Due May '09 - wave your bum in the air, like you just don't care !

[Tummum]

Here we go !

Looks like you're all out for easter. I've had the most boring easter in ages. Dh at work and none of his family is around for visits, my own family is saving their visits for when the baby is coming and it'd be a bit silly to go all the way to Belgium for Easter when you're over 36 weeks pregnant. So it's me, the dcs, the cat, the goldfish and the chickens.
We've spent quite a bit of time watching telly (Groundhog day, always been a good film and doing nothing, because I haven't got the energy to do much more today. I should have taken the dcs out really to let off some steam, but I just didn't have the oompff.
Right, time to put the dcs in the bath now.

Oh and if I hear the words, 'mama, can I eat something?' One more time I'll explode...

ladyhelen The dcs starting school definitely has complicated the visits home now. Especially christmas is tricky and I always end up having to request another few days off at the end of the christmas holidays or I just can't fit the visits to family in the UK and family in Belgium in. Especially as I'm not allowed to take anual leave for the christmas week. Before they started school I could just go whenever I liked and whenever the flights/ferry tickets were at their cheapest. Luckily for me my parents live in a big 3 bed house with plenty of space for the 4 (soon 5) of us, so I don't have to worry about that expense.

LadyHelen- I know how you feel I'm from NZ and DH is from SA so we have no family here (apart from SIL who lives with us) and his family have not yet met DD. We now have no plans to travel as we have no money and new LO on the way. My parents are coming a week after my due date but his family have never travelled, never been on a plane and are unlikely to so they won't meet their DGC until we sell our house and have another trip.

I am really pissed off as I just slaved in the kitchen to make a roast beef with all the trimmings and SIL who never cooks and hardly ever helps with housework and always leaves food on her plate no matter how much she is dished up. She doesn't like veges and is very picky but always eats loads of shit and takeaways etc. I love to cook and take offence that she always has to throw something away. I also object to food thrown away so have said to her in the past to put any leftovers in a dish as DD could eat the next day. Even when she dishes up her self she always leaves some on her plate. I know some women do this as a dieting strategy but it really grates on me. So tonight when she took her plate to the kitchen with food still on it I said to DH 'Tell her not to throw it away' He refused and said its my problem I should deal with it. She's his sister!!! I know I am being completely irrational and pathetic but it makes me so . Now DH and I aren't talking cause he runs from comflict and I'm not breaking the ice this time.

This week she has been 'detoxing' which means that she didn't eat after 3pm which suited me as I didn't cook for her so I made sure DH and I had really nice meals all week but she twice had a magnum mini when it was offered . I had to offer as she was sitting right there but her 'detox' was soon forgotten when it was unhealthy food on offer.

I do like her and we do get on but it is so hard living with family. We also had my brother for 18 months before DD was born and he drove us both mad too but at least I could shout at him if he pissed me off. DH's family don't argue but my family do. Our family shout and rant at each other but everything is dealt with there and then and we all know where we stand. His family never fight they just avoid conflict but his parent are divorced.

Moan over thank goodness I can off load here.... Now breatheeeee

Febes, you must have the patience of a saint. I could never have family live with me. My mother staying for 3 nights was 3 nights too much for me!

Now, shall I pass you a virtual cocktail and mini magnum?

Evening ladies - happy easter

febes I hate to see waste like that too - it would really wind me up

Thanks llareggub but not a mini I'll have a big magnum and cocktail .

Hi all! I'm back Started off yesterday trying to catch up but I've given up, in between looking after Harvey and various visitors there's no time left. I've admitted defeat and will just have to pick up as I go along. Am currently just making the most of a quiet few minutes with DH & H asleep together on the sofa - aww! Hopefully now the visiting has calmed down I can get on here more regularly.

At the moment Harvey seems to be a fairly easy baby to look after (hmm, am probably tempting fate by saying that!). I was told with the jaundice to make sure he doesn't go much longer than 3 hours between feeds & about half the time I'm still having to wake him up but he rouses easily & happily. He's an efficient feeder & seems to take what he wants within about 15min. I was worried that maybe that wasn't enough but he's gaining weight & producing lots of wet & dirty nappies - and a fair few public weeing performances!

