Waddling Zombies and Dancing Babies - Due Feb 2008

[Pk616]

Hiya ladies,
Thought I'd start the new thread, hope you like the title! Best I could come up with I'm afraid!

Gosh, I go away for a day or so from this site and there is just so much news to catch up on!

Thanks to everyone for all of the kind thoughts re my hospital visit. All is fine now, thank goodness, but it has made me so aware of things that I would otherwise have brushed off and made me do searches on mumsnet along the lines of 'is it normal'? My mum is also paranoid now when I call thinking that something is wrong...
Gill: sorry the same happened to you. Bloody doctors, honestly. Hope you've been feeling okay since as well.

Ginger - rest well.

Happy birthday to Joosey and Princess! Hope you're both having a great day.

Went Xmas shopping today. Well, as much as I could stand anyway. Waddling duck wanders slowly through central London and lasts all of an hour or so... Thank goodness there's another week or so to go! And I did plan to get all of the big baby stuff before Xmas as well... We shall see!

Hello Ladies,
I'm pooped and I haven't really done all that much in the way of housework (I just can't move fast enough!)

Here's my list of achievement:-

*Washed dishes
*Cleaned down kitchen surfaces
*Located and gathered all cat toys and out in corner of room so they can loose them under the sofa again
*tidyed stuff off coffee table n put away
*emptied DP's 7million ashtrays
*wiped down coffee table
*tidyed living room - it was baaaad!
*put clean clothes away (nearly everything I own was in piles on the floor waiting to see the inside of the wardrobe again!)
*put away dry crocks

That's the lot!

Now I'm all siezed up and ready for bed!

I've not had any chocolate today but I have had masses of christmas cake!

Someone somewhere asked about dribble... Yup dribbling a lot more, I wake about six times in an average night for one reason or another and have to turn my pillow over for a dry bit every time - most disgusting!

DP's sister came around today to pick up some scarves she asked me to knit for her. She told me a little snippit about my hospital bags - she's suppliying them - all I know is there's a big bag and a bigger bag and in the big bag there's something that I might not fit in to and in the bigger bag there are things that she thinks I should open by myself so DP doesn't wear them on his ears! I don't know if she told me that to settle my nerves or to make me more impatient to get it!

Hi everyone.

Feeling much better today! Think i just got achy sitting down on a low chair. Thanks for your support.

Poblet - please don't compare your home and yourself with other people. It'll drive you mad. My SIL's house is immaculate, but she doesn't drive and is indoors a lot. I would much rather have a less then perfect house and spend more time on keeping my brain occupied.

Bessie: Wow! How do you keep going? V long working day.

Saskia: DH is into interior design and wants to see your house - sounds beautiful!

Hi everyone.

Feeling much better today! Think i just got achy sitting down on a low chair. Thanks for your support.

Poblet - please don't compare your home and yourself with other people. It'll drive you mad. My SIL's house is immaculate, but she doesn't drive and is indoors a lot. I would much rather have a less then perfect house and spend more time on keeping my brain occupied.

Bessie: Wow! How do you keep going? V long working day.

Saskia: DH is into interior design and wants to see your house - sounds beautiful!

Hi everyone!

Hope everyone is ok.

Lucy - my stomach muscles seperated whilst I was pregnant with ds2. After he was born I was given a rather fetching tube grip to wear round my stomach and had to be referred to a physio. I'm pretty sure it's happened again as I'm getting the same pinching sensation low down in my abdomen when I'm walking.

Gill - when you go to be measured for nursing bras they take your current measurement, go down back size and up a cup size. So if for example you were a 36D they would recommend a 34E in a nursing bra.

I'm scared to post this as you'll probably all hate me but I've been really nesting and cleaning/tidying etc. I've cleaned out every cupboard in the house, washed all the babies things (including the pram/carseat) washed all the toys (even though he won't even look at them for months and months yet)bought and wrapped all christmas pressies and was going to shampoo the carpets yesterday but DH wouldn't let me so he did it instead. I'm just determined to enjoy my time off work at christmas without having to do anything so have been madly trying to get it done before I finish up. I think I'm driving dh mad actually - he keeps telling me to stop but I can't - my hormones are driving me to clean! I am really lucky though in that I have good pregnancies and still feel good physically (although I think I may be slightly unhinged).

Happy birthday to the other christmas babies - my birthday is on Wednesday - 32 but feel a lot older some days at the moment.

Rozzy - will you come to my house ?!

