Dec 2007 - Little People, Large Strops

[strandedatseasonsgreetings]

Will this do everyone?

Buzzy- loads of sympathy on many counts but mostly your poor dd1 that is so awful. What an arse - how can someone move away from their child and then not do everything humanely possible to keep in touch with them regularly? I just don't get it. Also on the post-trauma feelings - I do know what you mean as it was a bit like that post Hurricane Tomas in St Lucia. Also, after the Haiti quake - I think it affects you a lot more the closer you are to it. Japan is, of course, still in the news here (vying with Libya) but they seem to be concentrating more on the nuclear stuff. That is of course awful but there must be so many people going through such an appalling time at the moment, you don't want them to be forgotten. There was something on the radio yesterday about a journalist who went to a school where a class had sat in silence for 6 days waiting for someone to come and pick them up. He wasn't allowed in in case the sound of the door opening gave them false hope. It is literally heartbreaking.

buzzy for your DD1 - I must admit I am really shocked even though you had told us about how awful ex-H could be. Like clara I just cannot understand how a parent could do that. How do you explain it to her?

macdoodle - hello! Sorry to hear about your new DP - I think you'd just met him when you last posted on here. Glad to hear DDs are doing well though - please come back and post more, it's nice to hear from you

clairey - any news from your sis? Is she going to come back to the UK as suggested by govn? Must be so awful to be there and how terrifying that she was in Sendai just the day before.

beckle - thanks for asking, referral hasn't come through yet. You are right re google - I have now stepped away! DS1 properly played (fireman Sam) with a little girl in his class yesterday - it actually made me shed a tear in the middle of the playground because he's NEVER done it before. That's so interesting that you can still see traits your DS1 had as a toddler now that he is 10. (also can't BELIEVE he is TEN - teenage years just round the corner...)

clara/BT/Caz - I LOVE having mine in bed with us although the older two never come in now There is nothing lovelier than a gorgeous chubby little face right there when you wake up - we will miss it when they are older and will barely hug us, let alone sleep in our bed!

DS2 much better, just teething now [sigh]

Buzzy - aww I am sooo for your poor dd1, how thoughtless and heartless is your ex-H

Skidd - absolutely agree love waking up to DS

Beckle - poor dd, glad she is finally on the mend.

Caz - that is very reassuring. DS had a bad day, started off well with a wee and a poo on the potty before nursery but only went on the toilet once at school and did 2 wees and and a poo in his pants.

Buzzy don't blame you one bit, for leaving your DD in pull-ups - you have had so much to contend with lately. How is your tummy doing, is it healing up nicely?

BTW - do your 3yos call you and your DPs by their first name? DS has started doing this, usually when he can't see us and is looking for us. DS just came into the house with DH and DS was saying "Where's Kara*??" LOL!

I remember a few weeks ago shouting up the stairs for DH to come down to the phone and Ds was also stood at the bottom shouting "LEE*!!! LEE!!"

*Obviously not our real names

When we are with friends Dd calls me Auntie "caz10"!

Woohoo!! DS managed to have an accident free day!

We went to see some friends and go out for lunch, they live 90mins from us. He slept most of the way there and back but didn't wee in his sleep (we put a nappy on him on the way there but not the way back). He did very well! There was a play area at the pub where we ate, he did a wee in his potty before we went to pub and did another one on the potty when we got back to our friends' house. He did absolutely brilliant
He did do a ginormous poo on the potty at our house in the morning which probably helped!!

Skid - sounds like DS might be working through the whole social dynamic in his own way. The "theory of mind" thing is not supposed to kick in before 4 years - so he probably expects all the other kids to love Fireman Sam too!

OK have posted a couple of photos of tummy, taken last weekend, on my MN public profile - for a short time only!

Miracle - ex-H skyped DD1 on Sat evening. TG. Although didn't stop her having another meltdown on Sunday. I think she's been hoping he'd change his mind these last 6 months and is now just realising that's unlikely :(

Brilliant work to BT's DS! DD2 now goes wees if I sit her on the toilet - e.g. before bath. I think I will give undies another go from this weekend.

DD2 doesn't call me by my first name but she has taken to shortening everyone's names - Lenny (dog) has become "Len", Lolly (cat) is "Lol", her sister is "Iz" and so on. Somewhat perversely she calls me "Mum-a".

ooh buzzy - looks great I would like to see some 'before' shots for comparison purposes but understand why you might not want to put them up! Anyway, whatever the before was like, the after looks brill - you must be really pleased.

I think that's the first time I've looked at your profile - your DDs are so lovely - DD1 looks really like you, doesn't she?

Re my DS1, yes I think he is slowly learning about social interaction - although all Fireman Sam related atm! Have a meeting with his teacher on Wed so I'll see what she has to say...

BT - yay on accident-free day

RE calling you by first name, both my older two have gone through a stage of this - think it is just a stage when they start to realise that you are not 'mummy' to everyone. DS1 currently calls me Penny (female firefighter from Fireman Sam) or "Station Officer Mummy"

Wow buzzy looks really good!

Am really proud of ds, one day last week I threw away a couple of dummies because he'd chewed them and explained I wasn't going to buy him any more so the one he had was his last one. Told him that when he was ready to stop having it I would buy him a present. On friday morning he got up and brought his dummy downstairs, asked if the lorry was coming and then put his dummy in the bin for them to take away. Hasn't asked for it since! But I now have to buy him a telescope apparently.

