Issy's graduates (Bella, Blue, Head, Jumping, Irish, Wasabi, Girl, Sunny) here to give advice and swap tips

[bluesatinsash]

Ta da!

Hope this shakes a few of us out of where we're languishing these days .

Let this be the one-stop shop into everything that is the crazy, wonderful, sleep and sanity deprived world of bringing up baby

Hello my lovelies - will have to post in sections as i'm just too tired for a mammoth one tonight. I have been rushing around a lot with my stepdaughters. I know i haven't mentioned them before but only because it is a whole other topic of conversation. in fact have 3 step daughters and a stepson which means DP has 5 kids now. quite environmentally irresponsible one might say anyhow that's why i have been visiting all these random places. the middle two girls have been with us all week. In (very) short it's all good and I get on brilliantly with all the kids and we see them a lot. DP is a totally devoted father and likes nothing more than hanging out with them. Obviously us not being in our own house at the moment makes space a bit of an issue to say the least so i have been getting a bit stressed and a lot knackered but at least it's just a temporary thing. and at least my mum can stay in whilst i go to the pub with my friends :)
every time i go out it feels almost a bit naughty at first and then so normal i forget my new found responsibilities. i actually went out in soho last night. got the tube and everything. quite weird...but good.

all good with G except the last day or so he has started bursting out into tears every now and again for no apparent reason, which is upsetting seeing as he normally only grizzles and even then only when he is hungry or tired or wanting to change what he's doing. any ideas what it might be? he seems terribly upset for a few minutes and then completely fine again - particularly if he has a cheeky feed.

today i have quite enjoyed doing bella led weaning - i gave him a mixture of my own purees, pouches and finger food - basically i need to feed him now what have i got to hand styleee. I want to make some fish pies and chicken tagine and cosy creamy cheesy dishes to freeze and then mix with potato/sweet potato mash when the time comes for them to be eaten.

He has taken to sucking the pouches - did i say that before? it's much quicker than spooning but less refined i'm afraid to say. i do seem to have the muckiest baby on the block. he gets it EVERYWHERE. now i see why the antilop is such a popular chair, it's so easy to clean.

it's brilliant learning everyones' names! you will always be bue, head and irish to me :) awesome surname situation going on there head ! . i do have a facebook account but haven't been on it for ages and have loads of outstanding friend requests which i just ignore because i'm so private. i don't like people looking at photos that other people have put up of me it makes me too self conscious. i have never posted my own photos and used to pop on to un tag myself from other photos! oh and i got facebook dissed by a great oll platonice boy friend from uni who basically just never responded to my suggestion that we meet up for a drink :(
i don't really get the whole facebook thing to be honest but suffer badly from fear of missing out so may have to join you.
my profile photo is a beach in mexico - that's how shy i am of things like that! also i am deeply unphotogenic which dosn't help. will post a photo of me and g here though. Blue that one of Ben is scrumptious. what a great smile he has :)

could any of you offer up some meal plans for me? i need to step it up.

i am very confused by Gs bfs now. he seems to cluster a bit in the morning and then have a long break and then one or two in the afternoon/evening. i would like to get him on some formula during the day now but am not sure how easy that is when you don't have scheduled feeds. he will drink it from a sippy cup but predictably not that much...

jumping i don't envy you going through what you're going through at the moment. i can't bear the thought of stopping really but at the same time don't want to do it forever and ever although i could happily do the 5:30 pm to 7 am shift for months and months and months to come - BUT only because i am not feeding before 4:30. I would have become resentful by ow if i still was and like blue said i am not even working during hte day so you should be so proud of yourself that you did it for as long as you did.
. I hope that the weepiness passes quickly. everyone i know says they do actually feel amazing physically once they stop and much more energetic- so i am sure if you're not already you will be feeling better very soon xxxxx

oh and get that dishwasher FGS!!! i couldn't do without a dishwasher or a tumbledryer but i am the sort of person that would rather go without clothes so i that i could pay someone to clean my house - which my mother finds odd. i just can't be arsed with all the proper cleaning but i love having a clean house. also i'm just so slow at it and not very good. it's my biggest failing really. that and having the worst nappy head. if only i were wealthy enough for proper staff
EG of nappy head
yesterday i went for coffee and on the way home retrieved a vmail from my mum saying PANIC OVER you will be very relieved to hear that your handbag has been returned home. to which i thought
?
Apparently someone in the cafe had picked up my bag thinking it was theirs and left with it, got home, realised their mistake, seen my parents' address on my drivers licence (never changed it from when i was 17 don't tell the DVLA ) and i hadn't even realised my handbag was missing! i assumed i just forgotten to bring my purse with me as i often put it in the buggy bag. i apologised at the cafe and said i would pay later. i mean how [doofus emoticon] can you get?? oy oy oy. my brain needs to betaken out, plunged into an alpine stream and put back in again.

ok that's it for part one. I shall return tomorrow with personals xxxxxxx

sorry for the usual random stream of randomness. hope some of it makes sense xx

Popping on quickly again, really will post properly to each of you soon, though may be a week now before chaos of visitors etc subsides.

