Dec 08 - three is the new two.

[Vagolajahooli]

Well it seems appropriate you cheeky breeders.

Oh Arti, misery. Are you ok?

Backache ok, but am fretting baby isn't as active as usual. It is moving, but really not as vigorously as usual. Or maybe I'm imagining it because I'm nervous. Maybe I should call the midwife to be sure. Hmmm. Can't decide! Silly me.

Beans I'm sure all is fine. I had some proper dog bashings even early on from a 35kg Labrador! Of course if you're worried get checked but at this stage I reckon you're golden.

Article hope the mastitis isn't too painful. Trooper.

Dd just had first swimming lesson solo. She's a nutter. Was so excited. Clearly not bothered at all I'm not with her. Swam her heart out then at jumping in time at the end, decided she'd like one more jump. No one watching and quite unexpected. I shout child overboard like a crazy parent and practically dived in. Then she promised to not so it again until the teacher says jump. But she cried all the way getting changed and home because "the swimming lesson was too short and it isn't fair"
'twas quite funny the massive difference between my two children's personalities!
Any who. 1st day of school tomorrow and ds is beyond excited.

Oh I'm just calling you article from now on!

Thanks Rubes. I know all well really. Just shaken and hormonal. Not a good combo. Rang midwife and started crying, but she was v sweet and calmed me down no end. Now embarrassed by myself! As long as baby's moving and I'm not contracting, then all is well!

Your DD sounds just like DD2 and her swimming attitude. Although DD1 also loves it and is similarly kamikaze.

Oh I remember the hormonal part..... vividly. Mine lasted about 39 weeks, then 37 weeks respectively! I had it right through both pregnancies! I remember at about 36 weeks with dd, ds had gotten out of control at Tesco, and kept running off down the aisles when I was just trying to pick up a few things, then I lost him and had Tesco staff on their walkie talkies and the store in lock down. Found him in the cleaning aisle face down crying as a stranger had talked to him. Rang dh and he cycled there, and carried him out of the store under one arm while he was kicking and screaming and I cried all the way home telling dh I "Didn't want to do the parenting thing anymore" it was clearly too late for that!

Oh beans poor you. I remember falling onto a bus seat as the bus lurched forward (because the stupid nob sitting in the aisle seat refused to move over so I had to squeeze past him and was only halfway there when the bus lurched forward). Anyhoo, my bump was very painful, but my lovely midwife was very reassuring and it was all fine.

Rubes, I think I remember you telling us about that when it happened. Sounds even more horrendous now, you poor thing.

Its a tricky one on the nursery thing, that is a big price difference, but as well as the reassurance when you have to work, half days go very quickly and it is almost impossible to get much done on a half day. Also you could occasionally leave her in and have some one to one time with ds.

Hey PD how art though? Any more plans to come to Amsterdam?

Arti sorry about the mastitis. I used to take Belladonna and some other homeopathic remedy when I had mastitis. I know people say they don't work, but every time it cleared up without ABs. Having said that, I had them in the house ready to go, if you are feeling crap it might be worth calling the on call GP for some ABs. Oh & feed feed feed.

I got my first assessment back for this terms unit, I got 44/50 woot woot. Now I just need to knuckle down and do the next one.

Right gotta go, we have a super exciting remortgaging application form to fill out (hoping to get a better interest rate than our current bank us willing to give) a form for our non residents landlord tax number to fill in. Rock n roll!

Beans hope you're feeling better. Take it easy x

Arti mastitis sounds rough.

Rubes hope DS's first day goes well. V impressed with DD and the swimming - how old is she now? I suppose we had better start looking for swimming lessons for DD.

Vag gold star for your assignment. That deserves a cheeky glass of fizz or 12 I think. Amsterdam... gawd I would just love to but money is getting tighter and tighter. I'm having to shell out upwards of 3 grand on our London flat this week which will wipe me out for a good while. Maybe things will feel a bit rosier in the new year. We are also looking at remortgaging so that might liberate a bit of cash if we're lucky. Hey, DP might even be earning by then (and hell might freeze over). Do you know how long you are planning to stay in Ho-land (also rhymes with Ro-land) for? I'll defo try to make it over before you go.

Beans I just banged my head on the dd's bunkbed and nearly cried so you definitely are allowed to have a weep after an accident. I'm not feeling any love for our cats as one of them just broke into the dd's room and woke up dd2 so I'll join you in annoyance at bloody animals.

Rubes I'm in a similarish dilemma and am sticking with 2 full days. One of my thoughts is that in holidays and half terms I won't want dd2 in nursery for 3 days. Our nursery is v booked though which means no chance of ad hoc sessions.

