Due May 09 - patta cake, jaffa cake, bakers man bring me a baby as fast as you can!

[Momino]

Here we go....

sausage glad you got the car seat thing sorted. I had a serious melt down recently over a car seat too - hysterics and everything - what is it about them ..... why do they have to be so bloody difficult!?
Am impressed by your DP going along to NCT, never mind doing his homework too........mine refused to go this time and I couldn't see him agreeing to faff about with my hosp bag either. Grrrrrr. Actually not sure I'd want him to - he'd probably take stuff out then forget to put it back in and I'd end up killing him in the labour suite.
raspberrry leaf tea you can start taking it from about 32wks I think and they recommend starting on 1 cup a day building up to 3 cups a day I think from about 36wks . Does it not tell you on the box? Anyway I think if you're 38 wks you should be safe enough drinking 2-3 cups a day. I'm taking the capsules and although it said to start on 1 a day I started at 37 wks taking 3 a day. Still no baby! With the tea (which I took with DD1) I remember it also said to make up a pint of it and drink it when you go into labour - which I did. Warning: it tastes pretty foul tbh!
And aren't MIL's irritating - I know they don't mean to be but OMG.

oooo frazzled you definitely sound like you are nesting- do you think you will be next?

sausage raspberry leaf tea- you need to drink about 4 cups a day I think, but you should build it up gradually I was told so have one cup today then maybe 2 tomorrow

Is all this talk of angel delight in a similar vein to the custard chat or have I got the wrong end of the stick?!

x-posted with frazzled re the tea!
(btw I sometimes add honey to make it taste nicer)

re MILs: DPs parents visited this weekend, his mum asked if we were decided on a name, I replied "yes, Jake" she sighed and said "well I suppose we will get used to it" and then 5 mins later "Andrew is a nice name" (!) Cheeky or what?!

Thanks frazz - dp didn't want to go to NCT but then I reminded him how much it cost, and that made him go, haha. Think I need to watch him do the bag though...

Glad its not just us that have bonkers moments over carseat things. My car looks very weird now... but can empathise on the hysterics, I was in a sobbing mess for about an hour, I had to go for a stomp around the park to let off steam, otherwise dp would have got a bloody great big slap across his chops. Its easy for him to say 'just get in the back seat and hold the leg bit down' - eh? I can hardly get in the bloody car let alone on the floor of it!!

Re the tea - am hoping to put a dash of ribena in there to make it taste a bit nicer(I DID want tablets, but didn't think I ought to complain to dp when he brought the teabags home after work last night!) - doesn't say on the box, just to contact the NIMH (Herbal people) for advice which I guess I could do but would probably feel a bit of a knob doing so! Kettle is currently boiling, so will go for the first cup.... might try a morning and an evening one for now...

Aarg re MILS. I think mine is going to drive me mad. She already drives dp mad. Same with Mums sometimes, its her birthday today, and she's told me to go out for a long walk and jump up and down to get the baby out today! Honestly, they bugger off on holiday for 2 weeks, tell me to keep my legs crossed, and the minute they're back, they want action! Well, they can bloody well wait!!!

Sigh. I think I might go back to bed for a bit....

Oooh thanks sophietom - will have one now and increase tomorrow. Also have runny honey on standby! And grrr, what is it about the names things? Parents and in laws are SO CHEEKY! My Mum wants her name in my baby's name (Patricia) - hm. Nuff said. (sorry if someone has chosen that!) Then she wanted my Nan's name in there somewhere. It was Ada. I ask you.

Re: names - My step-mother decided that she didn't like DD1's name when she was born...........and decided that she (and my father) were going to call her Katie-May instead . This lasted about a year (and didn't catch on with anyone else unsurprisingly) - and she's dropped it now thank god, but honestly - cheeky mare! I was speechless at the time but just let her get on with it. (with much eye rolling obviously).
Whenever MIL or whoever comments on names (and we haven't told them our ACTUAL shortlist, just a very long and vague list of suggestions) and they say 'Oh no, that's awful' - like they do, I always have a HUGE URGE to say (very rudely) 'WELL, I DON'T THINK MUCH OF YOUR CHILDRENS NAMES EITHER!!!!'. But then, I'm far too well mannered for that . I think it though ( a lot).

