December 06 - Light at the end of the tunnel

[weirdbird]

A new thread for us all

Godzilla, sounds lovely

I have a ritual with dd2, who (for some reason) loves the light on her monitor and stares, giggling, at it when being got ready for bed. I hold her upright (left over from burping days) so she can see it, and sing to her, then cradle her in my arms for a minute or two till she's sleepy, then put her down usually - but not always - awake. If she has trouble settling, I come back in and repeat, or just pat her back, and thats it. She's like her Dad, loves her bed

Honestly, I love it - she's my last, and I'm relishing every minute!

hi everyone.

our sleep routine is bath, feed, cuddle, bed (awake but very tired). If she goes straight to sleep (about 50% of the time) great. If not, then pick up, cuddle and put back down. Repeat until she goes to sleep but tbh I only need to repeat once or twice. I consider myself pretty lucky

I have to admit, it has taken quite a while to get her to this stage...she hasn't always been easy to get to sleep. I remember there were months of the 'every time I put her down her eyes snap open and she's wide awake' palaver! I sure as hell ain't supermum by a long shot.

Elibean - enjoy your holiday, hope you don't get too plastered with food!

Just back from a lovely weekend in the mountains, and struggling to catch up!

Eli, if you're still around, what about quinoa (sp?) as a protein? I cook a few tablespoons up every day, and then mix them into whatever DD2 is having. So today I'll put some in a pancake mix at lunchtime, and maybe mix some into a grated cheese sandwich tonight. I know that vegetable protein isn't absorbed as well as meat-based protein at this stage, but I don't think they need a lot.

My sister has just told me that she is miscarrying again. This is number 5, poor thing. Very for her.

Oh Bp so sorry for your sister

This weather is playing havoc with ds1's sleep even more than usual. He will go to sleep no problem but wakes up hot and bothered within 30 minutes. The fans are on, windows open and he is in a vest with just a thin sheet

I will whinge just as much in winter too

sorry for your sister BP.

Well, I think DD2 seems to have gone to 3-4 breastfeeds a day all by herself. A few weeks ago I was struggling with the frequency of feeds and all of a sudden she seems content with water and a snack mid morning which is great .

Still around. In body

BP, so sorry your sister is going though m/c again...does she have dc? Was that 5 in a row? (Asking because I had 4 in a row, and can't imagine how - well, beyond - she must be with a fifth).

Thanks so much for ideas - quinoa v good one. Also cheese sandwich, actually, hadn't thought dd could manage a sandwich yet but maybe she can?? She had some roast chicken cut up teeny wee with mayo last night, and loved it - too messy for journey, but satisfying to get some protein into her. She seems to ahve suddenly turned a corner, less food on floor/chair, more in (and still, sadly, on) dd.

I hate the bit before packing when you can't because clothes are still needed. IYSWIM. URGH.

BP - so sorry for your sister.

Still no period, although GP said he was not worried as I was overweight - charming is'nt he. And I had had a big weight loss.

Then got on scales to see that all 10lb of it had gone back on. Very downhearted but carrying on as I haev done nothing not to have lost more weight other than
a) PG again
b) water retention
c) missed period is amassing for a truly heinous week shortly to come

Oh and DS had his first time in the paddling pool yesterday and loved it.

Now just to convince DH to come to the pool with us and I can make sure he's okay in that environment before we head to Butlins where I discover he's terrified.

DH has a hang-up because being a postie and out in all weathers he has lovely brown legs but glo-white feet

Get him some fake tan for his feet LFM!!

I have the opposite problem, in that my feet are very brown cause I tend to go bare foot everywhere I can and my legs just do not tan so are pasty white.

I'm so sorry about your sister BP - to have 5 miscarriages is awful.

Are they investigating the reason why she is miscarrying?

Thanks everyone. She's my younger sister, but being 35 they are finally taking the miscarrying more seriously. The tragic thing is that she and her DP aren't actually trying for DCs, they just keep having contraceptive failure (don't ask me ) So then she goes through the dilemma of what to do, decides that this may be the last chance she gets, and then gets her heart broken again.I wish that she wasn't so far away - not that I could do anything constructive.

DD1 starts school next Tuesday. I can't believe the school holidays are over so quickly. She's really struggling with the idea of school, and I know its getting to her. She keeps having tantrums, which is NOT like her at all.

DD2 is just such a poppet . All big gurgly grins and giggles. She seems quite bemused when she comes across someone who is immune to her not inconsiderable charms. It really seems to offend her!

BP where on earth are you that your DD goes back to school next week?

We still have 4 weeks to go!

