November 2014 - the one where they test boundaries.

[MrsAukerman]

New thread ladies. Jump on board.

Thank you all for hand holding. I guess the old school cloth nappies made things un comfortable and children did get naturally trained earlier.

Ladydolly when you will realise how much help is that you dont have to prep the food to take to the nursery, you will wonder why you hadnt switched earlier. I honestly cant imagine what would have been with my life if I would have to do the lunch boxes in the evening. Just tonight I got home at 7.30pm, DH made me dinner and it was time to take DD to bath and bed. At 9.30pm I will pay any money not to have food prepping. Late start is a bit inconvenient, but there are so many benefits you will find the way around.

Had an amazing holiday in Barbados home yesterday, due to a night flight was awake 36hrs boys slept on way back n I made them stay awake once home at 11.30am as was 5hr behind in Barbados n popped ds2 to bed at 6pm n ds1 at 8pm dragged them out bed just before 8am shoved in clothes bundled in car with DH to school n nursery with some toast.

Both were v good on 9hr flight poor ds1 was travel sick on way home but otherwise travelling was better than I expected n they adjusted to to!e difference v well bed at 8pm local time n up at 6am ish so we were at breakfast for 7am nby pool at 8.30am. Naps/rest had from 1.30 for couple hrs as soooo hot.

Lots swimming, eating n chilling

I spent today washing n washing, DH went to work in a daze and I go back tomorrow, roll on weekend.

oh wow east that sounds like a great holiday!! Well done you for all the traveling, sounds like it went well.

Just catching up with everything. Congrats havent if you are reading!

I think we are ready to start potty training, near enough. For a while she's been telling us about having poos and had done a few on the potty, but no awareness of wees. I finally got her to do a wee on the potty a couple of weeks ago (putting her straight on after a nap when I could feel she still had a dry nappy). Then yesterday I changed her nappy, she stood up and then paused a few seconds "done a wee mummy" (she had!). Then yesterday before bed I asked if she wanted to try and do anything on the potty before I put her nappy on, she said "can squeeze a wee out" (!!!!!) and did indeed sit on the potty and do a wee. I just can't decide whether to wait til after our holiday in wales in a few weeks (4 hour drive to pembrokeshire)... but from what some of you said I might regret not striking while the iron's hot. We have some pants already (Peppa from Boots - what a rip off - £8 for 5!!!! Frozen from primark, £2 for 5 but they do have massive scratchy labels inside).
Strawberry don't give it a second thought that she's not ready yet. Nappies really aren't that much of a hassle anymore, I find. it will be so much easier to do it at her pace. And DD has shown me that one day it may just click even though you feel 'she's NEVER going to get it!'. One thing I've read about is putting some kitchen towel or a face flannel in the nappy so they can feel when they're wet, modern nappies are so good at keeping them dry it can be counter productive when you want them to start being aware of it.

Another milestone passed last week - we were away and DD slept in a bed for the first time as they had a cabin bed with the bottom encosed on 3 sides, we put a bed guard on the other side as it was quite high up and a hard floor. It all went well (apart from taking all her clothes off including nappy one night, and trying to take the top of a bottle of calpol she found another night!!!!) so when we came home we took the side off her cot and she's been a star with it, as she takes up to an hour to fall asleep some nights, but stays in the bed the whole time! We didn't really have an issue with her being in the cot, she couldn't climb out as long as she was in her gro-bag (put on backwards....), but I was getting a sore back from getting her in and out. She still thrashes all over the place though so we find her in some funny positions, or sometimes on the floor! Hopefully she will have learned to keep her duvet on by the time it gets cold again!

The ivf continues fine, the scratch was OK, thanks for the good wishes - the suppository they gave me for pain relief however was NOT and I thought I was going to fart/follow through in the poor consultants face as he was rummaging around my nethers. But all was fine and it was at 7.45 AM so I got a whole day off to myself as DD was in nursery!

Im lying in bed watching DS on the monitor chatting away to his new best friend - a light up lullaby Seahorse. You press it's tummy and it plays soothing lullabies for 5 mins.

We had this thing since he was a baby but he had no interest. So the other day he saw it in the babies cot and was really interested so we said something about how he could bring it to bed if he wanted. We never expected it would be such a big deal!

Previously he's been bringing cars to bed but chattering loudly for ages. And calling us in for more water etc. With this thing, he's asleep in 10 mins! He goes to sleep cuddled into it.

And now in the mornings he just keeps playing it for half an hour!

We're actually amazed - the thing is like Valium to him!

moggle you are eternally positive, I love it. Do so admire you! Keep us posted.

anna that is amazing!! do you feel like all your christmasses have come at once??

