April 2009 - Chapter 5 - The one where no-one is allowed to feel guilty (except about all the chocolate...)

[Guimauve]

There will be chocolate fines for the guilty!

Boff Felix is on solids Lovely that he's enjoying them. We've not really added anything to Moo's diet except the banana... and we don't offer is every day...just when she' being particularlly difficult.

Sounds an excellent plan, bebe! Don't think you need to read all 300 posts in depth. The debate on scone pronunciation could be skimmed, I feel, at a pinch.

Swali, hope everything is OK. It's so scary when anything seems to be wrong with your baby.

WFH, I was temporarily prevented from replying to your query by sheer envy, but now I have recovered enough to say that yes, I'd mention it diplomatically to her.

DS1 came back from his first day in his new class exhausted. His teacher says she thinks that eating at the canteen all 4 days a week (there's no school on Wed) is too much for him, so I have arranged with another mother to have her son for lunch here every second Monday, and she'll have DS1 in exchange on alternate weeks. That's 3hrs of my working time (once I've cooked lunch for 2 kids, gone to fetch them, fed them and then taken them back) down the swanny every fortnight.
Otherwise it went really well, she said he was great to have in the class (proud mummy boastful emoticon).
We had bread and chocolate for goûter, BTW .

I have to go back to work tomorrow. Need to find some clothes that don't have regurgitated milk stains all over.

Before I catch up, if anyone could help me here please I'd be really grateful. H has suddenly got eczema

Boff, I have just replied.

Ooh, Boff, that dress is nice. How much would you like for it? Brown would go beautifully with my Babyhawk plans!

I've just had strawberries and cream! Yum!

Swali, I really hope B is ok - sounds like it, if they have just sent you home.

Auld - good luck at work tomorrow.

Bebe - I FEEL YOUR PAIN.

V screaming so hard tonight, like she did for DP last night.

She was so happy in the bath, happy and sleepy having her supper, floppy and sleepy and thumb sucking going into bed: and now all hell breaks loose and she is SAD SAD SAD and it is heartbreaking. And I feel like it is going to happen every night till whatever powers ordain otherwise.

Oh well. Could be worse. I promised myself never to moan about my lot again after visiting a SCBU this morning. What a very sobering place.

I know, the cleaner is a lovely luxury. We can't really afford her (we have her once a fortnight) but we're going to keep her until we know if I'm going back to work or not.

Speaking of which, my boss has asked to meet me next week for a chat, he says there are changes afoot. Cripes.

Orbit would not go to bed for love nor money this evening, so is currently asleep in his buggy in the lounge. Poor lamb, I think it's that darned second tooth.

Bicnod have wiped your parcel clean and posted it!

Am thinking of starting some bits of BLW in the next week or so - Orbit is 23 weeks and is now sitting up independently for considerable amounts of time, showing an interest in food and his pincer grip is coming along nicely. I'm going to wait until second tooth is through though, as current constant feeding may be down to toothiness rather than hunger. We shall see. Obviously if I start before 26 weeks on the dot you are all allowed to pelt me with steamed carrot sticks and broccoli florets.

bronze - that's the position I use the Kari Me in which works fine, but the Kari Me isn't so comfortable now Mr Orbit weighs over 18 lbs Was hoping to find a sling that satisfied his need to see outwards and my need to be comfortable.

Swali - hope B feels better soon. You know if it was anything to worry about they would have sent you straight to hospital, they don't mess around with babies.

Auld glad DS1's school day went ok - bummer about lunches though. My niece had to come home for lunch every day when she first started, as she was petrified of the 'cantine'. My sister was not amused.

Boff how was your DS1's first day of secondary? Did the fragrant pits instantly cause him to become the class heartthrob?

Bebe and Ginger - I too have a seriously SCREAMY baby. ARgh. He grizzles all day, takes about seven million hours to put down for any sleeps (lots of crying, picking up and cuddling, settling then crying the second his back hits the mattress). Not sure how much more of grizzly screamer I can take... so much for 4 months being the golden period of babyhood

Put him down at 7pm this evening, he took 20 minutes to settle and then woke up at 8pm and I've just spent the past 25 minutes settling him. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRggggghhhhhhhhhhhh

Sorry. Moan over.

WFH my entire house is covered in puke so parcel will fit in well...