Vag Well done on the assignment! Very high score. What's the next topic?

Same here on the prepping of Dcs school wise. I worry we've not done enough yet I'd also worry if we'd done more in case we'd done it all wrong!

Blimey crying children again. I just want a sit down

Gold star alright Vagola - well done, keep it up!
Yes I probably did recall that Tesco story in great detail needing much sympathy! I remember thinking it was the end of me! it seemed so massive at the time.
Thanks PD - will take pics of course so no doubt you will see mine tomorrow!
Hons, what hours will she be doing?? Yes that was another factor - the school holidays - not only that I have to pay full fare I think - not sure. Still haven't decided, but may have to give it a month and see how it works. Really can't decide. There is that point of Vag's that I can spend a teeny bit of time extra with ds too.

oh, and hope your head is ok too Hons!!

Beans, hope you're ok!!

Rubes, DS1 starts swimming lessons next week. He's been on the waiting list for 18 months now and he can't be bothered to do them. But I'm hoping he'll enjoy them once he starts.

I bet he will Kayz!
Oh and pd she is 3 and a month ish
Ds learnt ultra fast when I didn't go in with him. So dd solo now too. He will having swimming at school too so glad he's got a head start now.

My bro's kids never had lessons and he taught them in about 2 weeks but different back home as every second home has a pool!

Oh Hons, I feel your pain. Can I tell you what has made it all a bit better... DH left work an hour early and brought home a big bunch of flowers, then sent me to bed and got girls into bath then bed and cooked me a delicious courgette pasta supper. And I've just had a mini magnum. See, now you all know why I married him!

I have done very little with DD1 on the letters and numbers front. She's just not that interested when she's at home. She LOVES it at school, so I will leave it to the experts! DH getting all accountanty about her numbers. But I know she will get there when she's good and ready. There's lots of kids ahead of her, but she will catch up.

I did have a little snooze while DH did playing with the girls earlier, but purposely only 10 mins because I want to sleep tonight. Well, that's a joke, but a bit anyway!

Also spoke to Mum earlier, who completes on the house tomorrow. She is so very happy in her new place and I'm so so pleased for her. Warms my cockles. I really think she's going to be ok.

VAG! You super star! Clever girl!

Rubes The nursery hours are 8.45 to 5.30 and the two days I work dd1 will go to after school club. Once they are both in school I'd do my hours over 3 days so I can drop off and pick up without extra childcare. I can't remember exactly how they factor in the free hours. I think I pay for 3 hours extra per full day because they work it out as 12 hours a week rather than 16 because the free hours are term time only. Something like that!

Lucky you beans! My dh isn't even home yet. Someone or others leaving drinks Glad to hear your mum sounds happy. Must be an emotional time but she must feel it is the right thing for her.

Head ok thanks, just a bit of a swelling. I should have worked out the height of the damn bed by now.

Ouch Hons poor you.

Beans, its only as much as you deserve my love.

Poison, we have forked out a small fortune on our London place, though thankfully we have tenants moving in on Saturday. I think if we covered one more mortgage payment that would do poor DH in. We have them for at least three years so that's nice. They have a small dog & a cat, our leasehold says no pets and I've contacted the management people to see if we can get them allowed as we have a sole entrance and back & front yard but they haven't gotten back to us. I'm hoping they won't notice as its a very small dog & the cat stays inside. I want the agent on them like a hawk though as we have bought all new furniture. Anyhoo the goods news though PD is we had the agents value the place and its worth a lot more than we thought, so we are in a good position to remortgage as we own a lot more of it now. Woot woot. The only downside is because we live over here only banks with an international section will consider us. But the rate which is being offered by one bank will save us a whopping £325 a month! Funny thing though, guess who the bank is...Natwest! Haha, after I slagged them off.

Vag have you checked Citibank. DH and I have been sort of thinking of investing in a place in Florida. Citibank seem quite a good option for using for mortgages. Oh and well done gold star on your assignment.

Beans glad you are feeling a bit more chipper. Farking animals!! I do recall rubes tesco experience. I also had an animal related one. DS1 in the buggy vvvv preg with DS2 and the ruddy dog managed to get hold of a clearly poorly rabbit. Me abandoning DS1 in the buggy, holding my belly and chasing the dog across fields.

I really need to go to sleep will be back tom to catch up properly. Off to see an accupuncturist tom as I have bloody spd already. Tis driving me mad.

Thanks for my gold stars ladies.

