Sept 08: the thread for when they may start crawling, and there will definitely be some separation anxiety bawling ....

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

Welcome ladies

Well, there's no crawling going on in our house, but there's defo some separation anxiety bawling going on .... tears, screaming, the works - oh joy!

imoscarsmum I'm very lucky as the DCs' nursery is amazing. Also highly OFSTED rated and they have a kitchen and a lovely chef who cooks all the food (which as Effy has allergies is a godsend as they make sure she only gets things she can eat). All the food is organic too.

As for evening well it's certainly not like it used to be! The DCs' and I get in at about 18:30 and if we're lucky DP will get home around the same time but often he's not in until we're well into bedtime routine, sometimes even later. We put Power Rangers or Ben 10 on (downstairs Sky+ is full of them) and DS has banana, orange and milk, while Effy has banana. DS then watches one more episode of whatever is his favourite that day while I take Effy upstairs.

She then cleans her teeth and has a bath, I get her pjs on and DS comes up stairs and he cleans his teeth (Power Rangers toothbrush is a godsend) and gets in the bath while I give Effy her warm milk and put her down (I also put her down wide awake but I just walk out and let her settle herself. I only go back in if it's clear she's not settling).

I then go back in to DS and get him out of bath, then we go to his room and get his pjs on and into his bed for a story. He then 'reads' the story back to me and then it's bed time (hopefully if he's not in battle mood where he gets up endlessly until I end up shouting at him).

I then go downstairs and make up milk for next two feeds (dream and morning) and make dinner for myself and DP. By this time it's 9ish normally. I sometimes watch an hour or two of TV downstairs. I sometimes go straight up (but we do have a TV and Sky+ in our room too). DP will warm up Effy's milk when he comes up and give it to her. Then he's in bed too until 6am when one or other of the kids will wake us up.

It's even exhausting just writing it down!

Hopefully Effy also watches TV, although it keeps her less quiet than it used to. She likes Baby Gallileo and ITNG. Otherwise we do singing, she plays on her mat, she's in her walker or bouncer, being cuddled or in bed. Occasionally we go swimming or to the swings but that's pretty much it. Oh we have a rocking thing that she likes too.

carriebo we'll be attempting a 6 hour drive later this month. It'll be the longest journey yet. Not sure how DS will take it as he gets very frustrated being in his carseat or pushchair for too long. Thinking of leaving at 4am and doing the first half of the journey in one go, stop somewhere nice for breakfast and a little outdoor play to wear him out. Then do two 90 minute stretches. Again with a big long gap between driving to wear him out as much as poss.

Any other tips? I'm intending to share the driving and me and DH will take it in turns to sit in the back with him.

sunshine I'm exhausted just reading your evening routine. But I guess it's nice knowing what order stuff happens in. DS is not a routiney baby at all. He naps all over the shop, yesterday he was eating dinner with us at 8pm!!

DG us too. Toby will not go down awake in his cot and hasnt since he was 4 months and discovered how to roll over

digitalgirl we were the same when we only had DS. It's really having a toddler that makes you have a routine - when DS was a baby he came everywhere with us and we didn't stop doing anything we used to. But a 2-3 year old really need to go to bed at same time every (well most) nights.

As for car journeys we are lucky that when we drove 5 hours to Devon Effy slept most of the way (DS has a dvd player). I had to get in back at one point to feed her, and we stopped at Stonehenge for a walk around but apart from that was all fine. Got another 5 hour journey to Wales in a couple of weeks too.

Oh and did I mention I'm getting married!

hopefully - we go to two coffee mornings a week, his Granny looks after for him for an afternoon a week, we see friends probably once or twice a week. The rest of the time we are at home or running errands (which he doesn't seem to mind being dragged along to).

When we are at home we spend time baking or preparing the evening meal. I put M in the highchair with a wooden spoon, put the radio on, then chop and prepare whilst singing to the radio, and doing over the top type talking to M.

He also enjoys being put on the living room floor and rolling around with his toys. He can roll both ways so he's fairly mobile and manages to travel around the floor.

Congratulations Sunshine I nearly missed the news. When is the big day?

IOM - I have made the muffins, I'm just waiting for them to cool before we do the taste test! They look lush.

Probably 26th August. I'm getting married in the City Hall in New York and you can't book so I think that's the best day.

Wow, congrats sunshinemummy! New York, how flash. Can your DH-to-be drop my DP a hint?! I hate the fact that i don't share a surname with C (DP loves me, marriage is just not high on his to do list atm).

