Dec 08 - The One where they take on the world (school)

[DeidreBarlow]

New thread

Struggling to keep up again! Been in London for 24hrs for cricket dinner then lunch with friend I haven't managed to see for an entire year. Had way to much to drink last night. Idiot. Have felt crap all day.

I should have time to post in the morning but just to say - I can't do Tues. Let's try to settle on a date tomorrow....

Love to all. Glad things have perked up Arti. More tomorrow.

Arti. Huge hooray for the au pair!! I do hope it was a one off and you all stay sick free!

"Piss fit". Love it rubes. Just been to a 40th do, I am now pissed! 5 hour drive to my sisters tomorrow. Not good.

Right I need to go to bed, thank goodness clocks go back and I gain an hour!

I was hoping for an extra hour in bed but DS decided otherwise. He woke me up an hour ago because his bed was wet so I've just seen to that and DD is now awake too and there is now some kind of cat party going on in their room.

Deids, I hope the head is OK and that you have a super time with your sister.

Lady, I hope you enjoyed your freedom in London.

DS had his starting school development check last week and they have flagged up a concern with his hearing in his right ear. It wasn't marked as a "problem" but they will check it again. I'm a bit surprised as he had his hearing checked when he was 2.5 when we were looking into his speech delay and it was fine. Do they check for glue ear at the same time or is it just their hearing, does any one know? They did at the check when he was 2 but that was at the audiology dept and they said that he did not have it at the time but it did not mean he had never had it and hence the speech delay. I shall ring the school nurse team next week to find out when they will check it again etc.

The school nurse team were also kind enough to send their anti-bedwetting leaflet. They say no lifting and no pull-ups. I'm a bit but may give it a go after the move.

The DC are on half term and will go to the kids holiday childcare thingy on their schools' campus. They are both exhausted so I'm already feeling the working mother guilts!

The move should complete on Thursday but we won't actually start the moving in until Friday. We have decided that I won't take time off as I only get 19 days holiday a year pro rata so number of days I can take before the end of the year is tiny. DH has got a mate to help him move the stuff on Friday and I'll be busy unpacking over the weekend. We can't wait to be in the new house, so excited.

Nolda the recommendations for bedwetting is completely different here. They say 10% of kids wet because they sleep too deeply and lifting prevents this so they don't consider the eneuresis (night time incontinence). They encourage lifting. We did with DS and he grew out of it by 6 though DH still kept lifting him though often he didn't wee. Evidence that he is fine was he got up on Friday and did his first wee of the day which lasted about 2 minutes! So if he can hold al that clearly lifting didn't hurt. Do what works for you, I'm definitely a do what causes the least work for me, so not necessarily the best example of the correct way.

The tour last night was brilliant. As it was one of the few English tours of the night it was inevitable that we would run into people we knew. We saw an American girl from our cross fit class and another English girl I don't get to see often, also had her sisters over so they came along. Was nice to see her and meet her sisters. Was very spooky because they did most of the tour in very low light, but they also got this random goth looking ghost women to pop up and wander through the rooms we were in. The weird thing was the tour guy would just continue with what he was saying. Very gruesome history though. Would like to think that civilisation has advanced since then, though events in Iran show we haven't.

Crikey I'm in so much pain after the crossfit session we did on Friday. All this strength training is supposed to help keep me young, but I feel about 100!

Vag, they say that although it may appear logical to lift, it may actually prolong bedwetting because, if your child is not fully awake, wetting is being encouraged. Even if your child is fully woken up, the bladder is unlikely to be full therefore denying your child the chance to experience a full bladder and learn to wake to the signals. It is interesting that the advice differs fro country to country. It goes to show that that there is no one answer. Therefore, I shall give their way a go once we have moved. If it works great but if the laundry and wetness is getting both of us down, I shall return to the pull ups and lifting . Not applicable to DS but my Mil told me that her DD continued to wet until she was 7 when they discovered she had an extra pipe which she had little control over. Small operation then she was dry.

