Babies born~December 1st-15th 2009 # 4

Thanks Alison :) Guess what?! I found the Hylands Teething Tablets!! Hoorah!! I bought some today and gave him 3 before bed (is that ok, have you given Amelia that many before? It does say to give 2-3 at a time, maybe I shouldnt' have given him so much since its the first time he's had them...I dunno). Thanks, I thought that video was pretty cute too...I loved how he giggled as he was doing it, and then he'd look at me. Gosh I could eat him sometimes! Shame you can't upload more pics...I'm sure there must be some way around it! Pffft...I really don't understand people who can't be honest. We're all in the same boat here, we all struggle, some more than others...but how much better is it to be honest about it? That girl from your work is just kidding herself, what goes around comes around I really believe.

Okies, nighty-night peeps. Me needs me beauty sleep! xx

Yay Beany! I haven't given Amelia 3 before, I usually give her 2 but 3 is ok, as long as it's only every 4 hours no less. They're natural so they won't hurt him. I hope they work for you like they do for me. Amelia has had red cheeks all day and her entire fist in her mouth poor thing.

Re that girl, well.............I've just been on FB trying to bite my tongue! She always complains about Australians - not bad considering she enjoys living here. Anyway, you know that accident in the city today?....well that was outside my work, I used to stand at that corner every day going to and from work and that's where I got my sushi for lunch from. Well, she made a comment on FB about it and one of her friends from back home sent a comment about Aussie women drivers being worse than British women drivers, then she put this big reply about how aussie drivers in general are the worst in the world and how she had someone smash into her when she first got here yada yada. So I wrote back and said, excuse me, I'm Aussie AND a woman and this guy has replied "no slight on Aussies, it's a good job they're 12,000 miles away!" What does he mean by slight Beany? Is that a slang saying from the UK as such? He's in Leeds I believe. Anyway, I found that so offensive and I'm so sick of her complaining about Aussies etc., I so had to bite my tongue from saying something. Sorry but that kind of thing really irks me, I think it's so rude to come into a country and then say crap like that all the time. She won't even watch free to air television (only Foxtel) because quote unquote, Australian tv is beep!

Hi Girls!

Beany - Glad you found the Hylands tablets and hope they help Michael. At least it gives you something else to use other than the Bonjella. That's great that you've found a play group. I've still got to do that, might talk to the other girls from my MG and see if they're keen.

Alison - Funny how you say that about MG being a hassle when it's at your place. I used to love it when MG was at my place, meant I didn't have to travel anywhere and be on time. The food, drinks and having the house clean never really bothered me. I also liked going to the other MG homes so I didn't have to worry about BF in public, was my baby crying, where do I change his nappy etc. The whole FB thing needs to be taken with a grain or two of salt. People seem to think they can say whatever they like on FB. Some people seem to want to start FB wars for entertainment. Honestly, unless it's directed at me personally by name, I ignore it. My Dad's a 10 pound Pom and my Mum's a refugee, they're both naturalised Aussies and proud to live here. I think I'm more than qualified to say that if your work 'friend' doesn't like it here she can go back! There's my rant :)
I'm still doing the 12 Week Challenge. It's the last week now and I have 900g to lose to make 10kg for the 12 weeks. You've only got a couple of kgs left haven't you? Come on Ali! We can do it!

Rose - That's great that Liam is still sleeping well!

Lani - Oh dear, poor Jett! Rose's suggestion of probiotics sounds like a good one. I know my boys always have a good big poo after eating yoghurt. My DS1 never liked bottles but would drink water with help from a tommy tipee soft spout cup, Woollies sells them. Or you could try the medicine measuring spoons that have the little reservoir. Putting extra water in his food is a good idea and you've already tried prune juice? I hope the extra space in his head turns out to be just extra space and nothing serious.

Carmey - Isn't life bliss when babies finally start sleeping and doing things at predictable times? How was Yum Cha? How's the running/triathalon training going? It's so cold here, I bought some running tights and gloves, but I'm hoping to get out and start jogging again soon.

BS - I saw the Queen on the news last night in NYC and they said it was 40 degrees (100F, wow!). Hope you and Eva are keeping cool somehow and you have an easy trip back home on the plane. Thanks so much again for all your email clothes advice and will keep you posted as I make my purchases :)

Willow - Haven't heard from you for ages, but see you on FB so just assume you're busy finishing the reno. Heh heh you know I'm going to invite myself over for a cuppa when it's finished don't you? ;)

Hannah - You're still in my heart and my thoughts. Hope you and your family are doing OK.

Kawa - Busy sewing? How's Maree doing?

Kanda - Back to normal after Tuscany? How are the girls?

Tilda - How's life in Sydney? Has Tilly settled in her cot again?

AFM - We're not due for another WW until 37 weeks, so I guess all the bubs are teething? Ryan was 9.5kg and 71cm at his 6-9 month check up on Tuesday. So unlike Craig, his weight hasn't stalled since starting solids. No sign of crawling here yet, but Ryan's sitting up well now. No mum mum mum or dadadada.
My 12 week challenge is almost over and I've nearly lost 10kg since the start! Looking forward to the new me now that I've got some new clothes (thanks to Brussels!) and got my hair coloured for the first time in 12 months.

Time to put Ryan down for his sleep. We were going to story time at the library, but I think we'll be too late for it today :(

Hi Suz - thanks, I only took that comment personally because she constantly makes them, not to mention DH reminded me last night that when we went to dinner with her and her husband and mutual friends a couple of months ago her DH sat at the table and said to a table full of Aussies that he finds us the most racist people in the world! Hmm, might have to remind her of that. Anyway, I'm going to distance myself from her, the thing is, she's made friends with 2 girls from her mums group who are also English and it sounds like they're the same so she's only going to get worse. It's sad because I have many English friends, one I have been friends with for 15 years and she has never once complained or bagged out the Australian way of life etc, in fact, she said she left England to get away from people like that.........so I know it's just her and her upbringing so I just put it down to her being an idiot lol. Re your weight loss, you've done so well, 10kgs is incredible Suz, I wish I had've been that motivated - I was for the first 3 kgs and then I just hit plateau and the only way I'm going to get rid of it is to put in more effort, I've got 3 kgs to go to be back to my pre pregnancy weight but I'd like to lose another kg on top of that before I fall pregnant again. It's mostly my stomach, I just have this roll of fat that makes me look like I'm still pregnant when it bloats, it's revolting ha ha! When I lie down my stomach is flat, if only I could lie down 24 hours a day lololol. Anyway, I'll just have to find something to get me properly motivated again and to stop eating chocolate. When I was working I was so good with my eating, breakfast, fruit mid morning, lunch (usually sushi), fruit for afternoon tea, then dinner. Now unless I'm out and about I pick all day and never eat a proper lunch - being home is too tempting, hence why I go out a lot lol. As for mums group, don't get me wrong, I don't physically mind having people here but just I'm the opposite to you and like to get out of the house most of the time, I also have my aqua group that comes here often as we take turns in hosting so it's nice to go to someone else's for a change, like Beany said, it's the cleaning up afterwards, sometimes the girls don't leave until 5.00 pm! Anyway, you get what I mean. hee hee

Oh and Dannii Minogue had a boy huh, I knew it, I had a feeling she was having a boy. Apparently she wanted a home birth but had to go to hospital with complications, do you reckon she had a c-section then? They haven't really said.

Hello all!

Alison - I hadn't heard of any accident in the city...I don't get to watch the news anymore as thats when we normally bath Michael! I miss watching the news. I don't really know what the guy meant by not "wanting to slight Australians", I havent' heard that expression before. Tho I did look up what slight meant, it did say "of little importance"...but that doesn't really seem to fit that context. Maybe Rose has a better idea...she's the literary one of us! Gees that woman sounds annoying!!! I dont' think I could stand working with her! OH well, leave her to her friends...as I said, what goes around comes around. She must have issues of her own. Silly of her to put something like that on fb tho, where obviously she'll have Australian readers too! Tsk tsk. :shakehead: My guess is she lost a bit of respect from her Australian friends after that!

Suz - woohoo! good on your for losing that weight! Thats just amazing! :clap:

AFM - just had the most lovely afternoon with one of the mums from my MG. I really liked her from when I first met her, more than any of the other mums. We have met just us two a couple of times now and its been really great, she's so lovely and I feel like I could talk to her for ever, which is rare for me. I hope the friendship continues!

Well, unfortunately the teething tablets weren't miracle worker I was hoping for :( Last night was same as night before. Its soooo odd...he wakes up at 8.50pm and 9.50pm EVERY night for the past 3 nights. Like, almost to the minute. Then he won't wake till about 1am, then its every 40 mins till about 3...then between then and 6am he might wake up once. So strange. I actually tried a different night time routine tonight...normally we bath him, dry & dress him in his room...then feed him with lights off in front of TV in lounge, then put him to bed. But tonight I didn't leave his room after his bath...I fed him on the floor and read ( or tried to read) 3 short books to him, then put him to bed. Can't say it got him off to sleep any quicker...I'm wondering if maybe I should have read to him, THEN fed him, rather than the other way around? Does anyone read to their bubs? When do you do it?

Also...how much is everyone feeding their bubs? I'm so worried about him overeating...honestly I do wonder if he would just keep eating if I offer it to him. He has never given me any sign of him being full and not wanting any more...should I just keep feeding him unti lhe does?? The most I have given him in one sitting is 2 large ice-cubes plus 3 small icecubes. Which prolly would have made about 4-5 tablespoons.

Sorry...I feel like I always ask the most dumbest, basic questions. :rolleyes:

Hi Beany - sorry the tabs didn't work, did you give them every 4 hours? I will get you some of the teething elixir and bring it next time we meet. Let's make that soon then. I'm so glad you found a friend at MG, I know I talk a lot but I'd love to be able to hang out with you more often, if only we didn't live at opposite ends of the freeway. You're right about the girl from work, another friend of mine who is also on her FB knows what she's like and she put a comment under everything just outrightly saying that it's very unfair to say that the driver was Australian and that she could've been any nationality. I think she realised then because she has sent me a couple of emails today and they've been kind of sucky ones, I haven't replied because right now I don't want to. I might say something I will regret ha ha. A simple apology for being so rude would be nice but she wouldn't do that. I should know by now this is what she's like and not let it get to me really. If anyone else said it I'd laugh but with her I know she means it so sincerely so that's why it bugs me so much. Anyhooooooooooo, who cares hey!

