March 2013 - 6 months down, 210 to go!

[StormyBrid]

Old thread.

Keep on rambling, ladies, we have a whole new thread to fill!

Wow, I've missed so much!

Happy birthday last week worse and well done on the poo.

rainbow and gerry, like the name changes.

for energy to all who are currently ill.

We had a fantastic half term break doing lots of fun stuff and visiting family and friends. But... I'm back at work properly tomorrow. I've been on leave since last week but it's back down to London on the early train tomorrow. I've only got internal meetings tomorrow so I'm not on the usual red eye train (where I leave home at 6am) so I should see DD and DS just before I leave and I should be back at 6:15ish so will see them before bed. But the next few journeys will be leaving before they wake and coming back home after they're in bed and that's going to be hard? DS is used to it but I wonder if DD will be confused?

Re: childcare rainbow (and anyone else who needs to know), the secret is to trust your instincts. With DS we used a nursery and he was in from 8-5:45 because we were both commuting into London so took it in turns to drop off and pick up around our travelling. It has always been key for us that the DCs would spend more time with us/family than in 'proper' childcare so he was in three days a week, DH had him for a day and 8 had him for a day (plus 2 day weekends).

We looked at a few nurseries and loved the one we chose. He was really happy there. There are lots of questions to ask when you look around any childcare eg food, milk, where do they sleep, but the main thing is do the babies look happy and are there lots of toys around for them to play with (within arms' reach if they aren't mobile).

With DD we looked at the local nursery in the next town and I was really disappointed. I know friends who send their DCs there but the baby room had no toys out. The babies were basically just sitting there and they hadn't been just doing an activity. I subsequently heard from other people that their babies weren't happy there - one likened it to a Romanian nursery where her baby would just have a glassy-eyed look when she picked her up in the evenings and this lady would cry in the mornings as she hated leaving her DD there. I just couldn't leave Dd there especially as she's only just 7 months (DS was 9 months and those two months did make a difference).

So I asked around for recommendations and have found the most lovely childminder for her and I'm so at peace about it. This woman has been childminding for 20 years and I was recommended her separately by four people. She's a farmer's wife like many of our friends with pigs, chickens and horses and is also a Quaker so doesn't have a tv(!). And she is just flexible and really lovely. I am also completely blessed that she can do exactly the days we want for DD - most people, when told who we're showing, can't believe she even has space as she's so popular. So as far as childcare goes this time round, I'm really happy about it.

Sorry - big essay! Right, I'd better get my shit stuff together for tomorrow. I feel like I'm going back to school!

Grr typos. I looked after DS one day a week and instead of "who we're showing" should've been "who we're using".

Ooh good luck for tomorrow Wing. Sure it'll be fine, but thinking of you.

Glad to hear peace is returning to the house of plonk.

Good nc Gerry. Don't know the book, will have to google...

Hope all well with everyone.

Thanks pud - the train is running 23 mins late so I'm not even on it yet and because all the prices went up while I was on ML, I'm only in standard class so no free wifi or breakfast for me

I miss DD's big smile already and I can feel her in my arms :( I do want to go back to work but I'm not heartless and I'm still sad as well.

Hope you all have good days.

Wing I do like the way you did nursery with DS. Seems about the best things could have been - he was at home more than he wasn't, and you and DH split the reduced working hours. If everyone did that it'd be a more equal world. Also liking the sound of the childminder you've found.

Gerry I have no idea how long teeth will take to come. All I've learnt so far is that they take far too long. On DD's top gum I can see white bumps, and I can see the outline of the tooth, but it's not broken through yet. Bottom two are still pretty small and rodenty despite having been there for about eight weeks. Teeth need to be faster!

