Dec 08 Ladies - LIghtning Strikes... and the usual gossip!

[Beans33]

Hope this works for everyone - I'm assuming Summer won't give birth in the next few hours!! x

veggie I would love to have AK as a So-In-law Hooray our first thread wedding

Liking all the typos on this thread. So-in-law . I want an iphone so I can do it too! Actually, speaking of iphones, I know I asked about this a while back but do you think I should go for a G3 or G4? I KNOW i want one.

Veggie I would have gone beserk in your locking out situation, well done DS2 for being so logical (and you for thinking about giving a neighbour a second set, I am going to get some cut tomorrow and do the same).

I love love love the pix, DB, they are so cute. I can't imagine what it's like when they go to school for the first time, I'll be a mess I'm sure!

Lady I'm sorry that you're suffering the twin pains of insomnia and your torn tummy . You manage to sound so upbeat despite everything. And all the work on the house.

Beans you made me laugh with your vernix phobia. I have to agree, it makes me think of cottage cheese. It's so nice to hear you and Rubes and SL doing so well with your babies. Makes me feel all warm and squishy.

Had a good drive back today (T slept the whole way and no hold ups on M25, both unheard of). Then we had a friend over to play and he had dinner here. T ate a fish finger, some beans and some peas. Yay! I know his teeth have been shockingly painful but I wonder if some of the food refusal was about being away and aware of the constant tension between me and my mum (which I won't go into now as would take up the rest of the thread).

But thanks all for the advice, I think I'm going to go back and copy and paste all the food related stuff. I realise I have been very guilty of a lot of no-nos, including cajoling, praising, distracting, not offering new foods etc, even putting Teletubbies on iplayer so I can shovel food into his mouth while he's distracted . But I have resolved to be more hands off and make less of a deal of it, because I don't want to muck up T's relationship with food and need to accept that he knows what he needs better than I do (well, sometimes...)

Just watched Phil n Kirsty, and realised we need to compromise our expectations of location or type of property. But goddamn, I can't.

LadyT - I have been lurking, just too exhausted to try and post. So far so good with the job, but being the new girl is just exhausting. I have read the Slap. Not sure how I feel about it. From what I remember of the Corrections, its not a patch on Jonathan Franzen (but I haven't read his latest).

Also been a bit emotionally caught up with my sister's new DD. They are having feeding nightmares and I guess its all a bit similar to what I went through with my DD. Long story, but it is sounding like she is about to give up BF which I am unaccountably a bit sad about. I can totally see that she is fed up, exhausted and worried, so its fair enough, but it seems a shame that she can't find a way through it.

Very interested in all the food travails. I can't help myself but cajole my two (and for some reason especially DD) to eat and I know it is wrong. She actually eats pretty well, but its a slow painful process and despite being over 3 still likes us to feed her - seems to have a thing about being messy.

I need to do a bit of work and sleep so I am sorry not to catch up properly, but JJ relieved that all seems to be OK, but sorry its all a bit scary and stressy.

Oh and I too have taken the plunge and got a mooncup and am getting on surprisingly OK with it.

DB gorgeous pics of your DD. I will be an abosloute mess next September when DS1 goes to big school.

Veg I am terrified of doing something like that. Thank goodness for great neighbours.

Nolda I love love sailing, when DH and I met we talked about going on a teaching sailing type holiday but never did it due to me getting up duffed 5 mins after we met. I used to work for someone who had their own boat. A couple of Summers spent cruising round the Bahamas got me a bit hooked.

Rubes hurrah for the non running off child. Finally (sort of) reached that point now with DS1. Lords knows when DS2 will get there.

Beans, just a thought but have you thought about putting DD1 to a childminder instead of nursery might be less of a squeeze on the purse. Think they are quite proactive in taking their charges to playgroups and days out etc.

LadyT that tearing thing sounds a bit ooouuuccchhhhyyyy. Nearly there my lovely few more weeks. Oh and if you c sec on Sep 29th thats my DH b-day. I will be in Florida then someone will have to text me your new arrival news.

DH thirsty Thursday ing. Tis a bit boring he did it last wk too. Now he will come home and breathe larger on me all night. grr.

Just have to say I know I am always whinging about the horrors but I am going to be really sad to see DS1 go back to nursery next week. He has for the most part been a delight this last few weeks. I will really miss him. And horror No. 2 is so funny but my god terribly naughty.

