Babies born~July 1st-15th 2009 #3

[*The_Mrs.*]

Hello ladies!

Sophie has been told she needs to bulk up by the doctor. Any ideas? I have been giving her yoBaby yogurt and more organic baby food. We also have recently been blending up real food... like avacados. I wish the doctor would just accept my baby is small. I mean she WAS born 5 lbs 13 oz. And she loves to eat so I know she doesnt have an eating problem, lol.

She has finally started sitting up but we put the boppy around her just in case she falls over because our floors are a little hard and I don't want her to be scared to sit up if she hurts herself. I hope she starts crawling soon, she turns in circles its really quite cute.

So I am curious??? My baby refuses to stand if we try to hold her up. I noticed other babies around her age can do it and maybe even hold onto things and stand???
Any ideas??

[Miss E]

Hi all!

Jess R, I wouldn't worry too much about Sophie not wanting to stand and wouldn't try and force it too much either. When she's ready she will do it, she's probably just interested in other things right now. Not really sure how you can increase her weight either, did the doctor give you any tips? If she's healthy and has plenty of dirty nappies, then it probably isn't something you need to worry about too much.

Jasp, Happy 6 mth birthday to Arlea! It's hard not to wonder where the time has gone isn't it. The working towards crawling is so much fun to watch! By the sound of things Ash is at a similar stage, he's worked out how to move his knees forward, but then he plops his belly down on the floor, before pushing up again, it's like he hasn't realised that he could just move his arms forward LOL

Storm, sounds like it must be really cute to watch Hayley with your dog. Ash has really started to take an interest in our cat over the last few weeks, the cat on the other hand isn't so sure, he's had his tail pulled a couple of times so is keeping his distance. It's actually quite funny, it's almost like he teases Ash cos he will sit down in front of him, but just out of his reach.

Jess C, great to hear anton is doing so well!

Jetta, hope your appt went well. It must be so nice for your hubby to have a whole day at home with Sam by himself, I'm sure my DH would love that!

AFM we still have IL's around, it's been 3 weeks now and TBH I am starting to get a bit sick of it, I really just want my house back IYKWIM? But I am glad that Ash is getting the opportunity to bond with them and it is really good for DH to see them as well. But I tell you, if I hear Ash referred to as 'the baby' one more time I am going to scream. It's petty I know but it is driving me insane this constant 'what time are you taking the baby to the pool' or 'when you bath the baby'. He has a name and it isn't that hard to refer to him by it. Grrr! Anyway, that's my little winge for the day.

Ash seems to be going through quite a difficult period at the moment, I'm hoping it might settle down a bit when he works out how to crawl, mind you it might also have to do with the disruption to the routine with all the visitors. He's also still teething terribly, there are 3 at the top cutting at the moment which have been coming down for about 3 weeks. Ever since the teething started at around 5 months he has just started waking more and more. Yes I shouldn't complain, usually it is just once or twice a night, but he had slept through every night for like a month before it started so I find it quite frustrating. He's also sitting up completely unaided now (I've even taken the pillows away cos he doesn't fall over anymore), he can get to his bottom from all fours which is so cute to watch.

Oh well, once the IL's go home (only 6 days to go ) and DH goes back to work I am really going to focus on getting us back to a good routine, hopefully things will get back to normal and he might start sleeping a little better again.

[debbee]

Hi everyone,

So much for my plan of more regular online catch ups...!! Where does the days & weeks go!?!?
Thanks so much for welcoming me back & for all your sweet words of support & encouragement. I have really missed you girls.

Jas - happy 6 months Arlea!! Annie was 7.9kg at her 6mth needles, which puts her close to the 75th percentile... so I don't think you need to be too concerned. I too have been a bit worried, because my milk supply has dropped off dramatically in the past couple of weeks. And like Arlea she's never really been that interested in milk, but very much enjoying her solids - which is great. I was thinking of trying fenugreek to boost my supply.
Is Arlea waking for feeds every 3-4 hrs? Annie still wakes (at least) twice a night.. always for a quick feed. I imagine she'll grow out of it eventually... and you know I always thought I'd want to wean her at around 6mths, but that's been & gone and I don't think I'm ready!! (notice the 'i'm' ready... not Annie!) They sure are growing fast!

