Dec 2008 - Hello 2011 the Year of the Toddler!

[DeidreBarlow]

Totally unispired but hope you all find it...

Happy newish year, ladies!
Congrats to family spot. Fingers crossed for beans's MIL and DB's nan. So sorry about the mc urbs. Hope all the illies feel better soon - I had the lurgy between Christmas and New Year and it totally wiped me out so you have my sympathies.
I'm also very impressed by all the big bed action going on. DD sleeps pressed up against the side of the cot so I don't think she's ever going to be ready.....
Skanky pants aplenty here too. DH has even suggested that I might want to think about getting some new ones and that's really saying something as he never normally notices such things. Depressing thing is I totally used to be a matcher....
Epic tantrums here too, although I think they're mostly due to frustration as Dd still doesn't really talk - should I be worried yet?
Yes yes yes to any London meet ups. I realised the other day that I've barely got any friends left! A lot of my very good friends have moved away over the last couple of years and I didn't really make many new mummy friends - obviously I'm not as friendly or sociable as I thought!

Oh and beans we have decided to move to Harpenden so we'll practically be neighbours!

Morning.
DD teething. Such a good girl though, when she cries with it she just sort of wimpers.
Opposite here with food. DS has gone a bit mad for lunch and dinner. However the nappy changes getting worse. make you not want to feed them!
Hi Pingu - no talking here. He grunts in all the correct syllables and sometimes says "oh no" or "yes" then catches himself and gets shy. He ALWAYS consistantly says "no" though. I keep getting told not to worry but hard not to sometimes.

My parent's are totally flooded in. They have supplies though. Those news reports are making the state and it's residents look hideous. Some of the people they are interviewing are just so wrong!

Anyone used the new Iphone Tesco application? Might make me actually want an iPhone!

Spot hope you are well. Yes the Comfort Formula helped a little but also I was told if I use the regular, the cartons are better for wind. Your experience sounds almost identical to mine with dd. her wind all got better around 4 months.

Sorry to hear about mil Beans, and mil's cat Sybs

Summer - I feel your pain. I think that's just an older 'parents' thing. Mine are the same. I' was going to write just 'parents thing' but then realised that would put us in the same category

Urgh. First day back at work after nearly 3 weeks off. DD1, who started school so happily, spent the morning sobbing and clinging to me saying she won't go to school if I can't take her. DD2 just cried and screamed "Mummy don't leave me" as I closed the door. It's going to be a busy week too as my boss' mum died over the weekend so he won't be in and I have to cover for him and catch-up on my own stuff. Probably won't see the girls 'til my day off on Friday. Urgh, urgh, urgh.

Oh and our buyers are trying to get £20k off our house because our ensuite shower has low water pressure and they think the back wall has slight damp. We've never noticed it. Ugghhhhhhh.

I hope your MiL gets good news Beans. How's your DH coping?

And great news on the sleeping Summer. How did it go last night?

Hi Pingu! You are right, we need a London meet-up. Can I advocate either a Friday or an evening meet?

Hello chaps
beans fingers crosses for your mil. And hurrah for better sleeping sl. Spot am thinking of you - hopeless not to be able to do anything else.
Avo even if those are problems £20k is taking the piss surely?
And yes to meet up. And pingu try not to worry about mummy friends - I was in similar position with ds but then with dd (partly thanks to you lovely ladies) it's just worked out better - I've found that even with working 4 days I've made friends at ds' school.
Totally failed to do pile of work at the weekend as dh was sick. Never mind. Ds had his first dance class. So sweet - one of those moments of pure joy watching him hare about with the other kids. And there were other boys (lots of pinko liberal nesh parents round our way).
Good days all. Am sure I had more to catch up with but my train is getting in.

Sybs I hope medicine has done its job and you have easier week.

Aaaargh!! Sounds good in theory Avo but where are all you potential meet-up-er's these days? It ends up just Lady and me! (which has been equally really nice Lady) I'm gonna wait and have someone text me from appointed cheerfulness establishment to confirm that it's actually on in future!

Sorry about the dd's response to work Avo. They'll settle. Check out that damp. Make sure those buyers aren't trying it on...