Hey all,

BP, so sorry for your sister. I can't imagine how awful that must be, especially if you are bit ambivalent about being pg in the first place.

I'm getting lots of good ideas for food from here. Ds2 had Shreddies soaked in milk then put on the high chair tray for breakfast today. He loved it but did have to be showered off afterwards so maybe not one for your journey, Eli .

We have a new strategy with the (lack of) sleeping. Dh is taking over nights for a few days to see if we can get him to drop the 1/2am feed. He's managed a couple of nights of sleeping 6:30pm until midnight/1am but that's still very much the exception, rather than the rule, though, usually he still feeds at 11pm. So I decided that if he can go that long when he first goes to bed he should be able to do it in the middle of the night too. Last night I fed him when he woke at 10:30, then dh went to sleep in the spare room next to ds2's room. He woke at 2am but dh managed to get him back to sleep without much crying, he was restless for an hour or so, then settled until 5:30 when I fed him again, then slept until 7:30. Pretty good, really!

I'm hoping that if he drops the 2am feed then I won't be so shattered when he gets up at the crack of dawn because I'll be getting a reasonable stretch of sleep too. 7 months isn't too soon to be expecting him to sleep from 11pm to 4/5am without food, is it? I don't have an awful lot of perspective left on this sleeping malarky any more! I'm so of all of you who have self settling babies.

GBC, I also cuddle ds2 to sleep and I do love that time but I also get really stressed by it because I'm sure it contributes to his rubbish night time sleeping. Part of me wants to hang on to it because he's my last one and I want to make the most of it, the other part of me is so damn knackered that I want to just be able to put him in his cot and walk away, knowing he'll fall asleep. Babies, eh!

bp, so sorry for your sister Sounds like it's an emotional roller coaster for her everytime. Well, I mean even more so than one would expect, which is bad enough.

Olihan, having dh put ds2 down for the night is really helping with everyone's sleep. It makes me a little sad, as I liked that last feed and snuggle. But he's getting less satisfied with the routine and all wriggly and cranky - which is not his typical nature at all. so I guess it was time for a change.

So of all the different kinds of food you all are able to try. With ds2's excema we are extremely limited. On the upside, he has had 3 days of almost clear skin. Of course, that's with using the steroid cream but previously even that wasn't helping so maybe we've turned a corner

Bed at 7pm, feed at 12:30 then feed at 4:30 and refused to go back to sleep. But he's actually done 5 1/2 hours, then 4 hours I suppose, which is major progress. If I'd gone to bed with dh at 9pm instead of messing on here til 11, waiting for im to wake up I wouldn't be as tired, would I?

Jabber, poor little ds2 with his execema. I'm glad the steroids are helping a bit, it must be so uncomfortable for him.

Just heard ds1 and dd chatting in the living room [grin :

Ds1: Dd, have you got a willy?

Dd: Nope

Ds1: A front bottom?

Dd: Yup.

Ds1: Daddy's got a willy, like mine. Mummy's got a front bottom like you but she has a hairy bit on hers. You haven't got a hairy bit, have you?

Dd: Nope Not hairy.

PMSL .

We have had that converstation in this house many times

No better on the sleep front here but ds1 is cutting 2 more teeth. He has his bottom 2 in the middle and these are the fang like incisors at the top I always thought the middle top were the next ones??

I'm dreading teething starting Magnolia. The other 2 were over 8mo so I'm hoping I've got a few more weeks to go. My cousin's ds had his teeth come through in a funny order but they all appeared eventually!

oli-

dd1 said to a wailing dd2

Why are you crying Olivia? Is it because you don't like mummy?

Lol, margo. At least dd2 is too small to give her an answer!

lol @ olihan's children talking

at the conversations kids have! Our elderly neighbour died on saturday, so DD1 has been playing lots of 'death' games where she gets to lie very still then bounce up, grow wings and meet god.

We're in Scotland, and honestly the schools start back next Tuesday. Unbelievable.

DD2 has just stuffed herself with pancakes filled with cheese, and one filled with a really yummy pear and apple spread. It's just made out of juice - they must boil it down really hard to make it syrupy. May try that when I run out of this tub.

Hello!!!!!!!!!

I am back in Durham!!!!!! Yipee!!!!!!

I am also on super slow pay as you go dial up so going to go sort out e mails and then sit and read this offline to catch up.

In brief, have job (well dp does), house (rented) and car, ds moved house very well the first time but bit unsettled now, also has a tooth, loves solids and has learned to roll onto his front but not back so getting me up 5 times or so a night to rescue him from whatever daft positions he has got himself into in his cot.

Speak more soon x

Welcome back, Indith! We've missed you!! good news on the job, house, tooth, eating, rolling