October 2011 - our happy, chatty babies!

[GroovyRach]

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bilblio is that why I can't roll my r's? Learnt Spanish and French and could never get the hang of them! What degree did you do?

groovy I think (and I'm not 100%) when he starts earning CSA will take back payments from him also - i don't know you're exdp but getting CSA involved can sometimes cause friction between ex partners (I've seen it happen with friends when the guy realises he hasn't got away scott free) it's still the right thing to do but may bring out a nastiness in him - it may also bring up conversations about access etc so worth being prepared for.

I'm going into work tomorrow to discuss returning. I'm pretty sure I'll go back soon but hopefully from home for a while. I'm torn as I enjoy working but not sure I'm ready (or will ever be) but needs must and we need a second salary coming in really

Bilblio - yay for car - hopefully it's not too damaged xx

pebble yep, you never heard rolled r's when you were little so didn't play at making that sound and can't do it now. You could probably learn with speech therapy. Babies babble is all the same at first but it quickly becomes like the sounds of their language. The African click languages show it really clearly. I did English Language at uni it was meant to be literature but I prefer facts to ideas so chose lots of language and linguistic modules rather than doing a literature dissertation.

I'm due back in work in early July so 9 months off for one job, I get enhanced pay too as it's nhs, but the money stops then. The other i'm hoping not to return to. I only get smp as I don't do enough hours there for anything else. I'll have to find something different though. DH will be a SAHD still and we need the money.

Goodness, I phoned the club I'm a member for and asked if it would be ok to have my mum sit at the side as its my first time swimming with baby. She said that's fine, I'd just have to pay for S.... I asked how much.. £3.50!!!! For a 3 month old?! Told me I'll be given a swim nappy tho free of charge !!! Not like my monthly membership is cheap to start with. My god, I'm ragin. I'll be emailing them about how much of a rip off that is!

Off to the local council pool instead where swim nappies are free!!!

Not a good start lol

I thought under three's were pretty much free everywhere? £3.50 is quite steep x

Having a nightmare day after he was so good yesterday. Really unsettled, will only nap for half an hour a time, wanting breast then falling asleep after 5mins, then screaming that he's come off. He's obviously knackered, so we're having a cuddle on the couch.

I lost my job whilst preg (had been there 6 months so when they found out I was preg they got rid of me!) So dp now the sole earner, don't really know what to do when MA runs out, whether its worth looking for a job with the cost of child care.

Got turned down for the sure start grant because we're not on any benefits, really annoyed because that is EXACTLY why we needed it, one wage for all three of us. Really annoying that we'd be so much better off on benefits than we are now-housing, council tax, sure start, income support, loads of grants etc for people on benefits, but because dp works we don't qualify for anything! Does seem unjust.

sch did u try apply for tax credits? I found that as I was entitled to that I could apply for the grant which helped loads!!

(Mega rant sorry!) When I was in hosp we were the only couple self sufficient, one of the other ladies said to me "why don't you just go on the social?" As if its a genuine lifestyle choice.

It's upto dp to apply for tax credits and he's still not done it, as he's changed job (same company, just taken on permanent) so waiting for pay slip to change, but of course its now too late for ssg, I did nag him to do it asap, but he's a lazy arse

I just text him to moan at him (am bored, stuck holding C as quietly as poss!) He days its only for working tax credits you get ssg, which we don't qualify for.

Someone bring me a cup of tea, please?!

Says*

nooo, i got the grant and im on just child tax credits. are you sure you cant apply? i forget what the form was even asking as i done it all so quick so i wouldnt miss the cut off for the grant.

know what you mean though about people just living off the state. i have a few friends like that, who told me to sell my house and just go on the housing list , eh no thanks! ive worked hard to own my own home. im not gonna sell up and start at the bottom again. what makes me mad is one got given a huge 2 bed flat in village next to me, very nice area, great school etc (place id love to stay) but still moans! lastest was that after her new baby is born (along with her 7 year old dd) she will need to move somewhere bigger as the kids will need their own rooms . seriously now?! she has zero desire to work, yet the rest of us are slavin away trying hard. its a topic that really makes me mad!!!!!!!!!!

