Jan 09' Dribbling, drooling, swaying and babbling...thats just the mamas....

[stripeywoollenhat]

New thread

[missjackson]

Thanks for thoughts about age gaps - eppm especially liked your simple breakdown! I guess there is no 'perfect' age gap otherwise all families would be the same! I think we've agreed to re-evaluate the situation after 6 months - what makes things difficult is that with OH's business (horse riding) he is sooooo busy for spring/ summer and then really quiet autumn/ winter - so can be very hands-on for half the year, and almost completely absent the other half!

Spink sounds like a lot of pressure on you and OH - his long hours and house move etc - I hope you can get some support from family/ friends to help you with packing etc! I'm moving too in early May, and am trying to rope my Dad and sister in to help... only moving across the valley so can't use a removal company, but will try to find 'man with a van'. Spink if you can afford it, I would totally go for the option where they pack stuff for you - I worked on a programme about house removals once, and they do it so quickly and easily - they take a couple of hours to do what it would take you weeks to achieve! (ha ha, funny the worlds I used to get a window onto with my old job!)

tree I'm sorry, I've missed your other thread - please can you post a link? I really admire your endless patience and commitment, and I'm sure one day you'll look back and see how things have improved!

dog pleased that salt went so well, you shouldn't feel bad at all - I think some babies just want to talk in their own time. My little bro apparently didn't talk until he was well over 3 years old, probably because he had my sister and I doing all the talking for him!

books sounds like a lovely holiday.

LO out in tractor... am thinking about doing a law conversion course part-time so must use my time constructively to get some ideas! Anyone have any experience with combining OU/ distance learning/ part time course and baby care? LenniEd aren't you studying too?

[stripeywoollenhat]

dog, glad salt was helpful, hopefully the course will be useful.

spink, sounds like you have a lot on your plate - sure things will get better with dh when the pressure eases. house moving v stressful but doesn't last forever and is eventually worth it

tree, hope you got your sarnie. seriuosly, if you want the sling, let me know

[tinkhaseatentoomanyeastereggs]

hi

ladies

which playhouse dor dd1 for garden she is 3.5 years 4 @ the end of aug very petite for her age

luv this one is so cute i am a fan of pink
luv the fact that it has a kitchen in

cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=230333531222

or

www.toysrus.co.uk/Toys-R-Us/Outdoor-and-Sports/Playhouses-and-Tents/Playhouses/Pink-Magic-Playhouse( 0024562)

[tinkhaseatentoomanyeastereggs]

oh dog

being a parent is such a hard job it must be a hard situation for you i am sure that u r doing your best u musnt feel guilty. being a parnt is one of the hardest jobs in the world

[treedelivery]

Oh Dog - you'll feel better soon, you're just reeling from the shock of the salt agreeing there may be something.

dd1 was slow to talk, salt came, I expected her to say 'oh don't be so precious she is doing fine' and I expected to feel fobbed off and pissed with her.
Salt agreed with me and I wanted to throw her out even more!

I was just so shocked. I wasn't expecting it. Even though I called her in!

Have a good cry and have lovely cuddles with him. You have done a great thing finding this little detail about his speech early. All will be well.

[treedelivery]

btw - apologies for not answering people's posts, am not being rude but am typing one handed, boob in and out like the hokey coaky and generally loosing the plot.

[treedelivery]

Books - I hadn't quite registered your dd has colicky type stuff going on. What are the details? You mentioned poo, ours poo related too.

Welcome back spink! You have had a shed load on missus! My dh out 6am till 6pm so can relate a bit. It sucks.

[stripeywoollenhat]

dog - you sound like you are a good mum to me, you are doing all you can to sort things out and have no reason to feel guilty. i hope your bath makes you feel better

[moosemama]

Gosh, what a lot to catch up on.

Tree wish I could give you a a big hug and then have H for a few hours to give you a break. The Moby is brilliant, it is the one that's a big length of fabric and really calms the little ones as they are held snuggly just under your chin against your heartbeat. I walked for 3 hours with DD in one yesterday without even feeling her weight and she's roughly a bit over 12lbs now. Some people say they are a faff to put on, but I just watched some YouTube vids of people doing it and its second nature now. youtube 1 youtube2 DD always falls asleep within a couple of minutes of being put in there. You can buy similar ones but cheaper on ebay and sometimes you can get second hand moby's (mobies? sp?) on there as well - pricey for a strip of fabric but worth every penny.

