Happy Halloween

We have had a truly fantastic Halloween this year. And hopefully, this will be the shape of things to come for future years. When I was pregnant we had a little Halloween party and invited a few friends and their children. I think Daddy managed to scare a few of them with his garage, so this year we decided to tone it down. We knew that Uncle Dean and Auntie Chrissie with cousin Lucy were definitely coming for the weekend so we invited a few more 'family' along. In the end we had 10 children and 14 adults; which included Nanna and Granddad. We could have actually invited more as we were blessed with a lovely sunny day. A week later and we might not have been so lucky as the clocks went back the day after the party, but for the party we were able to have a few hours outside!! I had stipulated on the invitations: 'Fancy Dress Compulsory' and I have to say that the majority of the attendees dressed up which all added to the excitement!
(See: http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.com/2008/11/who-ate-all-children.html regarding our first party)

I had planned a number of games, but in the end we just played 'Pass The Parcel'. I had bought a load of toilet rolls to play 'the mummy game' but the children were having such a good time outside we decided to just let them run around. I bought a shed load of sweeties and Kerry (as usual) did us proud with some fantastic Halloween cupcakes.

Daddy decked out the garage once again but this time it was slightly less scary (although Noah and Jamie were not too certain to begin with!). We had cobwebs and masks and balloons and posters and 3 carved pumpkins were brought which also added to the effect!

Jamie loved having a weekend with Lucy and I loved reading them 'Room on a Broom' and 'The Gruffalo' which Lucy had never heard before. We also had a chance to visit Nanna Grace and had a fantastic morning at Hartsholme Park. All in all, a brilliant weekend which will probably take us all November to recover!!

Jamie to sleep in our bed til he is three....

Babies should sleep in their mother’s bed until they are at least three years old, a study has concluded. The controversial advice - reported in The Daily Mail - comes from a paediatrician who found that two-day-old babies who were placed in cots slept less well than those who dozed on their mother’s chest. Their hearts were also under more stress, it was claimed.

New research claims babies should sleep with their mothers until they reach the age of three. Sleeping alone makes it harder for mother and child to bond - and damages the development of the brain, leading to bad behaviour as the child grows up, researchers fear. Dr Nils Bergman, of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, says that for optimal development, healthy newborns should sleep on their mother’s chest for the first few weeks. After that, they should stay in the mother’s bed until they are three or even four years old.

However, studies linking bed-sharing with an increased risk of cot death and fears that a mother will roll over and smother her child means that women are generally advised against this. In a recent British study of sudden infant deaths, almost two-thirds of those that were unexplained occurred when the bed was being shared. But Dr Bergman said: ‘When babies are smothered and suffer cot deaths, it is not because their mother is present. It is because of other things: toxic fumes, cigarettes, alcohol, big pillows and dangerous toys.’

Sixteen infants were studied while they slept on their mother’s chest and in a cot by her bed. Monitoring revealed the baby’s heart to be under three times as much stress when he or she slept alone. Being in a cot also disrupted sleep, with the babies’ brains less likely to ‘cycle’ or make the transition between two types of sleep called active and quiet. In the cots, only six out of the 16 had any quiet sleep and its quality was far worse. Making this transition is thought to be key to the normal development of the brain. Animal studies have linked the combination of stress and lack of sleep to behavioural problems in teenage years. Dr Bergman said that changes to the brain brought on by stress hormones may make it more difficult to form relationships later on, leading to problems such as promiscuity.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2054393/Bad-news-dads-Babies-share-mothers-bed-age-good-hearts.html

Mummy at Two and a Half

Other than the Dr ringing yesterday to say that my cholesterol check was 6.7 and had not much changed from the last time, I feel fine! I am not too worried about the result as yet. The Dr said it was not serious enough to start any drugs as yet, and I think the reading may have been wrong as I did have a small cup of tea....

Since the day of the test however, I have started Weight Watchers and am certainly feeling the benefit. So far I have lost 7.5lbs in 7 weeks so am on track to lose a stone by Christmas if I can continue to be good!! (www.weightwatchers.co.uk/) I think some of this weight loss is also due to the Zumba class that I have started on a Monday evening which I thoroughly enjoy.

I have once again been suffering with my back and decided to go for a series of treatments at the local Chiropractor. I do feel they benefited me physically but not so financially at £29.50 a time!

