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...

summer I have found that weaning has helped ds2 sleep better. We found that once he was having 3 meals a day he dropped his 11pm bottle. Some babies take longer to become interested in food, I think the important thing is to try not to stress about it or push it too much. Just keep offering some everyday.

Weaning-wise, I do very similar to trace, he has lots of veg/fruit puree but lots of things to hold as well. I gave him toast yesterday & just dipped it into a veg puree, that went down really well. And he always has to have his own spoon to hold, but yes it is always messy. I often have to change his tshirts even with a bib on! I have started to whizz up our dinners for him, I eat with ds1 so there's no salt etc & he's really liked that. And yes, he does have jars as well, much more than ds1 did!

trace for breakfast, ds2 usually has either baby porridge or 1/4 oatabix mixed with his formula. Though I'm looking for more ideas as well!

ladyt & veggie you're both so right! We should just be able to get on with things without feeling watched or judged at every turn! You two really are the wise women of the basket

Ooooh Kayz you poor thing, horrible blood test. Reminds me of the poor student MW who did one of mine when pg, the poor thing was so nervous and I was trying so hard not to flinch as she stabbed, and stabbed, and jiggled the needle, and pulled it out a bit when she changed the vial and blood started oozing out around the needle and dripping onto the floor. Was rather glad when the MW agreed it might be time to let her take over

Work. Meh. I want a job too but I want to be able to spend time with the dcs. Having it all is a joke (well, we do have it all...all the childcare, all the laundry, all the cooking, all the washing up, all the cleaning...) and yes, I agree that life would be so much easier if men could do what we do! I really want the student union to start recruiting for welfare again and give me a job then I can have both of them in the lovely creche I used while studying, when ds turns 3 he can go to nursery at the lovely little school just over the road and all will be utterly wonderful and amazing. Of course chaces of that happening are slim to none and I doubt the pay would cover childcare for 2 anyway so hey ho.

I can just about cope with folding an dunfolding the P&T but I didn't realise the frame locked when you fold it until I accidently managed it and then spend half an hour in the carpark trying to unlock it again!

Weaning. Dd generally prefers to feed herself but if she is tired she likes a spoon. She also gets very messy indeed! We still mostly cook in baby friendly fashion because we eat with ds so we save a portion and she has it the next day. I occasionally make a soup or risotto or pasta sauce and feeze portions so as long as I cook one of the above once a week I can keep portions of all 3 in the freezer at any one time to get out if we have had something unsuitable but not much is unsuitable in my book. I find it pretty easy anyway, yesterday she had a couple of new potatoes and a big chunk of courgette which is no more fuss to prepare than it is to defrost something or open a jar. Lunch ds, dd and I have together and is cheese on toast or sandwich or eggs, tomatoes, cucumber the fruit and yoghurt. Dinners are pasta, risotto, chunks of veg from a stew, left over roast, fish, whatever veg we have around then fruit/yoghurt. The girl loves nectarines, she can eat a whole one in one sitting

We still don't talk about sleep. I inteded to be strong but it all ended in huge amounts of tears and shouting. Last night though she slept til 9.30, I fed and she did 3 hours so I fed again and then she woke at 3.30 so I sent dh in, she screamed for half an hour but then slept til 5.50 and have a feed and dozy cuddle in bed so oyu never know, if I keep sending dh in she might get the message!

SL and Veggie I am so with you on having a messy eater. DD2 was having about 50% purees which I spoon fed her and 50% finger foods which she fed herself. Both were as messy as each other as she grabs the spoon when I feed her. In fact a pureed meal often left the kitchen looking like the Battle of the Somme as puree can really fly. However, over the past few days she has taken to clamping her mouth shut if we are trying to feed her. She either wants to feed herself - or at least hold the food while we spoon a few extra mouthfulls in. This means she is eating less than before and it makes it hard when we are out as I can't spoon feed. However, she is happy and so far she has continued to sleep well (we def noticed a sleep/weaning link but then we started solids around the same time we hired Mrs Sleep). Her favorite food at the moment is pasta. I buy the rice flour fusilli made for kids by the Peter Rabbit label - it is small but big enough for a baby to grip and it goes down a treat. I mix it with tomato and veggie sauce and give it to her for dinner so that I can clean her up with a bath straight after.

What a day you had yesterday LadyT. You are right, we are amazing (esp you, I would collapse after all that). I saw E of D&E yesterday and she told me about seeing you and little O and finding out that we know each other. She said O was uber cute.

Its my last day of maternity leave today . I am v sad about it. I better go and make the most of it rather than MNing

Thannks for the advice on the weaning.
I am feeling better now, he appears to be swallowing again, and was doing his usual grabbing the spoon. I have also realised that I am being daft about my food not being suitable, as he liked the look of my flour tortilla wrap thing, so I gave him a bit of it with banana and avocado on it, and then some with cream cheese on it, plus some separate chunks of cheese and he loved it! So spent about 45 mins letting him try feeding himself, interspersed with feeding him some pureed stuff, and he enjoyed it, so that is good. Still an almighty mess, in fact even worse than normal.
I was just getting fed up with thinking that I would have to feed him 3 times a day and he wouldn't seem to enjoy it. But when he's having fun it seems like quality time with him so it doesn't matter if you see what I mean.

