Feb 2011. Now they are (nearly) 3 <gulp>

[Reastie]

Just starting a new thread as noticed old on nearly full up.

I may have been the parent who got there an hour early this morning

Haha reastie! At least you would have got a good seat?!

Ohhhhh yyyyeeeesssssssss

Well hello. Have not been on for a bit, lots to catch up on. Firstly so sorry to hear about the bad news. Wiggles, thinking of you and your dad, and also granny and mil. Hope I haven't missed anyone?

Interesting to hear about the toxic parents, ponyo your mil sounds ridiculous. My in laws are just about bearable if I don't think about them too much! House sale sounds stressful especially with pil messing it up.

Love beavers and bumming. We have to get beavers and bumming into the next February thread title, and possibly all titles everywhere. Nate does both those things. He is a eustreptospondylus (some kind of dinosaur he's made up or could possibly be real I don't know). He now only eats meat as eustreptospondylus is a carnivore, and spends about an hour in the bath as it is the only dinosaur that can swim. He also takes his clothes off a lot as dinosaurs don't wear clothes.

Reastie he also does the thing with the first letters and the inevitable swear words/dodgy sex words that ensue. Any more beaver updates american?

Some of you know about the nativity today. Nate was a wise man in quite a glitzy outfit. Me and DH were amazed as he gave his present to Jesus on cue, sat down and sang all his songs beautifully. Perfect actions. Completely unlike Nate. Everyone was impressed and a few parents whispered "wow he's a natural" and the like to us.
2 minutes from the end, he randomly stands up, roars very loudly, then takes off all his clothes except his pants. Other wise men are obviously impressed and also get up and start stripping. Joseph is delighted and spurs them on with words of encouragement. Other wise men are still wearing their glitzy turbans and start dancing. Curtain is hurriedly pulled across the stage.

Unfortunately can't post a photo due to other kids being half dressed but they are very funny

Blizy I suffer with the old spd and you have my sympathies. Found it was much worse the second time.

Princess congrats on the boy! (Would have been equally delighted congrats if a girl too of course!). I quite like theo but v v popular round here. I have obviously already picked my two favourite names . I randomly like Magnus if he's likely to be talll and blond?

borg...I am loving the vision of nate stripping off & then everyone else following suit...absolutely priceless

princess...congrats on the boy. Names I like are Nate, Adam (no surprises there ). I also like Ben, Noah, Lorcan, Murdo, Hamish, Brodie, Declan....DH Liked Aidan & Cilian (good Irish names ) when we were discussing names for Adam's arrival. My sister swears Iain is due a revival...she's preggo now & I think she's struggling for names as she's a teacher so every name she thinks of has a connotation to a wee 'toerag' as she puts it ??...she teaches in an SEN school for kids with behavioural problems/issues!

Just posting to let reastie know dp and I have made to A's nativity a full half hour early, we're sat front row!! Not quite sure how that happened...

Borg I did a proper 'lol' at N stripping off, I cackled in fact

ponyo just make sure you're not sitting in the seats the staff will need and you get pushed out the way in the last minute. I worried about this and opted for second row

We were on chairs reastie, there was a bench in front of us which a family sat on with a really badly behaved child he wasn't small by the way, prob 8 or 9! But it was nice, A was very good at being being whoops a daisy angel and did her lines well no stripping off Borg, shame!

Loving the nativity play stories and stripping . Annas and Livs are done, Sofia's is next week and then I don't have to sit in one of those arse cramping kids school chairs for another whole year although I've just recently realised that next Christmas I will have 3 separate nativity plays to go to in the same school, because of the age gap with each of them being 3 school years they won't ever be in the same play - yikes!!

Reastie and Ponyo - the pictures of A and A were lovely, very angelic looking angels and I'm glad you got good seats .

My dad is home, enjoying his own bed and being able to sleep and eat when he wants, he is enjoying my mums "fussing" slightly less so but after 45 years together he's learning to just smile and nod and roll his eyes!! He was desperate to see the girls, he would see them every Sunday all day and a few odds times during the week if he wasn't working so he really missed them. He got a full rendition of all their nativity songs so he was feeling very tired when we left . He's waiting on the results of the biopsy of the tumour to see the best course of action forward.

Grannyapple - that's lovely news about your sister, am sure you're excited for her. Will be thinking of your mil over the coming days and hope you get good news xxx

Ah wiggles that sounds good about your dad. Haha at him getting nativity renditions, I can imagine! The part about him missing your girls really struck home with me, and it's so lovely too. Today is my dad's birthday, he would have been 69 today. Dp remarked how proud my dad would have been seeing A in her nativity, and that got to me. (He meant it in a nice way, and it's not like my dad would have been able to come, it's only 2 family members per child ffs!)
Hope he gets the results soon. What a stressful time for you so close to Xmas.

