Sept 08: We'll soon be weaning, and of a full nights sleep we're dreaming ......

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

Hello ladies.

Pull up a chair, grab a biscuit and lets start talking about puree vs blw and sleep deprivation

Hello again everyone, I haven't posted for ages, just had too too much on, but I've just skim read the last 10 pages or so! Really good to hear the weaning is going well for most of you now - us too. S seems to eat almost anything I give him - ahhh, if only it would last! (jenpet remembers only too well the stubborn toddler refusing food) I'm trying to mix everything up - homemade purees, "our" food, and a few interesting sounding organic jars - but he seems to prefer "our" food at the minute - I love this stage & think its just lovely having the responsibility for introducing a whole world of tastes & sensations to a brand new person...right, off to help out at the raise-funds-for-school-farmers-market xx

So tired... I am not coping very well with DH being away for 8 days. Tough gig. And I've only got one LO to look after! Oh well, I suppose I am definitely doing better than last time he went away. But I dare not count how many days still to go or I'll go nuts. Just one day at a time... I can do it. I can.

IlikeToMoveItMoveIt AHHHHHHHHHHHH! GRACIAS! THAT IS SO LOVELY. You have made me cry.
I am 41, do have big bosoms(Can you call them that?) And I am a latin mama. Can't help it, it is in the blood.
Who were you before? I mean, Did you use to have another nickname?
Jenpet hi I agree with you. You cook something nice for them and watch with a smile when they eat it. It is like, Yeah! I am doing this, I am feeding something new to my baby. Gosh! I am a softy today!
Ponymum Hi. I am also on my own, with 2. Dh is here, but working all the time. It has been 12 days now without help from him at weekends because he is working.
WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!! Try 4 drops of rescue remedy on the tongue and close your eyes for 2 min. It helps!
Well I am off to the soft play area with both of them.
Hoping Lorea sleeps there.
I am so glad I am back with you.

Oh Ponymum sympathies - my DH leaves for the UK tomorrow for ten days too - it's not the practical stuff, it's just the mindless chat I miss! Maybe set yourself little goals? It is hard though...

LOL, rescue remedy - always works. I've used it for exams and dissertations, break-ups, work stress... Hadn't occurred to me to use it for baby stress!

I have sent DP to buy baby rice. I know it's nutritionally rubbish and all that, but I felt I had to start somewhere! I'm finding all this weaning business very daunting - sorry to be a big wuss. I think it's because of Diego's eczema and the fear of causing him further allergies.

Although this will be unpopular, she who shall not be named does give a very helpful step by step guide to weaning, which I find reassuring, and will try out as a guideline before I start free-styling...

Thanks potxola. I will try rescue remedy! You are so encouraging.

jenpet I know what you mean about the DH chit chat. Usually when DH is away we Skype each other and talk for hours, but for some reason his skype phone stopped working the day he arrived, so we are stuck. We can't really afford to talk on the mobile (since I've lost my job every penny counts!) and he is in Budapest so finding a new skype phone is kinda hard when he doesn't speak Hungarian. We have been having on-line messaging chats which we both find a bit ridiculous, but then we discovered that if I skype him, he can hear me. So now we are having these weird one-sided conversations, where I talk, and he messages back. In his words, it's "like having a conversation with Stephen Hawking"! I am undecided as to whether these "conversations" are making me more sane or less sane. Probably the latter.

Pacita I started following GF's weaning guidelines both times (am assuming that's who you mean) and DS1 will eat almost anything at all, has no real dislikes or allergies (which may be just luck) I think they are good guidelines - no more, she is so unflexible (& as I hate turnips I'm not going to inflict on my sons!) but if you can use her as a rough framework I think she's useful (although DS2 has just polished off homemade chicken korma for his lunch which I don't remember her mentioning )
Ponymum it must be hard for you - is he likely to have to be away a lot? Because we need to use our home phone a lot we have (a v.expensive) fixed tarif & unlimited calls, so I can phone him whenever - the problem is, he always tries to cram so much in, he never has the time to talk to me anyway!

carriebo how is this Wednesday to meet for lunch? It would be good to see you!

