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

[scarlotti]

New thread for us

Hello! Just popping in to say hello. I've been very quiet lately because I'm back at work and I seem to be busy from 7.30am-8.30pm when the last child is tucked up in bed zzzzz. But it is doing me so much good, my mood that is, I think I am just a workaholic at heart. I hope everyone is enjoying this amazing weather.

I don't have the clothes for this... judging by my handy Met Office widget we seem to be the only place in the UK with thunderstorms today. Pah.

Re. Vtech walkers: we were given one for dd1 rather against our wishes. It was horrible. Noisy noisy noisy and utterly captivating for babies. Even when they are finished playing, it starts up again to lure them back. We likened it to a one-armed bandit, and prayed for the batteries to run out. This time we will be sticking to the brick trolley...

We didn't have a sit-in walker as we didn't have space for it. I don't think we'll have one this time either. DD1 didn't walk until 18 months but she was (and is) a great talker so we didn't worry about it. I. is happily sitting up but just lolls around on the floor not doing much when lying so I suspect she'll be like her sister and get around to rolling back-to-front when she can be bothered, and then use rolling as a means of transport for the best part of the next year.

DH was on a golf outing yesterday and 'forgot' to put on suncream (cloudy). Boy, is he paying for it today. Stupid boy.

Hello all Hope you're enjoying the weather. Today was the "First first" - DPs Dads birthday. Have done my best to keep him occupied, he seems okay. Text his mum this morning (she's my new text buddy ) and she said she'd had a hard time last night. It must be so hard for her...

But anyway - we went out, got drinks with friends, and then had ice cream as we walked home. Let Bryn try some and he seemed rather keen; only was a little bit off my finger, think it was cold on his gums if nothing else.

Crawling - Bryn is showing no interested Same with sitting up. Much prefers standing!

Toby isn't moving or sitting yet either but DS1 and DS2 didn't sit up until at least 7.5 months and didn't move (bottom shuffling not crawling) until about 10 months I think. DS1 didn't walk until 21 months!!! I have slow children (they make up for it in good lucks and brains ).

Another sunny day beckons and we're listening to The Sound of Music. I think DH thinks it is too early for 'Do Rae Me' at full volume but he's not a morning person like me.

Looks not lucks! They didn't get their brains from me.

DS1 sat at around 7 months and crawled briefly and then walked by 12 months. C is trying to move on his knees but gets tired very easily. Doesn't like to stand on his feet either. He isn't as big as DS1 was at this age. I looked at some pics of DS1 last night and he was a chunky baby and had a lot of strength. Not in any rush for DS2 to move anywhere!! Once he is on the move, there goes the lazy coffee mornings and relaxing in the park.

Had a weird cold and a banging headache for 3 days. Could be an allergy to the grass but unable to take anything in tablet form due to bf, and the nasal sprays take a few weeks to kick in. I've felt pretty rubbish. DH away too but he's home later today .

Walkers: We had one for DS1 as he got really bored on the floor. He loved it. We've kept it for DS2 but not had it out of the loft yet. We also have the Vtech walker which got lots of use.

Off to Ikea shortly. I must be mad in this weather. The highchair we bought isn't really working out. I think it will be better for C when he's a little older. I sat him in an Ikea highchair in a cafe yesterday. He looked so comfortable. And I can't beleive how cheap they are to buy. So we're off there and treat DS1 to a jelly and me to a cake!!

Hope you all have this glorious weather!!

fruitpastels, I've heard that going dairyfree helps with hay fever. Didn't try it myself as so far I'm still quite ok with my allergy. I had googled it and found really many comments so it seems to work.
BBL, I forgot to say that I'm really glad you are feeling so much better! But Sound of Music???? Well, I still haven't seen it, don't know any Austrian who has actually seen it but I bought the DVD months ago to finally understand what apparently everybody outside of Austria has seen

We started with dinner yesterday. How are those who are more experienced managing the timing?
We came home quite late, so I gave Paula some babyrice just before we started the evening routine where she spends a lot of time on her tummy. That's why I want to have a bigger gap between dinner and going to bed. Or is it better for her sleep when I give her the food as late as possible? She did sleep better than usual in the first few hours.

Oh Ursigurke you must watch it. I first saw it when I was about nine and I wanted to marry Captain Von Trappe. He was my first love! He is so handsome in that film.

Thanks ursi for the tip. I will look into it. I've got so many allergies. I had an operation on my nose a couple of years ago and it has helped mainly to ease the allergies and to help me breathe easier.

