Dec 08 - tears, tantrums, giggles and piddles - and that's just the mums!

[traceface]

Or maybe piddling whilst giggling is just me?
It's so sunny here I feel Spring has sprung - where's that daffodil emoticon gone? Had a friend round this morning for a natter and cake - muchos snot and tears but all good. Think I might go for a little bike ride now to blow the cobwebs away.
And no vag - not a chance!
rubs don't you dare spend all your time tweeting - your first loyalty is here!

Nolda i think it is actually a canoe but they called it a kayak. It's an inflatable one but a but more suped up than the inflatable dinghys you buy at the supermarket. They fold up into a 10kg back pack so we can cycle them to the beach/lake/canal, blow them up then hit the water. It was an expensive venture buy the time we bought all the bits but like you we thought it was something we could all do.

Wow Beans, what an incredible story! What do you put in the barbecue sauce?!

It was so extraordinary (hello Trudy, by the way!). Her waters broke at 8.30 and she started contracting about 20 mins later. Her husband raced back to their place to get her hospital bag and notes etc and when he came back, I was on the phone to the ambulance service and she was naked from the waist down on towels in our bedroom, having massive contractions. I honestly thought I was going to have to deliver the baby! She started pushing pretty much as soon as the paramedics arrived and had the baby at 10.36!!! Quite amazing. And I start crying if I think about it! We left the room when the paramedics arrived, so I didn't see it happen, but we could hear, even downstairs. Would love it if they called her Beans, but suspect not! I was hoping her middle name might be Nitty, which is the name of my ancient old teddy! HAHAHA! We've had to throw away a couple of towels and a rug and sending a couple of pillows to dry cleaners and everything else has washed up fine! It was very British, in that I was rushing around getting towels etc, but foolishly put down my very posh duck egg blue bath sheet one from John Lewis (wedding prezzie!) and felt too rude to ask if I could swap it for my crappy Asda swimming towel! Hee hee! Anyway, it's clean, so that's ok! DH is pillow-less though!

Honestly, I feel really proud of her!

Blimey Beans! That's incredible. You really are the hostess with the mostest.

A big welcome to Trudy - you're the first joiner we've had for ages. Always nice to have new faces (even if they are not quite as new as we'd like )... Anybody else lurking out there? Come and join us!

spot still up for 20th May in Brighton. Happy to go out and about if it suits - beach might be nice? Rubes, MoM, are you still thinking of going down?

Have we made any progress on the London meet-up front? Beans you mentioned Friday 27th. I can make that - anyone else?

urbs hope your SIL is getting on okay. And great news about the scan.

Nolda lovely to see you.

We are still being rubbish on the potty front. Well DP is. DD is quite happy to perform on the potty but DP simply can't be arsed. And I don't see why I should have to stay in all weekend trying to potty train her only for him to put her straight back in nappies on Monday morning. V annoying. I'm thinking of introducing a reward system - what do we think about choccie buttons?

In other news, DD is officially a loon. Last night she decided her name was Colin Daley. Lord knows where she got that from. Every time I said her name she said "Call me Colin". Then giggled like an eejit when I called it her. Mad, quite mad.

We have choccie button rewards. Oh and the treat of getting to flush the wee away when I pour it down the loo. Sometimes means she doesn't notice I haven't given her a choccie button! DD1 has the hang of wee wees and I don't have to ask her all the time now, she tells me - yay! But poos. Hmmm. I asked her this morning to do poos in the potty and she said "NO! In my pants!". Oh dear. V annoying that DP isn't helping out. Naughty boy. I think you do have to kind of stick at it. This is day 4 and I now feel I could go out, albeit with loads of changes of clothes!! And it helps with girls because you can chuck them in dresses or leggings, which are easy. Guess boys use trackie bums?

I LOVE that DD wants to be called Colin Daley - that is hilarious!!!

Beans that is amazing! How exciting and probably a little nerve-wracking too!

Potty training abandoned here for the time being. Went to church this morning and DS was good, but then got home he wee'd through 4 pairs on pants in an hour and a half and pooed twice on the carpet. I would have perservered but he has no idea what he is doing nor does he seem fussed if he is wet/dirty. He has also cried lots the past couple of morning when I have removed his nappy and said he has to go on the potty. Anyway, I will leave till the Summer and try again. I also feel that psychologically I'm not ready for it. I don't want my baby boy to join the world of the big boys just yet. How sad am I??

