may babies get sevenny

[spots]

Nice here eh? Seven is a lovely magic number.

DD has horrible cough off DH. They are both hacking away like nanny goats so our house is rather noisy and I s'pose I'll have to get it too, sooner or later. A real workout for the immune system at 6 months anyway.

Think maybe my purees were a little bit lumpy for DD. She really went for the bought stuff I gave her today, and I was quite reassured. Anyone actually tried the Hipp apple and blueberry? So tasty I could have it on toast , no probs.

Georgina hope your hands, feet and mouths are OK.

Twiglett you are a rascal... sleeping through eh? what on earth is she thinking of?

Think I would rather miss my little overnight fixes of DD if she didn't remind me of her presence every 3 hours or so.

kbaby - I do the bath after tea thing every night. And normally its no problem.

I was told that too Twiglett. And while I agree that it was pants, DS failed his, got referred, failed several more technical ones and had his second lot of grommets and adenoidectomy in September. Don't think the newborn screening would pick up on glue ear since that develops over time.

The newborn hearing test did strike me as pointless to be honest - what on earth can you tell at 1 day old? although I know his hearing is okay as he responds to his name (when His Lordship is in the mood to that is)

Apart from my worrying about weaning we are all going through a lovely fuzzy phase mood wise (touch wood, fingers crossed and snog a rabbit's foot). He had a funny spat of not going down till late recently but this has passed too - he goes down about 8-9 and wakes about 5-6. This morning he didn't wake at all and I ended up answering the door to my work colleague who gives me a lift in each day - luckily I had me best Monsoon jimjams on . . . instead of my usual vest and big pants grabbed in the dark look . . . I have never moved so fast and DP was quite the star in my trail dust - although he called in "sick" to get over the excitement of it all - the cheeky bum.

Got the hearing test here too, but I assume it'll be the same as when he was newborn - they have a gizmo that bounces off their eardrum and checks that they can theoretically hear - much more effective than the previous ones apparently. Don't know if they'll use the same device for the check here though. (Although I get our 8 month check when ds2 will be 7 months?! - 6th December it's booked for...)

Hurrah - Husband has landed! Trying to keep expectation of prezzies fairly low although will be gutted to receive nowt!
Egypt - we are over in Derby at the weekend! Keep your eyes peeled for a portly 6 month old, a 3 year old using the buggy board as a scooter, a DH looking like somebody who has been abroad living the life of Riley for the past week, and me - small, and probably clutching a soggy rice cake.

not such a good time here
ds got a cold again! and i think teeth are bothering him again - he wouldn't eat much and is very whiney all day. and just starts crying out loud with no app reason to me.
unfortunately at night too. he wakes 4-5 times each night. sometimes just cries out loud and starts sobbing or finding himself on his tummy and getting stressed out over it.
don't know what to do anymore...
oh and lately he wakes around 5.30ish am (he used to go till 7ish)
and daytime naps are not really happening either
so well, bit diff atm

but heyho, can only get better

bozza: ds always has bath after dinner! he's been sick a couple of times but wasn't bothered and just kept splashing about - that's something he really enjoys! we are thinking about putting our wetsuits on when we bath him! everything gets soaked nowadays

ds got hearingtest wk6 - just like Georgina said: some sound into ear and bounces back if they hear it properly - besides that i know that he hears well anyways! his head is just popping around all day towards every noise he can detect

kbaby: like your earplugs comment

ds is very verbal; he's talking all day. mamamama, crrrrrrr, bbbbbb - but i have to admit we sit down a few times to practice

lately he is watching dp and me very closely. esp when we eat! i mostly end up giving him something to try

Bozza commiserations on your nighttime antics. What was your experience of nights with DS? Our nights are actuallly a bit better atm - whether because of scheming or no I can't tell. She has woken once at 4 ish the last week or so. I give her just the smallest possible feed and a drink of water, so she knows she's being looked after but not getting a full meal. Tho' if she's had hardly ANYthing solid during the day she gets a bit more.

