Due May 2009 Hairy Mary!... We're on the final stretch!

[Belgianchocolates]

Thought I'd better start the new thread before it was too late. Here we go!

1stMrsF I'm a mrs F in RL too, though being Belgian I tend to be known by my maiden name (in Belgium women don't take their dh's name). I'm 2nd Mrs F though!

I've done the hairdresser thing last week. I had it cut in a bob. I'll chop my fringe myself if it gets in my way and it doesn't matter if it grows and I don't get much time to go to the hairdresser, it won't really lose shape.

hi all.
Maternity leave - i think mine is going to fly by and I'll have not done all I need to do. Someone said make a list - i think that's a good idea. i also have 2 days a week when DDs are in nursery so those are my key days: i'll take one room at a time and just do a blitz.

am so tired today though, didn't get much sleep. it's my 1st day of leave so i'm sitting next to dd1 for Quite Time and will prob take a nap. luckily, i can't do any cleaning or cooking since the kitchen fitters are here (that's my excuse)so I'm staying out of their way. of course, everything is going wrong today but i'm not going to let it bother me. i'm just happy not to have to worry about work anymore.

Hello all,

Re. maternity leave - I'm loving it! I can't believe I had time to work full time before! My days are made up of leisurely breakfasts, cooking/baking, seeing friends, cleaning (all the places that I normally 'forget' about), spending time with mum, napping, reading. It's bliss! I felt guilty during the first week that DH was still working so hard and I was just having an 'easy' life, but I soon justified that with the fact that I am building a real human being and have been doing so since August last year, whilst working full time and running the house full time, so it's now time for a break for the super human being maker...!

And, yes, I am getting majorly (is that a word?) excited about becoming a mum. Also very excited about DH being a dad. Just EXCITED!

llareggub I've added you as a friend on FB

Spangle Yep my DP is like that too. Every weekend it always takes us hours to get out of the house and into the car, before we decide where were going and what were doing, even though every Friday night I must ask DP at least 10 times what were doing at the weekend lol I've only ever been into the hospital at Stoke a couple of times with DD when we lived up that way, so I'm still a bit scared about having the baby up there, I think it's just because I know that DP is going to be miles away in Stafford while I'm there at night, if you get me...that, and DP insists we carry on the "tradition" of putting baby in a Port Vale sleepy suit as his first outfit lol

Spangle My dh is the same. Whenever we go for a drink/meal somewhere we get ready, in the car, he starts the engine, starts driving and then asks where we're going

gert enjoy that first mat leave of your life. You'll never get to relax in the same way ever again. Even though mine are at school and not home during the day, my relaxation is sort of on a time table + I still have to get up in the morning. And after lo is born you're definitely not going to get lie ins!

My own list for things to do while on mat leave is small. There's only so much you can do without walking around too much, so after this week, I'll just sit around with my feet up reading, mn-ing and dreaming of meeting the baby.

Can I just ask, on FB are we adding everyone as friends? I'm just a little confused, I don't think I'm a member of any other groups lol

Oh egads, I am so bloody tired and I don't think I'm going to get a chance to sit on my ass tomorrow. It's DHs birthday tomorrow and when it's his birthday or Father's day, I do the cooking and he gets to pick what he wants. He wants lasagne for dinner and creme brulee for dessert. Neither are difficult, they're just time consuming and with a sicky DD around I am going to have to have everything done first thing tomorrow morning.

I don't do mornings!!

Belgian I'll be a Mrs. F. too as of 1st May! lol! I'll be 3rdMrsF! Oh god, that is scarey, Mrs, ooo errr!

As I have been on Maternity Leave due to redundancy since 26 weeks the novelty has well and truly worn off! Although I am glad to have Madi here to keep me company!

Hospital bag is all ready now, well, I cheated, I fell into the trap and bought a ready made one on ebay! Is really good and saves me the job of having to trapse round town getting eveything! She even put a bag of Haribo in for me!

Those already with DC, are any of them obsessive about certain programmes or films?? Madi has watched the same film everyday for what feels like forever, she just loves it! She knows most the words and its slightly irriating that she doesnt get bored by it!

No you don't have to. I have, I find it is easier to keep in touch with people, IYKWIM. I think I'll have to start a list with who's who and keep it in a booklet next to my computer. There's too many of you to remember both names!

chocbunnies 2 yo are well known for getting obsessed with the same film/book/song/... Both mine have gone through such a stage in the past, dd more than ds. Oh and if it's a boring book/film I sometimes hid the thing while they were in bed so they had to chose something else.

chocbunnies 2 yo are well known for getting obsessed with the same film/book/song/... Both mine have gone through such a stage in the past, dd more than ds. Oh and if it's a boring book/film I sometimes hid the thing while they were in bed so they had to chose something else.

