FESH Spa & Creche - The Messiah is late - 'e's a very naughty boy!

[AlpinePony]

2010 - the best year of my life, for half of it I was pregnant and for the other half had my baybee.

Curly, that's pants that they won't let you flexiwork. Hope you manage to get something sorted out to suit you.

Pone, LG hasn't discovered is bits yet. He is too busy grabbing the hair on the back of his head and yelling that it hurts to have wandering hands down below yet.

I'm going to have to disagree on the 'ownership' issues behind a CS. I had a CS with TT and had to fight fiercely to be allowed to see her after she was born. I absolutely know I had a baby - there was a fooling great big hole in my belly where she had come out! I've been more prone to thinking 'Holy crap, they're letting me home with her!' than 'she's not mine.' I don't think you get that feeling second time round. You've got over the shock of having a baby at all, and get a much more cosy feeling of ownership. I was in more of a state of disbelief each time I brought a new horse home! And the biggest feeling of being a fraud I've ever had was when I started at college for my current job and they didn't have me on the list for meals, and I was convinced they realise I shouldn't be there any minute now!

Sling gals - today I have achieved back carry with the Babyhawk. I can now carry my baby with both hands free and am able to carry stuff too. Hurray - I no longer have an excuse to avoid housework

Been out to shops today, and LG is going to be one smooth lad. he flirts with all the shop assistants!

re babyhawk box, peppa doesn't seem to be big enough to have both legs out yet and is just hunched in it. Should I be positioning her with leg out each side?

TT really didn't like the Babyhawk till she was about 3 or 4 months. She went legs out at about 14 weeks and was ok from then on. LG has been in the Babyhawk since about 4 weeks but he is a big baby! He has been froggied until about 2 weeks ago - he is 17 weeks old now. He was happy to be froggied where TT wasn't. I don't know if this was because she was much littler or we weren't so experienced or confident with the Babyhawk or what.

How old is Peppa now?

should add - if she seems a bit small in it to you keep her legs in still. With TT I used to fold the bottom in a bit, iyswim, as she was dinky in it. LG is plenty big enough though, and it shows.

'lo all. Thanks for co-sleep advice Box, I missed it yesterday. That will teach me to refresh before posting... Also good call on the pads - they are definitely not helping. I am still using maternity pads although loss is minimal now. I guess I was kind of worried to stop using them to early in case I suddenly bleed all over the sofa or summat, but reckon I could definitely manage with just normal pads now.

In other news, went to doctors and yes, we definitely have thrush in nips and in BB's mouth. I've been using nipple shields on right breast which is agony at mo due to cracks and thrush but BB does not feed properly and breast has been engorged and sore so Doc suggested expressing the odd feed to empty the breast properly. So ... BB is now taking her first bottle of EBM from TG! I know we are risking nipple confusion (so shoot me) but I'm planning to do one bottle a day so that TG can feed her and I can go to bed early. BB has decided she wants to be different and does her cluster feeding between midnight and 6am which is bloody killing me. Seeing as I do not do well without at least 6 hrs sleep a night and find it tres hard to sleep in the day I am a wreck.

Alps when are you off on holiday? I am liking the sound of the nanny.

Curls sorry to hear about work fail, that is rubbish, but good that Silv got her way.

Right, I am off to bed to try and get a bit of kip before the marathon starts.

PS. Honey I also did not know exactly what 3rd degree tears were... and now I wish I didn't! Ouchy.

It's interesting to hear all your thoughts about ownership of babies. Like moo, I find it hard to believe that this big boy was ever inside me - because maybe I'm sharing him with jb now, wheras when he was inside me he was all mine. And, like kate, I can't believe I produced this - someone is going to whip him away from me. I'm not sure I believe the whole cs vs vb thing - perhaps that's something I'm projecting having read too much crap on mn! He's mine alright, just because he came out of a different hole...

boxer I can't believe yours is 17 weeks - wtf? Where did the time go?

pol I'm off in the early hours of sunday morning - we're going to use the nanny to have some 'mummy & daddy' sex time! Btw, Bear never had nipple confusion, he happily (tried) nipple and a variety of different teats. He'll eat anything put in front of him. Except cauliflower. Furthermore, I think it's cunty who has happily given a bottle on the bedtime shift for months and months and months and Rastus still happily bf's too!

moo How's the swimming going?

I want Alps' holiday pls.

