First Time Mom's - Due March/April 2013

[I Love Lucy]

Lindsey - The later bedtime resulted in a much later morning. I don't think he got up for the day until about 9:00. I probably should have got him up earlier since I've been trying so hard to get him back on the routine I had going for him. Right now everything is so unpredictable so I never know when I can lay down to nap, do housework, or if I should even get up and pump in the middle of the night or wait because he's going to wake up. His schedule is so frustrating at the moment.

As for independent play, I've never really timed it but I would guess around 30 minutes or so. I'll put him in his crib and let him watch his mobile or talk to the whales on crib bumper while I shower. Then when I'm out of the shower I'll go in the room and talk to him for a bit while I'm getting ready for the day. Then if I have stuff to do downstairs I put him on his activity mat and go about cleaning up the kitchen or whatever it may be that I have to do. Or I'll sit and fold laundry next to him. He seems perfectly content sitting by himself for awhile "talking" to his toys so as long as he's not fussing I don't worry.

Sorry for the rough night with Sarah. I know how you feel since I feel like every night has been a rough night ever since Aiden's routine got messed up. Anytime I try to sleep when he's sleeping he wakes up and then the times I can't sleep seem to be the times he decides he's going to take a decent nap. Maybe have Seth watch her for a couple hours so you can get some rest?

Hayley - I'm so sorry for your loss! Losing someone is always hard even if you know they're better off. I will be thinking of you and your family.

As for the funeral, I took Aiden to one last month. I ended up sitting in the back so if he started fussing I could leave with him if need be but DH ended up taking care of him so I could stay since it was my family member. He ended up in a lobby area rocking Aiden. My cousin was really happy that I brought him since seeing him and holding him really helped bring her some happiness considering what a difficult day it was for her having to bury her husband.

So happy for you with the moving news. I bet you're thrilled that you'll be getting out on your own and won't have to deal with the stress from your mom.

Lauren - I think as long as you're eating when you're hungry you don't have anything to worry about. That's what I do but I still have days where I feel tired like you describe. I think that's just part of being a mom.

Sorry for the rough time out with Beau. I hate when Aiden cries and I can't figure out what is wrong with him. I always feel like the worst mom in the world when I can't figure out what my own son needs and I'm unable to make him feel better. Glad Beau has been fine since then though.

Sarah - My pedi was saying they only worry about black poop or if there is blood in the poop. She said just about everything else is normal and not to worry about it unless the baby isn't acting like himself.

Also with the pain down there, do you still feel sore if you touch down there? I don't have any day to day pain but I did notice if I happen to touch where the tear was while I'm washing down there in the shower it's still a bit tender. It's definitely gotten a lot less sore though then what it has been. I was actually wanting to try DTD again last night but then I managed to get Nair down there (I was using the new Nair that you can use in the shower on my bikini line) and now I'm really sore down there all over again.

I can only imagine how stressful that was for you when Isabelle wouldn't take the bottle while you were gone. Have you talked to your pedi about that? Maybe he or she can offer you some advice on how to make Izzy more accepting of a bottle so that you can go out.

Also, I think it's great that you are planning to say something to your parents. They're both being ridiculous!!

AFM - Had a good night with Aiden last night. I took him and the dog for a walk so I could use my sling and it actually put Aiden to sleep. Then he continued sleeping in it for about an hour once I got home. This was so nice since this was around 3-4 and the nap made him way less fussy considering he's usually a nightmare in the evening since he sleeps like 20 minutes max and is usually overtired by bedtime. He then went to sleep around 8 without really any issues and then slept until about 3 in the morning before I fed him. I nursed him again around 5:30 since he woke up again then since his dad was getting ready for work at that time. He went back to sleep around 6 and slept until 7:30 before getting up for the day. I was trying to go back to sleep at this time too but the damn dog decided she wanted to keep scratching at the door to be let out so I've been up since 5:30. I swear I just can't win when it comes to sleep. Either Aiden is awake or the dog is awake. Fingers crossed I can get a nap this afternoon.

 

[MrsHippo]

Hay girls.... Guess what?? - I FINALLY have a playmat!!! Woohoo. I would post a photo but my damn laptop has finally died (it's around 6 years old and is on 24-7.... We download stuff) so it's had a good life but this month really wasn't a good month to choose to go we have the big computer but its connected to the tv rather than a monitor but I can't use it as it really hurts my eyes. So annoyed!!

Brittany, glad to hear Aiden was good in his sling sorry to hear about your mornings though. I never had an issue with pup waking me first thing, I'd get up and literally have to drag her out of bed!! She was definitely not a morning dog!!

 

[I Love Lucy]

So glad you got a play mat Lauren. Aiden loves his! I'm actually wanting to get a second one so I have one upstairs and downstairs.

Sorry about your laptop dying. I imagine mine will be going soon. I got it in 2008 before I went to college though I got just about everything replaced on it before my warranty ran out so maybe it'll last longer then I think.

