APRIL 2008 - The One Where We Step Away From The Psycho Pill and Try Not To Need Pregnancy Tests!!!

[VictorianSqualor]

Our Babies

07 March: Ashton, a fourth child for gemprincess, 5lb 13oz @ 34+6
09 March: Ted, a second DS for Daftmoo, 7lb 14oz @ 36+0
21 March: George William, a first baby for KnitterintheNW, 7lb 2.5oz @ 37+3
25 March: Olivia, a second baby for TheMaskedPoster, 7lb 2oz @ 38+4
28 March: Pablo, a third baby and first DS for vacaloca, 7lb 14oz @ 39+4
28 March: Matteo Alexander, a first baby for Gangle @ 38+0 (?)
30 March: A baby girl, a second child for PortAndLemon, 8lb 15oz @ 39+5
02 April: Jak, a baby boy for rainbowdays, 9lb @ 39+1
02 April: A baby boy, a second child for bunyanvillas, 6lb 14oz @ 37+5
02April: Struan, a baby boy for Donnabels, 6lbs 15oz
02 April: A baby boy for mummyofaprincess @39 weeks
03 April: A baby girl for PippiCalzelunghe @38+2weeks
03 April: Aeryn Daisy, a baby girl for Denny185, 9lb 8oz @ 39+3
03 April: Benjamin, a baby boy for Micegg, 8lb 3oz @ 39+4
03 April: Roelof Grové, a first DS for SalLikesCoffee, 7lb 5oz @ 38+5
03 April: A baby boy for siikibam, 6lb 8.5oz @39+1wks
04 April: Matilda, a baby girl for AprilsFoolsBaby 7lb @
05 April: Ellis, a baby girl for MadameOvary
06 April: Henry Peter, a baby boy for Sheds, 7lb 130z @ 40+4
07 April: Sebastian George, a fourth DS for Peachy, 8lb 4oz @ 41+1
07 April: Jack, a first baby for ThePFJ, 7lb 5.5oz @ 41+1
07 April: Lexie Bea, a fourth baby for babywhiting, 8lb 1oz @ 39+4
08 April: Alasdair, a second DS for bunnyrabbit, 8lb 5.5oz @ 40+3
08 April: James Samuel, a third baby for honeybee10, 6lb 7oz @ 37+2
09 April: Zara Mia Martin, a first baby for V1KK1M, 7lb 10oz @ 41+0
09 April: Jasmine, a baby gilr for Niceychops
11 April: Kyran for rdk, 7lb 13oz @ 38+3weeks
11 April: Sebastian James, a second baby for Fleecy, 10lb 2oz @ 40+4
11 April: A baby girl, a first baby for CeylonSapphire, 7lb 12oz @ 41+1
11th April: Florence, a baby girl for LouMoose
12 April: Maya Alice, a first baby for egyptianprincess, 8lb 15.5oz @ 40+3
12 April: Sophia Viviana, a second DD for AussieDivaonaBreak, 6lb 12oz @ 39+3
15 April: Alexander Oliver, a third baby for VictorianSqualor, 10lb 3oz @ 41+0
16 April: Ailish, a first baby for Mollyfloss, 6lb 11oz @ 40+3
16 April: A baby girl, a second baby for elfsmummy, 7lb 13oz @ 41+1
16 April: Zoe, a baby girl, a first baby for ToastAddict, 6lb 10oz @ 39+3
16 April: Jasmin, a baby girl, a first baby for Eggandketchup, 9lb 3oz @ 41+4
