any other over 35 first time mums?

[kosh]

Good morning ladies,
Hope you are all doing well .

Clio: that is strange that your niece does that . I have no idea what could it be? Colic would be my only guess.

Sabrina: so glad to hear your eyes are better. Now hopefully Finn is not getting sick again poor thing! I don't know how do you handle it. At least they seem to get better way sooner than when we catch those bugs!!

Well, we are having better nights down here. The past 3 nights I have been refusing to wake up and go rock thiago at when he wakes up at night so he just cries for about 10 to 15 min and goes back to sleep . And actually last night he didn't even wake up, I was the one that woke him up at 7am because I want him to take an earlier nap and don't go to sleep at night at 11pm !! I think I probably could try to slowly move him to one nap but I love the 2 two hour naps ( sometimes more) that he takes so I just need to get used to have him awake till 10:30pm ..
And he has been extra whiny these days. I think his is getting his top canine because he was super crabby for about 2 weeks when the other one was breaking through the gum. But he is still super cute .

Alright, talk to you girls later.

he takes 2x 2hrs naps?! I'm lucky if I get 1x 1hr!
oh well, I guess I should know by now Gael is not a great sleeper, right?

 

[clio]

clio -
re. your niece, did she always have these crying fits? (apologies if you mentioned it before). why do you call it rage? are they sure she's not in pain?

You know, since I didn't have a colicky/reflux baby, I think my mother and I fell into the "she's throwing a fit for no reason" trap.

I talked to my sister yesterday to find out more (my sister has been rather circumspect with everyone, and everyone gets a different story), and I hope the story I got was a clearer one.

From my mother, who is actually there, but not every day: "The baby cries twice a morning. It used to only be during feeds, but now it's triggered by other things. The crying is the worst thing you could imagine. Don't try and imagine it, because you can't imagine it."

From my sister, yesterday: "The baby cries in the afternoon too, just not the evening, and it is always triggered by a feed. Except, she does not cry in the evening. We're not certain what it is." (Because my sister won't go to a doctor and doesn't believe in medicating babies even if she were to go. I think she was going to try an elimination diet, but I don't think she's done anything with that yet either.)

So, I'm inclined to think it's pain. My sister also said that she has a lot of blocked milk ducts and mentioned infection (mastitis, I assume). Would that make a difference for the baby?

Ah, just read about blocked milk ducts. Sounds like it could be the problem... Also sounds painful--did any of you have them?

 

[Borboleta]

Clio: I didn't have mastitis but I heard it hurts really bad! Maybe kosh, Leeze, Charlie or Claire could give you some idea about that or if that changes how the baby reacts to the food. I wonder if they get fussy then because they can't suck as much milk and they are hungry?

Kosh: you know more than ever I believe that there are babies that are great sleepers and some are not. Is Gael sleeping with you? I don't know but maybe because my period is coming but after rocking thiago for one hour last time about 3 days ago from 2:30am till 3:30am and when I put him down in his bed he woke up and wanted me to rock him for God know how long, I just lost it and told him night night and went to bed! It took him about 20 min to fall back asslep on his own. I remember telling my OH that he was fine, diapered changed gave him Advil before bad ( so no pain there) and he ate good during the day so no hunger either. He still wanted to go and try to rock him and I told him no! H
Had to put a pillow over my head ( otherwise I would've gone back there) and he felt sleep. Have you tried to just let Gael cry and see what happens? I know how you feel because I went back and forth with CIO. I still rock the boy to go to sleep for naps and night time but I just can't do it the during the night wake up times anymore. . And he still loves me and wants my hugs ALL the time !

Talking about hugs ... My godness thiago is a lover boy !! All he wants is hugs and kisses! Yesterday OH had him for dinner at his mom's house cause I had to train a lady at the studio and he told me that he really didn't want to go with Anyone but my OH. And he got loads of hugs from him. So if mommy is not there daddy is the replacement . Are your LOs loving all the time too?

 

[kosh]

So, I'm inclined to think it's pain. My sister also said that she has a lot of blocked milk ducts and mentioned infection (mastitis, I assume). Would that make a difference for the baby?

Ah, just read about blocked milk ducts. Sounds like it could be the problem... Also sounds painful--did any of you have them?

Re. mastitis - was lucky not to have it, but I read it can make the milk taste different and/or salty, so that might be a reason to get upset after/during feeds. is the baby refusing to feed ot just getting very upset?