Wow beans that is amazing. Crikey - quick labour.

SIL had her baby. And was 1.8kg and all ok - she cried straightaway . Had to do mad dash to mothercare to buy clothes and then wash them all and dry them (I got paranoid about early babies skin being v sensitive) and DH dashed across town to arrive outside the delivery room as they wheeled his new niece past him . They don't think she'll need to be in special care for long. Thanks very much for all your prayers/positive thoughts. Blimey. Feel like I could do with a weekend now. Have really felt for MIL this weekend - worrying about both of them.

Deids sounds v sensible to abandon potty training. Am convinced about them being ready when they're ready. DD got it so quickly compared to DS. I should have given up with him. PD at your DP. We haven't done any rewards with DD and she's been fine. DS totally fleeced us with stars that added up to thomas trains for his brio [they're really should be a naive new parent emoticon].

Call me Colin .

Vag your canoes sound lovely. Is one of my magical memories of childhood - canoeing on a summer evening when I was about 3 sitting in front of my Dad. The mellowness of pregnancy is starting to make me question why we don't live somewhere where it's possible to have that kind of a life...Clearly though, if we did live somewhere more rural, I would be inside on the laptop rather than enjoying nature's bounty.

I also wanted to say Effie that I'm sorry you were feeling like you were. Whenever I've seen you I've thought your DSs were smashers and that you had a lovely easy way with them. I think sometimes if you have something you really don't want to pass onto your kids you watch for any signs of that behaviour like a hawk. So something that lots of kids do - like chew things or start anything that looks like a tick - makes you worry loads. I have OCD tendencies and I got upset when DS started lining up his cars in colour order but he gave up after a while and I think someone else wouldn't have even given it a moment's thought. I am really struggling with DS at the moment - he's started hitting and stropping and I find myself shouting at him a lot. Time to read how to talk again I think. There is something about testosterone at 4 I think. Sigh.

ZJ I'm so dozy I can't remember if I said how lovely it was to hear about your friend's baby.

Spot I hope holiday still going well. Right - supposed to be making a cup of tea for DH. Poor man. He's been really worried.

Crikey Beans that is awesome!

Urbs great to hear SIL and baby are doing well.

Veg kayaks wow you are brave I would be terrified one of the boys would lob themselves over the side. Well obviously that would be what would happen if it was my boys.

That sounds like a fun BBQ Beans - what a story!
Great news Urbs.
Vag love the kayak pics - you're a fun mum
Lady how was Baz? he was one reason dh wouldn't allow dd to be called Lola
PD so far I'm still in yes.
Beans, is there a meetup for the 27th then?
potty training - crikey - I'm not contemplating until ds is practically begging. Right now he uses it as a seat to watch me in the shower and point and say 'boobies'
ds obsessed with peas. Ate 2 cups of them with his fish fingers
DH at work late tonight again and am doing chicken salad all round. Went for Thai for our anniv and then had sticky toff pud at home. I've been a total Fresian this weekend, it must stop or they won't let me into Ibiza
DD slept from 8pm-630am went in at 11pm to give her a bottle and she got pissy that I disturbed her and turned away Result.

Wow, Beans! I don't know what else to say, OMG!

Great news about your SIL and her baby, Urbane, and ZJ's friend's baby.

That is so lovely about your memories of kayaking with your dad, urbane. I feel a trip to the canoe shop coming on. I can't wait to hear about the Veggies' maiden voyage.

Sorry, to hear about the potty training DB. I was really hoping for a boy TT success story.

I've been running round like a headless chicken today getting ready for the health visitor's visit tomorrow. Like she's going to check the garden path for weeds and the state of the cooker (or is she .... ?).

Nolda I cannot recommend the canoes enough they are brilliant!!! We had so much fun, the boys loved them. They were so easy too. We packed them folded up, the paddles, life jackets, and pump and other beach paraphernalia into the bike trailer then cycled to the beach. I took about 10mins each to pump them up, I think next time would be even less as we get used to doing it. Then straight into the water and off we went. We paddled around for about an hour and the boys really got into it. DS2 was so good, he didn't try to jump out or rock the canoe he just looked around chatted to us about the what he could see, looked out for Nahwals (his current favourite sea animal), & just generally enjoyed it all. It was a perfect day for it as it wasn't too hot, but was nice and sunny.

