February 2016 #2

[haquoi123]

We're into thread 2! Can't believe our babies have been here this long!

Hi everyone, long time no see! waves to those who remember me Saw this thread on active so thought I'd pop up and wish you all a very Merry first Christmas with your little bundles. I'm afraid I defected to the Facebook group as I like to see who I'm talking to. Much love to you all xx

Belated happy christmas to you all! I hope you had a lovely day... all fine here, we're at my mum's which is totally not childproof and babycud has turned into a wrecking ball but apart from the smashed bottle of Babycham, the broken cupboard door and other minor damage it's all good, the kids have been spoiled and I've been trying not to think about going back to work on January 3rd...

Hi isla lovely to hear from you! Hope you had a lovely Christmas and day hi to everyone on the fb group from me.

Don't worry cud that's not until 2017 and we are still in 2016!

Hope you all had lovely Christmases!! I managed to avoid the illness! We went to my mums and had a lovely time actually, the in laws were there as well - lots of people to look after ds :D we're having a massive post Xmas slump though, I feel pretty sludgy and down. I need my term time routine back! Anyway, we're going away for a few days for NYE, so hopefully that'll help.

Glad you're feeling better clumsy!

cud that's some impressive damage!

Hi Isla!

Happy New Year to all! Hope the babies enjoyed Christmas!

Just back from our review with the Health Visitor and I'm feeling deflated. No structure, no real advice given, and just a long list of things I should be working on before he's one that I don't really agree with. I'm generally quite positive about the HV service but it honestly wasn't worth going to.

Happy new year everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your first christmasses with your little ones.

Sorry to hear that your HV review wasn't great Handbag. Just remember you're doing the best you can and it is easy for HV to sit there and give a bit list of the 'right' things for you to do, but they probably go home to their own kids and do whatever works for them whether its the 'right' thing or not!!!

I went along to one of my DS settling in sessions at nursery this morning (he starts nursery properly at the beginning of Feb). He's going to be in a room with 3 other babies all around the same age and all having started around the same time, which is nice. One thing they said is that he'll need some shoes for when they go outside into the nursery garden. He doesn't have any shoes yet! Cue me making an appointment for Clarks for Saturday morning...I hope there are still some sale bargains to be had...

Happy new year ladies!
Sorry the hv wasn't great handbag but I guess sometimes they just don't think how we feel when they just reel off a load of.stuff we should be doing. I got told off for my rubbish answers to the questionnaire

Hope post Christmas slump all.rwctified haq and glad nursery looks good clara

I survived my first day back at work yesterday. Nursery was still on Christmas holidays so dh had the boys. Tomorrow will be more of a test having to get us all out of the door on time!

I don't know how you or anyone with more than one kid does it Cudby! Respect!

handbag it's so annoying when they just give advice with no reference to you and your feelings and how you do things. My hv really upset me as well, I'm still angry about it.

Glad your first day back went well cud. I keep forgetting that mine is in Monday. I really don't feel prepared, got lots of lesson plans to do. How did it go getting them all out of the house?

clara thats fab about the nursery! When do you start back at work? Is your ds going part time? ds had his first settling in session on Thursday and had a great time. Although I was really cross as I couldn't get into the building for 10 minutes, holding a heavy ds in -2°c conditions and then I stupidly ended up apologising for knocking on a window (they were so laid back). Really pissed me off. I'm with you as well in that he doesn't have any shoes or a wet suit for outdoors. He starts next Friday (just a day a week) and I feel massively unprepared. A friend has offered to buy the wetsuit for his bday present, but just got to get in and get it!

I've got a job interview for a commission on Tuesday. I have to travel 2 hours for a half hour interview and then two hours back. Luckily mum has offered to take ds, and if I get it it's v worth it.

Any new years resolutions?

Good luck with your job interview Haq.

I started back at work in December but DH is taking some shared parental leave so DS starts nursery in February. He's going in 3.5 days with the remaining 1.5 being split between the grandparents, who are beyond excited about this!

Currently enjoying a family cold. Started with DS last week, moved to me on Saturday (why at the weekend, why!?!?!?) and DH woke up with it this morning. I've heard that it gets worse once kids are in nursery as they pick up every bug going. Joy!

Best get back to work...Sigh....Enjoy your weeks ladies.

P.S. If you haven't done so already, DON'T introduce your little ones to the light switches. It is literally DS' favourite game to turn the lights on and off for half an hour at a time and he goes ape if you don't pick him up to let him reach them. He is such a big boy that I can only hold him for a few minutes at a time.

clara, thanks for the advice on light switches, it has def come in handy! Nursery bugs, yes, it's relentless! Ds now has another one from Friday - I thought I was coming down with it but thankfully I seem to have fought it off. We had 5 months of back to back illness last year :( there must come a point when they don't get everything going though, so I'm looking forward to that!

I didn't get the job - I arrived home and they'd already sent me the email. You know when you think, they could have at least let me have a day to feel that the 6 hours driving was worth it??

Haquoi that's rubbish. I work in HR and am always amazed at how few people use their brain. What a poor impression they give and your experience with them is completely ruined by them not waiting a few hours!

Here's a question for everyone - as we're already being asked about when we'll have number two - is anyone planning the next one yet?

Fuck no. I got an implant.

^ hahaha! Love that response!

Took DS to the supermarket for the first time in a while yesterday. Saw the baby seat I usually use said up to 9kg, and he's 10.2 but did some googling his morning and discovered most people put them in the normal trolley seat from about six months! Bad mummy alert!

