Due in June - you toucha my bump, I smasha your face!

[bumperlicious]

Just thought I'd better kick a new one off...
Another day, another tearful outburst at work! It's getting very embarrassing Is it just me who feels like crying at the drop of a hat? Maybe it's lack of sleep, just not dealing very well with things that would not normally bother me, then something really small sets me off. cried in the toilets for 20 minutes today! Can't even explain why. Is this normal still at this stage?

Oh, sulking. So appealing, so frustrating, so difficult to get out of once you've started... Foxy, wait for the full thaw then go for gold with Clarins skin care and a lipstick to cheer you up. Lovely name, by the way.
And meant to say, I'm SW too. So's Lilkel I think (pulls out right hand in gesture to signify SW posse in da house).
Lilkel, how's the beige kitchen working out?
We've ordered our cot, by the way. First proper purchase. Next week, we tackle the pram and car seat issue. Not quite as much fun as shopping for shoes, but nearly...

What a catch up...you lot can talk for Britain!!!Don't even know where to begin to catch up, but...
DH (he's back to being D again and things are going well, apart from stroppy DS who is driving me bonkers) and I have got the housework thing pretty sorted. I don't like dirt and he doesn't like clutter, so he tidies and does the washing up and I do all the hardcore cleaning. Like most men, he doesn't see dirt and never notices that the kitchen tiles/floor/cupboards/toilet needs cleaning. He's pretty well domesticated apart from that and has even been doing the bedding since I've been pg bless him.

Mothers....mine would like to visit, but she's poorly and is now at the stage where she can't travel on her own (she usually comes by train) so looks like I'll have to go to her (250 miles north of here) unless one of my sis's bring her down. She was meant to stay with me for two weeks after DS (C-section and single parent), but I stuck it out for 4 days and spent all my time tidying up after her attempts at tidying up!

My MIL only lives half an hour away, but I hate her coming around. Until DH and I got married two years ago, she used to come around and clean and iron for him and his house was spotless. After I moved in, she stopped coming and you could see by the way her nose wrinkled that she wasn't happy with the way I was keeping house. Her house is spotless (shoes off at the door etc) and I think she looks down her nose at me and thinks I don't look after her (40 yr old) baby well enough. DH keeps on thinking of things for his dad to do around the house so she invariably comes and tries to diminish my ironing pile which I hate....I once had a lovely wrinkly cotton top with beads and sequins that she ironed the life out so it's now two sizes too big and the beads and sequins melted Feel a bit inferior to her which I hate, although she is a lovely lady really

Names...I favour Maisie (its a scottish diminutive of Margaret apparently and I would like to maintain the Scottish connection), but DH prefers Elizabeth (too stuffy I think). So this poor LO will be nameless unless we can agree on something....or worse a boy, not the girl we are expecting, as I haven't thought of any boys names!!

Been feeling really emotional since the weekend and crying at everything. DS being stroppy and argumentative and defiant and I just don't have the strength to cope with him at the moment. I actually held his mouth closed on Friday as I couldnt take any more whinging arguments and he just wouldn't be quiet when I asked him. I know he's missing DH and as a result follows me everywhere, but sometimes (like when I'm in the shower) I just need 5 minutes chat free. I'm sure things will improve after I finish work next Friday....I won't be stressed, the decorating will be finished, the ironing done and everything in its place, with fresh baked bread and scones for tea every night (sighs longingly at unrealistic version of my RL)

Sorry for mammoth post, but it's been a long time since Friday!!

How exciting Marylou! Its fab getting it all together isn't it? Do you have a nursery for him/her? Do you spend ages staring at things imagining it all being played with/slept in/worn? [comes over all a bit teary]

Right, time to crack on with being 'mother of the year'. Played (poorly) with them (check); forced them to eat some fruit (check) giving them 20 mins independent play/down time to recharge (check) (thats watching TV BTW).

Ah-ha, wondering where you were Daisybump! Sympathise with your MIL issues - my MIL is revered by her 4 kids - they all take her for granted and she STILL runs about after them, but they have her on a pedestal. Actually, they are all lazy slobs who have partners who run about after them (FP is only boy). She was horrified when she came to stay and I told FP to go and change the spare bed for her. I think its very irresponsible for mothers to deprive their children of life skills, and I fully intend to equip all mine with the ability to take care of themselves. My 4 yo remembers without fail to put the loo seat down, more than can be said for his dad!