Oh, have booked tickets for us to see disney on ice featuring FROZEN!! next year, in May. Might have to see if my mum/a friend wants to come aswell, as I've booked it for 3pm on a fri and dp is a teacher so I don't think he'll make it :) he'll be gutted of course
Granny he works at a special needs school too, some Of the tales he comes home with are shocking and sad, bet your sis has some similar.

Thanks ladies...aw ponyo I'm sure your dad would have been well chuffed. It's the 19th anniversary of my mum dying today...texted sis to say I can't believe it was 19 yrs ago...she replied saying thank God she doesn't need to go through another xmas like that...keep forgetting she was only 17 at the time, but yeah that was a bleak xmas. I'm sure my mum would have doted on the kids & be thrilled with sis's news. Ah yes ponyo the stories her & her boyfriend have (he works at same place) are equally shocking & funny at the same time. I don't know how they ever switch off when they get home, with some of the stories I've heard.

Nate has a virus thinh & it looks like he's going to miss out on visiting santa tomorrow. DH has it too... I had it a fortnight ago & have had comments from him that he's sorry he wasn't more sympathetic when I had it & how awful it is (men eh?!)...but he still gets time off work & can sleep it off, unlike me...grr!!!

Adam is 7 wks today & did a great sleeping stint of 10-5am last night...would love a repeat tonight tho not expecting it & I think nate will be up at least once tonight, so off to my kip ladies x

Ah Ponyo it must have been a hard old day for you. It's strange I didn't know any of my grandfathers, my mums dad died she was 17 and my dads when he was 10 and all 3 of my girls are really close to both mine and Mr Ws dad. When my dad was grumping about the hospital and being a tad obstinate I kept thinking "Christ that's where Anna gets it from"

Yes I think Anna is heading to DOI Frozen too, my aunt is the one that takes them and she mentioned it. Anna has got right back into Frozen, with appropriate singing although she is still a bit flummoxed about the pronounciation of Anna!!!!

Oh granny and ponyo I got a bit teary reading your posts, your parents will be so proud of all of you.
Wiggles glad your dad is home. I only vaguely knew one grandparent and she died when I was 11, so I never really understood what the fuss was about when friends talked about theirs. We're really lucky in that n&j still have all 4, Nate love love loves them, Jonah is in the 'only mummy will do' phase so finds everyone else terrifying.

Just to throw my hat into the poorly parent discussion, my poor dads prostate levels have doubled and he's got a shadow on his chest X-ray so he's off for lots of tests.

Granny yay for the sleep, I'd be delighted if Jonah did that! Me and DH are toying with the idea of a third. In my sensible moments I am certain I don't want another, but both of us love the 'idea' of another one. We can't afford it, would prob have to move house and buy a new car. I also found ttc Jonah really stressful and upsetting. What do those of you with 3+ think? terrible idea? I'm pretty old now as well but not as old as ledkr

Ah borg thanks for the kind words...& everything crossed for your dad & his tests.

Although Adam was a wee bonus/surprise baby, I will say that I do now feel complete as a family if that makes sense? We were always stopping at two & yes had to change car (had only finished paying off the old one when I found out I was pg again) and although tight, we were lucky enough that we didn't need to move but could split our 2 bed place & make it into a 3 bed place (one of the new bedrooms is 'just' a double, the other a v large single). Yes it was an expense we could've done without but was far cheaper than stamp duty alone for another move.

Money will be extremely tight when I'm back at work cos of the closer are gap btwn Amelia & Adam (need to wait a further year for the early years funding for nursery for her)...but I can already see Adam's personality coming through & nate & Amelia get on really well so I'm looking forward to seeing the wee dynamic of all 3.

Wouldn't change it now he's here...will just need to rethink our food shopping costs etc but we'll manage somehow...is there ever a good time financially etc to gave a baby? Everyone says it & I've found it to be true so far but you manage somehow.

Plus in finding this parenting lark much less stressful this time around. I found going from 1-2 really stressful but 2-3 has actually been totally fine.. Ok, so Adam has to scream a bit longer than the others had to but hopefully he'll end up more patient than the other two as a result .

I'd say go for it if you are able to x

Thanks all. I think about my dad so much, but I do think it increases at times such as birthdays and christmas! (Most of the year then )

Granny wow 19 years. Such a long time. How old were you when your mum died, if you don't mind me asking? Hope Adam did another good sleep for you, 7weeks already! Hope N is well (as can be).

Borg that sounds scary about your dad. Hope he gets test results back very soon. Can't believe you're thinking about a third, in the nicest possible way of course!! I love how everyone on this thread has had such different experiences, for some the feb baby is the first (and last -that's me!) for some it's the start of their family and for some it's the last. It's really lovely! Fwiw I've heard going to from 1-2 is hard, but 2-3 easier (just like granny said!). Also That's what I've read on MN, so it must be true! I can imagine the actual 'trying to conceive' stage being stressful though, would you want to leave it to fate or is that too vague?