Blocked ducts - had them twice, and oh boy, they hurt they affect milk flow, so another reason for baby to get frustrated. if your sister has a lot of blocked ducts there might be something wrong with the baby's latch/suckle. is BF otherwise ok?
but she has to unblock them or they will turn into mastitis.

other thoughts re. why during morning/afternoon but not evening - is she EBF or FF too (sorry, I am sure you must have mentioned this)? does the baby feed equally from both breasts? what's her (your sister's) diet like?
what's her supply like? and her let down? does the baby choke?
It might be that there is something in your sister's diet that the baby is reacting to and this is more obvious early in the day? (say that your sister has yogurt in the morning, for example).
It could also be that her supply varies during the day, or that her letdown is too strong/fast in the morning but it eases off at night?

hope some of this helps!


----ETA
borboleta - need to leave NOW to pick up my little man from nursery will reply to you later!

 

[SabrinaKat]

I get loads of cuddles from LO, Borboleta!

no advice, sorry, clio as bottle fed, but sometimes, LO would cry/scream at night (evenings around 7-9), and although he was never diagnosed with reflux or colic, we used stuff to help, which it seemed to - e.g. colief and later, gaviscon infant. It can be quite depressing and scary, but some doctors argue that sometimes babies just scream or maybe there is a noise or disturbance that our ears can't pick up? like a train or wind turbine? that is just a guess on my part, tho....

hope all are well? LO is quite cranky, so am not sure just general crankiness or MMR (it's 7-8 days since when some reactions can occur/no temperature or rash as of yet....)....

hugs!

 

[clio]

Hey everyone! Yay for iPads! I'm proctoring my 3 hr exam right now and had to discuss my peer evaluation with my evaluators before that, so I'm at the uni for quite a bit. Very, very few ever take the full three hours, but there is ALWAYS one. Bah.

My evaluation went well, and I learned I'm one of only 2 sessionals (those who aren't proper, full-time faculty) who are qualified to teach American History in the city, so that's good.

Typing on an iPad sucks.

At least I got a chance to talk to the American History prof here, and he told me that he never sticks to the grading formula! After all this guilt and emotional hand wringing and dropping grades right left and centre, year after year (well, only 3 yrs), I could have given them the proper grade! It's not that it's been that bad; it's just this class was really hard to do that with. So I removed half the essays I was going to give back in order to raise their mark.

What a boring post!

Um, something J related... Thinking... (I have a half written post on blocked ducts and so on at home, so I haven't forgotten...)

Gosh, J has been nothing but really cute lately. He's now drinking milk, but still with a bottle, but one battle at a time... His favourite book is the Raffi version of The Wheels on the Bus, which comes with a downloadable song, which must always play at the same time, according to J. He calls the book "WaaWaa ShhShh" because he loves it when the baby cries and then all the people on the bus tell it to "shh! Shh!" Oh, and from all of this, his favourite new word is "baby," and OH has been taking him to a toddler park and he's been approaching baby and toddler alike and saying, quite matter of factly, "Baby!" and walking off. To all the adults, he's been walking up to them and saying "Hiiii!" And then also walking off. He's a man of few words, my J is...

OMG, I'm so bored!!! I wonder if they'd notice me playing Temple Run.... I guess I'll go see what's brewing over in BC...

 

[clio]

So, I'm inclined to think it's pain. My sister also said that she has a lot of blocked milk ducts and mentioned infection (mastitis, I assume). Would that make a difference for the baby?

Ah, just read about blocked milk ducts. Sounds like it could be the problem... Also sounds painful--did any of you have them?

Re. mastitis - was lucky not to have it, but I read it can make the milk taste different and/or salty, so that might be a reason to get upset after/during feeds. is the baby refusing to feed ot just getting very upset?

Blocked ducts - had them twice, and oh boy, they hurt they affect milk flow, so another reason for baby to get frustrated. if your sister has a lot of blocked ducts there might be something wrong with the baby's latch/suckle. is BF otherwise ok?
but she has to unblock them or they will turn into mastitis.

other thoughts re. why during morning/afternoon but not evening - is she EBF or FF too (sorry, I am sure you must have mentioned this)? does the baby feed equally from both breasts? what's her (your sister's) diet like?
what's her supply like? and her let down? does the baby choke?
It might be that there is something in your sister's diet that the baby is reacting to and this is more obvious early in the day? (say that your sister has yogurt in the morning, for example).
It could also be that her supply varies during the day, or that her letdown is too strong/fast in the morning but it eases off at night?

hope some of this helps!