Re food for Michael, I wonder if I'm feeding Amelia enough, the mums group girls bubs seem to eat heaps more than her but she doesn't cry for more so I figure I'm giving her enough. Those icecube trays for baby food I give her 2 of those plus some fruit, either a bit of apple or pear and today she sucked on a bit of orange and loved it. Is that enough? For breakfast with her rice cereal she probably has 3 tablespoons maybe a bit more. Oh and she has rusks in between if she wants one and in the mornings she sucks on some of my toast. Yesterday at my sister's we had hot chips and I relented (thanks to my sisters) and gave her a couple to suck on and she loved them! But, how do I know if she's eating enough? She still doesn't always finish her bottles so I figure she's not going hungry! Is there a guideline to follow for food amounts? I know every baby's appetite is different but like you I want to make sure I don't under feed or over feed her. How hard is it!

Hi girls :)

beany - Liam's appetitie varies a lot - at the most he'll eat 3 or 4 tablespoons of dry cereal (mixed with water or milk) in the morning, 2 of the baby food trays cubes of fruit or veg (thickened with rice cereal if it's something watery) and *sometimes* a tablespoon or two of plain yoghurt mixed with fruit for lunch, and then 2-3 tablespoons of dry cereal mixed up for dinner. He'll usually have a rusk after dinner as well, just to placate him while we're eating. By contrast, my niece who's a month older is only eating a couple of tablespoons of cereal twice a day (she gets offered more, but rarely wants it). Maybe try giving Michael more, in case he's waking hungry at night? And randomly, if you ever want to chat online, I'm pretty much online on IM constantly :)

And using slight in that context means that she doesn't want to offend Australians :)

Alison - that girl sounds so damn annoying!

And we definitely need to catch up - maybe not Wednesday, but the Wednesday after?

AFM - I don't even know where to start. Some of you will have seen my enigmatic update on Facebook yesterday. I didn't want to go into any details there until the rest of the family knew. We just got bad news about my Dad - his cancer has metastasized again :( It's now in his lymph nodes, kidney and spine. He's still being offered treatment, it's just a huge blow, and makes everything much more difficult :( I just want him to be able to see his grandkids grow up :(

And Liam's developed a bit of weirdness this week. He's been waking hungry a couple of times a night again and has been really clingy the last few days. I don't mind the waking per se, because mostly he feeds and then goes straight back to sleep. Last night it was almost welcome to get up to him, since I was lying awake anyway. I'm hoping its just a growth spurt. No sign of teeth yet. He's also babbling like crazy - definitely saying Daddy now, and something like Mum :)

Hi Rose - oh mate I'm really sorry to hear about your dad, that is a major blow. What's the prognosis with the treatment? Sending my biggest :pray: wishes for his health and hope everything goes well. xx I'm glad you shared how much Liam eats because Amelia is eating pretty much the exact amounts so I feel better now. I was watching the girls at mums group yesterday and their bubs were eating way more than Amelia does, I did actually think a couple in particular were stuffing themselves. I guess some bubs have bigger and smaller appetites than others, just like us. I think while Amelia loves her food she's not what I would call a piggy, she's not even a fan of the chocolate custard or yoghurt, doesn't seem to have much of a sweet tooth yet - other than fruit. She loved orange yesterday, assuming it's ok to give it to them. The girls yesterday were handing out milk arrowroot biscuits which they love, I worry about the amount of sugar in them, I'm ok to do that for a treat but one of the babies had 3 in a row after eating a whole bowl of food plus a smaller bowl of yoghurt and fruit, hmmm ha ha. Needless to say they're all decent sized bubs so maybe that's why bahahaha.

Anyway, catching up in a couple of weeks sounds wonderful, sounds like you might need a good chat. Oh and we are heading into another wonder week, wonder week 37 can start anywhere from 32 which is coming up this week. Amelia has been fussing at night again, not too bad but still doing it, last night at 1.00 am she actually woke up, eyes open, luckily it didn't take long to settle her and it was without fuss but still. Also during the day she is sometimes having less sleep time, instead of 1.5 hours she's gone back to about 45-60 mins. Yesterday arvo she woke up after 30 mins, chatting down the monitor so I left her and 5 minutes later she'd gone back to sleep. She ended up having 2 hours all up so it goes to show sometimes they try it on don't they! Did you Perth girls hear the thunder this morning at 4.00 am? It was the loudest I've ever heard in my life and I can't believe Amelia didn't wake up!

Rose - oh I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad :( Is he undergoing chemo? You know, it really is amazing what the human body is capable of...he can recover from this, he can fight it - he has a lot to fight for, so he will. I remember when MIL was in hospital, there was this one guy who had had everything under the sun, so many different types of cancer...yet he fought off each one, with such a positive attitude. Its sooo important that you keep positive, not only for yourself but for your dad, it will help him immensely too. Sending big :hug:'s your way. Hopefully its just a growth spurt with Liam, sounds like it if he's starting to chat a bit more. Thats cool he's saying Daddy and Mum!! Michael is struggling with the 'm' sound, he does da and ba, but not ma. Boo. I actually did give him a bit more to eat for tea last night, it didn't really help tho :(

Alison - I could only really give them to him before bed, as each time I went to see him after he woke he'd be pretty much back to sleep again so I didn't want to wake him. Having said that, I gave him two tablets yesteray afternoon as he had been cranky, before I went out, and he was really good for the rest of the day! Haha, that silly girl, bet she's feeling guilty now!! I know, its so hard to know if they're eating enough. Its exciting trying all that new food isn't it? I haven't seen any guidelines as such, as to how much, the books just say to start with a few teaspoons. Hmm. I tried Michael with a bit of banana (after seeing Rose's video of Liam) and he loved it!!


Good morning everyone else! Hope you all had better nights than me!

AFM - Well, I thought things were going well when I woke at 2.45am to him crying....woo-hoo! I thought perhaps he's sleeping better now. But no. He then woke every 20 mins till about 4am, then slept till 4.45am, then was off and on till 5.15am when he decided it was time to get up. So, I've pretty much been awake since 2.45am, with one 40 min sleep. :( So tired. I get so down and impatient and frustrated and cranky when I dont' sleep well. Today is going to be tough. :( Plus DH is going out tonight so I'll be on bedtime duty. Its going to be a loooong day.

Oh, and remember how I said DH cousin got pregnant on first cycle IVF? She lost the baby at 6 weeks :( I feel so sorry for her. I'm not sure if they're trying for a 2nd time...she only has 1 fertilised egg left.

21st July sounds good to me for a catch up!

Hi Girls!

Rose - Sorry to hear about your Dad :hug: You say it's 'metastasized again'? I'm really reallyy sorry to hear. At least he's still being offered treatment. Sending lots of love and healing vibes to you, your Dad and your family. Well done to Liam with his talking! Ryan's just starting to babble. He's said something like 'Mum' twice, but won't repeat it. It's so cute when they start trying to communicate with us. I hope the night feeds are just a passing phase for Liam, or a growth spurt.

Beany - You poor love, you sound like you've got a long day ahead of you. I really hope Michael sleeps better tonight for you. Sorry to hear about your DH's cousin losing their IVF baby :( With food, I just got asked the same question by my work mate with the bub 2 weeks younger than Ryan...
"For breastfast he has 4 tblspns of Rafferty's cereal mixed with 3 ice cubes of breastmilk. Depending on how hungry he is when he wakes up, he either has a breastfeed before or after his cereal. Then at lunchtime, he eats up to a cup (250g, equiv to 2 small baby food jars) of plain yogurt and fruit, or pureed veggies, or custard and fruit, with a breastfeed after. He has another breastfeed on it's own around 4pm. Then dinner (same as lunch but I try to give him some meat, pureed pasta bolognaise, or pork steak with apple sauce), same amount as lunchtime. Then, bathtime, breastfeed and bed. "

Alison - Wasn't that accident in Perth scary? All bubs are different with food. Some don't really get the hang of solids until 8 months. Ryan's a total pig. Both my boys are big and Craig stopped gaining weight when he started solids, so I've been absolutely shovelling in as much food as Ryan will eat before he turns his head away.

AFM - Got both kids back up now, so I'll have to post and go. DH has been invited to a charity dinner on Sat and now I have to find a babysitter at short notice :(

Hello my lovelies! We've all be busy by the looks of it!

Suz - thanks v much for that food info. I think I'm safe to Michael a bit more then. I did 3.5 tbsp of rice cereal and an icecube of pear and he wolfed that down. Can I just ask how you prepare your meat? I tried Michael with some lamb, but I think its the texture he doesn't like. I couldn't puree it any finer than a mince, so it was quite lumpy. How do you do it?

Hope everyone is going well!

AFM - Michael has another cold :( This one is very different to the last. Last time he had a blocked/runny nose for 12 days. And that was it. This time, he had a runny/blocked nose yesterday, and now today it seems to have stopped running but is still a bit blocked. He is coughing a little bit too, so must keep an eye on that. but he's happy enough apart from that. Oh, he's also cutting 2 teeth...the two that have been moving up and down the past few weeks look like they're breaking through his gums. His sleeping has still been pretty bad, he has changed his wake-up time to 5.30am instead of his usual 6.30 :( Tho last night he only woke up at 9pm then 4am. So that was pretty good really!

Has anyone started thinking about the 1st bday party? My MIL said something like "oh, it will be his birthday soon, we'll have to make a cake". Hmm. That's ME who will be making the cake, thank you very much. But it got me thinking. I reeeeeally wanted to do an owl theme, but DH turned his nose up at that. So we're thinking maybe a farm theme and I'll make a tractor cake! I'm getting a bit excited!

Miserable weather here in Perth, so will spend yet another day cooped up at home. So boring. And its boring for Michael too...he plays with the same boring toys, does the same stuff. Poor thing.

Hope everone else is having better weather than us!

