babies born~December 1st-15th 2009 #2

Hi Girls,

Tilda - :hug: Don't worry hon, we all feel the guilt. It's part of parenting! With Craig I felt guilty because I didn't know what I was doing. With Ryan, I feel guilty about having him when my toddler needs so much attention. Hope your engorged boob sorts itself out. My right has been really full each morning but it gets like that when Ryan doesn't feed both sides. I just make sure he does and it usually settles down again (and if it's really bad I express a little bit, no more than 40ml). Don't feel bad about moving out of your room to help Matilda sleep and it's fantastic that she's sleeping better already.

Willow - Hope DP is feeling better soon and that you make a decision on your tiles. I'm a Pisces and you'd think I'd be indecisive, but my DH is a Scorpio and he irritates me no end with how long he takes to make decisions!

Rose - :crossfingers: Really hoping Liam sleeps for you tonight. Catnapping is frustrating enough when they sleep at night, but 2 hourly feeds on top of that would be exhausting! I love the iPhone tip :)

Beany - Damn cricket! Has Michael's tooth cut through yet? Poor little mite, teething is no fun for anyone, bubs or Mums! Hope you have a better night tonight.

Alison - That's great Amelia's doing the 4 feeds. Ryan has settled himself in to a routine of sorts too, 5 3 hourly feeds from 7am-7pm. I'm excited about the 12 week challenge! But last night I was starving, even after a big dinner of slow cooker pea & ham soup with crusty bread.

AFM - I'm still not going to start Ryan on solids before he's 6 months because he's nice and fat, BFing really well and sleeping really well. Absolutely no reason to until he starts to need more iron than I can give him via BF. From what I understand, the health professionals have gone back to 4 months to start solids because the evidence has shown that it's not as damaging as previously thought. They've also relaxed the guidelines on which solids to introduce and when, particularly the allergens (egg, peanuts, wheat etc) because it seems that by avoiding these foods we actually create the allergies. As I think Willow said, they change it every few years.

Ryan is teething. I'm still trying to find him a teether that he likes more than my fingers. Bonjela helped once, but the next time I tried it he had no relief.

Exciting news! My friend and next door neighbour was booked for an induction tonight, but their car's not there so I think she's started labour on her own! :dance: They already have a little boy Craig's age and now there'll be someone for Ryan to play with :)

:confetti: Just got a text from my friend, baby Holly arrived at 4.57am this morning. Apparently very quickly!
:confetti:

Hi everyone

Suz - that's exciting news about your friend. How great that the kids will all be so close in age. Thanks for the :hug:. I really understand why they refer to "mother guilt" now. I suspect we'd feel it no matter what we did.

AFM - Matilda is doing one of those random 2 hour sleeps at the moment. Which is really well timed. It's given me a bit of a break with DH being away and some time to tidy up before the cleaner arrives and we head off to mother's group. We had another good night last night - 6:30 to bed, a feed at 2:30 and up at 6:30. I think moving into a different room has been the right thing to do. She doesn't seem to miss us and I think we're all sleeping better. I do worry a bit about the sids recommendations to share a room until they're 6 months but I guess we got pretty close. And feeding on demand rather than trying to stretch her feeds out seems to work best for her too. I think it bothers other people more than me. I don't actually mind feeding her any old time but I get the feeling that it seems to irritate other people. And my right boob seems to have settled down again mercifully. (Suz, I think I did what you do which was feed her a bit from both sides (but mainly the left which was the boob next in line) when she woke for her one feed last night and that seemed to help). And I think they've been adjusting to the drop in night feeds.

I think Matilda has come through the other side of Wonder Week 19 too. She's gained mastery of her hands at last and is really enjoying games with an element of repetition and prediction. One of her favourites at moment is having the clean laundry gently thrown over her and dragged across her face. That never fails to get smiles and giggles. And it lets me fold the laundry! Has anyone else noticed their bub's getting really active as well. Matilda just loves climbing all over me and then will just launch off me onto her tummy on the couch or the floor if we're down on the ground. It's hard to believe they just keep getting cuter.

Well I'm going to actually have to think about waking the little miss soon if she doesn't wake up! Hope everyone is enjoying the day.

Hi girls,

Hi Suzi Congrats on a new little friend for Craig:confetti: Nice name too:)
I agree with you on the solids with Craig being nice and chubby, like Harry, I don't think he probably needs solids just yet. Some babies benefit and some don't. But it's so hard to know what the right thing allergen wise is to do I think I'll be leaving it for 6 months for now:confused:

Hi Tilda The guilt is great isn't it!:shakehead: Go with your gut when it comes to when you feed Matilda and how you sleep her and how you do anything with her. Try not to worry what other people think. She's your baby and you know what's best for her, and how best to respond to her needs! If it doesn't fit into other peoples "right way" basket, then bad luck for them!! All babies are different, what works for you and Matilda may not work for any siblings that may come along for her. Do what works for you! You're doing a great job!!!
Hope you got lots done while she had her random long sleep.

Hi Rose I hear you on the 2 hourly feeds! I'm really feeling it today, some days are harder than others, and today I have that zombie feel! I hope Liam settles for you and you get more than 20 mins!:crossfingers:

AFM Well I'm feeling very tired and have pretty much zero tolerance and no patience at all today.
One positive though is that after the lady from Amber Bebe rang me on Thursday to say she was out of stock for two weeks, the teething necklace arrived yesterday!:D Did you get yours too Beany? Looks much less girly than I thought and looks cool on his ankle for sleep time too:D
Time to check my soup better go.

Hi Willow - yay for your teething necklace, they look cute on the boys don't they - one of my mums group boys has one and he looks like a little surfie dude, so cute. I love Amelia's, definitely worth the money.

Hi Tilda - Amelia just had a 2.5 nap as well, must be growing do you think? I too was hoping she was past the 19 week thing, either that or it's the calmo before the storm. She's been sleeping nearly 12 hours without fussing at the night the last few too, hope that lasts! I agree too, Amelia has just suddenly got more active, definitely needs entertaining more but is easy enough like you said, she likes playing aeroplanes, she's the aeroplane! hee hee

Well, I think my professional pics of her are ready so just going to the Postie to pick them up. Will get back on later.

Hi and kisses and cuddles to everyone! xx

Hellooooo...:asleep:

Tilda - glad to hear you had a nother good night! About time you had a few :) Oh thats too cute with the giggles at the laundry on her face! I haven't tried that one. Tho I have noticed he starts to giggle when I do...v cute!

Suz - yes, Michael's tooth has cut through, and the one next to it has just about, or has already, bit hard to tell - he gets real narky when I go poking around in there! Forgot that I'm meant to be cleaning them! :o Naughty mummy. The CHN said just with a clean wet cloth over your finger. So will start doing that tonight. Great news about the new arrival...how lucky are you to have playmates next door!

Willow - yes! I got mine yesterday too! He looks super cute in it, I must say! Can't say I have noticed any difference tho...perhaps it takes a while to take effect. Well, when I say difference, its not like he's upset with the teething, its more I was hoping it might help his night sleeps. Alas, no.

Alison - Oooh! What are your photo's like? Sooooooo lucky Amelia is sleeping so well...oh I'd love a night like that!

Hello to everyone else!

AFM - Unfortunately it was another very disturbed night for me. He again woke just after 2am, then woke another 3-4 times after that till 6am. I'm getting paranoid and wake up at the slightest noise, and lying in bed nervous and waiting for him to make a noise :( So I'm struggling to get some decent sleep.

Went to Mothers Group today for info on solids. I think the CHN view is to wait till 6m if poss, unless they are showing signs of needing food earlier, tho they don't nutritionally start needing food till 5-6 months. So, I shall wait till 6m. I actually bought some Farex at the shops yesterday...not cos I plan to use it soon, but just cos its exciting and I can't wait!

Some of the mums were saying how their babies sleep has gone down hill too. Those who used to have baby's that would sleep all night are now finding that they wake frequently during the night (these are babies about 4 weeks older than Michael) AND that a dummy is no longer enough to get them back to sleep. Also one is starting to show signs of seperation anxiety, she won't fall asleep unless her mum is touching her, which was never an issue before. And another, poor thing, slept on the nursery floor because he kept waking every 30 mins!!! So I'm now thinking its going to get worse than it is now...I can feel my anxiety creeping up :(

Anyhoo...making ratatouille tonight for tea...first proper from-a-recipe meal I have made since I had Michael! :redface: Must go and peel my garlic...

Hi girls!

beany - I've only recently started trying to do some proper cooking again, too. Though I'm still doing very simple meals. I can't believe that Michael is cutting teeth already! I hope you get a more settled night tonight, though. Lack of sleep is awful.

