Feb 2010 - we're stroppy, sassy and splendid (and that's just the mums!)

[BigBadBear]

New thread!

PA your mum is my age and stan's.
sorry about your town! keep safe.
Did you tell your MW that you are vegan? It is normal for vegan bumps and baby to be much smaller than the norm, so medics have to adapt the curves.

IC silky scarfs, books, any hobbies (sewing, gardening, cooking motorbiking....)? Sponsor an animal at bristol zoo (may be too expensive). Mug or mouse pad with your DD on it (bit naff but great for GPs ), or just a nice picture frame with all of you (or just your DD)...

BG I do everything with DDs in tow (I have to). That why when "people" insist that I should socialised DD2 by putting her in nursery I am . IMO she is much more socialised by being out with me all day and playing in the park or at baby groups than being stuck in nursery with the same small number of people all the time. Here nurseries take the toddlers out to the market, shops, see the trains... to get them use to social life , I do that for cheaper everyday!
DD2 is very social and friendly, she just doesn't like the idea of me leaving her and was a bit stressed in france.

Anyhow ranting again.

BBB good luck with your "new" life I hope it goes well.

haha after what I said yesterday, DD woke twice in the night, but they were only little tiny wakings.

don't worry about our town, it's full of wanna gang members but they are so pathetic they can't actually do that much damage.

BBB are you apprehensive about the change?

Off to catch up with a friend over lunch today once DD wakes up, but she's gone down a little early which normally doesn't take so lets see.

and rant away mous it's annoying when people instantly judge without even listening or assessing the situation properly. I find even when I purposely made a decision and I'm happy with it they still cause you to doubt yourself [grr]

PA I've got to ask, how old are you if you're mum's only 42?

We had one wake-up last night after a few nights of sleeping through, we are on tenterhooks trying not to even mention this new phenomenon in case we jinx it. It just seems too good to be true after 18 sleep-interrupted months

Nap failure, just got her up for 20mins and tried again

Not cheeky at all I'm 27 but she had me at 14. I normally do exactly the same, don't talk about her sleep when it's too good.

I'm a bit worried about finding groups that I can take the two of them too as I think I remember last time them being strict about no under/over 1's, but getting most days to something really helped me.

PA It is a bit more relax in the UK (unless it changed from when I was there) but all the playgroups were 0 till 5 with 2 rooms or 2 corners. I remember one mum was there a few days after giving birth . Small towns though.

IC I agree that a photo collage is an excellent present for GPs. In fact, I've done one for MIL's birthday (which is today), and have put it in a frame with comments from DD1 around the edges - things like "I love granny and grandad" and "It's so much fun when Granny takes me swimming". Cheap too!

PA my experience with toddler groups and soft play is that they generaly work for two children as long as they are both under school age. There is usually a "baby" section to keep the tinies safely away from maraudering older children! Sorry your MW appt was a bit odd, but glad your bump has decided to conform to their measurements if that makes them feel better!

mous you sound to be doing a fabulous job with your girls, and you should ignore what anyone else says.

scones I've lost track of how far along you are with your pg?

BG what kind of work are you looking for?

BC how are you?

Thanks for asking if I am happy with my work decision. I am, but it's going to be a wrench as I have been at the same place for eight years (other than two mat leaves!). I will miss the contact with my colleagues, who make me feel valued, and worry that DH will fall back into rubbishness and make me feel that I am doing it all on my own and in isolation (I may have said before that I am one of those people who comes across as super-capable, when I am just not, so people tend not to check up on me or ask how I am, and occasionally it can make me feel purely functional and like I could disappear without anyone noticing). But financially, what I am doing makes sense, and hopefully it will make the lives of everyone in my family a bit easier. Maybe even mine

Your mum did so well at bringing you up if she was only 14 when she had you, PA. Hats off to her.

BBB Sorry, I can't remember what it is you do for work. Can you remind me? It sounds like you've thought things through and I hope it all works out for you. If you have such a good relationship with your current employers they may even take you back once it's financially sensible for you to return to work.

Well I still feel under the weather but the line on the test I did this morning was fainter than yesterday's - that plus the period leads me to think it probably was a chemical pregnancy but we'll see - I am going to have the second blood test on Friday so we can compare the numbers.

