December 2011: They're one Jim, and highly illogical!

[LittleMissFantabulous]

I went with Gary's suggestion, as it was quite awesome and indeed factual!

:o

Onwards?

xiao that truly sounds terrifying. Thank goodness he's on the mend. I hope his return to complete health is speedy. Poor thing. Poor you!
Glad you enjoyed Kenya before that! I went alone for my 30th birthday escape, 2 weeks by the beach with 3 days in a delux tent in the Masai Mara - truly amazing, even though I did not get to feed wild giraffes!
honey welcome back. Good to see you. To summarise what has happened in your absence: coffee, pox, snot, screaming, no sleep, haddocks-a-plenty, work issues, joyous birthdays, cute kisses and cuddles, walking, chattering, pg scans, and new shoes going walkabout.

Fish and chips! Oh the joy!
When we used to go hill walking (Munro bagging in Scotland, or the 3 peaks not in 24 hours) we would always celebrate with fish and chips washed down with Champagne.
And today I'm not allowed either. ...well, it's a bloody good job I'm not climbing mountains!
We're having lightly dusted fish-type with veggies of the non potato kind. Yawn.

Xiao glad DS is on the mend. I did see he was really poorly.

Tesco have Glade Sense n Spray on sale for £4 each refills £3 each. Usually £10 for the dispenser & £6 for refills. So happy days in Tesco earlier It's on till 29/1/13. I already had one for lounge & Air wick stick diffuser thingy for both the girls rooms. So brought one for Bathroom & one for kitchen & will go back when I get paid on 28th and stock up on 2 more and lots of refills

Hoping its a quiet night with the girls as shattered.com. Sky has been on the go and wanted mummy most of the day x

Very succinct summary oi

xiao definitely glad P is getting better!!

DS had another entry into the childminders accident book today I got home she was there with dh beside herself hands shaking she felt so guilty bless her. He fell between her tv unit and fireplace cover she had her back turned to get his coat and side of his head all scratched some broken skin etc as long as he comes home with all limbs attached I'm happy. He was absolutely fine tonight had a bath let us clean him up no fuss so no lasting damage.

Still no sign of a snowflake here .....hope it stays that way

Hello HLC! So pleased to see you back, that's a few returners we've had now
I see you're loving the wraps from your pictures, and Rocco's as gorgeous as ever- how's tricks with you?

Have you recovered a bit LMF? Are the kids ill and keeping you up or is it the sodding neighbour again?

And I cannot believe you're halfway there seven, where the hell did that go? I mean really, that's crazy. Can't wait to find out about it though, and I'm enjoying this vicarious pregnancy

It must feel massively ironic- not that you'd be laughing about it at the time or anything- that you must have had injections for every grim disease under the sun, and then your DS comes down with 'bog standard' rotavirus Xiao...and then to get so ill from it as well.

Hope the liver function tests come back OK, and so glad to hear he's on the mend.

And thank-you for the donkey dong story plu, memorable! I'm impressed you're back to semi-epic posts on the phone, that's dedication to the cause, that is.

Our builder came round tonight and said he could start Friday . So the next two nights will be spent shifting all the furniture out of DS's room, and spreading it around the house, and the next week will be spent in chaos as the ceilings are taken down and replaced.
Dear Bob help me, it'll be a nightmare...

northern have I missed something, why are you having your ceilings replaced?! Are you having anything else done? I'm over halfway there btw, never made it to 36 weeks with the other two :)

All three down, dear Bob let it be a better night. See you all on the other side!

Octoboy has vicious chickenpox Northern :( They're truly the nastiest I've seen. Got them all over his d all, in his ears, up his nose, his lips and all over his bum, but worst is his testes are covered too. He's not happy at all:(

Hello ladies! Just a quick one as I'm watching True Grit with the OH.

I'm good, my only news is that I now have a 1 year old! How the heck did that happen?! :) I'm working on setting up a sling library & I'm still helping to organise sling meets down here. We're also looking at the remote possibility of moving but as we still need to explore our mortgage options that may not happen. Still ttc but as Rocco is still bfing heavily nothing has happened yet. Very excited for you seven I'm so broody I get all teary over squishies at meets.

Sorry to hear about your troubles xiao scary stuff indeed :( & you too LMF I hope both your LOs are all better soon.

Oh joy! Just found out by DH calling me there is a major accident on way to work. Southbound lane closed the exit before mine and north bound queuing due to rubber necking. I'm going northbound. Sodding hell...to cold to be stuck in a traffic jam!