In my defence, he didn't really sit properly unsupported reliably until he was just about 9 months old, and he's always liked lounging in the reclined seat before! But yesterday he was trying to sit up the whole time, so I think it's time to change!

handbag then they chew the metal on the trolley

Also with clara hell no coil is in place I'm good for 5 years!

Sorry you didn't get the job haq something better is out there for you I promise

Can't believe Ds is 1 a week today!! The time has flown!

Ah I'm being flippant! Deep down in my heart I would like to have another child, but my head is saying 'why would you do this again, what you have right now is ace, don't mess it up!'.

Implant gives me a bit of time to decide. I'll be 36 in early 2019 when it's due for replacement so I guess I'll make a decision one way or another then. Mind you, in order to have a baby you'd actually need to have sex and (TMI) I must admit its been a good few weeks since we last DTD. I'm just not back to my old self in that regard Poor DH needs to make do with Pam and her five lovely daughters.

Are you guys doing anything special for the LOs birthdays? I'm thinking of having tea and cake at our house and inviting grandparents and siblings. Because any excuse for cake.

I'm a bit stuck on birthday ideas. I would like to mark it even though he won't know, but there are cousins ranging from 2-7 so any party becomes a kids party. Our house isn't ideal for that and if we go somewhere else for it then we're throwing a kids party rather than a baby's party if that makes sense?

Luckily as he was so late (first time I've seen that as a plus!) I've got a few weeks to think about it yet.

On the baby front I completely get where you're coming from Clara - we've got it really good at the moment and I know anything will change that. But we do want at least one more and if we want a 2 year age gap for example then that's something we've got to decide soonish. Frightening!

Thanks for the job commiserations. It was such a crappy interview as well, they asked me really stupid, open ended questions and I just flustered my way through. I got the impression from the beginning that they didn't think I was what they wanted (despite being perfect for the job in my eyes), but I couldn't work out what they were asking from me. So irritating.

Next baby, we're going on holiday to a Zika area in July (didn't realise when we booked) so if DH shows signs, potentially no baby making until next January as men have to wait 6 months if they show signs. I'm slowly coming to terms with it but we would have possibly been trying now if we'd thought it all through! The positives mean that I get to spend more time with ds without worrying about ttc (f*K that sht, awful) and this is my year to build up an income before blowing it all up with morning sickness and a baby.

Birthday - we're doing a joint welcoming and birthday party. Although it's been hard to fit family and baby friends into the guest limit, but I suppose cost wise that's a boon!

Dh would love another baby but we can't afford it yet, plus on a selfish note I am enjoying having my body to myself at the moment. I want another eventually but not just yet.

We are just having grandparents round for tea and cake. It's the busiest time of year at work and he won't know any different so I'm saving the stress for when he's older.

Sorry not been around much. Trying to get the hang of going to work and not really managing it... not helped by some bd sleeping from babycud. The house is a tip, we're all knackered and me and ds1 are both coughing non stop. Managed to submit school application before the deadline though. Now worrying about wrap around care which isn't helping my sleep! Any of you know if it's too soon to start looking for a childminder? Not completely sure we'll get into our 1st choice school so don't know if I should wait.... aaaaargh!!!! Basically I'm living on adrenaline and my mind is constantly whirring with stuff. And not in a productive way. But I do have a cleaner coming round for a chat next week so hopefully she'll be good and we can at least stop living in squalor.

sorry about the job and how they handled it haq. Something better will come along I'm sure but interviews are no fun at all.

on the babies front I think we're done. Much as I love them being small and being on maternity leave I can't think of any good reasons to have another, dh definitely doesn't want any more and i don't think I could convince him! And not sure about dealing with any more three year old's than I've already signed up for! And I'm 37 this year so don't have age on my side. A bit sad in a way that we won't be doing baby stage again but we're so lucky to have to wonderful healthy boys that I really am grateful for my lot.

Good to hear of all the birthday plans. Nothing lined up here but think we should see if the family can come up to mark the occasion...

Have a good weekend!

Oh cud hope you feel better soon. Don't worry about the house it's hard settling into a new routine, it will get easier. I would go and see a couple of childminders for each school and then when you get your place it's just a case of phoning them up to book in.

I've had to cancel birthday plans for tomorrow as I have a horrific sinus infection. The plan is now to do something at the weekend as long as I am feeling better. I feel really guilty, I keep being told he won't know the difference but I still feel guilty

Oh okay! What a rubbish time to be ill!!! Open you managed to fix something else up... don't feel guilty!!!

I've managed to calm down a bit since I last posted, mostly because we've been getting more sleep

I contacted all the childminders who pick up from our 1st choice school and they are all full for September as is the breakfast & after school club. Now on the waiting list everywhere and keeping fingers crossed....

We're definitely getting the hang of the work thing but it is knackering. Boys seem pretty happy at nursery which is good. Shame I didn't manage to meet the cleaner! Have another one to try...

In baby news we have had steps!!!! Just 3 or 4 wobbly ones when I picked babycud up from nursery bit definitely steps I also discovered that he likes shreddies but too many of these results in really bad nappies!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend. I'm off out with 3 friends for the day tomorrow. Really looking forward to a good catch up and a nice adults only lunch!!!!

We managed to celebrate a week late in the end. I lost a whole 24 hours on Saturday, the only thing I remember is a phone call to say my nan had died. Feeling much better now though.

Hurray for steps baby cud! You are a little superstar!

I hope you have a lovely day with your friends.

Oh clumsy, so sorry to hear about your nan.

cud, really pleased you're feeling better about things, although it sounds hectic! And hooray for first steps!

Ds is doing lots of standing here and is finally crawling too. We are very much unprepared. Cue baby proofing this weekend