Have had bolt of lightning realisation that even one whole day of childminder will be v. difficult. DD really wants me to do everything and I want to be able to show her that I can be consistently there for her. I spoke to one c/minder who, while being very nice, operated a sort of convenience culture household, babies asleep in buggies while older ones played around them etc. I don't think DD would be very compliant and it would take her ages to adapt. It really put me off. Then of course I spoke to someone else who soounded lovely, and I will go and meet her with long term plans in mind... but for the time being I have said to my colleague that I will be more of a consultant than a designer on our new show next year. oh blah blah of course I feel like this is a watershed but nobody really cares except me; DD is none the wiser! and DH is v. understanding though anxious about £££... Luckily because theatre pay is so shite I'm not giving up a major source of household income!

Poor Susi, but we ALL say 'it's just a phase, it's just a phase...' and you know it''s not DS's nature to be unhappy. I'm sure it's because he feels unwell.

Wher can I find the back to front pants story Twiglett / Libb????

By the way I really don't want to sound like I'm criticizing anyone else's work/cminding arrangements. If DD wasn't so very reliant on me I prob. wouldn't be so hesitant, and I do have the luxury of choice to a certain extent. that said, still don't know how I'll do what work I have committed to irrevocably...

I'm a bit ashamed to say I can't really remember what DS was like Spots. But I know I wasn't feeding him in the night at all at this age but don't think he was going through consistently. Last night we had our pattern of two feeds which will have to carry on at the moment because DD still has upset tummy (9 dirty nappies today ...TMI I know!).

Georgina DS has his test at 7 months - I think thats the way they do them around here.

Good luck for a better night Susi.

Just had a row with DH about DS's swimming. This follows the swimming lesson from hell with DS this morning. Still with DH so keeping out of his way on here.

ds2 had his first drink of water today - I think he was a bit miffed no booby after his "lunch" and he gave me a TRULY disgusted look after sucking the water from his sippy cup - I was evil, I laughed! He survived though and still had a good sleep. AND he ate better at 2.30. Definitely dropping that breastfeed permanently now.

Felt a bit sad today though. It occurred to me that in less than two months time he'll be the same age ds1 voluntarily gave up bfing and less than three months time ds1 started going to nursery one day a week. Ds2 in comparison still seems so little... I'm definitely not ready to give up bfing yet (not that I was with ds1) - it's scary how quickly this first year is going.

Ok, how weird is this, I posted a message last night and it's not here. How very odd.

Trying to remember what I'd said in it. It was about the hearing tests and how dd2 had hers the day fter she was born and we don't get another test at 8 months old.

and I said that dd2 likes to growl, which is really funny and dd1 growls back at her which then leaves them both giggling.

Wonder where it went.

Anyway, still no snow here, but really really cold. it was -6 last night apparently, don't know what it's going to get to tonight. I watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban last night. What an adventure that was. Put the DVD in the DVD player and it wouldn't work. Sent dh a text message saying that it wasn't working. He said I could use the PS2 to play DVD's but it wouldn't work on that either. In the end I watched it on the PC. Dh came home from work put the dvd in the dvd player and hey presto the damn thing worked for him. He kept saying it's working you must have been doing something wrong, so I told him the DVD player knew that it was him and it likes him better than me.

Georgina that makes me feel sad! I don't have any comparison but of course you are right, it's fairly skidding by...

I can't imagine DD ever, ever giving up b/feeding. Sometimes I wish it was more within sight. I don't want a fight about it!

wish dd would give up bf at night though. wish she would want it more in the day! that said, she screamed at me in her highchair this lunch time. i took her out and bf her. she was happy then, and did eat a bit of lunch, but no way near as much as should have.

something weird happened to me this week. about weds i received a text message from 'laura' asking me if i wanted to go for a chinese meal on saturday as she was arranging one. i know 'laura' from school (work). i replied yes please, let me know where and when. a day or 2 later she wrote back, '8.15 at chinatown on dee st'. i wrote back - 'where is that? coalville?' she replied 'on dee st, near crown st, i think. glad u can make it c u then'.

