March 2009 - The crawling / walking / talking race is on . . .

[jollyjoanne]

the new thread for March 09 mummies

Hi all - just checking in! Not sure if I said well done to Loli for your twins, so WELL DONE! Are there pictures to see? I'd love to see what little Jimmy looks like as well now, he was such a handsome little fellow when you first posted a pic of him all those months ago...

Well, I have finally had my booking in appt with the midwife (at 19+3!) and am due my 20 week scan next Wednesday. Had the quadruple blood test done for Downs etc, and they said someone would phone if it was bad news and I've not heard anything so am assuming all is ok there. I start mat leave on March 1st (early!) so I can get out of this stressful job and concentrate on growing this baby and sharing some quality time with Penelope before #2 comes along.

So am I the only one to have another on this thread, apart from Loli? No one else is pregnant? We only really have 10 or so hard core posters on here now, I guess, compared to the good old days.

Oh, and Pen is famous:

Penpots

Congratulations, Boobz! Hope you have a fun scan on Wednesday. How exciting...makes me a tiny bit broody.

And what an adorable pic of Pen! Did she love the modelling?

Can't wait to see pics of Loli's two

Nice to hear your news Slick, though it sounds like you've had it tough. I'm still trying to get my head round how on earth people manage with more than one, so you have my deep respect!

All's well here. I have a bite wound on my boob which is taking it's time to heal and causing me a disproportionate amount of pain , but otherwise, I can't complain.

Spike is so close to walking. He takes a confident step forward and then falls on his bum, but I think it's only a matter of time before he gets it. There's a slightly more recent pic of him on my profile now.

Happy nearly Friday, people!

Hello all.

Boobz love the photo of Pen. And hope your scan goes well.

Yay for Spike, Mae is standing up all the time but no walking yet.

Mae has her invite for the flu jab, but really not sure about getting her done, it just doesn't seem to be a big thing anymore. I also had an invite for one, but haven't been either.

I have what is probably a really stupid question but what are people still feeding and giving their LOs to drink? Mae has moved on to follow milk from a bottle and to water with food. But she is still offered a bottle every 3 hours same as she was when she was breastfed, but now I want to drop most of the bottles so she is only really having one in the morning and at night, may be with one during the day. As it seems a lot of food, having both food and a bottle. On the other hand she isn't really all that fond of water and I tried some of the baby squashes and she doesn't seem interested. So I'm not sure she'll be getting enough to drink.

Boobz Pen is gorgeous!!!!

No walking (or standing) here but G is brushing his teeth with a toothbrush and helping us dress him now!

Gorgeous piccie Boobz ! Good luck with the scan. Will you find out the sex ?

Lovely lovely photo too Yarnie. Hope the wound heals soon !

Jolly - I give L a bottle first thing, then one mid afternoon and then one at bed time (and then one if she wakes in the night...). She has water (or juice ocassionally) with meals but don't think she gets much although today I was out with her and didn't take her sippy cup and she was drinking from a carton of apple juice with a straw which I was quite surprised she knew what to do (might be helped by the fact dd1 insists on drinking everything through a straw). So that's it for me - I'll just lob her a carton of ribena every now and then ().

Hi all, was a bit optimitic there with the sleep...I'll moan on a bit later.
Love the pics, y'all!
And welcome back Slick, I feel for you it must have been a tough time. You are doing so well, with three kids!!! Hope you feel better soon!

Jolly: Ben has breakfast, milk, lunch, milk (sometimes, sometimes not) and dinner, milk. In an attempt to improve his night wakings and early wakings, I've now decided to stop feeding him at night. Seriously, if he could sleep through from 3-8 months while still only mostly on milk, he should be ok now! And the past two days, that I've given him diluted milk at night, he's been drinking and eating much better during the day. But I think he's on his way to only two milk feeds, which my HV told one of my friends is ok.

Boobz: Very impressed with your sleep training, I'm going to be doing somthing similar with lo over the next few weeks, now that he is not ill any longer. I am tired beyond belief, and it's having a real bad knock-onn effect on my relationship with dh and life in general. I don't have the heart for serious cc, I know ths gentler method will take longer, but at the moment hoping that the gradual move to only water will be one less incentive to wake at night. Not that he wakes every single night, which is confounding because you spend the next day trying to figure out what you did 'right' and duplicating it - which usually backfires, lol!

