Babies Born ~ September 16-30th 2010 #4

Hi girls,

Just a quicky from me... I have been reading on my phone (but can't post) and just haven't had enough time to come and post properly the past few days...will come back online this week and catch up on persies...

Belfie - Thanks for asking about my GP appt... I saw my GP on Wednesday and she suspected an ovarian cyst after I nearly jumped from the bed when she had a feel of my left ovary. Went for the ultrasound on Friday and GREAT (NOT)!!!!! The ultrasound report says that I have a 3.1cm x 2.7cm simple (fluid) cyst on my left ovary and a very small fibroid on the lining of my uterus. I see my GP again tomorrow morning so will see what she says about it all and we'll go from there. :( I'm sure the cyst should be ok as I've had plenty of fluid cysts before and they just either rupture (which is painful, but it's better than surgery) or go away on their own, so hopefully that's the case... Not sure about the fibroid though as I've never had one but my Mum had them before having a hysterectomy and said to me that depending on the size of them, they will sometimes put you on the pill to lower your estrogen levels and that can help shrink them, but sometimes it can go away on it's own. The lady who did the ultrasound said the fibroid was very small, so hopefully thats a good sign too! :crossfingers:

Will let you know tomorrow how it went and what the GP's plan of action is.. BLOODY women's problems!!!! Not what I wanted/need just before wanting to TTC in September!!! :doh:

GTG but hope you all have a great night!

xoxox

Pretz - at least you know what the pain is all about now. Hope the cyst goes away and the fibroid too.

Belfie - hope that A went well at family day care.

Bec - LOL re Isaac getting squirted. I squirted my cousin once. I was feeding H in the car and she sat beside us. It was so funny, and she is still mortified by it. Glad he's settling into his usual routine.

Well, hard yards again here this week. Sunday and Monday nights, I only got about 4 hours sleep tops each night and that wasn't all together. H was coming down with a cold I suspect, which she has now. Loads of crying. No fevers though. No other obvious symptoms, except a little off breast feeding but not too much.

Anyway, last night she went to sleep at 7pm and woke for a feed at 6am! She's slept through! And then went to sleep until 7am. OMG. I got the best sleep and even though I was up at 2, I was able to go straight back to sleep. I woke up happy this morning, the first time in ages. I rather suspect that my glum mood, and crying last week, was just exhaustion. I did mention it to the Dr, and she seemed to brush it off by saying I looked to be quite well now.

I am just about to go out to visit a friend. But I have to have a shower first... what a slacker I am today. I got so busy doing meals for H that I didn't shower this morning. It feels kinda naughty to have not had a shower.

Give your babies a nice big hug from me.

Hiya to everyone - it's quiet in here these days. Anyone would think we were busy.

Oh dory of course, lack of sleep made me a mixture of moody, sad, anxious and angry. Fingers cross the long sleeps keep coming your way!!

wow Dory that's fantastic H slept all night! No wonder you were feeling great that day, sleep does wonders.

I haven't been on here much this week, a good friend came to stay for the week. I went out for dinner for the first time without Isaac on Wednesday. Mum came over to look after him while we were out, and he was fine. I couldn't stop thinking about him though, but I had a great evening and even had my first glass of red wine in over a year! Isaac slept well that night, only waking at 3:30am so I fed him back to sleep. His sleep has been really bad this week though. I think another tooth is on its way so I'm putting it down to teething.

Not much else. Oh David (Isaac's father) is back on facebook and accepted my friend request so now he will get my photos on his news feed, at least its something!

Bec - wow.... on so many fronts..... Sometimes it would be interesting to be a fly on the wall ( or get a glimpse into David's thoughts) when he sees Isaac. I mean, he is such a beautiful boy.... to see him for the first time, and know you're not actually part of his life, just his biology? I wonder what that must feel like.... all I can say is he's mad to miss it.

Well done on going out for dinner..... doing better than me chickie...... it's crazy isn't it? We dream of having a break from the responsibilities of motherhood, but when we get one, all we can do is think about our little ones?

I had an appointment on Friday and DH looked after HB ( at his work) for the hour or so I was away. I am so pathetic! I missed HB. When it was time for my appointment to be up, I just kept thinking "time's up, I have to get back to HB". But she was fine.

Sorry Isaac isn't sleeping.... there have been no repeat performances of sleeping through here.... :( .... I think another tooth here too - Lots of angry/painful crying at 4am this morning.

Oh well I am just off to bed. Hope everyone is well. I have another cold. : (

I just had trouble finding our thread, it was on page 2! It has gotten verrrry quiet in here...

Thanks Dory, it would be so interesting to be a fly on the wall. I hope he has been looking at the photos. I wonder what he thinks of him.. and if he thinks of him. Does he think he looks like him? Does he see his mum in Isaacs eyes or his dad in his mouth and chin? I agree, he is mad to miss out on all of this. I am planning on going to Tanzania next year, so I really hope he will want to meet him. I don't want to get my hopes up though, but it's a trip I really want to make again anyway.

How is HB? Did she sleep through again?

Isaac has two more teeth through this week, his second bottom one and I noticed today a top one has come through as well. No wonder he was having some bad nights.

I really don't like to focus on sleep, as I feel their bodies are still so little and not really supposed to have the sleep cycles of adults yet, but Isaac slept from 6:30-5:30am last night, only waking for a feed at 10:30pm! Amazing.

I have noticed a funny thing. I don't know if there is anything behind this but I have noticed friends with big babies who tend to start doing things a little later seem to sleep a lot , whereas smaller babies who are more active seem to have less sleep. Is this a usual thing? Just as an example, my friends baby is average size, she is 6 months old and on all fours rocking looking about to crawl very soon. She is like Isaac, doing lots of things but has never slept through. As an opposite, another friends baby is big, always above 95th percentile, 9 months old and only just starting to shuffle along the floor. He has slept through from very early on and has always slept for huge stretches during the day. I know they are just two examples, but I am noticing the pattern with a lot (but obviously not all) of babies I know of. It would explain why Isaac doesn't sleep through yet, if he is the 'type' of baby in the active category. Has anyone else noticed this?