Bella I take my hat off to you juggling a step family in addition to starting your own- so glad you all get on well though can only imagine how hard it is without your own space. Glad you got some nights out though- good to feel like a normal adult occassionally and retain some sense of your former identity! :) LOVE your video clip of George, he is sooooo cute! You should be rightly very proud.
RE the sudden outbursts of tears, Ffion went through similar a couple of months ago and I'm still uncertain what caused it- I think a combination of teething pains (though she still hasn't cut any teeth she's definitely teething) and the sudden awareness of so much more, especially of people coming and going etc. Like you I often offered her comfort feeds at such moments, or just lots of extra cuddles- and distractions- and normally tears stopped almost as soon as they started. Otherwise it could be tummy cramps- Ffion definitely has some days where whatever she's been eating has been a bit harder to digest or push through, and I think it causes her a bit of pain bless her.
FWIW I'm doing a very similar approach to weaning as you- a mixture of whatever is at hand with some basic purees, plus lots of finger foods (again opportunistic rather than pre-planned) and the odd pouch (which F loves and also sucks directly!). F will compete with George for messiest baby (and I seem to be muckiest mummy at the moment!). The only thing I ensure is that at least one meal a day has a decent bit of protein in it now- fish/meat/lentils/chick peas etc. But I can't seem to be organised enough for meal planning, though vaguely meal plan for the rest of us. I'm not the best cook in the world and have learnt a lot of my skills since having DCs, so still learning! Thankfully my kids are fairly tolerant (once made carrot & ginger soup and use a dessert spoon instead of a tea spoon of ground ginger- amazingly DS loved it but the rest of us couldn't stomach it! :)).

I have a confession to make. I started b'feeding F again. 3am Tuesday morning she was really unsettled, had had a 6oz bottle at 11.30pm but seemed really uncomfortable. Lots of crying- woke DS who came in and just said to me "Mummy, give Ffion booby milk please, so I can go back to sleep"!!! So I did, and she fell asleep straight away, and so did the rest of us. Arghhh!!! So I made a new rule- one small feed a night, bottles rest of the time. And so far so good, though ended up cosleeping last night as had stayed up cleaning too late and when she wouldn't settle back after a midnight bottle just crawled into the spare room bed with her, and she had a couple of small snacks in the small hours... I'm so weak!! And tired.
Anyway on the plus side my boobs don't hurt anymore, though my supply is definitely less, and she's taking bottles really well in the day for everyone inc. childminder.
But nights are slipping back to the old way and now we have visitors for a week (so can't let her cry too much) I know I won't really be able to keep her settled in cot that well and will resort to cosleeping/b'milk snacking... What am I like.

Head- I had a coil (mirena- but feels the same going in!) put in when Ffion was 12 weeks old. Have never had a vaginal birth either and so had to have it done at hospital by a consultant, who commented on how tight my cervix was! It wasn't pleasant, he had to inject something to slightly dilate my cervix and warned me it could be very painful- even suggested I could opt for a general anaesthetic but having got this far I decided to see if I could handle it. And you know what? The pain wasn't that bad. But he did say I must have a high pain threshold! But it was pretty quick, afterwards I just had period like cramping for a few hours, then bled lightly for nearly a month (which was a bit annoying) but since then NOTHING. Not a drop. Wouldn't know I had it in :) And feel so much less worried! I really can't risk another pregnancy and DH hates condoms, but didn't want to go on the pill either so before one of us gets sterilised this was the best option. DH is not keen on the snip but that's a whole other debate .

How are F's night feeds now?

Right, really should go.
DH very very unhappy at work so wants to resign so dishwasher definitely off the agenda atm :( I hate money!!

Am going to send FB friend requests to you girls :) Have decided not to worry about security. Bella I completely empathise with your feelings re. others photos of you etc... But for me as I don't live near most of my home friends/uni friends/family it has been great for keeping updated so I have quite a few photos of the family on there- though only visible to friends. DH worries a bit about it but I'm perhaps a bit too trusting that nothing bad could come of it...
My name BTW (big breath) is: a n n i k a c l e m e n t s There. Done. Ahhhh!!

Love to you all xxxx (my, that was a long post, ooooops!)

