Keziah, City, Choc et al support thread

[Keziahhopes]

Hi - found us a new home. Just didn't like the title of my old thread - and have found your support so helpful but would also like this thread to be less egocentric .

Choc -hope cbt assessment goes well.

City - how are you doing?

My physio exercises are helping me, but don't see stroke consultant until beginning of July. Still not had OT assessment, but dont' think will need it by then - just been horrible for dh to do everything for me since Easter. Now more independend - just had my first shower by myself!!

< waves to choc and Keziah >

Really hope things are OK with you both . Am hectic here and loved the sunshine this weekend - hope you get an outing this week , Keziah

Has dd had her birthday yet , choc ? Sorry if missed it < sends dd virtual cake >

< exhausted wave to city and Keziah >

Blimey city when you put it like that my life sounds pretty dire . (Oddly comforting though that I may have a lot more to deal with than I appreciate )

DD is currently poorly with horrendous earache - hence the extreme lateness (earliness??) of posting. So no school for her tomorrow (thus not much of a break for me - week before hols as well. Aarghhh! I know she can't help it but it's such bad timing.)

Agree sunshine was great. Also hoping Keziah was able to get outside to enjoy some of it.

Hope you both have a better start to the week xx

Beautiful sunshine - thankfully my little one likes his pram, as got to go out into the real world this weekend! Think DH was very tired and grumpy last weekend, as this one was normal - just grrr that he ruined my first ever Mother's day! (which used to be awful for me every year and still is tricky)

Choc sorry DD ill, has she got an infection in her ear? Hopefully she will want to snuggle up and sleep lots if she is poorly, to get better.

This is my first whole week on my own as a Mummy... am breaking each day into chunks, trying not to stress about doing nothing other than feed and hold baby and if I can do any housework it is making me smile - am pleased about my attitude!!

waves to all - hope sunshine still there for you and helping!

Fab that weekend was 'normal', Keziah. Think DH will have to try doubly hard next Mother's Day to make up for this years . If DS at nursery next year no doubt you'll at least get something 'original' made by him from there!

Took DD to her gp today, and yep it's an ear infection. She wasn't in so much pain today so hopefully a decent night sleep will be had. I'm back to see another gp tomorrow as whilst in the surgery I plucked up courage to make appt about a mole on my breast which I tried to cut out sometime last week. I'd been too scared to see 'my' gp as I don't know how to explain it and I'm hoping new doc won't ask too many questions. Or is that just wishful thinking?

Much sunshine here again so have spent time in the garden painting systemic weedkiller onto...erm...weeds . Just waiting to see if this indiscriminate stuff manages to rid me of my weeds!

Is life still hectic city? If so, hope things calm down soon.

Good luck with full-time mummy week, K. Your priorities are dead right! Feed and hold (maybe a bit of sleep thrown in there too? ) and two fingers up to housework

h poor dd , choc - just awful and I hope if it's an infection she's got the right prescription . Sympathies on bad timing , & hope as Keziah says dd will sleep quite a bit as she's gettiing better , giving you a break

'm sorry, that list "came outr wrong" during a rushed & stressy week .. Oit's not how I magine your life to be - just trying to remind you how much you've managed to deal with

Am so excited Keziah at thought of lovely sunny time with cheerful baby in pram
Glad Dh is back to being himself & that you got out & about at weekend
Best wishes for whole week in charge ! Sounds the best strategy , &the only workable one surely - & still exhausting < prescribes bedtime at 7PM >

Not too fond of Mother's Day either ... at Quakers the childrenmake posies of wild flowers to give everyone on MD , parent or not , & whether or not they have a relationship with theirs .... it helps a lot of people , widening the definition of people who are important in each others' lives < takes sleepy nonsense-spouting self off to snooze )
Peaceful night allxxx

city I think she'll sleep quite a bit tonight but she's not usually "into" sleep that much

I love the idea of widening the definition for Mother's Day. They used to do this at DD's nursery (also for Father's Day which obviously is much needed for DD/me - I usually get to celebrate both parent days). Presumably school has much the same policy as I know there are many children without mums and/or dads. Sleep tight xx

Hope dd develops a great love of sleep very , very soon , choc ! Really hope earache has gone- made me well up to think of you with her in the night with that particularly horrible pain - think that's what people think of
& that you can catch up on your on sleep , but perhaps d is off school today , too - very hard

Ah that's lovely about Mother's / Father's Day - glad people have found ways to include everyone Sorry for not mentioning the joys of Father's Day , & hope you give yourselves a treat on that day[thnks]

Got some free time so am going to plant some veggie seeds , belatedly - was so gorgeous out on allotments here yesterday (public can walk around ) that - must have been high 20s Hundreds of tadpoles in a pond too , a first in years

< waves at Keziah> Thinking of you during momentous week , & hope you can nap to catch up from night feeds . Quite worried about fatigue , especially as it's almost impossible to get meals prepared at this time , & I guess it's not safe to take a Berocca or much caffeine whilst nursing ...

