June 2008: Nine months in, nine months out

[Essie3]

Here's to the next nine months!

sponge great news! and yes, I didn't expect you to be called spongebrain in real life, but I keep forgetting who everyone is.

poppy I'm with you on return to work stress. I can't get HR to even reply to my part time request. Meanwhile I'm doing hours of work each week (for free) to keep my projects all moving. I'm getting a bit annoyed. However, that's just all HR angst. When I went back after DS1 it was a nightmare but I made a huge fuss and switched groups and now I'm much happier - so hopefully your new situation will be better too!

ScotlandMums I'm in for a meet up in Perth. Is later next month too soon? Early April is not good for me and then I'm back at work in May.

and I agree about the whole being better behaved when not with mum and dad. That was one of my big stresses about pulling D out of nursery for the past year - the fact that I have to feed him all his meals and he doesn't eat well for me.

poppy what kind of breadmaker? we're thinking about getting one (being snowed in was the clincher - there was only two packs of rolls left at the village shop and I had visions of not being able to get bread for days...)

sponge I read that as un-aided at first and just about fell down in shock... glad they're not growing up too quick!

Evening all. I've been catching up on posts mostly via my ipod in the day (while S is plonked in front of the TV) but its a PITA to post properly from it and I've always forgotten everything by the time I get to sit down at the computer!

Anyway, Josey I dont think a Scotland meetup is a silly idea at all, I think it would be fab. Whinegums and I were trying to find a mid-point meeting venue for the central belters a wee while ago but we didn't have much success. I'm going back to work in a matter of weeks though and my day off is different to Viva's so should we maybe consider a weekend meetup? Not sure how that works for people - I know weekends can be a bit precious for family time.

Well spotted re katyjo's absence Viva - whinegums have you seen her at waterbabies (I think you both go to the same one maybe?). Right, I dont want you to feel left out aberdeen so I've now mentioned everyone in Scotland I think. Hopefully.

Amber I've started brushing S's two gnashers but no idea if I'm doing it probably. I can't believe they do baby electric toothbrushes though. How cool. I bet whinegums gets one to go brush B's teeth after he's had yoghurt from his inflatable yoghurt holder

Sponge I'm really glad that things are progressing nicely with number 2. Its so exciting for you.

Fecking hell, is it time to worry about bad language? I'm terrible. DH and I always say the most inappropriate things behind closed doors too - we really need to curb that around S.

Can I ask about the drinking of water. How are everyone's LO's getting on with it? S doesnt seem to take in very much. We were using the tommee tippee one from the HV and he just seemed to let the water fall out of his mouth after managing to sip it from the spout ok. I figured we might as well just go for it with the doidy cup and he can actually drink something from it but of course he mostly just tips it all over himself. Am I being unrealistic - should I be holding the cup for him a bit longer or is it ok just to keep putting just a little bit of water in and letting him figure it out?

Oh, hello aberdeen!

properly, not probably

I'm back from my jollies but my Nan died yesterday so am up to my ears in things to do and organise. Will try and catch up later. Hope everyone is well.
LLx

no bdq we have same thing here re water - is interested in grabbing my glass/bottle nad have tried doidy , tommy tippee, avent, cow cup all of which seeem to be treated as a game rather thatn anything else.

and sorry to hear about your nan libra

Sorry to hear about your NAn libra.

poppy meant to say earlier, sorry to hear you're not feeling great about work.

thanks bdq I really appreciate all the words etc here - feeling bit better abotu it.. althoguh think I'm getting a cold

I waited 2 hours for them to phone and say "it will just be trauma"

It is actually very hard for Oli to grab or pull anything so i cant moan when she does really....I could of been me doing the advancement at cleaning

If its a week day and Dh is away it would need to be a mum not working day for my other 2.....I will fit in best I can really. Ah i can drive us all in my bus lol!

Noahs Arch is really nice for the kids.

Do you remember I was shamefully rude about my neighbours baby? well he has posted pics on FB....you might c them on my page

ohh joseyI'm off to look..and sorry re oli - helpful call from them!

wow sponge first steps!

amber Alexander hates having his teeth brushed, he shakes his head from side to side, purses his lips and then if you manage to get the brush inside, he covers his teeth with his tongue! Impossible!

neenz I'm taking one day hol per week this month, and was hoping to go on to compressed hours from March, working my full hours but over 4 days instead of 5. Must chase him tomorrow about it

josey glad it's nothing too serious about the bleeding

x-posted there

libra really sorry to hear about your nan

bdq Alexander uses a doidy cup and loves it. He holds onto the handles but I keep a hand on it to stop him tipping it up. He is starting to get most frustrated with my interference though!

We've got a mouse . Who was saying the other day about a good mouse trap?

I think Neenz mentioned it allnew....

Morning all.

Thinking of yu Libra- very sorry about your nan.

Feeling very popular on FB with all these new friend requests.