Storm - sounds like Miss Hayley will be on the move very soon! Cute that she laughs at the dog. What sort of dog have you got? And I'm much the same with the whole baby proofing thing... not really sure where to start... beginning to think a big play pen might be easier initially!!
Oh I too have been freezing the ole Prune juice - $6 for what you can use in 5-7 days for a baby didn't seem very economical! I'm giving Annie 1 block a day for breakfast... I have now cut that back to every 2nd day or as she needs it. A constipated baby isn't fun... Annie used to almost hyperventilate when she had to 'go'... almost like she was really scared. Very disappointing that your Dr was no help! I too would have been concerned if I'd found blood! Poor little thing!
And I hear you about the 30-40min daytime 'naps'! Its amazing what you can squeeze in, in such a short time! But it does go fast!

Jess - sounds like little Anton is doing really well!

Jetta - LoL at the 180 degree spin! Annie is doing the same in her cot... never in the same place you initially put her! And the bum thrusting sounds hilarious! Sounds like you are doing really well with working & expressing! Good on you! Annie is awake anywhere from 1.5 to 3hrs... just depends on the day, how much sleep she's had (night or naps) and what we've been doing during the day. I usually know when its been around 2hrs though, as that's when she's usually showing some tired signs.

Jessica - good to hear Sophie is doing well. Congrats on a March wedding!! How are your preparations going? And yay for moving out!!!

Naomi - Congrats on your engagement! I've taken note of your suggestion of what worked for Cam's digestion... just in case we hit some more hurdles as we introduce different foods. Thanks for the tip!

Cate - sounds like you got some good things out of the settling clinic. Responsive settling sounds like a really good approach. Hope you are busy enjoying NZ and that flying with your little man ran smoothly!

Miss E - Sorry to hear Ash was unwell after his needles. Annie certainly had a few irritable days... but I now think it was more to do with digestion, rather than needles... it's so hard to know sometimes!'
How are you managing with all the visitors? I really don't know how you do it! I'm sure your FIL will understand that you don't want Ash to get sick! Difficult situation, but you really have to do what's best for your little man. Thanks for the cruskit tip - I hadn't thought to try them - always looking for new 'snacks' Annie can hold. The best tip I got from one of the mum's in my mum's group is raw carrot sticks from the fridge as a teether. Annie loves them... and they're cheap & can be thrown away when they've been dropped on the floor!!
What meats have you tried with Ash & how have you cooked them? I'm just curious, because I want to introduce meats to Annie's diet, but not real sure where to begin.
I just read your status on FB... sounds like your little man is going to be running before you know it!!

Sarah - Thanks for sharing your routine, its always interesting reading what other mum's are doing. My routine with Annie is very similar to yours - however, Annie's never been one to 'demand BF', so it's up to me to offer it to ensure she's hydrated & getting enough! Not always easy! And we too have had the most success with solids about an hour after a BF. I do try to eat with Annie as much as I can... not always practical - but we also eat dinner after she's gone to bed.

AFU - Well it seems like every week Annie decides to come up with something new... a new sound, a new routine (read "shorter naps" "less sleep"), a new way to move, a new facial expression!! Never a dull moment... I just can't believe how fast its all happening! When was I supposed to baby proof the house?? I think that boat is very close to sailing...
And we've decided Annie's first word is a growl... DH & my fault for playing "that" game too often! DH said that she'll get to an age where she'll turn to us and say "So I'm not actually a bear?" lol
And I'm constantly amazed at what she gets excited about. It can be the most bizarre objects... but she gets 'whole body' excited & makes the funniest noises. Isn't it great looking at the world through a child's eyes again!? Even the empty paper towel roll is a source of wonderment... trumpet? drumstick? pirates telescope? Who needs toys???

Hope you are all really well & happy. xxxx

[debbee]

Oh I just read the '4th page'... I somehow missed it going backwards!! oops.

Jessica - you know how they say 'mum knows best'... if you feel your little one is happy & healthy ... and just on the small side, then perhaps there's no cause for concern. But I'm guessing it could be a common thing to try & 'fatten up' bubs, so there's sure to be some other forums out there with more advice?? Just a thought.
Oh & don't stress that Sophie doesn't stand up when held. There's a couple of bubs in our mum's group who are the same... just different stages of development & interests... I'm sure she'll manage it in her own time.

