Hi Girls!

Geez MD, you're having it tough ATM. not that you need me to tell you that!! 4 hours is a really long time to be awake, even during the day. id be feeling pretty desperate right now (in all honesty i feel desperate after 20 mins in the middle of the night...). it does sound like there is something else going on. is she maybe feeling that DH isnt around and is reacting to this?? man, i dont know. have to agree with the other ladies...see the dr and check out if she is feeling ok. seems like you are on to that though. wish i could be there to help out. even if just to walk the halls with you at night! solidarity sista!

Hayley: We got hitched on the 29 of Feb this year. (yes a leap year, my DH is a cheap so and so and doesnt want to buy me pressies every year LOL!!). I have to say that your rant touched a few home truths with me as well. I am turning 25 tomorrow and it is a strange feeling to be married and have a baby. all my friends are still partying hard and travelling and living in divey cramped houses in central london, eating cold baked beans for brekkie, lunch and dinner, and a part of me is really missing that! Also, i get the 'holy cow, you're sooo young' line all the time. really annoying. a part of me also feels that i am missing the whole young person experience. sometimes it gets me down, but then i figure that hey, one day it will be their turn, and i would have been there done that!! and i'll smirk as they complain about sleepless nights...
it is really weird not being able to travel so freely anymore. we would go O/S at least twice a year (my DH is italian - so italy to visit rellos and friends). we are however determined to get back on the horse, so will head to italy soon (hopefully end of the year). we are also going to Fiji to catch up with friends and i need to do some research there...so we'll see. i guess though the type of travelling will be different!
i reckon just go for it. AND you can travel while pregnant! maybe not places like PNG where you have to take loads of anti malaria pills, but hey. i travelled to italy and ireland when i was 30 weeks pregnant and it worked. pretty uncomfortable on the plane, but the hostesses were awesome and i got loads of extras! LOL!
just do it babe! all it takes is a big leap forward. we are planning on moving O/S in a couple of years, if not sooner, and i look forward to it and i look forward in showing my girl the wonders of the world. friends of mine travelled to China with their 4 month old baby and lived there for a year. they said it was great and the boys first words were in Cantonese!!! great stuff!

Arte: I love the photo with the dog...they definitely get their own back!! LOL! our dog stella usually just tries to lick the camera. so yeah no happy family shots together....
that's a tough situation not having MACH support. although here in melbourne is quite poor compared to canberra. here you basically only get to see someone for 10 mins every 2-3 months. so yeah, not great. in canberra they have a drop in system that seemed to work quite well. i guess that's what you get for living in the 'nations capital' LOL! and no finger foods until 9 months!! egad, we would sooo get bad parent of the year award! leila loves finger foods!!
bummer about the mums as well. all i can say is hang in there and maybe be really proactive with them. that is what i had to do when i moved to melbourne. all the mums were really shy and we would all kind of timidly walk away from group or when we would bump into eachother it was also just a passing hello. so one day i was like 'stuff it', there is NO way i am going home so early, i need a coffee and a conversation with other sleep deprived mums! so i told them that i was going for coffee and asked if any wanted to join me...since then we have been hanging out with eachother almost everyday!! of course not everyone everytime, but still loads of fun, especially exploring mums and bubs sessions at the movies!!

well we had a first night in AGES that could be termed a sleep through. leila woke at 1am but i refused to feed her, so i just slotted her back into place (found her bunched up the corner of her cot...) and left. and it worked!! then she woke for a grizzle at 3am (no doubt a poo), but i left her to it and within 10 mins she was gone again and then she woke properly at 7am!!! woo hoo feel like celebrating!
although today she has a bit of runny poo action, so not sure if i should be concerned yet....hmmmm.

anyway raging outta control as usual, take care all!