I'm 36 now. Feel old, but will feel younger again as sleep comes back. And on a diet, seriously...

mdavza Sorry to hear about your sleeping woes. I hope you see some improvement very soon.

We're not much better, but managing ok on our one or twice nightly wakings and found that the sleep training wiped us out more. Spike did end up sleeping through, but then started teething again the following day! We'll give training a bash every time he isn't teething and see where that gets us.

In other news - we have first steps! Spike can walk two steps before falling on his bum! Two is his limit at the moment, but every time he manages, he looks so delighted! Such fun

Such a dreary Monday. I'm determined to be productive - still so much wedding stuff to sort out: invites, cakes, etc.

Hi everyone. I will try and upload some pics of the boys asap although atm I have no pics of Thomas and Daniel on the computer as my USB cable is awol, will need to get some from ex (who only recently found his USB cable!!) We hardly took any of them for the first week, feel really bad about it now.

Am feeling really low in general, getting no sleep since Tom never does and I spend my life holding him, consoling him etc, and Danny in contrast just never cries or emotes really, seems totally unfussed by me. I'm just really struggling to bond with them in honesty. Also worried about James, he's 11 months in a few days and he's still not crawling let alone walking, still hasn't said anything (no Mamas or Dadas here). My mum has been drilling it into me that at this stage it's nothing to worry about at all but I have so many other people telling me that he's developing too slowly. I suppose the fact that he's very tall with a full head of hair makes him appear a lot older so makes his slowness to develop seem exaggerated.

Oh, Loli. That sounds tough. No sleep is awful, especially when you must have so much to contend with during the day. Any chance someone can come and babysit for an hour or two during the day so you can get a nap in?

As for Tom's mobility, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Spike only started crawling a few weeks ago and now he's already onto his first steps. I'm sure when Tom starts, you'll be surprised how quickly he gets going. A good friend of mine's son who is the same age as our gang is also not crawling - chances are, he's completely able but just isn't doing it.

If you're really worried, speak to a professional and put your mind at rest. Don't just stew on it - I'm sure you have plenty of other things to keep your mind occupied!

I am sure you are performing daily heroics. We're all in huge admiration of you here

Can I be a part of the few and the proud even if all I?ve done for two months is lurk faithfully?

Loli, I'm with Yarnie ? we all admire what you?re doing, and I hope you can suss out some relief tutto posto.

Mdavza ? will be counting on you for good news in the sleep training department. Rhys is still waking up at least 2 to 3 times a night and nursing heavily each time, so we are going to have DP start doing bottle feeds at night and progressively diluting the formula each time in the hopes that this will convince him it?s not worth the effort to wake up. Like you, I?m utterly pooped and can?t understand why he?s never slept more than 4 hours at a stretch! At 10 months! Grrrr.

But as with everyone else, we keep getting hit with illnesses that sabotage our best efforts at sleep training. As of yesterday: enter pinkeye, stage right. Poor little goobery eyes.

Boobz ? Pen is gorgeous ? and if I haven?t already said this (can?t remember), CONGRATS!

Jolly ? hope Mae is well and truly recovered.

Slick ? sounds like you?ve had a rough time ? it was nice to see you posting again!

On the home front here, Rhys still isn?t crawling, preferring to slither serpentlike at high speed, but he?s now cruising along the furniture with grim determination. And he loves ? LOVES ? books. Every evening when we get home from the nursery, he demands to be put in front of his books at the coffee ? only then can the coat come off, and we settle in for 30-45 minutes of reading. Nice.

Down side: after such a promising start, he?s gotten very fussy about eating and really can?t be bothered with solids. Does okay at nursery for lunch, but I can stand on my head and recite Tennyson backward for all the good it does when I try to get him to eat. Any tips?

Right ? speaking of nursery ? gotta go get the little man!

Sorry, Loli - I meant James, of course.

Corgi Spike is also not so into food at the moment. Not fussy, just not bothered about solids. He'll only eat a few spoonfuls of any one thing. I find he eats more if I offer him a selection. Must be a phase. I've started to think he has too much milk - 6 feeds a day (and often another one or two at night). Who knows?

