any other over 35 first time mums?

[Borboleta]

Happy new year to all of you.

We had a lovely new year just me, oh and thiago. I went to sleep around 10:30am and of course woke up a couple of times during the night with thiago . But it was just nice that it was just us.

I would love to join the bad night group with leeze, Sabrina and angel. I miss the days that thiago would just wake up at 5am! Now it is twice during the night and I am taking responsibility to put him back down because OH gets very frustrated if thiago doesn't go back to sleep right away and then thiago senses that and 2 hours later we are still awake with him! So I am waking up with him and putting him back down because somehow I am the "go back to sleep fairy" . But I am tired!!! Thank goddess for exercising that gives me energy to keep up with the day .

Storm, Clio and leikela: thinking about you girls. It must be really hard having to juggle house, baby and work. Hope LOs that are going to daycare will adjust and so are you all being away from them.

Clio: welcome to my world in regard on food . That is ecxatly how I feel when is meal time!!! So frustrating! But leeze, you made me happy to hear that Kia just eats a little too. Yesterday I made some rice and black beans and gave thiago some ( bad poop and stunk so bad!!! I gaged!! And I don't gag for poopy diapers ! But the beans and diarrhea smell was awful!!! Sorry TMI) but I offered him in a spoon and after me singing my whole kids music repertoire he actually ate a little which I was delighted!!! Even gave him a small piece of graham crackers for desert and he enjoyed that afterwards .

Claire: M's birthday is almost here !!! Now I would love to hear what you have planned for h birthday.

Leikeila: don't worry about keeping up with us. We just love to hear about how are you doing and LO.

Angel: I totally know the feeling towards OH. I guess most of us feel this way. Why do we feel bad if we leave LO with OH for an hour and they feel just fine that we care for LO for 6 hours and don't ask if we need help? glen loves TV and XBOx. Yesterday he did play some games and I watched thiago for a while.

Rowan: you are my hero. Poor M and you having to deal with being pregnant and waking up during the night with M sick and peeing on yourself! And you are not even on the third trimester!!! I did not enjoy third trimester!! Maybe this is a preparation to when you will have both babies although the good thing is that you will not have the extra weight and belly . But let's pray little michael will be an angel baby and he will sleep from 8pm to 8am .

Charlie: how are you and LO doing? Are you going back to work too?

Kosh: hope you and Gael had a lovely holidays. I have a friend that is from Argentina and she went there for the holidays. She seemed so happy on her photos.

Storm: I hear that px90 is a good workout DVD and jillian michael DVDs are good as well for working out. But if you like dancing get the Zumba game. Do you have a XBOX or play station or wii? I hear good things about it. And now they have an abs dance workout. The main thing is just to something. It doesn't need to be for 1 hour. Try to do it for 20 min but really push yourself hard if you are going with a shorter workout. Jumping jacks, squat ( squat jumps) , mountain climbers, push ups, sprints , that sort of thing. Do it for 30 sec. And slow down for 1 min ( light jog and fast walk) and then do it again.
I am telling you again, i don't know how I would survive thru the day if wasn't for the energy that I get from working out. It makes a huge difference. And our LOs will see that we like to be healthy and take care of ourselves so they will try to mimic us as they get older. We know that thiago is going to play soccer when he is a bit older. The boy is good already with kicking the ball. And hubby loves Brazilian jujitsu and wants him to do that too .

Talk to you girls later.

 

[SabrinaKat]

Leeze -- I've been taking LO 3/5 mornings the past month while I'm off work -LOL! In fact, the staff encouraged it as a) I'm paying for it anyway, b) it's good for both of us, e.g. I get a little sleep, and he gets to do some activities, see his friends, interact with others, etc. so try not to feel guilty for a little me-time now and again (although my me-time seems to be sleeping (will I ever get rid of this cold completely? (now it's a tickly throat, no real sinus though)) and cleaning up the house).....

am hoping that storm and clio have survived! and leikeila! -- I'm from the States myself and just think the maternity 'rights' at home are awful -- only three months unpaid (unless you have a nice employer)....definitely have my sympathy for having to return so soon...!

hugs to all

ps. now I must wake up LO from his nap....sigh....

