JUNE 2008- tantrums, shrieking and lashings of Gin (and that's just the mums!)

[pureeandpearls]

Thread number 123 or something like that

Amber - so glad you're getting a bit of sleep. I'm sure with such a large sleep deficit it'll take you a few more nights before you start feeling better, but fingers crossed!

Bugger, I wrote a longish post before, and thought I'd hit the button, but apparently not. I can't even remember what it said now....

Amber, excellent to hear you're getting some sleep, hope you can catch up some more over the weekend.

Oh, I'm such an arse, found it again on another window I had open...

Deb - hmm, didn't think about his ears. He was a bit 'off' last night. I gave up and Calpolled him, and he had a decentish sleep. Decentish for us anyway. I also spotted you on talk round up.

So it sounds like I'm going to spend the next xteen years being knackered, and then I'll be getting on in years and knackered anyway! And I'm only sticking at one - I am in awe of all of you with two or more.

Going, glad the scan is ok and the ballet was good too.

We have had a bit of a difficult day - with B's new found mobility skills he's hurling himself around, so we've had a few knocks and bumps. Nothing serious, he gets more of a fright I think, but I feel I've spent a lot of hours picking him up and cuddling him.

deb lol at your vision of edie - I think it may be exactly right (she was vision of goodness reading etc with hardly any tv with nanny..then slumped in front of tv when nanny went home ). but was very excited to see you made it ot th

amberc thats good news re sleeping through -nurofen and those powders (its known as baby crack here) are marvellous stuff.

thanks Ah re nanny and totally agree re doing one thing at once..

ali can't see photos either (may be my mac) and would love to...

systems glad appt has come thorugh... I find my sessions a lifesaver (we are doing intensive stuff on goign back to work as I'm very nervous).

Sorry about the lack of photos. Our broadband konked out this morning when I was uploading the photos and has only been working intermittently since. I will try to remedy in the morning.

AH glad someone else has the same sort of work dilemma, I didn't put that very well. Hopefully you know what I mean: that I am not alone.

Also re: tiredness it, is less good to know that it is now permanent. My Mum has always joked that the night after I was born she was woken up to be given sleeping tablets and she has been tired ever since.

gah, nothing really to say today but typing anyway! off to another wedding tomorrow, should be an interesting one, it's ceremony tomorrow, then reception thing on Sunday lunchtime. takes up the whole weekend tht way though

DH is on nights so am single parenting after 8pm until 10am, then vacating the house in the afternoons while he sleeps on the days I'm not at work. could be a long week!

amber hope that's the sleeping cracked, sounds really promising!

whinegums perhaps you could send B round here to give some intensive mobility lessons to my little lazybug!

Is it fair for life to wake me up with a cough at 5.30? Really, is it?

ah well, can get some headspace to start the day I guess. Amber what fantastic news! I'd forgotten about Ashton and Parsons. I'm off to Boots today to stock up. Will try evening banana porridge too. Can't hurt to have a go. C did go back in her cot each time she woke last night (4 times I think) and I do see this as progress, especially as she's going down slightly awake and goes off in the cot, if she can do that she is not far off learning to sleep herself I think.

Morning all, just marking my place as am off out to a craft fair this morning with a friend while dh looks after A - he's been awake since 5.45am so we're both a bit knackered!

It definitely seems to be the longer he sleeps in the day the earlier he wakes in the morning. Bugger .

Right, will be buying Ashtons and Parsons today. I tried giving B some milky Weetabix (should have been Oatibix, eh Neenz?) when I fed him at 11 last night. Don't think it made any difference, he still had two more feeds during the night. I don't think I can feed him any more during the day - I've upped his portion sizes at mealtimes, and I've started giving him a few snacks too. He still has a bf before breakfast, mid morning, mid afternoon and bedtime...

Viva, yes, of course I can send him round for lessons for C. Make the most of a non mobile baby while you can, I cannot leave B for a second now! Enjoy the wedding.

Systems, no it's not fair. Let's hope C's progress on the sleep front continues.

Sponge, that's a bugger about A's sleep. He could just be an early waker maybe? Have you tried giving him some toys to play with in his cot instead of getting him up? How much daytime sleep is he having? Also, how far along are you now? When is you next scan? Questions questions!!!

Ali, you can always get another job. I am probably going to give up my job too, after six months (got to go back for 6m to keep mat pay). Where I work is a really hard place to get a job and permanent contracts are really hard to come by but I am happy to give it up cos I really want to be at home with the DTs and can't see how I will enjoy work with all the other stuff to do. Also DH's job is pretty recession-proof (criminal lawyer!). So we are lucky.

Amber, that is brilliant news with the sleep! CC strikes again. I definitely think that getting something substantial down them at teatime (yes Oatibix, or potato!) helps them sleep, and nursery may not try as hard as you to get him to eat.

Whinegums, do you think it is hunger or habit? I only got the DTs to stop night feeds by refusing to feed them and leaving them to cry . It is not nice but it works. I thought they were hungry but now I don;t think they were, I think they just liked having a little suck and a cuddle in the night!

The DTs are SUCH hard work at the moment! They want to feed themselves now (I load the spoon) and they are quite good but obviosuly it is much more messy, and they are crawling quite well now so they are into everything. When I am changing the E's nappy T is in the Sudocrem or playing with the plug, or climbing all over me and E! Not to mention the wrestling match I have with them both every time I change their nappies. Oh the joys!!

Sorry Whinegums, just remembered the nightmare you had with CC last time you tried it .

