March 2013 - by the time we finish this one we'll be shopping for elf outfits. Eek!

[ecofreckle]

Here we go again then ladies. Plenty more shiny new space to fill up with ramblings :-) Link to last thread

Sorry, that wasn't terribly helpful, was it? Couldn't see well enough to comment further on this tiny phone. To the computer!

On closer inspection, I don't like the bathroom purely on the grounds that the radiator is too close to the toilet. If you have no intention of ever having gigantic thighs it will likely present no problems, but if you do then you run the risk of burning yourself whenever you sit down. That's still not very helpful, is it? Separate reception rooms gets a thumbs up though - it is a bit of a bugger when all your downstairs space is open plan because there's no escaping for a bit of peace. I see there's a primary school very nearby. Is it any good?

Earlier in the year when I gave us both food poisoning it was very handy having the loo next to the bath for the aforementioned reasons. However....

I do love that house. It's so cheap, it's in a beautiful location (and I really mean, stunning), all the work needed is within our ability/budget. But we've another 4 viewings still to come. They're more expensive but I've gone and met one of those magical broker people (two, actually) with a view to maximising what our money can do for us. I'm very, very excited, but I don't want to say anything further until we've done the third (and hopefully final) viewing. Let's leave it at this : underfloor heating.

Stormy the first rule of house buying is everywhere has at least one compromise. It's kind of how it is, unless you have millions to spend and millions to make the changes you might want.

Plonks I like it. Roof looks in good nick, garden has a lot of potential, as it's child friendly and looks sunny, bathroom wouldn't need an upgrade, and I like the idea of a door to the garden in the kitchen. Change it to a stable door and you could have that open much of the time. Front room floor is great too - practical and easy clean, and looks smart. I'd live there, assuming parking isn't an issue.

My day can be pretty much summarised by one word. Screaming. It's been bad. Possibly ear ache, and probably tantrums, but either way... hellish!

Parking is a good point - from the fancy google streetview thingy it looks like there isn't any. Worse is right about compromise, but I think I still have a renter's brain. The idea that if you don't like a particular feature you can change it is novel!

We had many, many compromises when we moved but not all ones that we knew about until we moved in. The main one was the decorating. By crikey, those previous owners had no taste. The second we moved in, I ripped all the wallpaper off in the hall only to discover that the walls were in terrible nick. We've since plodded along room by room with only 3 to go that need doing now, and when we can afford it win the lottery we're going to reskim the whole house and start again. We've also got plans to go and look at laminate flooring tonight so house owning is as rock n roll as one thinks it is. plonk I like that house. But I'm more interested in the underfloor heating house.

eco we did have a good night that night. Last night was ok until about 5:30am when he came in with me until 8:50am and we were late to breakfast with my mum and dad. Bear is his special cuddly that lives in the cot. Every morning, Bear comes with us to do nappy change, then DS puts him back into bed after. V cute. He seems to go down a bit better now, still the odd whinge and whine but the screaming, fingers crossed, seems to have subsided. For now. How has the yurt-take-down been? Sounds like a difficult but fun task. I sympathise with you about the whole Christmas thing. My mum is Christmas lady to me, and I've never had a Christmas away from her. Even now, if DP wanted to have Christmas morning/dinner with his family, I'd suggest he go alone because I'd hate to be apart from mine. I know that sounds terribly selfish of me, and, don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to see his family in the afternoon/evening or, more recently, have everyone over to ours for Boxing Day, but there's something special in Christmas with my family. Is there no way you could go early morning to see your mum and then travel, or are you going over the day before?

worse has the screaming calmed down due to a long walk in the fields?

Does anyone want a dog? Springer spaniel. Free to a good home, or not good, I don't care. He's a little MONSTER. How! Tell me HOW a dog can be in a locked cage upon departing the house then be out of the cage when I return, but the cage is still locked?! And he chewed through a package containing a phone case bought for me by DP and chewed the corner of said phone case. The postman was walking down the street as I pulled up so he'd had approximately 3.7 seconds to destroy as much as he could. Stupid mutt.

plonky I like the house a lot. Looks ok. Decoration should be a minor issue because I am sure you would want to decorate to your taste.

What is the maintenance costs of underfloor heating?

eco I feel sad reading your post about Christmas. Could you not go to mil on boxing day?

I am at work today. My manager said he was worried I might leave after my little breakdown yesterday. Little does he know that I am job hunting.

worse be strong. You can do this. Get some naughty treats to get you through the day until dh can take over.

