October 2011 - my, oh my, how the first years flew by!! It's birthday season!!

[MummyDuckAndDuckling]

So excited that the first birthdays are upon us! Will try get a copy of the stats..

That must be an absolute killer climbing. I can't imagine getting woken up every night (I've blocked it from my memory )

I've just ordered S this for when she wants to walk now.

we had/have the ladybird one The rein does detach. I don't like the idea of wrist ones personally as have images of shoulder yanking.

I love the dino one! I remember one of my old colleagues having the ladybird ones for her triplets. I reckon DH will like these more. I know what you mean about yanking climbing. At the moment I'm leaning down and pulling DS's hood which is not ideal (like just now when we were walking to the post box and he was determined to go to ILs instead - he won!) I find traditional reins look weird - like your toddler is a pet or something, but I really like the backpacks.

We've got the turtle lilltelife backpack. It's really good and IMO if it stops him running off and getting lost it can only be a good thing.

Yeah I much prefer these backpacks rather than the traditional reins. S will hold my hand for a while then just wants to be miss independent

I like the look of those backpacks. ATM A isn't very fast at walking, but know it won't be long.

Back to work and creche today after a fabulous 2 week break. Sigh. Am focusing my energy on planning a holiday for April to get me through it

DH is not buying the idea of reins. I'm still trying to convince him. I must admit I have not seen a single child with reins on them here.

The Dutch are very "let children be free to explore" (which explains why all of DH's friends' kids are all such nightmares!). I was reading an old thread about reins and someone said a Belgian man came up to her in the street and started shouting at her for bing inhumane for using them!

I still think it's a good idea in a public place, especially a crowded one, or for walking alongside road. M is like Usain Bolt when he gets going. He even runs away from me when I want to change his nappy - he thinks it's a game. Fine inside, but not out in the big bad world!

Pen where are you going on holiday? We're starting to plan our trip this week (flights and stuff) and will def be passing through Wellington

Cheshire Yes Seb has a huge tummy after dinner! He has gappy teeth too :).

Engles We've got reins for Seb (£2 NNS). He's not walking yet but will use it when he is. I would certainly not want him running out into traffic.

Stayed over at the in-laws last night, Seb was so unsettled. He woke up about 2am and tried to pull himself up and banged his head. We calmed him down but then he was awake and wanted to explore the exciting new room. I was up from 2 until about 5:30, yawn. Eventually got him down by lying next to him on the bed in 'his' room, then had to transfer him to the cot.

Who lives/is going to NZ? It looks like we've got a wedding in NZ later this year or early next. It will be Seb's first trip abroad!! We're going to need stopovers but it will be quite a trip with a 2 year old!

Engels that's exciting! We just booked 10 days in Australia in April - Sydney and somewhere else, which will possibly be Adelaide (? anyone with tips ?) Given how much of the world DH and I have seen, we are embarrassed by barely having been to Australia. Didn't you live there Cheshire? (Or am I confusing you with someone else?) While I'm excited I'd love to go to somewhere non-English speaking that feels different IYKWIM.

Tally it's me that lives in NZ! Where's the wedding? Let me know if you need any tips about being here/getting here!

I did a 4 week road trip when DD was 16 months old, so I should be able to think of some tips

I reckon I will just get one of the Little Life packs to use as a rucksack and pull out the reins when DH isn?t looking This is the first parenting thing DH and I have clashed on and I totally respect that he doesn?t want to use them with M, and when we?re all out and about together they may not be as necessary, but when I?m on my own with M I would rather have the option (plus the dino one is really cool!)

Tally

My best friend lives in Auckland and my Dsis is probably on her way out there next month for a year on a WH visa (her boyf is from Oz and they?ve been working together on a tall ship the last year out of Sydney/round the Pacific). We?re planning on going over this summer for a month (which unfortunately means a month of winter in NZ!). We?re also just starting to think about stopovers/route etc Tally Does anyone know at what age children have to have their own seats? I thought it was 2, and before that you can have them with you, but still have to pay tax.

pen I haven?t been to Adelaide but loved Melbourne (as did Dsis who lived there for 6months). I wasn?t a fan of Cairns and Dsis said she didn?t like Darwin. I would love to go to Perth as well and haven?t managed to see Uluru (have been to Oz twice). But tbh I much preferred NZ

M is really funny this last week. He?s picking up so many words (though most he?ll only say as a one off). Yesterday he said ?Grandma? to my mum on skype and managed a ?bye bye? so we will have to stop swearing in front of him

