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

[castlesintheair]

Will this do?

Go, mini-Oli!

Some here too, please - I was right not to feel secure in better nights: up every hour until 4am, winding, de-snotting, feeding (twice). At that point I brought her into bed where I can at least settle her without standing up.

My eyeballs hurt this morning, I think they're complaining about lack of sleep. Its a real bummer, because apart from total and utter exhuastion life is really pretty amazing - I just want the energy to enjoy it.

Failing that, I'm just grateful for a place to come and complain, and be reminded that having babies is hard work. Seriously, you lot keep me sane some days

"apart from total and utter exhuastion life is really pretty amazing"

Lol. Hope things improve Eli!

Oli! Almost snap!
7-10pm dream feed-2am feed-6am wake for the day!

Ok so I'd rather he went til 3 then 7 as 6 and I have never seen eye to eye but we shall try to rub along for now!

Will catch up later - but we had a nice reassuringly uneventful night.

Just gearing up for a marathon wait in the ENT waiting room now.

Good luck, LFM - hope it all goes well!

I always feel so guilty when I read about sleeping problems Am sending you all loads of sleeping-through vibes, but only if you promise to let DD2 keep as many as she needs to continue sleeping through! (9pm - 6:30am last night )

Nah just to hand in a translation and do the shopping. Off out for coffee now though ds may scream the place down. He has bright red cheeks and all h wants is a nice soft dummy to chew, my finger isn't good enough!

BP we're all in too much of a sleep deprived state to have the energy to post
I have been told that I should get my passport application in before the end of the month as if I wait till May 1st new applicants have to go for an interview (goo goo, ga ga ) - the post office told me this so after his nap then feed I am off to get photos then off to a coppers house tonight for dinner and to get signatures on form - caffeine is helping! Also will go for jabs and let them decide if I haven't fallen asleep by the appointment time - gave him calpol at 6pm, temp was ok at 10pm, gave calpol at 3am, temp again at 8am. I would like to get more than 90 minutes sleep in a session though - napping is NOT the way ahead!
It seems as though if it's not one thing it's another - first he had a cold, then he had the 14-16 weeks being unsettled every night thing, then he gave me 3 decent nights and now it is this cold - so it's been 4 weeks now with 3 decent nights in all (eg 2 feedings in night and no extra wakings)! I love him to bits but I want some sleep vibes too!
Oh, and he laughed for the first time on Tues - absolute joy, splashing about in the bath. Then repeated Weds!
I have heard a) the first 3 months are the hardest, b) the first 6 months are the hardest, c) might as well right off the first year for doing anything non baby and d) the second 3 months are the hardest. Place your votes!

LFM fingers crossed for a decent outcome and resolution (rather than 'we need to do more tests....'!)
Eli, have you had a referral yet? (brain not remembering)
Oli and Indith - yay for sleep!

Hiya

Good to hear some of your lo are sleeping better . Think mine lo has started a sleep routine now going to bed at 10pm till 5.30 - feed for 30mins then sleep till 7.30 feed/wake for day which is great, shame i cant say much for daytime - no routine set yet ...the only time ds gets a nap is when i go for a walk , then i leave buggy in hallway and he will nap for between 90mins to 2 hrs. He wont nap in his cot during day !- you would think babies would find cot more comfy than being in the buggy [hmmm]

Hope LFM's ent appt goes ok

Thanks Coco, hugs appreciated, how is your lo now? Sleeping longer?
Margo, we'll all need your first born to come and train our lo's to put their toys away when they are older!

Coco. x-posts!

Sacha, I hate to have to say this but this is the really easy bit if you are planning to have any more children!

Yes Castles, but your one sleeps! (and tbh we all just cope and get on with whatever we have, I know I will look back in a few years time and remember how easy I had it with just the one)
Whenever we visit his cousins, he is totally amused by them and needs less interaction from me, Maybe if I wait long enough he can do that for his little bro/sis!

Yes, DD2 sleeps but my other 2 don't!