Alison - Can't wait to see your photos!

willow - I got Liam's teething necklace last week, I think. Not sure if it's really making much of a difference, but it can't hurt and it looks cute. Though my MIL told him that he looked like a girl :rolleyes:

Tilda - I'm really glad that Matilda had a better night in her own room. I'm torn at the moment with Liam's sleep - I kind of want to try him in his room to see if he'd sleep better, but I don't want to be up all night having to go to the other side of the house to feed him. It's nice not having to get out of bed. If he would consistently go to one feed a night, it would be doable. But then again, he might not go to that until he's in his own room. If only his cot wasn't a total pain to move, we could try it and see what happens. Funnily enough, though, I was talking to DH about it a bit, and though he'd been a bit against bringing the cot into our room, he really wants Liam to stay sleeping there for now. I guess we'll see how things are in another month or so.

And the feeding to sleep thing - I think it's only a problem if you feel it is. Liam is still fed to sleep 90% of the time. I figure that it's a very natural way for babies to go to sleep (why else would it happen so consistently) and they'll grow out of it eventually. When you don't have a great sleeper, you just take what works to get them to sleep, I think. And don't worry about breaking down when talking to the ABA counsellor - I think that's pretty par for the course with their work :)


Hi to everyone else!

AFM - Kind of exhausted (as it seems we all are at the moment). Liam had a couple of really good nights last week, but the last handful have been bad. Last night he was just screaming and screaming and took forever to settle. I think it's mostly teething pain, to be honest. I was getting to the point where I was going to give him some panadol to see if it helped when he finally went to sleep. He was awake for ages this morning, too - but happy most of the time. I managed to get him to have a couple of good naps this afternoon, at least, but he's still pretty overtired.

I'm making a commitment to try to start looking after myself again, too. I can't do any kind of drastic diet while BFing, but I'm going to really try to eat better (not that I did today, thanks to crazy chocolate cravings. And as I typed that, I just realised that I forgot my calcium/magnesium supplement, which would be why). I've been getting out walking every day for at least an hour, too, which is lovely. Though Liam tends to start whinging about halfway through if he doesn't go to sleep :(

Hi girls! It's been so long since I've posted. When I get on these days, I usually only have energy to read.

Well, Amelia was sleeping at night. Playing music all night really seemed to help. But it all went caput again just after Easter when I think she started teething. The weekend after Easter we went to Mt Gambier for SIL's wedding. It was beautiful and SIL made a stunning bride. Plus we got to introduce Amelia to DH's family and MIL hadn't seen her since Christmas. But Amelia didn't cope with it very well. We just couldn't time everything right...she'd be tired and we'd just settle her to sleep and then we'd wake her when we'd move on to the next thing.

The day after the wedding was terrible as we spent the day visiting family (didn't plan to but it just worked out that way). We stopped at SIL's place that afternoon and the best man was there with his wife and there 3 month old boy. Amelia had slept in the car but woke when we got there and started to cry just as we were going inside. The best man made a comment "Don't teach DS to make that noise" or something like that. WTF?! Oh yeah, my poor exhausted, teething daughter has a bad habit of crying!That was it for me! I took Amelia outside in the peace and quiet to walk and sing to her. By that night she was exhausted but couldn't relax enough to go to sleep. I was so glad to get her home to familiar surroundings and peace and quiet.

So for the last week, we've been back to being awake at night. She has a long sleep from about 4-5am until around midday. I'm trying to find the strength to wake her every morning at 9am for a feed in the hope that she'll get enough to eat during the day and not want to feed so much at night. But I'm with you Tilda, feeding on demand is so much easier than trying to get her to fit in with what I want. Our girls seem to have the same determination, something I'm sure we'll value as they get older, especially when it comes to dealing with peer pressure etc.

Her amber teething necklace arrived last week and it has made a difference. Although she still seems to be in pain in the early hours of the morning....I think she's just so tired by then....but I bought some teething gel as a back up. I bought a necklace for myself to help with tension headaches. I love it! My neck and shoulders hardly ache at all when I wear it. I've given it to my mum to see if it helps her with her aches and pains. Chemo is really starting to take its toll.If it works for her I'll get her one too.

I had my first appointment with my new psych a couple of weeks ago. She increased my dose again and gave me some ideas on how to get DH to help more. DH has been more hands on since Amelia has been so much more responsive, but he still has so many projects on the go. He had last week off but I don't think we got any more time with him than when he's a work. But he gets so defensive whenever I try to talk to him about it and I'm too tired to argue with him. He complains that my GP and psych make judgements without meeting him. I've asked him to attend appointments but he says he's too busy. But I really don't know what more he could do. He does help out whenever I ask...I guess it'd be nice if I didn't have to ask every time.

Now I promised myself I would mention some positives about my girl. As hard as I'm finding motherhood (I don't think there is any way to prepare for the sheer relentlessness of caring for a tiny person), I love my little girl to bits. We're seeing the wonder part of week 19 now. Amelia has always looked at everything intently, but now she has so much more focus on things. She wants to reach out and touch everything...she loves running her hands on the couch and wants to type on the keyboard when DH is on the computer with her. She is also fascinated with a mug of water I drink from. We've given her her own mug and she'll "drink" from it. So cute. She also laughs now while playing peek-a-boo....before she would just look kind of confused.

Ok I think that's enough from me. I just wanted to check in and let you all know what we've been up to.

Tilda - Please don't feel guilty. The best advice I have been given is to do what works. Matilda is happy and thriving and as long as feeding her to sleep isn't a problem for YOU, then that's all that matters. Don't feel you need to change what is working just because other people think it doesn't work. I came across an article on the ABA website the other night which I'm going to print out and post on my fridge Australian Breastfeeding Association - Mothers ... Are they expected to be the new Wonder Woman???. It talks about guilt a bit. There were also some good articles on sleeping as well which might give you some ammo if you feel the need to defend yourself.

Hugs to all the mums and bubs. I hope you're all doing well.

Hi Girls!

Hannah - :hug: I'm so glad that even after such a tough couple of weeks that you can still see the positives. Yay for the amber teething necklaces and it's wonderful you were able to post. We've missed you. Hope the new Psych goes well. Don't worry, your DH will get more and more involved as Amelia gets more interactive.

Rose - Good on you for your committment to yourself. It's so easy to put our needs after those of our babies and partners. I wish there was some way you could try moving the cot out of the room to see if Liam sleeps better. Is it possible for you guys to leave the cot in your room and sleep in your spare room or living room for one night? Kind of like what Tilda has done with Matilda?

Beany - That's great you're getting back to real cooking :) Sorry to hear that Michael's not letting you get much sleep. Hope he settles down once that second tooth is through. Solids should be fun, so it's good to be excited! I loved the look on Craig's face when we started solids and with each new food. I spent a lot of time with food all over both of us, a spoon in one hand and a camera in the other.

Willow - Yay for getting your teething necklace for Harry! Hope the window/kitchen drama is sorted.

Alison - Did you get your photos? Are they good?

AFM - Busy day today. Dentist checkup and filling, visited my neighbour and her new baby in hospital, went home to put both boys down for a nap, then back out for groceries. Lucky my Mum is visiting and spent the day with us. Both boys were really good, but Craig's day nap was a bit of a battle and Ryan is constantly soaked with drool and quite grizzley thanks to the teeth. Off to bed soon.

Hi Suz - grrrr it wasn't my photos that were ready to pick up at the Postie. It's been 4 weeks tomorrow, they said 2 weeks, I hate it when they do this. I'm hanging out to see them.

Hi Beany - Amelia's gone back to grumpy crying and fighting sleep again after being able to self settle, grrrr - I think also it's teeth and she wasn't bothered the last few days with her gums but rubbing them like crazy again today. Also, wonder how much the panadol helps, haven't given her any the last 2 nights as I don't want to use it all the time. Someone told me the teeth pain comes in 3 day cycles which funnily enough is happening this week so will see if that rings true.

Hi Hannah - you're such a great mum, even with the lack of sleep etc you still remain so positive, you're a credit to all mums out there mate and deserve a very big :clap:. I'm glad the teething necklace is helping, aren't they great! My Amelia has also discovered her hands actually do things this week, isn't it adorable. Amelia has realised she can open and close them so can squeeze her squeeky toys and she just opens and closes them while staring at them, it's amazing to watch them grow developmentally isn't it. :)

Hi Rose - oh no way would Liam look like a girl in his teething necklace, tell MIL to get with the program because he's a cool dude with it on. One of the girls in mums group has one on her boy and it looks so cute, not girlie at all.