Potty training has taken a massive upswing. She's not had a single accident with us since day 5 (we're on about day 18 now) and at the weekend we took day trips (potty in a large carrier bag). Making progress with the childminder too but we have decided to move her to nursery as soon as a place comes up. So, advice needed, she's been dry at night since we started potty training, should we take the leap to pants at night time as well? How do you do that?

Confusing time with going for DC2, I thought we were all set to try for another and when I told DP I was ovulating he freaked out. He said he's really anxious about the impact and the money and how hard it is . We talked it through and he does want another one just isn't raring with excitement. And now I am worrying too!! :(

ladydolly if she's already dry at night you might as well give it a go? From what I've read you can't actively train them at night, it's when their brain manages to sort out the signals so they don't pee when they're asleep and it happens to everyone at different times (my niece is 5.5 and is only just now dry at night). So maybe a waterproof mat or one of those incontinence bed pads under the sheet just in case, but I'd go for it. You're just throwing 10p away every night otherwise! Watch out if she is ill or anything she might need to go back in nappies at night for a bit.

I'm sure DH will get his head around it soon. And remember babydolly will be getting some free hours at nursery from January so that will help. I've just found out our nursery is offering the 30 free hours to 3 year olds if they were paying for nursery beforehand, so we will have no childcare bills from January! Amazing. Just trying to work out if we can squeeze her in for another half day as she is only in for 20 hours currently...

Well I was the main driver of TTC both babies. Tbh DH didn't want kids. Nor did I for a long long time. Then I got broody and to his eternal credit he said if you want one, we'll have one. But he said he would insist on two, as he has a lot of siblings. Fine by me!

That didn't mean he was the one going to plan any TTC though! When the time came he started being "too tired" etc and I had to have a very serious chat and spell it out what TTC actually meant (shagging by calendar rather than desire). And fair play, he got on board with being available. But I very much felt like the only one really TTC.

I'll never forget when I had a positive test, I ran down the stairs to tell him and he said "Congratulations!". Like he would to a colleague!

Obviously he took to fatherhood like a duck to water and was still keen on having a second. But again, I had to decide this month and we shag these days. The only difference was that this time he knew what it entailed. Yet again though I felt I was the one driving the train and he was just an amiable passenger reading his paper in the carriage, oblivious to all the work it took to get to our destination.

It's shit being the driver. But worth it in the end.

And don't forget, 9 months is a hell of a long time. We conceived when DS was 1 and was a non-sleeper. By the time the baby came he was a good sleeper who talked. Massive difference.

I won't lie - DD is 7.5 months and it's only in the last month it's gotten actually pleasant rather than WORK. But still, having a second was easier than first time round as you have perspective. It doesn't help with the sleep deprivation and the breastfeeding which are both as unrelenting as before, but at least you know it's temporary in a way you didn't really understand with the first.

You're all the voice of reason - thank you! I think it's because babydolly is now such an easy toddler (famous last words) after being a 'difficult' baby that he's loathe to go back to it again. He's just saying he won't be quite as excited when we get the positive test. I do love that he's honest about it rather than brooding about it.

I think I'll get some of those incontinence pads, good plan.

My bloody childminder beat us to it!! She dumped us this morning! I'm being dramatic of course but she did say she thinks babydolly will be better suited to a nursery environment because she's so smart and energetic. I think it actually has more to do with us disagreeing over potty training and because it will suit her better to have just babies come September (when babydolly will be 2nd oldest there). It feels like being dumped by bloke I didn't really like anyway. I might text her and say 'well I was going to leave anyway'

Oh man!!! Will you be stuck while you wait for a place, or is she going to be helpful and let you stay if she knows you are planning to leave soon? Annoying to not get the last word... I wouldn't text her that though, don't burn your bridges until you're definitely sure you won't need some goodwill from her!!

She's suggesting september so we have time and I would guess the nursery will have more places then, if I can get a place earlier though I'll take it. But yes, keep her sweet for now!!

Oh blimey me ladydolly I would get nursery place sorted n give cm required notice don't hang it out to sept to suit her unless it suits you, guessing she can't be arsed with hassle of potty training

Have fallen off the thread and have missed few things. Ladydolly did the nursery give you an estimate when they could have you? I'm sure it will work out just fine. So the older kids there are still in nappies or they arrived already potty trained? CM sounds a complete ar&e. In this perspective nurseries are more reliable, you count on them to be up and running and turning their nose up because of every minor dissagreement. Definitely, keep her sweet, DD is still with her, she better believe she has controlling the situation, until you show her who actually does.

DD has started to tell us when she is wet and needs changing nappy, so she might not be the last child in her group with nappy on after all.