Yup totally agree with you re the active babies vs the sleepers. X was just like that, and a friend & I figured that of course he hadn't learnt how to do what the others had, as he'd slept soooo much more than they had. He was literally not awake enough to learn some of those things. I think Annika is very like in that respect. She still can't go forwards, only rolls & goes backwards (but is getting more agile with that I must admit). I was trying to help her with the crawling motion... holding up her tummy and letting her try getting her arms & legs beneath herself IYKWIM. So funny, she's quite good, but as soon as she has to bear the weight of her own belly...FLUMP on the floor. Funny little fatty boombalattie!

I think it's awesome that Isaac's dad is going to see pics, and I wonder what he will think? Isaac is just such a little spunk, hopefully that'll make him even more curious.

AFM, well Annika started at family daycare last week - 2 days. She's been a bit unsure about it all. Has managed ok (but not great) with sleep, eats brilliantly and DOES NOT DRINK A DROP! They've been trying everything. So I guess at least I know it wasn't just with me! THe first night she didn't even want her feed that much earlier than usual either. I was gobsmacked. And on Monday this week poor Xander asked me if we could please leave Annika at home with Daddy! I think he's not quite sure about Annika in "his" space either. I guess that's the only downside with family daycare - they're together, whereas in a long daycare centre they'd be in different rooms. I still prefer it tho, I love the one-on-one caregiver relationship for them, rather than having to adjust to multiple carers. She also just cut her first top tooth (at last!) and dropped her 3rd day nap. And today for the first time she really only wanted 3 proper feeds too. Oh goodness they grow up so fast!

Bec - I think Hannah might be an aberation to your and Belfie's theory.... she is a big baby, 95% percentile for weight and height and head circumference. She's not super mobile, but has always been super alert, and she's not really a great sleeper. She's not a bad sleeper either, but she doesn't really do long sleeps and never really has.

I had a dream about Isaac the other night. Not sure of the details, just that he, and you were in it.

I think you should make the trip, I think it's your soul place. It doesn't matter if you get your hopes up about David being interested in Isaac. If they are dashed, then you will recover but if it works out how you hope, then Isaac will have benefited from all your positivity about the trip and meeting people from Tz, including David. Really for Isaac at his age he will not realise the significance of meeting David, to be honest, he'll just be another face, but he will pick up on your feelings about things. He won't remember, but you will.

Belfie - at least your little A ( LOL) is consistent. That is so cute about X too... poor kid, realising what having a sister actually means. He'll come good. Yes, they do grow up way too fast.

Well, H and I have another cold. Just when I was getting over mine from last week. hard to be positive when it seems so long since I didn't have a cold. But the up side is we had a nice day at home today, no social visits, no swimming, no shopping. Just H and I, and it was nice.

Anyway, I am off to sleep. We have gone quiet in here - hope everyone is well and just busy and happy enough in their increasingly busy lives. Weird, when we were all pregnant it was hard to keep up in here.

wow. Sorry this is just a very short 'me' post but I just have to tell someone. I just checked my facebook, there is a private message from David finally! Wow. He says he wants Isaac to know him, wants to hold him so bad and thinks about us always. Wow. I am in shock! OK gotta go and be busy now :)

Oh wow Bec - how do you feel about it? I think that's lovely!!!

thanks Beflie, I am happy about it. I think it's great that he thinks about Isaac, and now I know he has probably been looking at the photos. I am so happy he wants him to know him. Just after I posted, I was making a cup of tea and suddenly realised what the time would have been in Tz when he sent the message.. 2:30am on a Saturday morning, hopefully it wasn't just a drunk message after a big night haha.

Just a quickie!

Dory - You were talking about DH coming home and what time before. I tell DH not to tell me what time he will be home as it always ends in disappointment esp when it has been 'one of those days with the children'. He once told me he would be home just after lunch.........5pm that arvo.........lol

AFU - Alannah has another tooth (#9) come through and I think the same one on the other side is not far away. She has a dreadful cold atm too and when I took her to the GP on Sunday, all he did was listen to her chest. I was there to be seen also and you would think with a Mummy flu-ridden and a baby, that the GP would check the baby incase she was coming down with it too! I have to take her abck this arvo but this time to one of ours doctors! She has a nasty little cough and I primarily just want her throat checked. I know she has not got the flu as she had a low grade temp one night and that is it. Stoopid doctors!

Still no ccrawling but the clever little ducky showed me she could go from belly to sitting by herself the day she reached 10 months! Yay!!

GTG
xxxxx

Hi everyone,

Been ages hey. Glad I timed an entrance to read your post about David, Bec. That makes me so happy for you and Isaac especially. I totally agree on the sleep front, i.e. the more active the baby = the less they sleep. Although Chloe has been GREAT the last 3 nights so I cant really complain.

Vixstar - 9 teeth!! Hope she doesn't get the flu :(

Dory - hope you are feeling better :)

Belfie - love all Annikas pics on FB. She is such an adorable cherub baby!!

AFM - working about 20 hrs a week. Doing way to much and feeling a little burnt out at the moment. Chloe and I have been really well though. She is extremely active, walking along all the furniture. She even has to stand and hold onto my shoulder when I read her books. Ants in her pants this one. She has learnt to say lots of animal noises; quack, panting for a dog, mooo, kangaroo click noises for quokkas (because we went to Rotto), open mouth for fish. SO cute. And now she says Mumumumum! As of a few days ago. She crawls after me saying it over and over. I dont know about the rest of you but if there was a PAUSE button I would be hitting it about now. I love my little munchkin so much!

Anyway, off to eat some lasagne and drink some red wine :) xx

Hi Girls!
I always seem to be dropping in and out but I assure you girls- I am reading!!

Harlow has been pretty full on, She is standing without holding on now and takes one step then falls foreward- It is pretty funny and she thinks it is funny too!!

I have completly changed my diet and I have felt a little bit better- I even left my kids with Mum for half an hour today which is something I wouldn't EVER normally do!!

Hope your all well. Now that I have a new laptop I am hoping I can be more involved again xox

Vixstar - I hope Allanah's cold has gotten better. And wow, nine teeth already!

fuzzy- thanks :) I'm glad Chloe has been sleeping well, we've had a few good nights here too lately. Fingers crossed it lasts! Wow Chloe is so smart saying all those words, what a clever baby!

