Jan '07 part 3: Final score - 69 days, 28 boys, 21 girls weighing over 26 stone in total (thats over THREE TIMES Kate Moss's body weight!)

[2Happy]

And huge respect to EaH, without whose efforts we never would have had a list

(And yes, I am one of those sad people who finds things like temperature sensors in cars really interesting. Nerd.)

Think i need to buy this baby whisperer book...was trying not to buy many books but I could stop at one couldn't I

Had Ellen weighed yesterday 12lb 2oz at 8 weeks - she must like my milk!

Today we've been out walking. I live in Leeds and in an area near me a guy is setting up a 'get the community active' project and as part of that he is organising walks for mums and babies some for buggies and some for slings. He came to baby cafe to ask for mums to test the walks out so we did two today with him - gorgeous day so lots of fresh air and Ellen slept the whole time as did the 2 other babies. Think it gave him a false impression of babies!!Was pleased as I now know more nice places to walk without having to go too far.

at the talk of pub, pints and alcohol in general, antibiotics mean a big no no for booze for me. And tomorrow we are going for lunch at a bar in town to celebrate with friends who got married last weekend. Oh well, have to pretend I'm pg and have a pudding instead.

2happy it was me who has used Morrisons nappies - not had any probs with them.

wow - what a night! up to bed early at 7pm, as he hadn't slept hardly at all in the day, then up ONCE at 3:30, back down by 4 and awak proper at half 7 this morning, all smiley and happy at me! i feel human again! of course this probably means he'll be a nightmare tonight, but never mind!

he's really starting to overflow his nappies now though - i'm wondering whether to put him in the next size up, but the Tesco's stage 3's are twice the price of the stage 2 ones! or maybe i should just stop eating chilli?

EAH congrats to your neighbour! when are you having Hattie christened? you'll have to post pics of her in her lovely white gown! we're not religious, but sometimes i think it's be worth getting Zac christened jsut to put him in one of those gowns! i think we'll probably have some sort of naming ceremony in the summer, but more as an excuse for a party than anything else!!

well i must go and get ready - we have an appointment with the bank today (fun!) then i think we're going for a picnic in a country park, as it's such nice weather!!

Bit of a crap night, down at 7.45pm, up at 1.30am and then up at 4.30-6am!!!! Does anyone have any suggestions - he always goes around 6 hrs between his first and second bottl which is great, but he wakes at around 4am only 3 hrs after his second bottle, not particulalry hungry but wide awake and whingey. The only way I can get him back to sleep is to feed him, even though he's not really interested and just plays with the bottle. How do I get a wide awake baby back to sleep without feeding? [first time mum emotion]. Don't want to get in the habit of rocking him to sleep as you are supposed to put them down awake!

Also had a poo explosion at 4.30am, then cos I was tired I didn't put the new nappy on properly and he peed up his back

UD - at your night and I hope today is a better day for you. I still have Jacob in Newborn Tescos but these are only up to 11lb and he's 11lb 8oz. They still fit him though but should I be moving up a size?

Vino - have a pudding for me

Rgee - I put J's moses basket in the cot for about a week and a half but TBH, even at 4 weeks he was outgrowing it. As soon as I put him in the cot he slept 'like a baby' and we had no issues with the transition. He won't go in a gro-bag though so I have a cellular blanket tucked down each side of the cot around him which really nestles him in and stops the blanket becoming loose.

Laughalot - if you are ever in Lincoln I would love to meet up for a SoCo (that's the cool way to say it ). Have mine with dry ginger - mmmmmmmmmm, is it too early for one now?

wilkie - i find Zac always sleeps better on me, so i settle him by just having him on his front on my chest, then he wriggles himself round till he's comfortable! then when he's asleep i move him to his bed. he usually wakes up a bit during the transition, but settles himself when he's nice and comfy in his bed. we're still using one of these for him to sleep on, minus the baby gym bit obviously. watch out for us in Mother & Baby magazine in May/June modelling it as a breastfeeding cushion!

Oh, good thing about last night - had an erotic dream about Jeremy Sheffield. He WANTED me (of course) and...well...we did stuff and it was fantastic

(Of course in the dream he wasn't gay which helped )

In his honour I have attached a link if you want to look at some gratuitous photos of this GOD of a man

Ooh, Dr alex, I remember him, wilkie!

