December 2006 - The sun has got his hat on, hip hip hip hooray, tshghho now let's keep these bugs at bay

[LenniEd]

I got all brave and made us a new bug free thread...

Your brain is far from melted, LenniEd, if you can come up with new thread titles

ps dh coughing, but feels good on steroids

He's seeing his respiratory specialist doc on Monday, for update, but basically he seems to get sorted with steroids and occasional codeine syrup. Its just that it happens every time he gets a cold now, and is pretty debilitating - rather worrying in the longterm.

Hello everyone.

Lennied - DD2 loved Disneyland but she may have loved it more in an other 6 months time.

Eli - I was amazed at how quickly the steroids made a difference.

DD2 being very cute at the moment, although a bit grumpy as another cold is coming.

Ooh new thread!

Lennied - Things are okay at chez Margo. I'm learning to compartmentalise the work situ although am accompanying my friend to her next stage of meetings re. dismissal. The atmosphere at work has improved and we're ambling on as best we can.

dds are lovely - dd1 is less moany and trying to negotiate ceebeebies deals.
dd2 is slightly less inclined to settle down to bed at night. I've realised how lucky I've had it when dds work at 6am the other day - they usually wake at about 8am. Counting blessings today!

Eli - hope DH can get better without relying on the steroids

I can't wait until I can afford Eurodisney.

AQ - hope you're rid of the pox very soon , poor babies.

ARGH!

Aq thanks for asking about the feeding. Had I sat down to answer this morning it would have been a happy post but I'm back to tearing my hair out

It does seem to be mostly a fast letdown issue and I've been working hard on positioning. Block feeding doesn't work for us as she hates the right side so it is hit and miss if she'll take it so I can't rely on being able to do several feeds in a row off it. Anyway, in the morning I can feed ok off the left (sometimes right forst thing) sitting up and leaning back slightly which is a great improvement but in the afternoon it all goes pear shaped again and she screams and I lost the plot and I just don't know if she is hungry or not and to top it all off we seem to be back to screaming after bath and not feeding when she had been having nice calm feeds cuddled on the sofa so of course she is waking earlier and once she wakes she goes back to frequent feeds so waking at 10pm means a heck of a lot of night feeding but waking at 2 which was not unheard of if she had fed well at bedtime meant 2 feeds.

Oh ffs she is screaming again

Oh Indith

I took me a fair few weeks to settle down to a feeding regime with dd2 - I had no confidence in myself. Have you gone to a bfc?

Margo I'm glad things are better at work, and ok generally. CBeebie deals sounds familiar

Indith, poor you...wish we could magic you some sleep. I suppose the let-down issue will get better as dd gets bigger/better able to cope with it?? Not much comfort at 3am now, though. I was wondering the same as Margo, did you see bfc?

We've all moved bedrooms at the Elibean household today: us into the loft, dd1 into our old room, dd2 into dd1's old room - we all feed upgraded, its chaos but fun. dds alternately gorgeous and whingey, due to massive cold (dd2 - sympathies, EV) and tummyache/end of weekitis (dd1).

I've discovered holding no-holds-barred whining competitions with the dds when they start whining works wonders - they roar with laughter and I get to whine and let off steam

AQ, how are the LOs now? EV, hope your dd's cold is a minor one!

Well done for the new thread Lennied.

Glad things are bearable at work Margo. DH is still 'waiting to be fired'. It could be on Thursday!!

How is the house move going Eli?

Hope you are ok Indith. AQ?

castles

eli, how is the new arrangement working out?

Indith, just a thought but do you think dd is sensitive to something you are eating? I couldn't have milk or ice cream with ds1. Cheese was OK thank goodness. Kellymom has a good article about this.

I'm all sinusy again today. I am soooo tired of dealing with sickness in this house I've got an autism conference to go to Wed and Thursday and had decided it would be fun for the whole family to make the trip so we have a 4 hour drive coming up Tuesday evening. Then next Wed we are all flying out to Portland where I have another big conference to go to. AUGHHHHHHHH!!!!

Hi everyone. Not much to report here.

Indith - I could never eat onions when b/f DDs.