Right - must do some work NOW! Am time-wasting cos I don't want to have to go in my office and open up (gasp) spread sheets....don't even know where my calculator is!

Tum te tum, might just make a cuppa first.......

OMG ashamed to say that I have been watching this morning and they just had one of those breastfeeding bibs on it... not one type but two different designs!!!!

sophietom sorry, I missed your post - I am definitely nesting like mad and would love to be next, but I think detsy might get in a huge huff if I beat her to it!!!! (only joking). DD1 and I both have a feeling that Thursday might be THE BIG DAY (no idea why, I was thinking it yesterday in the car and she said it - weird) even though not due till Sat. Would love to go soon tho.....am so bored of being this size! And the bloody constant BH contx are driving me demented.
God, must do the spread sheets quickly in case labour starts - dodgy tummy again, yuck.

Right am going NOW. Definitely. Byeeeeeeeeeeeee x

All this MIL name chat is making me happy we haven't told anyone our name choices (apart from you ladies) as then they can't comment after the event, altho reading your post frazz at your step-mum!! I have an aunty who sounds a bit like that. She is also insisting on being called 'Special Nanny L...' by her grandchildren so she seems better than their other grandma!

sophie lol re angel delight comment. I feel bad enough eating the stuff, think I would feel particularly trashy using it in, ahem, bedroom activities!

Blotted good luck for today. I had a bath last night, the first one in months I think! I'm now so large that there were 2 water levels in the bath - there was a huge bank of water behind me that couldn't get past my bump. Very funny! I also managed to shave my legs with much grunting and difficulty. Still, 'tis done.

Detsy I want some Angel Delight now!!

Right, time for a cup of tea and a sit down - just cleaned the bathroom and mopped the kitchen floor and hallway - why Grumpy, why, you hate housework!!!!

Hi ladies...

Good info alert

Has anyone heard of the Sure Start Maternity Grant? Well a friend of mine told me about it. I looked into it and mostly you have to be getting benefits to get it, which we don't get anything but working tax credits. It is a £500 grant though!

On some more research it said that if you get Child Tax Credits as part of your Working Tax Credits you may qualify.

So I thought ok, well I will apply...as they can only say no right?

Well I sent it away 2 weeks ago and today found out I was awarded the full £500 and will have it in my account tomorrow!

You can apply up until baby is 3 months old so for those of you who have had your baby you can still apply.

I really didn't think we would get it, but now I can pay off my Mothercare card and put the rest in the child trust fund so I am thrilled!!

Anyway, info is here

And the phone number for Social Funds is 0845 608 8763.

Think it is worth a try in applying though, and thought I would share

Ewwwww @ Sophietom - I would never spoil the pleasure of Angel Delight like that. Ewwwww! New flavour. Ewwwww!

Frazz - I was doing s/sheets for DH last week, made my brain hurt, hence cleaning out of dispenser drawer in washing machine, etc (I am Empress of displacement activities).

Just tweezered my beetle-brows to go with smoothish legs. Just a slightly more ahem intimate area to sort out.

@ all MIL's etc and names. I have just told everyone we haven't decided on any yet. Although saus, we were thinking of either Patricia Ada or Ada Patricia but y'know, after what you said...... - can you imagine using either of those names? They're both very dated, but not in a desirable way (Doreen is another of that ilk).

Runningmonkey I wonder if sales of the bf bibs have soared now they've been on TM????