Well MB has now decided to fight his way out of the swaddle and spends every waking opportunity whilst in bed battling this sleep inflictor! He is fine when he goes to bed first off (even when put down awake - sleep soon follows) and is fine til his 1am ish feed. Tho when I came to bed at 1030 he was flailing hisegs around in his sleep!! Then he often wakes us up screaming and shouting at 3am during his Houdini attempts. I rewrap and put White Noise and he snoozes again. I've stopped offering a feed as he was just smiling all the time and not giving off hunger signals. He then wakes again about 530/600 having recharged his batteries ready to fight again and often when I go to him at least arm has been freed.

So wimminz - do we carry on with swaddlingor switch to sleeping bag!?

silv Maybe time to swap, if it's not gaining you anything during the night. The swaddle can no longer contain this one - if he wants out, he gets out - in literally seconds.

I currently have a monster who refused to go back to sleep after his 6am bottle. He'll be tired later.

Never bothered with swaddling Silv so can't advise 'cept to say you have nothing to fear with the sleeping bag.

Am soooo jealous of the impending hols Alps. Have generally avoided snow reports this season as timing of this baby could well scupper any trip to the slopes for me. Hope the conditions are good for you and you have a right rollicking blast.

Right - off to pack hossie bag. What food should I pack (champers & chocolate already sorted)???

Sorry for being so absent. Missing you all terribly but my current online obsession is with Rightmove, not Mumsnet. Basically I'm desperately trying to find us a house before we are turfed out of this tiny holiday cottage![panic emoticon]

Anyhoo, who better to ask for house advice than you lot? Tell me which you would choose:

House A: Very ugly but practical, spacious 1970s house, 4 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, new carpet, new kitchen and bathroom, space for a kids' playroom downstairs, garden, garage, very nice village with pub, school, playground, and toddlers group meets 3x week.

House B: Totally gorgeous tiny little thatched cottage completely renovated from top to bottom in the most beautiful taste, 3 wonky little bedrooms, one tiny bathroom downstairs(!), tiny garden, tiny kitchen, no storage anywhere, picture postcard Cotswold village with pub but no playground or other kids things that I can see.

Have to make a decision in next 24 hours. Or can dither and be homeless.

Tough one fanfare. Can you rent until something ace comes along? Alternatively you can have our house if you want to live in Kingston?

I'd go for House A personally. You only see the "ugly" from the outside - you'll be spending your time inside and you can make it as beautiful as you like. I would find it a total fucking pita to have to put everyone in the car to "do" anything. I've already lived in the back of beyond and after abuot 6 weeks it really fucking grates doing a 50 minute round trip for a pint of milk.

Oh, and never under-estimate storage space. Yes, really!

Although - just to confuse things further. Where is the nearest riding school avec les shitlands?

fan please take whichever one is nearest to my ILs! But seriously, house A sounds more realistic. Do you need to add stairs to potty training mix?

Must return to my own online relationship with childcare.co.uk

Poor casp Is it really specific what you are looking for? I can't believe it can be sooo outlandish that they definitely can't accommodate it? Can you appeal the decision?

Nah, they were actually very reasonable and professional about it and I knew I was asking for too much really. Just focussed on it for so long that I had got my hopes up.

BUT I have just found a nursery that will take her on a flexible arrangement, a different two days every week. Can't believe it. Off to visit now. If we can avoid paying for FT care, I might yet be able to work 80 per cent of my old hours. Fingers crossed...

When are you off on Holiday? I am well

House A - location, location, location.

casp me or alps? We are on on 5th Feb to Schweissland for a spot of boarding. I would be more excited if I had better core muscle tone. Or any muscle tone in fact

Tues since being sliced and diced my knees are bearing the brunt and are totally shot. Seems have been using them instead of my severed stomach muscles when getting up/standing up.

fans Gotta be the minging looking place.

Happy happy joy - have just got back from lunch with friends and both kids. Just as lunch is being served is not when you want your child to announce 'Mummy my poo-poo is coming out NOW!' One well endowed friend held LG while I went off to sort TT out and when I came back, to everyone's amusement LG had checked out whether she had a decent milky bar (on both sides!) and left little damp patches.

FP I'd like to be sensible and say house A, but I currently live in houseB, so I'm no use. I'd like more storage too.

On the housey front though, we have finally found a builder. It's only taken 4 months. I thought with 9 months available to me to get an extension built I would have bags of time, but it's now looking like the extension will not be finished before I go back to work. Bummer.

We go on holiday skiing in March. Am excited about TT starting ski lessons, but don't think I'll get much skiing done myself. Oh, well - better than none at all.