so last night i got on the pc, needing to look up exactly where dee st was. couldnt get online so texted mutual friend who i knew would be going, as also from school and she said she knew nothing about it. was also q miffed as thought laura had arranged a meal without her, which is very unlikely. then i realised laura didnt have my new mobile no and how strange it was to organise a school meal so near to the christmas one. hmmmph. yes you guessed it......rang and SPOKE to laura who had not texted me at all! i had no idea who this person was and there i was arranging to meet them!!!!! texted 'laura' back and told her she must have sent the msg to the wrong person. she relpied 'aren't you scott's mum?!' erm...nope.
so weird......

right, gotta see to dd xxxxxxxxx

hello everybody!
poor ds has got a cold again
very snotty, cough, sneezing and bright red cheeks; so teeth are still bothering him too!
but he still is laughing a lot
right now he is on dp's lap and they are playing xbox. well, ds is pushing buttons and destracting dp from playing
had to cancel our babyswimming today. hope he will be well enough tom to go to signing.
eating is not too bad; cooked some mince and fish for him; he loves both (poor dp didn't realise that he defrosted some fish today and almost got sick; he just doesn't like fish)
and now i am cooking some lentils yummy

egypt: what a weird story

somehow i am glad that we are done with bf. esp when i read all your comments.
big hug to all of you who will be there sooner or later!!!

Egypt - DH got a text once saying "how's the arse?". He replied saying "fine thanks....who are you???!!" Then received hurried, apologetic phonecall from a bloke who thought he had texted a friend due to have colonic irrigation that day!

Wierd Egypt and LOL at Judd.

DS slept until 9 am today! Turns out he is poorly - upset tummy and cold/cough like DD. She's been fairly jolly today but still had 8 dirty nappies so still feeding her dioralyte. The other odd thing was that she went through until 4 am so skipped a night feed. It was great. She's taking her formula better though and some solids - gave her chicken and papaya (a la Annabel Karmel) for tea and she loved it. I thought it was quite yummy too.

oh my, what a poor mite! ds or me, that's the question here
such a bad cold; i can hear him breathing over the monitor that's how loud he is
but he seems to be happy and giggly still!
might go signing today to give us both a break.
just so exhausting to stick at home all the time!

lol@judd

dp is having a great time with ds atm. he said it's getting easier since ds is starting to play!
yday they played with a ball and it was just so cute to watch them
and dp also does the bath every night.
when he undresses ds he then holds him over his shoulder and ds is just soooo ticklish and wherever you touch him he starts giggling and laughing

thats very sweet susi.

lol judd!

sorry about your poor lo's with colds and bad tummies.

cant seem to do cc at the mo as dd has gone to bed either awake or asleep but not cried for over a week. dont like to do it when she wakes the first time as i'm not wholly convinced she's not hungry. she doesnt seem to eat much during the day. last night she woke at 9.30, so shouldnt be hungry i know, but dh said he's go to her. his idea of cc was picking her up and cuddling her on his lap for 5 mins, giving her some water and cuddling her some more, bless! i went in a said, 'well if you've picked her up i may as well put her on boob'. she was really upset and when he saw how she desperately latched on he felt really crap, saying 'that's all she wanted isn't it?'...walked out with a pout on. poor mite. bless.

aaaaanyway, night wasnt so bad. she did wake about an hour later but then went through til 5 then 8.30

i have to apologize big time to cat, libb and whoever is going on friday. no can do . dh's uncle is home from working at sea and hasnt seen dd yet. he will be at mil's house on friday and we said we'd see him the next time he was home. so sorry. bum. had to be that day.

hello everyone.
Had a day of seeing what it would REALLY be like talking DD with me to work. First day of rehearsal for Xmas show (not a new show; not big build up; not big tension) ...It was OK. Obviously it's a children's show, so songs and stuff that I quietly joined in with (to her) and she needed joggling around, but was v. sweet and grabbed my mouth a lot and grinned at everyone. I don't have to be in rehearsals that much, it's just prob. the most difficult part of the job to do with her in tow. And of course I will be doing lots of delegating...

