April 2009 - Chapter 4 - Rollin, rollin, rollin............and they are over but the arm is stuck

[PuzzleRocks]

12 Feb: Skiingone: MARIANNA 4lb 4oz
20 Feb: Glaskham: RUBY MARIE 4lb 3oz
04 Mar: Barbarella: ESTELLA, ROSANNA, OTIS
05 Mar: Kazkiss: ISABELLE FLORENCE 4lb 6oz & OLIVER THOMAS 3lb 7oz
15 Mar: Babypringle: OSCAR WILLIAM 7lb 2oz
28 Mar: Claireykitten: VIOLET ROSE 7lb 9oz
31 Mar: Mumblemum: ORSON XERXES
02 Apr: Oddeyes: ELEANOR 9lb 8oz
03 Apr: Bleuravin: MEGAN LILLIAN CONSTANCE
03 Apr: Bumpalump: JACOB 8lb
04 Apr: BabyBolat: KARAHAN 6lb 5oz
05 Apr: Mrsfossil: ISLA LILIAN 7lb 10oz
05 Apr: JumeirahJane: MILLICENT ROSE 5lb 15oz
06 Apr: BoffinMum: FELIX DAVID GORDON 7lb 9oz
08 Apr: girlylala0807 JAMES EUAN
11 Apr: SpringySunshine: GEORGE NATHAN 8lb 15oz
11 Apr: RachelinScotland: CLEMENT JAMES 8lb 14oz
11 Apr: Lou031205: ISLA SOPHIA 7lb 9oz
11 Apr: Electra: ISABELLA CAROLINE 6lb 3oz
11 Apr: AuldAlliance: ALEXANDRE 7lb 6oz
12 Apr: Phdlife: Name TBA GIRL 9lb 3oz
12 Apr: BethDivine: Name TBA GIRL 9lb 9oz
13 Apr: MathsMummy27: AMELIA CHARLOTTE
14 Apr: Purlease: ADAM 9lb 2oz
15 Apr: Juwesm: HUGO GEORGE 9lb 2oz
15 Apr: Bronze: ISAAC JOHN
15 Apr: HeidiT: HEIDI
15 Apr: Kalikaroo: Name TBA BOY 8lb
15 Apr: Minush: ZAFIRAH ROSA 7lb 12oz
15 Apr: FatandFedup: EMILIA ROSE 7lb 6oz
16 Apr: PuzzleRocks: HOLLY ELIZABETH 8lb
16 Apr: Brettgirl: HANNAH GRACE 6lb 15oz
16 Apr: ReallyTired: Name TBA GIRL
17 Apr: DungunGirl: ADEN LEE 9lb 4oz
18 Apr: Staryeyed: Name TBA BOY 7lb 11oz
18 Apr: Dawntigga: SAMUAL 5lb 11oz
20 Apr: LuLuBai: SEBASTIAN 9lb
20 Apr: Swaliswan: BETH 7lb 9oz
21 Apr: Kittycatisgettingfat: GABRIELLA AUDREY BIANCA
21 Apr: B52s: SAM MARTIN 7lb 9oz
21 Apr: Schulte: HAZEL LOIS 7lb 9 oz
21 Apr: Mrsgboring: EDMUND 8lb 12oz
23 Apr: Tristaleejac: LEWIN 8lb 4oz
23 Apr: NuttyTaff: TIAHNA SKYE 8lb 8oz
23 Apr: Purplemonkeydishwasher: ISLA ELIZABETH 8lb 14oz
24 Apr: Soon2befamilyof4: TALIA 7lb 6oz
26 Apr: Carameli: THEO LAURENCE 7lb 6oz
26 Apr: Surprisenumber3: EVIE ANNE 8lb 2oz
26 Apr: Bicnod: OSCAR MATTHEW 8lb 1oz
27 Apr: Lauren61: OLIVER STEPHEN 7lb 7oz
27 Apr: Gingersarah: VERONICA ROISIN 9lb 1oz
30 Apr: MegBusset: ARCHIE 8lb 15oz
01 May: Satheresitting: Name TBA BOY
03 May: Conkertree: Name ANGUS ANDREW 8lbs 8oz
06 May: Frekkles: HARRIS MERLIN 8lb 5.5oz
07 May: TarteTatin: ALBERT JOHN
10 May: Ilovesummer: Name TBA BOY

WFH, Alex screeches too, just as a means of communication, not even of complaint. It is piercing! I think it is a developmental stage, but am hoping it's short-lived.

If you sit him in his bouncy seat, he sits up and leans over to try and eat his toes.

Bebe, it sounds as if she might adjust fine. Try it and see...

I lost a filling last week. I went to the dentist this morning and he put a dressing on to tide me over while I wait for the implant to be fitted next week. It lasted 2 hrs and fell out while I was eating mushy pasta for lunch. I have to go back in a couple of hours, with both kids in tow. I hate not having family to help out. DH stayed home late this morning to look after them while I had my appointment, and he won't be able to do that again.

