March 09 - there is no snooze button on a baby that needs milk.....!

[meep]

over here ladies

meep the GI cookbook has a recipe for healthy low-GI cookies. They're pretty good too.

Meep I went to Sainsbury's this morning and bought a packet of their choccy chip cookies.... not opened them yet as I also bought some shortbread fingers... and ate them with a huge mug of tea!

I really must start to think about losing some weight. After losing all bar a pound of the baby weight, about 6 pounds has snuck back on. I'm sure at least a little bit is due to my boobs (hopeful emoticon!).

I followed slimming world by myself before, so will probably do that. Before I got pg I had lost 3 stone. Need to do about the same again .

Amy seems a bit calmer today. We've had a couple of days of loads of crying, and I couldn't work out what was up. Hopefully tonight she'll sleep a bit better.

Quick question - is it normal for them to poo just once a day now? Still getting oodles of wet nappies, but only 1 dirty one.

Hi ladies ?

Hope everyone?s doing well (sorry to hear about the bouts of chicken pox and lurgy and god knows what else!). Huge post on the way because R is napping!

Not sure where the hours are going these days, but I just don?t have enough time to spend on MN! The irony is that I thought July would be easy-peasy, as DP?s 18-year-old daughter is here from the US ? the idea was that she?s be a mum?s helper for a while, but it?s not working out that way. I?ve got serious control issues on the one hand, and she?s not particularly motivated on the other! DP hasn?t made clear what the expectations were/are, and I don?t feel that should fall to me, so the end result is that I?ve basically got a full-time houseguest that I feel I need to care for.

Rhys just had his three-month checkup and jabs this week; all is well on the health front ? he continues to land in the 99th percentile for height! He?s rolling over independently back to front, is holding his head up well, and enjoying seeing the world from his tummy. Can?t say enough good things about the phys therapy sessions he did ? only four of them, but what a difference!

Down side: don?t know whether it?s a growth spurt or a vicious streak, but feedings and sleep have gone thoroughly to pot this week ? he?s eating every two hours, and waking 3 to 4 times at night. Aaaaaaaaaarrrrggghhhhhh!

Am well envious of people?s hols ? they sound lovely!

I?m gearing up to begin transitioning to formula, though I still have another month (the goal is to have that done when he starts nursery at the beginning of September). The paediatrician suggested I keep nursing in the morning and at night ? has anyone got experience with this kind of mixed approach? Am worried my supply will disappear, honestly. She also recommended starting him on rice cereal in another month, so that will be a big adventure! It?s really been interesting reading all of your thoughts on weaning and solids, so thanks for that. Rhys could care less about what we eat, so it?s obviously not top of mind for him?

Grinning, I?m so sorry to hear about your cat ? pets are truly members of the family, and it?s so hard to let them go. Also, Amy sounds like Rhys these days ? he can be sleepy as anything, but will HOWL because he doesn?t want to go to sleep. And I?m considering a Kevlar bra and mittens for the boy, as I?m getting clawed, too! And the dirty nappy quotient chez nous has plummeted over the past week from 4-5 per day to 1 every couple of days. Apparently that?s normal, though, as long as they?re still producing wet ones (I even read in a mad Australian baby book that TWO WEEKS between dirty nappies isn?t abnormal ? that would do my head in).

I just started back to the gym yesterday ? hurrah! I?m actually well below my pre-pregnancy weight, and have been for ages (the Amazing Rhys Boob-Sucking Diet), but am wobbly and jiggly in places I?ve never been wobbly and jiggly before! Has anyone got any reliable recommendations for information on abdominal exercises post-partum? The phys therapist I?m seeing for postnatal classes is full of doom and gloom and insists that no one should ever, EVER do situps after pregnancy, but I miss my firm belly!

mdavza, what kind of bike trailer have you got? That?s a purchase I?d like to make during the sales this month, as we usually do at least one bike holiday each year. Have you been using it since before your little one could support his head (because he?s still quite young, yes?)?

Slick, about your car AND the close call. I think we should all go back to horses and carriages sometimes.

Congrats on the engagement, lilymolly!

Whoops, one more question for the Londoners amongst us -- we are contemplating a few days' visit week after next; it will be the first time we've travelled since Rhys was born, and are choosing London because I'm jonesing for good Indian food and DP's daughter loves the city. (The two of them are also heading off to Rome for a few days and leaving me for my first single-mum experience, but that's another story - gulp.)

In terms of accommodations, does anyone have any tips on web sites for short-stay self-catering flat rentals? Or any advice on whether I'm mistaken in assuming that would be easier/cheaper than a hotel, with a baby? Any and all thoughts are welcome!

Ah -- and will I be able to navigate the Underground with a Bugaboo in carrycot mode? Or am I dreaming? Obviously we'd avoid rush hour travel, and walk as much as possible.

