August 2021 - They've been here for half a year

[BertieBotts]

Can you believe it! Our lovely little ones are (roughly) halfway to their first birthdays.

Welcome friends old and new for discussion of sleep, teeth, weaning, milestones, navigating post-baby relationships and the whole existential dread of parenthood... I mean those amazing moments when they make your heart melt. Or produce a poo that makes the wallpaper melt. Oh, all of them. Nothing is off limits because it's just good to know that somebody else has been there.

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a lovely mother’s day! Mine was complete with a paw patrol card as my DS1 is OBSESSED at the minute! 🤣

@Inmypjsagain how exciting about crawling! I would say invest in the cushion corner protectors, we had them everywhere the first time around and will be using them again!

Mine isn’t anywhere near crawling, every time I put him on his front now he rolls straight away. He’s like nope, ain’t happening! He’s still a little wobbly sitting up too tbh, is anyone else’s LO like this still?

In terms of food he has food when I have time to give him some! But I’ve discovered he adores blueberries. He would turn into one like Varuca Salt and would easily try and eat a punnet if I let him!

For anyone with boys, when your changing their nappy do they try and PULL OFF their penis. Honestly he grabs it and doesn’t let go! He’s even made his balls bleed on more than one occasion 😵‍💫

Oh my goodness congratulations @Jessicapebbles how exciting!! Did you always want them really close in age?

@Daffodil21 glad to hear your night went better than normal! Mine improved a lot when he went into his own room so I hope it continues for you as well! 😁

@PurplePansy05 i know I’m late to this but I saw the other day on a weaning Instagram account that they made baby prawn toast and thought of your question about introductions shellfish. Maybe that could be an option! 🦐 Hope your doing okay.

Sorry I’m not posting as much, I do read when I get chance then one of the kids tend to distract me!

@Magik01 nope, DS hasn't yet discovered his! He pulls at the nappy though so I'm assuming it'll be the same when he does discover it!

@Magik01 yes, Rowan is absolutely obsessed with his!! (Typical man...) at nappy changes we give him a toy he likes and it seems to distract him - the worst is when he's done a huge poo and everything down there is covered, he still tries to grab!

Congratulations @jessicapebbles

I'm sitting at the hospital waiting to see the blood Dr about my blood screening results. My tests since giving birth were still not normal so more investigation is needed. Hope its nothing dodgy from the blood transfusion.

My DD slept much better after moving into her own room. We're going to visit my sister soon and we'll all be in the same room so I'm hoping we sleep OK.

If baby boys pull at their bits as much as my girl pulls at her nappy then I'd be concerned too!

The weather has been lovely and our house is already starting to heat up! It's a new build so really holds the heat but last summer when I was pregnant was awful as I was just so hot in bed. I think DD will need to be put down in just a sleep suit and bag soon.

@biscuitcat I try and give him a toy which distracts him for all of two seconds until he’s reaching down again 😂 Like you said, typical male!!

Hope everything is okay with your bloods @Ready2020 and it’s nothing too untoward. Also my weather app says it’s meant to snow here this week after the lovely weather we have been having!

Leo is definitely playing with his bits when he's in a bath or getting changed @Magik01 😂 He's fascinated just like when he first discovered his feet! Good shout re prawns, thanks for this!

Ohhhh wow @Jessicapebbles huge congratulations!! You'll have your hands very full now!! 🥰🥰🥰 How lovely to find out on Mother's Day weekend too xx

Thank you everyone!!
So yes we decided that instead of letting the chaos calm down like last time, we would just add to it as we've always said 3 is our number!

We're both really happy! 14 month old and a newborn! Haha let's hope she walks nice and early! Xx

@Jessicapebbles wow congratulations!!

@Daffodil21 sounds like things are going in the right direction anyway 😊🤞🏼

@Jessicapebbles ahhh that’s so exciting! Can’t believe we’ve been on a group so long people are now having more babies 🙈😂 I feel there will be more following suit just shortly ! (Not me - yet 🤪)

Girls, I think you will want to read this, I just came across this article about Champson and Holly ❤

www.kitelinehealth.com/blog/meet-my-sole-surviving-triplet-holly

xx

@PurplePansy05 wow, what a read. I don't know why but it made me a bit emotional when I realised her daughter is now nearly a year old

@PurplePansy05 oh wow, I wasn’t here when this all happened but what an amazing (and terribly sad) story! Makes you realise how lucky you are to have a straightforward time of it ❤️