I have found myself being a Grumpy Mummy sometimes and I truly hate that. I have had a couple of major moodies and I know I have a short temper but it seems to be even shorter. I feel irritable and overwhelmed. I am beginning to wonder whether it is the implant in my arm causing these mood swings. Of course, it could simply be the time of year, work being a bit unpredictable and me just being me. However, I found a number of sites that discussed side effects of the implant and it seems women have suffered from mood swings, depression and even panic attacks following their implants. Mine was inserted on the 6th September so I shall re-assess how I feel at the beginning of December to see if I get any worse..... For the time being, its back to trying to relax....

I still hate leaving Jamie; especially on a Wednesday after we have had 4 days together, but I know he loves Nursery or I would not take him. It was hard the other week when we said; ‘Stay home mummy’. And of course the money from work comes in handy!! Work has been a bit stressful lately due to staffing issues and not knowing what will happen after my contract ends in December, but it’s not really the work, more my take on it. I must learn to relax and not take it too seriously! I intend to stick to my 20hours contract for the time being and not do any overtime.

I have found more time for my writing and although I joined a book group I decided that was one step too far. I have loads of books that I actually want to read rather than reading them for a group. Sundays nights are also the night where we can get everything ready for the week ahead so me going out puts a spanner in the works...

I look at Jamie and know that every day time with him is precious.

Jamie at Two and a Half

Jamie is a pure treasure at the moment. When I finish work I cannot wait to see him; although he can be very tiring! He has a full on approach to life that is wonderful to see and everyday is a play day! Although he won’t always give me ‘A kiss for mummy’, he will often surprise me with a cuddle when I least expect it. He does have a tendency to say ‘mummy’ quite often in a questioning voice, but it isn’t actually a question. It seems to be more of a reassurance that I am still there and paying attention, rather than actually wanting anything!!

We continue to have a good social life when mummy is not at work, and daddy and Jamie have a great time playing games and making up stories; not to mention when Granddad comes to play.
We have started Dramabugs on a Monday www.dramabugs.co.uk/ and there is a lovely mix of children there for Jamie to run around with. This week she is doing ‘Bear Hunt’ and has asked us all to take our teddy bears. Jamie still won’t let go of ‘Bear, Bear’..... What makes Mondays even better is that there is a wonderful park just next to the Hall and every week we have been for a play and a chat with other mummy’s and toddlers. There is a play train there and Jamie loves to take the wheel and shout ‘All Aboard’ and ‘Tickets please’.

The lady who runs Baby Signing (which Jamie loved!) www.babysigning.org.uk/ home is now running a Toddler Signing on a Tuesday afternoon. If I can get Jamie to have a sleep before we go, he really enjoys it. Unfortunately, he has been known to fall asleep under the crafts table! But Wendy is fantastic and he has made some brilliant things; including a Mr Cress head

We also continue to go to Story time at the library whenever it is on and recently they had the www.raptorfoundation.org.uk/ bring some owls in, which Jamie loved!

Jamie has been to a couple of birthday parties in the last month or so. The first being cousin Noah’s 2nd and then Emily D who was 3. Both were held at www.funfarm.co.uk/funfarm_lincoln.htm and meant that Jamie was lovely and sleepy both nights! We also managed to get invited to a girl’s party from Nursery who I am not sure even goes on the same day as him. I am still quite embarrassed about it, but Jamie had a great afternoon on the bouncy castle and he did know the twins and a few others!!

Another party he has recently been to is Auntie Anne’s 80th. Jamie and Alannah were the only two children there and Jamie spent most of the afternoon under the table; coming up every now and again for more crisps and chocolate cake! Luckily mummy had brought a few toys along so he wasn’t too bored!!

Nicola; who we met at ante natal classes, is due in a couple of weeks and as she has started her maternity leave we have visited for a few play dates with Will. We have also popped over to see Kerry and Elliot, and Jamie loves playing with all the girls’ toys! He also loved playing with their penny slot machine and said ‘pennies’ for days afterwards!! Elliot was christened a few weeks ago and Jamie loved running around with the girls and his cousin Alannah. He was the only boy surrounded by a sea of girls. As I wrote in Elliot’s card, soon the pair of them will be creating chaos between them!

