April 2009 Episode 15 Bebe & BB have babies n stuff

[PuzzleRocks]

Ta da

What is the French for testicles? Moutonettes? Testicules? Oeufs de plaisir? Sachets de the?

testicules in polite language
couilles in less polite idiom

Try pronouncing couille. It's one of those words designed specifically to trip English speakers trying to speak French.

une couille molle (a soft one) = a big girl's blouse (as we say in Edin, anyhoo) i.e. a wuss

Similarly, my first name is a total bugger for any French speaker to pronounce.
In fact my neighbour (80-odd yr-old. She of the breastfed puppy fame) decreed that my name was far too hard for anyone her age to even try and pronounce, and she'd just call me Lou. So she does. Introduces me to people as Lou, as well. If I run away from home and become a novelist in a garret, I may call myself Lou.

I am reading a student dissertation. Am bored. 11.26pm and DH is at work. Think I am past caring, sadly.

Sachets de the? We know what floats you boat SW [vom]

Zulu - She'll be fine. She's so excited and has been asking all summer to go. I get asked on an hourly basis now. I, however, may be another story.

DH is taking the day off work so we can both drop her off and collect her and he's cooking her favourite supper after school. I have also ordered some presents from Amazon which will be waiting for her. PFB much? I'll probably just sling Holly through the gates and run when it's her turn.

Not my boat, I have no testicules, well not of the traditional kind, anyway.

Auld, I remember the tricks used to fill threads pre babies - didn't someone (I want to blame SW but I might be wrong) actually write a whole sentence one word per post to use up about 40?!!

Alps sounds great (although perhaps more appealing after the babies are born and I can walk more than 100m)

SW - how did you end up with a tin of them? Agree with the others, you do sound much better.

Puzz we played a similar game when were younger (but older than E&H) where I had to role off the top bunk and my sisters would catch me from underneath. They rarely did and I did break bones!!!

Zulu I am on mat leave now (well holiday for 1.5 weeks then mat leave) so no more work for me! Yes we went shopping so I could get some vest tops and cheap cardigan things for bfing. I didn't go alone - I did take my sister as DS has a habit of sitting on the floor when he doesn't want to go somewhere / do something and I physically can't get bend down far enough to get him up and he runs - FAST (too fast it's scary!)

Puzz Ah bless her and what a nice idea to some presents (you are a much nicer mummy than me, I am still debating whether to bother getting DS presents when the twins come and if so, what? - FYI he doesn't really like presents, he doesn't like all the unwrapping and bits involved with it -- I know, weird child). You are right, she will be great! DS starts nursery on Wednesday (only two half days days a week) and on the one hand it will be the best thing for him (and his speech) to go but on the other hand I am dreading walking away and leaving him there . Hope you are ok!

Not much happening my end - still fat, still full of baby just no longer working so nothing else to think about apart from being fat and full of baby all day long . Desperately torn between wanting them to stay in until at LEAST 36 weeks for size and bfing etc and just wanting them out so I can feel relatively normal again. I'm dreading the first week or so with them in hospital (hate, hate, hate hospitals!!!) and getting used to it but cannot wait to see them and just have them here and start the process of settling in with my new family x

Do you have to stay in for a week then? Is that policy?

Hang in there, BB!

I took DS1 to his new school this morning. He doesn't know a soul in his class, as we are not in the same sector as when he began maternelle. He was lost, and so was I as I didn't know where anything was or how it worked, and by the time we found his room, he was on the brink of tears. He fought them back bravely and sat down beside some kids he doesn't know (they have mostly come from the maternelle that feeds into this school, so know each other or will have familiar faces), and looked fiercely ahead to keep from crying.

The boys in his class all look a bit, erm, rough.

I want to go in and get him and give him a huge hug.

Auld bless DS1 - what a brave little boy - here's to him running out of school today having made lots of new friends and telling you all about his good day. And you can give him lots of hugs tonight - I am already hugging K to death and he is only going two half days a week from Wednesday!

Puzz how did Ellen get on going in for her first day (or more importantly you?)

No policy is three days for CS (first day bed rest with out of bed in evening, second day basically monitoring you being 'normal' and third day discharge all being well) but I am trying to prepare myself for longer so that if I am allowed out earlier it's a bonus. HV reckons around a week is about average for twins (if they are not in SCBU) as they tend to have problems maintaining blood sugar - especially if they are small and can't get the suction right for bfing. Am a bit nervous as apparently the drs are very pro formula feeding for twins as it helps maintain their weight and blood sugar more effectively so I will apparently be 'encouraged' to top up with formula from early on - I've currently said I will top up with hand expressed bf milk and then if that doesn't work I will move on to ff top ups but only by syringe /cup, not bottle. Am 35 weeks tomorrow so one more week and hopefully they will be big enough to feed by themselves.

First day of mat leave today and it's amazing how much more chilled I am - no longer completely focused on wanting these babies out, just pottering around and getting a few things done that I have been meaning to do for weeks (like DH's expenses and filing etc - all very exciting things but actually just totted them up and his company owe us over £800! Note to self BB don't leave them that long again!!

BB, it sounds very off to be encouraging FF for twins. BF is encouraged for twins and premature babies in our area and there is a very busy milk bank for that exact purpose. I would question that if it was me.

I am glad you are keeping yourself occupied doing worthwhile things as you may be able to hang on to 37 weeks with a big stroke of luck, and then be out of hospital quickly and doing what you like with them. You never know. It happened like that to one of my friends and she exclusively bf them until 6 months as well - we once worked out after a bottle of wine one evening that she had produced the exact same quantity of milk as my hot water cylinder would hold. MAHOOSIVE! I can't say I would be quite that devoted ....

