May 2008 - gurgling, laughing and maybe even rolling!

[thefortbuilder]

new thread everyone!

YCBS Thanks! That's very sweet of you. I have a couple of 'guru mummy' friends who I always call if I need advice! Their girls are just a bit older than both of mine.

Well, the kids are finally in bed

Oh! I forgot to say, I tried out my bargain ebay double buggy this morning and it was FAB!!! I love it, it's so light and easy to steer...even carrying a basket around Sainsburys and pushing it with one hand (hmmm, no wonder I'm tired!) DD2 fell asleep within mins of getting in, and DD1 loved being next to DD2! Sorry to go on, but I really am chuffed to bits with my bargain! Would definitely recommend this particular double buggy to anyone on the look out for one.

LM x

hey all! and welcome stretchmarks!

well another good day here - 30 min run today so am feeling tres good about myself!

have a look at this it's my new website - let me know what you all think please! and i know there is a random paypal "add to cart" sign on one of the pages

samuel has two lines in his bottom gum and toxic poo and red cheeks, but i'm still not convinced anything is going to come through for ages - ds1 took ages and was teething for about 2 months before anything came through - they pre-teeth as well - the teeth move up and down a lot before finally coming through, which is something no one tells you.

no sign of pox spots yet though

flick the website looks v cool!!

thanks lm!

and i put this on my post natal thread for ds1, but if anyone wants to order anything i'll do you a 20% discount - just put your mumsnet name at the checkout on paypal or email me!

Ooh, very cool Flick!

I think the only thing I'd say is that I'd like to see more photos... - Kids wearing the booties and hats (def. going to have one of those hats for Harry for walking the chocolate dog in the winter! He'll be 7 months by then so hopefully the small one will fit him!) and also photos of the sort of packaging for the gift wrapping...

I can supply a small boy for said photo shoot!!!

Glad to hear there is no sign of the pox!

yes on a mission for photos tomorrow - hopefully it will be a grey day so it doesn't look like the middle of summer!

and packaging -hmmmm - it's still being made! think lovely solid white luxury feeling gift boxes and you're pretty much there!

thanks ycbs!

flick are the booties similar style to shoo shoos.

www.shooshoos.com/

I really like the booties and my DD would love them but I need to know if they will fit.

mitchel i think they are very similar - they have an elasticated ankle and fit nicely at the back - we tried bobux ones that we were given with ds1 and they were too shallow at the back and kept slipping off - these ones are a much better fit.

if you take a pair and don't like them, just send them back to me within 2 weeks and i'll refund - no better way to try them

2 week delivery at the moment as they are coming all the way from NZ!

Well, it's grey here, Flick so hopefully where you are too!

Can I ask you guys if you are planning to use external childcare, from what age and why?

Just wondering about Harry really.. I have no need to return to work, so that's not a huge consideration, but I'd like to do something eventually and I think my best option is to train as a teacher (I specialise in chemistry so I'm a shoe-in!). I can start a part time course at the Uni. of Herts next September (I could start this Sept, but I'm not ready to leave Harry yet! ) which would be 2.5 days per week. So, I'd need a nanny / CM / nursery... Harry would be 15-16 months old, which I think might be a good age to interact with other kids and for him to have some routine away from me... but looking for your views... LM - I know that you have a CM... is that what you will use for DD2 too?

YEAHH!!!!! it's Friday!!! Dh home tonight!!! Am praying the plane isn't late, as we have friends here tomorrow so tonight is our only night on our own!!

Morning ladies

I feel exhausted already today! Dp has gone to some sailing thing overnight which he left for at 5 which is probably why I'm tired. I used to love Friday but dp seems to be doing stuff every early Friday evening which means I've ended up sitting waiting for him then trying not to be angry when we go to the Indian again and he shovels food into his face like a drunk monkey! Mmmm, me thinks we can tell I'm tired and in a bad mood.

