Spring is sprung, the grass is ris, I wonder where my toenails is - Due June 2010

[greensnail]

Ok, here it is ladies. Nice new thread for us all to enjoy

Dinosaur - are you in France? I love French girls names! Sylvie, Delphine, etc I envy you! Just gorgeous. Vivienne is lovely too.

Well, to follow the palpitations, last night I had very painful 'contractions' at 8.30, 9.00 and 9.30. I was beginning to get worried but now I think they were Braxton Hicks coupled with very bad trapped wind.

Just popping in because I got excited by French girls name. Back later for better catch up!

I thought that DIMB was in NYC?
If this turns out to be a girl then she'll be either Verity (most likely I think) or Felicity.

Morning all.

wheredidmyfeetgo mind yourself and i hope you have some support in RL.

mampam i had a c-section last time(and have had a panic this time too whether to have another) and was in hopsital for 5 days im hoping you get out in 3-4 days. so id pack a main hospital bag with vests and babygros...hospitals are always hot no matter what time of year. i brought 1 blanket of my own.

id suggest leaving an extra bag of baby clothes ready in your car if needed when your dh visits. my ds seemed to do nothing but throw up or wee on all his clothes and i ended up running out late one of the nights.

This time im going put an outfit and cardi in the carseat and leave those in car too for day home.
an extra pillow is always a good idea whether you are bf or bottle and if u need to sneeze or cough too.

DH and i have finally agreeded on names...for a girl/boy, the boy name is also the girl middle name, so its gets used either way. I really wanted it as a girls name too, i was being far too lazy. DH wanted a cuter girls name. I gave in and found a few names i liked and 1 i knew he would like so he picked that one.

Mil is dying to know though but ive told her she will find out in june like everyone else.

im starting to get nappies and stuff together, now to find a bag
as for washing the box load of baby clothes im sure i should do it but im just so lazy(3rd dc too) and im not ready to have a kitchen full of baby clothes drying on every available space.

Love your girl name choices csws.
I'm sure dimb is in NYC not gay paris too?

Agree that French names are very pretty. Unlike German names...Dagmar, Brigitte, Helga.

Gorgeous warm sunny day here. DH at the footie so DD and I enjoyed a 2-hour nap at lunchtime followed by a very long walk in park with the dog this afternoon. I am shattered - she seems fine! Was awake last night between 2am-5am, keep hsving very vivid dreams - anyone else getting these?

Hello everyone, long time no post again, but have been lurking and doing my best to keep up...

Lovely names being suggested! Zac and Freddie are both great mampam and I looove Verity csws

We're still totally unprepared despite having only 6 & a bit wks to go, and ds was a week early. I have a 24 day cycle, so should be prepared for this one pitching up early too... I did actually make it to Boots for nappies and mat pads yesterday, but it feels a bit like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, given that we'll be moving into friends' house (they're off on a round-the-world campervan tour!) 2 weeks before my due date, while dh gets started on major renovations on new house, which with any luck we'll move into a fee wks after the birth! Aaaargh! There's nothing like arranging for life's most stressful events to coincide. Oh and throw in a school admission appeal for ds...

WDMFG - am totally agog at yr fiance's behaviour- what a pig. I hope you're getting some help and support from elsewhere. And as everyone's said, vent here as much as you need if it helps.

Had a group physio session at the hospital yesterday, which was quite helpful, and am now the proud owner of an attractive maternity support belt. My upper stomach muscles are separating again, as they did last time, which on combo with the SPD is making me less than nimble and pretty sore a lot if the time. I've also hit my nesting knitting frenzy, as I did last time (if only my nesting instincts involved cleaning!). Have so far produced a baby jumper, tank top and am now getting stuck into a patchwork blanket... Rock n roll.

Hope everyone's enjoying the beautiful spring weather. Bet it won't be that long til we have our first arrival now

I am running out of time to learn to knit before this baby arives! I do still have it at the back of my mind to make a blanket. I used to knit when a teen, but have mostly forgotten it.

Antoher subject I know nothing about: cars. Neither DH nor I have ever driven, but he is soon facing his first test and presuming he passes, we want a car very soon. We want to buy an old banger to start. Where on earth do we beign?

Do you mean begin as in where to look for one, or how to decide what kind of car you want? What sort of budget do you have for this banger?

