hi girls!

Milly: aahhh you are soooo NOT a terrible mother!!!! you guys are a great little team! sometimes things are just going to go to pot no matter what. man, we have had our fair share lol. (for example, had marta on a hip hold walking down the hall, she saw a toy swung her body out to grab it and clocked herself on the doorway right smack in the face ...yep, yep, glorious moment, made me feel a hundred bucks and her, well, she was shining a good proper red mark for a few hours...we were in silent cry territory, oh yeah baby!).

i have to second Belfie on the panadol thing. those were totally extreme circumstances and if that were me in that situation with even a hint of doubt about the pain in her ears then i would of followed the same path and given her panadol. that way you both can no doubt get a bit of rest

the biting thing is/can be really painful (dont you know it!). the best way i was told to deal with it (and the way i went along with it) was to slip your finger (while you are in excruciating pain lol) in the corner of her mouth and pry her gummy ol' jaws off the nipple (it pops the seal ITMS) and then they reflexivly loosen the grip and you can pull her off. try as best as you can to keep really calm and make no sudden exclamations. i wouldnt even bother with 'no' or anything at this stage as it is all *quite* entertaining for a baby (how little do they know that it sooo aint funny haha). then sit her up briefly to make her realise that booby is over, then pop her back on. everytime she bites do the same (this is going to sound bad, but it's kinda like training a puppy...keep calm and repetition repetition repitition lol).
anyway, this is how i went with it with leila...i'm sure you guys will find your way.

and big one of these for the engorgement remember to just feed off that side while there is a block hey! also a good idea to ice it up after a feed...

Belfie: HELLO gorgeous! man, i have been following (stalking ) you in the other thread from time to time. what a tumultuous time you guys have had . i didnt realise that furbaby had to be rehomed. hope you are ok xx (never an "easy" decision).
Annika is just divine BTW. i love checking out her pics on FB. and you're right, she is a glorious chubba bubba and always at the ready with a big smile! how did Xander adjust? Leila for the most part did really well, and TBH i'm not sure she even really remembers a time before Marta ITMS. she has her moments, but i find it hard to know if that is typical 3 year old (threenager in the house) or new baby IYKWIM. ah well, learning curves keep on coming with kids hey?!

Cherished: how are you babe??!! miss you!!!!!!!

AFM: we are all good here. marta is getting over her snot monster (and thanks for the reminder Milly, i must keep an eye out for her ears what with all the snot lol). she is busy getting around the place. she's not crawling as such but can drag herself across a room with frightening speed . her "crawling" i have worked out is not crawling as such but attempts to sit up on her own. she is really close though as now we are having midnight "practice" sessions lol. she always wakes at 2am for a feed (arghhh it's getting cold and harder to get up for those arghhh!!) and i have for the last few days found her on hands and knees rocking it like it's 1999 or in a "downward dog" (think yoga lol) possy.
her eating is coming along in leaps and bounds. she is now a certified fan of toast soldiers lol. i made some chicken drumsticks as well and she hammered into that as well as the lamb chops too. she couldnt believe the textury goodness of my mashed potato (i use my bamix to get it super fluffy), pity that it sets like cement though as she threw it EVERYWHERE hahahahaha!