November '09 and the months are flying by, our 3 month plus troop, and us, the knitted boob group!

[SirBoobAlot]

New thread, we chat so much!

TOK yes, I suspect that might be the difficult bit, but heck, even one night is nice.

Raggie [grin} at baby going to sleep after being told to! If only it was always that easy! I started soothing in the night about a week ago as James was just not hungry for his 7am feed after feeding in the night, even if only given a small amount. So I could tell that he didn't need the night feeds and just needed to learn to sleep through instead. He was just coming to the end of a growth spurt thing where he was hungry much more so the contrast was pretty strong. The first few nights I did feed about 4.30am after soothing around 2am, but then cut that feed too. We had two nights of waking at 5am and only sleeping a little until feed time at 7am but kept him in his room and in his cot as much as possible. Lord, I hope that it continues to work. Heck, even the 5am ones meant a 6hr block of sleep which was BLISS. Good luck!!

Scarlotti I did do the 2hr feeds for about a week, but we're back to 3hrly now and that seems to keep him happy. Sorry to hear that Ioan's so restless again, kind of expected to hear that HE'd slept through the night too. Bummer...

Another jealous mum here too Venus but well done James and long may it continue

So far today we seem to be heading back to the usual pattern of feeds and naps, although I think I fed him just before his nap when he was actually tired!! Anyone else's baby quite happy to accept boob whenever it's offered, hungry or not?! I do struggle with the demand thing in those situations - happy to feed him whenever he's hungry, but if he'll eat whether hungry or not then that's not right surely?!!

TOK there are some lovely cushions you can get now for wooden highchairs that might fit the one you have from your mil. Look at cushions for babydan or stokke highchairs.

I might just carry on using the bouncy chair and bumbo seat whilst he can't quite hold himself up, and then find a way to improvise with the bits I've lost from the babydan chair. Sigh, an opportunity to buy baby stuff is lost

Venus am going to tell Ioan that his psychic connection needs some fine tuning and we'll see what tonight brings I think we might be more like 3 hourly today again, handy as then I might not have to whip my boob out in the meeting and am hoping it won't be too long before we get a decent block at night as he doesn't take much at 5am or again at 7. Ioan is still in with me though so I might well pick him up earlier than he needs on autopilot.
With you on the 5am being great though, although after my 6 hour block yesterday I felt more tired!!!

venus YEY! and but mostly YEY! well done James, i really hope it lasts!

Nothing of the sort this end. He woke more times that I am happy with that is for sure! He does this little squeaky wimpery cry when i put him down, sort of reminds me of wind, but no wind. I am wondering if he is suffering a bit with teething pain, DD fed lots at night when she was teething, til we realised it was that. So tonight I am going to give him calpol and see if it makes a difference as 3 nights in a row seem too many to be building up my milk.

I read some interesting stuff about eczema, and also saw some interesting photos. Realised 2 things. 1)i have/had eczema!!! Never knew that! I have suffered from little tiny weeny blisters that turn into hard dry skin on my feet/toes, it comes and goes throughout the year and I blamed it on sailing/caneing in lakes etc picked up some bacterial infection that reoccurs. I also have them come up on my ears since i was little, but bigger and did not think it was related - only once or twice a year if that. So, these photos I looked at. Guess what I saw - ?!! exactly the same as what I have both on my feet and on my ears!!! 2) hayfever is linked with eczema, as well as the more specific form of Rhinitis which I had vague knowledge of but had no reason to look into it more. This could easily explain what is going on with Reuben, with his constant mucous/runny nose, could be Rhinitis/hay fever/dust allergy AND, I have suffered from Rhinitis all my life, not so bad now as an adult, but as a child/teenager I suffered from it horribly (in particular going in from cold to hot places, embarrassing when walking into a room and my nose starts to stream!) Isn't it funny the things you forget as an adult and remember when something happens, I never even thought that I had any kind of hayfever etc, but i did! DH has Atopic eczema as well as allergic eczema (allergic to anything metal apart from typically Titanium, so he says ), he also has a dust allergy. So the poor boy does not stand a chance really. Although DD has none of it. Thankfully.

