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

Yeah it's a tricky path to tread Stormy, this house hunting malarkey. Our perfect house has a huge country style kitchen with room for a gret big wooden table, one or two outbuildings in the garden, 3 bedrooms and a study. However we'd need to double our deposit, which would mean saving for another, oh I dunno, three years. So in order to keep up with the life we've decided we want for ourselves, we have to have small kitchens and awkward bathrooms. But, as Yummy says, our money dahn sahf would pretty much get us a postage stamp, so in that respect we're very lucky.

Yummy my first reaction was that you'd have DS out of his seat and on a lap in a moving vehicle, but I assume you were at your wits end. Very lucky you weren't stopped by a police. Please be more resilient in the future, the least worst thing that could happen is that you're banned from driving, and the most worst(est?) is unthinkable.

I've just lit my candle 10 minutes late. The shame. Thinking of you Rainbow, and DD and Arlo too.

Oh and so far I'm with Betty - I prefer house 2 because it's finished to a standard I like. Floors, carpets etc all look good. DH prefers house one because "it's bigger". No, DH. They're pretty evenly sized. One has furniture in and the other's empty. If they're both still on the market in a fortnight we'll be viewing them. Both areas good, both near good primary schools and both within two miles of current town.

yummy could be a ww but the book only goes up to week 75, and we're a couple of months past that. Given the last few tended to be about two months apart... Yeah, it'll be a wonder week.

Anyway, back to houses. If the decoration in number two is to your taste then go for it. There's not a great deal in it with the kitchen sizes. I like the stairs - at right angles to the front door isn't something I've ever seen round here. Makes for a more sensible upstairs landing arrangement. Far less irritating than my house, where they'd have made the back bedroom considerably larger if the stairs were the other way round. And for the record, your money would go further up here! The two houses linked to are two beds really, in terms of space, they just benefit from a loft conversion with sufficient space for acceptably sized stairs, and a decent sized back garden allowing for a long kitchen extension. For your money up here you'd get a proper three bed, as in originally built with three on the first floor, plus an equally sizeable if not larger garden.

Right. I'm going to check out some London prices on rightmove while the man does the washing up. If I don't come back you'll know my head's imploded in horror.

Stormy don't do it! You honestly won't believe it. I'm in dirty Leeds Leeds Leeds and my house is probably double what it would be at your end of the M62 and half what it would be inside the M25.

Yummy it's amazing what these little people can drive you to that you never thought you'd do isn't it? I'm driving down to London via Nottingham at stupid o'clock on Saturday morning and I'm already sweating at the thought of it. I may have to purchase a nursery rhymes CD and start a precedent I'll live to regret. Hopefully you'll never feel in that position again. Poor you.

Our candle has been lit (and smelling lush I might add) for the last hour and I've been thinking about Arlo and your DD Rainbow and about my wonderful parents who lost my brother when he was a baby. Thanks for bringing this evening to all of our attention, it's such a small thing to do but stands for something so important.

We've had such a busy day here but so much fun, DD is hilarious at the moment and it's like having a little partner in crime with you. We've been for a birthday lunch for my friend, puddle jumping, leaf kicking, cuddles in front of Peppa, baked cakes, cooked dinner and then had a very splashy bath. This evening I feel very lucky.

I'm in my own property whirl at the mo. Will pop a linky on fb as really excited but really precarious at the mo...

I like both Plonky. Does one area have the edge? Play hard ball and see which you can secure cheapest?

Watching my candle in a new holder I bought a few weeks ago and haven't tried and it's delicate and very pretty which seems appropriate. To dd1 and Arlo and all.

House 1 is in a very slightly naicer area. But they're both in teensy villages in rural Derbyshire, so I'd say on a par really. One has a small nature reserve in walking distance. One is where the famous Denby pottery comes from, so I could live in a house filled with precariously positioned plates.