Wow. I know nothing about BF! My sister supplemented with a bit of formula in the beginning, because, although born only two weeks early, the baby was only 5lbs 12oz and dropped to 5lbs 6 oz almost immediately and had to go on a 72 hour feeding marathon to get her weight up again. My sister's nipples were too huge (they are HUGE) and this baby has the smallest mouth you've ever seen, so there were issues there too. In the end, my sister's OH fed the baby expressed milk and a bit of formula, while my sister continued to BF. The baby, at approx. 3.5 months, is just shy of 11 lbs. She will suck for 3 to 10 minutes, then scream. I assume her lactation consultant has told her what to do about the ducts, but it's happening a lot. I don't think it's gone as far mastitis, though.

I dont know where the kid is getting her food from, though. Maybe she doesn't cry every time? Oh, I don't know--my sister never tells anyone the full story, and gets upset if you ask, but only sometimes. It's like gently poking a sleeping bear with her. She might eat you alive with the first question, or answer everything, or turn on you half way through your conversation. As I've said, she's...odd.

 

[clio]

Okay, back from the incredibly boring exam invigilation. It was the last exam for all of the students, as this afternoon was the end of the exam period, so I can appreciate that they are tired. But it was a pretty detailed exam and they got the questions ahead of time, so you'd think they'd stay to the end to perfect their answers. But most left at the two hour mark (the exam lasts 3 hrs). And I'm just thinking: why??? You had another hour to perfect your answers--why throw this time away? Plus, I looked at the exams. Ooh boy are they stinkers! But I guess that's just the academic in me talking--if I got the questions beforehand I would stayed the whole time to make sure my answers were kick-ass. My husband, though, who is also an academic, said that even he would have left early. I told him that that meant nothing, because he does a half-assed job on most things.

I don't know but maybe because my period is coming but after rocking thiago for one hour last time about 3 days ago from 2:30am till 3:30am and when I put him down in his bed he woke up and wanted me to rock him for God know how long, I just lost it and told him night night and went to bed! It took him about 20 min to fall back asslep on his own. I remember telling my OH that he was fine, diapered changed gave him Advil before bad ( so no pain there) and he ate good during the day so no hunger either. He still wanted to go and try to rock him and I told him no! Had to put a pillow over my head ( otherwise I would've gone back there) and he felt sleep. Have you tried to just let Gael cry and see what happens? I know how you feel because I went back and forth with CIO. I still rock the boy to go to sleep for naps and night time but I just can't do it the during the night wake up times anymore. . And he still loves me and wants my hugs ALL the time !

Talking about hugs ... My godness thiago is a lover boy !! All he wants is hugs and kisses! Yesterday OH had him for dinner at his mom's house cause I had to train a lady at the studio and he told me that he really didn't want to go with Anyone but my OH. And he got loads of hugs from him. So if mommy is not there daddy is the replacement . Are your LOs loving all the time too?

Borboleta, you did exactly what we did when J started waking up at 4:30-4:45 again. At first OH went in and gave him a bottle, but I told him to stop bothering. This was just getting silly again. But since my room is next to J's I wake up sometimes at that point and feel AWFUL! All sorts of things run through my head: pain, hunger, something even worse...until I look at the clock and see that it's 4:33, groan, and...pull the covers over my head. OH has taken to getting up and giving him a bottle at around 6 (J wakes up then, too), and can typically get another hour, sometimes more, out of him. This practice I wholeheartedly agree with.

As for being a big hugger, nope. J is Mr. Hold-Me-Until-I-Want-Down-Which-Is-RIGHT-NOW!!! He's like OH and me, though; we're not big cuddlers, and we could never have co-slept. Hell, the two of US can't even co-sleep together! He does my feet while we watch out nightly hour of television, and that's around it, other than typical, nothing passionate hugs and kisses. We, as true Dutch and Germans, feel more comfortable this way, and J, as a combo of both, seems to be the same. But Oma isn't huggy, neither is Pake; only my mother is, and she has to force J to stay with her. If J wants to be near you on the couch/chair, or wants you to pick him up, he has a reason, and it's never to be hugged or cuddled. And in no possible way would he ever come into my bed in the morning and allow himself to be cuddled back to sleep. If he's up, it's GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO!

But little T sounds so wonderfully cuddly! It must be the Brazilian lover in him. Has he always been so physically affectionate, or has it stepped up a few notches? And he's same with your OH--that's really great.

Oh, and thank you for the tip about the clippers. I'll tell my SIL when she cuts J's hair. I see no reason for clippers, anyway.

Alright, it's time for dinner. I'll write more later.

 

[kosh]

clio - if the blocked ducts are happening a lot there is a problem with how the baby is (not) emptying the breast. i know you say your sister is odd and that she already has a LC so I don't know how involved to want to be, but do you know if the baby has been checked for tongue tied?