Plonky yes, I did wonder why the doctor thought not sleeping would be better than taking tablets he'd just freely admitted were perfectly safe long term. The problem at my surgery is you ring up for an appointment, and they have a doctor call you back to see what's wrong and if you actually need to go in. Last time I rang it wasn't the doctor who'd initially prescribed them that I spoke to. Going to have to talk to them about it again though. Sleeping means my backache is much reduced, and my mental state is much more robust. That latter is pretty damn important to my mind, and also means I'm able to stay on top of my diet. So overall in terms of my health, pills = good.

worse I must admit, when you first joined us, I was a bit at your ability to spell based on your username. Glad my initial judgement turned out to be wrong. Really must stop judging people based on spelling ability!

I'm not going to mention the fact that DD was in a much better mood yesterday, in case I jinx it...

wing good luck on your first day back. Your childminder sounds great. Of course you will miss dd. Just think you going back to work will benefit the whole family including you!

gerry loving the new name change. Im due a namechange too. Ive divulged too much personal info on here. Sorry I can't give you advice on teething as im in the same position as you. A little bit has cut through other than that I still have a gummy baby.

stormy ive heard of people dependant on sleeping pills but I remember (i think) you said it was a low dose.

plonky very glad that everyone seems much better.

The sun is out in London. Yay.

Hello Gerry, I've no idea what book you're from but nice name nonetheless.

Stormy that sounds like an over subscribed surgery to me, very much like the one I used in Birmingham.

Wing it sounds like you've got a good thing going on. Excellent! My nursery criteria was the same as yours. Lots of toys and cuddles on tap, clean, comfy sleeping arrangements etc. hope it's an easy transition for you.

We've just taken DS to the dr. He has bronchiolitis now, to top it off. His tummys nearly back to normal, but he never really shifted that cold and has developed a wheeze. Upshot is now that he's hungry he still can't cope with food. He coughs and brings it up. I feel so bad for him, he's absolutely miserable.

Oh plonky that sounds awful. Poor Babysaurus

Oh poor miserable boy Plonky, he's had it rough. I hope he shfts the bronchiolitis quickly. If his wheeze is bad and he struggles with his breathing a steamy room can help. We used to keep the shower on hot on the peads ward and take the kids in to the bathroom one at a time when they wouldn't tolerate their nebulisers.

Miss Madam has developed a cold overnight too and is a massive snotbag. I did feel fr the poor mite as not only is she snotty but when I went in at 4am she was cold & the room was freezing. We had the heating on until 10.30 and her room was 18 when I went to bed. She had a long sleeved vest, a long sleeved sleep suit and a 2.5tog sleeping bag. She won't keep a blanket over her. Boo! I brought her into bed with me and she warned up while I cooled down as I couldn't snuggle under the duvet. Hmmm.

Has anyone else's baby suddenly become very stroppy? Madam just wants to be stood up all the time holding onto my hands and every time I sit her down or her turn my back she has a paddy. Same with putting her into her high chair, starting a meal but one she gets going she wolfs it down and getting her into buggy/car. What a delightful stage!

Oh yes and I'll be doing a name change too. I found out earlier that I've outed myself to a rather nosey friend

SoYo, we've had a lot of similar strops about wanting to walk recently. She grabs my thumbs, she pulls herself up, she wants to walk. If I try to sit her down again she ends up walking backwards. If I succeed in getting her bum on the floor she has a tantrum. Gets over it pretty quickly though. Two weeks of this we've had. I don't know about her but I'm quite ready to get over this phase!

Ohh poorly Babysaurus, I hope things start looking up for him quickly!

DS has a bit of a whine if I put him on the floor or turn my back, but then he gets over it by crawling over to the nearest thing and pulling himself up, whatever that thing might be, even if that thing is a wall and it means he tries to do his best Spiderman impression. He used to get grizzly whenever we put him in his high chair but he seems to have gotten over that, he's still definitely not impressed with the car seat. He straightens out his body or just stands and frowns. Contrary little things, aren't they?

Ohh, I want a name change now! I'm so easily led!

