November 2012 - Isn't age one a lot of fun?

[StuntNun]

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/postnatal_clubs/1896209-November-2012-The-birthdays-are-coming-thick-and-fast

Evening!

Fab post chasing! Cannot wait to see the pics.

You had better not have been doing anything naughty like using the vending machines in class time yw! Or smoking in the railway tunnel!

P generally prefers to feed herself now. She will allow you to give her a few spoons but gets fed up very quickly. Mostly now I just slop it on her tray and she shovels it into her mouth.

I have an AIBU for you all . . .

We were at the PIL at the weekend having a belated birthday weekend.

PIL had an oak stool carved for her.

Stool is lovely but is engraved with P's nickname. Not her actual name.

Now. She is called her shortened name most times but I do call her the full name. PIL talked at length about this being an heirloom.

I saw it an immediately felt a bit sad that they had gone with the shortened name. Then I myself a telling off for being so bloody ungrateful. Then DH admitted he was a bit hacked off too.

Hmm. First world problems and all that. Obviously we will say nothing and, I would imagine within a week we will have forgotten all about it. I just think it's a shame that it didn't get her full name.

pr how is madamoiselle chat?

Milk question for dairy free-ers. We have a similar predicament to isles here, in that F only has perhaps 10oz Nutramigen a day max. She has multivitamins too, but calcium, peeps. Where the fuck on earth does one get some calcium from??? She really dislikes fish, it's the only thing she spits out. Oat milk etc has some added, but piddly amounts. Tis a worry

Chasing what a lovely positive post to read. I'm with sophia - would be nice to have a few more friends around. Although all of dhs family are here, mine are an hour or so up the road, and the nature of my job means that friends come and go, as people are constantly moving between hospitals. We only really have two good friends, and everyone else is scattered very far and very wide.

Hope all the poorly heads are better today.

GT it sounds as though MIL is doing your head in as well. Not surprised you were knackered though - carrying half a stone on your body (A) and presumably pushing 2 stone in a pushchair (H) is akin to a workout!!

Pidj I love our mei-tei because it is a polka dot one and it has always been very comfy. When we went to the zoo, F was in it for about 2 hours - I was surprised to find that the muscles that ached the next day were my thighs, from the altered centre of balance. My neck/back/shoulders etc were as right as rain.

Isles I think F would cry more if dh dropped her off, as he does it less frequently than me, iyswim? She has got used to me dropping her at nursery now, and the little traitor didn't even give me a backwards glance today. In fact, she didn't want to leave her key worker when daddy picked her up . Poor daddy was a bit but feels better after inducing roars of laughter by pretending to drill through her tummy.

Um. Not a lot has happened today. Work. Busy. Counting down the days to Fs birthday. It's getting very close. I cannot believe my tiny helpless premature scrap has turned into this robust podgy toddler with a wicked giggle and mischief running through her veins.

Ooh tricky one pass - obviously their intentions were good, and they can't have realised how you would feel about it. I think you are unreasonably put out, but that the majority would feel that way, if that makes sense? As in, it's a lovely pressie, nothing wrong with it, good intentions. But but but. It's not how you would do it.

Will stop blathering now, and go on a pudding hunt.

bp we do salmon, broccoli, avocado and chick peas for calcium. Does Spinach have it too? Anything green leafy I think. Almonds do. Maybe give her almond spread on toast.

Lacking in the pal department here as well. I lied to the HV when p was little because she was getting increasingly frowny face about the lack of family or friend support nearby.

chasing it's lovely to hear you sounding so happy and positive.

pass I understand how you feel. It's a shame but they had the best intentions and that's what counts.

We had our first steps this evening Best of all DP, my parents and I were all here to see it. Lately I've been stressing over the possibility of missing all his 'firsts' so that was pretty awesome.

BP hummus on toast is a good calcium rich fave in our house. He thinks avocado is Satan's fruit. Cold water prawns are a hit. Maybe try them in a tomato pasta sauce to hide the fishyness?

I'm going to feel a bit of a billy come January as the last of my close baby group Mums goes back to FT work. I've got my twin nearby but I miss my bestest buds from Oxford. I think modern life is antisocial

Pass did you get the delivery? And spot a wee border terrier tied up at the school's front gate? I'd not be upset about the name thing if I were in your shoes as he is Bear far more than Jonas and I hope it stays but when the nickname is a shortening then I would be sad. Especially when you've picked a beautiful long name that you love in full. It's not ungrateful. My Mum got me and my sis a stool like that for our 18th birthdays - she died before she had the chance to give us them. It's one of my most cherished things.