 

[Storm1jet2]

Morning, just a quick pop by, its my formal tonight and I'm leaving dh andL for 24 hours in about 5 minutes... Woo hoo x

 

[julesjules100]

Hi ladies

Hope you're all doing well (and loving the sunshine for those of us in South East England! Hurrah!).

Charlie: I bought granny knickers from Sloggi on Thursday and I HATE them. I was looking forward to them being really comfy but they feel really tight in my groin (!) and too big everywhere else. Perhaps they are the Wrong Knickers. You are right to do whatever will be most comfortable for the C section – I can totally understand people who don't want to miss the birth but I'm really not bothered at all. I've carried him this whole time, that I'm not there to witness his removal isn't an issue as I'll see him 30 mins later and for a lifetime thereafter. Funny huh. Know I'm in the minority on that one though.

Borboleta: was so sorry to read that you were having such a bad day…. It's the worst though where there are lots of things that build up all at once and when you couple that weigh sleep deprivation, it's hideous. How long has your OH been without work? What did he do before? That will of course make things much worse

I have odd skin (all kinds of issues with moles and dermatographism over the years) - are you sure it's not just de-pigmentaion on your hand? It could be one of the joys of just getting older. I have a few white patches here and there (including around moles) and know a few of them are just due to that and sun exposure when I was younger. Can you try to see someone else to get in there sooner? Obviously you will but keeping an eye on any changes is important.

Thanks for the name of the wrap! I looked them up and they have a lot of suitable garments. My favourite is a pair of black Spanx-looking cycling shorts with zippers down both sides and a hole cut out in the bum for, ahem, waste. I'd be really keen to get them but they can't get them over here in time. Instead the Abdomend has arrived and been tested and I think it may actually work. After all this research I'm probably going to prefer to leave it uncovered I saw my consultant on Thursday again and I mentioned about immediate post-op pain relief if I have a general and he said that would be taken care of.

Ceedee: the pics of Delaina's party look good! Hope she had fun!

Clio: wow, there's a lotta lotta post to come back to! Firstly, OMG, I was SOOOO impressed with Eric, he's awesome! Even played it back to my DH who thought he was good. So adorable watching J react to the playing. Wish either DH or I were able to play like that.

I chuckled at your description of J at birth. No joke but at the last scan my LO was the image of Shrek (hold the green though). I know his nose was squashed in the placenta so maybe that made him look more Shrek-like. Hmm, given that perhaps it would be best for me to be knocked out I think I'm just going to see how I feel on the day and if I can bear the thought of the spinal and being awake. I love having a general anaesthetic – like you say, you're out for what feels like 5 seconds and then you're awake again with no perception of time at all. Yes, you're groggy but then my C is at 6pm so would being groggy wouldn’t be a bad thing as may help me get rest that night.

Yeah, it's not just a "PPP", it's a "PMP" too! James is well aware that there is a vanishingly small chance that there could have been a mix up at the lab with the sperm and with the eggs during the IVF so I think we will do it for peace of mind. Funny that Eric wants to believe that J was conceived around the time of the IUI and not during it. James has a similar denial – despite having antisperm antibodies on some of his samples he refuses to believe that contributed to any of our problems. Hey ho, whatever he needs to think is fine by me. The only thing I did feel sorry for the guys for was having to go into a little room off the main waiting room to make the sample. No pressure! In the grand scheme of what they have to do versus us I didn't feel too bad for long though...!

You description of how you got to know J in utero is really sweet and bought a lump to my throat when I first read it. It's not something I have felt but I can imagine how you would need to reconcile though "two" J's into one once he arrived. Lol that talking about this is making you miss pregnancy – I'd happily trade places for a couple of days so I can go for a run, not have every vertebrae in my back ache and shovel a mound of sushi into my face!

For the grading – I do think it's bad that there is a formula for the number of each grade allowed but then I guess they take the view that on average each year should produce a similar distribution of calibre of students etc for them to fit into the buckets and use the best to grade the others etc. That said, I would break with the formula if I felt I had a particularly gifted set of students.

On the breast feeding issue – could she not consider solely expressing though if there is indeed a bad fit with nipple/mouth etc? I believe it's hard work (and indeed it's the path that I think I'm going to go down) but that has to be preferable to a distressed baby?

Leeze: home that K is feeling better now.

