********** December 2006 PART 2 **************

[castlesintheair]

Will this do?

Bec, your children are gorgeous!

My eldest step-child is nearly 27 ( How did that happen It seems only yesterday he was a lanky little git and now he's such a nice man!) and the youngest is 15, so I completely get the bit in your profile about your DS being easy!

I am very lucky where I live, I have a rugby field and park nearby so green space, fresh air from the sea a few miles away plus loads of activities I can walk to as I leave near a town and a very large (ex) council estate. I would love to eg live in the country but do realise that then I would have to make such more of an effort to get places. This week I have needed the car once, and that was only as I had a hospital appointment. Dh would like to live nearer his family, but his sis has to drive the kids everywhere so they need two cars. My leisure centre is a 10-15 min walk away so when they are older it will be just as convenient.
I would like a different (bigger?) house though.
Witter.....not sure what the point of that was......

Just realised how to look at peoples photos, is very strange to put faces to names!

Will have to update mine now...

Took dd to gp this morning, after sitting up with her from 2am till 5am so she could breathe They're hustling hospital for our follow up ENT apt, which never came through, but other than that no great tips - just keep doing what we're doing, hopefully its the end of her Easter cold

Am beyond knackered, but strangely am getting used to it and no longer waiting for it to get better, so not so pissed off. Have also let myself off a variety of hooks along the lines of 'can't be helped if I forget my name/my friend's birthday/have sick on my sweater when going out'.

But would like not to feel worried about dd at night, really really would like that.

Hey, welcome back Bacon-Bec and don't you dare feel old with me around

((AQ)) one for today, glad you ate something yummy...and btw, whereabouts are you? If you were near by, we could always tackle M&T/B groups together, if it helped. Would probably help me, anyway

Nice to see we all have such beautiful children

Eli - i really hope they can do something gor your dd. sounds very worrying....

Sorry Girls, Lurking at the moment, don't have enough hours in the day!!

AQ, Sorry your having such a rough time of it, I know it might not be what you want to hear but I was feeling exacly the same about 6 weeks ago and have now been back on the Ad's for 4 weeks. Feeling TONS better and it's really helping xxxx

Lucy5, I bypassed the baby rice and went straight for pureed veg

Ei, Hope it is the end of a cold and nothing more xxx

Wow, thanks for the lovely welcome back! It gladdened my heart it did.

I agree gs we do all have beautiful children. I love looking at all the profile pics

And yes I will carry on with the group things. It's lucky that there is a SureStart centre not far away which organise the Lets Talk Babies and massage and other stuff. They're running a Tai Chi class again from next week with a creche so I'm thinking of plucking up courage to go. It's only for an hour 5-6pm so I suppose Jimmy would be ok? I've never left him before. They are also starting an Arts and Crafts course for 2 hours a week but I think that might be a bit too long. Oh and they do BumsnTums and Yoga as well but again I'm wary of leaving DS.

I shouldn't rush to do everything I suppose. My problem is I read things in magazines or the internet that say 'you should be doing this' or 'baby should be doing that by now' and then panicking that I'm not doing the best thing. Eg when he was about 9 weeks old I read that I should be getting him into a bedtime routine by putting him in his cot awake and letting him fall asleep by himself. So I did and he cried and I got frustrated that he wouldn't sleep and then I thought 'This is stupid! He's not tired so why am I causing myself stress?' So I haven't done it since. Luckily (oh, so very lucky!) he tends to go off very easily and if I put him down when he's sleepy he will drop off on his own. But if he doesn't I pick him up and wait until he's ready. I'll do anything to cause myself as little unnecessary stress as possible!

Eli, I hope DD2 improves soon. It must be a nightmare for you.

AQ, I hope tomorrow is a better day for you and for all of you who are feeling down at the moment.

Eli, how was your night?

AQ, hope today is a better day for you ((hugs))

DS1 seemed to have got over his bug yesterday but his temperature shot back up in the afternoon and he was moaning his head and neck and tummy hurt. I had to give him calpol and nurofen overnight to keep his temp down but this morning he's right as rain again. Most odd.

DS2's bfing has gone to pot, he's latching on really lazily so he's shredding my poor nipples, esp the left one, which used to be his favourite. Little monkey!