Sassy yes I do think it is a bit of their character too as you say. I have a friend who is an Engineer and was a proper tomboy when growing up, her Daughter now loves anything princessy and pink and she was definitely not encouraged down this road!

There is an AIBU today because Lego have brought out "Lego for girls" and it has a beauty salon. Thankfully the dolls do also have jobs but they are a vets, a cafe and something else which I can't remember. All struck me as "caring roles" though.

How did swimming go Groovy? You would expect S would have been free at a private gym, cheeky gits!.

Today I am soooo tired, P had been awake for 2 hours overnight and I think I had got used to better sleeping too quickly so today is difficult. Plus she is awake all day pretty much at the moment, as soon as I put her down she moans. Are we having a growth spurt around this time? Need to check my book.

Hope DS is feeling better today BB3.

Could do with a Starbucks. A large one.

Scheh were you thinking of setting up some kind of business or was that someone else?

Ooh swimming must get round to sorting out taking W, might see if I can get him a swin suit tomorrow I like having an aim for the day and I'm taking him in to town to get weighed anyway.

Bilblio - great news about your car

Groovy - sell a house you own to go on the housing list are your friends nuts?! We are in the process of trying to buy after years of renting and having to move every couple of years and there's no way I would want to go back to renting if we could help it.

Groovy- not me, I would NOT be good in business! Too late for ssg now anyway.

C still feeding constantly, am pretty sure I'm completely empty, am going to give him a bottle of formula for his dream feed tonight in the hope that'll see him through.

im afraid giving formula when your bf is a treadmill you cant get off s heh. it happened to me with dd1. if you substitute a bottle for breast, it tells your brain that you dont need as much, so then you have to give more formula and on and on. if you want to try to keep it going, i would try bfing c on the night feed and then offer the bottle as a top up. i did this for a week during the 4 month growth spurt with the twins and i went back to exclusively bf the next week.

Scheh just wanted to say that you apply for tax credits as a couple, so either of you can fill in the form (you both have to sign it). We are a 1-income family and i deal with all the CTC stuff tho it's DH that works.

I was made redundant while on MLB with DD1 and haven't worked since Xmas 2008 I do intend to (try to) get a job when DD2 is old enough, but will then face paying for 2 DCs in childcare and all the stress and hassle of it. From my experience of DD1's friends mums, their LOs seem to be ill a LOT when they 1st go into childcare and it always falls on the mum to take time off/run home halfway through the day.

Great news about your car bilblio.

groovy you should def contact CSA. I'm pretty sure exP will have to pay you a percentage of any benefits he gets.

ML not MLB

Well a friend and I went for a 4 mile walk today with the kids she has a double buggy so had her 1.9yr old and christopher who's 2.8yrs that buggy was HEAVY!!! My back is aching!

As a result of that and the fact that I barely slept last night my eyed feel like they could fall out my head at any moment, I now have both kids in bed and I'm gonna relax for an hour with some crap telly and a biscuit

groovy how did S enjoy swimming?

Does anyone else keep thinking that they should be expressing in case of emergency or night out etc but just can't be assed. I really can't be bothered with sterilising equipment etc but feel that my pump was a total waste of money as I've used it once!

Question to BFers do u give baby water? I keep being told by well meaning family that she should be getting water but I'm sure I was once told that breastmilk provides drink as well as food?

im the same edward spent birthday money on a near£100 pump and still not used it- partly cos im worried about colic (dd1 had it bad) and partly cos im worried about messing up my supply and mostly cant be arsed!
no they dont need water. even if you were in a hot country they wouldnt. ff babies do, but bf babies get enough fluid from breast milk.

Edward, I've been told that too but I think that's advice from when we were babies.

I'm pretty sure that the thinking now is that the fore milk is thirst quenching and the hind milk is more like food.