Babies Born December 2010

Sorry to hear about the in-laws Audax, that's such a shame. It's them that's missing out, too.
All the best to your mother. I'm sure it'll be lovely for her to have you all there.

Ah! New skills. Forget about sleeping then EJ :lol:

As I said to Georgi, feeding in the 2nd year is a whole different ball game - easier and totally negotiable between you and your toddler. I plan to just let Miri decide - but if it gets a bit much or things change, we can be flexible about it. With Ari I cut him back as I thought I'd have to wean to go back to IVF, though in the end I discovered I didn't.
I think a lot of people in our culture think you *have* to actively wean your child. You don't. If you are content to wait, then they will stop themselves when they are ready. Also, mothers of older toddlers often find they can negotiate the ending together. I think the reason many people think this way is because we tend to wean very young in the West, when of course you will have to actively cut it out. It's fine if that's what you need to do, but don't feel that you have to just because. I don't suppose you've got an ABA group out your way do you Jules? It can be nice to hang out with a group of other mothers where it just isn't an issue.

And feeding to sleep doesn't make their sleep worse (I dont' reckon, and despite what many people will say) it just makes your life easier :). DS stopped feeding to sleep at bed time around 10-11 months. What a pain! And he still didn't sleep through. Just meant it took aeons to get him to sleep.

Hope the back is better soon Georgi! Take it easy.

Hope everyone has lovely first birthdays. We won't be doing one :redface:, just a little family thing. Miri is still sick. I am feeling extremely strung out. Oh, and today she's not wanting to feed. Think her mouth is sore or something? She'll drink from a cup, but doesn't want to suck at the breast.

Hi georgi :hello:
HI Jules :hello:
great to here from you guys.
MadB - How was the holiday?
PP - Oh Millie crying at day care, Big hugs for you. I would be such a big baby....
EJ - sewing Harpers birthday dress, you are such an amazing women. I can't even sew a button on heheheheheh :rofl:
Audax - just big hugs from me :hugs:

AFM - I'm not too sick this time, it's amazing I feel yucky but i'm not throwing up and I can still do things. Usually I'm in bed nearly all day......
Well I can't complain charlie boy has a bottle before he goes to bed at 9.00pm in bed at 9.30pm and sleeps to 9.00am the next day. Sometimes he may wake during the night all I have to do is put his dummy in his mouth and he goes back to sleep. The twins on the other hand are a paing they wake maybe 4 times during the night,I'm pulling my hair out with them........

Cathie do both the twins wake eachother throughout the night or do they both just have habits in waking?? For me i just think i was lucky with the boys sleeping habits, not that Harper's is bad it's just i wish the night time lengths were slightly longer.

Cathie you should see my dress!!! I love it... There is just one slight issue with it, i'm not sure if it's something i've missed or what but it's a reversible wrap dress and has little ties inside and out depending on which way you wear it but somehow i've ended up with one lonely little strap under one of the arms :redface: Nothing i can't fix but not too sure how and why it happened :lol:

Great to hear that the MS is being kind to you, how would the house survive if you couldn't get out of bed!? :)

:lol: There's always something isn't there MadB :lol: Any answers yet on the illness?? Did Miri get a bit hungry/thirsty/cuddly and want a feed?? There has to be an explination for her symptoms.

MadB i do agree with you on the feeding to sleep making it easier (most of the time), i love it it's just the times i want a little bit of freedom and maybe not be there for a bed time that makes it really hard. Which is what will happen when i go to the Stevie Nicks concert. But for all the times that i'm there i love it.

Weaning for me isn't on the cards as yet. Even with my.... feeding to sleep 'issues' :redface: Aidan being my first i was really proud to make it to 13 months, with Charlie boy i always intended on going a fair bit further but i fell pregnant and it was cut short earlier than i planned so with Harper Barper i really want to try and feed her as long as she wants to... a fair way into next year if possible. Breastfeeding any length of time is an achievement :D

I think i'll get to bed early tonight, the last 3 nigths it's been after midnight as i've been sewing. Like i said to Cathie the dress has come out great and it fits Harper really well, i just have to figure out my lonely strap issue.

Talk soon girls xo

EJ - Bahahaha.. The lonely strap.