Normally my dog has to be dragged out of the bed in the morning too since I make DH take her out before he leaves for work so I don't have to do it considering I'm usually breastfeeding Aiden at that time. I think she had an upset stomach or something though since she kept wanting to go outside and eat grass.

Not much happening here with me today. DH and I took Aiden to this free zoo by us. It's a small zoo that mostly has reptiles and birds that were injured and unable to be released back into the wild.

 

[MrsHippo]

I saw your photos on fb I love what Aiden was wearing. Very cute!

I can't believe it's taken us so long to buy a mat. She is happy lying on it bless her it plays music and stuff too. However, we didn't buy it. My mum gave it us :O

Well laptop was a false alarm, it came back on after a little while!! I'm sure it hasn't got much longer left though.

I don't have much to report either really. Right now it's 9:50pm and we are going to bed!!

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Lauren Yeah alzheimers is awful I will definitely be going to the funeral - I'm just not sure what to do about Tyne, my only baby sitter option is the nasty cousin I mentioned before so dont really want to leave him with her!!! Or I could get Jon to look after him but I kind of want Jon there...so I'll probably have to take him...

Yeah I'm very picky with houses too, Its not ideal but i'd rather take a house for now than stay here for longer - its been fine and we appreciate my parents letting us live here, but I want my own living space back!
Its just a 6 month contract and once we're back there, then its obviously going to be much easier to move again if we want to into a better place - but the house we've found does seem promising. It is really big - which is the main thing for us as we've got a stupid amount of stuff and I dont want to have to keep paying for storage units!

I'm sorry about the hard time you had when you were out :/ It sounds really stressful! I haven't ever experienced anything like that yet with Tyne, I don't know what I'd do!
I'm glad Beau was ok in the end.

Sarah- Thanks. Yeah thats a good idea about Jon sitting near the back with Tyne, I think I might do that. My sister is having a similar issue but worse as her two girls are 5 and 3, and the older girl is all obsessed with death at the moment so she definitely doesnt want them going - but there is just absolutely nobody to baby sit!!
Its funny - these are the kinds of things you never give a second thought to before having kids! Who knew going to a funeral could require so much forward planning?!!!
iscreetly take him out?

Aww I'm sorry to hear about the hassle when Simon was looking after Izzy, that must have been really upsetting for you.

OMG at what your Dad said!!!! Typical man thing to say! lol geeez!!!! Good for you standing up for yourself - I hope it went well!

Lindsey - Thanks. Yeah I think I will do that - I'll probably be made to sit near the front with family but I think I'll ask Jon to sit at the back with Tyne. Fingers crossed he'll be like he was at his christening and just sleep the whole time!

Aww I'm sorry to hear about Sarah's unsettled night. I think things are still very hit and miss right now - but its good that she's having some good nights in between, she's definitely headed in the right direction!

Brittany- Thank you
Yeah I think I will do that, just take Tyne to the funeral and hope he's ok and if not Jon can sit outside with him.
Glad Aiden had a good night, what a pain about the dog though!
Awww I saw your pics on FB of your zoo trip, so cute! Did Aiden notice the animals much?
I wonder when to start doing trips like that but I dont think Tyne would notice the animals yet! I wouldnt mind if it was free like yours of course, but our nearest is chester zoo and its about £20 each to get in!! lol I want him to at least notice that we're there - he'd probably just sleep the whole time!

AFM - Not much new going on here! We still don't have a date for my Nans funeral, I'm hoping we'll find out tomorrow.

The one good thing to come out of it is that my sister will be coming home for it, so I'll finally get to see her bump and she'll get to see how much Tyne has grown since his Christening when she last saw him. So that'll be nice.

I have two things I wanted to ask for some advice on!

Swimming - has anybody taken their LOs swimming yet?! I really want to take Tyne - I've already bought him swimming shorts, and I've checked with the local swimming pool and they're doing a parent and baby session tomorrow morning.
I'm just wondering - am I supposed to put a little swimmers nappy on him under his swimming shorts?! I havent actually ever seen swimming nappies in small sizes!
I'm also wondering how its going to work with regards to getting changed after - I mean, the pool we go to hasnt got a family change area - so Jon will be in the male changing rooms and I'll take Tyne with me into the female - but what will I do with him while I'm getting changed?! The cubicles are so tiny!! Confusing!!!

Sleeping in the day - I'm starting to get quite worried about how much Tyne is still sleeping during the day.
I know newborns sleep a lot but he's 3 months old now - how much is normal for him to be sleeping?!
I'm worried because of my thyroid condition - tiredness is a major indicator of my disease so I'm worried incase its a sign that he has it!!