 

[clio]

Oh, everyone, I feel you. I would be taking a shower right now, but after a very complicated experience with an alarm clock, a very powerful last-minute sleep aid (I hear you SK) and a husband who thought he was "helping" me, I've woken up too late to take one (it takes over half an hour because of my hair), so instead, I'm able to join the ranting/venting group because of my little bit of extra time I have before I go to teach. Unwashed.

Angel--oh, sistah, oh yes. Did you read my breakdown of the "50/50 deal" between me and my husband. NOT 50/50 in the least.

To all of you--I'm so sorry about your sleepless nights. I don't know how you handle it, and my love goes out to all of you.

So, not much time, but here is my current OH vent. I am so worried about J's eating, which is: not much. He still is hit and miss with his formula, he barely eats solids these days, and whole milk is entirely out of the question (and I worry that he's refused a full bottle of formula because he somehow detected the whole milk hidden in there. I don't know if that's the reason, but you never know.) Last night, even, during my drug-addled dreams, I had one where I met some girl I knew who just had a baby and was buying a litre of whole milk. I asked her if it was for her baby (who, in the dream, was younger than mine), and she said "Oh yes, he LOVES it. And he's really taken to solids, too." And in my dream, I had another anxiety attack. Awesome.

Then I wake up this morning. It is nearly 10 am (thanks, OH). J is down for his second nap.
"When was he up?" I asked.
"Oh, really early--five o'clock."
"That's crappy--when did he go back down?"
"Around 8 am. But he was SO busy in the meantime [and he goes on to list all the things J did in 3 hours]."
"Did you feed him his oatmeal?"
"NO! We talked about this. He doesn't like to eat until after his fat morning nap."
"But that isn't breakfast time. That's either snack time or lunch time when he wakes up. One of the problems with his eating may be that he isn't eating according to a regular schedule."
"He simply won't eat. I've tried it your way, and he won't eat."

This boy LOVES his oatmeal. I've fed it to him at 6-7 in the morning. He eats it. There is no way that a boy so "busy" won't stop and eat the thing he loves the most in the world: oatmeal. He's not eating his breakfast because my OH can't be arsed to make it for him. I didn't say anything, because we are always fighting these days, but after a few minutes, OH got up and said, "Well, I'll get his breakfast ready," even though the boy is still sleeping, and makes him a "guilt" omelette. I passively aggressively told OH to save it for lunch.

We've just discussed things after a cooling off period, and decided to keep a nap and food schedule (he chooses his own naps which yes, can interfere with a meal) for the next week, and then talk to his pedi on Friday.

Okay, must go. Good luck to you all!

 

[Storm1jet2]

Evening all, well I survived... Just about. Started at 8.30 as dh was off today and I had no computer ir phone until lunchtime! Thankfully my friend returned from maternity leave today too and she was in the same position so we just sat and talked! That was great but we were both getting really tired just sitting around. We both got sorted by lunch and then it hit me this is it. I'm back. Sigh....

Anyway L had a great day at nursery and came back hyper... She was literally bouncing off the walls.. she took 8 steps tonight so we have progress!

Leeze I think men are just programmed differently! Dh had NO issues leaving L into nursery today, he's working tonight so really didn't have to leave her in til lunch, he had her in at 9... Take your me time and don't feel guilty. Ultimately you will be a better mum if you get your head showered so to speak.

Last night wasn't great for us, pre midnight screaming, 3am screaming and up for bottle at just before 6 screaming. I was worried about going back to work so I hardly slept at all. So tired, think I will record one born every minute! Please let her sleep tonight, please! I have to take her to nursery tomorrow and get into work so I'm stressing about that! It's going to be one almighty rush!

SK I often have no idea why L screams but I've honestly found that at times I make it worse and she needs to settle herself, but boy is that tough! Why can't see just sleep!

Oh and angel dh is still sneaky smoking!

 

[Storm1jet2]

Oh Clio I missed your post, how stressful and irritating about the oatmeal! Today for breakfast L had a crumpet (tastless bread thing but milk free) toasted with lactose free butter and a kiwi. Im happy enoughto bring her in with me at 5 or 6am cause she will take an 8oz bottle in her semi sleeping state, if she's awake she will NOT drink milk in the morning, its so frustrating! She is point blank refusing to eat the porridge she once loved, it is now evil! I get so frustrated when she won't eat something she used to love, especially when I've spent ages cooking it...

