June 08 - 42 days til Christmas, and Deb is coming home!!

[KnittingisbetterthanTherapy]

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Hi again, BG have been and gone and I have hot water again - yay! It would of course have been just as quick (and considerably cheaper) to get a local tradesman, but it does mean that we have had the boiler serviced and we have cover for the next year. Given that we're prone to random maintenance problems in our house it's probably wise in the year that we're thinking of putting it on the market!

Of course I've now forgotten everything that has been posted.

Amber, good news on the babies' weight.

Dewin - good news about Karen, but given that I've been off work all week with a similar ailment to Iestyn I'm also giving you a stern stare .

Sorry to read about the constipation woes

Sybil - sorry that you're worried about J's speech. I remember being mildly concerned a wee while ago when lots of the toddlers on here where chatting away. S has only become really chatty fairly recently.

Rolf - I think I'd be quite furious with your DD's teacher btw. I'd find it quite insulting tbh.

Is deb back in the UK now? I lost track of her travel plans. I wonder how they're all settling in!

What, Leo, were you teething? (Seriously - it was called teething for nursery's benefit. But I myself had the runs too, so probably not just teething...)
Great news about the boiler though - the right approach, I think.

I'm booked in now! MW is sending me for an early scan, but reckons I probably am only 7 weeks - she couldn't feel the placenta or anything. But she did say I could have lost a twin, or have had random bleeding.

Rolf we love islabikes.co.uk!

Leo We were very not impressed with British Gas so we went with a local plumber - but we have a really good building company in the village so we get good tradespeople. British Gas's suggestions for which boiler to spec when we got ours replaced really didn't impress my machinery engineer of a husband (who used to design heating systems for large hospitals etc - he knows what he's talking about there). It would be worth asking around to see if you know anyone locally that you could use...

dewin :) great news about an early scan. Under the circumstances it makes a lot of sense!

Sorry I've been awol - Fraser and I were away visiting friends this weekend which was lovely. They have a 7 month old and a small house so we couldn't all descend on them but it was great to have a weekend just with F. He really missed DS1 though and spontaneously burst into tears once because of it - he's far more attached to his brother than either of us (fair enough).

I completely misread your last sentence then AH and thought you meant that DS2 was more attached to DS1 then you were . Lovely to watch isn't it ? M's eyes light up when he sees his big brother and the first person A asks for on waking up is M .

Great news about the pgs Dewin and Amber .

Oh you know I told you about my friend who was 7cm dilated and yet no sign of labour - she ended up going to hospital cos she started feeling twinges but still nothing. Turned out she was so 'backed up' the baby couldn't come out - one enema later and within two minutes she was in full blown labour and one hour later DD2 arrived!

knitting sometimes I wonder :) They are like two halves of a whole sometimes...

Regarding boiler maintenance contracts: I used to work for one of BG's main competitors as a pricing analyst. I know how amazingly profitable the contracts are for the energy companies so personally wouldn't touch them, unless I couldn't afford the cost of getting the boiler repaired/serviced as needed, or as in Leo's case it was an old boiler and I was confident of needing to use them alot.

Rolf - yesterday was fine thanks. This morning I had to take W back to the hospital for repeat bloods to check kidney function and to get his distended stomach looked at by a paed. All good news though. The paed also agrees his tummy is a funny shape, but no-one can find any other cause for concern. I just have to keep an eye on him. It was a bit of a frenetic morning though (nursery run first): by ten am the matron of the maternity unit was feeding me chocolate bourbons as I was shakey!

You've confirmed everything I thought about these type of contracts Spider! Normally I wouldn't touch them, but with a nearly 7 year old boiler and tentative plans to put the house on the market next year, it would be just our luck for the whole thing to go kaput! The 'service' of the radiators seemed to consist of feeling the radiators to see if they were warm though

Glad that you had good news at the paeds too. at the matron feeding you choc bourbons!

Abdn - glad you had a good weekend. Awww, at F missing his brother. Have you got snow yet? Anyone else got snow?

We're having a v small Christmas gathering on Sunday (the nearest date that we can all do before Christmas!). 6 adults and 3 toddlers (including us). Can I ask for input into menu/activities?

We'd like to do hot food for grown ups and a finger food picnic for the littlies and try and have a bit of a festive theme. So far I have:

Mulled wine (for grown ups obv) and mini mince pies on arrival
Goulash, rice, crusty bread for grown ups

My finger food picnic so far has:

Christmas tree shaped sandwiches
Star shaped cheesy biscuits
mini apple pies
...erm, that's it.

I'm going to see if I can download some christmas colouring in sheets and put them out with some collage type bits for a bit of gluing. Anything else that's a bit festive but not requiring loads of adult help or too messy? We're not short of toys, so I suspect the children will be quite happy playing mostly.

spider what shape is W's tummy? Fraser's is a bit odd too but I think that's just him. It also gets unbelievably distended at dinner and then slims down overnight - although my initial panic about that missed the fact that he actually has shockingly bad posture (he's now taking yoga, AIBRidiculous to hope that might help?).

I've got snow - lots and I'm a bit worried about how to get to work tomorrow! Hopefully the bus will be running okay as it was slushy and now the roads are completely snow covered so I suspect they'll be skating rinks in the morning.