Right so let me get this straight-
Boff and Felix enjoying solids

Others with teething troubles -I too find afternoons troublesome with Moo. Can you use the powders AND the Calpol or will they start flying and talking in tongues (though how would I be able to tell the difference) Teeths granules? I must look into these I've not seen them (can you combine them also?)

Scones/Scons plain or with fruit yea or nay depending on preference(i say nay to the whole thing as they are dry and boring and I just don't get them -betryaing my yankeeness there I think)

Inappropriate references to antatomy

Welcome Soup! (sounds like a diner)

KIT days

Formula making dilemias

Feiera- bloody noses (and eczema!) oh my you and your poor lo's hugs

Rach in Scotland is back

Kids back in school now or soon! Yipppeee!

Gui top-up issues (hear you can get top ups in most supermarkets now bad joke sorry darling don't fret too much...he's possible just not hungry and will grow into it later hugs I really think that ff is silly since he doesn't really want more...)

Weaning dos and don'ts.

Tigga expressing for premies

Lopsidedness (join the club; I'm president!)

Frekkles preggy scare 'eeeeek!'

Ghost caravan threads

Milk chocolate hobnobs (I really must get some of these)

Weight...will never disclose the true horror of buying clothes for myself at this weight; very disheartening...but more on that later...

Colds Poo for all of you

Boff wins holiday.

Mothercentric baby life (DH struggles with this too

Brownies from nigella (just make them from a box and add chocolate chips...no one will know the difference)

NCT weaning books (does everyone now have one but me?)

Puzzles snappy catchup (damn she beat me to it)

WFH and soapboxes (they make good racecars when you're done standing on them)

Ginger is ginger (but not on fb it seems)

MrsB is Gui twin

gouter (read goiter first and thought yuck!)when actually gouter is YUM

Bedtimes

Unsalted butter?! (Me thinks that goes too far surely?? or did I miss something?)

Swollen baby heads not good

Yoghurt

Mothers in vogue (nice)

laundry systems (I wish)

shreeeeeeeeking! (I blow in her face-at least then I get a moment to breathe myself)

Meitai baby placement

Bathroom powder- I've got bathroom powder too but mines more a dust

bebemoo has returned from reading....

That's pretty accurate Be!

Teething powders contain almost nothing (Teetha homeopathic and A&P practically so) so fine with Calpol.

If your scones are dry, you haven't got enough clotted cream on them!

Brownies from a box? Philistine! Bebe Crocker!

Unsalted butter perfectly normal!

What does my selection of responded-to-points say about me?

I like your summary so much, I want to print it!

You should do a previous thread sum-up for each new thread....

lol

i do did make brownies from scratch before moo...but i like the simplicity of just add water...

Hi Bebe - are you expecting an exam? You will pass with flying colours!

My fb photo is b&w for some reason - I don't know why I did that, I have no ginger shame but on the contrary ginger pride.

All quiet from little screamikin's room - but for how long...?

Lovely DP has brought me a pot of oolong. So much depends on the red teapot.

so a me post:
finally talked to gp abt bloods from forever ago
found out i'm very aenemic... 2 (when 15-30 normal) gp was quite upset because she said the last test obviously was wrong/mistyped (at 22) and because of it I've been suffering/struggling. so i'm to eat iron rich diet as well as take pills for 6 weeks then have new blood test. not pleased abt pills cuz they make me constipated..but not much i can do abt it...

bought a dress for the wedding (only it's actually red polka dots from last season and cost me only £18 on clearance!) but I need some fifties style shoes now...DH thinks it's very sexy, but I do wonder a bit (but as mentioned I HATE buying clothes for this figure currently) I did find another lovely bra at house of Frasier in Reading though and it too was on clearance for only £6... so now I have 2 bras which fit me lovely nice but don't hide under most of my low cut shirts very well...oh well I shouldn't be going for the buxom chav look anyhow no matter how close to the valleys I live

mine's currently stopped too....I put her on dh's side of the bed and now she's looking at me with big curious eyes....

interestingly dh is the only one who can get her to calm lately...maybe it's his smell?

Bebe - anaemia is the nastiest thing, so glad you have an answer - but sorry you have been feeling so grotty. Spatone is expensive but very gentle and will not make you ill like the prescribed tablets might. You will soon feel so much much better.

Pretty dress!

Awesome catchup, Bebe Sorry to hear about the anaemia and they managed to miss it for so long.

