December 07 - I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, no!

[Wizzska]

Hello people, is anyone there?

Helloooooooooooooo

well done wizzska

just a quicky from me as I have just realised it is our wedding anniversary tomorrow

am frantically writing out a card and wrapping pressies I bought at about 5.29pm today..aaaah the romance! cos DH is on shift we weren't planning on doing anything till he's off, but I don't suppose that lets me away with having no card! think we are going to get a wee last minute mini break if we can find a cheap enough one!

dd is sleeping sooooo badly just now. thanks to all who replied re tea - I have moved it back now and hopefully that will make a difference. We are still not doing a strict 3 meals a day, but when we do I really struggle to fit it all in, is it just me being hopeless?!

also slightly altering bedtime routine to try to calm her a wee bit - it's normally full pelt play, screamy splashy bath (happy screams), BF then I expect her to go to sleep - of course she doesn't!! So tonight we did an earlier bath, then let her just play quietly on our bed with some toys, curtains shut etc for 20 mins before BF, she went down much quicker so fingers crossed!

ambi - applause!! hee heee well done, I do read this thread almost every day, but seem to run out of time once I've read. Well done having a night away from dd, we still haven't got it together to manage that yet (although frankly I'm too tired!)

we are at about the same stage - sitting very well, reaching out for things etc, she has also now perfected the "flop to tummy from sitting" manouevre, but of course she can't crawl yet so just ends up getting frustrated. No teeth either, really hoping some come soon and the sleep improves!

loucee - interview room - scary! Hope they find something for you. Have your dcs recovered now?

BT my DD can scream the place down sometimes too when feeding, lots of flinging herself about etc, it's mainly when there are other things she'd rather be looking at, bet your DS was just too interested in the picnic! I am finding that I increasingly need to take her somewhere quiet to feed.

buzzy - hope your dd improves

OH I'm burning my tea, d'oh, bye!

Can I ask, how your little ones are getting on with solid food? I'm still pureeing DS's meals and he doesn't like lumps. I tried cooking some pasta for him using those little stellini pasta stars for soups but he spat them out. Managed to get the meal down him after liquidising it. He's definately got a sweet tooth, I have to add fruit to his veg before he'll eat it. Am wondering what recipes your little ones like? Am trying to get him used to feeding himself using rice cakes and rusky biscuits but he's not too keen.

Caz, happy anniversary for tomorrow, how many years is that? Luckily we've decided to ignore ours unless its a bit one. Although we did have a nice picnic this year.

Sorry about your bad nights. It is awful isn't it. Still having good nights now after doing the Dr Ferber sleep training and its been over 3 weeks. Am now half way to human again.

I think we are just a few steps away from that tbh...it's not my 1st choice (sorry, I don't mean that as a criticism or anything, I am just too wimpish!!) but I really am struggling with the tiredness

food - well some days are great, some are hopeless!

We started with mainly finger foods, so she is pretty good at picking things up and eating them, but she has a fairly limited range of things she likes, and I think a lot of it is down to texture rather than taste - squidgy things get a horrified look and dropped immediately!

I've been spooning in some things - mainly yoghurt and breakfast cereal (loves yoghurt, will only tolerate 2 or 3 spoons of eg ready brek).

I've used heinz baby pasta stars mixed in with a Plum Pot puree for tea and she liked that - the stars are teeny tiny not sure how small compared to the ones you used? She also sooks puree off normal fusilli pasta if I help, and little bits of pasta go in.

Eggy bread went down quite well might be worth a try?

But basically veg seems to be a no-no so far, fruit is a much bigger hit. I guess this is quite common because it's sweeter?

oh - 3 years! - not sure how that happened, I'm sure I was young free and single just a moment ago...

we were together for donkeys before we got engaged though, people had given up asking if we were going to get married!!

for long posting! I feel I have do after deserting you for so long. I don't want you to forget me..

Caz10, snap, it was our 3 year too, and we were together 6 years before that, hope you enjoy whatever you do.

Wizz, foodwise DD is mainly eating purees, but once or twice during the day I'll give a heinz biscotti or rice cake. Usually when she's not due for a full feed, or if we're eating she can too - really just to play with but as she sucks on her toys anyway, the snacks seem to go down too. Often they are not touched as well, in which case they are donated to the fat piggy dog, who is always waiting.

hello all,

ambi hello! i did get the iphone in the end- i snet the nokia back as i could not make head nor tail of it. It is SOOOOO cool.

not much to say really- good luck clara!