And of course, whenever we can, we take Jamie out with mummy and daddy. Recently we went to www.woodsidefalconry.com/ which we are hoping to repeat when cousin Lucy comes in a few weeks.

As well as train journeys at the park, Jamie continues to love to cook; either properly with Nanna or at Nursery, or pretend with his kitchen and the one at Nursery, When I went to pick him up from Nursery yesterday he had a real cake to show me (which he then ate himself) and the girls were showing me what he had fed them in the afternoon; plates piled high with plastic food! He has recently taken on the guise of ‘Dr Jamie’ and last night when I had rather a bad back, Jamie bashed it with his plastic hammer to ‘make it better’.

Problems: I am sure Curly K would be worried if she knew about Jamie's bedtime habits. He still continues to fall asleep on our bed and to then be transported to his own bed, often for him to wake up in the night and find his way back into ours! On a couple of occasions recently I have got him to go to his own bed and have read him a story after which he has gone to sleep there, but this still continues to be the exception, rather than the rule!

We must also try harder with his washing routine and cleaning of his teeth, Daddy has been on lates this week which means Jamie has not had a bath since Sunday night!! I am not too worried about whether he is clean or not as he doesn’t really get too dirty; it’s more the idea of getting Jamie into a routine. Having said that, they always wash their hands at Toddler Signing before doing the crafts and Jamie will ask to wash his hands if he gets them messy when he has his tea! The only problem we have is that we often find some of the taps running at home where Jamie has turned them on himself and then wandered off!

What to Expect at Two and a Half

The latest www.mumsnet.com/ email discusses what to expect at 2 and a half years.

How he behaves: Negatively. He may have shown signs of resistance and stroppiness before the age of two, but at two and a half, he develops an attitude with a vengeance. He likes to follow his rituals and do things his way and is furious if you interrupt him. Sometimes he doesn't know what he wants to do but knows it isn't anything you've got on offer, even, incredibly, the park or an ice cream. It's hard to make him happy although funnily enough there is a sense of humour lurking - due to emerge closer to three. Jamie isn’t quite as bad as this – thank god! But he can be quite stubborn and refuse to take ‘No’ for an answer...

The trick is to be completely saintly yourself. Poor love, he doesn't like making himself or you unhappy. He's not really a manipulative, selfish little beast. Set aside enough time for him to try to dress himself, feed himself and bath himself without urging him to get a move on. My dad always told me that if I got into a confrontation with my children - I'd already lost the battle.

Now is the time for bedtime rituals before bed, he may like to have a teddy in bed, to have his light on or nursery rhyme tape playing. But this is also the time when he decides he'd rather be downstairs thank you very much, although when he's down there he'll be sobbing with tiredness and making everyone else unhappy. Restlessness at night is common and may be due to him being anxious about saying good night to you and you leaving him. This is partly to do with his growing realisation that he is a separate person, which you can imagine is a pretty heavy concept to get to grips with. Still problems with bedtime but difficult with daddy’s shifts to have a real routine. Jamie will sleep only when he is tired enough, but I do find a book before bed and then total quiet and darkness usually sends him on his way,

He will help to put things away because he's keen to behave like an adult (not realising that adults hate putting things away and would rather pay for someone else to do it). Jamie puts things away but loves tipping them out 5 minutes later even more!!

How he thinks: He can understand a bit more about cause and effect, so begins to understand that if he grabs that knife he may cut his fingers off. He is keen to name things and compare them, being able to say, not always correctly but with a sense of injustice that Johnny has a bigger biscuit than he does. He can understand simple time concepts, like "we will go the park after we've had lunch" but still make a fuss because he'd prefer it the other way round.

What he likes to play: He can complete one of those great wooden puzzles of 3 or 4 pieces (Jamie has done a 5 piece) and sorts objects by shape and colour. He can understand the difference between make believe and reality and will play make believe games with his toys and animals. Jamie is constantly playing games both by himself, with friends and with daddy. Dr Jamie, pirates, fire engines, castle etc. etc.

His physical achievements: He can make a tower of 8 bricks (although not always under pressure) and when he draws he will now make horizontal and vertical lines. He can jump and hop. Especially when doing 'Sleeping Bunnies'.

How he speaks: He can join together bits of sentences, using a subject, verb and object. He will refer to himself as "I" and know his full name. www.mumsnet.com/