Flick, the HK friends are going to send me the names of their LO's school and the others they looked at. At the moment she's at an ex pat nursery but is soon going to the International School as opposed to the English School which they thought was too strict. Will give you all the info when I get it!

Left my cashcard in a shop yesterday. It's on the other side of London so am cardless until Monday when dp can get it! He left me money today which I suppose I'll have to get used to soon!

I also forgot to pay our cleaner last week

Dd is dribbling and chewing too. No rolling yet but I haven't put her on her front as much as I probably should have. We are having mini conversations! I talk to her and she talks back to me, waits for me to reply then talks again. I say talk-you know what I mean! It's great fun! We were in a posh restaurant yesterday with HK friends and the waitress was Italian. She spoke to dd in Italian and she was trembling with excitement! I think it's because I speak to her in Italian when it is just us. Though I do have a very friendly bubba. She was in her element being passed round all the Vietnamese women in the pedicure place!

Re the child care question. I am supposed to go back to work in October and need to start looking for someone to look after dd. There's a lot to think about because my job's not at all kid friendly hours etc. I am currently thinking I'd like her to go to nursery 1 day a week at least whether I go back to work or not to meet other kids. If I go back to work now I'll probably need a CM to collect her from nursery too. I loved my CM indeed dd has her name and I'm still friends with the kids I met there. What are other people thinking?

Long post-sorry!
MM

Hi, just a quickie today.
For childcare we have a fabulous childminder, and she already takes J when I'm at the end of my tether ( e.g. yesterday cooking tea, DH vomiting after collecting DD1 from her, DD1 wanting her shoes taking off, J crying coz she needed a nap, someone ringing the doorbell ) just for the odd hour or so.
We started DD1 with half days at nursery when she was just over two, and think ideally should have started from just under 2 yrs old, she was ready for playing with other kids the same age (childminder only does 1 older girl before and after school certain days, so mostly one on one care). We find even now DD1 is exhuasted after half a day at nursery, she does 2 half days a week now.
Life is good, busy, fun, never have time to catch up here!

Hi all,

This is my personal view on childcare....I looked into it a lot with DD1. There is a great book out called 'mums on babies' this book which is all quotes taken from MN discussions and has a really good section of unbiased views on childcare, i.e the pros and cons of both.

I returned to work when DD1 was 8 months old, and she started at the CM at about 6 months just going for the odd hour here and there to get used to her. Personally, I think this was a very good age, as DD1 was old enough but not too old to have become so attached to me as to be very clingy. I have had friends send their lo's to childcare after 1 yr old and had problems with the child being very clingy etc as they are so much more aware at that age.
I am hoping not to return to work til Feb or March next year, but I will start DD2 at the same CM as DD1 when she is 8 months old, for this reason.

I also personally think CM are favourable up to the age of 2 yrs, and there is research to show that they are apparently better off in a home from home environment up until the age of 2yrs. We looked at a few nurseries, and it may just be the ones I looked at, but I really didn't like them, certainly for a baby. They just seemed so impersonal and a lot of the staff looked very young. One I looked at had all the babies just sat in highchairs in a row, and it wasn't even lunchtime!!!

All nurseries and CMs have to be OFSTED inspected now, and I found it really helpful reading the OFSTED reports before I visited each place.

I am thrilled with my CM and will definitely continue to use her with both my DDs.

DD2 has her second lot of jabs today

LM xxx

example from the book

thanks MM!

re childcare - i am really lucky in that i didn't want to go back to work, dh didn't want me to go back and we can afford for me to stay at home with the boys. that said, we have had someone who came to our house for 3 afternoons a week to help out with jacob, and from september he is going to nursery 3 half days a week - mainly as he is really ready to be really social (and the classes etc that he goes to aren't really enough).

i read the ofsted reports before going round to places and you will also just get a feel for a place when you go in - also look at staff turnover rates!

not much else to report here - still no pox spots but keeping watch!

pina it's a brand new venture and i built the site myself - you can download lots of web building software which you can try for free for say 30 days and then you need to pay to keep it - the one i used was about £30! i used www.wysiwygwebbuilder.com - you basically start from scratch and put o nwhatever you like. seems daunting to start off with but with a bit of planning it works!

where's everyone else - we seem to have lost a few stragglers along the way???