Wiggles haha at A's stubbornness from her grandad :) My A likes to pronounce Frozens Anna in a really overly american accent, think "Arrrnneeerrrrrrr" and of course "elseeeeerrrrrrrrr" my mum tells me I did the same

Hope everyone else is having a nice weekend. I'm watching walking with dinosaurs on netflix and drinking Xmas cider, ideal!

Ponyo - my Anna doesn't think she has the same name as Anna from Frozen .

Borg - I always wanted 3 kids, I didn't stress too much about conceiving Liv & Anna because it took me so long to conceive Sofia that anything under six years was a bonus . You're not that old are you?, you don't look it ;). Like Grannyapple I found going from 2-3 easier than 1-2. We didn't have to get a new car, we have a big old Renault, it's a five seater and there's loads of room in the boot, we also had to move anyway when Liv was a baby so we already had that done, which took some of the pressure off.

The one thing I have found is that with 3 everything goes so quickly, the endless months and years of Olivia being such a poor sleeper seemed to be over in a flash with Anna, although she wasn't a great sleeper either. I think because I'm on my own so much with Mr Ws work I didn't have time to stress or over think anything. I just went with the easiest option to everything, I suited myself with regards to sleeping, eating, cleaning (or lack of).

Financially, we are limited any way with two. I'm not sure how further education will work with ours, we won't be paying for rent etc if ours decide to go to Uni but that's nothing new. My parents or Mr Ws didn't pay for us. What I have found easier strangely is being able to spend time separately with each of the kids. If I do something with one of them, there's two left to hang about together, or to go to my mums. I never feel like I've left one out.

God I've written an essay to a simple question

Ah good point wiggs about always om2 about for them to play with...nate already asks where Amelia is when she's not around & he's bored.

ponyo I was 19 at the time...found out she had cancer on my 19th birthday & she died 9 months later almost to the day. Dad died 15 months previous to Her...they were divorced but I had bumped into him 2 wks before & he literally dropped dead in the street...was a huge shock dealing with it at the time...think we were still on autopilot with mum's news too at the time.. I met Martin 3 months after dad died so he's been through a lot with me & my sis...she calls him her 2nd big sister . We've been together 20 yrs this xmas eve..more than half my life with him already .

Oh & yes adam did 10.30-5.30 again...praying it continues!

Ladies, I've made it to the Christmas nn change final shamelessly asking you to vote for me . I'm allowed to plug for votes aren't I?

Reastie I've just gone to vote and it looks like you've won!! You're miles in the lead, yay! What's the prize?!

Poor A has been coughing loads trying to get to sleep :( a very dry cough. Have given her cough medicine, spoon of honey and Vicks on her chest. Got a mug of water on the radiator in her room, anything else? She just been crying that she can't sleep, and bless her even said earlier "my cough has gone!" It's back with a vengeance it seems. Any advice?

It's my last day of work today for 2 weeks! Got everything done as well so no feelings of stress that I'd forgotten something as I'd managed to tick everything off my (long) list. Off to my mums on tues for Xmas.

Granny hope A is continuing his good sleeping habits. So sad about your mum, and dad, which is bloody obvious but felt I had to say it. 19 is so young for your mum to die, just makes me feel grateful I had longer with my dad.

How is everyone else? Hope all are well, family members included.

I did, I won squee! It's a lovely looking Richard Scarry book.

Ponyo not sure re: the cough. Alice had a really nasty one a while ago that just went on and on and the night was difficult. Vicks on the feet? Manuka honey is my go to item with coughs (it has some kind of anti viral property other honey's don't have), do you think she'd drink warm water with honey and lemon juice?

Everyone all broken up for Christmas then? What are you going to keep them busy with in the next week?

Granny that's so sad

Borg have any of the test results come back yet? I think you should go for another one that's easy for me to say . Is it something you'd regret not trying for in the future?

Reastie - Congratulations, your name change was pretty fab!

Anna finished nursery school yesterday but the other two finish on Tuesday half day. Sofia isn't that bothered about going in on Tuesday but Olivia is, there's no way she's not going in and yes she'll be wearing her school uniform, not for her the casual relaxation of school rules in the last few days of term

We are hopefully, all organised for Christmas - not waiting on any parcels, all presents bought, we are heading to my mums for dinner as usual so its very unstressy. We don't do that much in the run up to Christmas, mainly because we were always in school until 23rd. I took Sofia and Liv to the theatre last weekend which was brilliant and Anna isn't that bothered about seeing Santa, he came to school this week and that was enough for her .

I'm having my Mum, granny, aunt and associated waifs and strays over for lunch today. I'm panicking if I've enough drink in!!

Ponyo - will A take some Piriton before she goes to bed? I've found it can soothe the cough a bit and helps them go over a bit quicker. Anna would suffer from dry coughs the odd time - it's not very nice, I hope she feels better soon - poor pet.

Grannyapple - how's your mil? Hope the good sleeps are continuing !

Blizy - how are you doing? Yay for mat leave xx