Dog you are a great Mum, you followed your instincts that something was up and you were right. I know all too well how confusing it is 'knowing' something is wrong and then feeling upset when someone 'official' agrees with you. Be kind to yourself, you are doing a great job!

Spink sounds like you are having a tough time as well. Hope it all works out for you. Remember to come on here more often, there's always someone around to listen and support.

Tink I like the second one, its funkier!

Books don't get me started on 'Torturewood'!! Best time to go there is 9.30 am, place is deserted so can get shopping in double time then go to John Lewis for carrot cake!

[Spink]

dog sweetie you are not to blame - you couldn't have known that he didn't understand, and you were doing what you thought best at the time. I bet the course will just confirm lots of what you already know and do, and will just give you some useful extra tips and support. You sound like a lovely lovely mum.

tink second one for me, I do like a cockerel.

tree is battlestar gallactica the one where they say 'FRAK' instead of f**k? made me giggle every time.. Sorry to hear it is still tough for you. You are kind of amazing, your posts always make me smile, in spite of all the stuff you've got going on. How are you managing with your dh out of the house for so long? I could do with some practical tip swapping.. I will let you know when I discover some practical tips, for the moment the swap would need to be a bit one-sided....

missj ooh the house-moving idea is good - dh can't argue with us spending a bit more when he won't be here to help, can he?! suppose it depends how much it actually costs.. I can really relate to what you say about your dp being either totally hands on or absent - dh is an actor so his work can be very much the same, not sure if it is great or a bit shit.

thank you everyone for your support - moose you're right, I should've come on here more, I kind of get hermity when things are a bit hard, but it makes me feel less squashed when I come on here!

[LenniEd]

Am also a Moby fan here and DS loves it too - once you've sussed it it's just as quick as a baby bjorn to put on.

Stripey - How are you going on with the growth spurt? I'm having a bit of a nightmare here. Am keeping myself on the straight and narrow but feel a bit weepy (milky hormones me thinks) and have considered driving 15miles to the shop for some formula. I knew this one was meant to be the worst but somehow just thought I'd cracked bf now and it would be fine. Think again. My nipples hurt.

Dog - Sounds like SALT is worth her weight if she's got you on a course and given you a follow up appointment. As Tree said, picking anything up at pre-school age is the key, he'll be fine in the long run I'm sure. If you need any help with anything it used to be my line of work - sounds like you're getting looked after though. And don't blame yourself for anything... if it weren't for your determination he wouldn't have been seen, and remember you picked it up in the first place.

Yes MissJ I am finishing my Masters dissertation at the moment and am thinking about doing a PhD after that It's not easy with babies around but it does give me a real release and stretches me which I need otherwise I would go crazy. It was easier when DD was a baby since then I got longish stretches in the day when she slept. I have taken courses which involve some time in uni too so that I get a bit of a break and a chance to study on the long train journey to Manchester and back. I would definately say go for it, but be prepared to put in some late nights working on assignments and also be prepared to put perfectionism aside from time to time. I used to try and 'compete' with the young, childless, straight-out-of-undergrad students but then realised that my professional experience was a far greater resource a lot of the time than could be made up from endless reading of journals. I have pretty successful on it to - all my grades are in the 80s and I'm on course for a distinction... more than can be said for my drink influenced 2:1 undergrad! Having to squish all my study up makes me want to do well for some reason.

[LenniEd]

Oh and Spink - nice to see you glad you are getting pelvic floor issues sorted out.

Things weren't great with me and DH when DD was born, can relate to the absent father part, he works a lot too. The fact that you recognise things are hard for a reason will get you through though, at least it's harder to be resentful when you know it won't last forever. House sounds fab though, and I'm sure you'll meet new people and settle in with a baby as an icebreaker.