Eli, perhaps we should meet at Kew Retail Park one day and compare eye balls. Mine used to be white once

Oh, and try not to lose our DDs!!

Sacha - whats all that abt having interviews to get a passport ?! First Ive heard of it ..

{{Sleep vibes}}}}} to you both ...it will get better ..as for when is the hardest time of having baby ..I havent really thought abt it as it varies thru the months depending how lo are ! but it gets easier second time round because you're more prepared and relaxed abit knowing what to expect.

I thought that interviews were only for over 16s applying for their first passport. How on earth do they intend to interview a baby? (Mind you, they probably have brain scanning techniques or something. I read far too much Kafka/Huxley as a youth)

Sacha, no interview for a baby hard to read the small print when sleep deprived, eh?

Just got (or attempting to get) dd's passport, you can either do it via Post Office with Check and Send service (takes 2 weeks) or online (takes 3, I think) or go to the Passport Office and Fast Track it, which takes a week. I hope. But I promise, Miss Snuffly hasn't been near any of those and its all ok.

Sorry so many of you are fellow sleepwalkers today. BP, admit to but also am very glad someone is there to remind us babies CAN actually sleep!

LFM, hope all goes/is going/went well today.

Am struggling to get an ENT follow-up appointment. The consultant dd saw whilst on the ward in late January failed to a) cancel our official appointment, no longer needed as he'd just seen her, back in February and b) make a new one for April. Just found out we've been put down in notes as Did Not Attend the one in Feb and have not been issued a further appointment. Am and doing all I can to hustle.

Sorry, just one more...

Am struggling today, could use some thoughts please kind ladies:

I'm so tired I could curl up and snooze in the fast lane of the M4. I'm still expressing 4-5 times per day, and dd is getting about 70%+ of her daily milk from me. The other day, I was feeding her from a bottle with one hand, and pumping with the other...its a bit mad...but I'm worried about cutting back more because of the possibility that her stuffed nose is allergy related, and also thinking maybe breastmilk is easier for refluxy babies?? She's still so gripey, most days - wind, pain, the lot. Cheerful, but gripey.

What do you all think about cutting down on breastmilk now? She's just over 5 months old, in calender months...thriving, but. Oh, and totally not interested in solids btw. I'm willing to keep going a few more weeks before cutting down, but might have to drop all but survival activities till then - could cheerfully curl up and snooze in fast lane of M4 by now.

And Castles, thats an excellent idea - especially losing the dds - are you CAT-able?

ok, just proved my point re the M4 bit: never mind snooze, am losing marbles now

Eli I'm not sure I'm cat-able. Is it something you pay for?? You can email me though on castlesintheair at hotmail dot co dot uk anytime.

I can also give you my twopenceworth about cutting back on breastmilk etc. Don't want to do it in an open forum where things can be misconstrued!

Who was it who had a LO with chicken pox with just one spot?

Ds has had two very erm..interesting blister type spots on his arm for a couple of days that are starting to scab over then a new one started to come up today. I googled, I know I shouldn't have but I googled and they look scarily similar! I've not had the pox! I don't want the pox in my house! I have exams dammit!

I do have a shiny new DVD I got from America of the earlier BBC Pride and Prejudice though (the good one without any of that extra stuff and changes and things. Well ok th evrsion I was brought up on and I love it even if it doesn't have the delightful Colin Firth). Maybe I could get ill and just watch that all day.......

Well, we're moving on Weds by the looks of it . Not sure quite how I feel about it now, tbh. I went out for a meal last night with the 7 mums I met at my antenatal classes with ds1 - we've met up once or twice a month for 3 1/2 years and all get on really well. Then today we met up with all our dcs and it was so sad, thinking it was the last time I'd see them. The dcs have grown up together, most of us have had second and third children and I can't imagine not having them around to bounce things off. It's kind of like being on here I suppose, only with cake! I'm dreading having to start all over with new people. At least with them it doesn't matter if the dcs are a nightmare because we know their little foibles and each other so well. Plus, one of the villagers is almost certainly a MNetter as the village playgroup is on MN local - eek!