Hi Willow / Hi Tilda - hope you and your gorgeous bubbies are well.

We've had a few people drop off haven't we, it's just us posting really. I'm trying to spend less time on the computer and more time doing the housework or Amelia's scrapbook but I try to get on as much as poss to keep up to date etc.

AFM - well, after saying to DH last night that Amelia has been going to sleep so easily lately she went and stuffed that up today. She's gone back to cracking the poops cause she's tired but it's taking me a bit to get her down again - no self settling today, just back to cuddles and rocking to sleep grrrrr. Hope it's just a phase. Why can't they just be consistent lol!

Anyway, best run, cup of tea time for me and a Freddo - I'm doing my 12 week challenge and so far so good, feeling better for even trying and did sneak on the scales this morning, 300 grams down since Monday, better than a kick in the pants! Oh and da da da daaaaaaa, I am wearing my engagement ring at last! As the knuckle is still too big/swollen I can't wear the wedding band as well, I should've got thinner bands but it's a start. Gosh it feels nice, it's been 6 months!!!

Hi Hannah How rude of the best man saying that! Grrrr! Some people have no idea!!
I hope the new psych works well for you, have you noticed a difference with the new dosage? I do agree there's only so much he can do with Amelia to help, which will start to change now with her being so much more responsive. Really he can't complain too much about being unfairly judged if he doesn't go to appointments with you, I'm sure the docs aren't judging him as a bad person they're just trying to help you out, maybe he feels a bit guilty that he can't do more. Oh and I hear you on the not having to ask! My DP is really good with some things but useless with others he will do stuff if I ask but it really p***es me off when I have to keep asking so in the end I don't bother.

The amber necklaces are great aren't they I love Harry's I think it makes a difference to his mood, he's by no means a perfect baby, but definitely much improved. I've heard people saying their bubs slept through the night after they got theirs:o, no such luck here!

Hi Suzi Glad the boys were good for you on your busy day. Hope the dentist wasn't too painful! Probably hurt your wallet more than your mouth :0) The window/kitchen dramas are pretty much sorted, but we had to change our favourite part of the kitchen, apparently you aren't supposed to scale off plans, which is fine but the deviation was much bigger than I would have ever thought you would get! Kind of makes me wonder why we had to pay $1000s to have the plans drawn then we could've done it ourselves Grrr!

Hi Alison YAY! With your engagement ring:dance: ...Ahh how I long for the days of consistency :lol:

Hi Rose As if Liam looks like a girl! MILs:rolleyes: That sounds like a very old fashioned comment. I bet he looks gorgeous Harry does, not that I'm biased or anything!;) I do think it's making a difference for Harry though, not a huge shift but definitely an improvement.
Good on you for looking after yourself, I wish I could find the motivation for that! I am so lazy!!!

Hi Beany Thanks for the info from your mothers group on solids. Try not to work yourself up about stuff until it happens, because, it might not! Look how cruisey Michael was with those teeth:D You could be one of the lucky ones and Michael just pretty much breezes through with out too many dramas,the odd sleepless nights are hard, but it might not get any worse than that:crossfingers: I was lucky like that with DS2.

Hi to everyone:hello:
I've got to go and get organised to go out and choose new carpet for the new rooms, I'll catch up later, hope everyone has a good day.

Howdy all!

Rose - good on you for trying to look after yourself :clap: We all need to make sure we look after ourselves too. Wow! V impressed with the daily walks! I really should do that more often too. I'm stuck at home today with a flat tyre on his pram! (yes, sad that I can't fix that myself, might give it a go tho).

Hannah - Honestly, some ppl can be such idiots. Don't worry about that guy. Ohhh thats so cute about the mug! She must have great hand control to be able to lift it and pretend to drink from it! Yay Amelia!

Suz - haha, yes I think that will be me too, wanting a photo of his reaction! Sounds like you had a v busy day indeed!

Alison - yay for wearing your engagement ring! I haven't tried mine on for a couple of weeks, might do that later. Poor Amelia, how is she sleeping at night now? I'm sure its just a phase...seems like its all-change as soon as we get used to something! Bummer about the photo's hopefully they won't be too much longer.

Willow - Oh I hope you're right. Every night since Sunday night he's been waking between 2-3am. :( Have fun choosing carpet! I love doing that stuff :)

Hello to everyone else!

AFM - Still suffering with the frequent waking during the night. Last night he actually let me sleep in till nearly 3.30am before waking...but blimey, what a battle to get him back to sleep - prolly took a good 1.5 hours. He was properly awake, not grizzling or carrying on...just playing around in his cot. I'm wondering if maybe his other tooth is now bothering him (one has well and truly cut - its mega sharp!, the other I can see but I can't feel yet), cos I keep finding him with his grobag hitched up and in his mouth. He had a couple of good days for day naps, but today is a different story. Oh, and he will no longer go for his night sleep without his dummy. *sigh* I long for consistency too! Its doing my head in!

omg Beany sad that 3.30am can be considered a sleep in!:shakehead::D I hope that stops for you soon!
We didn't make it to choose the carpet today. DP still isn't used to baby time, he goes off and says, "I'll just do this first" gets side tracked, by then Harry's asleep and it was too late as DP had a dentist appointment:wall:

Question for you girls, has anyone else noticed a change in poo colour? The last couple of days Harry's has gone from the yellow mustard seedy type to a more dark green, was wondering if it was a teething thing? Or maybe all the home made vegetable soup I've eaten the last few days?:lol:

And I'm not happy about the colour change as last night (you'd think I'd learn:rolleyes:...but NO:lol:) and again tonight, I've given him nappy free time, and, yes, he's pood! Last night he'd rolled to the edge of his blanket and got it on the rug, and tonight it stayed on the blanket, woo hoo! Until I picked it up and it had soaked through to the rug:o The dark green is much harder to get out! LOL I'll have to be much more vigilant on the new carpet!

Hi Willow - I have the same thing here, he wants to do stuff but by the time he actually says he's ready then Amelia's due a feed or sleep, grrrr.

As for poo's, Amelia's FF so bit different, her poos have been mostly green for a long time although she still does the mustard seedy ones which is interesting given she's not on breastmilk at all anymore, she did a very mustard runny one with only a little firmer green stuff today so I reckon the mustard stuff for her is teeth!!!!

Off to dinner tonight right when Amelia is due to go to sleep so she's in her jammies and hopefully will go to sleep in the pram and stay that way when we transfer her to bed. Off to the block for the night tomorrow so won't be on tomorrow.

Oh and picked up my Gotcha photo's today (Rose if you're reading) - OMG I couldn't decide and walked away upset as I wanted them all. Only to get home and DH said I should've bought them all. I didn't because we've spend $500 on the others (which I haven't got yet). The Gotcha ones are so gorgeous....I might have to ring them up and order some more I think lol.

Hi Alison Thanks for the poo feedback:D So by the sound of it teeth could be the culprit FF or BF wouldn't make any difference there would still be a change.

Enjoy dinner and your time at the block, hope Amelia behaves, I'm sure she will, see you when you get back:hello:

Hi Girls,

Just posted a new video of Ryan on FB. It's also stars Elmo, with Craig and DH in the background. A bit dark because I was trying so hard to catch what he was doing (before he stopped doing it) that I didn't have the night vision turned on.

Willow - Ryan and Craig both had breastfed green poos, I always thought it was when I ate a lot of greens? But there have been green poos lately and Ryan's teething like mad. Did you get the poo out of the rug/carpet? I've had to wash the cushion covers on the couch several times this week because Ryan's pooed on one of them :( Hope you make it out to choose the new carpet.

Alison - :dance: Yay! I'm so pleased you have your engagement ring back on! Keep up with the 12 week challenge and you'll have the wedding band on too. Hope you have a lovely dinner and weekend away. Get all the photos you can, they're only little once :)

Beany - Oh dear! Don't worry, even a 'good sleeper' like Ryan has inconsistencies where he'll wake out of the blue for a 3am feed, or wakes early in the morning. One kid in my Mother's Group has only just stopped waking during the night and he's 2.5!

Hi to anyone else reading!

AFM - For once it's a long weekend and we're not going away. I've been trying to get my fish tank up and running again after losing my fish when we were away in January. I've spent this week trying to get the water right so I can get new fish soon. Wii Fit Plus is my new friend, I've been hopping on at midday when the boys are both asleep. DH has bought a new dirtbike and will be heading out for a ride on it sometime this weekend. It'll be the first time since his accident when he broke his ribs (nearly 2 months ago). I'm trying not to think about it.

Someone suggested that I try Ryan on a rusk and he loves them! Thank goodness because he doesn't like any teethers, only my fingers.