17 April: A baby boy for paranoidmumy, 8lb 9oz @ 41+4
17 April: A baby boy, a second son for lorisparkle, 7lb 12.5oz @ 41+6
17 April: Benedict, first baby for LadyBee 9 lb 3oz @ 41 +2
18 April: Millie, a baby girl for scorpio1 8lb 9oz @ 41+?
18 April: Cameron, a second baby for munchkinmum @ 39+5
19 April: Oliver Michael, first baby for bashboid, 7 lb 4 oz at 41 +3
20 April: Samuel, a first baby for Velbels. 8lb15oz at 41+1weeks.
20 April: Angharad Mai, 8lb 4oz, 40+6, first for 7monthsplus
20 April: Emilia, 7lb15oz, a first baby for SuzeM, 40+6
20 April: A baby girl for SushiMama
21 April: Eve, a second baby for OMaLittle, 8lb 4oz @ 39+3
21 April: A second DD for Monmoo
22 April: Sam, a second son for Soph73 @ 40+0
22 April: Molly, a first baby for EllieG, 8lb 8oz? @ 40+5
22 April: Daisy, second baby for AttilaTheHan @ 40 +3
22 April: Zoe Olivia, second daughter for Piccallilli2 7lb 1oz @42+1
22 April: A second DD for blinks.
23 April: Jessica Elizabeth, first baby for BabyBratt @ 40+1 7lb 12oz.
24 April: A baby girl, a second daughter for christmaspixie, 9lb 2oz @ 40+6/41+5
24 April: Miya Jade, baby girl for ShelleySare at 39+4
25 April: Amelie, a first baby for Dondons, 9lb, 41+3 (i think!)
25 April: Aisha, a second baby for Jaq39 7lb 14oz @ 41+4
26 April: Hope Olivia, a second dd for northeastmummy, 7lb 11oz at 41 .
26 April: Gabriel, a third child for Bainmarie @ 41+5
26 April: Eli Michael, a baby boy for LittleMissTurquoise, 7lb 15.5oz @ 40+5
27 April: a baby girl for Ayomi, 6lb 1oz @ 41+0
28 April: Jacob Andrew, a 2nd DS for Kaybeeand2boys, 8lb 4oz @ 41+5
29 April: Thomas Henry, a 2nd DS for TLSM, 7lb 8oz 40+3
30 April: Harry Samuel, a fourth ds for Chipmonkey, 9lb 5oz @ 39+2
30 April: Ellie, a baby girl for Annamama
30 April: A second DD for luckymummy74
01 May: Sophie May, a baby grl for Annieroo, 6lb 5oz @ 41+4
01 May: Euan George, a baby boy for Jenniejennie, 8lb @ 40+4
02 May: Robyn Olivia, a baby girl for soph28, 8lb 1oz @ 42+1
05 May: Nora Martina, a first baby for Eva07, 7lb 8oz @ 41+2
05 May: A baby boy for Beeper, 8lb 10oz @ 41+0
05 May: Gabriella Summer, a first baby for MommyHasAHeadache, 8lb 4oz @ 40+6
06 May: Wilf, 8lb 60z for bigbadmom @ 41+6
07 May: James Andrew, a second ds for Moominsmummy, 8lb 13oz @ 41+5
08 May: Ellie Isabella, a first baby for Carey87, 7 lb 8oz @ 42+1
08 May: Robin David, a 2nd baby for Woollymummy, 8lb 11 oz @ 41+3
09 May: 4 kittens for scorpio's cat!
10 May: Astrid Mary, a second dd for sagitta, 8lb 8oz @ 42+0

