The autumn wagon is rolling: take your seats and fasten your belts if you dont want to fall off!!

[GiraffeYoga]

Here you go!

so much tumbleweed 2 get through

had a good day here

hi mm hope u feel better soon

went to own this morn tried out elc camera is great

saw friends in aft

Hello everyone!

Just got back from a big shopping trip to Basingstoke. Got loads for GC :) Got some stuff for Xmas too.

Had an awful migraine here yest I was crying with pain and that made GC cry too :( I felt awful but couldn't help it. Much better today though.

Big news here is we sold our flat on Thursday so its all systems go here! So relieved to be going!

Hope you're feeling better now MM.

Tink - sounds like you had a good day. Cant wait til X factor :)

Gyo - hope you are enjoying being back with the SG :)

Hi to Ses, Cant, Diege, Moosy, Star, Rugby, Smithy, anyone else I have forgotten??

Oh nearly forgot, GC had his settling in sessions at nursery this week. He did Wed 9.30-12 with me and DH there and then Thurs 3.30-5.30 on his own, he was fine when I left but got a bit unsettled about 5.20 so they called me to go back. He starts for real next week!

Gruff - sounds like a great shopping trip. Sorry for the migraine.
However huge congrats on selling the flat!
Hope GC continues to settle well at nursery. How many hours is he going to be doing?

MMM - sorry you and DS have both been ill. Hope you're both all clear now?

Cant - thanks for reassurance on O's speech. I'm not really worried as such but it would help him so much more to be able to communicate a bit better though! He has started pointing more consistently and also blowing kisses this week so we're progressing!

Tink - hello! Will be watching XFactor in a bit when DH is back home.

Hello everyone else! Hope you're all ok?

DH has just gone to pick up his brother and BIL from the airport. They're over until Thursday to help DH landscape the gardens around the kitchen extension.

On Tuesday I'm off to exotic Telford for a conference with work until late Wednesday. Only my second night away from O so I'll be leaving him in the charge of DH and the 2 uncles! I'm sure they'll be ok but if you remember, the last time I had a night away, O ended up at the hospital having 5 hrs of tests for a rash!

Hi Ses,

Yes - definitely don't worry about O's speech. I couldn't believe how GC went from saying a few words to copying everything we say!(or trying to) There are still sounds he struggles with so for bath he says "barff" (bath) and cat is "bat" You will be surprised how quickly, once he gets going, he will be learning words before your very eyes :) (or should that be ears )

GC is going to nursery Wed 8.15-11.45 and Thurs and Fri 3pm - 6pm. He will do one week next week, and then he will have half term (DH is looking after him in the school hols).

Hope your trip to Telford goes smoothly and that everything runs smoothly at home too!:)

hi gruff and ses

i enjoyed xfactor

I feel like ive been AWOL for ages even though I posted last week!

Glad everyone seems ok- sorry for migraine Gruff, sounds awful. Hope it passed quickly

Nursery settling in sounds like its going well too. :)

Ses- Gruff is right, dont worry about the speech thing. Some get it early than others all in the realms of normality. SG has been 'late' (later than peers but not late according to the HV rules IYSWIM) with most things except teeth rather oddly! Her speech is now coming on in leaps and bounds like the Cub, and that has happened really fast (Ive noticed a real improvement whilst being away for 5 days e.g. being able to say Daddy perfectly )

Tink- no camera advice here Im afraid but its a great gift idea.

Cant- great news on DS and DD1 re school. You must be, quite rightly, mega proud :)

I had a really oddly bitter sweet week away. In some ways it ways it was really great being away and being able to be me again, IYSWIM. I was able to go out and socialise with colleagues which is almost impossible normally. It was oddly refreshing. On the flip side- DH had kindly advised that all was well with the SG so I wouldnt worry but when I went to get her on Friday it turned out that in fact she was evidently really missing me. Being upset at nursery and following her key worker around and generally not herself . Its very nice to be missed as she is such a daddy's girl but it still made me feel like very bad mother. Not sure what i expected really - she wasnt exactly going to be jumping for joy that I was away. I've never really felt properly needed by anyone and I guess I hadnt realised that the SG does in fact need me! It was quite a revelation- rather odd I know.

I will stop waffling and get on with some work now

xposts Tink :) Morning

Hi everyone!

Im watching boogie babies with GC and OMG the presenters drive me insane!

Gyo - welcome back! Firstly, you are so not a bad mother! It had to be done and it is likely that SG was ok with your DH home but nursery a bit more unsettled. But by the sounds of it, she coped well! She located a "temporary" person she could latch onto at nursery to help her through (like a child would use a comforter) and DH was enough at home for her to feel secure. You have taught her the valuable lesson that Mummy or Daddy or any special person may disappear for a a few days, but always comes back. The next time you have to do it it will be much better I'm sure! And Daddy and SG would have got some great bonding time.

So don't feel bad, these things have to be done!

Hi Tink, ohh I loved the "Telephone" performance last night. Thought it was great!

Yes, Cant, GYO reminded me - well done to your dcs! DHs cousin was moved up a year at primary school and she is now almost qualified to be a doctor!

Hope all ok, Hi Ses, Diege, MM, Star, Rugby, Smithy, Moosy anyone else I have forgotten!

Thanks for your lovely post Gruff. Made me feel better about going away. :) It wasnt like I was sunning myself on a beach all week (I wish!!)

I suppose the first time one of us goes, she doesnt know we are coming back!- hadnt thought of that.

