Dec 08 Ladies - We're fat, we're thin, we're nearly 3 years in!!

[DeidreBarlow]

Sorry for the shocking title - couldn't think of anything else and our babies little people will be 3 in the next few months!

Congrats kayz & family - fantastic news!

Can't stop on long as have been summoned to the school to see DS's teacher then straight to the dentist's after school to see about DS's manky tooth. Looks like my parenting skills are going to get a good all round kicking then. Yay. ZJ really not sure DS is settling in well at school to be honest. Will find out more later no doubt.

I've got to go and put my slap on for tonight now as I'll be catching the train straight after the dentist. DS's teacher is going to think I'm a lady of the night as well as a crap mum.

Really looking forward to seeing some of you tonight!

Kiwi had a little girl this morning!

Woohoo congrats Kiwi! Let's raise a glass to her tonight!

Gosh. Some days I really don't feel like I'm cut out for this parenting business. I don't have the patience. DD1 tantrumming the whole time and I gave her a massive smack on the leg today. Mortified as it left a handprint so it must have been really hard. And god I had violence in mind as I did it. So tired of her behaviour. Also feeling quite under the weather so patience not running high. Scare myself with my rage sometimes!!
But looking forward to a night off. Know I'll get no sympathy from DH who rarely sees DDs having meltdown!!!

Back from a LOVELY night out with the fab Dec 2008 ladies - so nice to see people again and to meet a few of you in the flesh for the first time! Hurray! Let's see if we can go out again before Christmas - only 2.5 months to go!!

Dear girls, had a wonderful time last night! A big YES to doing it again before Christmas! However, am madly frustrated that I didn't get to have more than a cursory chat with most of you and Mom, Jam and Beans I barely said more than hello to! Grrrr. I need DAYS....Also, I left in a rush at 10 to get my train and I missed it by one cocking minute. So I had to trail back to my flat after all and fume that I could still have been out with you all. So I am now zooming back to the country on an earlyish train but not as early as I really ought to have got.

Busy day, with DD1's first ever birthday party and tons of prep for the big fundraising Halloween party in the village that I have helped to organise. I do love my London flat but am more accepting about renting it out, feeling pretty positive about the village (I will ALWAYS want to live in London but I do want to try to enjoy where I actually live even if it's qualified), and am just feeling a bit more peppy. But seeing some of you ladies (ten of us, I think there were!) does gladden the old soul.

How brilliant for Kiwi! Yay!

And what a lot of lovely things you've got to look forward to next year, Kayz

Sorry again that I had to dash orf last night. Love to you all.

I took my camera and had all sorts of grand intentions. As it was, I managed to take three pictures without a flash, which are just black, and one with a flash of PD gesticulating wildly and Sybs looking dazed. Eat your heart out, Testino.

I had such a nice time lastnight, finally met Invis, Beans, Mom & Sybs! Was lovely to see Lady, AAA, PD (looking glam), Jam & Rubs. I wish the night could have gone on longer, I want another one now! If anyone has free time during the week the boys and I are up for a little meet up. Looking forward to seeing spot on Wednesday and I get to see the new house. Beans I didn't manage to talk real estate with you! I have to say talking scary behaviour, (our own as much as our LO'S was helpful, I always feel I'm the only one so it helps to know others are having the same issues. Aaahhh again thanks for a lovely night, I was expecting it would be good but it exceeded my expectations.

Yes it was fab wasn't it? Really enjoyed seeing you all, new faces and old familiar - can we do it again tomorrow? So much gabbing so little time - I went to a party on the way home & when I got there I had actually lost my voice! Somewhat miraculously I don't have a hangover this morning - that's bloody expensive top quality alcoholic beverages for you. What time did you all stay till?

Vag am in London on Wednesday for a conference. I've already arranged to meet someone for the evening but could meet up for a cheeky drinkie between the two if you're in town. The conference is in Islington & I'll probably meet my friend either there or Soho. Otherwise I can't remember when you're going back but I don't work Fridays and am always up for a trip to London - could also bring DD then.

