Dec 08 mums - embuggerance to it all - sleep or no sleep we love our babes

[waitinggirl]

i hope people don't mind, i took the bull by the horns and did it. title a bit naff, but more important the thread exists rather than search for a better title. hope i haven't stolen anyone's thunder...

Hello everyone,

I've read a bit of the thread but won't be able to catch up before our friend comes round to drop off his keys. We're looking after his cat even though we're away this weekend . Not sure how that's working...

Anyway, before I go I just wanted to say thanks for your playpen thoughts ladies. I had NO idea they were such a contentious issue! I just didn't want to buy one and not use it. I'll either go with the travel cot thing (we've still got a little samsonsite one at the minute but will be getting a huge one soon) or go for the ZJ one.

Must go knock at the door!

I wish we lived closer JB I don't think we'll use our playpen it's a babydan one, you could have it, but it's a bit heavy to send unfortunately.

NJAN a bit of a late comment on your formula post, but my friend did a taste and smell test on a variety of formula and her breast milk, and apparently Aptimil was the closest on both

Veggie just because you?re a nurse, you can?t stop accident?s happening ? in the same way a mechanic?s car will still break down, he?ll just be better at fixing it. It sounds like you fixed your DS2 perfectly today. Oh, and please can I come to your DS1?s party, if he goes to S America ? I?ve never been there!

This week I?ve made a big batch of Annabel Karmel?s ?lovely lentils? for DD and she is LOVING them ? probably because they have an orange factor of 3 (carrot, sweet potato and red lentils). Anything orange is the best in her book because it makes maximum mess on the way in and the way out again. I think I will have to try baked beans a la Trace, as she?s sure to love them and stain yet more clothes (mine, hers, who cares)

Kayz I still have those stats and have been adding in the 6 month weights too, to see what?s happening (can?t resist ). If the newbies ? spiggy, row, staines, njan, mom et al ? are interested and want to post their LO?s vital stats (date of birth, due date, weight, weight at 6 months, whether they are your first child, whether they were home birth, CS etc), I can have another geek moment and include them. Looking at my list Daisy?s DS was our fifth baby, but the 4 older ones don?t post (or their Mum?s don?t anyway), so he is officially our oldest baby, and Olipop?s DD is our youngest

Good luck with the walking tonight Lal, hope you have fun

OK, off to bed now as swimming tired me out more than it tired DD out today. Night night everyone

Hi ZJ, I think I would annoy commuters more than a big ol' backpack on the tube.

Trace I suddenly just remembered you asked about mail to Australia it usually takes about a week.

Evening everyone! just a quickie here from Canada, no idea what time it is with you lot but here DH and I are on babysitting duty while my bro and his lovely wife go out for a movie and some grown-up time

we're having a great trip, dd is loving her cousin and laughs at him lots - alas he's 2.5 and finds her a bit scary (and there's another baby due in a few months so probably a bit threatened by the whole smaller person in the house thing) but she adores watching him playing. Main bit of news is she's learned to sit! So we can pop her down with a couple of toys and chances are she'll occupy herself for a few minutes before falling over and rolling all over the place again.

It's like a whole new world has opened up... as a result her sleep has gone a bit barmy - one night she'll go off really easily, wake once and then go back off for the rest of the night, then the next she;s back to up every hour and refusing to sleep except for with nip in mouth. but hey, we're on holiday thank goodness so I can nap with her, and DH and bro can talk man stuff ;)

Also I managed to get a really nasty blocked duct and all feverish and fainty, ended up going to the drop in clinic which cost $530 god bless travel insurance, have antibiotics and the fever has gone away, lots of sympathy to people who had full on mastitis, this was utterly grim and only a mild case.

if anyone's keeping a summary of what's been going on, I'd be v grateful we're back on Sunday, so fingers crossed for Saturday night, we;'re a night flight so hope she's got the hang of snoozing again by then! lots of love to you all and big kisses to babies one and all

Morning,

Jump Hope you have a good time in Canada. Sorry to hear about the Mastitis. Hope the flight home is good.