Fuck me house hunting's tough on the brain

Wotta your search sounds more difficult. I think because I've never actually done this before with any real belief that I could buy, I'm just not taking it seriously. I won't even have my full deposit for another 2 weeks, so I'm still living in pipedream territory.

Stormy hope you've not had a minor stroke at the gobsmacking price of London property... Need someone to come over and give you a dink round the face to bring you round?

To add insult to my brain, both those houses are in the catchment for the same junior school.

Wotta you'd better snap that place up before I win the lottery. It's gorgeous.

plonky if location isn't a big deciding factor my initial thinking is house 2, as although it needs a bit of tarting up it has allocated parking and obvious room for a washing machine, neither of which are immediately apparent in house 1. That may just be because they aren't in the pictures though. I spent a couple of years in a shared house where the only parking was on street. It was a pain as you could be certain that the times when you needed to park near to the house - say after dark, in the pouring rain, when you had loads of shopping, the nearest space would be 3 streets away.

Stormy manacles you say . Tempting . Although she'd be sure to work them out before they'd really earned their keep. Tonight she has spent a good twenty minutes undoing and doing up the various child proof buckles on her booster seat. I take it all back, I don't think she's dim. I think she is a budding engineer. In pink. With sparkly glitter and high heels.

Incidentally did you come out of your rightmove induced stupor yet? London is mad. The whole of the SE is mad. You don't have to be mad to live there, but it certainly helps

Finally feeling normal again today for the first time in weeks. Bl**dy thyroid. Pregnancy is a pain, because thyroxine needs increase, but not necessarily in line with the re-testing reschedule. I've obviously been running way under for a while now. No wonder I've been tired, depressed, run down, and a bitch to DH. Doctor rang me today, doubled dose, by this afternoon I was on a high, managed a big batch cook during nap time, did all the ironing, cleaned out the freezer, and didn't so much as flinch when the toddle did her level best to drive me half demented whilst I tried to cook tea. Frustrated with being ignored for a whole minute she actually bit the back of my knee !

On the house hunting front, I had a word with DH yesterday and got his solemn oath that I will not under any circumstances be expected to move into an enormous barn of a renovation job immediately before or after giving birth. If (and it's a big if) we ever do this It will be post the newborn phase. I calmly pointed out that having me collapse and die would not assist him in his plans to be the next great business mogul!

Speaking of himself he was actually home in time to do bed time tonight. Not teatime or bath time, or milk time, or dealing with the dogs time (unfortunately), but the person sitting upstairs right now listening to a constant not very tired sounding stream of doidy talk is not me . Ahhh bliss.

Eco I forgot to reply before, I'm 23 and a half weeks... to be precise. This is kind of terrifying, because in less than 4 months I will have two. Argggghhhh

wotta that is a gorgeous house. Good luck. Hope it all goes through ok.

plonky I think you would actually need to view these properties in person, if you haven't already. Photos by these agents are misleading. I remember when our previous rental was up on the property site and it looked huge and decent. In reality it was tiny and needed gutting out renovating.

Yep we do need to look. All the others we like are in slightly worse areas/cost more/new whole new kitchens and bathrooms. Thanks for opinions all.

Betty your post last night was lovely. And Leeds to London via Nottingham?! Are you mental? Good luck. Take iPad and headphones. Snacks. Make stops and be prepared to run around a lot in those stops. And gin. And deep breaths.

Worse your fella does sound a decent sort. The two of you make very exciting plans together and I for one think you'll be grand whatever you decide to do. And the thyroid problem (which I'd totally forgotten about, oops!) explains a lot of how you've been feeling. Hopefully that pantry will be nicely sealed for awhile now.

Best toy at the moment is a pop up tunnel I bought from amazon for £7. He bloody loves it. Highly recommend.
Oh and I don't want to speak too soon but I think we've cracked the early hours milk. I say we've cracked it, more like he just stopped wanting it. It may be down to me offering supper but I think it's just him. He still comes in with us at 4 but just goes straight to sleep. I'm baffled. I thought he'd still be doing this when he's 30.