Hmmm, well my presents are all wrapped, and I did deep clean the carpet on Saturday as I got a new Bissel machine and it was a lot of fun seeing the huuuuuuuuuge amount of dirt. Hoovered again this morning before property inspection, no backlog of washing, but no dusting etc ever...

Off to bed now. Hoping for at least some sleep tonight.

Happy Birthday to the birthday girls!

Thanks for the hospital lists. Am nowhere near packing a bag but will be very handy when I finally get round to doing it. I'm sure that once I have finished work I will be able to focus on baby stuff a bit more.

Ds is being very sweet and keeps telling me how he is going to save a bit of all sorts of things (milk, wipes, nappies, his porridge) for the baby.

Very cute thinking of your DS saving his porridge for the baby . I can't remember did he recently turn 3?? .

Aye, he did. I didn't want such a big gap but some of the stuff he is coming out with is priceless.

awww beansprout, thats v cute.

PK - impressed by your achievements. i can barely shift off sofa.

got myself into a right state over a family thing. my brother and SIL had their first on saturday and are being very "no visitors." my mum got five min today, but my dad turned up a bit later and my bro that he couldnt see his first grandkid! he was v v gutted. my heart is broken. they only live and hour and a half away, and would have waited but not encouraged a[pparently. i am fuming, really really upset. i could be a complete b*th now, but am not going to be

am i being unreasonable? . grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggg

So much news!

Happy birthdays to yesterday and tomorrow - caught me in the middle there!

Ginger, hope things pick up majorly for you...you've had enough to put up with!

Preganancy brain and tiredness means I can't remember more than about 5 seconds (at a push!) - work definitely not getting their money's worth at the moment!

tyaca - its tricky isn't it - different people have v different ideas about visitors in the first days/weeks but I think the main thing to do is make sure the dh communicates properly to friends/relatives so that people understand. Personally i think its a shame if people who want to visit miss out that period when they are really tiny and scrunched up but visits need to be short if poss but then each situation is different and your SIL may be struggling emotionally/physically and may just not want anyone near - bit of a minefield. i'm really sorry your dad missed out .
I'm feeling sorry for myself on a much more trivial matter. Had plans for new years eve that all my best school friends would come and stay with us for a few days to celebrate and catch-up, we've been talking about it since last xmas. Now all the single ones are pulling out and it will just be me and dh and another couple for one night (because they have to get back to their cats), it will be lovely to see them and we'll have a great time but just a bit that everyone else pulled out - just another reminder that we're in very different places in our lives and they don't understand that their heavily pregnant/hormonal/almost housebound friend hasn't got much to look forward to at the moment!!!! Well, that winge is probably better out than in! You can put your violins away now...

Here's a question for all you people with SPD - I've been having trouble sleeping at night because of pain in my hip and it is getting progressively worse. It is starting to hurt during the day now just walking round and I'm not sure if it could be SPD as it's just in my hip. Is it worth asking my midwife or is this just another one of those things I'm going to have to put up with for 7 more weeks?

Rozzy - Yepper, got the same thing with DD1 and they never went back together the same again. The gap closed thanks to the tubi grip (which is great for making you look slim after birth!) but the muscles didn't go all the way. My tummy goes a funny shape when I sit up and my bump is all at the front & very low. I've also been getting the funny pinching sensation

PK - giving up on the housework as I'm fed up of shuffling around and crawling with the hoover! Well done with yours though!

Egg - tell me more about this carpet cleaning machine, my carpet is in dire need of help as the house we're renting has horrid beige carpets that DP and DD mess up constantly with coal, milk, etc.

lucy - honestly, try the tying your legs together thig at night - it helps sooooooooo much. pillow or cushion between knees to keep hips in right alignment and then tie with dressinggown cord. my pain was really bad at night cos i'd wake up with leg in various positions - key to preventing spd pain getting worse is keeping legs/knees in line and not unbalancing your weight - so... sit down to put pants/trousers/socks on, keep knees together and swivvle to get in and out of car/up and down from sofa etc. Does sound like it might be spd and i would recommend tying to take it easy before it gets worse cos once it flairs up it takes a loing time to calm down again. hth

Gosh visitors is a hard one.

I would never turn away someone on the doorstep if they came round, although would home that most people arrange a time first, even family (well would not mind my own family dropping by, but WOULD mind if my MIL turned up unannounced, but would still not turn her away ever (even if I wanted to)).

However I was more than happy to see my family, but did try to put off most friends for the first week as I was really struggling with breastfeeding and mainly sat with no top on and my baps hanging out on display so didn't want to be on show! Feel very sorry for your poor dad being turned away! It makes me think of that Bringing up Baby programme where Claire Verity told the grandmother she could NOT touch her new twin grandchildren. WTF!