It's quite soul destroying, the screeching, isn't it? And then you go over to see what kind of horror is befalling them and they beam at you.....

ooops, the screechy one is awake, must go - sorry to hear about your filling, Auld. I keep meaning to call the dentist, but not getting round to it.

moo's been doing the screeching too... drives me batty quicker than anything else

Oh dear poor you Auld. Lost fillings are horrible

Well, I survived. Was bl**dy painful, though, and next Mon seems a long way off...

oh dear...but good job for getting through it today!

lots of sceeeeeeeeching here too!

have just tie-dyed all the pukey old vests...my baby will be the best dressed at NCT roup this week..

group !!!

cool...mine always run and so ened up all burgundyish inspite having started reds and purples

ooh, tie-dying vests... may have to tie-dye several things as A pooed everywhere yesterday and it has stained dramatically. A tie-dyed changing mat cover may well be the way to go.

All these name changes are confusing. I know who thedailyfemale is, but have already forgotten who Guimauve is. And have to confess that I've never been sure who you used to be, tigga!

I am starting to fret about this childminder business. I feel bad that I haven't got Alex to a point where he'll go to sleep in his bed, as I fear that he'll have to learn it the hard way, with a new person and in unfamiliar surroundings .

I find evenings pretty hard, juggling the 2 kids. In my pre-Alex plans, I imagined I'd get him bathed and in bed and then get DS1 settled down. But Alex seems programmed to go to sleep late, around 9:30-10pm, so I have to do DS1's shower, teeth and story routine with A watching from his playmat/bouncy seat, and then he plays a bit longer before I get him to bed. Tonight he stayed awake from 5pm to 9:45pm, which seems really long for a baby his age, but he just wasn't sleepy any earlier.
I was determined to try and get him to go off to sleep in his bed; hiwever, DS1 was being needy and I ended up singing to them both in his bedroom, with the result that Alex fell asleep there in my arms.
How do those of you with older kids organise things?

Bicnod poo to your MIL she sounds very awkward.

Ginger sorry to hear V is still unwell

Schulte where is your swimming lake?? You have to tell.

Bebemoo co-sleeping is saving my life and sanity at the moment. Did a lot of it with DS1 too (still do) but then we've never done that well on creating an ordered bedtime (which doesn't mean we're anything goes of course)

Auld Poor you with your filling. Well done for getting through it. Fingers crossed for A at the CMs. Everyone I know who's been through it (except me! but different circs) it all went really well. Even my totally non-sleeping-without-boob DS1 was actually fine at CMs so you will find a way.

Re dealing with 2 kids' bedtimes I've only done it once, with E in carrier and me being incredibly strict with DS1. It's hard.

Maths tie-dying v. arty, I'm impressed.

Update on E and weaning: he had two thirds of a banana and really seemed to enjoy it (also to have been really really hungry so I'm obviously starving him on breastmilk alone ). It was amazing actually. He grabbed the spoon several times and tried to feed himself - did pretty well for four months old. He's been really really unsettled on the breast the last few days, which is the only fly in the ointment. Fingers crossed we're on the path to weight gain. DH in particular is much more relaxed since dinner today. Bit he's not even 17 weeks till tomorrow but if he'd been induced on the day he was booked to be, he would have been 17 weeks today IYSWIM

"How do those of you with older kids organise things?" - Badly, mostly!

When Orbit was younger, I would do as you're doing, get DS1 to bed and then put Orbit down a bit later on. This was quite hard work, juggling Orbit and DS1, especially as Orbit used to like to do his feeding marathons just when DS1 was in the middle of bath and bed.

Now Orbit goes to bed at 7pm and DS1 at 7.30ish, so after tea I put DS1 in front of Cbeebies at around 6.30pm and put Orbit to bed, then come down and do DS1. This gets a bit more complicated on bath night - I used to do Orbit first and put him to bed, then start DS1's bath, but it meant Ds1 was going to bed really late, so now I do them together, which is a bit of a juggling act:

Both children into bathroom
Run bath
Orbit undressed and into bath
DS1 undresses self and into bath
Orbit out of bath
I dress Orbit in other room while Ds1 talks to me from the bathroom so I know he's not drowned
Orbit waits on bouncy chair in bathroom (normally shrieking)
DS1 out of bath (this takes a LOT of negotiation, while Orbit shrieks - very restful ) and into PJs
DS1 downstairs to watch Cbeebies while I put Orbit to bed
DS1 to bed

On the plus side, DP is upstairs right now giving Orbit a bottle of ebm, which seems to be going really well, so we might actually be able to go out next week as we planned! Just have to find a babysitter....

I make it up as I go along.

Since Izys day of rolling over he has done... nothing

He hates being on his front. Does like sitting on someones lap but has no desire to do it on his own and prefers to lie on the floor turning on to whichever side he can be most nosy on then grinning if he can get anyones attention.