Duffing up 5 min after you met oh Jam you dirty stop out! And summering in the Bahamas bloody hell but that's posh. Get you. How long does it take to sail to the Bahamas?

Spot we are kind of house hunting together, have you got any potentials you could put links up for? I want a look. Trace are you still
browsing houses?

Ok, these are the two very different ones I'm looking at on Saturday:

here

and here

T was devastated tonight when the longer than usual Skype chat with DP ended. I can't work out what's for the best, as I want them to have a chance to say hello (esp as there aren't many opps when DP's working 18 hour days) but it seems to make it worse when T really engages and then can't see him.

Oooh, Spot, that flat is posh. See as many properties as you can - that's what the experts always seem to say. I watched Location x 3 as well. Usual quartet of twits. Sorry it was a bit of a trial with your Mum. What a shame.

The tummy thing is odd. My bump is v high as I said, as it was last time, and the sore area is also high up, a wide band under my boobs, at the top of my bump. I keep making myself sick by imagining frayed steak

Almost as sick as Beans and the vernix I am sure DD came out coated in gloop like a Cross Channel swimmer, so it's not avoided in a c section.

Listen, I am worried I have made everyone really paranoid about the food stuff The fact is, O was an extreme case and that's why I am having to do all this stuff. If your kid has a more normal relationship with food, probably no need to be as hardcore as us. Latest development is that when she likes something, she now says "Mmm, nice". And let us gloss over that Nutella on toast and Monster Munch have elicited this high praise.

Veggie, I meant to say - it's so savvy of your DS2 to try to pass you the keys! What a clever little sausage.

Jam, I will text you when you are on your hols if you want!

Invis, I am glad you have got off to a decent start. I bought The Slap today so will give it a whirl...

DB - those pics on FB were sweet, esp the one of the two of them.

Right, I am bushed so should get myself off to bed. Will tonight be the night that I sleep through?

Beans - agreed that vernix crud is a bit grim.

Great FB pics Deids! very sweet, and glad you got through the day

Invis - don't be too sad about your sister. As you know, it can be totally fine for some and completely miserable for others. Your sister must be happy and less stressed and if she needs to stop so be it. It's not the end of the world as you well know, but I hope she is not too down on herself.

Hope you sleep thru Lady

EBM is well.... OK in terms of she guzzles it like the formula, but I've gotta be honest, she doesn't do as well after it - loads more wind and unsettled-ness. Ho-Hum.
So far she's most content on Comfort Formula and some drops I have from back home pre milk. (Must get crate load sent over )

Oh spot I do like that flat. But my head says go for the house. Garden etc.

Veggie we didn't sail to bahamas. Flew there.

Just a quickie as we are off to the beach with DS1's class today and can't be late but Spot, I have to say that outdoor space in the flat is quite decent, almost as big as what we have here. Also did you notice the snow in the backgarden in the Kitchen photo of the house. Has it been on the Market for a while? They might drop it's price a but due to that.

Right gotta go!

Veggie you are top detective! I know intellectually the house is a better choice but I do love the location of the flat. Anyway, these are just two in the epic search that is our house hunt, tbh I'm just doing it to give me and T something to do tomorrow!

Have a nice day at the beach .

Lady, T says the "niiiice" thing with Nutella too.

Rubes what are those miracle drops called?

Glad new job is going well Invis, not surprised you're knackered. Look after yourself.

Ugh. Night of vom last night. Boys seem recovered but I'm not!

Hello Ladies,

We returned from the depths of Wales at 1am thus morning. Yawn. The hiday was actually pretty OK. The weather was very sunny and the beaches in northern Pembrokeshire are gorgeous so the DDs had a great time.

MiL was fine except when she kept calling DD2 Rose (her middle name) because her real name "is confusingly similar to DD1's name". She has always hated DD2's name so that continues to grate. FiL was as selfish as ever. He is hugely competitive in a sort of passive aggressive way. It's hard to describe but, for example, he is always quietly putting DH down saying things like "You could follow me in your car but I am a much faster driver so I doubt you could safely keep up", or "You could borrow my wetsuit but I am much slimmer than you" (he soooo isn't). He even competed with DD1 by never once letting her win at Connect4 and when she caught a tiddler in a rock pool he looked at her proud little face and said " when I was your age I used to rock pool here and catch hundreds of fish, not just one lonely little thing". Sigh. I got my kicks by going on his tandem canoe with him and setting the pace so fast he had to ask me to slow down as he couldn't keep up. Clearly this isn't much to boast about as he is 70 and I am 32 but he was SO sure I would be a crap rowing partner.