Hi macdoodle

Both dc think it is funny to call me by my name. And to tell me off whilst using my name.

Have some new contacts in and they feel funny and can't see as well as normal, will type more tomorrow when I have some others in and am not squinting at the screen!

Buzzy - your tummy looks fantastic. You must be really pleased. I had seen pics of your dd's before but not you - I agree you look so like dd1! But not what I thought you looked like, don't know why.

Skid - sounds like things might e slowly improving with ds1, it'll be interesting to see what his teacher says. Have just worked out the Penny reference when you said that is what he wanted to be called!

I usually just called called Mummmmmmeeee by dd2, ocassionally I might get "poo poo". She is going through a ridiculous questioning stage though - "Mummmyyyyy? How do you make....bowls?" "Mummmmyyyyy? How do you make...fences? Mummmyyyyy? How do you make....snails? Mummmyyyy? Why do you need...teeth? Mummmyyyyy? Why do you need....mouths?" etc etc etc ad infinitum, The "How do you make people" questions have been interesting!

Dd1 lost her first tooth. You get £1 from the fairy these days round here! She'll be richer than me soon....

Clairey, well done to your DS! I'm hoping DD2 will miraculously do that with pull-ups...LOL!!

This article is about my sister's husband! www.nzherald.co.nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10714064&ref=mobile

Skidd/Clara I thought I was "friends" with one or both of you on FB? But I must say I sometimes struggle to match up RL names to MN names! If you look at the FB photos of me in Bali there are a couple there (not posted on FB by me, but I'm tagged in them) which give a fairly good idea of what my tummy "roll" was like pre-op. I am very pleased with how its starting to look now its settling down properly.

Buzzy - your tummy looks great!
Wow you all must be very proud of your BIL

Clairey - yey well done for DS giving up his dodie, and with the pull ups!

Stranded - we have very similar conversations with DS, tends to be more 'Who'?
'Who made out house?' 'Who made your car?' 'Who made our plates?' 'Who made our cat?' that sort of thing!

Blimey, should we be getting shares in Tooth Fairy Enterprises?

Hi BT - yes he's certainly done pretty well for himself, from starting out as a graduate with the local Unilver company here in Wellington about 25 years ago. Definitely the "company" man.

Oh yes I forgot to say congrats to your ds for giving up his dummy voluntarily clairey - you must be very pleased. I only wish dd2 would be as sensible. She has only had it at night for a long time but seems as addicted to it as ever....

Good for your BIL Buzzy, are they moving to Europe? I don't think I am friends with you on FB? How do I become your friend - I could message you with my real name?

Right sorry buzzy I have been really thick - of course I am already friends with you on FB! You've just got short hair in your profile pic.

Honestly I would forget my head these days if it wasn't screwed on (goes away muttering to herself)

Stranded - I can check for you as I know both your names?

Just checked and you are friends already!

Clara I was sure he'd never give it up, would have had it in his mouth all day if I'd let him. Am shocked at how easy it has been, even though it was his decision I was still expecting him to ask for it or not go to sleep or something!

DS occasionally still asks for his even though he gave it up at Xmas
Again it is him sometimes wanting to be a baby still - he even says to me sometimes "I'm a tiny baby!" Bless him, he is such a sweetie.

Echo echo echo echo echo......

helllooooo-oh can you hear me claaaa-rah? It is a bit empty, isn't it?

I'm here!
About to go and make myself a nice chamomile tea though [loser]

Clara have you ever been to @bristol? I hadn't been before but there was a toddler day there today that I took ds to with my friend and her boys. Worth a visit.

I'm here too, albeit always posting from an out of syc time zone!
Have put DD2 back in undies today and so far so compliant - as in I have taken her to the loo every hour and she has complied...very excited to be wearing undies. Long may that last.
Bit of a grizzly grey day here today - winter is on its way :(
Dog howled at the "super moon" last week - very weird.
feeling very tired this weekend, don't know why. Maybe its the moon effect!
Have been given a piano by my parents - they are moving into a smaller house. Really nice! Will now have to encourage one of the DDs to take lessons - or maybe I could

How are things in NZ now? Not much in the news since the Japanese Quake
DS has been having nothing but poo accidents all week :( But then last night he did a poo in the potty!!! He is really good with wee, hasn't had a a wee accident for nearly a week now. So hoping last night is a sign he is getting to grips with pooing on the potty!

Glad there's still life in this thread!

Clairey - we took the dd's to @Bristol before we went to St Lucia. I thought it was great, especially the make-your-own animation bit upstairs, but it was quite expensive and perhaps the dd's were a little young for it at the time. I am sure we'll go again at some point but not sure I can face the crowds at Easter (which is actually true for most things, but I will have to do something with them as the holiday seems to go on FOREVER this year, what with the wretched wedding and all...)

Dh off on another overseas trip tomorrow...couldn't get an evening flight so he has to leave at 10am...Very annoying. I'm meeting a friend at our local farm park - hoping to see a lamb being born!

Otherwise not much going on here. Start my course on Wednesday though, quite excited about that.