July 2009 Part III

[Mij]

Hope no-one minds me kicking this one off - 39 pages seemed a bit unmanageable!

Had 20 week scan today. Tiddler unco-operative to start with (although not as bad as DD was - took 3 goes to see everything) and it looks like most of the bits are in the right places. Decided right at the very last minute not to find out the sex. Realised that, if DD thinks she's going to have a sister, that nothing, not even photographic evidence, will change her mind anyway. So stuck with the 'don't ask don't tell' as per first time around and will just have to wait to sort out all the sodding clothes 'til we know what we've got.

Although... What do gonads look like on a scan?! Got a very good look at the hips from underneath, so to speak, and thought I saw two little bright spots, but that could be the sitting bones of course. Anyone tell me what the crown jewels look like on a scan?!

Hi all - from experience with my friends and their prams and pushchairs - no-one can find the perfect one. Some of my friends have had 3 or 4 different prams (most new as well! I had a copuple given to me and I accepted them - and like Queenfee and patchyblob said - you use them in different circumstances as long as you have room to store them.

I keep a tiny fold-up buggy in my (original) Mini - the only thing that will fit, the Phil-and-Teds stays in the boot of the Big-Car and the small carriage pram my sis gave me sits in the hall. And they're all used. (Plus I may have a fold-up buggy in the porch that I bought for £15 quid in a charity shop when the wheel fell off my old three-wheeler and I didn't get round to getting rid of when I bought the Phil and Ted's. ).

Well, I've seen the asthma nurse and I'm on a hefty dose of steroid inhaler for 2 days, then regular dose after that. She also told me if it hasn't settled by Sat pm / Sun am to pop in to use the nebuliser at the A&E :S

Ah well, here's hoping the steroids work!! Huge hugs xxx

Gillyan Enjoy the zoo!

Hi all. It's been forever since I last posted. I haven't caught up yet beyond a quick skim so hope you're all well.

I'm wishing the weeks away until my scan (2 weeks' today) and until I can feel some obvious movement. I've felt the tiniest little pops but not much else (maidinamerica, I noticed your post about baby movement. Absolutely not something to be anxious about. It's the loveliest feeling. I really missed it after giving birth!). The only evidence I have of this little one so far is a ridiculous bump (I look at least 6 months' gone!) and rubbish skin. I am most certainly not blooming; wallowing more like! I can't believe how different this pregnancy is to my first 2. I clearly was far too smug in the past and am now getting payback.

Went to the Baby Show at the Excel centre today and that definitely helped to get me more in the blooming frame of mind. Picked up some new maternity clothes, a boring but useful bump belt for the car and my first baby purchase - a very cute swaddling blanket. It did also make me realise quite how much kit we're going to need to get before July. We gave most of our old stuff away in a fit of over-excitement about my brother's new baby (still very much a baby & using most of it).

I'm also in the market for a new pushchair having run our Phil & Teds into the ground. Was thinking of a Mountain Buggy. Does anyone have experience of one of these?

p.s. what do you think of the name Arthur (honestly)? It's the only boys' name Dh and I have agreed on so far (and fits well with DS and DD's names which are quite 1900ish).

Princess Buttercup one of my friends had a mountain buggy and loves it (she is also one of these crazy running behind the buggy sorts) apparently it is light on the steering and must be easy to maneuver (sp?) at a jog. She like it so much she bought a 2nd hand double Mountain buggy when the next one arrived but still uses the single when she can.

Hi all, I'm finally starting to feel little movements I think, that's me 19 weeks today! Can't believe I'll be halfway there next week

I have 2 prams for DS, quinny buzz for use at home (lives in the hall and it's great for country walks etc) and a mclaren quest for out and about (lives in the boot). The quinny was great at the start too cos we used the carrycot as a moses basket.

beccabump sorry to see your asthma is back, hope it gets under control soon.