CATHIE - Don't worry, I can't sew either. I wish I could though. I have been thinking of doing a short sewing course just so I can learn the basics. Glad to hear the MS isn't too bad. I was awful in my pregnancies

MADB - Gosh I hope she feels better today... The poor little mite

Eden's cutting another tooth. It's almost out. He's sooooo whingy, wanting to be picked up all the time

Hi all,

MadB, I hope you were able to avoid mastitis? How are you and Miri going? Hoping you're not feeling too strung out :hug: I found coming back from the trip was pretty disruptive so hopefully things will settle down for you soon. Is there anything you can do to relax?

Georgi, hooray for party invites! I got all our rsvp's this weekend so have started cranking up to party planning overdrive :D Hope your back is better.

Audax, it's great to see you back! Your craft space sounds awesome :) I feel a bit isolated when I sew as my room is upstairs, but during the day while Millie's sleeping, it's fine. Oh, I love cloth too (fluffy mail this morning, squee!) - it's just cleaning up a disaster nappy is not too much fun. Still determined to use cloth, but perhaps also more determined to buy a little squirt :)

EJ, hooray for Harper crawling! The lonely strap made me giggle, I always have something minor happen to my projects :)

Ah Jules, if I've learned anything this year, it is that "if it's not a problem for me, then it's not a problem." I know my Mum and sister don't approve of how we are raising Millie and I'm incredibly fed up with their negative comments. Mum even went all tight lipped when I spoke about what I'll do differently to try and bf longer when #2 comes along, so I know ahead of time that I won't have her support then, either. Oh well, if I don't have the expectation, then I can't be disappointed, right?! You do what is right for you and Jacob, and I agree with MadB - if the people around you can't handle it, find some people who can! I know it may be easier said than done due to geography, but hey, we're spread right around the country and you can still come to us for support :) Hugs to you - you're doing a cracker job with your little man!

Hey Cathie, glad you're not feeling too wretched this time, can't be easy with the twins though. Let me know when you're feeling well enough to catch up :)

As for us, Millie is going great guns, although has been suuuuper clingy. Her top gum is so swollen, it looks like the eye teeth will be the first through, which is how mine came through. Her latest trick is to sit on her bottom and swivel around in circles while she's playing or "reading" - so funny :) I can't believe she's one on Friday, the year has gone so quickly. I love seeing her grow!

I hope you're all well, I have to go as she's awake early today!
xox

is millie our first one year old? The time really does fly by. I'm glad this time I've tired harder to just make the most of the precious baby time, before you know it they're a preschooler about to start kindy (eep!)

EJ - that lonely strap sounds very much like my sewing efforts. Always stuff something up. Each time I do something it's a little less frankenstein, though. :lol: Haven't had a chance to sew anyting for ages.

Well, back to docs yesterday and got a urine sample - I rock at getting urine, btw ;) - and he thinks it's a UTI, though sent off to pathology. She's started on ABs anyway - hope it actually is an infection. She's definitely doing better in any event, as she actually slept last night! puked up her midnight dose of ABs (oh well) but slept otherwise and still asleep now. :o. She has a lot of making up to do, I think.
knocked the mastitis on the head quickly, but now thrush of course :D going to try the garlic cure tonight and lots of yogurt in the mean time (hate natural yogurt). But at least this has renewed my resolve to cut out sugar again.

Do they wake up at the same time cathie, or are they really tricky and take turns? You still need up change your username, you know. Guess you can skip cathie6 and go straight to cathie7....

EJ - yay on the dress, i'm sure you will work something out with the strap. I still think you are sooo clever. My hubby was in the Navy for 10 years so he sews and irons in my house.
PP - One on friday wow. What are you doing for Millie's first birthday.
Georgi - Charlie follows me around the house climbing up my leg wanting to be picked up.BOYS
MadB -The twins decide to take turns. they don't wake each other it just well planned out. yeah I will have to change my username.....

Cathie

PP - Eleanor is a spinning top too! She loves to sit in the middle of a circle of books and spin around, reading each one, then putting it back down. Sooooooo cute. A little squirt will change your life! We didn't have ours while we moved, but now it's set up again and I am just thrilled to have it back. Speaking of, I should go hang out some washing while the princess sleeps.

We got Nellie on the bike for the first time over the weekend. Absolute and total win, she just loves it, and grins from ear to ear the whole way. I am thrilled, as I'd really missed my riding, and now I can just take her out with me any time I like.

But in even better news... we got a sleep through last night! 7:00-5:40, with a brief yell at 2am, which I don't count because by the time I got into her room she was back to sleep, so I just sat and watched her for a while. So beautiful.

