December 2011: Smiles and giggles and coffee and truffles.....

[aethelfleda]

Voila, a new positive thinking thread for us!

Onward and upward, ladies. Do come on and post if you're a lurker or want to join our merry band, all welcome!!

Argh hit post by accident! Another of the perils of small phone screen. I was saying I haven't bought any toys yet. Got a few hand me downs and some presents so no need yet. V little space in our house so I'm going to avoid as long as I can! But will still go and google Lamaze!

Also sorry if tmi but I'm kind of sore 'down there' since the smear test, sorer than after dtd in fact. Is this normal? I did have quite a big episiotomy. It's more like sore pelvic floor, sort of achey if that makes sense ...

Thanks all, the pain has gone and I'm guessing it was ovulation shame i'm too knackered to act on it

lmf there's no way I could give up eBay, I'm nearly always waiting for something to arrive

Good luck with the house offer oi. I take it you gave up with Springfield(?) then?

Our vacant flat has now been taken off the market in preparation for the hopeful auction in May. Has anyone looked at kids clothes in M&S? We went in there today and got Eva a couple of lovely summer dresses, I was pleasantly surprised. Also Starbucks were giving away free lattes so it's been a pretty good day. And following last weeks discussion about retro DVDs I've discovered that DS loves Button Moon!

mopsy was it your first smear? I'd be interested to hear if it's normal. I was meant to have my first last year but the nurse thankfully wouldn't do it because I couldn't guarantee I wasn't pregnant. It's now booked for 4th April (if I'm not pregnant, we're on our first month of trying!)

MN mobile site is brilliant! (tho a bit fiddly for managing epic posts. phone keyboard also lacks square brackets so no emoticons! I feel botoxed.

Ladies only just read briefly as not been able to catch up however on the D battery front I bought a shedload the other day in morrisons as packs of 2 duracell were £1.50 each on offer hope that helps. Between swings, mobiles and vibro chairs batteries going to bankrupt me.

LO is 12 weeks tomorrow and has gone into his 3-6 month clothes today, packed up most of the 0-3 for either selling on eBay, charity or my work chum who is having a baby in June. Am sad as some of his 0-3 stuff was lush and he just didn't get enough time to wear it . He's filling out the 3-6 month stiff well so didn't see point of wrestling him into 0-3 anymore.

Good point today was sold my breast pump on eBay for £60 very impressed!! Bad points were LO slept probably an hour and a half all day from 8.30am to about 9pm, he's been sicking up after every feed and we've both needed a ridiculous amount of clothes changes. DH birthday so he wanted a takeaway which has blown my diet for today must get back to it tomorrow at least went for a walk for an hour. Need to lose the remaining 9lbs baby weight before go back to work in June refuse to buy lots of new work clothes also have a wedding in June and have a gazillion monsoon dresses I currently can do up but can't breathe/sit down in.

Ive taken LO on a flight to Scotland when he was 5 wks, have now booked for Easter and may and it was fine ok much shorter flight than the US another from me!!

Right off to bed proper catch up tomorrow

8 out of 10 day here

Highs
Made it to oxford st to shop for dh's birthday, had brows shaped, lunch in john lewis, started the 30 day shred dvd and didn't die, gave ds2 a bath on my own whilst chaperoning ds1, had a lush cup of tea

Lows
Am exhausted, juggling crying ds' while ds1 refused to have a bath, put a nappy on, get his pjs on do anything I said, realising he still prob has a bit of a temperature and I still sent him to nursery (eek), I still can only fit unto one pair of non mat jeans

Have decided to give ds2 another bottle of formula in the day. Whilst he is gaining weight he is still below the 2nd centile and that is not good enough. Bob only knows what this will do to my supply. Hope it doesn't mean I have to give up bf but we'll have to wait and see.

Will be back to coment on everyone else at the next feed

Hawthers, I've been having problems juggling the two in the evenings as well, and what's working for me at the moment is counting down, generally only from 5. I'm not sure what he thinks is going to happen (I think I initially threatened to leave the room if I got to 0), but it is working (for now). DS will be 4 in about a month.

I must add, though, that we have got some background with this, as I have always used counting down to get him off swings, as there is no arguing with zero (he won't learn about negative numbers for years! ), whereas I have seen so many parent-child arguments over "counting to 10", and so on.

Anyway, hope that helps?

seven you asked if I've given up on Springfield. It's still in my head. I have done the make a list of +ves and -ves to compare. ...Springfield is beautiful, but a 3 bed semi that needs a lot of work. The Woodlands has 5 beds, detached, in a fab location,near parents house, needs no work. ( I'd want to make changes but only cosmetic). But it's not so pretty on the outside ...I'd have to make some changes to make it prettier. For the price it is an amazing size we'd be daft not to go for it. But Springfield was beautiful.... which is why I'm awake now.

mopsy I'm overdue a smear. Need to book it but know it'll hurt. No episiotomy here (cs), just sensitive innards.

oi we had a similar dilemma when we were buying hawthers towers. We had the option of one that needed a lot of work but would have been amazing or h towers which was still nice but slightly bigger, needing no work and as it turns out in a better location. We moved about a year before I got pg with ds1 but with 2 ft jobs with long hours there was no way dh and I would've been able to do all the work and enjoy life and lord only knows how it would work with nippers around. Anyway I am frequently glad we didn't take on the massive project.

