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

I tried sling but when I'm cooking it's just a bit too dangerous! Unless I get a Mei Tai and put him on my back, that might work.

BoffinMum - am reading 123 Magic with interest. We already use counting with DS1 with varying degrees of effectiveness, but am finding his stuff about no emotion and no talking very interesting. Counting definitely has worked better when I've just been completely deadpan about it, but my softy side thinks I'm being so cold to my little boy I get all upset inside.

I know it's better in the long run, but I'm feeling very guilty about poor DS1 at the moment, I feel he's quite upset and resentful of Orbit at the moment and I don't know how to fix it. Does the guilt ever go away?

Loofah!!!

Daddylonglegs...

WFH it's hard Can you try to have special time with DS1? I feel guilty too but DH makes DD1 feel like he's the number one princess here and I think that helps. But I often have to remind myself to be nice to her, and cuddle her, and make her laugh, and not to coo over Hazel too openly when DD1 is around...

And remember you've given DS1 a brother and although he might find it hard now, he'll be so glad later that he's got a sibling to share good and bad times with.

My baby has now gone to sleep in his new cot. He thought it was a playmat at first, and rolled onto his tummy for a push-up session.

I held him till he was dozy and then put him down. BUT he is sleeping, shock horror, on his front. With a dummy in his mouth. Will he choke/suffocate? Should I intervene?

PS much sympathy for guilt re older siblings. I think it's part of the adjustment and will pan out. I bl**dy hope so, anyhow.

Bebe, I eat with DS1 in the evening, so have to cook. But otherwise I'd go for sandwiches/cobbled together meal (omelette & salad for instance). Cooking for one is grim.

omelettes are a good idea

hopefully the new cot works for you guys Auld

Hello Kazkiss and B52

about your nanny, Boff

Great news about reduced harness use, Swali.

Thanks for the info about verucca treatments, Gui. Re weaning, I do one thing per meal because if you don't get an immediate reaction to a food it could take a week and I'm not waiting that long on one food.

Tigga I'm with you on the wasps. Hate this time of year.

WFH I find cooking on the back rings of the hob is okay whilst babywearing. And get things out of the oven holding them at arm's length.

Auld we eat altogether in the evenings too so always have to cook (or do the cafe lunch trick).

Re the breastpump, it's not discomfort it's total lack of success. I keep telling myself I can't be totally dried up or E would have died but it's hard when pumping is so conspicuously unsuccessful. I spent months expressing for DS1 and he never drank a single drop of the 12oz I eventually made. That's because - and Surprise I meant to mention this to you earlier but have sleep deprived brain - I seem to have high levels of lipase in my milk which means the taste changes very fast and DS1 always rejected it. Not surprising since it tasted like Pantene ProV after a day in the fridge (though apparently many babies don't care which means even if your other two took it fine, it could still be an issue). If that does turn out to be the problem, you need to kill off the enzymes by scalding the milk (either in a pan or zap it in the microwave). Obviously it kills off some of the good stuff doing that.

Older sibling guilt is neverending. I seem to spend half my life telling him to leave E alone

Hi all, interesting stuff in terms of weaning.

I definitely think that this 6 month thing is pretty random and am very that on the dot of that 26 weeks all babies will be ready. In terms of Hannah she isn't very hungry generally and as a result I'm not even really thinking about it yet because I'd never be able to get enough milk down her. But my MIL weaned DH at 12 weeks and he is fit and well on it (with no digestive probs at all) so I equally feel there is a bit of hysteria surrounding weaning earlier. I am not convinced that Hannah will actually be ready at 6 months either, but I guess things may change drastically over the next 8 weeks or so??? I have as yet read nothing, but may have a look at BLW because I really want to avoid it being an issue.

I am not panicked particularly about age. Although there are obviously some increased risks have any of you ever met a doctor who has had a baby before they were 35? And they must know the risks!!!!! Round here an older mother is now classed as over 38. That said I intend to try to have second before 35 but (whispers) if I have third will deffo be older . I'm sure part of the reason for feeling more knackered in later pgs is chasing around a 2 year old at the same time.

And urgh the wasps are horrible at the moment!!!!!

Oh and Auld Hannah always puts herself on her front to sleep. The HV said that once they are strong enough to choose their own sleeping position not to worry.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

Feierabend - Thanks for the tip. Saturday is supposed to be dry and sunny (in August, who'd have thought?) so it should be good fun.

Surprise - We only have a two bedroom house and a cot in Ellen's room would make it very cramped. We expect to keep Holly in our bed until she is about 10/11 months and then we will get bunkbeds.

MrsG - That's great news on the weight gain front.

WFH - I sometimes put Johnny Cash on to settle Holly at bedtime.