Yesterday for example - this was his pattern:

08:30 - woke up for the day
11:00 - asleep in his chair
12:00 - woke up for his bottle, played for a bit
13:00 - asleep again
15:00 - woke up for his bottle - I expected him to stay awake, but he went straight back to sleep!
17:30 - woke up, played for a bit
18:30 - asleep again
20:00 - woke up for his bottle, played for a bit
21:30 - asleep - slept through until 3.30 am
3:30 am - woke for a bottle, wide awake and wanting to play!!! Went back to sleep around 4.30 am.

Do you all think this is too much sleeping for the day time?! He just seems to always want to be asleep - I'm worried that I'm not stimulating him enough when he's awake, but I talk to him, sing to him and bounce him on my knee, show him his toys and books, put him under his gym, do tummy time, put him in his bouncer - I don't know what else to do with him?!

 

[MrsHippo]

Hayley, I don't think he is sleeping too much. Obviously every baby is different though. But Beau has to have a nap every two-four hours. Her first nap is literally bang on an hour after waking up. She was up at 8:15 this morning and I had to put her down for a nap at 9:15 lol. Its like that every morning!!! But then she'll have to have one around lunch time and at least one in the afternoon. When we go out she sleeps, so it depends on how often or how long we are out for. Her naps don't usually last longer than 20 minutes unless she has fallen asleep on me...if that happens she can sleep for England! Then she always goes to bed for the night between 8 and half past.

Swimming. We have just brought Beau's first swimming costume I'll post a photo at the end, its so cute!! I was a tad confused at first. But I have recently found out that little swimwear contains Terry nappy material so a nappy isn't required. One thing I will be making sure of though is that Beau isn't due a poop when I take her. OMG how awful would that be!! They start wearing proper nappies under when they are a little older.

I'm not sure when to take her swimming yet though. I want me and Adam both to take her so will depend on when he is next free and I need a new swimming costume, I look horrible in the one I currently have. I'm thinking about some control type one.

Here are photos of the playmat and of her swimming costume Oh Beau didn't want to smile for her photo, she decided to suck her lip instead lol

 

[doggylover]

Hey ladies on my phone so just a quicky:

Lauren love the playmat! I couldn't have survived this long without ours! I hope Beau enjoys it.

Hayley, that doesn't sound abnormal at all to me for a routine. Isabelle is awake for anywhere from 1-3hrs at a time, and needs a minimum of a 1hr nap between those. Don't worry too much at all.
Also re swimming we are going to start next month. I want to get a wetsuit for izzy to keep her warm. With getting changed, you or Jon could get out a few mins early and go get changed, then the other person could bring Tyne out so whoever is dressed can sort him out.

Brittany: saw the fb pics and sounds like your zoo trip was lovely! is Aiden back into his routine yet?

Lindsey: how is Sarah's sleep?

Not much new for me at all. Isabelle has been in a major 'sucking' mood the last few nights so it takes almost an hour of feeding to get her to bed, then she is back up to suck again 2-3 times before she settles for the night. Weirdly, once we are in bed she will go to sleep then. She must be able to sense very easily when we are in the room and that's as much comfort for her as sucking?
Other than that...oh my uncle pissed me off yesterday. He has three boys under 6, and is the most ungrateful father ever. He actually said recently he wished he never had kids. What an ass. Yesterday was my cousins baptism, and as I went Ito the church the nun mistook Isabelle for one of the kids being baptised. I joked to my uncle I could get done too as he said "why not? Simons not here, but sure he wouldn't care about missing it." I must have given him a dirty look as he then said "you know, because he's English. He wouldn't care about missing it"

Erm...what?! I said "that's extremely offensive. Simon cares about everything that involves his daughter" I don't understand what being English has to do with it either. Felt like saying "just because you don't care about your kids doesn't mean Simon doesn't. Idiot.

 

[LiverpoolLass]

Lauren - Thanks for filling me in on Beau's routine - I guess it doesn't sound like Tyne is sleeping too much in the day?! When he falls asleep for a long time in the day its almost ALWAYS when he's fallen asleep on me, so maybe thats why?!
His first sleep in the morning in always in his bouncy chair, but the rest of them are on me.

Aww the swimming costume is cute! I'd like to post one of Tyne's but its upstairs and I can't be faffed lol! We got them in the Disney Store though - I don't usually like Disney that much but I just thought these were so cute! They're little baby blue swim shorts with Simba on
I don't think they've got Terry Towelling in though?! They seem too thin.

I haven't actually tried my swimming costume on since being pregnant! Good job you mentioned that - I'd end up at the pool with it not fitting!! Reeeeally should try it on!
We're planning on taking him tomorrow morning, our pool does Parent & Baby sessions in the morning from 10:30 -Noon and Jon doesn't start work until 3pm so its a good opportunity!

That playmat is cute! I've seen that one somewhere - is it Mamas & Papas? How does Beau like it?

