Hiya ladies, I've just read about 20 pages of posts to catch up, so lovely to see you're all well and getting the time to chat. I've not been busy per se but just needed a break and to do different things. Its been a bit up and down the last few weeks!
Finally felt like I'd found my feet, getting a routine, going out every day even if just for a walk and no other purpose with JP then suddenly it all collapsed, she became a total misery (turned out to be teething and an intolerance reaction to me eating pork products!) and then I came down with flu and a chest infection. Mostly my own fault for not eating properly and then spending a weekend in the garage clearing out all my stuff which I'd been storing for the last year!
I know a few of you are really feeling the hormones being back on the pill, I'm not taking it but I'm finding my emotions are all over the place atm too. I bypassed the baby-blues and pnd so it seems strange to suddenly be getting emotional now.
On the plus side we made some break throughs this week. I can put JP down for half an hour or so at a time now. I have to cheat and use the tv to distract her, but it gives me enough time to do a few chores or eat. I said that I didn't want her watching tv but its such a handy tool to get those precious few moments that I have succumbed. I quickly learned that I can't control what JP does and doesn't like. She does like Zigby which we watch on iPlayer and her favourite band is Madness, we have a whole dance routine for Driving in my Car now!
Anyone else finding themselves doing things they swore they'd never do?
Also I've managed to get her to sleep (by feeding) and then put her down without her waking up as she usually does. I've transferred her to her carry-cot twice this evening successfully. She's in there again now smiling and cooing away at me!
As for what I'd do differently next time? I'm not really sure. Probably try to establish a bedtime in the cot routine sooner as we're still co-sleeping and I'd rather we weren't. I do like co-sleeping but I'm exhausted from never sleeping properly 'cause I'm conscious of JP and whether she'll accidentally smother herself with the duvet or pillow or I'm freezing cold because I've shoved the duvet halfway down the bed to protect her lol! Everytime I move away from her or roll over onto my other side she shuffles across the bed after me and I get a constant prodding in the back which eventually becomes wailing if I don't turn back to her and feed her back to sleep. Very cute but a little bit frustrating - especially since I get hipache lying on one side all night, its like still being pregnant!
B/F is still going well but I have been so tempted a few times to stop as I've found it a real joy to hand JP and a bottle over to people and give myself a break but at the same time I'm proud for resisting the temptation, I know I'd regret it if I stopped. Just the thought of smellier nappies is enough actually to convince me - I'm dreading the intro of solids for that reason!
I've toyed with the idea of cloth nappies but I really don't think I would manage, kudos to all you mums with clothbum babies though!
I'm totally with the broodiness thing, Im so envious of pregnant women and really miss it and will definitely consider more in the future. My sister has just had it confirmed that she won't be able to have children (she's always miscarried) and we were talking about it the other day, I said if she ever really wanted to have a child I would surrogate for her. I said this later to my friend who thought it was a ridiculous idea and how difficult would it be to give up the baby? I don't agree with her, it would be my niece/nephew so I would be involved with the baby not like giving the baby to a complete stranger, plus knowing the joy it would give would make it a lot easier too. And I really like the idea of pregnancy without the 24/7commitment at the end, which maybe just sounds weird! Anyway, its pie in the sky, chances are she will decide not to have children but would you surrogate for a family or really close friend?
In answer to MJ's question, if JP had been a boy it was to be Oscar or Charlie. Oscar was favourite almost straight away then in the last couple of weeks starting toying with Charlie. It was almost impossible to chose a girl's name. JP was almost 3 weeks old by the time her first name was chosen and 6 weeks by the time her middle name was added. The spelling changed too, originally she was Georgie.
As for hair and eyes, JP was born with pale gold blonde hair with a red tinge to it and which got fairer by about 4 weeks and now at 11 weeks is turning auburn. She still has blonde eyebrows (again a slight red tinge is starting to grow through) and she has red-brown, super-long eyelashes so I am curious as to whether she'll be a redhead (both of us have elder red-headed siblings) or a fair-headed child who turns dark (like her father) or just get darker and darker (like me).
JP's eyes were dark slate grey with pale green rings around the pupils at birth. By 6 weeks they were green - light around the pupil, dark at the edges, then they started turning light grey and now the outer ring looks blue-grey while the inner ring has taken on a sunburst pattern but, weirdly, appears to have lost its colour entirely so its hard to tell if it is pale green or pale grey or very milky coffee brown coloured, in fact they appear a different colour everyday! I have brown eyes but my mom has green eyes and my dad's are hazel brown/green and although JP's dad's eyes are blue, I was expecting them to turn hazel/brown. I am finding myself wishing every day that they stay grey-blue or turn green again but I expect they will end up hazel eventually.
JP's rolling too from tummy to back, but hardly surprising as she hates tummy time! When she is on her tummy she tries to crawl then starts crying with frustration because she can't. She's been taking her weight on her legs for a few weeks and recently started to push herself up with her legs as I lift her up. She also tries to sit up if on a lap but curiously not when on the floor/bed, this used to be the same with lifting her head. She seems to like shuffling down into a lying position, she does it in her carseat and when sat on my lap in the bath. We tried her in the highchair last weekend and she shuffled down and sideways resting her head on the arm and was quite content to lie there like that! Last week she started stroking her teddies but the only things she grasps is my hair and laptop cables! But she is chewing on anything she can get near her mouth...
On the topic of hair, mine too has been a nightmare, it gets really matted and tangled at the back. I ended up losing about 8 inches of length and decided to go very curly as I don't have to brush it that way! I got bored of scaring off the delivery people with my "bedhead" knotted tresses! I do find hardcore conditioners are helping though. Despite all of this I still find my hair wrapped around JP's fingers and toes and in her nappy!!
Another question for you ladies? Since its not just our babies acquiring new skills, what has been your proudest acheivement so far? I think mine has been tackling the tube system with my buggy! I can now do up and down escalators with the buggy and every time I use one find myself saying "Beat that daleks!". Stupid but I can't help it!
Keep well all xxx
I really have missed you all so much. I logged back in here expecting to see not many posts if any since my last post, and youve all been chattering away!! It's so lovely 
I guess the longer time goes by, the less we will worry ourselves senseless about our little ones 
I've also heard good things about the coil, looking forward to seeing whether it helps! 
I like your plan about taking the weight loss easily and just seeing how it goes, I think that's sort of what I'm doing already, so I will do a weigh in in a sec when I remember all my figures! Although I work in Kilos, so it might be a bit confusing to you all! Maybe I will convert it as I post it 
- he's gained to where I thought he would, which pleases me - last time he'd gained 12oz, this time 13oz. 
Come on Vici, get motivated.
MUST do better Shiv!
to you all.
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