Dec 08 it's time for sippy, tippy and doidy cups (& wee sticks!?!)

[Veggiemummy]

sorry could think of much and these where discuss on last page.

hi everyone, rl getting in the way of my MN time again!

Ds2 is def an early riser, I've started to get up at 5.30am on purpose knowing he will wake up in the next half-hour. Funnily enough, it seems to make me less grumpy & ds1 will not wake up if I'm quick at getting ds2 out of the room!

daisy your poor ds. Hope he's better today. Am at all the drs as well!

Fwiw, a friend of mine had SF recently, she took Tamiflu & reckons it didn't make a jot of difference. If anything, it just added nausea & sickness to everything else!

veggie your sil is bonkers (think I have said that before!). I can't imagine how your dh feels. I'm sure ds1 will enjoy his party. I would have thought if you put the cake in a tin or box it should keep well enough. If you're icing it though, maybe do that as last minute as possible?

kayz oh no, your phone! Ds1 once dropped my phone into a glass of orange squash. The insurance covered its replacement so hopefully if 3 can't fix it, maybe you can get another one?

Ds2 is a proper sitting up boy now, he loves it!

Nope I don't have an iPhone, just an iPod touch. It does seem to be working now so fingers crossed it isn't broken. Must be more careful, usually he just wants to take pictures with it.

Morning all!

Hope you have a fab birthday party Veggie, despite (or because of) the absence of your loony SIL

Daisy: glad your DS is better . And that your phone has recovered Kayz

Arti: all still going well? I guess you're pretty busy with the extra visitors

DS1 is pointing his toy drill at DS2 and then screeching as he tries to grab it . Finally got round to collecting all DS2's toys together and putting them in his own box, which he thoroughly enjoys rooting through. Then DS1 pinches anything that looks interesting .

Does anyone know of any nice but cheap hotels near Earls Court? I think we're going to have to look further afield as around EC it is quite expensive. We're going to a dog show and it is easier for us to stay overnight. Just looked to see if Arsenal were playing that weekend but they aren't.

Hello all - time for a big catchup as dd is napping at last having been up since 5.15 [yawn]

quick update on us: the NCSS seems to have pretty much worked at last, dd now goes down at the first or second try and doesn't spend hours trying to stand up again in the cot, and then sleeps pretty much through until (usually!) 6.15-6.30. A few squeaks, but able to settle herself back without needing us. She's stil being boobed for naps, but I mind much less about that if I've had a good night's sleep! The childcare search continues, I've phoned about a dozen childminders so far to no avail - but will keep trying... my worry is that we'll end up having to go with someone who's 2 miles in the wrong direction from work, which would mean a really long day for poor dd (I'll be cycling to and fro with her). Well, nil desperandum!

daisy - belated happy birthday dd! Poor ds has really been in the wars, booo to the useless docs for not getting him better sooner.

WG christening pressie - if it's not too late how about a notebook like this that you can write little things in for Felix as he gets older - maybe you could write him little stories about his parents that you think he should know, and adventures that you want to have with him - and add to it each time you see him? I just love their notebooks, fab pressies as you can have initials added too and also very light for taking back by plane?!

veggie hope ds1 had a lovely birthday and sounds like a great holiday too. The thing about kids speaking different languages - we were playing with a Polish friend and her son a few weeks ago, the dad is English, and I remember thinking "well that's silly talking to him in Polish, he won't understand a word!" as if they really understand much of anything... prayers for your friend.

sybil you childcare sorting genius A whole morning to yourself [bliss] Don't suppose you fancy sorting out the rest of us with problems in that area...?! Yikes about those horrid children.

