November 2014 - the one where they answer back.

[MrsAukerman]

New thread.
Hop aboard.

Presents for DD's birthday on Saturday are a big polar bear from Ikea (she loves soft toys), a kitchen and food, pans etc, a wooden train set, some books (ones we previously got from the library that she really liked), a big photo of the three of us to go on her bedroom wall (sounds silly but she just loves looking at photos), some fairy wings, some jigsaws, a lion dressing up outfit. For Xmas I'm thinking maybe a doll's house or similar, some sylvanian families, some more dressing up stuff, maybe a superhero cape.

Can't believe how DD is changing at the mo. From monosyllabic a month ago, she still only puts two words together at a time, but the thing that is blowing me away is that she recognises about ten letters and more every day it seems!! Heard a little voice from the bathroom yesterday as she was washing her hands, the bottle said "HAND WASH" on in big letters, she's there pointing at them going "Nuh for nana, A, A, Ssss... snake, Duh for daddy". Sorry I know it sounds braggy but I'm sure you guys understand just how amazing they are at the moment and I have to tell someone apart from DH and my mum! She just remembers everything you ever tell her at the moment.

She loved the fireworks and talks about them constantly. We went to a local display at the weekend and met some friends with little ones the same age for a meal beforehand. She had a lovely time with her little buddies and when we were standing by the bonfire later on she suddenly said to me "mummy, happy day!". I nearly started crying!

In other news we boarded our loft at the weekend... massive accomplishment that has been hanging around our necks for ages. We can't move DD from her nursery room to her new bedroom (currently spare room) until we can move all the crap out of the spare room up into the loft. Now we can finally do it!! We're having another frozen embryo treatment at the moment, started a couple of weeks ago with the jabs, will find out in mid december if it works. Fingers crossed it does and sticks around this time.

Happy birthday to any babies who's birthday has happened already!!

Oooh fingers crossed for a Christmas present for you moggle!

DS has had a language explosion too. Every week there's new stuff. And he's so much more switched on when watching cartoons - he keeps pointing things out on screen and he knows all the names of blasted Paw Patrol.

It's getting a bit clearer too - though it's still a bit garbled and to add a complication he goes to a bilingual crèche so sometimes it's hard to work out if he's trying to speak an English or Irish word.

Only joining two words here too: "More water" etc.

I've realised from your lists of pressies how cheap we are as we only give one present typically. For Christmas we are going to get him a farm set but it was a really cheap one. Now I'm thinking we're a bit TOO cheap and should at least get him a fancy farm!

Btw posmork for DH I am clueless.

I got him a rare bottle of whiskey last year so that's out. And I think a pair of expensive boots for his birthday. There's nothing left!

At this rate it'll be a boring jumper!

Oh I meant to say, our list of presents is shared across us and the two sets of grandparents too. In theory I don't want to spend much but in practice I just see things I think she'd like and then buy them all! I have tried to avoid buying little crappy things though (as i buy them for her all through the year... whenever I go into Tiger or Ikea...)
Think after our fun loft boarding I might be buying DH a circular saw and a workbench!!

I am pretty much done for DD birthday and Christmas presents, I am one of those people who starts to buy Christmas presents in summer sale and forward. For birthday DD is having ikea play kitchen which I pimped up and some pans and utensils from ikea to go with it. For Christmas there are things which are part of treat and others which are practical and we probably would have bought anyway. Several books, groclock, pjs, singing turtle bath toy, happy land village, wooden tea play set. We will be giving some of the presents on Christmas Eve so that she doesn't get completely overwhelmed with amount of everything.

DH is getting tom ford perfume, shirt, jumper, socks, molton brown shower gel and personalised Emma bridgewater mug from DD. He has birthday in few weeks time so will get beer advent calendar and some bits and bobs. It's usually the same useful things, just nicer/ never used before brands really.

Fingers crossed moggle!

DD doesn't have retinoblastoma. Now I can breathe again and get on with life. It was, as DH expected, caused by the flash on his phone's camera.

I have absolutely no idea what to get DH for Christmas. He likes his motorbike but I don't know anything about that, cheese, computers, kindle (it was better when he read actual books, a voucher to buy kindle books doesn't seem like much of a present compared to a book though I have given him kindle voucher before). He no longer drinks or eats chocolate/ sweets.

Happy thats wonderful news! Phew!

That's great Happy!!! So glad. Nice to be able to go back to worrying about smaller things.

Brilliant news Happy , what a relief! Fingers crossed for you Moggle [smile}

So for DD's birthday we've got her the Ikea kitchen (un-pimped - I'm not that crafty!) and a number puzzle. Family are getting her the utensils, pots and pans and food items to go in the kitchen. For Christmas....erm...not sure yet but like the idea of a gro-clock and was thinking of maybe some dressing up gear (she LOVES dressing up at nursery); a train set; farmyard set....Haven't really put much any thought into it yet..

Absolutely no idea for DH so will be looking here for brainwaves!

Lots of speech development coming on here too - still just 2 words (Daddy work; more blueberries; mummy up (aka lift me up mummy )) but she can now count to 10 (with a bit of help), although always misses out 7...

Thank goodness happy !

DS has a filthy cold so we kept him home today and he has been...... challenging.

Lots of tearful tantrums over stupid things, like not being able to pull the milk out of the fridge etc.