Your routine does sound a bit like ours, except we only have Charlotte! She used to be very portable when she had colic and we just took her out at night but since she started sleeping 12 hours, by 6.50pm she is rubbing her eyes & yawning and gets very annoyed if she hasn't had her tea and is in bed by 7.30pm. It's nice that she's predictable but I miss her flexibility.

Oh, and we went to a play centre today - 3 of us all with babies around 7/8 months and the number of parents who let their 3 and 4 yr olds run riot around the sectioned off part that clearly said under 2s only - a few harsh words were needed!

Can i just make it very clear that i do not miss the colic though

sunshine - Is that where Carrie and Big got married?

IMO - the muffins were bloody lovely. M ate one for tea!

sunshine big congrats. I tried dropping hints at dp yesterday but with 3 kids and 14 years together he doesn't see the point, and we have no money, and could do to lose a few stone before i get in a dress. Potato and sack springs to mind

Robyn did the teething thing a few months ago but there is still n o sign of a tooth. sg=he has stopped the winging so am hoping she is like the other 2, a day of sobbing and grumpiness and then a brand new tooth when they woke up.

ILTMIMI Fab - we love em too!

Huge congrats Sunshine! How exciting! Is your DP (DF? DHtobe?) American, or did you just decide to get married there?

The reason I ask about the entertaining is because T no longer seems terribly impressed with watching me get on with things - I used to be able to iron/bake etc, but now he wants my full and undivided attention, or wants to be in front of the TV. He'll sit and play with his alarming tweety musical keyboard for a few minutes, but then he shouts and whinges until he gets my attention again.
Maybe I should try a trip to a toy library or something and get him some new things for entertainment...

Wow - suddenly loads of messages.

Congratulations Sunshine, keep us updated on dresses etc.

Hopefully I try and get out at least 4 days of the week.

Mon - I usually just sort out after weekend, but a neighbours child comes for lunch

Tue - baby group and clinic and/or mum and baby swimming

Wed - music group or swimming

Thurs - baby and toddler group in morning, boogie babies and clinic in afternoon

Friday M now going to baby group with Childminder in morning + a group of mums always meet up at each others houses for lunch (my turn this week).

Add to that getting DD1 to and from school, visits to the library and park with DD1 (anyone else put their LO's on the swings yet?), walking to a from the groups, going to Tescos and the fruit and veg shop .... there's not much time to be bored!!

I know what you mean though, it's a difficult age to entertain isn't as mobile as she wants to be, but doesn't stay put iyswim.

For entertainment I put her in ner bumbo watching the cat and guinea pigs or the trees!, on the floor sitting with some musical toys, in her galt nest with bits and pieces, in activity centre watching me in the kitchen.

Ponymum hope you and lo are feeling better. What a week!

We have separation anxiety too - M was ill last week and since then has been really clingy. Even if DH is holding her and I walk out the roonm she wails.

DG with you on the sleep, M has regressed again and it's a pain when you have to go into her room

re self-confidence with work. I know exactly what you mean. It's really hard to feel professional and a mum, sometimes it seems that there's too juch to think about. I do think that it's easier when you're back at work and the babies are being cared for, but priorities change don't they?

I ahve to say that this time I feel a lot better prepared for work.

The most difficult thing I've done since being a mum, was preparing to go to the Aikido World Championships which were when DD1 was 2. I basically started training for them when DD was 6 months along with a load of young, single (mainly men) who were putting all their spare time, energy and this was the hard bit, all their focus into it. At sessions everyone would talk about how the training had to be your top priority, but I couldn't think like that.

In the end though, the fact that I had to juggle so many things wasn't great for my relationship (but that's another tory), but it showed what it was possible to achieve.

Sorry, I'm waffling but I'm trying to say that it seems and IS hard to try and focus on so many jobs, however I think the fact that you have to focus in this way can mean that you do them even better.

Right enough waffling I'm off to sort out stuff for a meeting tomorrow (to see if I still have a job!) and bed.

Huge Congrats sunshine!!! A wedding in NY sounds fabulous. My friend did that a few years ago, she got married in central park and they all got yellow taxis to the restaraunt afterwards.

ninja Aikido? So you ARE a ninja!

Even though DS woke up about 20 million times last night, the fact that he was easier to settle (even settling with DH a few times) made the night so much easier to cope with. Don't feel so sleep deprived today.

