November 09 - rolling, laughing and cutting teeth ... but us mama's are still not getting sleep!!

[scarlotti]

New thread for us

I know it's quite early for weaning. He's 21 weeks tomorrow. I hope it's not the wrong thing. It was basically brought about by a complete lack of sleep, constant feeding blah blah blah. It feels like he's been having a growth spurt for over a month ie 2 hourly feeds, but this increased to hourly feeds 24 hours a day! I couldn't keep up... Still trying to take it slowly though. He's had 1oz of food a day for past 2 days and will have the same today. Am hoping to keep it low key for a while.

Glad you have Berie there! We have a monkey which seems to solve small problems.

I don't feel like myself any more either.

We've got a complimentary meal tomorrow so we will be going out on a date! One of the guys on DP's rugby team owns a steakhouse which is having a grand reopening after renovations and I'm never one to pass up a free meal! Went to my DB's today as they're babysitting for us tomorrow evening. Not only was Ethan an angel all morning, he even napped on their bed with no complaint whatsoever for over an hour. Little scamp isn't that well behaved for his mum. But at least I won't need to worry about him settling tomorrow.

Laugs I had started a mum & toddler group but willbe going back to work full time in about 11wks so didn't really see the point of keeping it up. I think I just need to get out and visit people more, my 3 SILs have kids so are happy to have visitors during the week.

Off out tonight for dinner but this time we'll be paying for our meal! My nephew is ten today. He's the eldest of the next generation, I think we're all feeling it today. It's been a busy ten years in our family!

Oh, I hope I didn't make you feel bad with what I said about weaning, Laugs. What I meant was that I can't believe the time's gone by so quickly! (Sorry if I did)

DWB you know what the solution is, don't you? Palm Ethan off more often! Enjoy your outings and happy birthday to your nephew.

I'm starting to think it was not the best idea to move 1.5hr away from all family (scant as it is) and friends before having Lucy. It's a big trek for anybody to just come and babysit for us (Mum doesn't drive either, so has to take buses and train). I also have to take my head out of the sand soon re childcare on going back to work. The Uni have nursery places, I put Lucy on the list and am number 270. For about 60 places... What are the chances?

No, no, I make myself feel bad! I never planned to wean so early (although DD was before 6 months too, but more like 5.5 months) and now feel - like so much with this second child - it's just kind of happened, whereas everything with DD was deliberated over to the nth degree. I guess that often happens with number 2. Not enough head space! I need more sleep though...

Our family are also far away, which is rubbish re lack of help. I fantasise about my mum living round the corner so she could take the kids for the evening or something. None of our good friends really have kids, so while they do babysit, I feel bad asking as we can't reciprocate.

How long do you have to move 271 places up the list?? I think you might have to look elsewhere!

Ooh DWB a date! How exciting. We need to have a date, even if it is just in the flat when the kids have gone to bed. Unfortunately James and I have the same bedtime most nights but maybe I will push the boat out for the weekend!

Don't feel bad, just do what feels right at the time.

I have to back by November... As I said, head in the sand. We're not going to win the lottery by then so I can stay at home, are we...? Damn!

Ooh we should so have a November 09 lottery syndicate! All of our problems re small flats, job worries, annoying parents, lack of childcare could be solved with six lucky numbers...

All the money in the world won't make the little blighters sleep though.

Good one!

Lucy has just gone off for her second nap of the day... Her bedtime is usually 7pm. With an hour's feeding before. Good job I just had a bath with her. What a messed up day.

Hang on, DH has just gone out cycling and BANGED THE FLIPPING DOOR AS USUAL so maybe she'll wake up.

Yep, that's done it. Off for some evening cuddles and a feed.

No family here either so we're stuck for help. DD is great for the odd night out thankfully though.

Co-sleeping - I take him in from the 4am feed. I console myself with the fact that he goes to sleep in his bed at 7pm then again after the 11pm dream feed, and so when he stops feeding in the night (will he ever?!) then he'll wake up in his own bed too. I can't consider anything else as I need the sleep from that time in the morning.