We will be letting Eleanor self-wean. I feel quite emotionally prepared for it; she's been such a chronic boob-refuser in her first year that I wo't be surprised if it's early.

Anyway, I reeeeeally should get to this washing. Back soon!

PP - I love planning parties... I think I mentioned we are having a train theme for Mr Choo Choo.. But I can't seem to find a train cake that I like. The one out of the womens weekly is ok, but I'd rather a Thomas the tank 'style' where it's just one big train. But I'd rather not do Thomas. I'll keep looking in hope to find something. Oh, and I have a VERY different parenting style to my sister. She just doesn't say anything anymore (it took nearly 3 years). I was talking to her yesterday about weaning Eden and was waiting for her to say something about how I should have done it ages ago & why did I BF for so long, but she didn't. She just listened. I hope your family will get to that stage too.

MADB - What's your secret to catching wee? I've only had to ever do it once and it was so difficult. He kept weeing out of the bag. I ended up catching a very small amount but the pathologist said it was enough. So glad she slept for you. Hope she had a good sleep last night too. I've also re assessed my diet, starting yesterday. No more eating when I'm bored!

CATHIE - Oooooh, a sewing husband... Gees I would love that!

AUDAX - Yay on the sleep. Wow, you sat and watched? Gees I would've run straight back to bed to sleep! lol

I forgot to mention my back is better. I went for a long walk/jog on Saturday & did around 20mins stretching afterwards which did the trick. Phew..

Eden's tooth cut through yesterday so he seems much better so far this morning. Though he didn't sleep much yesterday. Only 30 minutes in the morning (we just couldn't re settle him) and as we went shopping after lunch he fell asleep in the car and I had to carry him through the camping shop while he slept in my arms lol. Put him back in the car still sleeping, but when I tried to transfer him to the cot he wouldn't go back to sleep. So he probably had a total of 40 mins or so. Thankfully he didn't turn ferral at dinner.

Woohoo, finally DH has agreed to going camping. We're going this weekend with friends. We have to borrow a double/queen air mattress for ourselves but we have one for Byron & we'll be taking the portacot for Eden. We have a 10 man tent so there should be enough room. Eden's been waking around 5/5.30am so I hope being in a tent doesn't mean he'll wake with the sun at 4.30....

Hi ladies!

Man, it's smoky in Sydney tonight... hazard reduction burns are messing with me! Cathie, are you and yours okay?

MadB, yup, Millie was 15 days early so we're honorary members of this forum :) I'm completely stunned that it's a year already. I hope you guys are doing better? Millie was put on amoxyl at first for the UTI but the pathology came back saying the bug was resistant to it! Argh! So she ended up on Keflex. I got a babybiotic for her as well, which the chemist had just started stocking. I hear you on wanting to cut out on sugar, it's damn hard thought isn't it?

Cathie, we're having a party on Saturday in the park where we walk with mother's group. We had our mg party in that exact spot last Friday! It's going to be pretty big :) We'll have a BBQ and lots of baby friendly finger food, and I'm making a butterfly cake. I can't wait... Millie brings us such joy and it will be wonderful to celebrate a year with her... augh, I'm choking up a little!

Oh, Audax, you sound so content, it is just wonderful! I'm so happy for you :D

Georgi, are you able to hire a tin? I was able to hire an oddly shaped tin from my local cake decorating supply store for Mum and Dad's anniversary and I'm sure they had trains, castles, even football moulds! Worth a look, and of course much cheaper than buying one you'll never use again. Glad your back is better :)

Millie gave me a look of betrayal as I left her at daycare again this morning but was so happy to see me this afternoon - I've certainly been forgiven! Work is MAD. Insane. There's no way I'd want to do more than 3 days, but I seem to spend those 3 days getting my head above water, then I have the 2 days off, and then... repeat. Week after week. I know I get the holidays but sheesh!

Hope you're all well!
xox

Georgi how is that tooth going? Has Eden become a little happier? I'd check out if you're able to hire a cake tin also, saves cluttering the cupboards. Enjoy your camping weekend it sounds like you're all set. I bet the kids will love it :)

Audax getting on the bike sounds great, soon enough Ellie will be on her own (maybe a little way off yet :lol:) That sleep through sounded fantastic, good opportunity to rejuvenate the batteries. Mine are really really low.

