Fireworks, bonfires and long winters' eves will herald the Rat Smacketeers' BFPs this month and we are Brooking No Argument!

[Shrieklette]

Welcome to our new humble abode for the next six weeks or so, Brookers!

Here's hoping this fred will be as lucky as sparks' and scarlett's [hgrin]

Face do it, we had an almost candlelit ceremony, the venue had shutters over the windows and it was quite a dark room with columns (sp?) so we had false ivy with fairy lights up each column, and they different candles down eith side of the room, so we had lots of tea lights and some taller candles (check out ikeas reversible candle holders) then we had a few floor standing candleabra things dotted around. The photos are stunning (even if I say so myself) and it looked sooooo romantic. Love the idea of personalised baubles, thats a fabulous idea would still put christmas crackers on the table

Beeble Im actually heaps and tons better today, but for fear of being told off for not telling the sneeze birth thread I shall come over and give you a full account I told my in laws yesterday too

much brooking for all of you.

Beedle of course I mean beedle, not beeble

Post holiday place marking on new Fred! Will read back tomorrow and find out all your news, lots of no brooking vibes to all! X

Face I got married in a castle, the only lighting was windows and candles. The windows didn't really let much light in so it was an almost totally candlelit ceremony.

Wow a castle! [Envy] I can just imagine it, I bet it was beautiful

jen love old buildings especially for weddings, we got married in a converted abbey

Hello Face lovely to hear from you. The wedding plans sound awesome. I have never been to a proper winter wedding. I think October is the latest I've been to wedding but I love all the ideas of candlelight etc.,. Winter is my favourite time of year. I can't wait to see the pictures.

Sorry I've been AWOL, have had a long run of shifts at work. I'm up to day 6 of 8. Can't wait for a day off on Wednesday.

I've had my appointment for the second opinion IVF cancelled I got a letter saying they will send me a questionnaire to complete first.

Brooking for all my brooking friends Sweetie, Solars, Keep, Scarlett, Boo, Sparkle and Beedle

Sorry if I've forgotten anyone, I'm falling asleep!

I forgot to say yay to MrBoo and his new job. Fab news

oh NO cup that is so ANNOYING!!! grrr. I hate it when they give you differing messages. Brooking that you'll get the questionnaire soon, but brooking even harder that you won't need it as you'll find your pee stick before it even arrives. That's a long run of shifts - hope you have a nice long time off after. i've never done shift work but DH does and I do quite like the thought of working really hard and then having a long time off, but i'm sure it must be tough!

face! lovely to hear from you, and i hope we get to see some of the pictures. We got married outside, in the ruins of an old abbey. It was so romantic. I've never been to a winter wedding either, but my parents had one and i always loved the photos. We look forward to having you back ttc, and getting your bfp to start off the new year nicely.

beedle you must be egg-popping soon, so hope you're off smacking that rat. My body is behaving nicely at the moment and i should ovulate next week at some point when seeing DH. Then the following month which is IUI i should be IUI'd before we head off to the beach for christmas. If only it would behave well in all areas... Anyway, I hope you had fun with your parents. mummykeep is leaving on wednesday so i will be as won't see her for 6 months or so (by which time i will be hugely pregnant...). Do you get to see yours often? I guess it's not far for you/them to travel.

Cup Thats too frustrating!! But as Keep says you'll find your pee stick before then anyways!!!

now how about some chanting for all?!

What do we want?
POSITIVE PEE STICKS

When do we want them?
NOW

Oh I am loving all he wedding talk at the mo, on here and on FB :)

Cup How long will you have off once you have done this run of shifts? Hopefully a good rest so you can get on wit the rat smacking

Keep Glad you are having a good time with mummykeep, and yay for egg popping just at the right time, that BFP is in the bag!!!

Sorry not much to share today, and I am still sulking with you all a little, you know why!!!!!

how is booby? hehehehehe

I'm ignoring you Sparks

Hello all, hope everyone enjoying this bonfire night. Very cold and clear here, pup hasn't seemed to notice any fireworks but she is supposed to be a gun dog so that might be it

boo how the devil are the boobies doing? Hope all coming along nicely my dear

Sparks how is the ms doing? Settled down any?