Me too, me too.... on the name change that is! Reckon anyone with half a wit could get my name, address and probably shoe size from the amount of personal info I've unleashed on-line. Only problem is thinking of one. That may take some time.... I'm liking the newbie names so far, although having googled the giraffe book I have discovered I was at secondary school before it was first published. Although this is a tad depressing it probably explains why I've never read it. Gerry you are impossibly youthful. I hate you. Not really

plonky sending you a big old dose of moral support. Poor babysaurus. Poor you. I hope he picks up and starts to feel better soon.

Stormy you aren't the only one. Whenever I upset anyone on another thread (people are so touchy ), I get the old sarcastic 'did you mean to spell it that way, or are you thick is that a mistake ?. This amuses me. I am many things, not all of them good, but a brief glance at my CV would confirm that thick is not one of them.

Re strops, the tiddler has been a proper pain recently, but just yesterday snapped out of it and reverted to her usual smiley happy self thank god. I'd be lost without the jumperoo though as like the other minis sitting down just doesn't seem to cut it any more.

Psst.... it's me, Worse can you tell ?

new name... because she does

The new name is complete.....I thought it was appropriate as its my most used phrase, aimed at the PuppyMonster. The other option was MiniYoJustBloodySitDown. Maybe next time!

Oooh I want a name change now! It's inevitable really, as plonkysaurus is what dp called me when I was pregnant. Well, plonkysnorus once the mega snoring began.

Right, DS is finally in his cot, dinners in the oven and I feel human. I call that a success. Despite the bad chest he's much more himself, at least now we know what we're dealing with. We seem to be in limbo - half weaned, but not had any milk today as I'm sick of cleaning up curdled barf. Sorry for that mental image! We've got through four lots if bedding in as many days, so fingers crossed weve found a solution. betty (nice name!) ill take your advice on the steam. The dr watched his chest for a good few minutes before deciding not to give us an inhaler, so not too concerned for now.

Ooh I'm judgy about spelling too but I know all my posts contain errors thanks to my phone. My cv would betray me as an underachiever anyhow

Hello all. I am worried that you have much more brain power than me. Has motherhood not left you rather lacking in the brain cells department? If so, how on earth can you cope with the new names? I am bamboozled already! Despite my shite name I will have to stick with it or I fear I will forget who I am. And Worse Worselet I never thought you were bad at spelling; I rather liked your name.

So today I had my coil fitted. I have had funner Monday afternoons. The Doctor although skilled in, errr…., fannying around with huge metal instruments was rather lacking in the bedside manner department. Firstly she did a face when I answered her question about ‘resuming sexual relations’, as if I was a terrible wife and how on earth could I still be in a relationship. She then described my vagine as ‘roomy’ .

Plonky you have my sympathy with all of those horrible and evolving bugs. Soyo’s (Gah!), sorry, Betty’s, suggestion of a steamy room sounds good. Any improvement yet? Over the weekend ecobaby has developed a snotsome cold, DH has a phlegmy cough and I have aches. Lovely.

Betty what was the room temp when miniyo (Minibetty?) was discovered cold? I guess we’re going to have more of this dilemma as the weeks pass. When they were first born and it was cold it was less of an issue because many of us were swaddling them and that is cosy.

KFF we had a sunny day too, but what with one prod and another we never managed to get out for a walk so feel a bit cabin-fever-esque tonight.

Stormy we have the strops too she is her mother’s daughter over small things. The next mouthful of food not being made available quickly enough, me taking too long over getting her arm through her t-shirt, me daring to request a non-prostrate position for nappy putting on. That sort of thing. Trying.

Worse and Gerry I am heading down your way week comm. 2nd Dec if you fancy an advent cuppa!

Ok, I can hear my man requesting my boob. For the baby who he has just bathed and dressed. Better go and oblige. Happy Mondays. And hello Wing and Gerry; so glad you had a lovely half term. Hellos to Worse, Any, Something and Pud too of course. Hope you and the minis are doing well and enjoying the cosy evenings.

Well eco my brain is fried after my day today so I'm struggling too with the name changes but I'm veggie out now with and TV snuggled under a blanket in my pyjamas.