Aghhh. I have spent the whole morning comforting ds and cleaning up vomit. Poor ds has caught a bug. So we are sat here with lots of cuddles with a bucket and wet wipes by our side. He is bringing up lots of phlegm.

Hope you are all having a better morning than us.

Oh no Yummy. Get well soon Yummytod. Is he bright enough for a trip out in the pram for some fresh air? Might help you if nothing else, but obviously not if he is still vomiting.

Plonky it's such a pain this thyroid thing, because you think it's stabilised, when it's not, hence don't immediately put two and two together and come up with the need for a blood test. It's hard to describe exactly what you feel like, but I'd say it's somewhat akin to wading through treacle, up hill, with severe PMT. The first sign I tend to pick up on is struggling with stairs. It's like my legs just can't do it. Plus depression. Everything seems impossibly hard. I was on the verge of putting the toddle in nursery full time, and I'd hate that. I'd miss her. She's my little pal, hilarious, cute, loving and very sweet. Put it this way, today I was up at 6am, had dd at nursery for 8am, have done 3 hours cleaning, as in proper hard cleaning: floor washing, bathroom scrubbing, vacuuming etc, not just waving a duster around, plus a load of washing, and tidying, and I still have bags of energy left. I'm thinking about a walk in the sunshine after lunch with the toddle. Two days ago I'd have been on my knees by now, probably crying . It's nice to be back.

So for the medics on here, if you get someone in your surgery complaining of tiredness and depression, do a quick thyroid test. Everyone looks for the standard cold hands, dry skin, falling out eyebrows, weight gain side of things, but not necessarily depression.

Gorgeous sunny day today - where has autumn gone? I hope this lasts for the weekend. We're off to see the new teeny tiny nephew. Not heard from SIL since the birth. This has made me smile a bit. She was one of those people who really couldn't understand how anyone could not have any spare time when looking after a baby, after all 'don't they sleep most of the day' !!! Reality has landed.

Is low thyroid without weight gain a thing? Because all symptoms you've mentioned, worse, plus all I've seen when googling, fit the man perfectly. And he's vaguely mentioned having been told his thyroid is wonky in the past. But he won't see the doctor. Drives me insane.

yummy my sympathies. If I could lend DS Fartypants's iron constitution for a while just to give you a break from the sick, I would.

Not much to report here, except the chalkboard is proving immensely popular. As is eating the chalk. And I've spent the past hour catching up on a thread about consent and despairing of the world.

What else was I going to say...? Ah yes. worse, the only fastening DD can handle is Velcro. Hasn't even worked out zips yet, and they're a doddle. They really do all have different talents!

It's not the stereotype Stormy as most people put on weight when their metabolism grinds to a near halt, but personally I lose, because I get so tired, bloated and constipated I can't eat. Does that sound like DP? Is he the type who would rather have a couple of biscuits or a bowl of cereal than a meal?

Seriously, do whatever you have to to get him to a doctor, because if it is the same as me it is such an easy fix. A tablet or two a day. That's it, and you feel like you have been given your life back. It's just a case of replacing a missing hormone, like insulin for diabetics, so it's not like being on drugs. No side effects. Nothing.

The other thing that rings alarm bells for me is an under active thyroid never gets better, you are on treatment for life, so if he has had this diagnosis in the past it will still apply. About the only benefit of the whole deal is as thyroxine is an essential life long treatment once diagnosed you get an exemption card for free NHS prescriptions.

yummy I hope DS is feeling better.

Well, I am in the midst of what can only be described as a breakdown. Ever since I took the new job, DS has refused to go to bed willingly like he used to. I know it's not the job's fault, that's just how long it's been. Maybe a change in his routine, but anytime, day or night, regardless of how tired he is, the second he goes into the cot, he screams. We'll take him out and he'll snuggle on us, rub his eyes, yawn, etc, then when he goes back in...screams. I just broke down in tears tonight and fled to the sofa leaving DP to deal with him as soon as he walked through the door. I hate hearing my baby scream himself to sleep but milked, changed, tired, I don't know what else to do.