Hi Beany - OMG how awful is this weather! We lost our power again yesterday, same problem as the other week so this time they got a big generator out while they fixed it, problem was it was park out the front of our house until 1.00 am this morning and was very noisy! Didn't stop me from sleeping though so that was lucky. I'm keen to know how to do meats as well, I've managed to puree mince in my Bamix but I haven't tried anything else, she won't eat anything too lumpy yet, is that the same as Michael? Like him I think it's the texture Amelia doesn't like/isn't used to. I gave her some vanilla custard yesterday for the first time with some pureed pear and she woofed it down! I'm not sure how often you should give it, is it really a treat food? Sorry to hear he has another cold, I'm dreading Amelia getting another cold, that last one was terrible and we got NO sleep that week, she's had 2 already this year. I think she's also teething with the top two, she's rubbing the top of her mouth with her tongue and also shoving her fist in again. This morning I gave her a rusk and she kept crying everytime she put it in her mouth so it must have been hurting. As for the birthday thing, I hate to admit it but yes I have been thinking about it already lol! I was always going to do a Hello Kitty theme as I love Hello Kitty and it's so girlie but she is so into the cartoon Waybuloo that I'm going to do that as a theme, she gets so excited when the cartoon comes on and she has a toy and some books with them and loves them. So that's settled, Waybuloo theme for us. I would love to give the cake a go but still deciding on that one, a girl I know who is an at home mum is a fantastic cake maker and has just started to do them for other people - she has just finished some for a friend doing Sesame Street characters, she did a big Elmo and cupcakes of Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Grouch and they are amazing! She has 3 young kids and I think needs the money so I might just give her a little job to do and attempt a cake next year. Still haven't decided that one yet. Of course I'll do everything else myself. But for Michael's, what's wrong with an owl theme lol? Although a farm animal theme is very cute too and pretty cool for a boy. You can probably have a bit more fun with that for decorations etc. It's going to be fun isn't it.....funny you mentioned your MIL's comment about it though, my MIL just said this morning when she was here and the cartoon came on that I am going to have it as a theme for her birthday as she loves it so much, and her response was, oh, who's going to do all that organising and I said, me of course! So, I got in quick, she's welcome to help make food but I'm not having her take over the rest of the stuff. What is it with MIL's!!!!! :doh: Anyway, I think all our bubs will be spoilt this year either way! I can't wait! :leap: Oh and we have lots of new sounds this week, ooh ooh ooh and aah aah aah (like she's singing), it's so cute.

Hope everyone is well and had lovely weekends. xx

To you Rose, so sorry to hear your Dad is unwell. Boy we seam to really all get our fair share of it in here don’t we. Big Big Big Hugs matey. We are all thinking of you and hoping he gets strong and better.

Alison… I have never had a MG at my house either, although the reason is because our house is to tiny for 2year olds to run around in ;) With our group though there is usually someone who brings chips, someone who brings dips ect ect.. All the host usually does is make tea!. It’s so cold at the moment though that I hate taking my two girls to parks to meet up, it’s also quite tricky looking after Sienna and run after Lila.(she is getting quite nimble and fast on her little feet!)

Beany, you must be so tired you poor thing. It’s so hard when they wake all the time. Lila was waking up every hour to two hours when she was 7 months old as well. It does get better I promise… She is 2 and a half and goes down at 7 and up at seven… the only peeps I hear are her talking in her sleep! How time changes things!
At the moment I have been giving Sienna solids at 5pm, a bath from 6 to 6:15 then a breastfeed from 6:30 (and I don’t let her dose off) then I read her a couple of books and put her into bed with some vocal cues… “nigh nigh, time for sleep, Mummy and Daddy Love you” and I say that 3 or 4 times then turn and leave the room and close the door. If she pipes up – which she would do 80% of the time I just go in there again and do it all again (the “nigh nigh, time for sleep, Mummy and Daddy Love you” bit) and she is learning that pattern and those vocal cues.
If she wakes up before she should in the morning or any other sleep I make sure she has some playtime in her cot, I just chuck in a whole lot of toys in there and she stays babbling away for another 20 mins… (That’s so she doesn’t build a bad relationship with being in there)

:dance:Suzi, you are MY HERO! 11kg’s and your hair dyed AND 2 kiddies. You are super woman. Congratulations!!!!!:dance:


Guys, if your bub’s are happy and chubby... they are getting all the food they need. If you find they want more food they will let you know. Sienna today has really gone off her food. She didn’t want much breakfast at all and it took so long to get a decent amount of lunch into her, maybe she is getting some teeth, yet if I do not feed her enough she really gulps down the milk!!!

AFM I am officially back at work. EEEEWWWW!. I am doing 4 days a week and have brilliant hours…2 – 7:30pm so roughly 22 hours a week. ( I am working on Today Tonight this time…yea, that GrEaT Current affairs show..ha ha… so if you know any shonky builders!........

I am worried about my milk supply though. Sienna will be missing out her 3pm and 6:30 feeds. I dont know weather I should ask if I can express somewhere here at work as I am worried that it will all dry up!...She also seamed really constipated this morning and her number 2's were quite chunky, does anyone know if this can be because of formula or even the type of formula?, eg too much lactose?


xoxoxo Kath

Hi Kanda - yay! Well done on going back to work and scoring good hours. Today Tonight huh....well firstly my hubby is a builder but I promise he's not shonky and secondly, one my good friends from high school days brother is a reporter on Today Tonight here in Perth, Mark Gibson - he used to work for Channel 7 in Sydney so you may have heard of him. I grew up with him, he's a funny buggar. As for Sienne's poos, Amelia is a FF baby and has never been chocked up but maybe it is because she's not used to it, formula is a lot thicker than breast milk. Which one are you using? You may need to try a different brand, I use Naan HA Gold.

Hey everyone! Back from NYC and majoprly jet lagged - Eva fell asleep at like 2am last night and woke up to feed at 8 then fussed majorly and is back down now until I don't know when - I have a huge pile of stuff to wash and repack for departure thursday...I am not so motivated but the next trip will be more restful.

I won't do persies just an update, sorry girls for my lack of direct replies, mushy brain I say :)

The flight over was the worst experience of my life - I ended up crying in the bathroom four hours into it - I flew alone, they gave the infant bed to another couple, and I was alone, so I had to use the bathroom with Eva on my lap and did not eat anything in 8 hours! The flight attendants were awful and I ended up next to an old obese handicapped woman who was super nice but could not help mle with anything or get up to let me out so I was stepping over her each time I had to go change Eva...I ended up just leaving Eva on the floor in between my legs (I won't even tell you how that made my skin crawl) because she could no longer stand being seated on my lap - she dozed off for about 1.5 hours in two naps during the whole 8 hours and was super energetic the rest of the flight since it was her daytime...Worst flight EVER! I am never doing it again. Everrrrrrrrrrr! For the flight back I went to check in 6 hours before to be sure I get the bed and they said it had already been reserved so I went to the gate and begged and said I was alone and they gave me the bed, thank god! So the flight back she ate and slept the whole way so I got some rest at least...she woke up half an hour before and was eating at landing so that flight was easy...

NY was not so great this time around - I never go in the summer since the heat in the city is notorious but since my mother insisted I did it this time - Eva was miserable in the 100 degree heat - the lowest temp we had was about 95 during our stay! She could not settle well and I could not keep her out much since it was just too hot! I got into a huge fight with my mother who flew me out because she said she misses us so much but then never came home from work early (never mind that she did not take any days off) - then left for three days in the middle of our stay to go work in another city! I was so angry because she got mad that I went to stay with friends last time and stayed at my parents' the whole ten days this time but they live far from everything so I was stuck a lot since I could not just go out for a walk to grab coffee or stuff like that...When she left to work I packed my stuff and left without telling her. I was so angry I could not process it. Don't call me and get me a ticket to come ALONE in a heatwave to sit in your house then make no time for us! My moither means well but is a workaholic and has no sense of quality time! I just lost my sh** and I am not the kind of person that should be pushed over the line - I am super understanding about all things and can see other point of vues and all that but this was really the final straw. And when I get mad it isn't pretty.

Since getting pregnant I have been talking to her about spending more time, if not with me then with Eva at least since we live far away...I have tried numerous times to explain how important this is to me and she just does not care - I know I cannot change my parents, but seriously...Even my dad had no words for her and when I left he was super sad but he understood. I will not be going back to ny until one of my siblings get their own place. I feel bad coming and staying with friends but if I go stay with siblings, my parents should be less angry. MY brother is planning a move soon and my sister has just gotten back on track with work and putting money aside since returning from her year of travelling, so they should be moved in in the fall...if it takes longer, so be it. And I will never fly again alone until Eva is old enough to stay in her seat alone...

Anyway, I am happy to be back home...it was super nice tyo have the new iphone too since DH and I put in tons of facetime so he got to see Eva every day on video chat :)

I am looking forward to our trip to the south, with the ILs who totally get quality time, and will be with us the whole time and will prob help me out enormously with eva...I can't tell you how hard it is to get over jet lag when no one is there to help out with the baby...you would think my mother would try to do that but no, she is too tired from work. This is why I insist on working but not too much - It is in my genes to work too much and I can def get caught up in it, but I suffered so much with my mother never being around that I told DH I woul dnever put Eva through that. I know everything I have is because my parents work, but still...you can't work until you drop dead.

Ok, so I miss you all and will try to be on a bit and post tons of pics from the next trip...

Oh and during our trip in nyc Eva started waving at people ! cutest thing EVER - I'll posty a vid when I can - she just waves at everyone! She also started sticking out her tongue and blowing, less elegant but so cute too. She get to sitting position once in a while too but no xcrawling or teeth yet, although she is advancing now commando style more often than before. She spends a lot of time in downwards facing dog with her bum high in the air!

