March 2013 IX: Cruising to Christmas with burgeoning bumps

[Sheldonella]

Thanks sarahs999 for the lovely new thread name :)

Old thread here

No 9, can you believe it

Anyone come across these? It looks ingenious, but I have never heard of them before and never seen anyone with one.

tramp I drive a merc! I'm very polite though!

lexi sorry to hear about your mw woes. Hope baby is ok and if slightly on the big side could be good as I know you're worried she might come early. at your BMW. They are lovely cars. Giggling at your greedy puss cat though!

Must go and get a very cheeky ds to bed, will try and come back and catch up properly later.

Ood thanks for that, I will go and try one tomorrow. Tramp I would love to be able to go braless because I think that is the best option with the dress but sadly breastfeeding 3 babies and being pregnant for the fourth time means that they are not exactly pert Love the idea of your giant teapot!

Lexi fab news on the new car. I am coping with the tiredness but only by having very early nights. It doesn't help that I am often up with a small boy in the night but an early night does really help. Not exactly fun but better than feeling terrible.

Manda how annoying that the hospital still haven't got your previous notes. My friend who had twins on NYE last year had a planned c-section at 37 weeks and said it was great. She even got a private room for the 5 nights she stayed in as well which was a bonus because normally at Thomas' a private room is something extortionate like £600 per night.

Sarah your poor DS. It must be especially hard towards the end of this term with all the Christmas excitement too. My ds1 breaks up tomorrow and doesn't seem to have done any work at all this week! I live in South London and it would be nice to do a meet up.

Ethel I hope your DD has a fab birthday, is she going to be 3? Are you having a party? I am braving ds2's party at home in January. 22 Children have been invited and noone has said no yet...I have booked an entertainer though so hopefully he will keep them captivated so my house remains intact!

Hope everyone else is Ok. Had a playgroup party today which was very sweet. ds2 came along too because he broke up for the hols yesterday and ds3 loved having him there. This afternoon I sorted through all of my 12-24 months boys clothes and put lots of bundles on gumtree so feeling organised!

How is everyone this evening? My commitment to try and keep up isn't going very well .

How is everyone getting prepared? I've got a sum total of two babygrows and a pack of muslins. I have reusable nappies though, so I suppose thats something. I've also been trying to find a sling, I don't think we're going to be getting a double. DS does walk, but I don't trust him as far as I can throw him with a buggy board.

trib I'm here all the time a few times a day and don't keep up! We aren't doing a double , dd3 likes walking though and have got her a good set of waterproofs! You did slings last time didn't you? Dd3 hated them.
How's DS taking the idea of a baby?

tramp that baby bag looks ingenious but I don't think the baby support looks very secure. You would never be able to have arms free when carrying baby would you? The baby carrier doesn't come very high and mine are all wriggles so would arch backwards etc and am sure they would fall out! Might be absolutely brilliant though!

Good Canadian friend of mine came over from Canada last night and brought me the Kate spade nappy bag and used his employee discount to get 50pct off so with currency etc I got about 70pct off. Really chuffed as have used same bag for 3 ds and swore I wasn't going to spend on equipment for this one but it is nice to have something new.

Sorry to hear about aches and pains.

Titch (as we are now calling our little 10th ptl bump) is getting stronger and I do appear to have grown thankfully!!! Next scan in 3 weeks so fx he moved up the ptl a bit!

For those with other dc, my Canadian friend also brought us an "elf on the shelf" which is a new big thing in the USA. It's a little elf that my boys think comes alive at night and flies to see Father Christmas to report on how good they have been. Then every morning she (ours has been named Erica) is in a different place (high up) to keep watch and they have to find her. Currently she is on top of the boys wardrobe "eating" chocolate (they thought she might be hungry) but is about to fly into the fruit bowl in the kitchen!! So fab! Never seen them get ready for bed so quickly!!!

Ood I'm a bad Mother and only sort of mention it in passing, like 'say hi to baby' in Mummys tummy. I probably should be doing more, but I don't know if he really gets it iyswim. What are you doing? Yes, we did slings last time. I've picked several one out, it's just a matter of getting it.

Tramp I've come across a similar concept, but that bag looks like it would be pretty dire on your back. Tbh, a decent ringsling or a shortie would do you for poppability so to speak.

Stealth - I was thinking more along lines of it is useful for short periods when hoisting a baby up on the bag vs juggling is handy. I wouldn't think of it as a sling substitute.

How fab of your friend.

Tramp I don't fancy that bag much - the straps don't give much support for baby or you - I'd imagine getting a sore shoulder with it. It's a good idea though, think the execution could be better though!

Tribble I have a Moby wrap for the newborn stage and a Rose & Rebellion carrier for when baby is a bit older. DS doesn't use the buggy at all now, but I think being hands-free for things like the school run will make life a lot easier!