Eve - well I didn't really need to ask how you are coping with your visitors. You poor thing... I can completely understand that you are OVER it!!! Time to get your house & family back. LoL that 'the baby' reference is getting too much... I definitely think I'd feel the same!! And maybe I wouldn't be as patient as you have, they probably would have been told to use his name by now!!! I really hope the next few days go fast, but that you still have some special time with your visitors. Big hugs.
Annie has just started to go from sitting to all fours too, it is really sweet to watch... much more graceful than the tummy or face plant!! Keep smiling!

Okay that's enough of a marathon for me... time to shut up & go to bed!

[jetta2022]

Miss E - I completely sympathise. MIL is down for two days week and stays over night and that drives me insane sometimes! I can't believe you still have people in the house! I would also hate people referring to my child as "the baby". I totally agree that he has a name, it is so impersonal and you would think that relations would use his name! I am so proud of him! Sitting up on his own and starting to crawl! That is so wonderful!
Debbee - sounds like things are going well! It is so amazing the things they are doing and how they are learning. I love it. I agree about the little things they find funny. I was rinsing my mouth with mouthwash the other morning and Sam was sitting up on our bed. I came out of the bathroom just to make sure he was alright and I was gargling in the room and he was laughing so hard. He thought it was so funny. I almost swallowed the mouthwash as I just wanted him to keep laughing!

Jasp and Jessica - Sam had his 6 month check up today, he is 6 1/2 months now and is 7.55kgs. He has slipped from the 50 percentile to the 25th. I was quite shocked as I didn't think he was going to slip that much. I had been feeding him two solid feeds a day with 5 breast feeds. I have just cut out his 10pm feed so its now 4 breast feeds and I didn't think he needed a 3rd solid feed a day but she said go for it. I also have a friend who's 1 year old is only just on 9 kgs. He had real troubles with solids. He doesn't look unhealthy and the doctor is fine with him but just wants to check on him more often. I think if they look healthy they are fine. I am just upping the solids. I am feeding him lots of vegies, baby yoghurt, maybe try fish with good fats and yes avocado.

Jessica - I agree with Miss E, she will do it in her own time. Sam definately isn't ready to hold onto things and stand up. he bears weight on his legs when you hold him but only for short periods of time, he loves pushing off with his legs but there is no way he would be holding onto anything yet. I got told today that you can do some testing thing with the early childhood centre called a UEC or something like that where they put your child through series of tests if you are concerned about their development and they give you a score of how things are tracking? Just a thought.

SS Storm- sounds like things are going well! So funny with the dog! Our dog is starting to get use to Sam but he still a bit funny around kids so we are just taking it slowely! Sam is fascinated by our dog though!!

AFM - 6 month check today, was great apart from him slipping to 25th percentil for weight, I cant believe it. MInd you, Sam doesn't seem to have a stop button with food and I didn't want to feed him too much, but I am obviuosly not feeding him enough! Mind you last night I didn't feed him his 10pm feed (I had slowely bought foward from 10pm to 8pm) and he slept the whole way through without a feed! Lets see how long it lasts!! Bottom two teeth are through, an eye tooth and one front one just poking through now. I am getting nervous about breast feeding!! Sam will now be having 3 solid feeds a day and 4 breast feeds if he continues to not need the 10pm feed. He is babbling all the time now. He doesn't stop! This week he has just taken off with the talking and he is so funny! He just gaggles and gaahs and sounds like he is talking to himself!! He is rolling heaps now too and just starting to push his legs with his bum up which I think is the start of the crawling!! Scary! He is settlilng really well during the days for his sleeps which is great too, except if we are out. Today he missed his middle sleep altogether. Not so good settling in the pram.
It is hard to believe it was 6 months ago we were all starting out on this journey!!
Anyway, got needles next week!

[ss_storm]

Deb - our dog is a golden retriever (needs his manly bits removed though as I think it would calm him down a bit but DF refuses to! You'd think we were talking about him getting the snip..lol).
Glad to hear things are going well with Annie. It's exciting watching them learn new things. Hayley has a few toys she gets "wiggly" excited about, very funny to watch. You can tell she has a couple of favourites! I know I probably shouldn't, but I've started giving her one of them, a stuffed dog that DF actually bought me for Valentine's Day last year. There are two of them (probably a good thing in case one gets lost!) and she absolutely loves them. I gave one to her one day when she just would not go to sleep and had been mucking around in her cot for nearly an hour, even though I knew she was tired. She was out like a light once I gave her the dog, and has done it a few times since. I do try and get her to go to sleep without it first and take it away once she is asleep.

