May 2008 - we just couldn't wait!

[thefortbuilder]

for everyone who's popped already and congratulations to us all!

hi guys, i havent been on for ages, and cant even remeber when i last came on, so sorry but no personal messages. hope you are all well anyway.

Life with 2 kids is certainly hectic, we have sol our car aswell and are waiting to get our camper on the road so have been without a car this last week, which if it had been nice weather would have been fine but its been raining non stop since monday afternoon, so very bored ds1!

My mastitis has cleared up and i am feeling normallish again, thank god!

Ds2 is being really sweet, cooing and gurgling (he is 12 weeks on tuesday), really smiling and laughing and finds his brother the funniest thing ever, ds1 loves making him laugh aswell, they are very cute together.

Ds1 has learnt to talk over the last week, every day its a new word and now he doesnt shut up!!

Re ; rolling over, ds1 was late at rolling as he wouldnt lie down, always wanted to be sitting, but ds2 has been rolling back to side for at least a month now and is desperate to get over, but is also quite happy to lye on his play mat wacking his toys and gurgling!

Its one of my bf's hen weekend tomorrow, we are out for a meal then to the local pub, then off to a hotel in newquay for a pamper day, cant wait. DS2 coming with me, he will be little chick!

Anyway he is starting his pre cry (little sqweaks that warn you that if you dont come here now i will get very loud very quickly!!!)

Welcome redhead81 I just checked out your profile pic, that is a really lovely photo, it looks professional? Hope you don't mind me saying but your bump looks enormous!!

welcome back pina. I was wondering where you were, was just about to send out an SOS!!!

I've had a really busy but good day. MIL left a msg on ansaphone this morning while I was out saying "I'm off today so you can bring the girls over to see me..." . It really winds me up! She just doesn't get it, I have told her a million times that I plan quite far ahead and I need more notice. I feel so guilty that I don't take DDs over to see them much (well, I do, but not much compared to how often she sees her other grandchildren who live literally minutes walk away, we are 20 mins in the car). I am going to ring her in a minute and say that I have only just got the msg as been out all day (not a complete lie). I know she'll get the hump, but tough!

wish me luck

Call went OK....I was very 'breezy' LOL!!!

I won a double buggy bid on ebay last night, got it for £26!!!! Bargain!!

hi all, i have a new hair do!! went to see my freind at her salon in town and spent 3 hours in there having a new cut and colour. Left dh with both boys and some ebm. ds2 would not take a bottle at all and was very very upset. but i came home to both boys asleep and dh pottering with his tools! ds2 was soooooooooo happy to see me, i have had lots of lovely smiles since being back off for a pamoering day tomorrow aswell!

have a good weekend all

YCBS Glad you enjoyed your course, that's a good idea. I'm sooooooo pleased DH is a paramedic!! Obviously he's not always around but I have to do basic life support training every year cos of my job anyway.

magicfairy Glad to hear you had a good day, and tomorrow sounds fab too! Can you put a photo of your new hairdo on your profile page?

Well I have just been soooo excited all day after winning the bid on the buggy on ebay. I drove to Surrey this afternoon (just over an hour away) to get it, and I LOVE it!
Tried the DDs in it, and DD1 loved being next to DD2. That's the best ebay bargain ever for me!!! I even enjoyed my little jolly down to Surbiton in the car on my own with nothing but my CDs to listen to and no "I can see some horses mummy!" for the whole trip!!!

Got a busy evening ahead of me, gonna give the buggy a good clean (it's not dirty, but that's just what I do!) and I've got my cousin and his girlfriend coming for a BBQ tomorrow so I'm gonna make Eton Mess and get the kebabs ready!!! I also need to clean the house....it's 7:37pm already!!! I'd better get on!!

LM xxx

Hello, just managed to catch up with reading through all the posts. Sorry won't be making personalised messages.

Majorca was great we had a fantastic holiday lying by the pool and on the beach, even managed to get a tan in between holding DS2. The flight was also fine he slept and was an angel thank goodness as I do feel sorry for other passengers when they see us sitting down(11 week baby, two year old toddler and disabled 7 year old, but they were all very well behaved- didn't expect any less)

DS1 who was 2 in June was swimming on his own with armbands and very confident in the water even though we haven't been in the water since dec.

