November 2014 - the one where they answer back.

[MrsAukerman]

New thread.
Hop aboard.

Hi everyone

Happy birthday baby happy, how did it go? We got DD2 a wooden doll cot too which I think she'll love...seems to be a theme. Birthday is 31st and I will hopefully be making another spiderweb cake as per moggle's inspired suggestion last year (I think it was moggle anyway!). It was surprisingly easy to do considering I'm not a shit-hot baker and my oven
is shit with a broken thermostat

Ah, Anna, I so remember the weekends being shit phase. I agree it's just something you have to get through and it will get better and you will all sleep again and get to have a cup of tea and all that. I know everyone says 'just wait until they can play together' and you think that day will NEVER EVER COME but it does and it's sooooooooo great. Wet weekends in winter aren't the easiest even now but they are hell on earth with a small baby and a toddler, everyone's on edge. It will pass and you know what you have to do in the meantime (tea, chocolate). Use nursery and TV as much as you need to.

Thanks for the birthday wishes everyone.
We had a good day yesterday. The doll's cot and the dolls' pram MIL bought went down very well. It took her a while to get the hang of opening presents and cards but DD1 helped with that. She even liked the presents which were clothes surprisingly and wanted to try them all on straight away. We went out to a farm park place where she especially liked holding a rabbit and riding on a tractor. She also thought the cake and candles was great. Today DDs have most enjoyed playing with a big box and some pencil crayons rather than any of the new toys. She slept all night last night until after 8am, which is incredible, but I don't want to jinx myself by saying that maybe 2 will be the age at which she gets good at sleeping.

Anna a friend had dd2 when dd1 was 22mths her dh used to take dd1 to service station on sun morning at 6am as on!y place open ate crossiants and watched the cars!!

I remember ds1 spending alot time with dh but dh had an op when fs2 was 6weeks and couldn't drive etc I took both to cinema which was easy sit and bf baby and ds1 watched some crappy kids film.

What post?! Going to have a look off the FB page now!

eastmids I rather belatedly wish you had recommended the cinema to me in the nightmarish time when I also had a 3yr old, a 3 month old and a DH who had major surgery. Or maybe you did but I've forgotten. It sounds like it would have been a great solution except I would probably have fallen asleep in the cinema.

Happy think I remember our husband's having surgery at similar times... Oh and I wouldn't brave it now til ds2 is a another 6mths older we went loads when he was under 9mths, to the special kids showing

anna I know it's rubbish now but when dd is a bit bigger and you can "swap" it will be lovely spending time with ds again and seeing your dp with dd. My dh isn't great with tiny babies and so for the first 6 months or so he got to spend time with dd while I was always sorting tiny ds. It sucked but it got better very quickly. As others have said use tv, nursery, things you know he'll enjoy.

moggle did you see? It was your post about cheap and simple ways to entertain dc's. It was very good.

I did wonder about taking both DDs to the cinema. DD1 wanted to see Trolls, and DD2 recognises Troll characters from some small plastic toys we got from the supermarket and seeing them on the side of buses (she refers to them as "Peebles"!). But I very quickly saw sense and remembered that DD2 is not likely to sit still and quiet for about 2hrs even though several people on my Facebook have apparently taken their 2yr olds. I didn't take DD1 to the cinema until she was 4. DH got to take DD1 to watch Trolls today. I got to take DD2 to the post box where 2 men were using a machine attached to a vehicle to clean out a drain, which she thought was fascinating so we killed plenty of time watching that.

Does anyone have a DC on the smaller side who would like a 18-24 month Christmas jumper? DD was given it as a random Christmas present last year, but it was too big (and she didn't get it until after Christmas Day so couldn't really wear it anyway) and will be too small this Christmas.