Wite - lol at Harlow falling forward, funny girl :) I agree, a change of diet can do wonders. I have noticed I have more energy and feel so much better since I have changed mine.

All is good here, like all the other babies Isaac is very active and full on, walking around furniture and between me and the coffee table, pushing the pram backwards like one of those walker things (at least its used for something!), standing up in the bath - very dangerous but I don't know how to stop him doing that. No words yet, just lots of babbling and 'singing'. 4th tooth looks like its about to come through. No other message from D but apparently he is in a dance comp in another country at the moment so I'm not expecting to hear from him for a while at least.

A weird question, just out of curiosity. When your baby is grumbly, doesn't want to play on the floor, is not hungry (mid-late afternoon, till dinner time here, also mid-morning sometimes) what do you do with them? Surely you wouldn't hold them in your arms (too heavy!), how do you get things done and dinner ready etc, and what is bub doing? What do you do to make sure bub stays happy and settled? I know it is a strange thing to ask but I would just like to know what the normal people do! This has been playing on my mind since the other day when I imagined what would happen if someone came and took away all my carriers for a day, wearing him is the only way I know and I honestly don't know what the 'normal' thing is to do.

Bec - wow, Isaac is so active, that's great. I'm sure it keeps you on your toes too. Good question re the tricky times of day. I think with Annika I used to put her in something upright (she'd start getting grumpy at being on the floor), so I have a playcentre thingo, or I'd sit her up on the sofa surrounded by toys and she'd be happy. She also gets distracted by X as well which helps. Or sometimes I'd cook something in the slow cooker so I'm not as busy at that time, and then we can go for a walk to the playground or something, as X needs to burn off energy too. And she's always happy when we're out walking. Sometimes I just have to let her grizzle a bit too, if I'm in the middle of something. I think I probably do that more with her than I would have first time round with X, and I guess they just learn to deal with it.

Wite - glad to hear you're feeling a bit better, diet can make a big difference huh. I know with my dietary issues, if I stuff up, boy do I know about. Harlow sounds very mobile too, such a cutie.

Fuzzy - thanks re Annika, I love taking pics of her, and the first year just goes so quick! That must be busy with work, I hope you find your balance soon.

Vixstar - 9 teeth WOW! That's impressive. And the belly to sitting is great too! Stoopid doctor not checking things properly, I hope the poor little mite recovers from her cold quick smart.

As for us, well my Annika is a little slugling. She is bunny-hopping backwards (so funny, reversing bum thrusts) but still can't manage to go forwards but is very agile with her rolling lol, just like her brother was. Still thinks its funnier to throw herself backwards than to sit (even though she could, she chooses not too arrrgh). She's just cut her 3rd & 4th teeth (both top teeth). She's also got a snotty little cold, poor little mite - snorting away she is. She's settling into daycare slowly, we've had some rocky sleep but I think it's improving again now, and she's in a better routine with 2 day naps, and has done a few good 2.5-3 hour arvo naps (at the same time as X - it's heaven!) and then she is a happy little camper. And her & X still cackle away at each other at dinnertime, it's hilarious.

I have been out of action for a while.... We FINALLY moved into our new house, and have only just got the internet connected!

George is over his clingy phase... finally!! He has 5 teeth, the 6th is coming through... and he is turning 1 on Saturday.
He also goes against the baby size vs activeness vs sleeping theory. George has always been in the 97th percentile, super active, spot on with development, and a really good sleeper. I think I'm just lucky.

Bec - When G is grumbly and I know he's not hungry, wet etc... that generally tells me it's time for a nap. But George really has his own schedule, I know exactly what he'll be doing at what time, he's like clockwork. I dont know if that has come from my routining when he was really little, or if he just likes structure, but his day goes like this.
7:30am - Wake
8:00am - Milk
9:00am - Breakfast
10:00am - 12:00pm - Nap
12:30pm - Lunch
2:30pm - 4:30pm - Nap
5:00pm - Dinner
6:15pm - Milk
6:30pm - Bedtime
Some days, I will lose track of time, and he will start to grizzle, and I dont realise what it is until I look at the clock and realise it's 10:10am, and he is meant to be napping.
That's fantastic news about D messaging you!! It was only so long that he could keep seeing Isaac's gorgeous face and not contact you.

Wite - Harlow is an absolute superstar! I think she is working hard to keep up with her brother. Harlow getting over the clingy phase made me jealous at first, but then it gave me hope! Haha Well done on leaving the kids with your mum, you wouldnt have known what to do with yourself.

Fuzzy - I've got a part time job recently aswell, and it's hard work to do, well... everything! But I've definitely enjoyed getting out there again.

Belfie - Annika looks like one of the happiest babies I have ever seen, everytime I see a picture of her, I can't help but smile!

Belfie - yep he does keep me on my toes, come night time I am exhausted. I can't wait until tomorrow, mum is coming over for the afternoon so she can have a go at keeping him out of everything.. phone cords, pot plants, my sewing stuff, nothing is safe from him. Don't worry (not that you sound like you're worried) about your little 'slug' lol, my little half sister was walking at 8 months, and now she is 16 she is probably one of the most inactive people you'll ever meet. They all catch up to each other eventually :) The syncronised sleeping sounds wonderful, I bet you love it when that happens! Thanks for answering my silly question, X sounds like a fun distraction for her.

Connie - Wow Georges routine is pretty impressive! Thanks about D, he is the reason I put so many photos on facebook. Yay for moving, and well done on going back to work too, congrats on juggling it all! :)

Dory - hellooo? Hope HB is well :)

Just accidentally opened the belly buddies due September page instead of this one so I had a little read, and reading about kicks and movements, impending births etc it really hit me that I won't be pregnant again. I kind of miss it, and I wish Isaac could have a brother or sister but it's just not going to happen. Need to go have a cry now.. :(

Connie - I was just thinking it was George's birthday soon. Wow that is an impressive sleeping & routine. HB is not quite as routine driven, but then neither am I. Hope you're settling in ok to your new house. YAY.

Belfie - glad A is settling into day care ok. It must be a relief.

Wite - that is an awesome step to take! Well done. Did you feel guilty but love it? See if you can do it again and get some Wite time!