I have to say my first thought when reading about your buyers Avo is to tell them to f- off!!! Aren't all showers in London low pressure??? Our shower at CW was low pressure then a pipe burst our under the footpath, Thames water fixed it and the water pressure increased a bit. Turned out there must have been a leak for ages. Our neighbour said they hadn't had good pressure for 15 years. Anyway even if these things are an issue 20k seems a bit rich. Sorry about your sad farewell, that is hard. I'm sure DD1 is having a great time right now and has forgotten all about it.

Rubes hope your parents are ok, mums area is on high alert. Shes having a great time as she is on call for disaster relief (she is an experienced disaster relief counsellor so often gets sent into flood or fire disaster areas) so now she doesn't have to travel very far. She loves all the drama.

Speaking of which I think I'm going to head over to Australia in May. We've been waiting for DHs brother to sort out a date for his wedding, I'll whinge about that in a minute. Anyway it was supposed to be this spring. He has just been to Taiwan to sort it out but STILL hasn't set a date. So I've gotten jack of waiting and I'm just going to go over in the Easter break. I'm sure. I think hes school will be ok about us taking DS1 out for the trip but I'd rather not take him out more than 2 weeks so with the term break as well I can go for 4 weeks. I want to visit a friend in LA on the way back so will prob go VIA usa.

The whinge about my bil is that he has been engaged for nearly 2 years and for that whole time has been saying they will get married soon and in Taiwan. We can afford one big trip a year, but not one big trip and a trip to Taiwan. So we have been holding out on trips home and on larger holidays because we never know when he might spring a date on us. I realise this wedding isn't about us but am I being unreasonable to think that if he is wanting us to fly all of us over there he should at least just get on with it and give us a date, and well in advance. As it is because he's waited so long we now have to pay for DS2's ticket. Personally I think he's stalling because he's getting cold feet. The man is 38 he needs to sort it out. Even his mum is saying stop being a woose and make a decision.

Hi pingu, did you go to Derby?

Beans sorry about the scare with your mil, maybe that's why DH is being such a Dick.

Sybs sorry about the cat, but it did make me giggle your Lo's consoling you.

SL my mum reads the obituary in case there is anyone she knows!

beans So sorry about your MIL. Any chance your DH was 'off' with you because he is stressed about his mum? DH said some horrid things to me when MIL was ill.

avo I'm sorry about your girls this morning. I'm certain with DD1its just a little hiccup re: startting school. Perhaps the reality she has to go everyday has dawned on her? DD does love school but this morning she said it "definately closed because its raining, so I'll just stay at home".

sybs about the cat. After all that time they really become part of the family.

vag I would crack on with your plans and leave BIL's wedding out of them for now. And I would expect at least 12 months notice to plan such a trip, I'd be hopping if he just said its on such a date and expect me to fly all my family out at a moments notice.

pingu DS doesn't really talk. He has one phrase which he says a lot which is "I no like it". In fact theHVis coming in an hour for his 2 year assesment.Am completely dreading it, a friend has told me to expect her to refer him for speech therapy. Oh and he is a fussy eater...wish me luck1

Yet again I feel a big neglectful, DS1 didn't say much more than mummy daddy arsenal and luff ooo until he was 2 and a bit. I never thought to get him seen and we didn't have a 2 year check in our area. If they refer him it doesn't mean there is anything wrong, its just a check and maybe some pointers for you. Though I don't think there is much more you can do Deids. DS1 is very difficult to shut up now so definitely not delayed in the speech area. I do love that he says I no like it, I think that is still DS2's longest sentence, followed by put Tele on, now!

Bloody hell flights home for all of us is going to get close to ?4500. I think they might be a lot cheaper from London but such a faff to get over there. I think if bil announces wedding I might opt to just send DH. A friend of DHs is getting married in Malaysia next Jan so have to budget that in too.

Deids please let me know what the HV says. Our 2 year check is not mandatory and only if I am worried he isn't doing some of the things on this massive list they posted me. 50 words it says! Dh still isn't worried though so I haven't bothered thus far.

Thanks Vag, it sounds like they are fine (property wise) as they aren't too close to any big rivers, but they are still cut off from big towns. They borrowed a friends Hilux and went to Coles for a few of the neighbours and themselves so are stocked up but major cabin fever it sounds.

