December 2008 - Its not wind they are smiling.

[JamInMyWellies]

Here we go ladies Rosmerta suggestion.

So, now I?m catching up (makes end of January resolution to keep up with MN friends more frequently)

Trace that?s so lovely what you said about feeding and cuddling a baby and helping her grow being the most important job of the day, and so true. I?m a list obsessive and do-er and not one for sitting around ? but I?m not just sitting around, I?m making my baby a bigger and healthier girl (well actually, right now I am sitting around on MN, but at the next feed I become important again).

Arti hurrah for the bottle success, that is great news!

Jam we?re working on a bedtime routine ? slowly! So far we?ve got bath, feed in dark room, cuddle and settle in moses going quite well ? but it could be at anytime between 7 and midnight. Sometimes DD is wide awake and wanting to play in the evening, making it late when she?s relaxed enough to consider going to bed and other nights she?s sparked out at 7 and we wish we?d but her to bed so we could enjoy a cuddle on the sofa. Any suggestions on imposing a bedtime anyone?

Bisou I also have a little ET lookalike! She is a doppelganger when trying to get a burp out

LadyT at the ?wearing blinkers like a nutty racehorse? ? that has made me chuckle lots!

Orange we have the basic tomy monitor, and I?m not convinced it works that well ? I spend the whole time nipping up the stairs to get a closer listen to DD (good for the thighs though!). However I sent my Mum into the pantry with the baby unit the other day to ?cry? into it, and it worked fine, so think I?m just paranoid.

I?d also be up for the weight loss posting, except I don?t have any scales and I think that is the best thing for my sanity!! However I will cheer you all on, and when I get to the leisure centre and spend 20p on weighing myself (in public ) I will join you. I like rosmertas measuring idea, I do have a tape measure (somewhere). Ooh, and I can get my calculator out again and work if we lose more weight collectively than the HUGE 400lbs of baby we gave birth to! (There?s a challenge)

Verso I also don?t have a clue what to do with DD when I want to go swimming/yoga (my local is a council leisure centre, so no crèche) ? oh apart from signing up for a baby swimming class, though I doubt I?ll get many lengths done!

Beans, trace and oli your daughters are all so beautiful (and the one of P?s first smile has almost brought tears to my eyes).

JJ I?m having exactly the same thoughts about my DH and sharing baby caring and housework. I haven?t addressed it yet and don?t know how to ? in my charitable moments I think that DH deserves quality time with DD and I get to cuddle her every couple of hours when I feed her, however in my less charitable moments I think I don?t get any actual cuddle time other than feeds, as otherwise I?m doing the chores. Don't know what to do - there could be the option of a cleaner (there's a postcard in the shop window for a lady at just £7/hr), but I think I'm a bit control freaky and would be one of those crazy ladies who clean before the cleaner comes

Mibbes for you BF progress, well done you.

kayz the bag sounds lovely, can't you tell them it got 'lost' in the return post

Phew, that?s all from me now, need to go and rest my typing hand ? xx

Evening!
Daisy will you come to my house and make my nights like yours?!

Am very of the London Meet-up. Thought about reading the thread just so I can feel part of it!

I had an attack of inadequacy earlier - got a text from my friend who has just delivered a 10lb 6oz baby with just gas and air. It made me think I must have been a bit of a woos having a little 7lb-er and needing meptid and wanting more... Do you think some people have less painful births or do they just handle the pain better?

I had a hilarious moment today - went to the shops this afternoon (and got myself some Funky Boots for £11 from Clarks!) - anyway, this guy starting admiring Phoebe and asking all sorts of questions. He kept referring to her as him - which was fair enough because she was dressed in white and looked very unisex - like "how old is he", "Is he good", "Isn't he gorgeous" ...anyway, he asked me what his name was, and I felt so bad that he'd been so lovely and would be embarrassed if I said "actually it's a girl", so instead I just said " he's called Harry" and scuttled away!

Lachlan bathed, boobed up and asleep in his moses basket. Whats the betting he wakes in an hour.

Trace too funny.

Can I just ask if I'm a bit odd?

DS is asleep on shoulder and I'm just smelling him - all soap and milk I could eat him I love it and him

tracelove your tale...I would have done the same!

Evening

Its my first evening alone with both DDs, DH at a party, they are both asleep at the mo (although DD2 is on my lap), I hope it stays this way...

Turnip and other Londoners - i am going to come to the meet-up with dd2 (dd1 will be with nanny). can't wait to meet you all.

Oli - we must work close to each other, i am going to be by my office too so will take the oppurtunity to show off N.

Trace - I have been wondering that about childbirth and pain thresholds too. i just can't imagine that i could have survived either labour without an epidural. the pain was just unbearable. strangely i have always been told i have a high pain threshold before. Love your photo!

