Jan 07 (Part 20) Well as the master of lists I have the birthday list here and new thread to celebrate all the 1st birthdays

[eandh]

Bit late as we missed kat ds (sorry belated happy birthday)

Coffeebaubles 22/12/06 Will 3.2Kg (is this now katwith3kittens)
Rgee 31/12/06 Pippa Holly 6lb 150z
Nemo 05/01/07 Chloe Alexandra
Eandh 5/1/07 Hattie Alice 6lb 13oz
Dragonhart 5/1/07 Ruth Joanne 6lbs 3oz
UrbanDryad 5/1/07 Zachary Oliver 6lb 8oz
Shimmer 8/1/07 Freddie Christopher 7lb 10oz
Jodieg1 11/1/07 Ethan 8lb 2oz
Wilkie 12/1/07 Jacob Allan 7lbs
vinorouge 13/1/07 Ellen Dorothy 8lb 4oz
Laughalot 14/1/07 Lauren Mackenzie 6lb 15oz
Looshkin 14/1/07 William 9lb 6oz
Hattie2 15/1/07 Jacob Oliver 10lb 2oz
Canmummy 15/1/07 Abigail Eve 7lb 9oz
LadyTophamHatt 16/1/07 George Frasier 8lb 11oz
PCF 18/1/07 Max David 7lb 8.5oz
Lizzzombie 20/1/07 Dylan Jack Peter Thompson 8.5lb
Bunnyhunny - 20/01/07 Saul William 6lb 1oz
2Happy 2/2/07 Matthew 7lb 14oz

Passes birthday cake and party hats round

Cant chat im currently on the radiator drying out

Laughalot ... why ?

Wilkie .. CP with your friend sounds lovely.

Susie .. no ideas sorry but when you find out what works you must let me know !

Reggiee. .. Just checked my diary and June is clear. You MUST come up to Northumberlnd and then 2H and I can meet you on a beach somewhere. Oh go on, you know you want too I've got a few friends who own cottages along that coastline.. I think they use Northumberland Cottages to advertise.

Lizz ..Low Newton is my fave place as well, have you been to Sugar Sands bay a few miles south too? I love it there as well.

Dont thinkI could face working with the public after those horror stories

Went into town this morning (and yes the 75% Boots sale has started) Can you guess what I bought.....

a MOONCUP

Now I KNOW I've been on MN too long !

Is the boots sale instore too? Are the kids clothes in the sale???? (oh and you are gross too - bloody mooncup - you great big lentil weaver )

LAL - don't stay on there too long or you will shrink! PMSL

Still no work to do.............

Clothes depends wilkie - some are but normally horrible ones, our Boots always has a big rack of clothes with money off but hardly anything in normal sizes its always tiny/early baby stuff.

Ellie and I have made chocolate people biscuits and cupcakes today (although my Dad came round then Lou next door popped in etc there are no buscuits left )

Need to feed E and H just waiting for the spag part of spag bol to finish cooking

Hello. Happy birthday to the birthday babes!
DH still at work. Yawn.
Hope you've all dried out now and are not flooded.
Had a great day at work today. Went in late as I 'popped' in to Boots on my way in - arrived at work an hour and a half later with a bag or two. Went out for lunch with my mates three hours later. Came back two hours after that, then left ten minutes later (via Boots again) leaving early to go pick lo up. Marvellous!
Got a few bitsw and pieces in the 75% off sale at Boots, some for now and some to put away for next Xmas. But no mooncup. After reading all the MN chat about these, I have to admit I am most intrigued. So Kat, you will have to give me an honest opinion.
Fuck cat's got a mouse

Happy birthday J and A

Meant to say before - eandh glad you got a refund, I'll keep scouring the local paper for another one!

Someone tell ds2 to blardy sleep!! If it's not one it's the other. I think he's overtired, not been sleeping well at night, and refusing to nap for CM since we got back from holiday.

KW3 - definitely up for a beach meet with you and RGee!

2Happy - Calpol Night!! J went straight down - we gave it to him half hour before bed. I know it is awful to do but I figure if we can get him back into a routine using it for a few nights then so be it!

He's finally gone off now, but unfortunately his hollering has woken ds1 who had actually gone to sleep when put to bed for the first time since we got back from holiday and now he won't settle . I know I have crappy insomnia, but did I have to pass it onto my kids???

Well, kids finally in bed.