I would also go ahead and make your plans for a trip home. Can't put your life on hold waiting for an event that may not ever happen in the near future! I'd warn him though and give him a week I reckon. Nice time to go in May. We are gonna sweat our cabooses off in Feb that's if we can even get there with the flooding I think we are going via the US though too, but it will just be a fleeting visit. Literally the one night stop over or maybe 2 with a hair-do in between and a visit to dh's family there. it will be frantic, but if you can do it with 2 kids you have confirmed that I shouldn't put everything in the too hard basket! I could easily be put off and just go the easier through HKG way.

JJ I meant to say earlier - very sweet story about your dd's napping.

Oh god DS2 just a tampon out of my handbag and is saying "what's disssss?" I really need to find my mooncup so I need to have those damn things in my handbag. DS1 is off school sick today and wants to know what it is too. Ive stupidly said that its special cotton wool that is my bags for emergencies. I hope DS1 doesn't remember that next time he gets a nosebleed.

I was a bit about the 50 words thing too Rubes. I consider DS2 to be pretty good with his speech and he def doesn't have 50 words I'm sure. At his 2 year check here the doctor did it and was more interested in what he could do physically and whether he could point out a dolls nose ears eyes etc. She seemed more interested in whether he understood words rather than if he could say them.

Hi All. Thanks for concern re MIL. I think DH is just feeling the stress because we're pretty short on cash at the moment because of renting and he's feeling the pinch. He didn't know about his Mum at that stage, but now he does, I think he is pretty worried about it. But he's been here before with her and he is very good at dealing with it. I admire him endlessly for it, I must say. I am terribly worried about it, but then I have been lucky enough not to have to go through it with my parents as yet. And I truly do love his Mum, so it will be a horrible blow if it is something sinister. But mustn't worry until we know for sure.

Re the speech, DD1 is v chatty, but a lot of her words are such that only I understand them!!! Like our own little language. I rather like it!

She is currently goggling happily, while I do this. Do I feel guilty? Yes, a little bit!!! But she's v happy with a cheese sandwich and a drink, so Balamory it is. I loathe it!

Phew! Panic over HV lovely and said DS is doing everything he should be. He was made to build a tower, and point to his eyes, nose etc. Had to draw a picture...well scribble on the paper and throw a ball!

So she gets this book out and DS had to point to things and say what they were. TBF to him he pointed to a lot and had a go....most of it complete nonsense. She said that they are supposed to say 50 words at 2, but said it was only a guide and needed to be considered alongside everything else they could do. She reckons he has about 30, but that he is just a bit late and that he is absolutely fine. She said that if in 6 months he still wasn't saying much more then give her a call, but she doesn't think its necessary.

vag - crossed with you. That's spendy. I'd love to help you out but (apart from the fact we are going different times) I can take others with me if I fly with my own company the whole trip for a rather reduced rate, but we will only be going with my airline on one leg and then hopping onto another carrier. Next time I go straight thru you can tag along if you want to risk the standby drama's!

Just had about a million deliveries 0 dh is "fixing up" his old mountain bike for me to use with the kids. Then we are going to buy a trailer. he's totally stripped it and swears he has put too much fancy stuff on it, but given I know nothing about bike parts I'd never know what's expensive and what's not! I said please don't spend much money but it's mainly the brakes if I'm towing a trailer really he said He even got me cycling clothes in the sale! cause he reckins my bum will get sore and I'll get fed up otherwise!

that was meant to be he swears he HASN'T put too much fancy stuff on it

Phew Deids, but 30 words!!! THIRTY? DS doens't have more than..... hold on I'l count them. He has 8-10 I jus made him point to stuff. He can point to nose, eyes, ears, feet, head, hair, chin, shoulders, mouth, belly button, tallywhacker / donga / doodle and mummies boobs and pretty much point to all the stuff around the house. Light, chair, table, telly, etc etc his clothes and all that but just won't say them he can build a tower with Mega blocks if I ask him to but usually he'd rather not do anything I ask let alone a HV! Oh dear not sure if I should take him. Vag when did your ds1 talk again and how many words?

Oh Rubes thats so sweet of you, your such a generous person. It's fine, I've only ever travelled with DS1 before so got a bit of a shock when I had to price 4 of us and of course have also been spoiled with flying out of London. You know one day we should try planning a trip together one time, not for the cheap tickets but for support, if your ever going over just with the kids let me know as I could do a trip just with DS2 before he's 5. Actually I imagine standby is even harder with a large group. Hey but speaking of standby can normal people get by stand by tickets? Are they a lot cheaper? We aren't completely flexible because we are taking DS1 out of school but we are a little flexible.