I am realising, sadly, that 99% of my fave restaurants are either not baby-friendly or not pram-friendly, so any dining tips in that direction would be great, too. Of course, it's no hardship to me to eat every lunch and dinner at the Lahore Kebab House.

corgi how about swimming for doing your tummy - it always gets mine in shape. Alas mine is too far gone at the moment - need to shift the weight (around 3 stone - grinning are you joing me and binning those (scrummy) biccies? !). I have been doing as much walking with Rosie strapped to my chest and pushing dd1 in the buggy. The all over ache is lessening so I must be doing some good.

You need to get your dp to have a word with his daughter. I know when I was younger I was guilty of expecting to be waited on when I went to visit my brother and sil (even when they had a newborn). I wasn't that interested in babies. However my brother just made me get on with it by getting me to do nappy changes, bath time, story time etc.

Rosie is on about 1 poo a day as well. Make the moset of it ladies - dd1 does at least 2 poos a day and boy do you know hen it has been done. I love changing Rosie wee bottom - so quick and easy. It takes an industrial sized wipe to get all the yuck off a toddler bum.

Question to those of you with lo's who've been toilet trained - dd1 asked to sit on the toilet which was "too big too big" so I produced her potty. She loves it - likes to strip ALL her clothes off and sit on it. No wees/poos in it yet so I am just leaving it in the bathroom and only talk about it if she brings it up. Is that the right thing to do?

If I can bin them down my throat meep, then yes

I join in the weight loss. I have at least 3 stone to lose as well. I have been good this week only eating 3 meals and no snacking (my downfall. I don't like chocolate/cakes etc but i can eat a truck load of savoury snacks in a sitting )of an evening. Have started to my embriodery again now all 3 are in bed by 6.30pm.

Meep

thats what i did when potty training dd1. I just left the potty around so she got used to it. And once she decided to use the potty she was dry day and night in a week.

DD2 takes her knickers down (she has to wear them like dd1, but over her nappy) sits on the potty when i go to the loo and wipes her bottom nappy. Just got to get her to take of her nappy when sitting on the potty.

And yes toddler nappies are foul. DD2 has taken to going into a different room then coming back in and sticking her bottom in my face direction and saying 'poo'. Like I need to be told i can smell her the moment she comes back.

grinning Gabe poos about every other day, he seems happy so we don't worry.

corgi bollocks to that! So long as your stomach muscles have come back together (GP can check), sit ups are fine! I've been doing them since about 7 weeks post-partum, and did them after DS1's birth too.

Also, you should be fine with a carrycot, most of the Jubilee line is step-free now. If you can afford it, Citadines apart-hotel is nice and just off Trafalgar Sq. (www.citadines.com/)

Not been on for a while - lots of sleep deprivation and grouchiness from madam. Think she is cutting her first tooth - is very sharp and very white and lots of dribble - seems way to early to me, but then she is rolling lots too and that also seems early!
Congrats Lily on your engagement, how exciting!
Those of you talking about sleep regression, I posted a thread about DD's shocking sleep over past week and got lots of useful info, but it did include that it's apparently common for babes to go backwards on sleeping at 4-6 months (if only we had gone forwards in the first place )
Have my day out on Sat - ooh, should be expressing now to build up stocks! My best friend's hen do. Am very excited, but also very nervous at leaving DD - know that DH will be great with them both and MIL is coming over to help him out, but is still big thing to leave DD for first time!
Right, must go - washing up, expressing and bed, given that DD is in bed.

Meant to say - Slick about your near-miss. How awful of her just to drive off and how awful for you. Hope you have recovered enough to sleep tonight. Cannot imagine how scary that must have been.

Also, Grinning - sorry for the loss of your cats . Heartbreaking for you.

Biscuits mmmmmmmm . . .

Trying to keep walking to lose weight and Mae is trying to help by now needing to eat every couple of hrs if not more. I am hoping it is just a growth spurt but it is getting very tiring. And at present DHs answer to every whimper is 'is she hungry' I am hoping my looks are getting across my annoyance.

Mae is pooing about once a day but at the moment it has upped to twice day at the moment with all the eating.

Have also done some sit ups, but DH who has a sports degree tells me they are very bad for you if you don't do other exercises to tone the other muscles in your sides, back etc.

Am with you Starshine on the terrible sleep. Last night I was up every couple of hours. I wonder too if L is cutting her first tooth - much earlier than dd1 but, she is physically much further ahead than dd1 so possible I guess. To be hoenst, I hope she is because then at least there is a reason. Otherwise it will make me reach for the formula and/or baby rice.

I did have L weighed yesterday adn she is a whopping 11.13 . Actually risen from 2nd Centile to 9th so we're pretty pleased even though it won't sound like much to some ! Even my friends premmie has overtaken her (but then my friend is about 5'10'' and I'm 5' so is to be expected !)