Grump we may be laughing now but I reckon come summer, we'll all be wearing them

Oh RM, I already have 3 and I'm in the process of ordering another - just need some more pegs to attach them to my tops

Just woken up. Went back to bed for some deep breathing and hypnotherapy and decided half way through I was too tired to sit up and listen so lay on my tummy and fell asleep for an hour and a bit. I wasn't up more than the usual in the night, and I got a nap yesterday afternoon so no idea why. Think I'm going to go for a walk. It's such a lovely day. Have realised though i haven't been feeling baby move so much either. I've been having that many contractions, I've been concentrating on those, so will ring the day unit after I've woken up a bit.

Grumpy My Grandma was Patricia and I was due the day after her birthday, so wanted to remember her in some way. Well sorry but Pat, Patsy, Tricia are all out for a new born so we went with her middle name Mary. We were going to use that as a first name until somebody pointed out we would have a Mary and a Joseph. Mary is going to be the middle name

Jennster I like the name Adam for a boy, but we have an Eve! Very at your sleeps.

Do you know, I suddenly thought 'Oh shit, this baby is due NEXT WEEK', I've only just twigged, I knew it was close but eeeeeeek!!

grumpy, 'twould be so amusing yo have an eve and adam . i liked the name Saffron for dd2 but thought it was too relatedto India.

Detsy My due date is 28th according to scan but 21st according to my calculations.

saus 3-4 cups a day is what I was told? It's horrible stuff though, I made up a litre with two teabags, topped it up with some lime cordial and stuck it in the fridge so it's a little more palatable on a day like this!

Frazz You're a lot more delicate than me, if my StepMum had refused to call my children by their given name I'd have shown her the door and told her to come back when she'd got over herself!! What is your DD's name?

Grumpy Ahahahaha!! I wondered the other night why the bath had drained so quickly then realised my enorma-arse was keeping the rear half in the tub!! I have to admit the only reason I managed to shave this morning was because I've nicked the stool that the toddlers stand on to brush their teeth - I sit on it while I'm in the shower so I don't keel over.

Well... I'm going in on Friday at 8am. Raging, because I really wanted to go in today but it's only three more sleeps and gives me a chance to do my bump cast and shampoo the carpets. Have come back from the Consultants with a renewed lease of life so I've got a washing on, have got the rabbit into her outdoor hutch and moved some slabs out the way so I can lie on the grass and eat soleros all afternoon ;)

blotted actually her name is Ada Patricia. . Can't think why step-ma preferred Katie-May?

Seriously, her (official birth cert) name is Caitlin but she is called Kitty by absolutely everyone (registered as this at school etc). It was the Caitlin that step-ma had an issue with tho. She said it was 'harsh' and 'why on earth did you call her THAT?!'. As I said, RUDE. . I called her Caitlin because our family are half Irish and Caitlin is Irish form of Kathleen which is a family name (IYSWIM).

I won't tell you the names of all step-ma's children but they are nothing to get excited about. Well, ok, one of them is Timothy. .

oooooh and guess what I just found out? Remember my car-seat melt down the other Sunday - have just discovered that DH has been secretly pricing up the exact 7 seater that I've been coveting for the past 2 years - and there are some really good deals on it according to an email I've just opened............wonder if it's supposed to be a surprise.........? ooh ooh [frazz hyperventilates]

oh god and yes, must shave legs before 3pm but have to go out now to get DD. Bum.

Congrats Dandy, Bekkaboo & flippin - hope you're all well.

Well we're back off to the hospital this afternoon for a review, as ds2 has lost 12.8% of his birthweight. Hopefully we won't be in too long [sigh]. I just feel sorry for ds1, but at least dh will be here when he gets home from nursery.

daizy, best wishes for your review. seems like it's not uncommon such weight loss. hope it's just an early days thing.

chocbun, when it rains it pours doesn't it? sorry you're getting fed up and hope things turn round soon.

frazzled, a surprise 7 seater would be a dream .

oh [post cut short]. can't name check anymore in this post as LO is crying and i've heard some strange noises from the nappy area. mmmm.