Lani, glad to hear Jett isok. I was worried about that.

off to do laundry and repack!

xoxo

Hi BS - wow, I'm so sorry for your trip that sounds like an absolute nightmare! Fancy the airline giving the seat to someone else knowing you were alone, that's disgusting and I hope you are going to complain! I think you're amazing for even giving it a go, I hate flying with someone let alone on my own with a baby. I'm glad it was better on the way back though. As for your mum, excuse me here but WTF!! Are you serious? Mate I would be completely livid with my mum if she did that to me, sorry, I know it's your mum but that's just not cricket (sorry, a phrase we use here) - it means that's not on! Have you heard from her since you left without saying goodbye? I can't believe she took off for 3 days in the middle of your stay, that's just so sad for you guys and her really as she doesn't get to see you or Eva very often. My mum lives a couple of hours down south and she hangs out for when we go down to our holiday house (which is in the same town). When she came up to Perth a couple of weeks ago I saw her every day. My MIL is a workaholic, the whole family are actually, it's something I've spent the last 6 years trying to teach DH to slow down.........they know no different and he's definitely been 100% better since Amelia was born. I know work brings in the money but money isn't everything sometimes, our babies are growing so fast we need to cherish very moment. Hence why I'm not really keen to go back to work, I've been doing it for 20 years, I think it's time to spend time with my daughter now. But that's just me - I still haven't completely decided but the more I think about leaving her for work the less enthusiastic I am to go back. So where abouts are you headed with the inlaws this week? Sounds like it's going to be a much nicer holiday for you, so have fun beautiful!

Well girls, it's stormy and horrible in Perth today but I'm still making myself go to Zumba, how good am I! I hope I can move tomorrow, something tells me I'm going to be very sore, I'm so unfit!!!!! hee hee

Alsion, you don't have to apologize, I said less nice things about her after the whole incident :) I went back to my parents for dinner fri and lunch sat before leaving. I left to sleep elsewhere without saying goodbye but I am not going to punish my father for my mother's behavior. At dinner and lunch she was pretty quiet...In fact the two meals meals were amongst the quietest in our household history - we are a loud family :) I think she felt bad. She did not talk about the issue though. So she did see us and was very loving and all with Eva until the moment we left - she also hugged me goodbye and said she loved me so I think she feels bad but just does not know how to stop herself or admit she was wrong out loud - right now I just can't be bothered with this. I'll deal with her later if I have to. She is also going through menopause at the mo which makes her slightly more difficult so I aml hoping this ends eventually.

Whatever, I was happy to be with my siblings and friends, the trip was not all bad :)

Got some vids up on fb from the trip!

Hey Brussels, Just want to say that traveling on planes changes every time you fly.... We flew from Sydney to Rome (over 31 hours travelling door to door) and kids do find it hard. Maybe if you had had a better experience with your mum it would have seamed worth it? We always make sure we get a bassinette confirmed too when we book the flight. ALSO bassinettes can be a real bugger too sometimes, especially if there is lots of turbulance. They usually make you get them out as soon as the seat belt light goes on, and that is so painful after you spent over an hour trying to get them to sleep. I'm amazed the hosties were bad, who did you fly with? maybe you should make a little complaint to the airline. They should at least have held Eva while you went to the bathroom!. ..Just don't let it stop you from going. I'm sure Eva had a ball when she was there..

Alison, yep work really bites when you think about your kiddies at home and what your missing... I feel terrible right now...i miss them so much. I am at home now but the first thing I did tonight when i got home was feed Sienna and just stare at her. I also get DH to send me photos while I am at work :)

BS - Argh, that flight just sounds awful :( I'm with kanda, I think you should lodge a complaint about the hosties not helping you out at all.

Alison - You're game going out in this weather! Though it seems to have quietened down a bit now, at least.

And just a random - with people talking about bubs taking a lot of solids at this stage (in MG, I think it was) - are the mothers actively trying to wean the bubs? That kind of worries me, since bubs right now should still be getting most of their nutrition from breastmilk or formula (which are both far more calorically dense than solids). Bubs aren't supposed to be dependent on solids for nutrition until they're one - right now, it's just getting them used to taste and textures more than anything else.

AFM:

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts re Dad. It just seems never ending - he was initially diagnosed five and a half years ago with colon cancer, and has been in treatment pretty much ever since. This is now the third metastasis I think. But he's going back for more treatment in a couple of weeks, so we're hoping it's going to knock it all out.

Liam's been off his solids for the last few days and a bit warm today (but nothing serious), I'm thinking that there could be teeth involved. It's well due time for him to be getting them, based on when I and DH cut our first teeth. I think he's really getting to the point where he's getting frustrated with being spoon fed, too. I actually never intended to do much spoon feeding, but I've ended up doing it anyway. Bah, time for some baby led weaning, I think :) I haven't given him any dairy other than yoghurt yet (since anything other than yoghurt or cheese is contraindicated before a year) and I'm not even going to look at meat for another few months. But I need to start getting him onto some other textures at least.

And he is *almost* crawling. I'm kind of hoping that he stays the way he is for a bit longer after seeing my niece last week - within a few days she went from where Liam is to crawling really fast and pulling to stand. She gets into everything!

Hi Girls!

Kanda - Aw shucks :redface: thanks. My house is a pigsty and the laundry is piling up, but hey, no one's perfect :) I feel for you being back at work, but those hours aren't bad. Does it take you long to express? If you're pretty quick, I'd definitely ask if you can and put it in the fridge at work (if no one minds). Hopefully they have somewhere private that's nicer than the toilets, maybe someone can let you use their office or a conference room?

Brussels - Oh dear, what an awful flight! :hug: I'm so sorry you had to go through that. And on top of it how your Mum acted after insisting you visit and flying you there, and then not taking any time off! I'd be angry too. Have to check out your FB vids now, how cute is it that Eva's waving?! I'm glad the trip wasn't all bad. Your trip to the South of France should be fabulous by comparison!

Alison - How cr*p is it that you keep losing your power? I hope it's back to stay now. Waybuloo will be a cute theme for Amelia's 1st birthday. Maybe you can even organise some of it well in advance so it's not too frantic when her birthday gets close? Hope you enjoy Zumba tonight, it looks like fun!

Beany - What's wrong with Owls? I did a 'number 1' cake for Craig's 1st birthday party Suzi Murray's Photos | Facebook and a racing car for his actual birthday at home http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1516286427. For his 2nd birthday I did a number 2 shaped cake iced like a train track with a thomas the tank engine toy on the tracks Suzi Murray's Photos | Facebook . The Women's Weekly kid's birthday cake books are great for inspiration and instructions, that's what I used.
With the solids, Ryan doesn't eat that much everyday, that's just an idea of what he'll eat when he decides he really wants to. With the meat, I puree it with lots of veg and add water to get the right consistency. There's probably only 1 tablespoon of meat and then at least 3 tablespoons of veggies. The other day Ryan had mashed sweet potato with a tablespoon of tuna and sweet corn mixed in, but he's happy eating pretty lumpy food already. We started off using a bamix on pasta (wholemeal) bolognaise and adding a bit of water to get it thin enough. Does Michael eat any finger foods? You could try giving him a piece of steak for him to hold and chew on. He's unlikely to bite any big pieces off and if he's teething he'll probably really enjoy it.

Rose - I really hope that this round of treatment does the trick for your Dad. It must be exhausting for all of you to keep having to go round on the treatment merry-go-round with him, not to mention how your Dad is coping.
You're absolutely right about this just being a learning period about solids. Ryan is very clear with when he wants solids and when he wants BF, in fact he's had both a phase of breast refusal and mostly solids, and a phase of mostly BF and hardly any solids. I just go with whatever he wants and however much he wants of it. In fact, I'm paranoid about him not getting enough milk so I make his cereal with EBM to try and squeeze that extra bit in.

AFM - Better go to bed! I said I would go to bed before midnight and here I am still typing!

Hello!

BS - Welcome back! Gosh, what a harrowing experience that flight sounded like. But you got through it...what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, yes? Sorry to hear about your time (or lack of it) with your mum. Thats so sad. Maybe now you have gone back she'll realise and might make a bit more effort next time. I used to be a workaholic too...in job a few years ago everyone worked late and didn't take breaks, I just followed their lead. But now I am out of that environment it is sooo obvious to me that you should work to live, not live to work. You don't want to reach 50 and look back to a life spent 90% at work! No thanks! I hope you have a more relaxing enjoyable trip to the south.

Alison - Gosh, you've had a rough trot with your power lately, haven't you? Its amazing how you realise how much you rely on it when you have a little one to look after! Yeah, Michael isn't keen on lumps yet either. Tho, having said that, he did eat a bit of fork-mashed banana yesterday which was lumpier than his normal stuff. I haven't heard of Waybuloo...I'll have to look it up! Great idea to do something she's interested in! Michael isn't interested in anything at the mo unless it fits in his mouth! :lol: I have had a rethink and might save the farm theme for another year. I think I might not have a theme, just a few smaller themes. I"m gonna get my owls in some how!! Even if its just on the invites (Etsy has gorgeous owl invites - do you have problems with their website? It keeps crashing on me. I'd have spent a fortune by now if it didn't keep crashing!). Yes, strange how MIL's are. I'm in a difficult situation since mine is very sick so I feel obliged to do whatever pleases her, but I need to draw the line somewhere. I sacrificed my first Mothers Day for her, which I am still quite bitter about. Its like they feel its their baby all over again, don't you reckon? And they want to be just as involved as when they had their own. Thast great Amelia is making more sounds! Michael seems to have haulted all development lately, I think he's focusing on his cold and his teeth. Fair enough!

Kanda - Oh thank you, thats great to hear positive stories like that. That you've been through the frequent waking and its all ok now. Gives me some hope! Thats excellent you got good hours going back to work! And I think you should def try and express if you can. I'm sure they wouldn't say no, its just a matter of finding somewhere discreet to do it.

Rose - I know how you feel. My MIL has been sick for nearly 2 years (leukaemia), its been so hard cos its never really "gone away", there's always that risk that it comes back, and it has and at the moment she is struggling to recover from it. Its exhausting for everyone, trying to be positive, waiting week to week for test results, visiting as much as everyone can to keep her spirits up. Its not a nice situation and I completely sympathise. I hope Liam feels better soon, hopefully its just his teeth. Why do they have to cause them so much pain?? :(

Suz - WOWEEEE! You ARE wonderwoman! Those cakes look fantastic! Thats what I'm thinking now, a number 1 cake that I'll just decorate nice. Haha...I've never actually made a cake before, so that will be interesting! Will try and do some practise runs beforehand. DH thought owls were too girly :( But I dont' care, they'll be there in some form...I'll make sure of it!! I have to say I haven't really tried him withi many finger foods. Only banana a couple of times whicih I think frustrates him because it gets all slippy and mushy and he struggles to eat it. And rusks. I'll hae to try him with some more.