Happy if its unisex we could probably make use of it please 😁

So how the time change is affecting everybody? DD last two days has actually slept longer in the morning than before, I had to wake her up at 7.15 this morning. Probably something to do with the sore throat she woke up today.
I am having a cold weather panic atm. We are going to visit my family this weekend and the weather forecast is that it's going to start to snow tomorrow afternoon and by the end of the week there will be an established snow coat and temperatures below zero. Doesn't help that my mum decided to drop me an email informing about the weather and asking to make sure that DD has warm clothing and especially proper boots with her. They don't even sell in the UK what she considers "proper" boots (half a sheep inside the boot it is). I bought her some leather boots with huge discounts in the summer, but what seemed decent winter boots during the heatwave of July now feels more like fancy kickers' pants designed to suck the money out of parents, not to keep her feet warm in -5C. Had a quick look on Amazon and funny enough for the small children's sizes warm boots cost an absolute bomb, definitely not something I want to spend for few days wear.
I shouldn't panic this much, not that it's going to be -20C or something, but I can't help myself. And should we even take the pram with us?! We bought a cheap umbrella type pram for travel, but I am not convinced it would be of any use in few inches of snow.

Strawberry, would you be able to find lots of cosy pairs of socks to keep her feet warm, rather than boots? You could always try wellies the next size up and lots of layers on feet....
Time change has moved our luxurious 8am wake up back to 7. Boooo.

porsmork i'm thinking to drop in Tesco Extra and have a look if I can get reasonably priced boots one size up to get 2 pairs of socks in. Last winter my mum gave her knitted woolen socks, which DD probably could still wear. I have looked everywhere and cant find them! At least the mittens are still around.

We had the predictable 5.30 wake up yesterday but 7.30 this morning to our surprise. There's no rhyme or reason to that child, I swear!

We have a bank holiday here in Ireland today. Yesterday and today he's been very good and we really can't complain. It's been wet but he's been getting into colouring books for the first time so he hasn't been too bad. He literally had no interest before this.

Saturday was hell though. After his morning walk he refused to take his coat off. We tried a dozen times but he ended up napping in it and having lunch in it.....even when we changed his nappy he wouldn't take it off! So at dinner I put him into his chair and basically forcibly removed it. I was very nice about it but he went completely fucking POSTAL. A huge toddler meltdown, making himself sick etc, first time he'd ever been like that, total hysteria. It was horrific.

Eventually (to cut a very log story short) it was over and he sat up at the table eating his blasted curry, giggling and chatting away as if nothing had happened whilst I crouched on the kitchen sofa behind him sobbing silently whilst breastfeeding the baby with DH hugging me.

So....that was a bad day. But two good days out of three aint bad, right?

Oh Anna that sounds awful. We haven't had anything (yet) that's resulted in her making herself sick, but the over the last few days she's started pushing her luck with initially refusing to wear her bib at all meal times. Maybe we're the only ones who still use bibs, but the way she ends up wiping her hands all down her / dropping her food everywhere means bibs are a necessity for my sanity. Anyway, we've gone down the "no bib; no breakfast / lunch / dinner" path. First 2 days it took her ages to put her bib on, now it just take a couple of reminders of us saying "Well, it's simple: no bib, no XXX" before she starts laughing and puts it on. Makes me think it just all a game

Currently in the middle of another (teething?) cold - nose running, eyes weeping and last night almost continuous coughing . We're trying all the usual things (raised mattress, pans of water in the room etc etc). TBH, I think DD slept through most of her coughing, it was just DH and I that had about a total of 3 hours broken sleep - am hoping for more tonight...

DD can't sit still for long enough for the cinema yet, she managed about 4 minutes of the good dinosaur this weekend and that was the longest she's ever sat still without food in front of her.

Time change not made much difference here since she doesn't have a regular wake up time really. She didn't nap on Saturday, went to bed knackered at 7.30 and was up at 5.30am, so 6.30am to her. She had a 30 minute nap yesterday then bed at 7.30 and up this morning at 6.10 so that's normal.