Grinning - don't worry about the poo. L doesn't poo every day. I think breastfed babies poo less.

Not much else to report here...

Corgikelly I am a Londoner and on the restaurant question, I just thought I'd say that you'd be surprised how many restaurants will accommodate babies. By "accommodate" I mean let you dine with one. Spike has come with us to quite a few smart restaurants, including L'anima, St John's and Hereford Road. They have all been very sweet, giving us a table with room for the buggy and providing hot water for warming the bottle. If he gets shouty, DP and I do take turns to settle him outside of the restaurant, as we appreciate that people are paying a lot for their meals and don't expect wailing! We went to L'anima when Spike was about 2 months and they asked whether he wanted a meal(!) They also brought me a cushion, unprompted (I wasn't quite sure what to do with it!). Anyway, just be ballsy and assume you will be admitted. It works for us.

corgi I forgot to say, Pizza Express is VERY child friendly, they even have Plum organic babyfood on the menu

Am feeling bad for my LOs today as they both have stinking colds and are very whingy. Just in time for grandparents to visit!

Corgi - I would just stick to a hotel if I were you - I'm not sure what a self catering flat can offer over a nice hotel room with friendly staff... and it'll feel more likely a holiday if you're in a hotel.

Most restaurants that we go to here are very child accommodating... including my favoutite, Chez Bruce (you have to go there if you don't already know it - best restaurant / wine list / cheese board in London IMO.

Penny's sleep has also regressed massively... we were down to just one 3am waking until last week, but now it's 11pm, 2am, 4am, 6am - argh! What happened?! She seems hungry ALL the time!

We're leaving her overnight with a friend for the first time ever, and I'm bricking it. It will be lovely to have a night off from feeding and a lie in etc.. but she's still not great at taking a bottle, and I'm going to miss her! Dropping her off at midday and not picking her up again until 10am tomorrow. And lord knows how I am going to be able to express at a posh dinner do (DH's work) every few hours! Lordy.

hello everyone,

there just isn't enough time in the day...every time i sit down read a bit of the thread, get ready to reply, then i am called away...

Ellie i am very sad and sorry to hear of your troubles, i can only hope things turn out well and that you have the right support network to help you.

my top tip for babies is olive oil, it is good for baby dry flaky skin, and cradle cap. second top tip if you are BF, is use drops of it for gunky eyes.

lily, congrats to you both on engagement...

weaning: my first child was weaned at 16 weeks as 8 years ago that was the advice. he is allergic to cashews. when dd1 came along it was 6 months, started her at 5 1/2. it was easier as less pureed stuff to prepare for week after week. am hoping to also wait longer for dd2 as we are holidaying in australia in october and would prefer to keep BF while away.

meep toilet training seems easiest if you follow their lead, use sticker charts etc. be encouraging at all times. if too many accidents, i used to give up and try again later as it seems to happen more successfully if they are ready.

in the kanga household life is exhausting. even contemplated giving up BF to regain some energy. but love it so much. Also had lo weighed on tuesday and weight is dropping away to 9th percentile (11 pounds at 13 weeks). saw gp who thinks she has reflux. muslin clothes getting very soaked in last couple of weeks. so now on gaviscon, and the milk stays down now. even slept through last night. i have not had a baby with reflux before, but i am told it gets better.

slick v scary near miss, i saw someone screech to a halt at school crossing nearly hitting a toddler. makes you feel sick the wat people are so careless.

xxx

sorry one handed typing and BF wriggly baby...meant to say the way people drive is scary.

okay. there is too much. I give up.

corgi there is no such thing as too much attention for your DC's development, just so long as you are joining in with what they want to do instead of making them do what you want them to be doing (not really relevant until later... lol)

slick glad you're alright! What a tosser.

In weasel news, Mols is great. But huge and it's freaking me out a bit that she is nearly four months old. I was also filling in forms for DP's student loans etc for next year, I'm really not sure how we are going to survive on so little money, and time is running out until he has to leave. The thought of doing this on my own five days a week is terrifying.

Must. Vent. Now.

Rhys has had a week's run of horrible nights, but last night was the worst by far. He finally settled at 11.30pm, and then was up at 1.30, 2.30, 3.30, 4.30 and 5.30. I am shattered. He only wanted to feed two of those times; the rest was just...who knows?

What's enraging me at the moment is that DP (a) somehow doesn't hear him crying and so I'm the one to be up 99% of the time, and (b) snores like an elephant on steroids, so for the half hour I get between wakings, I can't sleep because of the sound. The last two nights I've ended up kicking him out to sleep on the sofa, as if he's no help for Rhys, at least I can try to snatch the odd nap if he's not there.

