March 2005 Part 7 - Welly Boots and Toddler Tantrums!

[JoPG]

Here is the new thread

JOPG - what a hoot about Freya. Iris can teach her all sorts of inconvenient tricks. How about rolling our kick stool round the kitchen so she can climb up on it, and onto the surfaces to grab any fragile / lethal item we leave lying around.

UMum - grobags are the baby sleepingbags which zip up and attach over the shoulders. In theory they're great because the baby can't get out so they stay nice and warm all night. In practice Iris is a veritable Houdini in them!

But I just got her down for her nap after sitting in the room with her for a while.

By the way - am I the only person on the planet not to have bought a single Christmas present yet! I mentioned this to a couple of people who were panicking over their lack of preparation and I was met with stunned silence!

Tamula - huge congratulations on the birth of "little" Astrid.

Pidge - no, I haven't bought any Christmas presents yet either. DH has ordered a couple of things online for Dominic. Sylvia will probably get some playdough or paints. I am not exchanging presents with DH. We are getting some vouchers for a niece.

All well here. Sylvia has a 20-a-day cough but happy & cheerful otherwise. Her speech is coming along nicely, with a sweet "Sia got bic" the other day (Sylvia has got a biscuit). She still calls Dominic Goo-ghee although lately she's been trying out Domik as well.

I'm busy doing some studying/writing up PhD etc, which is why I try and keep Mumsnetting to an absolute minimum. But it's nice reading up on all ht ebabies and I am keeping an eye on the thread. Perhaps we could try another meet-up in the new year?

I've got a couple of christmas presents for Niklas but nothing else. Me & dh also don't exchange presents (actually I'm hard pressed to think of a single present he has ever bought me !). I have to buy for children of a couple of friends and my nieces and nephews in the UK.

Hello everyone and congrats to Tamula on the safe (and quick) arrival of Ava. My labour with Harrison was an hour and a half start to finish so very quick too. Did you go into shock because it was so fast - that happened to me and I couldn't get off the bed for over two hours as my legs were so wobbly!!

I'm so glad to be part of the non-buying Xmas pressie club. I thought I was the only one. I've bought a couple of things on-line which arrived two days ago - so Hannah and Harri have some books, Harri has an animal thing and Hannah has some games and that's the sum total of my shopping so far - oh, except for some cocktail glasses and a shaker - well you've got to get your priorities right. I can't believe Xmas is only two weeks away and I haven't even bought cards yet.

Went out on Wednesday night with some people from work, including my new boss (only the second time I've met him) and got completely lashed I was soooooooo drunk (which I must say right now is very, very unlike me) that when I got home, I stripped off all my clothes in the hall and passed out on the sofa. DH came down at 2.30am as he thought I hadn't got home and found me unconscious. He tried to wake me and couldn't, so dragged me up to bed and I don't remember any of it How ashamed did I feel the next day when I started being reminded of all the things I'd said and done. But that was nothing to how ill I felt, I seriously believed I might die. I'm still feeling a bit fragile today so don't think I'll be doing that again in a hurry.

Have a nice weekend all.

Busy - You should be ashamed of yourself, and you a grown woman with 2 young children . (Hope you feel better tomorrow)

I have officially finished all my Xmas shopping - hooray! Mum hasd Freya today and I dashed round Bluewater and got all the remaining presents that I needed. Sorry

I think it would be a great idea to try and arrange a meet up. I know that we tried for March before, which perhaps wasn't such a good idea because of all the birthdays. We must be able to come up with something though.

LOL Busy! It's a long time since I was so hedonistic. These days two glasses of wine have me pretty much giggling like a schoolgirl.

The news from here is that Iris is spot-ridden! Well, her back and tummy are. And one of her playmates has had chickenpox recently, so I'm guessing that may be it. What are you supposed to do about cpox? I mean how do you know for sure they've got it? The first spots appeared on Saturday, now she has about 30 - 40 in total, but she is cheery as a chipmunk, indeed more full of beans than she's been in a while!

And Cleo hasn't had the pox yet, so my main concern is that that will be Iris's Christmas gift to her. Oops.

Pidge - Sorry to hear about Iris. TBH - we didn't take freya to the doctor or anything about her chicken pox, there is nothing that they can do and they just recommend calomine lotion. CPox is pretty distinctive and is like little raised red spots, which start to scab over after a few days. Glad to hear that Iris is still quite chirpy, Freya was ok with it really and fortunately had it pretty mildly. It can be awful when they get it very badly, Ethan's cpox was terrible and he ended up in hospital, bless him.
hope Cleo escapes with it being so close to Xmas, but I guess you already know that it is pretty likely that she will get it. Hopefully she will be ok for her first day of school.