Tantrums are coming but not that severe yet but I really pick my battles though and she has been dropped off at the childminders with no shoes on, gone without a bath or brushing her teeth and often eats her dinner, followed by pudding followed by more dinner. Anything for an easy life. But anna, I'd have done the same as you, hardwork and a baby to look after as well :(

If anyone is looking for winter boots we had these last year and this year (half price in the jan sales) and really rate them www.jojomamanbebe.co.uk/mountain-winter-boots-b8451.html?gclid=CjwKEAjw19vABRCY2YmkpO2OzTsSJAAzEt8sx-wYeHRN1gQAlM3PjVbmEVr18YVz_ngrD5X-nbr__RoCO9jw_wcB

Trick or treaters anyone? I dressed dd in GAP skeleton pj's and she loved answering the door to all the kids dressed up.

Checking in after a long day of kids party. Was great fun though. Doll cot went down a treat but she loved everything. Dh and I are knackered! We were hosting madly all weekend and doing frantic DIY in between. Dd2 was an angel all day and loved all of her presents.
Anna sorry to hear about your tough day. I kept thinking today about how much easier life is 2 years on from my early days with 2 kids. It'll all get so much better

Lady snap gap Skelton PJs here got sz 18-24 but already have 2-3, 3-4 from ds1 and he still fit the biggest last yr at 5, this yr got him a proper outfit but those gap PJs have been fab multi purpose. We went to friends for Halloween tea and our boys (her 3 aged 6,2,2) and my 2 we t trick treating on her road ds2 wasn't impressed clung to me.

I got home and dh went out to cinema so I bunged sweet bpowl outside and left lights off little darlings 8.15 knocked 3 times ERM for pity sake huge bowl sweets have them - we live on a gated road so only a neighbour I think after 7.30 when they know we have little ones is just rude and after 8pm is just a no on a school night

At work this morning a colleague asked if I had dressed DDs up for Halloween. Obviously DD1 was at school so wasn't an issue, but I had completely forgotten to even think about it for DD2. She was with my in-laws today as well and SIL bought her a pumpkin dressing-up dress for a birthday present but it is age 3 and short-sleeved. Hopefully she wasn't offended that DD wasn't wearing it. Anyway DD2 refused to wear a dressing-up costume when we went to an animal themed fancy dress party yesterday even though it was just a red dress with black spots like a ladybird.

eastmids it is probably actually a boy's jumper as it is navy blue with white writing. I will try and remember to dig it out tomorrow so I can describe it.

strawberry can't your mum get any suitable boots locally rather than you trying to find something they probably don't sell in this country?

You have no idea how much it helps that some of you have gone through this before!

Our Halloween costume for the crèche party on Friday was spectacularly crap - a T shirt from Dealz with Chase from Paw Patrol on it (he gets v excited by Chase). He's back in this morning, fingers crossed he doesn't lose the plot after 3 days off and scream the lobby down.

happy my mum has already tasked my sister on boots mission, she texted me this morning asking about the size. I have left buying another pair over there as a last option. Went to Tesco yesterday and bought a bigger pair and they seem to be warmer themselves as well with some material lining inside. The problem now is that DD has refused outright to even try them on. I have no way to check whether size 6 is ok with 2 pairs of socks for a child who wears size 4.5 shoes atm.
Tried mittens on last night. She thought it was part of finger song singing and let to put them on, but wasnt too impressed when realised I wasnt going to take them off. I just hope that freezing temperatures get her mind straight or we will be forced to spend a week indoors.

Strawberry I got ds2 some Thomas snow boots from Jones bootmaker online I didf get a sz6 ready for proper cold nursery outside play he is 4.5 prob going into a 5 and they are fine with those gripper style/slipper sock that are super thick.

Thanks Happy

Thanks eastmids will leave size 6 and won't try to drag her to the shop try on size 5

Do kids shoe sizes vary by brand? Dd wore size 5 sandals from Sainsbury's all summer and they still fit now. Her 5.5 boots from Clarks from last year are slightly too small now. I measured her at home as a 6 and I found some size 6 floral Doc Martens on eBay yet I can't even get them on her feet, yet another pair of Clarks shoes in 5.5 fit perfectly with room to grow, but are flimsy summer shoes. I give up.