We usually go to the Dawn Service here in Canberra at the War Memorial, but not since Craig was a baby. It means a lot to me, but it's a big ask for a toddler to stay quiet. Maybe we can go to the ANZAC Parade instead? Whatever you do, I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hey, you girls remember Ayapi, one of our December Belly Buddies who miscarried in the first 12 weeks? She's had a beautiful baby girl named Amelia Jane :) :cheer:

That's excellent! CONGRATULATIONS AYAPI!! :cheer::happyforyou::cheer:

Hi Suzi Way too scare a girl!! Only stopped waking through the night at 2.5!!:o Actually I was talking to a friend on the weekend and she was saying she knows a lady who was still BF and her DS was still on 2 hourly feeds at 18 months:( I'm trying not to think about it!:D
Thank you too for the poo feed back,I have been eating lots of greens, in the form of soup, so I thought maybe it was that, but also thought it could be teeth, so I think I'll go with teeth if everyone's having a change. I won't be having soup for a while now so I guess we'll see tomorrow. And yes I got it out of the rug:lol: lucky it's a horrible old one that's going soon anyway. How'd the cushion covers hold up?

I don't think I'd go the dawn service with a toddler either, but the ANZAC Parade would be fine.
Hope you get the fish tank going again, I love fish tanks, I'm just too lazy for all the up keep!:redface:
:crossfingers:DH goes ok on his ride, I'm sure he'll be fine.
Go Ryan with the rusk, Harry seems happy with his fingers for now, and I really think the amber necklace has helped.
I'll head off and check out Ryan and Elmo now:D

Hi girls!

Yay - I'm so happy for Ayapi!

Alison - The Gotcha thing is really hard, isn't it? It's hard to make the decision on the spot. I only ended up getting the one because I knew that we'll be getting another professional shoot done sometime in the next few months. I hope Amelia behaves herself tonight!

willow - Liam's definitely had a change in his poos - lots more green ones, and it's much more liquid. I'm thinking that it's definitely a teething thing - the last few days he's been well out of sorts, drooling everywhere and chewing on everything in sight.

beany - I hear you on the frustration at the lack of consistency. Especially when Michael's been so good in the past. We've had a couple of nights recently when Liam's woken at 1-3am, done a poo and been changed (which is unusual in itself) and then been totally awake, giggling and happy. It's then taken me 1-2 hours to get him back to sleep, which has been doing my head in. Though it's better than him waking screaming, which he's done a few times as well.

Hannah - You're doing a wonderful job. PND is really, really hard.

AFM - Had a really unsettled couple of days. Liam's been back to waking 4-5 times at night, sometimes screaming :( He's been really grizzly in general and fighting naps, drooling and chewing anything he can get into his mouth. Definitely teething, I think. I wish he'd hurry up and cut the first tooth already! But then there will just be more teeth. I've held off on using panadol so far, hoping we can just weather it. In between his grizzly phases he's lovely, though - giggling a lot, "talking" and smiling. He's getting so good with his hands, now, and is obsessed with feeling everything. He loves to be held up to stand all the time now, too.

I really hope that he settles down this weekend. DH is going away on his annual boy's fishing trip and will be away until Monday. I'll have help, though - my mother will be here heaps, since my father's also away (He's gone to Singapore for the ANZAC service, part of the benefits of being ex-army), and my brother and sister-in-law are coming over as well.

I'm also going to start trying to wean off my antidepressants to try to figure out if they're causing the hot flushes and massive sweats I've been getting. Kind of scared of it - I've done it before with a different drug and it was hell. But I can't stand these flushes and sweats any more. I'm also getting a bunch of blood tests done in case it's some hormonal thing. So I could be in for a fun time over the next few weeks.

Suzi Ryan and Elmo was so cute,I love how Craig noticed and started to watch and smile:D

Rose Good luck with the weaning, I can imagine it would be very scary. When you have come off them completely, will you start on another? Or if the flushes stay, go back on the same ones again? If I remember right it's Zoloft you're on? I've heard they can be quite nasty to come off, I'm sure you're well aware of that, I'll be thinking of you! You've got a lot of support there which is great, and you can rely on us in here to give you support, even thought it's only cyber support:)

Thank you too for the poo feed back, I definitely think it's teething now, I was trying to think of how to describe the consistency earlier, and it is more liquid, but kind of thickish and smooth, like paint! Gross colour wouldn't do the walls with it, but that's what it reminded me of:D
I hope the teething moodiness and sleeplessness doesn't go on too long for you:crossfingers:

Well Harry's asleep he's done his hourly feeding from about 8 til 11/11.30 so I should get to bed before the 1.30/2am feed I'll probably regret not going straight after his last feed, but sometimes it's nice to just have some quiet time on my own which is very rare.
Oh forgot to mention earlier AF has returned :( wondered why I had been so cranky and impatient etc the past week or so :pms: had also returned. Can't complain too much it was no where near as painful as usual and no where near as heavy either, hope that lasts!

Hope you all have a good weekend! BRUSSELS Hope you're enjoying NY! And I hope everyone who's been quiet are going well if you're dropping in to read every now and then:hello:

Good night all:asleep:

Hi Girls!

Hi Willow - AF for you too, me too, this is my 3rd one now, this time it came 4 weeks after the last, better than the 3 week break before.....my first two were quite light and not painful but this one is heavier and much more crampier, boooooo.

How is everyone else going? It's been a very busy weekend! Went out for dinner Friday night, down the block for the night Saturday, back yesterday morning then out in the arvo and then out again today! Poor Amelia hasn't had a decent day nap in days. I'm finding she's only having a decent sleep if she's home and in her cot, she used to sleep anywhere but even if she does that now it's only a short sleep. Oh well, will be staying home for a few days now to get her back on track - she's so buggered she's fallen asleep straight after her last bottle and it's 7.00 pm, she's normally awake until 8.00 pm at least. lol

Had a great weekend though, did everyone else? The weather in Perth has been so beautiful. Exciting too as I had my first weigh in this morning for the 12 week challenge and was expecting not such a good result due to AF arriving last night but I still lost 900 grams so totally happy with that! AF is annoying though, bit painful this month but at least it's spaced out better, 4 weeks since last time, the last one came 3 weeks after the first so wasn't too happy about having them every 3 weeks.

How did those doing the 12 week challenge go? I faltered today though, went to my sister in law's for lunch and they ordered Domino's pizza because she found out they do gluten free pizza, OMG I haven't had a take away pizza for 2 years, I was so excited and it was so delicious! Bad for the diet but I've got a week to work it off so I'm not bothered at all. It was so worth it, it was delish!

So how is everyone else and their bubs? My self settling has gone out the window the past few days and I've gone back to cuddling Amelia to sleep - if I put her down awake she rolls straight onto her tummy and then cries because she can't roll back. I'm hoping that's just a phase as I was liking the self settling....besides, I think she'll get too heavy to cuddle/rock to sleep soon lol!

Anyway, totally knackered so going to kick back with a cuppa, watch some tv and head to bed. Hope everyone and their beautiful bubs are well. xx

Hi Ladies,

Brussels - Can't wait to see a photo of you with the new haircut! You must be enjoying NY so much :)

Rose - Good luck with weaning off the antidepressants. :hug: Hope you get to the bottom of the hot flushes. Sounds like you could be in for a rough trot over the next few weeks. If you need to rant, rave, sob, chat, whatever, we're here. Hope you had a good weekend and that Liam settled down.

Willow - More green poo here too! But ours is different to yours :) Ryan's is the same consistency as his regular yellow BF poos, but this is yellow-greenish with green 'bits' in it. Bugger about AF arriving. Boo! IKWYM about the rare quiet time, but I hope you got some sleep.

Alison - Hope you had a nice long weekend away at your holiday place. Congrats on your weight loss this week!

AFM - Ryan slept a lot today and was back to cluster feeding. Growth spurt? He's still gnawing on anything he can stick in his mouth. I'm expecting a tooth to break through soon, Craig got his first tooth at 5 months and behaved the same way beforehand. Craig has been sleeping well but was grizzly this arvo and put himself to bed early. He felt hot, temp 38.2 under the arm. Hope he's not coming down with something. We're seeing a photographer tomorrow to get photos done of the boys and I hope I don't have to cancel.

Despite Maccas for lunch one day, ANZAC bikkies and way too much food, I've still managed to lose 900g and 2cm this week. Started a food diary today so I can more disciplined with the food. Plus I've managed to get on the Wii Fit for the last 5 days in a row for 30+ minutes every day. Maybe one day soon I'll even manage to go for a jog!

