March 2010. A lesson for much of life: Shut the door. Find the corkscrew.

[Arcadie]

Happy Christmas MMMs. This is my gift to you!

MELK your dream sounds just brilliant if not very random heehee

Marking place - back later .

Yes, pixie comfortably holed up in the hotel still - although did go out earlier to get the footie pj's DD wants. They're like sleepsuits babies wear, but bigger (obviously) and I don't think they're available in the uk (unless a 'specialty' shop for, um, adult babies...) so she'll be chuffed. All being good - and i've no reason to think it'll be otherwise - we take off 8.55 our time, so should land 8.40pm home time. So should land 8.40pm home Also, pixie perhaps you have a bit more breathing space this time as it's a singleton? Being tall, too... But still. You need A Plan. This is not a completely serious idea but how about a game of charades where every single title (all written on folded paper ready to be picked and acted...) has 'baby' in the title... Then you do the final one which will be a variation of 'i'm pregnant!'? Yeah, I know... All these calories i'm consuming here are turning me in to a dolt!

Evening, all, well, 'back later' turned into the next day, sorry!

Pixie, yeah at scan news ! I am very pleased for you - and a tiny bit envious, but only in theory . I was sorry to hear DD2 did not make it home for Santa - hope she is continuing to settle though. As far as telling the others goes: just Tell Them. Go on. No fanfares, no cermoney, just one dinnertime or another or whenever you have them all together (is DD1 at home for her Christmas holidays?) say: 'You lucky sods, there will be another Pixilette/Pixilino in the summer'. They will be stunnded, I am sure - oh, I wish I could be a fly on the wall... Good luck!

Melk, I hope the dreaded pox are now over and done with. Loved your dream - brilliant!

Manda, there are worse places you could be stuck in - enjoy!

Hi, Valium, hope you feel better by now. And hello, Afribaby, hope you had a sunny Christmas. And hello to scooby if you are still lurking .

Arcadie, it was lovely to meet up with all of you - I think even DH now believes that MNs are actual Real People . And your kids are so calm well behaved compared to my hooligans .

heckle, very happy, very very belated birthday! I know what you mean, though, and I totally agree...

I really hope everybody had a lovely, peacful, merry Christmas spent with those you wanted to spend it with.

We had a lovely time at BIL's outside York with my DH's entire family (his mum, all sibs and cousins). BIL bravely cooked for all (goose - prepared in the Aga, yum!) and all 14 of us slept at theirs. It was noisy, fun and exhausting. Joe's sleep was beyond description awful (1 hr and 5 min was the longest stretch of uninterrupted sleep I had - not that I was clockwatching or anything...), but since our return he slept really well last night (after minimal CC, admittedly) and went to bed without a whimper tonight . So, after hourly wakenings with who-knows-how-many-feeds we seem to be back to 1 feed overnight
DS1 and 2 had a great time with their teenaged cousins (major hero whorshipping going on there), DS3 has been v v funny and Joe is crawling and pulling himself up. Which unfortunatly also ment that when he slipped trying to stand at a coffe table he went down hard, bumped his head and sported some fetching steri-strips in time to meet Arcadie... I was so impressed that SIL not only had steristrips in the house, but even knew where to find them. The fact that the darling child's father handed me the diry dishcloth to stem the flow of blood is another story . Anyhoo, it is now 3 days ago, the cut looks really good and Joe is not bothered at all about it.

Who else thinks that we owe it to the legend that is Pixie to all show up when her No6 has arrived to help wet the baby's head ?? MMMM 3rd edition- me thinks.
BTW, is there a planning thread for a Feb Birmingham one? If not, why not??

Right, there is Ben+Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream to be eaten here - toodles.

Hi all - been to Lincoln and back since last catch up. Seen sis and BIL. Discovered that the HUGE Once-in-a-lifetime all of us together paid for by the parents holiday for me and bro and sis and all the families has now been cancelled due to birth plans just before we go away. The very smallest part of me is (because they'd like to rearrange it for term time - the year that DS1 starts school) but mostly I'm just so thrilled for my bro that it's aaaaallllll good.

Pacific - your kids were astoundingly cool - so grown up and happy to play with each other and mine. And DS3 is just EDIBLY cute. Hope Joe's feeling better for being back in his own house - he'll have a manly rugged scab over his eye for a couple of weeks and be driving the ladies wild!

Pixie So glad the DCs took the news well. Good on you for telling them.

