September 09 - Hello world, we're here to destroy you!

[ChutesTooNarrow]

So the last thread could be used as proof that September 09 (and an August!) parents were kept far too busy by their babies to talk about them very often! Shall we see if we can get this one done before second birthdays (eek, 2 is so big) are upon us?

he he, DH thinks I should make lines of it for Oli to snort and calls it babycoke

don't worry about reimbusring - make it a pay it forward thing :)

Can the pay it forward thing be a miracle cure for me to make my child sleep

oh no, not until mine sleeps too... :o

I need to devise that miracle cure before I can pay it forward [hgrin]

Mads has been sleeping better, well he was until his big brother developed a cough that wakes the whole household [hhmm]

they're in the post baz - from work, so may not be with you tomorrow, but on their way! I so very nearly addressed the envelope to Ms Bazza Lellow.

I'm currently waiting to go and pick up my wee sister from the station - she and her boyfriend are over from the Netherlands for the weekend, and seem to have forgotten how to use the train, so have managed to miss all trains except the last one of the night at 11.03. grr. Oli is asleep, so I should be too!! then tomorrow we have to be up at the crack of dawn and drive to surrey to see aged relatives for a few hours, then back up the fucking M25, and on sunday I need to leave for a whole day of work at 8 am grr. make that [hangry] actually.

right, better go. have a lovely relaxing weekend y'all!

:o at Ms Bazza Lellow :o

Thank you, thank you! Have just left message on fb too, they just plopped through the door - loving Oli's handiwork...Madok's reply is `¬)o$ (loosely translated) :). Is the dog yours?

Hope your weekend isn't as [hangry] as you're imagining, I'm faffing today then in yet another birthday party hell tomorrow. Since J started school we seem to be going to one every weekend. Still there's always cake to console myself!

Hope everyone else has a relaxing one!

Just popping on for a quick brag... as of last Wednesday Joseph is now walking!! [hgrin] Yay!! He is so pleased with himself that he squeals with delight as he totters across the living room floor!! [hgrin]

Berry - I am dreading that part of DD starting school (amongst others!!). My neighbour's little boy was at so many parties during reception class. Seems to have died down a bit now he's in year 2. I suppose by then they have their little groups of friends and so don't invite the whole school!

Lovely weekend of just pottering then at my Dad's for a Sunday lunch. Hope all are well! x

yay Joseph!!! :o

weekend has been absolutely knackering butOli had a whale of a time on saturday chasing my parent's and grandma's dogs around! poor dogs didn't know what had hit them! Although he was surprisingly good with them and didn't actually do anything when he got close except squeak in excitement!

found out my sis is pregnant again (~10 weeks)- her 4th pregnancy, so we hope this one sticks - she's had prior miscarriages and an abortion, so is incredibly nervous about this one. she hasn't told me herself, but has told the rest of the extended family - odd girl. other sister remains unsure about children - but she's warming to Oli after a weekend of him! He's still not sure about her though :o

I am so so bloody tired...

ooh,just noticed - it's 2 months until christmas!! :o anyone done much shopping yet?

Today I ordered some jam jars in a fit of efficiency I plan to make some Christmas chutney and chilli jam a la Nigella! A bit wanky I know, but it's an attempt not to waste so much money on tat for people. No doubt I'll be out sprinting round the shops on Dec 23rd finding presents as the homemade stuff is vile :o

Oooo, love home made chutney! My Grandma used to make the best apple chutney ever and we used to have it every Sunday morning on a fry-up! Yum!

It would seem that my son has turned into a puppy over night as he has spent most of the day sitting on my feet, whether I'm sitting down or washing the pots! He is the most clingy baby ever and a total shock after DD who couldn't have cared less if I wasn't in the room!

Must admit, Kveta, I have done 90% of my Christmas shopping! I am not usually quite so efficient, but wanted to get a head start this year and have just bought stuff when I have seen it. I love Christmas, though! Love the build up and all the lights and decorations! Fingers crossed for your sister and the baby.

Another lovely sunny day here! Hope you have all had a lovely day! What are you all doing for Halloween?

Halloween = avoiding the front door if possible. Sounds a bit bah humbug I know, but I don't really like the whole thing. We will give a few sweets to friends' children if we know they are around but otherwise it becomes a bit of a free for all. Also it was quite a frightening experience when we lived in Leicester.