Kayz - glad you mil was supportive.

LadyT - i am not sure that i will make it to the party tomorrow . dd2 has gone back torefusing the bottle . she has also been quite unsettled in the evenings for the last few days so i can't really desert dh. we will see. maybe tomorrow i will see a way. am so disappointed.

JJ - my tip for dividing housework - takeaways and pasta pesto until you lo sleeps from 7pm. seriously, where is the time for cooking and shopping???

i will join the weekly weigh in. i am 5'11'' and 12 stone 9lbs. my pre-pregnancy weight was 11 stone 4lbs. that made me a size 12 and it is my aim. so i have 19lbs to lose (it was 18lbs but i gained 1lbs this week due to gratuitous pigging-out }.

Well thats what I get for being smug he's awake!

Oops, i forgot to add that N produced her first proper smile today . she saved it just for me (which was nice as her sister bestowed her first on the postman).

I'm only 5' so would bring the average down somewhat

God,I am so angry,just been to the pub for a spot of friday night cheerfulness, popped outside for a fag (yes, I am back on them) and got chatting to a friend, so was outside for 10-15 mins - max. Dh sent DS out to find out how long I was going to be, and when I came back in Dh said, "You took your time, it's not easy dealing with both of them" !!! WTF does he think I do all day, how dare he resent 10 minutes! Aaaaaargh. Sorry, needed to rant, and you girls are so understanding.

Arti my DH is out too both ds' asleep and I'm gonna have a veggie pie and baked potatoes and veg soon. Very sleepy though so will eat watch a bit of tele and then bed I think.

Verso I'm going to do a post natal pilates class that I can bring ds to it is run by the lovely ladies who ran the active birth and pre natal yoga class I did. One of them takes the class and the other cuddles unsettled babies. Also I have a brilliant post natal yoga book called 'baby om' which I used for the year after ds1 was born which was great so will do that at home. I also need to do a far bit of swimming for these events in June and September so will do that in the evenings, weekends or on days when dh is working from home. DH is a lovely man who is generally the perfect man, his only failing is that he is a little superficial and likes his wife slim. But it works to my advantage as he always bends over backwards to make sure I get out to exercise. I think he also knows he has a less grumpy wife if I can get out to do some training or yoga. Fingers crossed I can sort ds out to feed from him with a bottle so I can go out when I want. With ds1 I had to work around his feeds which was not easy.

I had my BFN class today I really like the class and the group I will miss it when its finished. We did a little assessment today we had to pretend we were assisting a mum who had come into a bf support group. Ds2 was in the sling fast asleep and halfway through the task he started snoring. I passed ok but the girl who was being the mum was trying not to giggle.

I do love him though he is such a lovely man I love watching his personality come out. My sahm maternity leave starts next week as dh is back to working away from home, he is in Cardiff next week. I will miss him and getting ds1 to nursery on time will be a bit tricky. But I am looking forward to having ds2 to myself in the mornings it will be nice to get ourselves into a little routine of sorts and also time with ds1. I'll walk him home from nursery to get out and with ds2 hopefully asleep in pushchair it will give ds1 and I some time together. He went swimming with his dad today. I'm so proud of his swimming he doesn't need his floats anymore is diving in now and goes underwater to fetch toys.

I hope you gave him an evil glare Katie and made him get up for the next drink. Cheeky bugger.

Trace I love that story. You're so kind. And that photo is beautiful.

Arti I hope you get out tomorrow (if you want to). DD is also being a bit of a madam about the bottle. Which is boring.

ZJ am sure someone who knows better will help more but I think you have a right to ask for flexible working (but your employer doesn't have to give it to you)

oops DD having meltdown...better go. night everyone

ZJ I don't think they would fire you for just asking. Many workplaces prefer their staff to do at least some homeworking if it is possible because staff work more effectively from home. Maybe you could go to your boss with some evidence for how well home working works or exactly how you plan to structure your work from home.

Arti I hope you go out tomorrow night I'm looking forward to some gossip chat from you and LadyT, sans names of course.

arti - lovely news about N's first smile!...keep 'em coming December Babies - we need those smiles to keep us going

Morning,

Trace That is so funny. Everyone thinks Freddie is a girl, he does look quite feminine(sp) and he has his curly hair. But I hate it, I always correct people. He was in a pair of green camoflage trousers the other day and he was still called a girl

Dylan smiled last night!! He smiled at Freddie and then again this morning!!

We had a pretty good night. DS2 slept for 4 hours, woke up to be fed and slept for another 3. But we were woken up by an almighty thud!! We were both scared shitless and there was DS1 on the floor at the bottom of our bed!!

