Due in June and entering the home stretch - keep the creme eggs rolling!

[makecakesnotwar]

And the Revels, the Greek Yogurt and the curly fries....

Well Ernest - how did it go?

So pleased for your friend Upsidedown.

Quick message as it's midnight here, had some guests drive from the UK today - withmy shopping...mmmm, branston pickle, shreddies, big bag of cadburys mini bars for Stefan's birthday(and for the baby), golden syrup, mini eggs etc etc... They are great guests!

Cheered up my day as my best friend in the village is an Austrian, she's early 40's, her husband is at least 20 years older. They have 6 children, youngest is 6. Anyway he was diagnosed with cancer 3 years ago, he had yet another operation last week and today they were told that the Drs can't do any more apart from administer pain relief and he doesn't have long.How on earth do you cope with that? I help out all I can but I can't begin to imagine the heartache. She was saying what do I tell the children? What will I do without him?

Sorry this is a sad post but I needed to tell someone.

Deb, so sorry about your friend It was really hard with mil, but at least her children were grown up. My sons took it in thier stride, as well as you can expect, but losing a beloved granny who lives in a different country is a whole different kettle of fish to your own dad . Telling them is going to be horrific, and I guess as well as facing her husband's illness, the prospect of a future with 6 kids and no dh for support is really very scary too. She must be a mess. Sending out big hugs to you and her

U-cake OMG - your doula!! Didn't you have a lucky escape! Well, fancy you thinking she was going to drop everything and help you with your birth, like she hasn't got other things she needs to do? Oh hold on, that's right, it's her job to drop everything and help you. Def. lucky escape.

My dh is King Numpty , but he has at least been brilliant at all 3 births. We haven't told the boys yet, because King Numpty, despite having booked his train ticket 2 weeks ago, and having the ticket on his desk all day, didn't actually read said ticket, and while he may thave thought that the train was a 16.40, it was, in fact at 16.23 (strange that I knew what time his bloody train was, and I didn't even need to catch it . So anyway, King Numpty missed his easy, comfortable, direct train and had to get 4 different slow trains and turned up 2 hours late, so a chat with the boys wasn't possible.

He did however bring some pictures of the new house and it looks really really fab. And a contact number for the current families apparently excellent and trusty cleaner So given I'll be 5 weeks or so from birth and coping with 4 kids (plus King Numpty, the messiest man-gorrilla on the planet) I'm going to treat myself and keep her on.

Showed dh the baby car seat fil had brought over, with the straps in the smallest setting. I was being all 'ooh, can you imagine our tiny little baby in there?' and he just looked at it, looked at me, and asked, 'Are we having a guinea pig?'.

Sorry baout your friend's DH ernest. It must be difficult.

Just off to Cardiff to watch the championship decider! I can't wait. Just a bit worried about all the crowds. Come on Wales!

Catch up with you tomorrow when I get back.

Debs that is so sad out your friend I cant Imagine how affraid and distroyed she must be feeling. My DS friend at school lost his father last week he is the middle of 3 boys the youngest just looks so little my heart aches when I see them, suprisingly they were still going to school after and just had the day after he died and the funeral day off school. Big hugs and virtual support fo you to help your friend.

OMG to all the Doulas I think there are some genuine fantastic doulas and then there are some that seem to have jumped on the band waggon and just got plain greedy-of course she should make an appointment of at least make excusses and certainly not phone back with stoppy bullshit. Is there some organisation they need to be part of to be a doula if there is I would be complaining. Iagine some poor soul spending all that money on a promise of the perfect birth to be told sorry I couldnt make it!

I had my mum in with me last time till DH arrived and she just stayed she listened to me then when DH arrived stayed in the background and did things like remove the gloves off the MW as she had just dropped them on the floor and was about to put them on

Hi everyone,

Having a worry day today, feel a bit achy down my legs and I thought I might be leaking a bit of fluid probably my pelvic floor but I will keep an eye on it. I am a bit of a worry wart but my waters broke at 38 weeks with ds and really wasn't much fluid at all, baby had been quiet but bouncing around now!

Ernest I can't imagine trying to move country, house and have a new baby with the boys as well. I can only say it will all happen in time and really there is no point stressing about it - all well and good for me to say I know!! We moved from Australia when I was pregnant and I got very stressed about finding a house before I had the baby (we were living with mil!) but there was really no point as it took us much longer than I expected but we rented for a while and we have a lovely house now. Although this time I am still stressing about getting everything ready.
Off to St Andrews dh has a work do, so mil has ds, hopefully it will be good as definately going to be our last night away before baby comes. Keep telling people I'm 30 weeks, well will be on thursday so only a white lie - sounds so much better than 29!!