PP did you get the email pattern? Hope Millie's teeth come through without too much discomfort. Millie's party in the park sounds great, i hope the weather is perfect for you. In my experience 1st birthdays are so exciting but a little emotional at the same time to think that year has passed just like that!! Ohhh but the 2nd year is so much fun :)

MadB how is Miri going? I hope those meds are kicking and she's much better. So good to hear she finally got a good rest in, the poor chicken must have really needed it. Hope you're able to feel a little rested also.

Cathie still feeling good?? I hope everythings travelling along nicely for you.

Well i solved my lonely strap problem. It's acutally meant to be there :doh: But a little strangish at the same time. The dress is supposed to be reversible so depending on which way you wear the dress two straps aren't being used. The inside isn't that big an issue because you don't see it but the one on the outside just hangs. So looking closely at the pattern picture i think what they have done is tied that strap in on bow on itself, not sure if that makes sense. And reading a little further on the instructions it does say the strap is supposed to bet there :redface: Should have read my instructions properly. So anyway i have decided to remove the two unused straps as i will not be using it as a reversible dress. Problem solved :lol:

So i could go and try and finish that right now or i could go to bed and read this book because i need help. Last night was about 4-5 wakes. I've decided to wrap her tonight (angle wrap) so i'm curious to see if she'll love it or hate it. I did have her in the sleeping bag both arms free but i'm looking for anything that may help. Going back to this is really not want i want to do but i want sleep and until i can get this book read or understand some things to try i'll give anything a go.

Bed time for me, hope you're all good ladies :)

Georgi - what about a train platform with tracks and a toy train? You could decorate with all manner of things, maybe even make some fondant fixtures for ticket machines or seats or something.

Eleanor's cake will just be a round vanilla cake, decorated with spotty edible paper, pink glitter and red fondant butterflies.

EJ - lonely strap sounds weird! I'm a shocker for following pattern instructions. And things turn out funny, but I never learn my lesson :rolleyes:

In other extremely exciting news... I had a pap smear today. That was fun. Kind of. Eleanor just sat on the floor gnawing on her puzzle pieces and playing peekaboo behind the curtain - she was so funny that I didn't even notice what was going on downstairs!

What a great distraction A!
That's a pretty impressive cake. DS' first was a dairy & wheat free fruit cake. It was inedible and noone ate it. DS' 2nd was a lamington train cake with grapes as cargo. DS ate the grapes.
I might make one with DS for Miri's birthday. No doubt it'll be chocolate if he gets to pick. quite possible with pink icing. don't think I'll let her have any though :lol: I'm mean.

Well the afterhours clinic called this evening with the pathology results. The ABs she's on are ok, but there's another one that's better for the infection she has. we have an apt with GP tomorrow morning so will get a script to switch over then. yay. she's not sleeping again and grumpy. guess she's still probably feeling crap.
Went to our first signing class today. DS was a little toad about going and refused to get out ofhis pyjamas, but really got into it once we were there. Miri was less impressed, but start started playing with the toys by the end, so hopefully she'll like it once she gets used to it.

oh, for the wee - doc said they don't do bags anymore as the results are accurate (or something?) so we got a little jar thingy. And he just sort of passed it over with a slightly apologetic expression and said just do your best. Well I ended up putting her on the potty with the cup in under her (on an angle so it was just at the front). worked a treat.

PP - Oh good one!!! I saw a tin yesterday at Spotlight but it was $45. They did have 30% off but that was still too much for, as you said, something i'll never use again. I don't know where there is a cake decorating shop around but I'll let my fingers do the walking.....

EJ - He wouldn't sleep yesterday afternoon and woke at 4am! I ended up feeding him around 4.30 and he went back to sleep, still asleep now... The poor mite.. I can't see any other teeth, just the one but who knows... Oh, your night sounds terrible. How did the wrapping go? Gosh, I can't imagine how you would find the time to read a book.... Hope you can get it read soon

AUDAX - Edible paper is a great idea, Eden LOVES eating paper lol. Yes I did think of using a toy train but felt it just wasn't the same. I guess it's just not what I had in mind... Bahahaha... A pap smear fun... Too funny

MADB - But how did you know when she needed to wee? What do you mean by signing class?

Audax the patterns are actually really great, really easy to follow and put together. What a fun day for you and DD, always great to get a pap smear out the way.

Audax/Georgi the edible paper sounds really interesting. I too went to the spotlight sale yesterday and was looking at the cake making stuff. I found edible glitter also!!

