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

Morning all. Lost you again, so sorry I'm such a rubbish member sometimes .

Ooh Any... The slippery slope! Whatever you decide is fine, do what's right for your family.

Worse, from what I remember of lunch dates with by bf after she had her second (5 weeks younger than my DS and 16 m apart) the first few happened when it was just us and the babies and either her dh or nursery had DS! Not sure how much that helps except to say don't feel guilty.

Well jel () of the potential cock bitch meetup. Maybe one day we can all go and road test a fab hotel in the Lakes (and trash it's reviews as people hate the hoards of madding toddles in some posh non 'family ' establishment ).

Think dh is about to let me down again. I do the nursery runs and he gets DS ready in the mornings. I told him that he was getting later and later which was making me late and he had to get up earlier. He bitched but did it Monday. Failed yesterday and as he should have been up 15m ago to get ready before waking DS at 7, today's not looking good. I will go and wake him but really resent being made his mother not his wife!

Wotta a mass meet up needs to happen at some point, and why not a beautiful hotel in the lakes? Seems as good a place as any, especially as we don't have a North wester among us and everyone has to travel. See? Fair!

Hmm give dh a clout? Early mornings in the winter suck but you should face them together.

Worse well at least babies have a habit of making things un-white before long! can't believe how quickly the pregnancy has gone, seems to have flown by.

Eco these toddles are a bit tricky at times no? Thankfully their general awesomeness tends to override my "kill me now" instinct. Has she nursed properly yet? And can I just say well done for sticking wth bf this far? I'm truly amazed. But I can see how on top of freelance self employment, living in Bloody Bedfordshire and the general Tiddler business you might well end up on the kitchen floor eating skittles. Were they sour ones?

Oh if you would like to pop in on the 22nd I think there may be a Something wandering nearby.

Stormy I'm off to sunny Wrexham first thing on B Day so that's me out. But let's simply postpone wpf until Betty and Eco can make it too.

So today I have shipped the littlesaurus off to baby prison nursery so I can tackle my house. This does mean working nights to keep up with work work but that's ok. I am about to gather all my clothes on the floor in one place and be ruthless. Then ds' clothes. Then every scrap of paperwork. And all the crap we've accumulated in 4 years. I expect I'll have to make FOUR trips to the recycling centre today. Now where's that coffee...

Wotta if I were you I'd have been tempted to just go to work and leave DH to do the nursery run. He knows you need to leave at a certain time, he knows it's his job to have DS ready by that time, so let him deal with the consequences of not doing his part in good time. Also, if and when I ever get round to visiting my sister again (train is pricey!) I'm hoping to arrange it so I can have a lengthy wait for a connection in Exeter so you can meet me for a pint.

I am annoyed at not being able to make Xmas Eve eve. The man and his mother knew I wanted to meet up with some of you lot and they've not made plans with time for that. Grrrr.

In better news, he was here at 7am so I didn't get up until 10. Fartypants greeted me and launched into a load of gibberish featuring the words "duggle" and "hoofer". Good of her to tell me my brother had just been round to borrow the hoover!

Cumbrian meet up? Well, maybe, once we actually own it, which could be a while given the speed these things go. Think your average house conveyance times 500 times the pain! To be honest the delay is kind of working in our favour, as it'd be nice to have babax all present and correct before we have to start the regular commute up there.

Wotta Stormy is spot on. Make it DH's responsibility. I'm fairly sure he'll wise up when he realises no one is picking up the slack for him.

Eco there is every possibility I will start bf-ing for a second time before you stop the first! That must earn you some kind of award . Can I ask something politically incorrect? When is the right time to stop? I know nothing about extended bf-ing, other than something feels a bit wrong about bf-ing a 4 year old, which is what someone I know is doing

It was the couples ante-natal class last night, and do you know what, we quite enjoyed it! DH walked in with an expression best reserved for the waiting room at the dentist, but gradually thawed. They're a nice bunch, and the class was useful, although it did confirm my long held view that if anyone so much as attempts to massage my back when I am in labour I will punch them