Lexi DH has a tip for the rear wheel drive problem in BMWs in the snow/ice - put something really really heavy in the boot to give it more grip...

Had a long day at work. Parents' evening after a full day. So. Very. Tired. A lot of snow fell today but thankfully the roads were ok on the way home. phew

I have been known to carry dd3 on my bag like that. Obviously using an arm as well but it takes some of her weight.
trib I've not done a lot of talking about baby but she's seen pictures and is VERY keen. Always talking into my belly button, baby kicks her a lot and she says 'hello baby' rather than 'hello mummy' when she sees me now she's offering to share her milk at the moment and tried to feed baby a tuna sandwich the other day . She does say its her baby though which may cause problems!

Ood Everytime DS sees a baby, he will go upto said baby and shout 'BABY' in their face, rock them (if he can) and then strokes them in a rough manner going 'awwww gentle'. I suspect if I was hiding a wooden train track in my tummy, there'd be a lot more talking about it.

I have a Close Baby Carrier for first couple of months which I love then switch to baby Bjorn when baby wants to start facing outwards. Love slings as can have hands free to pick up bigger kids too. I used to have ds2 in sling and ds1 held on my hip quite a lot! Think that's why I lost weight quickly back then!!!

at the train track trib dd3 is quite into dolls , got her a talking one for Xmas and a high chair/ dolly bed. She is at the taking their clothes off stage though 'need a weeeeee'. We've a load of brio from dd2 but she prefers tractors to trains and plays Bob the builder a lot.

Dolls that talk etc have always freaked me out. Am really hoping that ifSocs is a girl that she's the sort of girl that doesn't like dolls - that way I'll be able to sleep at night. Ugh.

Someone else was saying they thought the bag looked a bit iffy. Shame it seems genuinely ingenious. There's a sling library near here so I plan to try some of those out and see what's best for us and Socs before we buy one.

Love idea of a south London or indeed London meet btw.

I'm impressed that they're talking to baby already. It's a tough concept for little ones I think. It's tough enough for parents to be! Maybe baby bro/sis will buy their older sibling a train set as a hello I'm your new bro/sis gift? Does bribery work for young uns?

I'm feeling rubbish. Despite going great guns earlier I lost steam and just didn't get everything done that I wanted to do. Seriously peed off with being ill now. I cannot afford to be this bloody woolly headed. I think I may skip Christmas party Friday and just knuckle down and stay warm & rested. See if I can start next week a new woman. Sadly must go to Leeds & back tomorrow, so long day. Meh.

Hope everyone else is ok.

Awake bright and early so having a cuppa and reading mn.

My meltdown cleared my head. Well had a massive meltdown on Tuesday night and didn't stop crying for an hour.Went to bed at 8 and then felt back to myself. Think DH understands now a lot of my frustrations and we are working together on things i.e. him helping a little more. He has a lot going on in work and i appreciate that but he is going to,try a little more and i am going to help him get things sorted. Long may it last.

Mands - DS was a scheduled section. I found it a very positive experience including recovery. I had him on a Monday as that is when my consultant operates. We arrived at 9am and DS was born at 2:03. I was holding him skin to skin by 2:35 in recovery. I got lots of good info about operating theatre at time which I will message you. Believe it or not I had never stayed in hospital or had an operation before having Ds at 39 so actually the experience was weird/wonderful and strange all at once.

Getting more Christmassy by the day. Still need to sort DS and my mum out and then a trip to a toy store for some plastic fantastic stuff for the nieces and nephews. Next week have panto with my family and Christmas grandchildren - 9 of them - adventure with DHs family so Ds won't know himself. My nieces Christening is on Saturday so that will be the start of the festivities.

Stealth - would love name of baby carrier as think I would like to try one this time. Have borrowed phil and teds from friend. Cue embarrassment asking people questions in shopping centre yesterday as had no clue what to do and DH picked up buggy so didn't get demo. Am really liking to so far I have to say. Lovely Kate spade bag. Fab.

Hope everyone is doing ok. Can't believe after the Christmas festivities we will be getting close to single weeks in our pregnancy. Wonder will we have any st. Patrick's day babies!

Think I will make inroads to Christmas cards writing.

Happy Thursday all.

Oc x

Oct - glad you had a good talk and are feeling better.