Sarah - Thanks for letting me about Izzy's routine, I'm relieved that Tyne's doesn't sound abnormal!!
Good idea re: getting changed - I'm such a control freak that I don't trust Jon to be left in the water with Tyne AND I don't want him walking around the pool with him incase he slips over (I'm massively paranoid about the water! I blame my Mother - her brother drowned as a child at Butlins and she passed her extreme fear of water onto me and my sister in a big way!)
But I could wait in the water while Jon gets ready, then walk Tyne over to him in the spectators area for him to sort him out while I get ready - perfect!!

Aww its funny you mention that about Isabelle with knowing you're there - we've found that with Tyne lately too!
You may have read on my blog about how I won't leave him alone upstairs in this house coz of the spooks - so we leave him asleep on the sofa while we're still up....last night we went into the other room to watch that crazy man tightrope walk across the Grand canyon and as soon as we did, Tyne started stirring and really seemed to know that we'd left the room - even though he was fast asleep!

I think we're definitely a comfort to them at the moment, which is nice I think.

Aww I'm sorry to hear about your Uncle. Good old family! I would take his comment about Simon being English to mean that he assumes that, because Simon is English, religious ceremonies aren't as important to him as generally speaking the Irish are more religious than the English - very generally speaking of course!!!!
Its still stupid of him to assume, whether or not Simon is religious, that he wouldn't care about missing his only childs baptism!!! Jon isn't religious but he would never missed Tyne's Christening - fool!!!

AFM - I'm getting sooooo stressed about my Nan's funeral. There is STILL no date for it - its surely going to be at some point this week but geeeez it would be nice if my aunt could let people know what the plans are!!!! My poor sister is trying to arrange coming back from Devon especially for it - she's a childminder so she has to let all the parents she works for know the dates so THEY can take time off their jobs - its not easy to arrange!! My aunt is so selfish she literally will NOT care how difficult it is for Laura to get home for it, as long as her daughter is there being the one to give the big dramatic eulogy and throw herself on the coffin then thats all that matters
Geeez my Dads side of the family does my head in!!! There was only my Nan who didn't annoy me!!!!!

Teething - I can't remember if I've mentioned or not but Tyne has started to show signs of teething
He's drooling LOADS all the time, he keeps giving pained cries, and he chews away on anything he can - when you put your finger in his mouth you can feel how hard the gums are and I swear I can feel tooth buds.
We've been using calgel and trying to help him chew on teething rings but he finds it difficult coz he's too little to hold them yet!

Has anybody elses LO's started showing signs yet?

 

[MrsHippo]

OMG I just typed loads up TWICE and both times my phone swiped it all!!! Noooo

I'll jump on laptop to re-do it soon!!

 

[MrsHippo]

Right. Third time lucky!!

Sarah, that is really bad of your uncle. I hate snide comments people make sometimes.

I don't notice a change with Beau when I am in or out of a room.... she watches me a lot when I am cleaning and stuff which is cute. The only time she is funny when I'm not there is when she is upset.

Hayley, sorry about the funeral. Its not fair that everyone is left in the shadow about what is happening. Hope you all find out soon.

As for teething. Beau is dribbling like crazy at the moment. Its rather annoying, I can't even touch her without getting drool on me!! However, I read that they can have signs of teething for ages before anything actually happens. Beau too chews stuff, I noticed her doing it on her bottle teat whenever she has finished feeding. I do feel for her but I don't know what to do...she has teething toys to chew but I don't know whether to stick them in her mouth. I'd have to sterilise them??

As for the swimming trunks. I had a look online and found the little Simba shorts, they don't have anything in them do they? You need something like this

https://www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/sp+swim-nappies-in-baby-sun-and-swimwear+b2748

Our little pants are thick and tight around the legs.

AFM. I am sooo annoyed with my damn body. I was on my period all over last weekend and probably half the week before. It felt like it lasted forever. Anyway, it stopped. Then yesterday it started again!! At first it was really light so I have just been using pads (there is nothing worse than a semi-dry tampon!!). Then this morning I woke up and thought 'sh*t' I was bleeding really heavily. So now I am on another full blown period. This pill I am on is supposed to make periods really light or stop them. I have heard of 'breaking-in periods' but this is just getting silly.

Beau woke up at 6 when Adam left this morning so got up and fed her. Put her back to bed and its now half 10 and she is still asleep. She must have needed it. I can hear her stirring now so hopefully she'll be up soon. I will get her bathed and ready then will find something to do

I am going out for a few hours Friday night with my friend so I might buy something new to wear

Oh and Hayley, yes the mat is from mamas and papas. It's still being sold there.

 

[doggylover]

Lauren at "there is nothing worse than a semi dry tampon" that is so true!!! Sorry to hear about your freaky period, doesn't sound pleasant at all. Hopefully it's to a new normal thing, as you couldn't put up with that every few weeks.