My other news is that I have decided to try and get some therapy to address my phobia of sick. I know I have mentioned it before but I realise that despite being better than it once was it still affects me a lot of each day. I had CBT for it some years ago and basically that was very successful at stopping me avoiding things because of the fear but now although I make myself face the fear it eats away at the back of my mind in a highly irrational way for much of each day. I think it stops me enjoying many activities I should love.

That was a very "me" post. I haven't caught up properly yet. Although Spot I did see your links and I LOVE that flat. Give me the Palmeira part of Hove over Hurstpieroint any day. Have fun viewing.

Oh and Effie, I hope you feel better. Are you I'll too or just tired from caring for sick boys? (Shudder, shudder... must find that therapist before this latest bug hits the Avocado household).

Spot have had another look at photos. iphone is rubbish for perusing these things. Anyway. the flat is gorge but no room for a kitchen table, are you intending for DS and No.2 to share? House although clearly needs some sort of redecoration has more space a study & extra bedroom.

Avo your FIL sound a bit of a knob. How is the fainting? I think it is a very good idea to get some councelling I would imagine that sort of fear can be quite debilitating.

I have a friends 3yr old today. There is alot of noise in my house. I have put a DVD on already just so I can peacefully eat my breakfast and mumsnet tidy up.

So jumpsuit has gone back and the dress hunt continues. I am heading to London town tom arvo on my OWN to find something.

Effie bleaugh to the vom. Have a cake.

The flat does have three bedrooms so I would try and get DP to have his office out of the house, but you're right about the kitchen table and there's only one reception room. And it's in a bit of a school desert. But hmmm, it looks so nice....

I must have missed the bit about the unsuitable jumpsuit, Jam, that's a bummer. Good call on the shopping alone thing, I can never shop with other people. Makes me feel all pressured and having to justify what I try on, let alone buy.

Avo I would go beserk with FIL in your shoes, well done for having the grace to rise above it and just whup his ass in the canoe. And how rude of MIL about your DDs names. Does your DH find them as irritating as you do?

Effie you poor thing, mucho sympathies. How are you feeling today, other than exhausted? Do you think it was a bug or a food thing?

Morning all, boo to vomming (and to fear of vom which is quite understandable really!) and to vernix (have a water birth, washes it all off )

Jam Jam Superglam, jumpsuit gone back? Booo, you're our vicarious link to the high life what with all this bahamas, sexy clothes business!

Deirdre I have sent you an FB friends request, I want to see these adorable pics! Given that the advert on TV with the little kiddies being spacemen on their big adventure makes me cry, heaven knows what it will be like with actual children!

spot, I'd always try to go for a place with a garden if possble just because it's nice to get them out from under your feet - but there's so many other things to consider as well. At the moment I'm hoping to win the lottery and get this place which is walking distance to work for me and DH and v close to the primary we want dd to go to. Ahem! such is Cambridge that a million still only gets you a semi!

avo your ILs are v trying, and you did very well to survive that trip! How mean of FIL to get his kicks from denigrating the girls' achievements Good for you for canoeing him in to the ground! Is there a name that's 'confusingly similar' to MIL's that you can call her by from now on? EG if she's called Betty, call her Nettie. And good for you also on the therapy decision, if it's something that's affecting you that much every day then gettig some help to move on is a great step forward.

Well things going fine so far with dd, she very kindly slept til 7.30 both mornings which meant I got to have a shower and get dressed before getting her up, made that part of the day much easier. DH safely arrived, bit cross about the accomodation in the end - this singing course has been arranged since March and the lady organising said Oh everyone stays in this particular B&B, we've reserved all the rooms and you just need to book directly with them at the special rate. So DH booked in May, and told them at that point that me and dd would be joining him so could he have a decently sized double please. It now turns out that only he and one other guy are staying there?! Everyone else is in different places as this B&B is so expensive (and it's certainly not cheap...) Also they've put him into a lovely big room, BUT he's going to get moved to a much smaller one on Sunday because of another booking?! Surely if he's been booked in since May, they've assigned him a room at that point. And moving to a smaller room just as we need the extra space for dd... he's going to try and negotiate a swap to at least a decently sized one, especially at [ouch] euros per night... Anyway should't be grumbling really, it's a holiday anyway!

