Post Grad Brookers - we're in here....

[Biscuitsandtea]

New thread - t'other one got full up....

I finally actually did level 1 of the Shred today (just now, even though I've been trying to get to it since I got up this morning!) It was hard! Mainly because I'm so unfit. I'm happy to postpone the official Day 1 to Saturday though, that way Fishcake should have her DVD and Too will be PIL-free! My healthy eating hasn't exactly gone to plan yesterday or today, so it'll take me until Sat to be fully geared up!

No more postponing after Saturday though! Or I'll never hear the end of it from my DH!

Yay for Dream's DH stepping up with the night-time assistance. Well done to Too for surviving a stressful vet visit! Also WOW for M being 15lbs! Good work both of you! Fishcake I hope you manage to find some kindred spirits local to you soon. Biscuits is right, anyone worth knowing will understand a toddler being stressed out following a house move and a new baby!

Autumn seems a little ratty still, following her jabs yesterday. She also feels a bit warm [paranoid first time Mum emoticon]. Can't decide whether or not to give her more calpol though, she doesn't really have a temperature. Will wait until after my physio appt later to decide.

too - I second the wow on m's weight!

scream - how are the jab sites? Are they red, hard o bruised in any way? Sore jab sites have been an issue for both of mine a lot.

I managed to eat ok today! One small muffin and one piece of lemon drizzle for naughtiest and chicken salad for tea, chicken sandwich for lunch and toast and marmite for brekkie and maybe some minstrels. Think that's my least junk eating day for possibly years...

Pomme I love that your healthy eating day includes a muffin, lemon drizzle cake and minstrels! That sounds very similar to mine that included Gu Millionaires Flapjacks and a Magnum

DD had her jabs in her bum, so I'll double check for any bruising during her next nappy change. She slept for 3 hours this afternoon, woke for half an hour during which she had two feeds, and has so far been asleep for the last hour and a half. I hope this sleepiness will continue all night, otherwise I think we're going to pay a steep price tonight for all her daytime sleeping!

pomme, also love that that's your healthy eating, matches mine :) . I also can't get out of the habit of chocolate for breakfast , it just goes down so well after cereal... I'm on Mission Scoff Birthday Chocolate (there's a lot of it) to be ready to start in Saturday with you. that's my excuse anyway

So those with Ergos, what age can they go in without an infant insert? Dh doesn't like my Boba, and i preferred the borrowed Ergo too.

Not sure dream I'd guess when they've got good head control but not certain. Do you have instructions for your ergo? If not I could check mine tomorrow to see if it says anything.

I don't have an Ergo, I'd borrowed one but its with someone else atm. I bought the Boba as it didn't need an insert and was meant to be v similar but it doesn't sit as nicely on our shoulders somehow... So thinking of buying a couple of Ergos or similar and eBaying the boba (she says, never having sold anything on eBay...)

Dream I think a friend told me it's 4 months for the Ergo. So glad you got more sleep. Let's hope the twins continue to synchronise and your DH keeps up the good work.

Biscuits re the Baby Whisperer book, I think the original one is The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and the other ones are follow-ups. But you're a brilliant experienced mum who probably doesn't need her advice as I guess you've worked out what works and what doesn't for your two already. I just loved the book cos I was rubbish and assumed all crying meant hunger not tiredness. Or I was just bemused by the crying and didn't know what to do...

DS has been asleep on my arm for an hour. Oops. Should have put him to bed after the last feed. Hope he doesn't decide to stay awake now when I change his nappy and get the sleepsuit on.

I also don't have an ergo but having stalked them on eBay I believe they are suitable from 4 mths without the insert? I guess that would tie in with having good head control?

Right. Didn't bother with a bath or shower for DS as he seemed knackered. He woke when i changed him but seems to have gone straight back to sleep in his basket. We shall see if skipping the washing part of his bedtime routine causes any problems.

