EALING, ISLEWORTH, WEST LONDON ... SHALL WE MEET UP AGAIN?

[MrsBigD]

o.k. I'm bored at work so thought I'll start another threat trying to organise gettogethers :)

With or without kids... I'm game

The latest Ealing thread was considering a zoo visit of some sort when it gets a bit warmer... and now it's gone and gotten colder!

MrsR - I have to congratualate you on your dh's choice of football club. Am a huge spurs fan having been brought up in Tottenham. I reluctantly left when I got married!! My hubby is an arsenal fan though-booooo!

I have two girls and both my mum, gran, MIL, FIL etc etc would like me to try for another ie a boy!! I think that sends the wrong message to my girls. If I ever did have another, I really would not mind, although it would be a lot easier to have a girl in terms of toys, clothes etc

And yes had a very nice night out on Thursday - it seems like it was ages ago though!

Am about to rush to dr as i'm dizzy and swelly ankles, mw is a bit concerned but won't tell me why!!!! Could be low bp/high bp, urine infection, ear infection or lack of rest!!!!

Ah well, if its bedrest that'll do nicely for a little while!

I think we pencilled in 11 Ma :)

Snowboo... hope everything's o.k.

Hi, I wonder if you would mind me gate crashing one or two of your meetings?

I'm a slight oddity...

Single
Very old (41)
No children (yet)

An explanation is in order I think!

I'm approved to adopt a baby under 2 yrs old and hope to be matched by Sept/October, but I'm a bit concerned about coming home with ready made toddler but none of the network you develop through ante natal, NCT classes etc.

I thought it might make thing easier if I try to start networking in advance.

Oh and I live in Kew...

Any comments?

Sue

Hi Sue & welcome ... gatecrash away :)

I would be more than happy to share my toddler horror stories with you ... it's bliss really :)

Oh and congrats for being approved for adoption! :)

Hi - I'm another gate crasher!!

I'm Lucy - I live in Ruislip and I'm a SAHM with a little boy of 9 months.

I would love to meet up with you guys - and I'm around during the day if anyone else is...?

Lucy

Gate-crashers Central welcomes anybody who's good for a laugh and mad enough to want to gate crash our little group

Welcome Lucy :)

I'm a working mum so cant' do during the week, but some on here will be able to I'm sure :)

Ohhh another Ruislipite! Welcome!
And welcome SUe

Well just to let you know the raw carrots have done bugger all for me. Everything is fine except for very low blood sugar. Explains why i want to pass out! So more chocolate for me

So hopefully will be able to make it on the 11th!

Snowboo... HANDS OF THE CHOCOLATE ... it'll only make you crash harder after the boost. Life saver for me, MrsBigD-hypogylcaemic... bananas, apples, toast, followed up by chocolate

Beans and lentils are very good for low blood sugar. Make some chili or bean soup. Or, porridge is good too.

Oh, Sue, that was a fantastic story. You are going to adopt a little toddler. I think that is sooooo cool. But, I understand that you feel you're getting plunged into the deepend with no prior training. So, being the kind generous sole that I am, I thought you might like to borrow my kids (10 months and 3 years) for oh say... a few months.

So, do you work? What do you do? What are your childcare plans? Where are you adopting the baby from? Oooooooo.... I'm so excited for you.

I have found more friends and support from mumsnet than my antenatal class. So you are in the right place.

Hi Sue! For starters - 41 is not old How wonderful that you are adopting, that's great. Hi Lucy, too. I've just recently gatecrashed this thread too and hope we can all meet up soon. I'm an Isleworthian and work 3 days a week, Wed to Fri, so always around for meeting up on a Mon or Tues - as well as a night out involving large vats of wine!

have to second Uwila :)

mn is great for building a support network. I read so many books before I had dd and thought I was prepared... I was SOOOOOOOOOO wrong , but here you get tonnes of R/L experience it's so helpful.

Oh and you can borrow my kids too for training purposes 4.5y and 19m. If you can cope with them you're prepared for anything. YOu'd even get the sleep deprivation young mothers experience thrown in for free

The way Uwila usually describes her kids they're angels compared to mine! LOL

[order large vat of wine to be delivered on 11 May for bunyavilla]

Thanks for the welcome - unfortunately I can't make May 11th (sisters birthday) but hope to make a meeting after that.

Answers to questions:

Yes - I may get a toddler but if I'm lucky I may get a younger baby - I'm approved for 0-2yrs but realistically youngest available would be 8 months.

I'm finance director for small internet company near Liverpool st station.

I work four days a week (hurrah) but have a horrible commute (boo).

When I go back to work my mum will be looking after junior for 2 days a week (for a fee - no flies on her!) and need to find childminder locally for the other two. I don't think I'll be able to afford a nanny or nursery.

I'm adopting from Kazakhstan.

Probably better prepared in theory than most parents-in-waiting as you have to do a preparation course if you're adopting covering child development, problems with institutionalsied children etc. But somehow I suspect that the course isn't going to prepare me one jot for the reality!

