Sept 08: They're under starters orders .... and they're off .... well, some of them!

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

I thought I'd use this title as not all of our delicious babies are on the move yet, including mine

I don't suppose it has 4 or 5 bedrooms, a pool and is free w/b 16 Aug 09?

It's been gorgeous weather here too today

digital starlight has less than 2 years between her non-gf babies.

I'm sure someone on here must be pg by now. Wonder if eandz is, she wanted hundreds of children.

For strollers/buggys whatever you want to call them, I don't think you can beat a Maclaren.

digi - what is your budget and what are your requirements for a buggy?

Sorry ILTMIMI we're full up til October. Did you want Brittany in particular?
Has anyone heard from eandz? I reckon she would be if anyone is....
I was just looking in my diary from last year, and cannot believe how fast this year has gone. Are they really almost one??!!

I've sent eandz a facebook message asking how she is and if she's got any news to share with us.
Was that a bit rude? Maybe I shouldn't have.

Oh crap Jenpet.

Well, actually it's good that you are booked. But not good for me who is looking for somewhere to go on holiday

No, not Brittany in particular. Do you have any mates with gites?

Am liking your "routine" Starlight wish we had a Tesco near us too - the other Mums at DS1's school are pretty used to seeing DS2's nightwear now too, they just think "eccentric English" & I can get away with pretty much anything
ILTMIMI I think you'll maybe struggle with a pool now - also, the French are apparantly "all" holidaying at home this year which has meant less availability for everyone else! - we've just booked a mobile home for a week in the Dordogne in July & it took me ages to find any availability. I'll ask around for you though, but I wouldn't want to reccommend anywhere dodgy that I wouldn't stay myself...

Welcome back Jenpet.

Effy is loads better thankfully and has gone back to nursery today. She's off her food and sleeping loads but a little more like her normal self thankfully.

Unfortunately Effy has started waking at 4am! She wants milk and cuddles and then, after about 45 mins, starts crying to go back to bed. She did it yesterday (oh it was hard and we'd been out on Sat night for dinner and didn't get in until 2am) and when I put her back in bed she slept right through to 11:30! I honestly thought something had happened and had to resist the urge to poke her. She did it again this morning too.

We have a Maclaren Quest sport for holidays and light travel (would never give up my beloved iCandy though ) and found it to be realy good, especially as it reclines a bit for snoozing. Took it to Edinburgh recently and it did well, though can't take anywhere near the amount of stuff the iCandy can carry. We had to swap our fisher price travel highchair that Charlotte loves and which fits into bottom of iCandy, and buy a handysitt which i have to say we are very happy with and it fits neatly down the back of the mclaren!

C is really struggling to take 3 bottles a day now. If she has a decent bottle in the afternoon, she'll take only a few mls at night, or vice versa.

And in early September we're off to La Rochell in France. We've splashed out and hired a lodge on a campsite (ie double width mobile home, tarted up to look like a log cabin). Can't wait and sit has loads of facilities, with pools etc. Did book it before C was born though - we're early planners!!!

Just phoned nursery to arrange C's settling in visits..boo

Robyn has had another 10 hour sleep. That's two in a row and 4 in a week.

Please don't throw things at me have just been poked in the eye by Robyn so my depth perception is off and I don't think I could defend myself.

We use a mothercare buggy when we are short on space in the car. I think it was about 60 and it lies back almost flat.
The best buggy I have ever had is a Paul Vogel when ds was about 4-5 it was quite chunky and very supportive. We had it 6 months then sold it on to a woman with a 6month old. She was so happy with it that she popped it in the car then went to drive off. Baby was sat on our doorstep in her car seat.

Have found a new car seat which should bring up some interesting debate (sorry in advance)
It is the Kiddy Infinity pro and is from 9 months to 4 years or 11 years depending on the model. It is German and rated best for safety. It has no internal straps tho, it has a bumper restraint and you use the normal seatbelt to strap them in.
It does look really good but the lack of harness takes a bit of getting used to.
There is a thread already about it but my links are not very good or you can google it.

lol at the mother driving off without the baby! We borrowed a Paul Vogel one from a friend at Christmas when we went up to Scotland on the train so we wouldn't have to take one with us. It was pink but ds2 didn't mind and it was really good apart from it didn't fold up as small as the Maclaren.

We've got the Quest too and I use it all the time now. Did have a Graco travel system but it got too heavy to push with ds1 on the buggy board so I gave up on it and just use the Quest now. I agree though with iom that it doesn't have much storage space.

That car seat sounds scary! No harness even at 9 months?!?

youtube clip of car seat the 9 month plus one. Like the idea of it but don't know if a toddler would like being that restrained. And they'd maybe get very hot.

I have a maclaren triumph - I think it may be the cheapest one!!! - and its great. I love my silver cross 3D, but for the car and quick trips, its fab. Lies back - but not flat so only from 6 months plus. Got a cosytoe and raincover too. Will be taking it on hols in July.

I've just discovered my MOT ran out on 6th June, so the whole of our holiday and today I've been illegal . I really hope the mechanic can fit us in soon, i've got a majorly busy week planned and i need the car! Can't believe I did that, I thought it was due in July. I feel mortified!
I covet a Maclaren XT but until dd is happy on a buggy board I'll have to stick to the phil and teds, I just have to remember to take it out of the boot before I go shopping!

That car seat does look safe but VERY 'snug'

Buggies is one advantage of having a large gap!!

ah, company I ordered the XT from reckons I'll see have it by Friday. Phew! I really thought I'd put the whole shopping for buggies thing behind me and couldn't face going through the motions of trying to find another one. It's like buying a car.