Pomme was it you who spoke about DD1 gradually moving her bedtime earlier? How did she do that, if you don't mind me asking? Cos DS has his last feed around 7.30 and usually goes to bed around 8.30 but I was wondering how I'd know if really he wanted to be in bed earlier...

6kg upwards for the Ergo without the insert.

Jaggy I had the Mutsy for DS1, but I just looked at your link again and mine is a different model. I have the 4rider light. I loved it until just after he turned one and then I found the pushchair seat to be quite narrow while he was wearing his winter layers so I ended up buying a Out N About Nipper 360. Which was much cheaper, wider and more comfortable. The Mutsy was fab as a pram and to use as a travel system with a car seat. I'm hoping DD will fit better in the pushchair seat as I'd like to get more use out of it this time.

I've seen pics of quite big toddlers in the evo scarlet so I'm hoping it will last quite a while and be fine for DS1 when he's tired on holiday. he enjoyed a wee test run in the hall anyway! DS2 was too busy greeting and puking to put in a nice new pram. :)

he's been having a proper guzzle on the couch here, maybe he'll fancy a sleep now... more likely he'll wake up, do a huge poo and be sick all over his clean sleepsuit.

night all. v busy day tomorrow so might have to get on the computer and catch up at the weekend.

Oooh that's only 13lb 4oz for the ergo - who would have thought!

I have the HV coming tomorrow for ds2's 3-4 mth review (which includes talking about weaning etc! Already! I mean in theory I could be starting weaning at 17 weeks and he's 15 weeks today! Seems mad!). That means he'll get weighed and measured again. He was 15lb 13oz last week though so we'll see how he's doing.....

I'm sure it'll be lovely Jaggy. I actually think that we weren't using it correctly. We couldn't figure how to get the actual seat at the correct angle and DS always looked like he was hanging in it by the straps! Hopefully we'll get it sorted this time now we're a bit more clued up

Biscuits you have a health visitor actually visiting? I always have to take my DC to them! How come with the 3-4 month review? DD had a 6-8 week review this week and I was told that was it now until another one at 6-12 months. I assume our HVs must be part of the same team in the same area?...

Have you tried your ergo yet Scarlet? How'd it go?

Oh and anyone who's thinking of gettin one I've heard there are a LOT of fakes on eBay and a lady from a sling group near me says that one way to spot the fakes is that they should NOT come with a DVD apparently (ie if it has a DVD it's a fake )

You would think so wouldn't you Scarlet - how odd. My HV has been out twice before (not long after the birth and then at 6 weeks) and this will be visit no 3. Other than that I go to the clinic. It is always the same lady though and she is based at the GP's in my village so it is always her at the clinic etc. where I lived before it was a 'team' set up although I had a named HV, but anyone of them could do the reviews and often they were done at the clinics.

So in summary, I have no idea why she's coming to me? Or why I'm getting an extra visit?

Thank you all for the moral support earlier. biscuits I am going to save your suggestions to think about over the weekend. I think joining the nct could be a good idea and I am also considering a paid class (rather than just toddler groups) with the hope that I will then see the same people on a regular basis. Toddler groups can be a bit hit and miss that way. I will look for something for dd1 that dd2 can tag along too although I did see a baby yoga class that might work for both.

I did make it to toddler group this morning and talked to a v nice granny who I have met a couple of times, and her daughter. They were there with twin boys which of course made me think oF dream!

Re ergos- dd2 is defo too small/wobbly to go in without the insert an she has pretty good head control. But, I just used a rolled and folded blanket in it until the insert came (I had the ergo from dd1) so if they are just for using round the house for now you could always try that dream, if you didn't want to get the inserts when they will be out of them so soon.

biscuit have you tried the natural mamas forum for a second hand ergo or something similar? Because they are not so pretty as some of the other carriers they seem to be quite cheap, when they come up. how are you getting on with yours Scarlett?

Yay for such good weight gain too and m.

*scream hope A carries on sleeping tonight! Jabs are horrid, am already slightly dreading dd2's second round next week.