PD the pineapple, did it have the skin on? (sorry if that's a stupid question, just that dd's godmother's daughter was munching on a slice and managed to get one of the little spikes lodged in her cheek ) Hope she's ok now. Congratulations on your immense growth!

welcome back spot! How is the lovely T these days?

trace eek to the childcare, I thought my boss was being pants but 3 weeks notice is absolutely no time at all. Really hope you get something worked out - can you commission sybil to fix it? The new place sounds lovely though so fingers crossed.

arti prayers for your niece too - sounds from what everyone's saying that the hospital she's in is the best possible place. And what a star you are looking after the family.

modern yikes, more high temp babies. Hope he's better now.

effie welcome back

kiwi waaah to swimming in your pants! Like when you forgot your gym kit. I think we have twin babies, dd is an eel as well! When I sit her down to try and read a story at bedtime she twists off my lap and tries to dive headfirst off the chair

zj so glad to hear you're getting good nights Such a shame about your mum's negativity, hope she feels a bit more loved soon and the plan for her to see dd more often works out. Good for you for being brave - you do try to build bridges a lot!

arti/jb/wg the breastfeeding dilemma. I think we'll carry on with the morning/night feeds for as long as she wants, it's a nice time to have a bit of a cuddle up and at the moment it's the best way to help her get calmed down and quiet ready for sleeping (see boobed to nap comment above . Plus now that she goes down fairly early, I might be able to have a night off once in a while. She's still not keen on bottles - well, we haven't tried in ages tbh. I'm not sure what happens about lunchtime milk - do they move onto cow's milk at a year and that's their lunchtime feed covered?

SL how exciting about the car! Hope DS has a top time in the states, do give me a call if you want some company (erm, that sounds like a really bad chatup line but you know what I mean!)

invis happy anniversary! Hope you had a lovely dinner.

kayz hope your head's better now, and the phone isn't completely buggered. Hotels - we always look on LateRooms and find somewhere that way, I don't know when we last paid 'full price' for a hotel room.

and last but not least, hello tilly!

phew! [wipes sweat from brow] That's a half hour I could have spent doing something practical like washing up but pah, this was much better!

Morning all. DD is doing something rather strange at the mo - up at 3.30 crying so I feed her, she goes back to sleep.. and about an hour later is wailing again. She can't possibly be hungry again after one hour when she's gone the previous 8 hours without food can she!? She then goes back to sleep for at least a few hours. Hmm strange.

I'm not sure what to do about childcare either. Back to work in early December and have DD on waiting list for local nursery, and no idea if she'll actually get a place or not. I need a Plan B I suppose but I'm in denial about it. Also, even if she does get a place it won't be until Jan so I've got to sort something out for Dec. Will it be really bad for her to have such chopping and changing? DH and I between us would be able to do 2 days a week so we'll need 3 days help... but then I need a Plan B and a Plan C! Eek!

Oh another question from me - do you think there's any problem with DD sleeping in a travel cot for a whole month? We're off to Germany in a week for the whole of September. Would it be better to try and borrow/take a proper cot (I'm thinking just cos the mattresses in travel cots aren't very comfy/supportive?)

Have to second laterooms.com get amazingly cheap hotels that way, and you can widen the search away from the area you want to stay if you can't find one close which is cheap. Also there is one of those EasyHotels in earls court near that massive tesco.

Kiwi it was only for 2 weeks buy while we were camping in Holland DS2 slept on a thermorest camp mattress on the ground. He was fine with it. You could always make a little nest on the floor or add some pillows into the cot. We had a cot in a hotel in Germany which seems a little uncomfortable for DS2 because it had a bar across the middle so we filled it with pillows.

Sorry about the childcare thing, is becoming a theme at the moment. For some of you that work for larger organsations isn't there usually someone in HR who can help with that?

DS much better today and temp finally down. He's crawling all over the living room now trying to eat anything that isn't a toy!

Good luck to everyone trying to find childcare.

Well my chocolate chip muffins have arrived from tesco. I'm desperate for one but will wait until DS has a nap (if he does)!

Glad to hear the patient is feeling better Daisy. Can sympathize with the eating everything, all those expensive oral exploratory developmental baby toys and teething thingamees and DS2 is more interested in the cats toys. Also wondering about the point of making special holdable foods for BLW when DS2 is quite capable of getting himself a gobful of whiskers dry!

veggie making cake tomorrow will be fine I'm sure. I have made fairy cakes with DD today and we have just put them in an air tight container till the party tomorrow. But I confess to cheating on the buttercream topping. I bought it in a tub, its fab and very tasty!!

