some bits from the nursery rhymes. She randomly goes on with "all day long" or other night I was getting her dressed after bath and she was buzzing some tune without too much lyrics. I thought the tune sounded familiar, but couldn't put the finger on it and then it clicked, it was the North Star! I have been singing the wheels on the bus millionths times in the last year, but I had never the North Star. Must be in the nursery she heard it.

Last few days she has been this really lovely and happy little girl, no signs of tantrums. When she is like that I remember one key worker in the nursery to say me that we have been blessed with a child like her and I feel like that. And then she throws a massive strop and I am like "oh, ffs, just get me out of here!"

Dd has tonsillitis. She is utterly miserable. Hates the medicine. Won't sleep. Will only eat ice cream and crisps. I'm off for a couple of days but I'm now housebound and I still need to do the xmas food shops (in multiple places due to the gluten/dairy/soya/meat free diets of our guests) and paint dd's dolls house before xmas. I suspect there will be approx 100 viewings of 'minions' in my near future. All with dd's commentary as she's at that stage of saying everything she sees 'look mummy, he bumped his head, oh, look, it's a monster, look mummy, its broken window, oh, mummy, what's that?' Over and over. I do tryyyyy to stay engaged with her chatter but it will be a long day today.

Oh ladydolly poor DD :( Let's just hope that all the ill LOs get better for the weekend and those who are well at the moment survive without picking up any nursery virus.

oh ladydolly that's awful. Hope the medicine kicks in quickly and she's on the mend soon. It is hard to stay engaged with them isn't it. Not sure how many more steam trains I can express interest in before I blow a gasket. Luckily, DS likes watching The Snowman, which is my favourite Christmas telly, so we've been snuggling up to watch that in the 6-6.30pm gap when dinner is done and we're waiting for DH to get home. He's just got over one cold to come down with another one, poor old thing.

I have 2 weeks of work lucky to have got a/l so just me and ds1 this week as ds2 at nursery cheeky buggers said yesterday oh is he in all week I said yep well I have paid my money a d I know they are adjusting staffing accordingly this week and asked people to let them know but little rude to ask as I was in jeans knew I wasn't at work (I will happily have a refund and keep him home ☺)

I hear you eastmids!! My cm also asked all parents what time we'd be coming to get them, the peer pressure made me say 3 instead of 5!

7 viewings of minions, 2 of monsters Inc. Thankfully none of Peppa. She HATES the penicillin. I've tried sneaking it in jam but she still spat it out. Tried to convince me to give it to her bunny instead, fair play to her :)

Easiest way I have found from experience to get medicine down is,add 1ml strawberry crusha milkshake liquid to it and gone, we did it on wards with parents permission for really vile stuff sometimes iit was a matter of some sugary syrup being the lesser of two evils if a child was sick enough to need the meds it far outweighed the alternative of restraining and aiming at back of cheek and Hoping you didn't get a gobload back.

In terms childcare I know they want to get off and enjoy Xmas too sadly not everyone gets off early I remember ds1 old nursery and Xmas eve they wanted to shut at 4 and lots of NHS parents who rightly kicked up a fuss as they couldn't collect at 4 (luckily dh finished at lunch) and said they had paid til 6pm and would get their asap and they did stay open with minimal staff - all children in one room, that nursery and our current one close Xmas week so we pay 51weeks split over 12mths.

She is asleep in her cot and it's not even 9pm! I am celebrating with a glass of wine and a gu dessert, trying to decide whether to get on with present wrapping or go to bed next because she might wake up in 10 minutes or 2 hours or at 3am again and I am at work tomorrow. I gave her some calpol, partly because I am desperate for anything to help her sleep and partly because she has been chewing her hands and dribbling but surely she must have all her teeth by now?! She refused any 'mummy milk' so I said daddy hasn't got any milk ('daddy milk' is a bottle of warm milk which she has when I am at work) so you can have 'mummy milk' or a cup of milk. She asked for a cup of milk, I warmed some up and she drank it in her room and fell asleep. It will be interesting to see if that continues and she self-weans from breastfeeding by preferring milk in a cup like her sister did.

ladydolly hope she's feeling better soon.