Bec - hmm, I haven't been wearing H as much lately as we are both still pretty miserable with a cold and I honestly don't have the energy to carry the extra person around and it scared her when I have a coughing fit whilst wearing her :( So what do I do when she has her cranky pants on? If the weather is not too cold, I take her outside. She loves leaves and birds and grass. It usually calms her down and distracts her. Or I take her to a different room or part of the room, again just a change in perspective. If I am desperate and have no energy, I use play school as a distraction, and sing along with the songs. If I am well ( seems like a distant memory) I go for a walk. I try and get stuff done for dinner during other parts of the day. Sometimes I try and involve her in what I am doing with meal prep by sitting her in the bumbo whilst I do stuff. Or I just give up meal prep and do something like fold with washing ( she loves to help with that) or read a book. What I do depends on how I am feeling.

I don't think that wearing Isaac is abnormal either, just in case you were worried about that.

GL with his teeth.

Vix - wow 9 teeth is a lot.

Thanks for asking after me. It seems like I have an endless cold at the mo. It's been 7 weeks and counting, although the past 2 weeks have been pretty miserable. Had some bt's this morning. This round of bt's didn't include hcg, so I will go and get a hpt, as all of my pregnancies start with this type of physical misery and maybe the last bt that included hcg was too early? Who knows?

Sometimes I just go out regardless of how I feel, as it feels like HB and I are missing out on so much with me having so little energy. I pay the price for it later, but it's usually worth it to go out. The feeling of normality is pretty important sometimes.

Oh I gave some kids a fright the other day. We live near a public primary school and when I was feeding HB lunch I heard some funny noises but didn't think much of it. Then it dawned on me that the kids were throwing rocks at our house. Anyway, I went outside and just bellowed at them. I couldn't see them as the fence is high and can't be seen through. But I heard them scarper. I then called the school and complained. I even frightened myself with my bellow! It sounded even worse because of this cold. Anyway, no more rocks since then.

Take care.

Hi ladies,

Been MIA here like some other ladies but I do try to keep up by reading every now and then. I think since the last time I posted we were headed to Torrens House in Adelaide and while we were there I was booked in to a pead, natropath, chiro etc to try and nail this sleep/diet business. We got to Adel and all the specialists but we never made it to TH because P got a virus which gave her a rash all over - was pretty worrying we ended up in A and E for about 6 hours!! We took her to the paed appt the next day and I spent the whole hour appt in shock. The dr told me that there was no proof that P had any intolerances and that both of us could eat anything (including dairy!) he also recommended uncontrolled crying - more or less letting P cry for up to 2 hours with no intervention unless she really got herself worked up!!

I couldn't believe it and was pretty angry about the idea!

He explained that he was the father of 4, had delt with 30,000 babies and had done the system successfully with his own grandchild (he said he had to sit outside the door all night to stop the babies mum going in).

Anyway I was dead against the plan but my husband talked me in to trying it - I think you have to be desperate enough to give it a go and I was desperate - I also think it can only work with babies about the age P was at the time - at least 8 or 9 months.

Anyway - long story short - it worked!!

P now sleeps for about 10 hours straight when I feed her and she gets another couple of hours. She is also sleeping much better in the day and is a much happier baby.

It was horrible though and very hard - we all got less sleep for a few nights and I am still trying to get back into learning to sleep myself because I am so used to waking every hour or two.

I am also eating anything I want and so is P and I have had no return of the vasospasm!!!! Hurrah!!!! It is like a different life - eating anything I want and getting a few straight hours sleep every night - soooo much easier!

My theory about P and why this awful uncontrolled crying worked for her is that she was in pain before and got into the habit of waking and using mummy's boob to sooth herself back to sleep (which is fine but not when it is happening for months on end every 40min-an hour). She needed to learn that when she stirred she could get herself back to sleep. She is sleeping more now than she did at 4 months!!! Thank goodness I have a video monitor so I could keep an eye on her while she cried.

Bec - I often cook dinner earlier in the day so it is ready to go for that grumpy time, I also sometimes use the wiggles (which P loves so I save it for when I am desperate) give her a rusk to chew on or go for a walk in that time, another trick is to let he play with something that is usually off limits like the remote with the batteries turned around so it doesn't work. I tried slings etc when P was younger and they didn't work for either of us so we have never resorted to baby wearing. P's dinner time is around 5pm, bath at around 6pm and bed at 7pm which is when we eat dinner so she is often distracted with those tasks at that time as well. Have you got a rubber mat in the bath for I to stand on (I know it is still not safe but less chance of slipping).

Great to hear from you Wite and Fuzzy,

Connie - G's routine is great! All of the kids I looked after as a nanny responded really well to having a routine (they love knowing what to expect) P loves hers as well and because we stick to it when at home she is flexible when we are out as she knows what time things should be happening. Must be heaven to be in the house!!

Belfie - are you up to somthing like work while A is in care or do you use the time to get your head and house in order? P goes to occasional care about once every three weeks for about 3 hours and it gives me the chance to clean my WHOLE house it is great!

Hi Dory!!

Chuckie - I am so pleased for you that things have settled down with the sleeping, the diet and the vasospasm. You must feel like a whole different person. Good luck with re training yourself for sleeping better.

Bec - When Chloe is grizzling and I feel like I have tried everything I will stick her in the pram and go for a walk. Like you said, you just cant carry them everywhere! Perhaps you still have time for another baby when you find the right guy. *hugs* Isaac is such a cute little charmer in his pics on FB!

Dory - I just had visions of you shrieking and terrifying kids! haha Do you think you might be pregnant? That is DAMN EXCITING I am still waiting on the arrival of AF here. Never thought I would be wishing it to hurry up!

Connie - happy 1st birthday George!! And my gosh that is some good sleeping he has going on. Lucky you :) I got excited about birthdays the other day and ordered some cute things from Raspberry butterfly to decorate Chloe's cake and cupcakes with. So cute.

Belfie - Wishing the snot away. Chloe is just the same right now. And she wipes her nose on my shoulder - gross.

Chuckie - what a journey for you guys. Glad you have come through the other end with a great sleeping Pearl. Don't feel guilty about it at all - its so much better for them to be well rested!

Errh not much happening here.