Hope you get some advice from the dr!

 

[Storm1jet2]

Oh and Borboleta I've just ordered zumba for the wii off amazon

 

[Leeze]

Storm, well done for surviving your first day. It's great you'd already got Lydia settled into the nursery so you haven't got that as an extra worry

Clio, I get frustrated all the time with OH in relation to feeding issues. He comes out with all this crap that he's mostly made up. I'm like, well I'm the one with her most of the time so I've tried and tested many ways with her which I why I do things the way I do. Kia's actually also normally pretty good at eating her breakfast porridge and often when he feeds her she won't eat it all. He has this theory that she needs to take her time to eat and rest between each mouthful. Personally, I try to get it in as quickly as possible and if she doesn't open her mouth then I figure she's not ready for the next mouthful!

 

[Borboleta]

Clio: what kind of oatmeal do you make J? Is it the real one or baby oatmeal?

 

[clio]

Clio: what kind of oatmeal do you make J? Is it the real one or baby oatmeal?

Oh, I love that you live in North Ami and know my frames of reference! It's the Quaker Oats QUICK oatmeal, NOT the INSTANT. (And not baby...)

I take a packet, pour it in a pot and add some homo milk (or you could measure it out and do 4 tablespoons per packet), toss in two big whalloping teaspoons of baby fruit puree (only thing they were ever good for), a generous dash of cinnamon, and then put it on high and stir it until it becomes really thick and sticky (I'll even leave it for a minute alone on the stove so the milk has time boil make it a nice goopy mess). Takes all of 5 minutes to make. Then I put it in the freezer long enough to cool off for his little hands, and give it to him. He holds a fork in one hand and shoves the oatmeal in huge globs into his mouth with the other. He is seriously finished in one to two minutes. He then looks down the cracks between his legs and the sides of his booster seat to see if any fell that he could still eat.

And this is the kid who supposedly can't have oatmeal during his morning playtime...

Now, if T is still acting all Mr. Fussy-Pants about his hands getting dirty, it's easily spoon fed as well.

Obviously I am back from the university, and I'm really happy I'm teaching again. You know, I'm anxious in every other social situation, but get me in front of a lecture hall... Plus, I'm always so scattered that I get to know so many kids right from the start because I can never figure out the tech and I make them do it for me. I also can never find pens and have to borrow them, or pull down the screen and any other thing that could go wrong, does. (I once taught part of a class with one lens of my glasses missing and could not for the life of me figure out why I couldn't see the classroom properly and why I had a horrible headache. A student eventually found my lens on her desk.) One student took one of my previous courses and said he was glad to have me again; he remembers me turning on the lights of the classroom and yelling because they startled me. I asked him how I could possibly be startled by lights I myself had turned on and he said that no one knew, and that's why everyone laughed.

But today was easy, and Friday will be easy (movie), but next week the real stuff starts. So we'll see how I'm doing then.

****

It's hours later, now. J got up from his nap just after I wrote the above, and it was the strangest thing. He was wailing. Screeching. OH got him a bottle, which he drank (topped up with whole milk ) but still, he would not stop sobbing inconsolably. Then my husband pointed out that he had never spent a day without me and he really, actually, seemed mad. Finally I read him a few books (well, the same one, Moo Baa Laa Laa Laa, over and over) and he calmed down and had to show me all sorts of things. I had never considered that this might be a possibility--that he'd be upset with me, or even notice I was gone!

Phew! J's eating in the dining room right now, and I have been banished to the living room so he doesn't get anxious by my anxiety over his food. But, I can hear him slurping bread and smacking and saying "mmmmm," so at least my butternut squash soup was a winner. Good thing, too, seeing as we have 4 more portions of it in the freezer...

Okay, enough about me...

Storm--yay for surviving your first day! It must be nice having someone else there who is experiencing exactly what you're experiencing. Though it sounds like the afternoon wasn't too great. Do you like your job? You said you worked in a bank?

Leeze--I know, the excuses! Your husband sounds exactly like mine with the "timing" excuse! Oh, once I very carefully showed OH how to make the oatmeal like I do above, which is seriously simple, and he instead did it by the package, and claimed afterwards that J didn't like oatmeal anymore. And since we're supposedly 50/50, I am to trust him, OH says, because he knows J's habits as much as I do.