Hello all! Thanks for the congrats! Little Rosie born 14/10 at 11.05am weighing 7lbs 11ounces, which makes her nearly 2 lbs heavier than her big sister was - a big sister who is somewhat besotted and wants to cuddle her all the time

Birth was fine - waters broke at 2am and she was born 9 hours later - went into hospital and was 4cm at about 8.30 and pushing by 10am. Had big wobble at about 9am when I had no idea how far I was, and wanted pain relief, but when midwife said "you are 10cm!" I was ok again and pushed her out all by myself with no stitches and no pain relief whatsoever [searches for proud and smug face emoticon]

Had to wait in hospital for ages to get her checked as her sister was so poorly when she was born but Rosie is fine - feeding decently already. Bloody hurts though which I'm a bit paranoid about having had 7 weeks of excruciating crying-through-feeds pain with thrush lasttime. This feels more like tender/bruise/latch pain though - any advice welcome.

for total me post hope everyone well and thanks for all the Facebook congrats!

Oh you all met up last night!

Probably would have been a bit much to come along with a newborn eh ?

Hooray kiwi! Well done you for lovely new baby girl :)

V of the meet, lady you must post your one pic on fb anyway for the rest of us!

Kayz hurrah to you as well for more babies!

So things here still pretty shockerish and come the end of the day i just don't feel up to posting i'm afraid - s has gone backwards with the loo, averages two or three wee accidens a day at nursery :( which means I spend the whole time doing laundry and fretting that it won't dry in time, she only has the two pair of shoes and they're permanently stuffed with newspaper to trynand dry them out... Also we have to go for a meeting about her 'challengng behaviour' - previously the staff all loved her and said oooh isn't she clever, always one step ahead of the staff, she really knows her own mind. This now translates into challenging, well if she will be in the pre-school room with 24 kids and only three staff dspite her still being two (ratios? What ratios...) then there are bound to be attention seeking issues.
Meanwhile E has become the platonic ideal of separation anxiety, if i'm morenthan a metre away she wails then spends hours clinging to my trouser legs. And still waking at 5, we tried warming the room, feeding her more, feedng longer for her first night waking, still no dice. Need to get it sorted before the clpcks go back and it becomes a 4am waking... [horror]

Still, she is pretty cute and has started this hilarious game where she looks at you and sniffs out through her nose, and scrunches up her face. So I do it back, and she does it, and it carries on like that for a while :)

Congratulations Kiwi!!! what a lovely name.

Well done to Kiwi on another gorgeous baby girl. Great name, too.

Oh Kiwi, you are a very clever thing - WELL DONE! How smashing!

Really enjoyed Friday night. Sad I didn't chat to everyone enough, but had lots of lovely natters and got home v smiley. DH said it did me the world of good. Although I now have a rank cold and am barely sleeping at night because of sore throat and thick green snot. Yuck yuck yuck!

My sister's kids came to stay yesterday and are so lovely. 9 and 11 so v helpful. But Lordy 4 kids would be nigh on impossible! Such hard work! Cooking for 6 at every meal, but it was for a short period of time and therefore glorious. I miss them.

We had friends for lunch today, who are great fun. Again though separate meals for kids. Yawn! Then a lovely walk and tea. Feeling really quite shit now after a really busy weekend. Need to go to bed at about 9 tonight!!

JJ. It sounds like you're having a really tough time of it at moment. I hope you're managing to keep your head above water. DH doing bath upstairs with two really tired screamers. Rather him than me. Ha! Strictly in 10mins. Marvellous!

Beans yes it is pretty tough, dh out at choir, i'm feeding e with s just basically thrown in bed, repeated disobedience (throwing a cup of milk on the floor etc) with warnings that there would be no bedrime stories, looks me in the ehe and does it again. So all her books are now in with E - do you want a bedtime story? No, nuffink. Shall we see if you can earn one back by brushing your teeth really nicely? No, don't want any storiesever. Well of that's what you're insisting on...
Maybe the nursery is right. I don't know. When dh is about she's usually much better as she can get some proper attemtion but when as so often kt's just me and girls she really plays up - so that'spretty much ebery day after nursery until after bath time. The longer i leave it til bath, in the hope that dh will be back, the more mental E gets.

Argh! I just want a few hours off when i can go and not think about the kids and come back and dh have got them both to sleep. Or just a couple of hours... Dh gave me that voucher for a massage for christmas, there still hasn't been a time to have it. but yetbi feel horrendously guilty leaving e at the moment even with dh - this morning i took s upstairs for a wee, despite having been playing happily beforehand E shrieked for the whole time I was out of sight.

Kiwi, that's a lovely name and goes well with DD1's. You sound amazingly up and cheery just after having given birth! So glad it went well, and with no pain relief either!

JJ, that's so hard, I feel so much for you at the moment. Pressure from both girls in different ways, I can totally understand needing to get away from being needed so much. Could a friend maybe come over and hold E while she's shrieking (or deal with S while DH holds E) and you can go and get that massage. I bet it would be great, and maybe might be the start of you carving some time back for yourself.

