Three spikes and they're out. Whose teeth will be next?

[Essie3]

Seeing as it's a quiet time...

Rolf, forgot to say sorry to hear that you're feeling a bit down with not sleeping, a feisty dd and a dh with a career you would like to have.Sorry - that sounds flippant the way I've written it but it's too early in the morning for me to make any more sense.
I suppose the lack of sleep isn't helping things is it.Have you always suffered with insomnia? I know Amber is having problems sleeping too.

Deb can I join the guilt trip, just starting to have some time to play with him but he is 4 months now. And no to weaning here aswell, as long as possible please.

Re weaning - got that Silver Cross chair off the internet and am definitely waiting until November 15th - 5 months on the dot. He can use the chair to play in for now but I am scared of weaning as I have a feeling he's not going to take to it unless all I give him is mango! He tasted marmite from my fingers and didn't like that at all and cried!

Off for my interview in 20 mins - so much for me relaxing when Luke's at nursery. None of my old work clothes would fit so wearing my maternity trousers. Actually they don't look too bad without the giant bump they used to have in them! How comfy are maternity clothes?!!

Luke is now going 7pm-6am with no food and went 7pm - 4.30am without waking once. He then just needed to be turned on his side and woke up again at 5.20 when he went onto his front - even though I put the cushion in front of him - will need to think of a new way to stop him rolling as he can't roll back again on his own. Any ideas? His cot is too big for a rolled up towel as it needs to reach the edge of the cot and his tummy. Have been awake on and off since 3.30 though but that means 5.5 hours of continous sleep which is great for me!

Sorry about egocentric post - have read everything else but need to put some make up on so as not to frighten my would be employer!

AMber - don't do marmite has too much salt in it for him and you know what they say you either love it or hate it.

Morning bit better here Fleur woke at 10 for her dream feed(kind of takes the point away of a dream feed!!!) and then slept til 2.30 woke and then woke again at 4.30 to feed and then was up at 7am to feed but slept again til 9.15am so not sooo many times up in the night dont understand why we are back to 4am feeding though?

Debs- my gine said i had an infection which he prescribed strong antibiotics for and basically really messed up BF (no supply and horrible taste) so now mixed feeding. In the end MW friend reccomend a dr to see who said it was nothing to do with an infection but to do with the scar and pelvic floor muscles basically i was in constant pain, i cant squat down or stand for to long, all to do with my 12cm scar that i have inside and my epistiotomy so now having massages and exercises!!! sorry long post again!!

Rolf- sorry bout sleep and career things hope you feel better soon

I was wondering where others had gone: makecakes, josey 1 and 2 neenz, TGF and am sure there are others too SO Hello to lurkers!!

Hi all. Sounds like we are all the same boat with weaning and the 'do we,don't we' dilemma. We are holding off until at least 5 months but after that taking it week by week, especially as Jamie has such feeding problems. Ds1 has really bad eczema so don't want to wean too soon, but he was bfed until 12 months so that didn't help!

I am thinking about the tripp trapp. But also thinking may just buy cheap very foldable thing from mothercare that takes up no room. Either one end of the spectrum or other.

Katyjo, lets rip out and burn our centiles chart together. Like bra-burning women in the 60s let us start the new revolution - or failing that I am just never taking him to be weighed again. I think hv should only be allowed to loom at babies, if they look well and are happy that should be enough surely?

not loom, look, look at babies. Damn, damn must preview...

lol sybil - at the picture I now have in my mind of hv's looming at babies.

Paro - sounds a nightmare, hope they get you sorted out soon

Sophie - yes, come on in and join the guilt club - you're more than welcome!!

Amber - I would have cried at marmite too!! How was the interview?

How long do your lo's sleep in the day? It's 1.20 pm here and since 6.45 this morning Ethan has only slept for about 45 minutes. I need to get that radiator painted - someone tell him!

Paro thanks for the hugs and I hope Fleur will settle at night again soon

amber I hope the counselling works and brings you some closure

Rolf yes it was me with DD, when she is nice, she is a little angel, but when she is not she doesn't do things by half. I guess it is an age thing, they want to exercise their free will and be independent one minute and be a baby the next! You sound sad about your former career, was it just a one off or do you often have regrets? If you do have regrets, couldn't you consider a part-time post or a lecturer position in a law school or a pls role?

Can't remember who asked about the boosters but yes they are very good and take less space, the only problem I found was that DD could then get in and out quite easily and it was sometimes a challenge to get her to stay at the table (still is...she has gots ants in her pants)

Afternoon all!
Thanks for the replies re. A's sleeping, and sympathies to you as well needahand.
debs it's only at night that he does the mad hand waving. I really hope it's just a phase until he gets more used to his hands. Last night was a bit better and we only had a few wake ups!

amber hope the interview went well. I've got no idea what I'll do clothes-wise when i go back to work. If I could stop eating biscuits it would help!

paro sounds like you're having a hard time of it, really hope the treatment helps

rolf & ernest good to see you back

I can't stop buying baby books and toys at the minute. My excuse on the books is that I need more variety as I'm reading A the same ones every day!

