March 08:Happy Birthday!!! We made it through a whole year!

[turtle23]

new thread.

[JFly]

Howdy all.

Sausage hope all is calm and safe with you.

I am so very annoyed and disappointed. I was due to fly to the States tomorrow with G to celebrate my sister's 40th. He was up all night screaming and has another ear infection (2nd in two weeks). Dr has said he can't fly until ear looks better. We were only going for a week anyway, so we basically can't go.

It's so hard for all 5 of us sisters to get together so I was really looking forward to it. Also, we were going to visit my 98-year-old grandmother who is desperate to see G. So now I have to tell her we aren't coming. I hope that I can visit her later this spring.

Arggghh.

Anyway, not nearly as bad as job woes, etc, so apologies for whining. Just very about the whole thing.

[Ewe]

Oh JFly, that sucks! We nearly had the same issue last summer but we would have been stuck in France on holiday which was a much nicer prospect

Find out about job tomorrow, my employer is being really vile and instead of making the redundancies they need to they are setting targets at an unattainable level and then following disciplinary action when they are inevitably not hit . Was HH'd by an old boss yesterday who has just set up his own business and would be really keen for me to join him and it's a fantastic opportunity but he can't afford to pay me a salary so not sure how doable that it. Oh well, these things have a habit of working out one way or another! Que sera, sera!

Glad you had a good first day back HQ, really helps to have faith in your childcare which you obviously do.

sausage, hope all is ok with you?

turtle - how is the not breastfeeding going? Did you manage to wean him? (May have totally missed your post saying as much so apologies if so!)

Ladies, we need to sort out a meet up, think we could all do with it at the moment!

[Ewe]

Forgot to say a HUGE congrats to Ff for getting accepted on her uni course!! What are you going to study?

evie - good luck with the pregnancy, I can't imagine how exhausting it must be! I was shattered all the time with DD and I didn't have a 1 year old to run after. Are you going to find out the sex? @ your SIL, bugger off if you're reading

[JFly]

Thanks, Ewe. And congrats, FFFF! That's very exciting (and daunting, if you ask me!)

Yep, a meet-up is in order. And my diary is wide open for the next week!

[turtle23]

Ewe-You didn't miss my post.
FF-Well done on the uni thing!
Jfly-That is horrible! Do you at the very least get your money back/some kind of comp with travel insurance?

[merryberry]

st,hello! argh, go TO sleep SLEEP Sleeeeepy baby...(have been busy today and knocked his usual naps/feeds about, mea culpa)

sorry you miss out jfly. lovely to look forward to sept, ff. how long no salary ewe, worth it for equity?

[pantshavenames]

Sausage- hope everything is well. Like the new name, tho' it says something about my new regime of healthy eating and exercise bike-ing that I am much more focused on the sausage rather than the tits. .
FF congrats on uni course- is that distance learning or a local place?
Ewe- hope the job situ resolves itself.
JFly- bummer about holiday- hope you can rearrange it for the near future.

I have nothing to report on my life at the moment. It is purely same old same old......

[FfreckleFface]

Thank you for all the congratulations. It's a Law conversion course, so I can then move onto an LPC. It should be a one year course, but I have opted to do it part-time over two years so I can still take some freelance work in, and don't have to leave Ff full time. (Plus, it is bloody expensive, so need to carry on working and pay as little for childcare as possible. Still, when I am qualified it should be worth it.) It's at Oxford Brookes, so not too far away. Can't wait now. I think I am most excited about studying again, rather than the actual course. (But I am excited about that too.)

Thinking about you, Sausagetits.

[Dontpanic]

sausage, am chortling mightily at your choice of name. Hope other issue is resolving peacefully.

JF, hope insewerance covers you, but the flights would have been absolute hell and risked perforated eardrums etc. Not much consolation, but trying to look for a bright side in everything in current climate.

FFFF, law, blimey. I kept failing the basics when I had to do some of that for my accountancy. Luckily they changed the syllabus so I ended up not having to do it

Evie, hang on in there, great that you've got over 1st trimester yukkiness.