DS2 will be 12 weeks on monday and we need to do something about having to hold him and jiggle him to put him to sleep. He screams unless being held to go to sleep. I can't leave a baby to cry any tips to help me to help him.

Welcome to the new members.

Evening ladies

Been shopping again today! I am so excited about our holiday and taking dd to Italy for the first time. Got a very chic swimming costume having decided to abandon my string bikinis this year. Bought dd's rubber ring and sun suit. anyone who's been on holiday got any tips, must haves etc? I did start a post on the travel topic but most respondents seemed to think I wanted suggestions for me not baby stuff.

Mitchell, interested in anything you find works for getting you bubba to sleep without a cuddle. Stella's suddenly (thinking about it since her jabs on Thursday?) started doing her usual and going from laughing to over stimulated in a millisecond but now screaming hysterically and crying real tears unless and until I hold her and help her to sleep.

MF haircut sounds nice. I had a fringe cut at 8 months pregnant. A really short one but into long hair. It looked good until I got so annoyed I cut it off high up my head. I think I lost it a bit in the last few weeks before baby came out. It now has to be disguised daily.

YCBS I want to do a baby first aid course. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for reminding me to find one.

What does one wear to a garden party? Got one next Saturday with about 100 people and no idea what to wear?!

Right sleep for me. Night all.

Monkeysmama: When are you going? I took his carrycot and wheelbase for pram but had to carry him in his bjorn baby carrier the whole time otherwise he would cry so didn't need to take it.
Also take light weight short sleeve babygros as some are really thick and are still hot.

A light weight serong is good for keeping the sun off them when lying outside, drapped over them.

We had to use special baby water(it was cartons of water which you didn't need to boil) as the water was so salty and we couldn't drink it even if it was boiled. So do your research for formula feeding what mineral water you can use, I think you can use evian?

Sun umbrellas that atach to buggies are needed and you can drape things over them to make extra shade. baby suncream is worth the money as it is smoother than the kids suncream and nicer to put on.

If taking bottles on the flight the airports we travelled through were fine and we didn't even need to taste them. Take bottle holders to keep bottles cold or use bottles of frozen tap water to keep them cold.

Sorry not valid when breastfeeding. I am sure there are other things and will add when I remember.

monkeysmama I went to a garden party a month ago and I wore linen trousers and a cotton blouse/top/ with Birkenstocks. Kind of 'smart/casual' (as Alan Partridge says).

As for babies who need rocking to sleep etc. I am a bit hard on this subject, but I have two girls who sleep like angels and did so from early on (8 weeks) so it may be worth a try.... Just let them cry. Honestly, I do know how hard it is, I don't enjoy hearing my DD2 crying either, but it is honestly taking less and less time for her to then go to sleep. Sometimes she doesn't cry at all, min cry of 3-4 mins, max cry about 25 mins. IT IS HARD but trust me on this, you will definitely reap the rewards further down the line.

Had a lovely day, my cousin and his girlfriend came for a BBQ. The girls were both good as gold. I am pooped now though. An early night for me I think.

LM x

YCBS: thanks, to make your life easier why not have the water in the bottle and the formula in one of those containers designed for formula all next to your bed so that you don't need to go downstairs. Unless its ebm and then I used to have one of those mini fridges next to the bed and a bottle warmer all on my bedside table. much easier to not leave the bedroom in the middle of the night. feel free to ignore my suggestions though. Sorry about the house it was lovely

LM: I know you are right but its hard.

MM: You could always wear a nice summer skirt and sandals (depending on the weather). I have my DH summer work bbq at a posh hotel next sunday and also need to find something to wear, but no heels as might need to drag DS1 off the bouncy castle during the day. So far I know I am wearing flat beach sandals.

Thanks for all the garden party advice. I am obsessed with linen at the moment so will go with linen trousers and a nice top. Thanks again-I thought it was more formal attire so you've saved me from turning up looking totally OTT

Mitchell thanks too for holiday suggestions. I bf but will express for days we are visiting churches etc so bottle info still useful. I bought a cold water travel steriliser which I've not tried yet but looks ok.

