August 2007- Half a year of sleep deprivation later... (but we're finally back in our skinny jeans!)

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

New thread! Whoop whoop!

Hope all the poorly/teething babies are feeling better at the moment, and enjoying the lovely weather- we went to the car boot sale today but it was so scorching we only stayed about 45 min with J smothered in 50+ lotion. Got him loads of lovely vtech toys for under a tenner, just wish we'd seen some stairgates!

I've been a bit of a bad mummy the past couple of days. It's been so hot I've been forgetting to feed James! He hasn't seemed bothered actually, he's been guzzling drink after drink after drink, and just had a bit of toast, couple of yoghurts etc. I just went to make him some dinner and realised we have no bread so he's got cheese, tomato and a sesame ryvita, think he's eaten it all though so he doesn't seem to mind my half-arsed parenting.

thanks for all your support. james ive spoke to them over the internet as i have no house phone and waiting on a reply.

i wouldnt worry about forgetting to feed james in this hot weather as a lot of the time when you make a meal when its hot they refuse it and prefere to drink plenty and i was told this by a gp. i made lasange and chips and my 2 didnt touch it and resorted to pints of water.

i dont have a paddling pool for them yet so i put the baby bath out the back filled with water and loads of plastic cups in it and they had loads of fun. ds2 is still sitting here in only his nappy.

lo has went from one extreme to another and is taking 125mls every 1-2hours!! i ran out of his milk and he gets it on perscription so i went down to gordons today and had to buy a few. they only come ready made in cartons the size of ribena cartons well you will never guess how much it is for one....£2.19!!! i couldnt believe it.

ill try and catch up back were i skipped and went straight to me me me lol.

james the reason i was asking about the walk along was because i put my sling(think it was the same as yours) around lo's waist and held him up by the long bit IYKWIM. it was so funny but worked! hmmmm something i bought useless.....everything i dont think they need any of it baby swing, baby chairs, ive got 2 door bouncers, baby changing station got used to throw coats and stuff on. i have started to use my sling a lot more though when i go to mums and tods. you have inspired me now i think i might put lo in with the boys tonight or tomorrow night.

helibee-o dear that would be scary especially if you were on your own. is callums exzema clearing up any?

im gonna have to do this in 2 parts cause the boys are getting gurney so back after i get them to bed.

tasha - i echo all thats been said already - you have to do whats right for you and hope you have the support there - sending a hug.

gill - i never associated the two but now i come to think of it, ds had very loose stools last week just as his second tooth came in.

we dont have too much that we dont use - sling gets used loads but i suppose we do have three buggies which is maybe a bit excessive.

my2weegirls - glad ds2s arm is getting better - they are vicious these babies arent they?

chickens started laying yesterday - we had a second this morning so enjoyed a fried egg each for breakfast - they were lovely.

helibee - my email is [email protected] if you want to get in touch more about kilts.

hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Tash - you need to do what is best for you and your family, we would never "judge " your decision! Take care of yourself!
James - Know what you mean about the food, Lo is hardly eaten as well with this weather, just wants to eat rice cakes all day long!

Hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine, its lovley here, and only 2 weeks now until we go away so cant wait!

Conker - 3 prams, I LOVE pram's do you mind me asking what you have got?

Dont think there was much that i brought that i didn't use except reusable nappies, but sold them on Ebay and made £20! Only used my sling for about 4 weeks but it was a god send in them weeks!

oh tasha - great big hugs. whatever decision (however hard) will be the right decision for you and your family. glad you've sought some professional advice though. i really can't imagine dealing with everything you've had thrown at you - you are a very strong, courageous lady! please say if i can do anything to help - anything at all.

thansk everyone for good wishes to dd2 - she's a cheeky monkey - went visiting yesterday and she kept pinching bits of my aunts pankcake!

james - dd2 lets us know if she's hungry by going 'yum, yum, yum' incessantly! so i'm sure J would let you know if he felt he was missing out on something. glad eh and you slept well. if dd2 sleeps through i wake up about 5.30ish and wonder if she's all right - can't win!

dd1 was at a birthday party this afternoon - and scoffed lots of food that she doesn't normally get - marsh mallows, smarties etc. then came home and ate 3 cauldren sausages, 7 cherry tomatoes, about 2 inches of cucumber, a noddy youghurt, a pack of mango and a bit of cheesecake! i'm wondering if she's having a growth spurt!!

lol at your dd2 going "yumyumyum"- they're so funny aren't they! J dissolves into giggles everytime he says "AMAMAMABRABARABABARA!" loudly and I look up, surprised. He thinks he's very witty! He is always especially proud of himself when he has a piece of toast or other food hanging out of his mouth and we notice. He's turning into a right clown!

Conker, your own free range eggs, how cool is that? I'm very envious. If we ever get a house with a decent sized garden I'd love a couple of little bantams scracthing about! Bantam eggs are so diddy and cute, perfect size for kids in fact.