Head I cam probably being useless but can't seem to find you on FB, but you're welcome to fine me - my profice pic is of me with Ffion on my back in her backpack :)

fine me?! find me of course! argh should not try to type fast

Hiya Jumping, you found me!!!:o

Don't feel bad about bfing again, we do what we can to get through as best we can. If it's helping you to sleep then it's right for now. I hope she settles back in to a better sleep pattern soon. FWIW I quite often get in to the spare bed in Francesca's room to get her back off to sleep. I never intend on staying the whole night, but sometimes I'm too tired to cuddle her for the 5 mins it usually takes her to fall asleep that I just lie down and close my eyes. An hour later I usually wake up with a start, Francesca is sleeping peacefully, so I put her back in the cot and go back to bed!

She still wakes at about one, usually its' a bit of a whimper and it's enough for me to just shhhhh and stroke her face for two minutes. She then wakes up again at 3am and that's when I'll do my hour in her room. She'll often then wake again at 6 and I can usually settle her again with a little shhhh and stroking again. I don't know why she keeps waking, I think she's still in a waking pattern from the days when she still had night feeds, but as she settles relatively quickly I'm trying to be relaxed about it and hope she'll get out of the habit soon.

I'm still too squeamish about the coil... I still haven't got any periods but I think I might invest in a persona when they do come back. Not the most reliable, but I've told dh if he really really wants to make sure then he has to have the snip.

Bella how lovely to hear you have such a good relationship with your stepchildren, and wow that must be hardwork! Francesca's never done the crying thing you describe. All I can think of, like Jumping says, that it's teething. Or maybe a fright, something startling.

When you say meal plans do you mean for the babies or for us? Currently Francesca's eating routine is something like this...

7.30-8am bf
8.30-9am breakfast, porridge and banana, and maybe some toast if she's still hungry
12noon bf
1pm lunch - something like cheesy veg puree, some finger food like breadsticks, slices of cheese, pieces of fruit etc and a fruit puree or grated fresh fruit (pear or apple are good)
3pm bf
5pm tea - usually something with some protein, chicken casserole or a scrambled egg with some cheese, yoghurt and possibly some more fruit pieces if she's still hungry.
7pm bf
10.30pm bf dreamfeed.

As for meals for her, I quite often give her what ds is having now, today she had some left over roast potatoes from lunch (minus teh skins) plus a spoonful of baked beans from ds's tea, and some cheese on top. I've given her pasta too, there are some tiny pasta shapes called stellate which are used for soups and she'll happily eat those with some tomato sauce. I've usually got some homemade pasta sauce in the freezer for ds. She also likes the pasta tubes because she can hold them and chew them. I have made a couple of spectacular chicken casseroles for her just using up some veg from the fridge, a bit of chopped spring onion here, a bit of chopped butternut squash there, add a bit of chicken and some stock and Bob's your uncle. I've even put a splash of wine in (the alcohol burns off) and some herbs from the garden.

Francesca also really likes curry, I bought one of those Ella's Indian pouches, sauteed some veg in oil, added the pouch (and a bit more cumin for some extra flavour) and some lentils and cooked it all until soft, then blended it. She loves it and makes those nomnomnom noises :o I've started giving it to her with some really well cooked basmati rice as the grains are quite small and it gives a bit of texture to it.

:o at leaving your bag at the cafe, glad you got it back. It's just the sort of thing I'd do. I couldn't find my house keys for ages the other day, I went out and walked past my car (which was parked a bit away from the house) and they were on the roof, they'd been there for three days Ooops!

Righty, off to get ready for bed, I'm interviewing nannies tomorrow so I need some sleep so I can think straight!

Nighty night xx

Hey

Was going to do big catch up post tonight but been uploading photos and other such things and its now 9.10pm and I need my cup of tea .

Will be back on tomorrow for proper roll call.

Bella - loving your clip of G .

Blue I'm following you around, just been on FB and seen all your comments, added a couple back for you :o

Bella I couldn't see that link last night, but for some reason our broadband is behaving itself tonight, G is absolutely gorgeous!! Such lovely big brown (they are brown aren't they?) eyes!

I'm off to talk mushrooms on the gardening thread.... night night x

hi all
tired wave back
just back from the lakes - family holidays are intense man!
promise i'll catch up very soon xx

Hi Everyone

Just a quick one to say hello to everyone - am absolutely wrecked these days and my mental capacity has diminished so much - DH says that the bubba will be great at English as she has taken all of my vocabulary.

Am off out now but will post later tonight - we are at T - 2 today but have decided that I'm going to accept it may be another 2 weeks in order to preserve my sanity,

Right, yes its 9.23pm, yes I've had a 12 hour shift with boys and also been to gym but god dammit I will post tonight as God is my witness

Irish - NOT LONG NOW!! LOL at your DH sating your DD has stolen all your vocabulary, she'll keep it for a while after she's officially here, and you'll find yourself haflway through a sentance and stoppnig saying, I can't remember what I was talking about . Or is that just me? REally hope she behaves and comes over the weekend. Have you got any twinges? I didn't with either of mine, just contractions ---->birth. My pom poms are at the ready for you . Its just the most amazing experience you will ever have and this from a women who had 2 sections!

