Sept 2008 - no witty title as we're too busy dealing with stroppy 3 yr olds.

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

Hello all. Couldn't see a new thread so thought I'd do the honours. Sorry for rubbish title, I'm no good at witty! :)

Carrie as usual you have been more help than you can know. I really do think you are supermum and I actually trust you more than some people i know in rl!
It helps hugely to hear that there is nothing wrong it is just a phase and will pass and we too have a futon in DD's room. DP is sleeping on it whilst I stay with DS and we just hope it won't last too long.
You always seem to know just what to do or say with yours and your patience and kindness is amazing. I wish I could do what you do without having to ask others if we're doing it right. thank you.

debi your holiday sounds incredible and the pics on fb are fab. Poor you on the flight back from hell though.

thanks everyone for words of sympathy about DD too

Better go and do pasta for tea.

Oh and becs I hope Toby had a great time. bet he did :)

mrsa Good advice from carrie as usual! We did that with ds1 for a while at about Cs age now I think about it!!!!

Pre school went ok. He seemed to really like one member of staff and was outside a lot which he loves. I went to pick him up at 11.30 and NO TEARS!!! He was glad to see me - went straight to get his coat and bag but no tears and they have told him on weds they are getting the trains and playdoh out for him!

Have decided to try him 3 x morning per week....it will take a while I think. He has only ever been with me/dh/PILS so its a massive change for him.

Come Jan I would ideally like him to do 5 x mornings per week in prep for school next sept...sigh.....does anyone else feel like they are wishing their LOs life away??? I feel so sad as I just cant wait til he starts school With the gap between my 2 I have been a sahm now (with only a 6 month break) for 9 years...I am tired and fed up

Oh, I feel terrible saying that. I couldnt say that to anyone in rl. I have so much to be thankful for. What an ungrateful wench I am

bec I'm counting the months until DD starts school, 17 to go. Once she starts I will have one day to myself a week. And once she's done her first winter I'm planning to change my hours back to 3 long days a week, put the DC's in school club on those 3 days and have ........ TWO days to myself a week. (that will be housework, gym, reading at school and hopefully OU work time).

So, you could say I'm wishing the time away a bit .

meg thank goodness its not only me!!! 17 to go for Toby too!

Bec I'm so glad pre-school went well :) It's OK to look forward to a different phase of childhood, especially if you're a SAHM. I'm sure my job keeps me sane!

So glad T had a fab time Bec

I know what you mean about wishing the time away. I constantly have to remind myself to enjoy the here and now. Baby I will start pre school when M starts school (see, I've already thought about I going to pre school and hell only be one at the end of the month ) But like you I have been a SAHM for quite a few years and I'm looking forward to getting back into the job market

MrsA - I think it has already been said, but M has the odd nightmare. One of us goes in and re-settles him, and luckily he does re-settle quite easily. However we have noticed that they happen in clusters.

I think my boys have all been sitting independantly by 6mo Carrie. If you have a good HV, maybe speak to them? Maybe your ds needs some help to build up his muscle tone, or maybe it's just normal?

Glad you had an amazing time Debi. hearing you describe ds2 behaviour sounds just like M at the moment. He is often quick to cry over something, and often it's over something not even worth crying about (well, IMO. but obviously not in his!) He will cry over something really very trivial, however this afternoon he really bashed his nose (it has really swollen on the bridge and looks like he has been boxing) and he only cried for a short time

carrie Ds1 didnt sit unaided til nearly 10 months, Toby was 4 months!! They are all so different. Perhaps get one of those "nest" things he can sit against to build up his muscles/confidence?

DD didn't sit unaided till about 7months if I recall. But she was late with everything - didn't crawl till 11 months and walked unaided at 15months. They all do their own thing. DD I think will be more suited to girl scouts than brownies tbh as she is now very physical. Her cousin who is massively bigger than her (not fat) hates physical stuff and wants to do Rainbows yet developed physically very early. Go figure. DS on the other hand hates sitting with a passion at 4.5 months yet loves to stand and at 3.5 months stood by himself for 10secs holding onto the sofa. He loves to stand. I digress but it's fine if they take their time.

Glad Toby enjoyed preschool bec. A is having lots of days when he says he doesn't want to go to nursery but is usually fine once out the door. And very happy at pickup time. I'm now using the pram rather than sling though simply so I can chase A and get him dressed. He hates trousers!
He is on a clingy phase waking in the night and wanting a cuddle or something random, like rearranging furniture... some nights he's fine, others it's constant wailing for a couple hours when he goes to bed. Of course that coincides with when R is likely to have her long stretch of sleep!

NC Spoke to soon!!! Told me last night "I dont want to go back to pre school"

Oh dear.

Both my kids have been like this...it must be something I am doing

I can hand on heart tell you all that it is wonderful when the dc's go to school and you have some time to yourself, whether that is to work without huge childcare fees or to just finally get the house sorted or slob in front of the TV. I do sometimes reminiscis about them school days before Robyn and Lucy, nothing to do all day but enjoy myself until 3pm when they came out of school. But I do really prefer it how it is now, I think because I know how good it is when they go to school. This time though I will be studying and hopefully finally working so it will be very different.

Glad you had a good time Debi bad luck with the sickness coming home.