Debs, I'm so sorry about your friend. I don't really know what to suggest - I wonder if there may be some stuff in the bereavement threads that you could share with your friend? It must be a shock for you too. Glad you got your lovely shopping!

Re doulas, I'm sure that most of them are genuinely fantastic. It's sad that some people seem to be the rotten apple in the barrel and spoil it for everyone. I emailed Marslady - a Mumsnetter who is a big cheese in the doula world - and she was pretty shocked. She asked for the name of this lady. Now I have to pull myself together and call another one.

Katyjo, hope you aer feeling OK and that you had a nice time in St Andrews.

Ernest, lol guinea pig comments. I can't believe that DS used to be th size of a guinea pig. Awww ...

... Just went upstairs as I heard 'Does dolly need his cream?' only to find that he had removed the lid of Sudocrem pot and smeared himself, his bed, his books as well as his dolly in it! This morning he poured a bottle of olive oil over himself. Our washing machine is running on permanent. Suddenly need to toddlerproof the house 10x over.

15 minutes ago, I was getting all gooey about babies and guinea pigs. Now I'm realising that I've condemned all of us to least another four years of this! Ernest, Debs, when does it stop????

Only joking, Upside. xxx

Hello all been keeping myself busy my mum is coming out on Monday. And her and i get on really well she is coming over for birth too.

Dp also coming back tonight after 15 days cant wait! MIL is stable so he is coming back for a while but who knows how long for its all a bit stressful.

Sorry to hear bout friends dh its not nice when you get news lke that if my dp and his sis are finding it hard cant imagine young children My thoughts are with you.

Well off to make house LOOk clean been a bit of a slob while dp away hehe

Sorry second to last bit of message is for you debs

www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm#practical

Hello all, this website was reccommended today by the midwife who did aquanatal, she was telling us how imprtant to get the baby in right position and this website has tips to do so, she and another midwife did some reserach on this and put into practice and it was noticeable that the length of labour was shortened and less interventions, hope it helps.

i've added my 2 fave pics from 3D scan. we have 17 mins of video and i am 80% (even 90% but I don't want to seem too cocky) sure i saw a willy. i watched that part of the dvd about 10 times and i can clearly see cord, 2 legs, and another, ahem extremity, right betwixt the legs!!

i've been feeling sort of sad about it as i had really got used to the idea that i was going to have a girl but i just had a sort of epiphany that we will have whatever we're meant to have and that's that! but argh about having to find a boy's name!!!

debs so sorry to hear about your friend. i guess it's something of a blessing that my friend passed while her baby was so young. it's hard enough to deal with yourself let alone trying to understand and help heal 6 children. i wish her strength and clarity!

lol at your ds updsidedowncake - i was bemoaning the fact that i can't get out the door with clean clothes, they always have some sort of spill/fingerprints between dressing and leaving.

paro hope you have a lovely reunion with dh.

Thanks for the kind messages re my friend.

DLM - great scan picture, sorry to hear that you're a little disappointed to see what seemed like boys bits. He'll be a great friend to your ds though, my boys get on sooo well.

Paro - glad to hear MIL isn't too bad and dp is returning home. My Mum is also coming out on Monday which I'm looking forward to.

Katyjo - any more leaking?

Upside - think I'll always be gooey about babies, I have a widowed friend , she's approaching 70 and says she's still broody!!

Sophie - busy weekend? I'm suffering tonight with pains in the bottom half of bump - think I did too much today in changeover, only next Saturday to do a big change then that's it for the end of the season.The kind students we had staying had been sick in the room and hadn't told us - nice eh???Just been out for tea though so not all bad!

Debs - so sorry about your friend as well, very difficult with children and hoping the end comes peacefully and as painless as possible.
Not bad, have one room to clean today and then off out to lunch as Dad's birthday, and then all of thyem to do tomorrow and then just odds and sodds for the week, Easter is good as all rooms booked for three nights, and then starts to get busy during week as well. Finding it difficult to move with any speed and bending over baths.

Enjoy your lunch today Sophie - how is your Dad? I'm finding cleaning corner showers a bit tricky now!!

Better thanks, he came home from hospital last Sunday and my sister who is a nurse came and looked after him while Mum was away on a computer course and he has been coming downstairs for a couple of days and eating solids aswell rather than mushy food. They are off on holiday next month as well so fingers crossed for that.