Anyway, I do not hold her in any high esteem given that she and FIL once came to stay, went out for the day, and came back so drunk she peed from the front door to the bathroom, missed the toilet and pissed all over the floor.

And I had to clean it up.

And I like Maisie, lovely pretty name. I like Elizabeth too, because I like Beth and Betty. It was one of our possibles.

SW in da house - represent! (or something like that )!!!

Foxy i'm with Marylou - go for the Clarins anyway. You deserve it. I give you huge props for turning things around and saying you'll take care of yourself better and focus on being a better mum. It's hard to do that when you really want to wallow in sulkdom for a good while! If we did have gold stars, you'd get one for going to the gym!

My beige kitchen seriously looks 10 years younger. As if it's had fillers. Now the real fun starts. I mean, you can't very well give the main room in your home a major facelift, and not adorn it with new placemats, etc etc, can you? Bought an Ideal Homes mag to commence the hunt. [hunt emoticon]

I'm also a cleaner employer. Holdover from when DH and I both worked full time and neither of us could face mopping the kitchen on our precious days off. Agree it's the best money spent by far!!

Oops must run - pooping/coughing sound from DS room. Gahhhhhh

Eeeeuuuggggh, Foxy, that's vile. I'm surprised she ever came back - I'd have been far too embarrassed!
My own DM enjoys telling us (3 girls) that she struck a blow for feminism when bringing us up - she never taught us to cook, clean or do anything remotely domesticated (she comes from the M&S school of cookery - she can cook when she needs to but given half a chance won't...). Fortunlatey, MIL brought her 3 sons up to do their own laundry, ironing and - if they weren't in for the family meal - cooking. So DH is actually quite capable of looking after himself and MIL doesn't find it shocking that I've never actualy ironed a shirt for him. (I didn't have an iron until he moved in - if something needed ironing, I just didn't buy it)
My poor baby (actual one, not DH) has no chance. Although, I promise to bring him up in similar way (ie to iron and look after himself) so will be great catch for one of your DDs...

ok that was one of the most vile nappies I've seen yet. I will spare you the details but let me just say, the blueberries we gave DS at lunch 2 days ago obv did not go down well.

I was going to say before that one of the best things about becoming a mum has been discovering a healthier/better way to live. I'm sure I'm a lot less selfish, more flexible, patient, and less perfectionist than I was before. In fact it's amazing I became a mum at all, considering how NOT qualified I clearly was!! TG I'll not be going back to my old rat-race city job.

Now I just need a super fantastic new hobby. Like sewing. I could sell stylish covers for Baby Bjorn sitter chairs. (sorry to mention it yet again but I'm amazed that such a fab design comes in so few choice of colours and fabrics. What kind of dull male came up with that idea???)

I should admit I have a cleaner too. My OCD is confined mainly to floor scrubbing and vacuuming, but the shower for example gets done once a week by the cleaner. And I have cobwebs too, bumper - it's very selective, my cleaning!

I love Evie, foxy, and would have had it myself but my cousin has just bagged it. She also got Tilly, which I adore. And Rosie is on our (very) short list. I like Maisie, daisy, a lot. I have a personal prejudice against Elizabeth but like Betsy or Bess. We had Daisy as well, but with our last name sounds like a porn star (which as dh says is not such a bad thing, lots of money in porn) .

Foxy LOL at your incontinence story!

Lilkel - you have just given me hope - I am a perfectionist, selfish, intolerant, impatient boot, which is what worried me about motherhood. Not sure about my reaction to a blue nappy though....

You just wait till they have beetroot for the first time (shudders in memory of DN's (that'll be nephew) nappy many years ago. Hot pink, the lot of it. Gave me the shock of my life

Been trying to buy some nursing bras online from M&S after H&As tip-off about the sale.

Am surprised to see PADDED maternity bras. Can anyone explain this please?!

massively frustrating as they are 'too busy to take orders' grrrr

Wow, you've been busy since I've been out!!