Lucy - I went online and looked at hiring a steam cleaner but they were about £35+ per day, and then you had to pay £30 if you wanted it delivered, or you had to go to collect it (impossible unless DH was here as they weigh a tonne and us pregnant ladies would not be able to get it in and out of the boot of the car).

So I looked online at John Lewis as I had £250 vouchers there, and bought the Bissel Aromapro for £200. We also have rented beige carpet, and DS has been sick a few times in the last month or so, plus also have coal and milk spillages... Must be honest it didn't get rid of the coal marks, but the amount of invisible dirt it got up was soooo satisfying, and it got rid of any lingering smells etc. Also can do hard floors with it too.

I figured spending £200 on something we can keep for years is better than spending a quarter of that just to hire the thing for the day (if you want to hire one for the weekend it is even more...).

Mana - I have to ask, what do you do at night when you need to wee if your legs are tied together? Do you fall out of bed? I find it hard enough getting out bed without killing myself.

.

I think there is a huge area of compromise between safeguarding your privacy and causing hurt to your family who are excited about seeing the new baby. Tyaca - i think you're right to be upset with them. My MIL has booked to come down and stay a few days after the baby's due. To be fair she has restricted holidays and has offered to stay somewhere else but I would have felt bad if she was in a hotel so have said she should stay with us. However I'm feeling quite resentful about it already....

Mana - thanks for the tips, I was wondering about the getting up for the toilet thing too! I'm up at least three times a night and I can barely find my slippers I'm that zombiefied, sounds like it's worth a go though!

Egg - will have to look into that after christmas as our carpets get dirty so quickly that it would probably work out cheaper to buy one (and it would help with my carpet cleaning obsession - the marks drive me mad!)

Wait til you see the filthy fluff that gets sucked up. It is black and there is so much. It made me VERY happy!

Pk616 ? You have inspired me to do some housework (I?ve just finished polishing my dishwasher and kitchen tap). What a delightful bonus to look forward to after the joy of your new baby. I.e. all the surprise presents in your bag courtesy of your SIL. Lucky you. Tell me, what quirky items do you have? I have never been so bold, but my favourite floor lamp is Orbital (colour version) by Foscarini. This is my zaniest item.

Lovemymum ? has your DH tried B&B Italia in South Ken? It?s my idea of design heaven.

Yesterday the plumber was putting in some new taps. I wanted the option of placing the baby bath on the draining board, so the new kitchen tap now has two spouts with one being a curly hose type affair which has a long reach. Quite an industrial looking object. By the way, does anyone have one of these in their kitchen? The downside is that the hot water pressure is not up to it, so I have to order some pumps. However, the plumber is not available until early Jan, so until then the taps in our bathroom will put out either a trickle of hot water or a deluge of cold water.

To all those considering cleaning carpets, I have cream wool&sisal carpeting upstairs, (chosen by the previous owner. The carpet still looks pristine because I have a shoes off policy, but it must harbour bugs, yuk). I am taking advantage of our ?nursery project? to include replacing all the carpet with solid walnut flooring. I don?t know whether changing your carpet to some other lower maintenance covering would be an option/consideration.

No option to change carpets in a rented house... We own our house in London, but rent it out and rent this one here.

Carpets were put in new the day we moved in...

With this being number 3 for us the more the merrier as far as visitors are concerned!! Will be handy to have people there to keep ds1 and ds2 occupied and give us more time to get used to having a newborn again!!

Yes I will be welcoming visitors MORE this time as will need all the help I can get. Anyone is welcome except my MIL [guilty emoticon].

Yes, the falling over thing was my initial concern about tying legs together but the spd makes it so difficult to move around once in bed that it takes plenty of time to manoevure myself into a sitting position before even thinking about getting to my feet and am awake enough by then to remember to untie myself . Thanks for the stairs warning Egg - your experience sounds horrible! Luckily the stair gate is already in position for ds! that is if by any miracle i manage to make it more than a foot from my bed with my cushion in place!
Must say I am a big fan of wooden floors too, dh has just finished ripping up carpets and sanding/varnishing floors in our new place - so much easier for potty-training/eating/puking incdents! Although I did have to put up with my mother complaining that ds would die of pneumonia because the floors are cold - she went out and bought him slippers which he refuses to wear [smug emoticon], his brio and cars are much happier! In our last flat we fitted cream carpets throughout when i was pg with ds, bloke in the shop spent a long time trying to talk us out of it but i loved them... until weaning started! no room to eat in the kitchen so living room carpet was absolutely foul!