August-September 2010 Moms

hi girls

Eileen shame hun, you are one tough cookie with everything you have to put up with! Glad to hear you had some good times over the weekend though. How are the girls feeling today, hope they are getting better. John has a cold and its hard for me so I can't imagine everything you've needed to do over the last few weeks for your girls.

Girly, sorry about Unisa, they are not as well organised as they used to be I don't think. Well just go for it and maybe you will do well with these assignments, you can only try. Its one week of working late at night and then its over. If I was you I would go back on my anti-depressants, you are going through so much stress, if there is something that can help you cope then why not? Shame poor K and poor you, John sometimes has a day like that where I can't put him down or leave him without his crying but its not all the time. Have you got a sling/ pouch/ ubba bubba wrap? I put J in my ubba bubba wrap if I absolutely have to do stuff around the house and he just wants to be with me. Its still quite restricting but better than leaving him moaning

Re: the protein, ja blend it in - my best friend is my stick blender. I blend chicken so its shredded and mix it in with veggies. I've mashed fish and tuna. I made a couple of portions of bolognaise and I blended the mince too once cooked - makes it look like bully beef but I was also worried the mince is not 'minced' enough for him yet. I made it with these tiny little flower shaped pieces of pasta that are soft enough for him to eat. But maybe Kaylee is not ready for pasta yet? Try puree potatoes rather or I've heard there is a rice pasta you can get, I thinks its called Risolli. I'm going to look for it the next time I'm at the shops, apparently its easier for babies to eat than normal 'gluten' pasta. John has had pasta twice for dinner and both times he couldn't finish his bed time bottle and still only woke the next day at 6am for his next feed.
John had laughing cow cheese with his pasta and mince and we just warmed it on top in the microwave and then mixed it in. I haven't given him 'normal' cheese yet, just sticking with soft cheese. I still need to buy him yogurt but I have given him the purity bananas & yogurt so far.

I hope this helps you! Alot of the time its trial and error And I've discovered that he will eat broccoli if its warmed up nicely, he just hates it cold. Which makes sense I guess, it doesn't taste good cold to me either

Robyn, I can't believe the cheek of that granny? Some people just think they have the right to say anything hey? As if they know better than you, her mom! And thanks for your comments about all of us doing a great job and being our baby's best mommy! Its nice to hear that sometimes when you've had a bit of a hairy day with a crying niggly baby. John is normally such a happy and relaxed baby so I am actually spoilt most of the time.

We've started playing peekaboo and he loves it. Its so cute. He also really loves being lifted up the air above my arms and I go "weeeeeee". He laughs out loud, I just can't get enough of his laugh. He also does it when DH pretends to "bite: him on his tummy. He likes the feel of DH's beard, plus he is ticklish on his tummy.

Aaah, isn't it sad putting away all the 3-6 month clothes? So many of the 6-12 month clothes are little boy clothes, I think I must go get him some more babygros so he still looks like my little baby. Although he is just so cute in his little pants and t-shirts too.

Hi ladies

Eileen strongs hun. I honestly dont know how you manage to put up with that, knowing your children are getting less than ideal care, its just cruel!
Maybe you need to put something anti crampy into the formula to help her? Why did you change over anyway? (Sorry bad memory)
Wow that sounds very hectic! You deserve an award!

Robyn shame I get how you feel re the grandparents. Kaylee is also like that sometimes, it all just depends on her moods. But my mom smokes so sometimes I wander if its the smell (she doesnt smoke around her) which she's not used to, and with the inlaws it really depends on how in her face they are and what mood she's in. They sometimes go a bit overboard with trying to entertain her when they see her, even if she's tired and not up for it then they wander why she's not happy.