Hayley: I can't believe your aunt hasn't sorted out a date for the funeral yet. I find it so strange that in England it seems to take longer to get funerals sorted. Here, anything more than 4 days after the death is considered long. I can see how awkward that would be for your sister, but hopefully all will get sorted ASAP. Does your sister know what she is going to do with your nieces during the service yet?
I did ad your blog posts about your ghosts. At first I thought it all sounded quite cool, then it started to get scary and I didn't like it at all!! No wonder you won't leave Tyne alone upstairs. I don't think I'd be able to stay in the house at all!!

teething Isabelle has been doing some power drooling this week. I never ever put a bib on her, but if this continues I may have to start - nothing worse than a kid dribbling and no bib on them! Luckily, we have around 30 bibs...
I haven't had a look or feel I'm her mouth though, she doesn't let me!

afm Isabelle was not in a great mood today. Every so often she would be happy as anything, then just stop and start to cry - and I mean cry with tears, not just noise. She was getting herself so upset and worked up, it was pathetic! It did make me laugh but the only thing that would settle her was boob. She's been sucking so much this week for comfort, and had a crap night last night (up at 12.30, 3.30, 5 and 6, then up for the day at 7.15!) so I don't know what's up. I need some more sleep tonight though!

I had a go a Simon today about helping more around the house. We both got up around he same time today. I got up and straight away started tending to Isabelle while he showered etc. even though he had 30mins after his shower until he had to leave for work, he didnt come and play with us at all, sat and ate his breakfast downstairs alone. Then, I noticed he hadn't made the bed, and hadn't put away the clean dishes. So even though he'd say for ages and done nothing while I was with Isabelle, I still had to do both of those things as well as everything else. He came home with a chore chart, which I told him doesn't work as things need done when they need done, not on a specific day, and that he nes to grow up and open his eyes and start working out for himself what needs done rather than me having to tell him.
So that'll get me a week or two of help before all is back to normal!!!

 

[MrsHippo]

Sarah, men and housework just doesn't mix. Drives me up the wall! I literally have to tell Adam what to do.... He can't SEE what needs doing. And he'll do little things which p* me off, like he'll clean the kitchen work tops but won't go around the edges where crumbs and dust builds up. So I end up doing it. But doing that results it ''I don't even know why I bother as you re-do it all anyway'' grrr that annoys me.

Since being on this pill, as well as messing my periods up. I'm also pregnancy like symptoms.... Like cravings for certain food, headaches, feeling hungry even after eating (even though don't have an apetite), peeing more and having strange dreams again. Sooo annoying. Don't mind the dreams, they are always really weird but I strangely enjoy them. For example, last night I had multiple dreams but one single dream included rabbits, pills and zombies. Lol. I tell you, I could write stories based on them!!

 

[doggylover]

Lauren, if it weren't for your insane period then I'd ask if maybe you are pregnant again!! I hardly had any weird dreams during pregnancy, which is weird as I've always been a big vivid dreamer. You should do blog post based on them!!!

I think Isabelle has a cold. She has been so snuffly sounding the past few nights, even after saline drops, and has been really snotty as well. She's very fussy today (last 2 days as well) and just a bit out of sorts, so I think that's our issue. I may have it as well as I just feel a bit off colour and am totally exhausted. Simon is supposed to be staying later at work tonight but I txt him to ask him to come home early since I'm so tired (got no response though)

Today was also the first day Izzy and I have had since her birth when we've had NOTHING planned. How mental is that, since she's 11 weeks tomorrow! Sometimes when Simon is off we don't make plans and just hang out, but this is the first time that just the two of us have had nothing planned. And since she is not in a great mood it wasnt a good day for it. We went out for a little while to Starbucks and a wander round some shops, and took the dogs out, so not been in the house all day (since she's in a bad mood I'd have gone mad!)

Hayley. I saw on your blog that Tyne rolled over!!! Amazing stuff!!! What a clever little munchkin! Did he go from his Tummy to back, or back to tummy?
Isabelle held a toy for the first time this week, and has been twisting her hips as if she may think about rolling over at some point as well.

 

[I Love Lucy]

Hayley - Aiden really didn't pay any attention at all to the animals. He spent a good portion of the time sleeping in his stroller. We had to take him out of the stroller when we went into the reptile house though so he kind of looked around then but overall I think the zoo was more so something for DH and I to do since Aiden is still too little to really care.

I haven't taken Aiden swimming at all. I find it a bit confusing because I know I've read somewhere that the water has to be a certain temp and I'm not exactly sure what to put Aiden in. Does he just wear a swim diaper or does he wear a swim diaper and then swimming trunks over that? I'll probably just wait until next summer to take him swimming since I think he would enjoy it more then and I would hopefully feel better about my body and not cringe at the thought of being out in a bathing suit.

As for sleeping, Aiden probably goes 1 to 2 hours in between naps. Though if he goes about 2 hours in between naps then he'll sleep longer whereas if he's going an hour between naps he's sleeping for like 20 minutes and then he's back awake.