Head - with you on the coil - eek! We've used condoms for years as I had to come off pill due to migraines. DH is going for snip in winter as you can't do exercise for 3 months and doesn't want to give up his golf. You have to use protection for six months afterwards by but after that it will be no more having a bath wth your wellies on for DH .

Loving your FB photos, Luca and Francesca are just beautiful. he will be some heartbreaker when he is older, if you let him our the house that is!. We could get Ben and Frankie together, a Scottish/Irish(my DH family)/Spanish/Italian combo! You and your DH just look so loved up too .

Bella - hope all the bairns aren't exhaisting you! Of course this will be the first summer holidays you've (a) been off and (b) have a baby. How fantastic that you have DP's children, G will be spoiled for choice with siblings .

Jumping - how's F'd nocturnal feeds going? She is so unbelievably gorgeous, just so spudgy (a phrase we use up here for eople with round cheeks you want to squeeze all the time!)

wasabi - we're due a Friday catch up post from you!

We're all good here, in the middle of our garage conversion (dining room as old one is now playroom), wooden floor goes down tomorrow and painters in next week (for me too )! Just have to raise the collateral for my curtains and soft furnishings. Ben is still sleeping 7-@ 6.30/6.45am - every day I can't believe my luck. He doesn't need rocking to sleep either, just his milk big cuddle in cot, on side and ZZZZZZ. His mother's child after all

Starting to seize up after my gym so going to bed.

Irish - you go girl!

Wow it?s been a busy couple of weeks. It?s so nice to see so many posts to catch up on. Because I?ve not posted for far too long I will do a post with my news then a post of personals tomorrow. It?ll be a bit easier on the eye I think. So for now ladies I?m afraid it?s all me, me, me

Well we have been having a lovely time with DH off work on holiday. We were at the in laws last week and came back on Sunday. It was really nice week and F was sooooo happy running around outside all day with his beloved Grandpop. DH and I had a night away which was utter bliss. Lovely boutique hotel and loads of antique shops to potter round. I found the coolest set of 1950?s cake knives, each with a different pastel colour handle. I am such a magpie for tat slightly kitsch and quirky house stuff. I have to really rein it in, partly for cost reasons and partly because if left to my own devices we would have so much crap that you wouldn?t be able to get in the house. It drives DH potty. Anyway, DH and I had a lovely time. It?s nice to know you can talk about something other than the children if only for one night. Not that we banished them from the conversation entirely you understand but we tried to focus on ourselves for once. It was lovely being able to eat and drink pretty much what I wanted to for once!

This week we?ve been doing some serious nest feathering! I don?t know whether it?s the nights starting to draw in again or my hormones starting to kick back into life (C is feeding a lot less during the day now and has a bottle for bedtime and late feed) but I am cooking and freezing stuff like mad ? for all of us not just C. DH and I drew up a list at the beginning of the week of DIY type stuff that needs to be done (believe me it?s a very long list) and have been cracking through as much as you can when you have a baby and a toddler. Luckily F likes to ?help? and C is napping well in the day. I am lucky that DH actually likes pottering and doing stuff in the house so isn?t like he?s spent his holiday doing stuff he hates. You?d have to be a loon to buy an old house if you hate DIY. We have new lights in the family room and kitchen and the snug is actually looking quite snug for the first time since we?ve been here. We have a sofa in there. And curtains! This sounds relatively modest but believe me ?project snug? at one point seemed never ending. It isn?t even a big room. I want to do a really big clean next week. Like I said, crazy nesting lady.

We have found some time to do non house related stuff though ? I seem to be attending a toddlers birthday party every 48 hours (am building up good karma as we are doing one for F in a couple of weeks) and we took the munchkins swimming earlier in the week. F has always loved water and his sister appears to be following suit. We popped her in one of those little floating donuts and she was kicking her fat, little legs and giggling lots. Shame about the hideous council swimming baths but we can?t really justify private gym membership these days. I just have to try and keep a lid on my inner Hyacinth Bouquet.

C is doing well. For a few days before we went away she actually slept though for about 3 nights running. We got all excited but then it all went out the window again. She tends to have us up once at around 11ish which DH does and then any time between about 4 and 6. Could be a lot worse I know but I am getting increasingly frustrated, especially when hearing about everyone elses babies that all apparently sleep though the night. I try to remember Heads comment that this is the mummy equivalent of a teenage bragging about sex but it still gets to me a bit. I can?t understand given that C is eating quite a lot (and I make sure she has a good proteiny lunch) why she still needs to feed at night. The obvious is answer is, she doesn?t, but the thought of spending 2 hours trying to get her back to sleep without giving her boob makes me want to cry. What is quite annoying is that when DH tries to give her late bottle she often takes about 2oz then refuses any more. Contrary madam.