I've got that blood test today. I'm already feeling a bit hungry so by half 9 I'll probably be starving!!

I hope everyone is ok. I'm sure there was something I wanted to say but just can't remember it now.

Oh that was it. The P&T is really really easy to fold. You just push the 2 buttons in and hey presto!! Then just turn the wheel round and push it until it locks. Unfolding it is much harder I think.

Buttons? It has buttons?

JJ: lovely to hear from you, clever DD too

Baaad night here, DS2 awake most of the night (hot, grumpy, feeding) then DS1 woke at 5:30 and started agitating for breakfast . He's in his post-virus manic mode while DS2 is prob going down with whatever it was.

Veggie: DS1 loves softplay as well, I didn't go for ages out of misplaced snobbery but when we did try it I wished I'd gone sooner!

LOL Effie! Yes that's right Kayz.... I was actually doing that -eventually- but now I have read the instructions it's a bit clearer as you have to turn the buttons 180 degrees first and I wasn't sure which direction to put them...

Invis missed your post yesterday - hope ds is ok now...?

JJ glad you are having a nice time - good luck for the flight - ds did really well on the night flight back from the US. I'm sure it'll go well

Tilly whats the job? Why the guilt?

jj glad you're having a nice time, fingers crossed for the flight home, sure it will be fine

Am going to try the travel cot as a play pen today, hope it works, ds2 is getting fed up of his bouncy chairs & I need somewhere to put him so I can get on with a few jobs

pmk there's 2, but the one I really want is working from home. The guilt is not giving ds2 the same amount of time I've given ds1. I've been at home with ds1 for 3 yrs but ds2 will be lucky to get a year . I know it won't make any difference to him because that will be what he knows, it's completely irrational on my part!

But we really need me to start working again, we've had to cancel our holiday at the end of August, our appliances keep breaking down & need replacing, just never ending atm.

Oh dear, that last post sounded very self-pitying, sorry!

I feel really sick now! I hate needles and I am dreading this blood test. Got to take the boys so have to try and be brave.

Can someone virtually hold my hand?

Kayz, I think PMK knows where you are coming from. I'll hold your hand! I know the anticipation is horrible but you will be amazed how quickly it is over. Don't fret. Remember, you gave birth to an over 10lb baby boy at home. That would leave most people floored! Look away and start thinking of all the capital cities of the world. I doubt you will get past London-Paris....Good luck!

More shortly, ladies. Yesterday I:

-got busy commuter train to Paddington
-walked to Maida Vale and carried DD up the 65 stairs to my flat to change her
-Went back out to cab it to Tottenham Court Road to my opticians as I hate the new contact lenses they have given to me
-Dashed to Chancery Lane for lunch with a schoolfriend
-Jumped in a cab up to Islington to leave DD with a friend for an hour and a half
-Got cab back down to Piccadilly which took ages
-Had meeting
-Legged it back up to Islington to collect DD
-Got cab to Paddington
-Missed train because of traffic so had to get the 1921
-Got home at about 2045.

The reason for the indulgence of taking you through my hectic day is that I was thinking how brilliant mothers are. I do all this stuff and I do most of the dealing with DD, most of the housework...It's a lot. Mothers should get more respect, whether they have a job outside the home or not. Tilly, you talk about the guilt - we are all pulled in so many different directions all the time...

Anyway, proper catch up when I have fed the little lady.

I hear ya sister!!! Lady I was never much of a feminist but just lately (well last 4 years) I have started to be quite suspicious that motherhood guilt is actually an conspiracy to make us not realize how bloody amazing we are. Pregnancy - we are bombarded with what we should and shouldn't do, if we do we are bad, if we don't we are paranoid. Birth- if we do it naturally we are hippies, if we don't we are posh/weak/lots of other bloody stupid things. If we have a homebirth and even worse if we actually enjoyed it, we are sandal wearing deluded liers. BF brazen hussys, FF- denying our babies good nourishment, SAHM- brainless boring housewives, WM- selfish feminist types. All of this is designed to take away from the fact that we are blummin amazing, we grow a person in us, then we nuture this baby with amazing level of love skill and care and a considerable amount of intelligence and multi tasking. And through all this we manage to keep ourselves (vaguely) normal and continueing on with our lives. As much as I love DH and men, the world of maternity care, leave etc would be a lot different if men could do what we do.