VQ hope today went well.

Izzy how are you feeling?

Eeep have got the sewing machine down....it would help if I knew what the parts were called, as then the instructions would make an awful lot more sense.

We are once again sans income.

And dp's scan shows he's not healing well.

Fuck.

Parcel was received and delivered via the passexpress! I wish I had seen you and doggy!

I shall forget about the name on the stool. We love her nickname too so it is still very lovely. I do love the idea that she has something so beautiful made just for her and I hope she treasures it like you do yw

MIL decided that she was going to call P Mary bizarrely so I suppose I could have been much more cross if it had said that!

Fuck bugger balls pp. What happened? And I am sorry about the healing.

Hello peeps!

Evil You are amazing! Well done, you have done one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. It only gets better from here on in!

Chasing Dude is hawwwwwwwt. P, you lose!

BP We have problems with calcium too. If I make him mush, I generally put some milk in that to add some extra calcium. He has spinach quite a lot. Apparently bread is higher in calcium too - I didn't know this though!

I was prescribed calcium drops, but you can't get them. So fuck knows what I'm supposed to do about that. Have got a dietician appt in 10 days, but I need to rearrange as a) I'm in work, and b) there has been no change in stuff, so might put it back til after new year when I challenge again. I might enquire about it when I ring - or see if they can just do a phone consultation. Seems a bit daft, I mean they don't examine him, so don't see why it can't be done over the phone. I could even keep the appointment with them that way! Or I could send DP. But tbh, that would just be a waste of time.

Speaking of DP, I let him take O to the doctors today. I know that sounds daft. 'Let' him. But I have dealt with all this stuff, as it's my comfort zone. However DP was flapping about a lump in O's neck. I was positive it was just an increased lymph node, given his recent illness. DP was in charge today, so I told him to do whatever. Of course, I was right. And O mauled the medical student in the process of proving me right . Poor woman has been left physically marked by my raging baby!

Speaking of rage, we are having a LOT of rage at the moment. Usually because of the word no. Which now appears to have registered in that little mind of his! The last 3 days he has just been a proper screamo from 3pm onwards . Bedtime hasn't been coming quick enough! It's making me sad as yesterday and today I've been at work, so only getting in at 3.30-4ish, by which time he has morphed in to el bawbag. So DP scuttles off 'free' and I get attached to a baby with an attitude problem, and claws to match!

Pass The stool sounds lovely. The main thing is, it has her name on, and it is spelt correctly! Okay, so it isn't her full name, but if it is a name you use, I think that is fine. If you get her any keepsakes, get her full name on, so she has both??! She probably won't mind either way . I have all my keepsakes which have one of my nicknames on. I don't use my nickname exclusively, I use all 3 variants. In work (formally) I use my full name. At home I use both shortened names. I answer to anything . They probably should have checked with you - but never mind. The thought was there!

Pidg Fuck. Fuck fuck and shit balls.

So sorry to hear that. Can we call the employers cunts?

What did they say about the scan - can anything be done to help improve the healing?

Fuck indeed pp. I don't know what to say. ?

Pass I understand EXACTLY how you feel. We have had a few gifts personalised with Tilly. None with Matilda. Whilst we call her Tilly and I love the name Tilly, I hate sometimes that no one (except me) calls her Matilda or appreciates the amount of time and effort I put into her name. My sister calls her Tilda - which is cute - but I would be really gutted if she had anything made with this name on. The joy of Matilda is there are sooo many nicknames and I want her to be able to choose her own. Or just be Matilda.

I remember actually being irrationally upset with XSIL buying Tilly letters for her bedroom door and it still bugs me everytime I walk past them. I may replace them when we (m and I) move...

I tell a lie. One of my oldest friends - and M's 'godfather' - is a graphic designer and made her a beautiful frame with her whole name in it. It is one of my favourite things ever.

I have no friends in this area. I had one, a former neighbour, but she's gone cold, I don't know why, we used to help each other out all the time.

I thought I'd meet mums at nursery, but they all know each other and I don't have much self-confidence atm. The other English mum asked me for my number to have me round for tea but I haven't heard back from her. She possibly knows my boss - the expat community here is pretty tightknit and I've pissed a few people off professionally.

