June 2008: new year, new diets, new resolutions, but when push comes to shove creme eggs are still the solution!

[KnittingRocks]

Sorry, couldn't cope with Christmas anymore!

Neenz - how unbelievable that the police might be following your protests - this must just be someone spouting off - unfortunately probably the police as it would seem an odd lie from the playgroup. I'm sure you can handle it :)

We made it to Edinburgh and have had a lovely day at the museums , the museum of childhood was a big hit. And we went out for dinner last night to a Turkish restaurant and it was brilliant - made both dh and I nostalgic for pre-kid life in Vancouver. There isn't really the lovely small cafe scene in Aberdeen that there is here. Maya - it makes me understand your homesickness for London a bit better - although London is too big and busy for us - we're too dull. Village life suits us most of the time.

Thinking of going to st Andrews on the way home tomorrow.

Abdn that sounds lovely, I know what you mean about reminiscing about pre-kids. We went out for lunch today with the kids and it was lovely, but it makes you remember the days when you could go out to a restaurant, for dinner, in the evening, have two bottles of wine and not have to get up in the morning!

rolf, apparently I did a similar thing when I was about 2 , we were moving house....on that day, I think we were just about to pack the last things into the van according to my Mum when she discovered me and the mess!

I killed the thread

I'm here Debs! Am finally feeling a bit more human again after a manic week last week!

Abdn, I'm really glad you made it to Edinburgh and that you all enjoyed the trip. I haven't been to the museum of childhood yet, so must bear that in mind.

Rolf - poor you re: the poo incident!

Maya, I like Dewin's suggestion about Alexander. I'm trying to think of other Scottish boys names (having a son with the best one ), but I can't get past Fergus (is that Scottish?)which of course wouldn't go .

Dewin - glad that the sickness appears to have eased off!

Neenz - good for you getting involved in something you feel so strongly about! Being a bit of a cynical so and so, I'm not too at suggestion of a rogue police officer intimating that your group is to be avoided.

HardAndSleazy - thanks for the info on the Thomas Live show on FB today. I've booked tickets, but just one adult and one child so DH and I can toss a coin for who is to go with S! I meant to book tickets ages ago but completely forgot about it.

In other news, I'm pleased to report that I passed both of the exams I sat in November! One merit and one pass. Am rather pleased 3 more to do this year and I'm done! I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel...

Keep calm - that's great news about the exams, only 3 to go, I hope you're already planning the party for the end of them!!

Keepcalm - You did choose the best Scottish name, well except for Campbell... well done on the exams.

Deb - your poor mum, poo on top of moving day stress.

V tired here! DH back at work, so no sneaky daytime naps for me anymore.

Neenz - awful about the 'rumour'. Well done for taking action on what you believe in, how'd it go?

Yawn why am I this tired even though the nanny is doing the night feed? Hi everyone, not been around much as it seems life has taken over and I don't get time (or have nothing interesting to say ). Luke still very much in bappies and I have no idea how to start getting him out as he's at nursery. Hey ho maybe I'm hoping he'll just one day tell me he doesn't want them! Right crying baby so better go. Ps got dewins dresses and I have never seen such amazing knitting!

maya! Shame you're having to forego your sneaky daytime naps.

Deb - tbh, I'm just looking forward to having my life back! Who knows, with all that extra free time, a sibling for S might not seem like so much hard work...

Amber - sorry you're so tired. You have three children though so even without the night time feed it's got to be hard work! Does Luke go to nursery ft? Have you had a chat about them about a joint approach when he's ready to start? I know you're anxious about him needing to be out of nappies by April but 2 months is a long time at this stage.

I've still not started S - he's getting more aware, asking for his nappy to be changed etc, but I don't want to rush it and put him off.

Abdn did you stop off at St Andrews? We used to go their on caravan holidays when I was little - my mum loved it (I don't remember them very well!).

Not much else to report here - just as I was about to embark on a reward chart to try and deal with S's difficult behaviour he's been a bit of an angel in the last week!!! I think I might still try one though to take advantage of this good behaviour and show how it can be rewarded. Which reminds me, I must go and search the archives for reward chart threads!

Oh dear, now I've killed the thread!

Well done with the exams Keepcalm, you must be thrilled.

Dh finally having a week working in the office (one of very few since beg of Dec) and the kids were so pleased when he came home from the office yesterday. It was a bit sad really as they had obviously missed him. I can tell he had missed me as he sat through Glee without complaining!

What's happened to the thread?

Hang in there ATM. W so lovely and P is one minute delightful and the next lashing out at poor W. Each day he acquires new scratch marks. Not sure how best to react: trying to remove myself and W, but the act of extracting W from P is in itself quite a strong response! Or, should I just avoid having them interact with each other at all?

It is a bit quiet! I'm overworked and tired which is why I'm a bit absent. But I do like reading it!

I'm here, popping in to see if anyone s leading a more exciting life than mine!!

I bet I do Deb, my life consists of constant breastfeeding to a background of various tedious childrens dvds. The highlight of my week is that we've now got Cars. You're jealous aren't u?

I might leave the house tomorrow though....ooooo! Actually it's DH's bday 2m so at the very least there will be cake.

LOL at insightful NZ interview on ATM; interviewer to an Atheist "Are you not worried about offending God?', response, "erm, not really as he doesn't exist".

Hi, good job keepcalm on the exams! We did stop at st. Andrews and it was nice but we were all a bit tired and grumpy.