So he was away for the weekend with friends and I did everything for Freddie myself since Thursday. Last night he was hungover and dozing on the sofa while I did orders then said he was going to bed. The bottles weren’t sterilised but I obviously didn’t realise this at the time. I’ve just woke up to him basically trying to wake me lying Freddie in beside me while he screamed. He was asking me to get up and deal with him while he sterilised a bottle. I thought surely if I’ve done everything for 4 days a) he could have done the bottles last night 🤦🏼‍♀️ And b) why on earth did he think it was somehow my job to do anything this morning?! Do it yourself! He’s away taking him to the kitchen to feed him while shouting about how I didn’t do the bottles last night. I cannot imagine how that situation would have gone if I’d been away all weekend then just tried to wake him up to do it this morning 🙈 it’s like somehow me being on maternity leave qualifies me to have this as my job title so it’s my responsibility at all times 🙄

Some men need to get out of the frame of mind that the starting point is that the woman does 100% of childcare and most of everything else whilst they're "helping".

The starting point is 50%-50% and any modifications need to be agreed by both partners if they work better for everyone in the individual circumstances. Otherwise it's not really a partnership, is it. I see this very clearly in my own household, the moment I decided to stop enabling and compensating, it fell apart. So cliché. xx

@PurplePansy05 thanks for sharing lovely - goodness what a journey they've had

@sarah13xx so frustrating, and so unreasonable of him to even think what he was doing was OK. I had to talk with DH the other week about how I felt I was becoming the default parent and it was exhausting - and to be fair to him, so far he does seem to be making more of an effort (and I'm being less reticent than I was about saying when I'd like him to take over)

Looks perfect Smurf :) This is going around one of the groups, it's Joie's insert guide which is better than the one that comes with the seat for some reason.

Brilliant thanks @BertieBotts
That's a much better guide especially with the approx ages!!

Ladies, is anyone planning a first birthday party? I am stuck. This is because my family is abroad and they've been pathetic. H is in contact with some of his family members but they're very elderly. I have plenty of friends with young babies, as well as with toddlers and older children. Toddlers/older children tend to be a bit wild in my house, obsessing over my poor dog which stressed me out.

What would you do? Throw a garden party and shut off the dog inside? Invite everyone? If they all turn up, that could be 40+ people, madness. Limit to only parents with babies of similar age? Organise a party elsewhere?

What about friends with no children?

How much do people spend?

And finally...do I even bother, as he won't remember any of it anyway?!

Obviously I'm new to this business. I just sat down and worked out that by the time I get him a cake (which I'd like to get), a party with some food & drinks for everyone, some birthday gifts and maybe a first birthday mini photo shoot (but not a cake smash...I hate them), that will cost me hundreds. I am really stuck. Please can someone give my head a wobble? Thank you xx

@purplepansy I think it's nice to have some sort of party but I wouldn't stress about it. We're fortunate to have summer babies so meeting at a local park or something is an idea. Or do a BBQ in the garden and get everyone to bring something.

We're probably just going to have a few set friends and my mum as my sister is in Durham and visiting the week before so won't be there for the actual birthday. I'd say that we'll do cake for all and some nibbles but not a professional photo shoot or anything. It'll be a small affair and outside in our wee garden most likely. Maybe I'll mention to others that it's happening and they can drop by if they like. If its crap weather then I doubt we'll get many people over as our house is too small.

So yeah, we'll do something but won't stress!

I think we have upper teeth coming in now as DD is waking a lot more and being grumpy during the day. Hopefully they will come in soon as sleep has been not bad and I'm not used to being woken every hour anymore!

@PurplePansy05 I'm planning on doing some sort of thing in the garden but nothing elaborate. No family nearby but I think grandparents would travel up, then just our friends and their children. I'll invite a few friends who don't have children, but they're not local so I don't think any, except one would travel. I'm also planning on inviting people from the local walking group (none have young children) and all his little friends from the baby groups etc. hadn't really worried about numbers getting too big if I'm honest, I was actually more worried about numbers being too small 😂 could go either way! As you say, they won't remember anyway so if no one turns up he won't care, and if loads turn up I guess I'll be doing an extra run to the shop for drinks and making some more sandwiches?? Maybe I'm being naive 😂

Also not planning on a professionally made cake or photos. I hadn't even considered this but it can't really be a consideration as I don't have a regular wage to rely on anymore 🙈

Never done a big party for first birthday. I made Leo a cake shaped like a very melted looking train :o and we met a couple of friends (literally, three other families) in the local park, then went for a ride on the children's steam train. We paid for everyone to go on the train, so that was the only cost. He fell asleep within 5 minutes and missed the whole ride :o

August is great for cost cutting - have a Teddybears' Picnic - tell people to meet you in the park, bring a teddy and blanket and either their own packed lunch or pot luck plate to share, depending on how you feel about buffets hygiene wise, then bring a cake to share. Really cheap and easy.

For Ryan the NCT lot did a party for just us and I was happy enough for that to be his "birthday party".