Febes your SIL does sound a pain about the food. My step-sis used to be like that. It was so annoying on holidays & family meals when everything had to be arranged around her latest fad with no thought for anyone else.

Oh will post full birth story when I have a bit more time. Let's just say for now that the thread title is very appropriate

Have actually managed to write out list for my hospital bag and have laid out most of the things in the spare room ready to pack - very disorganised

DH has managed to put a second rail in the wardrobe so now I have hung up some of the baby things on the top rail and had a good sort out of stepdaughters clothes to hang on bottom rail. Have reorganised her room so its alot tidier now (involving alot of scrabbling around under her bed sorting out) bringing on lots of BH.

Isn't Harvey a cutie?

Can't believe I've only got 6 days till induction

Hi Spangle and gorgeous Baby Harvey Spanglet!!! He is yummy, glad to hear you're ok - you sound pretty chilled out. I'm so jealous!!

Febes I would scream. I hate waste and I would have shoved those mini magnums right up her........I also hate 'detoxing' because it's usually twaddle. Just eat a generally healthy diet, exercise and you won't need to detox. The fact that I'm typing this whilst eating Rocky Road should not worry us. Nor should the frankly ambrosial ice-cream I made earlier. Strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and juice and lots of Jersey double cream. Hey, s'got strawberries in so counts as one of my 5 a day.

Belgian My 2 have specifically asked not to be present for the birth if it's at home, they wish to be in another room. I will supply them with DVDs and popcorn and they promise not to laugh/cry when I start mooing (and possibly choo-chooing). Oh and mama can I have something to eat?

LadyHelen at being so far away from family....

Where are the baby Harvey pics? Where where where?
[frazzled searches dementedly then remembers about the secret FB club - duh]....off for a gander.

Found them! Oh spangle he is utterly divine. Tears in my eyes just looking at him. Just showed DH and he's gone all gooey now too - what a lovely baby. Glad to hear you're doing fine now, you sound very relaxed about it all. Looking forward to your birth story when you have the time. Congrats again. (and BTW love Harvey as a name - my fave nephew is a Harvey and he's a lovely lovely little boy).

lovely to hear from you spangle, and glad to hear everythings going so well. baby Harvey is gorgeous! look forward to hearing your birth story soon

i have caught up wiv the whole thread but im feeling abit too down to really chat much at the mo. everything just feels like its all to much all the time im getting so stressed and anxious about housework and tidyness we havent got any spare space in our flat at all and with all the baby stuff mounting up now are bedroom is just full to the brim and its really getting me down not being able to have it all packed away, and i know when the baby comes things are only gonna get worse i really cant cope with mess and just cant relax when i know things are not tidy but there really isnt anyway of tidying it

i too have a ds who is 3yrs 10mths and he can be just such hard work at the mo he's really started becoming very clingy and just gets so stupidily upset over such silly things and gets himself into a right screaming crying fit and i just cant deal wiv him at the mo and dread being on my own wiv him and that makes me feel really and i know the way he is being is probley due to reacting to new lo being on the way and it is just making me feel so anxious about having this lo how am i gonna cope if he plays up like he's beginning to show he will!

am still feeling pretty rough some days specially mornings still and i just get so panicky about the days dp wont be here even though i normally cope coz i have to it just makes me feel so on edge, and i feel so useless not being able to cope with my own child

sorry to maon so much

Boooooo I've been conked out with a migraine all afternoon. That's the 3rd or 4th one I've had whilst pregnant. Now feel all woolly and weird. Ugh.

Welcome back, Spangle!

Spangle - how cute is Harvey!

llareggub - let me know what you think of your swaddle blanket when it arrives- it does look cute but is a lot of money. I have a £15 one from mothercare but found DD/DS could both wriggle out of it. So i tended to stick to using a small (pram/crib) sheet, folded into a triangle and just swaddled the arms. They found it difficult to escape from that! DS liked it so much i found it difficult to wean him off it, and had to use bigger sheets, as he was swaddled til about 8 or 9 months old!

frazzled sorry to hear your DH is too anxious to make a HB an enjoyable experience for you.

