April 2011 - Hello Grindstone. Nose here, reporting for duty.

[DairyBeetle]

Plumps comfy pillows, shakes warm fluffy blankets, passes them round, sleeps

Aww thank you lovely Kitty and lovely Fizz I will keep you both in mind. What a feckin mission it's turning out to be, the bloody thing only came out in August and is now like gold dust! I won't be defeated though! It's just like the time my parents were trying to get a Buzz Lightyear for my brother - little did I know then how much stress they were actually under!!

Heehee Fizz I had a Furby!!

Kitty Don't worry about getting stressed earlier, we all do it. I had a similar episode with R the other day as she just would NOT stop whining!! Ended up strapping her in the bouncer and going off for a cup of tea and 5 minutes to myself. By the time I came back through she'd settled down and was engrossed in the Waybuloos - current tv programme of choice!!

Quick question for those of you who's LO's have gnashers, did any of them get really stinking nappies just before the teeth cut?? Today R has had 2 horrendous poo's and they both smellt really foul, kind of like sour milk or something 'off'. I'm sure it's not anything she's eaten as everything she's had has been made by me and has all been fresh and I don't thnk it's a bug as she hasn't been sick and seems pretty much fine in herself. She has the rosy cheeks and mega drool but that seems to be the norm for her anyway at the mo but not sure what else it could be? Any ideas?

Oh and I almost forgot to say....R finally laughed properly for the first time tonight!! :):)
Who knew the sound of the zip on her snowsuit was so funny!? Hilarious to watch her and so cute I almost cried!

I'm stalking eBay and debating with DH the different gowns linked here. He's not keen on even remotely girly ones whereas I don't want anything too boyish in case we have another DC and the same happens about timing.

I'm planning to layer him up under the gown and get either a substantial romper or a smart suit-type outfit to wear for afterwards which he can wear again for Christmas.

That's random! Wrong thread - was supposed to be debating christening gowns.

You can tell my principal preoccupation at the moment.

Frak can you have one made? My christening gown was made from my mum's wedding dress.

MrsW - is it like a vinegar smell? Both my boys have got vinegary nappies when teething.

Awful night here, both boys awake lots. Bleugh.
Poor T's teeth are really bothering him

MrsW! My DB had a Buzz Lightyear too!! They are in stock here and I think it's a disgrace that they have doubled the price www.amazon.co.uk/LeapFrog-Leap-Explorer-Learning-Tablet/dp/B005O7SWNG/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1320740639&sr=8-17 There will be parents out there so desperate they will pay that! It's extortion! Toys R Us website says they are expecting a delivery at the end of november. I think(?) you can pre order it.

Better go and get ready I am opening up at mums group this morning (yawn) and everything needs to be out and set up for 10 or Alpha mummy gives you a black mark!!!! I'm not staying for long though as I'm still feeling rough and I think B might be coming down with it, he has a little cough, bless him!!

www.amazon.co.uk/LeapFrog-Leap-Explorer-Learning-Tablet/dp/B005O7SWNG/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1320740639&sr=8-17

Linky proper!

Oh kitty it's okay to get pissed off and cry. It's just so frustrating sometimes.

Ali I've thought about having one made and I'd love to but if I did it here it would be super French and lacy and I'm more into understated. I wish we hadn't fallen out with the Irish side of the family now as they could have sourced a nice simple linen one.

MrsW yay for laughter!

Top tip for hard to source/out of stock toys - try amazon.fr or .de You might pay a bit more on postage and the exchange rate isn't great but it beats not having THE toy.

My family have put a £10 limit on gifts to say I'm peeved for M's first Christmas is an understatement. And my MIL has apparently bought a huge impractical walker thing that there's no way we'll fit in a plane home and won't be any use in the summer when we come back, if we even come to Europe proper so I'm going to get him a huge useful stocking full of wrapped presents and DH and I are doing small but expensive presents in stockings too.