Cunty I've just signed myself up for Pilates classes, which will hopefully fix my slack core and clearly weakened lower back. Once I get the hang of it I'll be allowed to join their Equilates class for horsey gals.

I am burying my head in the sand wrt childcare for a while longer, although clearly I will have a hard time finding someone who will want to work my weird shifts I work. Hmm.

I'd have to go for house A too Fanny. Unless the reason you are unsure is because neither are right? We`are in a 3 bed cottagy barn conversion with no storage space and the mess and clutter drives me nuts, especially now BB is here. The sitting room looks like a fucking branch of Hamleys, the kids bedrooms are too small for anything other than sleeping and the utility room is also TG's office and general dumping ground. The bugaboo is still in bits as there is no space to store it when it has been put together. Like Pone said, who cares if the house is ugly once you are inside.

I have holiday envy. Although I heard today that MIL has offered to use her airmiles to take me, Boo and BB to her SILs hotel on greek island for 2 weeks in May. TG hates the sun and won't go, even though it is practically free, so this is my first chance of a 'hot' holiday in 6 yrs. We won't have to pay for accommodation so we'll just need some money for the ferry and cocktails ice-creams. The only thing holding me back is the thought of spending 2 wks with MIL. Still, at least she will occupy Boo - I don't think she realises quite how exhausted she'll be after 2 weeks of us.

cas Bon chance with the childcare search.

Took MB out in a sling today. BIG MISTAKE. Am now a wreck. Everything aches. I cannot carry him in a fabric sling any longer. Maybe a more structured carrier like a Bjorn would be better now he is fatter growing so quickly. I had to cave and come home early.

HI is going out to wet the NCT baybees head this evening. Dread to think what state he'll come back in.

After my 1am feed session as I am drifting off to sleep HI wakes me and asks me where MB is. Think he thinks he's in bed with us or summat. Then this morning he had the cheek to ask me if i'd been up in the night to feed MB. Clearly he now sleeps thru me getting in and out of bed to see to MB.

curly I have the same ishoo with childcare, like SSF, JB works different days every week - all I'm aiming for right now is DEFINITELY in childcare 2 fixed days a week because then even if he's not working he gets a break, and I know I can be at the office for sure for 2 days. I don't think I'm going to be able to get flexi-days.

cunty The only muscles I've worked on recently are my finger muscles with mucho typing. So this holiday is going to be less about extreme skiing and more about hot toddies and reconnecting with my luvva.

My healthy eating/exercise plan has totally gone to pot lately. A pot filled with chocolate & biscuits. :( I have totally lost my way... I'm hoping that 2 weeks of exercise will kick start and make me feel more enthusiastic about it all. My weight is all over the place right now and it's fucking me off. Had to buy smart work trousers last weekend and by tuesday they were falling off and I looked like a clown. I think I should work from home more often - i.e, naked!

silv I've got a structured one for Bear and it's wonderful.

pol I'd go - I would kill for a week on a greek beach this year but I think our finances might only just stretch to a stroll in to town for a happy meal (shared between three!).

shifts are such a pain aren't they alpie. I just have to remind myself that if he worked 9-5 mon-fri we'd be looking at FT care anyway.

As it is the nursery is a GO! . Because it's under new management it's not at capacity. So she can afford to let us pick and choose days because it's not at the expense of another potential FT baby. We are all aware that circs might change, but manager has said it can be a long-ish term, but temporary solution. i.e she's not going to turn around in 2 months and say that we need to pay for FT care. It was a lovely place and all the kids seemed to adore the staff. There was a queue at one point of children wanting cuddles from the owner, who doesn't even do any of the hands on work. Just a great atmosphere and big plans to improve facilities and it's the nearest one to our house.

Now I have to check my finances, in the hope that I can still afford to do 80 per cent hours. Then I'm going to ask for wednesdays off, and the odd 8-4 or 10-6 day and we'll be sorted: two days at nursery, two with SFF, Weds and weekends with me. Don't want to speak too soon, but it does look like things are looking up. I was really stressed the last 24 hours.

Am jealous of all hols. polls I would happily deal with MIL to get that! We are going on a big family holiday in June/July with my parents, bro and SIL and all the kids.

fanny hope you get sorted soon. PLease yell if I can do as Cossie did and come round and watch kids or otherwise help. It's v easy for us to be based at the ILs.

Still in awe of all the big babies. Makes my wee bruiser seem tiny even though she has a mahoosive head. A big ba' (ball) heid as my family would say.

Sorry if I've missed anything. I realise I have not been the most attentive FESH recently.