Yup JoPG - no point going to the doctors. It is definitely chicken pox - the spots are exactly as you describe - a bit like infected mosquito bites. There are quite a few on her body . Bizarrely there are none on her arms or legs, only one on her face, and a couple in her hair.

Calamine lotion was bought this morning. So we're all set!

Cleo is absolutely bound to get it. I just hope it doesn't spoil her Christmas. And as least dp is on school hols after this week. So in some ways the timing couldn't be better.

We have a little girl from Cleo's school coming to play this afternoon - and we've already cancelled her twice due to me and then dp being ill. Thank goodness she's already had Cpox, so we don't have to cancel again!!

Poor Iris having CPox. Here's hoping Cleo doesn't come down with it just in time for the big day.

Having just recovered from the hangover from hell by Saturday, I came down with a flu type bug on Sunday and then as if a bad fairy was watching over, Harrison got it at the same time. I felt so ill, but he's been even worse so I've been up at night stripping him off to cool down and change bedding as he's sweated so much. Today, I went back to work and DH stayed home to look after him. Apparently he cried on and off for me all day, in between sitting on daddy's lap and sleeping. Poor little man

I'm staying at home with him tomorrow as I feel rubbish again this evening so I'll be glad of an excuse not to travel into work. Hopefully, I can get some online Xmas shopping done whilst he sleeps. Very envious of you Jo as I still haven't done anything more.

And we put our Xmas tree up and in between wailing sessions, Harrison stands and looks (with lots of touching and shouting of 'No Harrison') and says 'Ah lights, pretty' Very, very cute

busy - my kids virtually popped in excitement when dp put up the tree and they helped him decorate. I got home to see it twinkling and got stampeded by the junior Pidges squealing "treeeeeeee, treeeee" etc!

Iris has been on champion form with her spots. Not ill at all. But then this morning she woke us at 5.30am and was lying in her cot covered in vomit. Yuk. Again, once she'd got over the trauma of "the mess, mummy, look the mess" (!!!) plus then being dunked upside down into the sink to wash the sick out of her hair ... she was fine again. Soon demanding "bitsabits" = cornflakes. Which she chomped dry, as we didn't think milk was a good plan.

Still no spots on Cleo, but they're bound to come soon ....

Hope everyone else is well - I feel in a mad pre-Christmas flurry and not at all organised.

Glad Iris isn't faring too badly with the C.P. Took Lauren for her jabs this morning, which included C.P. Didn't flinch, brave baby.
Iris is really amazing with her talking. Lauren still hardly says a thing, let alone sentences!!
Busy - hope you are all feeling better.

Hi all. I kept Sylvia from nursery today as they thought she had chickenpox too. I don't think she has as only 3-4 tiny spots (and I mean tiny, about 1 mm, not infected or anything) and full of beans. I think i'll take her in again tomorrow as this definitely isn't chickenpox. Dominic's had it in a very mild form but still more spots and bigger than Sylvia. They'd had one case before yesterday at nursery, which is why the assistants thought that's what it is.

Busywizzy - sounds like you had a good time at the work do, but you're paying for it now with a weakened system and getting ill...

I have three job interviews coming up - hallelujah - and my present contract has been extended till October next year (still at 10 hours a week), so i feel more positive on the work front. So much so, today I went into town to find some clothes. I coudln't decide on anything in the end, i tried a few things on but everything seemed very drab. I have a predilection for gaudy things when I have my period and maybe that's why.

Jo - well done for being so organised with your Christmas shopping.

Jambot - what jabs do they do over there? They seem to have a different schedule than in the UK. I don't think we're due for any jabs for quite a while now.

We finally have a date for Dominic's cochlear implant operation: 31 January. They're going to implant the right ear.

What a truly hideous day. I've felt like death warmed up (and that was in a good moment), Harrison's felt even worse and has cried every time I've moved more than about 2 inches away from him and there was a bit of a crisis at work so I've been taking phone calls all afternoon from the comfort of my bed with Harri next to me shouting 'no phone mummy'. I've watched CBeebies all day (bad mummy I know but I couldn't face much else) so have seen every programme at least three times and the only other thing Harri wanted to do was play with his train set so I've sat on the floor pushing trains round and round until I felt like my arm was going to fall off.

Amazingly, I'm feeling much better this evening and as I'm off work now until Tuesday, hopefully I've got a nice few days to fully recover. If that bad fairy's still around though, I just know she'll inflict this upon Hannah and I'll have her to deal with when I really need to be Xmas shopping and wrapping. I have managed to buy Xmas cards this week so I'm feeling a bit (tiny tiny bit) pleased with myself

Hope Iris has had a good day after her traumatic night and hope Lauren doesn't react to her jabs.

Cristina, sorry we crossed posts. Hope Sylvia is OK and the very best wishes to Dominic for his op in January.