What a great weekend for good news, Urbs new niece arrived safely, Beans had a baby girl born at her house and ZJ's friends baby is doing so well.

PD how is Colin? That is so funny.

I have decided to take a very lazy approach to some toilet training. In the morning when I take DS2's night time nappy off I put the potty in the livingroom and offer him to sit on it if he wants to use it. So far twice he has used it and has had one miss. I then get a bit bored of constantly asking him if he wants to wee. So I then put a pull up on him (oh my former self would tut) and just chill for the rest of the day. I figure even if it takes ages it surely has to be better than the three stressful months that I had with DS1.

Rubes, that is such a lovely compliment, I'd love to be a fun mum. Fresian? Are you from the Dutch province of Friesland?

Oh and Beans, what happened afterwards, did they just stay at yours then go home? When was their baby due, is it their first? I still can't believe it. I so hear you on the JL towel, what a shame. We never managed to get the stains out of an old throw that I put over the couch to protect it when DS2 was born.

Ok three posts I'm out.

Lovely news for all the babies being born. Hope all are continuiing to do well.

I am so impressed on the potty training. M does not have any interest at all. I have put him back in baby vests as he keeps grabbing his willy and leaving it pointing north, so that when he naps it goes everywhere. Taking out sheets on a nightly basis was not good, so I've stopped the fun for the time being. I think I might have a go in the summer when we are spending lots of time in the garden.

Was at work yesterday and am so tired today. Roll on our trup to Norfolk in 3 weeks. Does anyone know Brancaster?

Hope you are all well.

Vag: I've started doing the same with DS2. I offer the potty at bathtime and when we're in the bathroom and it's up to him. If he isn't getting there in a few weeks I'll try the no pants approach. It's reassuring that others are taking a relaxed approach to TT. Deids: I think you're right to postpone. I had such a stressful time with DS1 as it took him months and it was a long time before he was remotely bothered about being wet or dirty. In retrospect I should have delayed, but he was 2 1/2 and I felt the pressure to have him out of nappies.

It was lovely to see PD and her two yesterday. The kids were happy all playing together and M and N spent ages chatting to each other (probably planning world domination). DS1 has settled down a lot after DH has had some time at home. He's decided (DH that is) to cut back a bit at work, with the result that we've had some decent family time :).

Urbane: glad to hear SIL and baby are fine. 4 is a tricky age for us (as you might have guessed). dS1 is more aggressive and shouty and rude (we're getting rude words which really winds me up). At the same time he's really sensitive and getting upset at little things, as well as getting worried at stuff. I veer between addressing the bad behaviour and trying to reassure him when he gets worried or scared. All guesswork really.

Playgroup starts again this morning thank goodness!

Effie just wanted to say we are also hitting the difficult 4's. Rude and shouty - tick, emotional - tick. Am sure i read somewhere about there being a testosterone surge around 4/5. SO hoping thats it. I was talkig about wiht a friend the other day who has been into pre-school as she is so concerned about the tantrumming. We are not alone!

Just quick one from me while stuck on train. Sybs we were in brancaster the other week. Really lovely. We stayed at the ship which has nice food and they're v good with kids. So worth eating there. Beach beautiful but like all of that coast very windy so can be colder than you think. Err we went on narrow guage railway which I found a bit underwhelming and dcs didn't seem that bothered. Walsingham is weirdest place on earth. Hunstanton acquarium has vaguely interesting fish but a great pirate ship climbing thing that kept ours amused for hours and there's what looks like quite a fun pool there too. If it had been warmer and dd wasn't such a nutcase we might have gone out on boat looking for seals because apparently that's well worth doing. Lovely asparagus and fish. And that my friends was our Norfolk trip. Also in terrible townie fashion I did my usual trick of thinking I could just buy whatever anywhere at any time. So we had a crise de breadsticks. And that was our Norfolk break .

Just in case you didn't get that, that was our Norfolk break . work are going to get good value from me today...
Ds has his first all day session at pre-school today in preparation for moving up in September. He is so excited about school dinners and I've tried to tell him they might not be that amazing. Am pre-emptively mortified that he's going to ask for a menu

Effie yes, I think I did feel pressured to get DS TT. He is only really just starting to talk, and so I think I was foolish to try I knew inmy heart of hearts he wasn't ready! Oh and DD is 4, lets not talk about that though, the girl has an answer for everything and there are times I doubt she will live to see her teens!