Can we have a new belly picture if I ask very nicely????

Auld, frisk him for spliffs when he gets home. You can't be too careful. No, seriously, the fact he coped with all that so manfully shows great strength of character and deserves a big chocolate cake when he gets home, I think.

Oh god yes belly pics please!!!!

Auld, is he home yet?

Ellen starts on Wednesday and even DH's lip is starting to tremble a bit.

yy to pics of tummy.
And yy to surprise that FF is encouraged for twins. Sounds as if you have slowed down, though, BB and so hopefully you will keep them in as long as you can, and then BFing will be easier. FW twins, eh!

DS1 gets out in 8 mins, am just off when I've finished my cuppa. Advantage of grotty new school is that it is 3mins walk from our house. Will stop at the pâtisserie opposite school on the way back and buy him the cake of his choice (am betting on choc éclair). I've had a knotted tummy all day. Pathetic, really.

Puzzle, have yours started school yet?

Not pathetic at all. Let us know how it went.

Damn it. Was determined to keep up this time, but looks like I need to increase how long a thread stays on my list of threads I'm on ifswim.

Will read back later. Rushing round the house trying to tidy before fil and dh's old boss come for impromptu tea.

38 weeks now and lots of twinges/BH etc etc but nothing else so far, by the way. Still in the game with BabiesBolat, although I strongly suspect you will go first.

Just been to GP and he thinks I am getting better and look like a different person. Yay!

SW I too was a bit shocked about the bf / ff thing - hence why I said I would only revert to ff if my own milk and top ups didn't work! Glad GP sees an improvement - we have just being online over the past week or so.

Auld how did he get on?

Puzz Good luck for Wednesday!

Conker I don't know - I reckon I'll be after you - I'd like to keep them in for two more weeks so chances are your LO will be here by then - I am same with BH / twinges but nothing substantial.
New belly pictures are up for a few hours - I must love you lot lots as I wouldn't let just anyone see them!!

Excellent news, SW!!

Puzzle, I just realised that you'd said school began on Wed in yr previous post. Sorry. Comes from simultaneous MNing, tea-drinking and replying to students e-mails. Was debating whether to tell my freshly arrived Erasmus students from London that in a French uni it's best not to send e-mails to staff you've never encountered beginning, "Salut!". And wondering about another London one who asked about an appointment this week and when I said I had reception hours this Thurs replied, 'I'll be away this weekend, could I see you before Thursday?" Since when did the weekend start on Wed evening?

Conker, keep that cleaning and tidying gentle, now...! Nice to hear from you.

DS1 is fine, has a new friend, and seems happy. To judge by the brutal games he's been playing with his wee brother since he got home, he has oodles of pent-up tension to work off...

A has come home with a huge chunk bitten out of his cheek, after one of the other mindees wanted the book he was looking at.

Auld so glad DS1 made a friend - am pretty sure most kids come home from their first day full of pent up emotion after the nerves and stress of it all. The relief must hit them like it does parents.

Bless A - am pretty sure it will be K doing the biting rather than receiving them Am so nervous about wednesday and how he will react - he is obsessed with girls bellies at the moment (given the size of mine that's probably not a surprise) and he keeps chasing after them and lifting their clothes up then pinching and licking tummies! Am just sure I'll be called in on week one for complaints! And he bites the wheels off of cars! It'll cost me more to replace toys than fees

Babies just a quick one - they were very keen to top Orbit up with FF as he was such a big baby and they said he would have trouble maintaining his blood sugar. I insisted on expressing colostrum for him to have from a syringe (he wouldn't latch for first 24 hours) and made them test his blood sugar rather than assuming it would drop. It meant a rubbish night as he had to be tested every two hours, and by the time they'd tested and then I'd expressed and fed him and changed him, it was time to start again!

It did drop a bit and I did eventually let them give him a tube feed of FF, at which point he threw up all the FF (good boy!) but also lots of mucus which had been clogging up his tummy. Apparently this is very common in CS babies as something about the birth process squeezes the mucus out of babies born naturally.

After that he fed normally (think all the mucus basically made him feel full, poor mite!) and no more top ups.

So my advice is insist on them testing the blood sugar rather than doing FF as a preventative thing, and also see if they've got a proper blood test machine, not just one of those handheld thingies diabetics use, as they're not terribly accurate.

Hope that is of some use, probably not but you never know!

Back later for more - skim read and saw SW is feeling better, hooray!

Auld - Sorry to hear about poor old A. What was done about it? But great that DS1 successfully navigated his first day.

BB - Damn that's a tidy tummy. And I still don't see a single line!

Hi to Conker xx

Wow, BB, that is a splendid tummy you have there. It's really quite pert in the side view, given the number of people living in it. Most impressive.

Speaking of big tummies, I wonder what happened to Barbarella and her triplets? Can we get in touch?

That is a natty wee belly, BB. Very trim!

Puzzle, the CM said that she had been v cross with the biter (an angelic looking little girl...) and had told her off and put her in the naughty corner for quite a long time. The culprit was clearly aware of her sins and feeling guilty, as she wouldn't meet my gaze when the issue was being discussed. Then this evening her mother phoned to make sure A was OK and to apologise. It's just one of those things, really. A doesn't bite the other mindees, but he did pin DS1 to the sofa and sink his teeth into his back a few months ago. I'd have been very PFB had DS1 come home from the CM's with 4 visible teethmarks in his cheek, but I have changed a lot...

Interesting about the blood sugar tests, WFH.

Mine is like a relief map of the world, even without a baby in there.