Oh, OH's report is that he ate most of his dinner, and threw none over the side! Yaaay!

I hope you all have better nights, my dears. I have to take J up to bed now. I'm thinking of all of you!

 

[AngelUK]

Will try and do personals later. Just wanted to come on and exclaim: WHY at 5:20am on the dot does Sebastian wake crying? Every morning!! GAHH!

 

[SabrinaKat]

neighbours blasting music, so no real lie-in for me this am (I turned mine up and hopefully, they will get the message? however, LO is in creche, so when he comes home and if they are still loud, not sure what to do-- I will call the landlord, tho, tonight as I can hear their music from two rooms away...sigh)

we had sttn! I didn't sleep well as was afraid that every snort, etc., would turn into a party, but he did pretty much sleep from about 10 to about 6.30, and cried when he realised that daddy (not mummy) was taking him to creche...I did nothing different except to offer proper food around 8pm, but whether that was the trick? I don't know....

hope all are well....will do personals later....yawn!

bye!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SabrinaKat]

I have a little time before getting LO from creche, so...

clio - glad the first day went good!
angel -- perhaps Seb is on French or later time, and therefore, to him, it's actually later? (or else....maybe he just wants mummy time?)
leeze - my OH won't feed LO except for bottles and his oatmeal/porridge, as LO can be messy, so I am also of the 'get the spoon in as fast as possible' school of feeding thought, let him chew and then before his arms (or legs) have a chance to react, get that next spoonful in!
storm - hope you are surviving day 2!
borboleta - hope T slept through last night? or least, YOU got some sleep!

if I forgot anybody, sorry (claire? leileika? skweek?) as just realised that I have to change clothes (wearing comfy sweats to clean in) before going to collect LO!

bye!!!!!!!!!!!

ps. am sooooooo glad that these noisy neighbours didn't live here when I was on maternity leave and/or with a newborn as I couldn't have gotten any sleep with them blasting away....(and they have five children so should know about baby naps!)

 

[Rowan75]

hey ladies M alseep so a quick pop on before I clean house!!

glad you survived your first days back at work storm and clio! Its such a change for you all - you're doing really well x

re sleep - were managing a few hours a night - cough cold still present 3 weeks later, and teeth are joining in for the fun of it

re food - M hasnt eaten properly for 3 weeks now - Ive resorted to sneaking chocolate in her mouth in the hope of getting some calories in! shes not even interested in cherry tomatoes!! or pinching our food...I figure her teeth are hurting too much and her cold making her not hungry...she gets weighted next week as part of her 1 year assessment so will be interesting to see how she does

re choking - ah M has always been a good choker but shes been coughing so hard shes actually been choking on her tongue - only a few times and not for a few days but I'm well rehearsed in the choking maneuvers so I'm probs a bit blase about it lol I hadn't really realised that babies don't always choke 5 or 6 times in the night when they're tiny lol maybe Michael will be a doddle lol!

re exercise - I looooove exercise....I hate being out of action gah!

leeze thanks hon - would I be able to lift Martha tho after a section? shes up most nights like every hour or so and I must get her in and out of her cot umpteen times a night - cant see that stopping in the next 14 weeks and I cant be in a position where I cant look after her as well as Michael in the night

omg 14 weeks....there will be a newborn in 14 weeks. Holy Cow! Have started my what we need for Michael list...holding my friends 2 week old yesterday was lovely but also like omg what do I do with a newborn?! lol wobbly head and everything!!

its amazing how you forget!

he everyone is having good days x

 

[Storm1jet2]

Another day, another dollar so to speak! I think I'm in denial that I'm back in the rat race, workbis fine but seriously is my year over? How did that happen!

Clio glad its going well for you and you do something you love. I do work for a bank but I don't do banking its computers and my current role is a bit like being the pc application police! I suspect its not going to be a role that makes me popular with desktop support but I'm good with that.

L has had two good days at nursery, played well, eaten well and only cried on drop off! I so hope she likes it cause I miss her so much! It's mad how organised I have to be, have her bag ready, clothes out, my clothes out, lunch made and dinner for that night made! The one thing that is driving me nuts is how long it takes her to eat breakfast! She's currently off porridge so its finger foods and it takes forrrevvverrr. She ended up finishing her breakfast in my bedroom while I had a quick shower!