Our nursery closes tomorrow and doesn't reopen until 4th January, but that's because it is the university nursery so is closed when the uni is for Christmas and Easter.

Oh how I wish ds2 would drink milk from anything other than me in fact he hates all milk even expressed milk in cup, ds1 was same weaned him at 23mths was just bedtime feed, ds2 just has bedtime feed and because it gets him to sleep I am happy to continue for time being.

Just done food shop in aldi we were due normal food shop anyway turkey was brought the other week n is in freezer (big chicken to ds1) and was busy at 9am but in & out in an hr and moaned at couple parking next to me in parent &child space and their excuse other space was too tight and they didn't care so I just said merry Christmas to you!! - I have before forgone a parent n child space to let someone with a tiny baby or 2 v little ones park.

Off to meet friends later at garden centre so got ds1 a comic to read while we catch up that and cake should keep him amused for hr or so.☺

Chicken pox, that's not what I wanted for Christmas!!
Well, it could be worse, we could have norovirus instead, I am exposed to much norovirus at work, but now we can't go to my family Christmas as my 19yr old sister has never had it. On the upside, DH is off work for the next 2 weeks so we won't have the usual issues about taking time off work to look after her. She slept until 4.45am, you know life is going wrong when 4.45 seems like a lie-in :(

Happy shit timing but like you say no hassle of childcare she may also be perfectly fine ds1 was OK after first 48hrs we went to small park no one ever goes to. Virasoothe will be your best friend its £11 but so worth it.

eastmids Hopefully she will be fine. She is fine today, the spots don't even seem to itch yet. DD1 had it when I was pregnant with DD2, she was fine and we also went over to the park where no one else was about after the first couple of days. My mum said we can still come to the family Christmas as she is convinced my sister must have had it at some point but so mildly no one noticed. My other sister isn't sure if her DDs have had it or not but is happy to take the risk. DH is at the supermarket now and is picking up emergency food so we can put together some kind of Christmas dinner if DD is too poorly and we end up staying here though. Don't know if we will be able to get virasoothe tonight or tomorrow. It will have to be up to DH as I am working tomorrow and we are heading to my parents' after my shift.
Yesterday and today I felt so ill in the morning, sick, shivery, cold. Thought I might be coming down with something but got over it once I got to work yesterday so I think I might just be exhausted. I haven't slept for more than 4hrs a night all week, still have wrapping to do once DDs are asleep tonight, poxy DD isn't likely to sleep well and we will be spending the weekend with all 4 of us sleeping in one room if we go to my parents. I won't even be able to take her downstairs if she wakes up at 4am because people will be sleeping on the settees (there will be 14 of us there). Then night shifts Boxing Day and the day after.
Hope you all have a lovely Christmas.

And DH moaned about having to spend all his 2 weeks off work looking after DDs. I resisted telling him to fuck off, as I would love 2 weeks off work now and only get to take annual leave during school holidays to look after DD1 so have the same issue but I am not allowed annual leave this week or next. He also didn't get up until after 9 this morning (it turned out he was working until 3am but he still got more sleep than me)

You're right happy, noro would be worse but still, what a pain! Can some of the 14 take care of them and let you have a nap? When dd had chicken pox the doc prescribed us benadril - the drowsy kind. It was a game changer!

I have last minute fresh bits to get tomorrow so am escaping mil (who arrived this morning) and taking dd and dm to a farmers market in the morning. This week has really taken it out of me though. All I want for xmas is a nap!!

Thought I will pop on to wish merry Christmas to everybody. Let's hope all the LOs are of better health and sleep through tonight! It's been a whole week of full night sleep since DD came around. Complete bliss! She goes down around 9pm, we wake at 6am and she is still asleep, not a squeaker from her room. It's every morning like a little miracle. Long it may last....

Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas!! We had one bref nightime cry at 2am but she slept until 7 which is perfect. I've spent the last 2 hours trying to get her dressed and only managed to get as far as tights and a pj top! Still waiting for mil to get up so we can open presents...

Have a wonderful day ladies, you earned it!!

happy thinking of you today. Did your gift for your DH arrive? Mine didn't! But he doesn't mind.