Sorry for the ramble. I shall blame the lack of sleep.

trikken hope you managed to get some sleep

scarlotti I so agree with you on the baby accepting boob whether hungry or not. Reuben's favourite position is sidewards hugging my boob, he is quite content to just lay there and suckle/eat all day if I let him. He is currently in his rocker desperately tired, already full of milk, and crying. He keeps looking up at me with this sad pitiful face, saying 'mama, i need milk to sleep' and he so does not so I am trying to rock him to sleep as really don't want to get into the habit of him suckling to sleep. i did that with Bella for various reasons and it was hard work to break the habit. But i might well give in today as I have a headache and want some quiet. DH has gone out to 'support' a friend who is looking after his 8 month old baby on his own this week as his partner has returned to work and he is the carer now. How nice of him.

I'm so jealous as well of babies sleeing through the night. I'm finding it very difficult to work out whats going on with sleep patterns. I would love to keep him up a bit later in the evening but he's so tired by 7pm, I can just about push to 7.30pm. We had multiple wakings here (this week) and he was wide awake chirping at me at 4.30am. I managed another 30 mins and then had to give up at 5am and bring him downstairs.

Also, lots of feeding. Not sure if it's hunger or for comfort. He's getting angry at times when the milk doesn't come out quick enough. He has to work at the boob a bit longer before the milk appears. This is a new thing as my milk used to shoot out.

Scarlotti We have very loud shrieks! I seem to have a very noisey baby!! Also, Ikea sell a cheap highchair which seems to do the job.

I'm feeling rather stressed this morning I received my email confirming my DS1's place at school. None of my choices were offered . I now have to wait for the postman to deliver in writing what school has been offered. I'm dreading it, and I actually feel very sick about the whole thing. I really didn't want DS to go to any of the other schools in our area, but the 2 out of 3 I did choose were very close by. DH is away so I had a cry down the phone to my mum instead. I can't stand the waiting.

Go James, Go James, Go James....

Hmph we are getting nocturnal activity here (of the baby kind not the baby making kind) and I don't like it! Alfie woke at 12am then 4am then fed from 4 on and off until 7am. Grrr

... all I have to say

fruit oh how horrible for you re your son's school place. Is this for secondary or primary school? I am waiting to hear about DDs school placement, at primary school, though I don't think i will hear til the end of the month. I have also chosen schools out of her catchment area, which means if don't get my choices, they will pick either the local catchment area or another dire area. My job means I just cannot have her at the local schools as some of my clients/past clients' children. But the reality is that is many of the schools as I live in a city and I am sure they will not accept my reasons as valid for ALL the schools (which only leaves the best schools being suitable for her!!)

ok, venus, I am also a tiny little bit happy for you
raggie, I will try and speak to Paula this night by she doesn't seem to like listening...
pavlov, I guess, somehow it is good to know it now. I might in fact do some research too. I have constantly a runny nose, didn't actually know that this has a proper name. I thought I either have a cold or hayfever (I am allergic to many things, only slightly though) but this runny nose because it is cold in the morning or because of temperature change sounds very familiar to me.
london, I will not take the pram as I do not fancy all the stairs involved when taking the tube. So one less to park. In fact, this might also be a good way to recognise me, as the sling is in bright yellow/orange and I guess you can see me from far

Pav it's for primary. Don't know why they couldn't advise me of the chosen school on the email. I phoned the admissions team and they wouldn't tell me over the phone either. I didn't think it would get to me this much Come on POSTMAN!! I do hope it arrives today, another night of waiting would just be torture. Good luck with your news

i have just found this but worth doing some more digging. It is good to know in that it explains a lot of Reuben's symptoms and means I can keep an eye and have something to tell the gp if I need intervention for him in the future, also means I can do stuff to help manage it for him. I have never really done anything about my 'whatever they are' and I am sure i won't change much now it has a name, except I won't wear socks when I have the sore feet, which I did before as I thought it was contagious, but that is probably making it worse. I have just learnt to deal with the side effects of a runny nose like taking tissues with me and I am sure if I saw the gp he would not do anything or recommend anything I don't already do. It is just a name. Interesting that you have it too though, have you always had it?