I am still bfing happily the rest of the day but am starting to feel a bit tired. It?s very odd. C has taken noticeably shorter mid morning and mid afternoon feeds for the last couple of weeks and you would think that I?d feel more energetic but I actually feel worse! My milk has started to go down I think to match her reduced intake and the introduction of night bottles (I haven?t needed to express in the last few days) but my joints ache like hell and I feel really drained. I think my cycle has started again ? am guessing that AF is due any day. Yuck.
Anyway, on that cheery note I will sign off. Bed is calling me. Oh, like Bella I am a bit inconsistent on Facebook due to sheer lack of time and energy in the evenings! Buuuuut if you fancy adding another friend I am p e n n y f r e n c h. I promise to make more effort if you send me friend requests

Right, more tomorrow xxx

still no time for a proper post but am very with you on the sleep wasabi Bit frustrated too especially since G is now doing ginormous poos at about 3am and then very restless and basically in bed with me from then til 6/7 Any ideas? Will try to block him up with eggy bread tonight i think.

jumping you were most probably right about the crying thing he has stopped doing that thank god and seems back to his merry ways but this poovalanche business is starting to get to me.

I am so tired i could cry. will try to go to bed at 8 tonight i think!

blue and head i have not forgotten you my lovelies but can only pop on for short bursts at the moment. will post proper personals asap

anyway you are probably all secret bonding on fbook these days anyway.

Head - hope Luca is ok and has gotten over
his bug. 3 hours sleep sounded horrible -
I've got it all to look forward to don't I?
How did the nanny interviews go? I'd love to
get a nanny - might ease my childcare worries

Blue - how is the renovation going? Is it
affecting nap times with the builders
banging about? How were you after the gym
the other day - hope you weren't too sore.
Was it "Stecky" that you used - presume it means stiff or something like that.

Jumping - sorry to hear that DH not happy at work and the knock on effect on the dishwasher situation. Love all your photos on FB - your DC are so cute. Don't worry about going back to BF - it's about what's right for you and your family isn't it?

wasabi - welcome back. Sounds like you have been busy. Your "date night" with DH sounds fab. Glad the house is coming along for you - I still have so much to do in my house - it'll wait now until LO arrives though. My DH also has a DIY list - I think he thinks verything will take him 5 mins though - he tends to overpromise.
I'll add you on FB after this post.

Bella wow a whole step family - you'll be challenging my family soon if you have any more - good that you get on with them. Glad to hear the crying has calmed down - I did LOL at poovalanche but I hope it gets sorted for you soon. Love the clip by the way.

It's good your bag was returned so many people wouldn't.
I also hate cleaning - think it's rebellion
against my mother's obsessive cleaning
regime when I was younger. We all had our
own jobs and woe betide anyone who didn't
complete them in the allotted time.
I hope you get some sleep tonight - I've had some very uncomfortable nights for the past few days so am really hoping DD comes soon.

Sunny you seem to have gone awol on us- hope all is ok with you.

So now on to me - this is one long post (sorry)
Was in the clinic today - all good have some water retention in my right hand only which is a bit weird. Doc has given me a date of 31st Aug if the babs hasn't been enticed out by then for induction. Clary Sage, raspberry leaf cpsules, exercise ball - I'll try anything can't do curry as really not a fan of spice but I might get desperate

I am wrecked these days but managing to get out of the house walking the doggies
most days - preparing for my marathon as DH keeps saying. The MW in the ante natal class
kept referring to Labour as a marathon - he's taken that up.

I'd love DD to get here this weekend - two of my best friends (married couple) are moving to Boston, MA for work onWednesday and I'd love them to see her before they go. Fingers crossed.

My blood/urine/swab tests all came back negative so I am passed healthy. Blue I have had braxton hicks, for about an hour
the other night but that's about it. She is moving an awful lot which is a good sign too, head is down etc. so it's just a
case of waiting now. Have decided that 1st Sept is my new date to look forward to - I might go insane if I focused on the overdue thing after tomorrow.

Right I'll stop waffling and give you a chance to rest your eyes if you've gotten this far.