That said, I'm not a frothing at the mouth anti Halloween campaigner :o

So in between bouts of Nigella domesticity I'm also trying to organise J's 5th birthday party There are days when I wonder what on earth possessed me to become a mother, being the least capable and organised person I know. It's just as well I love them fiercely :)

We live in a village, so you only get the kids you know at the door and then tend to come in just a few groups, so it is not too bad! When we lived in Bristol it was bad as you got 16 year olds wearing masks asking for money!! I used to give them lollipops!! They stopped coming after a while as they knew they wouldn't get money! The same one's used to come Christmas carol singing, sing one verse and hold their had out for money. I used make them do 2 requests before giving them something. They didn't come back!

:o good idea, and requesting some obscure traditional carol would really put them off :o

We live in a village too, a very small and sleepy one in fact, but I suppose I just don't like it. The only thing we used to do was go to a 'Hero Party' organised by the church based youth club. Sort of an alternative halloween. I'm not really one for dressing as the undead/witchy type, but I am a sucker for a baby dressed as a pumpkin (or 'punkin' as DS1 still says) :o

I have chupa chup lollies on standby, don't want to upset the little village children!

I'm such a misery, I'm not a fan of Halloween (just unpleasant name changes [hgrin]. Will be door avoiding here too. I also used to think Christmas was a fairly distasteful exercise in consumerism but am rapidly coming round on that one! I'm actually quite excited about it. I can't believe I have been thinking about it in October

I need to get my Nigella on too! I was also planning on making some chutney, problem is DP recycled all our glass when we moved so I currently have one lonely jam jar sitting on my kitchen window ledge.

Gabe is a clingy puppy too. He has ramped up the feeding and I am so fed up with it. We had fallen down to a nice pattern of about three times a day but clearly something is going on, be it a growth spurt or teething pain, and he is yanking at my top hourly.

I have got him in shoes finally. He wore slippers for a bit and I tried him in trainers at the weekend. They are supermarkets ones but I can't see they are really any different to the Clarks ones. He has wellies too. We go for walks down our road and he picks up every single piece of gravel and tries to sneakily put them in his mouth, it's great fun

glad oli isn't the only one who is clinging. I spend my days stepping over him as he's sitting at or on my feet. He met some of my American colleagues this morning - I have a conf call with them every week, so they hear Oli frequently, so it was quite amusing for them to meet the source of the racket in the background! last day of the course today, so back to mnormal work tomorrow, and a functioning keyboard (this one is crap).

I had my first night out without Oli last night - to a seminar by my boss. It's official, I have no life.

I'm making Oli a costume for halloween - party on sunday afternoon for his playgroup. It sounds horrendous :o Then we'll be coming home, closing the curtains, and hiding from guisers.

can't wait until christmas :o I've done most of my christmas shopping - just need to get something for DH and for my grandmothers. we're having a fairly lean christmas due to house purchasing! got the ball rolling with a mortgage yesterday - anothe rmeeting with the incredibly young mortgage bloke at the bank on thursday, then fingers crossed the application will all go well.

where did you get wellies from chutes? we're prob getting some snow boots from muddy puddles for oli, as the czech rep is COLD at christmas, but was thinking of getting him wellies in the mean time. the boy will own more shoes than me soon...

kveta, Mads has these He mostly puts them in his mouth but I think he'll be wearing them a bit more with the crap inclement weather that has just rolled in.

Only from Sainsbos kveta. Think they were a fiver? I spent ages trying to find a pair that didn't have a TV character plastered all over them. Nothing against TV characters, I just felt that Gabe wasn't interested in that kind of thing yet and it was silly buying something like Dora wellies when he had never watched it. He ended up getting ones with skulls on them which am still about. The ones Baz linked too are so much nicer, wish had those.

a fiver sounds like my sort of budget :o will have a wee look around - just need something he can run through puddles in, as canvas shoes aren't really suitable! I agree on the cartoon characters - I really object to the ludicous commercialism aimed at such young children. why would a 1 year old care if his top has a character from cbeebies or the like on it? there's plenty of time for that when they are older. grump grump grump.

Coffins - yes, make the most of not having to buy clothes and shoes with TV characters on! I now have to sit and wait while DD decided if she want the ones with Dora, Peppa Pig or Disney Princess (which she weirdly insists on calling 'Halloween' She'll ask for her halloween pyjamas/bedding/torch and means her Disney princess ones!). Plus you pay double the price for the privilege! I used to say that I wouldn't dress my children in character clothing. Seems they have other ideas! I've decided it's not worth the fight...

