June 2013 - the terrible twos aren't so terrible

[Biscuitswithtea]

Here goes with a new thread!

[HungryHorace]

The benefit of a 13 month gap is the non-mobile oldest child who is actually very easy to care for during the pregnancy!

[SunnyL]

Sadly I'm still waiting for my work to confirm they are going to pay my vouchers during maternity leave. They've been fobbing me off for weeks and now the HR person leaves this week so god knows when I'll get an answer. Its getting ridiculous now.

[BeanCalledPickle]

They have to. It's a benefit that can't be removed as that would be discrimination. Should be paid when you are on SMP or unpaid. Though your employment status isn't straightforward I don't think?

Is it a boy sunny or girl sunny?

[SunnyL]

Yes I know that and most other people know that. However they're being complete dicks at the moment with some of our other employment benefits that I'm waiting til I've got agreement before I take any big financial decisions.

We didn't find out if it was a boy or girl. Was v tempted this time though. The scan did pick up a bit of an abnormality on the kidneys that I'm told shouldn't be something to worry about but that they'll check again once baby is out.

[BeanCalledPickle]

Oh I thought you knew last time! Goodness re kidneys. I hope it's nothing major.

[SunnyL]

Phew - finally (after 3 months of asking and 6 shirty e-mails) got confirmation today that they will pay my childcare vouchers while I'm on mat leave. They're also going to pay for KIT days and not claw them back from my vouchers. Phew! Major relief in the Sunny household.

I'm trying to be quite sanguine about the kidney issue. I had terrible problems with my kidneys due to a deformed kidney which they didn't pick up til I was 18. By then quite a lot of damage had been done so it was many years and lots of treatment (and lots of pain) before my kidneys functioned normally.

My hope is that by picking it up early we'll know what we're looking out for and the poor wee mite won't suffer the same pain I had to deal with. My mum wishes they'd had these level of scans when she was pregnant with me.

So all in all I'm seeing it as a good thing we know.

[Raeside]

Good work Sunny !! yay for you!

This place is a desert. How is everyone?

[Biscuitswithtea]

Hello :)

Doing okay here ta. Haven't been on mumsnet as much of late...trying for sprog #2 appears to be taking a while and for my sanity I'm trying to avoid getting too caught up in the ttc craziness easier said than done We were very lucky with DS and I fell pregnant on our first month of trying. Now I think we are in cycle 5 or 6. Humph.

DS is a total gem at the moment. He is generally happy and easy. We get the odd strop over the silliest of things (offering the wrong piece of pasta, that sort of thing) but they are usually easily pacified.

Hope everyone is well

[cuphat]

Hope it happens soon for you, biscuits.

All ok here. I'm loving this age. DD is so caring, she puts me to shame. "Don't worry, Mummy...", "Don't fall, Mummy" etc. DS is six months old tomorrow - the past half a year has flown! He's doing so well that the HV doesn't want to see him until he's a year old now. Apparently DD will have a three year check at the same time.

[PeekABooPinky101]

Biscuits hope you get that positive soon.

I ended up in hospital yesterday in agony with my kidney. Dd also decided yesterday would be the first time to be struck down with d&v.
I now have nice painkillers that are sort of working on the pain, they certainly take the edge off of it. And today we have had a day of cuddles and not doing much.
I'm hoping tomorrow is a better day. Sod's law that when I could really do with her time in nursery to sort of rest it's not possible.

I'm not in a hurry to repeat the experience of d&v with her. We've had the v before, that was bad enough, together is shockingly bad. Maybe more so coz I feel crap.

As a bit of a cheer up for her I dug her Mog out of the cupboard it was supposed to be for Christmas she adores it. Our actual cat is less impressed!

[SunnyL]

I hope it happens soon too Biscuits.

Pink you have my sympathy - I had so many kidney stones and infections over the years from my dodgy kidney. I really do think they hurt more than childbirth.

We started decorating Lil's big girl room last week with the intention of moving her soon. Little girl had other ideas and moved all her teddies and books in that night and has slept there ever since. well I say slept - she's been up late most nights rearranging her drawers and wardrobe

[PeekABooPinky101]

It's like a mystery game every morning when they rearrange things! Dd looks quite happy when I can't find something and have to ask her.

Sunny the pain is awful - and this is the first time it's my left kidney, had issues with my right over the years. And apparently I'm not presenting as a typical kidney stone would - got a ct scan just before Christmas, but I hope things have settled by then. Stupid bodies not working right.

[BeanCalledPickle]

Good luck biscuits!!

