May '09 Fine and DANDY vive la difference! 3 months on and our babies and lives are changing.

[Grumpyoldcaaaaaaaa]

Well Dandy!!!!!!! Just for you after an annoying night

pula Lovely that you've met your new nephew. about how the delivery went. Great that you're close enough for visits. I'm sure it'll be a big help to have someone with recent newborn experience to hand

Today I went out spoiling shopping with the dcs and as I came out of the lift there was this heavily pregnant woman walking, leaning on her DH, looking in pain and doing the deep breathing thing as she was walking. I was worried my services would be needed , so I asked if she needed any help. Luckily she was fine. She wasn't having any contractions, just this sharp pain by her back and pubic bone, which I remember having a few days before C was born. You know a sort of baby getting in the right position pain. Anyway I was relieved that she was OK. I was having visions of having to deliver a baby in a shopping centre with my 3 dcs with me

watching x factor.. G has just gone to sleep after feeding for the last few hours.. Phew! off for a hot cuppa now.

belgian a relief and then some, that would have been quite a tricky situation! must have been nice feeling though to be in the position of being able to really help if it was needed.

OMG. I am just about to do something I have NEVER done before. I've been away for a week, and am going to bump and refresh, without reading the week of posts!

I'm not being rude, I just haven't read your posts. Dh has just put the third load of washing on and we have at least another 3 loads more to do. Hope you are all well. Had a fantastic week in Devon. Loved where we were staying with the pools and the weather was fantastic.

Hello!

pula - congratulations on becoming an aunty, hope your sister recovers well. It's good you're able to help her out.

Belgian - good job you weren't required, but lovley that you still care!

pula - was it you who asked how old DD1 is? She's 2.6, and yes, she's definitely dropping the day time nap (but she's always been a dreadful sleeper). This phase of not wanting to sleep during the day has been going on for months now, and I find it really frustrating that she recognises she's tired (and she knows why she's grumpy) but won't do anything about it. She sleeps at the childminders but won't sleep at home unless it's extreme - she fell asleep on the sofa next to me the other day at 5pm after a massive tantrum about all sorts of random things; I just let her sleep for 10 minutes then woke her because if she'd slept bed time wouldn't have happened until 9pm and I just can't do that with both of them.

We had a lovely day today, went to see some friends who live about an hour away, pub lunch, long afternoon in the park with the children. DD1 fell asleep in the car [rollseyes] but A screamed all the way.

morning all...

M is poorly with a cold still very snotty, sneezing and coughing.

So she has been up every 2.5hrs feeding [yawn] we got up and came downstairs at 6am cos she was struggling to feed and didn't want to sleep so I am on MN while M feeds/fusses.

Poor M she always seems to be poorly at the mo had a cold 3wks ago followed by sickness and d and now a cold again . Keep using the saline drops and she's got lots of vapourub on her chest not much else I can do I guess just feed and cuddles.

this time 2moro we'll be on the plane v.nervous about going especially with M being poorly.

it will be okay...it will be okay...it will be okay...

looby it will be OK!!!! Its only a short flight so even if she cries a bit, you'll be off the other end in no time.

jennster hi. Glad you had a good hols.

Sooooooo, Coldplay were fabulouso. I'd forgotten just how many great songs they've done. I had "tears streamning dowm my face" as soon as they started Fix You. It reminds me of DS1 first few days of life - it was the song they opened Live 8 with and I was glued to the sofa trying to BF a new born DS1 and watched the whole thing from start to finish. Got back at 1.30am and lovely DH gave me a lie in (even though he did the driving). The deal is that he gets to go back to bed at lunchtime. Fair doos, I guess.

My mum had the two boys and they were brilliant for her (she says!). Big sigh of relief on that part. She loves having them and DS1 was exicted about being with her which is lovely. She even knew without prompting, who Chris Martin was. I was

I got my period back this week. Ties in with R having his last morning BF when we were on hhols. Gosh but its been heavy. Really heavy and on day 1 I had a cracking headache which I'm guessing was related to it. Anyoone else had theirs yet?

I'm glad you enjoyed ladyhelen2 I was so jealous! DH went to Goodwood yesterday so I had a stroppy toddler, a tired baby and limited patience all on my own.

Looby we flew when DS1 was 6 months old and he was fine. I bf on take-off and landing and he slept pretty much all of the way. Have a great time.

pulapula congratulations! He is a lovely looking baby

Grumpy sending you "coping with mother" vibes.

Jennster welcome back!