DD is pulling herself up on her cot, on the sofa, the curtains whatever she can get her hands on!

hey everyone - im impressed with those of you who post most days, like others i try to catch up reading posts most days but then seem to run out of time!

i haven't been too well, been about a month now, sinus trouble then bad cough and now terrible throat, as i'm still bf (only on a night) doc wouldn't give me anything but yesterday finally got penicillin. its such hard work when the lo doesn't sleep through coz i can never seem to fight it off, anyway ive got a throat infection so hopefully tablets should clear it. has anyone else took penicillin while bf - doc said its fine.

going for a massage at 11 (a present for my birthday 2 months ago)dropping lo at mams, its still a novelty to drop him off now he's not feeding during day

sleep - still doing reasonably well here, training was my own version of cc really. ive got nothing against it but couldnt bring myself to do it. he sleeps on his front (dont strike me down - long story) so a couple of hours after he wakes take him upstairs, put in grown, face down in cot and just pat his bum - took 45 mins 1st time, thn over 5 days gradually reduced an now i just pput him down and he goes off. have only tackled this during the day in prep for going back to work, still feeding him myself at night so mostly falls asleep then, but might tackle that soon

...was hard work, but sooo worth it. just made sure i was in the house (which i hate being stuck in) and just grin and bare it for a week. now i can vary the routine to suit us, my mam and mil both have cots and he goes down no bother there too, he will also go off with no protesting now in car or pushchair so we dont need to be in the house all the time. had all my 'baby friend's round yesterday and i was sure he would kick up a fuss just to prove me wrong, but sure enough i went upstairs and came down 30secs later and he was fast asleep

oh sorry for all the posts

sippy cups - my lo would not take a bottle so i tried everything in desperation. he now takes a normal cheap tommee tippee brilliantly. i started with water, as it was something different which he loved, offered him it at mealtimes and he would take the odd sip then grad increased it himself. then i got a diff colour cup for milk and just kept offering it, he refused for weeks then i got tough and stopped bf during the day and figured he'd have to take it (god im really not as strong or mean as that sounds). after 2 days of not much milk altho still feeding on and during night he gave in and started drinking milk too

Well done Wizzska on the new thread!

Clairybee - your new place sounds nice and spacious. Dh and I were discussing last week that we would like to extend our kitchen since tour little unit has grown, so fingers crossed for this time next year for it to happen!

Wizzska - my DD2 doesn't like lumps either, so what I've tried (and works) is give her 3/4 pureed food and 1/4 lumpy food mixed together and then I'm aiming to reduce the pureed content....

Caz - happy anniversary - hope you had a better night sleep.

Kelbel - hope you get well soon.

DD2 is 7 mths today . Thinking of introducing some chicken into her diet. Anyone else started to introduce different foods at this stage?

Ambi you are the posting queen
i know what you mean about routines, I did read the bay whisperer and used it succssfully with DD1 (who slept through 7pm til 0600 at 12 weeks, and then consistently from about 5 months) so used it with DD2 too. But, I think sometimes it is easy to give the credit of your baby sleeping well/weaning well etc to a book, when it could just be their time to progress.

dd2 has started sitting by herself and leaning forward too but she topples over after only about 10 seconds. Though she is great with the rolling! She can toll from front to back, and back to front really easily and smoothly and this seems to be her way of getting about!

I am not sure when she will crawl as I think she'll need to get the sitting up sorted first but when she is on her front,she sometimes pulls her knees up into a crawling position, and straightens her arms, before collapsing! I think she is getting rather frustrated actually!

And thanks Ambi will try that magic cream, have appt with doctors today just to be sure, but will get some of that too - thanks!

I am amazed at all your little ones pulling themselves up to stand - I know my DD is one of the younger ones, but she seems so far away from standing! Have been thinking of babyproofing anyway, because it'll have to be done at some stage. bye bye nice floor vases, bye bye nice lamps.... lol

hi everyone - sooo many posts i just can't keep up

clairey - house sounds amazing - hope your landlord finds tenants quick. We are doing the opposite to you and moving form a lovely spacious (although only 2 beds) house to a tiny little 2-bed flat when we go down to Oxford as that is all we can afford. Will bring the children over to yours when it all gets too cramped for us

caz10 - happy anniversary - glad you remembered in time (just)

amani - Ds has had chicken, fish, all sorts - he just gets whatever is on our plates - I'm sure your DD will be fine with a bit of chicken - happy birthday to your DD!

jewels - my Ds has been standing for ages but still can't roll at all! i think different babies are just happy in different positions and you just have to go for it. Once she starts crawling you'll be looking fondly back to these peaceful days I'm sure!

kelbel - likethe sound of your sleep training - I have had a few half-hearted attempts recently but he just cries for a BF and I am such a lazy soft git i always give in

DS is just about cruising now - very cute - he loves it. ILs are also here spoiling both the DCs rotten. And I am getting lots of MNetting work done so everyone's happy

clara - how is it now you're there? Are you keeling over with heat exhaustion?

Thanks everyone for your food tips.