Hey everyone! I'm back! Am way behind so I'll read all the posts I missed in bed and respond tomorrow! Just dropping in to say hi!!!

xoxo

Hi everyone! Thought I'd just pop in quickly too. I haven't been getting notifications so I'm way, way behind. Grrrr. But everything is a bit frenetic at the moment anyway. We're moving to Sydney next week at very short notice and its a nightmare trying to get ready with a baby in tow! Hugs everyone! :grouphug:

Hi girls!

Tilda - Good luck with the move!

BS - Hi!

suz - Go you on the weight loss!

Alison - And go you, too! I hope that Amelia has settled down after her busy weekend.

willow - If the hot flashes stay, I'll probably go back onto Zoloft again, though I may give myself some time to see if I still need it. I don't know at the moment - I'm a bit torn as to what I should do if the hot flashes go away. My gut says that I probably still need an antidepressant, but I don't know if I have too many other options (I've been on several of the ones that can be used while bfing in the past, and they've pooped out on me).

AFM - DH was away fishing all weekend. I actually didn't spend a lot of time alone with Liam during the day - my mother was here a lot, and I went to visit my brother and sister-in-law one day to see their new extensions (I have serious house envy now). And my SIL and sister came to visit on Sunday so I could take photos of the two bubs together for my mother for mother's day.

Thankfully, Liam was pretty good for me over the weekend. He's sleeping better at night again - did a seven hour stretch on Friday night, of which I slept five hours (bliss). He has woken a couple of times in the early hours and been awake for an hour, which is kind of a pain, but tolerable if I've gotten some sleep first. I'm expecting him to cut a tooth any day, too - he's been super drooly and gnawing on things more than ever, as well as being a bit grizzly and unsettled.

Oh, and he rolled properly for the first time :) He's done it in his sleep a couple of times, but shown no interest in trying to do it consciously. So far he can only roll from back to front and only in one direction, but he's trying really hard to roll back.

I started weaning off the Zoloft yesterday. So far it's okay - I just have random dizziness and tiredness. So far no hot flashes at this dose, either. I went and got a tonne of blood tests done today to rule out other causes as well.

Hi everyone!

Ok, so you girls have not been posting that much so I managed to read everything :) During our pregnancies we wrote so much that I would have never been able to catch up on ten days of posts!!! lol - the bubs keep us busy!

Willow, let me know if you still need the list of contacts - I am sure I have it somewhere in my old emails since I am the one who put it together...as for the car, Eva LOVES the car. She loves her stroller, her car seat, anything that promises adventure. Even in the dark she just sits in it calmly or dozes off...do you have toys in the car for him? Maybe that would help...

Suz, I am so glad Craig is doing well! That story with the 4 month old is awful - I would not have made it past 15 minutes! So cool about the little buddy for Ryan - it is so nice to have a baby of the same age around :)

Hi Kawazuki! Welcome.

Tilda, Eva is the same for a bath - she can be screaming her head off and once the water starts running she just chills out! I got her some cute bathing suits for this summer! The engorgement thing happened to me when I stopped - I just wore tight sports bras and expressed a bit in the shower to relieve the pain but not too much...I can't tell you anything more since I have stopped, but call fast to get some advice - it must hurt :( I am glad to hear that separate rooms seems to be helping (I told you it helped loads with Eva too...wierd..) Wait and see how it goes, and maybe it is time to move her? Don't feel pressure to have her self settle - every baby is diff and you need to do what feels right.

Carmey, I am suffering with those teeth too! She cries and whines and shoves her hands in her mouth and is only happy when she is with me...apart from that she is in a great mood, but it comes on suddenly...

Beany sounds like teeth - Eva has been doing that and not going back down for a while...just eating her hands and whining...It's exhausting...As for the separation anxiety, Eva has been super clingy too and holds my hand to get to sleep and holds on to me tight all the time...she starts daycare in two weeks so it worries me that it will be difficult for her...

Alison, I'm rooting for you - I know you can do it! Iam so happy you got your ring on!

Hannah, the development is amazing isn't it? I hear you on being tired after going to the wedding - it is so hard to change their environments...but we feel like we can't just lock ourselves in but when we go out we end up even more tired....lol...I think I need one of those necklaces...

Rose, good for you going out walking...Do you take him out ini the stroller? I got eva an arch and she is a lot calmer in her stroller since she plays with it when she gets bored...maybe you can try hanging toys or something from the stroller? I agree with Suz's suggestion about trying to leave the room for one night. Eva was similar to Liam at first and sleeping in her own room helped us and her sleep so much better...maybe try one night and see what happens?

Hi to anyone I missed!

As for me, Eva flew out with a cold, but I did get a nasal decongestant spray and was suctioning boogies and using saline to wash out her nose (she hated that!!!)...On the flight out she ate right before take off - I had hoped to have her feed at take off to prevent pain in the ears and then slept...she ended up sleeping through takeoff and most of the flight only waking twice for food and a bit to play. We got luck and they gave us a row of four seats so she had space to spread out in between us.

We really had a great time in NY, and I feel like a new person! Eva took three days to get over the jetlag though...so she was sleeping at night but waking every three hours for feeds...needless to say it was hard for me to get over my jetlag - I usually work it out the first night...But by the fourth day she was sleeping through the night from 6-6! and she got down to four feeds a day for the first time - so 210ml 4 times a day! Needless to say it was great having her feeding well and being so settled...

On the way back we left at 615pm NYC time - so she ate at take off and slept through the ENTIRE flight and all the way in the car until we got home! We moved her around so many times and she did not budge! She is still having a few little issues sleeping and is going down at 630 or so but stirring to eat around 8 then not sleeping until about 11pm then stirring around 2am... but the shift back home has def been easier!

The first day back she sat unasisted! And she is still on the four feeds. She slept until 815 this morning so I am so happy to be catching up on some sleep, although she goes down late because of her teeth it seems and I have tons of laundry and suitcases to unpack :(

I got my hair styled and cut, and had such a blast - I was so sad to leave...DH and I might be selling our company soon, so I am hoping and praying to go back to NY soon...It was so great. She was in her baby bjorn a lot and people are just so nice to her and she is so smiley and adorable. I went from having a difficult reflux baby to this giggling adorable easy girl!!! I am so happy she is no longer in pain.

AFM, I feel great physically, and am losing weight! After the first 3 kilos I lost in ten days (I guess it was water weight due to the hormones) I have lost another 2 during my trip, and I was drinking and not exercising...so am glad to be back to my forest and training and running and my eliptical machine, because I really feel like this weight is going to get going now!

Even DH mentioned that I look less puffy etc...and if DH notices that then it is obvious :)

So all is well! Eva starts daycare in two weeks and I go back to work, so have TONs of stuff to do in the next two weeks, but I feel good about her starting daycare and know she will be well taken care of and entertained while DH and I put in the last long haul to unload the business...and what will happen after, we will see (no mention of this on FB, super secret).

We just started veggies today and Eva did not really like it...lol...I posted some pics. We'll keep trying. Carmey, did Jack love solids from the first go or was it wierd for him too? I tried carrots first then later in the day a bit of mashed banana - and she liked the second try more...so hoping it is just something she will get used to. She has been finishing bottles and still sucking for more, so I think it is time. And she stares at our food!

She is also just wanting to sit all the time and has started sticking her tongue out and blowing! lolol...It is wierd because she only rolled one day then never again, and now is sitting...but won't roll over anymore unless I take her hand and pull her a bit...I wonder if she just doesn't care...

I'll try to post pics of my hair done next <eek - I am due for a blowdry :)

I've missed you alllllllllll!!!!

Hi Everyone,
It has also been so long since I posted but I am reading everything during the night whilst feeding. I miss being able to get on all the time.
Just a quickie as I have not much time though..... Rose, what dose of zoloft are you on if u don't mind me asking.... I am on 100 and forgot to take it for two days and then took it again twice in one day to catch up and still, 2 days later I am utterly miserable and very very emotional.... I did forget to take it one day and felt so dizzy too. Best of luck...it can be so hard.

Welcome back brussels, glad u had such a nice time... we are going overseas next thursday for over 3&1/2 weeks to italy. I hope the 24 hours on the plane goes smoothly:pray: have you got any good advice for traveling?

Sorry I have to go...it's crazy over here, Sienna is really unsettled over the last few days, she used to sleep from 7pm till 3 or 4 but now she is waking through the night at 1 and 3 and 5 and is proving to be quite difficult to get to sleep...especially in the afternoons...

