************DECEMBER 2006 - PART 3 ****************

[MARGOsBeenPlayingWithMyNooNoo]

I was brave and started a new thread!

I've been lurking,too, for the past few days. It's been absolutely manic here with all the house guests. But the ILs are gone now, so everything is about 1000% easier. I swear older people are more work than babies!

We have a 10 week old baby in the house at the moment. He makes DD2 look like a toddler! It's amazing how we forget how tiny they are. I can't believe I complained about a sore back from carrying anything that tiny.

Will post more later. Hope things cool down for you in the sticky south. It's definitely freshening up north of the border, and we even managed to sleep under the duvet for a spell last night.

Sacha, Hannah was 5 months on the 3rd of this month so 5 months + 1 week I suppose (lost track of the weeks, weeks ago )

We childproofed a month or so ago, if nothing else to get DD1 used to it and practise with the stairgates before they become strictly necessary, I also think it helps if these barriers are there from the start as I believe they challenge them less if they are used to them being there. USe plug covers still from first one, but apart from that have been using my friends 18mth old as a good test of how "safe" our lounge is now...

DD1 crawled at this age, though she was worse, at the moment Hannah has only worked out how to go backwards and turn around. DD1 was going forward and had realised how to go in the direction she wanted (but she didnt get the reflux meds till around this time!)

DD1 arrived home safely from her first school trip and I felt really sorry for her, she is friends with everyone but there is one little boy she doesnt like (he misbehaves constantly) and she had to sit next to him there and back, 1hr trip each way (and the teacher is aware of her feelings, so I felt it a little harsh on her to have him both trips) she was very resigned over it "lol" lots of big sighs

Gave Hannah a nice long bath this evening with mummy and that seems to have done the trick settling her down, really hope the weather breaks soon, its getting to me too!

Hope you all have a good nights sleep and am most at people having a cleaner.

Hi all - the lurker is here. Have been reading how some of the babs are becoming more mobile and just wanted to share how much James has progressed in the last week. He seems to be learning everything at once! He's 5 months and a bit (lost count :O). Will be 6 months on 22nd.

He can now roll over both ways and is trying to crawl. He manages to propel himself to whatever object he's aiming for anyway(usually something he shouldn't have!)and he's started to sit for a short while unaided as well. Oh and he's learnt how to drop things on purpose just to see Mum pick them up for him. I love that game And he absolutely loves taking water from a cup, he grabs it from me and slurps it down! He seems to be learning something new every day just lately. I can't keep up with him!

I had a horrible scare the other night when I had put him on my bed to sleep and came downstairs. After a while I could hear him snuffling around on the monitor(he's taken to rolling about when half-awake) and was just hoping he would settle back to sleep when there was an almighty thump followed by a heart-rending scream! I raced up the stairs to find him flat on his back on the bedroom floor but luckily he was just shocked and no harm done. I almost ruptured something taking the stairs two at a time though!

So that's the end of leaving him on the bed while I nip to the loo!

I'm also leaving it til 6 months to start weaning - apart from a crust of toast I gave him last week which he sucked for a bit and then tore to bits. I'm dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time.

He's another one who doesn't like the heat - I wonder if it's to do with them being winter babies? Mind you, I'm the same these days - I used to love the summer but now I find it difficult to cope in the heat. Must be getting old

How lovely to get such big updates from everyone

Well, DD2 woke up at 11 last night with a terrible barking cough. She was gasping for breath which was very frightening. After she had calmed down masses of snot came out of her nose, she had a feed and then settled. She woke again at 4 with the same barking cough and stayed awake until 6, catnapped for 20 mins and then was awake until about 8.30 so I am shattered. DH took her at about 7 which helped but he is out all day. DD1 being well behaved which helps. I assume it is a virus but my first thought was croup - does anyone know anything about that?

When she is well, DD2 can turn herself around in her cot. She lifts her bottom and turns around a bit like a crab would i guess

Heat certainly gets the chat going

Have done my back in again (carrying a wriggly and cross dd1 back into bed for the third time on Sunday night) and am seriously going to have to try and remember where my abdominal muscles lives, and get some exercise time. Please nag me, ladies.

Its great to see all the posts, catch up on the crawlings, the sleepings and not sleepings, the feedings and even the weeings . I've not been sitting at the computer much for simple reason that sitting hurts the most, but miss it!

Really interesting to see the variety of LO behaviour, and at the same time they all do seem to follow a rough pattern...bless 'em.