65% of adoptive parents suffer from post-adoption depression and I think I'm a prime candidate - used to being in control... of me, my social life, my house, my job. Staff do as they're told ... you get the picture.

Sue

PS - glad to hear 41 isn't old, I had no idea if you were all 22 - in which case I would literally be old enough to be your mother.

PS I forgot - thanks for the kind offers of children. It's really too kind of you all, but really I couldn't, I'm busy that day. Busy, busy busy...

Sue

And if you feel jealous that I get out of the sleepless nights, think again. Most adoptive children are notorious for having terrible sleep problems for the first few months. Try giving your youngest ones to a complete stranger in a different country and see how well they sleep!

Shall we do an age role call so Sue realises not all of us are as young as we come across on here?

Hi, my name is MrsBigD and I'm 37 going on 38

Sue, well if you need moral support for sleepless nights... I'm an expert What I wouldn't give for 4h consecutive sleep!

and welcome to the childcare dilemma :) for me my lovely nanny worked out cheapest with 2 kids. You might want to look into maybe a nanny share seing you only need her 2 days per week? Kew must have some nannies floating around

I'm 37.. going on 22

I have a nanny and one of her good nanny friends takes care of three little ones in Kew. The middle child is almost 2 (I think). So, potential playmate if nothing else.

I think it is extra cool that you are adopting from Khazakstan. You will truly be saving this child's life. When do you find out who and when you will get? Do you go them to pick him/her up?

Yes, I do get to travel to Kazakhstan, in fact they work quite unlike any other country when it comes to adoption - I will have to live there for 5-8 weeks. First two weeks spent visiting the orphanage daily, this is called "the bonding period", then go to court to apply for adoption (which can take a week or more to get a court date) then a two week cooling off period before the adoption is finalised. Some judges will give you custody during the cooling off period, not others, so I may still be doing daily visits at that point. Then I get custody - then another 7-10 days to sort out paperwork before I get to come home.

Kaz doesn't give referrals like China - you meet your child when you arrive in the country.

A bit (a bit!?!) scared of doing it on my own but my mum and sister have said they will both come out for part of the time and I've been learning Russian for the past two years which hopefully will help (most people still speak Russian as well as Kazakh, though they are no longer Soviet).

My paperwork is currently with the Kazakh Embassy and I will get permission to travel anytime from 3 - 6 months from now. It's been a very good exercise for me in learning patience - this virtual pregnancy is at 2 years gestation and counting...

Yes, I do get to travel to Kazakhstan, in fact they work quite unlike any other country when it comes to adoption - I will have to live there for 5-8 weeks. First two weeks spent visiting the orphanage daily, this is called "the bonding period", then go to court to apply for adoption (which can take a week or more to get a court date) then a two week cooling off period before the adoption is finalised. Some judges will give you custody during the cooling off period, not others, so I may still be doing daily visits at that point. Then I get custody - then another 7-10 days to sort out paperwork before I get to come home.

Kaz doesn't give referrals like China - you meet your child when you arrive in the country.

A bit (a bit!?!) scared of doing it on my own but my mum and sister have said they will both come out for part of the time and I've been learning Russian for the past two years which hopefully will help (most people still speak Russian as well as Kazakh, though they are no longer Soviet).

My paperwork is currently with the Kazakh Embassy and I will get permission to travel anytime from 3 - 6 months from now. It's been a very good exercise for me in learning patience - this virtual pregnancy is at 2 years gestation and counting...

Wow it sounds exciting! And i think older mums have a certain amount of patience in reserve!

And don't worry about energy, at 28 years old i'm already done in!!!!

Haven't touched the chocolate. Since being told i can have a little i don't want it Typical or what?? Liking the sound of the lentils and beans. Dh loves them so will print loads of recipes off net for him. Have McD for dinner (if you can call it that) so must go upstairs and shower myself clean Dirty bad Boo....But it was rather nice....

Oh and 28 (as i said) with one ds 3.5 years and one on way. Feels like ten in there thou.

Thanks for welcome.

Sue - that's great that you are adopting. Here's hoping that your permission to travel comes through soon.

On the age poll, I'm 29....and large vats of wine suit me fine!!

Sue this sounds so exciting. Hope the embassy give you the o.k. sooner than later :)

Well done on learning Russian. My friend's dh is Russian and when he speaks with his Russian friends it definitely doesn't sound like an easy language. I muster probably 4 words

Are you planning on speaking Russian to the lo? I've got a polish nanny who could 'pollute' his/her language skills LOL. And I can babble to him/her in German just to either completely confuse or turn him/her into a linguistic genius

Okay, so how is in on May 11th? (In honour of my dad and Sue's sisters' birthday)

Blue Hawaii in Kingston... is everyone okay with this?

And, Sue, you could always pop in for a drink and then go out with your sister? Or, hey, your sister could join us too. If not, we'll have to pick another date that you can definitely make.

"how is in"???? Yes, me speak American Indian. WHO is in on the 11th?

brilliant idea! bring the sister !!!

I'm in for 11 May and Blue Hawaii sounds good.

The only Indian American I know is from reading Oumpah-pah then again those were the French editions so French Indian American? Interesting combo