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!

Hope you all feel better soon and that the babas so too, so many poorly people :( hopefully everyone will be all better for Christmas.

Interview was ok I think. Whole draft of thesis now, just about to rewrite intro and conclusions. Fingers crossed my supervisor doesn't think the rest of my chapters need too much more work. Totally exhausted. So so so so hope can manage to hand in by Friday...

Happy bday to all the babas, minim on wed but think I might be away

Crap just driven an hour and a half for a 15 minute meeting and now have a chipped windscreen GRR!!!! Just about to head back to office double grr!!

Oooh, it's good to be back! Had a lovely break, and am using the rest of my free day to wrap presents.

Have had a quick scan of the threads, and will catch up properly shortly- MN will be my treat per 2 presents wrapped

Right, siblings, mother and step mother done, made a real dent in it...

MissRee, I'm so glad to hear that Freya's on the mend, but you'd think that life would cut you a break?! You sound like you've got something nasty, you poor, poor thing- have you managed to make it to the doctor's? Hope you've got a good chunk of time off to recover over Xmas.

When do you hear about the outcome of the interview mopsy? Fingers crossed for you for that, and that you're at the end of re-writing the thesis.

Belated happy birthday wishes to DS Kate.

Really sorry to hear about the tonsilitis jiggle that's really rotten for F.

Sounds like you've got gold plated asthma plus there LMF, those are some pretty hardcore instructions . I was discussing this with a colleague the other day, how the ooh doctors are good and tend to give you uber-doses of everything. My colleague is looking like a corpse, bless her, and has done for some time now, and her doctor just won't do anything- I recommended trying the ooh for another opinion....

Glad the party went well figgy!

Back to the presents....

Just Auntie Jane's to go, plus DP's presents, though I can't wrap them as they're either at my Mum's or not yet arrived.

Had a lovely break, walked, drank, ate well, shopped, flopped, read trashy magazines, and all in beautiful York.

Just going to do the last present, a little tidy round, then will go and get my chubby boy from nursery

Glad you had a good weekend away northern.

mopsy hope you manage to hand in on Friday and can have a break from it over Christmas, you certainly deserve it! Sending good post-interview vibes!

kate DS had the whizz around mountain, it's brilliant. I know you mentioned DS has really dry skin, DD had some on her cheeks for weeks that I just couldn't shift despite trying everything including two prescription creams. Anyway, I've been smothering her in aquaous calamine cream for her rash in between doses of piriton and its almost gone. Might not help for DS but considering the pot of it cost £1.80 thought I'd mention it!

I've just got a handful of the kids presents left to wrap then all done, got tesco coming tonight so I'll probably finish them tomorrow. I also need to find time to make cranberry sauce, bread sauce and stuffing this week, I'm making them in advance and freezing. Every minute less faffing in the kitchen on Christmas morning is more time enjoying it with the DCs.

Just heard I didn't get the job but my friend did so I'm thrilled for her! I wasn't expecting to get it as only my first interview and I don't want to move either so not massively disappointed, although naturally feeling a bit low but not too bad!!!

Currently sat in the doctors waiting to be seen about this rash. It's driving me nuts but Thankfully the D&V has stopped... except now Freya has it :(

Sorry about the job mopsy - but good progress on the thesis - so well done for that!
Glad you had a nice weekend northern.
Hope the dr is helpful missree!
I had done only a tiny bit of shopping until today. Today I (as they say in X factor) killed it! I went online yesterday and found everything I needed. This morning I got to Mecca the Trafford centre early, and bought everything before 10:30am! Sorted.
Just need to wrap it all when BOi goes to bed. May have a mulled wine to add to the festivities.

