April 2011 - We understand no but we choose to ignore it.

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

Welcome Aprilites

Oh and ecuse, I will get round to a birth story. I'm pleased to report that it was better than first time round!

20th - deep breaths - it is probably just the hormones??? How are you feeling today? Of COURSE it will get better. It's only a handful of days xxx

I am already feeling sad about my baby not potentially being my baby any more; I think that might be natural

Yes, I'm sure it's the hormones and the realisation that my big baby is more little girl than toddler now...

I've also scared myself shittless my revisiting all the old threads and remembering just how crap her sleep was for such a long time. Gulp!

Oh fuck, going back to not sleeping.... AAARRRGGGHH

Indeed, I appear to have conveniently blocked all that out. I've trawled back as far as Jan 2012 and she still wasn't sleeping then. That was nine months of hell. What have I done?!

I vividly remember the not sleeping. I remember the holy grail was 4 hours in a row. I can't remember when we got that. I also remember my sister saying something like "oh when he's eating meat about 9 months he'll start sleeping through" and then that didn't work out. I remember trying to sleep train, then quickly realising that actually BFing to sleep was quicker and less stressful all round, and he self weaned from that when he was ready.

I'm telling myself that if we have a second we'll get a sidecar cot and there'll be none of these issues! It'll all be fine!

I suppose, we all survived the first ones, we'll survive the next. And DS is nearly 3, and is sleeping and has done for at least a year. So it won't be forever!

Just catching up, thought it had been a bit quiet then noticed I'd managed to knock it off my watched threads ( I'm blaming IPhones and chunky fingers).

Congratulations 20th, saw the lovely pics of Facebook. My 2 have the same age gap and it's worked out well for us

Congratulations to ecuse too, who it seems was indeed conceiving whilst chatting to the good ladies of MN!

And Fizz, thanks for the link to the blue hair thread, glad you're now sorted .

I had A In with me when he was a baby. Such a difference to sleep! They are both rather taken with our bed in the mornings tho ... I think itscos I'm lazy and like it also

Kitty, we're the same - F comes into the big bed for cuddles then iPad games/beebies/a film while we snooze at the weekend!

We used to do that with DD too. No bloody chance now this little milk monster has arrived. I want to fast forward six months, which is awful I know.

I've joined the March postnatal thread but it looks like it's nowhere near as fast moving as our first few April threads were, so am not sure that it'll keep me going through the long sleepless nights ahead.

Oh thank god for that! We have a selection of DVDs in our room for B for weekend snoozing! Thought we were terrible parents!

Twentieth, I've found that baby A sleeps loads better than M did (touch wood I haven't jinxed it now). She slept through a few times in the first couple of months and at the moment is doing about 3 and a half hours, quick feed and back for another 3.5 hours, etc. DH and I are still waiting for a really bad patch. Her first tooth doesn't even seemed to have bothered her. In short, it might not be too bad. At one point the baby had loads better sleep than the toddler!

That's the sort of story that I need to hear Firefly. I'm naturally pessimistic and always think the worst about things - I need to be more positive!

In brighter news, I think that this is such a fab age for the DD1. She is so much fun at the moment (when she's not having a strop about something obviously). Do you think they've stopped being toddlers now? I feel like she's a proper little person at the moment :)

I agree, I love him forming his own opinions and being about to articulate his wants(!)

He has become obsessed with Minis, the car not the skirt. Car journeys regularly go, bus, lolly, car, truck, tractor, MINI mummy Mini. But only proper minis will do. I pre-empted a mini yell with a Club man and was met with a sad shake of the head and an solemn "no no mummy, silly"

I have the same as firefly. M was a particularly challenging baby, admittedly, but A is a joy and sleeps!

I reckon they're out of toddlerhood. They are practically 3 after all! And very definitely their own people.

We put M on skis last week. They're so dinky and he's so adorable. I give him 3 years before he outstrips me!

I Have made a HUGE mistake. Massive, bigger than the blue hair tragedy of 2014.

I've agreed to B having a joint party with a fiends Ds. We have very different ideas to what a 3 year olds party should be.

Hired a hall with inflatable run/bouncy castle type thing. She is yabbering about magicians and clowns (despite knowing about inflatable) and party games. She thinks she is catering for a garden party, I'm thinking sausage rolls, cake and crisps. This will not end well. Please tell me it's going to be ok??

Friends ds!!

Sounds like a nightmare to me Fizz! But I'm sure you'll enjoy it and it'll all be fine. Sounds like the other mother is happy to organise it all - I'd let her!

F's birthday is in a fortnight. I haven't organised anything! I think we might go to the cinema and then for pizza with his best buddy (whose mum is my good friend too!) and then at Easter go to the zoo with family. Thereby avoiding the whole party hoo-ha for another year.

In exciting news: (no, not that, calm down) I've applied for a new job. Just sent the form off earlier. It's an ideal move for me, so fingers and toes crossed please! DHs school have asked if I'll consider 0.5 contract with them - which is really nice to be wanted, and it's also a lovely place, but we can't survive with me on half pay.

If I do move jobs it's definitely another year till we can ttc #2. Which at the moment I'm fine with (head is ready, finances not, ovaries haven't woken up yet!)

We've already got a string of proper third birthday party invitations lined up but there's not a chance that this meanie mummy is going to host her own yet! I'm hoping that I can avoid any party hosting stress until she's started reception.

Good luck with the job application Regaining and thank you for all the positive stories about your second babies being slightly easier than your Aprilites. Fingers crossed for this one!

Oh, and as an aside - can anybody remember when the evening cluster feeding hell ends?!

We're 3 months and it's easing off twentieth but it got noticeably easier around a month ago, or maybe I just got better at accepting being stuck in a chair and more efficient at putting DS to bed.

Good luck regaining we're rooting for you!

Fizz I think you need to have a frank chat about expectations and normal toddler behavior! They won't sit still for magicians and clowns and they won't eat little strawberry tartlets tidily. Besides no one expects that at a 3yo party.

I think we might have a few friends over for DS's birthday. Or organize something....

on the plus side, Fizz, if the other mum makes lots of strawberry tartlets that the kids won't eat then you can scoff all the leftovers.

YY to scoffing left over party food! We've been to a few where the kids aren't into sausage rolls. No problem, I can sort that out!

I sent the application of last night and they've rung this afternoon to invite me to interview on Thursday. I'm so excited! But must be professional, and not talk about it, lest anyone think I'm not happy in my current job.

Wow, that was quick - it sounds positive! Fingers and toes crossed until interview day!

NEWS FLASH

B has eaten something that came out of a pot from the hob!! And he asked for more!!!

Shame it was super noodles (I did add some peas and sweet corn and a bit of chicken and only used half the sachet)

There must be something in the air tonight. DD, who is a pretty good eater, conquered her fear of mushrooms tonight. I know she'll probably never eat one again but it felt like a small victory!