June 08 - 79 days (and counting) til Christmas, has Deb started her shopping yet?!

[KnittingisbetterthanTherapy]

Thought we should update the thread!

deb it's never simple is it? Hope things are working out though...

Spider :)

rolf hope your friend is okay

dewin you're very relaxed, I'd be going crazy wondering how many weeks I was.

Knitting I'm glad M's been discharged (and my two have never been at 25%ile since they were 3 months old - good work) but sorry to hear about your fibroid.

Good news here - I've been offered a permanent part time staff job at work :) It's a pay cut compared to the contract but it's secure and 3 days a week and it's on a great system where there's a base salary that everyone's on (decent in my case, pittance for the top guys) and then we get a proportion of the money we're billed out for as a bonus if that's more than your salary. It means my bonus amount should start to grow over the next few years (I expect it'll be close to zero to start with as the rate I'm currently billed out at would be a teeny tiny bonus). After struggling on a union system where promotion was impossible and my supervisors were frustrated they couldn't pay me more, this is so much more appealing.

The only negative is there's no pension - so I'll just need to work a bit harder to make more money so I can buy myself one...

Spider how exciting! I had a sweep at 2-3 with Caitlin and 6 hours later she was with us - can't wait to hear news!

Breakfast conversation between my children - what is wrong with this picture?

2 year old daughter: "I am just taking Daddy some crisps. I will come and have breakfast, after I had a crisp."

4 year old son, in response: "Willies! I said, willies!"

Systems - nothing that dramatic here. 14 hours later and sitting eating my breakfast. Ho humm...

Dewin - yes dilated . You have to be a little dilated for a sweep to even be possible. I had a sweep last time at 40+10 ish which did nothing and ended up with induction and emcs.

I have just had a moan on a sleep thread about early waking. I hate it when the clocks change. P incapable of resetting himself by an hour. He was the same last Autumn until about Xmas. I think I am going to sleep in the spare room in the basement tonight and let DH handle the 5am howling.

AH so pleased about your job news. Don't all employers have to provide a stakeholder pension or is that not the case in Scotland? I used to know this from my work but seem to have forgotten. DGT will know.

Deb - what a pain on the school buses! How come there isn't a place? What a shame.

Aberdeen - great news about the job

Systems - hmmm not sure what to make of that one!!

Spider - my MW said that in order for a sweep to be effective you have to be almost entirely ready to go into labour on your own anyway (which to me kind of defeats the object). I had 3 last time, none of which did anything at all except make lots of horridness in my pants. I think once you have fully dilated once, you never go back to normal, I think you are always 1cm. Are you ready Spider, I mean if you did go into labour now?

I need to get my labour bag ready. I need one for the local hospital and a totally different one if I get to go private. Things like flip flops for the shower, nappies, milk, bottles (assuming I can't breastfeed which is likely), a towel, pads and disposable knickers - I have nowt! I'll need a skip to put everything in there's so much for two babies!!

Abdn that's great about the job .

*Spider" hope you keep us updated with every twinge!

Can someone remind me of the due dates of these babies? Spider's first, right? When is your c-section booked, Amber? When is Biscuits due?

Dewin how are you feeling today? So excited for you!

Rolf -
Me: 11th
Biscuits: about 10 days after that I think
Amber & Penguin: January

Thanks Spider. That's really soon! I guess you know that though .

Where's Penguin?

Very exciting!

Rolf I think my c section will be around 10th Jan fingers crossed!

spider I think the idea of a mandatory pension is just being implemented now - but it's not going to be enough anyways will it? I think it's just about a 6% total contribution.

And yes, the clocks changing has completely screwed Fraser up. He was sleeping 12.5 hours a night and waking at 8am. He's now sleeping 11 hours and waking at 6:30 (pretty much going to bed an hour later and waking at the same time).

systems I love how kids like to have completely random conversations...

systems funny kids!
rolf I'm due on 22nd.
abdn Great news about your job.
deb the race is on, will you be back in the UP before my baby arrives? probably

got to dash - more socialising to squeeze in this afternoon!

Praise the Lord! I have just found a feature length Thomas "on demand". Despite having been to a soft play this morning for about 3 hours P has determinedly stayed awake all the way home yelling "eat" at me (he had had lunch). I now have a rather placid looking child on the sofa. No sign of sleep though

Amber - I am ready enough to not really miss anything if I did go into labour now. Good enough for me. I only packed the hospital bag last weekend.

AH I am sure you're right about the pension. I have seen it discussed on the news in the last week. I wonder what I was thinking of.

I looked it up - since 2002 or something employers have to make a stakeholder pension available to staff to contribute to - but not contribute themselves. It's in 2012 that employers and staff have to start contributing.