We had quite a good night for us, he slept 9-2 and then woke briefly at 5 but didn't really want a feed, just snuffled around a bit.

I still feel rough but a bit better so maybe I won't need the antibiotics, breast is still quite red though. DD has impetigo on her face this morning. There's always something!!

Lovely day, all this talk of pubs makes me feel like sitting in a beer garden with a gin and tonic. Mmmm.. with cheesy chips. I haven't lost a pound since the birth (apart from at the actual birth obviously) so much for it falling off with breastfeeding. Do you know there are 15 calories EACH in a giant button? It says on the back of the giant bag I scoffed, that's about a day's calories then

I'm off to the pub tonight!!! hOW EXCITING.

Vino - I live in Leeds too - in Moortown. You near?

Wilkie my Lo does exactly the same -will sleep 6 or 7 hours after first going to bed, but then only about 2-3 after being feed (which is still about 8-10 hours, so i figure he's just not tired anymore... )I put him to bed a bit later than you though, which seems to work well for us at the moment. He goes down at 9 and (almost) always sleeps til about 4, then straight back down after a feed from 4:30 til about 7ish.

It usually works, although actually last night he was REALLY tired so he went to bed at 8. DP got him up at 11:30pm (I was fast asleep by then!!) for a dream-feed, which he said was fine and he went straight back to sleep esily. But he still woke at 4 for feeding again... so i think we'll just stick with the 9pm bedtime for the moment... though it was nice putting him to bed at 8 and having a good chunk of evening for ourselves!

Wondering how others bottle feeding cope with the middle of the night feed? I have been using the small ready made (liquid) SMA cartons, so you just open them and stick them in a bottle and they don't need warming or anything. But we're going away on holiday soon and i can't really pack hundreds of little cartons with me... so how to you cope with warming bottles in the middle of the night?

Shimmer - we were putting him down at 9pm too but the past two nights have moved it to 7.45pm - has made no difference to the time of him waking up which is strange (but good!). Am going to try a dream feed tonight at 10.30pm.

Re night feeding. I have a bottle warmer so use that at night but my BF makes her bottles up with cooled boiled water, kees them at room temperature and adds the formula as she goes. She has a special container with 3 compartments (Avent) that she measures the formula into and just tips it in. I haven't done it this way as like giving him warmed milk but it's worth a try? You could also put the bottles of water into a thermal bottle bag (I have an Avent one which holds 2 bottles), then by the time you use them in the night they would still be warm and you could just add the formula and away you go.

Meant to say you could put bottles of 'hot' sterile water into a thermal bag...

PCF - YES!!! Changed Jacob from SMA to Aptamil. What a difference - he's a much happier child. He too seemed to be in pain after feeding him SMA and Aptamil seems to have cured it.

Like you said, you have to find which brand works for you but I would NEVER use SMA again personally.

Hi ladies just wanted to post quickly because im going to my mums today and stopping for a week my dh is going away with the lads to cheltenham races so im stopping with my folks which means they will look after the kids . Im sure I wont be able to catch up when I get back as there will be loads of posts but just to say have a good week, catch up soon xxx

Just a quick post as my dad here fixing up all my new blinds and the surveyor coming re the new porch/drive.

Whoever asked aboutr putting them in their own room hattie went in hers around 5 and half weeks straight into cot and slept fine was putting her in her grobag but she like being under sheet and blankt and tucked in tightly so now do that.

When I am doing night feeds I make up bottles with water and then use one of those compartment things wilkie described and just add formula before i give her the bottle also I dont warm night ones she has them at room temp (tell its 2nd baby I would never have given ellie room temp milk always warmed up!!!)

UD Hatties christening is 2 weeks tomorrow shes wearing same gown that ellie had its a bit frilly but its a family thing! We're not over religious but its nice to know she'll be christened by the same vicar in the same church that we got married in and ellie christened. Am going to out her in her dress next week and take some photos as theres never enough time on the day!