Nice! I could do with scones now. Have the clotted cream and the jam, lacking the scones unfortunately. Re magnums - yes, I believe if you really put your heart to it, you can do anything.

I'm sitting here doing another set of bloody accounts. Am fed up of it now - heaven knows why I thought (a couple of months ago) that going back to work would be a good idea! I think I'm quite happy to be a SAHM with the occasional annoying admin inbetween!

I'm going to the dentist tomorrow morning, and have arranged with the nursery that I'm planning to send R to (that's if I work again, which is highly unlikely if you ask me now) to take him for 2 hours tomorrow morning. I wonder how he'll get on. Lovely ladies and they made him laugh last time we popped in, so fingers crossed. I'm fine with babysitters that he knows, but this'll be the first time with "strangers". At least I'm only down the road, and I fear dentists, so any excuse to cancel will be fine with me.

x-posts there VS. You lot are driving me to chocolates - each one seems to be having a nicer evening planned than the previous! Am dead

Hmm, that looks a bit insensitive reading back - I don't mean one is better or easier than the other etc, just feel a bit sorry for myself having to spend a Sunday afternoon surrounded by bank statements while I can hear R laughing and giggling with dh!

I've been good all week-- did have a caramel shortbread yesterday but ahd saved enough W wpoints so OK. get weighed Tuesday- eek

Bas hates his bouncer now [grrr], think boys scared him? Won't touch it now. Others loved theirs.

Bas is teeting, great fun

Sal you#re doing better than me girl, Bas hasn't stayed with anyone bar me and Dh! And dh for no more than 2 hours during finals. Mum is supposed t be taking him in a few weeks fr several saturdays evenings in a row- I am imagining he will be Not Impressed.

Peachy, as you've been through it before I'm sure you know, but I found the more I did it, the easier it got. [bad mother emoticon]

I'm heart broken (but obviously overjoyed for her), as my cleaner (also known as Roelof's stand-in grandmother, as she really loves him, and thinks he's the most brilliant baby in the world, hahaha) has now officially left us (her new jobs starts on Monday). I'm glad for her and she deserves it so much, but will miss Thursday afternoons. It wasn't even about the cleaning anymore, as I can do that myself now that I'm at home, but it was so nice that I could have a proper shower or finish something (or Mumsnet without balancing R on my lap!) while knowing he's having fun with her. [sob] At least she's said she's available for babysitting at any time, so he'll still see her, and we can still have the occasional night out.

Sal, what exactly do you DO when you do accounts?
I'm so useless when it comes to looking at bank statements etc but did dig out the calendar I made for my maternity pay and discovered that my 25 weeks are now up, have a few more weeks on statutory mat pay and then nada.
I have to start thinking seriously about when I'm going to go back and what we can afford for me to do/not do.
sigh...

I haven't had a night out since DS was born, but I have one planned. I'm going with 7 girlfriends to see Dirty Dancing the musical
DP is going to take a half-day and come home early so I can get ready and go in for dinner beforehand. I'm so looking forward to having a few drinks and a giggle, but am a bit nervous of having nothing to talk about except baby baby baby
I am determined to book a dinner date for DP and me though, and get a babysitter in. I've had a recommendation, just have to get signed up with the agency and try to get the right woman. And be brave.

Girly night out sounds brilliant, Ladybee! You'll see, it's just like old times once you're out. I was terrified of going out with work friends again a couple of weeks ago, but once there (or after the first glass of wine ) it was fine.

Re accounts. Urgh. I'm an accountant, so this is what I used to do (well, was Fin Mngr, but same principle) - I've got a couple of small companies (and my own one which is sadly now dormant!) that I still do the annual accounts for. Consider chewing my own wrists off... If only I had more talent I'd much rather have become an artist. If only.

Ladybee - have you found a nursery or some form of childcare you like? I had so much trouble finding something (and it wasn't that I was particularly fussy or anything - there just wasn't any spaces at most of the nurseries around here). If this place that I now have R booked in at didn't open (and if I didn't go around within the first 2 weeks), I don't know what I would have done if I go back to work.

Please help me - I don't know what to wear to R's Christening!

weellll, kind of and not really. I've got DS registered at my local nursery and I think they said there would be a place in February when one of their babies moves up into the older room.
But I think I want to use a childminder for most of his care, possibly using a nursery for a day or so a week. It depends on what my work will agree to and whether I decide to go back full time or part time. At the moment I'm thinking of proposing to them 3 days in the office plus 10 hours work to be done at home on flexible (unspecified day/time) basis.

