Fab Feb 2009 - hey ho, hey ho, its off to babyproof we go...

[dinkystinky]

off we go again

DD1 was like that, LBB. We'd go out and I'd moan about how difficult she was and people would be like , and we'd go home and I'd be like gahhhhh . I used to call DH at work and ask him how to make her stop crying! I even phoned my mum 150 miles away! And they were like, er , dunno love.

meant

It's hard isn't it?

I guess you just have to think all this will pass, and then you'll probably look back on when they were tiny and think it was all bliss, and you'll have forgotten the whingeing and just remember the squidgy baby legs and little gummy smiles!

Anybody want my baby? He's very cute and smiley BUT HE DOESN'T BLOODY SLEEP!!!!

Breastfed = slept all night

Formula fed = waking up 4 or 5 times

I just don't get it.

join the club Markstretch - I think the little monkeys are in cahoots...

FWIW Markstretch - I think its any change in routine throws the little ones. So me going back to work and him having bottles during the day has thrown Danny so he wants extra attention - and hugs and cuddles - in the night. May be the same with F with the move to bottles. It will pass - just have to hope it passes before we hit our dotage

LBB - every time we've met up Luke has been quite happy; maybe he's a people person baby? It will pass - high need babies tend to be pretty bright toddlers/children IME.

I have to say i'm incredibly lucky ivor is the smiliest baby i've ever known. but i miss him so much when i'm at work and i'm worried he doesn't smile at me or interact with me as much as he used to. can't work out if it's my imagination or if he's been thrown by the new routine. he loves our nanny and i know we'll all get used to seeing each other when we can and making the most of our special time together but it's a bit overwhelming today. not helped by dp and i going to a wedding tomorrow and staying overnight. something i should be yelling with excitement about but given that i'm working full time makes me feel guilty.

tell me to shut up and enjoy the time away!

dinky you're doing an amazing job coping with work and the incredible non-sleeping boy. let us know when you hear about your secondment, i can't believe you were hit with that curveball just when you're trying to get used to being back at work.

LOL at "great ads for mums of 3" - swampster is a screaming banshee who is mostly too tired to post.

I solve the whinging issue by doing NO HOUSEWORK at all and cuddling a baby ALL DAY. He doesn't really do daytime napping and at night he will only sleep snuggled up to me. He's feeding solidly from about 4am to 7am when we all wake up officially. I am a husk. Slim again though.

I think I am through the worst of it though, I find I am less stressed out and irritated and I have been getting those overwhelming gushes of love for the lot of them which hadn't been happening for a long time.

take it all back re DS, he is being a total PITA today, shouting grumpily and throwing strops every two minutes. He has a cold but that is NOT an excuse.

And KatieBN stop feeling guilty and enjoy your night away

Do you feel a sandpit coming on anytime soon, coco? Meet you there before it gets too cold.

love to. am around monday morning. else week after. e-mail me?

MS Hope F settles down soon.
dinky Yeah, I think you might be right about Luke being a people person, as long as they don't get too close for too long, he's fine!
katie Go to the wedding and enjoy!!!
swampster Glad things are going well there
Luke won't sleep if I'm holding him. He is happy enough sitting on someones lap, but doesn't seem to enjoy long hugs or being too smothered iyswim. Ds1 loved hugs and wuld be quite happy for me to hold him all day, Luke seems to spend any time that he is being held trying to break free (and that's not just from me)

I'm very tired today. Luke has had very short naps so has been extra ratty today. I've put him to bed early as couldn't take anymore!

A program keeps coming up saying that my laptop has 83 viruses on it, but my McAfee anti-virus package has done a full scan and not picked up anything, so have someone coming round on sunday to have a look. She said it should still be fine to use and that if there were any problems, McAfee would have detected them, so I don't know what's going on

we have a new tooth... only took him about a month to push this one out

kids were off school and playschool due to the voting so we went to a friends house for a get together with all the toddler group moms as we haven't had toddler group in a few weeks, it happens to be the house dd broke her leg at and ds1 attempted to throw himself off the same damn wall [sighs in mourneful acceptance that her kids are just determined to make us social pariahs]

she's a brave woman though, only 3 out of the 7 mothers she invited could make it and there were still 14 kids under 7 running around demolishing her house [eek] 8 of them are her kids and her nieces and nephews though so i think she's used to the chaos at this stage.... i'm baffled as to how her house stays so lovely looking though, i only have 3 and it looks like a bomb has gone off 90% of the time

katie enjoy the wedding, and stop the guilt

swampy, funnily enough i've been feeling a bit less stressed recently too and am finding it easier to enjoy them... i think A being able to move independently has been the turning point, he can entertain himself on the floor now while i give the older two some attention

I think you've hit the nail on the head, BloodRedPinkThing! J is soooooo much happier now he is mobile and can go off exploring and participate in things generally.