We are at centre parcs this week. Really enjoyed it last time with one child but two has been hard work! Polly was ill at the beginning of the week so inevitably Juno has now got it. Neither has napped very well so both have been desperately over tired and miserable and that means we haven't had much of a rest. Well I went to the spa for several hours but other than that! Polly is mainly good fun but so incredibly manipulative. I am proud and frustrated at the same time! This place kind of emphasises that this is a funny age; too big for the tiny kids stuff but not big enough for the big kid stuff, much as she's wanting to be!

[Biscuitswithtea]

Thanks everyone x
We're away doing pre Xmas visits to family at the mo which is nice and is a good distraction from what my body may or may not be doing!

[PeekABooPinky101]

What car seats are you all using? I'm looking at getting a new one for dd, I hate the one in my parents car at the moment - I don't drive so it stays in their car.
I was thinking it would be sensible to get one that converts into a booster as well - I have no idea, it's a minefield!

[cuphat]

DD is still in the Pearl. It's isofix only so stays in the car. I don't drive so I've had it if we ever need to go in the car with anyone else! We should get a cheap seat for emergencies (DH is often away) but we really don't have the room. We'll need to get a new seat later next year so DS can use it.

Hope you're both feeling better, pinky. Love the cat pic!

[PeekABooPinky101]

Thanks Cup - we've both been struck down with lovely colds on top of everything else now - just about to wrap up and head to boots for supplies. I'm hoping this means we're done for winter once these goes.
Kidney still on and off, makes no sense. Just wish it would stop moan whinge, whinge moan

[cuphat]

I don't blame you for whinging, that sounds miserable. Hope you're better soon.

DD has some kind of nasty virus. She's had a high temp since Thursday, can't eat or she's sick and is extremely clingy and just wants to lie down. So we've spent most of the time since then snuggled in bed. I hope that DS doesn't get it. Or me! I don't think we'll be that lucky though.

[HungryHorace]

DD is still in her Dualfix, but thanks to getting car sick travelling backwards does tend to go forwards these days!

I hope all ill people are better soon.

[SunnyL]

We've got this Axis seat which spins. Its been a godsend for my back lifting her in and out of the car. Especially this summer when I had a trapped nerve. Nowadays though she's all about climbing in herself which really helps.

We've got an old one from my sister as well which is in DHs car and is really handy for transferring into other cars. The fancy axis one is a pain to refit so i leave it in my car all the time.

Used black friday to buy Lil's Christmas pressie which is a Baby Annabell. I'm planning on being really sad and making her new dolly a matching Christmas dress to Lil

[PeekABooPinky101]

There's so much going round. Miserable time of year for it all.
Hope everyone's feeling better soon.

Sunny that sounds brilliant. Don't thing it's sad all!!

I'm looking all these seats up to get ideas!

[cuphat]

DD gets travel sick too! I dread every journey over 20 mins long! I have a list of things that we're going to start trying as it makes journeys horrible and even longer. She always ends up needing a full change and we end up covered too. Nightmare!

[Raeside]

We have one of those big car seats that swivel too. Bloody brilliant, love it.....

Taking J to Stockholm tomorrow to explore all the fun stuff on Djurgarden, should be good, am quite looking forward to it. Only there till Sunday then back to work till Xmas. Boo.

This is the first year we are buying J a present for Xmas - only one smallish thing - but I'm starting to feel like we are being mean! It's just that he gets SO SO SO much other stuff there's no need for more. Are we being horrid?

[BeanCalledPickle]

We buy her stuff for Christmas but that's because nobody else does really. My mother does but always pointless crap that she never has much interest in! Sean's parents don't buy anything as they have approx 632 grandchildren so think it's fairest to not buy anything for anyone. So we will get her a kitchen and a bike. Not much for the baby though!

Car seat wise we have a Phoenix fix which we love but seems to be immensely unpopular if not introduced early; it has a crash barrier across their laps which Polly is used to but stick any other child in it and there is a protest!

We don't go in the car much and never longer than an hour. Clearly we can now never go further as she protests loudly! Driving back from centre parcs the other day was met with screams of let me out the whole way!

[cuphat]

We have gone overboard (for us - there won't be piles of stuff like I've seen other people do!) for Christmas. We went overboard with all the garden stuff for her birthday so kept the wooden dolls house back for Christmas. So she's getting that but then I kept seeing other things that she'd love that no one else would get her. We've had to get a few things for DS otherwise DD would notice.

I am so excited about Christmas this year. I've started a advent book (and odd DVD) thing to get her excited. The books will come out every year.