Australia and NZ are def on my places to visit and would love to spent a month there. Very jealous

My current plan is to go to Canada for a month in may/June time with S and my gran. my family from there are coming over for 10 days at the start of may, so I'm hoping just to travel back with them. Was going to wait and go in Sept but as my mum works in a primary school, she can't take time off then so I'd have to do the 7 hr flight myself with S and my 84 year old (almost blind) gran . It prob wouldn't be terrible, but hard work. S only pays the £50 tax for her return flight but then doesn't get a seat, but id rather that than a full price ticket at the moment. So that's my thinking, if I fly back on the same flight as them, I'll have my aunt and cousin to help and then coming home is an overnight flight and id hope she would just sleep again. Prices are pretty cheap for may, but ill need to book by the end of the week if its what I want to do. I need a change of scenery for a while and with my job only being as and when, I don't need to worry about the time off.

Hope everyone is good. Monday again and everything is back to normal. Did we really just have Christmas and NY..?! Blink and you miss it

yeah, two is the cross over.

I did NZ in August, so their winter. On the plus side, all the tourist stuff was not busy. Even if you buy them a seat before they are two, if the seat belt light goes on, they still have to come onto your lap. We just had the bulkhead seats without the cot when DD was older. When she slept she went on the floor. If you can night flights then I would def. recommend it. We were able to do that for flights from US to UK, but not vice versa. That was a 12 hour flight so a bit different to 24 hours.

oh dh didn't agree with reins at first, honestly he will come round to them

At least the rucksack has a useful grab handle on op too eng so it's better than nothing.

Very of you all planning trips abroad no way we an afford that anytime soon. My ideal holiday would be to go back to New York where DH and I went on honeymoon. Would love to see it at Christmas time.

I think it depends between airlines - for our flights to Oz we paid 10% of the fare for Amotai. NZ domestic flights (something else to bear in mind tally and engels) has him totally free though if you fly airnz.

I am going to get a rucksack too.

Mummy I would love to go to Canada but it's a bit pricey from here! Maybe next time ...

so today DS woke at 4:30 (but DH had him, he does early mornings). Napped for 25 mins at 9ish but has only just gone down for his main nap

also he has been calling everything a duck

I want to take the family on a Canada road trip at some point. I went before on a mini one as had a conference in Vancouver but for some reason I only gave myself just over a week to get to the Rockies and back. Our wedding was a few months later so probably felt I shouldn't take more time off.

I am so tired. 2 weeks Christmas holiday and my body has switched off work mode. Had such a nice time at home with DH and DS for 2 weeks. Still, it's only 5 weeks till half term

Had a reins discussion with two of my colleagues today - a Brit and an American. The American said no way and the Brit said definitely! Everybody's got an opinion!

I have seen how quickly my 2y/o nephew can move - that's why I want reins!

Tired here too. A is waking most nights and the only thing that works is co-sleeping. But I don't want to keep doing that but am procrastinating the tough love. Sigh.

I can't complain about nights, though M woke us bot up this morning at 5 and then 6 by babbling 'hello' and 'papa' non stop.

I can complain about work though (I'm so good at it). I would like to win the lottery and not have to go to work again please.

(sorry for moan It's just January talking!)

I just want to moan that there aren't enough hours in the day!!

I just like moaning

We have the ladybird backpack too and a Kermit backpack (which I just dropped with the seamstress today to attach a strap across the chest of it). For now I think the ladybird is just a bit heavy for P.

Blinkin' eck Tally good luck with that flight with a 2 year old, I wanted to boil my own head after 6 hours to Dubai (sorry not very helpful)

Pene what about Fiji for "less" English speaking? Yes we used to live in Melbourne but have also spent time in NSW, NT, QLD, Red Ctr and WA. There is a chance we might be going back purely to get P a visa so will probably go to QLD (which I know is a bit naughty but we need to give her as many options as we can if we are able). Getting a bit old now though as we are 36 :( DH & I's fav places are probably Blue Mountains, Cottesloe and Airlie Beach.

Rubbish sleep here, I blame teeth :(

Also I am clearly no good at bedtimes and nursery drop off/collection. Bedtime last night involved 3 poos on the carpet in 3 different rooms, poo in the potty, down P's leg, on my hand, on the donkey tie-back and other donkey tie-back ended up in the toilet!

Nursery drop off I was late and forgot to brush her teeth, nursery collection I forgot to ask what she had done/eaten/slept !

P can say "hat", although I am unclear whether hat is hat or head as she pats her head at the same time.