********** December 2006 PART 2 **************

[castlesintheair]

Will this do?

I was wondering the same thing BP last night (why don't they settle back to sleep). DD2 was woken by DH at 12.30am and I didn't get her back to sleep until 4am. She "chatted" loudly for a while, then got a bit "screechy". I got her up, fed her, changed her nappy and she decided it would be a good time to "play". Bless her, she is adorable. How can I resist those big brown eyes ...
Oh and DD1 decided to starting hitting me yesterday Absolutely no idea what it's about or what to do really. Felt quite shakey this morning about it. Asked a couple of my friends at school and they said attention/anger probably. Anyone else had this recently?
Is it a full moon or something?!?!

Eli, impressed at you "writing". And intrigued. I'm looking into speech therapy at the moment. Might as well try and kill two birds, so to speak!

decided to start hitting English Lit grad too, as DH likes to constantly remind me.

BP that's a deal!! I love Sound of Music! I itried to get her to watch it yesterday but she was having none of it! The closest we could agree on was Mary Poppins!

By the way I am having my second period since DS arrived. The first was normal - as in 5 days and light, medium,heavy,medium,light.

3 weeks later and I am having another and it's horrendous! It's so heavy I am having to change protection on the hour. It's worse than after giving birth. And the back pain and stomach cramps - give me an 8 hour labour anyday! acckh! I have never suffered with period before so this is a nightmare. Am scared to go out in cse I leak and am always checking chairs when I get up just in case too! I have novere know it so heavy - sorry if TMI!

castles x-posts.

DD went through a spate of hitting and kicking and generally ignoring us - but since DS has been more settled I can devote more time to her and she is being a little star at the moment

Thanks LFM. The puzzling thing is, DD1 is getting loads of attention at the moment as DD2 very settled, DS at school until 3.20pm. I guess it's just a phase but it does make me feel a complete failure for some reason

Gloria...not had any problems with mine really except that it sounded a little dodgy once! They are he ones they use in hospitals...very good make..well..should be!

I am taking part in my own relactation boot camp...my milk has just seemed to disappear due to irregular feeding and its taking10 days out to sit at home and pump for 20-30 mins every 2 hours!

We move house in 15 days...perfect excuse to stay home and pack...x

Dont feel a failure - it is a phase perhaps she feels able to get away with anything because of your positive attention to her ??

Sympathies on the period LFM. Mine got a whole lot worse after children and they were pretty grim to begin with. I seem to remember a gynaecologist telling me it would all get a lot better after childbirth. I held onto that hope for a long time. Ha ha! I find I have two real humdinger days (chair checking too ) and then it goes to practically nothing.

We keep x-posting, but thanks LFM! That is probably exactly what it is. I hadn't thought of that. Bless her, will go and give her a hug.

Calmriver, where are you moving to? Will you still be available for meet-ups, if we ever get round to them?

Not looking forward to periods restarting - no sign yet (but taking mini-pill and still bf) - its been well over a year without one (apart from the 4 weeks of bleeding after the birth ). Mine were pretty awful beforehand so hope they aren't worse like yours castles!

Gave in and tried baby rice this morning after yet another difficult feed (think dd has mild silent reflux - she often screams during feeding but will calm down and be smiley within minutes of sitting her up). Had planned to wait for another week or so (hv suggested starting this week as weight gain so slow and can sometimes help with reflux). Very pleased with outcome - she seemed very keen and is now cooing and smiling lots!

I followed advice seem somewhere on the net and put a little on my finger to start with as she often sucks on a finger for comfort. After a bit as she got used to the texture I tried a weaning spoon. She was very happy with the spoon and was opening wide for it and using her hands to try to guide it to her mouth! She guzzled the lot (I used 1 level tsp rice to 1 tbsp expressed milk so it was consistency of cream). Am so relieved and hope tomorrow goes as well.

Argh!!!!! When is it time for ds's next jabs? He slept sooo well after the first ones!

Gave up on the formula last night, more fuss than it is worth and tbh I think he's slept worse the past week since we've given it.

So, last night (excuse me if I begin to use you as a sleep log!)

6.45 bed
6.55 projectile vomit
7.15 bed (and mummy running to guides having not eaten anything since lunch knowing she wouldn't be back til around 9.45
10.30 chunter, settled again with hand on chest
11.20 feed, 20mins.
12.55 fuss/wind sttled after 30mins head stroking and hand holding (first time I've managed to get him to settle wthout a feed [proud emotion]
2.20 feed 30mins
4.20 feed and fuss 30 mins
5.00 fuss prodded dp to settle
5.45 fuss, came to bed with me, feed.

