March 2011 mums, entering our 2nd year with our 'Babies'!!

[Purplefan]

Hi all,
Thought I'd take the plunge and set up a new thread for us...never done it before so hope it works.

Will be back later to update properly, have busy day as DH is off on a track day on his motorbike and DD1 has already been driving me insane, it has only just gone 9am!!! xx

Hello all :)

How is everyone? All quiet here, esp as I have been without my netbook for a week after me and Arthur broke it again!

It's getting a bit brr and autumnal down here in Cardiff but off to sunny Spain again next week for some last minute warmth . Both sets of GP's coming with us. Never wanted to holiday with parents/in laws until I had A......

Hello, is there room for one more?

DS born 05/03/11: gorgeous, lots of blond curls and a right little tinker!

oooh new person! hello suzysheep :)

Is DS your pfb or do you have more of the little buggers darlings?

Hi everyone and welcome suzysheep.

Ridiculously busy here -- moving house in ten days and still so much to do to prepare. S is keeping me on my toes all day everyday but I'm feeling a little guilty about not giving her enough outdoor playtime, etc while I try to pack.

Seven weeks to go from today until DS is due to arrive! I'm excited (and sooo ready to get out of maternity clothes), but also feeling a little sad that my one-on-one days with S are going to end so soon. In a way, it will be good for her -- she spends way too much time with me, LOL, and really needs to start feeling more comfortable around other people, big and little.

Had some local mums over for a farewell tea this afternoon and S clung to me for the first half hour before finally interacting a little with the other kids and adults. I think she has definitely inherited my shyness, but I hope she'll outgrow it sooner than I did ... or, er, have yet to do. :)

She was also eyeing the Victoria Sponge cake that I made. So far, I have managed to keep added sugar out of her diet completely (all she knows of sweet is fruit), but it's getting harder now that she's aware of what others are eating. I was hoping to continue sugar-free until her second birthday, but am starting question how realistic that is, especially if we get her a nursery spot this autumn, as we're hoping to.

She'll be 18 months old tomorrow, BTW. I look at her sometimes and can't believe how big she is ... and other times, she's just my tiny little toddler.

Right, back to packing. Hope everyone is well.

Hello! :)

He is my PFB, and we aren't planning on any more, not because he isn't the sweetest most wonderful little person in the whole world though sometimes quite feisty like his mother! but more to do with house space and being perfectly happy with one! He's got a bit of a cold ATM, so I've spent quite a lot of time chasing him around the house with tissues!

Has anyone started potty training yet? My colleague at work has been talking about her DN born Jan 2011, and she is in knickers and using a toddler toilet seat...

It's so nice to hear from the pregnant ladies, I LOVED being pregnant, it was brilliant! Such a special time

Welcome SuzySheep and I, too, loved being pregnant!!! We are not yet thinking of potty training our DS...I may start reading to him about it in a few months to prepare for next spring/summer.

Wow, everso, so close!!! Am stunned that you found time to have a toddler, host a small party, and bake WHILE being pregnant! All I did was sleep during pregnancy! Like you, I do not want to give F any sugar, but I saw that it was slowly seeping into the foods that they make for toddlers (yoghurts, Plum Organic snacks, etc), so I am still trying to make my own snacks and of course don't cook with it. Then yesterday he had a play date with a mum who had chocolate chip cookies, and sadly he grabbed one then kept reaching for more like a heroine addict! I also don't know what to do when he goes to school, though thankfully he seems to enjoy healthy foods more than the other children here. However, he has developed a love for salty foods, which I detest, so I guess I need to start adding it to my cooking?

F's new obsession is the Central Park Zoo, especially the petting zoo where he so bravely fed the llama, goats, and lambs! Sometimes I wonder whether he is more of a nature lover and would do better living in the suburbs..., but then, what would I do?!

Hope everyone is doing well and chatting up a storm with their LOs!

Hi all and welcome Suzysheep!

Good to hear u are well ckny and petty and I can totally identify with you everso on the 'spending too much time with mummy'. We live out in the sticks so i do spend a lot if time at home aside from a few planned outings a week. I'm not boring/friendless, honest!

We do have a lot of garden tho so do spend the afternoons outside but R doesnt spend an awful amount of time with other children so i am looking forward to our new arrival (13 weeks to go) so that she can learn more to interact with ones more her age! I have a feeling she will try & rip babies hair out tho such a boisterous little thing she is.

