It's the Christmas party at Mugabe nights, pull up a bar stool and order your shots! August 2015

[FattyNinjaOwl]

New thread for all the regulars at the bar, and the not so regulars too.

Hey fanby grumpy 1 has one of those bibs! 4 years ago the Goldsmiths infant lab lot were doing an experiment where they popped sensors on her head and then monitored her brainwaves when they showed her different stimuli. Glad to see they are still doing cool stuff and great that Molls took part. I remember DH and I used our voucher in Cafe Rouge in Blackheath for cake and coffee on the way home. Happy Days

frolic good call on the orange chair. We love orange in this house, both the camper and the beetle are bright orange. I like your theory about the veggie husband thing. Maybe its because so much of their food is a weird brown colour...?

Hooray for keeping food down joskar you shall eat your Christmas raspberry meringue thing (which sounds incredible btw)!

MaGrat it's lovely that you are enjoying DS so much, what do you do for work and when would you have to go back, if you do?

mzzf hope all the napping has meant that you are having a calmer evening.

kbro that sounds like a lovely way to spend a day, I'm glad that you are feeling happier today.

dozy good sitting skills Piper. No sitting or rolling here but a lot of smiling, chatting and leg kicking!

tindel welcome to the 13lb 14oz club

love end of term here now as well, grumpy 1 very tired and emotional. She got the Headteachers Award for her year group, I couldn't be prouder if she'd been awarded an Oscar!!

So we had our 3rd jabs today and.... YAY! They were fine! So - going back to my theory - at present we are having the shit sleep but in return we got the good jabs!! Grumpy 2 was pretty pissed at me while the nurse was doing the business, but she calmed right down again straight away afterwards and was then a jolly little soul until she fell asleep at 12:30 and slept through till 15:00. After her nap she was back to normal and with no sign of a temp I didn't bother with the 2nd dose of Calpol. What a relief. And at least that's it now until September 2016

Glad the jabs went well slow! I'm a librarian in a university and am due back in Oct but cant face the thought of DS in nursery at just over 1. Thinking of having a career break and have seen this company where you can type from home. I used to work in admin so can type 70 wpm. Also finally got writing the novel I always wanted to write but no guarantees of any income there! Thinking that having two just under two would be tough for a while but then both go to school and I get my career back etc. Not sure. Might be a bit naive but then both Dcs grow up together as well which would be lovely for them. Does anyone else have such a small age gap with Dcs?

DD turned 2 today. There's 19 months between my younger two. It's brilliant. DD dotes on her little brother, and when she's not doting on him and giving him his dummy or trying to feed him her food, she basically ignores him. No real jealousy, there has been a bit but she soon got over it when she realised I could feed baby and cuddle her at the same time.
That's my experience so far, it can be hard work trying to get everyone ready to go out so I have to start getting ready at 2pm to leave at 2:45 to get DS1 from school etc. And I'm lucky as DD usually sleeps so I'm not often up with two in the night. (But when I am, I go into her room with DS2 and read her another story while feeding the baby) but really its great. It helps that DS2 isnt at all demanding. He's happy whatever I do with him

Oh and sling is my life saver! It's brilliant having my hands back to play with DD while still technically cuddling DS2, and if I put frozen on I can even do housework and homework with DS1

Evening all! Still no Christmas cards sent from chez frolic .... Whoops! But I have had a super lovely day seeing lots of my lovely colleagues at the work Christmas buffet. Ds did me proud with plenty of smiling and charming. We've had a yummy Indian take away and Ds was asleep by 9pm without a fight. If carlsberg made days ........
Fingers crossed the night is as good.

I also had a chat with the practice nurse about my sore belly. She said not to worry too much as I have no temperature or discharge and has made me an appointment to see the gp on monday.

We love pj's here too mzzf. A throwback from the 20 poo's and sick's a day days. Much easier to whip off for nappy change or put a clean top on.
I love your plan for Christmas Day. We're planing a frozen party food feast for when we have a day without visits. Rock and roll!

Glad you're feeling better today kbro. I'm another who hates not having plans.

I have no idea about the amount of food Ds takes kbb due to bf'ing. But he did seem to eat a bit less last week when we had cold / teeth issues going on. Any of those happening for you? Like others said, try not to worry if you have plenty of wet & dirty nappies, but maybe have a word with your hv if it goes on any longer.

She is so cute fanby!
I hope you've already started project doorbell? The inconsiderate fuckers.

Glad you are feeling better jockstar.

Good god magrat! I've decided that I definitely want to try for another, but not for a good while yet! Maybe when Ds is about 16 and a bit more independent 😜

Yippee for good jabs slow ! You've given me hope for the 23rd now.
It must be all that brown veggie food that drives us to the bright coloured furniture. And maybe all the lovely chocolate and cake wrappers?