Sorry, double post. My computer sent me an error message after I clicked post, so I did it again and now it's there twice

Midlanders I started a meeting up topic on the f/b group. Thought it would be a bit easier to discuss a meet up there, keeps it all together and organised IYKWIM.

I'm on tenterhooks at the moment... can't concentrate on reading todays posts at all. We've put in an offer on the house we went back to see yesterday. The estate agents asked all interested parties (3 of us altogether) to put in their best and final offers in before close of business today. Arrrrgh!!!! Just got to hope our best is enough... if it's not enough then at least we'll have offered the best we could and know we did everything we could.

Been quite a stressful day all in all as I also had my MW app just before lunch and had mixed news. Baby size has eased off... now measuring 34wks for 33+3 but our pink one has been on the move and is now lying transverse. Up till now she's been settled head down... so MW now wants me back in 2 wks to check her position and might end up with that late scan yet due to breech/transverse baby position instead of growth!

I'll catch up with everyones news this evening when we're hopefully out of our misery re the house either way?!

Back from Docs, have oral laxative and [ominous music] suppositories.

I'd prewarned DD1 about possible suppository horror. She cried but is now just grateful that she's got something from the Doc. I also pointed out that she'd probably prefer me to stick it up her bum, rather than the Doc.

I kept wanting to shout 'for all the good they've done me, I may as well have shoved them up my arse', which is from Trainspotting but didn't think it would go down well with tremendously sensible Doc. Also DD1 would have told me off for saying a rude word.

And DD2's wobbly tooth just fell out

Oh Fi! Got everything crossed for you!

I also saw MW this morning for BP check and thankfully it's normal again. Baby was head down which I thought at this stage (34+6) meant it would stay that way but she it didn't mean anything yet! Fi I guess that means your little one still has time to get into the right position.

I am also enjoying my maternity leave very much, trying to get everything done before I get too huge and uncomfortable. I packed my hospital bag last week and realised at the weekend that it was all about me - new pants, toiletries, nighties, breast pads etc etc and had completely forgotten about LO . So I have spent the day washing and ironing baby clothes from the lost - she probably won't get much new stuff so I thought I should at least make her hand-me-downs look like new.

Blotted am amused by your DH's menu choice - pretty much exactly what my DH always picks. And lasagne is such a faff. If you feel like cheating, M&S do amazing creme brulees in ceramic ramekins that you sprinkle the sugar on and 'cook' yourself - you can make a big show of getting your blow torch out without having to go to too much trouble!

Febes I'm keen on the idea of a meet up. I think we might both be booked on the April refresher course and tour at St Helier so we'll probably meet then anyway. Shall we start a topic on facebook for South London/Surrey MNers?

fi I'll keep my fingers crossed for you about the house. Hope you get it.
As for baby's position. Someone one posted a link to spinning babies before. It's quite good, to save your from trawling the thread again: here it is again. You can get baby to go back into head down by sitting with your bum up in the air and chest on the floor , it's a bit of an acrobatic thing to do at this stage and not the most comfortable with SPD, but it works. It did for me anyway. I felt mine was transverse last week after being cephalic, funnily enough also when I was feeling stressed (job interview) and I did the knee chest thing a couple of times and I felt baby move itself back to where s/he should be. It's happened 2x now and worked 2x too.

Good luck with the house fi

Hey everyone!

Going to come back and catch up later but just wanted to say hi and Fi good luck with the house offer! Hope you get what your hoping for!!

fi Keeping my fingers crossed for the house, you deserve a good turn of luck on the house hunting front

Grumpy I had a similar problem when I was a teenager and you sound like you are being a lovely Mum about it all. My Mum got all cross with me which was really unhelpful. Just thought it might be useful to know it happens to others...

I went for another bp check again, and it's increased again , swelling hands and feet are worse and they found trace of protein. So it's back again on Thursday for more prodding. The MW seemed pretty unconcerned about my headache - she even suggested that I might have it until the end of my pregnancy . I have arranged a phone call with my boss tomorrow to say I won't be in work until Friday which will be my last day. Yippee !

Bleeding nora, it has taken me nearly an hour and a half to catch up on all the messages!! 15 pages in all!