Angel: I think green eyes and a tan would look sexy too – kick him out in the garden today! James was asking me this morning if I was going to go to Kiddicare this afternoon and I know the only reason he is is that he will stop work in the study if I go and sneak upstairs to go on the Playstation (shhhh, his very guilty secret – he'd go ballistic if he knew I'd told you all!). I can't understand why he would want to do that rather that go outside on a rare day of sun. Once we were in Mallorca and I was on an upper terrace watching the sunset with a cheeky glass of cava in my hand after a day of sunbathing and thinking how lovely life was. I wondered where my hubby was to miss such a lovely moment. Where was he but in the bedroom having closed all the curtains and was playing video games on his iPad. Staggering. He did that too in Barbados for our HONEYMOON!! I was sitting outside having a G&T alone and watching the sunset over the Caribbean sea.

Yah, my SIL's sense of humour on the noisy toys is "hysterical"….. You are right she doesn't have kids BUT her sister has 2 boys (3 and 6) and she will only buy them noisy toys even though her sister keeps begging her not to.

Know what you mean about being a control freak and preferring to be awake but for me, even if something did go wrong, what could I do when paralysed from the waist down and we no formal medical training... All that would happen is that I'd be lying there freaking out. This is one of the few instances in life where I think ignorance is bliss may be better for me and to wake up when any issues with me had been resolved.

I know, funny about Thiago. I told James that some of the thread ladies were joking about Borboleta not having ever been to England and, deadpan, he goes "What's her real name….?" - cheeky monkey! They do look very alike though in the photos.

Storm – enjoy the formal tonight and please post some pics looking all glammy!

AFM, all still ok here. Had a builder in the house all this week fixing some defects in the ceiling, which has created a HUGE mess of fine white dust on every surface as he has been cutting and repairing plasterboard – joy. Hopefully this coming week will be a little more relaxed. Saw consultant on Thursday again and baby still not engaged (not that that matters given it's a C but interesting to note – perhaps his massive head is blocking a full descent). My BP is ok, bump still small but I think it just is what it is now. C section is 6pm on 29 April and seeing him one final time this coming Thursday before D day. Im so happy this is nearly over….!

Right, I'm off into the garden.

x

 

[SabrinaKat]

not much here - hayfever has kicked in, but manageable with some over-the-counter tablets; my eyes seemokay, but have to continue the anti-biotics for a couple more days to be sure. Back to work on Monday....

LO is in good form, but another OH moment this morning. He had LO last night and this am, when I came in around 10am, I asked about breakfast and regardless that we have porridge, weetabix, cheerios, apple and pear applesauce and baby yogurt, he gave LO....carrots. WTF? No fever, no rash, so it seems LO is fine from MMR (today is day 8-9, so hopefully, nothing will develop today/tomorrow)....

I agree with you, clio - we had a professor (undergraduate) who would always give us a list of what might be on the exam and I would memorise and learn for the gobets and the essays and stay almost until the end of the exam. I had her for several classes and what annoyed me one year because I missed the exam (my greek exam was the same time, she chose the essay questions -- I did get an A (one of 2, she was very tough), but fudged on one essay question, which I hadn't prepared (I argued that the norman conquest had destroyed anglo-saxon england, but argued from a linquistic approach as hadn't prepared the historical stuff, but she liked my approach,)....oh, well.

hope all are well! bye!

 

[julesjules100]

not much here - hayfever has kicked in, but manageable with some over-the-counter tablets; my eyes seemokay, but have to continue the anti-biotics for a couple more days to be sure. Back to work on Monday....

LO is in good form, but another OH moment this morning. He had LO last night and this am, when I came in around 10am, I asked about breakfast and regardless that we have porridge, weetabix, cheerios, apple and pear applesauce and baby yogurt, he gave LO....carrots. WTF? No fever, no rash, so it seems LO is fine from MMR (today is day 8-9, so hopefully, nothing will develop today/tomorrow)....

I agree with you, clio - we had a professor (undergraduate) who would always give us a list of what might be on the exam and I would memorise and learn for the gobets and the essays and stay almost until the end of the exam. I had her for several classes and what annoyed me one year because I missed the exam (my greek exam was the same time, she chose the essay questions -- I did get an A (one of 2, she was very tough), but fudged on one essay question, which I hadn't prepared (I argued that the norman conquest had destroyed anglo-saxon england, but argued from a linquistic approach as hadn't prepared the historical stuff, but she liked my approach,)....oh, well.

hope all are well! bye!

Oo Sabrina, in my crafting of a long post and pasting it into bnb I cut off a bit to you saying that I hope the eyes are a bit better and that your OH is being a bit more supportive. I see that one out of two ain't bad x

 

[SabrinaKat]

we went and got Finn his first proper pre-walking shoes and they even give you a picture to celebrate the day - LOL! (Clarks)....they are very cute, but LO has already figured out to unsnap the velcro!

not much else, but that's okay - he wouldn't take an afternoon nap, so we're going to have a cranky baby in a few hours.

bye!