Miss u guys so big hugs...xoxoxoxo

well not much new going on here.
except im going to be a SAHM soon :D:D yay

missing my girls and costing to much to work..

how is everyones little ones. maree is a chatter box and loves her nappy free time

Kanda, just a quickie for the travelling, Try to feed taking off and landing...Get to check in EARLY so that you can ask for the baby bed (they usually only have 2 per plane so if two other babies check in before you guys then you'll have to keep her on you the whole flight....We left without the bed (the two were already taken) but were lucky to have 4 seats so Eva slept on two seats in between us but on the way back we were the first "baby" to check in and got the baby bed and she was so comfy playing and sleeping in there (you can see pics of it on my facebook NYC album)....Don't hesitate to ask for a full row from the fluight attendants, as they will generally try to make it happen. They moved two passengers out of a four seat row into a two seat row to give us the big row...

Be sure to have 2 changes of clothes (I took one and then she did a massive leaky poo on the spare :( - And she had a little stain on her pjs for the end of the flight that bothered me to no end but I had no other clothes!

Bring a little towl or changing mat for the changing table in the bathrooms - I have a little change bag with a foldable mat, wipes and two diapers on hand, which were very practical since the bathroom is TINY when you have the changing table open...so have things easily accessible since you have to carry less to go change her.

We also brought along a baby bjorn, and that is nice since if you get tired and need to hold her for takeoff or landing or around the airport, she might appreciate being out of the stroller and you will appreciate not having to hold her on your lap.

That's all I can think of...

Have a great trip :) I am sure it will lift your spirits to be away for a bit and I hope the time is wonderful and that Sienna is easy...If it is any reassurance, I was so worried about Eva being difficult since she gets easily bored, but she was super easy, so the vibrating plane might just put her straight to sleep :-)

xoxo

And don't forget her favorite TOYS! :)

Hi Girls - sorry no persies from me today, I have a sick bubba....either that or it's teeth. For 2 days she has been sleeping loads during the day - like up to 3 hours at a time, off her food and only finishes every second bottle and has the runniest poo, in fact, it's like yellow water!!!!! I feel terrible for her but don't know what to do. Is it teeth or a bug? I'm keeping her fluids up with water etc and she seems ok in between, not as happy as usual but not crying or anything. I hate this part of being a mum, seeing your bubby sick sux the big one!!!!

Hope everyone else's bubs are better than mine. xx

Alison - oh, poor little Amelia :( I hope she's feeling better really soon. Sick bubbas are awful :(

Liam's been really off today, too. I started a dairy challenge a couple of days ago, and it seems to be affecting him - he has green, mucously poos again and seems far more grizzly :( He's definitely having some serious teething pain, too - just caved and gave him some panadol and he's much happier now.

My zoloft weaning isn't working, either. It was going okay for a couple of days, but I've had a couple of nights of not much sleep and the PND is getting bad again. So I'm going back on my full dose (which is low - 50mg) and I'll talk to my GP in a couple of weeks about my options. I might just have to suck up the side effects.

Hello everyone!

Rose - oh dear, sorry to hear Liam wasn't too well today. Don't worry about giving him panadol, it makes him feel better :) Whats a dairy challenge?

Alison - oh no, poor little Amelia, I hope its just teething. Michael's poos have changed in the last week too...more yellowy and runny...kind of 'shiny' if I can use that to describe poo! Keeping fluids up sounds like the right thing, poor little monkey. I hope she gets better soon. Oh, I wanted to ask you...you mentioned about goign out to dinner or something at night and you were going to get Amelia into her PJ's before you went....how did it go? Did she sleep ok when you got back? I always wonder what would happen if the night-time routine didn't happen for whatever reason...

BS - Heyyyy! Welcome back! Sounds like you had an awesome time! So glad to hear Eva didn't mind the flying :) And they're some great travel tips too! Wow, thats exciting about selling the business and moving back to NYC...is your DH from there too? Thats great Eva is sitting...Michael is so lazy...rolls to the side every now and then, puts his feet in his mouth, and thats about as much movement I get from him! Tho he has started flapping his arms around heaps lately too.

Kawazuki - thats great about being a SAHM...I'd love to do that too! I really thought I'd want to go back but now I really don't!

Kanda - sounds just like Michael - he's waking frequently during the night too...is she teething perhaps?

Tilda - oh my goodness! I hope the move goes well...good luck! (booo, Sydney...so yo'ur enot moving to Perth then?? :()

Suz - how is Craig with his hot temp?

A big hello to everyone else!

AFM - Sooooooooo tired today! :( Michael woke at 11pm, then 2am, then 4am, then 5am, then finally at 6am. Thank GOODNESS he actually went back to sleep pretty well each time once I gave him his dummy...but it was v unusual for him to wake as early as 11pm. He woke up coughing so maybe something irritated him? I'm hoping thats all it was. The night before was lovely, he only woke once at 4am during the night - I'll say it again...consistency pleeeease!!!

Eeeee! I bought a sewing machine today :D I have this fantasy of staying at home and making lovely baby blankets and burp cloths and the like, selling them on ebay or something. Plus we need one since DH only has stumpy legs (looks like Michael has inherited them!) and needs every pair of pants taken up. But we'll see....I really can't see when I'm going to get the time to make all these things....ah well, maybe one day!

I'm going to Baby Rhyme session thing at the library tomorrow...I feel like I need to get Michael more socialised as he doesn't see many other bubs - our Mothers Group seems to have fizzled out a bit. I'm rather looking forward to it!

hiiii girls!!

Alison - how is little Amelia tonight? Poor little pet. I hope she gets better soon. Must be so stressful.

Rose - That's not good about little Liam either. No fun. What is the dairy challange??

Beany - your night sounds just like mine! Jack was awake pretty much bang on those times. It's so frustrating, huh? Oh, and I love your fantasy re: sewing stuff. I wish I was that clever. I'm lucky to put on a button! :lol:

BS - wow! Moving to NY would be fab. And good to hear Eva travelled well. You've inspired me to cut my hair - I'm going a blunt fringe for winter. Booked it in for next week.

And on the solids, Jack didn't seem that fussed on it at first. It was quite entertaining watching his face change to like, "what is that?!" But now he just LOVES it. In fact, he starts YELLING at us when we don't spoon it in quick enough and will cry when it's all gone... We started on the carrots but now I give him mixes of things, like pumpkin and potato. I also mix in a bit of the organic baby rice into things to make sure he's getting enough iron and he doesn't get constipated. I make up big batches of the pureed veges (not including the rice cereal) and freeze them in ice cubes. Makes it easy for when you're busy.

Tilda - Oh, moving sux. But nice to hear you'll be in Sydney! How many Sydney girls are there? We should all meet up like the Perth girls.

Suz - how did the photos go? I hope you didn't have to cancel? And good on you on the weight loss!!

Everyone else - hope you're having a great night.

ATM - I've been busy. Good busy. Been doing lots of fun things with Jack and then have been cramming in work and trying to get fit.

Today I had playgroup and let Jack roll around the floor with other bubs while I met other mums. Then we came home and had a three hour sleep together because last night was such a shocker.

My family (parents, sister and her man) and DH, Jack and I are off for a weekend away. We're having a night in the Blue Mts tomorrow and then a night in Bathurst Saturday night. DH went to boarding school in Bathurst and they're having a 20-year reunion. So that should be fun. I had to go and buy Jack lots of warm stuff cause it's supposed to be freeeezing there at the mo.

Jack's suspected teething problems seemed to have settled ever-so slightly. I could feel two definate bumps last week and now they seem to be gone. And he's certainly not as grizzly this week, although he does want to bite anything you put in front of him. And don't get me started on the dribbling. :D

And, like a few of you on here, I've lost some weight too. It feels so good to finally shift some lard. Honestly, I never thought I'd see the day. But slowly, slowly it's melting away. Yipeee!

Hi Girls,

It got a bit quiet here for a bit, nice to see you!

Beany - Craig's temp came back down after 48 hours. He had a sore throat 'flu like thing, I only know 'cause he gave it to me. But we're all better now, thanks for asking :) Enjoy your sewing machine, perhaps you can get out and do a quilting class? :crossfingers: Hope Michael doesn't wake as many times tonight, you must be wrecked!

Rose - Bummer on the Zoloft weaning not working out. I hope your GP can suggest something. Is it dairy that causes the green poos? Ryan gets them every couple of times, but I thought it was caused by me eating green veggies? Don't feel bad about the Panadol, it sounds like it really helped. But I'm like you, I don't like to use it unless they really need it. Yay for Liam with the rolling! You'll put him down on the floor now and find him all the way across the room against the wall. Ryan rolled under the coffee table today and freaked himself out.