Bec you have been a great mum to them and they just miss you when you aren't there, nothing wrong with that

MrsA you're making my head swell I had been having a bad couple of days so you have no idea how much you've encouraged me!

debi your holiday sounds amazing, what a wonderful experience for you all :)

I have really mixed feelings about the DCs starting school, the school run really compromises how much I can do with the DSs as it takes up such a huge part of the day, and I love the holidays when DD is around and not in a foul mood as tired as she is in term time. But then she adores school and I really like the days when DS1 is at playgroup and I can just pootle round the shops with DS2 in the buggy and have a little bit of 'me' time...or do some cleaning

Thank you for all your feedback on sitting - I've decided DS2 needs sitting-up-boot-camp. He spends a lot of time in the activity centre or lying/rolling on the floor, being #3 he gets a lot less of me sitting with him doing things than the others did and I guess he's not had the time to practice. He can sit quite nicely for a short while but topples easily. Must resist comparing him to the other two...!

I've just realised my 3yo has fallen asleep on the sofa, and my baby has rolled himself onto the oak floor, found a mop, and is hitting a table leg with it. Needless to say he's never been happier. Quality parenting 101. Might make myself a

carrie hope you are feeling better now x

Well, Toby cried his eyes out this morning at pre school. I stayed 40 mins (sitting at the back on my own) and left him. When I pciked him up they said he had only asked for me once He has also asked to go back tomorrow

I am rubbish at the whole leave them to cry thing...I just cant do it.

Booknarking.

bec i've done parent duty at DS1's playgroup a couple of times and there's one child who howls when she's left and for the first 10mins, then is absolutely fine for the next three hours, and bursts into tears when she sees her mum again. I'm sure Toby is getting on just fine, but it is awful leaving them in tears isn't it? I've done it once for DD at school and I cried on the way home :(

DS1 has been asleep on the sofa for nearly 4 hours now. Its raining cats and dogs, but one of the lovely students from church has said she'll come round for an hour so I can go and pick DD up from school without having to take poorly DS1 out in the rain. Must now find some suitable bribery snacks for her!!!

It is lovely and quiet here. Dp and Lucy are sleeping after a lovely mornings swimming, I have just baked DD1's first birthday cake and now waiting for it to cool and Robyn is happily playing Stupid Zombies and Angry Birds on DP's phone. We still have 30mins before DS comes home so I am catching up on internet as I hardly ever get the chance

Don't be so hard on yourself Bec. Who knows why some children behave the way they do? I know that if I had that answer I would not be constantly berating and nagging M!

You're not rubbish for not being able to leave them crying. I am crap at it too. It's a survival thing, it is meant to get to you.

We have booked a holiday to Cyprus in June, I am so excited, we all need a break........ok, a change of scene.

How did the cake go Debs? I need to bake a cake for ds3 next week. I am still deciding what to do ........

"Mummy I don't like it when my wee comes out of my bottom"
So we'll be housebound for another day or two then...

carrie oh no! You poor things!

Been to GP for blood results. Turns out I am very anaemic - in fact my iron level is lower now than it was when I collapsed after having ds2! - so am looking into iron meds/supplements which I can tolerate. So thats why I am in bed at 8pm every night!!!

Also referred me back to gynae (3 bleeds a month is, frankly, taking the P*s) and the osteo chap for my back.

Basically I am knackered I think having Toby broke me!!!!

ILTMIMI It turned out very well, despite my oven door not shutting, nor being able to maintain a high temp or the fact it slopes so my cakes are higher one side then the other. Robyn helped me decorate it(pic on fb) and it was nice. Just got to bake a multicoloured one for Saturday now.

Bec I felt like that when I was first pregnant with Robyn. Nodding off at 8pm for 12 hours and feeling so rough. Once I got past 10 weeks I felt fine

becs I am anaemic (sp?) At the moment. Been like that since DS arrived so I'm now on tablets. I am/was tired but also got v breathless and my anger levels were high/patience low. Poor DD bore the brunt :( Feeling a bit better now and more patience. Hope u r ok.

DD is sleeping better now. It seems that her bed wetting was distressing her far more that we (or even she) realised and I've gently encouraged her to go back into night nappies, just for a short time, to help her sleep. Frankly I don't care if she stays in overight nappies till she's in school, if it helps her sleep. I was a bed wetter and it's definitely reassured her to be back in nappies. We agreed it would be our family secret, no one outside the 4 of us need know.

digi saw photo on fb - looks like you're doing great as a family of 4.

For anyone who remembers, I don't have to face my independent mw in court now. She filed that she would defend my claim against her but by the deadline she hadn't filed anything so the judgement automatically goes against her. She now has a court order to repay me all the money by mid-May. Something at least, though I'll never regain my trust of medical staff I suspect.

Mrs A - that's good news about the MW. I'm glad you don't have to go to court although it must be frustrating not saying your bit.

It's really quite normal C being in night nappies - when M was born we had to put DD1 back in them for a while. She'll get there! In fact, the fact that she can do it is ahead of the game :)

Bec hope you feel better now that you know why you're so tired. You're not having much luck with your health.

Just had to share this conversation

M to me ' I love you very much'
Me to M 'I love you more than all the stars'
M - 'I love you more than .... pre-school'

M (thinking about it) 'actually I love you AND preschool

(thinking some more) - 'actually mummy, I love preschool more than you'

The next day I got: 'Mummy, Alligators have big teeth don't they?' 'Yes' 'then I love you more than alligators'!!!

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