May 2008 - gurgling, laughing and maybe even rolling!

[thefortbuilder]

new thread everyone!

MM COngratulations on the work front! You will be able to enjoy the rest of your time off knowing it's sorted - what do you do?

LM - Not sure if Flick will be on here, the Baby Show is this weekend!!! So here is Flick's website.

They stay on extremely well (I've never had one fall off, and I've never been able to keep shoes (or even socks!) on him for longer than 5 minutes!!

Baiyu - You will have to post some photos here or on FB when you graduate!!

It's DS's swimming lesson today and there is a photographer there to capture them swimming!! I am SOO excited!!

And my lovely Lombok day bed is going to be sold on E-bay I love it, but DH hates with a passion and, even though the house is massive, strangely, there is no space for it. so hopefully it will find a good new home, as it's currently residing in the bank garden!

Well, best go and walk a dog!

NSSA xx

Just a handy tip: Probably too late but Gap socks stay on babies feet.

I don't know what up with DS2, he has just cried, moaned since 4am, he is driving me mad. He just won't go to sleep or take his milk. I am now rocking him in his pram hoping that he will go to sleep and give me a break. All kids were in bed and asleep by 8pm last night and I stupidly stayed up watching Desperate housewives when I should have been sleeping, so going to be knackered today with no one to give me a break.
Just feeling sorry for myself please ignore me.

Mitchell I feel your pain. I am knackered today and DS grizzly with a cold. I've got the same cold so feeling like poo. Do you think yours could have a cold too? DS is funny about his milk and I think it's cos his nose is blocked he can't breathe when he's drinking it so he seems to want it then pushes bottle away.
Is there anything you can do for a baby cold?

Macaco His nose is running abit so maybe he has a cold. I don't think you can give them anything except have them in the room with a hot shower running (for the steam). I have just be looking through the dressing up box and found horns and a red cape and a trident- DS1 will be a devil for Halloween and DS2 has a skeleton babygro from DS1 and DD will be a black cat. No that we go trick or treating, but we get the neighbourhood coming to us. You can see how bored I am. DS2 finally fell asleep by the way.

Should read not and neighbourhood kids

Hey Mitchell - Glad DS2 has finally gone to sleep! I hope he is feeling brighter when he wakes up! I have DS a devil babygro for Halloween, but we won't go out either.

Macaco Sorry you are feeling low and your DS isn't feeling great either...

Maybe it's the time of year? I am finding it harder with the dark mornings and evenings

I got DS some menthol vapour (It's by vicks, but you just leave it open in the baby's room) I don't know whether it really helped when DS had a cold, but worth a try. I also have a mattress which is on a slope - that def. helps with the breathing...

DD2 had a cold recently and a friend recommended 'snuffle babe' which is like Vicks vapour rub for kids. I rubbed it on her chest and it seemed to help.

Also, if they are really snotty you can squirt saline (available from chemist) up their nose. Tilt cot a bit.

oh, and Karvol capsules squirted on a muslin and tied to the cot side.

Oh dear, poor babies with colds. All the babies round here seem to have had them so it's probably only a matter of time. I did spend a good while yesterday trying to get carrot out of DS's nose, a very skillful flick of the spoon on his part, don't know who got more of a shock!

I've been thinking, there are so many difficult things that I think a lot of us first timers didn't fully appreciate before our LO's came along. But what really good things didn't you imagine coming with the baby bundle? I don't mean all the love and amazingness that our babies bring but purely self-centred things? For me it's, much to my shock, being thinner than I've ever been and fitting into some size 12 skinny jeans yesterday! I put on over a third of my body weight in pregnancy (got up to about 14 and a half stone) so it was a nice surprise!
It's probably all the sleep deprivation and half finished meals...

Baiyu, that's a very good point... Given I have two step daughters, who have been around since they were 3 and less than 1 , I did think I had some insider knowledge when it came to babies.. but I've been shocked by the fact I NEVER stop thinking about DS. Ever. You know, when my DSDs go to their mum, I think about them, but I know their mum is a good mum and so don't worry, but with DS, if I am ever not with him, I worry (not OTT, but it's there, constantly)

For me, it's definitely brought me out of myself. Before DS, I worked. ALl my friends were related to work, all my activities related to work. (well apart from dog walking! ) Now, I cook (I NEVER cooked before DS), I maintain a routine in the day (never did that before either!), I go to bed early with a book (I never read fictional books before DS. I would only ever read factual / informative books - How sad, eh?) Now, I'm quite happy to escape into some other world for a while, while DS sleeps along side me... That's one of the nicest things (for me, IYSWIM!)

at the skinny jeans though... I don't seem to ever get time to buy clothes these days!!

another one with cold here - DS, DH and me all feeling rubbish. DS has a rotten chesty cough - doc checked him over and prescribed saline drops. olbas oil on muslin by cloth, mattress tilted and lots of short feeds. i've decided to spend day in bed with laptop radio and lots of muslins to catch the mucus-y dribble ~(from DS not me!)

unfortunatel;y my initial weight loss has stopped and i am still quite a bit over my pre pregnancy weight which was overweight anyway. feeling v grumpy about that.

however positives for me - I'm probably a more rounded, more tolerant and less stressed person than I was pre-DS. and i'm much more sociable altho on days like today i'd happily hibernate as long as ds was with me.