Teething, Aiden has been doing the same things you mention Tyne doing. He drools a lot, constantly putting his fists in his mouth, or whatever else he can get in there. I recently bought a teething pacifier for Aiden. He's not really a fan since he doesn't really like pacifiers at all but that may be something to look into for Tyne.

Lauren - Love the play mat and swimsuit you got for Beau.

Sorry about the period. Hopefully once your body adjusts to the pill things will go back to normal.

Sarah - Aiden and I are getting closer to being into a routine but it's not exactly the one we used to have. He usually goes to sleep for the night between 8 and 9. Then I nurse him around 11-12 and then again around 3-4. Then he'll usually nurse again around 6 something and then sleep for another hour or so before waking up for the day. 7:30 now and he's just starting to wake up. A lot more nursing through the night then what we had been doing and he sometimes nurses off both sides now so I haven't been pumping. Daytime is still unpredictable but it's not too bad as long as I can get him down for his afternoon nap. If he doesn't sleep a good 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon he is really fussy the rest of the day because he's just over tired. Poor boy fell asleep in my lap as soon as I picked him up from his play gym yesterday.

Your uncle sounds awful. I can't believe the comments he made.

Jon sounds like my DH when it comes to the chores. I don't know how many times we've had arguments because he thinks he can sit and play video games instead of tending to things. Like a few nights ago Aiden was overtired so very fussy so I told DH he needed to get him his bath so I could put him to bed and DH actually told me he had to finish the game he was playing first. It's like I don't care if your score or whatever gets messed up, your son is the priority not some stupid game. It drives me mad. Then he keeps going on and on about wanting a turtle (though I think I've finally got that idea out of his head) but he rarely does anything with the animals we have. I don't think he's cleaned the litter box once since I have had Aiden so I have to find time to do that or it doesn't get done. Then he'll cook dinner but he never wipes off the counters so I get stuck having to scrub dried up food off of stuff and he refuses to load/unload the dishwasher then he yells at me for putting his pans in there. I don't care though, I'm not having dirty pans sitting in my sink for days because he doesn't want them in the dishwasher but can't be bothered to wash them until he needs them. Sorry for all that ranting there. I did not mean to go off about all the things DH does that irritate me. He does take care of washing the cloth diapers.

AFM - Nothing is really happening here. I haven't been going on evening walks since it's been so damn hot and I'm definitely not going in the morning alone since there was an alleged sexual assault in our area. That's always my biggest fear when I'm walking around by myself.

I'm really wanting to find a workout video or something to start doing so I can get rid of the remaining baby weight I have. Is anyone else doing any exercise?

 

[linzylou]

I know I've missed a lot in this post but I've hardly had any time to myself the last few days. I'll try to write more later!

Exercise -I started one of the beach body routines but stopped after about a week because I was too tired. Just carrying Sarah up and down the stairs several times a day is a workout! I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight but I definitely want to tone up (especially my stomach) so I will probably start some crunches soon.

Naps -Some days she sleeps for a total of 6 hours and some days she hardly naps at all. Her first nap of the day is usually her longest (2-3 hours). She just started staying up longer (up to 3 hours) between naps but if she's cranky I put her down as soon as 1.5 hours after her last one.

As for me - Sarah's been a little monster this week. She's super fussy, clingy, eats a ton, fights naps, and wakes every 1-3 hours at night. I think she's starting a Wonder Week? I'm trying to be patient because she's learning a lot of new skills right now. She rolls from back to side all the time, and on Sunday she rolled from tummy to back. She grabs everything (toes, toys, clothes, hair). Yesterday she actually picked a toy up off the ground and put it in her mouth. She babbles constantly, blows bubbles, follows us around the room with her eyes, and can lift her head and chest off the ground during tummy time. It's exciting to watch and I know (hope?) that she'll sleep better soon.

I've also been in denial about my postpartum depression but I know that I do have it. I don't want to hurt Sarah or anything like that, but some days I feel really lonely and like I'm not doing a good enough job as her mom. Lack of sleep has a lot to do with it. Seth is busy with work, my parents work all week and my friends could care less so it's hard to find someone to watch Sarah so that I can take a nap. I'm really disappointed that my doctor is willing to prescribe Zoloft without even seeing me first. I'd much rather start with talk therapy or something like that before taking meds. Still looking into that so we'll see, but I have to much to be happy about right now that I'm ashamed for even feeling the way that I do.