There has been a moment of surprise. DD accidently pulled my hair, I moaned and she said "sorry mummy" she will soon have better manners than her mother.

No date yet, we are going for a trial.in 2 weeks so will hopefully know more. It's gone downhill tho, cm had a massive go at dh on friday because babydolly had made such a mess that cm had to change her clothes as well. I had been planning to call her today only to run into her at the supermarket. I told her the problem is only at hers and that she needs to think about fixing the problem rather than just how to make less mess. She keeps saying how I've only got one to watch and she has 6 but as I pointed out today, I only care about my 1! Anyway, we have compromised on jojo training pants (at £6 a pair!!) until I can move her.
I really thought a cm was the best choice but I would think twice of qe have another baby.

We finally gave dd her dolls house (that we got her for xmas) yesterday since grandma was babysitting and she needs 'calmer' toys - HUGE hit, she refused to go out, even to the park! Plus mum brought over the furniture from when I was little, so nostalgic! (So 70's!)

6 children for one person to look after?! Is that even legal? Maybe, if she finds it difficult to provide a decent standard of care, she shouldnt be so gready and have less children in care? And it is normal with small children that they make so much mess that the person looking after them gets messy as well. I lost count of times I had to change because of DD.

There;'s 2 of them, her husband is her assistant. But I think you're right, she has too many to give the attention she needs. When I hired her it was just her and 3 kids, dd had been with her for 3 weeks when she told me her husband had been made redundant and was going to join her. DD loves the husband but we've had issues where I've said I think they've stretched themselves too far, I would get there at 4 and find all the dirty highchairs from lunch still out or when dd was pre walking she was in the playroom with 2 other kids and she was really crying, the cm had done the school run and the husband was making a cup of tea (I properly lost my shit that time and they agreed that dd wasn't to be left with husband and to be with cm at all times) but they had really improved since those times but it has never really been what I signed up for.

Same happened with us lady dolly cm was fav when her and 3 little people husband joined her heart wasn't really in it 5-6 little people and wasn't quite so great luckily we were 2 days a week n only had a yr left n v stern words were had on occasion.

Hopefully nursery have a space v soon.

Oh ladydolly that must be really upsetting to find DD crying there. I hope you can soon leave it behind you. What you have told reminded me about our nursery being inspected by Ofsted and downgraded from "Good" to "Needs improvement" because of lack of personalised learning plans for each child. I wonder if your CM had a personalised learning plan for DD?
To be honest the whole learning plan thing written out in very corporate slang made me smirk, considering we are talking about children age 6 months to 4 years. They also said that the staff appeared caring, patient and loving, children were well behaved and respected the staff. Honestly, at this age for me most important is that DD is looked after, she forms relationships with other children, spends lots of time playing outside and receives warmth from the people looking after her during the day. Once she is at school then there will be formal learning plans, syllabus, duties etc., at the moment I'd rather she just enjoys herself and spends the time free of care. She will have time to do all the formalised, personalised and any other kind of learning.

God I'd have wanted to thump that CM.

That said, since we haven't started toilet training yet I don't know how good the crèche is going to be. Or not. Not a single one of the 6 kids in his class have started yet either, apparently.

He's been coming downstairs with massive poos in his nappy every single morning. He does take about 20 mins playing before he calls us in to get him, and I wonder if that's when he does it?

Problem is he hotly protests against getting up before he's ready - if you go in when he's just woken up he shouts "NO DOWNSTAIRS! GET BACK!" (Charming.... )

I mean, it's great cos we get to have a peaceful coffee first. But it's probably incompatible with toilet training tbh.

His language has really come on with almost full sentences now. Yesterday morning he informed me he had a "little rock in my eye". He was talking about sleep in his eye! I was dead impressed at how he was able to describe it and had a ridiculous PFB moment.

There have been some cross words and I have cried all the way to work on several occasions. I try and remind myself that DD loves going there so can't be that bad. Hopefully she'll like nursery as much!

anna that is hilarious!! He obviously needs his personal space to do his business!

Isn't it amazing the language? I mean, it DOES feel like a rock in your eye. They're 2 and a half, how can they make the comparisons already?? Of course I already believe DD is a genius, it's my mum's fault, she's always pointing out stuff DD can do that she is 'early' with (and ignores the stuff she doesn't get).

We had 2 firsts over the weekend. He can apparently recognise his name and he climbed a tree! He's a proper little boy now. Scary. Still in nappies though.....

Tree escapades. I missed it though. Boo. DH rook a photo thank goodness.

Took.

MrsA he is cuuuute!! Its when I see others the same age as DD that I find it hard to digest how big they are now!!