Was thinking today what fun it must be to choose little baby trousers though I'm sure you'll only need onesies, t shirts etc for first few months

< waves at baby D, trying not to look too frightening >

oops , missed out ramble about think that's one of the things people most remember about their Mums , their sitting up with them when they were poorly

Ooooh city, planting seeds sounds fun . Dd and I hoping to try to grow peas over here. Also she choice some flowers to grow. Aaargh she's getting very girlly!! You say belatedly, is that because timing or because some good weathr has been last couple days.

Dd slept too, yay! So I packed her off to school late and now I'm trying to stay awake for the school run. Don't know what to make of doc. She took one look at it and said: "it doesn't look infected nor does it look cancerous". < choc left wondering if you can tell cancer by looking . She says she can't tell if mole, that it could be just scar tissue and we should wait until it heals. So I've got to wait and go back in 4 weeks time .

Very drowsy today - think lack of sleep catching up with me - so trying to stay awake for school run. Yet more sunshine here again. Hope you andd Keziah are enjoying it xx

Really enjoyed your post choc but was too sleepy to reply
Hope dd is feeling better and that she slept so gave you some reest , though you needed a lot more

Ah , I didnt realise yu had an iffy skin thing .. what GP said does sound standard , & I woulnt be worried myself (I mean I would be concerned , but don't think it's unreasonable , as skin cancer does tend to have a characteristic appearance )< dr city pronounces >

Heh at your dreading dd becoming a really girly girl - I reckon most of we non-girly women have gone throught that stage

oooh- you and dd might enjoy violas & pansies ...wonder if it's too late to plant anemone bulbs for autumn ( we can talk about slugs all year round now )

If you live near a Morrison's or evil Tesco, last year they had half price sale on already very inesxpensive plants like miniature tiny acers, which might amuse ddand are elegant well had meant to plant more a couple of weeks ago as landlady double-glazedhave a sheltered porch/conservatory making iut prfect to start plants like peppers , tomatoes

Hope David has been in aan impossibly easy pattern of sleeping & feeding , Keziah , as I'm sure smallest discomfort can throw everything . Have seen your part of the world on TV a few tmes recently & have visions of you both enjoying sunshine < can't wait till baby big enough to take to feed the ducks >

Ah thanks city for ignoring all my sleep-induced mistakes in my last post . It's fair to say dd is fully recovered < great says choc. just in time to go whizzing around for easter hols >. Phew those ear infection thingies don't last long. It's got me wondering whether she's had one before that I failed to notice/mistook for a cold or something. Oh well.

I wasn't overly concerned about cancer - it was the gp that brought cancer up! Mainly I was nervous because I'd had it drilled into me as a child that picking/cutting etc moles was dangerous. So to find I'd actually tried to cut one out only to find it then grew back a couple of days later was a bit freaky. In hindsight I think gp was a little dismissive of me as she told me that it is unlikely that it grew back and therefore it couldn't have been a mole in the first place! So I wonder what she would call it then. It has reminded me why I dislike going to the doctors with physical problems ie mental ill health label = imagined physical problems. Rant over.

I appreciate the plant tips. I live very near to two evil Tescos - you can't move for Tescos where I am . We did look at pansies and I was very tempted but dd was definitely calling the shots that day. I could just get some when she isn't with me then act all surprised when some start growing, lol! Are violas different to violets? < stop being so lazy choc and go google! >. My mum used to grow violets and I never liked them. Off to google anemone and acers too now

Thanks for flower-bedecked post , choc ! Heh , you know my sleepy-brained omissions and typos .
Ow ow ow- do you think the GP had a visceral / emotional reaction to your cutting mole out ? I'm sure you used antiseptic but wish you'd get it done at the surgery ( I know , you don't want to make unecessary extra visits ) Empathy with the mh v physical health thing.

Ooooh your dd is very sophisticated ! at her not liking pansies- go on , sneak some into the garden Am curious now as to what she might likewww.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/ I'd suggest ho,lyhocks - really good fun for kids . lots of colours- & NOw is the time toplant sweet peas - plant plenty
Hmm , will think about what else you might enjoy-the bbc has (have ? ) great gardening sites & the Gardian site is brilliant for choosing new ants www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/mar/23/alys-fowler-sunflowers www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gardens sorry , overexcited .Hmmm , do you find violets a little dark & morbid ? < prescribes a cheery flower >

Wish we were all RL neighbours , Keziah , so we could help with meals & washing whilst you do your thing < Keziah breathes sigh of relief for blessed distance >- can't be an easy week for you . Ooooh , wonder what baby thinks of spring scents & colours ? What a lovely time to be new - just wish it could be easier on mothers of newborns

Hope we all have a peaacful day , with some nap time for both busy mothers xxx

sorry ,new plants , not ants
www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/gardening_with_children/ - no flower suggestions , though

PS sorry for such child-centred gardening

What lovely posts - I have planted sweet peas's and have some zinnia seeds left over from last year! Can't wait until next year when ds can cause havoc in the garden with me!!