In other news M is running a fever, has 2 top teeth emerging and what looks like the beginnings of the cold we had last week which DH persists in calling flu. He has no excuse this time as I had it first and I had it bad and didn't stop working, looking after M or anything and he even got both lie ins this weekend. It sounds very like what you have fizz!

Frak is your husband French? IME they can be inclined towards hypochondria!
That is a bit pants about the presents :( Can you do an exchange on what MIL has bought him?

kitty - don't be hard on yourself for getting frustrated :( The other day T just wouldn't be settled and then DS1 suddenly rushed over and whacked T over the head with a toy. I was literally shaking with rage and I had to put T in his bed and then shut myself in the bathroom for 5 minutes to keep myself away from DS1 because I was so scared I would wallop him or something. I didn't feel very proud of myself, but I did my best.

DS1 has a Children in Need thing at preschool next Wednesday and I need something spotty for him to wear. There are no spotty boys clothes in the whole of Europe, I have looked at every website. Any tips before I buy a white t-shirt and some fabric pens?

Frak Try this lady. She makes beautiful pieces by hand to order and will send it out to you. She will make any size/fabric you want be it a romper or a full Christening gown to be passed down.

ali yes I went to get some paracetemol earlier (3,12€) and the pharmacist told me I should have got a prescription for it so it would be free. Our paed is 50€ per 10min slot - no wonder people want their money's worth in free meds!

Yay for laughing MrsW. It's the best sound in the world isn't it? DH and I spend half our time trying to make P laugh. It's bizarre what ridiculous things seems to amuse her!

No news here really. Things seem to be pretty consistent at the moment. Nights are quite average and weaning seems to be going ok, although some meals go much better than others. Still no sign of any teeth though, so am sure there will be trouble when they finally arrive!

It was Cole's anniversary yesterday, so dh took the day off of work and we all spent the day together. We went to Cambridge and looked around a dinosaur museum and went out for lunch.

many thanks to everyone over the past week who has listened to our story and who kindly donated to the children's liver disease foundation. They are a great charity who support families and raise money for research.

Ali - how about cutting out brightly coloured fabric circles and then attach them to some an old top or trousers using spray fabric adhesive? I don't thinki have ever seen any polka dots on boys clothes either.

have my germs made it all the way to the Indian(?) ocean!! :o It's miserable, I dread DH getting it as he is a worse patient than i am. You will all be pleased to know I feel 100 times better now, just a little tickle of a cough and a snotty nose!

Ali 2 big circles of card in a tabard/sandwich board type thingy and he can just be a big spot?? A spotty leopard? Have you an MN scarf? Spot the dog?? I'm clutching at straws now!!

Ohh just had a better idea. H could go as a dice!!

Glad you could all spend the day together yesterday ILTMI. I was thinking of you and your boys.

ILike that sounds a lovely day out, I was thinking of you all.

If I had fabric and stuff here then I would do that, but I don't have a stash so I would need to buy various bits, which would involve a trip to hell on earth Hobbycraft so I've bought him the official pyjamas from Asda and the socks and he can wear the top with his normal trousers
It is just something spotty Fizz, rather than actual fancy dress. Hopefully the pjs will do. I will not be going back to Asda on Thursday when they get another delivery of the boys t-shirts, oh no!

That's a lovely way to remember Cole iltmi.

Glad ur feeling better fizz

I've spent the day with s, my sil and two week old niece.

We finally have teeth coming, though I didn't link that with the stinky nappies we've had today - all 3 of them! M has also got into prime crawling position on hands and knees but has yet to make a forward move, it's only a matter of time. She's now escaping from the inflatable ring too and would have fallen head first out of it trying to reach the paper to chew if I hadn't stopped her.

In other news my cousin's wife had a baby boy by c-section early this morning. They're in Glasgow so it'll be a while until we can meet him but I will be passing on all the brilliant scar care advice I got here (Ali, I think that was you in particular :) )

Thinking of you too, Ilike, I'm glad you had a lovely day out.

