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

Hi girls :)

Lani - Poor Jett :( Have you tried giving him water by syringe or just plain cup feeding? Something else that could be worth looking into is a probiotic - I know someone whose bub has a similar issue, and probiotics helped a lot. I'm glad the scan was clear of bleeding or excess fluid.

beany - Oh, you poor thing, you must be utterly exhausted :( Sounds like it could be teething - I'm assuming you've tried teething gel and panadol? Yay for the playgroup and gymbaroo :)

Alison - It must have been *cold* for you in Donnybrook! That's too cute about Amelia clapping at night :)

AFM:

I think Liam must have read some books on sleeping. He slept through for about eleven hours last night without a peep, and has napped twice today (the first nap for one hour, the second for two). He's down for the night now, though I think he's stirring a little. Mostly he's been waking up once a night at the moment, though, and needing to be resettled once or twice. It's almost weird - I actually can't get used to having spare time. He's so much happier in general now that he's getting enough rest, too.

I've been looking into my options for playgroups and the like. He's really happy to be around other people, so I'm thinking that I should follow that. He also seems to sleep really well after interacting with people a lot, so encouraging that is good!

And Perth girls, I was going to send you a FB message about catching up soon :) I'm fairly flexible with time right now, but it looks like Wednesday arvos might be good for all of us?

Hi Rose - yep I'm free Wednesday arvo's and definitely keen to see you guys again! So glad to hear Liam is sleeping so well, it's like a switch was flicked isn't it. Sleep breeds sleep, just goes to show. Amelia still fusses once or twice a night, every now and then I get an extra special night where she sleeps without a peep but probably only once a week ha ha. So, given he's just started doing this that is so great, well done Liam. Bet you feel like a million bucks!

Hi Beany - I meant to say re teething have you tried the Hylands Teething Tabs from the chemist? They're all natural and dissolve on their tongue. Amelia sticks her tongue out for me now and takes them no problem so they obviously don't taste horrible. Worth a shot. One of the mums group girls has told me about a teething elixir that is made up by her local chemist - it's only 10 mins down the road, I am more than happy to get some for you if you want, I haven't got any myself so can get some while I'm there. It does have a very mild sedative in it so helps them sleep though, not sure if you're keen on that, I was a bit hesitant but the chemist apparently said it's totally fine. Anyway if you want some let me know, happy to get it for you, the mums group girls have all bought it and swear by it. I think it's for those extra bad days really, not every day.

Morning all! I had a bit of a better night last night, so feeling rather refreshed!

Alison - I know what you mean about having MG over to your house...it is a hassle, isn't it? Having to make sure the house is presentable, food, drinks, etc. I think if you're going to have it at each others houses make it strictly a simple affair, no food, maybe drinks incase someone wants one. I think thats what we sort of decided with ours, but then we haven't really caught up at someones house for a couple of months now! I've tried looking in about 3 seperate chemists for those Hylansd Teething tablets, and I can't find them!! I might venture down south to the ****burn shopping centre for something different this arvy and check out the chemist there. I might take you up on the offer for that teething elixir...even if I just keep it for emergencies. Would you mind? You're ever so kind :) Michael is the same with his pooing too...a couple of times he's done 4 before lunch!! And he did 2 by 8am this morning too. Have you changed Amelia onto the next formula? Like, for us, its S23 Gold Step 2. I'm just starting the swap over gradually now, hopefully he's ok with it.

Lani - thats good news there is no bleeding or fluid. Fingers crossed the air pockets aren't an issue. Oh gosh, poor little Jett. This is a silly question, but I haven't experienced it before with Michael...how did you know he was constipated? And what does impacted mean? I hope he's all better now.

Rose - Yeah, I put bonjella on most nights and during the night too. I've only used panadol twice, and that was when he was crying uncontrollably during the night. I'm trying not to use it, but I must say, it made a huge improvement for him. He slept pretty well after it. Thats fantastic about Liams sleep! He's doing so well! :clap: Oh, and Wed arvy is good for me too!

AFM - not much to report. Had a bit of a better night last night...he only stirred 2 or 3 times before we went to bed (9pm), then a cry at 9.50pm, then anothoer cry at 1am, then 1.40am then 2.20am....these are all exactly the same times as the night before, so I was expecting it to continue till morning, but then he slept till 4.30am and then till 6.15am! I hope that means its getting better :crossfingers:

Hi Beany - of course I don't mind, I can get you some before we catch up next, why don't we organise that for soon then. Oh and if you can't find the Hylands tabs let me know, my local chemist sells them and I'm almost out myself so can get you some when I'm there. I honestly don't mind, that's what friends are for! Your latest pics of Michael on FB are so gorgeous, I love the one of him picking his dad's nose, so funny. I can't upload any pics on FB, our new fancy camera has a file type that FB doesn't like, not sure how to work around that, I'm not good with things like that. Rose, any suggestions? You're good with all that stuff! Glad you had a better night too Beany, Amelia slept great last night too, I only went in twice, once at 3.00 am and that was because I got up to go to the loo so thought I'd might as well check her (she was asleep and fine of course, gosh I'm hopeless) and then she started talking at 6.00 am so I went in and popped in the dummy and crossed my fingers and she went back to sleep until 7.00 am. Phew. I'm sure it will be different tonight though ha ha, no two nights are ever the same. Hey girls you know that girl I used to work with that bugs me? Well she was telling me yesterday on an email that she still goes back to bed after getting up to do her 7.00 am feed until 9.45 am - she said why stay up if you don't have to.....so I asked if her baby (who is now 5 months old) is waking in the night again because she has always told me she has slept through from an early age and she wrote back and said no she is still sleeping through. Now, not to be nasty but I don't believe her, for starters who has time to go back to bed unless you've had a bad night, why would you need to go back to sleep after 7.00 am for another hour and a half if you were getting enough sleep at night, unless you're super lazy. Hmmm, each to their own I guess. Also, she told me weeks ago her daughter had only been putting on about 65 grams a week (she's still comfortably in 000's) and I suggested maybe her milk is dropping off (she does half BF have EBF so she can drink at night!)......she fired back that it has nothing to do with her milk, she knows she has enough because her baby is drinking 280mls for her final feed at 10pm (this is of expressed milk in the bottle)......I was like, well that's a lot, Amelia has never drunk that much in one sitting even before solids was introduced and she said, well, she has a fast metabolism or something. I just give up, I mean, the fact she's drinking that much in one sitting out of a bottle to me says maybe she's not getting enough during the day. I guess I just have to ignore it and not worry, I just feel sorry for that little baby, this girl does not take advice from anyone, she thinks she knows everything and it drives me nuts!


Oh and yes Amelia has been on the next stage of formula (we're on Naan HA Gold) since 6 months and it has made no difference, she's been fine with it. Basically the difference is the amount certain vitamins etc.
Right, that's my banter for the day lol. Love you all for listening! xx

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.