Ewe - your employer looks like setting themselves up for loads of unfair dismissal claims, start up option sounds great if you can get by until income possible.

MB, it's not Twitter, you can use more than 140 characters

everyone else, apologies if not commented on, even if I only read your posts a few minutes ago I've feckin forgotten the contents already, my memory is seriously getting worse.

[Dontpanic]

Oh yes, dats etc. LO not quite so advanced as still enjoying mam, ga, baba and the charmingly welsh sounding gogh.

Does his first word count if I wasn't round to hear it? MIL told me today he said it very distinctly but I've not heard yet, and not convinced I want it to be marked down in history in favour of something else.

It was, apparently, "Iggle".

[HolidaysQueen]

JF - that's so rubbish. Poor you and G.

DP - our nanny is convinced DS said yoghurt the other day when he was having lunch so Iggle sounds entirely possible

Oooh FfFf you are clever, and dedicated. I signed up for a starter OU course a few months back but have done nothing. Have 3 more weeks before my assignment needs to be in and only opened the books once! I think my days of studenthood are behind me!

Day off. Cold tea, lunch being flung at me, nappies to change... And cuddles, giggles, claps, chatter, waves... I'm so happy

[FfreckleFface]

JFly, sorry, meant to say last night, that is rubbish. Hope he's feeling better soon, and you get to arrange another trip.

Happy Birthday GG!

I was reading through the thread from this time last year last night, feeling nostalgic. I cannot believe that it was a year ago. Everytime I look at Ffion she seems to have changed again. It is wonderful, but frightening.

HQ - I don't know about clever, and we'll have to see aboout dedicated when I start! Law is what I should have done the first time round really, but I was 18 and idealistic and set on being a writer. 8 years later and my agent is having no luck selling novel number 1, and novel number 2 has come to a definite and catastrophic halt since I became pregnan with Ff. Working in publishing, especially freelancing as I am at the moment, is never going to keep Bloke and I in the manner to which we would like to become accustomed, so back to uni I go.

Hope that you are having an awesome day off, HQ, and hello to everyone else.

[merryberry]

oh what a good idea, will go back and re-read that thread soon.

cheers for b'day wishes. had a great day, EXCEPT...1) i am so mean. i made him have his booster hib and menC today and 2) i am so tired i could sleep on a pin. the nighttime joint pain has got me grinding my teeth down apparently, so now i have this seemingly diddy tooth guard to wear. couldn't sleep last night, it felt so alien. ouch.

anyway today was lovely. noisy toy and tubbies bath toy much appreciated. he wore his cakes, his brother was very sweet to him, he adored the chorus of happy birthday and the candles but the big hit were the 4 bright balloons to rummage around the floor on.

i feel very ambivalent myself about the year being past, no more babies allowed for me, and it was, pain wise, the worst life of my year. god, well i hope it was. and verging on negative about the years to come, as i can only go so far feeling vicarious pleasure at the kids' growing so well before i simply start feeling jealous and wish i still had so much potential. oh god i'm off again...sad!

there disburdened myself. am feeling better.

if anyone still looking for cake inspiratoin and their baby likes orange as much as gg i very very heartily recommend these carrot cupcakes with orange frosting. do use full fat cream cheese, and expect to have spare cake mix left.

[HolidaysQueen]

mb - I knew before clicking on that link that it would be Waitrose! Sounded like a waitrose sort of thing and I know you're a waitrose person (me too!) They sound delish and perfect for birthday tea with healthy-food eating niece and nephew! ugh, i'm about to get one of those teeth guards for grinding - kind dentist doing it now while i still have a few weeks left on my free dental treatment thing.

Happy Birthday GG!

day off lovely - gymboree and nct, so very sociable for us both and lots of hot cross buns this afternoon. ds in great mood but been sick several times - not bothering him so he's clearly just regressing to be a posseting newborn as his birthday approaches

[merryberry]

well they are so sweet i doubt they rate as healthy don't tell your detnist. good luck with the guard thing!