The meetup sounds fantastic, so wish I'd been there.

BEans are you being super wife again? . No wonder you're knackered. Hope you get some zzzzs before the big house hunt tomorrow.

Kayz, big congratulations on your pregnancy! Hoping the sickness eases off soon.

PD, play hooky on your conference and come down here with Vag. Oh, how did your meeting with DS's teacher go?

Lady, how was DD1's birthday? IS she doing ok with her finger now? Must have been such a shock to have the allergic reaction, followed so soon by another dash to A&E. I hope it's a good local hospital.

We completed on the house on Friday and have found a firm who will move us on Sat (so Vag we'll still be in the old house in Brighton). Been there yesterday and today though to do a bit of cleaning.It feels a bit scary, doing the whole village thing (and the house isn't one we'd have normally chosen, and I know DP is distinctly underwhelmed with it). BUT, it's ours, it's somewhere to live and it's a nice village. So am determined to give it a go. It's DP's birthday tomorrow, he's so tired that his main birthday present is to get to go to bed at whatever time tonight and not wake up tomorrow until 8am. How things change!

JJ - that's so stressful and I do know how you're feeling, as do others on here. You WILL get through it and out the other side. It just doesn't feel that way now. Nor does it help hearing some throw away comment like that sounds. But would it be worth hiring someone for one night a week to come and help out for the 5-7 hell time? The witching hour.

Spot - I actually have been superwoman this weekend. Think I should award myself a medal. I haven't put out though and nor am I going to. Perhaps silver rather than gold!

How exciting to be moving. Good luck!

I am feeling so rotten that my house viewing tomorrow is under threat of not happening... Not sure I can face the drive etc. DDs not 100% either. Hmm. Although am gagging to start the search. Will see how am feeling in the morning. On that note, have just necked a gallon if Nightnurse and eyelids beginning to droop. Gotta love drugs!

Night all

Xxx

MORE tomorrow afternoon as I am on a course tomorrow but didn't want to go to bed without sending love and strength to JJ and saying to Kiwi - well done, superwoman! Mille congrats.

Beans - how was the house viewing? Any joy?

Have gone a bit mad on the old ebaying (buying not selling) and feeling a bit skint. Ooops. Must stick a few bits on to sell.

DD2 went on her first big girl play tonight with a new friend from school. He is a charming German boy who is so sweet and affectionate. He kissed her as she left. Adorable. And very European!

spot good luck with the move. Would love to come down with Vag but will have to arrange something another time to check out your new gaff. The meeting with DS's teacher went okay I think - there's been a lot of parents in complaining about rough play by a group of boys who already know each other, and DS and his best friend are often on the receiving end of it. She just wanted to get our take on it but not really sure what they're doing to tackle it to be honest. I feel better for having gone in and talked about it as DS has been showing signs of anxiety the last couple of weeks. He seems a lot better tonight though so I assume he had a good day today.

Kiwi hope you're all doing okay, and the birth sounds great. I'd try and see someone if the feeding's not getting any better, but it's not easy to find people who really know what they're talking about IME. I found the breastfeeding advice given by midwives on the whole shockingly poor but with both of mine I ended up being seen by proper infant feeding specialists who gave really good general advice. There's usually only 1 or 2 in each borough from what I can tell, and although they're quite hard to get appointments with they sometimes do the rounds of breastfeeding groups at Sure Start centres & the like - might be worth asking around or checking with the local midwives (or maternity helpline if you have one).

Beans hope you're feeling better - did you make the viewing in the end? Which house was it? Taking price into account (but not location as haven't a clue) I liked the look of the second one most from the pics.

LadyT hope the course went well - anything interesting?

JJ sorry you're finding it tough at the moment - hope things improve soon. DD & I used to play that sniffing game too - great fun!

Rrrright, I'm back in the room. MIL has just gone home after 5 days....she does try to help and I am really trying hard to be more charitable (I don't really like myself when I moan about her) but it's never really that easy. HENNYWAY, the days have been a blur as usual. DD1's first ever birthday party in the village went well (very grand affair at a ginormous house with tennis courts and the works, party in a marquee etc) and then I was running a stall at the village Halloween party, which also went well. Kids and adults dressed up. Halloween not really my thing as I have mentioned, but I tried to get into the swing of it. We raised a fair amount for the pre-school, so all good. It's been a great way to meet some new people, this joining the committee lark. I am so glad I bothered. The committee chair, the Queen of the Power Bodens, is actually lovely and as well as being a head of department in a localish independent school, turns out to be newly divorced as well as the Mum of a kid DD1's age, so big hats off to her for all that she does. And she does lots of other stuff too. Truth be told, I have found them all really good company so I suspect I am not as different to them as I might have thought It is just so great to make some new pals and actually to feel a bit more part of things. Also, I am pleased with myself for getting stuck in instead of mouldering at home (not that I ever have time to do much mouldering).