Oh, anyone remember that conservatory? Well, finally, after a year of pain we have a different company taking the roof off and re-doing it from scratch. The noise is driving me half mad. Two industrial sanders running all through the toddle's lunch was a particular treat. I have no idea how she managed to eat anything. V sick inducing.

eco just stopping briefly to say that we have breastfeeding issues when DD is stuffed up or ill - I just go with the flow. I do offer more when she is ill because her appetite goes down and I like to know she is getting some good nutrients and calories with my milk but generally I don't stress about how much or often DD feeds - its now totally up to her.

worse full term feeding can go on as long as mum and child are happy and comfortable doing so. Feeding a toddler is much more of a two way relationship than feeding a baby. Natural weaning age where you do nothing is anywhere between age 2-7 and there are still a lot of benefits to both mum and baby health wise and nutrition wise and also for comfort as they get older. While I can't imagine feeding a four year old at the moment I suspect it will be very different feeding DD at that age if she still wants too. I never thought I would be feedig a nearly 2 year old so happily and proudly! At the moment it's still fabulous and works for DD and me - its like a miracle cure that stops any tantrum before it begins, cures all bumps and bruises and soothes any tiredness. I can't see our breastfeeding journey ending anytime soon but I have decided I am going to leave that decision to end totally up to DD no matter what age she is.

Seven Rainbow . Seriously?! From the things my niece was saying, aged five, when I was bf-ing dd I'd say the cut off needs to be considerably before that unless your child is shielded from the school play ground. Kids grow up a lot faster these days, hit puberty a lot younger, and learn about sex far too young. It makes things like bf-ing a bit phnar phnar from a fairly young age, which is admittedly a shame.

Thoroughly depressed this evening. You know the hardest thing about second pregnancies? The fact you spend half your life carrying the weight of one half formed baby and one fully formed toddler around with you, that's what .... and do you know what the result of that is (other than a bad back)? Varicose veins, and not just on your legs. Looks like I'm good for nothing but trousers and mid calf skirts from now on. I. Could. Cry.

worse that sounds so tough. My body changed irreversibly during pregnancy (large baby, tiny frame - covered in stretch marks all over). I try not to worry about it too much but it's so permanent. Hope you get a cleaner soon and your DH can be home more so you can take the weight of your feet.

As for seven year olds feeding - pretty rare and on the outer edge of biological norm. From what I gather more children wean naturally somewhere between 2-3years and by 2 and a half it becomes more private and more morning and night type thing. Mind you I've never had anything but curiosity from five year olds simply asking what I am doing. Don't really see what relevance knowing about sex or early puberty is to how long you feed - I would be very concerned if a five year old was sexulising breast at such a young age. Appreciate that that's what society does but I would feel I failed if my five year old found anything remotely unusual about the sight of a breastfeeding mum.

I have a day off today to myself! This is the first time I have had any time to myself since DD was born other than the old hour here and there. Not quite sure what I am going to do but doing my best to avoid any chores or errands!

Rainbow sofa, feet up, . Revel in the knowledge that for one day you have no responsibilities except to be. Enjoy it!

Rainbow enjoy that! I was very excited by my first chunk of time and have been lucky enough to have plenty now. I do tend to end up list ticking so applaud your resolve. Maybe some crafting for you today? Enjoy. And thank you for popping in reassure. I think it's perhaps related to her cold and a stage she's going through of exerting will. Going on what others say it should pass.

Donkey I've never tried a sour skittle. Should I? Is your new house going to be a chic uncluttered abode? How did your clearing go and do you think you'll stick with the streamlined approach? Thanks for your praise re breastfeeding, I hadn't thought about it in terms of something to be proud of but I guess it is in a way. We've found a prettm hassle free route through it now that I can go away overnight so it's all good. When she accepts milk! She's had a bit these last few days. I'll have to chat to elvis about our meet. I've made an almighty fuss about the amount of driving over Christmas to the point where we cancelled a trip to visit some of his friends yesterday. I discovered that you're further than I thought....about and hour and a half according to tom tom. I shall negotiate and use my womanly charms and see where that gets me.