Jetta- good luck with the needles next week! Hope Sam doesn't react too badly. Aww nearly 4 teeth! We still have no sign of any Lol

I'm still feeling a bit lost with solids...she's still only having one meal a day in the morning. Maybe you girls can offer some tips...this is basically our routine at the moment:

Up for the day between 7 & 8, morning feed no later than 8am. I have brekky and we go for a walk about 8.30/9am. Back no later than 10am when I give her some fruit mixed with yoghurt and then she is off to bed.
Wakes about 45 mins to an hour later and I give her another bottle, then we play, maybe hang out some washing/other chores or go for a walk down to the shops if I have things to do. I have lunch, sometimes I give her a cruskit with vegemite but lately its just been getting thrown on the floor.
She goes down for her afternoon sleep between 2 & 3 and will be awake about an hour later, then it's feed time again, another play, then bath, I get dinner ready, another feed for her and she's in bed by 6.30/7pm.

The thing is if I offer solids first she won't drink her bottle, if I offer bottle first she won't have any solids, unless there is at least an hour between them which kind of makes the solids a separate meal altogether and I'm just worried if I try and introduce another proper feed then she won't be getting enough milk. I could give her solids when she wakes up from her afternoon sleep and then milk before she goes to bed I suppose but the late afternoons can get a bit crazy and Df sadly isn't much help....

She seems to have started recovering from her few weeks of constipation...we've gone back to step 1 formula and today she had her first 'normal' runny poo in about 3 weeks with no hard lumps in it at all. So I think she is finally on the mend..thank god. I don't think I've ever been so pleased to see a runny poo. Lol.
Nappy changes have become a bit of a battle...all she wants to do is roll over. A toy works for a few seconds until she chucks it away then tries to roll over and grab it. When I hold her legs up she humps her bum up and down and wriggles around..I guess it is quite cute but I guess they're only going to get more difficult from here on!

[Fleur]

Hi all!

Jess, I am with MissE, I wouldn't worry about her standing. They all develop at different rates, she has a while to go yet before I'd be worried. She can sit & is starting to move in circles around the floor , that sounds about right I think? As for her weight, sounds like you are doing all you can WRT food, I don't know what the doctor expects? if she was small when she was born, she will still be on the small side now...is she on the same percentile?

MissE WTG on the crawling! Has it made him any happier? I wonder how far off Arlea is, she is doing much the same as he was at your last post. Only a few sleeps to go now until you get your house back! Hope that helps him settle abit & he starts sleeping well for you again

Deb, good to hear Annie is doing so well! It is a fantastic age isn't it? I was talking about it with a friend today... there's nothing like seeing them learn & look at things & work things out, just a joy to watch and lol at the growling, that was Arlea's 'noise of the week' the other week! So cute : ) And yep, Arlea is waking for feeds. She usually goes to bed around 7 - 7:30, then has a feed around 10:30, then anywhere from 1-3 am, then up for the day around 5 - 5:30. So the longest she will do overnight might be 5 hours but that is rare Sometimes she will have an unsettled night & wake more often, but I can tell when it's for comfort not a feed.

Jetta, it is hard to believe how fast the time has passed. Some of these babies are close to 7 months now! Lol at being nervous with the teeth... it might not be a problem though? I don't think my DS2 bit (or maybe I've forgotten, lol) Good luck with needles next week!

Storm, hooray for normal poos! Glad to hear things are better there I think with solids it's ok to make them separate from milk feeds. We just give Arlea breakfast around 8:30 - 9am, and dinner at around 6 and her milk feeds fit in around that , although she has always been very flexible with them (more than I would like!) don't know if that is any help to you.

Back to bed for me now! Hope everyone else is doing well

ETA - her hair is growing back! She was born with all that dark hair, which fell out... it is growing back a kind of medium brown with quite a bit of gold in it, will be very interesting to see what it looks like in the end. I really noticed it last night when I was stroking her head before bed, so soft & silky (although very short still) YAY for hair again

[leckert]

The thing is if I offer solids first she won't drink her bottle, if I offer bottle first she won't have any solids, unless there is at least an hour between them which kind of makes the solids a separate meal altogether and I'm just worried if I try and introduce another proper feed then she won't be getting enough milk. I could give her solids when she wakes up from her afternoon sleep and then milk before she goes to bed I suppose but the late afternoons can get a bit crazy and Df sadly isn't much help....