Susi how are you finding the signing? do you manage to keep it up at home?

Hi everyone!

Awwww poor everyone with cough, colds and tummy upsets. Hope you all get better soon.

Oh poo Egypt never mind can't be helped.
Okay so who is able to make it?

Susi-I know, i can't walk very far at the moment with my knee, so am trapped in the house as well. It's very draining isn't it?

Bozz-Yum! Chicken and papaya, sounds lovely. I still haven't found anything kiera will eat that doesn't come out of a damn jar!!

Judd- What a fab story

Kiera also had her hearing test the day after she was born.

Should i be concerned that kiera still isn't rolling or making vowel noises oh wise ones? She doesn't show any inclination to sit up or pull herself up or anything either. She still doesn't seem to have a mummy daughter bond with me either she never seems relaxed in my arms or cuddly in any way it all screams "autism" at me very loudly, tho i'm sure even if she did have it, it would be too early to tell. Tell me should i be concerned and whisking her to the docs or is this just the bloody PND making me imagine things?

Take care everyone and let me know who is coming on Friday, i have an image of it just being me and kiera at the moment!

xxxx

i'd love to come cat but firstly you are far too far away for me and secondly ds is still poorly
he was getting tired 5ish but we managed to keep him till 6.30 (feed and bath). normally it takes him longest 10 min to go to sleep. today i finally managed to put him to sleep at 9
i even took him out of his cot to rock him; what i never ever do!!! but atm he is asleep - i just hope i'll get some sleep too tonight
might go to the doctors tom. he hardly ate anything today (only 11oz milk!! and 2 cubes veg)
and poo is quite liquid and he keeps rubbing his ear

cat, i wouldn't be worried just now. every baby is different and lucas just started sitting up and be glad that kiera can't roll over; lucas manages on one side but still not back and can drive me crazy with it sometimes
and cuddly in my arms? somehow it seems to me he always laughs at the one who is NOT holding him. he's got me all day anyways so boring to him. daddy gets big smiles as soon as he enters the room
i bet kiera does diff things that lucas doesn't do yet!

re signing: had to cancel today and it's quite hard to keep it up at home. i do only 2 signs at one time (recommended) that is milk and food and i think i am not too bad doing them. but make him look at you when the only thing he wants is only his milk/food
but what i did on my own was whenever i pick him up i made him raise his arms. so when i say the word and do a gesture along with it he actually raises his arms now - really cute

spots: what exactly do you do? sounds fun

hope all the poor lo's are well again soon!
and all the mums will get some proper sleep

Hi Cat

I copied your paragraph so I could deal with each thing at a time .. hope you don't mind .. just didn't want to risk you being left with a worry

"Should i be concerned that kiera still isn't rolling" ... NO

"or making vowel noises" ... NO

"She doesn't show any inclination to sit up or pull herself up or anything either" ... DOESN'T MATTER .. they can't pull themselves up, and DD can't sit either .. but I've seen her sitting propped on the couch .. that's great

"She still doesn't seem to have a mummy daughter bond with me either she never seems relaxed in my arms or cuddly in any way" ... SOME BABIES ARE JUST LIKE THAT I'm afraid (DS was and so was at least one of my nephews) .. it gets better, please don't worry about that. Also with what you're going through at the moment there's a big chance you're projecting

"it all screams "autism" at me very loudly"... IT SO ISN'T its just a baby being a baby .. I know for a fact .. I've seen the giggling clip .. that is not a baby who doesn't do eye contact or respond.

"Tell me should i be concerned and whisking her to the docs" ... NO

"or is this just the bloody PND making me imagine things" .. PROBABLY DOESN'T HELP (but we all do it, PND or not)

HTH

Cat, please don't worry - here in the Libb household we seem to be going through another shift in behaviour so all the new sounds/mannerisms got me over excited (my time with DS being of so much value these days) - I didn't mean to start everyone thinking about the latest antics of their loved ones. You are all WAY ahead of me with the weaning and I still have some bad habits from the earlier days that need ironing out . . .