Brrrrrrrrrrr! SAHM - good luck in the traffick.
Well, I should know better than to say anything really... Because when I do, the phenomena that is sleeping through a full night doesn't happen again. But, dare I say it, for the last 2 nights, BOI has stayed in his own bed. In the early evening he has woken and needed some comforting, but after 10pm he has not required any intervention. Night 1 he whimpered a few times but settled himself, and last night there was not a peep out of him.
This is very surprising as he's still full of a cold and wakes up with his eyes all sticky and his nose completely crusted up.
I have cancelled the nursery - they (or their Head orifice) want 8 weeks notice. I have asked them to reduce this to a more reasonable 4. So BOi will have his first settling in sessions with the CM next week.
I can't wait for him to be with people who will take more notice of him. And I'm sure they will. But it surprises me how little the nursery staff notice. I ask, how's his cough been? and they look at me surprised, "What cough?" But then, whilst I'm there going through his "A day in the life" and putting his coat on, he'll be coughing - THAT cough.
I'm really hoping that the standards of hygiene will be better at the CM and that he will be less ill. I really liked them, and their set up. Let's hope they live up to my expectations.
They were really hot on development and learning - because they have a mix of ages, but every week they have a theme. Last week it was looking after others in the cold weather, so they'd talked about grandma's etc, the day I visited they had been bird watching and had fed the birds, and then come home to make choc cornflake nest cakes - and they all took one home in a little bag. All the little ones get involved in an age-appropriate way. LOVE it!
Right - to work!

Morning everyone,

My only news is that I'm back at work next week....eek! I'm half looking forward to it, money, independence, a bit more structure to my week, socialising, having a cup of tea in peace, I will use the money for learning to drive.

I'm half dreading it - feeling guilty at leaving DS (can anyone look after him as well as I can?), I don't financially have to go back to work although it will make life much easier, I won't be working on my old account and I'm scared I don't know enough about the job to learn a new one (or more...there was talk of me being back up and covering other peoples accounts whilst they're off sick, on holiday, bogged down in too much work).

Definitely helps listing everything out!

Sparkly hope the traffic jam isn't as bad as you think!

Honey that's exciting that your TTC, hopefully it will happen soon for you! True Grit was a good film, hope you enjoyed it!

We're also umming and ahhing about what to do next, we'd love a 3 bedroom house, but that's way out of our price range, so we were thinking about a 2 bedroom house with the plan to eventually convert the loft into a 3rd bedroom. Ideally our next dc will be a boy and then technically we wouldn't need a 3rd bedroom! Not pregnant or TTC yet though, just planning what to do next!

LMF the photo on FB looks grim! Hope that it clears up soon.

Seven that's exciting! It seems to have been the quickest pregnancy ever :o Hope you're managing to get enough rest & relaxation!

Northern don't forget to show the builders where the Hoover is ;)

Figgy your cm sounds so sweet to be that worried about your reactions!

I think the main thing is that the children are happy with their career, bumps and bruises are to be expected once they're walking especially!

Xiao that sounds horrendous, I'm glad they know what is going on now and your LO is getting better. Apart from the last day it sounds like you had an amazing holiday!

Missed your post Oi, but I hope the cm works out well, I think children probably do get a bit more one to one attention at the cm although they still have the same ratio of adults to children, but I think it's down to experience. I think as well some of the nursery staff are so young that they might love children, but they might not totally understand a parents worries etc.

I have high hopes for my nursery, it's Ofsted report was outstanding and the manager has been there for 19 years, they have an on site kitchen, and the building was a school, so the rooms are light and spacious. They also have a garden and go out every day come rain or shine.

I think it's important if you're not happy to look at other options. Iwas reading a thread last night about a lady who was really unhappy with her cm but had taken quite a while to look at other options and had to persuade her DH that the cm wasn't up to standards!

Really hoping Kat didn't go to work today, it's grim out there.

Hi, all. Cosied up with the fan heater, DD scoffing muffins we made yesterday, a store cupboard meal of sardines and chickpeas inside us, and a productive morning behind us (just failed on the shoes, as I didn't want violence-inciting pink, yet they didn't have anything else in her size!). Now eyeing the fish in the freezer for supper, after Faffin's tempting remarks...

xiao, wasn't it you who posted about kindness in relationships? That conversation about who would give up their job was a Platonically perfect example, and made me quite emotional. Your DS is very lucky to have you both (though that now requires no further proof and he needs to never get sick like that again!!).

BOi's new CM sounds great, as does figgboy's! Hope you are just as happy, CheungFun!

How is SpOtoboy today, LMF? And miniminiseven?

Final words reserved for Sparkly: step away from the cleaners! You need a good lazy evening, cuddled up in your duvet. Don't you realise that fluff and dust have insulating properties?!

Northern, maybe your building dust will also have insulating properties and you will be set up for the rest of winter!

If insulation is failing anyone, these are gorgeous, and now £9. I can't see how yhe White Company ones are nicer, even though they're pricier. Meanwhile, DS has these ones, at £5.

Hi all. Thanks for thonkomg ofe faffin I decided to risk it. It was indeed cold and still icy in places, but was 'spare' today so supervising a newbie!!!!! Cos I'm soooooo experienced after 1 whole month.

Did not fall and finished 90 mins early so not complaining!

Xiao, glad DS is on the mend & they know what caused it, having 'that' conversation about leukemia brings tear to my eyes just thinking about it.
Glad you had a wonderful holiday too...DS is bemused by dogs so no idea how he'd handle a giraffe!

Honey, oooh didn't know you were ttc! Good luck, baby dust & everyfunk!

plu, love those slippers, will have to get some for me. I'm 10wks & already have pregnancy fat feet.

, sounds like you're in for a stressful, dusty few weeks. May Bob be with you.