Well, I don't think we have thought about enough. We were thinking of £2000 but that's beginning to seem naive.

I mean both!

No, that should be enough for a decent first car . If you want to do some browsing then I would start with places like ebay (dealers advertise there too) and autotrader.

Tbh you wouldn't go far wrong with starting a thread on MN asking for suggestions as to which car. You will of course get lots of variation in your answers, but we can try and help you narrow down who's talking sense and who isn't! You need to think about stuff like whether you want petrol or diesel (or don't mind), whether you want manual or automatic, and whether there are any constraints or extras that you definitely want. Am just going to do a very very very quick check on whether a couple of models that I would suggest are likely to be available in good nick in your price bracket...

Thankyou very much.

I have started a thread here. Twopennorths are very welcome.

Yep, they are. I'd def look at the Skoda Fabia and the Volkswagen Golf (both good German engineering), and there should be plenty of Ford Focus and Ford Fiestas out there too that are worth consideration. Just to get the ball rolling .

Thanks again. We're going to need hand holding I think! I'll keep you posted.

Hello - yes I am in NYC, not Paris, but as you can imagine lots of different nationalities here with children, hence the real range of names...

Beautiful sunshine here and I managed to wrench myself off the couch to go the park with DH and the boys this afternoon. I do feel better for it - I've been getting into a routine of succumbing to the tiredness at around 3pm, and then just willing myself through dinner, bathtime and bedtime, but fresh air gave me a real boost today.

Morning Ladies,

WDMFG Sorry to hear whats happening with you at the moment. Men can be such knobheads!

The only thing I've bought in preparation for babies arrival is a couple of packs of rather attractive big black comfy pants for post birth!

DD stayed at my mums last night so we had an evening to ourselves and a bit of a lie in which was nice.

Am hoping that we will start doing some stuff in the spare room today to get it sorted for DD to move into ASAP.

On the names front we still like the name we would have chosen had DD been a boy but not 100% on girls names yet. We have about 3 names we both like but have yet to decide between them. I'm starting to stress about choosing the wrong name then regreting it!

Hi everyone,

I'm celebrating today as I'm now officially on maternity having finished my last shift this morning. Came away with a lovely pile of presents, which was most unexpected as its only 16 months since I started my last maternity leave - I thought people might be less than enthusiastic about contributing this time around! Feels great to be on mat leave but a bit sad that I won't be going back afterwards.

I went straight to get my 3rd and final iron infusion after work this morning. Glad that's done now and hope I'll start feeling the effect soon.

Hope you enjoyed your lie-in MrsAR

Yay greensnail its a great feeling isnt it? Mind though,we supposed to be taking it easy and i'm busier now than when i was at work

mampam is it you that likes Zac for a boy? My DS1 is Zac,Zachary when naughty though its a lovely name and a winner with the girls apparently

wheredidmyfeetgo hope you are ok?

woofie i am at your patchwork blanket i have always wanted to make one!

Evening all, sorry for posting and then not coming back for a while. Thanks for all your support and kind words. Fortunatley my parents dont live too far away and have been amazing, I couldn't have coped without them, especially the last couple of days.
I feel like I'm losing it at the moment, I hit an all time low today when I lost it with my 2 year old and shouted at him (he had put my necklace somewhere and I couldn't find it) he was stood there minding his own business at the time so it totally shocked him and i grabbed him and dragged him up on the bed. I'm so ashamed of what I did, my 3 year old burst into tears too and said I scared him.
My mum text me and I replied and then my dad came over about an hour or so after the incident. My 3 year olds first words to my Dad was Mummy scared me my Dad just explained to him that mummy didn't do it on purpose and shes not feeling very well at the moment. Thank god for my parents.
Someone asked what I would do if he came crawling back, surprisingly I would have him back. Despite his behaviour he is the man I love. I have been totally shocked by him recently and this isn't the man I know (or any of his friends) Part of me is wondering if he is having some kind of breakdown- part of me wants it to be true as at the moment I'm not able to accept that he is just that much of an asshole.
And Sorry I cant remember who asked but I am in Swindon Town Centre.

wheredidmyfeetgo - It's easy to lose it when you are going through what you are - but at least you haven't lost it to the point where you don't know what you are doing. It does sound like your parents are are being really great. Hope you feel that you can talk to them about everything you're feeling.