Angel, sorry to hear about your early morning wakeups! I had L in bed with me from 3am, but I did get 4 hours sleep before that

Oh I'm too tired to type more, catch up later, oh quick one, hope you get better soon Rowan and M!

 

[clio]

SK--- Nasty noisy neighbours. I'm sorry. I too get very, very irritated by noisy people disrupting whatever I am doing, which is extrememly hypocritical because I once lived on the top floor of an old Victorian house, and the people in the apartment below me moved out because I was too loud. To be fair, though, I was in my late 20s at the time. I think it was a very good passive, yet still very aggressive thing to do to put your music up. I've gotten into music wars as well (different apartment. In my 30s. Hmmmnnn... It's probably a good thing we own our own now, I guess...).

Yaaaaay ( ) for the STTN! It might well have been the food--try it again tonight!

Rowan--that is one nasty cold! And is it normal for babies to choke during the night? Have you asked your doc? It just seems a bit...disconcerting...? I hope M is eating again soon; poor thing--this teething session must be really bad. J might have a molar coming in (or canine), he had that fever a few days ago, and kept placing his forearm between his ear and his jaw on the same side each time. Which teeth is M working on now?

With a c/s you're not allowed to lift anything over 10 lbs, so M would be out. I just hate to think what might happen if you have a vaginal birth. Is there a chance that you'd be just as incapacitated because of tears (you did mention a potential operation is it goes badly again...)? I know I've said it before, but have you asked on the c/s board, or even in BC? Others must have figured out some tricks if they had a c/s with a toddler. I know a lot of people on pregnancy dot org who were/are intending to have a c/s with a little one around. (I just don't know any of the details...)

Angel--I'd take 5:30 in a heartbeat, even if it isn't me waking up for it. J has been waking consistently at 5 every morning, and (isn't this terrible?) I'm tired of my OH being a martyr for being the one to wake up with him every time. He doesn't ACT like a martyr, but you know, after a while, it becomes implied...

Borboleta--I didn't say this before, but I re-read part of the thread and realized I missed it: I'm so sorry your OH is still out of work and you have to keep him from verging to the dark side. It must be very stressful.

So, I had an interesting conversation with OH last night. He pulled the old "I feel like I can't do anything right and I'm walking on eggshells around you" crap, and I got mad (this was after the oatmeal debacle). It's the same as the "you pick fights all the time" idiocy that he tried to pull earlier in the week. I told him to suck it up, and don't then walk on eggshells around me! If you've got something to say, then say it! Couples FIGHT. Especially after a kid! I'm not going to leave him, our marriage is still very strong, we have a good relationship, but we can't just let things go unsaid simply to avoid conflict any more. Before, they could go unsaid because they were small issues that didn't really matter. But now everything matters when it comes to J, and ffs let me tell you if something isn't going right!!!

He took that well enough, but what really put him at ease was knowing that all of us on this thread are fighting way more with our OHs than we were before. He's used to 8 years of no fighting, but since we've had the boy...

Oh, and I told him to stuff the whole "walking on eggshells" bs. Translated, that means that "you're not only being irrational and explosive at any moment, but I am suffering greatly because of not wanting to set you off, and that is also your fault." Shut up and deal with things like a mature adult, you twit.

Ah, it felt nice to write that. I'm so glad we've got a nice, safe spot to vent about our OHs. Seeing as so many of us have the same problems, too.

 

[Rowan75]

hey hon - aye its two top teeth and the top molars still!! her cheeks have been v red and swollen - poor thing but not so bad today!

Ive asked a few folks with sections but all have had dhs who could help so Ill maybe check the boards and see if theres anything there...I think I'm just going to have to gamble tho lol need to keep the faith - somebody's got to have a good labour/delivery/recovery why cant it be me?! lmao!

were still getting on well...much to our friends disbelief esp our in laws who fight all the time they keep waiting for trouble to come our way...who knows maybe 2 kids will do it - lol!

 

[Borboleta]

Hello ladies,

Clio: thank you so much for the oatmeal recipe. I will try tomorrow morning and see what mister picky eater does . And oh's fight is and on and off thing here too. Now he is sick with a cold that he says he got from thiago. So I have 2 babies to take care for . And hopefully he will get a job soon. Keep praying for us.

