June 2013 - the terrible twos aren't so terrible

[Biscuitswithtea]

Here goes with a new thread!

Swear to god...I'm dying for an adventure. Ours involves Aus/NZ road tripping but I'd take USA if it were on offer.

I think I would rather have seven 10k holidays over seven years rather than spend more than two days in a caravan with my lot!

Or even 70 1k holidays ;)
To be honest, if we had 70k to burn we'd be far more likely to throw the vast majority into our mortgage sensible & dull

But that's the thing, they are putting it on their mortgage!

Yeah not sure bout doing that. More likely to rent the house out and use income to pay for trip, take a mortgage break.

I'd be throwing myself out of the van at high speed after less than a week. No way would our two want to be cooped up like that.

I also think it's daft to remortgage to get the money to go it. Seems bonkers!

The 70k is just the lost earnings. The trip is funded by the rent from the house while they are away and the saved expenditure on nursery etc. This came about because she knows someone who committed suicide with PND leaving behind a 1 and 3 year old. This has motivated her to make the most of life.

Fair enough, I suppose. It's not how I'd make the most of life, but she's got a good reason for wanting to do it.

Oh I understand now. I can see why that's made her re-assess priorities a bit, just seems quite a drastic way to do it. But if that's what feels important to them, fair enough.

So DS's potty training seems to have gone to, err, pot. He's become v unreliable at telling us when he needs to go - or even telling us if he has an accident. Do you think we should just go back to nappies/pull ups for a few weeks and wait for him to show an interest again? Or stick with it - he started off his own bat in early June.

In other news, pneumonia hasn't cleared up so I have a new batch of antibiotics which are only just breastfeeding friendly. Let's hope these work!

Sorry you're still ill, Biscuits. I hope the new drugs work.

If he's really not getting it at all, I'd stop for a bit to be honest. If he was hit and miss a bit I'd carry on.

DD is still a bugger for poo. She can do it, but she was like this with wee just before it clicked, so it's got to happen soon!

I wouldn't just travel for a year - to me it's a selfish way to see the world. However I have asked DH that before the kids get to high school I want to take a sabbatical IN Africa for a year. My thinking is I'll work and he can stay home or do some volunteering. I just really want to know somewhere in my future there is 1 more adventure. I can't think my life will just be this humdrum until I retire

I agree sunny. Can't stand the idea that my current existence is a permanent state of affairs. Really hope to work abroad at some point or at least take extended summer trips or something. This can't be it!

Ooh popped into work today and found out there could be a role going in Malawi. DH used to work in Malawi and says he could be tempted. Perhaps our adventure could be coming sooner than we thought!

What's your view on the importance of primary? I tend to think that we start school way too early and if the means and facility existed I would keep them out and in some sort of extended nursery. Or ideally a Steiner school. How would you work it in Malawi?

We start primary later in Scotland anyway but the bits and bobs I've read about education in Scandic countries makes me think delaying school could be a good thing . We're not going to Africa yet but when we do there are good international schools there or we can send them local and supplement it with some home schooling. I don't think school becomes essential til they're older

Completely agree. We start them so much earlier but certainly don't get better results. I wish there was an extended nursery option!

Have any of you got your stage 3 car seats yet? Did you look at the Maxi-Cosi, hungry?

I'm finding it confusing now we're about to buy one. I just know that we want a decent seat with isofix.

Stage 3? Nope, sorry. It's not even on our radar. DS will fit his current seat for ages yet. Is it height or weight that determines an upgrade of seat?

Muddling along okay here. Was feeling quite rubbish about how difficult everything has felt but then remembered that 3wks of pneumonia (& pleurisy to boot) is enough to make most things extra challenging. So today is a new day n all that jazz. Antibiotics finished this morning and I have energy :)

I'm glad the new antibiotics have worked and you're feeling better. Do you have an official all-clear? I hope everything's easier from here on.

It's weight according to the seat I'm looking at. DS is still in his 0+ but only just so we want to move him into DD's seat soon. It makes sense to move her into stage 3 as she meets the minimum weight requirement (rough age guide is 3 1/2 to 12 but she's 91st centile).

Oh that makes sense. I'm slightly worried we're going to end up with 4 identically sized car seats (2 cars) because DS is only an approx 9th centile tiddler. Will reassess in 10months time!

Haven't had an official all clear but was told not to go back to the dr unless things like going up and down stairs was still making me out of breath. Which it isn't. Dr did say that I should really get my flu jab this year though (I'm eligible for the free NHS one - but don't often bother)

That's a good sign then. Getting the flu jab sounds like a good idea! DH is entitled to one but doesn't usually bother either.

Speaking of which, DD has her three year jabs this week. She was so brave when she had her men b jab - she didn't even flinch (at the time I wondered whether it had actually gone in!), no tears, was very brave despite having a horrible reaction to it. However I've warned her about her jabs this week and she's said she doesn't want them because they hurt, so she was just being brave. I imagine she's worrying that they'll make her feel the same. Will have to get something to bribe her with. Then she has the second men b jab in a couple of weeks which I'm not looking forward to! And she's booked in for the flu vaccination (they said they had trouble getting it in so that's not for a while yet) but that should be fine.

Cup, we ended up with the Britax Kid Fix II (which was only available from Mothercare when we got it). She's not using it yet though as she's OK in the one she has now, which still has a 5 point harness. She's bloody tall (already in 4-5 clothes) but has dropped down the weight centiles a bit, hovering around 15kg. She goes up in height but her weight has hardly changed in almost 2 years!

I'm pushing the pre-school jabs back to the end of the month she's meant to have them in, so she will be almost 3y 5m as we have the second Men B on 17.10, so wanted to give her a few weeks' break. DH said that she didn't cry for the last one, but just had the saddest face you'll ever see. 😓

She's a stoic little girl!

I'll be there for the next lot of Men B as I don't work on Mondays now I'm working up in Glasgow (from today!).

Thanks hungry, I'll look at that one. It's impossible to research during the day and it's the last thing I feel like when they've gone to bed (especially when DH is away half of the week) but it has to be done.

Good luck for your new job.

There was supposed to be a larger gap between DD's 3 year jabs and the second men b but we've had to rearrange the men b three times already. Plus DS had them together at his one year jabs so I know they're ok together as the men b isn't live but I think there might have to be a gap between the three year ones and the nasal flu vaccine? I still haven't totally dismissed the idea of the chickenpox vaccine either (especially for DS, though I don't think I could get one done and not the other) and I know there has to be a gap between the three year ones and that so I'm getting them done asap just in case I change my mind.

I think the pre school ones just have to be done from 3yr 4 months onward, and before school. As they are all boosters it's not so important to have them done at a specific time.

I decided against men b in the end. I hadn't realised it only lasts a couple of years. If I did it for Polly now I'd feel I would need to do Juno at this age as well and then where does it end?! Obviously you will now ask me where I got this from and I have no idea. I found the results of a study and then asked a medic friend to translate for me, it's something like only 10pc have antibodies left after two years. They definitely don't make that clear do they?

Yes, it's from 3 years 4 months onwards but as DD is at the school now it makes sense to do it now.

As the men b jab is so new they're not sure exactly how long it lasts (I imagine it varies, as with the chickenpox one). The results aren't entirely clear and the sample seemed very small to me but it protects them when they're most at risk. I didn't think twice because DS had it on the NHS and having seen what the first vaccination did to DD I'm glad she has had it.

Why on earth is an advert showing up in the preview?! Hopefully it won't post.