Neenz, no worries, I reckon it's probably both hunger and habit, because it's not like he has a little bit and goes back, he has a good feed - but it's pretty much the same times every night. Saying that if I woke up and there was a nice cream cake under my nose, I'd probably eat it all! I think I'm just going to relax about it all, and enjoy night time snuggles while I can. After all, B is going to be my only baby. I would love a decent sleep, but I can cope with it - and we usually stay in bed til at least 8 in the morning, so it's not as bad as the early wakers. Might be different when I finally get a job of course.

I'm just back in from a lovely baby free lunch with a couple of chums, and another friend is coming over tonight for pizza and vino - DP is off to see one of his mates who lives out of town.

I've put olive oil on Thea's head (then washed it out) to clear up her cradle cap for tomorrow, and looks like a greasy pimp.

The boys left their pens out and DD1 has just (post bath) coloured herself in.

hope you're all chipper

Rolf, lol at greasy pimp! You have a great way with words!!

Neenz, Alex's sleep just has no pattern to it at all - except that it does seem to be on days he has long naps in the day he wakes earlier which is a bummer. Dh is determined to try and CC in the morning but it really doesn't work post 6am. I think I will try toys in the cot tomorrow morning.

As for baby no 2 - I am still only nine weeks . Time is going soooooo slowly. Although my consultant put me a few days ahead so I'm actually 9 1/2 wks by her reckoning! We're having a private scan on Monday morning just for reassurance - I had weekly scans with Alex and I'm missing that regular update .

Hope everyone is having a good weekend x

Great weekend here - inspecting poo for worms - both Stefan and Tristan have discovered them today - yuck.I know it says on the web that 4/10 children get them but the thought of them is horrible and seeing them wriggling - eurgh. I feel like such a bad Mum. Nigel, ethan and I are all OK but still have to have the treatment.Nice eh? I bet that's cheered you all up no end.

Rolf - just re-read your post - is dd1 orange again?

Hope the scan goes well Sponge. Regular scans are a bit of a mixed blessing aren't they? I had them with DD1 but not with Thea and tbh once I'd got my head round not having them, I was much more relaxed.

I've got most of the pen off DD1's legs. Everyone is used to seeing her with big felt-tip stripes so it's not exactly new! Her hands are still blue though.

I'm fretting about whether we have enough food and drink, and about getting everyone out of the house in the morning. DH abstains utterly from getting the children ready in the mornings, and I get really grouchy when he lies in bed playing with his IPhone whilst I'm charging round like a blue-arsed fly. I need to get me, Thea and DS2 out of the house at 9.30 (and the clocks go forward too), but make sure all the food is in the car for DH when he follows on an hour later with DD1 and DS1. Sorry, I know I'm blithering....And we've got the beastly VAT return to do tomorrow. It's not as though it's not foreseeable - it's every quarter after all - but I stick my head in the sand where all tax-related matters are concerned, and DH always hopes (foolish optimism) but I'll have it all under control.

Rolf, have a great day tomorrow. My DP is absolutely no help whatsoever in similar matters, but at least I've only got one to deal with. I'm sure you'll have a fab time. BTW, Bio-oil seems to work quite well on B's cradle cap - better than olive oil. I leave it on over night, and it's not too greasy in the morning. Anyway, am rambling.

Deb, yuck indeed, but it's not your fault and you are not a bad mum! (There was a story about Maria Callas, not sure if it's true, saying she got a tapeworm, and wouldn't get rid of it, because she lost weight! There was a time when she dropped a lot of weight very quickly, so maybe it is true. Not sure if I could go to such drastic lengths myself.)

Just waiting for my friend to turn up, and then will be opening the vino...

Thanks Whinegums. I'll try bio-oil next time.

Deb she's blue this time! Yuk at the worms. DS2 loves to quote a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon:"boy, my tapeworm's not going to like this..."

Rolf good luck with tomorrow, hope you have a lovely day. And bummer on VAT returns, we aren't registered so don't have to worry but in the middle of doing end of year accounts.

Deb - worms are the pits, I remember having them when I was a child.

Sponge some children sadly are early risers, DS is, he is usually awake by 6, my nephew only stopped waking up at 5.30 last year when he was 8.

We have also gone back to co-sleeping so he sleeps through until 6 rather than wake up at 4 and come into our bed.

rolf lol at dd but hope tomorrow goes well...

sponge fingers crossed for scan - I always felt a bit like getting a fix when I had a scan - I'd get all worked up,then be relieved then start worrying about 3 hours later. However do remember reading 9 weeks is a big milestone as I think after that more than 90% of babies go on to develop healthily.

We're having real trouble in evenings again -e either won't go to sleep (like tonight.)or wakes up at 9 and won't sleep again til 11/12 - can't tell if its jet lag or a phase (she has just turned 9 months and is definitely growing /doing lots at the minute).

and systems no thats not fair!

whinegums hope you found the baby crack and it helps.

Hmm, having trouble with blogger and our photosoftware. However, I think I have managed to fix the latest posts on the blog here if you are interested

Rolf good luck with the christening (and getting everyone to the church on time )

Must go to bed. I am tired and with the clocks going forward it is already midnight.

Rolf - hope you have a lovely day today

Have a lovely day today Rolf!

Latest in the systems household:
We are both shattered but kids both went off to sleep beautifully last night - tried C with the baby crack and she cuddled up in her cot and drifted off - lovely. 20 minutes later my ear started building up pressure. It perforated around midnight. Everything now sounds like a Dalek and I am leaking gunk but at least it's not so painful now. Meanwhile dp was having agonising stomach pains which kept us both up from 2 till 5 - he's sleeping now, and needs to, but I want someone to look after me!! whine.

Kids both lovely though and I got my hair cut yesterday so every time I look in the mirror it helps a bit!