I have an evil animal story now. Bloody cat woke us up at 3am this morning vomiting up a hair ball and extras on our bedroom floor. We both woke to retching noises then full yak occurred. Dh valiantly volunteered to clean it up, but of course my bladder woke up and was very full so I had to walk across our floor to get to the toilet. Que two ridiculously short sighted people bumbling about, one trying to find cat sick and the other trying to not find it. Eventually poor dh stepped in it so Ijust walked aaround him to make sure I avoided it. Cats can be really gross sometimes.

Poo about the spd Jam. Hope the acupuncture helps. So your thinking of buying in Florida? Nice.

Thanks Hons, yes have thought it to death and think I should see how it goes for a term, then if too much or not needed will cut back. harder to pick up sessions than drop them! After all, she's only attending pre-school for 10 months and then it's Reception after the Summer hols!! Can't quite believe it since we just bundled ds off today!! He was so excited to go. Was up at 620am and asking to go thereafter!
Yuk Va - grim. Not a cat fan here aside from that stuff. Though my dog vomited and had the runs overnight once recently and Roomba got bogged in it as was programmed to go at 2am - Grimmest thing I've ever seen.... Hiroshima in the morn.
Right gotta go collect the school boy!!

Well DD2 is now a school girl. Having always cried at nursery drop I was prepared for the worst but she skipped in and turned and waved. Later another mum texted to say her own daughter had been crying and was only persuaded to go in because DD2 put her arm around her and talked her through what was going to happen. So proud. Not sure what to do with myself now though, DS keeps looking around for his sisters and wants me to amuse him which I rarely have to do thanks to the girls. I need to find some baby groups or something.

Rubes that Tesco story sounds quite funny aftercare the passage if time. I still have moments when I panic that I don't want to do this parenting thing...

Jam, a place in Florida would be amazing. My step father has a place in Talahasee (sp?). It will apparently be ours one day but I'm not sure Talahasee is a place we want to go. I've never been though. I wish it was Naples, that's my fav Florida town. Where are you thinking?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my morning off. Although I did just do the ironing. But it was so nice to do it in peace. Girls now exhausted and watching a Barbie film, despite the glorious weather outside. I have thoroughly recovered from yesterday and am feeling quite well rested.

DD1 loved school and has come back full of the joys of it. She hardly even noticed me leave. Brilliant.

It's almost hotter today than it was all summer, and it was the first day I felt physically unable to shave my legs in the shower! Long jeans on. Yuck.

Arti, your daughter is v kind, that's sweet!

Is it weird to truly believe every night that this baby is about to arrive???

Naples is gorgeous Arti love it there. We are thinking either Clearwater or the hideousness that is Orlando. Orlando purely because that would give us the best rental potential. There are so many repossessed houses because of the crash we reckon we would need to rent it for 12wks per yr to pay the mortgage. But all just thinking about at the moment. It would mean putting on hold any ideas of an extension or moving here. I do want a larger family home but its not like we are on top of each other. The children would still have a bedroom each. I just want a utility rm and a larger kitchen.

Beans glad you are feeling better.

My two are exhausted and there were tears on the way home from DS2 so we are having an afternoon watching telly. I keep nearly dozing off.

Have just ordered new blinds for DS2s about to be bedroom. All the children's rooms are going to be decorated at the end of the month. DS1 has requested West Ham blue. I am so not keen on footie colours for a bedroom but we have compromised on blue for the walls and I have a large beanbag which is a burgundy colour so thats as footie as it is getting. Have plucked up the courage to ask my friend for my cot back I feel really bad but her DS2 is going to be 15months when I get it back so surely he could go into the toddler bed that we also gave them. I dont think she is to happy about it. But its the one piece of baby stuff we didn't get rid of properly. Quite excited to get things organised now.

Saw my acupuncture woo lady this morning she did a bit of manipulation and a massage to try and help the spd. To be honest it didn't do much but the massage was relaxing. Also had my check up with the midwife. She is referring me for physio so hopefully that will help.

Right far too much waffling abut myself. Best go make the monsters some supper.

Oh dear, after DD2's great start I was the one parent singled out at pick up for a one to one chat. Apparently DD2 was very emotional and cried on and off all day. She's all excited talk now but totally overwrought with excitement.

No school for M til next Wednesday! Girls back on Monday though.

We did school shoes today. I felt for my poor mum 30 odd years ago in clarks as I told Dd1 that the lace up knee high Victorian boots at £90 were not a runner. Only M came away with a pair. Will try in Battersea tomorrow.

Kids now recovered from their ailments. Alas I am still rubbish. Just what you need going back to work. Hey ho.

I am going out tonight and could really to without it but needs must. Am sure done wine will sort me out. Kill or cure.