plu will give counting backwards a go. Fuck it I'll try anything!

mopsy I've got my smear booked for next week hideous but necessary

Hello rash sorry forgot to say hi she welcome yesterday

Impressed at all those flying, we've booked two weeks in France with my m and d who I'm worried will drive me and/or dh up the wall. We're driving so we've signed up to 10 hours in the car with a 3 year old and a 6 month old.... Hmmm could be interesting.

woe, los of overnight posters! Was feeding at 1 but phone on charge...

plu I'm sure squate brackets will lurk somewhere on that smartphone: check if there's a tiny shift key, or sometimes double tapping or press-and-holdiing a key will bring up accented varients. On my iphonetrhe "[ "key is inplace of q on the mathsy keyboard screen.

All you dieting ladies have gotta be FFing? There is no way I could diet yet, DS fed all day today literally every hour or so, if I tried my areobics DVDs my boobs would set up thrir own gravitational field, and I am (as usual for me when BFing) soooooo hungry that weight reducing is not gonna happen.

House sounds lovely oi... I've been trying to chat with DH about work as was hoping to return july/August but he's away with work for 10 days in early Aug so the timing wd be lousy plus summer hols would mean 3 lots of childcare ie serious dent in salary so really not worth hassle... Need to ho back to work and discuss (next week when DD2 better). I'm entitled to that as still only 9 months off but feel for work as I wanted to go back sooner and this is the third lot of mat leave I've had from them

Arg, 4 am tho at least DD2 ok so far...

Oh snd seven smears are usually a bit uncomfy (sticking a plastic speciulum up your nethers): but only to the extent of inserting the plastic, tho dome ladies tense up which makes it worse: tell em you're sire post stitches and the nurse can try a small/mediium size soeculum and will use extra lube. The actual dpecimin is taken with a soft plastic brush nowadays so that bit is more comfortable. Also if you're worried take 2 ibuprofen an hour before you go in.

Knew I'd forgotten some stuff

dsm so glad to hear things are picking up.

northern rolling! Oh they grow up so fast. Haddock ringing its way to your dh - what a pillock!

I meant to also say thanks for all the lovely comments following my whinge earlier. Dh and I will get back on track but he is stressed with his new job and I'm stressed with the boys. It will get better soon, it will get better soon (repeat to fade).... In the meantime can I get a pocket aethelfleda to take with me as she always seems to talk some sense into me

You know, I'm more than a little fed up of the bronchiolitis:( Knowing that we potentially have months of the up and down breathing, hacking cough and sporadic vomiting it can trigger is disheartening.

At least the octopus is cheerful for the most part, even if his mum does look like she's been sleeping in cottage cheese >_<

Right. Bedding, babygros then bath for me. No point going back to bed really:(

Ewwww LMF, so much sympathy, enjoy the bath.

If it's any consolation I've persuaded DH to let me get the landing carpet professionally steamcleaned as despite scrubbing like buggery, vanish carpet cleaner and a ton of Dettol, I still can't get the stain out from DD2's enormous explosion yesterday.....

Sorry, that was quite depressing >_<

Anyone got nice plans for the day? My four year old has science flavoured stay-and-play at school today. Always fun with a baby in tow:o

Poosplosions are a law unto themselves I have found. Luckily when my eldest did hers she managed them in the loo which is lino. How's she doing now?

Waves. Been np since 4am with Hope feeding. I need sleep. She still has upset tummu from antobs and still ctraming her ezcema.

Yawn sigh

More vomit. It's trying to be one of those days. Can you hit a day with a haddock?

I've been up since four too Air Think I'll be organising an early night tonight!

Aaand another feed. I really don't think DS had read the webpage re growth spurts...looks like going to bed at 7pm wd be how to get mist sleep - at least DD2 sounds bouncy yhis morning and is tucking into her cereap happily.

Why is it that when we need to be out of the house at a reasonable time, she wakes at a ridiculous hour and won't go back to sleep? Mummy is going to look like death today!

I also would like to know what/who(?) is in the ceiling light (switched off, we never use it) that. F finds so delightful? She doesn't smile or laugh like that for anyone but the light!! Strange child

Well LO not sleeping in the day is great for overnight he slept from 9-6.45 last night.

Dentist today for my filling that I have to pay for ........damn vanity I seem to be spending a lot this month which is crap but really don't want a silver filling for free.

There seems to be a lot of smear tests do I need to book one post baby? I seem to recall seeing something about it but no-ones mentioned it to me? Another one here who is still a bit tender, I think I have some scar tissue down there as can feel a bump where the episiotomy was i suppose a nurse fiddling around for a smear would confirm it.

Figgy smear tests are every 3-5 years from 25-60 yrs, the frequency depends on your age and previous results. But if you're pregnant pr
Baby is under 12 weeks the results can be misleading so that's why as
Our LOs turn 8-12 weeks mums who are due one are being reminded.

that some of you are young enough to only be needimg your first one-I'm positively geriatric over here!!

I've got mine booked in for the day before ds turns 12 weeks - will they be that pedantic and not do it? Might just rebook and then its def not an issue.