FEB 07 - 6 months down already!

[suzi2]

A new thread for the second half year

It's there now, Baby driver had to go to meet her son... we will get a picie of her next time!!
suis I'm also quite about the developmental comment. Lots of children don't crawl.. they bum shuffle or as sally says just get up.

Suis - sandy reminds me of DS at that age, sitting very well and not doing much else. DS crawled after he cruised and started walking at 12-13 months. By which time you'd never have known he was a tummy time hater! Glad to hear you got out of the car park BTW...

I'm not sure what to say on here as I don't want to depress everyone... I'm feeling really low I guess. I have been for a long time, but I've been depressed in the past and know that I'm not this time as I have up days. DD doesn't settle at all and I can't help but to blame myself. She's up and down all night, nees fed/rocked/drugged (medised, Drs recommendation when really bad ) to get to sleep. I try most days to encourage self settling but it rarely happens. She's chronically overtired but I can't get her to take more sleep in the day. She's knackering herself too with the shuffling/crawling. And she's now (suddenly!) sitting VERY well for long periods of time and also attempting to cruise when standing leaning on furniture. I sometimes think she's just learning too much/fast to settle. But I fell so crap about it all. I feel that I'm missing out on DS because I spend the whole day attending to DD. DS is tantrumming loads (like a normal 2 yr old I suppose) and I'm losing my cool with him which is pretty unfair. My evenings are spent soothing DD, bouncing her hammock, tidying up and popping on here if I'm lucky. I have no life outside babies, which althought I thought was OK, I guess isn't. I feel so sad that I can't enjoy DD at all, that she's just an annoyance to me at the moment. But also feel bad that I've failed her so badly that she can't even go to sleep. I really can't bear to love her at times.

Big, Huge hug Suzi2. It's about as hard as it can be isn't it? My gran always used to say when it gets too bad, bundle everyone up and get out the house.Even if just to the park. Something about the fresh air. Any mother and toddler groups near you? Search in amongst the supermums (they are all pretending) and you'll find quite a few women about to pop and somehow holding it together. The 2 year old can run around and just be 2, the baby will be amused and you may even get a biscuit!
Seriously, you need lots of hugs..dish them out as well and ask for help..family, friends, medical proffs..don't be proud. It's lonely at home.
The sleep thing is hard and it will eventually settle. Some kiddies don't sleep well and there is nothing you can do except take it a day at a time. It's not your fault...just be proud that you have two strong, stubborn and wonderfully spirited children.
Well done...thinking of you and cheering you on. (Henry wakes 5 to 6 times in the night and always ends up in our bed.He has to be breastfed back to sleep, and refuses to nap for more than 20 mins at a time in the day...just like DD1...she worked it out eventually, and I aged!)
Keep going..we're here for you.xxx

suzi2, hang in there xx. You haven't failed at all - you're doing a grand job coping with two kids and holding things together anyway you know how. Agree with sallyallyally that fresh air is a wonderful thing.

The babydriver household is getting ready for DS1's first schoolday tomorrow - just a taster session. Nametags all sewn in (badly but hopefully securely), tantrums and bad behaviour reaching a peak... Can no longer leave DSs alone together for any time without some or other petty act of violence, which is doing my head in. Piece in the Guardian about starting school earlier this week said that this might go on for the whole term (oh joy).

All I need do now is make sure I have tissues stuffed in every pocket...!

Hi everyone, babydriver, I hope the first drop off for school went alright. Was it the typical thing of him being fine and you being a wreck?
Suzi2 - big hug. I totally take my hat off to anyone with 2 as it's bloomin hard work with only one. Like Sallyallyally said, if you can get out, does that help? I find that it keeps DS amused to have other people to look at. The sleep thing must be really hard though and you are doing fantastically well to be functioning at all. Maybe the crawling/cruising will eventually help her sleep longer. If all else fails, CBeebies saves my sanity on many an early evening. I've made you a cup of tea and have some Bakewell tarts, so put the TV on, settle down and have a 5 min break!

As Babydriver said, hang in there Suzi2! Things will get better.

Had two emails about a Midlands meet up, so if interested, pls get in touch.

It's my birthday today, so pls raise a glass or cup of something.... DP is surfing the Fiatforum, so I have got time to post.

He is also supposed to write his assignment and help DS to make my birthday cum Xmas present.... is this the man I should marry???

Happy Brithday Bienchen! Hope your day got better - your DP sounds like my DH!!

Suiz2, a big hug for you! You're doing a grand job. Is there anyone that can take the children even if its just for a couple of hours?

I dont seem to get time to post now I'm back at work. I only work 3 days a week, but seem to spend the rest of the week squeezing loads of stuff in. We went camping to Greenbelt on the bank holiday weekend. It was okay, but such a faff with a small child!

DS seems to be growing up so quickly. Hes 29 weeks now and sits up well and tries to crawl. His smile is just so cute!

Good news is we've finally exchanged, so we're on our way to Gloucester on Friday. The flat is a tip and there is 'stuff' everywhere. I'm scared we might lose DS in the middle of it!

I was sorry to miss the London meet up. I'd be keen to meet up with you all at the baby show...

Happy birthday Bienchen. Just opening a bottle of red so will raise a glass to you.

Happy birthday Bienchen! 21 again??

Happy birthday yesterday, Bienchen!