Photo collage! Genius idea, Mous - that's the one! I'll do one of my mum's late partner with DD - we've got a few nice pix taken last summer and a couple from Christmas. I think that will be perfect (and very poignant - but I think Mum will appreciate it).

Your mum is an extraordinary woman, PA!
I've never come across a baby/toddler group here with a lower age limit, so I'm sure you'll be fine toting a newborn to them as well as your little dynamo!

Aw, Bc, bummer if it turns out to be chemical. Big hug. FX though, it could still turn out to be perfectly normal. Are you okay? Ish?

Fair play, BBB - let's hope your DH keeps up to the mark and doesn't start taking you for granted again once you are full-time carer again.

Scones you deserve some unbroken nights after 18 months of it! DD started sleeping through at 13 months, but it's still intermittent, so I guess if you accept that's the case while knowing your DD can (and will) sleep through, I reckon things will continue to get better on the sleep front.

We had the fifth sleep-through in a row last night, but an early wake-up - 0540. After almost an hour of fidgeting, DD did eventually nod off again for half an hour or so - which allowed me to nod off again too. If someone had told me two years ago I would be able to actually sleep with a toddler (with teeth!!) attached to my breast I would never have believed them.
DD's woken after an hour of napping, but has gone quiet after a bit of wailing, so hopefully she'll sleep on for a bit longer. She has gone back to sleep every time but one since the first time I left her for five mins after the initial waking. I'm very pleased with this habit and am hoping she will lose the wailing part in the middle and just close her eyes and go back to sleep without comment soon...

BC sorry that it's not looking good. Are you OK?

And as you ask, I'm a pharmacist but I work in publishing, mainly writing and editing training materials for pharmacists and pharmacy staff. I also write articles for magazines that go out to the same audience.

we did one of those where we had a picture of her from one month of the year

nap worked on third attempt, had a great lunch with friend. She has three older DCs

BC

SIL is threatening suicide so we're looking up how to get her help

PA your life is never quiet, is it? Hope you and your family manage to resolve the situation.

IC good news on the sleep and naps (and hats off to PA for keeping going with naps until it worked!).

Crakey, you've been busy today!

I love the collage idea. I got one one my desk at work.

PA I'm impressed by your naps technique

I can't comment on the playgroups as we don't go. (I'm actually annoyed that there are no groups at weekends aimed to FT working mums who would like to socialise with others mums).

bc , and

Well for the last few days DS has been in a very good mood which is such a relief as last week I was starting to lose patience with his numerous tantrums

mous node and smile at people giving you those comments. You're doing a great job and your DDs are fab.

haha well this afternoon's never happened or if it did it was a micro nap. I think I'll take some calpol to bed with me tonight as she was chewing her fingers today.

I think it was the NCT bumps and babies that were 1's and under but heard a few others complaining about over 1's. Hopefully it was just local to that area, I hear Oxford is good for mums.

Idiots were out again in town last night. Apparently (according to DB) the police can't step in as they don't have riot training so just hung around and cleared up the mess afterwards. Gotta love WC white poor seaside towns.

I was quite low yesterday afternoon and had a bit of a cry. I had that awful terrible aching yearning for a baby feeling that I haven't had since having DS. I assumed it was my hormones crashing as it was ever so sudden - I have been pretty sanguine and realistic about my chances since the first shock of the positive. I know with my age and various gynae issues (bicornuate uterus etc) that there's no guarantees. But it wasn't a logical sort of feeling, it was just a very strong emotional thing.

Anyway this morning I used my last cheapo amazon test and the line was much stronger than yesterday or the day before so I am back in hopeful limbo.

I think I will shut up about this possible pregnancy until I have some concrete answers so I don't drive myself and all of you mad.

Today we are off to see In The Night Garden live. I've heard of a couple of kids who got scared and freaked out - I hope DS won't be one of them. We will probably spend a bit of time walking around Richmond afterwards if the weather isn't too shitty. I need to go and shower actually as it starts at 9.30.

PA I am so sorry about your SIL. Does she have a Community Psychiatric Nurse? It must be awful for her and all her friends and relatives to see her so despairing.