Lo had a lovely birthday we took her to a play gym this am which she seemed to enjoy and aren't long back from taking them out for tea. We took them to an italian with no kids menus and let them choose what they wanted (we have a thing about chicken nuggets etc on lots of kids menus when we're eating nice stuff - hence they now eat all sorts of food that some adults would turn their noses up at!)

I'm taking her to a mums and tots group in the morning and realised I've no cake for her. I've 2 choices - a dairy free chocolate one that I have in the cupboard (which I can imagine being smeared all over the kids) or the leftovers of her one from the party on sunday which I think looks a bit tight. Any ideas?

Next disaster to befall (their always is one in our house ) is I promised dd1 a guinea pig for her birthday on friday and I've been let down by someone who'd promised me a pair. Therefore I've 2 days to find 2 bl**dy guinea pigs!!

Also quickly visited boots sale this am it was brill - got some pressies for next year, 2 big bagfulls for less than £15! Never thought to look on-line so off to visit now

Is my child the only one that doesn't sleep when they are given medised or calpol night?? I've given them for teething before and they made no difference at all to his sleeping. So far tonight he went to bed at 6.30 knackered after 1 30 min nap ALL DAY and then woke at 7.30 to feed.

Upstairs 15 mins later and then awake again at 8, same again then up at 9. Killing me this is.

Awaiting next wake up....

My kids definitely sleep on it, Jodie, but tonight I'm beginning to think it's a reeeally bad thing. ds1 is still awake, but he's exhausted. He's not slept before 9 any night since we got back from holiday on friday - and I'm worried that using it to get him to sleep every night we were away means he now is unable to go to sleep properly without it

I wish I could think of a suggestion for you Jode. Obv he needs to learn how to settle without your boobs, but that's only ever going to happen with him getting upset, which is so horrible to go through, and exhausting when you're already exhausted.

Jodie i'm not sure capol or medised make much difference to F either. Well, i've used medised a couple of times recently when he's had a really heavy cold as it's meant to help them breathe better, but he sill woke up loads coughing and spluttering.

I have to agree with 2Happy that it seems like you're probably just have to be really harsh and pursuade Ethan that he HAS to settle without feeding every time. Hope things get better for you soon.

We've got Freddie's first introductory session at nursery tomorrow morning. I'm not too scared cos we stay with him the whole time for the first visit. Ocassionally i do think about him staying a whole day there without the people he knows and feel a wave of panic and guilt, but i know it's for the best really.........

2happy maybe the holiday has put him out of synch? That's what I want to avoid really, I look at his little fac and he's just a baby still and I can't bear to have him cryin

Shimmer same reason I've tried it, don't know why I said teething, meant snotty to aid the breathing but didn't help. I just wish I knew where to start. My first two were never like this so I really have no idea. I hope the session goes wll tomorrow, I'm sure Freddie will be fine

Jodie - have you got No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley? worked well for Z for a while till we moved house.

Is that the ssh pat one? Or pu/pd? I've tried picking him up and putting down but the second he's put down he stands up and screams again. He will not lay down awake, he'll stand up and scream.

it's a method called Gradual Withdrawal. it has a foreword by Sears, which is whu i thought you might like it. if you MSN or CAT me your address i'll lend you my copy. it's the best sleep book i've read yet!

I was thinking of buying that tomorrow UD. I've evne considered CC, thats how much at the end of my tether I am.

Jodie, I'm SO with you on this one... we have two peas in a pod on their sleeping/lack of. they seem to do exactly the same thing. She hardly sleeps in the day at all. I know the theory is that the more tired they get, the worst they sleep at night. but I put her down, and she will only snooze for an hour TOPS mid arvo...

She's actually asleep now. I did a mix of CC and shushing and patting. I went back after 5 mins, then 10 mins then 15. each time I shushed, patted and said night night, go to sleep Isobel, go to sleep everyone. In the night gardenesque! I left as she calmed a bit each time. then she stood up crying again. I still left the room but returned. She eventually went to sleep after the 15 minute interval, prob at about 12 minutes ( not that I was counting! )

Have to say, she has not woken yet. Usually she will have at least once. the true test will be at half 1, when she wakes without fail every night. then half 4 then half 6 then usually fully awake... >

I'll deffo go and get that book, or ask mum actually, as I cannot get out of the house with my blardy back today. Do you really think its worth the buy? if so, I'll be getting it tomorrow for sure, got to be worth a go hey?