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princessbuttercup I like Arthur its unusual at the mo without being weird. Would go well withall the Isaacs Jacobs and Jacks around I think!

Gillian Give me a wava as you pass - You musn't live that far from me. Don't tire yourself out too much with shopping and the zoo! Baby Gap Monsoon and Next at C Oaks always make me want to part with money!

Evening all, phew its taken me ages to catch up, have been so busy at work don't even have time to web surf at lunch as usually on the run.

Hunny Happy Birthday and good luck with any decisions you make.

We are having a real dilemma with names, had a girls one all picked out but now we know its a boy dh and I are stumped. My fave would really not go with our surname at all and seem to be finding it hard to get past that.

I'm very excited today as my hot milk maternity underwear arrived and a huge envelope of veggie seeds for my plot - I'm easily pleased! Not sure when I'm going to find the time to plant them all but having fun dreaming about how I'm going to be fat and pregnant in June watering my beautifully growing plot ha ha!

Have a great weekend all I'm off to visit my friend who's 7 months pregnant with her first so looking forward to some girly waddling time together, leaving dd and dh for the night. x

Dh has actually sat and discussed names tonight (i said he had to or he couldn't watch the rugby ) and we've got quite a list now. He was stuck on Rhys but has come round to my choice of Noah too

Noah Jacob (favourite for now)
Noah Rhys
Noah Zachary

Rhys Jacob
Rhys Morgan

Finley Jacob
Finley Joseph
Finley John

Jonah ??

My DS is Finlay so am paricularly partial to it

There are some lovely baby names flying around on the thread now!
Had scan yesterday and after really being very apprehensive, all is apparently well, so we're really chuffed. Because of the angle of the screen, and the position of me, I got to see bugger all (bummer) so lay there bored for the duration! But at least DP saw it. Baby was curled up in a little ball with it's feet by it's head at the start, and sucking it's toes at the end.
Feel like I can safely get stuck in with some pram research now!
Have fun at the zoo Gillyan - my fave is the bat cave at Chester, put your hood up though - have a fear one will get tangled up in my hair.
Becca - if you don't improve, see if the asthma nurse will prescribe Symbicort for you to try - its a combined steroid and reliever inhaler and it was a live saver for me. It's brilliant. I thought my asthma had gone the wrong way at Christmas and I finished up with a stay in hospital, but it turned out just to be a nasty virus doing the rounds and normal service has been resumed now. So you might find things improve. A third get worse, a third stay the same and a third's asthma improves in pregnancy is what we were told. Also an apple a day is supposed to help prevent the baby being asthmatic according to some research by AsthmaUK. Mine started as an adult so can't imagine how wretched it must be to be little with asthma.

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JetLi - We have been to Cheter Zoo loads andi have never once been in that bat cave. I get all brave before but then chicken out as i step through the door and turn round Dh and ds go in every time. Congrats on your scan

Ditto on the prams - we were given two hand-me downs 1st time around, neither of which fitted in the car and took up most of the kitchen in our tiny house. In spite of being (and still am) a devoted babywearer we ended up buying the one that fitted our car seat, which in turn was used about 6 times and then confined to the cellar until we bought a McLaren Techno when DD stopped sleeping so well on me and better in a buggy. Still only use the bloody thing about once a fortnight. DD will just have to learn to walk faster, and further, so i can sling DC2, cos there's only so much distance I'll be able to do with one on the front and one on the back .

Have started to sort out baby clothes, so I can get some stuff in the NCT sale next week. Was pleased to see that the newborn to 3 months unisex pile (that we're keeping) is bigger than the girls' pile, so we shouldn't need to do any scrounging shopping to start with.

to those who are having health problems. I'm just knackered at the moment. Sleeping a bit crap, but that's normal as I have a non-sleeping-through toddler but it's that wrung out feeling. Really needing an afternoon nap again, but DD isn't having any of it so by tea time I become psycho-Mummy. DP was late home yesterday and he got very short shrift

We made it to the Zoo! It was ace - been loads of times over the years but was just so nice to be out of the house! I love the bats too! The elephants are beautiful. DD loved it and was really good. Went to Cheshire oakes and got her 2 new pairs of trainers and I got some size 20 knickers from M&S ( the glamour!) I wanted to go to mama's and papa's but it wasn't there??