I love all your names! Evie is lovely, Eva or Ava were on my girlie list, as was Maisie! Elizabeth is my dd's (and mine and my mum's and my grandma's) middle name! I love Eliza and Betsy as shortened versions.

Daisy, glad things are better with your DH and foxy too, glad you are thawing!!

Lilkel my mum always gives my dd blueberries and they always produce rather interesting nappies!

Taliking of nappies I bought the first pack of size 1s today! They are so dinky they nearly made me cry!!

My mum has taught me well in terms of cooking, I'm good at that! She is very houseproud and if I ever try to do her housework it's never good enough, so I never used to bother, hence me being lazy now. My brother, however, is her lttle baby! He is the only one left at home and she waits on him hand and foot. He will die when he moves out!

Foxy lol at your MIL story!! That's what I'll be like in a few years!

Not much in the sale. Got a lovely jumper for dd and one for dp and some little baby t-shirts. Nothing for me ! Not even any knickers, just had size 8 or 22!

Sorry for the long post!!

No nursing bras at all in that M&S! Puzzling seeing as it is massive! Padded ones? How interesting! The last thing I want to do is make my boobs look bigger!

I've just looked on the Mothercare site for bras. It suggests you 'complete the look' with some washable breast pads. Thanks for the accessorising tip, M'care!

Oooo, breast pads, how sexy and stylish! Have you tried Mothercare bras before foxy? I tried some on last time and found they came up really small. I'm not very good with sizing though, I'm an M&S girl and always go by their sizes.

I find M&S bras, like Clarks kids shoes, have their own special sizes which apply to them and nowhere else.

Bloody hell, its snowing again!

You're right, M&S do have special sizes! I buy their bras because they are the most comfortable, oh dear I sound like my mum! I had about 2 flakes of snow on my face as I walked home, but then it stopped . Maybe I should move up North, then I'll get loads of snow. I suppose the novelty does wear off after a while though!

H&A - it is snowing here - we just got caught whilst out on our walk.

Can I ask a silly question - do you need breast pads even if you are not breastfeeding? I mean, presumably it takes a while for the milk to dry up, does it? I want to bf but it may not be compatible with my wide range of medications....

I think it takes a few weeks for the milk to dry up so you will prob need some pads even if you don't bf. The first milk is bright orange, and it stains!

Bright orange - are you serious?

(btw I missed out on the bloody jelly beans again).

another good reason to buy black or dark bras for those first few weeks even if not bf! still recall with dismay how my lovely white ones became unusable within hours...

at you all wishing to avoid further augmentation. for some reason I'm missing the 'free silicone implants' gene which is supposed to come with every pg!

had mw appt today & all is well interesting tho, when I mentioned my period-type cramps they said it was due to streching of the fallopian tubes.

Lilkel - I have just started having those pains today funnily enough. I have also got a kind of 'the baby is dropping out' feeling. I just read on the Pampers website that at 26 weeks the baby is particularly practising its grip technique (by pulling the umbilical cord) . My tits are no bigger either - they just itch!

Yes, unfortunately colostrum is orange and gradually goes to a yellowey colour, then to normal milk. Glad you had some snow doggus, my wafting techniques obviously worked a treat! My boobs are no bigger either (thank god), just more firm! After bfing for over a year they become like spaniel's ears and mine have just filled out a bit! Sorry maybe TMI !

That's really interesting lilkel, I didn't know that your fallopian tubes stretched! Though thinking about it I suppose they do. Everything else gets stretched after all. At least I know what those crampy pains are now.

I'm having serious walking problems after my shopping trip. My whole pelvis feels like it's going to implode! I keeps making old lady grunting noises, much to dp's amusement!

Thats interesting re tubes. Am suffering with pains today. And I fear the onset of {sssshhh, whisper} piles.

I've tried really hard to be an exemplary employee to my bosses today. Am absolutely shattered! Always knew being a slacker was a better way of life.

Watching a program about snoring/sleep aponea at the mo. Very close to home. Makes me a bit .

Anyone watch the programme about 10+ kids last night? Scary!!