AFM - would you believe that Michael's sleep is actually getting better even with his cold? He woke up once last night. ONCE. At 4am. He was up at 5.45ish so I guess thats not too bad either...better than 5.15. BUT typical...first the friggin doorbell went off about 10pm while we were in bed - we just bought a new one but I think the neighbours car buttons keep sending it off. Then DH gets a stupid work call at 1.30am which went till nearly 2am. So, still didn't get the best night's sleep.

His cold is worse today, heaps of snot and coughing a lot more. It was wierd yesterday, he woke up after 30 mins of his afternoon sleep crying. He kept crying and crying, which he never does. I tried to calm him by picking him up, patting him on the bum and 'shhh-ing'. I had to do it a few times as each time I put him back down he's start crying again. He never cries so I was panicking a bit. But eventually he went back to sleep and didn't wake up till 4.10pm!!!!! He has never slept that late! Poor monkey must have been so tired.

Oooh, looks like nicer weather here in Perth today! Would be lovely to go for a walk...not sure if I should tho with Michael sick, and now me coming down with it too. Soo sick of staying at home!!

Hi girls, just a quick hello:hello:

Rose Sorry to hear about your dad, hope the treatment is successful :crossfingers::goodluck:

Lani Poor Jett:( I hope he's feeling and pooing better very soon!

BS Sorry your time with you mum and that flight were so crap!

I've only had a quick skim through the posts so I'm not really caught up yet. Been busy with the never ending renovation, and all that keeps going wrong grrrr... but nearly there , I hope!

Beany I sympathise with the frequent waking!!!!! Is Michael sleeping much through the day? Does he play on his own for a while when he's up? Harry's still waking every hour or two, sometimes even more often. Now he won't sleep through the day unless I'm holding him, and when he's awake he won't amuse himself at all, if I'm not sitting with him he cries, even if I'm in the room but a few meters away he'll cry:wall: He has become a serious velcro baby!!! I've been a bit beside myself the last few weeks :( I'm typing this with one hand because he won't sleep unless I'm holding him.

He did cut a tooth on Saturday which could explain the extra clingyness, actually I'm calling it a fang, it's the top right incisor but not the middle one the next one, so the one next to where the canine would be, so with none on the bottom it really looks like a fang and it looks like it's partner on the other side will be next so he will really look like he has fangs lol

Well my arms are getting tired so I might take us off to bed, hopfully I'll get on again soon to catch up properly.

Hi to all mums and bubs:angelic::hello:

Hi girls!

Lani - Saw your FB status. I hope everything is okay.

Rose - So sorry to hear about your Dad. Praying that the next round of treatment works. Thanks for mentioning Gill Rapley's book. I'm so much more relaxed about solids after reading it.

beany - I hope Michael gets over his cold soon but that his sleeping continues to improve. I hope you get some rest too.

BS - What an awful flight you had! And all that so that your mum could go to work and continue her life as normal :hug: Your trip to the south of france sounds like a great way to recover. Enjoy!

kanda - Well done on the return to work. I'm pretty sure that employers are legally obligated to provide the time and somewhere private to express (not the toilets). That's something I'm going to have to figure out when I go back to work next week too.

willow - In the Wonder Weeks, they talk about babies getting clingy around 30 weeks as they realise they have little control over the distance between themselves and their mummy. Playing peek-a-boo games, reassuring them as you walk away and talking to them from the next room are all supposed to help them adjust to this idea. I'm sure he'll settle down once he understands that you will come back. Plus, the renos and your stress levels are probably affecting him too. I hope its not too much longer until things settle down for you.

suz - Well done on losing 11kgs :clap: Thanks for always thinking of me.

Alison - I can't believe you're thinking about Amelia's birthday party already. I'll have to check out Waybuloo...I need to get up to date with all the current kids programmes at some point I guess. Although, Amelia did seem to be enjoying Pengoo yesterday...couldn't take her eyes of the screen.

AFM - Things have been pretty busy here. After 9 weeks of 3-4 hours sleep a day, we are now sleeping at night time. We are co-sleeping again. I think Amelia likes to sleep hot and if she's in with us then I have a better idea of knowing if she's too hot. Now that I have finally mastered feeding lying down, I don't even have to get up to feed her. I just have to shut out all those people warning me I'm creating a rod for my own back. I'm returning to work next week, so as long as we all get sleep, we're all much happier.

Amelia is coming along in leaps and bounds. She's getting up on her hands and knees and into downward facing dog quite a bit now. She still mostly travels backwards, but is getting good at circles so can use that to get where she wants. Her favourite activity is pulling the laundry off the clothes horse in the lounge room. She is also talking a lot and making loads of new sounds. Her favourite at the moment is 'f' or 'v'. I'm not sure if she's making that sound deliberately (due to my strong reaction the first time she said 'fa' - un oh!) or if she's trying to blow. Either way, it's pretty darn cute! Amelia will also stand while we hold onto her hands. She's even adventurous enough to take one hand away. Of course, she always falls over at this point, but it doesn't stop her from trying again. When she's had enough standing, she open her mouth and let go to give me a big kiss on the cheek.

I noticed there was a bit of discussion about feeding meat. I give Amelia all her fruit, vegies and meat as finger food. Apparently, it is good for them to suck on meat. They don't need the protein at this stage but by sucking on it they get the iron they need from the juices. Amelia spent almost an hour sucking on a piece the other night. She loves it!

As for me, I delayed my return to work for a couple of weeks so will be starting on Monday. It'll be a bit of a juggling act as Amelia won't start care until August.

Okay gotta go...Amelia's awake

Hi everyone. I'm sooooooo behind, but will do my best to say hi to everyone.

Rose - my heart sank to hear about your dad. But he sounds like a fighter so I've got all my fingers and toes crossed for you on this next treatment.

Beany - Poor Michael with his stuffed up nose. My mum made an owl cake for my sixth birthday and used flakes as the feathers. It was really cute. And hey that's great that a new playgroup is being set up at the church. It's such a good way to meet people and the bubs love all the action.

BS - What a horror flight!!! And then to get to NY not to even really see your mum. I would have been p*%"&$*# too. I hope your leaving like you did gives your mum makes your mum pause to think. They are babies for such a short, short time and you never get it back.

Alison - Matilda is eating around the same amount as Amelia I think. Not huge amounts. But I was a bit embarrassed yesterday when I was at a friend's and I gave Matilda some of her Rafferty's baby food and she really woofed it down. I don't think I've been pureeing her food enough. My MIL made one of those comments "through the baby" like "we like some texture in our food don't we?" when I avoided a big clump of carrot and so I wondered if I was "sheltering" her too much. But no, she doesn't like chunky food. I really should know better than to let me MIL get to me. And good on you for coming back so quickly on the birthday organising comment!!

Suz - well done on losing all that weight!!!

Kanda - It sounds like fun being back at work. I'd express if you're worried about your supply. But if you're giving formula feeds for those feeds anyway it probably wouldn't matter if your boobs adjusted to not giving a 3 and 6 feed. Your comment about Lila's sleep gives me hope...

Willow - great to see you. I hope your dream house materialises real soon! And I think Matilda and Harry sound like kindred spirits. Do you think you'll try any type of self-settling strategies with him? I'm like you and hate the idea and absolutely hate listening to Matilda cry. But I think there comes a point where you actually can't sustain it anymore for your own sanity. And I don't use the word sanity casually - I use it medically LOL. If you feel like you need to talk to someone going through the same thing let me know and I'll send you my number. I know how isolating it can feel.

Hi to everyone else checking in and who has absolutely no time to post (which I can relate to).

AFM - Sorry I've been MIA. Life in Sydney is a lot busier than Hobart and Matilda's sleep never really went back to normal after the cot change so I've been pretty sleep deprived. There were nights where I lost count how many times she woke up because there would be a couple of hourse where she'd only sleep for 10 minutes at a time unless I got up and let her sleep on me in the glider. It got to the point where we got Karitane in for a home visit. Like I was saying to Willow, I've really resisted any sleep solutions involving crying, but I was getting pretty desperate and actually started to feel that the disturbed sleep wasn't doing Matilada any good either. The nurse was lovely. But she tried to do a settle with us (emphasis on 'tried') which went pretty horribly. Matilda was so confused about why this complete stranger was in her bedroom. We gave up because Matilda (and I) were pretty distressed. Both Matilda and I were in tears and there were no signs of calmer waters on the horizon. But I gave it a go on my own and I was surprised at how well it went. I got her down with 5 minutes of grizzly crying and hands on comforting for her two day sleeps. But the night wasn't so easy and I have to admit to caving. But I had this weird feeling she wasn't 100% and I didn't want to push her. Sure enough the following night (after getting a clear bill of health from the doctor) she came down with an awful, snotty cold with a hacking cough which I proceeded to get a couple of days later. So all sleep stuff went on hold. But despite getting sick her night sleeps have been improving. She's not insisting on being cuddled ALL night. So I'm getting some 2 and 3 hour stretches of sleep. I can't believe what a difference this makes. And I can't believe that I think 2 hours of sleep is good going! But she's still only taking brief 30 minute naps during the day. And unfortunately in the last week separation anxiety has kicked in real bad. You would think someone was trying to murder her if I leave the room- even if I'm in her line of sight. There seems to be a critical distance of about 3 or 4 meters after which its just not on mum. And a lot of the time, full body contact is all that will do!! I know my family think its because I've "killed her with kindness", but I really think its just that developmental thing combined with personality. I think she's actually got quite an independent spirit but needs to feel very connected at the same time. And I can sort of relate because I think she probably gets it from me. I LOVE having my loved ones around. Even if we're not talking or touching, I love having DH in the same room reading or doing what ever it is. And while the separation anxiety is frustrating,all the very deliberate adoring cuddles and smiles and giggles that come along with it melt my heart. And its so exciting seeing her pull herself up on her own and move about and explore. I'm trying to psych myself up to do the self settling again when she's properly thrown this cough. Maybe I make too much of it. I joined a mother's group for the first time on Monday in Sydney and most of them seemed to have gone through the same frequent waking pattern around the 6 month mark and casually said "yeah, we had to do a bit of controlled cyring and now he's sleeping through". The mothers group seem really nice. I'm actually really liking Bondi and it will be tricky to leave now. We're looking at a place in Balmain on Saturday but bow I know a few people around here I'm worried it will be more difficult to meet people in Balmain. And with babies you really need to make local friends, don't you.