Lots of love and hugs - hope those tired bunnies get sleep and I'll try and pop on every day for the next 10 just to let you know if anything is happening.

irish it's the final countdown! oh my goodness how exciting. sleep is so hard now isn't it? no position is ever quite right and what with getting thirsty and needing a wee...

it is weird once you go past your due date - i remember thinking that i wasn't going to have a baby after all. i also remember trying to walk as much as possible and getting a few stares as i waddled down the towpath, speshly when i was attached to my tens machine?

what are you aiming for birth wise? au naturel? just get the damn thing out? c-section plus tummy tuck????

it sounds like you're really prepared. warm baths frlt great i remember too...

have you got some box sets or movies? bruce willis accompanied me through my 4 days.

i'm so excited for you

blue feel like I haven't 'chatted' to you for ages so sorry for that! was singing along to the waterboys and don't stop believin all day after your post about the wedding. I would love to go to something like that with DP and sans enfant. i am not brave enough at all to leave G with anyone else for the night. Call me PFB but i just couldn't take it. He'd probably fine, until he realised that the 4:30 boob was nowhere to be found...

it sounds like you have things pretty licked these days in the Sash household which is brilliant! is Ben still sleeping through and eating when he is supposed to etc? I have to start getting G back into some sort of routine even if it is a very rough one. Everyone here apart from me knows what time their child has milk! He has started to take some formula from the sippy cup, so i think i will start winding down the daytime boob. I am still umming and ahhing about it all but really need to start achieving (yes i do know i have been saying that since May!) and September has always been the time when i said to myself that i would properly knuckle down.
I wish i was like you and couldn't sit down until everything was done. Unfortunately i can very easily find a kzillion things to do which are not the things that need doing. i can always find a reason to meet a friend for a coffee
How is work going? Are you finding that you have a nicer time with the boys as a result of not being with them every single minute?

wasb you too sound like you are achieving great things! where do you put C when you are ticking off your to do list? G is into his bouncer and play nest but i always get distracted by watching him play and also now that there are meals on top of milk and naps to think of i find it hard to get into much of a flow. Making excuses? MOI??? so jealous of you having a snug and a family room. You are so grown up and sophis. i wanna move in - but after the DIY is done. I am rubbish at that sort of thing (as well as cleaning) not really selling myself here am i?

ooo and also impressed with the baking. I did a load in the old place - especially in the first 6 weeks when G was super easy and slept all the time and i came over all stepford and kept cleaning and baking allll day. What a shame that none of that lasted (g sleeping all day included, natch)

jumping how's the boob sitch? I would so have caved too. In fact i do every night because every night i tell myself i'm not going to feed him back to sleep if he wakes at 4:30 and every night i am too tired to even consider not feeding him. The books say he shouldn't be hungry but like wasabi said he is so wotchagonnado?

head i really envy you and wasabi your babies that do the long stretch second instead of first i really do. I am not sure that Mr G will EVAH manage to sleep til 7 without a mouth full of boob which is such a shame because mummy is so much nicer if woken after 7 and quite the witch energy challenged lady if woken before.

the christening sounds lovely - as does frankies food. After I read your post i cooked up some curry with G and he love it too. Mashed up with some rice and sweet potato or banana was good - i am keen to try something with coconut milk in it too one of these days when i can keep my eyes open.

I am sure that i haven't caught up with everything but I am half way there at least i hope.

I have also loved hearing about the music of your yoofs. It's a whole other mumsnet thread really - my teen soundtrack was quite eclectic but heavily featured artists and groups were Prince, INXS (first gig - michael hutchence in tight leather trousers how my 15 yr old self swooned) Hothouse flowers 70s stuff like lou reed and joni mitchell and politically correct hiphop like Arrested Development and De La Soul...oh and not forgetting a heavy smattering of acid jazz a bit lter on

but oh to go to back to Glastonbury 1993 - just post a -levels...actually i say that - i'm not sure i could hold in a poo for 4 days ever again wish i could say the same for my baby

irish i promised myself that i would tell everyone one very important thing that NOONE told me. the after the labour constipation can be horrendous in the first week. I was so worried i went to the chemist as i thought that i might be suffering from bowel damage.
I had to take more than one suppositary :(
in the first few days after birth drink water the whole time and have lactulose or fibrogel handy and don't go 4 days without 'going' (see how i get lady like now??? )

that talk of glastonbury reminded me.

OH and get some nice tea tree and lavender oil drops for the bath too.

over and out

HUGE apologies for almost senseless typing

i hope SOME of it makes sense

night ladies

Bella thanks for the advice re the constipation - I think I need all the adice I can get. Hope the imprint of the keysboard isn't too obvious on your face.

Am going to go for whatever I can wrt the birth - hopefully go as long as psos without going to the hosp as I'll be htere long enough when I do have to go. (They keep you in for 3 days here)

I have Sky plussed a few series - Mad Men etc. so will start watching them soon. I'm not the best at relaxing and staying still - and still haven't figured out how to store sleep despite everyone's advice in RL.