Well, it is nice to have that in place, even if you're not definitely going to use it. It would be great if you could do 3 days. Part of me still thinks that that would be perfect - a good mix etc. (You'd notice I'm less against it now that I've finished today's boring work. )

I had a look at dresses for R's Christening just now, and got really sad when I realised that I'll have no (office) Christmas party to go to this year. I want to dress up!!! I wonder if R would care if I potter around the place one day, all dressed up, changing nappies... Hmmm.

Oh bollocks. Put Mol down for nap, confidently expecting a decent amount of time for me to goonmumsnet do housework and she's woken up. Damn.

Well, survived the dentist all right, and Roelof (the old traitor) seemed to enjoy his time at the nursery. Gmpf, didn't even cry or at least pretend to miss us - apparently as soon as we turned our backs he was all smiles and giggles!

The nice thing is that they played him to the ground (the nursery will only officially open next week, so he had the 3 owners all to himself!), so he's sleeping what looks like a long and deep sleep (fingers crosses) now. Nice.

Ellie, hope Mol just had a quick wake, and that she'll fall asleep properly again!

A has slept through 3 nights in a row!! That's nearly a pattern. From about 12 to 7am! Sorry for those of you having tough nights, but it's so exciting for us. We are still sleeping on the sofa bed, and it seems to be working...

We now just have to put in a new bathroom, extend dd1's room and decorate our bedroom, and then we can move back to our room.
Mmm. Actually, that sounds like months more on the sofabed ...

Peachy - so sorry about your camera and pics...
VS, hope your night was better.

Actually DS is sleeping back in his old routine now, depending on what time he goes to bed. One waking about 6 hours after he goes down, and then another waking about 3 hours later.

yay the babies!
Benedict was sleeping through, he did 5 nights in a row of 7:30 to 6am, but then his naps went a bit odd, he wouldn't do a long lunch one, which seems to have made him want to wake up at 4:30-5 again these last couple of nights. I've been bringing him into bed and feeding him there and letting him go back to sleep beside me (well, I've been going back to sleep and not putting him back in his own little bed) which mean he feeds off and on but stayed asleep until 8:30 on Sunday which felt like a huge lie-in.
Anyway, today I've given him a little extra feed before his nap and lots of floor play time to try to tire him out so hopefully he'll do a long nap now (am going to try to ignore him if he wakes after short time), and will make sure he gets good feeds in this afternoon and then try the water thing again tonight to see whether I can persuade him again that sleeping through is better than snuggling with mum.

How much time & effort do we spend trying to get our babies to sleep!!!

Am having trouble planning my week - I have the following tasks to do:

1. Get registration cheque to local nursery (within walking distance)
2. Pick up passport from NZ commission in central London (train ride)
3. If possible, visit a wedding venue in Greenwich to check it out (short train ride/drive)

I have the following scheduled things:

Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday: 11am Benedict's 3rd Immunisations.
Thursday: 1:30pm Swimming with B, in South central London.
Friday: possibility of meeting pregnant friend (she 39 weeks though, so possibly not)

Help me decide when to do what in efficient manner. I think I'd rather not hike into the city this afternoon...

I'd go:
Monday pm - registration cheque (near and no stress about not having secured a place)

Tuesday: am - into town first thing for the passport,
Tuesday: pm - stopping on the way back in Greenwich to check out venue.
That way you're doing the travel in one day, but ending with something nice.

Rest of the week as planned.

Am of all the sleeping babies, but still very happy for you all.

that sounds sensible...am hoping B is ok after his immunisations to go swimming. He's been fine with all of them so far so hopefully will be ok.

He's gone past his first 45-50 min sleep cycle! hooray, fingers crossed that means he's into the next and I'll get until 2 to finish my lunch. Then we'll head out for a walk. Just need to find my parka, it's looking wet again...this weather is so depressing. V of all those in sunny france/italy/wherever

Quite an impressive week there btw. My plan for the week is:
This pm to library to return Little Einstein dvd I borrowed last week.
Tomorrow am to Lewisham library for rhyme time.
And that is it.
I might go again on Thursday pm, but am quite lazy and try and persuade myself that my company and singing is just as great.