Hello all!

Willow - Michael has just started to sleep quite well during the day in the past week. Before that he'd get 2 40 min sleeps max. For the moment he seems quite happy to play on his own, however I am noticing separation anxiety may be creeping in...so I'm sure that will change soon. Gosh, that must be hard if he will only sleep in your arms. I really hope things have improved for you since you posted, you must be exhausted with all the reno's going on as well...:hug:

Hannah - great to hear from you! So glad to hear the sleeping is getting better. Sounds like she's really coming along! I'm sure she'll be crawling in no time! how are you going now you're back at work? I've got just under 2 months left till I go back :(

Tilda - great to hear from you too! Michael is starting to do the same thing, with me leaving the room. Last night putting him to bed was just awful :( He was really crying hard, which he never does, so I went in to see him and try and comfort him, but every time I left him he'd cry harder so I decided I wouldnt' go in...so all up he was crying his heart out for nearly 40 minutes before he eventually fell asleep :( I hope she is over her cold...its awful when they're sick :( Sounds like you have a good mothers group there, great idea to join one. Sorry to hear the home visit didn't go too well...its hard when its someone else trying to put them to sleep. Hopefully you picked up some stuff to try...how is it going now?

Hope everyone else is going well!

AFM - Michael seems to finally be getting over his cold. Snot levels have dropped dramatically. He had such a blocked nose that I didnt' bother giving him the dummy since he would get upset and frustrated that he couldnt' suck on it. I then thought perhaps its a good time to try and wean him off it, since its been nearly 4 days without it, so we're just seeing how it goes. So far so good. Its scary not having that as an option when he won't go to sleep. Plus he doesn't respond to any patting/rocking, he just sees that as me playing with him. Hmm...we'll see.

Separation anxiety is kicking in, seems to get worse later in the day. I had to just let him cry last night, as every time I went in to see him he cried even harder when I left. What the heck do you do in that situation? I can't soothe him to sleep myself, so what is the point in me going in if it only makes him cry more when I leave? And I hate to hear him cry so hard, I just dont' know what to do :(

Hey everyone! Quickie from iPhone

Eva turned 8 months yesterday!!!!

On vacation and having a great time and resting well! Eva loves the sea the pool the sun and is eating solids wonderfully ! Go figure I bought jarred organic babyfood as backup and she lovvvves it - half a large jar of veggies and a full serving of fruit a day - she has cereal for her mid morning meal and drinks tons of water - the sea air aims to be doing her good!

She has started advancing a lot and is reaching tons of stuff - she crawls a bit on all fours but not fully mobile - started clicking her tongue yesterday and scrunches up her face in a little grimace that she has discovered quite often - I think she has begun testing her limits and cries to see how I react but I look at her and go Eva stop that and she usually does - it's pretty funny :)

Otherwise all is well - am taking tons of great pics that I'll post when I get home - sorry for no persies but hard to scroll up and down on my phone!

As for separation anxiety she won't let me out of her sight for some time now but I'll fill you guys in on that later!

Xoxo

Ps -DH and I have been discussing it and we might be back to ttc as soon as sept! This is between us bb girls obviously :) we are not telling anyone.

Tilda - I hope Matilda is on the mend. And you too! I hope her sleep settles down. It may be an extension of the separation anxiety. Amelia is having that too. She's quite happy to play on her own, but frequently looks up to make sure I'm there. I love the smiles I get when our eyes meet. Whenever I walk out of the room or out of sight, I just continue talking to her so that she knows I'm nearby and am coming back. If she looks like she's going to be a big fuss, I'll pause in the doorway, explain where I'm going and why, then walk out while continuing to talk.

beany - I'm actually enjoying being back at work, thanks (see below). Glad Michael is over his cold. I hope his sleep gets better now. Is DH able to settle him at night? If you're feeling tense Michael might be picking up on it and unable to relax himself. I think that's what happens with Amelia. It's so frustrating when DH takes her and she'll put his head on his shoulder and eventually go to sleep.

BS - 8 months wow! The time certainly has flown by. 8 months of pregnancy seemed so looong. Glad you're enjoying the south of france. TTC#2 that soon?! Good luck.

:hello: to everyone else :grouphug:

AFM - Being back at work isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm working on the same project I was doing before mat leave (thanks to my replacement leaving in march :dance:) but am now sharing the role with another mum whose son was born the same day as Amelia. Amelia hasn't been sleeping that well so getting to work by 8am has been challenging. She slept much better last night so I actually made it on time today. Thank goodness that my hours are so flexible, but I feel a little bad about being late and then taking time out to express. Amelia starts family day care in august, so I'll be able to do a couple of full days a week (am doing 5 mornings this week and next) and I'll be able to make up the time then.

Both days so far, Amelia has been asleep when I've gotten home, so I guess that means she's happy being at home with Dad. When she's woken up I've gotten great big kisses. It's almost worth being away from her just to see how happy she is when I'm home.

I'm pleasantly surprised by myself. I was seriously dreading coming back to work. I didn't know how I was going to be able to juggle everything. But I'm so much more relaxed about work. Before Amelia, work was pretty much my life. Now my family is my life and work comes second. I always felt like I needed to prove myself but now I don't. Perhaps it's because in my absence I was made aware of how much I am valued (always nice to know ;)). But I feel much more relaxed about my work which should make it more enjoyable and I'll be more productive as a result. I'm just surprised how easy it has been for work to fit into second place rather than competing for first. Then again, we'll see how things go once I have to deal with deadlines LOL.

Another plus is that I am enjoying my time with Amelia so much more. Usually by the end of the day, I'm getting desperate for some time to myself and wish she would just be happy playing on her own or not need so much help in getting to sleep. But having those few hours away from her and home makes me value the time with her so much more.

Then again, perhaps its just refreshing after a bad last week dealing with mum's estate. I miss her! While she was sick and I was on mat leave, we at least talked on the phone everyday. I keep catching myself thinking "I must ask/tell mum about that". The worst is when Amelia does something new. I just have to give it time to pass.

Finally, I think Amelia is beginning to learn to self settle. She used to hate it when I'd lay down with her on the bed. Now she is more often quite happy to lie next to me and will eventually go to sleep. She'll flail her arms around for a bit, pull the sheet on and off her face (so cute), sometimes squeal or grizzle. Then it reduces to her head turning from side to side until she figures out which side is comfortable and then she's out. I've even managed to leave the room a couple of times and she's gone to sleep within 5-10 minutes. There is definitely more and louder grizzling if I'm not there, but she doesn't get herself worked up like she used to. Now I just have to figure out how to get into bed next to her without waking her up.

Sorry for rambling on a bit. Just a lot going on in my head at the moment.

Hi girls I may have a few mins before the next call from the bedroom...

BS Sounds like you're having a great holiday and Eva is thriving! ...even with with a little separation anxiety issue, sounds like we're all having that one.
:ttc: as soon as Sept:confetti: omg how exciting!!! But :shhh:...won't say a word.

Beany Good to hear Michael is sleeping a little better through the day. Must've been hard the other night when he was crying but then cries more when you go to him. they are such funny little creatures sometimes:confused:

Hannah Sorry you're missing your mum so much:hug: and having to deal with the estate and crap that comes with it.
It's great that you're not hating work! And the self settling:dance: If I can get Harry to sleep in the bed with out me I haven't quite mastered getting in...and actually getting comfortable, with out waking him either. We're co-sleeping again too, 3 weeks of trying him in his cot in his own room had no success, if anything it made things worse I had pinned hope on Rose's success with Liam spilling onto Harry but no luck here.

Tilda Sounds like Harry and Matilda are VERY alike! I have had thoughts of cry solutions, but am still questioning myself as to why, like sometimes I think it's cos I'm so cranky and frustrated with him, but I don't think that is the right reason to leave him to cry, IYKWIM? ...But my sanity is fading... I often wonder about the "stranger" element with the home visits, like you said Matilda was confused. I wonder even more when you do the stays in the sleep schools, a strange place for them, I find it hard to sleep in a strange place and I know what's going on! I just wonder what goes on in their little heads in that situation???? Maybe I'm just too soft. Thank you for the offer of a chat I will keep that in mind:hug:

DP has just made me pancakes with ice cream and maple syrup mmmmmm, so best I go eat!

Hello to everyone I haven't got to, but yumminess is calling :p

BS - Great to hear from you! sounds like you're having a fantastic time on holiday! Soo jealous! WOW! TTC in September! I haven't even started thinkikng about TTC#2 yet! I think its at least a couple of years away. Good luck! :goodluck:

Hannah - thats great, sounds like work is really working out for you :) And you're so lucky to have flexible hours! DH is actually very good with Michael, and he only ever seems to fall asleep on him, never me! He is nice & cuddly tho :lol: Oh I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but he seems to have stopped that horrible crying he was doing right before going to sleep. The last couple of nights he's been asleep within 10 mins of being put down. *please don't let me have spoken too soon!* sorry to hear you've had a rough time dealing with the estate, you just wish someone else could look after that side of things, don't you? You have enough to deal with. Has it all been sorted now?

Willow - Haha, well, just as I had said he is sleeping better during the day...we've gone back to his old habit of 40 mins in the morning and maybe 1 hour in the afternoon. I know I shouldn't complain, but I just worry he isn't sleeping as much as he should...especially when he's up at 5.15am! Hope you enjoyed your pancakes! Yum yum! Any improvement on the sleeping front?

Hello to all my other lovelies too busy to post!

AFM - My poor little darling is having real trouble with his teeth :( He woke up a few times last night about 10pm, I went to check on him and he was half asleep but sucking on his gums. Poor little darling. I've been giving him Hylands Teething tablets and putting Bonjela on...but I think I might go and get some SM33 today, thats meant to be a bit stronger. The top lateral incisors are about 1/4 of the way out and his top central incisors are just below the gum and should cut any day. Poor little baby :(

Hi Girls!