I find if i don't feed the kids by 5pm then the evening runs too late and I have a fussy baby and a tearful pre-schooler. I am finding it difficult to hold C out for bed until 7pm. If I put him down earlier then I'm in for a very early morning.

Though saying about routine, C wakes me at 4.30am with singing, chatting and kicking his legs. He co sleeps with us so I get bashed by his feet, which can be rather painful. I lay there very still so he gets the message it's not time to wake yet, then he eventually goes back to sleep until 6.30. I hope he doesn't carry this on

Have realised it's far too hot to do Ikea today. I will try and venture there tomorrow with far less crowds to deal with.

FP I came down with a sudden, one-sided headache last night which seemed to make my nose and sinuses swell like a cold too. Ibuprofen helped. My GP told me it's safe to take as I had to take lots of it when I did my wrist in at Easter. ursi I'm readinthis book about food intolerances and allergies which I think has a more up to date version, and it explains that it can be quite common for foods to trigger or exascerbate allergic symptoms so dairy-free makes a lot of sense since that is the most common food allergen.

More rain forsecast for up here

Just so you all know, dd's lactulose has achieved precisely nothing over this week. She isn't in pain this week, but no poo either. I couldn't help myself yesterday and ate some coleslaw on my plate in a cafe, so we'll see whether the egg thing is a figment of my imagination or not.

Apparently eating local honey is good for hay fever (the one with the comb if possible). I have had a sore throat for a few days with no other symptoms so wondering if it is pollen?

Alfie is really physical. He sits up, rolls over and moves about in a slithery crawl fashion and loves to stand on his feet (whilst holding on to two fingers) but all this is very tiring for me because he gets so frustrated. I'm going to have to baby proof the house very soon. Grrr

Is anyone else doing this baby thing on the fly? We have no routine here at all. He eats when he seems hungry, sleeps when he falls asleep and baths when he's stinky.

yy ninja, me too. Routine schmootine. Beyond trying to get her to nap at some stage in the morning and/or anfternoon, that's it.

Ninja I've tried the Honey thing, not entirely convinced it works but that could just be me. Its worth a try at any rate.

Had a really lovely day wih my mum and step-dad yesterday. They had a bbq at theirs and had a few friends and neighbours round, some of which hadnt met Annabelle before so she was getting loads of attention and I got lots of cuddles from my big boy. Am a bit brown too, which is nice as I usually just go red.

aww both the kids have dozed off. quiet time for mummy yay!

My second attempt at sleep training C upstairs for the afternoon nap. He has gone down quickly with the fan blowing near him. He had a massive lunch of omelette, kiwi fruit and a baby biscuit.

Have a million chores to do and don't know where to start. So I'm sitting here instead pondering on what to do next. I'm so HOT and my house gets really sticky in this weather. I'm not too good with the heat since I became a mummy.

I'm not sure if what I've had was actually a virus rather than an allergy. DS1 was very unwell on Monday for 24hrs with a fever and sniffles. He is much better now and may have passed it to me. Anyway, I find hayfever a misery even when I can take something for it. I couldn't take anything last year being pg so I will learn to cope again this year, mainly in June it's a problem for me. I would try the local honey but I can't stand the taste and it makes me feel sick If I have to eat it off a spoon or in a drink.

Those of you who got a linea nigra (brown line on tummy) when pg, has yours faded yet? Mine hasn't.

fruit mine was really dark but has faded quite a lot now. you can just about see it though.

I keep thinking I should have more of a routine, but we never stick to it anyway. I try my best to have everyone up, breakfasted and dressed by 9am, then I try to have lunch at midday, then quiet time/naps, then aim for tea at about 5, ready for bed at 7 for Emmeline and half seven for big girl Marianne.

But then we do things like yesterday, where they napped from 4 till 7 then we all went out and had a picnic in a field and went nature spotting and foraging and only got in at 10. Saw bats, which made up for the lack of routine Poor little Emmeline just stuck near to the booby milk and was incredibly uninterested in the flowers and leaves Marianne kept bringing to her.

