Due April 2008 - for our third and final trimester, give us our extra 200 kcals!

[EllieG]

Here we are!

and going to the lakes for a dunk and the markets for fresh tomatoes and bread and mouldy cheese.....i love France, have been about twice a year since i was born , sort of a family love really. although i havent been for 3 years now and am so ecited. we are going the first week of august.

Thanks ellie, i knew i was right in my thinking and not being resentful iyswim? And yes, DH does take his responsibilities very seriously, quite surprising for a young bloke who had zac when he was 19, they split up when he was 6 months, he has always been there. Even though she is somewhat ..... difficult at times we always make sure he is part of our lives too.

VS, agree, thanks! i dont mind getting brand new but i looked on ebay (@ tommee tipee one) and they are more like 50 instaed of 110.

Ellie, have you been to France before?

Peachy -- I don't think prodding DS every five minutes 24/7 so that neither of us got any sleep for the first year is recommended either, which is what would have happened otherwise (he was a PFB, after all... I think I'll be a bit saner this time round).

We had DS in with us for the first 9 months, as well.

In our case

(a) DS had whooping cough from 2 weeks old, so would have coughing fits and turn blue followed by a long (not 20 seconds, but seemed endless) pause before he could take his next breath. Given that on one occasion (not when he was asleep, actually, but when I was holding him) he didn't start breathing again until I dangled him upside down and gave him a slap I liked the reassurance of knowing each time he had a coughing fit at night (which he'd sleep through, astonishingly) (that is, he'd sleep through the coughing fit, not sleep through the night. Oh nononononono ) that he was still breathing, and

(b) when he wasn't coughing he'd sleep so deeply that the only way I could tell he was breathing without the monitor was to prod him.

Now the monitors he was on in hospital -- those went off all the bleeding time for no reason (I think I had literally 2 hours sleep in the 72 hours he was in for whooping cough ).

Morning all, thanks for the link PAL, DP an I had thought about one of these but were then put off by the price as Lo will be in with us anyway to begin with.

question, I've read that you only have to keep your LO in with you for the first 6 weeks does anyone know the official recommendation for the???

this says 6 months

I can't believe how much those monitors are!! I'm sure they must've gone up in price - I can't imagine we ever paid that much? I can't really remember. Anyway, a second hand one will be absolutely fine I'm sure. I see mothercare are selling them slightly reduced at the moment but they're still £90 - what a price!

And I agree PAL - the monitor gave me huge peace of mind. It's probably a personal thing whether it'll help or make you more nervous, but I think we're all able to make an adult decision on that. Sometimes I find the "experts" so condecending!!

Ellie - my DH is like that with names too at times. He'll dismiss my ideas but not come up with any better options (although DD's name came from him but that was about the only one he came up with). Stick to your guns with Molly - it's gorgeous and we all know it .

Anyone got any recommendations of companies we can look at for hiring a gite in France?

Brittany Ferries.

Yeah, I've always heard it's 6 months. We set out with the best of intentions but had to move DD out after 3 because we kept waking each other up and it was just counterproductive. We ALL got much better sleeps when we moved her.

Thanks Scorpio - I'll have a look on there.

their prices include a ferry crossing, and whatever time you want to stay. it really is a lovely holiday.

I just googled selfcatering in Brittany and looked at what came up with. Yes scorpio - have been to France quite a bit - not enough really considering it's only half an hour on the boat for us. It always feels soooo relaxing and lovely when do go though. I want summer now!