It is possible that your dh might be having some sort of breakdown - nervous attack of sorts. If he is really 'seeing' this other woman, perhaps he will realise that the grass isn't necessarily greener. Do you have mutual friends at all who might be able to tell you what's going on in his head?

Girls names: Verity is gorgeous. I also really love the suggestions of Charlotte, Martha, Grace and Kate. Kate is one of my top top names but don't think it goes with surname/ds's name.
What do you think of these?
Lucy (I love it but too popular??)
Eliza
Alicia
Helena
Oh I really don't know if I like the last three.
Names are driving me bonkers! I'm totally preoccupied by them and keep going round in circles but nothing really stands out. I hope something will suddenly seem right when she arrives!

Really annoyed, the pram I got from ebay for £40 squeaks like mad - plastic on plastic and there's nothing I can do about it. Grrrr.

wheredidmyfeetgo dont worry we would all lose it sometimes being in your situation,you are only human dont beat yourself up about it,your parents sound fantastic Unfortunately men do not think with their heads first do they and its highly likely that this is just some kind of breakdown/midlife crisis type thing. The best thing to do i think,(speaking from experience) is just let him bloody well carry on being ridiculous,try not to contact him unless totally necessary,concentrate on yourself and the kids,keep busy but remember to relax and rely on your parents for help and support. Of course you would have him back,but no need to tell him that just yet eh?

wheredidmyfeetgo - please try not to make yourself feel worse by beating yourself up about that incident. We've all had moments that we're less than proud of with kids when we're tired/stressed/ill... They know you love them, and it's important for them to learn that everybody (even mum) feels low sometimes and that's ok. Your parents sound amazing.

madamefreckle - I'd vote for Lucy. Who cares how popular it is, it's beautiful and classic, so will stand the test of time.

littlerobbo - feel like I'm totally misrepresenting myself as a domestic goddess with the patchwork blanket- now if I cd shift my backside to clean the skirting boards, that would be worth boasting about!

Hi everyone - I've been absent from here for ages, major work going on in the house left us with no internet connection for 2 weeks - I found that so hard!
WDMFG - I'm so sorry to hear of your situation. I'm glad you have your parents nearby & they are being so good. I think we'd have all probably lost it in the same circumstances so please don't give yourself a hard time x

I'm another one no very organised, no bag packed have all the essentials, cot, pram etc but need new matresses for both which have been meaning to order but can't get my arse into gear measuring the sizes. 5 weeks on wed til my due date but as dd was 2 weeks late I've been adding another 2 weeks onto the date - how stupid am I??
We are struggling to agree on names too, had a short list but now I'm not sure if I like any of them Abbie, Jessie (not Jessica as we know loads of them) & Lizzie. There's loads of girls names I love but relatives & friends have beaten us to it. Lizzie is my fave of our short list at the mo but dp insists that the baby would be called Elizabeth. Having a long name myself which I hated I'm not sure about this, good in that there are so many variations she could choose when older but I remember hating it at school when they called me by my full name. Lucy is a fave name of mine & we don't know any Lucy's but I had a cousin called Lucy who died when she was 4 of a heart condition. This was when I was really small so I never met her but it feels wrong to choose the name somehow.

Anyone else getting a really sore bump, mine is really painful if it bangs against something, am struggling to reach the taps on the sink without touching the draining board with my stomach now. When pg with my dd I never had any BH's but now seem to be getting them regularly & they hurt a lot more than what I expected. This pg really is so different than my last I feel like a first timer.

Hi guys
(I know that this is going to come across as more than a tad insensitive, particularly w what WDMFG is going through, and genuinely my thoughts are with you, your parents sound like they will be a big help, so sorry sorry sorry

BUT)

My DH came home this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And he's not going back (until next time anyway... at which point that will be a different bridge to cross)

wheredidmyfeetgo As everyone else has said, please try not to worry about losing it with your DS. I'm sure everyone does this from time to time when they're under the amount of pressure you are. Your parents sound great, glad you're getting good support. It was me who asked where you live. I'm not too far away (near Didcot), so please let me know if there's anything I can do to help, or if you fancy meeting for a cuppa or something.

