December 2011 - they'll soon be one, put away the <haddocks> and bring out the bunting!

[seven77]

I loved kate's thread name but thought we needed a birthday theme for this one. We'll soon have 6 weeks of birthdays to celebrate!

Sorry not been on much, frantically trying to finish chapter. But woke up thus morning to a big vomit stain in the cot, then when I fed minimopsy up it all came in a big fountain all over me and her and the carpet. So no getting on with work today...

figgy, no idea about presents but I wouldn't go overboard all the same...

LM great news about sensible GP and proper meds for octoboy, hope they have the reverse effect and improve his sleep!!

Christmas traditions: presents were downstairs under Christmas tree in sitting room - we had them in a big bag with our initial on - leading to a very amusing mix up one year between my brother and sister who have the same initial - my sister was pulling things out, her face getting steadily more miserable until at last she broke down crying upon pulling out a skeletor !!! She was only 4. Very hilarious for the rest of us. Don't know why we didn't just put our whole names on the bags! Anyway we used wake up reeeally early bur weren't allowed to wake mum and dad until 7, so we would all pile into one or two beds and giggle for hours. The sitting room door was always locked on Christmas morning and dad would always take ages getting ready, l

Then pretend to lose the key so we would be hopping up and down with impatience/excitement!! After pressies and breakfast we all walked to mass, nicest mass of the year always as you always met loads of friends after and there was lovely singing usually. Then home for lunch and a long walk on the beach later on. More recently we have prosecco in the morning but we always have croissants that you bake and grapefruit segments from a tin. Don't know where that tradition came from as we never had any other sort of tinned fruit at any other time. Now we have changed things a bit and do secret Santa and have presents mid morning as we are all grown up so several siblings only come for breakfast and/or pressies and coffee. We go to midnight mass on Christmas eve instead of Christmas day (although it's at 9pm now because everyone was coming in drunk from the pub at midnight haha). We only go to my parents every second year now though. Think will start our own Christmas in a year or two when minim is older and not go to either family. Will defs be keeping up some of our traditions though!

I LOVE reading about everyone's Christmas traditions. It makes me even more eager to have another DC because so much of all of our Christmases involve fun shared experiences with our siblings.

Poor old DS isn't managing to keep anything down - he went down for his nap and the poor nanny is texting me as she sits by his cot watching him sleep because she is afraid he will choke if he vomits again. Dioralyte will be offered until I can get home to breastfeed him but today is CRAZY for both me and DH and tomorrow is likely to be worse. Feel so very guilty

Hoppy bopday Eva!

I can't believe Eva is one today - the cute little pebble that began the avalanche... Happy birthday!!

Thanks all.

xiao lose the guilt lady, hope DS is feeling better soon!

Meant to say more on Xmas traditions. The DCs also each choose one new decoration for the tree, it means they feel more involved and we constantly have nice new decorations, win win! Also (this is a new one I'm starting) as we home ed DS we work through all of the school holidays so we can have December off, I'm planning to do loads of Christmas crafts through December with him instead. We'll be making clay decorations, painting pine cones and covering with glitter, making cards etc.

Think Sky has chicken pox

Xiao Hope DS is better soon xx

figgy I used little walker/pant (but not pull up) type nappies at this age for DD1 and it was helpful for a while as although it didn't help with holding her down when trying to clean the poop, it was good with getting the nappy to fit on properly by getting her to step into it so all mess would be secured rather than trying to do up the sides and leaving poop escape routes.

Happy Birthday Eva

for Sky

Hope sky is better soon DSM and it isn't pox.

Eva isn't officially 1 until 11.15 tonight. Hard to believe this time last year I wasn't even having contractions yet!

Oh noooo, the dreaded CP - get well soon Sky!

Thanks for good wishes for DS - the nanny has done her best, she loves him as if he was her own and was very upset this evening because if anything DS is worse - hasn't kept anything down all day except a little dioralyte. Projectile vomited over her and then again over DH an hour ago and is now asleep after nursing a very little bit.

He was so listless, pale and barely smiled when I got home My dad flies in tomorrow morning for Thanksgiving so I have asked him and my mother if they will come and hang out here all day when DH and I are at work to back the nanny up just in case.

I'm wondering if we should have him in with us tonight, just to be safe.

xiao poor thing he sounds awful :(. I'd have him in with you if you're worried, if not you'll probably lay awake all night worrying anyway!

Oh dear, mega biohazards!

Happy birthday Eva!

xiao, if you do take poor DS into bed tonight, the bitter voice of experience (we did this last week!) suggests you get the oldest bath sheet towels you have and line the bed with them (and another on the floor by the bed) so that if he's projectile puning you have a "safe" area and won't be washing vom out of the mattress at 2am. When he graduates to a big boy toddler bed, waterproof sheets come into their own, we have two sets per bed at our place!
Over the years I've spent quite a few nights sitting up with whichever spawn is poorly, it's a badge of parenthood i'm afraid!

