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December 2011: We've got big bumps and we cannot lie (down comfortably)

999 replies

LittleMissFlustered · 15/11/2011 20:36

:o

Shake those bumps ladies.

And squeeeeeeeze Wink

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HoneyLovesCake · 16/11/2011 11:10

plu ergo baby carriers are much cheaper on ebay :) New ones around £40, less for secondhand.

Xiaoxiong · 16/11/2011 11:13

Sorelip my MIL did loads of research to make sure any carrier she got us would not hurt her PFB DH's back and neck, and ended up giving us a Wilkinet carrier - it's got really padded straps, crosses over at the back and the waist, but since the fastenings are just long pieces of fabric and no buckles or snaps it can be adjusted to fit any size person or baby and no stitching to come loose (unlike the babybjorn we've been lent...) They're made in the UK and now having a nose on the website I really like the story behind it as well. (The only reason I'm looking at a stretchy wrap as well is because the Wilkinet looks like quite an up-and-down hold and I wanted to also have as an alternative something cross-body so I could try BF in a sling. Checking out the Moby wrap today!)

Apologies for temporary thread hijack but I thought it might make you all jealous hungry which can only be a good thing.

fusam here goes. My family is from NYC and New England which has some influence on what we serve, and the side dishes often change from year to year depending on who and how many are coming...but the following are non negotiable:

  • this stuffing - often swapping out the grand marnier for cointreau, apricots for other dried fruit, pecans or walnuts or any other nuts (pistachios one year) for the slivered almonds, and always using fresh breadcrumbs and herbs instead of a stuffing mix
  • french beans with shallots
  • gravy made with turkey giblets (if having turkey, see below)
  • cranberry sauce with orange and ginger (one bag fresh cranberries (340g approx), 1 cup sugar, 1 orange's worth of zest, as much fresh grated ginger as you like - combine over high heat until sugar is dissolved and cranberries pop, then add 3 cups water (750ml-ish) and simmer till thickened to taste. Mix in the orange you zested, supremed.)
  • some sort of mash - seldom just potatoes, usually with one or more of the following as well: celeriac, jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, turnips, carrots.
  • green salad (always non-negotiable for us...) - include feta cheese, avocado, salad onions, pine nuts, dill
  • some kind of bready thing on the side - we often have Bisquik wild blueberry muffins (unsweetened) but have also had cheddar-dill biscuits, cornbread, buttermilk drop biscuits or irish blaas (may tell you something about my heritage!)
  • PIE: there must be pie, always a sour cream apple pie, sometimes a pumpkin pie as well. We don't do pecan, too sweet for us...

You'll notice there is no turkey on this list. This is because we only do turkey every other year or so - over the years we have also had a whole salmon, cornish hens, a couple of chickens, and one very memorable year in China, a whole suckling pig. When we do have turkey we don't bake the stuffing inside the bird - always separate in a tray - and we cook it breast down for the majority of the cooking time (similar to this recipe).

Some useful ideas on advance planning here (this one is good because it doesn't assume you're doing Thanksgiving on Thursday - we often have ours on the weekend as I've never actually had Thanksgiving in the USA! Shock) And of course, the NY Times Dining & Wine section is your new best friend...they even have a helpline...

HoneyLovesCake · 16/11/2011 11:15

No idea how it happened but I seem to have eaten a biscuit from the big box I bought for the MW's Blush I want another one :( Oh dear, I'd better get another box hadn't I? Never going to make it to the birth without eating them now the box is open & I've been told they're a home birth essential. Hmm

KateM77 · 16/11/2011 11:26

Stabby pains seem to have eased off thankfully, but I think baby is on the move down. I seem to have a bit less bum up the ribs now, and lots more pressure 'low down'.

HoneyLovesCake · 16/11/2011 11:26

Damn you Tyel I already have a Moby wrap & a Maya ring sling but I love the look of the Wilkinet & they are a steal on ebay! I've just saved the 10 cheapest to my watchlist...DP is going to kill me Grin

Xiaoxiong · 16/11/2011 11:35

Honey you never know, your DP might like it more than the other slings - I know DH said he would stick to the Wilkinet when I showed him a video of how the moby wrap worked, because he said just a piece of stretchy cloth made him nervous and he wanted some extra structure (the Wilkinet is not stretchy). Also apropos of nothing, yesterday I downloaded quite a few mp3s from amazon of relaxation music, wave sounds, summer evening, rain etc which seem to help a lot with the hypnobirthing (and hence with the old epi-no practice...)

Kate how exciting! I wish mine would head south, some nebulous baby body part got caught up in my ribs yesterday and it was extremely uncomfortable - I imagine for the kiddo as well...

KateM77 · 16/11/2011 11:40

Tyel I'm trying to see it as exciting, but struggling a little. I was reading my pregnancy book the other day to remind myself about the stages of labour etc. and it said in there that whilst in first pregnancy baby is likely to engage weeks before it arrives, that for later pregnancies it all happens a lot nearer the event. I don't feel at all ready for it to arrive yet!