I can't be arsed with lifting. Dd's room is right at the top of the house and the bathroom is right at the bottom and at the other end! Ds ditched the nappies summer after reception year so tbh it never really occurs to me that it might be a problem with dd. She will do it at some point. At the moment we often have to change her pull up at night because she wakes uncomfortable as it is so full or if she doesn't wake in the night she sometimes has a wet bed in the morning as the pull up leaks so I doubt she is anywhere near ready anyway!

Dd has written her Christmas list today (not encouraged by me!) she wants theltip pens (felt tip pens), a ryl alith cat (real alive cat), a toy letherbac turtl (toy leatherback turtle) and a real alith pup (real alive pup). So I'll be sticking a pack of pens in her stocking .

Which has jsut reminded me, I need to go stick some money in ds1's money box while he is out and won't notice. He lost a tooth in his sleep and swallowed it so I got him to write a note to the tooth fairy to put under his pillow as of course he was worried she wouldn't know he'd lost a tooth. But then he dropped his note in the loo doing his last wee before bed. So dh persuaded him to send it up the chimney like we do father christmas letters. But then that night dh realised neither of us had any change so he stole money from ds1's money box to leave under his pillow and then had to distract him this morning as ds1 usually counts all his money when he adds to it and he knows how much is in there. I have change now so best go replace it!

Oh and arti I worked out the answer to your vomit problems. Our friends stayed last night with their dog. This morning ds2 threw up on the kitchen floor. As I was holding him over the sink to do more vomit the dog came and cleaned up the floor before I could stop him

Yuck!

Hello!

Just a quickie - any news on the meet up? I can in theory make either tomorrow or Tuesday (off all week!). Tomorrow would have been slightly more convenient for me and Hons I would love to meet you and put a face to a name after all this time. However, given the weather warnings and the potential for chaos on the railways I'm not sure I can face it. Tuesday looks like a better bet from that point of view.

Thanks for all your comments about DS by the way - he's not too bad at the moment (although worse than he has been lately). Hoping that a break from school will allow him to recover a bit but not feeling particularly optimistic that it's going to pass any time soon.

Am a no go for tom. Greater Anglia are suspending all services until at least 9am then running a reduced service. S DH is stealing the car tom and I cant face troggling up to town with the boys on a reduced service. Sorry.

Have been keeping an eye on the weather news, obviously I don't want you lot to take the brunt but as you are further above sea level than we are if you could take a fair bit of the hit that would be nice.

Nolda here they say that as long as you lift about 2 hrs after they go to sleep all that not training the bladder stuff doesn't apply. I used to be the named continence nurse for kids in our area and I used to give that advice about not lifting because I was supposed to, but I never really believed it (& generally told parents to do what worked for them). Mainly from my own experience. My mum did all that night time continence training for me, alarms, not using nappies, not lifting etc & I was dry much later than DS1 was. I think just go with what works. For instance I definitely would do pull ups if the kids were several stories up. Though for the record we take a little potty tub in for DS2.

So we are back at school tomorrow. I used the Thermomix to make some yummy bread rolls for school tomorrow. Felt quite the yummy mummy. Then discovered we have no snacks for recess break tomorrow so had to resort to Nigellas easy oat biscuits. They are going to school with biscuits, naughty mummy.

Nolda so exciting about the house move, so soon (finally). Unpacking is a bit of a drag though. But at least you can be unpacking for the last time for a long time.

Oh big bumholes, have just checked First Great Western and it does not sound promising. Cancelling some trains and all others on reduced speed. I think I'd better knock it on the head. I am . In fact, I am Also I can't do Tuesday, I had arranged to go up to Mum's a few weeks ago now. That's if the trains are running to B'ham on Tues! I will be so disappointed not to see everyone - and to meet you at last, Hons.

We should have had a summer meet up! I really want us to get better at this. I miss our meet ups!

Right, need to read back. PD - I kept meaning to say - Tanya Byron is a child psychologist I actually do rate, she's a great brain and a sensible woman. Do any of her books deal with any relevant issues? Would you consider taking him to see someone private? 127 Harley Street is where paediatric and educational psychologists hang out. I know that might sound crazy but though you might have to pay £150-£200 for an hour's consultation, that might be enough to start you off with some helpful pointers. Not all private consulations like that but many do. I am sure you will, but if whoever you have been put in touch with locally isn't doing much, make sure you rattle some chains.