Right gotta to go my dad is swearing so better check hes okay!!

out her in her dress not out her

ummm thicko alert make the same mistake twice
put her

had a pretty good night last night after our hourly feeds yesterday. Fed him at 10.30 then went to bed and DH stayed up and gave him a bottle of EBM at 1.30. He then slept till 6.30 back down at 7 then up again at 10 so got a lie in!

Wilkie, when DS is wide awake in the middle of the night I do shush pat or EAH's forehead stroking. If he's still wide awake, but not upset I generally just leave him and go back to bed and he falls asleep himself. he's a little angel really.

UD - do you not find if you eat chill your LO is really windy? I've had it twice since DS was born and both times the next day he would scream through a couple of feeds, so felt really bad!

I couldn't eat fajitas which are my fave when I was pregnant because it gave me such bad heartburn and I thought once I had DS I could eat it again, but no such luck .

Hello ladies, thought I'd show my face and let you all know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

Everyting is FAB here, George is absolutley bloody wonderful. I'm telling you having 4 children ROCKS, I can't recommend it enough
I often wonder what 5 would be like

Anyway, nothing much to report really, if you read any text book about baby development it could be written about George. He's such and easy baby, he wakes once in the night drinks his milk then goes back to sleep on my chest (starts off the night in the cot) then starts snuffling and fidgeting at about 5am and just snoooozes until about 6:30-7am.
I seem to function better on less sleep so it works well really.
He's just a lovely bundle of gorgeousness and worth every second of the awful PG and horrifc birth....but then, they all are really, aren't they??

Rgee - I live in Rothwell so totally the other side of Leeds but if you fancy meeting for a walk in Rounday Park/coffee in town one day let me know. Enjoy your night at the pub!

Wilkie - I had a swiss mountain choc cheesecake with dark choc sauce which was VERY NICE I could have eaten two!

Just about to make gingerbread men while DH snuggles Ellen.

Last night was ok for us sleepwise but when Ellen woke at 2am I could smell her nappy from my pillow....it was a huge poo and as soon as I fed her she filled another nappy..what joy

Its been quiet here this afternoon. Blinds look fab really pleased with them surveyor came about porch as we were thinking about extending sideways and putting a shower room and wc on the side but looks like its a bit out of budget for the mo but we are having a new front door as it will fall off soon and am hoping to get the drive block paved but got to get some quotes, god I get excited about the smallest things.

Both dd's were tucked up in bed by 7. Ellie knackered as dh took her swimming this morning and Hattie and I watched ellie loves swimming but is a little over confident as was jumping in the deep end without her armbands or rubber ring on and just assumed dh would catch her so have booked her swimming lessons for september when she'll be 3. Ellie and dh went shopping for my mothers day cards (oooh I get 2 this year )and present but have hidden it and dh fooled ellie into thinking he'd bought something different as she came in and said "mummy we got card and book for you" and he had to tell her that they bought a book as shes not quite grasped the idea of keeping a secret yet

hey everyone - we had a good day to top off our good night, appointment with the bank went ok; they can't reduce our outgoings but i didn't think they would be able to. they gave us the address to send the letter for refunding us our bank charges though, so wasn't an entirely wasted trip! has anyone done that? which bank was it with and did the do it with no hassle or did you have to go through small claims??

we went for our walk in the country park too, Z slept from 11am till 2 then woke up hungry (i'm not at all surprised!) so i fed him in the back of the car! i was going to feed him in the woods but it was a bit chilly and it's hard to feed him when he's in his snowsuit!!

trixy - i had chilli and red wine in the same evening, so not sure what made him uncomfortable, but he definitely seems happier today, so it must have been one of those things! oh well....it's only for another 8 months (unless he self-weans early...please god!!)

LTH - lovely to hear from you again...have you looked at my photos lately? think you'll be hard pressed to claim the cutest baby!

Ok, this is not happenig to me.
LO is 7 weeks old today. And I have mastitis for the 3rd time in the same boob. I am so fed up. Its not that my boob is incredibly sore, I can sort that out with a couple of nurofen, but its the general bleurgh feeling of illness which accompanies it. I practically threw my LO at DP at 6.30am in the middle of a feed to puke my guts up, and every joint is aching. Am off to bed. Poor me. Wouldnt wish this on anyone. x