Great skills MadB, i got one of those bag thingys once for Harper but thankfully never had to use it. Would have been an interesting challenge if we had to. Singing classes sound great, i wonder if they are a little similar to mini maestros like what we do. Glad DS enjoyed them though :)

Georgi we were home yesterday from 10ish and it was great to get Charlie and Harper down for their normal sleeps. Sometimes i wonder if my sleep battles are a no win situation because her days are so hit and miss also. It's so hard to get into a pattern, life is just so hectic. But on a really good note the wrap was a sucess, i'm a little torn about beginning to wrap again at 11 months but we got sleep!!! The both of us and that's got to be a good thing. It's one thing for me to complain but surely her little body needs some decent stretches also!? AA has kinder today and i hope to have Charlie and Harper down during this time so hopefully i can have a read in daylight hours. Hope Eden can have a bit of a snooze for you today. Gosh they are a challenge aren't they!!??

So as i said to Georgi we did have a good night last night, it was down at 7:30-8 (which is a little later than normal), i went to bed at 9:30ish i think and didn't hear from Harper until after 1am!! Fed her and didn't hear from her again until 5ish where she fed and then slept till 7:30am. If i could get back into that pattern i'd be more than happy... even happier without the wrap!?!

But Harper is great, switching between crawling and commando crawling everywhere. Just such a happy girl.

Better get outside, DH has been building a cubby house/fort for the kids and it's not quite complete but enough is done for the kids to just want to be out there all the time. I can hear them from here playing... talking about trains and "hurry up charlie they're coming", i love to see them playing so happily together. I'll try and put some photos of it on snapfish soon.

Talk soon ladies xo

Well she had to sit there for quite a while and just kept getting her to drink water till she weed. There are ways to tell that they're going to wee or poo if you pay close attention, it's the basis for elimination communication (some people use the toilet/potty for their babies from birth instead of nappies)

Signing class - to learn sign language. It's to help them communicate better before they have verbal communication skills. We did it with DS too and it was great - he could communicate really well long before he could talk much. He was so interested in signing class (which was for babies, not him, but anyway) that I think that was the quietest I've seen him in ages.

Glad you got some sleep EJ. I didn't :lol: Miri's on a different AB now, one targetted for this infection. And she has to have an ultrasound next week to make sure there isn't some underlying problem causing the UTI (doc said it's very unusual in such a young child. Funny, the other doc said it happened a lot :dunno:). Anyway, we'll see what that shows up, if anything.

MadB - awesomes on the signing! Eleanor signs "no", "where" and "finished" and she has her own signs for "milk" and "bed" I did a course through work, and it's been fun to use them. She's quite the little communicator, our girl. She also says "broo" (bird) "moo" (milk! lol!) and Dadda and is starting to follow instructions. She found a pin in my craft room the other day, picked it up, signed "no" (she knws she's not supposed to have them) and made a noise like she was frightened or in trouble. I took it, and said thank you, and then she burst into tears because the whole terribly dangerous ordeal was a bit traumatic! I hope the UTI clears up. Cranberry juice?

DD's cake will be vegan; I probably won't let her eat any either. Or maybe I'll make it fruit sweetened; I let her have that kind of cake sometimes.

EJ - You never know she might just need the wrap for a few weeks just to get into a longer sleeping pattern and once she's use to sleeping longer then she won't need to wrap anymore. It takes 21 days to form a habit, or unform one... As long as you're getting more sleep, that's all that is important. I bet you felt so refreshed yesterday. I'm hope she had a better night again last night.

MADB - I thought that's what you meant. I'm sure I have mentioned that both my parents are deaf so I am fluent in sign language. Eden has been signing for a couple of months now. He signs milk, more, finished, mummy & bed. DS1 was also great at sign, and still is, but what we found with him is that as soon as he started talking, he stopped signing, which was interesting as my niece continued to talk and sign until she was stringing sentences together. My dad lives in NZ at the moment but he'll be back at the end of next year so I'm looking forward to him being around the boys all the time so he can constantly sign to them so they can learn the whole language. My mum is in Sydney so she's not around either.

AUDAX - Yes she does sound like a good communicator. Watch out when she starts talking tee he he... It'll be never ending

Well once again Eden only had 2 x 30 minute sleeps yesterday, and he woke this morning at 4.30am! Grrrrr...