DD seemed vaguely happy to seeme when I got in but was more interested in DH but then I had lots of cuddles and sang a few of her nursery rhymes and she gave me some lovely big grins (I had a few tears). I'm glad I'm not down to London again until next Friday (and I won't see the DCs awake at all that day) as it's not going to be nearly as bad when I know she's only ten mins away at the CM.

Right, and S.H.I.E.L.D.

Evening all. Eco- yes would definitely love to meet up when you come to our neck of the woods! Oh imagine getting three of the mini-marchers together!! at the roomy comment, how can anyone think that's an ok thing to say?!?

Plonky- poor DS. I'm actually a little worried about dd for similar reasons, this cold has gone to her chest and the coughing keeps making her sick. So gross. Can anyone tell me signs with coughs that I should be worried about?

So, I've just committed to doing a skydive in June. It's for a great cause, but I'm terrified. Not of the jump itself, but because I have to lose 4 stone in order to be allowed to do it. Scary for so many reasons, what if I don't manage and let everyone down? What if I get thin and am not any happier? And scariest of all, what if when I start feeling better about myself I still don't want to dtd with DH? I'm really scared of that tbh. I'm scared that there's some other reason, and I'm using the body image as an excuse. I don't THINK that's the case, but I'm scared that it might be. That's the first time I've really 'said' that out loud.

Wow Gerry a sky dive sounds so cool! You can easily lose four stone in that time. It's 8 pounds a month. Two lbs a week? That's slow, sustainable weight loss. There's some great support threads on MN for shedding pounds. Go for it!

We became concerned about the cough last night when he was clearly getting better but coughed so much he cried/was sick. He's wheezy enough to hear when you're not trying to hear it so was a no brainwr to get him checked out. If you have any concerns go to the gp ASAP. They really won't mind. If DS was even slightly worse we'd have been in a&e, so don't delay.

Wing enjoy your , I think you more than deserve it!

Gerry meant to add, losing weight might make you feel great. You won't know unless you try. I totally can't be arsed with performing any night time duties. I think this is part and parcel of new motherhood.

You're tired, you spend most of your day with a small person terrorising you for things you can understand, your body's different, you haven't had a moment to yourself in 8 months. You're allowed to not feel sexy.

I second that. Still not DTD myself and have no inclination at the mo. DH and I seem to go to bed at different times and i'm normally asleep by the time he climbs in. He's tired (and sick) and so am I and I don't feel sexy. I've lost some of the 3 and a half stone I put on - only 1 stone to go and I may just feel a bit shhhhexier.

And why do the little people just YELL at us all the time?

Yes KFF is chocolate mad so i thought my namechange should reflect this.

eco what braincells? I have non left. Im glad i am not the only one feeling like this. I just cannot think of anything else apart baby nappy milk etc.

Welcome to all the new namechangers. Im all confused..

plonky i hope ds gets better soon. Have you seen babysaurus is actually a mnetter. Its not ds is it?

plonky I'm assuming your cv has been recently updated to say 'super cool, super funny, super witty, super plonky, super mum'. If it hasn't may I respectfully suggest an edit...

Eco a meet up you say? You're on!!! Gerry and I will be on our best behaviour. I can't speak for the tiddlers, but I will suggest to the worselet that poking, thumping and stealing of dummies is to be avoided for the duration.

Any why do babies yell? Because they can I think . Possibly also because it's fun.

Gerry sky dive? 4 stone? I know motherhood does strange things to our brains, but seriously.... you feeling ok? Joking aside, good for you the very idea terrifies me

DTD, well, it's one of those things that sometimes doesn't seem all that appealing until you get going, and then you think 'oh ' Or maybe that's just me.

Speaking of duties I had probably better go talk to DH who has had the sh*ttiest day ever at work, come home, fed and settled the worselet and is now all by himself. He deserves some company.

Night all! Sweet dreams, and special hugs to the sick babies.