Rowan: 14 weeks!!! My goodness is coming soon!!! Poor little M and you. Hope you two feel better soon. And what a lovely thing that you and your OH are such a good partners. It sounds like your in laws are not big fans of you ?

Storm: ogled to hear you had a great first and second day back to work. My sister works for a bank too. She is gets loan for comercial businesses.
And I am so happy that you ordered the Zumba DVD!!! Which one? You have to tell me if you like it. First step to a healthier you. Maybe L will like it and will be shaking her booty with you .

Angel: little seb is getting jealous of all the dominic's attention . He wants to snuggle with mommy.

Sabrina: yeah for Sttn . Hope your tonight will be the same !!! And I hated living in our last apartment because we had horrible neighbors too!!! It was bad!!! We had to talk to landlord they were evicted. And them another weirdo came to live there and we complained again and they were evicted too. I was so glad when we moved to our house and we have lovely neighbors. I would go talk o the neighbors and complain and if they don't do anything go talk to the landlord for sure .

Well we had another no so great night. Although thiago woke up just once. It for 1 hour 1/2!!! After i tried to rock him for a while I gave him a bottle and changed his diaper and tried again and he would not go down I was done and put him in his room kissed him goodnight and left. Tried to do cc but he got hysterical so I decided not to go back there. After about 10 min of really hard cry he started crying less, then moaning them he was down. So a total of about 35 min crying ordeal. I was exhausted yesterday because I had to teach 3 Zumba classes after not doing much as exercise goes in 1 week and 1/2. I am hoping today will be a better night. He takes such good naps though. At least 1 hour 1/2 for sure. 2 naps. And today he had 4 dirty diapers poor thing. All diarrehea like poop.
And his eating is the same old I am not hungry and don't want to eat. Although last night when I got back from working out I made myself I grilled cheese sandwich and brought him to his high chair to give OH a brake From taking care of thiago for 2 1/3 hours and he started eating his gerber puffs that was sitting in his tray and I gave him cheese and bananas and he was eating everything real good without one complain. Not sure what was that about. I am so used to him closing his mouth tightly and turning his head away from the food that anything different is unusual !

Got to go teach a yoga class. I am sooooo looking forward to this one!!!

 

[kosh]

happy new year ladies!

i clicked in my subscription email to this thread and started reading a few posts - found clio's wedding picture and comments re. Lydia's bday and thiago's 10 steps and i was doing well, until i realised that i was in page 253 and you are already in 260 so i gave up!

hope everyone is doing well. i have my MIL visiting (for a month!!) and gael's routine and, needless to say, sleep is non-existent but he is so happy during the day and lots of fun to be with i'm totally in love with him

sorry, can't comment anything else as i have no time to properly follow the thread. hope you don't mind

 

[SabrinaKat]

yawn -- well, we had almost sttn (10 to 4.30am), but I didn't fall asleep until about 1.30 (I was tossing and turning from about 11 -- I do read in bed (love my new Kobo, but make myself turn it off after 1/2 hour). I got OH up at 4.30, and he rocked LO until 5ish, then I took over so at least OH could get another hour of sleep before he got up properly. LO didn't really fall back asleep much -- he has this smoker's cough and that is now waking him up!

re: noisy neighbours. I have no problem with lots of noise, but music boom-boom where the walls vibrate really, really, really annoys me as it hurts my ears (the nerve within, perhaps?). We had some really noisy neighbours in the same house before, and initially, we thought this new crowd were okay, but they park in front of our house, have blinking Christmas lights (and they aren't turned off until about 1am) and just make alot of general noise -- I am, however, wondering if the mother does her cleaning with the music on around lunch-time and since I was at work, I wouldn't have noticed it? I am giving them another day without complaining, but if it is still noisy at the weekend, I will send my OH over to explain that our shared wall of their living room, is our master bedroom where the cot is and where the baby takes naps, sleeps at night, etc. Thank god at least, they don't blast music at night or I would be calling the police. I am trying very hard not to let it bother me, but as I suffer a bit from anxiety and if in a situation where I feel out of control, will stress about it.