 

[clio]

AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGRRRRRRHHHHHHH!!!

I had this HUGE post, but then my trackpad stopped working (and not for the first time, either; I've got to get this fixed), so I had to do a hard reboot, and I lost it!

Okay, so I'll try to remember what I had written...

...

...




WTF is wrong with my memory???

 

[Borboleta]

Good afternoon ladies,

The weather here is beautiful!!!! Low 70s so OH and I took thiago to the park this afternoon and he loved it. My sweet and happy boy is back home today ! The whiny one hopefully has left for a while !
I am super tired after a 3 hour workout event at the studio. I love my group of ladies and the other 3 instructors that teach at the studio! I have the best people around me !! So blessed.

Clio: isn't it funny how babies personalities are all so different. Yes, thiago has the Latin genes on him . I just hope he will treat women well, little mister lover boy !! I think he got my dad's loving genes and my OH's . Both of them love to hug and kiss! And my dad loves to hold hands like thiago. I told him the first time he came to the states to visit for him not to talk to people so close or touch people because they don't like it but he didn't listen! He walks around Walmart holding hands with OH or hugging him over the shoulder !! Lost cause !
Glad to hear that you are going to change the way you grade your students. It sounds unfair before. And I love to type on the iPad!

Jules: I told OH about thiago looking like your OH and my story that I have never been to the UK and he didn't think that was that funny . Tell your OH that I am the one with the accent !!!
I am glad to hear that you are making a decision ( at least it sounds like as it now, of getting a general anesthesia. I wish I had made the decision to have a csection like you so I could plan things a little better and not just being run down a hallway not knowing what was happening and praying to God that thiago was going to be fine while they stuck a needle in my arm and waking up later on totally confused and in pain. But he is here and that is what it matters.
And your OH hiding to be able to play video games is hilarious!!!! They never grow up don't they!!! I just told OH that he goes to the bathroom a lot and stays there forever . And I know ecxatly what he is doing, playing on his phone video games!! But he does loves his Xbox too. Always shooting games! I told he needs to diversify . At least for thiago we have some Lego games that I love ( not that he is ready for it anytime soon).
And you are 9 days away from your csection !!! So excited for you!!!! Can't wait to hear the birth story and how the little man looks like. Really enjoy your last week without a baby. Life will NEVER be the same .

Sabrina: maybe you can show us the picture of Finn wearing his new shoes. I used to put thiago in shoes since he was a tiny baby so he got used to the shoes and never tried to take them off or anything. He did noticed the Velcro but the fascination ended soon.
Glad to hear your eyes are doing better. I hate pink eye!!! And your OH just give poor Finn carrots !!! Finn was probably wondering where you were !!

Storm: that picture of the desert on your fb is amazing!!! Got me soooo hungry! Did you eat the swan too? And you look beautiful on your gown!!! What a treat to get all beautified, have a great time with friends, eat delicious food , maybe some dancing and alcohol , and no OH or LO for 24 hours !!! Now that is life !

OH and I are commemorating our 10 years wedding anniversary on Monday. We won't be able to go out that day cause my MIL has a friend in town so she can't baby sit but we will definitely do something the following weekend. There is an international festival downtown and they are featuring Brasil !!! So I might want to do that. Thiago is being so bad able sitting in the stroller or high chair in restaurants that I don't think I would like to take him there. Too much stress!

Hope all you other ladies are doing well Charlie, Leeze, Rowan, kosh, ceedee and angel.

 

[AngelUK]

Good morning ladies

Clio I had no idea there was such a system about grades! It makes me wonder now about some rather odd mark downs I got during my MA course... hmm. I actually got points taken off for typos and missing commas would you believe, so that I ended up with a B+. I remember being absolutely livid at the time... What an eye opener! I am sorry it has been taking such a toll on you though and your colleague saying that he doesn't stick to it must have been a relief and an annoyance after all that struggle!
I am glad your evaluation went so well As for not being full time faculty, do you think in time and when J goes to school, you will be full time? Your comment about your DH and doing a half-assed job on most things made me grin. How alike so many of our men on here are in some things lol.
And I did not find your post boring at all!
The boys are moving up to level 3 in gymboree which is for 10 to 16 months and those babies who pull up and start cruising. Both are now cruising along furniture though not loads still. When I try to trick them into it by moving some toy from one end of the coffee table to the other, Sebastian often just gets down and crawls over and pulls up again lol.
As for your nieces "rages" I agree that it sounds like she might be in pain. Or possibly she cannot extract enough milk? Though if she is gaining weight then I guess that cannot be it either. Sorry I am no help. I had mastitis once a few years before I had my boys and it hurt like all kinds of hell! Seriously badly! And the knot if the blocked duct is still there too.
I am not sure what made Dominic cry for the first 3 months. I think it was a combination of as yet untreated reflux, colic and/or wind. Both boys were very hard to burp, Sebastian in fact almost impossible though he didn't cry an extraordinary amount. And possibly he wanted to be held a lot more than I could manage without completely neglecting Sebastian. From BC I know that some babies are only content when either held or worn all day. I couldn't manage that. I wonder if personality patterns are already established this early cause even now Dominic is a lot more needy and cries much more and more easily than Sebastian.
J at the toddler park sounds adorable! He isn't shy is he, cutie.

