Jan 09 Summer sun, peachy bums and... toddler tantrums..

[120]

New thread here...

OOo I'm off to get one for that eggy lady 120!! Then I can keep mine. I am trying to sell my medela swing and it's breaking my heart as that means I musn't be able to have another baby. And I want one.

At least I can keep my massage poster, and remember those times I was trying to help H with her pain in a baby massage class, when all I wanted to do was weep for her. And hope that if I get a 3rd, by some miracle of a lottery win, I will use it and have happier more relaxing time as this 3rd baby will *not have a dairy intolernace. Ever hopeful!

Yips on what? Sorry am being dense

Morning all. H is asleep after waking at 5.45 so I'm actually enjoying a slice of toast and a cuppa. Bliss!

morning

not going for htc wildfire getting violet blackberry curve

having a quiet day today

hi all ladies

Hi Tink!

Quite day here too. Although need to battle to the Postoffice and then going for a lttle tea at a freinds house with the girls.

Am also currently engaged n advance phone negotoations with Virgin tink Got cut off so hope she rings back.

The samples of that wallpaper and fabric I linked to have arrived. The one with the children playing. Oooooh neeeeed it. Be fab in our bathroom.

H has just eaten half a falafel, some noodles and drank some juice form a bottle Am pleased about the intake though. It was a bottle I got out to see about selling, and so of course she went ballstic after it. Always the way!

Hi Tree and Tink

I've got ds2 home today. He got up and said he felt sick and wobbly and after last time (when he was sick in the middle of the classroom) I decided it was safest to keep him off.

He is of course, absolutely fine now and has scoffed his breakfast, a fairy cake and is currently chomping down on cheese sandwiches and grapes.

Actually, I think his big brother has been keeping him awake when they go to bed at night and he is just really overtired.

We have sat and done his homework and high frequency words together, then read his reading books. He was really good and went the extra mile with his homework without complaining about doing a bit extra, so can't complain.

Had such a to do with ds1 this morning. Found out he did know what his numeracy homework was, after telling me that he couldn't do it because there weren't enough sheets left for him to have a copy. Looked in his book and sure enough he'd written what he had to do in there. I was not amused, as this isn't the first time he's done it.

Then when I said he'd have to do it before school, there was a huge meltdown, concluded by him stamping into the kitchen, straight onto my bad foot. Am ashamed to say I went off like a rocket at him, threw all my toys out of the pram and went back to bed leaving dh to deal with him. I did come back down ten minutes later, apologise for shouting, make his packed lunch and pack his bag with him though and he went off to school quite happily in the end. But what a start to the week! Roll on the summer holidays.

This is the first time I've sat down today other than helping ds2 with his homework and my foot is really throbbing now. Think I'd better put my feet up for a bit, as I have to walk to school to fetch ds1 myself this afternoon.

Tree, you have plenty of time for baby number three. I never thought I'd have another after ds2, but look at us now! Definitely couldn't afford another baby, can't fit her in the house, but she's here and we all adore her!

Afternoon. Finally lunch time!

Ooh Tree, fab idea, and glad you want to keep your one too. I really feel for you with H, she has certainly been putting you through your paces. I want another one next year so maybe we can do a planned thread pregnancy!

Moosey, lol at you and your extra baby!

H is really, really into this book at the moment. I think I have read it more than 30 times in the last two days. He comes up to me and says 'Nuffy. Thisway. Readit.' Then grabs my finger and tows me into their room. Very cute. Sadly he also has picked up a thing for pushing from his naughty big sis who keeps pushing him over.

Moose - bad start to day for you but glad it ended well and well done you for going back and making peace. I find it too easy to brood and simmer, and fnd it difficult to go back and fix things. Because I am a princess

H has tried my patience. It has taken 1.5 hrs, a walk and a lot of rocking to get her to take her pm nap. Which she was gagging for and stumbling about tired for.

Have an hour breather before the school run and tea at friends, which is always lovely but of course, full on. Am really pleased with the pressi's we have for the little girl though

Got 2 little plastic chairs for the garden, those mega cheap kiddie ones. I love them. £2 and plenty of fun H loved them and had a good sit down for herself. Bless.

Won't be next year for us 120. DH will hopefully be off to uni so we will be funding that, course fees and cost, plus trying to paper over the loss of his full time income. Should be a laugh. Am very nervous about the removal of the fee's cap. There is talk of the fees reaching 9k per annum, which I don't think we can, in all commonsense, do. 27k before we try borrow to meet the loss of his 22k salary is utterly stupid. We would end up about 60-80k in debt, for a teaching salary of about 25k, and then all the loan deductions.

Pah.

If he had a safer job, and I had younger mil.....

Leonard - horrid to think of you having that background pain all the time

Feel a bit naughty posting from work, but it is lunchtime.

Tree could your DH not do the Graduate Teacher training Programme and just train on the job so he gets paid at the same time? Sorry, you've probably looked at all the options already. What subject is he going to teach?

120 thier reading is so cute, DD and Ds both love(d) Moo Baa Lalala by Sandra Boynton, her books are fab, Hippos go beserk is another all time HKZ household favourite.

bell has gone, so will catch up good and proper later...