Hiya. Currently feeding DS while the DDs cut out snowflakes for us to glitter at a later date... Survey tomorrow on our house, if it's OK (should be I hope!) then the whole chain is done before Christmas, then we can leave the solicitors to slug things out! Major activity at this end is a LOT of decluttering! The attic needs totally decimating. Fortunately Freecycle is my friend, I've gift-aid-registered with three local charity shops to spread the load, and i'm planning a single dump trip later in the week (I always feel intesely guilty at dumping things, though some of it is recyclable at least. Much rather re-use things). I WILL get things sorted so that it's not a nightmare when we've got close to the move.

Oooh just had some lovely feedback, am reserve candidate and did 'a really excellent interview', yay! Right, back to the thesis...

Auto glass are booked for tomorrow to repair the car windscreen phew!!

DS has decided that walking is the best he stands up by himself and totters everywhere with a mad look in his eye it's very cute. He's walked between dh and I for a whole but now he's letting go of everything and walking

Unfortunately I think I'm going to have to buy more formula tomorrow the milk swap has resulted in a distinct digestive slow down and bloated tummy

Wrote a long post and then lost it but probably just as well as it was fairly self indulgent rant about DH still being ill and in bed again, being knackered after so little sleep for a week of F being ill and being upset (due to tireness mostly) that my PFB DS was not invited to a party which the majority of his class went to this evening. He is not really aware that most of the class were invited but I fear tomorrow he may realise that he was one of only a few who were not invited. Makes me mad - either invite all the class, invite all the girls/boys or invite a smaller number so it is not just a few who are left out.

Signed off work for a week with gastroenteritis and a viral infection. Have antihistamines and calamine lotion for the rash!

Freya now has D&V too just got to try and keep her hydrated now, poor lamb. Tomorrow I shall commence operation sterilise the flat.

I haven't eaten anything since Saturday (don't think you can include what came back up yesterday). I should probably have some toast or something but just can't face it yet.

(((hug))) jiggle, he will hopefully not notice. My DD2 gets less invites than I'd hope but that's cos she is far quieter than Dd1. She has a lovely kind soul and I'm sure as she gets older she will end up with a very loyal friends group. From the other mums POV this may have been an "external" party (softplay/games centre) and they often have a set size of 18-20 kids (which as you probably know cost a blooming fortune, our local leisure centre is £250 for 20 kids). So she may have decided she couldnt stretch to everyone going. Personally it's not my thang, I do the cheap oldfashioned home parties.according to DD1 I was helpfully dubbed "Weird" after the most recent of these: apparently this was because one little girl went home and told her mum she'd really enjoyed winning one of the games (eating a string of hula hoops off strings dangling off the washing line faster than the other kids). The children enjoyed it anyway!

Oh no misree, sorry to hear you're lurgied AGAIN.

I think you are right aethel that it was a soft play centre that they were going too, so I can totally understand limiting it but I was surprised by one or two of the girls that were going when I know DS plays in a group with this boy most days, whereas they don't but heh ho not important in the big scheme of things.

F decided evening was not for sleep after all and woke again - I have let DH deal with it as I will be up half the night with her again probably!

missree - hope you feel better soon - it doesn't rain but it pours it would seem for you at the moment. Hopefully you and Freya will both be on top form by Christmas. (that's what I am hoping - all illness the week or so before Christmas rather than over it)

One week until Christmas

A bit behind on the thread again but hope everyone is healthy again by Christmas!

We're all sorted on buying presents and wrapping. I'm going to put up the decorations and tree on Saturday and I thin we will do the food shop on Sunday. Really not looking forward to the food shop!

Well at least you're signed off MissRee, but you have my utmost sympathy with you both being ill...and it's a vicious circle because you can't quite get well enough, and so succumb more easily to the next thing. That was October for us.
Hope you both feel better soon.

I have to say Mopsy, that's probably the best not-actually-getting-the-job outcome possible! Hope it gives you a good lift and helps towards getting the thesis finished.

Early night then back to work but only four days and we're off! Can't wait for Xmas, am so excited!

Sympathies to MissRee, jiggle and all others suffering at the moment. Here's hoping everyone is on top form by Christmas.