I'm really busy at work finishing up a project and starting new one and having a tough time emotionally with the new project as the project leader is treating me like a technical assistant and it's rather hard on my ego. Everyone else has the attitude that I'm totally capable just slightly new to the discipline and respects the research I've done before. This guy is new to the office though and seems more inclined to pigeon hole me. couple that with some childcare guilt (I'm doing tol much to compensate for not being home three days a week do I'm very tired) and there's been some tears.

Deb - any house news?

Breastfeeding in pret with 2 accountants next to me discussing Jessops the photo shop. Hope my boobs aren't too distracting!! Yesterday I was feeding in the privacy of my own bedroom when the window cleaner's ladder appeared: that gave me a shock!

Will try to come back with something more considered and less me me me later on. W just filled nappy.

I'm here too, not much to report. Dorothy is doing well and is an exceptionally contented baby, she's sleeping from 2230 to 0700 most nights which is marvellous! C is pretty much toilet trained, occasional accidents but mainly if she's very tired. We took her to see tangled at the cinema yesterday afternoon which was great. The man at the desk decided not to charge for ticket, which was rather nice. It was the 3D version, she was very cute in her glasses!

WW is still going well, I think maya asked about the new system? I'm finding it very straightforward and I'm not hungry at all - lost 10 lb in 3 weeks so far!

Right, I'm off to my last post natal exercise class, tighten those pelvic floors girls!

Keepcalm, well done on the exams and at the sibling! DH doesn't want any more kids but when I am cuddling/feeding Daniel I smile cos I know I will want another in the few years! We'll see.

Maya we have Cars and I really enjoy it!

Abdn your project leader sounds like a sexist twunt. Hope you are feeling better about it and can prove yourself to him.

On the sexism question, where do you stand on swearing in front of women? My BIL said he wouldn't swear in front of a woman and I said that offended me cos it's treating women different to men. His wife (my SIL) stuck up for him and said it was right not to swear in front of women. I thought

Spider, I have Daniel in a play pen sometimes to keep him away from T and E. But not all the time, and less so now he is older. when T does get near him I just have to keep saying 'not too rough' and if he gets too rough I pull him away and say 'that's too rough, that hurts Daniel'. He is very gentle with him now.

Neenz not sure that it's a gender issue - just that I'm in a unique spot at the moment. I'm being given a real chance to retrain that a large company would never give me. This guy is from one of those and I think he just might have no clue where to place me.

As for swearing - I'm the one with the foul language in our family. I blame it on working on ships. I'm much better now than pre-kids though.

Back, less tired, and not feeling quite so miserable about the diarrhoea in pants last night. (Iestyn's, not mine, I should stress. And he had pooed in the toilet, but did a tiny bit more once I'd put his trousers on and he'd gone to play with lego.)
He's potty trained, but there's a slight issue with poo - I even posted on potty training, but nobody responded! Maybe it's the title. Or the whinyness. (I was very tired...)

Now, siblings - noted Keepcalm's comment but didn't want to make a fuss! Here's a funny thing. I always assumed we'd stop at 2. But right now, all preggers and everything, I'm not so sure, and keep thinking I'll be doing this all again in 3 years! Hormones, no doubt. But maybe the fact that this pg isn't quite as much of a car crash as the last one? (It only came up in conversation because DH and I were talking about vasectomies, and I suddenly blurted out 'don't think about it right now because I'm only 35'. ) Or maybe it's because several of my friends are having children close together but that's because they're late 30s, but I forget that I'm not.

Got to do some work now. I've got some proper idiot students at the moment. Grr.

Neenz yes the playpen is a good idea although where it's going to go I've no idea as we have filled it's original spot with a toy cupboard. For now W still fits in the carrycot up on a sideboard out of the way, but he is awake and active enough now to need more space during the day rather than just getting the gym out when P is out/in bed.

Biscuits well done on:
A) the sleep
B) the potty training
C) the weight loss
, not that I'm at all bitter you understand

Actually I am feeling more hopeful about P's sleep as last night I decided that enough is enough and instigated rapid return to his bed when he won't settle and wakes up. It went well - 5 returns at bedtime and 2 returns at 3.30: the MN threads talked about having to return him 100 times which I was braced for. Hopefully tonight will continue the good work.

KeemCalm brilliant on the exam passes: you must be so relieved. LOL at the baby possibility! And Neenz somehow I feel that your DH will be reasonably easily persuaded re: no4 when the time comes.

Sybil lovely that your kids were so happy to see their Dad - I really admire you for coping with three on your own for so much of the time.

Spider, I can only take credit for C! A is just luck and B required a lot of help from Supergran - and now I think about it D is helping a lot with the weight loss, so really none of it is my doing!

DH is working night shift tonight so I'm watching midsomer murders with D. Such fun!

Hope it goes well tonight, Spider.
Good day here - no accidents, not even at nursery. Although we had the mother of all tantrums. My Mum and Dad came over (I bribed them with chips - but I'm not half as tired today, oddly enough. Yesterday I was ready to jack in my job, I was that tired!). Iestyn was rather awkward - he has been this week, just minor annoyances like saying 'NO' to everything, or 'I don't want to', and not getting into the bath/out of the bath/into pyjamas/out of pyjamas/into the car/out of the car (get the idea...). Anyway, after Mum and I got him out of the bath he went absolutely raving mad. Screaming, kicking, couldn't do a thing. Like a demon. Mum said 'you've got to be firm, I've had three children' and stepped in to be firm and get his pyjamas on him - and failed. (Nobody was grinning at the time, tho.) And we have absolutely no idea what it was about.

Sybil - and others - I may well ask for advice when the time comes. I was absolutely terrified last night, being all tired, about how I'm going to cope with two. (Badly, probably?)

Dewin - two words - maternity nanny!