The CRESH Creche and Spa - What's your excuse for not going back to work?

[Backinthebox]

Liking maternity leave too much? Can't be arsed to go back to your old job? Why not get made redundant, set up a company, have another baybee or even fall off a horse? Anything to spend more time with our little darlings! And it's so naice here - pass the gin!

Bolloxs about the yard situ Alps. Small family yard sounds up my street - I like the tidy look when it comes to the hoss. Have been itching to give Boxer's a good sweep for ages and finally got the the chance when she was carted off to hospital

I reckon your brain will be fine too Pol and, since you'll be up our way, Box and I can come and help you paint the town

What a PITA about the nag, pone.

Sprocket I would gladly take a droid or 10 for the BESH. The not list is looking a bit short atm and I was thinking we could do some more wins.

I can't make the ESH meet. Too much going on/not enough money/too far.

Box according to the law of sod I did have a sainsbo's order booked for today but I had to cancel it due to lack of funds - stoopid website will not accept payment by nectar points and I thought 'oh well, no worries, I'll drop Boo at school on Weds and nip over and grab the shopping'. It seems I have blown the household budget on gin and party bags. Oh well, at least the mummies that won't be driving will be happy!

fanny the meet is about 30 mins north of my place, prob one Saturday in August. Date and venue tbc. Will email you properly later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIN - today right? She's probably (hopefully) being massaged and stuff right now and nowhere near MN...

Scorps - hope the baby choco bar is doing well. Not that she'll necess see that. Don't know how anyone gets on line when they have a nu-born, chilled or no chilled, for that matter. Mind you, I used to read a lot (buks) and people used to ask me how I managed that. So I suppose each to their own n all.

Pol can you do a winning dance for me? I am feeling left out wot with Alpen and Gin's lovely blissful small brother gap story, not to mention Gin's Actual Real Thing2. Hmmm. And good luck with your brain (Pol). Right, off to eat frazzles. Did you know Sainsbury's do a good line in Frazzles? Possibly better than real Frazzles.

Wowee thanks everyone for lovely congrats. Apart from the fact I am still wearing some of my maternity trousers, I don't feel that diffed!

Kimbo welcome!! I've been knocking about since late 2009 but I fink I must have just missed you. Can we please have a summary of important facts about your good self as some of this lot know you better than others! :) Lovely that you are back - where have you been????!!! (says she who fucks off for weeks on end and misses all kinds of important news)

Polly good work on The Sechs. Less good on the agonising wait. I will be forced back on the pill after this. MR Moo is having no shit about number 3. He has threatened the snip, but I reminded him that he is funny about contact lenses let alone having a knife put to his testes. Just keep drinking the gin...

Box owowowowowowowowowowowowoow. You need to have serious words I agree.

Alps I bet you are looking forward to next Friday. Seems like bloody ages away and I still have to get through weeks 7-11 which were hideous morning sickness weeks last time. Who knows though, maybe I'll sail through without the daily hangover. In terms of birth, I plan to do exactly the same. I had a double appointment with a perineal midwife to go through my notes a while back and I have healed very well. There's no difference to anything down there than before according to the tests I had done (bet you havent seen the inside of your bum eh?) and I'm at no greater risk of tearing than anyone else. Also the bleed was just one of those things, they;ll never know why it happened and again, its unlikely it would happen again. From my pov though I am a bit scared of the speed and pain of the delivery part again and I would potentially go for an epidural earlier this time to try and slow things down and allow things stretch a bit more slowly. That's my gut instinct knowing whats ahead, but maybe like last time things will happen before i get the choice!!!

Good. Frazzles duly eaten. Honey wow grrl. I need to know about YOU. How old is No 1? Congrats from me too. And need you to do a dance for me too seeing as your dish has dropped in quick succession it seems. You are week 5 or 6? Weeks 7-11 - you're so right. Ug. Maybe it'll be ok this time, here's hoping...

I was on here up to the end of 2009 so yep, we just missed. Have Small Deal who is one and a bit. Hmm, let me think. Coined 'do I win a baybee?' - and complained about dropped butter dish - so thems my only esh contributions. Spare time I front The Breeders* and like singing about Canon balls. I also like Sainsbury's Frazzles. I reckon that's about the sum of it. Oh yes, and not gone back to the office but am working from home. These ESH threads make me laugh.

*In my imagination.

Okie - I know. I am hot. Great legs too.

Kimbo I'm 5 weeks now, and babymoo is 8 1/2 months, so yes ickle bit sooner than I had intended but all v pleased now, particularly with all the people that have said having a smaller gap makes such a difference to them as they grow up. I'm another working from home... so much for work/life balance though. I barely get dressed most days and babymoo thinks the laptop is another person I think. Nice to have flexibility but sometimes I do long for an entire uninterrupted day in an office where I can pop out for shopping/lunch. I luffs frazzles. also salt and vinegar stix.

who are you on FB, I want a gander at your pins.

Moo couldn't you just swan into that high powered office job that you once did for 1 day and annouce "I am updiffed again" and swan off on mat leave again and have them pay you some more dosh? Like, run your mat leaves into one another?

Oh and hurrah! Peppa is having a long lunchtime nap... first in ages. Probably something to do with being wide awake at 5.30am.

Yay KIIIMMMMM!! Great to see you back here you little saucepot.