Boff - Oh bugger. I'm glad you had a great holiday but such a shame to come back to disappointing news. I agree with Feierabend's comment about the nanny.

My head is spinning from all the weaning talk. Is my baby the only one who doesn't seem the least bit interested?

Well done for rolling Master Buttonhole!

Swaliswan - I'm so pleased for you and little B.

Bebemoo - I hate ready meals. Probably because I lived on them for too many years in my pre children, time is better spent boozing than cooking, days. I tend to batch cook and freeze or do something very simple like pasta pesto or a jacket potato.

Holly always sleeps on her front too now. Doesn't matter how many times I flip her over.

Good morning everyone. Swali, I completely forgot to say yesterday, sooo pleased that the end of the harness time is in sight for you and little B. Are you enjoying the cuddles?

Auld, DD1 slept on her front from about 4 1/2 months old. I turned her sometimes but she always rolled back. And she slept better that way.

MrsG, Pantene Pro V is a spot on description. I remember thinking that when I tried to give DD1 some defrosted ebm and tasted it first. I poured it away it was so disgusting. Very pleased to say that I have packed my pump away, it's in the attic waiting to be sold!

Just got sent the link to the wedding photos taken at that wedding we went to when H was just 5 weeks old. I can't get over how tiny she was. I however, look rather big in the photos

Not fair! We're going to Germany for the weekend and the forecast says the weather will be crap!

Last night DD1 was up for about 3 hours wanting to use the potty. She refused to wear a nappy so ended up in training pants and they were dry this morning. I thought that they didn't want to potty train at night at the same time as day time

I feel bad that B had a bad night because of her sister. I have no idea how to approach tonight as I can't carry on like this!

Swali - I had a similar problem and asked the wise ladies here and they suggested putting a potty in dd1's room so she could go on her own. Worked a treat. She's still in pull-ups at night though.

I moved the potty into her room and figure that I could start the night with her in pull ups. The problem that we has last night was that after she did a wee, she went on and on about waiting for a poo to come. She still hasn't done a poo

Hello all,

I do admire those of you who are mothering more than one - I am struggling with V's topsy turvy sleep habits and can't imagine life with a toddler too - let alone 3 or 4.

In answer to the question about when to think about another child: I would have to move fast as I am about to be 38 (WHAT? how did that happen? And really about to as well - I have suddenly realised it is not long till my birthday) and I think I am looking for permission to just stop. It seems so sad and selfish for V not to have someone but I just can't face it. I don't know how we would cope financially with another pregnancy in which I couldn't work; childcare costs would kill us unless one of us becomes SAHP, which would not work financially either; there is the risk of chromosomal abnormalities, and everything that would mean for V herself if that were the case; etc etc. I just don't think I cope very well as it is and we couldn't have been luckier with V.
But this seems wrong as she will be alone and that seems unfair.

Eating alone: I love it, I can eat mad left over collations of weird things without feeling ashamed of foisting them on someone else.

Last night we had Thai fishcakes supposedly but they were really handfuls of spicy fried fish scooped out of the pan. I thought when I read the recipe, "but how will these stay together without a binding agent? Oh well it is a proper recipe I will just do what I am told for once". Mistake.

Mrs G - so glad about the weight gain! Congratulations.

Wasps: nasty little agents of satan.

Spiders: benign house gods to be peacefully coexisted with. Eaters of vile flies.

Weaning: not yet, here. V is not yet 4 months and I love the convenience of bm only. But: could this be why she is waking so much at night?

I had my first sore breast / blocked duct yesterday, at this late stage; casually picked up half a cabbage leaf in Sainsburys and stuffed it in my bra while no one was looking and... it is so weird, but it worked. Deeply deeply weird, I was better in half an hour.

Sorry about all this me me me rambling, didn't mean to write this much, oh well it's there now. POST

gingersarah if you are like me on the wasps - couldn't agree more btw - then do NOT go to the south of France, they have wasps the size of houses there and they like to attack the lights in tents.

ShudderingAtTheMemoryTiggaxx

Sam has a new favourite toy it's one of these he loves it. Expensive toys? Nope, not interested but he will play with this for ages!

WaitingForSamToTurnOverOnHisOwnTiggaxx

Oooooooooooooohhhhh, new camera!!! Yay!!!

Oh, that's pretty, Tigga. H's favourite toy at the moment are her own feet. Can't get cheaper than that

Should that be 'favourite toyS'?

we had a rough bed time last night. moo didn't go down for longer than a half hour until 2...i'm only managing to get up properly now...tho i was up at 8 to do some laundry and the dishes
yawn

We've got one of the cloth dolls for Moo which someone gave us when she was itty bitty. She really likes the stripes ours has and since it's soft and washable when she sticks it in her mouth and it gets covered with drool and spit-up I can toss it in the laundry with her clothes bonus!