Wow I'm sooooooo behind!!!!!!!!! Will do my best here....

Hi Hannah - yay for enjoying work and feeling good about it. I am due back in October and I am DREADING it! I don't want to go back at all, I loved my job but the one I think they're going to offer me doesn't excite me at all, it's likely going to be the part-time job that was actually assisting me before I went on leave which will mean junior admin duties, no thanks, I'm 37 and have been doing this for 20 years, the thought of doing that crap work does nothing for me at all! I'm going in next month to discuss though, I'd love them to offer me to look after the travel bookings like I did before but on a part-time basis from home lolol.......wishful thinking huh. Anyway, we shall see, we shall see. I try not to think about it too much, it depresses me, I am loving being home more than anything at the moment. I'm also sorry to hear you are missing your mum, gosh that must be so hard for you, I don't really know what to say to make it better but :hug: for you. xx

Hi BS - I'm so enjoying your holiday piccies! They're making me rather jealous however hee hee. Glad Eva is thriving with her food, almost crawling wow! I think Amelia is going to be the last at that, she's only just getting up on her hands but no knees yet. I thought of you today, I went into Pumpkin Patch, haven't been in in ages and they had 60% off! Got a couple of things but was pretty restrained, Amelia really does not need any more clothes! TTC#2 in September, wow I'm impressed! We are going to start trying end of the year so you might just beat us to it hee hee. The closer it gets the more nervous I am, I want my kids close together, I think it's more that I worry about just getting my body back and then starting all over again, plus Amelia is such a good baby I won't know what to do with myself if number two isn't the same hee hee. Anyway, I am looking forward to being pregnant again, aside from the morning sickness. Good luck mate, won't say a word but can't wait to go on the journey with you again.

Hi Tilda - you sound like you've been so busy with the move to Sydney and all. Are you planning a trip back to Perth anytime soon? I bet you're not as cold now hee hee. Would love to see Matilda again, I'm sure she's grown so much. You must put some pics up on FB!

Hi Willow - how are those lovely boys of yours going? I love seeing your pics on FB, you certainly have got some good looking boys there and Harry is just the cutest. :D

Hi Beany - was lovely to see you and Rose the other day, your boys are so gorgeous. Definitely get some SM33, it's 10 times more effective than Bonjela I find. I'll get some of that teething elixir in time for our next catch up, typical, just when you didn't think it was really needed. I'm going to get some too as I fear when these top 2 teeth start rearing their head things will go to crap here like with the bottom ones. Poor bubs, it must be so painful. Amelia had short naps yesterday too, I think it's part of this wonder week that's coming up to be honest! She's been good at night though but like you, as soon as I say that she has a bad night so now I'm scared lol.

Hi Rose - thanks for hosting the other day. I forgot to ask you how your dad is going? I feel terrible for not asking the other day, it went so fast. I definitely think we need to go for the late morn/lunchtime catchup next, gives us a little more time. :)

Hi to everyone else that hasn't been on lately, hope everyone is well and your bubs are all thriving. It is tough getting on isn't it, I spend too much time on FB as it is so tend to do more reading than posting these days.

xx

Sorry girls, no persies. I've been really sick with tonsilitis, but my Dr's given me some antibiotics and some steriods to reduce the inflammation. I've been able to eat and drink today, so I'm feeling much better. Will hopefully be back on tomorrow to post some persies.

Love to you all :hug:

Hallo girls!!

I've missed you guys! I'm sorry I've been MIA, I don't really have an excuse, other than being so busy!

I'm just skimming over everyone's recent posts so a few persies.

BS - OMG, September!! That's pretty exciting and not far away at all. A little brother or sister for Eva would be fantastic. Yay!!

Alison - I have been checking out your FB posts and pics so pretty up to date with you! ;) That little Amelia of yours is a doll.

Suz - you poor thing. I hope you're resting up and get well really soon. xx

Tilda - it's good to hear from you. What area of Sydney are you in?

Everyone else - I really hope you're well and having a great Saturday night.

ATM - things are pretty good. Things are still not great with DH and I but that's another story. I'm trying to concentrate on other things to be honest, which isn't the best policy, but it keeps me going. Jack is doing brilliantly and getting funnier and cuter by the day.

Although, we had a shocker yesterday. I've started giving him lots of different finger foods and stuff and I made a big mistake yesterday. I was out for brunch with my mum and aunty and asked the waitress if they would make Jack some scrambled egg yolk to go with his toast (he loves toast!). It was the first time he'd had egg and I didn't even think about it. I just read that they can have it now. So, I fed him it and he ate about half. We finished brunch and started our Bondi to Bronte walk, and much to our horror Jack started to get blotches on his face. I ran back to the car and came and picked them up and we rushed him to a chemist, where they said go straight to a doctor. Fortunately my doctor was only a few minutes away so we rushed up to see her. But within those few minutes Jack had gone from red blotches to beetroot red over his entire body and swelling badly. His eyes were slits and his neck was starting to swell up. The doctor checked that he was still able to breathe and then gave him a shot of adreneline. I was hysterical. Within a few minutes his colour starting coming back to normal and within 20 minutes he was smiling and laughing. It was like it never happened. Anyway, the doctor has given me a referral to see an allergist and he thinks I'll need to carry an epipen in case Jack has another reaction to something. He's certainly an allergic kid because he also came out in welts when I fed him avocado. :( It broke my heart to see him in such distress; he was writhing like a snake and couldn't sit still. He was crying in pain and was scratching all over his body. I cried when I put him in the bath that night because I saw all of these gashes in his skin where he was clawing at his skin. My poor angel.

I was really emotional last night and cried so many times. I also think it hurt because DH didn't seem to be too concerned. I know he was, but it's typical of him to shut down completely if something bad happens, it's like he turns a blind eye. So when he came home last night from work he went straight to his computer. My entire family was here and saw how he was reacting, so mum went over to him and quietly, but firmly, told him that his wife and baby needed him. She told him to get up and comfort us!

Anyway, that's my vent for today. I'd better get going, I have a big writing job to do for Monday. :(

Night girls! xxxx

Hi Carmey - how weird, I was just thinking about you when I logged on! OMG re Jack, you poor thing that must have been horrifying! I'm so glad he's ok though, how frightening for you. I haven't tried Amelia on egg, don't think I will now! Sorry things aren't so good with DH, you know we're here if you want to talk/vent, everything here is confidential.

Right, just a quickie for me, DH is coming in the door with Thai food and I'm starving!

Have a great night all.
xx

Hi Everybody..Hope everyone is well and all bubs are too.....
Carmey, I can't imagine what it must have been like to see little Jack like that, you did the right thing though and got to the dr.'s nice and fast and after such an emotional day I am not surprised you were feeling really emotional!!.
Suz, hope you are feeling better now.
BS, YOU GO GIRL! September hey? Wow wee. My girls are 21 months apart (so we conceived Sienna when Lila was 1 year old to the day)! But we had been trying for 3 months previously. I love that they are close together. :))

AFM I'm not sure if you guys knew or not (I had something in my FB status), but last Wednesday I had to take Sienna (with Lila in tow) to the Hospital as she was running a high fever and was really lifeless.
We also noticed a lump on her head in front of her 'soft spot fontanel'. When I got to the emergency department we were rushed in straight away and her temp was 39.5. We were admitted to the children's ward. To make a long and horrible experience short, she was given a head and chest x ray, a cannula in her hand several blood tests and urine tests and monitored on her feet for blood oxygen levels and heart beat. We stayed 3 days while she was given penicillin & fluids via a drip. She ended up being diagnosed with a Virus and a secondary bacterial infection. I stayed with her the whole time, sleeping on the fold out chair. Never Never Ever want to experience that again!!!.. Just makes you realise how helpless they are. Go and give your little ones a hug!!!!

xoxoxox
Katherine

Hi Kanda - I've been wondering how things were going, I saw your FB status, that must have been so scary for you, gosh, all these scary things, I guess this is all part of being a mum huh! Glad she's better now though, what kind of virus was it, like a flu type thing? I'm glad you're enjoying having your kids so close, we plan on trying in December so depending on how long it takes we will hopefully have about 2 years (or a little less if all goes well) difference between the two. Some people think I'm nuts, in fact, one of the mums group girls started saying something about how me and another girl is trying again so soon....only she didn't realise I was standing there ha ha - she stopped in her tracks but I just said, don't worry I understand for you it's not what you want to do but for us it's right - she's in her late 20's, bit different to me being in my late 30's, not that that makes a difference anyway but I was trying to make a point. It was quite funny as she felt like an idiot when she realised I was standing there. Anyway, people will always have their opinions huh.

Hope everyone's having a great weekend. I'm off to my sister's for afternoon tea today, they haven't seen Amelia for 2 weeks so I'm sure she'll have grown lots since then, slow down little one!

Have a great day! xx

Hi Everyone

Sorry I have been MIA alot has been going on but will explain further on.

Alison- Wow TTC in December not long, as you said everyone has different circumstances and is ready at different times. Hope you conceive quickly. The bubs are sure growing too quick. Your shopping this week sounds great. Lucky little Millie.

Kanda- You poor thing. Poor little Sienna. Hospitals are not nice places when your bubs are sick. We have had Jett in hospital twice and I havent enjoyed it at all. How is Sienna now? Would have been very scary for you.

Carmey- Poor little Jack. But I agree you did the best thing. Your DH is not being very supportive as this is a time when you need so much support. When do u have the appt with the Skin allergist? I totally know how you are feeling will explain after all the persies.

BS- Bummer about your trip to NYC I hope your mum realises what she did. Your recent pics of Sth France look amazing. Very Jealous. JHope you are having a great time. Sept to TTC wow. You and Ali will be hopefully pregnant at the same time again.

Willow- Hope the Renos are progressing and almost done. Hope little Harry's sleep has improved for you.

Rose- Hope all is going well with your dad. Thinking of you and sending lots of well wishes your way.

Beany- Hope Michael is better and his sleep is continuing to improve for you. I am dreading Jett getting teeth.