There is a neighbour who keeps telling me to pop round and she does seem lovely but works more than ft and whenever I look over at weekends there always seem to be guests.

I guess if I get a new job I may meet people but I don't know if I can face office politics again. Maybe if I go freelance there will be some kind of networking events in the area. No idea and can't be seen to be looking until all this mess is over.

I miss Paris sometimes, I think we both do. It's quite claustrophic here, so small and everyone in finance knows everyone else.

Sorry, bit of a me me me post. A year ago today LO was admitted to hospital with her first suspected bronchiolitis by an over cautious intern (she wasn't coughing but had a high-ish temp for a nb). It was from then that everything turned to shit healthwise for my two for the next six months.

Bit reflective this evening, and been feeling inexplicably sad all day. Unlike me except when I have pmt and am due tomorrow

Massive crosspost - pidj so sorry to hear that - what's happened?

Oh no pidj

Just remember, scans are not the be all and end all - think of how much dp can do now, that he couldn't do a year ago. He has got better, he will continue to do so xx

Det we're getting 'no rage' too with proper body popping bouncing up and down full on shrieky hissy fits or fist on floor tantrums! Tonight's was because he wanted to press the washing machine buttons and change the cycle midwash and I, cruelly, said no.

Pidj oh no! (to both bits of your message). What's happened?

It's funny the old full name / shortened name stuff. I have an eminently shortenable name and I've never cared about whether folks use my full or nickname and the same goes for whenever I've thought about names for future kids. I think. But we've picked a name that in English is basically unshortenable! Given most folks here struggle to pronounce his full name right - it starts with a Y not a hard J maybe he's best sticking to Bear .

I didn't know that's how his name is said YW! Makes it all the more lovely with the y.

Trousers hemmed. Second leg much better than the first. Luckily, most people will be at face level so unlikely to notice. And F is hopefully too young to notice her mothers wonky stitching

I hoped both my children had names that couldn't be shortened. DS1 gets Eth. FFS!!!!!!!!

O is just O so far, but there is a nn in there! I might use it when he gets older, given it probably suits a cheeky little rascal. Which he pretty much is .

YW O and J are really sounding very familiar... uh oh!

The rage here is breath holding, followed by heart breaking wails, sobs and screaming, while clawing at me or whatever it is he is trying to do, plus me! Urghhh. Not enjoying!

They just haven't sold enough to justify his wages even though he's the only one to have actually sold anything recently so had to let him go. He's going to do some ad hoc driving though, and a mate has employed him to do IT installations in the past, some of those are abroad and vvv lucrative so that fits with the consultant's opinion that he's not up to ft work - him pushing himself is what's slowed the healing. Fx he can do a few days for his mate then rest for a week or two. I'll look for some pt morning work - i want to keep my youth work, and am my mate's emergency nanny if her train is late.

Fuck

Oh no Pidj, what happened?

Interesting name chat. I have a shortenable (?) name. When I was younger I hated my full name and insisted on being called the shortened version. My family generally still use this version now. Working in a call centre it was always easier to use the short version on the phone so my colleagues all knew me as that too. However, I now actually love my full name and I get irritated if people shorten it automatically. For example, a few of the messages I've received on the dating site have used my shortened name, despite it not being used anywhere on my profile, and that has really put me off them. Although, I hate nothing more than being called the wrong name- think my name, but ending with an e not an a. Used to happen all the time at school and drove me potty.

Det XP calls O 'Oscie' and I hate it.

We have 'the rage' here too. It involves shouting and flapping of arms. I usually try and distract him, but it is happening more and more frequently. When do our babies become toddlers? Is it when they start walking? O stood independently at baby group today but as soon as he noticed he panicked and grabbed hold of me.

P has done a wee bit of raging. Usually when I take her off the stairs and shut the door. The other day she did full on foot stomping fist clenching at the dishwasher being closed.

The more I think about the name thing the less it matters and the more I like it actually. My brother calls her "Lady P" which I think is likely to stick. My sister calls her "little miss P" both use just P. isles did describe it beautifully though. That is exactly how I felt.

At work I never, ever use shortened versions of names unless it is their 'known as' or they specifically ask. I should be grateful every shortened my name! Apparently only my granny stuck at the full thing for any length of time and even she only lasted 6 months!