Interesting what you say about juggling work and lots of other things ninja. I found it difficult to get to sleep last night with my head swimming with all the things I need to get right over the next few weeks. Got to do a good job on this project I'm working on, in order to get more freelance work. I'm more likely to come across a permanent job offer if I keep freelancing, so I think I need to concentrate on this for a while.

hopefully DS is the same, the only time he'll amuse himself for more than 5 minutes is first thing in the morning. The rest of the time he needs my undivided attention. I don't go to that many mother and baby groups. But he has a music class and swimming class once a week (pre-paid so we HAVE to go). As long as I take him to another one or two places where I know there will be other babies for him to look at I feel he's been sufficiently stimulated. At home he's on his playmat, in the walker, on my hip.

Hi DG - yes a bone fide ninja . It's a lot tamer than it sounds, I just get thrown around a lot.

Well M shocked me by sleeping 'til 3.30 last night (although DH woke me up and insisted on talking to me when he came in from the pub )

Ikwym about buzzing in the head at night. It's worse at night too as you know that you need sleep (which makes it harder to come) and all your hormones are at funny levels which makes any problem seem a million times worse.

When I look back I've cried about some ridiculous things at night!

Thanks for the congrats guys. Yes it is where Carrie and Big got married (in the end) and no DP isn't American.

We been together now for 18 years and engaged for 8 and have 2 lovely children, but like you imoscarsmum I hate not having the same name as them. Unfortunately it's never been high on our priority list as weddings are so expensive and my family and half of DP's are a bit of a nightmare.

Anyway, earlier this year one of my very best friends, DS's godmother, announced that she's getting married and could DS be one of her page boys (she's got a 1 year old nephew as well). As she lives in Bermuda (they've hired a whole island for their wedding) we're very excited but worked out that it's cheaper to fly via New York as the only direct flight from the UK now is BA. So we decided that we'd spend a few days in NY and get married while we're out there. We're planning on telling a few friends with the emphasis on they can come if they want but no pressure. A couple of really good mates have already said they want to come so we have witnesses sorted.

As for the dress I need something that will work for my wedding with heels, and friend's wedding with flats. I think I'm going to go and look in DVF but any other suggestions are welcome!

Poor Effy has really bad nappie rash and a very runny nose at the moment. I think she's getting more teeth but haven't felt them yet. She's still doing really well sleeping through though. I really do recommended the banana supper diet. She had half a large banana at 18:30 last night, then 7oz just before bed. When I went up to give her her dream feed at 22:30 she was in such a deep sleep that she only managed 1oz but was still asleep until 06:45 this morning!

Many congratulations Sunshine! Nothing like a wedding to spice up a thread.

Today is the second night that Diego goes all night without a feed. There was two settlings involving plugging in the dummy, but it was a quick affair. He did not wake up till 7:15. I have to say that again my boobs were about to explode, although I reckon if we repeat the feat tonight they should be more manageable...

My period is not back yet though... It shouldn't be long now, I suppose.

Pacita when I first stopped it took a while for the boobs to feel more comfortable. Might be worth expressing a little to make them feel better.

Also, re dummies, Effy has about 10 on her cot all spread around her so that she can find one if she wakes up.

Yes, having loads of dummies is a good point, but the only ones he likes are the nuk ones, and I can't seem to be able to find them anywhere!

Any progress re:dress? This is so exciting!

Pacita they sell the Nuk ones in my local chemist. Have you tried any small chemists?

No progress yet apart from looking at the DvF website. My friend and I are going to take an afternoon off to go shopping at some point.

sunshine I have the details of a lovely Chinese lady who made my wedding dress. She copied it from a dress i'd seen in a shop, but she also will make something new from scratch if you dont find anything you like in the shops but know what you want. She's based near Hanger Lane.

Proud Mummy Moment: M has learnt to wave. He and his Dad have a bath together every night and for the past fortnight when I go to take him out of the bathroom I stop in the doorway and turn back to dh and say 'night night Daddy' and wave. Up until now M has just smiled back, but tonight he waved back.

It brought a tear to my eye I can tell you, and it wasn't a fluke as he done it again.

Evening all!
Very lovely to meet splish and NC in croydon yesterday, it was a lovely time and thankfully the other diners in starbucks seemed to find our toddlers endearing!!
Any news on your dd ponymum?
Exciting stuff sunshine imoscarsmum I've thought on more than one occassion that your dd must have swallowed a gina book! Gina claims that her books are written on years of research of childrens sleeping and feeding patterns, and what leads to the best sleeping. You're very lucky that your dd worked it all out for herself! I had to guide my dcs towards the routine I wanted them to be in but it really does seem to have worked.
Still at mum and dad's, better go and be sociable!

watch this

DP has just shown me this vid, it was on a forum he goes on. What do you think?