I didn't realise until today that you'd started a new thread, I only read it on my phone most of the time. Thank god we're getting proper broadband on Thursday I am lost without it.

jabber, that sounds like nightmare material, hope you and dh survive it.

indith, oh dear sounds incredibly frustrating to deal with. Babies are such a pita sometimes aren't they?? It will pass, but in the meantime it makes life with two lo's a bloody nightmare.

margo, so glad work's manageable at the very least.

eli, love the whining competition, I do this with ds2 quite a lot and make him giggle and he is an hell of a whiner when he's gets going largely because he still doesn't speak much so it's kind of high pitched unintelligible samurai whining. Ummm. He's very cute with it most of the time but lately the insistentce on taking plastic shopping trolley EVERY where we go is driving me insane. I put it in the boot tonight to go to mum's and he screamed the entire journey. Sigh.

dt's much better with the cp, thanks And ds3 now completely on formula and actually it's great, he's much happier and it is so much easier going places and doing things now that I don't have to do all the feeding both both babies. I do wonder about ranitidine though (whose lo has had it, castles?) as the gaviscon is not solving the apparent discomfort when lying down, he's still soooo stiff and screams a hell of a lot really compared to dd. Am thinking of weaning but frankly would like a week off from illness first before planning to allow 2 babies to throw puree all over my dining room 3 times day. Could do blw, I guess but didn't work out that great with ds2. Someone persuade me

btw, I have got ds3 hooked on cbeebies already, it's a godsend! DS2 still won't watch any tv (but entertains himself in other ways so it's ok) but ds3 loves in the night garden, it's the only time he's happy in his bouncy chair whilst I spend some time with the others, put washing on etc. Yay for tombliboos, I can hear him chuckling at them from the kitchen

lennied, posted you clothes today for ds, hope he's not growing too fast!

Castles will be thinking of you/dh on Thursday, with things crossed tightly.

AQ, I'm so glad feeding is better for ds3, but re the ranitidine: do, do try it - dd2 was on it (and Domperidone at the same time) and it made quite a difference. Worth a try, no? I used to put it in her bottle, she rather liked it (odd child, it tastes like peppermint ).

Jabber, having just done the travelling with dds and varied bugs bit, you have my sympathy and as many energy vibes, sticker books, portable dvd players, secret chocolate bars as I can mentally transmit across the Atlantic. Hope it goes well, and that your dses are as excited about staying in new places as my dds are - it sort of makes up for the exhaustion of the travelling part!

House re-arrangement still going well, though I feel very uneasy about sleeping in the loft with my girls on first floor: sort of feel I should be between my cubs and the cave entrance, iyswim. Am almost giving msyelf a hard time about it, and have no idea if I'm being irrational or irresponsible

As for sales or purchases, nothing: we've been having fun visiting weird and wonderful houses, but very little on market and no firm offer on ours anyway. Good distraction, and forces me to tidy up regularly, but otherwise probably a pointless exercise in the current market.

AQ, so glad the LOs are less poxy now

Meant to ask, Indith, hows it going now...?

Ah, and hello EV !

Eli am totally with you on the cubs/cave thing!

Jabber, the conference sound's interesting. Is this all part of your new practice? Good on you for taking the whole family. Personally I'd use any excuse to go alone

Thanks for thinking of us re job sitch. We are being quite blase about it tonight but we really will be up shit creek quite possibly. It makes you wonder why you spend so many years getting so well qualified/educated at all the best places and then spend spend years flogging your guts out for nothing. We really have nothing in material terms.

AQ, 2nd ranitidine. I used it for both DDs. Really helps the silent (non puking) reflux.

Thanks for the commiseration and good vibes everyone. I'm approaching these next ten days with a healthy dose of trepidation for sure.

castles, yes, both are job-related although the autism conference this week is as much for ds1 as for work. Even though he is not officially Asperger's he has enough autistic-like symptoms that I am always open to any new therapy but he's doing so much better lately that I doubt I put anything else into action.

Here you are!

Laptop has conked out again, probably thanks to ds2's penchant for pushing it off the sofa constantly so I have to comandeer dh's work 'puter which is strictly NOT for MNing on apparently .

We appear to be vomit-, diahorrea diharroea diohrrea runny poo-, snot-, general lurgy-free finally.

Still teething though - he woke up at 3:30am last night and didn;t go back to sleep until 5:30 and ds1 got up at 6. 3 hours sleep and PMT does not a nice mummy make!

Jabber, good luck with the travelling - I'm sure it will be fine once you get going. The planning and thinking about it is always worse than the reality ime.

Castles @ dh's job situation. Is it fairly likely he will be made redundant?

AQ, glad the CP is easing and you're happy with ds3's feeding. Not sure that BLW would be any cleaner than conventional weaning tbh. At least you have primary control of the spoon if you go down the puree route.