Although then you will really get to see how disorganised and haphazard my parenting is compared to your ship-shape tip-top style!

Ponymum that is very funny
Pacita Baby rice with cooled boiled water is a good way to star, without the fuss of expressing. For me the worst, don't laugh, is to remember to put the kettle on in advance to mix the baby food. (We don't drink tea in this house )And I always have to wait for ages for the water to cool down.
I bought a box that sterilise in the microwave (£6.75) everything you need for weaning in Boots.
I have one of those huge steam sterilisers from Avent, but I never used bottles with my son and I hate it. I must sell it. This travel steriliser is faster. What would I do without my microwave?
Lorea is making noise upstairs, 40 min. nap. I have done lots of things in that time, even having the time to go to mumsnet.
she is calling me now mamamaaaaaaaaaa!
BYE

can i come to the leeds/york meet up?
touch wood and cross fingers el's do's seem to be getting less.

Great news barnpot , you two have been in my thoughts.

potxola - I've always had this name, but I didn't join the thread until about 2 weeks before all of the babies were due. To cool the boiled water down quickly, pour how much you want into another container and it will be cool in minutes.

You're doing a great job ponymum. It is so hard when you're on your own. That's why I take my hat off to meglet

M is in bed. He has been really quite grumbly today, which isn't like him at all. Maybe his new teeth are giving him some gyp? He's hungry, but he only wants a few mouthfuls of food and he's tired, but will only catnap - aaarrgggghhhh

Heh ponymum - I wouldn't worry too much, not only did it take 7 years for A to unexpectedly show up, but exactly how much 'trying' do you think we're getting in with the amount of sleep dep going on with a 6 month baby?!

{goes off to get baby to plonk in cot and hopefully grab MrNC soon after...}

A is going great guns on food (now had baby rice with whole milk, parnsnip mash, mashed banana, and quite a bit of a cooked carrot baton) - he grabs the spoon to put rice or mash in, but then demands I help. Friends warn that he may not each much once the novelty wears off, though...

jenpet and Potxola thanks for the reassurance! I have to say, the beauty of Gina is that her step by step guide is so rigid that it means you don't have to think much for the first few weeks. Otherwise I'd be fretting about allergies, choking, suitability, feeding them enough and so on. I think i'll be a lot more confident once we've got started.

Starlight, how did the carvery go?

I just had a bit of a scare actually. I was having a quick nap while DP looked after DS, and when I woke up (15 mins later) he showed me his bib, which had dribble with a few very thin, thread like brown bits. It was the colour of dried blood. The only reason I did not freak out is because I know that DS scratched his gum (in a teething frenzy) and drew a bit of blood yesterday, and he could have done it again, but i cannot be 100% sure that this is the cause. Has anybody else ever had this, or has any idea what it could be?

bookmarking

back from skiing, loads of washing and catching up to do. It was fab though

M was a start and charmed everyone, (except me the night she woke 8 times)

Eek, got a feeling I might be on here a lot tonight (laptop is next to my feeding chair). T is nearly on day 7 since last pooing, and is really suffering. He's been up about every 20-30 mins with tummy pain since he went down at 8:30, and almost every time will only resettle with a quick feed.
It's so frustrating and so upsetting all at the same time - I really feel he'd be such an easy, laid back baby if it wasn't for this. Going to talk to doc next week about putting him on lactulose or similar for a reasonable length of time.

Pacita T had 2 evenings where we discovered blood on the muslin he sucks, we never figured out what is was. My bet is on cutting himself with his razor sharp nails, DP reckoned it might be teeth nearly coming through. No idea really though.

Barnpot glad Els is doing a bit better.

I tried to make fried porridge cakes a la DG this morning. After attempt 3 I decided that congealed, cremated wallpaper paste was probably not an appropriate weaning food, and gave him a slice of pear to play with.