[Dontpanic]

Nearly missed GG's birthday, almost belated bday greetings to him

Tooth guard things, last time I wore one was for tooth whitening, proper mould n everything but boy did I dribble out the side overnight! .

Stressed to eyeballs now with parents finally here. Bitching like mad at my dad, will be glad when Sunday's here and things are underway so I can enjoy the "do". This is worse than organising a wedding.
Anyway, we're out enjoying ourselves tomorrow afternoon/night for DH's birthday. Staying out at a hotel o/night, seeing film, eating pizza, maybe venuring to hotel pool/jacuzzi. On the other hand, may spend half the allocated time giving instructions on child/dog care to parents.
And relax...

[JFly]

Happy Birthday, GG!

Thanks for your commiserations. Finally told my grandmother we weren't coming. She was so disappointed, but at least she gets to see my sisters. I'm hoping to go over at the end of April.

On the up side, all my laundry is done!

[Ewe]

Do you want some of mine JFly? [glances at piles and piles and piles of laundry]

Happy Birthday GG!!

[merryberry]

thank you all, GG celebrating by finally conquering doors. Can now use handle to open a closed door, cruise round edge and dropping back to knees hare off to Today's Most Attractive Danger Spot (TM)

[pantshavenames]

Happy belated birthday GG!
Small preen here- DD is walking!! Staggered from the TV into the hall, stopped and then went 'OOOH cables!!' and fell over.
She doesn't point but does this imperious waggle of the hand at stuff she wants like she's summoning the waiter . Which I guess 9 times out of 10 she is because what she seems to really want is anything I'm eating. No words as yet but she does kiss me which is kind of nice. Humourous in that she makes a kissing sound and then about 30 seconds later puts her open mouth somewhere on your hand or whatever.
We are currently on day 8 of DH's annual birthday strop. He hates getting old but today is his actual birthday so hopefully we are peaking. Away this weekend at his mums- he's going to the football while I look after the kids and then his mum will babysit in the evening and for once instead of wanting to go out with 'the laaads' he has decided to go out for a meal with me. Should be nice, hopefully.
I though about getting DD a charm bracelet from her brother for her birthday and then DS could pick a charm every year to add to it. Do you think I'm better off getting a adult size bracelet, bearing in mind if DS is picking the charms there may be a high Disney count? I don't really like
little children wearing jewellery.

[FfreckleFface]

Happy Birthday to today's three birthday boys.

Hope the party went smoothly, Dontpanic!

[Ewe]

DD's birthday party today, I am knackered! Had loads of family over and she was thoroughly spoilt, she has two black bin bags of presents and she still has our pressies, my Mum and Dad's gifts, my GPs presents etc etc. It's nuts, must put a stop to it from next year or she will be a spoilt brat! Great day though and the weather was beautiful so was out in the garden all day.

I can't believe she is almost one, this time last year I was in the throes of labour and induction. DD is so grown up now, so independent I miss having a little baby but really love the fact she is a proper little person now. I wish there was a pause button and I could stay at this stage for a while.

Hope you're all having as much fun as we are!
Hope everyone else is

[Ewe]

That end bit was meant to say "Happy birthday babies!"

[littleducks]

Happy Birthday to all the 'toddlers' as i suppose they truely are babies no more, ds's birthday isnt until 1/04 so still a bit of time yet (and my birthday on fri so i get my cake first )

All the parties sound great i remember the excitment of dds first birthday party, but think i will be saving my sanity and having a family only do for ds this year, as dd has her heart set on a soft play party and i will prob be inviting her whole preschool class as she only starts next month

So to all those who have had celebrations, what was the biggest sucess present wise?

[Ewe]

We haven't given DD her sandpit yet but she has loved books, a soft dolly ballerina type thing and a wooden buggy similar to this cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260220856300&cguid=0bc25a9c1200a0aad3544904fffb7e94 that my step Grandparents got her.

We had mainly family littleducks, even that was overwhelming and knackering for her so I think family only sounds perfect.