Well we are back from my DH's brothers wedding- it was really nice, but wasn't very relaxing, as we hoped DS would sleep on the drive to the wedding, so he would be rested for the ceremony at 3.30. Well he resisted sleep, even with an extra half hours drive, and finally went off, but woke after 5 mins. Grrr. Hence a very overtired DS (he is used to 2-3 hours nap a day) and in the end, DH took him for another drive at 5 just to get him through the dinner. DD was really sweet though- we let her stay up for the disco which she loved, and went to bed at 9.30- the latest ever bedtime for her.

Belgian DS2 and I have watched some videos on YouTube in preparation just in case he is here. He likes it when I make it go backwards

LadyHelen Huge hugs to you my dear, your Dad sounds like he's being an insensitive clod. Have you explained to him how you feel about seeing your brother?

Spangle What a gorgeous wee lad! I'm dying to hear your birth story!

Blotted Oh your DS2 made me laugh a lot, wanting the birth video backwards. OUCH!!!!

Off for a bath and bed in a mo. Just asked DH to rub my sore feet (was at work this afternoon in high heels - I know, very silly). He says no! How dare he? No Homebirth and now no foot rub??? What kind of man have I married ...... surely this must be grounds for divorce?

Well, maybe that's an over-reaction. He says he'll give me a foot rub if I give him some (ahem) 'attention' of the oral kind in return. And he doesn't mean his feet . I said I would but unfortunately am not bladdered on vodka at the moment so it's out of the question. So, stalemate continues in the frazzled household. Boo. And he's got the golf on. Double Boo. Bed I think. Will catch up properly soon, too shattered tonight x

matthewandbumpsmummy sorry to hear you're feeling down honey and on edge all the time. Is there anyone you can talk to about this? Take care x x x x x x x

evening all.
belgian, I missed Groundhog day? one of my favourite films! need to get it on dvd.

ladyhelen, I'm sorry you're feeling low about family/long distance.

i'm another of us who has family far away: mine are in the US and we visited last year in March but with will not be travelling anytime soon with 2 toddlers and a baby. too difficult and too expensive. 1 of my 7 sisters is visiting in a couple of weeks but i'm desperate to get my mom over here. she's 76, bad knees so doesn't travel well. i really miss her!

febes, you must be really patient! I don't know if I could handle that.

Spangle, good to hear from you. i'm jealous too! I want my LO right now and hope s/he is as 'easy' as yours sounds.

oh and birth backwards - yowch
and blotted good usage of the word 'clod' - excellent word and very underused imo!
My DH is also a Clod!

Matthewandbumpsmummy, i'm sorry you're down and hope you're ok. my dd1 was/is hard work as well, v clingy/tantrummy, etc and was difficult for me to handle after dd2 arrived.

in a way, it's good that you're noticing now as you can try to prepare yourself. as frazzled said, try to find someone to talk to, get support from, say MW or health visitor or even GP. try to get as much rest as possible as well since you will feel less irritable and/or anxious.

hth. xxx

Happy Easter - or whats left of it!!

Lovely pictures Spangle - welcome back!

Febes, your dh sounds like mine and his family. They will do anything to avoid conflict. We had bil to stay a few years ago, he cost us so much money - but that had to get written off

I've had a nightmare with ds today and dh was none to supportive. I'm beginning to worry about how I'm going to cope with 2 children. Dh has said on more than one occasion that it was my choice to have children , - that's not how I remember it!!

Spangle What a cutie. He is gorgeous.

Belgian me too. I don't like cranberry juice either. Saw mw last saturday and although there was a trace of leucocytes, I also had +++ of blood. Now because it was Saturday I couldn't give a sample. I didn't have a chance all week and didn't think much of it as I've had no symptoms, and haven't ever despite having ++ every time I've given a sample. Thursday however I started with a slight stinging. I'll last 'til when the surgery opens again on Tuesday I think.