Left the house at 10am and got in at 5.30pm Brilliant day!

Gillian Mamas and Papas isnt on the main discount square as its just an ordinary shop its on the retail park (By all the food places) hence why you prob couldn't find it.

Glad you had a lovely day. I love the zoo too and the kids never seem to bore of it - its especially nice at christmas and if you have their 3 course dinner for about £20 you get into the zoo for free so makes a great place for a special xmas meal

mij I have bought a sling this time around hoping it will work for me. What sort of sling do you use?

Hi everyone
I've been away ages and missed so much! Congrats to all the scans. Feels weird that we already are far enough along to think about names!

I have my scan on Thu and am TERRIFIED. Some of you might remember that I had a nightmarish 12 wk/nuchal fold issue and although it didn't have Downs or Edwards (had the CVS to check) they did say the thick nuchal fold could be caused by other abnormalities (e.g. heart, liver, skeleton etc) that they wouldn't be able to see at 13 wks - too small - but would pick up at a 20 wk scan. [scared Belgrano emoticon]
Other than being scared all's ok here. Me and DD have had a bad cold all week but spent this morning in bed which seems to have helped a lot.

We already know we're having a boy and I love the name Arthur but can't find a suitably 'babyish' shortened version as Arthur seems v grownup for a tiny wee boy! Arty could be changed to Farty Arty in the playground, non? Or am I being ridiculous?

Oh - Christiana - the oil cleansing method rocks! My skin is amazing two weeks in....thanks for the tip!

PS - Any people for or against the Phil & Teds? I think its what we're going for - DD will be 2 1/2 but we go for lots of walks in the country so need a failsafe way to get two tired children about. Anyone had/hated/loved a Phil&Ted's Sport?

Thanks for the comment re the Mountain Buggy woollyjo and for the tip re the Out & About Nipper christiana. I had a look and it does look like the kind of thing we're looking for but one of the things I liked about the Mountain Buggy was the carrycot option. Couldn't see if the Out & About had this...?

Belgrano Snap re Arthur! It is still our favourite. I have a six year old DS who is extremely fond of the word fart and it hasn't come up at all yet when we've mentioned the name Arthur/Artie (but am sure tis only a matter of time!).

We had a Phil & Teds (DS was 2.2 when DD was born) and definitely got our use out of it. Very easy to handle; better than any other twin/double that I've seen.

Phoenix I love the name Noah. Also like the combination of Rhys Morgan (very Welsh; are you Welsh?).

and Christiana, I think that Anouska is lovely.

No we're not Welsh. We like Rhys and dh liked Morgan for a girl so i just suggested that combination. I'm really liking Noah though now especially as dh has come round to it too

No idea re P&T's but a few friends have them and absolutely love them.

Belgrano Hope your scan goes well. Re P*T's most of my friends love theirs. However the reason I didn't get one because I have concerns about the rear child being able to reach the wheels. I can def. see the appeal of it though - if you don't have that type of child

Hi all, new to the site and the thread.
DD 12 July - having a boy and it's my first.
Scary and exciting
Hubby bought a heart to Heart monitor and we listened to the baby's heart beating today - it was magical
Anyone in SW6?
Jenny

Hi Jenny and congratulations! Only a quick hello as have just seen the time and am off to bed. I'm ex SW6 now further out west but I'm sure you'll come across lots of mums to be around in the next few months. Have you signed up for ante-natal/NCT classes?

Belgrano I'll be thinking of you with fingers crossed on Thursday. As a fellow nuchal thicky I'm dreading my scan too. I really hope that all goes well for you.