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

[JamesAndTheGiantBanana]

New thread! Whoop whoop!

LOL very clever, my2weegirls! I like it.

Gill, J appears to get tired at about 8.30am just as I'm on my third coffee and finally awake. I did have a sneaky afternoon nap for three hours with him on sunday as dp was at work, it was great!

Just been reflecting on how much my parenting has relaxed in the last nine months. Started off with piles of neatly ironed pristine babyclothes, everything new and sterilised and parenting expert approved... I'm sitting here now in a sea of scattered toys, board books and kitchen implements, while J -clad in only a lunch-stained vest- alternately bashes himself over the head with a plastic ladle and eats lumps of soggy fluffy malt loaf off the floor. And I'm just happy he's quiet.

Mmmm clever idea about getting their feet measured at Clarkes but then nipping to Woolies- hadn't thought of that! Think it'll be a while til Joseph needs 'proper' shoes though, he still has crap balance and can litterally only take one very wobbly step but then falls! It is nerve wracking though, he does keep banging into things and toppling over which is a worry. We already have the stair gate but as he's not fully crawling yet, (still going backwards) we thought we had ages til he walked (at this rate, he'll miss out crawling!)

I symapathise with the mums of early risers. Joseph used to wake at 7- 8 am but the last 6 - 8 weeks has been between 5 and half past. We have blacked out his windows s so it's not the light that's waking him, he just seems to think that's the time to start the day . Bit of a shock when you're used to lie ins!

Anyway, hope you are all ok. My2weegirls, hope dds arm is on the mend.

Hi all, J was up again at 6am. I'm developing a "No milk/breakfast til at least 7am" rule here, so just gave him a bit of water as it's warm. I was determined he would go back to sleep, but he took ages to settle again as he wanted to get up and play- it's frustrating though because I know by 8am he'll be knackered and I'll be wide awake and not wanting to go get back in bed. So he tried to crawl off the edge of the bed and struggled and squawked until I swaddled him in a cotton sheet, then he slept til 9.30am!

I think perhaps we need thick curtains to block out the light, his bedroom gets all the morning sunshine.

Just had a fun time doing J's nappy- he is now grabbing his willy as soon as his nappy is opened, which his fun when he's pooed and it's up the front cos he's been crawling. Trying to wipe his bits and wipe his hands whilst simultaneously trying to stop him from rolling over and crawling off with a pooey bum was er... interesting!

Does anyone else use pampers active fit nappies? do you also think they're rubbish?? They not as absorbant as the other type by half, they're no slimmer, the elastic at the legs seems looser so poo escapes, and J has has nappy rash since we bought them. Not impressed!

He's started following me into the kitchen, which is cute and scary in equal measure- I've swept and mopped but haven't done the lower cupboards yet (removed bleach etc) and I need to fit all those farty little catches and locks and plug covers- joy. Slowly de-crappifying my house, too, I got rid of a babywalker, moses basket stand and clothes rail on freecycle today. On the hunt for other things to chuck now!

What's everyone up to today? My2weegirls, has she had the cast off yet? Tasha, how are you and ds3 doing? Knickers, how big is your bump now?

i havent been able to keep up as usual sorry. i have been doing my assignment and thank god its finished and posted. lo has put on weight and is now a wopping 11lb11oz!! i gave him sunshine banana yesterday and today and he done very well he had the speach therapist out yesterday who told me different techniques phones ringing

it was dp. he doesnt want me to have an abortion now but my minds made up hes lending the money from his nanny .ive give him a list of reasons why i cant keep it and one of them was bradley and him being in and out of hospital and has a lot of different appointments with a number of different people. and when i told him how well bradleys doing he said so does that mean your keeping the baby? i said no. im doing it for him too but he cant understand this. i know it was me that talked him into keeping it and i feel bad that ive painted a picture with another baby and then pulled it away but it wouldnt be fair on any of us and i struggle to give each of the boys the attention they need as it is. im a good mum to 3 boys and if another baby is added to that i might not cope and then id be a terrible mum to 4. am i being selfish to go ahead with it even if dp wants to keep it so badly? i have a wee bump and he keeps trying to put his hand on it and i keep pushing him away hes breaking my heart because keeping it isnt an option. sorry me me me as usual

hi tasha - you sound all mixed up. have you spoken with a professional counsellor about it? unfortunately only you with the right help will know what is right for you and your family. sorry don't mean to sound as if i'm nagging.