Dory - I hope you're feeling better soon. That's a long time for a cold :( Thanks for sharing what you do when HB is cranky. Going out for a walk always works wonders here too. Hahaha just had visions of you scaring the school kids! Thanks, I don't think wearing Isaac is abnormal, it seems more normal to me to do that than use a pram really. When I returned from Africa when I was pregnant, the first time I went to a supermarket I seen a lady with a screaming baby in a pram, I admit I was a bit shocked as I hadn't seen a baby crying like that in a year and a half, and coincidentally, also hadn't seen a baby not being held by someone (eta: I wouldn't be shocked by this now obviously, I was just going through reverse culture shock at the time) . I had somehow forgotten about this separation thing that has become common in western cultures like ours. So no, I don't think what I do is strange at all. I would fit in perfectly in Tanzania!

fuzzy - yep walks are great, guaranteed to lift moods! Thanks, I really don't think it's going to happen, I don't want to bring a guy into our lives, Isaac needs more stability than having a mama who is out looking for a man.

Chuckie - wow you have had a rough time. I'm glad there are no diet restrictions for you anymore.

Not much happening here, except Isaac has had a little cold and I have been sick all week.

Bec - hope you feel better soon and Isaac too. It's hard to put someone else first when you are sick. I am a bit better, but I did some chores yesterday and ended up just feeling exhausted and had the shakes. I have wondered if it is dietary, this fatigue, and so have been more diligent in eating protein. I have always been diligent with my water intake.

Hannah seems to have either caught another cold or the same one has gotten worse. Poor kid has been sick for more than 3 weeks. She had another big coughing fit in the night last night, where I was sure she would vomit. It obviously was painful as she would cough then cry. But the zyrtec seemed to help clear up some of the mucous and she stopped coughing after a while - just over an hour. The GP recommended the zyrtec and the chemist dispensed it. I went to another chemist to get some and the chemist basically refused to dispense it. It does say not recommended for under 2. It does say for hayfever and allergy relief too, not colds. But it does help stem the streaming mucous. I prefer not to give her medications, but it does help relieve some of the worst of her symptoms. Anyway, it will be back to the Dr for us this week.

Any more contact attempts from David?

Oh, we should have invested in a teething rail for the cot before now! LOL, lots of little indentations from little teeth. That's on the to do list for today.

How lucky is Isaac that he has a mumma that puts his needs first. When you are ready and you are sure, you will bring someone else into Isaacs life, but until then enjoy this very special time. Apart from the sex, I sometimes think that having a man around can be a bit over rated. If DH wasn't around, I wouldn't be on the look out, for a while I would be just happy with HB and me and the cats. I suppose that's easy to say when he is around.

Fuzzy - I keep thinking I might be UTD, because of all the little symptoms, but I tested the other day and nothing. Although I also hope in vain that it's just too early to test. To be honest I just think I am run down. It's funny isn't it, being so keen for AF to arrive? My long term TTC friend is like that at the mo, as she is trying another IVF cycle this cycle and just wants AF to arrive so they can start.

How are you finding work?

Wite - OMG Harlow sounds so cute. How are you doing?

Chuckie - how are you going with training yourself to sleep better? You are so amazing that you were able to put Peal's needs first above your need for sleep for so long.

Belfie - how is your little sluggie going? HB did that bottom shuffle thing for ages. Then one day she just started to crawl.

Pretz - how is Alannah and all those teeth?

Connie - how is the new house going? It must be such a relief to be there finally.

Anyway, time for me to do a few chores. It was nice to drop in and say hi though.

Dory - how are you feeling? I hope you're a bit better. Is your iron intake good? I seem to always improve when I up my iron when I'm fatigued. Is Hannah feeling better now? Thanks, I sometimes wonder what it would be like with a man around, and think I am happier without one. I imagine I would be always asking him to do things for me, and getting annoyed when he is late coming home or that he didn't do the dishes or other menial things that don't matter in the whole scheme of things. I think I was meant to be single. I had another message from David, after I sent him a video of Isaac 'dancing' in his high chair. I'm a bit annoyed though, he didn't answer any of my questions from last time, he just said the same kinds of things again.. that he wants to be with Isaac and he misses us, the video made him happy, and to give Isaac a big kiss for him.

I bought some little safari animals today for Isaac's birthday cake, getting organised already! We'll be having a little party for him at my sisters place in outback WA with all the cousins. Should be fun.

I am so happy to have made some like minded friends here. I was a bit worried about that for a while, being in a new town etc, but I now have a great (but small) circle of friends, one is a co-sleeper like us, and one is a baby wearer and about to buy an Ergo after seeing Isaac in one all the time. They are kind of on the same wave length as me, and it is so wonderful to have a parenting style in common with them as sometimes its hard to talk about things with people who don't get it.

Hi everyone :)

Hey girls,

Sorry I have been MIA for a while! I have been reading from my phone but haven't been able to find the time to post. Been busy, busy over here the last couple of weeks, not just with having have had arranged my 30th birthday party (which is now come and gone lol) but also planning our trip to South Africa to go visit my family and friends. We are flying out tomorrow :dance: from Brisbane to Sydney and then straight to Johannesburg and get back on 16 September! :) Soooooo excited to go as I haven't been back there since October 2008 and haven't seen my Dad, brothers or family since then and none of them have met Noah yet, only Mum did when she came out here last year when Noah was born. :leap:

Noah has been teething really badly this past week - have had diahrrea, a running nose and was soooo clingy and grizzly it was very hard for me to get much done and leave his sight. Thankfully he seems better now, but I no teeth has actually cut through yet, I can only see them under the gums (3 of them OUCH). :(

I'm still having problems with my screwy cycles and it was only another 24 day cycle this past month. :wall: I was hoping to have had a more regular period by now because we are wanting to TTC #2 next month once I get back, but if I still have a irregular cycle (due to the ovarian cyst) then yeah, I'm not sure how it'll go. I thankfully have my follow up ultrasound appointment on 19 September and will be seeing my OB/Gyn on 23 September for my papsmear and to discuss my options in treating the cyst if it hasn't resolved itself by then. :dunno:

Well then girls, sorry for the "me" post but I best be off and get a few more things done while Noah is napping. I will continue to read from my phone and when I can get on the PC while i'm away but will come and atempt some persies when I get back. ;)

Take care of yourselves and your beautiful bubbas! :hug:

Me xoxo

wow Pretz, you have had a lot going on! Happy birthday :) Safe travels, it sounds like a long overdue trip. Have fun catching up with your family, it will be wonderful for them to finally meet Noah.