City 2yrs ago I grew cherry tomatoes in my flower bed and now every year they grow like weeds - so very easy gardening!!

Choc I think violets are purple flowers with dark green leaves, a woodland plant originally. Violas are like mini pansies, with different colours. If DD gone girly, she will like the colours and scents of sweet pea's!

Well Ds seems to have diarrhoea now, his last nappy necessitated a bath and his clothes are now stained yellow!! Off to google what best to get yellow poo out of babygro's!! - think would rather google plant types somehow!!

Oh sympathies on runny baby , Keziah < teleports the two boxes of Napisan DM just gave me - not sure if would work for stains , but I think so >

HowW amazing are you to have sown sweetpeas whist juggling infant needs .Thank you for explaining to choc what she asked , that I missed out in my ramble

I think choc would like zinnias , so cheery & look tidy , too - & not I think prone to sIugs < vital >

Oooh tomato bed sounds vey convenient < off to sow > Hope we all enjoy some sun today < waves to choc > and that choc has some peace and quiet before Easter holidays

< apologetic wave from choc >

I really don't know what I've been doing last few days. Actually I do, I got all inspired from reading your posts about gardens, veg and flowers (or are tomatoes fruit Keziah?) and went out and treated myself (and dd) to a third of B&Q seed and plant selection, similarly of Wilkinsons and one of my many local Tesco stores brought everything back home using a hired trailer only to find that actually our garden is only the size of about three postage stamps and thus couldn't accomodate everything I'd bought! Having come to the conclusion that I probably wouldn't get a refund on my purchases I thought "what the hell! just plant them all anyway". Soooo off we three set planting out well into the evening (didn't realise gardening in the dark could be so much fun ) - even dd stayed up long past her bedtime. Didn't want to water them because we thought we'd disturb the neighbours. After calling it a night, came in and had a lovely hot bath before retiring to bed.

I was woken up the following morning by dd screaming "mummy" at the top of her voice. she actually sounded a bit panicked lol!! Turns out that she's lifted up the blinds to peak outside to see how "her" plants are doing and the back garden is awash with colour. Apparently it's really beautiful and I ought to get up to see. (Of course I don't. I want my lie-in!!) But she's pretty insistent telling me that she'll let herself out and pick some flowers to show me. I relent and drag myself to the window and.... it is amazing! The garden is full of vibrant blooms and trailing vegetation, not like a newly planted garden at all .

So now you know about the magical powers of Choc. You have been warned

( Hi , is me with dull namechange )Ooooh joy , choc !!!!!! Thought I was still dreaming when I read your post this morning . As well as an enchanted "ready matured" garden , you've created brilliant memories - I love night time gardening - am sure dd will rank the memory of first sight from her window above snow and even Christmas

Now , please look up slug deterrents ( especially cat safe ones , pretty please ), and warn dd some flowers may be significantly nibbled - sounds as though you've enough plants to daunt the critters , though
Looking forward to asking about every single plant - wonder what the trailing one is

Hope D's diarrhoea tailed off , Keziah , and all is well with him so family can have a break from weekday routine , especially after entire week on own with lo .

Excited today , as off to see an early 80s- onwards band I missed first time round - not a poppy one ! ... petrol sold out round here 4 days ago so are very lucky to have some , & hope you all OK for same - v difficult where you live , Keziah

< great glee at gorgeous new garden >

If only my garden was gorgeous and new - clearly I've out-shone myself in the creative writing department Merivel (my contribution to April Fool's Day). Btw is there any significant meaning of your new name?

I have really have been in the garden today, preparing a bare patch of lawn for re-seeding. I definitely do need slug deterrents (and they absolutely have to be cat unsafe ones - but only unsafe to those critters that shit in my garden!!). The other thing I noticed was nibbled leaves with curled up caterpillars nearby. Grrrr! I guess I mustn't kill these as they turn into beautiful butterflies but how to stop them demolishing plants - if it is even them.