IYSWIM

Hello all,
Got back from holiday on Monday and been lurking, meant to write a bit catch up post but failed, so just going to jump back in!

Had a great holiday, did loads of walking/biking/sightseeing/drinking/eating, etc!

In a bit of a bad mood though, stressed about sorting out my return to work (LadyT was sorry to hear about your work situation, totally shite of them. I hope you can work something out...and that all your finance worries sort themselves out too. Also sorry to hear about those of you with redundancy hanging over you). I am hoping to change my role at work when I go back but not sure work will go for it. So putting it off and worrying about it.

And generally stressed because I can't get DS to eat properly. Not really interested at all. I thought this was normal but then all the other babies I have seen being weaned don't spread literally almost EVERYTHING they are fed down their front. I don't feel I can feed him if we are out as it is such a joke and EVERYTHING gets filthy, I have to put him in 2 bibs and everything gets dirty. Originally he was grabbing the spoon and finding it fun, even though he wasn't actually swallowing much, but now he doesn't seem interested in doing that any more so I am finding it a bit of a chore as he is so disinterested. Oh and he seemed to get the hang of it properly swallowing for a couple of days and now he has regressed. I know I should not bother getting so worried but it is such a pain in the arse. And i don't really want to do BLWing, in some ways that seems more hassle as I eat dinner after he has gone to bed, and most of the stuff I eat isn't really suitable.

veggie I agree with you on all that! I was thinking the other day you are an inspiration, you manage all your exercise/camping/fun stuff/festivals with 2 children! DH was saying the other day that he wasn't sure about having another one, as he didn't think we would manage to do stuff still with 2, so I shall cite you as an inspiration if he says this again!!
Oh and I don't care what stupid people think re pregnancy choices/birth/feeding. I think I am missing a guilt gene as don't seem to get guilty about parenting choices! In fact any criticism makes me more stubborn.

Oh can I ask something controversial? Have people found that weaning has helped their DC's sleeping? On monday and tuesday DS ate more food than normal and slept through pretty much! Weds and Thurs he decided that eating was not for him, and he woke twice in the night. I know weaning is not meant to help sleeping, and he didn't eat loads so it cannot have been that many calories, but it does seem a coincidence?

Right off out now, catch up later!

Thanks everyone for your responses, and thanks tilly for asking - DS seems fine today. Was it worried as DD seems to have had the runs for about 2 weeks and thought DS might have picked something up from her - so have asked DH to take her to the doctors in any case. Its times like this I really wish I didn't have to be at work...

jj and SL glad you are enjoying/enjoyed your hols! jj any tips for transatlantic travel very welcome - I have to go to Denver Colorado in January for my brother's wedding and am already dreading the thought of transatlantic flights with a 1 year old and 2 and a half year old, not to mention freezing cold!

SL - in answer to your question, DS absolutely sleeps better since weaning. He had been a reasonably good sleeper, but around 5 and a bit months really regressed, going from waking once or twice a night to 3-4 times a night. Seems to have gone back to sleeping much better since he started getting the hang of solids, so I think he was just really ready for them. As far as feeding goes, I would just let him make a bit of a mess. When DD was small we were a bit obsessed with making sure we got enough down her (she was refusing to drink milk) so took charge of feeding and now at 2 years old she still wants to be fed, which is a real bore. You can get all in one type bibs with sleeves and everything so you don't have to change everything every time they eat. I don't think I'm really cut out for BLW, but I'm much more aware of letting DS having a go at eating himself even if it goes all over the place and I'm not sure too much gets in. Will still feed him bits of mush as well though.