Emmeline is getting very clingy atm, I really wish I could use a sling but my pelvis just won't take it, so I spend my entire day either holding her or doing things really quickly whilst singing nursery rhymes. Luckily she will usually settle down in her moses basket for an hour or so twice a day, or I would never get anything done. Tbh, I don't get much done as it is

ninja haha! I would say yes, we are flying with you on the routine front. Pretty much described us here he has a vague semblence of eating pattern (brekky somewhere between 7am-8:30am, lunch somewhere between 12pm and 2pm, tea between 4-:30pm and sleep, he has around 2 naps a day at some point and goes to bed between 7:30pm and 9:30pm, bathing. Yes, when stinky

With routine I was regimented with DS1 as started being a childminder and needed routine in place for him and the other child I was caring for. It worked well. With DS2 I'm trying to get him used to sleeping upstairs as up until now he's been napping in the swing in the lounge (and he's not sleeping anymore with the noise!) and outgrowing it quickly, so I need to get it sorted out. I'm not so fussed about the morning as he needs to fit in with the school run etc. butterpie your evening sounds lovely. I think it's much easier having a bedtime routine in the winter as the summer evening are too good to miss sometimes

Butterpie ds stayed at the grandparents after the bbq so probably didnt get to bed til after ten, and dd fell asleep in the pram whilst at mums but that was about half nine, then woke up for a feed and a change when we got home about quarter past ten. so not an early one here either. Its good to enjoy yourself and have a late night sometimes.

Have some semblence of a routine here but it's gone out the window today. Ioan is poorly, and getting worse than I've seen him before. He's crying every time he coughs and getting hoarse. Poor boy is just miserable and keeps crying which is so unlike him.

I've started to feel ill in the last hour or so, a bit sick and funny. I stupidly went out yesterday in the sun without creaming up properly and now have burnt legs and chest, so it could well be a side effect of that.

Had a lovely afternoon at a friend's bbq though so not all bad!

scarlotti sorry to hear you're both unwell. Might Ioan needs antibiotics? Glad you had a nice afternoon though.

My bedroom is 29 degrees at the moment and C is sleeping in there with the fan blowing. DH is going in the loft shortly to get the bigger fan.

DS1 is driving me around the twist. Full of back chat, not listening and shouting all the time. I know he hasn't been unwell but he's been a nightmare this week.

Oh dear fruit, sorry to hear you're having a tough time with DS1 29 degrees at this time! The heat just magnifies problems too doesn't it? DH and I were being really ratty with each other this afternoon even though we've had a lovely weekend with lots of hanging out in the garden with Roodle (new nickname!) and MIL even came over to babysit for a couple of hours as we've had bad nights recently. Last night was the first good for a while actually - we've been trying a formula feed right before bed to see if it helps sleep longer and tonight DH did bedtime with no help from me. What a sense of freedom! We are trying to gear up for GParents doing it on Saturday night while we're at a wedding...

Sorry to hear you're not feeling great scarlotti and looking after a sick little one too

Scarlotti hope you are both better soon

How are you dressing the little ones to sleep in, everyone? Tonight Bryn is sleeping in a vest. He was boiling in everything else. Will sneak him either in a sleep suit or Grobag latter on.

Small rant - the girl I mentioned a while ago (cotbumper? Didn't say anything in the end, BTW!) has just informed me that if I'm "still doing that breastfeeding lark, then [I] should stop f*cking complaining about the lack of sleep as its [my] own fault!" I'm so fuming!! Her DD is 13 days old, she's out on her third night out currently, and made a comment about how tired she was feeling. I replied (on FB) that I was feeling shattered myself, and this was the response I got. UGH.

Though I could be taking it all too personally as I had a stupidly big row with my Dad over him trying to give Bryn a chocolate finger when I wasn't looking

Anyway. Was thinking about getting one of these - any opinions / experience? Am really concerned about the heat.

boob I tend to get the cheap little hand held fans with the soft spinney bits (I know there is a name for these but cant think of it) so if they touch them they dont get hurt. that one does look good attaching to the pram as it means you wont have to hold and push at the same too.

scarlotti hope Ioan and you feel better soon!

Vomit, vomit everywhere, ds sick constantly today, though fortunately only started after the Charlie and Lola play we went to this morning- which was lovely.
However, I sense a possible day off school coming on, argh!

Scarlotti get well soon

Hobnob we are going in opposite direction with the vtech- with ds we had a lovely brick trolley but have lent that to my sister who lives miles away. So have gone for the vtech, since ds always used to go crazy when he saw one at his friends' houses! It is very noisy and irritating, but only minorly compared with the vtech tree and balls toy thing that ds was OBSESSED with as a baby.

BBL I also adore Captain Von Trapp, especially the breeches and whistle ooer that little lopsided smile thingy.

H like a little bird with food tonight- roast followed by yoghurt. So sweet, mouth wide open, lots of smiles.