He's not a graduate, he doesn't have a first degree

O H up. All of 20 mins for all that work!!!!

Dog, meant to say thanks for the felafel recipe. Am going to try it this week. Haven't found the mix yet though!

Moose, have just posted the med salad here.

So tired. Realising I'm not reading all the posts properly as people keep mentioning things I haven't seen. Apologies for being crap!

went back to sleep

I bet she wants to sleep all afternoon now, which is a shame as I have to wake her in 20.

WHat is everyone else doing for naps? H seems to need a mornng one, and early too. About 9.30. Thena pm, which is anywhere from noon to 2, depending on the battle that commences.

Is she sleeping too much do you think? SHe is then really really ready for bed at 6 or 7, and takes anywhere from 10 min to 3 hours to get to sleep. Generally, if she goes down quicly, she is up again after an hour or two. And then the real show down starts! Bit fed up of the evenings really. Although the days are better.

Sainsbury for the falafel mix 120. Usually on the free from or just the healthy bit. We have 25% off at the moment too. Although that recipe is so simple it's well worth having a go isn't it? I might try. Yum.

Just had a weight watchers lunch. A whopping 10.5 points, but I figured better than snacking at the kids birthday tea. Like my logic? Think it will be cereal for dinner/supper, plus a supper of readybrek for the kids just before bed.

Off to make pinapple smoothies. Haven't juiced a pineapple before so I hope it's nice. It will be mega foamy I guess so 'll let it settle before tryign to tempt dd1

ooh. pineapple smoothies sound yum. DP couldn't find them in Sainsburys. Sigh. Will have a look myself.

We had mega issues with DD not sleeping and she used to wake early (btw 4 and 5) and then need a nap around 9ish or 10 at the latest. She would then nap around 3-3.40 as well.

With H I am much more strict. I try not to let him go down before 11, he usually then sleeps for 1.5 to 2.5 hours and then goes til 7 when he is so bushed he conks out.

DD weaned earlier than she should have (cos I was pregnant and she didn't like the taste) and was a nightmare to get to sleep from that week on. I am very sure that is what it was for her. We had 1.5 years of awful nights until I used the Dr Ferber sleep book and the techniques helped, but she easily untrains herself with any disruption to the schedule. She also absolutely insists on having her water cup by her side in the bed (H has one in his cot and at the moment it is often empty by morning).

We started with - reading to her until she fell asleep. Changed that to singing in the dark. Changed that to stopping singing but just being there in the dark. Then off the bed, by the door in the dark. Then door open, me outside but visible (reading my book). Then just the door open but light on.

Now she has 3 stories and a foot massage (and sometimes a song too, if she can wangle it), but generally then sleeps until 6. Been three years getting there though!

macca post. sorry. Think you should allow her only one nap and not too early in the day.

mm - poor u this morning!!!

nap wise bracken goes down @ 12pm till 2:30pm and that is it in the day then 6:30pm down for nighttime

bracken luvs books especially one with touchfeely bits in she has always luved different textures

what mobile phones to people have?!

6.30 nighttime! Sweet. DD goes down at 8.

MOOse at your morning. I like how you went back to apologise though. That is a great virtue to teach your LO's.

DH took me out for dinner last night. Nothing romantic, DD was with us, but I didn't have to worry about the clean up. But then the universe always substitutes those moments for other obligations and I had to scoot down the highway and take my dearest friend, (better than family, he even introduces me as his little sister), some stuff because he has the stomach flu. Poor guy.

My cell phone is shite! Its a Panasonic, payasgo thing from Rogers, one of the two cell providers in Canada, (quite a monopoly here, only two companies). It is so restrictive. I was only into my contract for a year and couldn't renew to get IPhone. They expect you to do two years, then they sign you on for another 3 year contract. The whole system here sucks ass basicallly. It was far cheaper for me to keep my Orange service with my Motorola while being here. Unfortunately that would mean people would call me long distance though. I would go with IPhone or Motorola though for my next one.

Off to the gym. Ciao for now.

Managed to clamber to the school and back, then sit with ds1 while he did an assignment on Mexico on my laptop, but my ankle/foot has gone very weird.

As I was sitting with ds1 it started to feel very cold, then pins and needles, then a deep long ache along with the pins and needles. Have been sat with it elevated for half an hour now and its still tingling and my lower calf and ankle feel really tight.

Nipped upstairs to change out of my school run clothes and nearly cried with the pain of putting my foot to the floor on the way back down. The pain is on the sole of my foot, right where the bone chip is.

Was going to cancel my docs appointment tomorrow, but think I'd better keep it now.

Dd is really inconsistent with her naps. On a 'typical' day (whatever that is) she's up at 7.30 and gets tired around 10.30 so goes down for a nap about 11-11.30 and sleeps for about an hour and a half. Other days she's desperate to sleep before 10 am and then needs another nap 2-3.00 pm. That usually results in her not going down to sleep until really late in the evening though, so I try to discourage it if I can cope with the grumpiness and general attitude.