Time to go to sleep I think - fingers crossed Mugabe nights is empty tonight 🙂

Fanby she's gorgeous! Sorry you had a naff start to the day and hell yes the the doorbell or even let DD scream over the intercom at them if they have one!!

MaGrat and others talking about next DC I think id have another straight away if we could do it financially but I want to change my career so the plan is to go back part time till DS is about 2 so for 18 months and then move jobs do that for a year to get maternity benefits and then have number 2 so about a 3-4 year age gap would prefer it smaller but then I'll get stuck in my job and I am already breaking the rule I set myself of doing no more than a decade there and it will be 9 years in April!! I have persuaded DH to have 3 DC now though thanks to DS's gorgeousness!! Haha!! He said as long as we are both where we want to be work wise after no2 (meaning more money) then we can have no3! I must be insane I hated being pregnant (but I remember how poorly you were frolic so it isn't just me)!! I blame my easy labour- if it had been bad I probably wouldn't have been as keen but my stitches were by far the worst bit!

We've had new people move into our street today which is good as all the houses are finished now so no more builders! Finally! Next door have a 6 month old boy so I'm hoping they are nice and our sons can be friends would be lovely! They seem nice when I had a brief chat hope I didn't come over too 'be my mum friend' hahaha!

Oh kbb- DS was right off his food for a week having a quarter of his usual I take for a week I was so worried! He was poorly though and they said it was because his nose was blocked and they can't drink and breathe at the same time so don't bother! He's back on track now- just had another 6 oz bottle at 9.30 after his supposed 'last' one at 7!! Making up for being poorly it seems!

Sending sleepy thoughts to all tonight and praying our babies sleep!!

Lily - you only need 6 months work within one financial year to get statutory mat pay. And IIRC you are NHS right?! Well you have to have done 6 months with them to qualify for mat pay!! So DC could be closer together than you think!! 😁

I am yet to convince DH lily! Tbh I can't bear DS going to nursery so sort of think we might as well have two under two! Total turn around for me. It's true that you quickly forget birth pain etc. Well not forget but it all becomes worth it iyswim.

Fx for more considerate workmen in future kbro!!

Ohhh Mzzf I love you!! I'm not nhs yet, well I am Sort of I do bank work for them along side my main job in the prison service but that doesn't do maternity benefits but yes the new career is going to be nhs if all goes to plan so yay yay I like this info!! Does that mean the 6 months to qualify you could actually be pregnant for some of them??

Sorry - fanby re workmen!! Frolic I read that to start with as 16 months haha quite different! I'm thinking ideally if we start trying in the summer. Again this could be a totally mad idea. I never thought I was maternal until I became a mum and now it feels so right. Thanks fatty for the reassurance that it might be ok with such a small gap!!

MaGrat- I'm not sure how I convinced DH I think DS had a particularly smiley happy day and was on the charm offensive and I brought it up! Haha!

magrat tbh with you every age gap has pros and cons. I have 5 years between DS1 and DD then the 19 month gap between DD and DS2. So I've done both large and small gap. You just adapt as necessary. Even now in winging it half the time

There is something in the air tonight. DH and I discussed trying this time next year for baby. My God the brain wipes the bad bits out. Pregnancy = awful. Childbirth = awful. First few weeks of motherhood = not exactly awful but v tough. Being on the verge of a break down on Tuesday = forgotten.

Magrat have surprised myself too. I actually would seriously think about being a stay at home mum if money allowed. Didn't think would feel like that at all. Also find the thought of putting him in childcare awful despite every single person I know with kids having a v positive experience.

Right off to bed cause tomorrow we head up north for christmas. Tindel you in laws sound like mine. Joyless souls that they are. We are there for 3 (three!!!!) nights but at my folks for christmas so that's going to be great!

Night all. See some of you on the dance floor later no doubt (although hopefully not)

We're already on the first wake up! Dc2 is never gonna happen if this doesn't stop!

Ds was such a lovely newborn lily that he made all the sickness worth it. I'd have 10 newborns over this one 16 week old, mind you!

How about some classic g&ts to get this evening off to a good start?

Am so impressed at people talking about no 2 - I just can't think about that now. Partly because I need to change jobs when I go to work, so will need to work out what I will be doing and what I'll be earning before we can work out if we have another. MaGrat the admin company you mentioned sounds a potential, what are the details? I'm a pretty fast typer, so I could do that, possibly? Have been vaguely considering retraining to run baby language classes, as I have a languages degree, but not sure if I'm driven enough to be self-employed.

Despite J being uber-grumpy this evening, he's been asleep since 8! DH is convinced of the benefits of feeding him to sleep downstairs and then carrying him up later to put down. Obviously not a long-term plan, but it meant we had a lovely calm evening on our own. Although I then fell asleep on DH, apparently I'm too big to have the same treatment...