Did you try the cot play I blathered on about Something?

Sorry eco, I did. Straight after his bath we have a play and he loves it. Bounces around laughing. I'll keep doing it though. I thought maybe he hated his new duvet so put the old blanket back tonight, that didn't help either.

Oh dear Something, I do hope it's just a phase. Apparently separation anxiety is common at this age, so it could be that. If so it's actually a good thing (if someone screaming at you can ever be good) - because he's just so in love with his mummy. It's tough when you're so used to them going down to sleep easily, but do you think it could be worth spending a few minutes sat quietly in his room being silent and avoiding eye contact? It's not leaving him to scream because you're still there, but it's an opportunity to let him express his distaste without feeling abandoned. I second eco's cot play suggestion too.

If it's any use to you, Paul Hollywood's on BBC2 moaning at Mary Berry. No fun contestants, but tasty food porn.

Yummy how is DS now? And how are you?

Well we're viewing house 2 on Monday. I say we. I mean the royal we, of course, as DH is on a course in That Leeds on Monday, so if it's good I'll book a second viewing. Fuck. I'm growing up.

Ds has managed to keep water and some food down for the last part of the evening. I know he is getting better because he started rummaging through my cupboards again. I would rather him go through the cupboards and have him throw toys everywhere than be so ill like he was today.

something I totally sympathise with you. I think we just have to ride this out and see it as another phase. Big hugs to you. Are you thinking him being like this is down to you working more days now? I sensed that from your post. Please don't think that if that is what you are linking it to. I just think it is a phase all toddlers go through but at different times.

plonky I look forward to your update on the viewing. I only caught the end part of the GBBO masterclass but there is always the good old iplayer.

I am off to zzzz. I hope we all have fab night of snoring and sweet dreams.

Oh plonky, I know what you mean about feeling grown up. I feel grown up and mumsy dealing with ds today. I just did what I have to do and remembered all the do's and don'ts from previous vomiting bugs.

Sorry about your poorly little toddle yummy hope he's feeling much better tomorrow.

Something I sympathise - I had an hour of screaming every time i left the room two nights ago and ended up teary and a bit shouty (not proud) as I was on my own. That was the first night in a long time though that she slept through. Disturbed every other night for the past two weeks or so. I take it as a sign that she just didn't want me to leave but learn she must so do what you can and then have

Plonky house 2 is right around the corner from my DSis's new house. She moved two weeks ago and loves it. Nice area I think

Hope everyone else is good - just dipping in as I haven't for a while but only due to lack of sleep...

Oh Something it's miserable isn't it. We've had the same ever since our holiday - she went from happily self settling to complete hysteria if we leave her. That was a good six weeks ago and we're now at the stage where she will eventually settle provided we stay with her, but it can take up to two hours. Leaving her to cry isn't an option either as she'd climb out and fall. It's put me off holidays for good, which is awkward as my parents live abroad.

We had to start by cuddling her to sleep, moving on to cuddling her until she was half asleep before putting her in the cot, and now reading to her and then sitting with her, but no longer cuddling her. I reckon she'll be back to self settling in a month.

Yummy how was your night? I hope ds is feeling better today. Vomiting bugs are the worst

Plonky I prefer doing the first viewing on my own, you get to really focus. Last place we looked at DH stayed outside with with the toddle and I went round with the agent (he'd already seen it), and that worked well to. Good luck - hope you find the perfect home

I am amazed daily at how fast our toddles are learning at this age. Apparently one night as part of the bedtime routine DH wrapped the toddle's toy dog in a baby blanket and put him in the cot. Ever since then she has taken to wrapping her toys in blanket before putting them in her toy pram and wheeling them round the kitchen. It's so cute.

Nursery morning, and the cleaning is done, so I have some free time. Luxury!

Did everyone get eaten by Friday?