Spot, take heart for your move to the village. I hope it goes really well, by the way. You couldn't find a less village-y person than me but if you can find something to join or some way of meeting people locally, it will really help you put down some roots, particularly if it's something active. In my last village, I didn't find the mothers at the baby and toddler group very sympatico but I think that may have not been helped by the way people sat gloomily round nursing weak coffee, sizing everyone else up. Maybe your DP could find something to get involved with as well....cricket club, football club, pub? Enjoy your visit from Vag tomorrow.

JJ, Beans' suggestion of hiring someone once a week to do the supper/bath malarkey, is it a goer or is E's separation anxiety too bad? I am worried about you - this is a lot of pressure. Have you been to the nursery about DD1? 24 kids and 3 teachers is an eyebrow raising ratio, you are right. I don't think S is out of the ordinary for finding that hard at times - O would, as would the other Dec 08 nippers. I hope you get to have that massage soon....

ZJ - how was your weekend with your chums?

Beans, I like houses 2 and 3 the best. That granny annexe would really come in handy. How's your cold?

Oh crikey, look at the time. I need to have a shower and hair wash before I collect DD1, better look lively. Oh, and PD - the course yesterday was for the pre-school committee and committees generally The morning was a marketing and PR course (and was cobblers) and the afternoon was a course about the legal whys and wherefores of changing the pre-school's status from an unincorporated association to a charitable company limited by guarantee. I said I'd investigate it and DP is supposedly going to help me. All this stuff might come in useful for something else one day, anyway.

PD - thanks for the advice, I think I'll do that. Really rather agonising now and can see cracks/ bleeding. Ow ow ow. Will go to a breastfeeding cafe tomorrow and see if they can offer any actual advice and if not possibly put me on to a proper expert. At least this time I am pretty sure it is the latch though, as it's a physical sign (with blood etc). Last time was torture without any physical signs and took forever to cure because it took so long to diagnose

Kiwi - does lovely R have a tiny mouth? I know several people who found it very hard to get the latch right when their babies had teeny mouths and it got better as they grew a bit. Not much help right now I admit, but definitely go to breastfeeding cafe, the drop-ins here were a lifesaver and one plae you could feel absolutely fine to be sat with boobs out and a baby who needed a lot of help and direction...

Lady, is village life just like the Archers then? :) Party sounds v swish, S hS one at a local soft play in a couple of weeks, bound to be bedlam! How come Halloween do already, surely a bit early?

I would totally love to hire someone to help but no idea who - everyone who works will be at work, and everyone else presumably already looking after their own children? It's like my work late duty/choir/ dh various work committees, they're all at that cross over between working day and adult evening when everyone's frantically busy so hard to fimd someone to help.we have the meeting re S this afternoon, she has of course been much better ever sinc... Ratio is fine if all kids are three and older, but S and a couple of others aren't yet - only a few weeks, but it'z more the principle of the thing. Also when I arrived to fetch her the other day, her 'key worker' was in one of the other rooms. So not really being key person at all... Will be enquiring about this!

E just waking, has been sat out in the garden in the buggy in that 1950s fresh air manner, seems to have worked for a while so will try again tomorrow!

jj sorry things are so tough at the moment. Re S, I imagine her behaviour is entirely normal. I'm sure P would be demanding attention with so many others in the room. She demands attention when there's just us! What's the legal ration for 2 year olds? I hope the meeting goes ok. Make sure you say everything you want to
kiwi CONRATULATIONS! Love the name, and am so pleased for you. You sound so up beat! Well done. Oh and no apologies for doing a 'me' post - you're only allowed to do me posts because we want to hear all about it!
Kayz well done too on achieving clackerdom - hope the sickness passes soon
Ladyt it's fab that you're enjoying village life and getting so involved in pre-school things. You are an inspiration with your 'get-up-an-go'
vag and spot I hope you have a wonderful time tomorrow - I'm very
PD glad the school stuff with ds has been cleared up.
ooh look at these