Worse you've got it : compromise. The parking at the terraced house would be on residential streets. Not ideal but not impractical.

Hope dd settles soon, screaming is bloody miserable and sure to ruin even the most robust of good moods. I hate the screaming. Cup of tea for you and CBeebies for her? Or a stomp around in this powerful wind - hopefully it'll be too windy to scream and shout. Unless it's ear related. Ooh just a thought - ear defenders?

Yummy no idea of maintenance for under floors. The house that has that has been renovated - a quick shufty on the land registry tells me someone bought it in March for 96k. It's on sale 139! So either they've done a botched job and we'll not be able to use it until we have the funds, or, hopefully, they've done it right. My parents have under floor heating in kitchen, conservatory and bathrooms throughout, and actually rarely use their radiators, so it's a two sided coin.
Anyway. Do you think your boss has you sussed? Perhaps time to keep a low profile eh? Although I think it's pretty normal for mums returning from mat leave to reconsider their careers and seek alternative employment. How many of us on here have already done that? 4? If you feel they can alleviate some of your stress it might be worth a chat. If not I'd keep my head down and press on with the job hunt.

Something but puppy is lovely! Well, a bit of an excitable mound of fur and quite large too, but he'll grow out of this stage. I hope!

I'd best get on with a by of work before I have to collect ds. I've a head full of house and can't concentrate. Broker now has all documentation required for an agreement in principle so if we like our under floor heating house we can move on it immediately. I still have teeth marks on my finger. Bit myself in excitement earlier. Idiot.

Hello all, quick post as exhausted from hauling yurts around in gales

Stormy, Ecotod went in her room as normal, sister in laws children put to bed in our room in travel cot and put you up (?) bed. Four adults socialise downstairs. At adult bed two children moved from our bedroom to the lounge end of the living room, dh and I use our room and mil and sil share the sofa bed in the dining room end of the living room. Nuts. I don't recommend it!

Plonky I like that house. My 'independent woman' house purchased after breaking up with the infidel is very similar and I love it (hence not having sold it yet!). Those houses are cosy feeling. Is the garden non bisected? Great for children if so, bit inconvenient if it is. But this is all academic by the sounds of it. Am excited for you! If you're excited about the house and can't stop thinking about it I'd say that was a good sign.

Yummy glad you recovered!

Something am allergic to dogs so have to stick to my fantasy border terrier called Percey I'm afraid.

Worse is the order of the day tomorrow. Plenty of sitting down, tea and play, sod everything else and the jobs. Maybe that'll be your sanity tactic. Good luck.

Best away and figure out what to do about my boobs. I missed an evening feed for the first time ever today (when I had my night away I left after feeding her) and they're looking a bit perky and keen

So today I drove for over five hours, pulled yurts down in gales and to welcome me home Ecotod has been awake since 2330. That's three and a half hours. She cries so I go in and lay by her cot and she quietens pretty much instantly. She stays quiet but moves around and maybe natters a little but she doesn't sleep. I have given teething gel and calpol. Does anyone have any idea why a baby might do this? Does anyone else's do this? This pnd is affecting me with anxiety and this is making me feel disproportionately anxious. I don't know why being as when I'm lying by her cot she's content. I feel like I want to fling open the window and suck in some fresh air. Or run from the house and stay away. Sigh.
Sorry that's a bit self indulgent.

eco maybe it is separation anxiety. She feels content with you there because she feels safe and secure when you are next to her. There is nothing you are doing wrong, quite the opposite actually. So don't worry.

Ds is going through a phase in not wanting to be in his cot on his own. He has been settling at night in our bed. It is just a phase. I hope!

I missed her evening feed this evening yummy, I wonder whether that upset her. Maybe you're right and she just wants a bit of mummy to make up for that. But if so, then when she has me why not go the feck to sleep! The fact you're awake at this ungodly hour makes me realise I'm not alone. Plenty of people dealing with sleep issues with their kids. And not moaning about it

For once eco I was up dealing with my own sleep issues and not ds. Lol. He slept well after a nightmare bedtime.

I think you were feeling bad for missing her feed last night. Please don't feel bad. Maybe dd was gazing at her beautiful mother before she drifted off to sleep. hope you managed to get some sleep.

Eco those sleeping arrangements do sound stressful. Maybe now that you've done it it won't be expected again? Although it's crap not being able to host properly.
The terraced house doesn't have a bisected garden, it's just straight there and is private, though access gained from a walkway shared with the neighbours. It's a perfect starter home, IMO. We shall see, I think it's a great back up for if we fail to secure the house we want, or find out that that house is not as described by the pictures.