Debs I definitely find I don't have as much time to play with SJ as I did with DD. The days seem never ending, I rarely finish what I want to do before 11 or midnight and yet, I always have the feeling I have hardly achieve anything. I was actually surprised to realise today at the baby yoga class that he can seat on his own unsupported for a bit . I had never tried to make him sit on his own before as he is always on my knees or in his chair whilst I do thing. I do worry too sometimes that he is not stimulated enough

amber good luck in retrospect with the interview. I hope it went really well.

allnew thanks for sympathies. SJ only woke three times (and DD once but at the same time as SJ so wasn't too bad) which I considered to be an improvement. Woke up at 2am thought and I was so dizzy I thought I had food poisoning. I could hardly walk. I am starting work next month again and I don't know what I will wear either. I am supposed to be doing weightwatcher and am usually very good until 5pm, then I get soo tired I just scoff on chocolate

amber meant also to say thanks for suggestion of lying A on his side - will try that tonight!

Paro - sorry to hear about your underneath. It sounds as though you're doing all sorts of sensible things to deal with it though. Those sort of problems are very demoralising though.

I'm beginning to realise why my house/life/everything are in such chaos - I spend lots of time playing with DD2 instead of getting on with jobs . DD1 is in nursery 3 days a week and the boys are at school so I get nice stretches of time with just me and DD2. Also in the evenings I often put DD2 on one of the boys' beds and the children and I mess around in the boys' room, so we all get lots of gurgles then. If anyone is being short-changed, it's the boys. I'm struggling to find the energy to read to them and often even to chat to them. We usually have a good chat on the school run but quite often in the evenings at the moment DD1 is kicking off so none of us can hear each other!

Thanks for being nice about my career woes. I'm usually fine about it and realise that there's an element of grass is greener. THe career I miss is the one I had before having any children. I don't particularly miss the way things were when I had 1 or 2 children and was dealing with commute/nanny etc. So I'm not making a realistic comparison, iyswim. DH had one of those magical buzzy days this week and by definition those sorts of days don't come along very often. I have magical days as a SAHM but obviously they have very different ingredients to a magical litigation day!

I did PSL work after having each of the boys. I've only ever worked in the City - never in the north west, so have no legal contacts here. PSL jobs are quite hard to get and I think they tend to go so someone already in the department who wants more regular hours after having a baby. I'd have trouble commuting to anywhere further affield than Liverpool which narrows the field even more. And with DH's job childcare would be difficult - I'd have to assume that he was out of the picture for emergency pick ups etc.

Most of the time I'm very happy being at home and I know I'm very very lucky to have the choice. Like anyone I just have days of wondering if I've made the right decision and whether I have burned bridges.

para its two weeks - what kind of ebook reader have you got ? Sony ones (like I've got) work on waterstones or ebooks.com in the US.

rolfsorry you're down - chocolate will help and can see how your dh winning streak would leave you with mixed feelings. as you say there is no perfect solution whatever you do (and the way you talk about playign with your kids made me go all gooey ).

amber hope interview went well.

Thanks everybody for you wishes I am trying to keep a happy face as its getting better, Fleur makes it all worth while.

Poppy I have the asus eeepc 901 and has an ebook reader on it not sure which one though it has 3 ebooks stored on it for kids!!! and have an swf extension at the end

Allnew hope it works!

Thanks to all for good lucks for interview. I think it went well and the guy ws lovely. You never know though as these people are trained to be that nice to everyone! Not sure when a decision will be made - hopefully soon so I can put that one aside and move on or get excited about my new role! Half of me is thinking that if nothing suitable comes up before the new year that I may as well crack on with number two. Dunno though. Rolf I know what you mean re job as I know nothing will be the same again for me. Just trying to make the best of what I can do.

Luke enjoyed nursery today although he was so tired he conked out on my shoulder before I'd even got him in the pushchair. I was annoyed that he didn't take any notice of me (as usual) when I came to pick him up and was much more interested in his carer at the nursery but I think he must have been waiting for mummy to come and pick him up before he would allow himself to fall asleep. I just fell totally in love with him all over again. He's so tired I couldn't get him to finish his milk and his eyes were closed before I'd got him upstairs so he went to bed half an hour early tonight. What do they do to them at nursery???! This clearly means the night schedule is all out of synch. He won't be missing his night feed with only 3oz in his tummy.

Sadly I am extrememly excited about my new highchair. It's not small and portable or wooden so I stupidly ignored everyone so remind me when I start complaining about how crap it is!!!