Tasha, great creative use of your sling! Your ds3 is going to be so adorable when he's walking about. Bloody hell that milk's expensive! Must be good stuff though, and at least you get it on prescription most of the time! Bet everyone who is ff their babies can't wait to get them on cows milk, it's going to be soooo much cheaper. The first year is bloody expensive!

I don't know what to do with myself this evening, dp is working, and I've put James to bed early cos he's had two late nights. I suppose I should go clean something, but gordon ramsay's on in a minute...

oh james- forgot to say earlier - thanks for doing that research for me - no I hadnt clicked on the page properly - just got to the opening page. very useful to know its not really used yet.

pink - we had a bebeconfort loola first as the main buggy, then got a running buggy from the USA for taking ds out when we were training for the marathon, then we got a maclaren for general running about now he's a bit bigger. so they all have different functions but still - our house isnt really big enough for 3.

Hi, i m now home alone nearly all week as dh is in Birmingham working all week, looks like we will b moving up there but not until the new year! is anyone from up that way?

Conkertree - i have 2 prams, got a Buzz but have just got a maclaren as he now is getting big and so much easier to pop into the stroller!

James - did you do any cleaning??????

M2wg - Glad to here that dd2 is on the mend, how has she coped with the plaster ?

Nope, I'm crap

No probs, conker, hope it all works out for you!

Tired today and a bit apprehensive about James as he's getting so much faster and better at moving now. I put him on our bed with a barrier of pillows and duvet round him while I opened the curtains, and I looked up two seconds later and J was scrambling over the bedding barrier with the greatest of ease!

The cleaning will always be there!

i know what you mean james, put ds on the longe floor the other day, heard a noise in the hallway and there he was licking the pram wheels! - Not crawling yet, its all still sniper style!

James

It soon becomes second nature to pop DC into their cot while you do what you to do.

Lexie is already walking around the furniture and climbing onto toy boxes and she is nearly a month younger then James and it is a pain. I so wanted a plonkable baby this time but i guess i'm not that lucky .

morning folks - had another really bad night with ds - trying to not feed him so much at night cause i think he's just in the habit now, but he woke every two hours or less, and dh settled him most of the time with me feeding him at 1am and 3.30, but it took dh at least 15 mins to settle each time - every time he wakes up, he scratches his face - his hands are in socks so he cant hurt himself but he is just in the habit of it now - he scratches me or dh or the change mat at other times so i dont think he's actually itchy - its just what he does with his hands when he's tired.

any advice? think i will post on one of the more specific threads too.

Conker, perhaps your gp could prescribe some sort of mild antihistamine for your ds? it'd calm down the itching and make him drowsy too- two birds with one stone, perhaps! Rescue remedy is calming and relaxing. If he'll take anything in a bottle you could put a couple of drops in some water for him to sip (there's nothing harmful in rescue remedy, anyone can take it, and you can give it to animals too)

James had night feeds up until the point where I stopped offering milk, just water or dummy- he soon got the message (but that was bottlefeeds anyway, it might be the closeness he wants)

Wow, lizzie! That's amazing that she's walking so early, James is just crawling and I still find it stressful, I know what you mean about wanting a plonkable baby!

Finally got my housework done this afternoon, and went for late lunch in the park, loving this weather still!!

Hope everyone's doing ok today. x

Awww Joseph started shuffling round the sofa today and let go and took his first very wobbly and shakey step to the chair (right next to it!!!) he looked very proud!

Congratulations on the walking, cant believe how big they are getting!

James - well done on the house work, im sitting here looking at mine!

Conker - i have no idea how to help im afraid, Lo hit 11 weeks and went through but ds1 did used to wake up and i did what james did, Offered a dummy or water, he soon got feed up of that!

How many bottles are you LO having now, not sure if its time to drop one ( has 3 ) as he only drinks 1/2 of it, and then 1/2 of his bedtime one?

Go joe!! bless him, he's a clever lad. Must be scary for you though. I spose those of you with walking babies are going to have to buy "proper" first walking shoes soon, that'll be fun- I've heard they're quite pricey. Apparently a lot of mums get their dc's feet measured in Clarks then buy their shoes in the right size/width fitting in woolies.

Pink, J wasn't finishing any of his bottles, and my hv said I could drop J's middle bottle as he was having three 8oz bottles a day. She said if he was having some cheese or yoghurt for calcium, and adequate fluids during the day, then two 8oz bottles was fine. I do give J a bottle of milk on days when he hasn't had cheese or yoghurt for whatever reason.

Hello. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I took the dcs for a picnic in the park on Saturday. Ds was more interested in the grass than his sandwich. Yesterday we got the paddling pool out. I asked dh to make sure it was warm but it still felt pretty cold to me and ds screamed when I put him in. He normally loves water.

That tooth still hasn't cut through! Temperature was back to normal on Friday though.

tasha - thinking of you. It must have been a very difficult decision. As the others say, you have to do what's right for you.