In other news we seem to have a better offer....I think this might work...nervous as don't want to jinx it!!....

aethel I knew there would be a big payoff for all that cleaning and tidying you've been doing for viewings! Not at all crossing my fingers for you, oh no

Thank you for advice on towels in the bed - DS keeps cough-retching in his sleep, and I rush in to check whether he's been sick so I'm wondering if maybe I should just move his cot into our bedroom. It's a travel cot so when DH gets home from late tutoring we could probably move the whole thing without waking DS.

I wish I had an actual badge of parenthood. "I've had no sleep and yes that's vom in my hair. What's YOUR excuse?"

seven I am in bed already but cannot concentrate on anything but MN as I am listening so hard for any choking. I have no idea how I will get any sleep...and I have a mega client meeting tomorrow at 9am in the City. Arrgh!

xiao, can you "split-shift" with DH? One of you snooze with DS and the other sleep until (say) 2am, then swap. Gets you 4 hours sleep each...

It's not a brilliant offer, if truth be told, it's still 5k under what we need to move (and probably 5-8k under the actual value) , but it's a buyer's market, we're sick of viewings, DH really wants us to get going, both of us want the house we've seen, and we think we can stretch to manage this. Had a cheeky small takeaway (diet!) to sort-of celebrate.

Good luck with the poorly little ones!
Happy birthday Eva!
I hate the nappy battles figgy. But I don't get it. At almost 1 yr old, he must've had 1500 nappies changed. So why the fuss?!
We sometimes use pull ups. They've been fine. We've not had any accidents.
What would my parent badge of honour say...."I leave the house at 6:45 after getting me and my son ready, I work full time and get home at 18:00. You tell me when I have the time to iron/exercise/shave my legs /pluck my eyebrows/get a haircut/paint my nails ..."
Whinge whinge whinge.what nails?!

i'm commissioning some rocket-up-the-bum Dec 2011 special blend cofffee for the thread, I think we may need it... (had a few wakeups last night but at least most of the bedding has survived!)

Tired.com :(

4 hours sleep last night but not minimopsy's fault. Stayed up trying to finish the chapter. Fingers crossed one more late night will do it. Really want to get it in before the weekend. This week in addition to writing half a chapter I have also made corrections to the article for publication, amended the rejected article and resubmitted to a different journal and done a hefty job application.I've been up really late though all week and beginning to flag. Just have to get this done then can relax as it's our annual weekend away to celebrate getting together (we celebrate this rather than our wedding anniversary, which is in July) as it's so nice to go away in November, when life is usually a bit grey and depressing. Can't wait, especially as I've worked so hard this week!!

Minim spent all of yesterday projectile vomiting - seems winter bugs are in full spate :(

Sorry meant to say aethel, congrats on house, hope all goes smoothly now, DSM ugh chickenpox, Oi, hope France going well
& lots of cheese and wine-age happening, Xiao, hope baba feels better soon poor thing and that you're not too exhausted.

I feel oddly light and energized as a result of nearly no sleep last night, plus an extra early morning for early meeting in the City (which is now delayed because the client's flight was cancelled, c'est la vie).

Do any of you guys watch NCIS? I think some Caf-Pow would come in handy for this thread...

mopsy apologies if you have said this already, but what is your field of study?

Ill babies all round once again it seems. I think their first proper winter is always the worst (last winter I think they were more cocooned from the world around them). Freya has a viral rash and still a cough but otherwise ok. she was sent home yesterday from nursery though for 3 loose nappies. I thought she was having tummy troubles Tuesday night when she was awake for 4 hours in a row and vomited.

aethel - fingers crossed on the house offer.

mopsy - weekend away sounds lovely. Think we could do with one but a) we are broke b) Freya's sleep is even worse away than at home c) I have to do all the packing and organising and I am rather tired at the moment from aforementioned lack of sleep and d) DH and I just argue all the time at the moment .

D is probably the most important and sad. Not sure what to do about it. I feel I make all the effort to get on again after an argument but than if I say anything negative (eg I m tired) or get stressed (eg when freya is still up at 9pm and wont go to bed) he immediately jumps down my throat and has a go instead of being supportive. In his eyes I should love every moment of being at home with the kids as it is so much easier than work (apparently!) and his mum never complained (I am sure she did but he would be unaware of that as a child, though she is a bit of a martyr and always tries to pretend everything is fine, even if it isnt)

So massive argument on Monday night (worst yet I think), avoid each other Tuesday, Weds night I make effort to be nice, he responds, we have a fine evening, I get annoyed with Freya whinging at me at 830pm when I am trying to eat my dinner and she should be in bed and woah back to where we were again. I am not sure we can live with each other anymore but I don't have the guts or financial back up to separate and more importantly I have to put F and O first. He would just stay with the status quo and be miserable rather than separate.

Relate? Seems he doesn't see there's a problem, and an impartial mediator can often make people see the side of an argument that they're avoiding:(