I phoned Unisa today to try find out if I could cancel my study units. I still havent received the hard copy of the tutorial guides, and its hard to sit with a laptop version and study, I just cant study like that. But they're basically making it my problem even though a week before assignment due dates I dont have the material, I still have to get the assignments done somehow.
So I had a big bitch session with the call centre this morning because I dont want to be a month behind studies because of them, and I want to cancel this semester. But basically if I do, I will forfeit 50% of the fee, which I've already paid, thats R2000. Being unemployed still, I definitely cannot afford that so they're basically forcing me to somehow study, even though I wont be ready and the assignments count 50% toward your year mark which can make or break a grade.

So I took Kaylee to our clinic today to speak to the sister about her sleeping routine. The last month or so she has been waking up between 11pm and midnight for a feed, and then 3 hourly through the night. Just for milk and then to sleep again. But I feel like she's 6 weeks old again, and so tired.
So she has suggested that I must now introduce protein into her evening meal, as it takes longer to digest and will keep her fuller. And also mix it with pasta / rice / potato and grated cheese.

But I'm a bit clueless (again). I gave K a tiny piece of macaroni, the smallest piece. But she couldnt swallow it and so she gagged and threw up. So must I still puree everything like the stage 1 foods? She suggested that mince I dont have to puree but I cant see K managing to swallow it.
Re the cheese - do you melt it, do you add it before blending it, melted cheese would go stringy wouldnt it?
Re yoghurt - she says full cream, but the only full cream I could find was strawberry flavoured sweetened yoghurt and then double cream greek yoghurt. What yoghurt are you giving? Plain smooth or flavoured? I dont like the idea of the sugar
Okay so toast - do you cut it into bite size pieces / pieces big enough for them to hold? Dont they gag on it? Do you put anything on the toast?

Any other tips for introducing proteins???

Hi all,

Phew, what a hectic weekend. The babyshower was very nice. On saturday I had a "incident" in the shops with my girls and their stepmom. GRRRRR The retards thought it best to take my very sick child on a shopping spree. When Abby saw me in the shops, she just about had it and ran into my arms sobbing. Refused to let go. I stood there for about half an hour trying to convince her to loosen her grip and go back to her stepmom. I tried convincing the stepmom to let me take the girls for a milkshake while she finishes her shopping. But it refused. Cause those people mos only buy colddrinks for themselves and offers sips to my girls....which refuses to drinks from their germs.
You can imagine my rage!!!!! Anyhoo, Abby demanded to come home on sunday morning.

I had a bridal shower on saturday where I played photographer. Was kinda fun.

Yesterday I looked after my sick child.

Girly, best of luck with the studies, hope everyone plays along so you can finish way ahead of time.

Robyn, Izibella also go through these stages where she loves strangers the one minute and the next cries her heart out at the sight of her grandparents.

I put Iz on Soya milk, but for the past two nights she's been cramping terribly. She was fine while I was weaning her with 2 bottles AC Novalac and 2 Isomil.

1 Month till SA Champs! From now we'll be eating, sleeping, breathing ballet. And it's confirmed, I'll be carting to Rustenburg alone .

Hope you all have a lekker night.

hello ladies
have been abit MIA

sorry to all those wonderful mommies out there who are stressed, depressed, scared, tired - you know no-one else can do the amazing job you do with your child! Some people will give you advice (whether it's wanted or not!!) but you are the only MOMMY in your child's life and you are doing a great job - REMEMBER THAT!!!!

Anyway, here is a paradox for you....why is it that baba is happy and content and QUIET in the car, but as soon as you step inside the (very busy, of course!) shop, they start crying and EVERY eye turns towards you to find out what you are doing to your poor child - they KNOW that you are doing something wrong cos no child will ever just cry!
I had one of those last week - a cute little old granny came up to me in PnP (I was expecting a compliment on my cute baby girl, dressed all in PINK, even tho she was tired and crying)
Instead, I got the biggest mouthful ever - how distressed she was listening to my baby screaming from across the shop and how "HE" was scared and how could I just leave "HIM" covered with a piece of plastic so "HE" can't breathe in the pram and that I must do something (OMG ..... EXPLETIVES $%#^%^%!!!!!!)
Now I just laugh about it (not at the time, mind you!!!)