SL, M is not big on solids either and he's one of the older ones! He's had some puree which goes down with a struggle and some finger foods which he likes gumming on but does not really swallow, so it's a bit hit and miss here too.

Kayz, blood test sounds terrible, hope you don;t end up very bruised.

Veg, you are absolutely right, I don't know how we fit it all in. When DH looks after the children, they are fine but the house looks like a bomb site with every cup, plate, saucepan etc in use, no washing or washing up done, nothing put away etc. It's not good. At least the kids are safe and happy though. Twould be a very different place if men had to do everything!

Am currently in talks with work about going back 1 day a week for a year. Seems hardly worth bothering.

M can now sit for a little while, and has just moved from one side of my bed to the other! Don't know how he managed that as I am looking at the screen. At least I rescued him before he went onto the floor!

ladyT you are so right girlfriend!!!! We mums are truly amazing.

summer weaning has made bugger all difference to DS and he is now going at it great guns!

He is on 3 meals a day and puddings too! Most of his food is home made (sometimes he has pureed whatever we have) but he is fond of the odd jar, which is good as DD refused them completely. We have tried 'mashed' instead but he does not do lumps!!!!

Right am roasting a butternut squash for his tea and have already left it too long catching up on the thread.

DH just gone for his consultation re: his vasectomy. I have told DD that Daddy has gone to see the Dr about getting his winky cut off. Naughty mummy.....

Quick Q...has anyone noticed that their lo develops a cough when teething? DS was very out of sorts last night and coughing lots, cheeks bright red and today has been a grump. I'm sure its his teeth but no sign of one yet. I've taken him to the Dr's on a couple of occasions about his coughing and they say he is in fine health.

LOL daisy at the winky removal very cheeky.

Have just caught and can't remember what I was going to post but Kayz, DS1 lived on hipp organic courgette & mozarella penne pasta breakfast lunch and tea for ages. I kept trying him with lovingly prepared completely organic purees but he refused point blank be also wouldn't eat the 7mnth + lumpy stuff til about 12mths. It was a little heartbreaking as I had so intended cooking lovely organic wholesome food (I could make a fortune on eBay with my library of organic wholemeal grow your own lentils baby meal recipe books) but hey ho. As a result I get quite excited when DS2 eats his veg heartily. I think he finds it amusing when he sees mummy all smiley and jumpy at him knawing on an asparagus shoot.

Arti, I hope that was ok, about E?

Right girls, I am about to run out of the door to go up to my Mum's - I ran out of time today so no proper catch up, forgivez-moi, and am still packing and I have to be out the door in ten - off to Italy in the morn and won't be on here again until Monday 20th, probably, but will be reading now and then on my phone.

Love to all. Be good! Gloves up, everyone!

Now in other news DH has been talking with his big boss over the last week they have tried to convince him to stay with them but he had said he wants the voluntary redundancy with the payout they have said they can't give it to him of has been to-ing and fro-ing between him them and HR. We were pretty sure he was going to havevto just work his notice basically on garden leave and at best do some work on the side and update one of his qualifications which is due for renewal in December and finish off another qualification which this company promised him. Both of which make him very sort after as a contractor and would be very lucrative for us. So we were kind of resigned to the no payout. Then his boss came back to him today and said he if he would work hard for them for the next 3 months, help train the people who are staying (the dregs) up to and help coach them through the big exam for the special qualification be has that they need, they will give him the VR payout at the end of october! They will also make sure he leaves with the new certification and update he wanted!!! We cannot believe it, it's like we've one the lottery. I think if it weren't for the kids we would be out now getting thoroughly trollied on Champers. It kind of hadn't sunk in but it's great. We are going to put the money away and not touch it and use it as our home fund.

It also means we don't have to cancel our trip to Holland. But suddenly we don't want to go there, we want to go to Italy, so might see if it's possible to drive to the lakes maybe and can do some cycling and stuff around there.

That is fantastic veggie!! Hooray for Mr Veggie being super at his job too.

Veggie That is brilliant news!! I am so happy for you and Mr Veggie!!!

LadyT Have a lovely time in Italy!!

We aren't going to go to Paris anymore, we are going to have a family holiday in July. We are looking at going to Somerset so if anyone knows of anywhere nice then let me know!

Just popping in quickly, off to do some NCT stuff tonight

Kayz we've been to Minehead in Somerset, was lovely. Admittedly we stayed at the Butlins there but the town itself was nice as well. Lovely sandy beaches.

veggie hooray for the veggies! That's fantastic news, am so pleased for you both

Ladyt probably too late but have a brilliant time!

Right must dash, I'm setting up the equipment room for the NCT nearly new sale!