Pretty sure storm that that's the idea, to make the solids a separate meal. I'm getting CC to give Blake his vege / yoghurt an hour after his bottles. At home I make it at least 1/2 hour after a feed which can be interesting on CC mornings - doesn't always have breakfast if we're in a rush because he woke up late.

[Miss E]

Jasp glad to hear Arlea's hair is growing back... Don't you just love baby hair, it is so soft and silky, wish mine was like that!

Storm, thank goodness Hayley's poos are going back to normal, poor little poppet has had a bit of a rough time of it. It's probably best to go slowly with the solids until the constipation is completely resolved, but like the others have said we always do it as a separate meal, around about an hour after his milk feed. At the moment Ash is still only doing breakfast and lunch, I think I will keep it at the two meals for awhile yet cos it can be hit and miss, sometimes he'll love food and other times he's just not interested. I do give him a cruskit or a snack every now and then if we're eating though, oh and he tried a nectarine yesterday which he just loved! I hear you on the nappy changes too! It is so hard now, like Hayley, Ash just won't stay still he's rolling over, wiggling and winging the whole time. It drives DH crazy, but I'm just trying to work with him at the moment, mind you it can be a PIA when he has a poo cos it ends up getting everywhere

Jetta, try not to worry too much about Sam's weight gain, I keep reading/hearing how at this age they become so much more active that it's not unusual for their weight gain to slow down. Lucky you with the sleeping through! Wish Ash would get back to that, he's still waking at least once a night for a feed on top of his 10pm dream feed...

Deb LOL at the growling, Ash loves to do it too! I find it so funny! Like you guys I think it is a result of DH and I growling back all the time, it's become a bit of a game.

So Ash has started crawling! It has been an amazing couple of weeks! In the span of about 8 days he worked out how to sit himself up from the all fours position, crawl and then how to pull himself up to standing while holding onto his cot. He's not too fast at the moment, but gathering momentum every day. I am hoping though that with all these developments finally happening he might get back to being a good little sleeper. DH and I are madly trying to child proof the house at the moment. We have a three story townhouse, so last night I installed the child gates on all the stairs and over the weekend we're planning on going through drawers and cupboard and installing locks on them - fun, fun, fun!

Also his teeth have finally almost come through, the two top ones and one of the eye teeth has cut, so there is just one more eye teeth cutting now. Hopefully once that's through we might get a bit of a break (and some more sleep).

So the IL's leave tomorrow morning and DH goes back to work on Monday, so life will be getting back to normal very soon.

Anyway better run, hope everyone else is doing well x

[sloane]

hi everyone

sorry i haven't been on as much & doing personals, i have been reading but just haven't got around to posting in here!

miss e - wtg on ash crawling!! hope the inlaws leaving helps you & ash get back into a better routine.

jas - yay for hair!!

jessica - congrats on your upcoming wedding & the new house!

ss_storm - so glad to hear hayley is back to normal with the step 1

afm, can't believe corey is 7 months old today! craziness his 3rd & 4th teeth are on their way through at the moment & he's pretty much crawling - not what i'd call proper crawling because he hasn't completely worked out his arms yet, but he's getting around - looks kinda like the 'worm' when he bunny hops his legs & then slides his arms forward...funny for us anyhow!
his day sleeps are much better & even though i often help him through a sleep cycle we're getting usually a 1.5-2 hour sleep in the morning & then another 1 or 2 sleeps in the afternoon. usually shorter & if he has a 3rd it's never more than 30-45 mins. maybe he's almost ready for two sleeps?
night sleeps are still a nightmare & one of the reasons i haven't posted for ages. they're really getting me down at the moment. we're co-sleeping & poor DP is still in the spare bed, which i'm hating but it's the only way i can get through the 6 wake-ups a night (from when i go to bed around 11). ugh, it's doing my head in & i have no idea why he wakes so often! i think my head might explode & i feel so conflicted about the co-sleeping (i don't mind it but hate being sep from DP & there's no way the 3 of us are fitting in the one bed). it wouldn't be so bad if i thought it was a phase but his sleep has been getting worse since he worked out how to roll at just over 3mo. i can't even claim a wonder week! sometimes i feel that it's development related - the little man has done things so quickly & close together (rolling, teeth, starting to crawl etc) & other times i think i should just suck it up & admit we have a bad sleeper. and then others i think maybe i'm overreacting & this is just the way babies are! anyways, it's making me such a sad sack to be around - i'm grouchy, emotional etc etc. i'm driving DP insane i think!
anyways, that's enough from me! such a sob story

sorry for the lack of personals, i promise to try better from now on!! hope everyone is going well

[lovelycate]

hi everyone!