Worse you can wear normal skirts. No one will care and you might care less as time passes. My last three years have taken a very heavy toll on my face (seriously!) but I don't wear a balaclava any more And with regards feeding Ecotod it's very strange how it's all come about. My goals shift constantly. I've moved from first few weeks, to six months, to a year to two years. Back before she came I think we both thought a year was more than old enough to stop but as rainbow said, now we're in the midst of it it doesn't feel at all odd. We're only morning in bed and evening on sofa now so it's a pretty private affair. And finally, a conservatory in time for Christmas? That would be lovely.

Wotta thinking of you and hoping dh stepped up this morning?

Happy thirsty Thursday everyone. I can hear my girl downstairs cheering her Cadbury's button in her advent stocking and I want a piece of the action so I'd best away!

Oh enjoy that Rainbow! You've blooming earned it!

Surgery day today... Wish me luck. weird to think that if all goes well I won't need glasses. They've gone in first thing and come off last thing and induced such panic at loss in the middle for so long I don't quite know how it'll feel... Prepared to find out though!

Worse, when this is all over you could consider getting any that don't resolve zapped. It really is quick and compared to childbirth twice painless. If it troubles you that much then worth looking into maybe? I had some done on my face - a couple of blood vessels got damaged when I was younger and I was very self conscious about them. Really helped.

Somehow broken veins feel different to tiger stripes, though I have plenty of those too. All faded to White already which makes them hardly noticeable. Must be the benefit of being plastered in the buggers as a teenager when they took years to go . It's the wobbly belly keeping me out of bikinis now (well and the sub freezing temps right this second ).

Hope you all have good days. I will catch up when the vision has cleared...

Wotta I'm well jel! - 4.75 and -5.25 here so I can empathise with the lost glasses problem. I hope that you find it all exciting and that they look after you very well. Tomorrom will be a brand new day in so many ways! Go for it!

I guess I'm just a bit taken aback because last time round I got away with zero impact visible impact on my body. No stretch marks, no saggy belly, no varicose veins, no weight gain, literally nothing (although my core was invisibly shot, so not all good!). This time... not so lucky. It's not a great big snake like varicose vein, it's a patch of small ones so looks like a bruise. I walk round with bruises on my legs all the time. I have a dog with no spacial awareness. He runs into me a lot! I'll live. It's not like I'm 25 and live in minis (although I am a little nostalgic for when I was).

Rainbow unless you keep your child out of school you can't avoid the phnar phnar effect. There is always one naughty boy in the play ground making jokes about titties, and well, sadly the other kids pick up on it. My niece is just a normal kid, but the very first thing she asked me 'was does your baby suck your boobies' . My sister was mortified as you can imagine. I just told her yes, because that is how mummies feed babies. My worry about feeding an older kid is the play ground effect if it came out in school, which it might, as these things tend to.

Wotta good luck today. It'll be worth it for the freedom of life without glasses.

It's a nursery morning so I have cleaning to do.... although dah dah dahhhhhh, as of next week I have a new cleaner starting! I could cry with relief. This house is too much for one small pregnant person to manage by herself. To be frank it's too much for an unpregnant person, but that's a whole other thread. DH is doing everything he can, and after next week has promised to be at home pretty much full time until after the baby is born. He's realised just how much of a handful the toddle is, largely because she is so hyper. Even he struggles when she's kicking and wriggling! I'm lucky that he is able to take a sabbatical, but realistic as to what his idea of 'at home' means. He has the hotel, and two start ups to work on, plus fingers in many other pies. That for most people would be a full time job.

I'll join eco and Wotta in the blind as the proverbial club, but I'm not jealous of the laser surgery! Mainly because there are two things in this world that truly revolt me: mucous and eyeballs. Worst thing I ever saw was someone fishing a torn lens out of her eye with talons for nails. Hideous. Makes me shudder just thinking of it.

Worse cleaner sounds awesome! I have a sneaking suspicion that some people are Clean People, who can keep on top of the house no matter its size. Then there's the rest of us, who expand and contract our cleaning abilities to ensure that whatever the size of the house there will never be time to clean it all. If I lived in a shed there would still be messy bits that I didn't have time to clean.