Ark thinking of you today too.

We are having a very peaceful day. One of the advantages of not having parents is being able to just stay home and not being pulled all over the place. So we are doing it our way and not stressing, and DS is having pasta bolognese for Christmas dinner! We'll offer him some proper dinner but know well he won't take it.

He is also going through a very unexpected stage of sleeping till 8am. Now half the time it's cos his cough has disturbed him but STILL! It's bliss! He currently has conjunctivitis as his "Illness Of The Week" but other than looking bad it's not bothering him.

The Play farm went down well as there was a tractor in it. He has christened the Farmer "Bob the Builder" and is running around shrieking "BAAAAB DA BEEEEEDA!" at the top of his lungs all morning, it's adorable.

Happy Xmas all ds2 was up at 4.45 shouting fruit pot downstairs and would not go back to sleep, ds1 was up at 7 only half presents open happyland has been a hit.

Ds2 down at 11 for a nap, we have our starter at lunchtime since having children and dinner at 4 so had peaceful prawn salad with ds2 napping.

We stay at home for Xmas have done for all 18 Xmas' we have had together no hassle, no arguments over where we go.

Happy Just-After-Christmas Everyone!!
Our Christmas was exhausting, even more so than every other day, but we still managed to enjoy it.
On Christmas Eve DH picked me up from work at 9pm and we went to my parents'. My dad had picked DDs up in the morning so they were already there in bed. I had rushed out to Boots in my break at work, instead of having a sit down and eating lunch, to get chicken pox supplies as recommended by you. I got virasoothe and piriton for the anti-itching with a sedative effect. We got to my parents' just in time to have dinner before DD2 woke up at 11ish. She did not go back to sleep properly all night! The sedating effect of piriton was a load of bollocks. I don't know if it made her delirious or whether it was a lack of sleep, but, at one point in the early hours of the morning, she was lying there mumbling "chocolate, biscuits, cheese" in a drunk-sounding way, which would have been hilarious if it wasn't all so exhausting and rubbish. All 4 of us were sleeping in the same room with 14 people sleeping in the house, so I couldn't take her downstairs because my sister was sleeping on the settee, so I had to keep her quiet enough to not wake DD1 all night. She dozed off for 10-20mins here and there, usually in a position that made it impossible for me to move/ lie down to take advantage, probably falling asleep not long before 7am when my nieces woke up shouting for DD1 to get up. It was fucking ridiculous when I had slept for about 4hrs a night all week. Somehow we survived the day and the next night was better, she woke up several times but we managed to get her back in the travel cot so I slept a bit. I worked the night shift Boxing Day and last night, and there have been times when I actually felt as close to literal collapse from exhaustion as I ever have (and I have done crazy things like stay awake for 3 days straight writing my dissertation proposal).
In terms of presents, the Happyland cottage has been a big hit, but, to be honest, she has not been that bothered about much of it, once again preferring her sister's new toys (DD1 is not impressed and there have been many arguments about DD2 touching her new toys). She seemed interested in the scooter my parents bought, but hasn't been able to try it out yet because we can't take her out with chicken pox. Maybe tomorrow we will go to a less busy bit of the park. My in-laws had asked a couple of months ago if they could get DD2 a scooter and I said no because I knew my parents had already bought both DDs one, so they got one anyway, well it can be built into either a scooter or a balance bike so we made it into the bike but they know we already have a balance bike as they gave it to DD1 3yrs ago. DD1 got a scooter and roller skates and DD2 got a scooter and balance bike - how long before one of them ends up in A&E?!!

Oh happy exhaustion iis classed as sickness and you should have rung in suck I know its hard when NHS but no one actually appreciates the effort it would have taken for you to work and actually iif you don't get some proper rest you will be I'll.

Ds2 too wants all ds1 stuff inc Lego and the "its mine, my turn" is no longer cute. The "daddy stinks" however iis v amusing even at 5.30 this morning

I agree piriton is white not sedative really there are two different types of antihistamines and one is sedative and one not think cetrazine isn't and lorazadine is and can't remember which one piriton is.

Oats tied in muslin attached to tap for bath help dry spots out.