Thanks for the tip on the cream seven. DS has an appointment with a dermatologist on weds (thanks to the private medical cover DH gets through work) so we'll see what she suggests, but will bear that in mind as a backup plan

Oh so many poorly ones again - feel better soon everyone. We are all back to health but DS's permanently snotty nose appears never to go away. DS's sleep has gone all to pot thanks to the succession of illness, teeth, late nights and lack of routine so it's been a rough few days sleep training him again.

Last few days have been so busy with the Christmas social whirl. The weekend included mad Christmas shopping, a wedding, DS's birthday party, a Christmas party, a long Sunday pub lunch/engagement celebration with 10 friends, and all of a sudden having to do all the things our nanny usually does because she's gone on holiday!

DS got the most awful pile of noisy plastic tat for his birthday from well meaning lovely friends, his nanny and our cleaner...we should be grateful people care about him so much to get him these things but it was hard to keep smiling. We can't even turn off the ride on train without a five second cheery jingle saying deedle bingle tweet tweet "bye bye! see you next time!" deedle tweedle beep beep ARRGH.

Now three days at work (today's more like a half day really because our departmental Christmas lunch is at 2pm today), heading to Cornwall Thursday night and then flying to Nairobi on Monday morning!!

I once again need to tap into the parenting knowledge of you lovely ladies! So, Freya now has this bug. She was sick 3 times yesterday and has had runny poos since Saturday. It could have been antibiotics to start but given we've all had this gastro thing, I suspect she has it too now.

We're seriously lacking on the wet nappy front today. She's done 3 huge wet poos that have exploded everywhere (don't get me started on the washing I need to do!) which are more like water with the odd dash of solid, rather than proper poo. She did a poonami at 12.30am so had bum change but her morning nappy was dry (7am). Then she did another poonami at about 8.30am so we left her just in nappy for a little while. Changed it again at about 10.30 and still dry. More poonami at 11.30 and I've just changed another. Last one felt a little bit wetter but can't be sure it wasn't just from the poo.

She's been drinking her milk and has had probably 8oz of water. She also munched her way through some toast at about 11am.

She's been grotty and whingy with a few smiles between. Definitely not herself. I'm guessing she has tummy ache.

At what point do I start to get concerned about dehydration????

missree - if she is drinking and doing poos like that I would say she is probably ok but , of course aethelis your expert. Freya was hardly drinking anything due to her sore throat (ie only 2 ozs or so three times a day) and dr wasnt too worried - just said little and often.

xiao what is your sleep training method as we need a hand here! Realistically I think I will have to wait until the spring to do hard core controlled crying as she has been so ill but her sleep is appalling now and it is really becoming an issue (I get so fed up with her at night and quite angry about it). With DS we did controlled crying at 1 year but it was the summer so he was fairly well. It took 2 weeks and he has been a great sleeper generally since. With Freya I have done bits and bobs of controlled crying but I know you have to be more consistent. Trouble is she keeps getting ill and further trouble is DH can't cope with it and has no recollection that we did it with DS and I need him on board. He keeps going in and taking her into bed with him but then often gives up and then dumps her back in the cot, so I am back to where I was an hour earlier! It is yet another issue we cannot agree on.

Aaaaargh I have been in hold to the bank for a sodding HOUR but have to stay on hold cos my card wOuldn't work this morning.

oh ladies with bad sleepers i tip my hat to you!! DS is an angel (which i know isnt what you need to hear) i couldnt do it if he wasnt!!

Xiao Nairobi tell us more??

Am off out for a pre xmas drink after work with some old colleagues hoping to get home to see DS before bed though. Had a xmas dinner in our office restaurant today i decided to go for the veggie option which was a lovely goats cheese tart and the cook knows how much i love her mac and cheese i had some on the side with my roast parsnips and buttered carrots for £4.25 it was amazing!!!!!

2 more days at work and tomorrow working from home........it's beginning to look a lot like christmas la la la