Kelbel, I'm sure that penicillin is ok, you have it after a c section, although I'm allergic to it so had another ab instead. Hope you feel better.

DS started using his tippy cup today, he's not really liked it before.

Wrote a huge message earlier but then internet crashed

Wizz I think as long as your ds has finger foods it doesn't matter too much about not having lumpy mush-I say that from the perspective of dd never having eaten any mush but being fine with all sorts now.
I usually put peas or carrot in with whatever I cook because they are sweeter than other veg. I put ds' food in the blender but just enough to break it up, I don't do it until it is smooth. I am very lucky though because he hasn't refused anything yet!

Skid are you renting? I think that will be the downside of having this big house (if we get it)-we'll never be able to afford anything that big again!

Jewels I think that is a very good point about it being easy to attribute something to a book or a particular method but it really being just them. I haven't really done anything differently with ds but he is completely different to dd eg she self settled he doesn't, she didn't eat he does etc.

Caz ds does better if he has quiet time before sleep too. It's not always easy to give it to him with dd around but he does go to sleep much faster if he has had it!

DH really pissing me off atm-ds has got himself into a semi routine of napping at 9ish, after lunch and 4pm ish and it did seem to help his nighttime sleep a little bit plus I was able to just cuddle him and he would go off at those times. But DH just tries to rock him to sleep whenever he cries and over the weekend completely messed up ds' sleep pattern. I asked why he was trying to put him to sleep when he had only been up half an hour and then he got pissed off with me like I was undermining him and carried on-after half an hour of rocking ds went to sleep and dh thought that proved his point. It's like he still thinks ds is a newborn, he doesn't seem to realise that sometimes ds just wants a change of scene or a cuddle etc.

Kelbel we tried a variation of your sleep training for a bit but it just seemed to enrage ds so it's back to the drawing board!

Caz I dreamt last night that I had to go back to work with ds sleeping so badly and it was awful! I know it is also hard work being at home but it is a different kind of work and I do think it would be harder being out at work (I'd get flamed on a SAHM/WOHM thread for saying that!). In my dream it was the having to have the brain in gear enough to deal with clients/have adult conversations about serious things that I found hardest-well, I know it was a dream but it was pretty real!

Wizz - i should've really known having had a section doh!

talking of which, those who had sections - how are you now? totally fine? hows the scars?

Clairey - its so hard finding what works for you, we'd been given loads of advice and i just adapted it to what i felt comfortable with.

ds just had cauli and broc cheese and loved it, has also had beef stew, chicken stew, lentils n veg

Clairey - at your dh. It's hard isn't it. DH and I have had similar niggles.

Kelbel, my scar is fine now and I'm having no problems. Don't know what to do if there's a next time, whether to go for an elective c or try natural. I almost feel I know what to expect with a c now so I wouldn't mind doing it again.

evening all!

clairey my dh is the same, think it's a bloke thing! actually his worst one is whenever dd has any little niggle it's always "i think she's hungry"...grrrr...also re these posts about dh not picking them up when crying -AARGH! I have to qualify all this by saying my dh really is wonderful, v hands on and does LOTS of housework too, but that is one thing that really bugs me. If he is off shift, he gives me a long lie in the morning which is bliss, but I am always woken by the sound of dd crying while he gets on with things - then if I get up I am interfering...

quiet time before bedtime has worked for 2 nights now - hooray! fingers crossed we are on to something good. dd is so good at going for naps etc, i just don't understand why nighttime is so woeful. Actually last night was slightly better...here's hoping

work on no sleep.........aaaaaaaaaaaaaa I am sooooooooo scared. EEEK!

speaking of which I am really meant to be doing some just now!

Evening all!
Wizzka - great thread title! Ds is doing BLW with some spoon feeding - mainly fruit purees, yogurt and porridge though he also feeds himself with a spoon, making a huge mess in the process. He has become very adept at eating banana! How much he eats varies enormously, he doesn't always have 3 meal a day because I'm a bit disorgaised!

Caz10 - I'm also altering bedtime routine, used to be tea, play, bath, bf, bed. Today I've done tea, little play, bath, bf, play, bf then took him upstairs awake and rocked him to sleep. Cue much screaming and protesting on his part, but kept rocking him and told him a story. Eventually he fell asleep in my arms, put him in his cot and he protested slightly, so I stoked his head and shushed him and he went back to sleep! That was half an hour ago and I haven't heard a peep from him, but the night is still young! Hope yours works as well! Oh, and Happy Anniversary

Ambi - Am attempting to rival your monster post!

Suey2 - Glad you like your new toy phone!

Kelbel - Sorry to hear you have been poorly! Hope you enjoyed your massage!

Amani - Is the thyroxine starting to have effect yet?

Jewelsandgems All babies seem to develop at different rates - my ds isn't crawling yet, can stand with lots of help, but certainly not pulling himself up!