Leo I bet the kids will be happy playing but what about tissue paper snow men? Scrunch bits of tissue paper into a ball and glue on white circles... Or decorating paper Christmas Stockings? They both involve glue though...

Leo - have the supermarkets got boxes of gingerbread Xmas trees that the kids could ice with Dr Oetker tubes of icing, jelly tots etc?

AH - W's tummy is a bit egg shaped between the bottom of his ribs and his pelvis. It feels nice a soft though. If it was rock hard or if they could feel his organs or not hear his bowels moving then they would be concerned.

spider Fraser's is sort of off center and it looks like you can see his tummy muscles - so different than what you're describing... I think if he grows up to be fit his six pack will be crooked...

Also Leo - I wouldn't expect a boiler to fail at
7 years. Aren't they meant to have more like a 20 year life expectancy? Unless modern ones ( is it condensing?) are known to last less well.

My knowledge of boilers is pretty much zilch Spider but I had a wee search on Professor Google, and it seems that 10 years isn't unrealistic for modern boilers. Given our house builders track record (badly fitted windows, dodgy plumbing, etc etc) I wouldn't be surprised if the boiler started breaking down regularly.

Thanks for the suggestions Abdn. I found some nice plain Christmas tree shapes and I have a load of tissue paper and christmas stickers so I suspect that'll keep them happy for a while. Do toddlers prefer pritt stick type things for glue stuff or am I better to put some PVA glue out with the little spreader sticks? [clueless] I should ask what they use at nursery.

glue sticks!!!! from a mess point of view...

Maybe we were just lucky when we replaced our boiler which dated from the early eighties. It still worked well although not energy efficient! Or possibly things aren't made as well these days as they used to be.

AH didn't F have a hernia? Did his tummy look odd before that? A hernia is one of the things they were checking for today. Esther had one too didn't she?

Fraser had an inguinal hernia which sort of popped out into his scrotum - much lower than his tummy and I think E's was the same (obviously not into a scrotum though) But since we saw all the registrars for that, I'm not really that worried about his tummy.

Quick post cos got toddlers mauling the keyboard! DG, the BG contract sounds alright, can you cancel after a year? I hate that type of thing (is why BG's profits are so high) but if you're going to use it which you already have it could work out in your favour. DH's cousin fitted a new boiler for us - £1,200. BG's quote was £3,500!

I have booked T and E into pre-school for 2 afternoons a week from January. Can't wait to get rid of them . Nah, of course not , but now they are not having a nap at lunch the days are long and tiring!

The DTs will always ask for each other if they are apart (which is rare). When DH is in the car with the Dts and I am locking up the house, Esther continually says 'waiting for mummy' 'waiting for mummy' in a really pleading voice as if she is scared DH is going to drive off without me [cute] - it's funny cos she hardly pays me any attention when we are together!

Amber, great news about the twins.

Well that wasn't such a quick post after all

This morning MN wouldn't load on my iPhone and suddenly there is a mobile version of the site up and running .

My boys (writing that is weird but nice) have decided to up the ante on whether Mummy can look after two of us. P started the day by being sick for the first time ever. Firstly in his cot, then by retching in our bed, then over my shoulder. W then decided he could contribute by peeing on me and the carpet when I was changing his nappy. This was all before 9am! It was ok until 30 mins ago when P woke W by shoving his germ ridden fingers in W's mouth, and then bashing him over the head with a toy. Peace seems to have broken out, and P has eaten a cereal bar and not been sick since 7am. DH has tomorrow off work so I am just aiming for the end of the day!

I am an idiot but I think we have a new baby! Check Facebook! Is Biscuits Laura?

Yes, DD2 has arrived . They both look well.

spider, we're full of cold so let me know about tomorrow - we might be best to postpone although I was looking forward to a newborn cuddle .

Knitting - yes I sent you a text saying as much first thing. Did you get it?? We have colds too, and my dippy hv is insisting on visiting tomorrow as well.

Loving the photos of baby biscuits. How sweet.

ooh oooh oooh! BIscuits has had her baby, and it's a girl with a similar name to T . Don't they all look gorgeous? Why does this have to happen when I'm seeing DH tomorrow night for the first time in a week and I'm mid-cycle

Well done Biscuits. She's beautiful

Congratulations Biscuits! She's beautiful (and you look very well too - did you manage to put lipstick on and comb your hair before the photo? I am hugely impressed, I can't even do that on a normal day!)

We still have all those 5 syllable names lined up Rolf, someone's got to use them!

Thanks everyone - posting from phone so will be brief! We're doing fine, staying in an extra night so hopefully pox girl will be fully crusted and able to meet her new sister.

sybil yep, put on some make up to disguise looking like death - had planned ahead and packed a tiny makeup bag as last time I had to delete a lot of photos that DH had felt appropriate to share with people!

Dorothy is sleeping like a dream - fingers crossed this continues!

LOL at the make up bag. I contemplated this too. In the end I was lucky in that on the day of W's birth I had bothered to blow dry my hair in the morning (unusual for me). Having had a short labour I still looked semi ok for photos.

You sound v happy Biscuits. Hope you have a good night and that D sleeps for you.

Yay biscuits and lol at the make up bag .

Although I am the woman who had her roots dyed 12hrs before going into labour with A so who am I to talk .

(Still love those first pics and I know I would have noticed if all my grey had been showing! ).