I'm getting really grumpy with you all mentioning my favourite girls names that I can't use as family members have beaten us to it. Charlotte, Grace, Kate (or Katie), Lucy are all on this list for us. Our current girls shortlist is Lizzie, Lily or Alice. What do you think?

Hooray! Great news Platftse

Morning all.

So much seems to have gone on I've had to get a pen and paper and read through all the posts and take notes! (how sad am I??!!)

LaT Have you been to the GP re your heart palpitations? I've been getting them too but not because I'm ill, it's when I walk up the stairs or turn over at night (it's a real effort for me). Think I'm going to mention it to the MW later today at my appointment. Think it could just be as I'm so unfit. With the hyperemesis and the SPD I haven't even walked 2 minutes to the village shop since October.
Thank you for the advice re what to pack in my hospital bag I'd been really worrying myself sick over it.

Petifilou DD is 10 (going on 17) and we haven't got a hope in hell's chance of her forgetting she hates the name Freddie. She's very stubborn like me.

CSWS I love the name Jesse too but DH has said a very final 'NO WAY'. Like Verity, always imagine cute little girls with pig tales being called Verity.

MonkeyMargot I was overdue with both my DC's. DD was born at 41 weeks and DS 42! I had to be induced with DS and I agree with CSWS the pain gets very intense, very quickly. For me it was more painful because I had an epidural with DD so I gave birth au naturelle to my whopping 10lb 14oz DS.

dimb I'm a little complacent too about packing my hospital bag as DC's were both overdue. I know I'm having a caesarean this time so I'm kind of the thinking 'the night before'
I love Kate for a girl, we've narrowed it down to Eva or Laila. I'm swaying more towards Laila as there are lots of little Evie's popping up in this area, but now you've mentioned Kate......

MrsD I was told at by MW to expect 3 days in hospital but my friends who have had c-sections have only been in for 2?????

greensnail enjoy your maternity leave!!

LittleRobbo ooooh Zac a winner with the girls!!! Ours will be a Zac not a Zachary as I just like to call a baby by the name it will mostly be referred to. Stems from me being called a name that you can shorten. I like only to be called the shortened name and hate my proper name.

wdmfg Your parents sound amazing, so do you. Don't beat yourself up too much, I used to lose it too when I was on my own and it didn't take very much for it to happen. It was usually with DS (he was bloody hard work when he was younger) so I used to put him in a safe place ie his cot and then I used to go outside for some fresh air and calm myself down. It didn't matter if it took 5 or 10 minutes or more as I figured it was better than standing screaming at him or worse.

We went to our friends wedding on Saturday and had a fantastic time. I was a little to come home (I made it until 11pm!) but I was in agony. My pubic bone was throbbing.
I had a sneaky glass of champagne which was lovely . The wedding was very similar to ours, the roses the same deep, dark red, the men's suits were the same, even the waistcoats and cravats and the bride had on the same wedding dress as I had except my detailing was pearls and silver and hers was a lovely ruby colour.

BUT as you know with me every good positive thing that happens there always has to be something negative. Our (sorry swear word alert) f*cking car has gone wrong again. It's the same problem as last time (you know the time just before Christmas when it broke down and pushed DH over the edge and he had a breakdown).

We've got bills galore to be paying this week as it is, DS's birthday next weekend and I'm putting off buying him a present until next week as the bills need paying first and just to top it all off, I think I'm going to have to tell DC's that they can't go to their drama club anymore . My parents usually pay for this as we can't afford to but last term they paid for DD(well they never actually gave me the money but that's a long story) but not DS and I think they think that because we can claim some benefits now that our finances are fine, and they have made no offer of paying this term.
We could have scraped the money together as you can pay half termly (although it's more expensive) by putting other bills on hold but now with the car............
So yet again I'm going to be the big bad wolf. I spent the evening last night crying my eyes out as DC's came back from their dad's and it was back to the usual 'you can't do anything right but daddy's Mr wonderful'. I really try my best for my kids but my best never seems to be good enough for them. Their dad has a really well paid job as does his wife so we can't compare to that. I just don't understand how he manages to get away with paying as little as he does in maintenance and there's certainly no hope of getting an extra penny out of him.

I feel totally useless, hopeless and lost. I just wonder when life is going to give us a break.

Sorry for the dreary rant xx