 

[doggylover]

Lindsey, I'm so sorry you're still feeling down by that amazing list of things Sarah is able to do, and the fact that she is growing so well, you don't have to worry about not doing a good job of being her mummy. From what I can tell, she is thriving and you are doing a wonderful job. I agree that it's a bit strange your dr will prescribe tablets without even exploring any other options. Can you do some therapy privately?
And do not feel ashamed at all. You have nothing to be ashamed about. You can't help the way you feel. Being a new mother is definitely hard work, and lonely at times, and I think what you are feeling is something everyone feels to some extent. What's important is that you've recognised that you don't feel right, and you are trying to fix how you feel.
I know it's hard when you feel like there are a million things to do, but could you do some chores etc for an hour, then nap for an hour during Sarah's first nap of the day? Just to grab some extra sleep? I actually had a nap yesterday while Isabelle did as I was so tired. But while she woke up happy and smily, I woke up super groggy!

Brittany, scary about the assault that happened near you, definitely make sure you take care if you are out without dh.
And at your mini rant about dh! You need to get him as excited about all the chores as he is about the cloth laundry!! I think men are just wired differently - Simon does a whole load of those things too. A few times I've actually said "you can do that later when Isabelle is in bed, she's up right now, you work all day, you should be spending this time with your daughter"

Naps..I'm so jealous of all these 2-3 hour naps your LOs do during the day! Isabelle will do that as a fluke, with no regularity (for example she did 2.5hours this morning...never happened before!) but more likely she does naps of 20mins to 45mins. She always wakes up happy, and will stay up anywhere from 1.5-3hrs during the day.
The only regular thing we have going is up in the morning, play for an hour, feed and nap in her crib for 30mins. It's so annoying though as she wakes up, is all smiles for the next half hour, then starts screaming as she is still tired and has to go down again. For some reason in the morning,even though she's tired and falling asleep in my arms, she won't nap longer than 30mins for that first nap. Nothing I do makes a difference...

Afm, the reason Izzy has been so fussy this week is because she has a stinker of a cold, which she caught off her cousin. We spent today with him so I spent my day cleaning snotty noses and listening to coughs, sneezes and wheezes!! She is just miserable, and obviously feeling crappy as she will just start bawling her eyes out at a moments notice. (I really hope that's due to her cold actually, as I can't handle the thought that it could be becoming a habit...it seems to happen most on her playmat. Maybe her love affair with it is over?!)
Last night was weird, she didnt actually wake up at all between 9.30pm and 7.30am. She was so loud though, with her sniffly nose etc, that at 3am and 6am when she was stirring, I was already awake so didnt get a great sleep. So I took her out at those times and fed her in her sleep. From 6am she was in bed with pretty much attached to my boob for an hour.

I feel so sorry for her, she is just so pathetic at the minute.

 

[MrsHippo]

OMG Sarah, don't say that. If I was pregnant again I think I'd die lol.

Lindsey, sorry to hear you aren't feeling too great. I thought I had PND but my mood is up and down. I will have a week of feeling awful then the next, really good. I'm not 100% though. Think I have just had a lot on and stress from the idiots upstairs and moving. It is really bad of your doctor to prescribe you drugs without even speaking to you. That doesn't fix it does it!! You need to speak to someone really. And as Sarah said, don't for one minute doubt your mothering, you are doing a great job and you should be proud of yourself. Sarah sounds like she is doing great!!

I really want to work out to lose the belly and hip fat. I can only wear sucky-in underwear for so long!!

Today Beau had her second lot of injections which Adam took her to. I gave her lots of cuddles when she got home. She hasn't been too bad so far, a little ratty at times but overall OK. Today is also the 5 year anniversary of Barney's death. He is my mum's ex who died in a motorbike accident (my mum was also on the bike) when Freya was only 3 months old can't believe its been 5 years already. Time has gone so fast and every one's lives have changed so much.

I am going out tonight with my friend so I'm looking forward to that as I haven't been out properly for so long. I know I went out with my sister for my birthday but I was really conscious of the time and how much I was drinking with Beau being so young. This time I have a bit more confidence in Adam and with Beau sleeping through now I feel as though I can let my hair down a bit.

Talking of stressing about the twats upstairs. As I write this and as Beau is trying to sleep, they have music blaring out, shouting OUT the window??? What is that all about? You'd think we lived below a nightclub sometimes. *breath* 1 week to go.

 

[I Love Lucy]

Lindsey - I'm so sorry you're having a rough time right now. I think it's normal to have days where you feel really sad and depressed, especially if you're not getting a lot of sleep but if you're feeling like that more days then not then I think it's probably a good idea to talk to someone. Recognizing that just shows how good of a mommy you are in my opinion. Sending lots of your way.

Sarah - I'm sorry Izzy has a cold. I hope she recovers soon.

As for the crying on the playmat, perhaps it's because laying down on her back makes it harder for her to breathe? Especially if she's congested. I remember reading some thread on here awhile back where a mom had to sleep with her son's head propped up on her arm because he had a hard time breathing otherwise.