Wow good news week- well done ah, Rolf, dgit, going dew in and deb. Also had clock unsettled girl here so lack of posting but do lurk.

Knitting have two friends who had or about to have babies with major fibroids so it's not impossible.

Amber why two bags? Surely you only get a few bits like nappies in portland and bulk of it like kit for babies you will need.

Dgt yep it's big australia trip- go early next month for a month.

Oh and can't remember if posted but miscarriage tests came back borderline for blood clot issue so am waiting for retest but doe give some idea of treatment if get pregnant again. Seeing consultant for results in 10 days.

Fireworks really loud anywhere else?

Morning all. H&S - glad you're getting tests and hope you're doing ok. Are you looking forward to your trip? A nice month in the sun while we shiver! Jealous, much? No, not me...

Am looking forward to a weekend of not studying. Have lots of chores to do but at least they don't involve textbooks!

Crikey, did I kill the thread?

Looks that way...

Went to a fireworks display last night. P seemed to handle the bangs better than alot of his peers. As a result he didn't get to bed until 10.30. He still woke at 6 and slept in our bed till 7.... I think I need more sleep than him. Crazy.

Had my first "any baby news" text this morning Something is definitely happening: feeling decidedly twingey this morning.

ooh twingey sounds good

Yes twingey good- don't think its you dgt but weekend always quieter as people busy. And yes am really looking forward to trip- went shopping for bits for trips and Xmas presents earlier. Having painful time with e and tantrums both yesterday and today- I know its age and usually when tired or hungry (yesterday it was as she had no nap as fell asleep 10 mins later And today was due to slightly delayed lunch). Am taking the warning then confiscation of treat or take her home rather than time out. Any thoughts on better methods- i dont think time out means as much as losing out on something she wants as she is quite happy to potter alone and would just mess about.

Ooh. exciting spider, I'm sure it will be soon.

Why does 'firework night' now seem to last about 2 weeks? It should be illegal any other night than Nov. 5th (stroppy old gimmer emoticon)

Sounds promising spider. Keep us posted!

H&S glad you are getting somewhere with investigations, and trip sounds amazing!

C absolutely loved the fireworks on Friday night. We went out for tea - apparently this was 'just like the tiger who came to tea!' and then got the subway into town which she hadn't done before and really enjoyed. As for the actual fireworks, she was totally enraptured and spent the journey home demanding 'more fireworks Daddy!' She didn't get to bed until after 9, and miraculously decided to sleep in until 9am!

we put the new buggy together last night. C was very excited and wanted to ride around the house in it with her teddy sitting in the other seat!

That's so sweet Biscuits, Ethan loves the tiger who came to tea too

Sybil not just two weeks - it Basically goes on til Xmas now at weekends. Biscuits that is very cute( and does that mean you have most stuff ready now?). Tiger is popular here but nothing displaces meg and mog. I have to spend a good deal of time being a cat or an owl.

Hi all, just back from hols and had a quick scan over the last two weeks - congrats Dewin!! Fingers crossed all goes well. 3yrs gap will be perfect - I sometimes feel a bit guilty that I had Daniel only 2yrs after the twins... I think if I'd waited till next year the twins would have been at pre-school and I would have had more time for all three. It feels a bit selfish sometimes that I had Daniel at the time I wanted rather than when was best for them, but I think they will survive and I didn't realise what I was doing until it was too late!

Congrats Deb on the house sale and Going on the wedding!

Amber, would be great to have the twins in the Portland. Mine were born 36+5 and didn't need special care. 37.5wks should be safe as houses. A scan before your section will show how well they are doing, so you should be pretty sure whether or not they will need SCBU. Exciting stuff!

We had a great holiday, the caravan was great, very comfortable, warm, clean, the site was great, the kids loved the pool and the soft play area. We went for a few lunches, trips to a Monkey sanctuary and Cardiff Bay. The weather was pretty good considering it was October. I think we will definitely go back there - I reckon we spent about £1200 all in cos self-catered mostly. Cheap as chips. Might go for one week in march for £600 or so - bargain.

Good Morning!!

A baby boy, 8lb 11oz arrived at 22.51 on Sunday 7 November. No name yet . He looks just like Peter and is very gorgeous indeed.

Caught the midwife by surprise as the hypnobirthing seemed to convince everyone that not much was going on . Will post more later when I get my head together to give you a sensible account. Despite the "easy" birth he has a bit of a temp and so is on anti-biotics which will probably mean a few days in hospital.

Spider congratulations . You clever sausage! I guess those twinges did mean something! So glad it went well, and I hope they sort out his temp quickly so you can both come home.

I thought you were having a boy, even though I knew you hadn't found out! ! Can't wait to hear his name.