I'm doing less this week- dh working on the float- have weightwatchers tomorrow and um.... yeah.... pmsl

Rofl, Peachy. Sounds like my kind of week. Except I'd skip weightwatchers. Then my perfect week, and I don't even have other kids!

I go loopy if I don't have lots of things to do, and George behaves/sleeps better if we've been out + about.

This week for us...

Mon, drop in playgroup am, trafford centre to pick up a couple of things and asda shop pm.
Tues, get George weighed and drop in playgroup am, walk to docs to pick up my repeat prescription pm.
Wed, mums & babies from NCT classes coming over pm.
Thurs, breastfeeding support group am, might try a song & sign session pm.
Fri, take George swimming pm.

That's a typical week for us, sometimes we skip stuff to have a quiet day.

George has been having a bit of baby rice at lunch time since saturday and loves it! I had a think about it last week and decided that the risks are very small and that we'd go for it.

Probably not related to it, he's been sleeping much better since too. Last night he went to bed at 7 and woke about 40 mins later, went straight back off just having nis dummy popped back in. We normlly have loads of trips up and down the stairs to him, top ups of milk, generally just wanting someone to be with him - so he falls asleep then wakes up after a bit with the grumps cos there's no one there. Last night, behaved beautifully! He woke at 00:40 and just fed from one side, then woke up properly at about 6:45am. Superstar! I'm trying not to get too excited about him ever doing it again, but I can hope!

You never know Knitter, fingers crossed. That sounds a lot like what Benedict did - down at 7:30, stirred at midnight when I moved him so I fed on one side and he slept on til 6:45, yay!
It's taken me a while to realise that he seems to want extra feeds in the day now that he's not having a proper feed in the night, so I'm doing little 'top-up' feeds at the start of our little wind-down before naps. This all sounds very complicated doesn't it , but I just mean that I give him a little feed when I take him upstairs when I spot him slowing down, change nappy, feed, cuddle and down for nap like a little bed-time routine. It seems to be working. Benedict seems to like predictability. I, on the other hand, daydream of dashing off to Paris tomorrow on the spur of the moment, or bundling him into the car and driving to Cambridge just for the hell of it.
sigh.

Instead I'm pressing on with my personal admin - had a nice long walk and dropped off the cheque yesterday. Heading into the city today, think I'll try to fit in a bit of shopping (H&M) before coming back, but it might be a coffee with antenatal crew in Greenwich (Sal, will text if I end up there) rather than wedding venue as I didn't contact them.

Benedict keeps doing funny little chewing motions, it's so odd seeing him move his jaw up and down like a little snapper fish. I've been giving him a little Calpol when he's extra fussy and he grabs the spoon and pulls it into his mouth, just like he does with my knuckles. His poor little gums must be really getting to him, but no sign of a tooth erupting yet.

I go a bit mad too if I don't have something to do each day - especially in the long stretch in the afternoons when A is awake from 2ish until she goes to bed at 7.

Yesterday we went to the petting zoo and she was mesmerised by the animals. Visiting friends this afternoon and then DH is on holiday for the next 3 weeks! Hopefully he will then get an idea of what it is like to be with a baby all day long. Last night he had the cheek to say he 'had been at work all day' (so I should fetch him a drink). I told him I had been sat with my thumb up my arse all day!

that long stretch is killer isn't it - I just about cry if I can't persuade Benedict to take a nap at around 3:30...sometime's he'll do it, sometimes not.

Benedict just looks at trees when we go to visit the farms. Or sleeps.

I prefer to be about half and half out and at home. I like my own company as well as needing regular outside stimulation. Two days in a row of being at home by myself and I start pacing. Two days out in row and I crave an easy day of doing not much.