If not, perhaps she is just bored with it. Aiden will start crying if he doesn't want to be on his play mat or if he's been on it for 20 minutes and has decided he know longer wants to talk to the toys. I usually pick him up from it when he starts crying and joke that his whale made him cry since he has this huge whale that we attached to the top of his play gym for him to look at.

Lauren - Hope Beau continues to do well after the second set of shots. I'm glad I don't have to take Aiden again for shots until sometime in August when he's 4 months.

Hope you have a good time out tonight!

AFM - I found a workout video on Youtube that I'm going to start doing tonight. It's 30 minutes and it's meant for you to do 0-6 weeks postpartum. Obviously I'm not 0-6 weeks postpartum but since I haven't really done any exercising since having Aiden I'm starting with it anyways. I'm thinking I'm only going to do it 3 weeks though rather then a full 6 since my body is mostly healed since giving birth. Then I'm going to go to the 6-12 weeks postpartum workout which I can do with Aiden and will probably do that for 3 weeks as well. Then I'll probably move on to a more intense workout routine to lose the rest of the weight I want to lose. I have about 10 lbs of baby weight still and then an additional 10-15 lbs that I would like to lose since I gained that while on BCP and didn't get a chance to lose that before I got pg. They're only a half hour long so DH should be able to handle Aiden that long even if Aiden is really fussy.

I'm also going to try putting Aiden to sleep in his crib tonight. I was trying to put him down for naps but he just refused to sleep in there. I asked for a bit of advice in the baby club forum and decided since Aiden is a bit unpredictable with naps right now, trying at bed time might have better results. So that's the plan for tonight so wish me luck on that.

Monday I'm getting my cat Mila spayed. The poor thing is in heat just about every other week which means she has to live in the garage every other week since I refuse to have her in the house when she's in heat since she sprays. Hoping Aiden cooperates with me since I have to get her to the vet between 7 and 8.

 

[doggylover]

Brittany ohh the is nothing worse than cat pee everywhere! It stinks for so long afterwards. One weekend we went away and left the automatic cat feeder outside for the cat as we were only gone for two nights. Well, we accidentally managed to lock the cat in the kitchen for those two nights. Luckily, the bag of cat food was sitting out so he had food, but he pooped in the sink (so random!) and peed on the curtain and wall. The curtain washed fine, but I could still smell it from the wall long after I had bleached it to within an inch of its life!
I think maybe Izzy does get bored on her play,at sometimes, but usually she lasts much longer than this week. Maybe it's a combination of her struggling to breathe through her congestion, and her needing more stimulation? I dunno, I guess we'll see when she is feeling better if she goes back to normal or not.

Lauren I read on fb that you ended up phoning the police because of your neighbours! Insane! Just one week and then you'll be gone from there forever! But since you're renting the place out, you still don't want crappy neighbours for the renters.
Great news about Beau's injections going well. I am dreading our next set as much as the first!!
That's so sad about your mums partner especially since Freya was so young have fun tonight!

Afm nothing much new. I went down to my school today to celebrate the end of term with them which was nice. Isabelle was generally pretty good, she fell asleep during lunch and then had some cuddles.
I was pretty upset as I went into my old classroom, and the girl covering my maternity had been asked by the person I covered for (who is coming back hence my lack of job now) to clear all the wall displays and posters. It was completely bare. It had taken me hours to put them all up! And they were all geography posters so I don't know why she wanted them down. She also told the girl covering my maternity that she doesn't even want the job back, she's just taking it until she can get the nursing job she wants. I'm so cross!

 

[MrsHippo]

Just a quick rant. You may have seen on fb about the neighbours. Well when I got home the police were here again.... Obviously not called by me this time. Well I saw two lads snooping around my car (two of the lads who had been upstairs) so I decided to go and speak to the police officers and find out why they had been called out again. Well as I was talking to them (one kept saying 'just keep complaining until they get thrown out') ... The two people who lived there walked over so I never found out why they had been called out. About 5 minutes after being back in, our buzzer went (at like 10 to 2 in the morning this is!!!) and it was them. So walked out to ask them what they were playing at and miss gobby (btw only looked about 15 close up) started having a go at me. So we ended up having an argument on the stairs!! He was like 'leave it, she has a kid' ..... She was saying they can play their music when they like and the police was no business of mind. OH AND she said 'I don't even know you, I can speak to you how I like' - this was after me saying 'you don't need to speak to me like that'. He was really apologetic but she was gobby as hell. And there are about 5/6 of them up there tonight!!

Since then I emailed centrick and said I want them out. I will pay solicitors and court fees, I will not be spoken to like that in my own home by a teenager!!

Since then (about an hour ago), I've done nothing but cry.

They are ruining everything for us and making me feel so down. And I was so angry earlier I could have actually wholloped her.

It's now 3am and I'm just lying in bed crying. I feel so shit, words can't even describe it.

But there is me saying ill pay solicitor and court fees - I can't afford that if we can't get anyone in, looks like we will be back here.