Twiglett you are always ace, as always, with the reassuring and making sense. Thank you.

Meanwhile, we are all swapping colds like good uns and poor old DS has a chesty cough that won't shift - and the most bizarre sleep pattern to date (I don't care for it much )

morning all.. aww cat, you have nothing to worry about like twiglett says. dd wont cuddle me at all. she is totally not a cuddle baby. she will squirm to get away and screech at me if i hold her to. sad, but she is a great baby, like your dd - makes eye contact, giggles, babbles, (well sort of) etc. your video showed just what a little star you have.

so sorry about friday, i feel pants. dont want to go to mil's at all, especially as she suggested we stay, then they stay at ours the saturday!!!!! arrrrrrrgh.

next door neighbour brought her grandaughter round yesterday....with a stinking cold. jeeez we've just got over the last one. thoughtful.

am waiting for the night to do cc. how weird is that. i just can't do it when she wakes i'm too tired. midnight and 4am isnt so bad for waking is it ? thing is, it's great, but she goes to bed and won't murmer, even when wide awake. and like i said i think, i just dont want to do it when she wakes later as i'm not totally convinced she isnt hungry. she drinks gallons.

am intrigued by your baby signing susi. you've been talking about it for a while havent you? but i've been reading it as baby singing . is there a website on this type of signing? v interested.

morning everybody
had a quite "normal" night. ds woke 4 times but not due to cold but of him being on front again - will he ever learn? do you think i should let him learn to get used to it and just leave him??? or any ideas how to deal with it???

but he seems much brighter and he emptied the bottle and his breakfast too - so fingers crossed

cat: i thought kiera is a very giggly girl, isn't she?? dont' you worry; just as monty python say ".. look at the bright siiiide of life, dudum dudumdidumdidum ..." (be glad you can't hear me now )

egypt: i thought i give it a go and if it's only to see other mums with their lo's. but the teacher had her 18mth boy with her and he actually signed; very cute
www. tinytalk dot co dot uk - that's what i do. and it's 30min of "signing" singing, rhymes and dancing and lots of moving about! it finishes with using instruments (babies and mums) and then the toys come out and 30min playtime and mums get tea/biscuits and chat away
just for that it's nice to go there. oh and it costs 4pd/session - the one i go to is a ^drop in one, so if i can't go i don't and won't miss much - she concentrates on 5 signs a session but obviously does lots more. but again at home concentrate on 2 signs and when you see some respond move on. they say by 6mths babies are able to relate signs, words and things. but just can't talk. and give it 2 months or though and they should start using the signs ...
well and it certainly is fun

I think signing sounds great too. my mum is a speech and language therapist and keeps cutting articles on it out of the paper... think I know what we might be getting from santa...

Cat I was so surprised that you said you and Keira don't seem to have a mother daughter bond. You talk so brilliantly about 'me and Keira' like you are a little team. I have the impression that you absolutely DO have an EXCELLENT bond, but I think there's a lot of worry and overload on the mother daughter bond in particular and you can get anxious about it very easily. It's either got to be really brilliant or really terrible! Our babies are still very little and we're still finding out about each other. Please don't imagine that what you see in K. at the moment is the sum of your relationship from now on! Especially because what you see in her can change so much from day to day depending in how you feel/behave with her as well as how she feels/behaves. Fret not, lots of time. She does sound wonderful and that's from what YOU'VE told us!

Sorry Lucas is so miserable Susi. It really is that time of year isn't it? Prufrock, hope poxes are abating.....

Egypt, I have got quite used to feeding DD at 4am myself, after all my grand plans. Like you, I just look at her behaviour and think 'hungry baby... Feed!' an easy thing to think at 4am. Also because she eats such small quantities of solid stuff still.

and I am a theatre designer and associate director of children's theatre co., but freelance as well so lots of bits and pieces...illustration and stuff. Yes it is sort of fun, but all in such a state of flux at the moment... the company's doing brilliantly just as I decide to take a back seat!