Just to play devils advocate here, there are 19 months between me and sis. We hated each other on sight apparently and not much has changed since. This is probably due to the fact she is a headcase and not the small gap between us. If I was to be up the duff (which I am sure I am not) there would only be 15 months between BB and newbie. Oh yes, and I have just eaten pate that is a week out of date. Have I killed the baybee I am prolly not carrying?

Okie genius. Honey - wow - good going! Right, have you done that dance for me? I'm lagging well behind (junior 6 months older than yours!). No 2 needs to frazzlerock into place now or not til next Christmas (I have my complicated reasons). Is that OK? Thanks then.

Hurumm he's up. Seeya. And here's to long naps, Okie.

Moo I am liking Okes plan. I would like to be a fly on the wall when you do that plz.

I really must look into the set up of my mumsnet, I keep trying to reply to messages from about 4 weeks ago. No wonder I am confused.

kim I have done a modest wiggle for you, ok? Are you going on a very long beach holiday until next Xmas?

okie good work on the nap! Mine refused to go down until 1.12pm. He just sat in his cot and laughed at me on the laptop - and then STOOD UP! Christ, need to lower cot ASAP before he goes over the top.

In terms of mat leave, I like the cut of your jib and trust me I am sort of thinking about it. But a) sitting at a desk gives me swollen ankles b) I'd have to pretend to do some work for 4 days a week (they are considering 3) and c) I can't feasibly do it and my pet project as well without losing my sanity entirely. Tis a tricky one, but think I am going to have to leave...

Afternoon ladeez!

Casper I hope to spend more time around these ere parts, but I still automatically log into the ante-natal fred first. Force of habit. Then BugBoy seems to sense I'm on t'interwebs & starts to shout for attention. He is well lush though . Had him weighed at clinic yesterday, now a whopping 11lb 14 oz. Gorgeous little chubster. I must also announce that he slept from 11.30pm until 6am. Happy nights! I say this not to gloat, just I'm sure you'll all appreciate how fantabulous that was. I fear it will be a one off though.....

Well, teh secks is all a go round here. Mr Loz & I got jiggy wiv it night before last. I'd forgotten how good it could be without temperature charts / diffed belly in the way. Only downside was the condom-pause. Actually, nearly forgot to use one such has been a long time. Not ideal to get diffed before BugBoy is 6 weeks old.

Pol good luck for the diffed / non-diffed status. Whichever you really secretly want

Frankly I would love to swan back into work and announce updiffed status. But my practical and sensible husband says "no". I can't just keep having babies or I could end up like that mum in the US that has 14.

Oh and I have just made a lentil and cheese bake thing that Peppa can eat with fingers (still no like a the spoon). How is that for lentil weavery?

dunno okes did you weave it?

Recipe ok?

Hi Lozz!

I too am dazed and confuggled as I thought rocko was already an fb bud. Seems I am wrong and have been thinking someone else was rock.

Well well I am so pleased I made the effort to do washing and it's sipping wet due to this afternoon's showers. That's what a social life will do for you.

Today my scratchsleeves came! That should stop the self harming and the numerous questions about MB having the pox.

Today MB went on his first swing and tasted grass (not the wacky stuff). He's also trying to stand up.

The Wonder Weeks is now an iPhone app BTW.

Alp major arses about yard. Just what you need. Not.

I toy with moving closer to home. Then think why rock the boat.

Polly sorry - I only just saw your sarnies, thanks luv - brie and bacon, mmm. Yep. Can I tempt you with a packet of Sainsbury's cheese balls?

Okie well done with the lentil bake. Poor junior gets given some foul stuff. I recently discovered quinoa hoops. They are as bad as they sound.

So, Polly, age gaps. Acc to my extensive research (got rained into a charidee shop today and bought a copy of "What to Expect in the First Year". OK so he's over a year. But it's a GOOD book, wish I'd seen it earlier - top tip to Silver et al.) anyhow, acc to my extensive research, it's character, not spacing, that matters. As P ses.

Right back to my wine and frazzles.
... Honey thanks for the small wiggle. Hahh.

lozza well done on the sechs and the Big Sleep! That sounds a-mazing. We certainly weren't that fortunate at 6 weeks. If he's done it once, he'll do it again! I was vastly misled by my mum who told me big baby=good sleeper. Sadly for us it was 16 weeks until we got a decent night's sleep!

kimbo I read that very same bit in "what to expect..." and distinctly remember thinking that we should definitely leave a nice big manageable gap since I possess neither patience or calmness in the face of sleep deprivation and stress. Royally fucked that plan up methinks. I wonder if my mum will move in for a month like last time. I fear her 3rd grandchild might be less of a novelty...

Watching The Hour and is it me, or is it fucking boring?

Definitely more personality than age difference that matters. 18 months between bro and me - it was great when we were small, no so great when sharing friends, classes etc at school. I met a mum today with a 13 month age gap! Wasn't planned, but she seems to be doing just fine. Littlest one is still only 3 months (and very squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)

I've got half an eye on Drag Queen at 16. The boy is annoying me, but I am intrigued to see the end reveal.

10 years between me and my sibs and get on with one, not really with other. So there. Still, v cool about all the #2s. And at our vintage, we'd better be getting on with it ey (note to self).

And yep, 6 weeks is bluddy good going loz (scuse the possible pun there). (eeew, that's so rubbish, sorry.)

God, I'd missed the six weeks sechs thing loz. Bloody well done! (I've managed it once in a year, but that's a longer story).

I'm going to go for #2 as soon as my body and mind start working again.