Iin fact, here's hoping everyone gets a decent sleep (whatever that means these days )

biscuits I have had two home visits. The first when we had just moved in and the second a couple of weeks later. Dd1 was not long out of nappies and she arrived to find dd1 doing a pee on the doorstep as we hadn't got home in time

Fishcake

The first time the hv came to us I think I'd seen her earlier that morning at the GP surgery, but didn't know who she was then until she turned up at our house. Unfortunately, my recollection of seeing her was that I noticed her crossing the doctors surgery reception as I was shouting at ds1 like a fishwife for being such a nightmare - he'd chosen this time to do the total floppy, legs-don't-work, I'm-not-going-anywhere, I'm-going-to-lie-here-in-the-doorway, can't-do-the-rolled-up-carpet-thing-because-I-have-the-car-seat-too .

Shame you can't re-make a first impression .

Oddly I was struggling with ds1 so much because I was rushing home to meet the hv who arrived home approximately 5 seconds after we got there.

I'm surprised she didn't just bring social services with her there and then

WHY oh why, when DH is out, can I never get my enormous arse off the sofa and GO TO BED

Fishcake, going to a paid class in the hope that'll be regular members to befriend sounds like a great idea! In fact, it's one I may nick, as I don't 'know' any other mums in the area. Was it Biscuits who recommended SureStart? That's where I've been going - have met some lovely people.

Biscuits, I have 'The.Baby Whisperer solves all your problems'. I've found some of it really useful, but other bits I've thought were rubbish. Haven't read the whole thing yet mind...

Sorry to not name check everyone - phone on a go slow..

DD still not settled tonight. Cluster feeding for hours. Knew it was too good to last!

at Biscuits and the HV story. I've had 3 home visits - once with the MW, once with a second HV (can't remember why - was a bit stressed as they pulled up behind us as we arrived home and when I dashed into the house to tidy up while DH intercepted them I discovered that dog had had an accident as we'd been gone longer than anticipated), and once alone, to do the post-natal depression check.

Was in DH's work today showing off M - Biscuits' sister was holding her and comparing her to E! Was hard not to giggle. She said she thought M was much lighter than E, but that can't be right if they're both around the 15lb mark. Sadly M was a bit taken aback by all the strangers, looked v wary the whole time and refused to do her beautiful, adorable smile for them.

Yay for Shredding, Scream! I'm sure cleaning the shit tip kitchen counts as exercise, even if it's not as strenuous as the Shred. How did you find it? How were the abs sections? Was your CS scar ok? 'Twill be all systems go on Saturday! It may take me some time to find my trainers - can't think where they are. Oh, and find some weights.

Ugh, I employed my anti-procrastination cleaning tactic - spray the bathrooms with the bathroom spray stuff and then go away and start a totally different task. I am then forced to clean the bathrooms tonight instead of giving up and going to bed, because I can't go for a pee until they're cleaned. DH went and peed outside so as not to disturb my sprayed toilets However, I spent an hour cleaning the kitchen and I really want to go to bed now and I can't! The plan has its drawbacks. Of course, I should get on with it instead of MNing at nearly midnight. At least I'm not meeting Dad tomorrow after all, so in theory I could clean in the morning, but in practice M is v distracting. Still have lots of hoovering to do.

Biscuits, GO TO BED! With your tiny heinie. (how do you spell heinie? )

Oh, and I hoovered up a bit of asparagus and a bit of tenderstem broccoli from behind the cooker - what does DH do, throw it all the air and hope it lands in the pan? Am now worried that they were a bit big to go in the hoover, and may rot in there and smell. Perhaps I should change the hoover bag tomorrow.

Am really going to clean bathrooms now. Gah. Right, I never want to live in a bigger house unless I can afford a cleaner. Oh to have a cleaner... I could get her (or him, I suppose) to do all the silly things that I notice but never do because I'm too busy doing the bigger things at the last moment, like polishing mirrors and pictures and cleaning random dirty marks off the walls - and more importantly, I could get her to do mountain of laundry and clean my bloody toilets!