well done your wee one putting on weight - that's great.

dd2 has been discharged from the clinic - hooray! last night dp, me and dd1 were all crawling roudn the house trying to get dd2 to crawl again. dd2 was just sitting looking at us as if we'd all lost our minds! and so did the window cleaners

james - try a sticker/plaster on his hand when it's changing a tricky nappy or keep a special toy just for nappy time. i use the active fit - find them better than baby dry which have no give and always seem tight on her.

back to work....

hi folks - poor you tasha - i really dont know what to advise other than agreeing with my2weegirls that you should talk to a professional.

james- ds has been doing that since he was about 3 months old- i think cause he is always itchy - but recently one of the creams sorted the itch, so now its more of a play rather than looking like he wants to be a girl. used to have a way of changing his nappies with my legs over his arms but he's way too strong now and wiggles out of it. i sometimes change him lying over my knee cause then its easier to pin him down.

ds just doesnt seem to want to crawl - we can put him in a crawling position and he can stay there no problem but he doesnt seem to like it, and gets back on his tummy then rolls over as soon as he can. maybe one day - or maybe i should just enjoy that he bum shuffles and so takes longer than crawling to get across a room.

went to see a house last night - one of these ones that grows on you more and more so am getting quite excited now - think it might be just beyond us as its a development opportunity so somebody with more money than us will probably get it and go on and make even more - not complaining- good luck to them, but would so love to live in it.

hope dd2 gets on the move soon my2weegirls. lol at you all on the floor - bet window cleaners have the best stories to tell at the pub about all sorts that they see.

James - I agree that Active Fit are rubbish. Dd never had nappy rash until I used those on her. They seemed to stick to her and she had a sore bum for the few days I used them. I don't think it's worth paying the extra money.

Tasha - Glad ds3 is doing well. You're the one who will have to look after all 4 kids so it should be up to you if you keep it or not. I don't think you're being selfish at all. Agree you should speak to a counsellor though.

A sticker is a great idea My2weegirls. I might try that tonight. Ds always rolls over as soon as I lay him down to change his nappy too and dd has hundreds of stickers going spare.

I've finally almost got rid of the killer headache I've had since 6am . I was thinking of leaving work early but I had so much to do. I think it might be sleep related. I don't know how to get dd out of the habit of falling asleep in the car, sleeping all night and then waking at 5. Dh got up with her this morning but I still get disturbed because he doesn't wake up when she calls.

Sorry Conker - My mum said I never crawled. I went from bum shuffling to walking.

James

i only used activ fit nappy's once dd1 was realy active IYKWIM. I just buy ordinary pampers as they have more nappies in the box for the price. for example Active fit one's are 68 nappies for £10 or normal ones which are 88 nappies for £10 in Asda.

Tasha I hope your dp supports you in what ever you do. and i am gald ds3 is now putting on weight.

My2Weegirls i glad your dd2 arm is better.

Now have a question for you can you let me know what you give your dc for lunch as Lexie has decided she doesn't want me to feed her anymore and i am stuck for ideas as i feel can not give her sandwiches because her bl**dy teeth still haven't come through yet.

Lizzie, their gums are pretty tough, wouldn't worry too much. For lunch most days James has some combination of toast, cereal, fruit, yoghurt, fruit puree pots, toasted teacake/hot cross bun, cheese cubes with grapes (80's party fodder!) salad, crackers, or beans/spaghetti hoops on toast. If I ever make J a sandwich I cut the crusts off, spread it with something like cheese spread or marmite then squash it down quite flat and cut it into really small squares like ravioli. He can handle them fine.