:o at Halloween!

Yes, definitely avoid, avoid, avoid the character stuff until absolutely insisted upon! J only really has that on pjs too, although he has one Star Wars t shirt, which he mispronounces Star Bores. (A bit more accurately in my opinion!)

I actually wanted plain wellies for both boys but you seem to have to pay Hunter prices for that which are

Actually I tend avoid pictures of any sort, especially 'I'm a cheeky monkey' or 'Monster' Which is most of Next boy's department :)

:o

I've just returned from a few hours at a birthday party in a soft play area. In half term. On a rainy day. AAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh

As you were

Yes, I've just been in Next trying to find them both 'nice' outfits for the upcoming nursery photos. Got DD's no probs, but 99% of the boy's t-shirts have some rubbish on the front. Managed to get a plain-ish polo shirt for him, but seriously, I don't want a t-shirt that says 'here comes trouble' or 'handsome', nor do I want some mini-version of what DH would wear!

Been in TKMaxx again today.... Must not go in there again this year! Keep buying bargains for the DCs. Their Christmas present pile is now teetering! On the plus side, The toys are fab in ours and it was all really cheap, so not all bad!

Berry - I don't envy you at all having to go to soft play on a day like today! I avoid those places at all cost as I come out in a really bad mood! Outdoor play areas I can deal with, indoor soft play hell I cannot!

Better go, J just woke up...

Before Gabe I was adamant no child of mine was wearing sloganed t-shirts, I hate them. I am not quite so militant about it now, he does have some received as gifts. I will have to confess he does already own a Star Wars t-shirt The Next mini-adult clothes are hilarious though, completely ghastly, who puts a one year old in a waistcoat and tweed jacket type outfit?

You're all making me feel terrible for not having done any Christmas shopping. What is everyone buying, need some inspiration.

i only did christmas shopping as we had a family get together at the weekend, so I could hand over presents then and save on postage - sounds ridiculous, but I got my sister and her OH a pestle and mortar, and it weighs a bloody ton - posting it to southampton didn't appeal!

I've got this book for friend's children - it's brilliant! may get it for oli too. he's almost got hold of one of the copies I've got, so may end up with that one if he gets his mitts on it. I got my wee brother an inflateable T. rex from early learning centre. He's 21 in 3 weeks. :o

I hate the mini adult clothes in Next too Chutes - they had some cute babygros in there with nice animal print, but haven't seen them recently. Oli has a few slogan-y outfits, mainly gifts, but I am trying to avoid anything too ridiculous. I loved his "when I grow up I want to be a parasitologist'
vestGot a load of 2nd hand stuff from my boss though, and it's got a few 'cool dude' and 'handsome like daddy' type tops in it. bleurgh.

I've never been to soft play - sounds like a record to maintain [hgrin]

Hello all!

I have to agree with the clothes in next, I was looking for a coat for dd in there yesterday and some of the stuff is just . I like John Lewis for ds as they do plain bright t shirts with simple pictures on the front which he loves. H&M do nice plain bright vests and stuff for dd. I got my two wellies from Sainsbos too- £3 or something. I have always tried to avoid character tops for ds, he has had some as presents/on pjs and my gosh he LOVES them I feel slightly bad about not getting him them more. But not bad enough to give in I guess. The nurse who did DDs jabs made a big thing of giving her pink princess plasters, I smiled and joined in but thinking wtf she is a baby, she doesn't care! It's crazy.

I am also a bit meh about halloween. I'm making ds a wizard robe from dps old t shirt to dress up in for nursery but I can't bring myself to care all that much. We never had any callers in London, I don't know about here so will get some sweets in just in case we have little ones calling and will eat them myself if not.

I do love christmas though! No presents bought yet, should crack on. I did homemade chutney and fudge last year, we have a walnut tree in the garden which has done well so everyone will get walnut based presents this year! Not sure what yet.

Dd has started a rather obsession with firemen... She squeals when she hears the fireman sam song, any sirens that go off`and walks about in ds's fireman helmet. It's very cute. She has also taken to waking up at 4 am screaming blue murder for an hour for no identifiable reason. Not so cute!

Hurray for Joseph walking! I love Gallop its great. Ds took a page apart to see how it worked (!).