Oooh, supper's here, more later.

I'm scared ladies. DS suddenly really wheezy and struggling to breath. Went to hosp and his oxygen levels were low. Doc said he probably has something called bronchiolytis and his wheeze is so loud. They found tiny non blanching rash which they are calm about but I'm not. DH away, in laws away, six closest friends away. I really miss my mum right now.

Blimey, cancelled trains doesn't sound good. Eek!

A summer meet up would be great. Less chance of weather related problems. Or Easter hols maybe?

dd2 pushed dd1 in the face on the train down and knocked her top front wobbly tooth out! Poor dd1 took it very well. They've only just gone to sleep. The peril of us all sharing a room.

Oh Arti you poor thing, it is so scary when they are little and poorly. Hugs to you x

Arti How worrying for you. Glad you went to hosp quickly. Take heart that they're not worried. Deep breaths. We're all here.

Hons, I really am quite gutted about tomorrow. The girls were so excited. Sorry about DD1's tooth. Remember how she was the first one of our babies to get teeth? Awwww.

I think they are a bit worried Lady, but about the breathing rather than rash.

Arti how scary. Take heart my love I have looked after 2 littlies who have had broncholitis. It is very treatable. We are here if you need to chat. x

So sorry darling, misunderstood. Definitely not belittling it - I don't know about bronchiolitis but anything to do with breathing is scary and I'd be beside myself. Are you home? Is there any treatment he can have?

Arti you poor thing. Bronchiolitis is something I delt with in the old days on the paeds wards. It is not nice for DS but he will be fine. I think the reason they aren't worried about the rash is that it is clearly a respiratory issue and often these rashes are associated with that (in the case where respiratory symptoms are present) & there are no other meningitis symptoms. They will obviously keep an on the rash but right now they will be concentrating on his respiratory status. Poor you. I'm up for a bit so I am here if you have any questions. Are you at Chelsea & Westminster. Ask the nurses all the questions you need to, they will help you.

Thanks all. Yes at C&W (again!). Veg his ox level is around 91 is that bad, bad or a tiny bit bad?

Oh Arti. Poor little mite and poor you. Hope things improve soon. Are the girls with the au pair? Thinking of you.

Thanks for the recommendations LadyT. Do you know people who have used them? Hopefully the community paediatrician will lead us somewhere useful but you never know. Been scouring the boards on MN and getting help for this kind of stuff seems a bit of a lottery.

Bummer about the meet up. I'm on the same train line as Jam so minimal service. Hons are you in London now?

Was thinking of taking them to the gymnastics school across town on the morning instead but even that feels daunting. A day of baking and pumpkin carving beckons I think.

Yeah that is quite low Arti. What are they doing. I don't want to freak you out but you are going to be in hospital a couple of days at least. You are going to need more help with the girls with DH away. Can MIL come down or would that be more hassle. He will be ok, he will get better, he will not have any long term damage from the low oxygenation (it needs to be a lot lower for that, the low levels just show his respiratory status is compromised). He just needs support to keep his oxygen levels at a better level. Well done for getting him to hospital.

What are they doing now?

Poison have you spoken to his teacher?

I can't remember if I said but I seem to remember from my nursing degree psycology that in young kids OCD behaviour can be a normal reaction to feeling out of control. If he is being kept in at lunchtime he is obviously having no control over activities he can do at school, as in he has no free time to do his own thing. I'm not condoning lots of electronic activities, but it might be worth letting him play some games like minecraft or other games where he controls the game. Just for 10-15 mins a day. Also let him have loads of time to himself at home to just chill out and make his own decisions how to spend some time.

Oh sorry Arti. Hope you get some good answers soon. Keep us updated. Hopefully nothing serious :(

Am in NY. Had a certain Skyfall director on tonight! Weather Nice here, is it very bad there? Doesn't look so yet. Am desperate for no delay getting back tmrw. Super short trip so must go eat / sleep.
Will check in later Arti xx