Haven't read the rest of the posts yet, back later, J crying. x

Hi,

We used pampers active fit but we also found them to be pretty crap. Seemed to leak a bit so we just use ordinary Pampers now.

Tasha, I really think you are the only one who knows what the right thing to do is. If you are confused then I would talk to a proffessional or at least try talking things through with dp again. He needs to know why you feel the way you do and let him know that it is unfair of him to keep feeling your tummy if you've already made up your mind. You shouldn't feel pressured either way. It's such a personal thing and you are the only one who will know whether you genuinely couldn't cope with another.

Lizziemum, I had exactly the same problem with ds. Last week he decided that spoon feeding was not for him and has refused to eat any purees or cereal since. I started a thread on the weaning board asking for help with Baby Lead Weaning and got lots of advice.

I wouldn't worry whether she has teeth or not, ds has four teeth but has always been pretty good at chewing with his gums! Their gums are hard and also they tend to suck most things to make it into a gooey mess anyway! Joseph now eats whatever we eat (within reason!) and I would say he is happier doing that. I must admit, he is eating less but most of the purees and mush was water anyway and he seems to be full and still sleeping well so I'm not too worried now! Cheese on toast is a favourite at the moment. I made some homemade potato cakes earlier which ds thoroughly enjoyed (although made one hell of a mess with!). Philidelphia sandwiches are pretty good and easy for when we are eating something ds shouldn't! Joseph has discovered he rather like plum and little slices of melon.

Anyway, must dash ds stood up in cot can see on video monitor he's still asleep

Bless him, he really was still asleep. By the time I got there he was slumped like a sack of spuds against the bars on his cot. I just went up to him really quietly and picked him up, he snuggled into me still asleep and let me lay him back down. IS THAT NORMAL? How the hell did he do that in his sleep?? Don't tell me he's going to be a sleep walker!

Lizzie - I'm very unadventurous when it comes to food. Ds also has no teeth but I still give him cheese sandwiches cut up small or marmite on toast (which he devours in seconds). He'll also eat banana himself. I break it into 2 inch long pieces and he will bite (gum) bits off. He often still has milk at lunch time though as he's dropped his bed time bottle and I want to make sure he's getting enough.

Meandmyjoe - dd once fell asleep standing up in the cot. I think she was over a year though. It was quite sweet. She's not a sleep walker fortunately but she is a sleep talker like her dad. My niece is a sleep walker and often scares the s**t out of my sister when she walks into her bedroom in the middle of the night.

Don't feel so bad about being at work today because of the rain.

How's your work going James?

Gill, not sure whether you mean housework or job-work! I'm always crap when it comes to housework. I do loads one day and virtually none the next, it's a bad way of doing things really as the house is never fully clean all at once and I end up neglecting the washing up and laundry.

Job wise it's not good at the moment, I'm still not being sent much work (nothing at all so far this week and I haven't been paid for last week. I do know why though, they're just up to their eyeballs in it) and we're almost at the end of the money we made selling that caravan, so I've started looking for a part time job. Not ecstatic about it but we need the money.

Back later, got a doctors appointment about allergies, again!!! Hope everyone's ok x

Sorry to hear that. It would be such a shame for you to have to leave James. I hope you find something that suits you all.

My house is never all clean either. The bathroom gets cleaned about once a month and the hoovering maybe once every 3 months apart from the living room which is hoovered/carpet swept at least twice a week. I try to get the washing up done every day but it doesn't always work out that way. The only thing I'm able to keep on top of is the laundry.

Are your allergies worse this time of year?

i'm glad to hear you arent all domestic goddesses - i never seem to get a chance to do anything so its the same - clean the kitchen floor cause its where ds plays most but apart from that hoovering etc gets done as and when i find a minute - i think i really need a set routine or i just leave things for weeks and weeks.

house is going on the market next week though so will need to do a major tidy/clean this weekend.