Toddler Group back on for us this week too...finally I can get back into a routine!

Also I 7 weeks to lose a stone for my cousins wedding. I really must. The running has been going very well doing around 4 miles a time, 3 times a week. But I haven't lost a single lb. Admitedly I could do to make some diet alterations too. Anyway I'm on it, low carb, loads of fruit & veg and no bread...wish me luck I'm supposed to be camping this weekend

Aaah, a stone in 7wks....that would be so good... I would look quite acceptable with a stone off. But I would look really quite good with two off DB, I am with you, Sybs and Rubes on the leaving TT for a while. I have come to the conclusion that DD1 is as lazy as I am.

So, went to see B. Manilow on Sat. The audience were, for the most part, what I'd feared (late middle aged women in Per Una) but who cares, it was great. There was a fabulous orchestra and amazing backing singers/dancers and Baz sounded fab. He has had so much work done though, on his face. It was a real shock. He looks like he's had everything done several times. I mean, he virtually has a retrousse nose now...DP and I were quite hammered by the time he came on - we'd been out for drinks before and you can take drinks into the O2 in plastic cups and DP kept getting more and more. Anyway, it was a good night. We have another day/night without the girls on Sat - another chambers do. It's lunch at Pisarro in W London (Arti, you prob know it, it's on the river. I used to go there with DH sometimes so it will be a bit weird to be back) then DP has a gig in Oxford in the evening. I don't usually see him play as I am usually looking after the girls but MIL is coming down. I am grateful of course, but don't especially want to see her...Anyway, sorry your night out got derailed, Vag.

Urbs, congrats on your new niece, hope all goes smoothly from here on in.

Sybs, are you going to Norfolk over the Bank Hol? I have many happy memories of going to cricket at Holkham Hall. We don't have that fixture any more. Funnily enough I will be in Suffolk with my family that weekend - not near enough to you to pop along and visit, sadly!

Which reminds me - PD, I could possibly be in London on 27th May but it depends on when precisely we are going off to Suffolk.

Beans, that is an amazing story about the new arrival on your bedroom floor! Was the babe early?

Rubes, Lola is a nice name but actually The Kinks song would worry me more than the Lola in Copa Cabana!

Oh, how lovely is it to have Show Me Show Me back, and Big Cack Little Cack back on a high shelf.

Must go. Lunch (and 1,000,001 tasks) beckon.

Urbs that's hilarious (menu)
Vag - Freasian / Heffer etc. Cow in other words. Totally larded out of the w'end - not good just days before I need to don a bikini.
Just had tour of local nursery. Planning to put ds in from Jan 2012 (for the free early years deal) Sounds like they offer either 5 half days (3 hour sessions either am or pm) or the option of 2 full 'school days' by topping up just under £6 for each day. I think I am going to register him for the 5x mornings a week since he has never been to nursery before, until he is nearer school age then do 2 full days. I don't know? Is anyone else doing anything similar?
dd had a bottle at 11pm then slept till 730 again! 4 days straight now, is she officially a sleeper-througher?? very if she keeps this up

Lady I always c/post with you! Glad you enjoyed Baz!

Grr, just lost a post. Rubes, that sounds good if they do full days. Ours opposite the new house only does mornings. DD1 will do 5 morns a week from Jan, but prior to that we will send her 1-2 mornings a week and pay. 1 morning session costs £12.50. I will get a lot more done from January onwards but I will miss her and also wonder what would happen if I wanted to take her to London for a block of time or to Mum's.

Meant to say, I hope you are still enjoying your break, Spot.

Crikey that's cheap, I think ours is around £18 for 3 hr morn or afternoon session. Just another benefit of the country.... Why are you putting her in earlier and paying? You will be working from home I suppose. Ours has a flexi or permanent option, with the flexi you can cancel a session 24 hours before, however I guess it doesn't matter as much when it's subsidised but if I was going away or something I'd just let them know. Both kids here asleep, and I actually don't feel tired as I've had 7 hours last night! dh didn't get home until 1am and went back at 6 so did wake when he got up to leave, as did ds shortly after....

Rubes, I'm planning to put DS in for 2 full days but he already does 2 morning sessions at the local playgroup where he is left for 2.5 hours, so I figure he'll be used to me leaving him. DD just did mornings though and I wish that I'd put her in for at least one full day prior to her starting school, so your plan sounds good to me.