Alison - Oh dear, that does sound like Gastro! I hope Amelia's feeling better soon. You're doing all the right things. It's so hard when our bub's are sick :hug:

Brussels - Lovely to see you posting again. Great flying tips! How're you coping with the idea that daycare starts in 2 weeks? Trust me, it's much much harder on us than it is on them, she'll be fine. Wow, it's all happening in your part of the world! Wherever you and DH end up, your BB's will be here for you :) Sounds like the weight is starting to melt off you, you must be so happy about that! Solids, sitting, wow Eva's doing it all.

Kawazuki - Good luck with the 12 week challenge! Hope life gets easier for you when you're a SAHM, you sounded terribly busy. I've also got a chatterbox who loves nappy free time :)

Kanda - Hi!!!! Missed you. Glad you're still keeping up with us during night feeds. Tuscany sounds wonderful, you'll have the most magical time. Sorry Sienna's unsettled, hope she gets back to sleeping again for you. How's Lila going? I've had the reverse problem, terror toddler who won't sleep but baby sleeping fine.

Tilda - You must be flat out! Hope you get time to post again soon. How exciting, moving to Sydney and at such short notice! Maybe we can do a Sydney catchup like the Perth girls did, once you're all settled. I'll drive from Canberra!

Carmey - I missed your post while I was writing mine. You must be frightening your lard in to submission! I saw your FB status the other day with the swim/run/cycle, you're amazing! Yay for Jack and solids, it really is fun when they get in to it. Hope you have a lovely weekend away with your family. There's at least 3 Sydneysiders and I'm close enough to do a day trip.

Hi :hello: to any of our buddies out there reading.

Not much going on here. Craig's back to taking himself to the potty and practically putting himself to bed now, no more toddler tantrums at bedtime. Huge difference to the start of the month! Just in time for Ryan to start getting his first tooth (wish it would hurry up!). My New Year's Resolution is out of the way, the scales said 79.8kg this morning! I haven't been under 80kg since my wedding 5 years ago. Then the Wii Fit said my BMI was 'Ideal' instead of 'Overweight', so I'm happy happy happy and don't care how saggy baggy and wrinkly I look. Damn it, I even bought mascara today. I haven't worn mascara for 6 months! Now all I need is a haircut and colour. I've promised myself some new clothes if I shift another 5kg.

Hey girlies!

A quickie since we're off to the seaside today and I really have to get some stuff done!

Kawa, what is SAHM?

Alison, your poor little bubbie :( She'll be ok, just spoil her and do whatever you can to make her more comfortable...Unfortunately, sickness is part of what we have to deal with and since winter is coming in for you guys, you'll prob have a few bugs running around!! I hope she gets well super fast! It sucks big time seeing her suffer, I know - you just want to make it go away!

Rose, what's the dairy challenge? I really hope you get the zoloft issue worked out. You're really coping well with everything though!

Beany, DH is French...but we met in NYC, so we both liove it and want to go back soooo bad - the price of real estate there is SCARY though...I thought Eva was kind of lazy too, since she only rolled for a day or so and then nothing! So Michael might just start doing everything at once. She sat then the next day really sat well and for a long time and today I came into her roolm for her morning feed and caught her with her little rump in the air rolling from belly to back! She has also started really spinning in bed....we find her completely upside down with head where her feet were the pas few days. He'll move when he's ready - he is prob having too much fun with his feet! The class you're going to sounds great! Let us know how it goes - I also worry about socializing her which is one of the reasons I am happy with her going to daycare...

Carmey, you'll love a change in look - I love my long hair and am def going to regrow it, but it is really much easier short now - I had realllly long hair and it was always falling over Eva when I bent over her and she pulled it all the time - the short hair is less my style but it looks nice and is easier to deal with and with the sports I am doing is quicker to wash and does not get as ruined when I sweat - you'll be happy you did it - it cuts your hair time in half :) - I see Eva getting better with every try - she makes a sort of disgusted face but then mushes the food around her mouth and smiles, so I think she likes it but does not like the foreign objects in her mouth...I keep trying little bits...I have a beaba babycook which is amazing - it steams, purées and defrosts food and has these awesome portion trays in silicone which I use for freezing little portions. It is prob one of the coolest gifts I got - you should check it out. There are new colors out too - I got the gypsy! Accessories are not NECESSARY, but they sure are fun - same goes for shoes, bags, belts, scarves... :ROFL:

Suz, yay on the weight loss!!!! I am so excited for you! Enjoy that fit body girl! You should go buy a few things to treat yourself! Put on that mascara and strut your stuff :-) I am also really glad to hear Craig is doing so well. He was prob just going through diff phase...

I am down another kilo :dance: but yesterday was in bed all day with a migraine and vomiting again...I tried a new pill and that one is no good either so I called my doc and am going back on the one pill that never gives me problems...I have an appt next week to discuss the pcos and get a pap and all that - I can't believe Eva is almost 6 months and that Ia m back to the gyn for a reg checkup!!!

I was so sad not to be with Eva all day yesterday (DH had to watch her since I was basically immobile) - it is really hard not to see them all day! I hope I can deal with daycare...

Off to pack AGAIN and finish up some work!

xoxo to you all and have a gorgeous WE!

Alison - Yay for getting your engagement ring back on :dance:. Good work with the 12 week challenge so far. Won't be long before you get the wedding ring back on too. I hope you and Amelia get better soon. It's hard enough having a bubba to look after when you're sick, let alone a sick bubba. Make sure you get rest when she sleeps.

beany - I hear you on the consistency. I don't need a 'routine' as such, but some sort of rhythm would be nice. Hopefully Michael settles down soon. Good on you for buying a sewing machine. I've decided to take up knitting (I want to knit my own woollen longies for nappy covers in winter). So far, I've bought a book, needles and yarn. First step: Crack open the book lol.

willow - I've noticed that sometimes Amelia's poos will sometimes be a dark greenish colour. I've heard that teething can cause changes to poo, but I don't really understand how this works. Maybe there are changes happening in the gut flora around this time in preparation for solids? :dunno: Boo for AF returing. And also a little surprising given that Harry is still feeding around the clock. Glad she wasn't too hard on you.

suz - I loved the video of Ryan and Elmo on FB. So cute! Thanks for posting about Ayapi. Well done on the weight loss :clap: I'll bet it feels great to have achieved a goal already. I'm glad Craig is sleeping better and is a happier boy as a result.

Ayapi - If you're lurking, congratulations on the arrival of Amelia Jane (love the name lol) :happyforyou:

Rose - Yay for Liam rolling. Amelia can only roll from tummy to back and doesn't show any interest in rolling the other way. I hope Liam continues to sleep better. That's too bad the weaning didn't work. Perhaps Liam was experiencing a little withdrawal as well. I hope you get something sorted soon :hug:

Tilda - All the best with the move to Sydney. My, that is short notice, but I hope it goes smoothly.

BS - Glad Eva travelled so well and that you all enjoyed your time in NY. Sounds like weaning was definitely the right decision for you both. Amelia will roll every now and then, but is much more interested in sitting up at the moment (not quite unassisted yet, but getting there). Oh, and just to pass on some advice I was given about solids: Get them to eat veggies first, otherwise they like the sweetness of fruit and won't eat veggies. I hope you feel better soon.

kanda - I'm on 100mg of Zoloft too. I was on 50mg for about a year and would get dizzy and tired if I forgot just one dose. Thankfully I haven't forgotten to take a 100 dose yet....I can imagine how miserable that would feel. Hope you get back on track soon. Enjoy your trip to Italy.

kawazuki - Yay for being a SAHM! I'm not looking forward to going back to work, but think I'll be better for it in the long run. Plus I don't think we can afford me not too, right now.

Carmey - Glad Jack has taken to solids. Enjoy your weekend away.

AFM - After another horror weekend of 3 nights in a row of being up all night with Amelia she's finally settled back to sleeping at night. For weeks I was trying to be really boring at night, keeping lights low, soft voices etc. But she still wanted to play and we'd both end up frustrated and in tears. Eventually I decided to relax and go with it. So Sunday night I put her in the jolly jumper at midnight and she spent an hour and a half in it! She still didn't sleep afterwards (only catnaps of no longer than 45 minutes) but she was up most of Monday and then slept Monday night, only waking a couple of times for feeds. The last 3 nights were the same with the occasional waking for a feed. Then last night we both went to bed at 9pm. I woke at 5am needing to express but she's still fast asleep :o . I can't remember the last time I got 8 hours sleep (although I did wake at 1am expecting her to wake) and Amelia has never slept more than 7 hours at a stretch.