There's been a lot posted since I was last on - haven't a hope of catching up with everything just at the moment, let alone personals. Have very limited computer time too ...

Following sleep school we had a couple of days of mad running around before flying to NZ, and of course Zac's sleeps went completely berserk, to the point that the night before we were due to get up at 5am to go to the airport, he didn't go down until 9pm, and then woke up screaming every hour... joy.

Of course I felt just that extra bit stupid when I was on the plane and noticed he had cut his first tooth... All went pretty well really, barring one hour delay... but let me tell you that flying with a baby on your own is really not that much fun.

Have been having a wonderful time in NZ, getting very well looked after. Zac has already cut his second tooth and I think is working on his third. He became quite constipated within a day of arriving, and after trying to get more fluids into him and increasing his fruit intake, and no improvement over a week (and the poor wee man got bloodshot eyes from straining so much) I purchased some Coloxyl drops at the chemist yesterday. Starting to see some improvement, although we're not back to 'normal' yet.

I hope everyone is going well, and I'm looking forward to resuming normal computer access in a week and a half!

ps Sarah - I really feel for you. I found the Koo Wee Rup thing immensely helpful if that's something you think may help you?

[Fleur]

Just a quick hi from me today...Arlea has a cold again and hasn't slept much at all the last two nights. I think last night I would have been better off just sitting up & not going to bed She is perfectly happy through the day though, just a bit tired... fingers crossed for a better night tonight

Sarah, I totally feel for you & I don't know how you have done it this long. I can do once a night but any more is asking a bit much

Cate, glad you're enjoying your time in NZ!

MissE hope things are settling down for you, now that your visitors have gone?

Hope everyone else is well

[ss_storm]

hope Arlea is feeling better soon Jasp...Hayley has had a temperature all day today, and has been quite grumpy. She woke up at 5.30 this morning and felt really hot. Her temp was 38.2, went up to 38.3 earlier this afternoon and I took her up to the hospital at 5.30. But there was an emergency case (emergency dept must only have a couple of dr's) and could be up to a 2 hour wait..the triage nurse looked at me like I was stupid...I called the dr surgery this morning but they don't have any appointments available until tomorrow. Anyway after sitting at the hospital for about an hour I got sick of it and did a runner we were the only ones there so wasn't that hard..lol. She seems ok now, took her temp before I put her to bed and it's 37 point something so I feel a bit better about that. Might set my phone alarm to check on her every couple of hours through the night as these days I don't wake up unless Hayley does.

Hopefully it's just teething causing it (not sure if she is though..) and not something more sinister...I guess it's a good sign that her temp is no longer over 38 though.
So have had a very worrying and non-productive day! Fingers crossed tomorrow is better.

Sarah you poor thing you must be so tired! I hope you can find something that helps
Miss E things must be pretty quiet at your house now! Hope you are enjoying the time alone again! family are great...mostly when they are far away

Cate- hope Zac is feeling better soon...we have just come out the other side of a couple of weeks of constipation and it's not nice! How yummy do the coloxyl drops smell!

[debbee]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick one from me (relatively speaking! LoL). I think Miss Annie is experiencing her very first cold. I guess its her turn. She's done well to avoid a cold for almost 7 months! Well at least I think its a cold. Unless bubs can lose their voice teething?!!? I was trying to work out why she kept me up so much last night... 1-4am... oh I promise I won't complain about our 'normal' frequent wake ups... you really only need a bad night to make you appreciate the 'not so bad' nights!!! Yawn!