Ahh, nice to hear nice things on here.

For me, I have definitely chilled out a lot since having kids, which can only be a good thing. My mates have always seen me as quite a highly strung stresshead...but everyone who has only known me post children always says 'your DDs are chilled cos you're so chilled out yourself'....it makes my friends laugh!

I am very very organised, and not really OCD on cleaning as such, but I do like a relatively tidy and clutter free home. However, I def let more 'go' now than I used to. I am particularly chilled with my DDs, amazingly. I am strict with them because I believe you reap what you sow (IYSWIM) but I don't worry about leaving them with people, choking on food etc etc I just have this little phrase in my head of 'oh well, it won't kill them' (obv choking on food could kill them...oops!) Hmmm, don't think I'm expressing myself very well!

Anyway, baiyu I am v jealous of the skinny jeans too . I am def in better shape than post DD1, but I am really struggling to lose the last half stone or so. I don't understand how the weight isn't falling off, I eat well (healthily) and I'm always on the go...non-stop all day long. Oh well, could be worse....

Got to go, DD1 has awoken from her nap!

Good news here, ds2 has 2 teeth, they came through yesterday, quite a surprise really he has been a bit grouchy but we thought that was post jab grumps. He is also sitting (not for very long but upright) and wont stop rolling and funny crawling; propelling himself from all fours forward without moving his arms and thus landing on his face! All of a sudden he is not my ickle baby anymore

We have also started him on some food, he is 22 weeks/5 months. ds1 was started at the same time and took it so well and ds2 was soo grumpy at meal times, no matter what we did with him so i put him in the highcahir at the table with some toys and that made matters worse, so the next day i gave him half a banana (we are doing blw) and he loved it, so he now has a little something to play with/chew on/ rub into his eyebrows! He particulary likes pear, rice cakes and hummus and broccli. Blw is really amzing after only doing it for 4 days now he has improved his hand eye co ordination loads and he just picks up the food and stuffs it in his mouth and sucks away, it is amazing to watch!

Anyway he getting grumpy on the floor now gotta go,

oh yeah mm - its not made any difference to his sleeping at night, still feeds lots!

Monkeysmama just seen your weaning thread but looked like it was going to kick off so thought i'd post here.

Do you think she could be cold? My DS was sleeping thru and then suddenly started waking in the night. I reckoned after a while he might be cold (and it's not THAT cold here) so put him in a grow bag and put the heating on low in his room. He went back to sleeping thru. It's worth a try if you don't really want to go down the solids route just yet, and anyway it's debateable whether that's the cause of the night waking anyway.
Sorry if you've already thought of this by the way.

I'm done in today.

I'm sitting here listening to DS sqaulk his way too sleep (won't be long now) but have had zero help from DH all day.

He used to help make bottles (I am not allowed to buy the RFU stuff anymore because of the credit crunch) but not even that now... So, he got up at 5am (always does) and when I came down at 8am - the bottles hadn't been washed, the dishwasher was still full from last night (as were the washer and drier) sterilising solution hadn't been changed, dog not fed (or even let out to the garden ) so I had to do it all when I got up, then walk the dog (with DS), look after DS all day and now DH and DSD2 are watching X factor but I had to leave the lounge because DS was kicking off...

Ge has his own stuff to stress about, so I do try to understand, but I could really use some support or a bit of a break - even an hour or so..

Anyway, DS has gone to sleep so I'm off to sort my Ebay sales out - Had loads finishing today!! Am in desperate need of some cash to call my own!!!

Am so envious of all this weaning / teething... DS is ready to wean (physically) but only shows any interest in his bottle... I've tried a couple of times, but he's not interested in anything else

Sorry for the depressing rant (again!) I'm just feeling a bit tired and run down.

NSSA x

MM just had to go to your weaning thread since my DS2 is 21 weeks and I think I started DS1 at 23 weeks so want to treat them both the same. It made me smile to see the response, and probably didn't really give you much useful info.

If you want my opinion read between the lines of your thread and try as best you can to go with your instincts. I think I only started DS1 because I was going back to work and wanted to start it before he started nursery. I found it a hassle really and kept him on baby rice mixed with EBM for a few weeks cos I was too lazy/unsure about doing the veg etc. He was a big baby (over 20lbs when I started) but he didn't really show any interest in food and my breast milk seemed to satisfy.