I've been to yoga this morning and had a swim afterwards. I'm doing the Aspire swim challenge so need to swim 22 miles in 12 weeks. I forgot to start last week so now I have to do it in 11 weeks. I managed half a mile but I needed to rush back to feel DS2 as I haven't got enough EBM in the freezer. I really enjoyed myself.

Off to Cardiff on Tuesday to see my friend who is 37 weeks pregnant. So broody!

llare 22 Miles???? Seriously???

Coldplay sound brilliant, Ladyhelen, so pleased you had a great time.

Llare very active, you def deserve that cake!

Looby, hope you have a great holiday.

Have had a good few days - we met friends and their babies / toddlers in Leeds yesterday, nice beer garden day and DH drove. I got home tipsy and decided that I would have a few more glasses of wine... I remember the first two black sambucas but can't really recall details of the X factor which I'm told we watched on Sky+. Woke up at 6.30am very hungover which wasn't helped by F doing exploding poos - before and during being changed, aaagh! Went back to bed until 9.30 and have slouched about the rest of the day. I now feel guilty for 'wasting the good weather'!! I've done a few loads of washing and been to the supermarket but feel I should have done something more significant.

DH should hear about his job tomorrow but he's been given the nod that at least he's definitely got another one he applied for which would just be a sideways move to another part of the business, so he does have a fall back position.

Tummum, very pleased to hear about your job news as well.

baby led weaning - everyone's comments have prompted me to order the Gill Rapley book. I think it sounds great in theory but I might try a combination of that and some Annabel Karmel recipes. We'll see. I don't have to worry until the start of December, need to move house first...

The poorly dog is still not well - had another short notice vet's appt on Friday and have had to put gel and dressings on his wound every day as well as the abx. It's starting to break down and is clearly troubling him but I think it will heal, just slowly. Another appt tomorrow. Thank god for pet insurance.

Right, off to search for houses to rent. We've seen one we really like but I think I mentioned other people have also applied for it. I assume they don't have 2 dogs and 2 cats so will probably be a more attractive proposition than us!!

LadyHelen It is you who has just confirmed me as a friend on FB isn't it? I have looked on our group, but yur details don't seem to be on there, or I can't find them I breastfed J for the first 2 weeks of his life, and then had to be put on a very strong dose of painkillrs, so it was reccomended that I stopped, so my period pretty much started straight away sucks, you kinda get used not having them being pregnant.

I am pleased to say that J did not fart or sick in church this morning lol yay we then went to visit one of my friends, had a light lunch out, DP has cooked us a yummy tea, followed my plum, apple and blackberry crumble, which I'm going to pretend is ok on my diet hehe

Evening all,

We had a fun day today all in all. It rained in the morning and I did a bit of housework, but the afternoon was lovely and the dcs and I had fun in the park.

C is still a nightmare during the daytime. I just can't seem to get her to sleep for any decent amount of time, unless she's on my lap or in my sling. If I dare to move her she wakes, even if it's into the car and straight off for a drive. I'm trying to put her into her cot awake, but she gets hysterical. If she does drop off in the end she only sleeps 30min or so and then wakes up screaming, picking up the thread of where she left beforehand. It's making it so hard to do anything and it's making no sense whatsoever either. I would like to try and teach her, but it's making it impossible to go out. Today even the sling wasn't working properly. The dcs wanted to go to the park. C had been yawning since 13.30, so I thought a little walk around the park would send her off in no time. Huh, did it heck... She finally dropped off just before 3, when I had planned to drive to the shop for some milk and bread before it shut. I don't know what to do with her.

Sorry, that was my memememe bit and now for the mentions

looby Have fun. I second the bf at take off and landing. It makes baby's jaw move and stops the horrible ear popping feeling.

llare Good luck with your 22mile swimathon thing. You'll be in great shape at the end of it

jenn hi!

reebee Fingers and toes crossed you get the house. We were lucky enough our landlord likes cats. There was even a ready made cat flap in the back door!

ladyH great to hear you had a good time. No periods yet here. And long it may last

evening all

pula your nephew is so cute! hope your sis gets better soon

llare good luck with your swimathon - 22miles blimey!