I know what'll happen now I've said that...it'll turn up late and I'll be thoroughly fed-up of waiting and of being pregnant. Never happy :)

cheeptrick · 16/11/2011 11:46

Its only 19 days till my due date Shock

OiMissus · 16/11/2011 11:51

Didn't see the thread, but what a lovely thought, bf-ing in a warm cosy room, with the lights of the Christmas tree twinkling on the "My first Christmas" bauble... I could listen to a mick bubble cd, but more likely would be chuckling to the new Mickey Flanagan DVD. :)

cheeptrick · 16/11/2011 11:54

I just want to be cuddling my baby girl and watching Aaron play with his toys with xmas music on and the deco's up and have DH getting the brie and crakers ready

cheeptrick · 16/11/2011 11:56

I still need to get Hope's first xmas bauble and stocking sorted but we have got her a raindeer outfit for xmas day Grin

msbuggywinkle · 16/11/2011 12:17

I did feel all Christmassy yesterday when Miri's presents arrived in the post! When are you all planning to put your decorations up? We usually do ours around the middle of December, but that is right when I'm due. Although it would be lovely to watch DP and the DDs doing all of the work while I snuggle the baby!

hawthers · 16/11/2011 12:30

requesting a hurrah from the thread please - drum roll....

i've had my latest growth scan at 35 weeks and the baby is estimated to be 5lbs, growing normally and no reason why i won't make term - woop woop!!!!

very very excited and can't believe that all looks good. still one more hurdle to jump through in 2 weeks to double check that nothing has gone wrong in the last two weeks. plus i have to do a 24 hour urine collection which should be messy interesting. but hey ho - nearly there!

on the sleep front i'm not getting much due to DS waking every couple of hours for a cuddle from his mummy. think his last set of big teeth are coming through and i guess the silver lining is that i don't feel too horrific having been up at 12, 2.15 and 4.30 which bodes well for having the newbee.... i hope.

Xiaoxiong · 16/11/2011 12:32

mrsbuggy - I think we'll go for the first sunday in advent. This will be our first christmas at home so time to create some traditions of our own I hope (christmas is usually abroad in various places). I also really like the idea of labouring at home with christmas lights twinkling and laying in some mince pies for the midwives... Now I have bought all the labour and baby stuff, I can get cracking on tasteful christmas decorations!

My mother got a red babygro with a "little reindeer" picture on the front, will be very cute for christmas.

17 days to my due date and I just want to meet this child NOW...so impatient!!

Xiaoxiong · 16/11/2011 12:33

awesome hawthers - what great news, so pleased for you!! Smile

sazzermol · 16/11/2011 12:40

Loving the new thread title ladies! Started ML on Monday and seem to have already slipped into the lazing around routine Blush
Has anyone any experience of the Pampoozle sling? I tried one on at the baby show and it seemed to be comfy and supportive but would love to hear about any actual owners experiences before splashing out.
All this talk of thanksgiving is making me peckish....off to raid the cupboards....hmmm stuffing...... Smile

cheeptrick · 16/11/2011 12:59

We put up tree on the first sunday of advent too Smile

OiMissus · 16/11/2011 13:02

I'm not sure yet where we'll be for Christmas - current house or rented house... All this talk makes me impatient to get the decs up. We always get a huge real tree, so usually wait til 2 wks before Christmas at the earliest.
Just splashed provencal soup all over me. Sad

BeeMyBaby · 16/11/2011 13:22

I can't believe I'm still at work :( feeling very sick and sorry for myself... pondering curling up and dying. Unfortunately no pain (lovely contractions) with it - oh labour, where is your sting?

AwomancalledHorse · 16/11/2011 14:32

Huzzah for hawthers!

Honey, we've still not bought the MW's biscuits...they would get eaten by me, and need to be replaced 3/4 times before DD. Blush

Oi, hope you find out where you'll be asap!

Tyel Envy at your menu! We didn't 'do' christmas in my house as a child, so I've never had a proper turkey on Xmas (we've hosted the last few, I've done beef as I love it), MIL, who is making the christmas dinner this year, threatened to get turkey crown. I did have a bit of a pregnant-zilla moment & insisted there be a proper big full turkey like in A Christmas Carol (ghosts & Victorian paupers optional).
Hope you feel better soon Bee.

cheeptrick · 16/11/2011 16:41

gerr i'm having painful BH Sad

mopsytop · 16/11/2011 16:44

Poor you cheep. My back is killing me. It seems to get worse every day :(

cheeptrick · 16/11/2011 16:47

I think your right - the bigger i get the more pain i get. I just want to go into labour now and get it over with.

mopsytop · 16/11/2011 16:49

I just want to be comfortable!

OiMissus · 16/11/2011 16:59

Here here! Sick of the back pain. Going to go and lie down and raise my feet up. Not that it makes any difference to my horrid ankles.
Highs - crossed 5 out of 8 things of the list of things to do. One of which was to finally select all the photos for the wedding album, and the two parents' wedding albums. We got married in November last year. Grin