DS has taken to crying when I say 'ow' after he bites my collarbone with his (now very sharp) fangs. Why's he crying? It should be me.

Any sort of night-time training has gone out the window. I'm feeding him whenever he wakes at night and DH hasn't got up to settle him or has got up but it's taking too long so I'm up too. DS is in our bed from 3am onwards. He still wakes up to feed at 5am, so it's not really helping him to sleep for any longer, he just has a grumble paws at me and eventually I sit up and put him on the boob (lying down doesn't cut it anymore).
Sort of accepted it. But recently wondered at if he'll EVER sleep through again?

Carriebo At least you had no accidents and the police didn't catch you. I once overran my Mot which meant I missed taxing my car for a few days. Thank God I don't have to worry about that now. Motability send me a tax disc (although I do have to remember to put it in the car) and they do the MOT.

Did you see the Crash test with the babe in arms. They should show that to every pregnant mum and dad and again when you ahve had baby. It really makes me mad to see people driving with kids out of their car seat. Is there any reason you can't stop for 5 mins to calm the kid down.

Not sure about the seat going to wait until I get the new car and then try ou all the ones which WHICH says are best buys.

Our monitor blew earlier so we have borrowed one which is huge. I am strugglin to get used to everything in huge type, and it is so bright I need my sunglasses

DG, T is firmly back to waking in the night (bottle any time from 1 till 4, then up for good at 6 unless he goes in the pram, in which case he will sleep till 7:30). The one thing that comforted me loads was a post I read from Juuule on the Sleep board ages ago. She has 9 kids (so can practically be considered a scientific experiment in parenting), and said that she has tried every method there is, and no matter what they did, most of their kids weren't reliably sleeping through (i.e. every single night, only up for major teething or illness) until 2. Some did it earlier, some later (!), but she said that with the younger kids she reckoned on 2 before she would regularly get uninterrupted nights sleep.
I thought that was quite interesting, as if there was a method to get it right, after 9 children she would have discovered it! She said routine/no routine made no real difference, as far as I remember.

Well if it makes you feel better M's back to 2 or 3 wakings. The last one's about 5 when she dream sleeps next to me for 1 - 2 hours but usually up for good before 7. I used to beable to rely on her to sleep 'til 8 so I'm guessing the weather isn't helping.

She's now pulling up to standing and is so pleased with herself!!

Thanks for that jenpet. That explains why we're having such trouble (as well as having left it late )

Well, we are basically co sleeping - all night some nights, part of the night on others....I think our experiences with ds1 have left us determined that whatever lets us all get a good nights sleep is what we will do!

My ds1 has a double bed now so when ds2 comes in with us either I or dh go into ds1's bed with him....is working so far. The ideal would be when ds2 is older he and ds1 would share the double bed in their room, (which was a the norm in families a generation or two ago) but we'll see...

Had a manic weekend...ds1 s party then he went to another on sunday, then had an inset day yesterday and we were babyproofing last night!!!...god, I had forgotten how hard it is when they get moving and ds2 is doing it so much earlier than ds1!

Toby can crawl after a fashion - he can get where he wants to go by sort of commando crawling and he is OBSESSED by the stairs...stairgates up last night! Has refused breakfast this morning and in a foul moood, so FIL has taken him for a walk to the builders merchants (?)

Must go and do some housework............

Had a 3:30am wake up this morning. Luckily only for half an hour then she went back to sleep until 7am. Unfortunately DS came in at 5am. Luckily he got into bed and went to sleep but if it's not one of them it's the other!

Had DS's sports day today. Was slightly chaotic with 10 3 year olds running round but v. fun. I almost won the parent's sack race but DP made me laugh and I had to stop as my weak bladder can't take jumping and laughing at the same time!

A has recovered from his cough so is his usual happy self - until he has to sleep. i think he's realised that fun stuff goes on while he's in bed and it's NOT FAIR!
Last night and tonight were less bad, settled quickly and only one burst of waahs about an hour later. Woke at 2 and 6 though, before back to sleep until 8.30. Livable, at least.

Had my first work event today which was actually really enjoyable and excellent free lunch. Also got signed up for some free careers coaching and a conference. Tomorrow I meet my manager to get onto the databases so I can be deployed somewhere - I'll be a lot happier once I know what my job is!

MrNC looked after A today and will again in 2 weeks - but with the help of a friend, who;s then hanging around in the evening. Need to convince him it would be easier to do it all himself but that would mean saying 'no' to the two friends who are almost fighting over wanting to babysit. Anyone would think they were MILs...

oh good, well not good, but glad it's not just me who's 9 month old is still waking in the night. I try to avoid reading the books now, but I got a netmums email the other week which said something about sleep, and I stupidly clicked on it and it had the whole 'sleep training at 6 months' if they're not sleeping through. I mean, we tried it. It worked temporarily but was by no means easy. There were a LOT of nights where DS would wake for up to 90 minutes, just crying the whole time. So now he wakes we go comfort him as we know leaving him doesn't mean he's any more likely to self settle. He's always been a rubbish sleeper. Part of me feels like a failure for not helping him to sleep for longer than 2-3 hours at a time, but then he's such a happy baby during the day it obviously doesn't bother him.

Called up the HV clinic about a 9 month check and they said they don't do them as a routine. But I wanted to get one of those book packs. Have booked an appointment anyway, just in case they are giving them away.