Pink - Alex is having maximum of 2 bottles per day. The only one he definitely has is the 5-6am one. Sometimes he has a solid lunch and sometimes a bottle, depends how lazy I'm being or what mood he's in. I've virtually given up on his evening bottle now. If he drinks 1oz it's a lot.

I find that Clarks shoes are expensive (normally about £30 per pair) but they're worth it. dd's feet grow very slowly, like the rest of her, and I only have to buy her 3 pairs of shoes per year max including sandals.

Must be time for a new thread soon. Got any ideas for a title James?

james - he's actually getting an antihistamine every night thats meant to have some sedating effect - we get quizzed by the pharmacist every time we buy it - dh got told they were checking he wasnt going to drug his wife - but ds seems to be immune to this sedation.

yes - impressed by all the walking - ds looks like he's never going to crawl - is much happier on his feet but not quite ready to take steps on his own just yet i think.

will give water a try tonight and dh is up for helping settle again so he cant smell milk, so will see how it goes.

have no idea how much milk he takes though pink - no formula as he's allergic. would love to know he's taking enough but no idea at all.

James

Clarks shoes are about £18plus a pair of prewalkers and they ask you to get their feet checked every 6-8weeks and then first shoes are £24plus.

I get dd1 feet measured in clarks then go elsewhere as the never have any shoes that fit her as she has very narrow feet a 'c' fitting they only seem to stock shoes from a 'f' fitting.

So we all better start saving .

New thread, gosh yeah this one's about three months old now! I'll have a think.

Little sod had me up at 5am today, and was climbing all over me when he came in our bed. Climbing, ffs! This means stairs are an issue, and I still don't have a stairgate- arse! I read in What To Expect: The First Year that you should put the stairgate three steps up to get them used to stairs in a safe way. Interesting idea but our stairs are steep, narrow, and have a wall at the bottom, for extra head-cracking potential.

Gill, glad Alex's temperature is back to normal, this weather doesn't help does it?

Aaw poor Struan, what a shame the antihistamines aren't helping him, must be very frustrating for you conker. Could your gp perhaps suggest another brand to try, or a marginally higher dose? I'm suffering with my allergies/eczema at the moment, too, it's the heat.

With regards to the crawling, Struan may never crawl, he might just start pulling up and walking one day instead, or bum shuffling. J seems to have gone from commando creeping to scrambling over and up things in a scarily short time- he can't even crawl "properly" yet, but he can climb over things?? Bloody boys- I knew he was going to be a handful, it's all that sodding red hair, and he gets such a defiant glint in his eye I swear! I'm dreading him walking, I think he'll take three steps and then decide to run full pelt everywhere. My nerves will be in tatters!

Lizzie, have you looked at the prices of first walking shoes on the startrite website? they start from £30... J's got fat little feet, hopefully we can get away with buying his in cheaper stores, I can't afford that every 6 weeks.

James Lizzie never crawled she went from sitting to walking at 9mths and it looks like Lexie will be another early walker/climber.

I have been lucky with Lizzie her feet grow very slowly so i get a lot of wear out her shoes.

Morning. Dd2 shook her arm so much as bedtime last night that her stookie came off the consultant did say this might happen and not to worry about it. She?s still not too happy about putting weight on it, so we?ll see what they say at clinic tomorrow.

Conker ? some of the antihistamines make my dd1 more hyper to start with ? then they have a sedative affect about and hour or so later. Have you tried the pick up put down solution? Never done it myself but I believe that When he starts to cry, pick him up. Once he?s stopped crying put him down and so on. Think it can take a couple of weeks to work and the first night is always the worst?.

Shoes ? are bloody expensive. With dd1 I didn?t bother with shoes until she was walking outside. She can put a new pair of choes on and 2 hours later they look 6 weeks old!

better go and do some work.....

Conker - sounds like you have a lovely dh. Mine is willing but gets fed up v. quickly especially if he's tired (which is all the time btw). Hope things get better soon.

We always buy in Clarks even though the shoes normally cost up to £30. I'm paranoid that I won't be able to tell if the shoes fit properly if I buy in another shop, especially if they're a different shape. James - I wouldn't worry about having to buy shoes every 6-8 weeks. I buy dd a maximum of 3 pairs per year including sandals. Might get ds some cheap soft sandal type shoes for the garden - ones that I know won't squash his toes.

James - Does J let you go back to bed later on when he gets you up early? At least one of my dcs is up at 5am every day At least twice a week I make dh get up but he's so grumpy when he's tired that it's not always worth it.

I can't wait for ds to walk. I'm sure I'll regret saying that but he's so bloody heavy that I can't take much more of carrying him. I noticed the other day that my biceps have got bigger!

Glad dd2's arm is improving my2weegirls. Does your dd2 still wake up ridiculously early? Has her sleep pattern changed since you went back to work?

Correction - does dd1 still get up ridiculously early?

hi gill - yes! though putting a digital clock in her room and teaching her that she has not to get out of her bed before it says 6:?? on it has helped (slightly). we've also set it so that it's 15 min slow