I have just spent all morning making sandwiches for the party, and lovingly chopping fruit/cucumber/tomatoes etc. I wouldn't normally bother I'd leave them whole but MIL will be there and she FREAKS at the sight of a small child being given a whole grape. Most of the kiddies will be 3 and 4, so old enough to chew I think. But MIL still chops grapes for DD and DD refuses to eat them as they aren't whole

Thanks veggie, will make sure we have soft things on standby!

DD had her 8 month check up today - a whopping (not) 7kg and 66.5cm. She's such a shrimp! Anyone spare her a few pounds? Well, actually, I'm sure I can...

Oh, HV told me they recommend vitamin drops for babies after 6 months (dunno if that's just BF ones as formula presumably has added vitamins anyway?) but I was a bit . Does DD really need them?? Do you think she might have said it because we are vegetarian? veggie I'm guessing from your user name that you are too - or maybe just a vegetable fan?? - so thought perhaps you might know.

A big fat no Kiwi, your HV is using an old idea. BM does not suddenly become inadequate for their needs at 6months they could chug away on it exclusively for another 6 months and it would still be enough. Neithe BFers or FFers needs supplements. FF is inferior in that it's vitamins etc are not as bioavailable as BF but the formula companies have tried to right the balance by putting a shedload in with the idea that if their are loads of vitamins minerals & iron in the milk surely some, and it doesn't have to be much, will get through.

Oh and yes my DH & I are veggie, our DS1 though is not, a bigger meat lover you will not meet.

Trying to get DS2 to sleep but he is having a little potter around at the moment. DS1 is going mental with his cousin, they are having a ball. He cousin is very lovely. Though I get the feeling he is feeling a little freer in our house than he does at home as he is very contained then will suddenly let out a little yell. I told him he can be as noisy as he wants and since then he has been doing these occasional yelps. Both boys were great at dinner and ate quite well but DS2 put them to shame (they are both picky eaters but DNephew is even pickier than DS1), they eventually ate their pasta cheese & cauliflower bake and a teeny bit of corn while DS2 mowed down his pasta bake in seconds, made as many dents as can be possible with only 2 teeth on his corn cob, and then polished off 4 strawberries & 3 raspberries!!! The child is an eating machine, and on top of all this he is still feeding me dry 5 times a day from the old boozies!

It's nice have my BIL and DNeph here, unfortunately they didn't bring any photos of our other Dneph but BIL was telling us about how my SIL had a pamper weekend recently, sounded lush, she had told DH about it and said it was long over due (their DS2 is 7months). But then he also added how she now has their DS2 in creche every morning for 3 hours! She has been complaining about how diffcult 2 are to DH when her DS1 is on fulltime extended school days and DS2 is in crèche. Now don't get me wrong I've got nothing against childcare, and I need DS1 in nursery (though have been enjoying school hols but that's prob because we are only half way through)

Sorry accidently sent that, so where was my rant up to, oh yeah I need my childcare too esp like Arti has said having the older one with Nanny or at nursery helps with time for the younger one but she is still on mat leave and will be until her DS2 is 12 months, how can she still be finding it too hard with the 2 when she doesn't look after them for the majority of the time!!!! Sorry I'm probably sounding mean but that just baffles me. I got the feeling BIL was getting a bit tired of all her complaining and I know she made a big deal of needing the Four seasons pamper weekend, so I think he slipped in the crèche information because he's feeling a little sick of it. He's had quite a lot of stres at work as his boss died suddenly and they were good friends and set the team up together. Now he has been expected to run the team, but with no formal recognition of it, payrise title change etc and now has to go to Mumbai for 2 weeks. They are moving all their IT stuff to Mumbai which has caused more stress because his UK team has become dispondant and hard to motivate to work because they know they will probably lose their jobs. So I think he's getting a bit over all her diva behaviour.