[stripeywoollenhat]

Lenni - am not having a great time - c has upped her feeds and is quite sleepy and cranky, which is manageable, but i have developed a blocked duct today and quite apart from the fact that it's sore, obviously it has impacted my supply so the poor love has basically gone to bed a bit hungry (she won't have a bottle, ebm or formula, which is really not helpful ) - so she is cranky and now overtired and hungry and i feel like a really crap mum and also a bit shit - slight headache and achiness... nipples bearing up though - lashings of lansinoh.... but enough about me, eh? sorry it's tough - i certainly understand the urge to ff at times like these (not that c would oblige). have you got any nipple shields - bit of a faff but i find they help when she's been a bit ott on the feeding

what are you studying? can't imagine trying to do a masters with c on the premises, my house was spick and span when i was studying and she would be an even better reason for procrastination...

[stripeywoollenhat]

books - we've tried my being upstairs, next step is my -running away- going out for a walk. going to get my sister round - she ffs - in case it's a technique thing.

i've had hot compresses, cold compresses, massaged nipple in bowl of v hot water (has worked for me before), massaged breast - nothing. going to have a hot bath shortly to see if it helps. when it has happened before, it has taken 24 hours to resolve so i'm not going to really worry until tomorrow, though howling, growth-spurting daughter is a bit stressful...

hope you are enjoying football widowhood

[stripeywoollenhat]

okay, that was supposed to be running away

[stripeywoollenhat]

or running away, maybe

[LenniEd]

Books - sounds like you've got the poo situation under control you always sound so calm and together, how do you manage it?

Stripey - sorry to hear about blocked duct. Hope it clears soon and C stops wanting to grow, is a dreadful business. I'm studying Inclusive Education.

[missjackson]

books wow, 20 minutes working the legs, that's dedication for you! Bet you never thought you would be so happy to hear a fart! My LO is pretty sensitive to poo issues too - sometimes he'll cry and whinge, and I feed him (which must make it worse!) and it's only when he finally manages to poop one out that he is settled....

Barn conversion isn't that big so no massive living space unfortunately! But still has those lovely huge windows where the doors used to be.

LenniEd I bet your course is really interesting - and like you say, it stretches you and gives you some balance - I really think I will go crazy if I am looking after LO 24-7, 7 days a week... spink like you, sometimes I wonder if OH's irregular working commitments is a good thing or 'a bit shit' - sometimes I just envy people who have their OH's around for the weekend to help out - but try to remind myself that I only have one baby (hats off to dog, MM and all those who manage with more than one!) and a pretty supportive OH and family around - how single mums manage I do not know. Seriously.

stripey hope your blocked duct clears up by tomorrow, hopefully it will.

LenniEd hope your poor nipples feel better soon! Hang in there.... in a few days I am sure supply-demand will have righted itself and you'll be back to thinking how easy BF-ing is! I'm always cursing it one moment, smugly loving it the next... !

OH still not back... picking up some horses from somewhere deep in Wales... quite nice to have evening to myself but must go and express before boobs explode.

OMG, does anyone else ever try to remember what life was like pre-babies?! Right now I would like to have a big glass of wine, watch tv until late late late, and then sleep until 10am, at which point I would have a massive double espresso...

I hope that one day we can all get together and drink many bottles of wine (or would you prefer mead, dog?!)

[stripeywoollenhat]

missj - bottles of wine sound good [wistful emoticon]

[chefswife]

holy moly! its busy here.

stripey i'm going to get the ikea fish thing. DD hates her lamb mobile. i'm running out of ideas

elkiedee i have to add you. i'm not sure why its like that.

[tinkhaseatentoomanyeastereggs]

cheers ladies

thanks for comments re playhouses

do luv the funkiness of the toysrus one with cockerel and unicorn etc

do luv little tikes products and luv the fact that it has hobs and sink

sorry for ladies having trouble with feeding.
bracken has been sharing room with dd1 for nearly a week now all going well.
bracken is now out of moses in cot and just in cot. since she has been waking @ 1am-2am for a feed and 5-6am
don't know if this is cause she is hungry or just waking up because not having comfort of moses.
yest woke @ 1am and 5am. this morning 2am and 6:30am which i can manage better.
shr had 2ozs @ both feeds