I'd like to say a big thank you to you all with your commiserations re: my course. There's too many of you to mention, and it really means so much, so thankyou . Am definitely going to get my academic friends to help me appeal (they're on the case already, looking things up and stuff). I can't start the appeal procedure until I get the official 'bugger off' letter from the college, which won't be until May sometime - typical. My thesis supervisor made the snidey comment about my pregnancy at the first and only time I met her - she's one of those snotty women who thinks she's the bees knees - she looked at my tummy and said 'hm, well, clearly you have more important things on your mind now' - after she completely slagged off my proposal (which I'd been working on and got the go ahead the year before) and wanted me to scrap it all and start again. She asked me if I covered diabetes in my job, and I said 'no, I do everything else hormoney in kids' (ie growth, puberty, etc) and she just sniffed and said 'oh, how boring that must be'. Fu**ing cow. Hm.

Anyway. Devon was lovely, even though the weather was poo. Choc, we went to Lynton, but moseyed around Ilfracombe and Lynmouth too. Didn't want to come back home!

EmmalinaC - congrats to your friend!

Daizydoo - know what you mean about another month at work - I'm not sure how I'm going to cope!!

Looby - how are you doing nowadays? Is the clinic being helpful? I'd strongly encourage you to call up whenever you need to - if I was a diabetes nurse, I'd much prefer it if my patients called me up 10 times a day than not at all and not be able to cope properly.

Choc - so sorry to hear things have been poo for you. How are things now? Have you spoken to your DP about how you feel - have all his friends got partners or wives with children who he could perhaps introduce you to?

Sophietom and others - know what you mean about DP's smoking. My dp still does, although he has cut down an AWFUL lot, and promises to stop when LO comes along. I quit the day I found out I was pregnant, and have found it hard, but it has got easier. Mind you, when I was in floods of tears last week after getting off the phone from my tutors, with big glass of wine in hand (thanks Mum) I SO could have done with a ciggie!!!

Oooh am excited about the facebook group! Have emailed you, llare. Reminds me of when I was in the Dennis the Menace fab club and got a special Gnasher badge!!

Have been off on a study day today - aah, well, it was my last one, and work don't know yet, and anyway, I've been checking out appeal stuff on the college website and trying to write a job description for my mat leave cover. Zzzz. Am beginning to get really big, homfy and achey. Ugh.

Chocbun Yes! For DD it's the Care Bears movie, for DS2 it's Wall-E or Bolt. I am so sick of them!

Fi Good luck!!

Grumpy Ahahaha! I don't envy you having to give her the suppository though.

Emma My bloody hens have all come into lay with a vengeance so I have 40 eggs I need to use up! I don't mind making the creme brulee because it's fairly easy (other than the chilling time) but I might cheat and get the big M&S lasagne. Payday tomorrow so I'm sure I can justify splashing out.

I'm just back from the Doctor where I keeled over, terrifying poor DS2 who had come with me after I collected him from nursery. BP was 110/75 lying down, temp was fine, blood sugar was 5.3 but that was around an hour after I'd had a cup of tea with two sugars and a wedge of cake so I have no idea what's going on there. The bloody Doctor was holding me hostage because I had driven myself. I just felt so panicky, hands sweating, heart beating out my chest and a headache in between my eyes. I'm home and lying on the sofa with a big glass of ribena now.

fi any news yet?????? If you really want it, I hope to goodness you get it.

am also on tenterhooks, a friend is in labour and has been since 3am (3rd baby) ..... no news as yet. Every time my phone beeps I jump up (and so does DH!) but so far NO BABY.....

fi hope everything goes as you wish with the house. It's so hard not to get emotionally involved in house offers, thinking of you!

I have a flapjack problem. I love flapjack. The kind of bars you buy in petrol service stations usually (they're not generally stocked in most shops). Big chunky bars - cost about 70p each. I'd already bought some for my hospital bag for post birth munchies (can't imagine what else I'll want to eat). However knowing they were in the hospital bag, upstairs, in the house was just too much and the first stock has now gone. Found another local shop today which also stocks them. So have stocked up again. Just finished the first one...... HELP I need flapjack support. Any suggestions anyone?

spinning babies - have also been trying the techniques to get a breech baby to turn. However having no success. Stubborn child me thinks, or maybe it's just comfy, or maybe the flapjack is in the way...

Blotted have you thought about using the dolmio jars of red sauce and white sauce for the lasagne - not as much faffing and less standing up involved.

blotted Hope you're OK after your fainting episode. Who knows what it was? Sometimes it's just baby going to lie on a vein or something. Question: Did your hens stop laying over winter? I expected mine to slow, but they just steadily carried on with their egg a day each. Luckily I've only got two. Still I've got 10 eggs to use by tomorrow, even though I used 4 yesterday.

sausagen nice to hear you had a good holiday. That woman sounds really horrible, forming her opinion about you just based on your bump. That's why I've pre-warned the place where I go for my interview on Thurs. My presentation isn't going to be brilliant though. I'm just to tired to think straight and now I'm all in a muddle trying to make some sort of diagram to show what I want to say.