Sorry I'm rubbish at keeping up with the posts and actually posting recently. I will respond to people more individually next time I post, don't mean to ignore anyone...

Katyjo and Sybil - Can I come to the percentile chart mass burning please? Ryder remained on the same (low) percentile on Tuesday, but I was advised to take him to the GP to check for reflux. GP didn't do any checks or tests but did perscribe infant gaviscon. I know that I should be doing everything I can to fatten him up and I am, but I must rant and say that infant gaviscon is a PITA to give to a BF baby...

We also had the 4 month jabs yesterday and we've really felt the effects today....I have a very grizzly baby. TFI Friday and DH was home at 7pm, not sure I could have lasted much longer. My arms and back are aching from walking and rocking.

Amber - I know what you mean about falling even more in love - just when I think I can't love R anymore, I do! Being a Mum rocks. Even on grizzly days like today.

I don't want to go back to work (PP whispers to herself cos she knows she has no choice...)

Rolf - I just said to dh today that I haven't read to the boys for ages.

Amber - sounds like it's all the stimulation of the other babies that's tiring him out, and aww about falling in love with him again!

I love all my 3 boys to death but I feel so very lucky to have Ethan and I think that every day. When I got broody again last summer I never really expected to get pregnant, and here I am with an adorable 4 month old - I managed to get a smile on camera, check out profile.

deb, cute picture!

Amber, wonderful to hear Luke has settled into nursery so well.

PP, IKWYM! Being a mum rocks big time - dh said to me last week that if all our children are as adorable as Alex he'd definitely have four! . Bearing in mind it took us 5 yrs to have one, I don't think four is realistic but it's nice to know he's committed to increasing our family by at least one more and who knows if we get some frosties next time . . .

Btw, went to The Baby Show today and finally took the plunge with cloth nappies - am ridiculously proud of myself!!

I went to the Baby Show when I was preggers but I expect I would come home with even more crap now I have a baby to buy for!

Been up with the baby since 4.50. This no dream feed/night feed thing means he is really restless during the night and usually he doesn't wany any food until about 6.30 but I could tell he was hungry this morning and fed him at 5 and he wolfed it down. Means we are up and down settling him all night long but what can we do if he won't take a feed at 11.30?

Wow, its incredibly quiet on here today.

PP - of course you can join in with the percentiles chart burning, the more the merrier. I tried to get gaviscon into bf dd but in the end I gave up as it was a total pain in the ass and she got better by herself. I was also ridiculously worried about medicating her unnecessarily, which looking back was a bit stupid. So fingers crossed it gets better for you. I do worry about Jamie, but I look at how well he is and how content and I wonder why I am worrying, especially as I know that after 8 months the hv will never care about weighing him again.

Also, even given his feeding issues I also look at my little monster and thank god dh finally agreed to a third. I so wouldn't want to be without him. However stressful he is, he is also such a joy. He has the most perfect smile, you see it in his eyes and the most hard-hearted person couldn't fail to be moved.

Sorry for not being around for a few days, orange keep messing DH around with the broadband because we need a modem with more than one port they insist we must be on a tariff that we pay ridiculous amounts of cash for, but when he asks why they have no answers.

Went to Baby show yesterday and bought a few more cloth nappies, think I am becoming a nappy w*&^e. Also took advantage of an awake baby and having my mum there to try a load of proper slings out and am now the proud owner of a Close baby sling which Isaac loves being in.

I also took the tube (twice) only district line between Earls Court and Hammersmith but was very proud of myself. Getting the train back was more eventful as ended up on a packed commuter train but a couple of smiles from Isaac and all hearts melted.

Sorry haven't had time to read and reply to everyone, but watching merlin, and baby and typing here.

PP I agree, infant gaviscon to bf baby is a right pain. I gave it for a while, and I found the best way for me was to mix about 1oz ebm with about 6 'servings' worth of powder. I would then give 2 spoonfuls to A after each feed in the day time (didn't bother in the night). I didn't like it though due to hassle and lack of poo! Maybe I am bad mummy not giving him it any more as he still pukes up quite often (doesn't seem to bother him though, typical messy boy!)

Also, I'm with you on the work thing, I'd rather stick pins in my eyes

amber sounds like you must be feeling pretty shattered today. They can be so stubborn! The side-sleeping worked a bit better last night - A was crying then i put him on his side and he calmed instantly!

debs lovely pic. I know what you mean, I feel the same every morning when I look at A - despite the lack of sleep!

rolf I didn't realise you were in the NW - thought I was the only one!

Sponge - well done on the cloth nappies! I'm mortified at the thought of how many disposables I've sent to landfill.

Allnew - Neenz is up here too, only a few miles from me, in fact. Whereabouts are you?