We had DD1's birthday party yesterday and we went swimming again today so we've had a fun weekend, DD2 just goes along with everything and is very easy going, we hardly even notice she's there sometimes! She's getting more fun now though, she's developing her sense of humour - she loves to splash her older sister in the bath, I think it's her way of getting her back for all the things she does during the day . She's sitting better too - when she doesn't get pushed over she can sit for a minute or two before falling on her face.

Henry having his second 5 in 1 today. (yes...very late, I know). Predictably I'm a wreck! Can cope with any major medical incident, then when it comes to someone doing something to my kids that might hurt them I'm a sobbing mess! What a wuss! DH has taken him whilst I stay home biting my nails as, frankly, I don't think I would be a lot of use...more likely to worry him as I'm usually beaming not wobbley lipped. Will seek out chocolate and try to stop being so pathetic.

Back again! All went fine, except nurse misjudged the strength in his legs and he escaped from her the first time, so she ended up jabbing him twice for the one injection! Blinkin' hopeless!
Has started crawling properly now...was just dragging himself across carpet to furniture, standing up and cruising along...but since injection has started crawling. Could someone check the drug info and see if this is a common side effect?
Trying to get DD to do her homework...nothing strenuous..just a simple numeracy sheet....would be easier to grow wings and fly. Stroppy 7/8 year olds...anyone with experience?

Hi all I've been off to my parents for the weekend.
Hope the first day went ok baby driver.
hope you are feeling better suzi2. The relentlessness of DD gets to me sometimes yor doing really well with two of them
Happy belated birthday bienchen.
Glad yu are finally on the move daizydo. we will make some plans about the baby show soon.
DD is now crawling too and at the weekend some clapping too, maybe a bit of luck than judgement. I keep singing a song and clapping and but she isn't connecting the two. My parents were well chuffed to see it though.

Well I was going to tell you all how impressed I was by DD pushing herself up on to her knees in a kind of straight-bodied crawl/pressup-type pose, but yours are crawling?? Harrumph.

Am I on the right post natal thread? Crawling?!!!! Press Ups !!! DD is barely sitting (FFT looks at DD in a kind of puzzled 'you're not supposed to be doing that yet, are you?' kind of way)

well it's not full blown crawling all the time but she gets on her hands and knees and and moves a few paces but shuffles lots, she can go at quite a speed especially if shoelaces or edible newspaper are about

It's a bit of a novelty for me as DD was always last to get teeth etc etc. Now she's in year 3 at school, not one of us knows who was early/late/on time crawling, standing, talking etc! Henry seems to be a bit ahead of himself at the moment but he is extremely strong...his daddy is a chimney sweep and was a keen rugby player and had big, broad shoulders...he seems to have inherited his physique and inability to sit still for long.Has unfortunately not inherited my love of sleeping

Peachygirl...I was thinking of supplying a 'newspaper' recipe for those mums own jars....just a jar with a sheet of tabloid in it. Henry would eat the whole thing...self feeding and all!

FFT - sitting? You're one step ahead of us then! She can sit up when put in her bouncy chair, she nearly tipped it over yesterday, but put her on the floor and she balances for about 3 seconds then goes wump.

Thanks for all your messages. I've still been feeling low but I'm trying to take it a bit easier on myself. My mum & dad are local and I'm at theirs most days so I have a lot of help with my two. But it's not enough help lol. I'm really lucky to have them helping out or I reckon DD would never have been conceived and DS would be in a skip somewhere

DD's shuffling/crawling/rolling is a bit of a novelty to us too as DS was much later with these things, though he sat far earlier. Once we're all another few months down the line we probably won't even remember when our babies did these things! It's really hard (when it's your first especially) not to worry. But there's such a range or 'normal' with these things. And with DS I was always wanting him to get onto the next thing (in the hope he'd start sleeping lol) and now I realise that I didn't enjoy the stages as they happened. So enjoy the moment. If they're sitting and toppling have a giggle.

Hi all, Sounds like your doing exactly the right thing suzi2. Grab all the help you can get. The kids will get older and easier and you'll feel more normal eventually. Need to take my own advice though. I went in to an awayday at work today and have come back feeling quite teary and very overwhelmed. Had to concentrate soo hard just to understand what people were going on about and it felt soo much work and really stressful. Didn't help that my periods came back yesterday so got cramps and DD still not drinking from a bottle so worried about her throughout the day. Phoned at lunchtime and mum said it hadn't been going too well but not to worry! Sure it will get easier but it feels really hard at the moment!

DD sat on the sofa this morning and announced she wasn't going to school...she was going to stay home and play on her nintendo!!!!!!!!!!! At 4'5" and about 4 1/2- 5 stone I was glad that I didn't have to pick her up and drag her along! Suddenly Henry seemed very light, cute and portable!!!!!
(she did go to school of course....that wasn't up for debate....happy as larry when she got there!)

Sally you have to give your DD 10/10 for trying!!

Chaos reigns in our household, I'm beginning to despair that we'll get everything done - but I'm sure it'll all happen! Had a nightmare this morning as the washing machine has decided to pack up, so rather than packing boxes, I had to rinse clothes out by hand!! Looks like we're going to have to take some dirty real nappies with us - mmm nice!

Anyhow I'll bid you all farewell as DH wants to pack the computer up and that then gives me no excuse not to do some more packing!

Managed to sneak on to the laptop , just wanted to ask if anyone has a telly addict baby!?!? DS just can sniff a TV at 50 paces and just stares at it like a true couch potato!!

Anyhow off again...

Daizydo DD loves the simpsons and the nigt garden - although I am quite obsessed with that too!
When I went back to work for those three weeks in July DD and D watched alot of Hitchcock films!