So we have only 4 more hours until I am officially overdue - am getting twinges but think they may just be BH because no patterns or anything else.

Anywho - I'll pop on tomorrow if I'm still here

Bella - you make me laugh like a sailor Will reply in full anon

Irish - go on seduce your DH now!!!

wasabi - will reply in full anon. # 2

No PC allowed on a Sat. night (sssh) so off to join DH on couch.

Blue been there done that

Stil here, still pregnant - who knew relaxing could be so tedious.
I've been relaxing now for over 3 weeks - to all those who say I won't know what's hit me I say bring it on. Nothing can be worse than this limbo.

i didn't find the first few weeks that bad actually because i had a huge surge of amazing hormones i think - also because i was lucky with bfing and just lay around opening cards and gazing at G telling DP how even though it's a cliche G actually WAS the most and in fact only beautiful newborn

sitting around can get boring - are you cooking stuff for the freezer? see i had christmas and the new year with the step kids so actually only got 10 days on my own to fart about which i absolutely loved as had been so manic. Try not to go up the wall cos once it starts it might be another few days before you actually get to meet her!!

Hope you don't get too bored xx

have you got any mum chums or mum to be chums you can go and have coffee with?

won't be a long 'un from me, had the most shocking week sleep-wise. Francesca's had a cold so been waking up hourly for a couple of days and just as she started to sleep again Luca had a tummy bug and was puking all night Thursday. I managed a spectacular 2 hours sleep that night, he's been waking up a couple of times since then, and this morning woke up at 5am which is so unlike him. Actually I have no idea why I'm not in bed yet! :o

Just wanted to send some vibes to Irish, hope something happens soon. The limbo is rotten, and that comes from someone who can sit around doing nothing for Britain! If you like cooking then Bella's right, stocking up my freezer was the best thing I did before I had Luca. Make lots of things you can eat with one hand :o:o

I also got a serious nesting bug and was cleaning all sorts of cupboards, ds was breech so being on all fours was supposed to help turn him, so I thought "why not clean the kitchen cupboards while I'm down here?" :o

Go to the cinema, I did that a few times as well. I went to see all those films dh didn't want to see and sat with a huge box of popcorn munching away!

Lots of walking is another thing to get things moving. My sister swears that a 2 hour walk was what got her dd going after being overdue for 10 days. Something about the movement of the hips as you walk helps to start things off - going up and down stairs is apparently even better, but a big hill will do. If you've got the energy that is!

Erm... that's as much as I can think of in my brain addled state. Good luck...

x

I'm back! 24 hours after I originally planned, but back nonetheless. We?ve made the most of this last weekend of DH?s holiday. DH and F have been playing constantly in the garden (and when I say playing I mean DH has been sanding and staining a little half height wardrobe we found in my fave junk antique shop that C is going to have while F hoons around the garden nicking tomatoes off the vine, digging and generally causing trouble.) We?ve also put lots of pictures up including our wedding pictures. As I said, we get there in the end. We also had a nice family lunch in town and as I type DH is putting together a nice mezza supper! Tomorrow is the start of our low carb regime to try and shift the weight we?ve both stacked on wince C was born. It is exactly the same scenario as occurred with F. I lose all my baby weight immediately after birth and eat like a horse because of bfing hunger. I gradually bf less over the course of 6 months as babies stop feeding every 2 hours after the first few months. I carry on eating the same amount and DH develops a very sweet tooth into the bargain. Cue some serious weight gain. We lost it all last time by dropping the carbs amd sugar (and alcohol for the 1st 2 weeks ? sob) and now have to do so again. So tonight it is carbtastic and I will be dunking lots of pitta in hummus.
Now, personals.

Irish Oh you must be sooooooo excited! You sound very sensible and composed re birth expectations. Sky plussing good TV is a must for all the waiting around. Mad Men is meant to be ace ? it is one of those shows I want to sit down and watch a series in one go although we all know the chances for this are slim right now. I laughed at your ?everything takes 5 minutes? comment. DH has learned to stop saying ?oh it?s a 5 minute job? because it ALWAYS goes tits up whenever he does. We have basically accepted that this house will never be ?finished? as such. It?s just the way it is in a house like this. Anyway, I hope you manage to get some sleep and rest generally in the days ahead. Keep us posted on developments!

Jumping I?m not sure whether to focus on the bfing or the dishwasher! I hope you have the latter by now. You have 3 children. A dishwasher is a fundamental human right if you have 3 children. As for the bfing I really do empathise with you so much. So many times at 4am I have thought to myself ?she is taking the mickey, from now on it?s bottles? only to cave the next morning when faced with the thought of sterilising, boiling kettles etc. And yes, at night it is so much quicker to whip one out than faff trying to warm a feed or settle them without milk. I wish I had an answer. I know the day that I stop feeding C I will cry and cry and I?m just not ready for that yet. She has 3 feeds a day now ? early am, mid am and mid pm then it?s a bedtime bottle. This is working ok for me at the moment. Any night time feeds are either boob or bottle depending on whether it?s a big day for DH at work, weekend etc. I hope you find a way forward that doesn?t make you cry or crazy with lack of sleep.