I take everyone up. Get them all ready with Izy being entertained by the other 3 depending on whos ready. Put them to bed (often ds1 goes downstairs again) and do stories etc. DD lights straight out. Ds2 gets to read in bed and Ds1 will get to play maths games on the pc or watch something like bang goes the theory or read in bed
Iwill then wash (and bath) Izy and feed him. He'll go on the floor for a bit then feed again then in bed by about 10.30 but no set rules.

Not looking forward to tonight, Dh has been away so been able to feed in bed but will have to come downstairs again now

I'm confusing myself so changed back

no name changes here, I promise!

Bedtime - I tend to do them both at the same time (ish) otherwise it takes too long (mummy wants an evening emoticon)
6.15 dinner for all
6.45 bath for all. Big A goes in the normal bath in about 8 inches of water, little A goes in the baby bath inside the big bath (hence the 8 inches of water otherwse she'd float off..) Luckily the baby bath is a well-designed angled-on-slip piece of genius, so I have hands free to wash big A's hair etc.
7.00 ish both out and dried (only tricky bit as big A tends to hop around near little A's face and shake talcum powder in her mouth )
7.10 little A comes ino big A's room fo a story. She sist on my lap if grumpy, otherwise kicks around on bog A's bed or tucks in with her for a cuddle
7.20 BF for little A, then bed...
7.45 FREEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOM

mrsg no guilt on the weaning please...little A was younger when I started..you just have to do what is best for you and your littlun

The artist formerly known as Juw

Morning! Well done E with the banana. Really, I can't wait to wean H especially when she does her trick of pulling away from my boob (taking the nipple with her, ouch!) and pretending she doesn't want any more milk when I know my breast is still full.

Bedtime - ours is v similar to Maths except we don't have a baby seat for the bath, so H goes for a quick dip, then lies on the floor in her sleepsuit while I get dd1 ready. And on days when I don't bath them H is in her bouncy chair watching while I wash dd1, then I take them to dd1's room to wash and change H while dd1 chooses a bedtime story. Once they're in bed, I collapse on the sofa. It's hard work but less stressful than it was in the first few weeks, I think the girls have now got used to this routine.

My cleaner is back from a 4 week holiday so I think she's finding a lot of dirt to deal with

The lake is called Frensham Pond and is between Farnham and Haslemere on the A287.

I am looking forwards to weaning - am I mad?? BLW book is in the post. Antilop is ready and waiting. Hoping to hold out until 6 months, but we'll have to see what paed says next week. Hugo has been eating like a crazy thing these last few days - perhaps one of these legendary growth spurts? Weigh-in tomorrow, so we'll see.

Waves managed to bob on.

HasAlwaysBeenTiggaTiggaxx

dh has booked me and moo into an adjoining room at his hotel..i think he missed us last night

Hi Mrs G - so sorry to hear about all the stresses with E and weight gain. I really feel for you - glad that the banana experiment went well, that does sound like fun.

Anyone who uses lansinoh breastmilk freezer bags - what do you write on them with? Do I need to get an alcohol CD marker thing (that once I would effortlessly have pinched from work)? Grrr it is so annoying when you have managed to fit in washing & sterilising the kit and expressing a reasonable amount and you think you have actually got away with accomplishing something before the baby cries, and then you discover that labelling the bloody thing is a massive unforeseen time consuming hurdle.

V is still tired poor lamb but in a very docile way now that means she takes effortlessly to her naps. I have just rationalised the freezer and we are having smoked haddock and daal for supper. Objections will not be tolerated.

bebemoo - sympathies on husband being away - very tough. Can he not get them to get him a house or something? A move might be a pita but maybe not too bad if a temporary one and you don't actually have to move out of anywhere. Better than being alone mon-fri I would have thought - that would have me sobbing into a wine glass by Wednesday evening (I used to be so self sufficient but now I have a baby I am eager for the company of any adult warm human body)

Sorry for 3 posts in a row and sorry if this has been done before (although not that recently I think) but who has their baby in a separate room already, and at how many weeks? I moved V because I thought I was keeping her awake but now I am not coughing and sneezing like a monster I am feeling so guilty I am thinking of moving her back. I can actually hear whether she is awake or asleep or not from my bed with both our doors open but even still I feel bad... so I am looking for some "me too" feedback so that I can feel ok again.

Ginger do what makes you feel most comfortable. If you want V in with you than do it. I moved Moo out early and then she was back when we had guests and then back out again and then last night i had her in with me half the time (the early part of the night I put her in the cotbed in the nursery because I feared sleeping on her, then in the early morning I moved her back into the bed with me because I wasn't so tired.

We're looking at a house possibility, but it's a bit tough because of the 'guidelines' hopefully we can work something out...maybe a corporate apartment, fingers crossed.