Suz- A huge congrats on your weight loss, you must feel amazing. Sorry to hear you have been so sick I hope the drugs have kicked in for you and you are starting to feel better.

Hannah- Glad to hear the return to work has been going great. Well Done Amelia and the self settling.

Tilda- Glad to hear you enjoyed Mothers Group, bummer about having to move. When is that happening?

Sorry if I have missed anyone else with the persies.

Well soo much has been happening. Jett has been in hospital as he was severely constipated again. Not nice at all. We have had eye appointment as jett may have a turn in his left eye. We need to have this check again in 3mths as he is a little young to do the tests to confirm it. We have also had Skin pric Allergy testing done which did not give good results at all. Jett is severely allergic to Milk, Milk Protein, Egg Yolk and Egg White (I know how you feel Carmey) and also mildly allergic to Soy. That was all that they could test at the time without Jett getting too tortured. The skin pric testing wasn't as bad as I thought Jett was really good. We are back to our Pediatrician this week to find out where we go from here (eg will we need an epi-pen and what supplements we will need as he will not be getting some of the vital nutrients (eg Vitamin D, Calcium, Protein) and also get the results on his head scans. The Professor we saw for the skin testing has said we can get a formula on prescription that will cost $400 for 8 cans that are half the size of normal formula. Very expensive, however someone has said it can be covered by the government if the Dr applies.
While I continue to breastfeed I need to cut out everything Jett is allergic too, that has been very tough, no chocolate, biscuits, bread, cake, pastas etc. In the week I have been trying to do it I have lost almost 3kgs.
I have been very emotional the past week as I feel like it is one thing after another. I know I have the strength and ability to deal with it and as I keep saying things could be worse. I keep wanting to know what I have done to deserve this. It took us almost 4 years to get Jett and the poor little thing has got lots of little problems.

Well I hope everyone is having a great weekend, My DH has been at the Snow since Friday will be home late tonight Jett and I have missed him terribly.

:grouphug: to all

Hi Lani, I'm so sorry to hear about Jett and his allergies, please don't feel too sad, he may grow out of them so it might not be forever and even still it can be controlled. It sux for you though I know but once you get used to what he can/can't eat it will be easier. I have a wheat intolerance which I developed a few years ago now and at first it was so hard, I felt like I'd never eat again but now there is so much out there for people with allergies and intolerances you can pretty much eat whatever everyone else does. It does cost a little more at times but there are always alternatives for him. Have a look in the special sections at the supermarkets, they all have a great range for allergy sufferers now and even the baby food I noticed there's an organic brand (the name escapes me) that does milk, soy, egg and wheat free rusks and bikkies etc. Hugs to you though as it's not nice to go through. I'm quite suprised at the amount of bubs that have food allergies these days, a lot of my mums group girls are having problems with their skin due to foods, I've been so lucky so far which surprises me as they weren't sure what my affect my intolerance would have on Amelia, mainly because I didn't obviously eat any wheat while pregnant so she was not exposed to it at all even then, so far so good and for me an intolerance can be overcome......although I've been off it for 2.5 years now and I still get sick if I try so the densensitizing hasn't kicked in for me. Have you considered approaching a naturopath? I gave up on the doctors, they were so crap for me and didn't help at all but the naturopath has given me lots of information and help in controlling it, they gave me a pamphlet on living with allergies and intolerances and it was really informative. xx

Hi Girls!

Wow! So much to catch up on.

Lani - Big hugs to you, your DH and to Jett. I hope that Jett grows out of his allergies, as Alison said. It must be so hard for you, especially after what you went through to fall pregnant with Jett, but you are doing really well. Hang in there, I'm sure it will get easier and Jett will improve. We're here for you :hug:

Carmey - OMG how scary! I would have been terrified out of my brain! I'm sure your DH feels very strongly about what happened to Jack, he's just internalising it. Sorry to hear things still aren't great between you guys :hug: Sounds like you're about to head down the path that Lani's on with Jett. Hope your DH can be there by your side for Jack's tests as things will be hard for you all while you adjust to living with Jack's allergy.

Kanda - I saw your fb status, that must've been a scary few days. There's nothing worse than having a bub with a high temp, you feel so helpless! Not to mention trying to sleep by their bedside in hospital, you can forget that on a noisy ward, uncomfy chair, stressed out of your brain. I'm going to go and kiss my boys when I finish typing this.

Beany - Sorry Michael is having such trouble with his teeth. Sounds like he's trying to get several through at once. I hope they cut through soon so that he can get back to his happy smiley normal self.

Willow - Oh that sucks that Harry didn't do better in his own room. Maybe co-sleep again for a while and try again later on down the track when things have settled more at your place? Are the renos all finished now?

Hannah - That's so great that you're enjoying being back at work and the transition hasn't been too bad on all of you. Also great that Amelia's starting to self-settle. It's good that you've been able to separate going back to work and starting daycare, it's really hard doing the two at the same time. Sorry to hear that your Mum's estate was such a lot of work, and I hope that time will make being without her easier for you.

Brussels - Loving the fb pics of your holiday, you all look so relaxed! Wow, can't believe Eva is 8 months and crawling. Ryan is 8 months old in 2 days, it's just flown past. Good luck with TTC#2, don't worry we'll keep it secret for you. There's 2 years 2 months between my boys, even though I didn't go back on any contraceptive after having Craig my AF didn't return until he was 9 months old. But it took 6 months to fall pregnant (I didn't bother charting or taking temps, just let nature take it's course).

Tilda - Hope you and Matilda are feeling better. I thought if Karitane came to your home that they would observe you settling your baby, it always surprises me to hear about nurses taking the baby from Mum and putting them in their cots. It's just as weird that they would be in the room with you, I would expect them to stay at the doorway. At the end of the day you have to do what you feel comfortable with. How did your Mother's Group go? I lived in Bondi as a little girl and then moved to Leichhardt/Balmain/Lilyfield when I was older, so I know both areas. Balmain's nice and I'm sure you'll make friends there too, but if you like Bondi then I hope you can stay there.

Ali - Mate we're pretty much up to date on fb aren't we? LOL Hey, I'm also not mad keen to return to my job, but I'm hoping that when I go back to work in May 2011 (end of my paid leave, I'm a Commonwealth public servant with 18 years long service) that I'll possibly be UTD with baby #3! Is that your possible escape clause too?

Rose - I loved the photos of your Perth meet up with Beany and Ali, on fb. You always take the best photos. Hope you and Liam are just going from strength to strength.

AFM - Thanks to some prednisilone and antibiotics I'm much much better. I wasn't able to eat or drink because my tonsils and throat were too inflamed, but am managing now. It's a relief because I was worried I would lose my milk supply. Craig has a head cold, but it's just a virus and Ryan amazingly is not sick at all! He's not been sick once since birth (*touch wood*). DH has gotten home from his weekend away and he's got my tonsilitis now, so I'll be playing nursemaid.
No crawling here, but Ryan's getting very into his finger food. He's enjoying meat, veggies, dairy and pasta with no dramas. I haven't tried straight cooked egg yet, although it would have been in the pasta in smaller amounts. We just spent the weekend with my parents in Cooma and had a lovely time, got to show my Thomas the Tank Engine obsessed toddler his first real train.

Off to kiss my boys now... Kisses to all the bubbas xxx

Hello everyone!

Suz- Gosh, that must have been hard not to be able to eat or drink! You poor thing :( Glad yo uare feeling better tho. I really must get onto trying finger foods too. In fact, I have my Breast, Bottle, Bowl book in front of me for some tips!

Lani - Oh, poor little Jett :hug: Hopefully its something he'll grow out of. Have you been to see the Dr to get your results yet? You are doing so very very well, and we're always here if you want a vent or support. :hug:

Kanda - oh gosh, how scary...poor little Sienna. Thank goodness she's all ok. Certainly makes you remember how fragile they are, they seem so tough sometimes, don't they?

Carmey - OMG!! What is going on at the mo??? Poor little Jack too! :( Gees, you were so lucky to get him to the doc so quick. Good on your mum for telling DH to come and comfort you. Sounds like he has trouble dealing with things like that, as Suz said, internalises it rather than deals with it. When is your appointment with the allergist?

Rose - was sooo lovely to see you & Liam last week...he's such a cheeky little monkey with that grin! I love him! And I'm sooooooooooo sorry I didn't ask about your dad either, thats just awful of me... I think I was too stressed with getting Michael to finish his bottle! How is he going? Has he started treatment yet?

Alison - was great to see you too! And little Amelia, she's getting to be a right little chatterbox! Love it! yeah, I got some SM33, and I do think its better than Bonjella. These bloomin teeth still haven't cut through yet, they're hovering just below the gum, I can see them.

Hello to everyone else! :wave:


AFM - Had a bit of a mixed week. Monday I went to Playgroup for the first time which was actually really good! There were 3 younger babies which was good, and the mums seemed really nice too. But I think it might be getting cancelled, I don' think there are enough people :( Which will be so sad. One of the mums is selling a lot of baby toys, so I'm going over next week to have a look and buy some!

Yesterday I took Michael to Gymbaroo for the first time, this is mainly with the mums from Mothers Group. it was awful :( All the other babies loved it, but Michael cried the whole time, any time I tried to put him in a position, he'd bawl. He's normally such a lovely happy baby, I dont' know what it was. I was so embarrassed, with tears in my eyes, the instructor came over and explained some babies are just a bit more reserved and frightened by all the commotion & other babies. That actually made me feel worse, because I'm trying to do everything I can (ie, Playgroup, Mothers Group, Gymbaroo, BB catchups and hopefully Baby Rhyme Time again soon) so he doesn't end up like me. As soon as we got back in the car he was full of smiles and chatting again. I might mention it to the Nurse...and the fact that he's very sensitve to other babies crying.

And now I've come down with a virus, I had a temp of 39oC last night with headache, muscle aches, and generally feeling crap. Feel a bit better today, but its turned into a chesty cough. Oh I just hope my darling baby doesn't get it :pray: Its so hard trying not to breathe on him, or hold him too much. I just want to give him a big squeeze and sloppy kiss but I can't. I've been sat here listening to Alison Krauss's Baby Mine song and crying!! Haha, how much of a soppy cow am I!! :rolleyes: