All those online for NZ timezone!

[buzzybee]

Hi all. Used to be a regular on MN when I lived in London but since moving back to NZ have found it harder to make the connections due to all the brits being asleep when us down under are online! So if anyone is keen to start a thread for those of us in this predicament please reply! My DD has just turned 5 and started school last week (scary). Have just found out I'm expecting number 2 - due roughly Xmas day...

Aha Anna I know the problem!

I'll text you but yes Tue 22 April sounds good at that Bang Bang Cafe you talked about (or was it Go Bang?!) on Ponsonby Rd. Shall we say 11am? Sibble too if you can!!

Have everyone's DCs adusted to clock change? I've been up since 5am this morning with DS2 and baby. Sigh. And its cold!

hi, the boys adjusted fine, probably as we have all had horrible colds since returning from Wellie so are exhausted from being up most of the night. Strangely it's me not them, I'm waking at 4.30 and can't get back to sleep. Still it is rather productive. 6.30 and have checked and replied to all work and personal emails, lunches made etc...you are right though it is cold, winter is definately knocking.

A is waking earlier since the clocks went back but only by about half an hour so not ytoo bad. She's asleep on my knee and she looks so cute i don't have the heart to put her on her cot. Soppy parent alert.

Finally got our internet sorted, can't believe how long it took us. apparently we're in some kind of internet blackspot as we're too far from the phone exchange and surrounded by trees so they didn;t think we could get it through radio frequency. But we can and it's loads better than through Telecom when we only had it about 50 per cent of the time.

Anyway, I booked flights for me and A to go to UK for 6 weeks. Decided we couldn't really afford all 3 of us to go without running up a huge credit card bill so it's me on my own with the baby! We're flying direct to Manchester (where my sister can pick us up and we avoid horrible Heathrow!) and stopping at the Transit Hotel in Singapore for about 18 hours each way to have a break and (hopefully) some sleep.

Has anyone used Phenergan on a baby? She'll be nearly 8 months on way there and 9 on way back - wondering if she's too young. She may be fine without it, just wondering what other peop;les experiences have been. I know about trying it out before the flight.

Buzzy, were we talking about a cafe for meet up? I was wondering about the zoo or somehting instead - if the weather's ok - it's in Western Springs so not far from Ponsonby. Let me know what you think.

Anna. Welcome back to MN-land. You feel like you've lost an arm without the net don't you. Great news about the flight. I'm sure it will be a good thing to do, although sad as well for you. Transit hotel in Singapore is a top idea. And its a great airport.
I used phenergan on DS2 when he was about 10 months. Chemist told me just to use a smaller dose. And it had no effect whatsoever! He was awake the whole time the little bleeder! Also quite an awkward age for me as he was crawling and wanted to crawl up and down the isles incessantly. Hopefully Amelia will be too young for that.
However I also used it on DS1 and it was magic. Slept loads.

Hi Anna

I flew longhaul alone with dd1 at 10 months - it was hard work! Haven't time to write much now - I'll have a think about this and come back tomorrow with some more thoughts.

Sounds ominous, Welliemum...

i doubt she'll be crawling on way there as she'll be 7 months and she doesn't seem anywhere near moving at the mo (though a lot can change in 2 months, I know!). On the way back she'll be just 9 months so that may be trickier. My plan is to use bf as a "keep her quiet" technique and possibly use Phenergan to get her to sleep. I've searched old threads on here and everyone says Singaore Airlines are great with travellers with kids (I've flown with them before but pre-baby). And I have stayed at teh transit hotel in Singapore airport before so we should get a bit of a break there.

At the end of the day it's 11 hours of my life on a plane, followed by another 12 hours on a plane. We'll cope.

Absolutely. I just gave up any thoughts of movies, novels, snoozing etc. and just thought - deep breath, here we go. And it was fine. Just tiring. And then if you do get sleep/movies etc. then its a bonus! Make sure no-one is planning elaborate dinner party or anything at the other end and you can just go straight to bed.

Anna - zoo sounds fantastic for DD1 so long as we can get there fairly easily by public transport? Is there a website I can look at for bus routes etc do you know? What time would suit you?

I don't think I discovered Phenargan until DD1 was over a year old (and I know on the bottle it says for Over 2s) but it was an absolute god-send for her when she was older and had an awful awful cough that wouldn't go away. At that point the GP suggested using it to help her sleep and it worked a treat.

Apparently though there are a very few children where it reacts in the opposite way, i.e. makes them stay awake. Therefore might pay to carry out a small trial on her before you go as that'd be the last thing you'd need!

Agree you may find the flight back particularly tiring if Amelia is crawling by then. We flew back with DD1 at 8 months in Dec 2003 and the crew didn't want us to get out of our seat and she just wanted to move constantly! Didn't have a bassinet either as there were younger babies. Don't want to scare you but best to be prepared and as you and SHells have both said you just need to go with an attitude of getting through it...

Anna - would you be able to do Monday instead of Tuesday? No worries if that doesn't work for you tho!

Buzzy - hmm, buses in Auckland. Basically fine if you're trying to get into and out of the city centre, otherwise a bit rubbish. I used to work in Ponsonby so I know the bus routes round there pretty well. What road will you be coming from in Ponsonby?

www.maxx.co.nz is the bus website, you can enter the road you are on and where you want to get to (just "Western Springs" will do) and it will tell you if there is a bus route.

It's only a 5-10 minute drive from Ponsonby to the zoo - I'd happily pick you up in the car - I could fit 2 babies and an older child in the back (I think) - but not sure what we'd do about car seats?

We can still meet up at a cafe instead but I thought the zoo might be fun for your older dd. Let me know the road you're coming from in Ponsonby and we can work it out from there.

X post! Yes, Monday is fine for me. Only day I have something on is antenatal group meet-up on the Wednesday

Time, about 10 ish?

If you don't mind picking us up that would be fantastic Anna. I will have DD2's carseat with me anyway and DD1 is big enough to do without. DD2's carseat doesn't need a bolt (I bought it back from the UK). 10am Monday sounds great! DD2 loves the zoo here. I will text you with the address. Look forward to meeting finally

Cool. Would 10.30 be OK? Just a bit better for feed and sleep times for Amelia. Text me the address and I'll see you Monday!

Hope you have a good time Anna and Buzzy. Hope the weather is good. The school holidays is stretching out ahead of us....
I see you made the weekly round up, Sibble, with your casket story. Excellent!

Shall we try and retrieve this thread? Wanting some advice from all you experienced Kiwi mums. Baby is definitely starting teething. I've seen Bonjela in the shops, but I used to use powders in the UK. Can't remember what they were called. Anything like that here? What have you all used?

Good idea, Shells, but I'm afraid I'm no use to you! We've always used bonjela.

How's your weather, Anna? It's all over the place here - one minute nice and sunny, then pouring rain. We're constantly struggling in and out of jackets and jumpers (except dd2 who has given up on clothes altogether).

think they would have been Ashton and Parsons or Nelson's Teetha

here all I've found is a Weleda homeopathic one as well which seemed to help a bit

TBH on my DS it's infant nurofen or nothing, but that's only after 6 months I think

oh annd how is everyone!?

Hi MrsJC

Apart from being continually nauseous, I'm fine!

= my current colour.

Am 14 weeks now though and I think I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel.... [optimist]

I've just done 5 days (and 4 nights) of single parentdom as DP in Auckland schmoozing at Writers Festival. I am not the most gorgeous mother today, needless to say. Absolutely had enough! Hats off to you Buzzy. Its hard on your own.
Still haven't cracked the baby sleeping. How are you Mrs JC? Hows the sleeping at your end?
Wellie - surely it must be nearly over. Cross fingers for you. xx

Oh yes - it was teetha. Do you just give liquid nurofen?

Weleda is the only teething powder I've seen over here. Haven't used it though, used Bonjela and a bit of Pamol if A is being particularly grizzly. She has her 2 bottom teeth through now which is all very nice until she decided to bite me during a feed (ouch).

Wellie - weather here nice and sunny in day, bit chilly at night - apart from Friday when we had thick fog all day. Bizarrely this fog seemed to be the main story on the news that night. Makes a change from hearing about the Kahui case which just upsets me more the more I hear about it.

Shells, is your dp a writer? Or in publishing? I did look at the Writers Festival programme but haven't made it to anything. There is a Photography festival starting at the end of this month so I'm hoping to make it to a few of the exhibitions in that.

I didn't know you were pregnant Wellie . Congratulations!! Did you announce it on here and how did I miss it??????

I just give DS nurofen and maybe some bonjela. He is now on teeth 15 and 16 - only the back molars left now. And he had 12 teeth by 11 months - he's only 14.5 months now. However, sleep is more or less oK most nights...

I got into the pro orchestra here on the 'casual' list and did my first concert a couple ofweeks ago, should get more stuff as time goes on, v.pleased with that. Doing more shows as well, so with DH doing some extra work that's quite well paid things are coming together quite nicely for us at the moment