Right. Clothes! We are off to visit Gammondaddy this morning.

Worse one pregnancy is a real physical strain for even the fittest person, you did very well to come through it relatively unscathed last time. To do it again so soon with mad toddler and uncleanable house is just...well you're amazing but also nuts I know what you mean about the playground effect on Bfing kids. There was a wee lad in my class at junior school (alas, Jamie my first kiss aged 9 on a residential week) who was obsessed with jugs. By the time we were 10 he had Geri Halliwell pictures all over the inside of his desk. On the other hand I read a blog by a mum to two boys who does natural term bfing, and has only just weaned her 4 year old. Pre baby I would have thought WTF but it seems to have been a mutual process. She is relieved that he did it while at preschool. These things are so personal.
Yay for the cleaner! Boo to the varicose veins (which I would go private to get removed ASAP).

Wotta OOH I hope the surgery works well. Mum says remember to not get water on or around your eye for a week. I remember washing her hair over the tub after her surgery (she can't be trusted to do it alone). How lovely to never wear glasses! I have a pathetic prescription so tend not to wear my specs but I still hate having them full stop.

Rainbow hmm sounds like a day for indulging. A long soak in the bath with a good book? Bit of baking? Going for a walk with only your house keys so you're completely unencumbered by the usual plethora of toddler crap?

Eco think of us as being closer to notts than in the peaks once we've moved. M1j28 should see you right, or 20 mins north of Derby. I know what you mean about all the bloody driving though, it's such a pain. I'm not looking forward to our Boxing Day jaunt to Wales followed by trips up the Wirral.
I'm sure we'll come to an arrangement that suits. We could do a muddy walk?

The clearing out thing is supposed to be the beginning of a real change. Obviously it'll make it easier to move if we have fewer gubbins, but we're desperate to get a sense of calm and space in the new house. I read about this bonkers lady called Marie Kondo who devised a decluttering method. Instead of thinking whether you might use something in the future (because you invariably don't) or whether something is beautiful or practical you ask each of your things if they bring you joy. Bonkers. But by doing this I cleared 10 bags of stuff I was previously convinced we needed. It feels like an affront to the vapid consumerism we'd unknowingly been living in, if that makes any sense. Some I'm KonMari-ing everything before I pack up the stuff we truly love, and going down the chazza with the rest. Let's hope we manage to keep it up!
Ok everything is in place. All enquiries returned, all surveys done, mortgage in place, transfer documents sent to my solicitor...and she still wont give a completion date! I think there will be time for Stern Words later.

Thank you for all the day off advice! Trying to make the most of it!

I think long term breastfeeding is just a very personal journey and while I would be relieved if DD weans pre school, I'm not going to force it in any way. Exposure for kids not doing it in the playground may one day lead them as adults to recall that actually it's totally normal and lead them to be more comfortable with their own decision rather than pandering to the ridiculous obsession in society with boobs as money making sexual objects while being simultaneous happy to consume copious amount of breastmilk from other mammals even as adults!

worse if it helps, at least you can look back on your time as a 25 year old wearing minis with a svelte figure and no stretch marks. I was 24 when I had DS so I've had the stretch marks, scars, c-section shelf, etc since then so no mini-wearing for me. I envy 25 year old you but, I hope the veins don't cause you much grief. Good news that you have a cleaner, I hope that eases some of your stress at the moment.

stormy we're a household on top of our cleaning. I don't get a choice, DP is a cleanaholic. He considers it fun

wotta good luck today. I bet you can't wait to put those glasses down and keep them down!

eco you better sweet talk like never before. There are bitches to be had and playstations to not play!

rainbow what have you chosen to do with your you-day? Thursday mornings are my me-morning each week but I never relax, and I know I should. Make the most of it.