We've discussed "what if a paddys day baby", I've explained the names: Guinness, blacky, patrick, paddy and leprechaun are all on banned list :)

Morning all. Sooo cold today, car frozen both inside and out. Very glad I have a maternity coat now! I'm also suddenly feeling absolutely huge and my clothes feel tighter. I guess DD must have had a growth spurt or something. Her kicks are so strong now, I love it :)
Wow you were up very early october. Glad you have sorted things out with DH, I think meltdowns are very helpful sometimes even if they are horrible at the time. I had a mini one yesterday morning about family expecting lots from us at xmas. DH has now agreed to sort out more of the present buying and christmas dinner planning. I can't complain though - hes been great.
Tramp I've never been a doll person either but I'm expecting people to buy them for DD. I prefered playing outside in the mud and would be perfectly happy if she was the same. Sorry to hear you are still feeling rubbish.
ood The thought of your DD trying to feed the baby a tuna sandwich has made me melt. So cute :)
Lexi Ooh shiny BMW. DH has made it known that he would like one of these so I wouldn't be surprised if he talks me into it. I must admit I do like them :)
to everyone. I have a meeting about my maternity leave today so hopefully that will all be sorted out and I can finally relax about it. I also have to return some leggings I bought that had about 7 holes in them when I tried them on!

october It was the "close baby carrier"

Tramp sorry you are still feeling rubbish! Have also had to accept that I need to rest more; next week we have various things on each night (work dos and the like) and so I plan to spend the weekend chilling out.

Oct really glad to hear that things are improving. If your DH is anything like mine he can get tunnel vision when stressed and sometimes just needs things pointing out with a big stick! Hope it helps

Drove the new-to-us car into work and it is rather nice - although it's older it drives beautifully and is immaculate inside. Feels very grown up and I think I'll feel safe driving it with the Bean inside. Thanks for tips re: snow and ice - will watch out!

Love the stories of DCs trying to get their heads round baby. So cute!
Sheldon hope mat leave chat goes well.

Thanks for reassurance re: scan. Am glad I don't have to wait too long - tomorrow morning - and am trying to be positive that Bean will be fine. DH has had two dreams that we are having a boy after all - he's coming along for moral support tomorrow, but I think it might secretly be in case we get a gender surprise!

Ps: re slings/carriers - we have been given one of the BabyBjorn originals as a hand-me-down - anyone tried them? Are they any good?

Lexi, I think they're great. We have one too; been in loft since ds was small. They don't last long though - remember being really sad when it was too much for my back - and that was with a premmie!

Fool alert - freaked out this morning as I saw awful stretch marks across my bump, having completely avoided them so far. Glanced in the mirror half an hour later and realised it was just wrinkles from the bedsheets

Lexi I love the Baby Bjorn when they are tiny but find that they kill my back from about 4 months. I then use an Ergo which I think is amazing and I even carried ds2 who was 3.5 in it on my back in Cornwall in the summer when he wouldn't walk back from the beach.

Good luck for your scan tomorrow. Fingers crossed all ok and they just measured you incorrectly. I think the measurement can vary depending on how the baby is lying.

HI All

Sorry haven't been around for a week or so, the house move took over and now we're in we of course have no internet connection as it takes an AGE for it to catch up on the move with us! House is utter chaos, but lovely, and so much bigger than we're used to. Lots to do of course.

So, quick post and I've had no chance at all to catch up and probably won't until Christmas when we get our internet connection back but just wanted to pop on as feeling happy today - had growth scan this morning after litle wriggeler was measuring very small at 20 week scan and she has done some good catching up! Still smaller than average but now well into normal boundries. Femour length a bit low compared to other measurements but consultant wasn't at all concerned about it. Doc was perfectly happy with everything and said I don't have to go for any more extra scans. Baby is currnetly breach but plenty of time still for her to turn (I hope ).

Hope everyone else is doing well and more prepared than I am for Christmas (which doesn't take much!). Will catch up when I get a chance, but not likely in the near future. Hopefuly you'll still remember me in a couple more weeks!

lexi as others have said- the baby bjorn is brilliant when they are tiny - they give great support for little heads etc. I think ds was about 4/5 months when we stopped using ours. The close baby carrier is good too. I've never got on very well with slings unfortunately- they look so brilliant if you can manage it. I think being short is a disadvantage on this one i found the baby took up too much of my body, so was very cumbersome and was like being pregnant all over again! I'm aware I'm in the minority though!

october and tramp our ds was nearly a Patrick (not born anywhere near march 17th though!) DH and I both love the name but not Paddy. Seein as I'm due on the 4th, I bloomin hope I'm not still pregnant by 17th!

flowery we won't forget you!! Glad you're settling in well and excellent news that baby is growing properly, she's going to be a little cutie!!

manda really pleased to hear nct class went so well! I love meeting new friends!

Feeling very sorry for myself this morning. Been waking in the night for the past couple of days with agonising sciatic pain and now it just hurts the whole time! The lack of sleep has resurrected mild morning sickness too. Have a horrible feeling this is the beginning of a slippery slope. Spent a freezing cold morning limping around town trying to get last bits and pieces for Christmas but that's still not going to schedule! Still have to post cards and decorate tree (which has been up for nearly a week!) Had my mum on the phone nagging me regarding various things she needs help with and feel like I get no support from dh who lies around saying he is tired! Humph! Wish I was tired from partying and not pain!! Sorry for the whinge ladies, hope you're all keeping toasty warm!! Ds and I are off to a little Christmas tea party later so hopefully that will cheer me up!