Not even attempting potty training yet. I may start reading to her about it too as she absolutely loves reading, well looking at the pages while we read. Her latest words are 'baa' for sheep and 'moo' for cow. She attempts 'mr tumble' but it sounds more like 'gumble' at the moment, so cute

Hello everyone! And welcome suzysheep :)

It's properly autumn now isn't it - going shopping today to get the kids winter coats. I have to get DS a few new bits too - he starts preschool on Tuesday! He has been so nervous about it but over the last few weeks he has seemed a bit more enthusiastic about it. No idea how he'll be when I drop him off; he's never even been in a creche before!

Lara is doing well, her language is coming on but she speaks a lot in gobbledygook with a few recognisable words thrown in: "sdfsdn hsdfsid jsdf cup-of-tea smdfnooch happy mummy!" DS has also taught her to say "nipples" as he learnt that word the other day!

ckny have you taken him to Bronx Zoo? We went there when we were in NY, loved it! Heard on the news this morning some bloke jumped into the tiger enclosure, what was that about?!

Lozario, how was DS's first day of pre-school??? I dread these milestones, as I worry that Franz isn't very social with wee ones his age (though if a few months older, he worships them!?)

We were thinking of going to the Bronx Zoo next week, and possibly getting membership to all of the area zoos. The tiger jumper wanted to be one with the tiger, though I think he was arrested & charged, in addition to having a few bones broken, oops! I guess I felt that way when I saw the polar bears! :)

Autumn has snuck up on us here, too, which means we have slight colds...is there ANY way to avoid these?!?! Argh...

preschool he was ok! No tears, but was a bit odd when I picked him up, seemed slightly shellshocked. Lara really missed him, kept searching the house calling for him! No preschool today, he's doing every day apart from wednesdays. It's a struggle getting somewhere for 9.15 though, am full of admiration for working mums who get kids to nursery and childminder even earlier!

colds us too - and Lara woke us all up crying at 530 this morning. She sleeps in babygro and sleepbag but I think it's time to add vest and blanket to that! Reckon they'll be coughing and sneezing until April now. You forget what a shocker this season is don't you! I have heard that daily Manuka honey (eg in porridge) helps ward of colds though, and is definitely good protection against ear infections.

ckny that tiger bloke must feel proper silly now!

Hello everyone :) I hate the coughs that come after the colds, they really linger... And for some reason, DS doesn't really like Tixylix... -clearly no son of mine!--

:(

Wow preschool... When DS starts in March, I have promised to start driving lessons... Eeek!

Strikethrough fail

Morning all :)

Been back from glorious sunny spain over a week now and I'm in full on autumn mode, stocking the freezer with soups, stews, curries and Nigellissima ice cream (ive made choc orange with tia maria rather than espresso).

Arthur looks like a proper little toddler now. Well he did until I shaved his hair off and now he looks like a thug . I got him the cutest little clarks originals desert boots for winter, but with his hair cut I think he needs some DM's, Ben Sherman shirt and turned up jeans - think This is England

I love how much he can understand now (not loving him wilfully ignoring me!) and his words are coming along nicely. Not stringing them together yet (other than "ders mamma" or " dats-muh-mamma") but I'm not worried as he has only just hit 18 months and he's a boy. I would love to know the logic of how he picks up words - he knows some really random ones and ignores some really obvious, frequently heard ones!

Hope everyone is doing well esp the pg ladies!

Your escape to sunny Spain sounds wonderful, Petty. I keep threatening to go off to the Bahamas for a few weeks, but with just under four weeks to go until DS arrives and a house move to unpack, I don't think that's particularly realistic. :)

Must admit I'm feeling a bit overtaxed right now. We moved house last weekend and the unpacking is actually going ok, but Sabine needs so much attention and I feel like I'm neglecting her -- even though I make an effort to take her out to the playground every day or so. Also, my energy is just low now and I'm uncomfortably big and ready to be done being pg. I feel like I've been commiting major parenting fail over the last week and have been a complete Jekyll and Hyde with mood swings and too much impatience. I really want to be enjoying these last weeks of one-on-one time with S because I know it's going to be so much harder once there's another baby in the house, but it's hard with so much to get done in the meantime. Grrrr.
Sorry for all the whinging. :(

In other (still baby-related news), I got confirmation last week that I will indeed be having an ELCS -- one of my fibroids is too close to the cervix to make a VBAC very realistic. So I'm booked in for 2 Nov, five days earlier than my EDD. DH's parents are coming over, so it has made planning for them to look after S much easier.

Hello everybody! I'm so sorry for neglecting this thread. I hope you are all well many congrats on all the pregnancies
Ethan is a proper little toddler now and is finally walking! (still doesn't sleep though and wakes at 5am, but just have to accept that's the way it is) he is learning so much each day and is starting to talk though mostly in his own language.
We are hopefully moving soon, it's closer to work and has bigger bedrooms (currently Ethan is still in our room as Dd's room in a tiny box room) but now they will be able to share and we get to watch telly in he again! Ironically we are upsizing from a tiny house to a bigger basement massionette conversion!