Dinosaurs = happy preschoolers

Glad you found something for DS to wear Ali.
Costumes are not my forte. Last year we were at toddler group for CIN day so I just covered DS T-shirt in lots of circle stickers.

The other week I had 3 days notice that he was supposed to go to preschool dressed as a pumpkin or in orange as they were having a pumpkin party.

He doesn't go to preschool on a Monday so I didn't think he'd need anything, but they decided to have the party on Thursday.
Hence a dash around town where no pumpkin costumes or orange t-shirts where to be found. I settled for some black and orange card and made a crap pumpkin hat.
Now I'm just waiting with anticipation to see what delightful costumes they expect us to conjure up for the Christmas concert. Last year the pre-reception class all had to represent a different country of the world. If they do the same this year, knowing my luck we'll get somethere like Uzbekistan.

Hurrah for your cousins wifes baby - it's too late for me to work out what relation that is to you! maybe a second cousin?!

Baby I has had two smelly nappies today which makes me think more teeth are on their way. It's defo a certain type of whiff. Who knew being a parent made you able to identify different smelling shits?!

I have never been to a Hobbycraft shop. I think I would probably spend lots of money on things I will never do anything with

To tackle the irratic night wakings we have gone a bit hard core. We have stopped the 10.30pm dreamfeed and if he wakes before 4am, dh goes in a shush pats him to sleep. It seems to be working.

We started it because I was wondering if the dreamfeed was disturbing his natural sleep pattern. Also, when he was waking at 2am and/or 4am, he wasn't really feeding much. It was a case of sucking for comfort to get to sleep. So, if dh goes in and settle him he is happy with being shush/patted back to sleep. If I go in he wants the boob.

Of course, if he is distraught or hungry I will feed him, but so far he has been neither and has settled quickly with dh.

lol at crap pumpkin hat - that would be me!

New addition to the family here too! I'm (finally!) and auntie! DSIL sounds to have had a horrible time of it, though we're only getting sketchy info from DMIL at the mo. She went in at 6.30am, DBIL text the to say she was 7cm and it was nearly 4.30pm when she had him. I can't believe they let her labour that long (they were mins from an emergency c-section but ended up doing a rushed epi) with no progression since early morning, especially as she didn't have any pain relief. DSIL then had 2+ hrs in surgery because the placenta didn't come away intact. She's now recovering after loosing a lot of blood and is jaundice, MIL also mentioned something about her bowel but didn't understand what the problem was enough to explain on the phone.

Thankfully DNephew is absoloutely fine, and from the pics we've been sent has an amazing hair style (think Einstein tufts). Like you Chill we won't be going to visit for awhile as we're too far away (and especially as S is still a snot bag).

ILTMIMI I'm glad you all had a lovely day remember Cole together.

Ali Eyeliner pencil and draw spots on his face and legs? Or will this encourage drawing on himself at a later date?

MrsW The laughing is great, S has a good belly laugh when DH uses his beard to tickle his feet.

Frak & Buck and anyone else who might be able to answer, how much milk do your LO's have from the bottle when you're not there. S is still hit and miss about how much EBM he'll take, and I have no idea what quantity he should take while at nursery. (I tried the Kellymom calculator thingy but as he's on the boob pretty much all night at the moment it's hard to work out!).

Gah, that took ages to write and post as I had to settle S (again).

GGF Crap fancy dress costumes are a right of passage for both child and parent! For anyone familiar with the Biff, Chip & Kipper Oxford Reading Tree books I once went as Biff, I was in my normal clothes, normal hairstyle and had a cardboard key that was only partly coloured in as my youngest sister was going through the crayon eating stage..!

ILTMIMI Hobbycraft is amazing! Everytime I go there I end up under the illusion that I can craft much better than I actually can, spend lots and then only ever complete the mini cross stitch pattern!

Oh and yes, stinky nappies ahoy here! The after the 1.30am spectacular the other night we awoke to a second tooth so it must be linked.

Aha. You have all made me realise s must be teething. Leaky number two nappies have started again. He's clingy. And unsettled at night again. Sleeping through was short lived.