ladyhelen about coldplay - glad you had a nice time no period here yet

well we're packed

M still snotty so have packed:

vapourrub
nasal drops
calpol

as well as
sudocreme
bonjela
diolyte (sp?)
plenty of muslins/wet wipes
breast pump
sterilising tablets
bottles

have just taken some fenugreek as am worried about my supply (had to give an extra formula feed today as she was struggling to BF)

so I think we are ready

going to bed soon as we have to leave the house at 2.30am to get to birmingham airport

meant to say thanks for the reminder about BF on take off belgian am going to wear my new blooming marvelous BF top that my SIL donated to me

just hope M wants to feed may take a bottle of cooled boiled water too

bye for now

will prob be back on MN in 9 days tho not sure I will try to catch up

No periods here either, but i haven't got mine back before until 4 weeks after i'd completely stopped BF. SO i think i will BF as long as i can!

belgian- no wonderful advice on the sleeping. S does go down awake in his cot, but still only usually manages 30-45 mins, although today he did have a 1hr15 nap and yesterday 1hr30 so it does vary. I use the BW pat shush technique to get him to sleep if he is crying, but otherwise, i just cuddle him for a few minutes, kissing his face (which makes him close his eyes), and then put him down (he does have a dummy and is still swaddled). If he starts crying then I pick him up, rock him a little and put him back down. Usually only takes 5-15 mins to get him to sleep in the day. I think whatever you decide to try, if you repeat it enough, C will know that it is time for sleep. And sometimes when he wakes after 30 mins, i can rock him/cuddle him/feed him back to sleep, but not always.

looby- have a great holiday- I flew to Italy with DD when she was 6 months. I also fed on take-off/landing. The hardest part was the waiting around in the airport, as she was very tired but wouldn't sleep. So by the time we boarded she was overtired but then at least she fell asleep feeding.

Thanks pula It's sort of what I do. I change her, put her in her sleeping bag, put her down and switch on the mobile like at night. I walk away. Then she cries and I go back, stroke her cheeks, kiss her and talk to her until she's calmed, I walk away again and it starts again, but every time she starts crying again she cries louder, until in the end she's got tears streaming down her face and that's when I pick her up. Maybe I should just pick her up straight away? When she wakes after 30 mins she's also still clearly tired, but unless I feed her she wont go back to sleep. I don't want to get into the feeding to sleep habit, because of me needing to go back to work at some point in time. I never had daytime sleeping trouble with no1&2. Only night time trouble with ds. Dd1 was a perfect sleeper.

belgian- I always pick DS2 up if he cries and won't suck his dummy, as i know he won't calm down otherwise. Another baby whisperer technique is called pickup-putdown where you basically pick up if they cry, and lie them down when they have calmed. Eventually they need picking up less and are happy to lie there til they fall asleep. Quite often S just wants one pick up- it's like i put him down when he wasn't quite ready, but after that he's ok. So yes, I suggest you try picking up and see what happens. My DD had a habit of 30 min naps, but I was able to stop this by shushing/patting her back to sleep, and within a week or so she was in the habit of 1.5-2 hour naps. This hasn't worked with DS2 although to be fair, he is generally the same whether he has 30 mins or 2 hours sleep. With DS1 i generally had to wake him from his naps after 2 hours so this has come as a bit of a shock.

WE NEED A NEW THREAD SOON

Evening all. I am going to push my mother into the Vienne river.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHH

morning all. elbow were fantastic! so good to see them at their final concert on the tour in their home town. we were part of the elbow choir, 2000 of us who sat alongside the stage got white tshirts and were summoned to stand and sing for a few of the songs - ddidn't need much prompting.

no period here yet but.... miracle! had relations last night!!

bless dh.it's his birthday. wasn't able to buy him much but he was happy with that!

grumpy, breeeeeathe. 3, 2, 1 relaxxxxxx.

not too much longer?

sorry for not name checking properly. hope you all have a good day.

hoping to get 3 across town to dr surgery for Harper's 3rd set of vaccs and hoping to get dd1's cough checked out.

Hurrah, what a fun day!

pula I might have to buy the BW book, sounds like good (i.e. non cruel like some books sleeping suggestions. I don't normally buy parenting books, but I might make an exception here. I feel that I need help.

grumpy just do some urgent mn-ing paperwork in your study and send your mum out with the dcs!

momi success with the trip to the docs. Hope H doesn't take them too personal + yay, relations! + Amazing about the coir at Elbow. Must have been fantastic.

I've got my maternity wintercoat of last year on eBay. It's finishing today and there are 56 people watching it I have a feeling it'll sell well

belgian- the baby whisperer is good- her techniques do often involve some crying, but you never leave the baby so i feel more comfortable with it than controlled crying. Sounds like it might be a good time to get my maternity winter coat on ebay! Something to do today...

momi- not surprised DH enjoyed his birthday present .