Keep meaning to ask, how long did you all have the post natal hairloss for? Mine's still coming out in handfuls everytime I wash or brush it - I'll be bald soon .

hairloss = bad

OMG - I've been wondering why so much hair is falling out - clumps at a time

Glad it's not just me , I remember reading somewhere that pg hormones stop your hair falling out, hence the thick, lustrous locks and it's just all the excess hair falling out afterwards but this has been going on for a month now, literally handfuls of it. Better start researching haor transplants I think .

we've just booked DDs chistening for the summer Godparents are sorted out. Now I just need to write a guest list and send invites.

Just heard that a work colleague of mine died last night. She was on a works night out, had a heart attack and died. She only young (well, about the same age as me) Very

As a result, I was late phoning one of the directors and am now feeling like I will never cope going back to paid full-time work.

Having a bit of an Alfie day (what's it all about)

My hair is falling out too. And I didn't even have lustrous locks in pregnancy!!

babypowder, that have must been an awful shock. Try and rest and relax today but if you find yourself dwelling on it get out and see if it can distract you a bit.
(((hugs))))

Thanks, Glassy. I'll get it all in perspective again soon

Internet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Been down since I last posted, I had to go cold turkey on the MN. Not good

Hello Bec! Nice to see you again.

Re groups I just go to bumps and babies once a week. Sometimes we head off to lunch at the pub after and recently started swimming somtimes with somone from the group but that is it. It keeps me sane to have the baby time but can't cope with too much of it! I go out every day though even if it is just a potter around with ds in the sling.

Just had a coil fitted. Quite entertaining doing backwards birthy visulisations (open up and let it in!). For 'you might get light cramping today' read 'you might think you are going to collapse on the way home' currently in pjs with hot water bottle.

Forgot, BP take care, very sad, hope you are ok.

Indith I'm still considering the coil but am a bit of a chicken....

Oh Indith, not much fun for you today xxx I am way to chicken for the coil.
Still using Breastfeeding and withdrawal method
Dh is supposed to be having the snip

Guess what??
Today I very naughily sat ds1 in front of cbeebies He started Laughing at Tickabilla and I mean real proper belly laughs More like his father than I realised

Eli, hope things are ok with you & DD2. Did you look at the sleepcurve thingy? I got one (desperate mother who will try anything) and it does sort or tilt DD2's head back which is probably a healthy airwaves thing. Isn't there also something called an ambinest? I know quite a few mums found it got their LOs to sleep. It's a kind of hammock thing and at an angle so head up. Don't forget, I'm very nearby if you need a hand, castlesintheair at hotmail dot co dot uk. Hope you get some sleep soon.

Sorry about your colleague BP. It's horrible when something like that happens. Puts it all into perspective though. "What's it all abart, Alfieeeeeeeeeeee?" remember me and my colleagues singing that on a regular basis ...

Yes, hair loss Olihan! I think it starts shedding around the 4 month mark. DH gets really annoyed by all the long blonde strands about the place so I offer to shave my head and he shuts up

Magnolia, DD2 often has a good chortle when DS & DD1 are watching cbeebies. My old childminder told me "they are carefully researched programmes by child psychologists designed to stimulate and educate them". Well I'm happy to believe that !!

I would be too chicken but since ds was a result of contracptive failure we thought we should make damn sure I graduate first this time!

Ds likes the Simpsons! Ok so I don't ever have kids tv on and don't have digital or anything so no cbeebies but he gets bathed in the kitchen, usually by dp who sticks Simpsons on. Ds just kicks back, chills out and gazes at the tv! I think its all the bright colours.

We have some ground breaking advances, for the second day in a row ds is having a lunch time snooze!

DD1 wet the bed last night for the first time in a very long time. Trouble is, it's my bed she wet. Ick. I immediately used towels to get rid of the worst of the wet, put loads of bicarb on it (am seriously considering changing my name to bicarb as I use industrial quantities of it!), but there is still a whiff. Any ideas how to banish the smell without resorting to chemicals? It's one of those mattresses with a pad on top, so I can't even turn it over. Yuk, yuk, yuk!