I missed the bit about ds's diarhoea Keziah. Now just imagine that yellow staining all over the inside (and outside, lol!) of re-useable washable cloth nappies. Yep that was me!! Napisan was a god-send. No doubt will become your best friend too . Oh yes how was your first week solo? < seems choc's memory has completely failed her this week. It must be the dreadful hayfever I've been suffering with. I've been taking two different sorts of anti-histamine, each at different times of the day - I don't think I'm meant to but if I didn't my quality of life would have been awful >

at petrol selling out Merivel (still keep auto-typing city ). But lucky you got some. Name that band! (If you dare ). Fingers crossed round where you live is ok Keziah. Wouldn't want you trapped at home.

Hope going to see the band was good . What a lovely start to the week and April. Later xx

Hey you April fooled us both then!! Choc - am using disposables but have one set of cloth nappies for when he is a few pounds heavier! Currently fast asleep in my arm, I am learning to do things with one hand. Ouch for hayfever.

Only advantage of having the c-section is I can't drive, so car is sat there with lots of petrol in it!!

Oh I am so gullibe Thank you for claiming to have been taken in too, 8Keziah* .!!! Was such a lovely post - was a bit concerned at your sudden uber exuberance but s I even told Dh about it & he believed you < city doubly teased >

Much aaaaw- ing here at baby asleep on one arm . Phew at enforced stranding leaving you with some precious petrol.< waves at baby D >
< weeps at thought of managing any washable nappies . I notice from the old - childcare - manuals thread you could try holding infant over pot for hous to save on laundry

Oh hayfever - I get it and I think Keziah , too ? I try not to take tablets if I can manage without , but as you say it's same as you I have to sometimes necessary . Garden work sounds great & will demand news ... oh noooo , cats can be poisoned by slug pellets , especially as modern cats are often given sprinkly dried food < trespassing puss gives choc wideyed look > .

Ah , the band was PiL , doing a warm up I guess in small nightclub before tour . Missed them in early 90s despite being one of favourite bands . Was a revelation seeing as a live band rather than with the heavy production & lovely clinical tecchy sounds they usual use < knows nothing about these things >

Eeek , neighbourhood is swarming with kids - was exhausted simply by the presence of all those little sweethearts < mean mummy c would put them to work in garden > Hope dd not hyper these holidays & you get a few hours' peace somehow ... baffled as to how but perhaps warmer weather & fresh air will tire her out a bit

hours , not hous ... forgot to ask what type of plnt is caterpillar-munched ( not that I have magnificent advice , but will consult my trusty books ) Loads of hungry caterpillars here too

Name is from Restoration novel by Rose Tremain , very funny if you like that sort of thing , a c17th satire on Thatcherism ( not that I noticed ) Am very fond of earnest Quaker character in book

< waves to choc and Keziah >
Hope the holidays haven't felt a month long already , choc - here, would mini eggs help ? and you , Keziah ?< hands round megapacks >

How are you finding the nights , Keziah ? Here , have a Lindt bunny too
Is baby D amused by a toy waved in front of him? < waves at baby , realising have no imagination for infant play > Will be brilliant when he can grab toys held in front of him

Fine here , still sleepy from weekend- what a lightweight compared to 24hr childcare. Looking forward to Dh having some time off - long hours really batter his health
Are we having Easter bunny emoticons this year , then

Helloooo ! Hols going surprisingly well so far < choc touches wood fast! >. Dd has been enjoying Easter sweet treats made at group today. Sugar, sugar and more sugar! So thanks but no thanks to the mini eggs. Maybe you need them more Merivel to put some energy back after your rocking weekend . (Btw googled PiL and am suitably impressed. Although their spilt was a couple of years before I started getting into non-classical music I couldn't understand why I'd never come across them.)

I have come across Rose Tremain as I was given one of her books (can't remember which one though wouldn't it be spooky if the same book ) years ago by a well-meaning close friend. Unfortunately I couldn't get into it. At first I put it down to depression but I tried a couple of times after that once I was better but I still couldn't read it. So I'm afraid to say that I eventually donated it to a local charity shop. I'm assuming you quite like historical literature - my friend is a history graduate!

Ahhh Keziah at ds asleep in one arm. Not to be tried with a huge baby! I find it scary holding little babies having got used to tugging a heffer dd about! They all seem so light. And then when they grow and other people struggle to hold your child for long, you're quite used to it as your arm muscles have grown in strength alongside the growth of your baby .

The plants being munched are sage and strawberry. It's a shame they don't like my dandelions (of which I have more than grass!). All advice gratefully received, many thanks . My other problem is my computer which has decided that it won't play ball so I'm operating it in safe-mode. But silly me thought I couldn't access the internet in safe mode because the icon for my broadband service had a red cross through it, only to click on internet explorer today to find that actually I could! Hoorah!!!

Hope the weather is being good to you both. Keziah will it be long before you are allowed to drive?

P.S. Maybe we'll get the Easter emoticons on Friday.

Merivel yes, some well deserved time off for dh