Cup I think we had to complete a questionnaire prior to first appointment, it was only basic info and then we got our appointment pretty soon afterwards, hopefully it is just a formality

face one of my friends got married the weekend between Christmas and new years, so everyone was off work. She had planned a summer wedding but found out in the January that she was preggers so had the baby late summer and put the wedding off until as late as possible in the same year. It has snowed the evening before and the venue was in the middle of a frozen lake, she now has THE most stunning photos.

Am loving all the wedding talk, and photos on fb it is so special

Well we had our consultation last week and pretty much as expected were told they can not help us further without egg donor. The consultant was downright rude to be honest. I would be loathed to give my money to that clinic so I have made enquiries at another clinic. We have to get our notes so am going to make an appointment for the new year, I will start seeing the counsellor as I still have a few shallow concerns to work through. We can also go see the nurses for a look around and a chat, so will take this option soon. All good though and am feeling very settled now we have decided.

sweetie i am so sorry that you did not have a good experience with the consultant. how was he rude? Do you want to make a complaint about your treatment; it's not on for him to be rude. anyway, you're going to another clinic now, so he can sod right off. I'm so glad that you are feeling comfortable with your plan now - and it won't be long till you see those two lines! It's so calming to have a plan, isn't it? I am brooking like crazy for you; you've had such a tough time and you are so strong.

sparks what a fetching shade of green you are. Are you still in halloween costume?
boo, how's booby? hope all's well.

visa sorted for india, just as well since i'm off on saturday for an exotically located shag-week.

saw Bond, James Bond, last night. i've never seen his appeal before but ooh la la.

sweetie I'm so sorry that your consultant was rude, how dare he!!! But at least you have a plan and you sound very calm about it all!! I foresee a BFP on the horizon, you know? One of those lovely chilled out ones like mine

Oh and jealous that sweetiepup isn't bothered by fireworks! My cats are petrified!!! They've taken to curling up together on top of the wardrobe but jumping every time there's a really loud bang (in my emotional state I've been crying whenever I hear a firework)

Morning sickness is still very much a part of my life, but we think we may have come up with a system! So it's a little more manageable!! And I'm getting through work which is the main thing!!!

keep do you like my costume? It's similar to the girl from the exorcist!!! I've got the vomiting down to a tee now I'm working on the head spinning

keep we saw Bond at the weekend too I loved it. Daniel Craig doesn't do it for me at all but there is something transforming about him in Bond. You won't have seen him and Judi on Graham Norton but he still wasn't doing it for me even at that point. I think it is the mean and moodiness but ooo yes please!!!

Loving the sound of exotic shag week, would you be like the Beckham naming the DC after the location of its conception?

Btw consultant was a woman, which I think makes it worse. I was told she had no compassion prior to the appointment. But she wouldn't talk to us about egg donor, the most important decision we may go through, as in her words "it is explained I the information booklet". As if details in a booklet are the same as a proper conversation. She also said I had to face facts I am in the run up to the menopause when I asked about doing natural IVF (where you don't do the stims) at this point we left before I slapped her

Sweetie what a rude woman! I'm on your behalf. No compassion is one thing (and bad enough) but to not talk you through something important like the egg donor thing when it is your money is awful! If she is saying that you need to be looking at an egg donor then she should answer your questions on that at least. I would complain to the clinic about her and point out that on the basis of how she treated you, you couldn't contemplate spending your money there. (Ultimately they want your money!) IVF as you know is stressful enough, it's imperative that you trust the team completely I think.

Anyway does she not know that you get on the nerves of one brooker, you get on the nerves of ALL of us and we'll be round to give her a stern talking to?

