Turkish Tearoom? Turkish Bath? Anyway, a Turkish delight awaits...

[MaryBS]

Picture the scene...

From the edge of every terrace and every step hang brilliantly white stalactites, and you can hear the joyful splashing of the waters of the hot springs as they cascade down over slopes where their flow is impeded only by clumps of oleanders.

Nearby is an oasis of refreshments, in our Pamukkale residence, air conditioned and with white washed generously proportioned rooms, with Mellors at the ready, to offer Turkish Massage to anyone who wishes.

The NMBs are in their element, whereas the bishops seem to have found their speedoes again.

Priest's hole is at the back, in a quiet shaded area, stocked with What Car magazines, Turkish rugs and Turkish delight

I'm going to work out a way to pad the headboard while we're on holiday (we leave Thursday -- yay!) and execute it upon return. He doesn't do it when we're away. Only his actual bed. Driving me 'round the bend tonight. He's doing it to keep himself awake, I think. I don't mind the odd thump when he's asleep and rolling. In fact, I've stopped jumping when I hear them.

How do you tell when they're ready to drop their daytime nap? I'm wondering if that's part of it -- he still seems to need one during the day, though the timing has shifted to late morning over lunchtime and I'm putting him down about 7-7:15. Then he thumps 'til 8-ish. But he's still up around 6-6:30 every day. He doesn't thump at nap time.

TBH scout, we found that MC slept better if he'd had a good nap during the day - and if he hadn't napped he would take longer to get to sleep. Sounds counter-intuitive. And, whatever time he goes to bed / goes to sleep he ALWAYS wakes up between 6 and 6.30am.

I know sleep equals sleep. Right now he seems to be up for five hours, down for 90 minutes/2 hours then up for five hours when I put him to bed. But going down at 7 and him thumping for an hour drives me bonkers. It just seems to be more and more often with the thumping. Maybe move bedtime forward again?

Try bringing it forward by a little, see what happens... I just know that mc can be up and down and up and down when he's tired - but drops straight to sleep if he's tired but not exhausted.

Sorry, I will stop moaning now.

Amber, how's your birthday?

Birthday fantastic! Meal out, laughed myself silly at the Damn you AutoCorrect book, great presents...who's for birthday cake?!

Yes please, Amber. Would you like some of this case of champagne I've brought back from France?

I'd love some! Welcome back, Maud - how was your holiday?

I see Mellors is ready with Turkish breakfast to accompany the champers. Splendid!

miniThumb is 3.8 and still occasionally has a daytime nap - he had a regular one up until he was 3 and it's slowly dropped off. More often than not he won't have one now; but a very hectic day, especially if combined with a drive of more than 20 minutes = nap.

You could try moving the cot away from the wall so at least the headboard doesn't bang...

MC and I both had a nap on Sunday afternoon

Is that really Maud?! Welcome back!!

There is a gap between the wall and the headboard (couple of inches) but he kicks the headboard relentlessly sometimes. Unfortunately I can't move the bed to the other wall as it's where the heater is. And if I move the bed/cot farther into the room he's too close to the heater and/or the door probably won't close. I'm hoping he'll outgrow it soon (the kicking not the nap). I like naps and still do so regularly when Toddler's having one (though not as frequently as I was since the meds side effects have more-or-less gone and I feel human again).

TS's first haircut this morning. Double but, I guess, in someways . Fingers crossed it for little wailing. I have camera, drinks, snacks, toys, TS dressed in a teeshirt (no hoods or polos to be seen for easy access) -- what else am I missing?

Where's Maud? it's not DCMB, she's a one-time regular in her own right who got a bit waylaid a few tearooms ago.

Scout - first haircuts are a bit :( but you'll be fine. I collected a couple of locks of miniT's hair in case I wanted to make a locket out of them (haven't so far but I have the hair safe!)

Well that wasn't traumatic. I thought they'd end up going really short, like baby short (a lot of TS's "friends" seem to have those sort of cuts) and while I don't want him to have long hair I didn't want him back to baby bald. But nope, she just tidied up his fringe and sides/back -- got rid of the "baby fluff" bit but didn't do much to the curls (other than make them neat) since they're his "thickest bits right now." AND he didn't cry and only did his normal squirming (as in sit down, pick something up, stand up again).

WHEW!

But even that little bit off makes him look more grown up.

Right, who wants lunch?

Yes please Scout - what's on offer?

Glad the hair cut went well - we had to get ds done quite early - but we've never gone for a 'fringe' and try to get the hairdresser to cut the front to one length (from the scalp) as it goes a really nice shape like that (and suits the general tousled look that DS sports most of the time) (we take him for a hair cut as soon as we have to start brushing his hair in the morning )

MT, what would you like?

Soup and a roll? I'm sure that mc's been cooking somewhere creatively....

Yup, I'm back from my travels.

Some soup would be lovely, especially as it's very grey and wet here. Not what I've been used to recently ::sobs:: although the start of our holiday was pretty wet.

What have I missed?

Postive news from Amber; lotsof prizewinning from Unis and Boy; more rants about school from me; general colds, ears and sleep worries; a couple of new faces; courgette gluts; and and - you know, the normal....

How was hols (apart from wet at start?)

Ahhhhh - how in hell did I miss that post?
I checked and double checked - it must have been a stealth post that has only just revealed itself on my laptop

Welcome back Maud!

Put it down to the time different TW

Oh dear, Mistle. I remember we spoke about school before I went away. What's the latest?

Excellent about UniS and Boy's winnings.

Hols were fine, although not the unbroken good enough to read on the beach weather I'd been hoping for. There was a particularly nice moment towards the end when some people in a restaurant made a point of commenting on how well-behaved and beautiful Girl was and on the excellence of my French.

::sucker for flattery emoticon::

Mind you, they also told Bloke that I was beautiful but tough.

::does not accord with self-image emoticon::

I could think of significantly worse things to have said about oneself!

School.... Well, I am feeling boosted by the fact that we received quite a few complementary remarks about MC following our chamber music week - and from times when neither of us were in the room or possibly in the building - so he clearly can be the boy we think he is - helpful, caring, conversational, collaborative, and he can settle down and concentrate on things he wants to do - in the morning he's been nipping out of the room to the loo, then back in, desk light on and getting on with his doodlebook on his own without making a fuss or anything - and at home he'll get a workbook and do a page or two of that on his own, off his own bat. Just hope that the teacher he gets this year can actually encourage him and inspire him to actually do some similar concentrating and dilligent work in school this year.

We had a week in Devon which was on the dampish side - spent a day on the beach despite that - some of the time I had to have an umbrella up to stop the book getting wet, and the dog came under too some of the time - and had a jumper on and gautex zipped up to the top - but MC has a shortie wetsuit and was happily playing all day!

Well, yes, and you have to remember that they were retirees so to them I probably look quite young.

That sounds pretty good with Mistlechick!

Hello All

Have only just caught up with all of the Tearoom news - things had been busy with work/family guests/snuffles over the last week.

Congratulations on all of those awards Unis and Boy!!

And welcome back Maud - I suspect that your garden has missed you!?

Scout - well done on braving the haircut, it is another step away from babyhood though isn't it? No advice about the banging headboard but I seem to remember reading something about children banging their heads to help them to go to sleep and if I recall it was one of those 'phases' that passed eventually and, apart from damage to their parents' nerves, doesn't do any harm. I can only suggest finding a way to muffle the noise with blankets etc.

Amber - glad you had a lovely birthday - I think you deserve a huge celebration!

Could do with something, that's for sure. Got meeting with scary surgeon this evening to discuss whether he can indeed do something more minor than I was facing initially.