Hello all, sorry i've been absent for ages. Pregnancy plus work plus toddler = very little MN time!

I had my 20 week scan last week - all was well and having another surprise.

Lovely to hear all the words your little ones can say. H is 18 months and says "ba" "moo" "thank you (not that clearly) "hiya" and sometimes bye. A while ago I thought she said "hereya" but not heard it for a while. I'm sure it will come though.

She has got very good at nodding and shaking her head though. ME - Do you want to go to bed? H - Shakes head furiously. Oh well, overall she does sleep better but its still hit and miss as to weather she will sleep all night, settle quickly if she does wake or if we give in and bring her in with us just so we all get some rest.

everso V exciting to have a ELCS date. I'm sure you are being a fab mother, its gonna be a tough few months but all worth it i'm sure!

petty Can I come round to yours for tea??!

me23 Good luck moving!

You sound very busy Haloflo, glad the scan went well!

Arthur has come down with hand, foot and mouth disease - urgh! He has mouth ulcers and is struggling to eat anything that's not chocolate cake . I was supposed to be working today but obv couldn't take him to the childminders so went to my other bosses house for tea and cake instead (and hence found a food Arthur could eat!). We are both bored bored bored.

Arthur almost fell asleep on the way home but he's now been banging round his cot NOT sleeping for almost an hour - grr. He sounds happy enough babbling to himself so I have just left him . Think I will give in and take him to the park for a picnic lunch and hopefully wear him out .

petty poor A - DS had that around the same age and I caught it from him - the mouth ulcers are quite harsh!! Plus I was preg with Lara too which can be dangerous early on but I was second trimester by then. it doesn't last long if I recall - at least it's the weekend now!

We're at inlaws for the weekend in countryside - I can hear OWLS HOOTING!! (thought it was the kids for a moment!)

Hello all!

Glad to hear your scan went well halo.

Hope A is improving now petty, sounds horrid.

Well R is almost 19 monthsnow and doing brilliantly. We still have frequent early wakings (maybe not doing so brilliantly...) but overall is coming along well and making us laugh lots.

I'm almost 33 weeks pg now and on countdown to DD. im feeling ready to have baby, my body is aching & creaking like a 90 year olds and i just want me back! Im so excited to meet new baby tho, can't wait to see what he/she will look like.

Hope everyone is well. Will check back soon

Petty I hope A has recovered by now.

Halo and JoJo, glad you're both doing well.

DS is scheduled to arrive tomorrow(!!!) via c-section. I'll be given a time slot this evening, but the nurse I met with on Monday said I will probably be one of the early ones. Will be back with news sooooon!

Ooh good luck for tomoro everso! Look forward to hearing your news soon

OMG everso that seems to have come round quick! Good luck for tomorrow xxx

Arthur back to his usual self and slooooowly adjusting to the clock change on Sunday. Anybody elses LO not get the memo?

I popped my head in at the right time - hope all goes well tomorrow everso.

Dd1 had hand, foot and mouth and was miserable with it. Unfortunately she came down with it just after being at one of her friend's birthday party and so spread it . One of the dads was very Ill with it after catching it. I'd never heard of it before dd1 went to nursery.

Talking of nursery, dd2 is on her 3rd week of nursery and is gradually settling in better. There are still lots of tears when I drop her off but she settles quickly, and then sobs when I pick her up .

I'll post an updated pic of Elise in her Halloween dress on the fb page - she's 19 months and 5 days!

everso yeay!!!! Hope all well and can't wait to see a pic of him!!

kagey I loved the pic of your little wicked witch! We have an NCT Halloween party to go to on Sunday so mine have outfits - DS is a skeleton and DD a pumpkin, I'll post a pic if they'll let me take one!

clocks change mine are getting up earlier now but they were doing pretty well at 7am get ups previously so they're waking between 6 and 6.30 at the mo. can usually ignore them until closer to 7!

We are surviving half term, I was dreading it as DS been really moody recently but he hasn't been too bad, I've given him loads of naps to catch up as I think preschool is tiring him out!

Lara's doing ok, she's getting HAIR!!! just cut her 16th tooth without much trouble. She is generally so much more mischievous than DS though!!

Hi everyone,

Baby Spencer arrived on Friday, 2nd November at 15:33, weighing 3540g and absolutely beautiful.

We are now home after an extended stay in hospital. S is fine but I lost nearly 2l of blood during the surgery, so received a transfusion right afterwards and then stayed through the weekend to recover. Taking it very easy right now.