The new rolling ILX parenting thread, since the other one was getting unwieldy

ava just came over to see what I was laughing at - the chicken costume might even be better than the turtle. but I guess there's a long history of humans in chicken costumes getting the official seal of comedy. I don't think either of ours will put up with headgear or ears or anything like that for very long, don't they realise it's a bit limiting?

which has me wondering - mike, how did you get esther to keep that excellent bow in her hair? what an ace first-day outfit she's wearing, your gals are supercute.

nathalie, my experience of breathing/pushing is that the second time around it'll just come back, don't worry! admittedly my breathing was mostly in, with my schnozz embedded in a funnel of life-affirming gas-n-air but still. I found it nearly impossible not to push when the time came, I bet your bod will remind you when it's time!

Absolutely no idea. For some reason, E doesn't mind having bows in her hair. A sure won't put up with them.

Awww little Miss Pneumonia - how is she (besides totally gorgeous, good lord that kid is cute)?

I am totally impressed by Esther's bow wearing as well - it's adorable.

Also, Nath, how are you holding up?

Esther looks like a little girl from the 20s or 30s in that picture.

I know there are bumbo pics earlier on in the thread, so I'll add to them. Pam and Mike kindly lent us their bumbo, and for some reason I thought Aidan was still too wee, but I tried him in it yesterday, and he looks so grown up in it! I'm loving this stage (he's 9 weeks on sunday) I thought I'd be upset that he's no longer a newborn, but smiles are just the best and I've had time to get used to looking after him so it's not such a chore all the time. He's a greedy boy, he was 12lb 10oz last thursday so is putting on an average of 8oz a week.

I've made friends at the mother and baby group, we spent 3 hours in cafe nero yesterday, it's amazing that you can talk to total strangers for that long, but then again I was feeling rather starved of decent conversation and if that conversation was about 99% babies, well that's understandable at this stage!

Now I need to figure out what he can wear for halloween. The twin's outfits made me go look around, there are some fab baby outfits, especially pea pods, but would they get shipped over to the uk in time...

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbrown/1477785997/"; title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1342/1477785997_0675b16da3.jpg"; width="375" height="500" alt="Bumbo!" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbrown/1478645414/"; title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1226/1478645414_e06abaa09f.jpg"; width="375" height="500" alt="smiling!" /></a>

The chicken and turtle costumes are totally excellent.

Vicky, Aidan is just a beautiful wee boy.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1342/1477785997_0675b16da3.jpg http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1226/1478645414_e06abaa09f.jpg

Aren't those Gap soxors? I think I have the same. Yes, I'm a Gap devotee, which is hard as we don't have one here (in Belgium) but my parents live in Japan where they do have plenty of Gap stores. YAY!

And we have the same Bumbo. We figured it could be handy to use as feeding chair (in our house, where we didn't feed Ophelia that often) but she frigging HATED it so never really used it. Maybe for the next baby? I hope so. :-)

Also, Nath, how are you holding up?

I am trying to sit down as much as possible actually. Lots of back pain but I rather have that than the pelvic bone pain (which lasts until after the delivery as I experienced the first time). Next week is check-up time. I am trying to enjoy my last weeks... It's strange, really, asI know that this is my last pregnancy. (Then again you never know, right? Still, I think we'll stop after two...)

I can't believe I missed a Wonder Pets discussion a few months back, btw. E was going through a pretty major Wonder Pets phase at the time. Her favorite was the NYC pigeon episode - I am guilty of talking NYC up to her way too much (note: we currently live in the midwest), and she was intrigued by the idea of the Statue of Liberty. It got to the point where she was asking us to drive her to NYC. It was scary when I actually went to NYC by myself for a mini-vacation - what would E think that she was at home? - but she took it surprisingly well.

Now she's into Curious George.

nath, they're H&M socks - Vic sent me there a few weks ago, well of course I came back with loads of stuff I'd wear in my size :) Brown hoodie, combats, stripey socks and sweatshirt... all oh yes.

a question for Dads - how old does Aidan have to be before I can buy him a Scalextric?

yes, I may have been looking at the website and drooling over the 70's muscle cars......

I love this thread! More pix!! :-D

Just dropping by to wish Nathalie the best of luck with no.2! How long was your labour with Ophelia? Hopefully this one'll just slide right out...

Howie has been poorly this week with his first ever cold, and still has a nasty cough that has kept him up these last two nights. His eczema is pretty stable, the hospital have pretty much said there's nothing we can do other than try to control the flare-ups with steroids and wait for him to grow out of it. His sleeping is still not great but I can't/won't leave him to cry it out, so I guess we are going to tough it out until he is old enough to bribe to stay in bed ;-)

But I am finding 7 months a brilliant age, he is just so much fun to be with, such a funny lovely personality. And not yet crawling but trying damned hard to. I've a feeling when he does that our lives will get 1000% more complicated...

http://picasaweb.google.com/ColveyClan/HowiePhotoshoot23Weeks/photo?authkey=n8npT_9AhKo#5102714625210822658

http://lh4.google.com/ColveyClan/RtB76pHhsAI/AAAAAAAAEx0/sSH1C8m1dHg/s144/Nathalie%20%286%29.jpg

But I am finding 7 months a brilliant age, he is just so much fun to be with, such a funny lovely personality. And not yet crawling but trying damned hard to. I've a feeling when he does that our lives will get 1000% more complicated...
COSIGN

aidan and howie are such handsome little men!