Storm - Sorry to hear little Hayley has been battling a high temp. Poor little pumpkin. Hope she's ok. xxx

Jas - everytime I read your posts, I get the feeling our little girls are conspiring! What you describe as your usual nights is almost identical to ours... But I too hope for a better night tonight with our little ones not being well... if not, I will think of you as I'm trying to settle Miss annie with cuddles in the wee hours of the morning! Sending you sleep vibes! xx (Annie too lost the dark hair she had at birth... and that gorgeous soft downy hair is just starting to grow again... isn't it beautiful to touch? definitely one of my fave things)

Cate - Great to hear you are enjoying NZ... even if you've had some challenges! Hope little Zac finishes cutting teeth & things sort out for him at his other end! Enjoy the rest of your hols!

Sarah - Oh I wish I could pop around and make you a cup of hot chocolate & send you to bed; while I look after Corey for a couple of hours. Sleep deprivation is just the worst; particularly when you have a series of back to back nights (or more!) where you just don't get enough shut eye. Do you have any family or friends that live close that could do this for you? I know this was my main problem, not enough 'support' people I could call on during those really tough times. I do hope there is someone that might be able to give you even a mini break, just so you can recharge. Its so difficult to make any rational decisions, when you feel so out of control without sleep. I do hope things ease up for you sweetie. Big hugs. And Happy 7months little man!

Eve - I can almost hear you sigh.... A big congrats on 'surviving' your past manic month of visitors! Hope you & Ash can catch your breath & enjoy some 'normal' again! Well... a new kind of normal, given how much your little man is moving now!! And I hear you about quickly installing 'gates'. We only have 2 storeys... but the timber stairs have been the one big hazard we wanted to make safe asap!! Everything else might have to be a bit more gradual.

Jetta - good luck with Sam's needles this week.

Hello to everyone else - hope you are having a great week!

Oh, if anyone has any magic tips on how to keep a bub happy when they're unwell?! Hearing Annie's dry raspy voice just breaks my heart... and to think I considered a career as a paed nurse at one stage...

xxx

[jetta2022]

Wow! So much has been happening!

Miss E - hope you are feeling better now that everyone is gone and things are going back to normal again! Ash is really moving along!

Debbee - hope Annie is okay! Sam hasn't got a cold yet so I have no advice for you at all except lots of cuddles! Hope she gets better soon though.

SS Storm - I hate how nurses etc look at you as though you are a moron for bringing your child to the hospital with a temperature. They have some nerve. You wouldn't be a caring loving mother if you didn't and I just can't believe that they make you feel stupid for loving your child and caring for them! I would be up at the hospital too, all you want to do is just make sure that it isn't anything major like you said. I really hope that Hayley is feeling better and it is definately a relief that the temp is going down. That must be a good sign. It sounds like it might just be the teething but it is hard to tell when they can't tell you! Sam has his 5th tooth coming down at the moment! I can't believe it!!

Jasp - hope Arlea is feeling better. I do hope you get a better nights sleep soon too!

Lovelycate - I am glad to hear you are having a good time in NZ, I can't imagine travelling on my own, so glad things went reasonably well! Poor you though with Zac not sleeping the night before, typical!! Hope you get some more time to relax and good to hear you are getting pampered!

Sloane - congrats on Corey reaching 7 months! Can you believe it! I am so sorry to hear that things are tough, I can't imagine how you are feeling. You are so fantastic for peservering and pushing through. SOunds like the day sleeps are going well, but he isn't sleeping at night. Have you rung the Tresillian line for some advice? I know when I rang Tressilian they were fantastic and they also offer a free service where they will organise for someone to come out and stay for 24 hours or up to a week to see what is going on and then help. I think they would be worth a try, just to see if they can offer some support and help. Apparently the first night they just let you sleep and then see what is going on. For the sake of you and hubby and baby it might be worth a try? Anyway, up to you. I do hope things get better. Well done for battling on though, you are doing so well! Sam sounds very similar - he is doing crawling with his legs but has no idea to move his arms so he is half on his head and looks like a worm!! So amazing what they learn so quickly.

Needles today seemed fine. he has done so well, brave boy. He has his 5th tooth comign down which is his second front one. So now two front, two bottom and an eye tooth. He has started crawing much like Sloane said where he doesn't know about his arms yet so moves his bum up and pushes with his head!! It looks quite funny. He is also now sleeping from 6pm til 6am 5 nights in a row so hope that keeps up!!!
Hope everyone looks after themselves and all babies get well soon!

[Miss E]

Hi everyone! Hope you are all well and bubs are feeling better are letting you sleep!

