thumbsucker blues: sandbox parenting thead

Ha - it's all about routine and things have been a lot better in the last month. "Dummies and puppies?" Ava asks as I'm towelling her down post-bath; her cot contains a few pacifiers (yes, we'll phase 'em out eventually) and a couple of plush dogs, y'see. And off she goes.

Wearing her mum's specs:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/164/386827890_6340eaf7f3.jpg

Out in the snow:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/383710319_e7168e6806.jpg

Tallulah gets ready for snow outing:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/66/383706273_03a6352d92.jpg

AWWW AWWW AWWWWW AWWWWWWWWWWWWW

you just broke me

Alice and I walked a very long way in the rain this morning for her first round of immunisations, only to find that the appointment card we'd been sent was totally wrong and we were supposed to book with our own GP (two minutes walk) after all. Argh. Still, defers the agony...

Question: how do you implement a 'routine' while still feeding on demand (and when feeds are demanded at fairly random intervals)? Alice slept from 6.30pm until midnight last night, neatly missing any bedtime routine window we might have had. And I hate to wake her up when I don't know when we're next going to get any peace...

http://www.douglasandlisa.com/sterling/s151.jpg

Your site reminds me that I need to take pix of Ava in the bath (she's often at her hilarious best when splashing about), in monochrome (that great Jan 13 one!) and I need to take more videos.

Ava still pronounces her "L" as "W" despite Daddy's best efforts at instilling palatalisation ("watch my tongue - LuLu." "Yuyu!"). It's cute, we'll just leave it. Her command of numbers is still haphazard - one through twenty but rarely in order and she confuses 8 and 2 for some reason. She's a bloody sponge though - it's incredible to watch her absorb all this stuff and chuck it back at you.

Now that morning sickness has finally passed, even though we've had a scan and a teeny bump is emerging, I'm finding it really hard to remember that I'm pregnant, it's almost as if I'm in denial, which is very very odd. In 3-4 months time if I look back at this I'm sure I'll have a bitter chuckle to myself.

Still, 136 days until I go on maternity leave!

More fluff please! Douglas, that's such a gorgeous head of curls!

I felt the same Vicky - mainly because I always imagined I was going to look enormously visibly pregnant from about 4 months onwards, which was far from the case. Plus I didn't have any morning sickness to speak of and generally felt 'normal' most of the time, so it was very easy to forget, sometimes.

Just go with the flow. She's still young and thus not open to much *coaxing* (in my opinion). But I did make sure that I would do the feeding in the same place and would also put her beside (with the telly on, so she got used to noise) after the feedings in the evening. That way she more or less got the hang of "night time is sleepy time."

Ophelia has been extremely clingy (after Japan). It's a bit difficult as I want to do my work in the shop. But it's flattering as well of course.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/388986714_8facf31e5a.jpg?v=0

Yo peeps

Ava is 2 today and that was supposed to be a little sequence of photos from birth to recent.

Here are the other two, FWIW...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/38/122170862_d37490f4d5_m.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/383716432_d04dde8cb1_m.jpg

So her birthday is on Valentine's day? That's so sweet and befitting for a cute girl like Ava!

lou's gone all mellow and snuggly lately:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/381877678_ee1d5bce87.jpg

Oh teens, I want to smooch that handsome boy. What a sweet face.

Good luck Meg! If all the sex doesn't tire you out, try walking up and down stairs a lot.

Hope he does well on the meds, and good luck with it all.

Doesn't look like I will get my Valentine's baby after all, as he/she shows no sign of turning up today. So from tomorrow I am officially overdue and up for following any advice on how to get things moving, unless they involve castor oil.

FIrstborns are usually late. :-) Good luck with the delivery!!!

Sadly, as we live in a ground floor flat there's no easy access to stairs for walking up and down. As for teh sex, we'll see tonight ;)

Here are a couple of pics from the hospital, when Ben got hooked up to an EEG.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/390810874_a59d9374ee.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/390811113_ab483b81e0.jpg

Meg, I never had any luck inducing with sex or anything else I tried. (Possibly because sex is so hilarious at that point, though). I do remember thinking, BRING ON THE PAIN I CAN TAKE IT. It is so uncomfortable at the end.

But yes, poor wee Ben.

Archel, you had SPD didn't you? I have pain in one side of my groin when I walk so I am wondering if that is the same thing. Is there anything you can do about it?

Liz, when are you due again? I forget and it's on old ILE. I keep hoping to feel something (16 weeks and 2 days) but it's still early days yet I guess, and the placenta's at the front which could mask it until later :0(

Liz, there's not a huge amount you can do about the SPD I don't think - I was told to keep my legs together as much as possible (!) ie bring both feet together on each step when you go up stairs, get out of bed by swinging both legs to the side etc. Also, sleep on your side with a pillow in between your knees. I had a lovely V shaped pillow which was a livesaver (and is still handy now for support when feeding).