This time I have more dilemma, want to treat them the same, but DS2 not starting nursery til he's 7 months so I can do it at my leisure. He has been looking for weeks like he could get food into his mouth, he found his thumb at 13 weeks. He is also a big boy at over 20 lbs at 21 weeks, but he seems satisfied by my breast milk. He sometimes wakes for a 4am feed, but usually goes from dream feed at 10ish through to 7am. Someone suggested your baby might be cold? I they could be right. When I think about the times we have to night feeds it's when it's been cold. Anyway, all this is probably no more helpful than your weaning thread, but Since my DS2 is similar age to your LO I thought another opinion may be of some use. I discussed it with a GP friend of mine (who has a 3 and a 1 year old) and she suggested doing it when I have a week I can puree and try him etc. We're away in 2 weeks for a long weekend so I've decided to go for it when we get back. He'll be 23/24 weeks (like DS1!) and I'm sticking to that unless another sign to start pops up.

But just to throw in another thought...he's had teeth since he' been 13 weeks, he has his 4th coming through at the moment. If we were still cave men, wouldn't he have the physical ability to munch and I think he would given all he shoves in his mouth....?!?

NSSA hope Sunday is a better day for you after some sleep. I think you do so well on your own all week, you deserve a rant when your Saturday is just as hard.

NSSA at your DH for not helping! I think they think that cos they are work most of the time, we are just swanning around the house watching 'loose women' and playing with the babies....

I had a fab day yesterday, had a whole day out from 10am til 5pm, with my sister, wedding dress shopping!! We had lunch out and just had the best day. I felt really 'naked' without my children, and I did miss them but it was such a lovely change. We went to pizza express for lunch and I kept looking at all these families thinking how nice it was to just enjoy my food for a change! My sis looked bloody gorgeous in all the wedding dresses!
When I got home, DD2 was sooooo pleased to see me! She got all excited and was really smiley, it was so lovely. I bathed them both and did story and sleeptime which was lovely.

My only minor gripe....and I know this is gonna sound really ungrateful to most of you, but i just have to get it off my chest, when the girls both slept for 2 hrs in the afternoon, DH had said he would clean the bathroom as I haven't had chance to do it this week with all the endless laundry and other housework. When I got home it wasn't done, so I asked him what he did when they were asleep and he said " I read my book". . I know it's not that big a deal, but it really made me cross, cos I just thought...what if I just sat and read a f**king book everytime they slept, the house would be a tip and the wash bin overflowing!!!

I know some people would say I should just be grateful that he had both girls all day, but the way I see it, they are his kids too......He only did what most of you do all week long anyway...why do men feel they have to be given a medal for having the kids for one day .

OK, I'll get off my soap box now....sorry. Just needed to rant a little.

NSSA I think you are a saint....I hope you get more help today.

Right...off to church! (I'm sooo holy )

NSSA i also think your DH is out of order. OK he works all week but so do you, why can't he help out a bit when he's home.
My DH works long hours but he does at least empty the dishwasher and look after DS when I ask.

Feeling very happy cos I braved taking both girls to mass on my own, hour long service (I normally go midweek at the mo as it's only 25 mins and a lot quieter) and they were both good as gold....DD1 bit under the weather so just happy to cuddle and DD2 either sat happily in buggy eating her giraffe, then had her milk, then just stood on my lap smiling at everyone....

Did I say that DD2 can stand holding onto something i.e. sofa (but on her own) for about 1-2 mins.....I can't believe it! DD1 didn't do this til about 8 months! She is such a sturdy lass (just like her mother!!).

Anyway, seriously thinking of having to namechange to SMOG....anyone else get the Saturday Times magazine?!!!

SMOG??

Glad u survived Sunday mass.

at luckydaddy, did he feel your wrath?

Dare I even say it.....SMOG is a character from the 'slummy mummy' column in the saturday times magazine, and it stands for Smug Mother Of Girls .

It's just that at mass, there was a couple sitting next to me who had 3 boys, who all seemed to be under the age of 3 and they were a nightmare all thru mass, crying, screaming, needing to given food and drinks and toys to placate them, and I sat there, on my own with my two very well behaved girls .

Yes Luckydaddy got a bit of wrath, but his response was "but you've been out shopping all day"....

Yes...for the first time in 6 months!!!!

Hehehe, why not they are v good little girls. BTW I went to harvest festival with DS on Friday and he spent the majority of time running round the back of the church, soooo glad dont go to mass every week Id be EMOB (embarrased mummy of boy )

Hee hee denny (can't believe I have just spoken to you on the phone for 1.5 hrs and now I am communicating with you via MN!!!).

In the column there is also a SDD-Sexy Domesticated Dad

I don't know anyone like that though .

Hello,is everyone hibernating for winter already?

I've had a crap weekend with everyone ill (including me) and no sleep Friday night, about 5 hrs Saturday night and none last night.

my only saving grace today was that I had only v ill DS2 this am cos I phoned nursery at 8am and they had space to take him. Don't think I would've survived with 2 all day on my own.

I hate sleep deprivation, it makes me feel like I need sectioning....

LM I also would need a rant if my DH had not done the bathroom, and read a book during the 2 hrs sleep time. I just tell myself we will always be the primary carer until men can develop maternal hormones, it's a gene thing I'm sure.
And your banter with denny did make me smile on this grey day.