Potxola, I find that the stretchy gypsymama doesn't take the weight well now that Katie is bigger so I use the gypsymama gauze wrap most of the time. I can't bear to part with the stretchy one though since Katie was in it all the time when she was little. I plan on either saving it and giving it to her when she's older or maybe use it to make her a quilt or soft blanket either now, or one day far away when she's a mum herself.

You've reminded me that I have a mei-tai lying about somewhere in the house. I made it myself for dd1. Last week I demonstrated slings for the ladies at my breastfeeding support group. Lots of them tried the slings and several plan on buying some for themselves =)

On the porrige debate, I make oat porridge for Katie, mix in a bit of milk (cows milk) and some pureed fruit or mashed banana (prunes will get any bowels moving btw) and then I just keep giving her a loaded spoon. Porridge is quite sticky so stays on the spoon even if it's turned upside down. Also sticks on baby wery well though =) I can recommend malt loaf with some flora on as another fingerfood to try. It goes down very well here.

Hopefully, congratulations on the improved sleep. We have a similar situation to yours. Katie usually wakes up for a feed twice a night and needs resettling a couple of times. Not great but could be worse. I'm thinking of moving her in with her big sister since me and dh both snore and I move around lots in my night. I think we might be disturbing her.

Can I come to the meet up too? I'm only 30 mins from Leeds if it's there.

oooops - M is eating cardboard again I'd better go, I'd better get this weaning figured too as she's stolen bread, croissant, pear and cardboard off me so far!!

lol at cardboad as a weaning food...

Well last night wasn't as bad as it could have been I suppose - he woke absolutely bellowing (and therefore would only be settled by feeding) at 10, 10:40 and 12:45. He then needed resettling at 2, fed again at 4, needed resettling at 5:30, then woke up properly and wouldn't resettle at 6:20.
Really hope we get the long awaited poo explosion today. I was hoping he'd start taking more water now he's weaning, as I think one of his biggest problems seems to be dehydration (strong wee and solid poo) despite being mostly BF and having extra water in his formula bottle. However, he seems totally unimpressed with his tommee tippee cup, and chokes every time water comes out.

sigh....I was up all night with ds1 as he was coughing, poor love. Then just as I went back to bed for a nap dh left Toby on the sofa bed and went into the kitchen...guess what happened?? Yes, fell off straight onto the wooden floor. Dont know how he landed or where. Cue Toby in hysterics and poor ds1 really upset as he didnt reach him in time to stop him falling. Am SO angry with dh...I tell him and tell him not to leave him unattended but does he listen????

Rang NHS Direct and first they wanted to send an ambulance but then I sopke to a nurse and she said to keep an eye on him re: concussion etc. Thats my sunday completely fucked.

Sorry. Am in a bad mood and worried about ds1 and Toby

Oh becaroo so sorry about your DC. I'm sure toby will be ok, they are resilient creatures, babies, and they all fall at one point or another. Do keep an eye, but don't panic (I know it's easier said than done).

Hope the sunshine improves your Sunday.

Just as I'm thinking of starting weaning, Diego's eczema has taken a turn for the worse. He wakes up scratching and goes to sleep scratching. He cannot be left to sleep without gloves, or he'll look like he slept with a cat in the morning. It is so sad to see, and so hard to change his nappies, as it requires two extra hands to stop him from scratching his neck, his belly, the backs of his legs... The skin of his face is a lot better, rosy looking and smooth, but the typical joint eczema is red, rough and very very itchy. It makes me really sad. And I would really like to not have to use hydrocortisone.

pacita Thanks for the kind words x

I know what you mean re: the hydrocortizone BUT having had to use it (and much stronger stuff) on ds1 for nearly 6 years, I can reassure you it has had no long term effect on his skin - apart from making it tons better that is!!! Toby is now getting the typical red patches on his joints too but not as bad as ds1 (fingers crossed)

Ds1 coughing is so bad I have had to give him his prednisolone this morning (strong steriod for asthmatics) Got a feeling its going to be a rubbish week

good to hear barnpot keep us informed if you can

to all of you without DH/P's for a few days.

I read in Dr Spock that at the beginning of the 20th C weaning was done at about a year so there's no rush!!