I guess dd's wakeful session provided ample opportunity to de-perk the boobs? We have sessions like this too. I hate them and found it really hard to roll with them. I'm a morning person but any wake ups between 11pm and 4am have the potential to make me cry. And he's generally happy, and will lie in our bed chatting or moving about, which creates tension between me and dh (because dh won't do anything about it but moan, and I automatically put him in our bed). These times make me anxious too. I have no advice because I'm hoping it's just something all kids do and eventually grow out of - but I want you to know you're definitely not alone.

Sadly (for you Eco, I'd be lying if I said I was sad about it ) I don't have much advice to offer as DS is one of the best sleepers on the thread. But when he's ill or toothy and wakes whimpering I will go in, calpol if required, but otherwise just give him a quick cuddle until he drifts off my shoulder and then pop him back to bed. He usually snuggles into sheep and goes straight to sleep. I am aware that this might make a rod for others backs, it's just he wakes and certainly wakes and cries so little that I am more than happy to respond with mummy cuddles when he does (like once or twice a month).

Probably not helpful, sorry. Have some to get you through the day.

And here's one for Yummy . Hope you got some kip in the end too.

No sleep advice here either, but there must have been something in the air last night. Fartypants woke up crying (very unusual these days) at 5am. Thankfully stopped after a couple of minutes, and I didn't even get out of bed, because me going in there tends not to help. Wotta I am envious of the falling asleep on your shoulder! On our rare night time cuddle occasions, she'll calm down if I cuddle, but not go to sleep, and cries when put back in the cot.

Interesting to compare mine and Plonky's here, because we both went for the very early sleep training but they haven't turned out to sleep the same - further evidence that it's all just luck!

Fartypants has learnt a new word: poo. I no longer need my nose to ascertain whether a clean nappy is needed. Must get hold of Evil Gina's potty training book soon.

Eco you poor thing, but rest assured it's nothing you have done or not done. Nights like that are fairly normal here. It can be anything from she's a tiny bit peckish, not hungry enough to cry about it, but not willing to settle without some milk, to the temperature of her room isn't quite right. Once I work out what it is and solve the problem I can usually get her back to sleep within an hour. If I don't, she'll chat and fidget pretty much until I give up and get up for the day, regardless of the actual time. My advice, if she isn't settling work through all the options. Change nappy. Check temp and switch sleeping bag if necessary. Offer water. Offer milk. It's exhausting, you have my sympathy, and yes, I've been known to have a bit of a teary eyed session after several nights like this in a row. It gets to the best of us.

Plonky good luck with the house, I really hope you get the one of your dreams. House buying so so stressful. Don't let the process get you down, as it's always worth it in the end.

Funny old day yesterday, as she just wasn't happy. DH got her down for the night pretty early though, at 8.30pm, and strangely despite having refused her evening milk and half of every meal throughout the day she slept through for the first time in a week. I b**dy didn't, which is infuriating. I've been up since 4am, and DH since 5am, as he's on dog duties before work this week. The downside of the driveway work is the dogs are in all day, so need a good run first thing to keep them sane.

Something speaking of dogs, sympathy. They can drive you nuts at times can't they. There are days when I'd quite happily re-home one, or other, or even at times both . Then there are others when I just feel lucky, because they are being sweet. Yesterday was one of those days. The toddle has started to save her teatime crusts for then. Watching her hand feed them out of the back door, both sitting nicely and very gently taking the crusts from her hand being careful not to bite her fingers make me well up a bit. Children and animals, they have their moments.

I don't think I sleep trained properly Stormy. I didn't have the backbone to leave him screaming in the dark, in the middle of the night. We did it at bedtime because there were two of us wide awake and capable of supporting the idea, and never left him more than 5 mins. I certainly would not do it again.

Ah worse that all fluffy and lovely and might have brought a tear to my eye too! At the park ds goes mad for dogs we don't know, and he'll look at the sky with a grin and huge wide eyes and declare "bir!" I get something in my eye then, too.

If we manage to get Plonky's Dream House we are getting a whippet. End of discussion.