MF how was the pampering day? Very jealous.

Interested in the crying "debate". Is it not true that at the moment our babies only cry when something's wrong? Having said that my current predicament with dd getting over stimulated and screaming until I and only I hold her and give her some boob food even though she'll have eaten already seems to be manipulation. I mean that in the nicest possible way! That she wants me and some food thrown in but doesn't need anything. I fully understand the point about needing calm-I do everything to keep things calm with dd and the screaming frazzles us all. My current solution is to pass dd to her dad when that happens. So she gets a cuddle and helped to sleep but not by me. She seems, after 2 days and a few attempts, to be getting calmer again. DP is worried it's jab related because he was holding her and that she's not safe with him but that seems silly to me?

Where has our summer gone? I can't think what to do in the rain.

Dd's just gone down again so I'm going to follow suit.

MM

YCBS I totally agree with you on having to pick them up when you are on your own and just need peace.
I don't think it's true necassarily that at this age they only cry if something is wrong? I think they cry a lot just for attention...IYSWIM. DD2 nearly always settles herslef within 5 mins or so. I agree with YCBS too, they do have different cries. DD2 now pretty much only cries when she is tired and she just wants to be laid down on her mat to go to sleep, even cuddling doesn't help, she just wriggles.

I am feeling very today, Had some awful news last night. A good friend of mine has 2 labradors and text me to say that one of them BIT her 2 year old in the face . The little girl apparently nearly lost her nose, she is in hospital, has been sewn up but has lots of swelling and looks awful, they are keeping her in until she can eat and drink again. I just can't beieve how awful this is. You hear of people getting bitten by dogs, but not labs (aren't they meant to be the friendliest dogs? Sorry, my dog knowledge is rubbish). She had grown up with this dog.

I cannot imagine what my poor friend is going through, she loves her dogs to bits and has had them for about 10 years. She just said she has to 'do something' about the dog now, I don't know if she means have it put down or just not have it in their family anymore?

Can you imagine seeing your own dog bite your childs face, and then have to cope with that poor child and how distressed they would be and the pain they are in....I am just stunned by the whole thing. I could barely sleep last night thinking about it.

The thing is, for me, I have a bit of a phobia around dogs, I was bitten as a child (nothing serious like this) and I've always been nervous around dogs. I even had hypnotherpay to try and help (it helped a bit). I am determined not to pass on my 'phobia' to my DDs, and I was just starting to be more chilled around dogs myself, for the benefit of my girls I've even been stroking some (with very sweaty palms!). This incident has now really knocked me back. I know dogs bite, but it was the fact it was their family dog and a labrador. I can't help thinking I'm gonna be a nervous wreck around dogs again now, esp with my DDs.

YCBS Sorry, I hope that story doesn't upset you.
I'm so pleased that your DH is bonding with Harry more.

LM your poor friend and i have heard of the same courses ycbs mentioned. DH and indeed his whole family are petrified of dogs, whereas i grew up with a dog in our house, so the dss get a mix. we are teaching ds1 to be wary but he does like a good pat of a dog's nose

ycbs you are doing brilliantly and I know how hard it can be to be doing this on your own (albeit that dh was working silly hours when ds1 was born and for a long period after, leaving at 6am and getting back at around 2am). keep your chin up darling!

i am with both of you on the crying / not crying thing. ds1 was never ever left to cry and has been a terrible sleeper, not settling himself well even now (2.1), whereas we leave ds2 to settle himself and he generally does. and he gets put down awake and gets himself to sleep, whereas ds1 HAD to be held till he was fast asleep - not quite fast asleep and he'd start yelping and you'd be back at square one again.

am going to start new thread as well as this one is taking a long time to load up and we are nearly 1000 messages!

o'h and we were exposed o na playdate to chicken pox last friday (the children came out in spots about 3 hours after we left!), so we have the anxious wait to see if sam has got it, which he probably has, whereas jacob was vaccinated at 15m so he at least won't get it.

new thread here