Calpol Night defo works for us but not Medised. I am doing a mix of controlled crying and whatever else it takes to get him to sleep!!!!!!!!!

He loves his duvet.

Last night DH settled him whilst I was in the bath which worked brilliantly - he is quite clingy with me ATM, crys when I leave the room etc so I wondered if me putting him to bed was upsetting him when I let the room? DH has volunteered to put him to bed every night for the next week to see if it helps get him back into a routine.

I don't see J as a 'baby' anymore, and CC doesn't feel quite so cruel cos he knows I am still about.

Jodie - It is a very tough one but you can't go on as you are because you are exhausted and it isn't fair on the other two either for you to be so tired.

I guess it is a matter of trying to wean him off settling himself with your boobs.

susie - i got my copy second hand on amazon, was only about a fiver including the postage. i'll try and find a link for you.

i am just researching a nursery for Z. i'm applying for jobs in Chesham (part time) ut even if i don't go back to work i might stick him in nursery one morning a week so i can catch up on my sleep. i'm just panicking a bit about how he naps in the day - he always, without fail, nurses to sleep in the day, and he's not so keen on nodding off on a bottle of EBM (although he will if he's really tired). i need to get him to sefl-settle in the day, although i'm tring to get him to self settle at night first.

anyway, those of you with kids in nursery - what do you think of this one?

here you go Susie

morning - we sort of do cc with hattie, I am normally getting e ready for bed when she has gone to bed (story, warm drink etc) so sometimeshattie has to be left so I can make sure Ellie settles okay, normally she'll cry for 10mins I'll pop back in and lay her back doen and then she'll settle.

She is very clingy at the moment as well especially tues,wed and thurs mornings as E at school all morning and if I walk out of the room she either cries or follows me, I don't think she has ever spent much time on her own, there is normally someone around (me,dh, ellie etc) and I think she has just realised.

Am waiting for eggs to boil as ellie and I are having boiled eggs and soldiers to breakfast mmmmmm I cant wait (love dipping soldier into eggs

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEORGE (hope dh had a good birthday yesterday LTH)

UD - thanks I've given up expressing as I just can't be arsed anymore, too tired and when I get some spare time
I want to read or have a bath. Ethan has had cow's milk in a bottle if I'm out without him (rarely) and drinks it ok.
That nursery looks nice to me, are you going to visit it? Looks worth a visit.

Susie - so tiring isn't it, I feel for you too.

Wilkie - I wonder why that is? I think they both have anti-histamine in but different ones. We're trying to get him
attached to a blanket in the hope he'll cuddle that to sleep! I hope that works for you with dh settling, it could well
make all the difference.

eah - I love boiled eggs with soldiers and you made me fancy one but that Jamie Oliver show I finished off last night really
put me off.

pcf - wow that was quick! You must be so pleased at that

I think Ethan is cutting a back tooth at the moment and he's woken in the night with a cold so that won't help now. Atleast
he's had a nap today 1 hour 15 mins yay! That was being held though but it's a start.

Happy birthday George.

Happy Birthday George - lovely and sunny for it down here today too!

UD - nursery website looks good. The fact there is no comic sans font is always a good measure in my opinion!

Shimmer - It took a few weeks for DJ to settle into nursery but he loves it now. And any feelings of guilt which I (may sometimes very occassionally) have are soon washed away when he brings home artwork that he has done as there is no way I would be doing that with him yet at home. Plus his key workers are lovely, and when I pick him up he chunters on for hours to himself chatting, so I guess he is picking things up from the bigger children.

Jodie - I know I rely on medised/calpol/calcough/tixylix/nurofen far too much. I am very aware that he is given alot of it. I try not to give it to him in his milk to pre-empt his screaming now, and only give it to him when he wakes up, pulling his hair/ears and is visibly distressed with his teething. I find nurofen is the most effective, but the Dr told me that it can make their poo more runny. (nice!)

We had 2 hours of screaming last night. From 7-9pm then he was up at 5.30am bright as a button. Needless to say I was more than happy to hand him over to nursery this morning!

UD - if you are thinking about putting Z into nursery, does this mean you are considering going back to work? Details please!

btw - we tried cows milk for the first time this morning, on his cereal. He acted like I was poisioning him! (over dramatic child)

oooh - i've just had a big parcel from Jamaica delivered. How weird. I don't know anyone over there....curious!