Dec 09 - We've found our fingers, we've found our toes, what happens next nobody knows

[Claire236]

Starting new thread before we run out of room. Now to link from the old one. Could be interesting

Aleister Crowley was known in his time as "The Wickedest man in the World". He was an Occultist, a drug user, he founded his own religion... but I think many people (wrongly) think he was a satanist - which is why I get a few 's about the name.

TBH, to me, Crowley will always just be the name of the demon in a book by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman called "Good Omens" He's just Crowley in the book. I love that book, it's the only one that I can read over and over and still laugh everytime.

Maybe I'll change it again? I just really can't think of anything good.

We've had no extra wakings from Catherine tonight, she went down at 7.30 and has been asleep every since. Might mean we're back to the old routine which would mean she'll be up at midnight-ish and again at 4am. She's eaten loads today though - we even had tears at dinner cause the food ran out! - so I am quietly hoping that maybe she'll sleep through again.

Of course, now I've typed it out, it'll never happen!

Catherine slept for 10.5 hours last night!! 7.30 till a few minutes before 6am this morning

And she's 6 months old today too!

Yay for the sleeping!

Elizabeth is still all snotty and horrible, but he sleeping seems to be slowly getting back to normal. She's been off her milk and food so for the past week ive dropped the food and just tried to get as much milk down her as possible.

Al, you have a great name. I have seen other people say that they have trouble finding a name that is available, Ive never had any trouble, I must just think of really random names that nobody wants!!

Right well im off to walk upto nursery. Jake is there all day today so I can chuck aload of his toys tidy his room whilst he is away. Wish me luck!

(this is very ambitious, last week when I planned to do some sorting I ended up watching about 6 episodes of gilmore girls instead!)

OOOH we need a new thread!

Im crap at thinking up titles.

Erm

Mind is a blank.

Dec09. We have babies.

Well done Catherine! Ds also had his longest ever sleep last night from 8.15pm until 2am, so I was pretty pleased with that even though he was then rubbish at around 6ish. He seems to get really windy pains at that time, he was much better after he did a big sicky burp onto my arm.

Hope Elizabeth is back to full strength soon ABF.

Hendo had a good idea for a new thread title but I can't remember what it was!

Can you remember what it was Hendo? I did a search but couldn't find it - although I had thought it was Claire's suggestion so that might be why

I'm glad you got some extra sleep too LaDiDaDi. I think weaning has really helped Catherine. We moved onto gluten-y things on Monday after speaking to the HV as she was so close to 6 months- bread, pasta etc and that really seems to have helped her sleep. Got another day of that and then I might try dairy tomorrow. We have to introduce new things in 4 day batches as DH and I are Atopic and she needs time to show a reaction before we move onto the next thing.

Glad Elizabeth is feeling better ABF. Hope she's properly better soon. And thanks for the reassurance on the name. I do like the way this one has a pretty obvious shortening. Makes messages to me easier to spot in threads.

Will find you're thread now Lee. I get sore boobs now and again so hopefully I can help.

Have replied Lee. Hope that helps

Answered as best I could

Food reactions I'm looking for are any swelling or rash on the face - eyes, lips etc, eczema appearing, runny nose or watery eyes, any change in nappies - diarrhoea, going green, mucus (sorry if TMI!), being sick after meals or tummy aches/wind. So far we've had nothing. She's loving food and mealtimes. We've not even had any eczema which Alex had from being quite tiny.

DH and I both have Hayfever (which is fun as I can't take anything while feeding!), I have a little eczema and DH has what we think is a raw food allergy which makes him feel swollen and uncomfortable if he eats raw peppers, apples, strawberries, cherries etc He's OK if they're cooked though Alex's eczema went at around 3 and we haven't seen it since so hopefully the children will be OK.

Good luck with swimming...

Hello everyone! My first attempt at a thread title was "Dec '09 - We're learning to roll, we're learning to eat, all we need now is to learn how to sleep!".

Although it sounds like Imogen is the only one left who still has never slept through the night ever! Al how many 'meals' a day do you give Catherine and what would a typical day be in terms of food that you give her. Also do you just still bf her on demands throughout the day? I have mostly stuck to fruit and vegetables and a bit of toast so maybe I need to be doing more gluten-y things now...

Lee have a fab time swimming.

Oooh ABF I love the Gilmore girls having recently discovered it on E4 since maternity leave!

Hi all,
well done Al on Catherine's seeping. Bet you are so pleased!

Am just waiting for Anna to wake up so i can give her some lunch. She has been asleep since 11am!!!! It will be stone cold by the time she has it!! Jut watching a bit of Royal Ascot to inject a bit of glamour back into my life. Not remotely interested in the racing, but love looking at all the lovely outfits and outlandish hats!

Had a quiet couple of days after a few really busy ones! Went to Newcastle shopping whislt DH was working up there on Friday. Got a dress sorted for the christening and also got anna a load of stuff in the sale at john lewis for when she starts nursery.

Then on saturday my friend came over for the weeked and had a lovely lunch in town.

Sunday was a day isiting various rellies ad then on Monday we went to meet DH's brother, his wife and our DN and the six of us went on a steam train from pickering to Whitby. Weather wasn't too bad, so we had a lovely time and it was the first time anna really interracted with her cousin-she was looking up at him as though she was thinking, he's my hero! He is only 2, so they were holding hands and stuff...v cute!