Skidaddle - Seemed like it took ages for ds to roll, he is still not terribly proficient, he rolls onto his front but still struggles to roll back!

Claireybee - I've had that trouble as well, with dh messing ds's nap times! They just don't seem to get it - with my DH it's more he is keeping awake past when he would normally nap, so he gets mega cranky.

Hello to everyone else!

Hi

Thanks for the good wishes, DS now totally over the chicken pox just a few wee scabs to fall off but other than that he's back to 2 night feeds (in that I mean between 7-7).
Had a manic day and DD didn't have a nap which made a for an exhausting dinner/bath/bed time with her. I'd love to unwind with a nice glass of wine now but I'm really trying to not drink midweek to aid my dieting attempts.... lets see how long that lasts!

CS scar, well I've got used to mine now and I look at it and know it's what had to be done but I don't like it, the skin is a deep purple colour along the cut and the skin isn't even on either side so its not like a line on normal skin it looks like it wasn't put back together evenly, does anyone elses look like that or am I being too critical? I'd love to know as it would also affect my decision in future pregnancies .

Caz glad the wee one settled better with some chill out time before her bedtime, hope she does give you some more sleep before you are back to work. It's amazing just how you will cope though even if the thought is daunting now!

Clairey good luck with the move, the new house sounds ace.

Loucee - glad to hear your ds is getting over his chicken pox!

Caz - how did your night go? Mine went ok, he did cry a couple of times during the evening, but when we went up to check on him he was fast asleep! He woke up properly crying at around 10:40 (vast improvement over the 9pm-9.30pm we've been having over the last week or so!) so fed him then went to bed. I woke up a couple of times around midnight and 1am, but couldn't hear him so went straight back to sleep. Woke up at 2am, couldn't hear him but had urge to check on him, when I went in he was starting to stir and wake up so picked him up and his sleeping bag was wet - his nappy had leaked! First time in ages as well . So took off sleeping bag then fed him, as he was crying, then got his pjs off, changed his nappy and put new pjs on him - he was as good as gold hardly made a sound apart from a bit of chat! Fed him again to make him sleepy, but he was awake went he went into his cot but just lying quietly looking sleepy, so I shushed him and said "night night sleepy time for Daniel" and stroked his head. Then I left the room. All quiet over the monitor so went back into check on him about 20mins later and he was sound asleep!
He next woke up at 5am, fed back in cot awake, played quietly for a bit but started fretting so DH got up with him at 5.30, allowing me to get a bit more sleep - I actually lay awake ages after the feed and nappy change, I was still awake at 3am!
Will do it all again tonight, hope it keeps up!

loucee - affect your decision for future pregnancieS - Does your Dh know about the plural s?!

bouncing - well done for getting DS off to sleep by himself - if I wasn;t so lazy I would follow your example

clairey - yes we will be renting as we can't afford to buy - going form a region where the average house price is about 100,000 to where it is probably closer to 300,000, oh how I miss the north already!

caz - I actually find work easier to deal with when sleep-deprived than a full day with the DCs. But thinking about it I don't have to stand in a classroom with 30 children and teach them something useful.... and you don't have a tantrumming toddler as well as a baby at home... Ok I'll stop there then and just wish you good luck!

re DHs - so glad mine is not the only one. Mine also tries to get DS off to sleep whenever he holds him - he also still does that fling him over his shoulder thing that you do with a newborn - as if that will pacify an active 7 month old! Really annoys me but I have to remind myself how brilliant he is with DD so I just have to bide my time until DS is walking and talking and I'm sure he will be equally brilliant with him

I have to go down to Southampton next week for two full days and a night. Am absolutely dreading it, have never left DS before and am (irrationally I'm sure) terrified he will become addicted to bottles in my absence and not want to BF when I get back. Plus it is such a long time not to see him. I don't mind about DD as I know she will be fine but my little tiny baby

Loucee - I try not to look at my scar - still bitter about the whole thing! If I do it is still purple and it must be slighty raised because I don't like it when dh touches it.

OH and any advice on food. the other 2 were gannets and loved their food - evie puts everything in her mouth but as soon as food is out it clamps shut. I think yesterday she had grass, a stone (whoops) and soil but would she put food in - no. She will tolerate bread and pasta and pear bits - but these get sucked and spat out.

Hi all

Hope you had a good anniversary Caz. Good that you remembered in time!

Wizz - dd is still at the spoonfeeding stage with food. She is a lazy little beggar!! I've tried giving her rice cakes and organix soft rusks as finger food but she just likes to turn them over in her hand until they fall apart. She is also not very good at drinking from a cup. She can hold it and tip it up but prefers someone else to actually 'feed' her it! Lumps are OK though

Got to go. May post later