Kat, I expect you to be running the postal service this time next month! Hurrah for finishing early!

Cheung, that nursery sounds amazing! I'd go there, hope he enjoys it.

Aaargh, booted laptop up, I hate posting from my phone. Clumsy fingers and autocorrect is never a good combo!

Have my booking in appt with the MW on Tuesday. I'll be 10 weeks. I think. So will have to put some pressure on to get a scan booked asap. Eeek!

plu those socks/slippers look amazing. Do they stay on your feet? I must have strange narrow feet as I have massive problems getting and kind of slipper boot or sock to stay on

sahm I hope you are not still sat in traffic....

oi I luffs my cm. She has an assistant, has DS and a little girl who turns 1 this week, then 4 or 5 2yo and loads of school age pre/post school runs. All on different days/hours. They also do themes (colours at the moment) and do trips/activities and encourage those of us with interesting (to the under 10's) job to go in in uniform and show them what we do. Guess what I'll be doing once I get my uniform

Xiou I'm clearly v hormonal, but your little terryifying story had me in tears yesterday. Hope he's on the mend.

jiggle your post also sent me over the edge. I could have cheerfully shut DS in the garden yesterday and he wasn't even being particulary difficult. How am I gonna cope with two? What was I thinking?????

lmf how is the pox today?

Honey hiya! Your fb pictures on the beach are gorgeous. I actually wrapped DS for the first time in ages yesterday. I thought he'd gone to sleep whilst I was ironing but he was just hanging out (this was in the morning, prior to my meltdown obviously)

Finally, I miss Manchester!!!! Not the rain, but the shops. I have not bought a single thing in the sales this year. Probably a good thing, as having lost over 2 stone I'm going to be the size of a house again soon. But I miss mooching. Hmphhh.

Thanks gary, just in time for me to tell them I'm pregnant and unable to lift/bend generally fulfil the delivery role

Hope everyone's new CM are nice and everyone's LO settle nicely.

Kat bet it was nice to finish early today?

Plu, can't stand dust & fluff even if they did have insulating properties we'd all just have to be cold

Sends Northern all my extra cleaning energy for the chaos that will begin soon!

LMF hope Octoboy is okay today?

Wasn't stuck in traffic at all this morning. Was completely Jammed southbound tho.

Thanks so much for well wishes everyone. He is now scratching at his definitely-not-chicken-pox spots and was thrashing in our bed most of the night, but so full of beans this morning - it was great to see.

His new favourite thing are those Tilda kids rice and veggie pouches - he can eat a whole 125g pouch in one sitting!

plu yes that was me posting about kindness many moons ago, good memory!! DH has his moments but in general I am so lucky to have a relatively haddock-free household for which I daily thank the universe.

The amazing thing about DS being sick and then having "The Chat" was how easy it was to focus entirely on DS and DH - my entire career, all those years of GCSEs, A-levels, university, law school, training contract, getting a job at a City law firm, fighting for a family-friendly 3 day week while remaining client-facing... it just went straight out the window and seemed to pale into insignificance. I was a mother and I was needed, that was all. I didn't worry or even think about work once during those two weeks except just to say "P's not well, I'm not coming in, no idea when I'll next be in, I won't be checking email." Whereas I used to soldier in through every illness, agonize about taking a morning off to go to the dentist every six months and check my blackberry every 10 seconds. How times change!!

And now I'm back at work it's pretty hard to take anything seriously, really...I just don't really care about working very much and in fact don't want to get involved with anything in case DS needs me again. I'm sure that will pass as he recovers and I can get stuck back in again, but at the moment I just feel a bit empty about everything other than family and being at home.

The really humbling thing was being in the pediatric unit at the hospital with children with life-limiting disabilities and illnesses who were never going to get better There was so much bittersweet bravery and heartbreak in those wards and it put everything firmly into perspective.

Oh and I went through the helicopter crash this morning about 15 mins after it happened - it happened right over my mum's head on our houseboat (moored about 100m from the base of that tower the helicopter clippped). It was an accident waiting to happen TBH - the helicopters fly daily so low overhead on that bend in the river and that tower is so absurdly, disproportionately high for that location that it is always half-shrouded in low-lying cloud and it really was just a matter of time. Awful to say that and such a tragedy for those killed - it was a miracle more people weren't injured.

Oh Xiao, your last post made me well up too.
I've never been career orientated, but DH has gone from 'I'll only be happy in a job I love' to 'what job can I get so I have the minimum amount of time away from DW/DS'.

If he'd crashed into Vauxhall hub or anywhere else it could've been alot worse, so I'm with you on that.
DH is still up there so I think I'll cancel the booking appointment (hospital 3 bus rides away with DS in a buggy during rush hour? No ta).

Well done on the weight loss Kat!!
I think I'll get fatter than last time this pg, I've got such an appetite it's scaring everyone!

What the hell was that helicopter doing, flying so low? The only reason I can imagine is the freezing mist, which wld have made it difficult to follow ground landmarks.

The slipper boots have a sort of "cupped" sole, so I don't slip around inside them and go on to slip on the stairs. They accommodate my high instep as well, if that's useful info!