BBB Ah thank you, I remember now you say. It's great that you will be able to do some freelance work after you leave.

DH was in tears today telling me about the father of one of the men who was killed in Birmingham. He was telling everyone to go home and stop messing about and to let him mourn his son. It's so sad.

BC The limbo must be horrible. Good luck to you over the next few days and I'll be quiet now until we hear about it you from again.

BC keeping my fingers firmly crossed for you

Bc there is no such things as a false positive preg test (as I'm sure you know) so keeping fingers and toes very firmly crossed for you that everything proceeds well.... Good luck with the blood test tomorrow. It is very exciting, and must be absolutely consuming your every waking moment. If you need to let off steam here, go ahead.

And have fun at ITNG! A shame the weather's not a bit more cheerful for a wander round Richmond. I adore Richmond and when I've made my millions I'm going to live at no.2 The Wardrobe.

I'm rather in awe of you being anywhere for 9.30 actually I am rarely ever dressed by then. Are any other SAHMs as slatternly as me? (I have fed and dressed DD and she's back in bed now hence the MN...)

PA hope you can find help for your SIL - how awful.

Right I do have Things To Do so I'd better get on with it. Waves to all.

I've been too very proud of myself for getting me and DD dressed, fed and washed before her morning nap. I think today's one has taken. 2 wakes again and a 6 am start, not terrible but wouldn't complain if it was better :)

I need to make dinner now if there's any chance of having a home cooked one tonight. That's what the past few days have taught me. DD has had frozen oven stuff for 3 days now (although to be fair yesterday she didn't eat anything). I have found out she likes baked beans (more ) but she has been having natural (soy) yogurt and fruit for pudding.

You're not a slattern scones! We are usually up and dressed by 8am, but today was more relaxed and was 9am. Currently the DDs are playing with an awful winnie the pooh house they inherited from some cousins, which is on the floor of the study where our PC is. Actually, DD2 has now hauled herself up onto a stool and is playing the piano while singing Balamory! To my knowledge, she has never seen the programme...

bc fingers crossed. Feel free to mither on here, we don't mind one bit.

PA good luck getting that dinner cooked. DH is out this evening so I am taking the DDs out for dinner with a friend and her two DSs.

scones you're not a slattern (I had to go and check the dictionary )

PA Don't because you're feeding your DD of frozen oven food. You're by yourself and 30 weeks pregnant, you need to preserve yourself.

DS has frozen dinner most evening because I cook in batch and put it into the freezer. Tonight was a courgette risotto; scones that's another great way to use up courgettes I now need to cook some pasta for tomorrow night. I have to cook when DS is in bed as if he sees me cooking, he's having a melt down as he want to eat NOW!

SB dd1 was like that and thought cooking was quite unnecessary . dd2 is more laid back and will happily play with her big sister while I get lunch or dinner ready.

Well, clingy dd2 is doing better than I expected being left with my parents occasionally, but only if dd1 is there too. Made the mistake the other day to pop out with dd1 to get a few things for dinner and dd2 was inconsolable the entire time we were gone (only about 20 minutes, but still felt sorry for my mum who tried everything to distract her). Practiced cycling with dd1 today (she clicked after just one attempt [proud mummy emoticon] but I like to run along so she doesn't fall) and my mum let dd2 watch from the attic window. dd2 still wasn't happy.

I love hearing dd1 chatting away to my parents in German (she has no choice, they don't speak English). My guess is that once she stars school English will very much dominate, so these breaks here are really valuable to keep her truly bilingual. dd2 doesn't seem to notice much of a difference here because I speak German to her at home anyway, and dd2 and dh speak English. She is a lot more bilingual than dd1 ever was (dd1 had mainly German for her first year, then mainly English in nursery plus problems with glue ear in her second year).

BBB my area is university based academic medical research, anything from drug trials to educational interventions... I am fed up with project work (short term contracts) but haven't managed to get a job which is more research and development/network management etc. Had a few interviews for NHS posts but they all went internally because they have a huge at-risk pool (why they bother to advertise externally beats me . I dream of completely changing direction and having a second career but have absolutely no idea what I would want to do

'starts school'