Kosh how lovely to see you here more often again How is Gael? I had a look at your thread in TC about BF and non sleeping babies. Seems definitely related from the answers you got. You are so brave to continue with it anyway even though you still aren't getting much more sleep.

Sabrina I am glad your eyes are getting better. It's so painful that sandpaper feeling under the eyelids!
You mentioned that F was coughing all night and you were worried he might have caught a cold. How is he doing now? And I hope still no reaction from the MMR?
Sorry your hay-fever has kicked in Do you think Finn has it too?
As for carrots for breakfast... men.
YAY for new shoes for F! And I didn't know they give you pics at Clarks! How cute! Any chance of scanning it and showing us?

Storm you looked lovely in your evening gown! I hope you had a lovely time at your Do and got some lovely sleep after

Borboleta glad you are feeling better. I think that some women also get a hormonal dip at around ovulation and get a bit bluesie so maybe if it wasn't AF then it might have been that?
How is it going with T and the CIO? Is he still waking and crying for 10 minutes? I found that when we did the CIO with Dominic, he was awake a MUCH MUCH shorter time if left to himself than when we went in to rock him. And of course he did get the message after only 3 or 4 evenings and then didn't wake any more at all or only for a minute to reinsert a dummy but without crying. So hopefully this will be the case with little T too
As for nap times, I can imagine that 2 hour nap must give a lot of useful time to do other things but I must admit, I wouldn't like my boys going to bed as late as 10:30. OH and I look forward to being baby free after 7 lol. Mind you, we feel very grown-up and naughty when we stay up till 11 or after ourselves lol. And we used to go to bed at dawn before we had the boys! lol
As for being cuddly, Sebastian is very cuddly and when I sit on the floor with them he always comes to me and climbs onto my lap. IN the morning when I get the boys up, I take them over to the nursery bed and sit down for a cuddle before undoing the buttons and zip of their sleeping bags. Usually Dominic will let me hold him close for a little but then he will lean back and look over to Sebastian or start pulling my hair. Sebastian on the other hand really leans into me and often when I lean back to undo the buttons on his shoulders he will pull himself close to me by grabbing my shoulder and pushing up with his knees and really bury his face in my shoulder and neck He also cuddles my OH but has a slight preference for me I think. Dominic is just not that cuddly but likes to sit on our knees and being bounced up and down etc. But he is getting more tolerant of cuddles and sometimes I think quite likes them. Both OH and I are very cuddly with each other so I hope the boys will be so too always.
Oh and Happy Anniversary to you and your DH for Monday! 10 years is so great How long have you known each other? For us that was 10 years in January The festival sounds great! I hope you get to go

Jules getting close now! I know you are scared but I am very excited for you! So looking forward to having a new baby on this thread. Rowan seems a bit busy to come here much but then she also has Martha to look after. But hopefully you will have a moment or two to update at some point? Golly I am so broody! Roll on Euromillions so I can have another! lol
I hope you will be able to enjoy the lovely sunshine today again! I so wanted to go out yesterday and take the boys to the park. But as we live pretty much bang next to Fulham FC that wasn't possible, they were playing Arsenal so it was a major match and yeah I didn't fancy strolling among horses, police and football fans This sounds worse than it is btw. Fulham FC has very pretty stadium. At least the stand on the street is nice. It is red brick and Victorian so don't imagine an atrocity such as HotSpurs' or Chelsea's.
I do totally understand that you want to go under and if this is what is least scary for you, go for it. You are right, the feeling of 5 seconds and it will be over sounds quite reassuring really.
Hope you didn't overexert yourself clearing the white dust and got someone to do it for you. This time should be only for relaxing and enjoying your last moments of leisure