Oh and speaking of pampering, Spot how was mamaheaven?

Thanks Veggie thought that was the case. DH was outraged and he knows quite a lot about nutrition (through being an exercise nerd )

Interested in you and yr DH being veggies but DS1 not - how did you play that if you don't mind me asking? I was thinking of waiting until DD is old enough to understand what meat is (or rather where it comes from) and then letting her chose but I'm not really sure when that age is! Also, I fully accept that she'll probably be at a birthday party, grab and eat a sausage long before she knows what that is, that's fine. But we won't give her meat at home - we are doing baby-led weaning anyway so she eats what we eat.

No problem Kiwi, we also were going to do what you do and leave it to him to decide when he was about 5 or 6 however when we were back in Australia last when DS1 was 2.5 years I was talking to a friend who has been vegetarian her whole life. She said that although she is happy being veggie she feels she doesn't really had a choice because she never had meat as a child so now can't tolerate the texture so even if she wanted to eat meat she couldn't. So at just over 2.5 years we started introducing meat. We only give him good stuff and generally locally grown, which is easy where we live. DS2 who is BLW usually gets a variation of what DS1 is having but usually without meat, I would like to keep him fairly meat free until he is about 2 I'm not sure why maybe just because that's how DS1 was.

Hey there, it was great thanks, Veggie had a lovely time, only wish T had had more settled nights (I only slept 2 hours each night) but the people were lovely and it was the first time I'd left T for any length of time (e,g in the creche while I did the yoga). He loved it, was quite happy for someone else to give him his bath and put him to bed but think I paid for the extra stimulation with the unsettled nights. Someone there said something really telling as well. When we left she said "T is such a sweet and mellow baby, really easy" and I said :those aren't exactly the words I'd use to describe him", and she said, "but he is" and I realised that I still had the image of him as a nightmare sleeper and feeder (now obv accounted for by reflux and tongue tie) and I'd been carrying an old "picture" of him inside my head and thinking of him as a "difficult baby". Made me realise I need to stop labelling him as it would probably end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy...

And I truly am enjoying being with him at the mo, he's such a jolly fellow, and even the naps are better . If he could just sort out those 5.30am up for the days, we'd be home and dry .

Maybe that's cos I went back to the doc and decided to take the ADs after all and am so glad I did, i feel tons better already, wish I hadn't waited so long.

Oh, and the other bit of news is that we've decided to move to Brighton! For the first time neither of us is tied to London and we're making the bid for freedom (inspired by Effie, obv ). Anyone here live there or have any tips for us?

Hello Kiwipanda by the way .

Spot you have made my day, you sound so settled and happy in yourself, it's really nice. I think mamaheaven you a chance to get some perspective but shame you had bad nights. Did you have an upstairs or downstairs room, so nice aren't they. I love their corner bath, DS1 and I kept having big baths together. I really want to go again now but don't want to go over winter. Last time I went in feb and it was lovely and cosy but would have been nice to get out and do some nice walks. I'm glad you have agreed to the ADs and they are doing you good. Oh and I have a friend who has always wanted to live in Brighton and has finally moved there. My only advice would be just do it, and do it now. They left it til there son was nearly five and their DD 3 and it was logistically a but harder and difficult with school stuff but she is so happy there. Go soon then I can visit you there as I'm wanting to go down to see my friend down there.

Woops their not there.

Hey if anyone wants a giggle have a look at the household don'ts thread there is a link to it in the discussions of the day section. I've been doing those sudden raspberry spit laughs then giggling so hard I can't even read them out to DH.

Morning,

Hello Spot glad you had a good time. You sound so happy!!

Kiwi Go for it!! I have loads of family in and around Brighton. I used to go 3-4 times a year when I was growing up and I loved it. Not been in years now so desperately wanting to go there for a holiday soon.

Veggie That thread is very very funny.

I had a rubbish nights sleep. I just couldn't get comfy at all. DH thinks I am pg as I had heartburn yesterday and got woken up with awful leg cramps last night. I hate cramp, bloody hurts.

Hope you are all well.