Rowan - sorry I missed you in my personals yesterday! I don't think you could/can lift M1 after a c-section, but definitely M2! Perhaps over the next few weeks, you could begin to limit picking up Martha, just so it's not a complete shock if you need a c-section and therefore, M1 might not be as upset if she went 'cold turkey'? Cross fingers as well that a c-section isn't needed and all will be well!

off back to bed as it's my last morning to be lazy - hahahahaha (the sound of a slightly deranged sleep deprived mummy, hoping the neighbours sleep in this morning!)....

bye!!!!!!!

 

[clio]

Borboleta--you may have the same "food anxiety" problems as I do. Now that I just give OH what J is to eat and leave (and promise not to yell from the living room what OH should or should not be doing ), he's eating like a champ. I still don't dare give it to him myself, but he is eating again, finally. It seems the same way with you. You make him something specific to put in his mouth, but he refuses, you get anxious, etc., etc., but then you casually make some food for yourself, casually hand it to him and ignore it, and he slurps it down without any help? That doesn't even sound like a baby who doesn't want to get dirty hands! Can you just put something on his tray (like the oatmeal) and walk away and do something else in the kitchen? J always started his meals quicker when he thought no one was watching. Took the pressure off, I guess.

Storm--we must have posted at the same time! Oooh-pc application police?! What is that? I've always wished I could have done something with computers; before I turned to macs a number of years ago, I would fiddle and crash and fix my pc all the time pulling ridiculous stunts. But then, nothing would ever happen to the macs once we switched, so I lost my daredevil edge. Why do people fear you?

Rowan--well, I think you're very lucky that you guys are still the same. You're the only ones I know, I think. My SIL and BIL went from being the "golden couple" that everybody thought had the perfect harmonious relationship until they had their first baby, a horribly colicky, wouldn't EVER sleep boy, and, well, let's say no one would really like to be in their shoes now. I think OH and I have weathered the storm quite well, but he's got to understand that a baby changes everything. Before J came, he scoffed at everyone who tried to warn him that his life would change in inconceivable ways (he truly believed that it would not), and then it changed in inconceivable ways. So a man who hates fights more than anything is simply also going to have to learn that when you have a baby, you fight!

So we verged on a party tonight--J was really wanting one. He's taken on this hysterical keening (he did it the first time I came home from a day away from him at the university) which seems to suggest that he is truly, truly furious. At 11:30 pm, he started crying, and when he heard my husband and I talk in the hall, deciding whether or not to go in, he turned it up a few notches. I made OH get me a bottle, got him out of bed, and he started the furious hysterics again. I have no idea why. Finally he stopped and I rocked him for a bit, but he started up again when I went to put him back in bed. So, I decided to cover all my bases: I gave him advil, he finally took some from the bottle, and then I read him a bedtime story. He was yawning and rubbing his eyes when I finally put him down, but again, there went the crying again. BUT, my rule is this: if I have ruled out pain, illness, hunger and have given comfort that can calm him, then he is fine, and CIO we go. He was asleep within ten minutes, but I kept having to put the tv on loud so I couldn't hear him. It's a hard call, sometimes.

He's also got this horrible red mark and bump from his awful cousin S. You know, I have truly, truly tried to like this kid for 5 years, but I can't. He's the colicky baby who never slept, who has grown into an incredibly, incredibly intelligent, rude, bratty kid who never thinks of others, and still won't sleep. All of us in the family are starting to get increasingly uncomfortable by his behaviour. We don't really know what the parents are thinking, but, as I said earlier, I wouldn't like to be in their shoes. Their second son, L, is a year older than J, and I think they will be good friends, but the brother... Anyway, somehow, S was fooling around on a heavy wooden chair when he wasn't supposed to be (Oma was telling him to get down), and while S was tipping around on it, it and S fell on J's head. Oma felt sooo bad that she called me right away to tell me about it, but I didn't know why she bothered to call--J's had bumps all the time. It wasn't until I saw the long red mark and bump that I understood why she was worried. But, she checked for all signs of concussion, and he's fine.

Well, at least after all of the Sunday dinner experiences with S, we now have figured out how we intend to deal with a whole host of bratty behaviours, should J ever demonstrate it.

So, pedi app't tomorrow before I teach. I'm worried about his weight loss. He used to look so strong, but now you can see his ribs a bit. I can't wait for more insight from Dr. Useless.

I hope you had good nights, all of you!