I was checking out your photos of Rhys and I love the way he's hardly changed since birth He's just filled out and got bigger. I bet he'll be one of those guys you can easily identify from their baby photos! So sweet!

loli if James is worrying you, SEE A GP, honestly it is the only thing that will stop you worrying. I think I'm the only mummy on here with a babe with a disability, and DS1 wasn't doing anything at the right milestone (he sat up unaided at 9 mo, crawled at 11 mo, walked at 3) and seeing a professional was the only way to get piece of mind. We didn't bond until he was 4 mo either, just different personalities.

Mummies with fussy babies, we've got it too, we just put it down to babies learning independence and refusing food is one way of asserting it. We just offer and don't make a big deal of it.

Loli, it says in all the books that crawling isn't a reliable developmental milestone. But as Lau says, see what the doc says - don't rely on hearsay or HVs! I also know that when M was born, DD1 regressed slightly, so you might need to factor that in as well perhaps? Hope you're getting all the support you need right now.

Melissa is fussy sometimes and then other times just can't get enough food. I've been working long days recently and she's been taking a bottle, but my heart's still not quite into weaning her off the breast yet. She's waking twice, sometimes three times a night still, but it seems more manageable than it was a month ago.

Does roaring count as a first word? I've been roaring to her when we get to a picture of a lion or tiger in a book, and she's started copying me! Well it's not quite a roar, more of a frog-in-throat effort but it's definitely deliberate!

Oops, didn't mean my last post to be so scary! Should point we knew from 6w there was something amiss, I would agree with Miss, may be regression.

hello ladies! I was thinking of you all and finally figured out where to find our thread - have been trying to get up to date with all your news.......Boobz is pregnant - whoo hoo - congratulations! And congrats to Loli too.

Also nice to see everyone else again - and all the new pics - have put some new ones of Rosie up for you.

Anyhoo........the reason I was thinking of you all was after Rosie's dramatic trip to A&E. DH was feeding her - a jar of Hipp Organic - and he phoned me to say that she choked and he had to lie her on his knee and whack her on the back. He was a bit freaked out by it so I stayed on the phone chatting to him (I was at work) when he freaked out even more - there were bits of glass in the baby food! DH dials 999 and Rosie was whisked off to the Sick Kids Hospital - and the x-ray showed a teeny (thank god only teeny) bit of glass in her tummy.

It looked as if the jar had shattered on the inside and was being held together by the label. DH said it was pretty solid when he was holding it so he had no idea.

It was very scary - though Rosie was chirpy througout and loved her trip to hospital where there were lots of new poeple to wave and clap at.

So - that is why I thought of you all - to warn you to decant any jars of food before you feed your wee ones.

Will post more when I have caught up on everyone's news and photos.

Oh and welcome back slick - I think you have been awol longer than me (and keep looking after yourself!)!

Oh my god Meep, that is AWFUL! I'm so glad Rosie is ok!!

How worrying meep ! Glad all is ok. Good to see you back too and lovely pics of Rosie - esp the father christmas one ('who the hell are you ?!' !

yarnie - well done Spike on first steps. These babies are really growing up aren't they ?? Sob...

Corgi - good to see you back too and great pics. Hope you get the food sorted.

Not much to add here although L did decide to sleep last night which was fab but sadly her big sister decided to throw up at 4 am. I think I am fast learning the meaning of sods law.

Hmm.. will try and add a new pic of L.

OMG Meep that sounds awful. Did they try and get the glass out? DD1 swallowed a bit of plastic last year which they said would probably come out in the wash, as it were.

Am so tired. M was up three times last night. Off to bed.

morning all.

Missmod they didn't try to get it out - it has reached her tummy and I think from there it will have a more "cushioned" exit ! Loving the "roaring" by the way!

Took her to the docs this morning as she had a wee sick after her milk - but they were pretty relaxed about the whole thing.

Since I last posted in November we have run the gauntlet of good and bad nights. Whenever Rosie is teething (she now has 5 teeth) she wakes up at the slightest squeak of noise and howls. She also decided that 5am was the best time to start the day - ugh. But I am pleased to report that she seems to have settled down now and sleeps until about 6.30am from about 7.30pm - so I am back in the land of the living again (I was useless at work when she was waking early!)