Weaning - we tried a little at 17 weeks but I ended up stopping. Started again a few weeks back (about 21 weeks) as the feeding had gone mental, and we did tea first. A week later I introduced breakfast, then a week later lunch. He's now on 3 meals a day and loving it. I'm trying to just go with the flow and let him take the lead. Not least as I can't seem to find the time to go to clinic to ask a HV!

DS1 has been on verbal onslaught today. I am overstimulated!

skorpion at your dh!

scarlotti, yes, he just doesn't do quiet... I don't know if it's because of the baby, but I have grown more and more sensitive to noise.

Well, said baby is asleep. I think she must be exhausted - only half an hour nap in the morning.

Let's hope for a good night all round.

Going back to books I am currently reading Stephen King's 'Lisey's Story'. Read it before but really love it. I had a phase of reading all his horror stories and was never as impressed as with his more 'normal' writings. Not that this one isn't spooky. I loved 'The Green Mile', too.

good start ninja 3 stone is my first aim and ideally 5 stone, not sure whether pounds is better than stones but not a fan of kilos! r u doing anything in particular?

went to weaning session today, felt like should had bells out and was the eveil one for starting pre 6 months but can't believe in 2 years the guidance is now straight to full on 3 adult food meals with no restrictions at 6 months!!

anyone else's DD/DS developed a high pitched squawking noise, particularly late afternoon..is it tiredness? teething? hunger??

weston yes to the noise. I thought it's just her discovering her voice and how loud it can get. She seems to like the sound of it. Haven't associated it with anything but haven't tried to, either.

Good luck with the dieting! May I ask what you're doing? I'm rubbish at it but ought to lose maybe a stone... In an ideal world. I found doing a crash drastic diet like Atkins or Danish sets things off, but a definite no-no while breastfeeding.

yes to the noise here and if I remember correctly it is just that they've discovered they can make different sounds. We had a comedy cough here this morning!

weston interesting message from your weaning session. Am worried here that I'm going too much too soon with the food, but he really loves it. Never easy is it?

skorpion sensitive to noise here too, it's worse when I'm tired I find. I love Stephen King - have you read Insomnia? That's brilliant if you like the more spooky ones.
Bought Genesis by Karin Slaughter today, her books are great although the subject matter is a bit gruesome!

Evening all,

Funnily enough me and dh were just talking about the fact that we weren't spending any quality time together as a couple although we are going out for dinner next wednesday for our date night! We've only had sex once since having Millie so need to address that too, I'm just so damn tired though.

Re losing weight, went to the Gym for the first time since having Millie, woo hoo!

I'm thinking of starting giving purees as well as the blw as still no food is going in properly and I really want Millie to start sleeping through. Am thinking of doing some carrot and potatoe to start off with, any other suggestions?

I have started potty training ds today with no success, no wees in the potty, just all over the floor! Oh well, we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

pav sorry your dh didn't get the job, how is he taking it? Hope something turns up soon. Dh has been made redundant twice in 18 months, it is a crappy time work wise at the moment...

shhhhhhh two children, in bed and asleep by 7:30pm. God knows i am not expecting it to last, but thank you in advance for your kind words of marvellous parenting hehe!

Now, all i need is a huge glass of wine. Tomorrow. I shall be solvent again then til the end of the day no doubt .

laugs i am so with you on the whole going with it with the second child. We were also much more conscious of making a specific choice over things with DD, it was much more 'clinical' though i guess, following 'rules' more, things being more precise, calculated, lots more books read! This time, still reading, things change, but more fluid about how and when things happen. Like weaning. I wanted initially to wait longer (he is 22 weeks on sat, 5 months exact today) but he is very ready and has been for while, so we just followed his lead, with DD, that lead was not so easy to spot. I don't think it is a bad thing to be more fluid with the second, i think its perhaps more 'natural' as we know what we are doing more sometimes. If he is eating the food and enjoying it, you are not doing the wrong thing at all. I am impressed with the whole weighing it out business though, i had never thought of that!