Indith, sorry the bfing is still tough. What did the bfc say last week?

Eli, DS1 and DD slept on the first floor and we slept on the top floor in our old house. They were fine and it was much better than having them on the top, crashing around at daft o'clock in the morning right above our heads which is what we have now .

Margo, glad work is a bit better.

EV, good that the GP is being proactive and starting to investigate.

LenniEd, hello .

AQ, Oli is right. BLW only cleaner if you have a dog - I have two. And am glad of both for saving me 1.5 years spent recovering small bits of broccoli after meals. Won't metion the slobber. On the plus side BLW would save you preparing an extra meal as you can just give them bits of what your DSs are having. Although you can also just blend what you are having if you have a hand blender and want to puree. It's a lot easier when out though since no puree heating/slopping over pushchairs etc. And pigeons just love a BLW baby - as do rats I'd imagine. Swings and proverbial roundabouts.

Thank you for sending clothes - have also sent you some. Not sure when as gone with DH's work but gave them to him last week so would imagine have gone by now. Will check and let you know when yours arrive.

Jabber - I am sounds fab. Although a little stressful but once in motion you'll all be fine and it will be lovely to have some travelling companions. I always tag along to DH's work events and take DD (and now DS too) out on a daytrip somewhere nearby to his meeting and then have lunch/tea with DH before we go home again. I actually fill his diary with equally spaced meetings/events so that I know I have got a day out to look forward to!

Hello Oli! Me and your breastpump have become very good friends oo-er. Am just off to re-aquaint myself now. Oh the joys of newborndom.

Night all

AQ - I did a mix of blw and puree with DD2. Basically if we were eating something she could eat, she had it. If not she had puree as I didnt want to make more than one meal.

I have no idea what BLW is nor do I wish to find out at this stage but iirc DD2 helped herself to whatever was on offer mostly from other people's plates and still does.

Is anyone else potty training? I am!

Jabber, did you see the updates on our dreamer's thread? They've all got this AS ? thing going on, my DS included. The good news though is someone's DS has got into one of the the two top public schools (private) in London. The same place it has been suggested to us that DS should apply for (the prep school) when he is 8. Gulp. Like the BLW, it's swings and roundabouts

Hello Oli and anyone else who has been slightly AWOL.

Will know tomorrow about DH and job. Double gulp.

Baby led weaning = BLW, and dd2 wouldn't have it any other way from the start. In fact, she was getting thinner and thinner until I handed her a pizza crust at 7 months old and then she was away...but clean? Noooooooo

Have migraine, feel sick, first one in at least a year and meant I couldn't get dd1 to swimming today (she was delighted). Shouldn't really be online, am sure its bad for migraines, but have forgotten how to take time-out any other way

Castles, will be thinking of you/dh (iyswim) tomorrow, hoping for the best...thank you for relating to my cub-worries, makes me feel more normal!

Though also thanks, Oli, for reassuring me about the reality of it all - not sure stomping about upstairs is better or worse than getting up to no good downstairs, but clearly either is an option

Urgh, must go and drag dds to bath...dd2 woke up at crack of dawn, and dd1 was up for two hours having (very unusual for her) nightmares about Aliens Very High Up and Very Scary (interpretation: disturbed about midsleeper bed and move to new room)!

Oh, and re potty training - dd2 happily sits and grunts on her potty, but then is usually disappointed. But regardless, I am not ready: summer will be the 'right' time for me

DD2 frequently asks to go to the toilet. Then produces nothing and says "I've pinished" looking very proud Summer will be the right time for me too.

I'm only PT because everyone (or so it seems) is hassling me about it, including my neighbour who's slightly younger niece is 'nearly done'. Ooh, the competition!

Hope migraine better soon Eli.

BLW is more unnecessary labelling by the sound of it. My DCs have always eaten what they wanted and still do. Spoons are for them, not me

sorry, 'whose'

DD is currently potty training ds2 for me . He takes his nappy off, she carts him into the bathroom and makes him sit on the potty until he squeezes out a wee . This morning I got out of the shower to be greeted by a very proud ds2 who told me he'd done a poo on the potty then dd piped up that she'd wiped his bottom and emptied the potty . She'd done a good job, mind you!

Eli, hope migraine eases asap. I used to get them a lot, they're not nice .

LenniEd, glad the pumps are getting some use, which one do you love the most?! How's your arthritis atm? I have a vague recollection that you were expecting it to flare up again.

Castles, will be thinking of you and dh tomorrow .

Right, I'm for bed....