I love France too Scorpio! But we're chickening out and going to Portugal this year when babs is 8 weeks old. Mainly because we don't want to do any serious driving and our last French holiday involved a lot of driving.
Had great fun and games this morning over ds1's education. We had an EdPsych assess him last Monday ( Pretty sure he has ADD but need a diagnosis) and got a phone call from the school saying to come tomorrow at 11.30 for a big meeting with the EdPsych, OT, Resource Teacher and Class teacher re getting a classroom assistant assigned to him. Trouble is I am booked up solid in work tomorrow and can't get out of it! I have told them in the school that my job is not the sort where I can just drop everything and come in, I can't even ring in sick unless I am at death's door!
So then get a call from the principal saying that this will be the last opportunity this year to get help for ds1, EdPsych is going on "Marriage Leave" and won't be back for a long time, apparently! So I have to rope dh in to go to the meeting even though I'm the one who has been liaising with the school all along re ds1!
I am so ! They all seem almost afraid of the EdPsych and willing to bend over backwards for her. Ds1 couldn't attend an assessment with her once as he had vomiting and diarrhoea and the Resource teacher was on the phone to me asking if there was any way he could come in! When the poor child was hovering over the toilet for the entire morning! Then when we rescheduled, the EdPsych rang the night before to say the new appointment "didn't suit her" and that there was no real rush anyway as it would be two years before he was to go to secondary school. And now I am expected to drop everything and come running in to suit her again!
I wouldn't mind but the principal's tone this morning was sort of reproachful as if really, this meeting was so crucial and how could I put something as trivial as my job before it! The job that puts food on the table and a roof over our heads. I am already having to take time off for antenatal visits, there are people booked in specifically to see me tomorrow and my boss has only so much patience! And if they could only have let me know a week in advance, it wouldn't have been a problem!
Right, rant over! Cup of tea, anyone.....?

I agree -- 6 months. Kept DS in until 9 months because DH was away working in Beijing until then so I was doing nights on my own and couldn't be arsed to schlepp into the next room all the time.

Just keep breathing chipmonkey...Ed psychs always think they are the big I Am and people are a bit stinky sometimes when you have to work, not fair really considering that it's all about fitting in with them.

cuppa sounds lovely [passes round some cake]

Ooooo chipmonkey - I'm not surprised you're ranting. Go ahead girl ... you deserve it!

PAL - did you mean to write schlepp? What IS that??

I've been to France a couple of times (once to Paris and the other to Brittany) and loved it. We're planning to go there in the summer as well - but now I have another question. What's the best area to go to? There's so much choice and I've no idea how to choose. We loved Brittany - lots to do and mmmmmm, the food was great!

We have our second "refresher" ante-natal class tonight. I wonder what we'll cover ...

Chipmonkey, what on earth is marriage leave? The principal doesn't sound like he lives in the real world! Hope the meeting goes well, anyhow.

Ellie, my dh does the same as yours re names but doesn't come up with any alternatives (he admits it is because has given her name zero thought ).

Another Francophile here but Italy is my first love as I used to live there, so we are going there in September. I am going to buy the baby loads of Italian style, the clothes are so gorgeous!

Sorry to hear of your school problems, chipmonkey. I hope DH manages to fill your role!

I got my Eurostar tickets yesterday to take DD to south of France for a week at Easter. Very excited - and a bit scared too - its 12 hours on a train with DD on my own (dh is in Australia) and I am going to be pretty big by then...

Suze, that's what I thought! At first I wondered if he meant maternity leave but she deffo wasn't pg the last time I saw her! Oh, I reckon it exists, all right. It's one of those things public servants get that I don't!
And what I also don't understand is, if she's going on leave, why is there no-one to replace her? My boss is looking for someone to replace me on ML ( difficult though that is!) and I'm not leaving for 3 months!

Nice work if you can get it, right?

AAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

it just gets better!!! got my bank statement today...my cheque to nursery bounced it appears that some of the money for the wedding meant i was 40 short for the cheque amount. the bank has charged me £38x2 for the privilge - nursery tried the cheque again without ringing me to talk to me about it - cheque was from over 3 weeks ago - had they not had enough time?????

Now im gonna have to ask DH for his £150 he got from ebay selling this week......

Scorpio, that sucks. Query the charge with your bank and they might refund it.

i am having a sucky time of it lately.

i feel sorry for myself.

Well at least ds has his EdPsych appt. There is money to pay the stuff i need paying; just a worry still. have to ask DH for his money

and the other things are ok really, just tired because ds2 has been home. those sodding threadworms better not dare come back or i will kill them. literally.

If you didnt give the nursery permission to retry the cheque you may be able to claim the fees back from your bank anyway, then they claim it back from the nursery, not sure where you go to find out about it though, try moneysavingexpert.

think i will query with bank about that. £38 a go does seem alot doesn't it??

sorry i seem to be whinging alot on here the last few days, just so much stuff going on.