Sponge- GREAT news about you-know-what. How are the cotton wool supplies?

SA- hope the s-l-e-e-p continues.

I know there was so much to comment on and I can't remember what I had to say. So sorry if I missed you- it's quite hard to comment when we all have so much to say!

Ooo- bit on the BBC breakfast news about the one-armed womamn presenter on CBeebies....apparently there have been complaints that she's scaring the children!

bdq I'll be holding the doidy for Fraser for a long time yet! I can't remember when D learned to hold it himself but it was when he was over one. They have to learn that it's not fun to dump it first....

libra sorry about your nan, sending hugs.

allnew we've killed four mice so far with the old fashioned snap traps and I've just bought one of these that neenz recommended. We haven't seen a mouse since, but that's probably because we caught and killed all of them. Peanut butter is the best bait...

I'm very on behalf of the poor woman on CBeebies. I think she does a lovely job and there's no way she should scare someone's kids. Duncan likes her and hasn't even commented on her arm.

Thanks aberdeen - hopefully it'll be dead by the time I get home tonight . I'm refusing to go into the kitchen - am unreasonably terrified of mice

allnew shall we send a food parcel? sympathies - as would give me the creeps.

thank good for day/night nurse or would be feelgn very sorry for myself with my cold.

Saw that thing re the woman on cbeebies -it is unbelievable (think there is another thread on it) although I think the number of complaints v. people who like her was not let in (ie they hadloads of support). I'm more amazed by fact she has apparently a 4 month old daughter - she looks amazing for that (where is the baby tummy!!).

Morning all, Ethan is having his first sleep in his cot in the last 24 hours, he is much, much better in himself today, just got a cold and the fever has gone down. Yesterday he just wanted cuddling all day and wouldn't entertain sleeping alone last night either - typical man eh?

All that cuddling meant not much time for snow clearing yesterday, there is now 1.5 metres in the village(and it's still snowing) and looks like Nigel will have to venture onto the roof soon to start clearing it before it gets dangerous.

Libra sorry to hear about your Nan, I remember seeing the photos from her Birthday.

Hi all, just a quick one because I'm in the middle of something research based. (This is good! )
Libra sorry to hear about your nan.

Colds - Iestyn has yet another cold here, but we gave him Medised last night (frankly with his 40-a-day cough, Calpol doesn't cut it; he needed more than paracetamol alone). So we cracked open the medised for the first time. I'd been cautious because I didn't trust myself not to over-medicate... Anyhow, he slept much better.
He is in fact sleeping really well for us now. We decided to stop feeding him at night after 3 nights where he went either to 6 or 7 without feeding. It's going well. However, he does wake at 7am. This is bad because he used to sleep until 8am and he does go to bed 7.30-8, so where's that extra half hour gone? I'm afraid I'm finding it quite hard to adapt my life from an 8am start (which is what I did for the last 10 years - no commute!) to a 7am one!

No teeth or (real) crawling or standing here. But my dad's psychiatrist friend says he's extremely bright. Maybe so!

Back to Manuscript Z.

Allnew (and ?Abdn) sorry about the mice! I'm quite comfortable with mice and rats and can happily kill them with spades etc. But spiders - nope, I'm a gibbering wreck.

Essie - he doesn't need the extra half an hour if he's sleeping through as before he was losing half an hour feeding!

essie am imagining you running around with a spade killing everything in your midst. That's good you dropped the night feeds - I've no idea when we'll do this, A is still feeding at 11pm, 3.30am and 5.30am. I do think the latter two are comfort feeds, as they are bf, but I'm loathe to drop them as it's the quickest way to get him back to sleep

poppy thankfully DH is at home and is on all kitchen duties until mouse is confirmed dead!

debs was it you saying you were getting bitten during bf? A is generally ok, but has started to bite me a bit - it really hurts! I pull away when he does it and don't offer him again but so far no effect. So much worse now that he has 2 on top and 2 on the bottom, as it's a really strong bite!

Allnew, yes Ethan was doing it at least once a day, until the last week or so and he has stopped now. He has 6 teeth so painful is not the word.I just repeatedly took him off the breast and plonked him on the floor with a firm "no"

AH, lol! Although when I took A for his 8 mth check my HV was telling me she saw a boy the previous day who had walked into the clinic waiting room, 8 1/2 mths!!

BDQ, had to smile at saying inappropriate things behind closed doors! I live in fear of A repeating what I say about my MIL to her when he's older! I'm going to have to be so careful!

As for doidy cups - I'm with AH, it will be a long time before A can use it on his own! I hold the bottom and he holds the handles, but I don't let go (as much as he tries to pull it out of my hands!).

libra, so sorry to hear about your nan .

Essie great to hear night times are improving.

at complaints about the one-armed woman on CBeebies. I haven't seen her but one of my RL friends did mention her the other day and wondered "how she would explain this to her child"!! What's to explain?!