I gave him a lick of some apple puree this afternoon. I cooked up some bramleys to puree in my new whizzy processor, and DH insisted i could not feed it to him as it was too sour. He suggested sugar in it . I had this discussion with him re DD as she started eating. 'she can't have porridge with no sugar in, it is vile, it needs sweetening' no, you think it is vile, because your mother put sugar in all your food to get you to eat it, DD knows no different' Even now, i never put sugar on any of her food, he does, she eats them both the same. anyway I put a little on my finger, and he grabbed my hand before i could touch his lips with it, and shoved it in his mouth!!! He licked his lips, opened his mouth, looked curious, then his eyes went ping! and he wanted more! (and DD ate two bowls full of the too sour apple wink]). He just absolutely loved it, but resisted the temptation of giving him more than that lick as he had already eaten a million spoonfuls of carrot for lunch.

Go Bella and Reuben!! Keep it up boys and girls.

Wonderful to read all these weaning stories. Pavlov, I imagine it'll be hard for me to resist giving Lucy more than just tiny bits to begin with. I bet they look sooo cute when they get these first tastes.

I agree with your points about not adding sugar to things. My poison is salt and I just cannot imagine anything tasting nice without it (hate it when they don't put it in bread or cook rice or pasta without it in restaurants ). But a kid doesn't know any different so it is the best time to start with the good habits, isn't it? I still live in the la-la-land of believing I can keep lucy off sweets. If only I can get rid of this damn sweet tooth she gave me when I was carrying her...

Oh, I know it's bad to want them to get on to the next stage, they are babies for such a fleeting short time, but I can't wait to wean! Really looking forward to it.

pav and skorpion interesting thread on weaning here which shows how you should be at the stage of introducing protein by 6 months, so if you want to go slow then you need to start with first tastes earlier than 6 months.
Salt is a big no-no for babies as their kidneys can't process it, can make it hard to use family meals though when you're used to the taste in pasta etc. I don't cook with it so it doesn't bother me, but dh uses it in everything.
I don't put sugar in the dc's food either, don't see the need for it. I do put it on my cereal though so guess more of a do as I say than as I do

scarlotti but that is because your tastebuds are used to the taste of sugar, so that is ok! DH is a flavouring monster, he covers everything in salt/pepper, or sweet stuff with sugar. It drives me mad, esp as I don't like pepper. He puts it on my food and is like 'its not gross, its flavour enhancer, it is seasoning, you cant taste it, it improves the food' blah blah. No, it tastes like pepper. He put some in our sarnies today and DD was like 'daaaad! i don't like spike (spice) why have you made mine spikey?' and he tried to say it had none in it, and she said 'so why is my tongue all tingly then?' .

I am doing one day of food for 5 days, increasing the amounts a little each day as he is very keen to gobble lots. I don't want to overdo it and make him sick, but i think he would eat more if i stuffed it in him in fact I know he would have eaten the lot (1 cube of carrot plus some baby milk). Skorpion, it is fun and it has taken a lot of willpower to wait til he was desperate for it and not like 'oh look he is chewing get the food out!'

sirboob a tip for your new spangly food processor, to save money - buy normal porridge oats, and use the Mill attachment to powder it up. Tada! Baby Porridge for a quarter of the price of I did it this afternoon and had lots of fun! I also made apple puree and frozen fruit milkshakes . Tomorrow, I am going to cook an entire meal using it i heart it very much

I am doing one food a day for 5 days, not the other way round

Am still very of the food processors!

Am looking forward to him turning 6 months as then will use things like weetabix and oats for his breakfast. I have bought a box of baby porridge, but only as he was starting breakfast before the 6 month mark. I'd like him to start having a variety of tastes for brekkie that aren't all formula-ified and creamy sweet.

Pav lol at your DD's 'spikey'

you wanna see it? It does everything apart from the washing up It even does bread dough !

and it is compact so ideal for my pokey kitchen, means i can have it on the side except it comes with a million gadgets .