LadyT - you are very right. Its amazing anything gets done with small DCs around, never mind the amount everyone manages to fit in! Its the multi-tasking thing - not sure men are cut out for it. DH is finding it really difficult when he has to put DCs to bed on his own as he can't get his head round the fact that somehow they both need his attention...

Hello

Blood test was horrible. The nurse dropped one of the vials so just left the needle bit in my arm while she got it. Results are back on monday so just the weekend to wait.

SL I think the sleep thing from earlier in the threads was more to do with under 6 months and HVs recommending solids to help sleep. After 6 months they can actually digest and therefore use the food so would feel more satisfied so quite possibly sleep through. Also their tummys are only little so don't need much to fill up esp solids which don't leave the stomach as quickly as milk.

I will try to upload some photos of DS1 during weaning tonight and it will make you feel better about your DS's very normal weaning mess. I actually thought mess was what happened to all weaning babies until I was having coffee at a friends house whose two DD's where both over 12 months at the time. I noticed she has the same high chair as me and I made a comment about how it's great that they have removable cushins as they have to be washed so often (in my case daily and I had 2 sets!!!) she looked a little embarrassed and said actually i've never washed the cushin, i've never even removed it!!! It turned out she had never even wiped down the chair and the thing was pristine!!!!

oh and I should add that as well as washing the cushins daily we would take the high chair outside and hose it down every couple of days. BLW I'd just as messy but less stressful for me but that's just me and I have advantage of an older child that I have to cook for I just tailor whatever he is having to DS2 as well. If what he is having is inappropriate for a baby (too salty) I just cut up some veggies chunky and steam them.

Just tried to persuade ds2 to have some food with lumps in. Not remotely interested. Being naughty really he has only jar food now. He only has the hipp organic ones but I just don't seem to have the time to make him loads of food. So I tried him with one that has lumps and says from 7 months but he doesn't like it.

Summer P does nor seem to sleep any better now than pre-weaning, but I'm starting to accept that her waking is not due to hunger.
Veggie I actually hose the highchair down too! I'm a bit anal though and want it to be spotless so I'm scrubbing away 3 times a day! I think I need to chill out but I can't
Kayz sorry you had to have a blood test but at least it might give a clue as to why you're so tired - especially as you'll be TTC soon - you want to be tip-top! ALso I've been giving P a few jars/ pouches. I never gave Lucy anything that wasn't home made but this time I'm a bit more chilled about doing whatever is easiest at the time (you'll note the complete contradiction in that sentence and the one about hosing the highchair down 3 times a day !). If our food is suitable (ie spag bol, lasagne, pasta bake, fish, chicken casseolr) then I whizz it and give it to Phoebe the next day. If it's not (chippy tea, pizza, stir fry...) then I don't so I have given a few jars and she likes it! I still have lots of veggies frozen in the freezer (where else!) but she needs more than veg puree now so I sometimes add that to a bit from a jar. I've also frozen lots of portions of cheese sauce so add that tpo lots of things too. I generally give her something to hold and chew each meal aswell - bread stick, cucumber, cheese, potato smiley face , rice cake... It seemed that the amount of puree you get from a pear is teeny weeny so a pouch of pear is cheaper than the equivalent number of pears to make a pouch-worth - IYKWIM!
Does anyone have any breakfast ideas? P likes yohgurt or fruit mush so gets that every day. She's not keen on porridge or cereal (unless I mix a tiny bit in with her fruit), and I give her toast fingers but she consumes about a cm and the rest goes on the floor/highchair/table/walls/ceiling! What do you give?
Must go to Asda today. Really must. Am going to try to buy some different things too because we're a bit in a rut of buying the same old same old.

just re-read my last post and realised it is duller than Dull Jack McDull, winner of last years Dullest Man competition.
sorry
Must try harder not to empty entire contents of brain onto thread.