That sounds quite positive Sophie, hope he continues to make a good recovery and is well enough for his holiday.

Great scan DLM.

We are very quiet today!

After an awful night, no sleep due to back pain am off to Oxford Street to treat myself to some maternity clothes shopping. Have given up with style, it's now time for some very comfy tents. Wish me luck, will let you know how I get on...

Hope everyone is warm and cosy indoors with lots of creme eggs.

I only managed to post half of that message!?

Deb: So sorry to hear about your friend's DH. 6 children! Hopefully they will be able to support one another...?

Libra: Guessing that Cardiff was a happy place to be yesterday!

Upsidedown - Your doula sounds unbelievable...thank goodness you found out now. Good luck with finding a better one (shouldn't be hard)... Love the Sudocrem/Olive oil story, so much to look forward to, eh?

Debs, so sorry about your friend.

DLM, your scan pics are fantastic!!!

Hey everyone, hope you are all enjoying a relaxing sunday. We have been to buy paint for the nursery (blue) and have started sorting out the baby equipment in the loft so that we can decide what we need to buy new. I fancy a new sling, I have a baby bjorn but have heard recently that the sideways ones are better for their hips, anyone got any recommendations?

I'm also a bit unsure about my car seat, I bought an expensive Britax one 7 years ago but am wondering if it is still ok, any thoughts? I have emailed Britax but am not sure if I will get a response.

hi everyone - debs also sorry about your friend.

PP - hope shopping went well! I really need to get some mat clothes soon. I've got one pair of jeans, one pair of work trousers and one pair of comfy jogging style trousers that fit, but I'm really struggling with tops at the weekend now!

Well I am back but I have no voice.

The atmosphere around Cardiff and especially inside the stadium was out of this world. We had french sitting next to us on both sides and they were great.

Got a little worried when it became stalemate after Henson was sin binned for 10 minutes but then Shane and Martin Williams sealed our 2nd Grand Slam in 4 years.

Really wish I could have had a drink but I was disginated driver. I don;t think I have ever had such a surreal experience. Little one was licking me throughout the match, wasn't sure if it was my shouting and singing, or all the noise around me!

Even though the weather was atrocious, everyone was still enjoying themselves whether Welsh or French.

Have just got to come down to earth with a bump now. Glad I've taken tomorrow off work to recover. Makes it a short week for me, just Tuesday and Thursday then a nice long weekend again next weekend.

Hope everyone is well on this horrible rain and windswept Sunday.

LL - you sure you haven't been drinking?? - disginated driver and the baby licking you - sorry , just made me smile .

Glad you had such a great time

LL, glad you enjoyed the rugby. Sounds like a great day out. I must admit the entire thing had essentially passed me (DH is American) by until your post yesterday morning. Does that make me not a proper Brit?

Paro, I hope you had a good reunion with your DP. You guys have such a lot in your life at the moment. I'm thinking of you.

Sophie / Debs - must be very hard with all the cleaning. How busy / relaxed do things get for you over the summer?

PP, did you buy some lovely things?

DLM, fab scan picture.

We went to Lilliput and took out a mortgage to buy our Phil and Teds - so exciting! We got the apple green one - partly to go with Debs' first baby room , but mostly because everyone else has the red and black ones. DS put his dolly (now decreamed ) in the cocoon bit and carried him around.

Hi all - just started reading your posts and DH came and started massaging my shoulders. It was bliss. Am I wrong to be suspicious that it was only to see if I had written anything about him...!

Libralady - yesterday sounded great! Perhaps you've just nutured a little rugby player. (My one's gonna be half English and half kiwi, there could be a serious issue as to who he'd play for if he was good enough.)

The first time I felt this one kick was at a Spice Girls concert. Not sure what that means he could grow up to be... And I am so glad that this is an anonymous post so none of you can actually point at me in the street and laugh at me for going to a Spice Girls concert.

Shopping not great. New Look Oxford Street no longer stocks mat gear. The staff could only suggest their Moorgate branch which does - which ironically is only a 10m walk from my office. I didn't even know if was there. M&S Marble Arch had a very dull selection and I was a bit disappointed in the good old reliable Dotty P too. I was the wrong end of Oxford Street for Next, apparently their Tot Crt Rd one is the only one that stocks mat gear. By that stage I was too tired ...the krispy kreme in Selfridges cheered me up though.

After the krispy kreme, it was appropriate that I only came home with a huge comfy pair of trackie bottoms to lounge around in at home. I'm wearing them now and they're far too large - which is bliss.