This evening, just to distract him from his own crankiness, we decided to put together the cosy Coupe in the kitchen. That thing is impossible! And DS kept "helping" which was very cute but bloody dangerous when there are screwdrivers being waved around.

And I couldn't help as DD wouldn't be put down so poor DH was sweating buckets.

Then as soon as it was finished, DS tried it, realised it was stiffer (I.e. newer) than the one in the crèche and abandoned it to sit in his old buggy! I thought DH would have an aneurysm, lol! Poor man!

But now DS has decided it's a good chair to watch telly in. So all's good.

So, I ended up getting dh- a book, some whisky miniatures for a stocking filler, planet earth 2 on DVD, and tickets to see a play in London. Think that'll do him!
Do need to think about what present ds should get him. Hmmmm...

We've started getting a few three word sentences, and so many more descriptive, emotional words. He's so lovely to be around at the moment, I almost can't bear it!

Sorry, posted too soon. Thank goodness happy, you must be relieved. X

Just need to tell someone.

Last night they BOTH slept through.

DS 7.20 to 7.20. DD 10.30 to 7am..

I don't even know how to handle it. Is this real life??!!

OMG Anna! Thats amazing, so jealous!

In a good, admiring way jealous it is!

That's amazing Anna! Congrats!!!

Well I had a funeral yesterday 200miles away so drove down n back in a day got home at midnight ds2 went to bed ok for dh but was awake at 10 coughing he ended up in with me awake all night raspy breathing high temp and been to docs he has chest infection considered hospital but happy for me to monitor at home based on my job.

Great news happy!
Also great news Anna!

eastmids hope he is OK and feeling better soon
anna wow, that is fantastic!

You (and other people) say you don't know how I manage my 13hr shifts, but this week I did a course at work so was there 8am until between 4.30 and 5pm each day except today I was shadowing someone 9.30-5.30, and I am exhausted. I have never worked 5 days a week normal hours before. I have been getting up at 6am, getting myself ready, starting to get DDs ready, going to work, getting home which takes a lot longer at that time of day, doing dinner, bath, bedtime, getting DD2 to sleep usually about 9pm, then starting on revision of what I learned that day on the course and preparation for the next day, housework, going to bed later than usual. This must be what life is like all the time for those of you with Monday-Friday 9-5 kind of jobs and I'm not sure it is easier. The exhaustion has not been helped by the return of the Nocturnal Cough From Hell disturbing both DDs, worry about the DD2's appointment last Wednesday and the assessed part of the course, and DD2 waking up at 4.20am on Thursday for no apparent reason so by the time I got her back to sleep it was almost time for me to get up anyway. Now to work out what people do with whole weekends as usually I am at work for some of it. Next week I am on jury service for 2 weeks which will hopefully be more of a rest. They sent me a letter this week asking if there are any exceptional circumstances why I couldn't do it for 5 weeks. I hope they accept my reasons because I can't get childcare for any more Fridays after today and the next 2 (plus I would miss the nursery Christmas party and the school Christmas play and have no time to go Christmas shopping)

Yesterday DH had the day off work to look after DDs while I went to work on Friday for the first time since having DD1 despite having denied all knowledge of this long-standing plan on Wednesday. I got home at 6.30 and he had not fed the DDs, he was cooking dinner and said he was waiting for me to get home but I don't think DDs wanted to wait that long, he hadn't emptied the dishwasher or the washing machine either. However, he had cut DD2's fringe himself! I wish he had taken her to the hairdressers instead. It doesn't look terrible but it doesn't look quite right.

just seen the new thread for November 2016 babies!!!! How have those last 2 years gone so quickly?!

Jury service for 5 consecutive weeks?! Are they for real? Aren't you supposed to do your normal job that they can just call you in for so long periods?! There are fair amount of jobs which need knowledge transfer for somebody else step in to cover and leave it without doing for more than a month isn't an option either.

Hello!

Sorry for being MIA, it's just been mad.

I'm okay, DD is okay. Ex is being a parent one weekend day a week and I'm feeling less terrified about this. It's all stayed fairly civil despite his best attempts at winding me up.

I'm in my lovely house, very settled and happy here. Dd is just growing up so quick, she says proper sentences now, it's amazing! I'm having counselling via a friend and it's helping. I'm also making some headway on a project Which is a bit top secret.

There is a man..... but we are taking things super slowly. He's actually a very old friend but things have got a bit more friendly recently. He lives a couple of hours away and we've agreed not to meet for 6 months to give me some time to grieve what I've lost and also get better from what has now turned out to be 7 years of narcissistic abuse.

How are you all? I need to read back over the thread!

It's been a long day. Yes, I know it's only 9.30am, but 6 hours ago DD was calling 'mummy, I wake now, weetabix.' Nearly 2 hours later she had finally gone back to sleep (I didn't let her get up and have weetabix in case you were wondering) and it was nearly time for me to get up. Now we are both tired and miserable. A colleague had a baby in October and posted on Facebook this morning about how he was awake for hours in the night. I nearly commented how the same had happened to me before I realised that would really not be what she wanted to hear.

Happy That is really considerate!!

I'm sat by a pool in San Diego, a little break from work, I'm away until friday so deserve to see a little sunshine! Facetimed dp and dd earlier, she's not in the slightest bit bothered that I'm away, she waved and said 'hello mummy, I'm drawing and daddy is drawing' and tried to drag him off for more colouring. Trying not to be hurt by this!

eastmids how is ds doing?