Yesterday we went to friends out in Bellville/Durbanville area (sorry, all those areas look the same from the south! )
for the day and Dakota was so good, even tho it was so
%&*$-ing hot and she laughed at them and played with them even tho she had never seen them before and it was somewhere she had never been before (I was such a proud mama - she even put their 2 year old son to shame! he he! )
But then we went to my parents for the day and as soon as she saw Granny & Grandpa, she screamed - they couldn't hold her, touch her, play with her - NOTHING!!! I felt so bad cos this is their first grandchild and she is scared of them that they can't enjoy their time with her, that I actually burst into tears!
Thankfully they understood and said she will grow out of it and kinda made a joke about it and by this afternoon she was playing very nicely with my mom, so I felt better

Anywhoo, we are going to start proteins next week and she loves her cereal in the mornings and veggies in the afternoon & evening. She had her first grapes in the mesh bag today (she loves sucking on apple) and thankfully she is now drinking water (I couldn't understand why she wouldn't drink water from a bottle, then I figured it out - her bottle is for milk!! She only drinks water from a cup!! (no teat for her - such a big girl!!)
but it's so cute cos she drinks like a cat - lapping with her tongue sweet!! and she now has her bottle at 19h00, bed by 19h30 and sleep stil 06h30

Have a great week everyone (DH is going to Jhb for 3 days, so bleh for me!)

Hi ladies

Shew but its quiet here. Hope everyone not as busy as me

Eileen hope you enjoyed your birthday and got spoilt by all. How was the babyshower?

Kerry too cute!
DH knows exactly what pressures I have on me, but I dont think he realises how much its affecting me, but honestly I am a big communicator so its not like I havent told him. He was helpful today, cleaned up and helped me pack away some clothes etc, but he also values his own chill time but what he forgets is that when he looks after K I'm not chilling, thats when I do other work so I seldom get a chance to just relax or do something for me.

I am soooooo stressed out right now. Realised that my 3 assignments are due in 1 week's time an I have read 1,5 chapters of 1 book only, not even touched the others.
So my evenings I will be spending doing assignments till late at night, no tv or chill time for me. Just hope the family cooperates.

Cols hows the studying?
Sorry to hear about the migraine Are you bfeeding or could you at least take decent pain killers?
I'm not a big headache person, thankfully ponado usually does the trick, but I'm dreading the day my period arrives if I'm still b/feeding cause I am going to suffer without strong pain meds, especially the first one I imagine it to be quite heavy?

Anyway, I better get studying now ... gonna be a long week.

PS Cape Town ladies I think its time for another get together. Obviously it'd have to fall on a weekend now. Any suggestions?

At least we have a public holiday this month - 21st yipee And it falls on a Monday so nice long weekend

And in April there's lots of public holidays, and DH has taken 3 days off so if approved he'll be home for 2 weeks. We might go back to Gordons Bay.

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Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes. You guys are really special maikies! And I don't have and make maikies easily. I am having a lekker day. Went babyshower shopping this morning. It's Dh's cousins babyshower tonight, hence no birthday celebrations for me.

Dh got called out last night at 11 and worked till 3 so he is on fatigue. Lekker! He is taking me for some sushi as soon as the ex fetches Abby. Very heartsore that it's not my weekend with the girls, as I'd rather have Abby here to look after her myself while she is sick.

Iz started drinking tea out of her sippy cup! Her sister taught her, so cute.

Girly, hun, I feel your pain. Honestly I do, I've been feeling overwhelmed the past 2 days, DH and I have been fighting non-stop, sicky kids, myself feeling gaga, school assignments and orals and exams, and now going to SA's alone. Last night I also just felt lost. While dishing up for everyone, I had a good cry. Sometimes a good cry and an understanding ear is all that's needed to give you the strength to stand up again and go on. Sometimes we don't have the luxury to take time-out. I know I don't have that sometimes. But then after a good cry and a good laugh with one of my maikis, I can face it all again.
Girly, my wish for you is a good cry and a good laugh!