Just popping in quickly, off to do some NCT stuff tonight

Kayz we've been to Minehead in Somerset, was lovely. Admittedly we stayed at the Butlins there but the town itself was nice as well. Lovely sandy beaches.

veggie hooray for the veggies! That's fantastic news, am so pleased for you both

Ladyt probably too late but have a brilliant time!

Right must dash, I'm setting up the equipment room for the NCT nearly new sale!

Yeah when we went to Devon last year we went to Minehead to go on that railway. That Butlins looks great from the outside.

Oops, sorry!

Hi posting from phone so will be brief!
Veggie that is ace news! I think you should have a tipple to celebrate even if you don't go out!
I meant to say earlier wg lots of sympathy on the terrible sleep situation. I had a thought was wondering if it could be to do with weaning? As I think e has been waking as he is not used to what is going on in his stomach with solid food. He's not being majorly disruptive sleep wise like your dd but he has had some wakings where he seems uncomfy. Also his stomach and bottom have been making some truly spectacular noises like something out of a comedy movie! Ignore if the doctor said it is an ear infection it is just a thought as I know you have just started weaning like me.
Also sympathies on the work confidence thing! I am the same, I know it is common for women on maternity leave to lose their confidence work wise but I am not sure this makes it better!

Kayz Somerset trip sounds lovely but it's July now.

Just went for a lovely run in the coontre sard which was lovely but took a wrong turn and had to drag myself through a thick load of nettles to get out. Ouch my legs are a bit stingy now.

We are having a celebratory take away but can't decide between Chinese or Thai.

Kayz DH is from somerset he says exmoor or the quantocks for holiday! It is a blooming long way from you though!

Next year Veggie!! We want to go to Longleat so we're looking at somewhere nearish there. Though Butlins looks good.

Oh I went to centerparcs at longleat years ago for a girls weekend (I know bizarre) loved it.

yay veggie, fab news, glad it worked out for you. Need to catch up with the rest of the posts so sorry for lack of personals.

News from here- been feeling ill all week (DP has had most of the week off work which isn't like him) and today I went to pick DCs up from nursery to find a big notice saying that there have been a number of confirmed cases of swine flu in the children. So we've either just had it or are about to come down with it. marvellous. Ah well we're bound to get it at some point, just hope DD is fully recovered from chickenpox.

My stats for the list. DD was born 27th Dec a little bit early as she was due 1st Jan. She weighed 7lb 2oz. I have no idea what she weighs now She's only been weighed at birth, 10days and 6 weeks. I obsessed over DS's weight and was determined not to get into the same pattern so have studiously avoided the clinic. I suspect that she is on the small side though. Has just moved into 6-9month clothes. I also have a DS who was born Jan 07 so almost exactly 2 years older than her. DS is Milo and DD is Harriet (but usually called Harry) She was an unplanned homebirth, nearly a garden path birth

Am feeling ridiculously broody now, somebody please tell me that #3 is not a good idea....

Morning,

Been up since 3 thanks to DS2. DH bought him downstairs at 4 and I managed to get a bit of sleep.

Spiggy Of course 3 is a good idea!!

Hope everyone else is well.

Hi - great news about the job veggie, and the run as well - you have so much energy ! When are you planning on going home ?

Swine flu news - think we have had it already. DS1 came back from the midlands and got a sudden high temperature, lack of appetite, sore throat and shakes for 3 days about a month ago. He was out of sorts for a week. A week after DS2 got it, but a bit more midly (no obvious temp), but they both had bad racking coughs, gooey conjunctivitis and sore throats. Then a week that after DH got it, he had dioreahaa, v.sore throat, shakes, conjunctivits, headache and muscle soreness. I didnt get it at all, apart from a very vague sore throat For one day. Hope thats our lot tbh, and if that was it, it wasnt too bad. Not as bad as the seasonal flu I had 2 years ago...

Birth stats - DS1 (Tom) was born on 11th Jan 2007, he was due on the 1st. I went into labour naturally but he was posterior and the labour didnt progress. The midwife who first examined me made a mistake and said I was 5cm dilated when I went to hospital. After 12 hours of painful back labour, contractions every 5-10mins, a forlorn midwife at hospital told me I was 1.5cm dilated !

So I moved from the MLBW to the standard suite in tears and demanded an epidural. Some 7 hrs and 2 hrs of pushing later, hurrah ! I was quite traumatised physically and emotionally by it. Anyway, he was 9lb 5oz.

DS2 (William) was due on 13th Dec. I was booked for an induction on boxing day, late on. It took one gel only, but I cried a lot and was very scared, after DS1. I forcefully demanded an epidural as I was frightened and they did give it to me, but it wasnt worth it. It didnt work down one side and by then I was 8-9cm dilated anyway. He was born with about 3 pushes in 10 minutes. No tears, no piles, nothing. About 6 hrs later I couldnt tell I'd given birth, so very different from DS1. It took less than 4 hours, and next time I wouldnt bother with anything. He was 8lb 11, but larger than DS1, just skinnier.

What an essay ! Hope your blood tests results go okay kayzr. I was so jealous when you went into labour on the 13th !