Claire--poor Lucy! Poor you! I have no idea what it might be. My next step up from our version of calpol (Tylenol) is an anti-inflammatory and painkiller called Advil--you have an equivalent, I think--and if the Tylenol doesn't do it, then the Advil does, if it's teething. They're metabolized through different organs (one, the liver, the other, the kidneys) so they can be taken at the same time and not interfere with one another, nor cause contra-indications. But it sounds like the doctor is a good idea. And maybe A&E if things continue to be so bad?
Sorry I've been so MIA, everyone. My personals will suck because I remember very little of the 5 pages I read (piecemeal, too!).
To All of You Who are Sick--I'm so sorry. Especially if your LO has it too.

Even little T has a runny nose! (J would get them too, but not much else, but they'd drive me nuts because they went on FOREVER--at least two weeks. No other symptom, just the nose. And all I wanted to do was get the snot out of his nose. It became a complete obsession. And you know they won't let you... I actually put a bib around his neck so I could at least sneak up behind him and wipe his nose really quickly with it. It became an on-going war.)
SK--how are the sinuses? I once went to an acupuncturist for my fertility problems who fixed
everything that was possibly wrong with me, BUT my fertility problems. The greatest joy was the sinus fix. Even six months after not seeing him, I was pain free. I went back to him during my pregnancy, even, because I couldn't stand it anymore and wasn't allowed to take meds. It was expensive, but totally worth it. Today, it'd be worth it, but totally too expensive.
Leeze--I'm so glad the vomiting is over. You must have been miserable. Are you getting your strength back after such a stomach flu? Is there any sign that Kia might catch it? (If you've answered this already, please forgive me--I've been gone a while...) But I am sorry that yours and Kia's sleep is still crap.
Lydia--I totally missed the part about sleep boot camp. I mean, I read about you intending on doing it, but not what it is and when you're going to start. Oh, and I'm so sorry I freaked you out about the lactose-free cheese. I figured no lactose, no dairy. Obviously, I don't deal much with lactose allergies. And I'm now glad to know that J wasn't losing out on the calcium.
Rowan--I laughed so hard at M yelling at the chair! But the poor thing--you must have been so scared! Does she look like she's been through the wars? J's head went through two similar mishaps, two days in a row. The first time, he was sitting backwards, too close to the edge of the couch, and just as I was reaching for him, he fell backwards and his noggin landed on his brand new metal xylophone. Great fear ensued, as he was bleeding, but we did ascertain that the wounds were very superficial. But then today, while on my way into Gymboree, I was holding him when I slipped on the concrete and we both fell forward. He went down hard and hit his head. Luckily Oma was waiting inside for us, and knows a bit about baby accidents, and she calmed me down and said that we'd just watch him closely and see if he looked like he was in trouble. At the same time, J was screaming his head off until he saw "Gymbo" the stuffed clown, grabbed it from the shelf and started chewing on its nose. So, we determined he was fine. I later went outside to show Oma where it had happened and saw that I had slipped on a crumbled piece of the concrete step that was impossible for me to see under all of the snow. Gymboree will be hearing from me, that's for certain. Maybe I can get a free clown out of it.
As for the baby carrier, I love the one I have in the picture I posted. It's a Becco Gemini. I went through four of them (exchanging one after another to find the one I liked) until I settled on that one. I started out with, and kept, a Moby, though, and that ktan thingy really looks a lot easier, while giving you the same effect. The Moby was great for when J was just a tiny baby, but I didn't wear it with him past two and a half months because
1) he was getting too heavy for it and the stretchy material couldn't bear his weight--they say it's good to 15 lbs--and
2) it keeps the baby really, really close to the body and he wanted OUT. So the Moby or Ktan is great for the beginning. J would fall asleep in a second when I put him in it.
I also ordered a (real) Ergo with the infant insert before J was born, and just sent it home with my mother for my sister because we never used it. I had to wait too long for J to fit into it; he hated the infant insert, so I had to wait until his legs could spread comfortably for the correct leg position without the insert. I also found it really cumbersome to get on, but that just might be me, and I certainly couldn't do it on my own. But again, I seem to be uniquely slow in this area. Some people swear by the Ergo, though.
I then bought a Mai Tei, and decided that while it looked gorgeous, and J seemed fine in it, the straps were completely inconvenient. No, worse--they were so long they were ridiculous. And, it turned out, even these incredibly inconvenient ridiculous straps were too small for my large frame.

So back it went.
We won't even discuss the woven wrap.
Finally, I decided, after much research, on the Becco Gemini, which is the one in the picture. There is also a Becco Butterfly, but I don't remember much about it, so it must not have fit my needs as well. What is great about the Gemini is that it's easy to put on and take off--I don't need any help--the straps are convenient, and it doesn't hurt my back beyond the regular aches and pains of a middle-aged, out-of-shape back. It also allows you to decrease the crotch size so it supports younger babies' legs properly without having to stretch them beyond what is comfortable or safe. The Baby Bjorn is actually not recommended because of the leg positioning. (Can you tell I did a LOT of research during my search for the perfect carrier?)
But I don't remember, was this for Martha, or Michael (or M1 and M2 as I shall now lazily be calling them)?
As for songs (why do I seem to only remember your questions?), J was an interesting case right from the very beginning. He got his first cold at 2 weeks old, and of course, was impossible to put to sleep. UNLESS I held him against my shoulder and YELLED Bruce Springsteen and others into his ear. I had a huge playlist of "J's night songs" on my itunes that I'd cycle through, but he was always asleep by the third song. But since I was enjoying myself so much, I often kept it up for a song or two longer. I remember Beyoncé's "Put a Ring on It" being on that list. His favourite song, though, is Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" because it's the first song his Dad ever played and sang to him on the guitar, and he did so nightly as part of his bedtime routine. I personally sang him The Be Good Tanya's "Littlest Birds" and the Beatles' "Blackbird" when I was rocking him to sleep with no iphone.
Borboleta--I'm so glad you got the music centre! J has now incorporated it into his Gymboree-obstacle-style course. Eric turned around and found J crouching on it!
Okay, I'm finally feeling sleepy. It's 4:30 am here--I have horrible insomnia--so I'm going to have to forgo any further personals and go to sleep. I hope everyone is well!