As for us: All is fine here. We had Dominic's ophthalmology exam on Friday and all is well. They put drops in his eyes to make the pupils dilate and he looked so cute Seems the squint we saw is extremely minor now and is growing out as often happens. They want to see him again in 9 months though just to make sure.
Yesterday though I had a bit of a crisis with him. OH left the house to do some shopping and Dominic went hysterical after a while. He was sitting by the baby gate and crying so hard. I picked him up trying to comfort him and he arched against me and screamed and tried everything to get down. And when I let him go he crawled to the gate again. This happened twice yesterday afternoon while OH was away. I managed to calm him the first time with bouncing him on my knee and making silly faces at him and the second time by getting him to nap in his bouncy. But he was inconsolable. I know it is only a phase and of course my boy loves me too but yesterday I felt unloved and rejected and it made me cry. OH got angry when I told him that I thought Dominic didn't love me at all and didn't understand how hurt I was. I am his mummy! I should be number one with him even though OH and I always shared 50/50 (well...not quite but hm!). I told my mum too and she at least understood my pain but also reassured me that babies have phases like that and that of course Dom loves his mummy too. Well, OH has to go collect his rents today so I will be alone with the boys till afternoon. We shall see how Dominic behaves when OH leaves.

Hope all are well, and you Leeze, Rowan and CeeDee too? Hugs to all xxx

 

[SabrinaKat]

Not a great night, sigh. LO fell asleep around 7-8pm (no afternoon nap) and then was fussy around 9ish and then from 12.30am. In fact, he had a bit of a fever (he had a bottle and meds at 3.30) and I asked my OH to take over around 4am as I was exhausted. I got up at 8am and took over, so OH can lie-in a little. I think the fever is the dreaded 8-10 post MMR, but LO seems absolutely fine now! He had some milk, a muffin (not a muffin muffin, but an english muffin type from M&S) and some porridge and although a little fussy, seems in good spirits, so hopefully last night's fever and fussiness is the extent of his MMR reaction (it's 8 or day 9 since)....

I will try and scan the picture - he's very serious and using a dummy, even though we tried to remove it!

bye!

 

[Borboleta]

Good morning ladies,

Sabrina: so sorry to hear that Finn had a bad night. Hope he is feeling better now. Maybe is teething related. Does Finn likes his pacifier a lot too? Thiago loves his. He does fine without it for a while but if he is tired or if I don't want to get a bite from him the paci has to be in his mouth . Are you concerned about weaning him of his paci? Does he sleep with it?

Angel: I feel for you about Dom crying when your OH leaves. . I would feel the same way as you. But like you said it is just a phase and things will change. It is just interesting to see how they connect with one person. And I am not sure but growing up I always had more of a connection with my mom and my sister with my dad. That didn't mean I loved him less but maybe our personalities didnt match as good as between my mom and I. I am sure I must have been a momma's girl and my sister a daddy's girl.
And little T is doing great with his sleep. Have not heard a sound from him the past 3 nights. And even if I did I again decided not to participate anymore of his parties unless he scream his head of or it is sick.
And this year will be 13 years that OH and i have met on Halloween day. So you are married for 10 years too? Can you imagine we could have a 10 year old!!! How long do you know your OH?

Jules: I forgot to tell you that I loved my concealer! It is green and you put all over you face to diminish the redness. The brand is called pure minerals. I got the foundation too but the make up consultant that works there gave the wrong color and when I put the foundation on my face I kept looking at myself and thinking that I looked like that old woman from the movie "something about Mary". She was the aunt (?) of Cameron Diaz that had that terrible tan!! So after a lot of thought and asking some people if they thought I looked strange with that color foundation I decided to return and got something lighter that works best for my skin.

Oh, I just watched Argo the other day on tv and loved it!!! Great story! I would definitely recommend. Now I am trying to see if my OH would want to watch Lincoln or Django, he keeps saying the Django will be too violent but I have watched most of Quentin tarantino's movies so no surprise there. And he doesn't want to watch while thiago is awake because of the violence. But I think he cannot understand that yet. I don't know. . He did watch Argo with us !
And he was being all cute yesterday. I manage to put him in the stroller and go for a walk with him. I put some of those gerber puffs in front of his tray in the stroller and he was so happy just munching of those things and pointing at things. So maybe the secret to make him stay in a cart or stroller is food !!

 

[SabrinaKat]

more fever this afternoon and refusal to take an afternoon nap....I do hope it's teething and NOT MMR related, but LO is taking a bath and eating loads (eating before the bath, not during the bath!) and now, OH has what I had last week (and am almost but not quite over) -- interesting to see if OH tries to renege on taking care of LO like I did not last week - hehehehe!

borboleta - my OH and I met 12 years ago this year (on 7th December), so almost as long as you and your OH! (but my cat Sabrina will be 13 on the 21st May)...

better go and see how the men are doing....

cross fingers that we all have good sleep!

bye!