Just a quickie as we are off to the beach with DS1's class today and can't be late but Spot, I have to say that outdoor space in the flat is quite decent, almost as big as what we have here. Also did you notice the snow in the backgarden in the Kitchen photo of the house. Has it been on the Market for a while? They might drop it's price a but due to that.

Right gotta go!

I wrote that message this morning and seem to have forgotten to send it, so will send now and then read this mornings posts from you guys.

Oh quickly before I do, I have a funny and slightly story for you. I volunteered to be a parent helper at school this morning so went along to the beach and took DS2. As it was a but chilly as we were walking out the door I grabbed a hacker for DS2 that happened to be on 'the floor and looked clean enough on the front of it. So I threw it on him and off we rode to the beach. It wasn't until we got onto the beach that I saw the back if the jacket! As it had been on the floor and we'd let Emily the dreaded Rat/hamster out in her running ball thing in the evening, she had eaten part of the back of the jacket so there was a big quite obvious hole in it. I was so embarrassed here I am trying to make a good impression with thr other mums and I bring my child in tatty clothes, he looked like something out of Oliver!

Oops apparently I did send the message stupid itouch.

Spot I had a friend offered a huge amount lower than advertised for a place at St Katerine docks because she noticed in the photos on the website that the Gerkin wasn't present in the photos just some cranes to construct it. At the time they were looking at the Gerkin was nearly fully built. The owners took the offer because they were indeed desperate.

Avo good on you for sorting it out. You've had lots of bugs in your house this last year must have been horrid for you. And your in laws are quite bizarre...but terribly entertaining for you. Do they compare your girls to their cousins. I remember the Easter egg incident.

JJ that's crap about thr room, surely when he booked they would have known about the double booking and could have informed him then. Is it possible to cancel and get a cheaper room somewhere else. You
Mentioned euros, where is it? Sorry if you've discussed all this I've missed almost all of last week. Are you going for the weekend then?

I had the most delicious wine whilst in London and I can't stop thinking about it. I've just looked like a dodgy Alcoholic mother and went to three different wine shops on the same street to see if I could find it. DS2 still had his tatty jacket on & no shoes as he had stepped in dog poo and DS1 was being dragged along behind from shop to shop. Bad mummy.

veggie it's the trip to Venice, DH booked and said I'd go and then argued me round basically! Given that when he booked, the chap said all the rooms were reserved for people on the course, and now only 2 of them are there, I'd have thought he'd have had first dibs on being in a room for a whole week Me and dd go out on Sunday, have just bought her an ITNG magazine and some magic painting books (the kind where you just use water and the picture appears) to try and make the journey less hellish!

Dang Emily the hungry hamster! Is this really a big hole though or is it one of those things where your imagination is much worse than the truth...?

Avo: that must be a horrid phobia with young 'uns. Fingers crossed that you miss the bugs, and well done for deciding to do something about your fears.

Boys still unwell, but I've escaped so far. Phew. DH is on cooking detail this eve. We are all tired and snuggling up in front of Fireman Sam.

Veggie: what wine was it?

No JJ it's as bad as your imagination can make it. It is pretty much a semicircle at the base of the jacket at the back. It's about 2.5 inches across and 1.5 inches high.

Brown Brothers Moscato Rosa. I'm a bit of a brown brothers fan I've never had a bad drop from them (also a bit patriotic for good Aussie wines). We had to get a wine for the BBQ birthday party last Saturday so I got this one and it was just lovely. I highly recommend it for a nice sunny afternoon picnic.

Sorry to hear you poorly boys are still feeling yukky. Enjoy the most accident prone town in Wales.

JJ mmmmm Venice.

So, DH away for the weekend. Am single mother again. He does seem to be out or away quite a lot. Or, in fact, maybe I whinge about it a lot! The honest truth of it is, if he was here, he'd probably be annoying me anyway!

Effie hope your illness avoidance luck continues!

Seem to have got DD2 in quite a good routine now. I just need her to start sleeping through the night and all will be well!!!

DD1 having jam sandwiches in front of the telly as we speak. You've got to let it all go sometimes, haven't you??!

I've found a lovely wine called Nostro - delicious white if anyone fancies it. Only £6 a bottle, which isn't bad! Might try yours too, Veggie