There are just too many variables with babies, it seems -- is he fussy because of something I ate ? Because we've cut out the Gaviscon (but that shouldn't have an impact on his digestion per se)? Because of the phase of the moon and the ebb of the tides and the fact that Belgian railworkers are going on strike? Who knows?

And final rant element (not angry here, just sad) -- my mum has done her back in, which means she won't be able to come back over in August, which means we have no childcare for that month, which means I'll have to ask on Monday if I can extend my leave for another month, which means another month on one income, which is just stressing me out.

VERY sorry about memememememe post. Just had to get all this off my chest.

A happier weekend to all!

corgi - I really sympathise, that must be utterly crap. James had a week or so of being completely and horribly unsettled after his last set of jabs and it really made me regret (albeit momentarily!) being single! Hope Rhys feels better very soon.

laumiere - Thanks sooo much for the recommendation re: the apple and apricot puree, he really took to it! (Tried him on it for the first time on Thursday). I only gave him a little but he gobbled it straight up, you'd honestly never know he'd never "experienced" solids before. Got a bit carried away and tried him on some baby rice this morning but he hated it so will not be bothering with that again for quite some time!

Also, joy, I'm quite badly anaemic and these bloody supplements have done virtually sod all except give me the shits! Babies are moving about a lot though and it feels v clear. Didn't feel this way with with J until a good 3 weeks or so later (am currently coming up 16 weeks).

loli No probs mate!

Oops, posted and completely forgot to say, been in Casualty for 3 hrs for DS1 today! Poor babe had a cold and his breathing sounded a bit shonky from about 12 today, and he has cerebral palsy (CP) we have to go to Casualty.

He was so good until hour 3 when he had a complete meltdown. Verdict: he has a flu (not swine flu) and a nasty chest infection in his right lung so is on the banana flavour antibiotics I remember from childhood. The doc asked whether DS1 even had CP as he was so big, alert and strong! (Yes, thank you, we're very sure!)

Best of all, Gabriel had TWO bottles while we were away! The bottle-refusing baby relents!

Laumiere how scary for you. Glad all is well for your DS1.

Corgi you have my sympathy and empathy. Melissa has a cold and seems to wake up every time I put her in her cot and even if she doesn't she is snuffling and snorting which makes it impossible to sleep. Last night she went down at 8.30pm and woke at least three times between 11pm and 7am. Plus DD1 was up at some point having lost her favourite soft toy under the duvet, although DP looks after her night wakings, thankfully. Then Melissa screamed (for no reason I could fathom) for an hour this morning before we left the house. She was such a calm little sleeper until about three weeks ago - I don't know what's happened

Laum That must have sucked! Glad he's ok! Do you get it often, people asking whether he really has CP? Is a kind-of back-handed compliment.

Corgi I love London! It always gives me an incredible buzz and I can't wait for one day when I'll be able to take Lb to the museums and sights. we go at least once a year, and I never feel as if it's boring. Wagamama.com are very family friendly places and the food is great. Sorry about your DH being a boar, I understand completely! Hope you're sleeping better now, adn little Rhys too. How is his daytime napping? I find that my lo sleeps better at night if he's had good daytime naps, but that's just us, y'know! Also, we got a Bumper Explorer Solo ("here www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/trailer/product/explorer-solo--30936" trailer, and my dh fitted a Cybex cybex-online.com/site/uk/products/car-seats/aton.html carseat inside - he had to take of the outer handlebars. So Ben sits snugly inside, and it's so comfy for him he usually falls asleep.

Missm Apparently the next few months can be tough for sleeping, ahem, that is, apparently, until the six-month sleeping problems start...hope it gets better soon!

All is quiet, here on the eastern front, B is having a catnap and I'm catching up on emails etc. I Baked banana bread yesterday, feel v pleased with myself. Of course dh is eating most of it, since I'm on a diet healthy eating thingy. Oh, we had our night out and he was great!! I was so nervous, but after his bath and normal bedtime routine, he went to sleep as usual, even in the strange and much lighter environment, and he didn't wake up when we popped him into his car seat! Yooohooo! It was just amazing to have a night out again. He is so cute, I just can't get over it. Cconfession: I found being a mother very hard the first few months, and I many times I aksed myself: what have we DONE?! But it's definitely changed, I'm so mad about him (well, most of the time...) and it's just wonderful to see him develop. We call him Skynet (- after the Terminator computer which becomes sentient and takes over the world, for the non sci-fi junkies among us)

Lolianja I'm with you on the money worries wagon. I try not to think about it too much.

mdavzda We get it all the time, we're challenging CP stereotypes all on our tod!

Anyone going back to work/needing a brain workout, OU does a great free online learning resource, lots of business/management stuff there: openlearn.open.ac.uk/