Speaking of patterns, dd1 finally getting cross with dd2 directly, no hitting or anything but did throw water in her face in the bath last night then roar with laughter. This morning she said to me, 'Mummy, I'm not your baby anymore, I'm a woman like you - a BIG GIRL woman'. And she said it happily. So maybe she's jsut figuring out her new and important place in the family?? God I hope so, can't keep carrying stormy 3 yr olds around

dd2 is rolling, moving backwards by arching, frantic to stand/move and able to grab most of what she wants due to long, orangutan-like arms. And gorgeous with it

Not a high achiever in the sleep department, though

AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Why won't he just sleeeeeeeeep
Up on and off all night again, not settling at all today and I am so bloody tired!
Dh started a new job yesterday so is now on 7am to 5pm instead of the shifts he used to do. So I am getting 5 kids ready every morning, entertaining ds1 and dd4 all day as well as housework and then trying to get dinner done for when Dh comes home.
Of course by the time he gets in all the kids are getting tired esp dd4 and ds1 and I'm a wreck from the whole day

Ok rant over sorry girls

I should count my lucky stars that ds1 is not on the move yet as that would be even more for me to do

I can so sympathize bec as that's the same thing that happened to me last night (rolling off the bed, that is).

Ds2 scooches around a lot but no proper crawling yet.

With his eczema we waited until 6 months on the dot and are following the allergic infant food schedule obsessively. So he's had sweet potato, pears, peaches and rice. I've been doing his food fresh except for the rice but I think that the soy in the cereal did break him out so have bought a new coffee grinder to do that myself as well. He's already eating sooo much better than ds1 did.

Is it just my computer or are most of the emoticons on the blink?

jabber, think its your computer

your ds's diet sounds yummy, and I've just had lunch...

O.M.G. DD2 sat up in her pram from lying flat on her back today. She is 6 months old, what is going on?! I put her in the middle of our bed and she slithered off it within about 10 seconds on her tummy to her feet then sat down on the floor .

Wow, Magnolia, you certainly have your hands full. I'm a 'single mum' too but also a nervous wreck and I only have 3!

On the plus side, all 3 DCs are back to sleeping through the night though only 'til 5am when DD2 wakes up 'singing' then goes back to sleep after she's woken everyone else up. Bless her, she's a card and a half!

• my dd2 seems to be lazy, I can't even blame it on the Saggitarian trait! No rolling or crawling.

I don't know why I am moaning, I've got it easy for a few weeks more - I must have that competitive mum syndrome.

Or maybe I am holding her back and keeping her babylike for evermore....

Castles - [shock} indeed! that is some strong stomach muscles! (quietly jealous wishing i had good stomach muscles ).
Have started putting side of cot up as ds now sleeps on his side, caught him sleeping with 1 leg up over the side, 1 hand grabbing bar and other grabbing teething rail - accident waiting to happen me thinks! must remember to tell dh to put side up - i went in at 6am and it was down.
ds seems to be more mobile in his sleep than when awake! i think he must back arch up the cot.
lol to all the crawlers mums - it's just a new fitness regime chasing after them and moving things out their way .

eli, DS1 definitely getting cross with ds2 here, including the physical. i guess DS2 is getting to the grabbing stage and he pushes/pulls/kicks his big brother, who when tired can't be rational about it. Also think maybe the novelty of small cute baby is wearing off and potential toy stealer is being apparent. big bro just wants someone he can have a proper play with. it's really annoying because try as i might to be fair and equal, there is nothing i can say except "stop kicking your brother.it's only little."

gosh made ds1 sound like a baby kicking monster. they're more pushing him away with his feet.....still BAD but not as bad as I made it sound.

My dd1 has started weeing in her pants even though she's been out of nappies for a year. They all seem to be finding some way of getting extra attention

God, it's all coming back to me now just how hard work it is once they become mobile and want to grab everything they see. When he's on my lap he's lunging after cups of coffee, remote controls, glasses basically anything he can't have. Then he has a hissy fit because I say no. He wants to be on the floor but gets fed up after a while so I pick him up and he's wriggling to get away again. Thank god, once he's asleep for the night he stays asleep else I probably would have lost it by now.

I think I need to get out more as I've let it slide a bit and I can't stand going out in the heat. Trouble is I haven't got anyone to give me the boot up the backside that I need!

I have nothing but admiration for those of you like magnolia or castles with more than one and close together (I know I did it with 2 close together but the memories of how hard it was fade as they get older.) My sister has 6 LOs - 5 of them very close together and she finds time to make wine, jam, bakes bread and cakes, grows own veg, draws pencil portraits, and lots more on top of taking care of the house and children but she has no confidence in herself at all. She's a superstar - you all are!