I so want to see Bond too but can't figure out when we could fit it in AND get someone to look after the DSs . Think we'll be waiting forthe DVD --which I can watch over and I over .......

strikeout fail

morning brookers :)

cup grr at the appointment change. We were sent a questionnaire, but had to bring it to the first appointment rather than submit it first. And forms. Lots of forms. Every form under the sun.

keep India, you say? I sense that perhaps Thailand wasn't exotic enough a conception location for minikeep, so s/he is waiting for you to have a trip further afield

boo how is the little boony doing?

sweetie oh what a 'mare, I do wish these doctors and consultants would put a little thought into their words. They may have to do it day in and day out but they need to remember that it is our lives they are talking about. Good for you for going elsewhere, and well done on having a plan. I love a good plan, me.

sparks you're looking very well, my dear

I had the weirdest dream last night ladies - Solars was having triplets and I was having twins!!! Must have been firework induced, I think someone drugged the hotdogs...

Doesn't Baby Calcutta have quite a ring to it?

Oops, that's us assuming that either consultants are male, or that nasty consultants are male. It does seem stranger when they're women. I had a very brisk female consultant in the UK and managed to avoid crying only did on the nurse so hats off to you and mrS. You are not in the 'runup to menopause'! how rude!

sparks i hope soon you are going to be teaching us all the tricks of managing MS as we follow you into the cave of voluntary sickness. Not too many weeks now till you should be feeling better, anyway. Any other interesting symptoms like giant boos?

Hope my kitty was alright for fireworks night back in the UK. Our (parents) dog always runs to the top of the house and hides, it's his least favourite night of the year. No fireworks here.

sweetie i think it's the manly taking-care-of-it-all being-amazing and also moody which is the doer. We're funny, aren't we? Wouldn't want anyone like that in real life, but . I also LOVE judi dench.

Sweetie I am so sorry to hear about nasty consultant. That is shocking when she must deal with these sorts of sensitive issues on a daily basis. She should have learned a decent bedside manner by now. How do you feel about using donor eggs now? I think it's a big step, so I would totally understand if you wanted to take the counselling and take your time to decide. You always sound very sensible and calm, though, so I'm sure you will come to a decision that is right for you and MrS.

Keep I'm so excited about you conceiving little India or Calcutta next week - whoop! I loved Daniel Craig in the latest film too - I think it's cos he is all mean and moody like you said. And he does have a very nice body. Swoon.

Sparks, glad you are managing your MS better. Brooking that it stays manageable for you.

Biscuits, lovely to see you around! Get a babysitter and get yourself out to see Bond. That's an order!

Cups, so sorry to hear your appointment has been cancelled. Have they sent you another one?

Geek, I think your dream was a premonition! Once you've had your procedure to make your ovaries accessible, I'm brooking that they release two juicy eggs simultaneously and you get beautiful baby twin Geeks.

Solars, hope you are OK my dear. And Maybe too, where are you? Imps, have you left us? I miss you!

All good with minigen - under 10 weeks to go now - eek!

I love the name Calcutta, but not as much as I love Booby

Keep I think you better start thinking of good names as that BFP will be yours. I quite like India as a name if its a girl.

Sweetie how rude of the consultant! It sounds like you were very dignified. I cant believe she didn't discuss the donor eggs with you. That comment about the menopause was out of order, she sounds like she has no bedside manner.
I think you are doing the right thing by changing clinics & having counselling. It's so good to have a plan although of course you won't need it

Sparks great news on getting on top of the sickness. Do you have your midwife appointment booked yet btw?

Biscuits get yourself to the cinema! I don't find Daniel Craig attractive at all normally but I was practically drooling while watching the film

Gen wow can't believe it's only 10 weeks till MiniGen gets here. Are you all ready? Is DD excited?

We haven't got an appointment yet, we can't book one until they receive the questionnaire & I haven't even had the questionnaire yet! I'm annoyed as I finally spoke to my boss about it as if we undergo IVF it will affect ability at work significantly (I will be very restricted) and then came home to the letter saying the appointment had been cancelled. I wish I hadn't said anything now.

Has any done any homemade presents for Christmas? We are trying to make some chutneys this weekend & I was going to try making some flavoured vodka.

Cup I will be doing some homemade pressies, probably baking-related. Christmas cakes for some people and biscuits for others. That is rubbish re the appointment and lack of questionnaire. I hope your work are being understanding about it all. DD is v excited about minigen and keeps saying very cute things like 'I can't wait for the baby to get here so I can play with it and we will be best friends' etc!