Melk How did you know we all dressed as D&D characters? Get well soon vibes to Thea - bless her she looked properly covered on the FB photo.

Simeon is snotty, not eating well and therefore not sleeping well, but otherwise totally scrumptious. Has taken to shaking his head vigourously which amuses him and the other 2. Show off.

I'm home!

Back... sometime soon. We'll see if jetlag hits; if so it could be about 2am...

Hello lovely ladies.

We are back home. I think we need a holidays from our holidays... so many people to see, parties and food - OMG, to much food! :)
DS has a nasty cold, high fever since Xmas day and an ear infection. Took him this morning to the GP and she prescribed AB (again) :(

Good news: the biopsy came has benign

I'll try to catch up later.

x

evitas I'm so pleased about your biopsy result, you must be so relieved :) Sorry to hear DS is under the weather again, hope the antibiotics work quickly.

Rindercella if you're lurking, big hugs. I've been thinking of you a lot, I hope DH is doing OK and that you're feeling more positive. Here's hoping 2011 is a better year.

Pixie I'm glad the DCs took the news of their impending baby brother/sister well. How is DD2 doing?

Melk your dream was mental Hope poor pox-ridden DD is recovering, bless her wee cotton socks.

Arcadie and Pacific I am very of your playdate. I'd be up for the Brum meet in Feb (and a re-run of the London MMM if that's in the works too)

Valium I hope you're getting over the flu. From FB it sounds like you've been crazy busy over Christmas (loved the sprout cake!); I hope you've had a chance to get some rest.

Manda I hope you're back on British soil, or at leat well on your way over the Atlantic.

siamese and Dalrymps hope you've managed to get some rest today, and fingers crossed for a better night tonight.

Isobel has been so spoiled these past few weeks, by both sets of grandparents. To her credit though she's been incredibly cute and mostly very well-behaved as well. In the past few weeks she's started saying Mama and Baba, clapping and waving properly, blowing kisses, and is cruising very nicely. She's still not steady enough for standing unaided for more than a couple of seconds, but she crawls at lightning pace now!

to everyone else. Any exciting plans for New Year's Eve? We'll be having a quiet one. Can't believe it's almost 2011... it'll be our babies' first birthdays before we know it.

Hi all

God I'm stuffed! So much choccie!!

pixie congrats on scan and telling the DCs. Hope your day picked up.

evitas hooray re biopsy.

pd DD like Joe is feeding just once a night now after months of hell so I'm living in hope too! She sometimes wakes twice though.

melk oh poor little baby with her spots!

sarah are you a midwife? Hope the broodiness has passed!

We had a lovely time at xmas staying with MIL for a week with all the cooking and washing done for us. DD was a little star and started to walk with her little wooden cart, also started to clap, lots of singing (as in la la wa wa but along with the music), dancing and passing things back and forth and kissing. Amazing the developments day by day. Ah sure I sound like a boasting mama. Not meaning to be, tis just so cute.

Anyone else considering getting a stage 2 rear facing carseat? Never even heard of them until yesterday and now wishing I hadn't as one more bloody decision!! Arghhhhhhh!!!!

Anyway NYE...well me , DH and the scrabble board I suppose though hoping to meet friends for drinks in the daytime.

morning :) urgh..

a week or so of very bad nights and early mornings while at my parents (running away from frozen pipes) and Im so tired I think Im halluciinating! However, after some thought yesterday, Dh and I are on Operation Sleep Train, and this started with taking PD's advice and seperating feeding from sleeping at bedtime, which meant for us, leaving the light on for feeding, then switching off and putting in cot and shushing to sleep which didnt take long. (this is a retrograde step though, I used to be able to put her down awake for naps and bed and she would go off alone - Ive no idea what happened!) So this was quite sucessful in that she then didmt wake until 3am, so I gave her a quick feed and again shushed her in her cot. But now shes woken at 6am and Im still knackered! (DH snoring and wheezing doesnt help) Still, now I need to work out whether to drop all night feeds..

Donttry where can you proudly tell us about your DD if not here? Sounds lovely at MIL's :) My DD is also walking with her walker, and waves. She rather excitingly said 'No' the other day too, in context but then I was concerned - clearly i say 'no' alot!! She likes a bop along to music too :)

Manda was thinking about you stuck in New York . BTW you can get 'onesies' in Primark! I always wonder about going to the loo in them tho - you'd have to undress completely!

RKD wow at the speed of your DB and DSil conception. That means they actually had sex within 6 months of DC1!!