Blue I am so impressed that you can find time to go to the gym! I am going to try to find a way to get some exercise in over the next few weeks but I just can?t see how, other than walking with the children. When do you go? In the evenings I am so bloody exhausted that its all I can do to make some supper. Then there is ironing and all that boring stuff to do. Like you I have a rather annoying ?do your homework first then play? type streak. Has your garage conversion finished yet? It must be a hassle with builders around but you will have a fab new room at the end of it! Best of luck with the soft furnishings collateral. Good to hear that little B is sleeping so well. C has amazingly managed a couple of nights recently going from 7-7 or thereabouts but I?m not holding out hope of it continuing I love the new picture of Ben. Your boys are both lovely! BTW I am impressed that you like The Smiths. I loved them and still do but have difficulty persuading DH of their genius!

Head How is the nanny search process going? Your updated pic of F clutching her first passport is very cute! I too am having to make decisions on contraception. Not keen on the coil ? I tried to have one put in a few years ago pre children and we had to abandon it as it just wasn?t happening. So bloody painful I really wouldn?t recommend it. I am quite keen on going back on the pill. I loathe the ups and downs of my cycle and frankly anything that stops it works for me, although I understand why a lot of women aren?t keen on popping daily hormones. Mind you I am 37 so not sure if I am allowed it anymore. We?ll see. If the pill is a non starter I am going for plan B which is natural methods. I did temping to get pg with C and am pretty damn sure that I can manage it in reverse. DH is not 100% convinced but likes the thought of not having to wear wellies every time he goes swimming! Incidentally I couldn?t cope with a hangover either. Like you, I look back at some of mine and DH?s big nights out and I know I couldn?t cope with it now. Pre babies I used to smoke as well as drink so my hangovers were pretty hardcore. Even the other day when I was a little jaded after my 3am finish it didn?t compare to waking up stinking of smoke, feeling like you?ve inhaled an entire tobacco harvest. Gross.

Bella Oh your little clip of G is so cute. He is a lovely little dude and looks very handsome in his little stripy top I echo what the others have said about your step family ? jeez no wonder you?re busy. I hope everyone else has been able to set your mind at rest re the whole weaning thing. With F I had tons of little meals frozen but I?m afraid C has had to endure a slightly more haphazard approach. I have cooked quite a lot this week due to DH being around but mainly I just freeze cubes of cooked veg like butternut or cheesy mash and then mix it with one of those frozen spheres of spinach you can buy or a broccoli floret, peas and sweet corn ? whatever I am doing for F. I?ve also frozen some cheese sauce and also some very whizzed up Bolognese so she can try red meat. Another top tip ? buy a fresh fish and freeze it cut into little strips. Whack into microwave with a cube of cheese sauce, some veg et voila. The fish mashes up small enough for C so G should be fine also. I have also made some rice pudding and frozen into mini portions ? nice teatime tummy filler. Custard also good ? buy custard power, mix with milk, add fruit, whizz and freeze. C loves it. Also discovered a couple of days ago that C likes couscous which is handy as F does too so I just mix that up with some veggies.
Any sign of teeth on the little fella yet? We have zip here.

I am so with you on the sleep thing. I have to say that since C started having more protein and more food generally it seems to have got better . She still wakes at the same sort of time but just does one or two little squawks and then goes back to sleep. As for the to do list ? most items are ticked off when C is napping or else she sits in her bouncer watching us work which she seems to find endlessly fascinating. Tbh it is easier to work in the house than attempt to leave it which can be annoying. She has such short windows between milk/solid food/sleep that it seems impossible to leave sometimes. And of it makes you feel better the only reason we have a family room and a snug is because we moved further away from London so poor DH has a longer commute and we bought a house that needed lots of work. Always a trade off.

I was at Glasto ?93 too I think. Was that the year The Levellers played on Saturday night and then I think Peter Gabriel on the Sunday? Lol Ah the memories. I can see the tie die and smell the patchouli. It was glorious ? kind of unusual for Glasto. Lol at holding in a poo for 4 days.

Right it has taken me all night to write this post. I have to go to bed. Later lovely ladies xx

Just a quickie from me... I've got to tell someone, everyone's on holiday and dh is singularly unimpressed, but Francesca is crawling! A full three weeks before her brother was! That's my girl!!!

Sorry, as you were :o