Beans I'm thinking as positive as possible for your mil and DHs family.

Deids, well done on DS for the pass and for the trying hard with the trying to name things in the book.

Seriously Rubes I don't think he can say anywhere near 30! I think she just reckons he can as he was attempting to say them. As for the building a tower she kept handing him blocks, and she did ask him several times. I was more shocked than anyone he actually did it. I thinks it was more to check out his coordination iyswim.

The fact your DS can point all that out cleary shows he understands very well.

Rubes he really had no more than about 5-6 words at 2 then we went to visit mum back home when he was 2 & 3months and suddenly he just started talking. the sad thing with it is I went out with him and DH joined us 2 weeks later, in that 2 weeks he started talking. poor DH missed many of his first words, he was in shock when he turned up and DS1 was saying so much.

I was the same with the blocks Rubes. They make them strip down to their nappy for the appointment here and DS2 was not happy about this and refused to come near the doctor. I finally got him to sit opposite the doctor and I said I didn't think he would do the blocks. She said it was fine and just started doing the blocks herself in front of him. To my surprise DS2 knocked all the blocks over, shot the doctor a steely glare, then used his left hand to build a perfect block tower. He's definitely right handed. I felt a bit bad that I'd underestimated him.

Oh yeah Deids he understands bloody everything I say. One of his words is shit - well 'oh shit' and I'm counting that until he has a few more as he even says that in the right context I told him it's a naughty word but I'm secretly cheering on the inside.

Yes we should cooordinate a trip one time Vag!
You can't get standby anymore as a regular revenue pax it's just a staff travel thing. it can really suck or be really good though which I always stress about if I'm taking anyone, no matter how much I say what can happen, I still don't think they are prepared to possibly not get on that flight if it's full and then I'd feel guilty! I check the loads right up to day before though, and then change route if it's ugly! I can take up to 4 people with me when I travel and there are various different options and I like to use the perks as I don't nearly as much as pre-kiddie days.

Rubes my sis posted a link on FB to a press conf with the head police dude and the premier of qld. Omg Rubes its a complete nightmare. Towoomba has had what they described as a inland tsunami go through it. 4 people are confirmed dead and a few people are missing. I have a very close friend and her family there and DHs dad lives there. DH is trying to contact the Buddhist temple his dad goes to and I've email my friend. The chances of the fatalities being my friend is so slim but they said two were a women and her son, so its freaked me out a bit. They said there are loads of people set to spend the night on their roof. It's horrible. I was in tears watching the link the police guy looked really shocked by the enormity of the disaster. How can it just keep going like this?

I know Vag is quite awful. My parents said when they finally got to the supermarket there was hardly a thing there (understandable) but they luckily have a bread maker and so were able to grab the last 2 bags of bread flour and they also (normally) drink powdered milk as they are so used to it from travelling so much that they prefer it (Hard to believe I'm not adopted! ) They said they have enough food and stuff for themselves and shopped for their friends also to last a good week. I hope they had good sense to buy wine. Who am I kidding probably the first stop Dad made, the bottle-o!
Now I'm quite worried about the midgees even more - it'll be a lovely breeding ground when we arrive. Gosh I hope your friends are ok. I have some friends just north of Brisbane and the rest are on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts.

Yeah apart from lots of rain I think GC and sunshine ok. I have friends in noosa and my sis and Steves mum are on GC. I think there were concerns about Brissie which is a bit sad as I've got friends who have only just had their house sorted after its roof got ripped off in that weird storm last year. Steves brothers are in Brissie but on the 20th floor of some big building in the cbd. I really hope those midges Bugger off, you need some 10mg phenergan just I'm case. I hate midges bit itch. I wander if the drive thru bottle shops were still open. It might be like in days of yor when wine and beer was safer than water.

My parents are up on the Cooloola Coast near Hervey Bay and friends in Noosa, Buderim and GC. Thanks for the tip about phenergan. Only be for ds though right as no good for babies? I've been told to use Avon Skin So Soft Dry Oil Original for prevention, and Mum says put a bit of Dettol in that too and it works a treat. We went once to a wedding on Fraser Is and it was September - not nearly as bad, and DH got eaten alive!! I'm going in fully armed though, with full fly screen travel cot, and anything I can get my hands on to prevent and treat the bastards. Oh why did they have to move up there!?