Melk poor spotty DD2 I hope she is feeling better today.

Sarah Did you watch One Born at Christmas too? I wa a little broody then, but also so thankful DD was full term and healthy.

Pixie how was hospital Christmas? is there another date for DD2 to come home? How did you tell her about DC6? Are you going to find out the sex this time? How's your Orangery coping in the frost? Questions Questions..!

Heckle wow at stopping BF and then starting after 2 weeks or so! Arent boobs amazing? Have you stopped again? I hope they are feeling better. I have hideously cracked nipples again, like Ive got a newborn? Her latch has changed and I cant work out how to fix this..

ooo gotta go bbl..

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and wanted to be one of the first to wish you all Happy New Year!

melk hope spotty is on the mend

pixie great that you have told your DC about the pregnancy. Hope DD2 continues to improve and is home soon.

heckle how are the boobs? am impressed that your boobs were able to feed again after 2 weeks. They never cease to amaze me these boobies. Mine are like empty pockets after 3 weeks since stopping BF

siamese rubbish that your xmas has involved frozen pipes and poor sleep. Glad you have seen some improvement with sleep training. I say stop the night feeds, My DS adjusted really well to my refusing to feed him. Three weeks in of stopping bf altogether and he is taking decent amounts of formula from his cup/bottle and still sleeping through.

RKD also wow at your DB and SIL!

donttry rear facing stage 2 seat- did consider it and got myself all in a tizzy about rear facing to isofix or not to isofix. In the end just got the appropriately named maxi cosi tobi cos it was on offer at Halfords!

evitas great news about biopsy

Sorry to everyone I have missed

Quiet xmas here. Did go to my brothers wedding yesterday, 300 mile round trip for 20 mins in registry office! was lovely though as havent seen him for 2 years [its complicated] DS is pulling himself up, crawling and generally causing chaos!

Hello all, hope you all had lovely Christmases (is that a word? ). We're all good in McDreamy world as I prepare to go back to work on Monday morning, having done a few KIT shifts I feel a little less anxious but I can't say I'm looking forward to it at all. DS1 has had his trial days with the childminder and as expected he was quite happy and relaxed. Eeek. Our babies are growing up!

just popping in to wish u a happy new year every, hope you all have a good eve whatevrer your doing,

oh and Dont try- no i would love to be a midwife,.,.. atm i am a housekeeper at the local hospital,

sorry for lack of shoutouts off to work now x

Happy New Year to all of you!

My gift to you: please see here

We really don't have any plans, just a nice meal and hopping for a good night sleep. Lets hope DS wont wake up with all the Hogmanay fireworks!

So. Tired.

I don't think I'd have suffered from jetlag this time. Doing a day flight rather than the red eye (which I've NEVER slept a wink on) I'd usually take coming back eastwards made a world of difference to me; I was ready, very, very, ready to sleep by midnight last night. James, however, had other ideas. He was very, very awake until 3am. Is crying and pleading with a baby this age to please go to sleeeeeep acceptable? Cos that's what I was doing.

Obviously a quiet night in tonight. In a perfect world I will be fast asleep by the time the new year rings in - can't believe I'm wishing for that over a drunken party!

Oh gosh, whilst wallowing at my own pity party I forgot to wish you all the happiest of new years. We've all seen massive changes this year and many of us have faced adversity we wouldn't wish on an enemy. So here's hoping ths coming year is peaceful and productive for all of us (heavy on the peaceful, for sure!)

Happy New Year ;-) Hard to believe last year we were all the size of Christmas Turkeys. Not much longer and we'll be thinking about birthdays (both kinds in Pixie's case )

Happy New Year. I'm glad you are all in my life.

Happy and cosy and being well fed at my parents' in NI Waiting for jools' hootenanny and trying not to fall asleep before the bells! Just wanted to pop in to say Happy New Year to all my MMMM friends. You're all wonderful and I'm glad to share so many experiences with you guys. Wishing you all a peaceful and joyful 2011 xxxx

Happy New Year MMMs! This is the year they'll walk and turn one and (for some) get siblings!!!

Hope it's a great one for all of you!

Only 10 dpo, and it's very faint, but there on an ic and a first response early result...

B.
F.
P.

O. M. G. Manda!!!!!! brilliant start to the new year!!!!!! Yippeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

I was right! It WAS Manda!!!! Hurrrrrray - well done you. Very excited for you both.

Manda Massive congratulations!!