Bit of a shock to the system as both boys used to have their lunch then sleep for at least two hours (often three) and then go down to bed at 7.00 pm. Actually, come to think of it, at this age they would have had half an hour at 10.30 am as well! They both carried on napping for at least two hours an afternoon right up until the week before they started Reception year, twas lovely. [wistful smile emoticon]

Dd is nearly always a pain to settle for bed in the evenings, but I take full responsiblity for that, as we haven't bothered to get her into a good routine (PLB syndrome).

Dog, we just dug up our spuds as well. Ds1 grew them all by himself and is sooo proud.

Forgot, he had a really nice day at school so all was well with him when I picked him up.

Did I brag to you all about his SENCO assessments last week? Oh well - even if I did, he deserves a double brag. He was tested in reading and spelling and was off the scale for reading (so above the level of a 12 year old) and currently spelling at the level of an 11 1/2 year old! He has been made into a free reader today (so that means he has completed all the school's reading schemes and can now choose any book he likes to read at home) and is the first child ever to be made a free reader in year 3. [proud mummy emoticon]

Good job he is changing classes in a few weeks as he has read every book on the shelves in his current classroom. We literally can't keep up with his reading habit, he can get through a paperback every 48 hours!

chef - mobile phones companies sound a rite pain

mm - good luck with drs appmnt tom foot sounds very ouchy!!! poor u

have just bought the blackberry in violet

Moose that is fantastic news, great that he had a good day too. What a clever chap he is! Your foot sounds really bad. Can just a chip cause all that pain? Might they have missed something like a hairline crack?

Tink - I'm being given a Blackberry tomorrow for work so we can compare.

Very jealous of the magic potatoes. Ours come from the next best thing (have a v local box scheme) but still. Lovely earthy new potatoes. I have discovered they are extremely nice still warm with the oil from bottled artichokes and a bit of lemon juice and salt. To quote Tree

Didn't mention my happening. Walking home from nursery H managed to do a mega puke from the ergo on my back. He'd been a bit quiet and then it happened. DD was shouting H was sick on me.

She had two dots of water on her croc. I had an avalanche of chunky pieces all over me. Not happy.

The irony was I had just had a shower and washed my hair so was feeling all clean and swooshy on the way to nursery. Such vanity.

The D part of it happened once we got home, fortunately, as the nappy barely containted it. I fed him water, bananas and digestives for supper. Hope that's ok? He has now passed out. Couldn't see any rash.

Tree - My sleep routine is fairly similar to 120's. I am ruthless on sleep training and routine. Both of mine now nap well and settle well. I felt guilty when sleep training them at about 4 months ish (when they suddnely started resisting naps but I knew they were tired) but knew I wouldn't cope if every night or nap time became a battle. For my sanity I needed them to both sleep well, I put DS down and he goes to sleep, nothing required, he has his thumb, DD has a dummy as mentioned before

Moose, I'm thinking swelling if you have done more today and yesterday [pins nad needles] or infection, or the splinter moved. Ooooh ouch. Def go to drs Poor poor you. Just don't need this do you.

Question - who does your pm school run if dd is asleep then?

Great great news about the news of school ANd wow at his reading! Wow! He has his magic ticket away from stress, I always did and do drift off into a book when I need to lock rl out. It is such a useful coping stratery for all of us.

So folks, do you think H is having too manny sleeps? Why shoul she not nap too early in the morning 120 - so the one nap gets her through? She has the wobbles by 9am, and is doozing in the car coming back form school sometimes. Can't magine spinning her out till later, but could try.

Am letting her sleep on me tonight, she would rather lie on the bed and roll about avoiding sleep. So this is a mini victory. Much assisted by the fact she fell straight off. Must be dead scary.

The thinking behind really early morning naps is that they are actually a bit of night sleep that has broken away, so she'll start waking earlier because she doesn't need the 9am, she needs to sleep in longer iyswim. What time does she get up?

It works roughly like this:

they need around 13-15 hours at this age (but they do differ)

so 12 hours at night (7-7), then around 2 during the day at some point. So they could have two 1 hour naps, or one 2 hour nap.

But, if the naps get too close to sleep time, they substitute sleep time and make wake time earlier (morning naps) or bedtime later (late afternoon naps). I am paraphrasing here, but it makes sense to me.

So, the easiest thing is to try and stick to the same nap, bed and wake times you want to give her, religiously for a week, and you should start to see sleeping in later and going down earlier. That means that you wake her early from her nap if she is trying to do 3.5 hours, and you keep her up if she is trying to go to sleep at 9am.

What time does she get up usually?

Tbh Tree I do wonder if she is having too much sleep, as Jacob can do that some days and still go down ok at night at 7pm. H bomb may get so over tired she just screams for hours if you push her too much to stay awake, that's my only fear and then not settle at all as she's chock full of stress hormones by then. I think you need to crack sleep training first and then jig naps about. The Feber idea sounds great by the way, I used PUPD with both but I'm not sure that would work with H.

She had a rough start to life from the sounds of it with Lactose intolerance

Do you think when she stays on Weds night elsewhere, they could stick to the same sleep method as you? As consistency would really help wouldn't it?