Expecting another 4am feed, so getting more sleep now. See you at the bar later!

It's called take note. DS hates being downstairs in evenings now. He seems to settle much better upstairs. Eek I know I really thought I'd stop at one but I just have this feeling again about another one...these babies eh who can resist. Surely sleep must just be totally overrated anyway?!

Haha frolic that's what sofas are for ;)

Lily I think the general rule of thumb currently is that you can't be more than 12 weeks preggo 6 months into your employment. So in theory you could get knocked up 3-4months into new job and be a.o.k! Obviously this could be different at every trust but seems consistent with all 4 I've surged at so far!

DH being drubkenly irritating. Trying to 'help' when it's actually creating more trouble/mess. Ahh the joys of lunchtime drinking. He just woke up with me and announced he'd help with the night feed and little more than 20mins later he's snoring. Yeah - cheers love!

I had those exact childcare woes re that job the other week. There must be something in the water when the babies are this age that wants you to keep them close despite the issues. Now though I feel happier having visited a nursery and knowing she'll be older when she starts.

Yes to g&t. I'll have a Hendricks with cucumber please 🍸

Can't dtd on the sida - the dogs will be watching!!!

Thanks Mzzf I'll bear that info in mind! Oh dear I hate the drubken 'helping' DH is out tommorrow and told me he wasn't drinking as he couldn't be bothered being rough in Sunday so I booked a much needed haircut for 9am Sunday morning- he's now informed me he's going to have 'a couple' oh how I'll kill him if he ends up rough! Or that said oh how he'll die a slow miserable death entertaining DS whilst I'm having my hair done! I shall not be missing it! My 'fringe' is currently down to my mouth!!!

Frolic- I did love the newborn stage but DS was unputtdownable for about 4 weeks day and night- as much as the last few weeks have been tough I like that he can happily entertain himself at times- for now!! Twins for you next time then 😜

The sofa has been attempted in our house- much hilarity ensued- not the steamy affair I think me and DG expected! Think I lost some flexibility in pregnancy we'll leave it at that!!

Kbro- yes to the near breakdown last week here too- the brain is a fascinating thing isn't it!! These babies are just so damn beautiful I suppose!

Aww Tindel wouldn't it be nice to be carried to bed asleep- we can dream!! We are also settling DS wherever and however we can at the mo whilst he seems to still be a bit regressiony but I'm very aware we'll have to stop and have a proper bedtime at some point- I need to do some asking around of those who work shifts/ later in the evening as how to do it as we won't be able to do the 6/7 o clock bedtime that so many of my friends seem to have with their Los. that's for another days worry though!

I'll pass on the g&t eeeeeww gin!!

Stealth transfer time of the snoring little mill monster now- probably see you all again in a few hours he is apparently starving at the mo!!

Argh damn phone- clearly '....that me and DH expected' I do not have a DG on the side!!!!! 😂 wouldn't get me another baby that way now would I!!!

Here we are joining the Mugabe party for the first time tonight (better than some, worse than some!)

Not staying long because she has pretty much finished but did want to say this. Age gaps are massively personal things (and fairly unplannable too thanks to good ol' Mother Nature) and whatever you choose or have thrust upon you will work out fine.

I did want to reassure those of you who are going back to work though that you will probably feel very differently about childcare when they are rising one than it feels possible to feel right now. I remember viewing nurserys with grumpy 1 in tears when she was this age and couldn't ever imagine leaving her. Fast forward 8 months and I felt sad (obvs!!) but actually pretty okay about leaving her with our childminder and I was ready to go back to work. We are definitely evolutionarily programmed to need to keep tiny babies close and that will be affecting how you feel at the moment. Good job really or we'd probably leave them out with the recycling

Also, school is an enormous time burglar. If you have career plans then definitely max them out while you can have your DCs
in quality single-setting childcare from 8am-6pm. Once you are stuck with 9am-3pm and the prospect of breakfast club, after school club / childminder plus parent-teacher stuff, open days, school plays etc etc we have discovered that it becomes way more logistically challenging

did someone say g&t?

Struggled to get to sleep once I came up and I think we are in the regression, as feeding now. This would be the one thing he does early ...

lily tbh, our bedtime routine, such as it is, doesn't have a set time, it just fits in when J is hungry or tired. I was trying to feed him upstairs and then put him down, so just changed the feeding location for convenience's sake or laziness if I'm being honest We will get to a proper bedtime, I'm sure.

slowife good point about schools, I hadn't really thought about that. All slightly terrifying stuff, think I need another g&t ...

Hi tindel! Chuck a g&t my way while you are at it. We seem to be stuck in a 2am, 4am, 6am feeding pattern now which isn't leaving much time for sleep - argh!!

I've just had 5 hours sleep in one go! That's the most in ages. He's gone back down as well. Maybe I'll conquer the world today! or at least write my Christmas cards