luna, beats is taking her antibiotics and doing pretty well. not so many gasping for air coughs now. when shes coughing youd have no idea she was sick. she wants to play, not be a sickie!

also, wonder pets are still number one in our house! my favorite is the kitten in venice. beeps only likes the songs though. the middle part, where the actual drama happens, is so boring to her.

good luck NATH!!

wonder pets stuff to mark a, of course

Also BRING ON TEH CUTE WINTER OUTFITS

http://lh4.google.com/ColveyClan/Rvj7l9xQtjI/AAAAAAAAFGA/CUZ9GYrIikE/s144/CIMG0961.JPG

Look out you guys, they grow up when you're not looking.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/WilliamCrump63/IMG_0860.jpg

Be careful with your Bumbos.

straight hair!

(xpost)

we have two bumbos and we never really used them. i couldnt really think of any reason to just put her on the floor in it. the one time i used it was to sit her it in on the kitchen floor while i made a cake. other than that, id rather let her just squirm. it would have been cool if it was safe on the couch but obviously it isnt.

Yes, the Bumbos are like the walkers: Easy but you can't ever leave your kid alone. This reminds me of last night. I was alone and O wanted to have a bath. I needed to pee. I really had to remind myself that, even though O looks so sturdy, she's still so very very small. I took nekkid O with me to the toilet and did my "bizniz". :-)

I woke up now - it's about 5 AM - and remembered all these things, like taking care of the navel (?) and stuff. OH NOES! Freakout session! :-)

Meg, my first time started on the 14th but appeared to be BH contractions (or they sent me home at least saying all was fine). Then the next time it started around 8 PM, I went to sleep, or rather tried to, got up around 2 AM telling my husband I couldn't sleep (due to the contractions) so we went to the hospital. I delivered at about 10:45 PM on the 16th of January. I had to be induced. As my water didn't break and I didn't have any effacement (?) at all but only had contractions. But that's considered normal for a first time, long period of contractions, I mean. USUALLY (but of course not always) the second time tends to be shorter. But hey you never know!

BTW O pooped today, during lunch, and it came out of her pamper all over the feeding chair. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Interesting. :-)

Aidan looks totally like his dad! Good luck, Nathalie!

a question for Dads - how old does Aidan have to be before I can buy him a Scalextric?

About 6 weeks :)

I need sleep. Megan has a new hobby called SCREAMING ALL NIGHT FOR NO REASON :(

G, that reminds me, did we ask you if you wanted that unopened Scalextric that's been taking up space in our house for the last three years?

No you didn't. Thanks for the offer - I shall ask A but I'm fairly sure the answer will be "and where do you suggest we put it?" and that "right slap bang in the middle of the living room..." won't be the answer she's looking for :)

O has fever again. :-( She has been sick off and on for some time now. :-(((

Oh damn, now the fever has hit 39,5 degrees. :-( Any of you parents have experience with kids having infections this often? She was sick last week, was okay for two days and has return to sickie mode again. :-(

Is she still going to daycare? Beeps is always getting sick and her doctor says thats typical for a kid that goes to daycare. he says if she wasn't getting these colds and infections now (didn't go to daycare), she would get them when she started kindergarten. it sucks but its how the immune system builds itself up.

how old does Aidan have to be before I can buy him a Scalextric?

Chris, if you're serious about this, it depends more on when you can buy a bigger house :)

Btw that Bumbo article may as well have just read OMG COVER YOUR CHILDREN IN 100000 LAYERS OF BUBBLE WRAP AND LIVE IN A BOUNCY CASTLE OR THEY'LL DIE !!!1!!1

xpost Yes, she is. I know it's "normal" but it pains me so much. It might be an urinary infection again. :-(

it is to laugh

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2367/1496187331_d6934c9e7e.jpg?v=0

Oohhh these photos! Best thread ever. Cheered me right up I tell thee.

said like a month ago but still v v otm
i am filled with love

The main thing we used the bumbo for was letting Lytton sit on the kitchen floor while the rabbits played in there!

All the babies look 10x awesome - must bookmark this thread and not neglect it!

mike/pam's photos also remind me that i shld make sure to buy a rad SLR camera before i have babies (and practice my photography skills beforehand too obv)
or have babies with a rad photographer
hm

http://freakytrigger.co.uk/lytton/AugStand.JPG

Ooooooooh look at those legs! I wanna bite'em! :-)

Oh yeah there was an article about the yummy and slummy mummies in our newspaper. An interview with the journalist who invented teh label "yummy mummies". Quite interesting and OTM.

I'm trying to imagine the good citizens of Bruges 500 years ago grappling with these concepts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw9ipfC3YQk

i understood about a tenth of that

Aw, loving the little ILX boy babies! They all look so chubsome and happy :)

A(li)ce of spades:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2356/1524179974_c4c04379c9.jpg?v=0

Read it or eat it?
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2052/1524179994_85feff081f.jpg?v=0

haha. so cute!

its so not 2058, Archel. I mean it might be but thats one young looking 51 year old.

Yeah, we time-travelled for that one... apparently our house is still a mess in the future, woo.

Oh my god - she's so gorgeous and happy.

What great eyebrows!

i still don't have one...still trying. :(

looking into adoption now.

Heya Chris. Hoping for the best.