Oh does that mean the results are out for everyone? Or just your area? I might go take a look...will it make a difference to how you proceed, ie if you get a school you don't want, will you appeal? Consider alternative education? There are probably around 6 schools in the area that DD will not go to, under any circumstances, in particular our local one. If we get one of these, will not send her to school this year, home educate/continue nursery instead and put her on the waiting list (if there is one) for next year instead, and then we will home educate until she goes to the school(s) of our choice. I can't have her wanting playdates with a child of someone who's father i sent to prison [shock

Just checked - our primary school allocations will be 26th March, so next week. I don't want her to go to school yet, she is my big little baby

It's all too stressful Pav. I live in an area which has a high rate of anti-social behaviour, but it's mixed with good, respectable families. When we moved here we never anticipated still living in this house when our DS got to school age, but then the credit crunch hit and we couldn't move. It didn't cross my mind that we wouldn't be offered any of our choices. DS is 5 in November, so I could hold him back until Jan 2011 and continue with pre-school and home learning. I need to work (I'm a childminder) so home education isn't an option. Admissions have told me to accept the school place offered (otherwise I'll be left with nothing!) and be on the waiting lists for our original choices. If I have to appeal then I will. I need to get my head around it all once the letter arrives. I live in hope that they give me a school that I'm actually happy with. I think it's only my area finding out today... I'm off to bury my head in the sand

My boy is my big little baby too I now have a headache..

am still waiting for an email to confirm ds's primary school. I hope its the local one as I cant drive and I wouldn't want him to have to catch a bus every day whilst he's still so little.

fruit same as us, we did not anticipate being in this area when DD went to school. The area, like yours is a good area mixed with anti-social behaviour (an estate notorious from it on the other side of the school). home education at this age, it does not involve a lot more than you are probably already doing. I don't think the whole home ed thing is too strict at primary school, and it does not have to be done in school hours. As school is not compulsory til 5, we will do as you say mix the two (nursery and home) for this year IF she does not get the school of our choice next year and we cannot move, I will work part time and DH will work part time and we will do home ed on loose terms between us and keep on trying to get the school of our choice. The most important thing for DD we feel at this age though, is socialisation, so if she does not go to school we would have to work very very hard to socialise her in other ways.

Can you defer the school offered? So if you get a school you don't want, you can defer it til next year and wait to see if your school of choice comes up in the meantime?

fruit i hope you get a school you want or that is acceptable. Good luck x

fruit (hugs) my heart goes out to you. I feel sick just thinking about schools for DD. Like you, we never thought when we moved here that we'd still be here at school age. I don't have to apply until November but there's no chance we'll move before that now.
I hope the school you are offered is one you are happy with. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. x

This whole primary school thing. So the local authority now decides what school your dc goes to? Is it the same everywhere? We have decided to stay put in this house for a couple of years because I presumed it would mean ds got into the closest primary school which is really outstanding. Does this mean he might not then??

fruit, pav, trikken, hope you get the schools you want.

Well, you know those 1.5 hour naps we were all longing for?? Anya has been asleep for, oh, nearly 2 hours!!!! And what productive things have I done with my time? Apart from have lunch with ds in peace, nada, not a sausage. I kept saying to myself "I suppose I should clean the bathroom/hoover the house/wash the windows. Nah, I'm sure she'll wake up soon." And now am regretting not doing it! That'll teach me.

Fruit am so sorry you haven't got your chosen school. Our decision doesn't come until May and we have a shortage of places for primary in Brighton & Hove. The school I want only has one form entry and I'm lower down the criteria list than many so it will be tenterhooks here too. I know of a few people who live equidistant from a few schools and haven't got into any of their choices and so have been given one elsewhere.
I have been through the appeal process for DD so if I can help in any way then do let me know.

TOK you get to put down 3 choices (in our area anyway) and then places get allocated by distance after sn kids and siblings. Which school you get depends on how close you are and how many applicants there are that year nearer than you. In our area, each choice is treated as a first choice, and if you get into more than one then you get offered the place at the top of you list.

TOK its good to have time where you dont do much, enjoy it!

Its the same way here Scarlotti, Am hoping that he gets into our catchment school, but it is really small.

Afternoon all

fruit sorry to hear you didn't get your school choice and fingers crossed you can appeal.

london meet very sad I can't come along. Had my first family meal in giraffe near Victoria with DH and Isaac and was really impressed.

tok v jealous of 2 hour nap!

Isaac's sleep is all over the place at the moment. I really hope it's because he's teething and it's not going to be like this forever. He's waking up pretty much every 45 mins and is now absolutely refusing to go in his cot so is in our bed all the time. I had booked onto a health programme at my local children's centre and the first session was supposed to be on sleep today but the health visitor didn't turn up

We've started BLW of a fashion but so far he is only at the picking up bits of food and licking them stage. Pretty cool to see him pick up broccoli florets and sticks of cucumber! We've got a bogstandard ikea plastic highchair which is very easy to clean.

Annabelle seems to sleep a lot, she'll have a nap at about half nine til eleven, then again at one til three/half three then then usually down for the night about seven.