I'm feeling very Christmassy today, and I don't know why, but it's making me VERY excited for this time next week, when I only have one more day at work and the kids leave at 1pm meaning I'll just spend my afternoon eating fuddle food and drinking the wine that is provided

Something here's an interesting fact from an obstetrician friend. Apparently stretch marks are much worse on younger mums, and particularly bad on teenage mums, which might explain why I have none.... yet. There is still time. Pregnancy is a bit random like that. As for minis, you have to get out of those when you hit mid thirties anyway. One word, knees! They don't age well . I've done ok in life I guess. At 25 I was often mistaken for a model. Sadly I was cripplingly shy and thought myself skinny and ugly. Now, well, I look nothing like a model, but have huge self confidence. It has been a good trade off! Age brings its own rewards said by all older people to make themselves feel better

Stormy my house is spotless. Always!!! I may moan a bit, but I'm never not on top of it. I can't bear dirt, or mess, or smells, and would rather spend an entire day scrubbing a house than 5 minutes sitting in squalor. Drives DH demented. His dirt threshold hovers somewhere around E Coli. How we manage to live in the same hemisphere, let alone house I really don't know

Rainbow bf-ing is indeed personal, that goes without saying, but you can be fairly sure babax will not be on the boob at 4

Toddle alert, she's awake. Must dash.

Don't get me wrong, I don't live in squalor either, but at any given moment there's always some bit of cleaning or other that could be done if I could be arsed. Things polishing mirrors, or dusting skirting boards, or finally cracking on and doing something about the limescale in the bog (unexpected downside to living somewhere with water so hard it's almost solid).

Wotta can you see well enough to type a message saying it all went fantastically yet?

I think I come pretty close to living in squalor at times. Time just seems to run away from me and I can never manage to stay on top of everything. Having said that, I do tend to pile my plate pretty high with things to get on with, and I hate cleaning. And this house is damp and dusty which is hardly motivating. At least when I've recycled everything I own it should be easier.

Worse is that true about younger ladies bearing more marks of pregnancy? I must officially consider myself over the hill then, as I didnt get a single stretch mark. Although I have them all over my hips and tits from my teenage years. Attractive.

Can I just take this opportunity to say AAAAAARGH FUCKING SOLICITORS!!!!!!!!!!

Ahem. As you were.

Donks yes, generally speaking, apparently it is to do with hormone levels. Older women have more or something. Although I may have muddled that last bit, I wasn't really paying attention. Teenage mums definitely get the worst deal.

Freezing here, winter has arrived.

Worse when I was heavily pregnant I went to our local nappucino to buy some cloth nappies. I'm pretty open minded and hippy but when I saw a 2 year old run over to its mother, climb on her lap and curl up in an ungainly heap to feed I inwardly recoiled and thought 'no no no no, that's way too old'. And here I am, feeding a nearly two year old quite happily. Never say never (unless it's to bumsex in which case you can say no all you like in my book)

Donkeyplonk I've been meaning to say: solicitors can be bastards but might they be a key part of your saving a heap of stamp duty thanks to Mr Osborne? (never thought I'd say that). I hope so.

Nope eco, Mr Osborne hasn't helped us at all! We couldn't afford even a penny of stamp duty so have a teeny tiny mortgage and a house right on the threshold.

Ooh you mad hippy you

Happy Overfamiliar Friday, you sexy bastards.

Today is 13 years since my Grandma died. I never met my dads parents, as they both died before I was born, so the loss of my mums parents felt very abrupt at the time. My Grandma was a kind, straightforward sort of person and I wish there were more people on the world like her. I'm looking forward to decluttering a bottle of wine later and having some nice food.

I feel a bit stressed as ds didn't sleep well (therefore neither did I) and the house thing is ongoing, but fancy a brisk walk into town against the cold air anyway, before doing some more clearig out.

Hello my lovelies. Well, a mixed day. The good news: vision already better than 20:20 and signed off for driving again.

Bad news would have up to 9;30 this morning have included the bruising to the whites of my eyes which is just scarlet - I look like something out of a horror fillum. However all that got rather overshadowed by the discovery that DS has a peanut allergy. So quite a bit of the day in a and e and a couple of epi pens later we are home. Not quite how I'd planned today...

I'm sorry if I'm ignoring anyone, I promise I'll reply later but...

Who wants to help plan another wedding?