Hiah ladies
Hope everyone is okay - I read posts on my phone every day or so but it is a pain in the hand (it's a little keyboard!) to reply and often dd is asleep on me so....
Birthdays - we're having 3 parties! The first is at dp's parents by the sea with dd's cousins (dp's sister who is the most negative woman I have ever met - which is going some) and 2 families of our best friends and their kids. Dp's parents have a lovely big garden and live by the sea so should be nice. Then the following weekend (her birthday's on Thursday 14th) we're going to have a picnic and party in the little park at the end of our road for c.40 people!!!! It sounds like a lot but I have 6 sisters so just them with partners (not all of them - the youngest 3 are 9, 10 & almost 13 so no partners there!) and dp is still very close to c.10 people he went to school with who all have husbands/wives and kids & apparently they all need to come. We're having a party for adults in the evening at our house (10 doors down from the park!) if we have the energy! Then we're having a tiny party on her birthday- well me and my mum are going to sit and look at Stella all day & play our favourite kissing game and thank the lucky stars for the blessing that is my baby girl.
All of you owrrying about pregnancy makes me smile. If only! Well, I don't actually mean that. I want another baby but won't try for another 18 months or so but I have only had sex maybe 5 times since dd was born so not much chance for me! It is a bit demoralising - I have been back in my pre pg clothes for ages, still bother to cleanse & tone every f-ing night (anyone else following the oil cleansing thread?) and got chatted up twice this week but I suppose that means nothing does it because it isn't about looks and stuff is it.
Sleep is still a problem here - as is hair pulling but we're coping. Dd goes to bed at 7 and sleeps until c.1130 then comes to me in bed for a feed (she's still in her cot in our room) and usually sleeps with me until she wakes up again around 2 for more food then at 330, 430 and 6ish. Some nights it is only at 1130 and 330 but some nights she'll be awkae between 2 and 430 and they are bad nights. Then she gets up around 630-7am and has breakfast and a play then goes down for a 2hr sleep around 9. Then sleeps 1 hr after lunch around 1230 and has a second 40 minute nap around 4 so it is getting a bit better.
Dd is still breastfed (I am at memory of doctor last week when I took dd with D&V and said that only to see dr frantically serach her notes and say "but she's 11 months- she has to be eating food" - I meant of course that she is only having breastmilk not that it is all she eats ) Re periods (Baiyu?) - I've had mine since maybe month 4 and they are so heavy. I know what LM means about super, super protection.
Dd's walking a bit unaided - okay so I mean she'll take 4 steps between the coffee table and sofa but she takes the same 4 steps unaided 6 or 7 times every day so it counts! We had a total the other day when dp was looking after her and turned to see where she'd gone and found her half way up the bloody stairs!
How do you all deal with the sticky issue of discipline? I mean it in the loosst possible way but how do you establish boundaries for your bubbles and when your DCs over step them what do you do?
I meant to say thanks to everyone who replied to my last query about food/activities. Dd has been BLW-ed and is a great eater (if eating anchoviy pizza , olives and throwing toys until she can have more curly kale is healthy....) but I was mildly concerned she was eating too much.
Activity wise we do loads but not many baby groups. We're starting Bouncing Bunnies (like Monkey Music) again on Monday and occasionally go to the Steiner outdoor thing. We spend a lot of time at the tate Modern,on the river boat, wandering around Greenwich, with my mum doing stuff, in the park at the end of our road. The days just seem to go anyway nowadays.
My work situation is almost resolved. I am meeting my total boss (the person I met a few weeks back was my boss on the Olympics not my overall boss) on Monday. I'm asking for redundancy - it is construction so maybe I'll be lucky (how many people say that about being sacked??) but we'll see. Whatever happens I am not going back to work. I have 101 reasons but the main 3 are 1.) I enjoy being with dd MASSES 2.) I don't like the person working in a male dominated hard nosed industry hadmade me become 3.) There is no way I personally could manage a job like that and dd in the way I want to. I NEVER expected to make this decision (I'm a diehard feminist!) but I figure feminism is actually about choices - most women sadly don;t get to make a choice. I am very fortuante that I do (our mortage is covered by dp) and I am making the choice to stay with dd. I am thinking about doing a PGCE too (I could teach English or Italian & French) but am not sure - maybe I spend too much wimt with my mum who was a teacher from 21 until 60.....
What a long post! Hope I haven't bored you all. Finally....
Fuzzypeach - hope you keep feeling brighter. I have lots of bad days when I feel so at how I've shouted at dd and she either curls up her face and cries or, when I really lose it, shudders like she's scared [bluch]
HM - I can't imagine having another baby yet but am so pleased for you & am looking forward to hearing all about second time round. By the time I have #2 you'll be an expert! Your posts aout Flick were odd - hope she's okay and her business etc is going well. Maybe we should have a London & a glass of champagne (or oj for you!)meet seeing as we're hitting first birthdays?
LM - hope your dp is okay. Flapjacks sound good. I have a lovely recipe for savory muffins that take about 10 mins to make and 20 to cook (who loves butternut squash? I just made some squash ones and they are great!) They suit dd as we can take them anywhere for her snack. Now they're all getting bigger it is worth looking at the recipe page on the BLW site (search BLW and Aitch because I can't remember the link address) for some tasty food all bigger bubbles can enjoy. Yum yum.
Baiyu - how's the sleep going? I think of you sometimes when I am up at 3 for the 3rd or more time and feel like I am going to go mad.
Sorry this post is so long!
MM