I do as little as possible as I'm a lazy mare

Spina, potential toy stealer is probably it - babies are lovely when cute and motionless/squeezeable, but grabbing handfulls of dd1s hair, or toys, is not on. The real crime, I think, is grabbing her Mummy - 'cos dd1 is also having a lot of separation anxiety with me atm. Could write an essay on it, but won't - just good to know the older LOs are all finding it a learning curve of some sort.

Castles, your dd2 must have stolen my missing abs She sounds a real character, would love to hear the singing!

Yay! after a bit of gentle sleep training (we'd just started before he got ill so went in every 5 minutes) he went 7.45pm(put himself to sleep with no fussing) - 10.30pm. dh dealt with 40 mins on off crying/moaning, then slept till 2, fed, heard him stir at 6 but he didn't wake up, went in at 8am and he was playing with his toy! yipee!
but..it's only been 1 brill night and ..my mum is babysitting tonight so his bedtime routine will be slightly different, and we are away for weekend. Fingers crossed he won't start waking every 2-3 hours again!

We got up at 4:45am today. DP has been on nights since Friday. I am SO TIRED. Rant over. I just have so little energy. We have lots of rolling and wriggling and trying to do a squirmy crawl thing here too. And she loves slobbering all over people - am I allowed to call those sloppy kisses?!

Those sitting up sound impressive!!! That sounds less wriggly, looking forward to that.

I look at photos of ds at 4 weeks and marvel at him now, he's just so interested in the world & yes, doing all the things (aside from crawling!) that other lo's are doing. I do kinda like the sloppy kisses, but sometimes it's like he's trying to swallow my nose and that I could do without! Anyone else get a lot of sick down their front, my bra has sick on the inside a lot!! Urrgghgghgh, least I haven't been weed on today.
Bec, it really does pay off to force yourself out of the house, the day passes so much more quickly and things that drive you crazy at home aren't so bad out n about. But I must admit I am having to push myself to go out at the mo as I just feel like crying, but it does make me feel better even if I come home and cry later I'm going to get on top of these hormones soon!
Mag1, five children on your own OMG, they would be late to school every day if it were me.
Castles, really glad they're sleeping through again for you, is the topic on the homepage anyhelp for you with the 5am starts or have you tried everything there is? Hugs!

AQ, I have crumbs down my bra quite often atm, for some bizarre reason - maybe eating crackers and cheese whilst expressing??

Another one with better sleep to report - last two nights, anyway. We had sleep at 7pm (v easy to put down, but always has been), dream feed 10.15, feed 2pm, windy and brought into our bed 5.45am and slept till 7am.

Rough week with dd1, though better tonight - my back huuuuuurts

And my mother is staying

Well done Sacha's LO, and all Castles' LOs, for sleeping....GS, saw your other thread and glad dd is on the mend

MLF, of course, kisses!! And there was me thinking that was teething...

AQ - i hope those hormones settle down. i gave dd2 a piece of toast to chew on today.

I get crumbs down my bra, I lose all sorts of things down there! i've lost my mobile twice only to find that I've tucked it in my bra

lol at you two. I have not, thus far, experienced crumbs.

Ds2 has moved on to millet cereal with initial success. Have pureed and frozen carrots to try in a few days. I am still amazed at how much better he is taking to food compared to ds1.

AQ - I hope you feel better soon. I know what you mean about having to really force yourself to go out as I've been feeling a bit hormonal myself. I did go out today - went to a Baby Talk group (about interacting with babs) although only three of us there the most important thing is that Jimmy loved it. Lots of new toys and two other small people just like him! Plus it's so much easier going out for a while and breaking the day up rather than trying to entertain him for 12+ hours straight. I lack motivation is the trouble - although DS should be enough to get me out and about as he clearly enjoys it.

Oh yeah re: crumbs down bra - I'm used to finding all sorts down my cleavage. I have to empty it out several times a day. Ooh, yes and have any of yours taken to grabbing handfuls of skin and twisting it? DS grabs my forearms, the thin skin under my upper arm (yowch!) and my chest is covered in scratches. Not to mention the face grabbing and the poking of fingers into my mouth and pulling my lips down as far as possible.

He's also discovered he can propel himself much faster if he gets into a crawling position and then kicks his legs out whilst using his arms to lunge forward. He looks like a cross between a breakdancer and a walrus

I always have crumbs down my bra and yeeeeeees, bec. I am being pinched all the time! It really hurts. I guess it is practice for the pincer grip or something but I am getting pinched on my neck and arms...