Better go, I have to get some sewing done while Isaac sleeps. I'm hoping to earn enough in the next couple of months to pay for a trip to Tanzania, I really want to get there soon. It's playing on my mind more and more lately. I never realised how busy I would be, it is absolutely exhausting being an only parent and trying to start up a business too. I go to bed after 11 every night totally wrecked, and still don't manage to get everything done. How much I wish for time to sit and watch movie in the evening! Or a personal assistant even! I really shouldn't complain though, it takes up too much time :)

Hope everyone is well :D

Pretz - happy birthday! And safe travels. Hope your cycle becomes more regular soon. Poor Noah with his teeth.

Bec - It's so nice that you've met some like minded people. I remember how lonely and isolated you felt. I can't believe you get to bed so late. But I vaguely remember before I became a bug catcher ( the perpetual cold business) I could stay up that late too. Bugger about David being so self centered and not answering your questions. Isaacs birthday party sounds like it will be awesome.

AFM - well, to be honest I am a little devastated.... Hannah has self weaned. We didn't quite make it to 11 months. Her last breast feed was Wednesday morning and since then she has refused the breast, cried and pushed the breast away and squirmed and wriggled and writhed. Initially I thought perhaps it hurt her to lay down, so I tried sitting her up. No good. I thought maybe her teeth/jaw/ears were causing pain. De nada. She even refuses expressed milk in a cup and a bottle. She has accepted about 150ml of formula. She seems to just prefer drinking water from a cup.

Whilst I anticipated this day would come, and in some small way dreamt about it, as it meant I wouldn't actually have to take the steps to wean her, nonetheless, I miss our special times. I miss gazing down on her as she nursed, knowing that I was nuturing her with my body. In a way though I think Hannah has given me a gift - well many - but despite my longing for that special time, I hope my health will start to improve. Oh yeah, nothing came back on all the tests I did. Which is good, but the seed of doubt has been planted and I question - Is it all just my imagination? I know it's not, but it's pretty cruel when I doubt myself like that. So, now the wait is on to see when my cycle will return and what our TTC journey will be like. I am a little scared of the next pregnancy, how to manage the precautions I need to take - like "rest" and raising a toddler. I am also apprehensive that the TTC journey will be filled with more heartache. But despite those hurdles, DH and I will forge ahead. We will cross each bridge when we come to it.

I just didn't expect Hannah to self wean quite so soon.

I am off the bed now, tired, as usual.

Oh wow Dory, I'm feeling very sad now after reading about Hannah self weaning already. You have done an amazing job breastfeeding for so long, well done to you. It makes me so sad to think that Isaac will stop one day too, I will also be devastated when it happens. It's such a special time but I'm sure you will still make time every day for cuddles and snuggles, looking into her eyes, just taking five minutes here and there out of your day just for quiet time together. I hope you're feeling better soon :hug:

Bec - aww, thankyou so much for your words of encouragement. It means a lot. There is more to mothering than breastfeeding, you're right, but it will just take a little while to adjust to.

I have done a bit of reading since I posted, and there is a suggestion in my reading that what has happened could be a nursing strike, although for reasons I can't find. I was hoping it might be a sneaky bfp ( though I am yet to test) or AF returning, neither one has really made an entrance, and it's been a week now. I am not entirely sure it is a nursing strike, as when I think about it, Hannah has been gradually having fewer BF's and probably for at least two weeks now the before bed feed has hardly existed. So it's not as sudden as I thought. And she eats exceptionally well and drinks a lot of water from a cup. The other thing? She's happy, and clearly not unwell or in discomfort.

I did offer her the breast yesterday and something really sweet happened. She looked at my breast, smiled really fondly, touched the breast, and then went back to what she was doing. Which was reading a book on my lap. Even though I am disappointed that our BF relationship has ended, I think because of her reaction yesterday ( rather than pushing me away, or crying) I can accept her choice now. It seems funny to get some bent up about it when I am ttc anyway and it was my wish that she would self wean as I didn't think I had it in me to end it for the selfish reason of ttc. It's funny how I got my wish and it has been hard to adjust to.

It's kind of weird though to think that the many things that were taboo - like caffeine or garlic and horseradish tablets, capsicum, onion, and celery - are now things I can consider including in my diet.

I went to a funeral yesterday and took Hannah and she was amazing. It was a catholic mass. Only one little grizzle - the entire time. And then by the graveside, one litle grizzle when I took some stones from her. I am so amazed at how content she was. The person whose funeral it was was a very serene and dignified person, so maybe that passed on to H yesterday? Of course she was a hit. I regret not going to the wake, but I was worried that H needed a sleep. Ha, I should have gone, she didn't sleep when I got home anyway.

Anyway, sorry about the me post. I am going a bit better anyway, emotionally and physically with the self weaning.

Here's a quick question - whose birthday is next after George? I can't remember..... how exciting, the 12 month mark is so close we can almost touch it.

Hi Dory, that is really sweet about Hannah. I don't think it's strange to be upset about it at all, I know I would be. I was thinking about it last night, and it made the night feeds so much easier for me (not that they are ever hard though). I actually felt grateful when Isaac woke in the middle of the night, pulled him towards me for a quick feed and fell back to sleep cuddling him thinking how lucky I am to have him. I didn't feel annoyed that it was 2am, I just remembered about you and Hannah and realised it could be our last feed, and if it was I wouldn't know it until later so I didn't want any negative feelings attached whatsoever. Those times are just so special and I am going to be heartbroken when they end. So what I think I am saying is I totally understand you not adjusting to the change.