That's great news about the op Christina. I'm sure it's going to make a huge difference to him.
The one lot of jabs are boosters she should have had at 18 months - bad Mommy - as well as polio drops. Nothing now until she is 5.
Christmas shopping nearly finished. Bought some beautiful hand embroidered linen for various family members. Shop down the road is closing down and everything was half price. They get their stock from Zimbabwe, but things have got so bad there that the cotton mill has had to close down - no coal to fire the machinery! Things are getting really bad there and as long as our government support that old fart Mugabe, the situation will never change.

Poor you, Busywizzy. I know the feeling of being tired or ill and the child demanding not just your presence but some active and enthusiastic participation in their games... Dominic's train phase lasted about 4 years, you've got plenty of train pushing ahead!

Jambot - hand embroidered linen sounds beautiful for a present.

Busy - that sounds like a day from hell. Poor you. Hope you're on the mend.

Iris is no longer so pox-ridden! "'Pots gone" as she likes to say. Now just waiting till Cleo surely gets it. I'm hoping she gets it fast as we have a big family party to go to on Christmas eve.

My work is bonkers too. I was in a conference call from our kitchen on Friday afternoon. And have agreed to work an extra day next week so am going in Monday-Thursday. And had a horrible realisation that I've done all the Christmas presents ..... except ...... dp. Ooops! Am going to have to dash out in my lunchbreak and do some quick thinking, as I don't have any great ideas.

Cristina - great news about Dominic's op.

Things are picking up a bit in our household with Harri and I over the worst of our flu but still plagued by sore throats and runny noses - I'd have taken out shares in Kleenex if I knew this was coming, we're going through boxes of tissues.

Sadly, Hannah and DH have both started complaining of sore throats and DH sounds decidedly croaky today. He also went back to bed mid morning and Hannah has intermittently laid on the sofa when painting, sticking and drawing got too much for her. Oh well, if they both get it this week, we should all be done in time for Xmas.

I did a bit more on-line shopping yesterday so have done all bar a few pressies (mum, sister and brother-in-law still do to). DH is also one still to do but we've decided (not in the spirit of Xmas at all) not to buy pressies but to off-load the children to my parents one day after Xmas and have a shopping day together followed by a meal and the James Bond film. Best pressie I'll have had for ages

Have had a lovely weekend. Mum and Dad had the kids overnight so last night we went to Langans Brasserie at Green Park with some friend (lovely food, and some lovely wine) and then had a beautiful long lie-in today. Pottered round a bit this morning and wrapped a few presents, and then drank tea and ate chocolates while watching X Factor. I really should have been a bit more productive and cleaned the house from top to bottom, but it will only need doing again!
Got some old photos out yesterday afternoon and have realised just how alike Ethan and Freya look. I showed my mum a picture of Ethan at about 20 months wearing a dressing gown that Freya now wears and she said 'Well I know that is Freya, but they do look alike'. Hopefully Freya will get some hair soon and then they might look a little different.
Glad the Pidge and Busy households seem to be recovering a bit, hopefully everyone will be fit and well for Xmas.

Our house is truly doomed on the health front. I came down with a horrible bug on Saturday - kind of like flu, but obviously not, as it only lasted a couple of days. But very high temperature that didn't respond to paracetamol, and aching and generaly inability to get out of bed for more than 10 minutes. Very boring.

But have staggered in to work like a superhero today, as we have a big crisis to get everything done before Christmas.

I reckon we are owed a healthy patch!

Not healthy yet in the pidge house. I am better, but dd1 predictably has chickenpox! Oh well, worst should be over by Christmas, though we may miss a big family party on Christmas eve.

And I didn't even get to see the kids tonight due to ongoing work crisis and LONG hours. I'm about ready to put my feet up and spend a week eating mince pies. Hooray.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Well, it's time for us to head off on our Christmas holidays. Leaving for Christmas at my BIL's river house tomorrow. Back on the 27th and then to Mauritius on the 30th. Shopping all done, although Lauren keeps on discovering presents and unwrapping them for me, so much re-wrapping going on.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a that the children all enjoy their first truly involved experience.
Don't eat too many mince pies!!

Pidge, what a nightmare bout of illnesses you have all had! Hope all are recovered for christmas.

Jambot, have a lovely holiday !

Pidge - Sorry to hear that Cleo has got chicken pox, I guess you knew that it would probably happen though. Any idea yet whether she will be ok for your Xmas eve party?

Jambot - your holiday sounds lovely. Am very ! I am just fed up with all the fog here, haven't had a nice clear day since the start of the week.

I braved Waitrose today with E and F. Tbh it was not too bad. E saw a few people that he knows from school so they were all getting a bit over excited, and F walked round for a bit until it was just too difficult and then I put her in the trolley (cue massive tantrum, arms waving, legs kicking and screaming - I'm sure you get the picture) Overall all though, not as bad as I had feared, and at least it is done now.