Jetta I'm glad to hear that Sam's needles went well. It's amazing how quickly the teeth come once they start isn't it. I'm hoping we might get a break for a little while now, Ash's 6th tooth (his eye tooth) has finally cut. He seems so much happier now.

Deb I hope that Annie is feeling a little bit better now, it must be heartbreaking to see/hear your little one is unwell.

Storm I also hope Hayley's temp has gone away. I can't believe that nurse was so rude to you at the hospital, of course you're going to be worried when your bubba is unwell, you shouldn't be treated like your stupid for being concerned, like Jetta said, that's what being a caring and loving mother is all about!

Jasp, is Arlea feeling better? It seems like there must be something going around with so many little ones unwell.

Cate I'm glad to hear that NZ is good, I admire you for making the trip on your own, I think I would find it very daunting. Don't worry about not realising Zac was cutting a tooth, I was exactly the same when Ash's first one came through. I couldn't believe he was so grouchy for a couple of days and then I saw the skin breaking.

Sarah I'm sorry to hear that you're night sleeps aren't going well. Unfortunately I don't really have any advice just a . I hope it improves soon for you.

AFU Ash seems a lot happier now that it is back to just being the two of us (and so am I). Mind you he has become very clingy over the last few days. I think it has to do with the new found independence that has come with crawling, I think he realises that he can end up apart from me so is trying to make sure that doesn't happen. He'll only play with his toys if I'm sitting there with him and even then he crawls into my lap every couple of minutes (it's very cute). If I dare walk away, within about 30 seconds he'll be grizzling and holding his arms up for me to come and give him a cuddle. I wouldn't mind so much, but he insists on me standing up when I cuddle him, if I dare sit down he starts crying. My back is getting very sore from it all. Hopefully it will only last a few more days... Other than that all is good.

[lovelycate]

hi everyone

Miss E - must be good to be back to 'normal'!

Jetta - I hope he's keeping up on those big sleeps - you must be rapt!

Debbee - hopefully Annie's better by now, but the only thing I can think of is lots of cuddles.

ss_storm - the coloxyl does smell yummy, although I'm at a bit of a loss to think why they need to be caramel flavoured when a baby has never had caramel before...

AFU - we're doing pretty well. Pleased to be back home. I think there has just been too much happening over the last three weeks since attending sleep school - we had some days where Zac went down relatively easily, but we are back to it being a nightmare to settle him again :-(

The constipation is well and truly over, thank goodness, although it still seems like he's got some of the laxative in his system, over a week later (sorry if TMI!) He's getting a sore bottom from it all, so I am trying to give him nappy free time, although it seems like I'm living dangerously... especially as he has started crawling!!

[MamaPan]

hi everyone! so sorry i have been MIA - i have tried to read and keep up to date with you all but i have not had time to write anything. so sorry!
it sounds like you are all doing so well with your bubbas - can you believe they are 7 months already?
I am so glad to see miss debbee back - sounds like you had a rough trot at the start but you sound great now and Annie sounds gorgeous!
i wont attempt to do too many personals - will try to be more up to date from now but here is an update on us...
well, we are in the process of moving to melb... we are all packed up etc and moving down this week! so i have been mad getting that all ready, packing, getting a house, renting out our house etc. i had a car accident in dec and wrote offf the car so we had to get a new car too! am v excited about the move but glad when all the upheaval is over. we had a 2 week holiday in NZ in jan which was wonderful... and also a couple of weeks at the coast which was also great - so a good summer! i am going back to work on 1 march - excited ot be back at work to ne honest but now happy to leave J in care... i guess its the modern dilemma. have got both boys into fab centres so thats a relief! ummm... have had a litte bit of a rough trot with J - he had whopping cough... but he is well now... i dont think he is doing everyting your bubs are he is sitting up now, only rolls one way and not so into solids (yet). we were at the paed last week though and he is v happy with him so that's great. he is a delightful baby - sooo happy and engaging and delightful. he is very easy going... sleep - a good night is a feed at 11 and 3 and up at 6... bad nights... well worse than that LOL! he has never ever slept through or gone longer than that... he is a good self settler to go to sleep so i am at a bit of a loss how i would help him to sleep longer at night - so i am going with the theory that he will grow out of it...
did any of you read that study about lots of massage and skin to skin reducing SIDS risk? i thought that was interesting reading (in papers today)
ok so thats about it from me... will try to be on a little more and a better buddy.... xxxx