Anyway, sounds like she's waking up. Better go, will write more later.

....sleeping.....

Hendo, I had a mad day out shopping last Friday and I bought seasons 1 to 5, plus lots of clothes and to my shame.. a car.

Was one hell of a shopping spree!

We started Catherine off with just 1 lot of mush for the first two weeks as she was only just over 5 months old when we started. Then we went to 2 'meals' a day for a while and now she has something every time we eat so 3 times a day as she started noticing when we were eating and crying if she didn't have anything.

Yesterday, she gummed on a few fingers of bagel while we had breakfast then I gave her a bit of fruit puree. At lunch, she had mini breadsticks and some cucumber sticks while we ate our sandwiches, then a little more puree. At dinner, she had some pasta shapes while we had spag bol and then some more veg puree. Looking back, it was a very gluten-y day yesterday

I wanted to do BLW but she seems to get very frustrated with the foods when she's doing it herself and also seems to love the puree. She's like a little bird with her mouth open waiting for the spoon. She's quite often starting to cry by the time we've finished our food and calms down when she seems the bowl with her little pink spoons in. I had intended to drop the puree once we got properly into finger foods but I don't think I will now as she's enjoying it so much. I did the same with Alex and he's a brilliant eater now.

She's getting very good with getting bits into her mouth and even gumming bits off already but I think she still wants/needs the mush to fill her up a bit more.

I'm still breastfeeding on demand too, even if it's right before a mealtime as the milk is more important for her still. I think it's 8 or 9 months before food is supposed to become a bigger part of their nutrition?

I'm not banking on her sleeping through from now on. This could very well be a (very welcome) blip. I'm just making the most of it while it lasts

Thanks Al! I think I've been being a bit over cautious with the food thing. With the pasta which shapes did you use out of interest and how big are the pieces and how firm were they when cooked? Today she had some pork, courgette and potato - I gave half to her as usual and whizzed the other half in the food processor with some formula and let her have it on spoons as well. She seemed to enjoy the variety of both so I might do that for a bit until she really gets the swallowing thing a bit better!

I hope Catherine's sleep isn't a blip for you though and that it lasts! We had an awful evening last night, up at 9.20 and then not back to sleep until nearly 11 with most of that time spent crying even after being fed. However it got better after that and she was much cheerier today so I'm hoping the teething is easing for her.

Ethelred when is Anna starting nursery? I had a bit of a moment today when I suddently got upset about going back to work and leaving her with the childminder.

ABF - that is is the best shopping spree I've ever heard of!!!

I used Penne as that's what we had in the cupboard. I have heard that Fusilli is good for getting a grip on too. I cooked it Al Dente so it was just cooked but not too soft. TBH though, she didn't eat any of it, just sucked on the end.

All the veg, I make finger shaped. Tonight she had chips finger shaped roast potatoes and seemed to really enjoy them.

Whizzing the same stuff with milk is a good idea. Hadn't thought of that! Need to take some more Fenugreek I think (and hope it doesn't make her sick this time) so I can get some more milk to express.

Missed ABF's post earlier. That was one hell of a shopping spree!! We're you planning on buying a car when you went out?

Thanks Al - interrogation over!

I think I'm having one of those weeks where I feel like I've no idea what I'm doing right or wrong and feeling a bit out of my depth with it all because I keep getting comments like "how old is she now? 6 months? and she's never slept through the night?". Even though rationally I know its not that unusual, especially for an ebf baby - somehow that doesn't make it any better when you're particularly exhausted!

You're welcome. I feel like I'm making it up as I go along myself half of the time, It's nice that we can all share our sucesses and help each other along the way.

If I can help any more just ask. I don't feel interrogated

6 months is entirely normal for not sleeping through too. Not wanting to scare you but I have a friend who's EBF 2 year old has only just started sleeping through!!!

Had an idea for the new thread title...'Dec 09 - The (Mental) Health Preservation Society' - you have to be singing 'we are the self preservation society' from The Italian Job in your head for it to work though...

I'll keep thinking

Told you it was a blip! Catherine was up at midnight and then wide awake again at 5.20. She made so much noise singing in her cot, she woke Alex up too! Took me an hour and 2 feeds to get her to go back to sleep, then Alex got me up at 6.45

She's still asleep in my bed!

ds had another long sleep last night, from 8pm until 2.30 am. Then awake at 4.30, 5.30 and 7.30!

Thanks Al - I had that song in my head all night!!!! Maybe last night was the blip and she'll sleep loads again tonight?!? At least now you know she can do it and probably will in the nearish future regularly.

Teeth definitely both through now and what a difference it has made. Imogen's back to being lovely and smiley again. Last night she was asleep by 7 but up for feeds at 9.20, 12.30 and 3.30. She woke again at 5.30 but I sent in dh who managed to settle her back to sleep within 10 minutes and then she slept until 8 am. Hopefully she'll go back to just 2 feeds between 7 and 7 soon...

LaDiDaDi - good news on the long sleep, maybe it will just get longer and longer each night for you until it's just one whole night of sleeping!

Al, I'm happy with that thread title, we just need to make sure we don't forget before this one runs out...

Well, I gave ds some food at lunchtime.

Guess what one of his first foods was???
As well as tomato, cucumber, a little toast and then some strawberries and blackberries...