Wheely hope L's big sis is okay - sods law always works in this house too.

Yarnie - first steps - wow! No walking or standing here- but Rosie has perfected crawling and loves disappearing round the house to explore!

Food for us has been no problem - Rosie just loves eating anything (except bananas!). She is doing great with finger food - but needs LOTS to eat so it can take forever. I swear she eats more than her big sister sometimes!

Loli - would echo what everyone else has said about crawling - do get James checked out - but my dd1 NEVER craled - just wentg from sitting in one place and stretching for things to finally bum shuffling to walking. Nor did she ever roll.

Corgie, Rosie loves books too - but her big sis won't let her have any so any book reading normally melts down into a screeching match !

Mdavza - I really am on a diet - have lost half a stone and am back at the dreaded weightwatchers. Only 3 more stone to go - ugh!

jolly both of mine are getting their flu jab next week - I think I am always on teh side of vaccinating than not. TBH I am more worried about how I am going to explain it to my toddler - she is not going to be amused!

Right - offt o get a coffee - Rosie has finally fallen asleep and dd1 is in nursery and I am not in work - whoo hoo!

So glad Rosie is okay, meep - how horrifying!

True confession time: I have always felt the tiniest bit smug that Rhys has never been a vomiter - even when he was little, he'd never spit up.

I am now reaping the consequences of that smugness, because stomach flu has hit the corgi household and I have spent the better part of three days covered in litres of vomit. Poor little man - he is just miserable. DP took him to the doctor this evening and came home with a battery of meds (good news is she's not particularly worried about him, as he's still having wet nappies, although he's put on barely any weight since November):

Enterol to reestablish the beneficial gut flora
Motilium suppositories to use before meals (WHAT meals?)
Electrolytes to give after every loose stool

I am slightly perplexed, though, as both the Enterol and electrolytes are soluble powders and one dose of each is basically a full bottle of milk/formula (250 mls). He hasn't taken more than 60 mls at any one time for the last four days, so I've no idea how he's going to get the quantity he needs. We tried just now giving him a pre-bedtime bottle with the Enterol and he drank exactly 40 mls before falling dead asleep.

And now I hear more ominous regurgitating sounds coming from his cot.

Oh, Corgi. That sounds awful . Poor wee man. Spike had a very protracted diarrhoea episode (nearly 3 weeks) and that was bad enough. I don't think there's much you can do other than offer the meds and hope what he does take, helps. I had a similar issue as Spike would not touch the electrolyte solution with a barge pole. Keep an eye on his nappies and go to the docs again if you think he's getting dehydrated. Little and often also worked with us. Hope he gets better soon.

oh corgi poor Rhys.

Rosie had 3 weeks of vomit just when I went back to work. We ended up in hospital (bit of a recurring theme here ) because she couldn't keep anything down. They gave her 3.5mls of the electrolyte solution every 5 mins for over an hour - it got her tummy used to having something in it - and after that she was more able to keep her milk down.

Rosie seemed to love the electrolyte stuff - especially the banana flavour which produced the most disguting smelling vomit - yack!

What are the suppositories for? Just interested as you you don't really get anything more than electrolyte solution here in the UK.

Three weeks of vomiting? My head is reeling at the very thought, meep - poor Rosie, and poor you!

I've just been down to the chemist's and gotten some banana-flavoured and some unflavoured electrolytes to see if he'll take either of those, since the orange flavour is a definite no-go. We may have to resort to administering it in in 3-ml quantities with a syringe if he won't drink it normally - I'm not anxious to do that, but as he had three MASSIVE diarrheal episodes in the middle of the night I'm starting to get seriously worried about dehydration. Touch wood, we seem to have gotten past the vomiting - which is what the suppositories are for, just like the Motilium adults take (do they have that in the UK?) - an anti-spasmodic.

He'll nurse a bit, but wants nothing to do with a bottle, so we've not been able to get any of the Enterol into him either. It's horrible seeing him unwell and not understanding what's going on!

On the (small) bright side, we had a lovely dusting of snow last night and the sun is trying gamely to shine today. I walked through the park on the way to the chemist's and some mums and dads were out with their little ones on the very small hill having a go at sledding. Nice!