Oh God Eco, you poor thing. I don't cope well with nights like that at all. I never had anxiety problems before DD but I'm exactly the same, nights like that make me anxious and teary and want to just scream then run away to a lush hotel room where I can be by myself. DD goes straight back to sleep with a cuddle from DH but if it's me she screams if she's not upright and on me and then when asleep wakes up every time I try to get her back down. She won't even sleep in our bed with me anymore. Last night she was up at 1 and 4 but luckily DH was around with a broad shouldered cuddle. I do often wonder if it's something in the air, full moon/change of air pressure/tides/some other thing I know very little about, because often if one of these toddles has a terrible night and isn't poorly, some of the others do too. I'm ever hopeful that an easier solution presents itself with age!

Plonky, the house hunt is very exciting. I hope you get a lovely place for a bargain price! I think the ones you're looking at look like great starter houses. They've got everything you need. Kitchen with enough storage and room for a washer/dryer, 2 reception rooms, one of which you could probably use as a playroom/informal dining room, decent bathroom, enough bedrooms for you all and a garden that you can transform into a toddler friendly world of loveliness! Ideally you want to buy somewhere that needs decorating as that always knocks a bit off the price and you'll want to make it your own anyway. It's a huge bonus that you can get a house with everything you need in lovely Derbyshire with decent primaries nearby for such a bargain price!

Something, I'd happily have given DDog away when she was a puppy. She was a horror!!! Luckily now she's 2 she's a fantastic family dog if still a bit excitable but aren't we all? and her and DD are gorgeous together. I did laugh at your post though because DDog also ate a phone cover freshly delivered by amazon!

Wotta, how's your house hunt progressing?

I reckon these toddlers go on their own toddlesnet and plan these sleepless nights

The separation anxiety has gone up another level and ds screams for me when I drop him off at nursery. It is so horrible leaving him crying. I have to go back to the office but a big truck has blocked me in whilst unloading. Grrrr.

Betty what is it about Daddy that makes a toddle settle better? We have that here, too.

Yummy you've reminded me of the Cutted Up Pear thread. If DS could post on ToddlesNet it'd go something like this :
I can no longer abide the rules set down, seemingly at random by Benign Lady Dictator. Apparently it's not ok to pour my cup on the floor. Who knew? The floor was clearly thirsty, and she set the precedent anyway, by pouring milk on me. There I was, sitting on her foot while she faffed with the HOT and cup. And then I was wearing her milk. Why does she not get told off? I can not live under such hypocrisy. Tractor is helping me plot revenge. I have been favouring the mashed banana under the chair technique, but this calls for something greater. Perhaps feigning teething pain in order to get delicious medsin. Once the medsin is mine I can dribble it on the furniture. Yes.

eco you have my complete and utter sympathy. I've always been impressed with having a DS who slept through from 6 weeks old with only the odd bad night, but for the past 3ish, they've all been bad. I'm putting it down to separation anxiety and the 18 month sleep regression. You are not alone. Last night, he went into bed after milk and crrriiiiieeeedddd until I went in, picked him up and cuddled him to sleep in my arms. It only took about ten minutes so he was clearly very tired but just didn't want to be alone. But if you and betty do decide to run away to a luxurious hotel, please may I gatecrash?

plonk ToddlePlonk's post made me DS's version of ToddlesNet might go like this:
Why does BLD assume, because I have had a busy, busy morning of running around the park with the furry thing and going on a long walk, as well as having had lots of breakfast, and that I'm rubbing my eyes, sitting on her knee and sucking my thumb, that I actually want to nap? Of course I'm sleepy, I mean...wouldn't you be after a morning like that? But to bed? TO BED? Is she crazy? I obviously retaliated by chatting and singing to myself while in the bed, knowing that she could hear me. I would've screamed the place down like usual but I'll save that up for tonight instead. Probably. I don't know what happened after that though because the next thing I know, she was in my room WAKING ME UP! First she makes me sleep when I don't want to sleep, then she wakes me up to take me to the childminder's. I don't mind that though, sometimes I get chocolate spread sandwiches when I'm there.

That should be past 3ish weeks, not nights.

Yummytoddles post would be: mummy moans about having too much work to do but she don't let me help her. Once I thought I would tidy my toys in the bathroom but she shouted at me for putting them in that ceramic thing with water in it. I was only trying to help her. Daddy cuddled mummy yesterday. How dare he. She is MINE. I heard if mummy and daddy cuddle they make another baby. No way am I letting that happen. My plan is to stay awake as late as possible so mummy and daddy are too sleepy to cuddle. If that don't work I will make sure I scream if I get in my cot so I can sleep in the middle of both of them in their massive bed.