Same here conker, I do a lot of cooking but the rest of the housework tends to be put off as long as possible! My kitchen is always tidy as I am constantly cooking and like to keep ait clean. Other than that, the house looks like an explosion at Babies R Us! Baby toys and clothes everywhere! Thankfully we have a massive kitchen diner so if people come round I tend to hurry then in there and it creates the illusion of a domestic goddess

housework - ha ha ha, what's that! i've had to stat keeping everyone at the front door and not letting them in. or taking them into the back garden.

Why does laundry seem to be never ending?When Caitlin had gone to bed last night at 8.30 I ironed three loads of laundry and washed another two so they will need ironing tonight! By which time her basket will be full up and it'll start all over again. Arrghhhhh. I hate it. Also had to hoover upstairs, change spare room bedding and clean and dust upstairs as my mum is coming to stay for 4 days tomorrow so don't want her to think we live in a pigs sty. Was knackered at 10.30 and DH was out of luck when he felt frisky!

Does anyone know if keeping window open in their room makes the babies sleep longer. Caitlin usually has approx 10.5 hrs at night but we've kept her window open since the nice weather and even though last night was a bit cooler I kept it open and just put her back in her growbag. DH had to wake her up at 8.20 this morning to get her ready to go to baby singing (which he hates but she loves)so that was a few minutes short of 12 hours and could have been longer if he'd left her by herself. Usually when we go out fresh air exhausts her so I was wondering if an open window is responsible for the extra sleep. Can guarantee she won't do it at a weekend though when Mummy could do with a lay in!!.

I try to do one thing each day for example hoover downstairs oneday then upstairs the next. I do washing Monday,wednesday and friday and Iron the night its dry. I possible do about to 30mins sessions a day.

Hersetta I think fresh does wear them out. Lexie goes asleep every morning when i walk Lizzie to school. Also if the weather is ok and Lexie is grumpy i stick her in the garden in her pram and she also goes to sleep.

Oh and yes she will wake even ealier at the weekend because she know .

sorry to hijack your thread ladies - can you come over here and tell us about your routine or lack of it - lots of people wanting tips etc, so useful to see what other babies do

thnaks!!
hijack over - enjoy your babies ine the summer!!

hahaha my2weegirls how embarrasing aww thats good shes on the mend. hows the crawling going?

james- sorry to hear the job isnt going too well hopefully it will pick up soon so you can carry on working from home. i fing the tesco nappies the best believe it or not and they are cheaper.

conker mine wont attemt to sit lol never mind crawl he had a stage where he would move on his belly but now he wont even do that he just crys when i put him on his belly. speach therapist said we will get him refered to some developmental people i dont think hes behind hes very alert hes just got so much other stuff on and hes still tiny!

poor you gill i dont have any suggestions on getting your dd to sleep past 5 but my ds gets up quite early but before i go to bed i flick the tv to cbeebies and he just goes down and turns it on and then i get an extra hour because ds2 comes and gets in beside me and goes back to sleep. bad bad mummy but that extra hour makes a difference

lizzie- i used to give mine boiled egg mushed up with butter and they loved it but dont think your supposed to didnt do mine any harm though. los just having milky foods atm. you sound very organised in your house.i spent today cleaning my hall walls because of grubby handprints all over walls and banasters.

Meandmyjoe- awk bless him ive never seen a baby doing that lol

i spoke to the people on the site james linked me to and they gave me a number to phone but i dont need to talk to anybody my minds made up and im perfectly ok with my decision. im not having second thoughts and can say im 100% sure of my decision. i was just having a wee moan about dp but hes gonna disagree with me no matter what.

gonna change ds2 bum and put kids to bed. oh i wish i had a bottle of wine in the fridge.....

not had a chance to read & catch up but just had to post this - me dd & ds2 on tv bfing.

i'm the blonde with a white top on. dd is the blonde preschooler sat on a chair.

www.bbc.co.uk/looknorthyorkslincs/latest_stories/index.shtml

i was on after eastenders on the 60 sec round up