December 2012: the one where they're all potty trained. Sort of....

[Barbeasty]

The old thread was getting dangerously close to 1000 messages, so thought I'd better start this one.

Only my 2nd sick day off work in 12 months so they can't really complain.

In the it's all glamour this motherhood lark updates, this morning T said to me 'can I feel your furry armpits?' Sigh.

Echinacea is good iirc?

I spent yesterday covered in poo and milk. Didn't know which of us to clean first! To add to your glamour

I pulled my own hair out to give to ds (comfort) to stop him pulling his out.

Hope you feel better WL

I'm pretty lucky I think I've had seven days off work I'll in the last 11 years, five of those I spent in ITU.

Bloody hell spotty!

nanny I have rose coloured glasses for those days!

He's stopped pulling his own hair since we got him a dolly with hair. He loves her so much but we were in the car this morning and he wanted her because he was tired. He started pulling his own hair and I'd have done anything to stop him

The bloody hell was for ITU!

Lots of amazing motherly love for the hair pulling.
I am very much enjoying looking out the window at the beautiful blue sky, fluffy white clouds and sun shining making our grass look lush (it's really not). What a beautiful day.

Oh haha it was a little while ago now. It's a gorgeous day isn't it, dd has her swimming lesson later I think she will be ok. I hate going new places we will be ok once we get into a routine.

Bless you, I hope you start to feel less anxious after the first lesson.

She screamed and cried and begged me not to leave her [sigh]

She enjoyed it in the end but I had to leave her sobbing in the poor 12 year old instructors arms

Oh no spotty that sounds tough. Could you agree that you'll try for this half term and if she's still upset you take a break?

Well she really enjoyed it?! I think there might be tears again next week so we will see. She just needs to get used to it I think. She was full of smiles when we sat and watched from the cafe

My anxiety was justified

Well that sounds like a really positive outcome

Earlier on she cried again and said she didn't want to go back. Omg why can't she be confident like other children?? I feel awful saying it. I can see her having a life of pain all because she has no confidence I've clearly done something wrong in the way I've brought her up.

That would make 2 of us then spotty! Dd1 was shy and clingy at pre school age and dd2 since starting school. She announced tonight that she doesn't want to back to rainbows. She doesn't run off and play with her friends at school drop off like the others do which makes me sad but I know pushing her will only make it worse. T is generally much more confident but can be super clingy to me. It can be exhausting but DH and I can both be quite shy and not particularly confident. I'm afraid I think it's just part of who they are and age/stage related. There are times I'm ok with it and times it drives me mad. But as I say, I understand how they feel. I try to push myself and model confident behaviours but ultimately we are who we are and acceptance is key to being happy with ourselves.

It's so hard isn't it? At the beginning of swimming I was comforting her and trying to reason etc but in the end I just had to leave her. I still feel awful about it! She wants to do some other clubs at school (which I'll be paying for!) but I'm worried she won't stick it out. I know if she does it'll be great for her though.

Yep it's always hard to know when to be gentle and encouraging and when a bit of tough love is the answer. Who'd be a parent eh!

R had his first ballet class today. He was a bit overwhelmed at first; I stayed and did the first few minutes then snuck out, then apparently he stood and watched a bit, then they got musical instruments out and he joined in. Wants to go back - helpfully there were a couple of big 6yo boys waiting to go in for the next class - and also learn tap! And be in the Christmas show! I won't be buying a uniform quite yet but my mum will be pleased, she wants to be the one to take him excellent, that's Christmas and birthday presents sorted for a few years with no more plastic tat

Sounds good Nanny. I'm not sure if A will be able to do ballet now, because of the timing of swimming lessons we signed up to.

DD has got tonsillitis again. She's been off school since Wednesday- attendance so far this year of 57%!

A has fallen asleep in the car on the way home from preschool the last 3 days, then stayed asleep. Nice early bedtimes!

I have been blogging since November 2006! It has been very cathartic over the years, and sometimes it has been awfully emotional, but at the moment I am doing a picture a day and have done so for nearly 3 years. It's been fab to have a visual journal of the kids growing up.

Wow fod that sounds great. I wish I'd done that thing where you email your dc each day and then when they're grown up they have this amazing record. In reality, I didn't even fill in their baby books!

Ballet central - I'm waiting to see if I can T into the fri am class - it's for 3-4 yr olds as it's the only day I can do. I hope she'll love it. I was shit! We had a great swim after school, dd2 is getting much more confident without arm bands, so T decided to throw hers away - she's stupidly confident, sinks but finds her feet and pops up undeterred. How blissful my life will be when all dds can swim and ride bikes independently!

R is in the 3yo class too as he's at preschool for the other one. Hoping he'll keep up, he does what I ask mostly, with a touch of bribery negotiation thrown in, I'm not entirely confident of his ability for others!

Why are you crying A?

Because my shoes are on the right feet.

Oh. Ok. That's all right then!