We are now worried he sleep walks as he was fast asleep despite just falling over.

Lovely photos girls.

Katie I hope you gave him what for.

Well after trying to settle him in the bedroom for a couple of hours I brought Lachlan back downstairs and he fell straight to sleep on DP typical. Took him up to bed with us at 11 and then he slept till 4.30, lovely.

Tis a bit chilly here this morning but it looks like the sun is coming out. Have a lovely wkend all.

Morning all, how is everyone?

trace that's so funny!

katie agree with the others, think you should just go out shopping & leave it all to dh, see how 10mins compares then!

I've got a busy day, got to get the house ready for 8 3yr olds . Ds1's birthday party, can't believe he's 3!

Trace I loved the picture of you and your DD. So very cute. I did laugh at renaming him Harry.

Orange sorry to hear your little one is spotty. But if it makes you feel better so is mine. I took him to the GP on Wed who said it could be eczema. Here's hoping both sets of spots clear up soon. No new photos will be posted here for a while!

On the weight front I took a deep breath and went to weigh myself for the first time in months but the batteries in the scales had died . I may (or may not) get some new ones today.

DH asked me today if DS's umbilical thingy had fallen off yet. As he will be 6 wks tomorrow that says a lot about the division of labour in our house.

Nolda tut tut to your dh that's very bad. In think for that remark the next bath is his job.

Kayz and Trace when ds1 was in his 2s it didn't matter what I dressed him in people still thought he was a girl. It annoyed me a little but what bothered me most was the amount of people who on finding out he was a boy would say 'oh but he'd make a beautiful girl'...yeah but he's a boy!!!

Happy birthday to your ds rose hope he loves his party

Hope party goes well Rosemerta we've also got birthday party this afternoon - although have wimped out and only invited a couple of other children as well as godparents/our friends..I have made a birthday cake exactly like the monster cake Charlie has in "This is actually my party" and am ludicrously pleased with myself. This will mean nothing to those of you who don't yet have toddlers but DS is almost as excited as me and keeps saying 'look at that' in awed voice. Feel like it's the first proper Mum thing I have ever done and worth dying nails blue for (am v messy cook).

Kayz so pleased Dylan smiled. It makes such a difference doesn't it. This morning we had both of them in our bed and DS was holding DD's hand. So sweet.

Trace LOL at changing P to Harry! I would have done just the same (and have done similar in the past . Oh, and I too wanted to read the meet up thread so I could feel part of it as well. Oh again (just agreeing with everything you said here), I also wonder about the pain threshold, as I had an epidural for my titchy 6lb 7oz DD. I often feel like I need to justify my decision when people ask me about the birth, even though I know I had the epi for the right reasons for me and it made all a positive experience.

Arti what a bummer about the bottle, hoping your DD takes it again today so you can go out tonight and meet ladyt (I have visions of you doing secret handshakes, like the the masons, and talking in code!) And for N?s smile ? that is great. Oh and kayz smiling DS2 as well ? so many smiles appearing this week!

Turnip do NOT encourage me to work out more stats, I?m already itching to get hold of everyone?s heights, eye colour and star sign to work things out

Veggie your DS1 sounds a proper little water baby (or water boy as he is now), I?m so impressed with his swimming at his age!

Lal/veggie I have decided I will definitely ask for either flexible hours or working from home or a combination ? the trouble is there?s no precedent for either at the moment (and some people have had their requests refused), but I?m hoping that with the reason being the company decision to move offices they?ll have to be more accommodating. And if I can present a good case, like veggie suggested, then hopefully I can keep my job but without the hassle of the nasty commute.

Happy birthday to rosmertas DS1 ? hope the party is a success and your house survives it! Oh, and a party at lals too, hope that's lots of fun - you must post a picture of the cake!

All this talk of dieting has made me realise that we?re a food obsessed bunch ? just look at our names: veggie, artichokes, turnip, beans, jam/haggis, orangecrush, chutneymary! (And if I?d been more original when signing up I?m sure my name would be food related too)

I?m having a bit of a routine dilemma, having faithfully written DDs sleeps/feeds/awakes/playtimes etc down for a week or so to try and understand her routine (think it will be easier to follow her lead, but try to instil a bit of structure to it, rather that impose something totally different on her). However sometimes she has quite short naps and other times sleeps for hours ? yesterday I woke her after 4 ½ hours as I was worried she?d starve in her sleep, so forced my boob on her, she had 2 sucks and went straight back to sleep, so clearly wasn?t starving and just wanted a kip. Do those of you following a routine wake up your DC, or do you let them get the sleep they want? And if you do wake them, how on earth do you keep them awake? (Sadly this mega nap yesterday was all afternoon, she was back to less than 3 hours as soon as it got dark).