Not much here, Isaac gained 600g in four weeks which is good. I was worried about him being vegetarian but talking to the CHN I have nothing to worry about. Seems all the beans, lentils, chickpeas, eggs and mushrooms are all good meat substitutes, and obviously they are doing good as he is putting on weight and growing well. I make sure he has a protein at lunch with some kind of vegies, carbs and fruit/yoghurt, and a different form of protein for dinner with iron rich vegies and some fresh fruit mixed with natural yogurt. Baby led solids is working so well, he is great at feeding himself with a spoon now. I think I am overly conscious of making sure his meals are balanced and healthy, because of the no meat thing. :)

Dory - Hugs to you on Hannah bear weaning herself. The grown up little lass. Although, a baby in my MG stopped BFing for about 3 days where her AF returned. Apparently there are hormones that make your milk taste funny.

Pretz - happy birthday and have a great trip!! I hope your cycle and Noah's teeth all settle down x

Bec - If you dont mind me asking - where in outback WA? I have bought little ladybug cupcake decorations. Thats the theme we are going with for Chloe's birthday :)

Not too much happening here. Oh I got my first AF on the weekend. Really light and was gone on Wed. I am working Mondays and Wednesdays in the city now which is interesting. Chloe is in daycare on Wed until 1:30 then with mum and with mum again on Mondays. She loves her Nan which is awesome. She came home with an Incident Report on Wed as one of the other kids bit her on the hand and foot. Two big red marks. **sigh** She is a really happy baby and I am just loving it right now. ||PAUSE||!!!! Chloe was early to crawl but I think she is going to be one of those kids that crawls for ages and walks late. Which is fine by me haha. Gotta run - we are going swimming xxx

Dory - Gosh reading about HB weaning herself made me sad for you at first then I realised how lucky both you and HB have been to have made a great BFing team for nearly a year! Every day is great for them so you have done so well and given her a fantastic start and some important immunity for life. What a great Mummy you are to stop eating all those foods - after I was free of my diet I went nuts and have been eating all and sundry with no probs. I can understand you feeling sad to leave those days behind (I will prob be devestated when that happens here!!) but try to look on the bright sides of not feeling like you HAVE to be around all the time (we have never even gone out to dinner without Pearl) and being able to fit into all your old clothes and bras (I know my bright sides are a bit lame!).

Bec - I was inspired by your earlier post and tried (again) with BLS here for lunch - no chance - P is a crap eater and if I just let her feed herself she would eat nothing! She threw around the strawberry I gave her, ditto with the pumpkin and peach and wouldn't even touch the fish cake things I made for her! Literally would not touch them! I gave up and resported to feeding her myself! Very impressed here that Isaac uses a spoon. I reckon her is prob getting a great diet - think of all the poor kids that live on crisps and coke and survive! Bummer David is not answering your questions - he always makes me sus that he is looking for a ticket to Oz - don't know why I am prob totally wrong. Great that he is watching his son online (does Isaac look like him?)

Pretz - have a great time OS and GL with AF - I was totally sure I was preggers this month - felt sick and twingey for two weeks - kept taking tests - BFN - then like clockwork AF showed up for the first time since Dec 2009! like Fuzzy it was really light - two days - we are also thinking about TTC #2 and I am not sure if I really want to get back on the testing all the time bus.

Fuzzy - what makes you think Chloe will be slow to walk? P was super slow to start bum shuffling and is yet to even pull herself up so I think we are in the same boat. Must be the biting season - P goes to occ care one morning a fortnight and came home with a big red circle on her cheek the other day!

You ladies are all making me feelguilty with themes etc planned for parties - we are going to Adel in a couple of weeks then to Qld for three weeks so P will be having a couple of parties but just standard morning teas with family and cake - no themes! I have been working at a couple of from home things since April but I am also heading back to my old job in Oct - just two days a week, one from home and one in the office (DH does not work Fridays) they are being really flexible about it all which is great but I don't think my contract will be renewed at the end of June next year (hopefully I will be preggers by then anyway. To answer your earlier question Dory I think Kirsten's Sam may be the next b'day (8/9) followed by P the next day - but I have a feeling I have missed someone on the 3rd??)

fuzzy - I agree, I wish I could pause this stage, sooo cute. One of my sisters lives in Mt Magnet so we are having Isaacs birthday up there, my other sister lives in Rockingham so I think we'll go there for a couple of days then we will all head up to Magnet. My sisters have nine kids between them so it's going to be a bit crazy but fun. Ladybugs will be very cute for Chloes party :)

Chuckie - Isaac used to play with his food more than he ate it when we first started BLS, at around 7 months I think that was. He didn't eat much at all for a while, but he does now. He is just discovering gravity, and will drop hand fulls of his food onto the floor then peer over the side to look at it. I don't mind, he is still eating what he wants and all of his observations are good for him to learn by. Just messy but it doesn't take much to clean it up. He does eat with a spoon but I put the food on it for him then put it on the table in front of him. Sometimes he just likes biting on the spoon instead of eating what is on it but that's ok. I know what you mean about David maybe wanting a ticket to Aus, I have thought that too.. if he is anything like the majority of guys I met in Tanzania then it wouldn't surprise me. He did seem different though, paying for things for me, not hounding me with texts etc etc so I thought maybe he was one of the good ones. Time will tell I suppose. Oh and yes Isaac looks like him, but with much lighter skin.

Isaac was so funny tonight, after his bath I laid him on the floor to dress him and while I was folding his nappy he rolled over and crawled away (still naked), stopped and turned to look at me, laughed, crawled away and laughed again.. so I chased after him crawling around, both of us laughing hysterically crawling around the house.. not really winding down for bed like he was supposed to, but hey it was fun. I think that was the first time he has initiated that kind of chasing play, usually its me who starts it off :)

Bec - that's hilarious re Isaac! Re his eating that's what Annika does too, sometimes she tries to dip it into the food, but she's not very successful. And if I'm too slow to re-load the spoons for her, she just grabs chubby fistfuls. Somewhat messy when it's yoghurt!

Chuckie - that's so exciting to hear you'll be TTC'ing again. My goodness it seems so quick, but then I remember I was starting to think about it at the same stage. I'm amazed how long your AF took. Mine has come back after 4 months both times. Re party themes, I haven't even thought about that either. I've only got as far as thinking of a date and thinking I really should get some invites out - lol!

Fuzzy - boo to those other babies biting your precious Chloe!! And there you go, I shouldn't act like anyone's AF is late returning, maybe mine was just super quick.