Thanks for all your replies on childcare... FLick I'm in a reasonable position to you (though I'm still struggling with not having my own money... Feels strange to not be earning anything!!!) but do feel strongly that Harry needs interactions with kids / other people and not become clingy on me - which I suppose I worry about as we are on our own such a lot... it's quite clear already that he can get frustrated when someone else is holding him (if, for example they aren't holding him the way he wants) and he wants to come back to me!!

LM thanks for the book recommendation - Shall read that! Maybe 16 months is too old and I shoud look for a CM for him slightly earlier...

Pina LOvely to hear from you! I def. go along with Flick's advice - build your own website and then you are in control!

MM - Sorry you aren't having the best day. You did make me smile with your 'drunk monkey'... By the time DH gets home on a Friday, he's often had a few beers (he has a driver to and from the airport) and esp. if the plane is late, he'll have eaten before he gets home.... so this is something I can relate to!!! I am planning a meal tonight, as we have friends tomorrow and the house is looking GORGEOUS (the state I live in all week is not how I'd like others to see it!!!! - I have spent a small fortune on flowers so each room has a lovely arrangement!!!)

Actually, you mentioned tummy time, and it's something I'm trying to get Harry to do - although he can hold his head up perfectly well (has been able to since he came home) he hates being on his tummy... screams blue murder till he gets moved.... Not sure if there is anything I can do about that or should I just persevere?

Flick - I think there are stil quite a few people on holiday - Asics is for sure!

Forgot to ask, LM - How did the jabs go?

Pina - Harry is out of his moses basket and I don't want him in a different room yet, so I got him a little crib... it's a lovely 'halfway house'.... That might be an idea?

MM - what is it you do? My 'old' career was totally un-child-friendly....

Poor old Harry has finally given into the need to sleep!!

He got woken up from his nap today and (like his dad) is a very light sleeper!!! He's been watching his cot mobile for nearly an hour now and has FINALLY gone to sleep!!!

ycbs - persevere with the tummy time - we do it with sam and he yells his head off as he can hold his head and upper body u pbut is now trying to thrash his legs around.....another frustration for him!

Glad to report I am now in a better mood!

YCBS - I work in construction which is currently less than 1% female!

I need some advice! Stella is a wonderful, happy, gurgly, smily baby. From day one she has cried maybe three or four times a day when she's hungry, cold or wet. But since last Thursday she has started screaming twice daily at least and I can't for the life of me work out why.

I know I am going to sound like a precious mummy here but it isn't just a little baby crying for attention - I am sure she's in pain when she screams. At first I thought it was over stimulated (she goes from happy to over excited in an instant) but I am starting to think it might be bad wind as it often happens when I lay her sideways to feed. She then screams, tries to eat a little bit then screams again. Anyone got any ideas? I haven't tried water yet but have some cooling now...?

Thanks!
MM

Well, MM I can empathise - My last job was in wood preservation. TOTALLY male dominated.

I DO NOT MISS IT for a second. It's totally misogynistic!!!!

As for the crying - high or low pitch? Harry's cries are much higher for wind / tummy ache - lower for frustration...

Harry def. has started crying out of frustration. He tries to talk and gets frusrated, it's a low pitch moan... When he has wind or is in pain, it's much higher... I have read that at about 3-4 months, the babies get frustrated because they can see things, but can't reach them... Harry seems to be guilty of that!!!

But that's just Harry - I'm no expert....

Thanks YCBS. I am trying very hard not to think about work!

I think it is high pitched. It is like short sharp screams and even real tears.

def sounds like sam when he has trapped wind MM, or when he is trying to poo.

well, it turns out that the very small pimples he has had yesterday and today might be the pox after all... waiting till tomorrow morning to see if they get a lot worse but so far not too many.