Then gets bit blury, think fed 2 mor times til he woke for the day at a surprising but welcome 7.45.

Did you see that article on the BBC News website about new parents losing a month's sleep? Apparently, parents compete over who has lost the most sleep. Remind me again how many times my DH has got up in the night with either of my DDs?

Hm, well last night was a typo (should have said feeding FOUR hourly, not hourly!) but as dd is incredibly snuffly at night, plus windy, hourly-post-4am would have been fairly accurate [knackered icon: why isnt' there one?!]

Sounds like a lot of us have cold-y unsettled babes right now. dd1 has a nasty cold, dd2 as well, and I now have a vicious sore throat, oh joy

Castles, thank you for being intrigued, I'm terrified: was only just getting into it after years of wanting to, then dd2 arrived, and am now convinced I lack the braincells/motivation! Think speech therapy sounds great, would love to hear more about it if you get into it. My BF nearly trained in it - then she did a language degree instead (in between/during having babies). But dh has actually moved work for me to have one morning per week child-free to write, so write I must

Hello LittleMiss sorry, missed your arrival!

Lol, doesn't really tell us anything new! So true that mums respond quicker. Whn we were attempting the formula would have to prod dp awake to tell him to go give the bottle! Last night I got up just as dp woke up to go to the loo and h asked me where I was going! They just don't hear them like us mums do.

Meant to say earlier hugs to all others with non sleeping babies!

Though Ds has just had 30 min nap! But sinc ethen has bee crying, had a very grizzly day so far he decided he did not like the pool today.

Oh - and dd1, whilst not hitting, has had a fair few wobbly phases since dd2 arrived. TBH, the best way through I have found with her is simply to mirror how angry she is feeling (y'know, the 'I think you might be feeling really angry or upset right now, and thats ok, but its not ok to do xyz') combined with an Angelina Ballerina book about a baby sister....that one really helped because Angelina has mixed feelings, gets angry and throws her toys around, bursts into tears, etc. I think dd could relate and saw it was ok to hate her little sister sometimes - she started verbalizing it when irritated instead of acting it out.

She has days on end of being lovely, then will have a few days of being stroppy (as in now, the cold not helping) and omg soooo wanting to be in control of me, the world, etc! Firm boundaries and loads of love, is all I know how to do - she's also growing heaps in every sense, gaining skills, independence, so imagine she'd be going through it right now even without dd2's existence

Sorry, those of you for whom older dds are not of interest - bit off topic

Blimey, Indith, speaking of going through it

Hugs back!

Thanks Eli. I just find that I begin to feel slightly positive about something and another s thing rears it's ugly head. Yesterday/today it is DD1's "hitting". Today it's more uphill struggles with DS Feel like I might be better off going back to work full-time and handing the whole lot over to a nanny. Sorry to moan and not very post-natally I know (but I do have 2 others, fact of life, and they fit in with the whole thing). Think I better bu*** off and stop feeling sorry for myself.

Castles (and Eli) I really don't think any of us first timers mind the moans about other kids and life in general! Lests just turn 'post natal' into 'any issues, rants and happy moments to do with life in general after the birth' Will all involve the baby on some level

Hugs to those coping with more than one child - hard to imagine at the moment! DD seems to be occupying me fairly full time... I've been trying to do a 10 point OU course since Feb (have done 60 points the last 3 years but thought it might be a bit much this year ) - am struggling to fit it in and am several weeks behind (that reminds me - I need to check on their website to see if my last assignment has been marked).

Not moving far at all..only to the other side of Kingston....East Molesey.?
Have to get DD1 into a good school for next year and there is an amazing one there that I love...they cant say were not in the catchment area, were across the road!!!!

Oh, what awful sleepless nights you're all having, I'm not having them at the moment but I do know how it feels.
Castles you do sound like you're struggling at the moment, did you get your 2 arvo's of childcare sorted so you get a break?
Welcome, littlemiss!

Can a child get chicken pox 3 tims in succesion (sp). As I said DD got 1 spot for 5 days, follwoed by a whole load as that dreid up, now just as the others are drying and I am contemplating sending her in to pre-school tomorrow she gets a temperature tonight!! Agghhhhhhhh!

DS on the other hand remains cool (literally) calm and collected and is happy to dribble his way through each day!