Dory - :comfort: oh goodness that must have been a shock to have HB wean now, I imagine it was earlier than you had expected. She sounds like a little lady who knows her own mind (I have one of those too ;)), so I hope you'll feel better in yourself (i.e. not as tired) soon. Maybe she knows mummy needs her reserves if she wants to make a little brother or sister? You said it seems funny to get bent up about it, but I think there's so much grief that goes with changing stages. It's not always easy to let go of what was... and lets face it, BF'ing is such a huge important part of their first year, so it's so natural to feel sad when it's over. I felt sad when I stopped expressing for X, even though it was very much my decision (of course). Most folks just seemed to think I'd be glad to be rid of the pump, but like you, I had such mixed feelings of happiness at what I'd achieved, and sadness that it had to end. So a huge well done to you, you've done a magnificent job & you should be so so very proud of yourself. It's an achievement you'll always treasure.

Pretz - I'm a bit late, but happy 30th birthday!! Poor Noah with the teeth, that's a lot to cope with all at once. GL with your follow-up ultrasound, I hope the cyst resolves on it's own :crossfingers:

AFM - all ok here, lots of colds. I remember how much I hate coping with everyone being snotty & grotty. Ah well, the joys of kids growing up. Annika is settling in better & better at daycare. She still isn't crawling but is a very adept roller. Crazy little munchkin! I never thought they'd both be rollers, what is it with my kids? So saying, he did crawl eventually, so hopefully she will soon. X is so funny, if she's grizzling, he comes & pats her on the head and says "there, there, you're alright". And this morning he was taking a noisy toy from her, rolling it back then taking it from her hand and saying "thank you, that's great sharing!". ROFL so funny. I think we're gonna have a joint 1st & 3rd party for them next month, should be fun - but nothing too fancy.

Hope everyone is having a good week - we have the most beautiful weather here today... yay!

Chuckie - thankyou so much for your kind words and words of encouragement about our BF'ing journey. Sadly, I feel at times like I have failed HB for not being able to continue. But I do try and think of the positives ( as lame as they are, except the TTC). My cycle is not back yet either. It will be interesting to see who actually gets their bfp first in our group.

About BLS - It takes some getting used to! HB still sometimes just plays rather than eats. But that's ok. If I am not in the mood for mess, I just feed her things that don't splatter and things she can eat herself rather than with a spoon. Still a bit messy but not quite the same as pumpkin flung on the walls.

You must be loving not having such a restrictive diet. I am still to take advantage of it.

Bec - that is so super cute about Isaac crawling away! He's a very funny and lively little boy. How's the sewing?

Belfie - it's so hard not to compare your kids to others, but they are just individuals and will do things in their own time and in their own way. I think HB is a very determined girl. I have thought at times that perhaps she realised I was getting very run down and has selflessly given me some time to recuperate. I am still not great, my lymph nodes are up in my neck and I have asthma - first time in years. But having said that, I am so much better than I was.

Fuzzy - how is work going?

Wite - are you still lurking? How is Harlow and Jett?

Buzzy - do you still follow along?

Connie - how is the new house going? Do you feel settled yet? I can't believe George is over a year old now. When will his prematurity ( corrected age etc) be less significant to his development?

I had a crisis of confidence yesterday. Thankfully it has passed and I feel positive again. But I have to run to collect my Mum and Aunt from hossy. My aunt with downs syndrome had a op today and it's the HB and Dory Taxi Service with a Smile! Better be on time!@

Belfie - nawww that's so cute about X and the sharing and head patting. Annika is lucky to have such a caring big brother :) Hope all the colds have cleared up now. Yep the BLS is so messy, I know I have cooked a nice meal when there is none on the floor! I've been meaning to ask you if you have any tips for expressing? Isaac likes weet bix much better if I make it with EBM instead of water (and also I prefer him to have EBM on it because he doesn't eat much of it), but some mornings I can't get more than 20-30mls.. any tips you can share?

Dory - haha at pumpkin being flung on the walls, that wouldn't happen here, Isaac love it and just about inhales it. Yogurt and weetbix gets flung/dropped though! thanks, sewing is going really well. I am a little bit proud of how much I have improved since I started, with all the practise (sewing just about every day and night) and now I have a snap press machine (goodbye velcro!!) my things just look a wee bit professional now, if I may say so myself! I have so much scrap fabric, I am trying to create lots of new things now.

Not much happening here, went for a long walk with my baby wearing friend today, both of us with our bubs happily on our backs. Was such a nice day for it.

Hello everyone else :)

Hi all,

Just sticking my nose in to say HI. Steve has taken Chloe to the pool for a swim and I find myself wondering the internet...

Looked at my old TTC buddies and got really sad that Chloe is nearly 1 and some of them are still waiting for their little bundles. I'm scared about trying for number 2.

Work is going well, thanks for asking Dory. Although I was VERY bored there the other day. How is the TTC coming along?

Invites have gone out for Chloe's first birthday which we are having in a park near us. Cant wait!

Feeling extremely unfit and blah and really want to get back into swimming. As soon as the weather improves.

lotsa love xx

Fuzzy - wow, some time at home alone! WOOT WOOT!!!!! Ahh boredom is your friend!!!! I hope that your TTC buddies time will come. And talking of TTC - AF came on Tuesday. Not such good timing as there was some confusing emotions about bleeding on Sophie's anniversary ( my labour started with a show) and AF. But am feeling much better about that today. I realised this morning that ovulation would be coming up soon, and that I had to work out all that stuff again about when to DTD. How quickly I have forgotten all that stuff. Not DTD. LOL

Awesome about the invites for Chloe's birthday going out. Well done! It's such an achievement.

Anyway, I am off to bed. Meant to go earlier, but had an upsetting email (just someone being insensitive), but I needed to "breathe" and let some of the emotions go.

Time to snuggle with a cat and go to sleep. DH is not here, so he misses out.

Hello to everyone else. Sorry no more persies.

wow it has been very quiet here! Hello to everyone, lots of birthdays coming up!

Just popping in to say I have taken the plunge and booked flights to Tanzania for next month! So excited, I'm going straight there from our WA trip so will be away from home for about a month all up. So Isaac will finally get to meet his father! I have had some messages from David, he is very happy we are coming and is very much looking forward to meeting Isaac :)

gotta go, someone is hungry!