Wednesday I visited work to talk about my options when I return. Even though my contract is for full time I can go back part time and will be working the equivalent of 3 days a week. A friend is starting family day care around the same time as I'm going back to work so if we need care, we can go with her. I also caught up with the girls from work who had babies around the same time. One had her son the same day as Amelia and the other had her daughter on the 1st of January. Amelia's so tiny compared to them. The 4 month old was the tallest baby! At 5 months Amelia weights 6.38kg and is 63cm long.

I've been more assertive with DH about what I need. Even though we're back to sleeping at night I'm still exhausted by the end of the day. I'm not getting any more sleep, it's just better quality than sleeping during the day. DH will stay up for a while after he gets home from work to tend to Amelia if she wakes. That way I get to sleep unless she's hungry. She didn't stir last night but DH must have been busy. I woke up to find he'd done a couple loads of washing, swept the floors and washed dishes. He's such a sweetie.

An update on my Mum: The chemo hasn't worked. She had a scan last week and the cancer has "significantly increased". She starts on a new drug next week so fingers crossed this one works. However, her doctor is concerned about bone pain she's been having. She has a bone density scan on Monday but we're :pray: the cancer hasn't spread to her bones as well. We're trying to keep positive but it's not looking good:crying:

Hi Everyone - I've been MIA most of the week so now I'm so far behind on posts! Excuse me for brushing over the persies, I'll have a proper read shortly.

Hi Beany - re the going out to dinner, it worked well, she was awake a bit later than usual as it was a noisy restaurant and everyone wanted to cuddle her but then she went to sleep in her pram and we got her in and out of the car without too much fuss and then put her down in her cot at 10.00 pm and she went straight to sleep. It helped not having to change her etc from her clothes to jammies, all I did was slip on her Grobag and that was it! Michael's poos sound like teething ones, I thought this was that at first but Amelia's was like yellow water, disgusting.

Hi Suz - well done on your weight loss (re the other thread) - I've done nothing this week with having a sick bub and then myself, although I did lose a bit yesterday lol....I'm sure it will all be back on by tomorrow as my appetite has returned!

Hi Rose - hows Liam? Are you going ok as well? We must catch up soon, a good chinwag will do you good.

Hi Brussells - how was New York? I loved your piccies and your hair is gorgeous.

Hi Carmey - lovely to hear from you, Jack is so adorable, I heard teeth can move up and down before making their final appearance, my wisdom teeth did the same until I had the out lol. You are beautiful and I really don't know where you are losing the weight from, your earlobes maybe? hee hee. Enjoy your time away, the Blue Mountains sounds so romantic and beautiful, ho hum.

Hi Kanda, Tilda & Kawazuki - hope you're all well.

Hi to anyone else I've missed!!!!!!

AFM - well, I've just had the sh*ttiest week, Amelia has been so ill with this stomach bug and then yesterday I got it - luckily it passed quite quickly but I felt like death yesterday and had to try and look after Millie while DH was at work. I asked him to come home early and he said yes, he got home at 4.00 pm WTF!! 2 days before that he took the day off to go fishing with his dad, grrrr. Mum came over to help me with Amelia Thursday and I just phoned her and unfortunately she's now got it and I feel so bad. Worse is she's been staying at my sister's this week (she went back down south yesterday) so I am now worried she's passed it onto her family, I rang this morning, so far so good. DH's mum had it, DH's sister in law had it - it was her little boy who started it grrr - and now my mum. DH's dad and brother didn't get it and DH said he's been fine, felt a bit off earlier in the week but otherwise ok (touch wood). Honestly, if we hadn't of stayed with them last weekend down south none of this would've happened. I know it will eventually but I was so worried about Amelia, today so far is the first day I think she's been ok - she had a pooey nappy at 6.00 am so I changed her but she hasn't had any since, I've been changing her nappy every hour the last 4 days! She's been taking water and having her milk since yesterday fully again so I think she's over it now - she was sleeping so much in the day but restless at night, our routine has gone completely out the window. I hope she goes back when she's completely well again, poor petal. I failed the test on coping with a sick baby, Thursday night I just burst into tears and couldn't stop - hence why mum came over because DH was at indoor cricket. I was just worried and angry.......I tried getting her into the doc but they're full until next week and because she seems better today I thought I'd leave it. Everyone has told me there's nothing they will be able to do anyway and to just keep up her fluids. I didn't expect her to be ill for 4 days though. Mum said it's good for them to be exposed anyway so they can build up an immunity but still, not nice....this is one of the reasons I'm concerned about daycare but you can't keep them locked up forever hey!

Anyway, I've gone on and on, best go do some cleaning up, I've done nothing all week and the house looks like a bomb has hit it. I tell you what though girls, I will never take Amelia being well again for granted, it's killed me seeing her so ill.

Hi girls, I'll see how long Harry gives me to post, not long I would imagine so sorry if I miss anyone I'll have to catch up later!
I've been reading the last few days but not posting, Harry's been doing hourly feeds this week, I'm thinking it's teething, so I'm absolutely wrecked and very cranky with no patience for anything, and we've been busy during the days with visitors and doing stuff for the extension.

Welcome back BS Good to hear you had a great time in NYC, but sorry the pills have been giving you grief! I hope you can get back on your original one and start to feel better! As for the car yes he's got toys in there, we've tried toys, no toys, interior light on, sitting in the back with him, music no music...nothing seems to work, He's fine during the day just come night time he freaks. Haven't tried him for a couple of weeks so will give it a go in the next day or two and see if he's over it yet:crossfingers:

Hi Hannah Really sorry the chemo hasn't worked for your mum:hug: here's hoping the new meds will kick in and do their job!:goodluck::crossfingers::goodluck:
I was reading up on poos when teething the other day I was curious as to why they would change, their not 100% sure but it seems to have to do with the extra drool that ends up in their tummy ( the amount that ends up down their front I can't believe much gets swallowed LOL:lol:) but it makes everything acidic, hence the green poos. There was another reason too I think but I just can't remember right now, my brain needs more sleep, I'm sure you can relate!

Well sorry girls but Harry is beckoning I'll have to catch up tomorow.

:hello: night all hope you all get some sleep

Hello again I'm back to try and get through a few more perssies!

Hi Alison Great to hear you're both feeling better!! Has DH come down with it? Or is he a lucky b****** and escaped it? Probably he has after fishing, indoor cricket and working! Gastro is like the end of the world to me I hate it, so LOTS of sympathy!!!!:hug:

Hi Rose Sorry the weaning didn't go well, it must be soooo hard, I can't even imagine what it must be like:hug: One thing I do know is with the Zoloft you feel the effects quickly when you come off them so you don't even get the initial grace period of feeling ok! Hope your doc has a solution for you!!:crossfingers::goodluck:
Oh and I'm with Brussels and Carmey and Beany, what's the dairy challenge?? I was reading that too much dairy can cause green poos too, even blood streaked mucousy green poos if bub has a sensitivity to it.

Hi Carmey Well done on the weight loss! I'm not surprised though, like Suzi said I saw your FB status OMG! You go girl! I wish I had some of your energy and motivation!!! Glad Jack's teething seems to have settled down a bit. Enjoy your time away.

Hi Suzi Woohoo! Go Craig! Toilet and putting himself to bed way to go! And well done on your weight loss and BMI too:dance: Harry's green poos changed back from the paint like ones, to the bright green seedy ones like you said, I really think the vegie soup had a bit to do with the smooth paint like ones lol. So now he's back and forth between normal yellow seedy and green seedy, noice!
Hope you get the new clothes soon!!

Hi Beany Ooooh a sewing machine, I wish I was clever like that! I'd love to able to make cool stuff, and sell it like you said that would be great. I can just see you now, get a baby carrier, strap Michael to your back and sew away:D I've been thinking about trying to make some Roman blinds, or are they holland blinds, or are they the same thing??? OMG I don't know how I'm going to make them if I don't even know what they're called!:rofl: well anyway, for the bedrooms when the extension is finished, I thought it might save a bit of money and I could get cool fabric individual to each room IYKWIM
Hope Michael starts to sleep better for you soon!

Hi Kanda Sounds like you've been super busy! Hope Sienna gets back to her old routines self soon!
Have a great time in Italy!!!! Hope the flight goes well for you!

Hi Kawazuki Hope all's well with you. How much longer until you're officially a SAHM?

Well I think I got to everyone, well everyone who has posted in the last few days anyway, hi :hello:to anyone else who's been quiet for a while, you might be reading and not posting? Hope all's well!

I really should go and try to do a bit to my rubbish tip of a house now I suppose, can't wait until the extension is finished so I can at least not have all the extra crap lying around that has no where else to go at the moment!

Hope you all have a good Sunday.