:)

Hello! Back from a weekend away with dd3 to see disney on ice. Quite good, but on the hotel front I might as well have settled down outside next to the road for all the sleep I got. Sooo noisey, plus 2 screeching girls decided to sit in the hotel hallway right next to our door at 2am to recount their tales of woe . Serves me right for anticipating a full night's sleep!
Gruff hope nursery goes well this week. Sounds like lots of good prep though, so I'm sure all will be fine x
GIRAFFE of course you're not a bad mother! As Gruff says, dd has dh at home, plus a secure nursery environment, and will be learning about life. She's just getting used to how things are, and while she did miss you I'm sure, it will be a lot easier next time and she will also grow in confidence and be better prepared for change in general etc. Not expressing myself very well, but hopefully you get the idea!
Big hello to everyone else!

Hi Diege

Dancing on Ice sounds good. The hotel doesnt though. Where did you go to see it?

Thanks for your words of wisdom you are right too. I constantly feel guilty about working (especially when I rather enjoy it!) so I find it extremely hard to see things for how they should be. I'm really grateful to hear that being away was also a good experience for SG. :)

Diege- did you suffer from the nonstop guilt when you were working fulltime with your DDs?

Hee hee, wish it had been Dancing on Ice Gyo . I'd swop the three bleedin' princesses and toy story ensemble for soap stars and a stumbling Hilary Jones!
Re: guilt, I have to say that on the whole, no I haven't felt any guilt working with Los at all . I did have the odd twinge in the first few weeks when back at work with dd1, and if they're struggling to settle etc, then yes did feel the guilt. But on the whole no, I didn't feel guilty. I did used to 'work from home' one day a week though,and would keep dd1 off on this day when I could, so that might have helped too. I think because I am very driven in my work, I would actually have felt guilty on behalf of myself if I had given up work

LOL diege- I mis-read that one! :)

Thanks for your comments about yourself. Its really helpful

Im also very driven by work but I worry too much about what other people think about full time childcare.

I think I need a good talking to sometimes.

Yes, you do need a good talking to . You know, I think people will judge if you work full time/part time/stay at home. You really can't win. I know what you mean about what people think - it nearly put me off ttc number 5. It really is no business what others think though. You need to be happy yourself, or as happy as you can be (no choice is 100% perfect I'm sure) and then just get on with it .

Suppose fundamentally, I dont like SG being cared for by someone else fulltime even though I love working and that really means doing it full time. Thats probably the reason behind my issues.

I want the best of both worlds. Ideal for me would be for both parents to work 4days and so childcare is only 3 days.

I also had a crappy childhood and want better for SG, so I think Im my own worst critic whatever I do!

Thanks Diege for impromptu counselling
Apologies everyone else for being meemmememememememememememememem

Oh I can def see where you're coming from GYO. I think for me, the penny dropped when I realised that at some point they're going to have to go out there and socialise with other adults/children (ie, at school) and to some extent while home can be very good, nurseries etc also have their benefits and socialising with people that aren't mummy and daddy probably seems scarier for the grown ups than the children! I think the key is to have a good relationship with dd's key worker. She is not a replacement for you, just the bridge between home and the outside world. I think too that there's comes a point when you can just start to feel sick of the same arguments going round and round in your head, and shout 'enough!' at yourself. I did anyway, not that those voices were teribly loud in the first place
ps: I'm happy to counsel. Anything's better than writing the policy processes lecture for tomorrow So much for being driven by work

Thanks- I love the idea of shouting enough at myself. I think I might try that....

Everything you say is right. I need to relax and get on with it.

LOL about avoiding your work. I've been doing similar- I've been avoiding QA reviews this afternoon.

I am always right . Lol at us and our work avoidance, esp for 2 high flyers . I have finally put together a couple of PP slides for tomorrow, astiuly borrowing bits and pieces from Wikiapedia shall we say that I would slate the students for if they did the same . Needs must and all though. QA reviews are a different kettle of fish all together though

well after me getting betetr, DS was sick all night friday, he must have caught what i had, poor lil man. but he seems to be on the up now. finally eating more again, but still not as he usually would.
hope everyone is well.

great shopping
TINK glad you found a camera thats good.
DIEGE sounds good disney on ice
SES hope your night away goes ok. sure O will be just fine

can remember much else, sorry if ive missed anything

Morning.

Gruff- hope your scan this morning is all good!! :)

Friends on their way for our scan this afternoon.

DH is at school with DD1 for a open morning. Then he's having DD2 while we're at the scan later.

DD2 isn't quite herself, has really bad no2's... dont know what i can do tohelp other than keep her clean as soon as she's done and keep applying sudocrem to stop it getting nasty... :(

Diege- hope you got my text about weekend? Not going to make it to liverpool now, think DH has to work, so my parents are taking the older 2 to scotland for the w/end i think instead. Will let you know as soon as we get another date for going... hopefully you'll be able to bring the girls too. :)

Just a quick one to wish Gruff and Cant good luck for your scans! V exciting!!!

I'm on my way to Telford for 2 day conference.

Oh and Giraffe - the others are right. Don't be hard on yourself when no need! I have odd days when I get the guilts but I also know there is no perfect solution and what we have is the best solution for us.

afternoon

enjoyed sing and sign today

hv listed 2 toys on ebay

mum over today

giraffe - must b hard leaving them

hi diege

Hi everyone!

Our buyers have pulled out

just sorting out another viewing - fingers crossed!

Scan went well this morning. Just the one in there - LOL!

Got 5 lovely clear pictures :) have started telling people that still don't know. GC came with us and was really good.

Right will have to dash as GC being a monkey today! Try get back on later!

Hi GRUFF, what a mixed day you've had. Many congrats on the scan, that's great news Not so good on the house front How far along were things? Fingers crossed with the new viewing xx

Hi
Gruff hurray for good scan pictures and Im glad it went really well. :)
Sorry for buyers pulling out though

Can you post a scan pic on your profile?

Am itching to see a scan pic :)

Cant hope yours went well.