WFH, mei tais and facing outwards.... hmm I'm no expert on this as my DS1 would never do it. You can put them facing outwards in a mei tai but if he's still legs tucked in, then you need to gather him up, legs up high so he's practically folded in half and then plant him bum down into it. You can also do the same thing in a ring sling or pouch but it's not a fabulously stable position so you may end up not completely hands free. If he's big enough for legs out then you could do it with a narrow bodied MT (as you need it slightly narrower at the base for outward facing). As everyone has said, a wrap will work well, and a high back carry is an alternative for a good view (though a MT probably wouldn't give you a high enough carry - again you'd want a wrap tied rucksack style)

There is a lot of sniffiness in the babywearing world about facing outwards in general and particularly the legs out, narrow base carrier producing a "crotch dangle" effect. Lots of dire things about crushing of spines etc. but there is no real evidence there's any problem. I suspect that, like anything done by sane loving parents to consenting babies it Doesn't Matter That Much. It is, however, undeniably less ergonomic for you and pretty quickly you end up with long legs dangling down and getting in your way. Do you think a hip carry would work for you both, as MT is pretty good for those.

Do you actually have a MT? I don't know about makes of MT particularly but you can get some you can cinch up at the bottom to get a narrower base. There are also a couple of soft structured carriers (but is it you who isn't a fan of the Ergo I've forgotten?) Anyway, the Pikkolo is a SSC that adjusts for outwards facing with legs out and I think (but you'd have to check) the Connecta might do too.

Swali poor B and poor you; it must be very scary. As others have said, if there was any cause for concern you wouldn't be sitting at home now. Fluid sounds nasty, though it is worth bearing in mind the possibility your GP is just plain wrong about that and it's swollen glands after all. I was once told a fleshy lump on my finger was bone by a GP.

So tomorrow DS1 starts his new preschool (on top of the one he already goes to. Long story how he's ended up going to two). Hope it goes okay - new nursery is much less cuddly than the existing one, so I hope he copes.

Better get some sleep I suppose. Is anyone else here struggling to actually get to sleep after falling exhausted into bed? I would read normally but with one or two kids in the bed/room it's not possible at the moment.

Actually WFH if you want to get really abstruse, you can get a "tai one on", also known as a "love wrap" - it's basically a long padded strap and you can tie the baby facing outwards then loop the legs up in front for extra support, kind of like the baby is sitting in an invisible chair on your front. It is so obscure I can't immediately google a picture of one, but if you're interested I have one!! Never really used it mind you.

Ooo come to think of it, you could definitely get outward facing in a podaegi/podegi. They are a Korean style carrier, a bit like a MT but only one strap with a long blanket coming off them. I have one of those too which I like very much and might get out to have a go with Edmund.

LMK if you want more info - I'm sorry I can't remember if you have a MT already or are still looking for the right carrier.

x-post

Due to us having a snot fest I've just had a bit of an argument with the nurse on the NHS Direct helpline.

I've just been told that ds who is exclusively bf'd on demand to give him water!!!! I've had to explain that exclusively bf'd babies do not need water as the recipe of the breast milk changes in response to the needs of the child. I have then been told that giving him warm water could help his cough - so giving him warm breast milk won't? I gave up at that point and let her get on with it. They have tried to tell me we have swine flu which we haven't, I've had flu this is a bad cold. All I wanted to know was what I could give him to help with his cough!

ARGH!!! Big GRRRRRR face.

WillTalkToPharmacistsInFutureAsTheHelplineSucksBigGreenEggsTiggaxx

I was blissfully unaware of the 'sniffiness' around front facing babies in slings. I had however noticed that Hannah dislikes being forward facing for too long. I think a quick half an hour is fine, but much longer and she starts to find it very hard work. I have bought a back carrier off ebay which is meant to be suitable from about 5 months. To be honest I always worry with her in a sling that I might fall over and the back one I've ordered puts the baby's head higher than yours. I only really use it for going on buggy unfriendly walks though so I guess the falling over thing is less likely if you are on smooth ground.

Hannah has suddenly gone starving so I've just tried to give her some baby rice. She didn't like it very much and tbh I can't say that I blame her. Her face was a picture though, just absolute disgust.

at hb of 2. Although spatone is better, I would prob take iron tablets at that level.

Dawn I think it is normal the second anyone sneezes at the minute to assume that it is sf.

Very about the water even when ff and totally wrong bf.