Coco, will email.

C does usually feed 2 or 3 times in the night but often not for too long, though it varies. My memory is that D who was formula fed was worse at this age, because he would wake up for 3 hours at a time.

C has been a bit grizzly and very clingy during the day though, almost as if he suspects I'm thinking about getting ready to go back to work. I had thought of taking him to the CM's for a few hours on Monday morning - then taking him and possibly Danny too to the baby group in the afternoon, but I've bottled out of discussing it with her. I'm not ready to do it. If I take him the next two Mondays, I've said I'd have 26 October as annual leave so we'll have a final whole Monday left together. Also this Monday coming I have to open up at baby group so have to get there at a good time, so it would have been more complicated.

Frank slept for 11 hours.

I am a new woman.

That's good MS

Hurrah Marktretch. Long may the new sleeping regime last. I too have discovered the secret of getting more sleep - after feeding Danny in the night I have to cuddle him into submission and he will then go to sleep - so am only awake for 40 minutes or so at a time rather than a couple of hours. Rather worried he's going to get used to being cuddled to sleep in the night but hey it works for us at the moment. Suspect will do gentle sleep training on Danny after 9 months (.ie. ignoring him abit at nights) if the little monkey still isnt figuring out how to sleep at night by then.

Swampster - you're still standing (just) and making me laugh so despite being a slender husk of a swampmonster you're still a great example of a mum of 3. And I'm only a mum of 2 but occasionally I descend into red mist yelling mum mode - we all do!

Bloodredtulips (is this a halloweenesque name? Or time for a change of colour?) - Danny is on the whole a happy baby but so much more happy now he can crawl around and basically wreck the joint. I suspect its a younger sibling thing - they want to join in the havoc wreaking Coco - hope R has cheered up. Maybe he's decided he wants to join in the havoc wreaking too???

LBB - DS1 was like that and still is. He was (after 4 months) a really smiley happy baby but definitely got bored if we stayed at home all day - and he's only really cuddly when he's feeling ill - otherwise he's a bundle of energy who has no time to stay still and cuddle. And he is - and always has been - a sociable little thing who is full of energy - gets bored if we stay in all day but if we go out and meet people and do things he's in his element. It will get easier with Luke as he gets bigger and he and J start playing more together I think.

KBN - sending you a big hug and hoping you really enjoy your wedding and full night's sleep tonight. Am sure is just your mummy guilt making you feel that way re Ivor not being the same with you. I bet you get the most enormous smiles from him when you get home - its so lovely. Not heard re the secondment (they were supposed to tell us on Friday) so rather think - or hope! - its not happening.

DS1 managed to scooter into a wall yesterday afternoon - bruised his face and ripped a nail off his left hand - so is going to look beautiful for his first day at preschool on Monday. So we're off to get him a helmet today for when he's scootering (probably rather belated but as we're thinking of getting him a bike at christmas should be useful for that too). Wondering if can get him some goalie gloves for scootering too

ps Bloodredtulips - congrats on the tooth. Hopefully A will be abit happier now its out.

Ouch Dinky....hope he's ok!

Yay on the sleep Markstretch

I'm on a countdown back to work now.....although I'm rather looking forward to it

Ouch Dinky, poor DS. Hope he's bearing up ok. And re my DS - if he wants to join in the havoc-wreaking he'd better start crawling then, lump that he is. He does roll around the room getting wedged under the furniture, but its just not the same somehow . DD1 didn't move a muscle till exactly 11 months, DD2 I can't remember, around 10 months I think, so suspect we've a while to go yet.

dinky Poor ds1! Hope he's ok and being a brave soldier. Bet that nail is sore.

Jacob was ok indoors as a baby. He was quite happy with the telly and some toys, but like you say, Luke seems to need to be out more, but hopefully when he becomes mobile it'll get easier.

The potty training is too much for both me and ds1. He managed to sit on it a few times this morning, but wee'd and pooed on the floor without a word. He's been weeing the minute he gets off the potty after saying he doesn't need to go so maybe he's not as ready as I thought.
The new plan is to keep him in pants mostly when we're at home and sit im on the potty at key times (before bed, when he gets up, after meals etc) and use pulls-ups other times and just try to encourage him to use potty and communicate needs.
Ds1 was getting very distressed about the potty earlier and would only sit on it after Luke had been sat on it.
So, I'm not going to completely give up, but think I'm overly keen to get him out of nappies quicker than he wants to.

Sounds like a good idea to take it slowly LBB - no point putting pressure on yourself and J unecessarily.

Danny is being a total grizzlebunny today who has consumed a grand total of 4oz of formula today - at 4.30! - not really hopeful of a good night's sleep tonight...

Oh dinky. I do hope it gets better soon. You must all feel completely shattered!

Luke can clap. It is very funny watching him and ds1 doing it together