MAY 07 Post natal - This time a year ago it was all just beginning, look at us now...........................

[Mrsjaffabiffa]

Morning........

Still have my fingers crossed for your friend lg&t.

97%gingerbread3%fretfull & JW, hope you are both doing OK. Lots of love to you both.

MKG, how's the H today? What about you?

Jorja had Pumpkin Puree for dinner, went down a treat, looking forward to the bright orange poo.

Hi guys, sorry to hear so much sad news floating around. Hang in there all of you.
Well, it's half term now so I hope to be able to get on a bit more than I have during the last hectic week. Ds is off to Twycross Zoo today with his grandparents and R has started the holidays as she means to go on. After being an angel for the childminder all last week she is now back to being my screaming banshee again. At the moment she is in her pushchair, in the kitchen in front of the washing machine. I don't think she's asleep but at least she isn't screaming any more. I am taking her to get weighed a bit later and I'm hoping she will have put a bit more weight on this time. She still isn't eating/drinking brilliantly so we'll see.

Hi,

abbeylou nice to see you well done for the first week back to work.

Right so am off on my great british tour today. Funeral is not til next week so am going to carry on with my plans to visit relatives and friends.

97% hows M today I hope your day got better yesterday.

LG%&T thats so sad about your friend hoping things get a bit more positive.

MKG how you doing?

Ok right this trip is never going to start unless I drag my arse off the sofa and get in the shower. PLease send me lots of luck driving for hours on end over the next week on my own with a baby who does not like his car seat.

Have a good week everyone,

Good luck Julie, hope you manage to enjoy yourself despite recent happenings. To be honest I really enjoy just getting in the car and going, wish I could do it more often.

Good grief it is quiet in here!

Am frantically packing up for the kids tomorrow, i take them to see our friends in Weston Super Mare and then on Wednesday we head down to Plymouth and i drop them off with EXP. A hectic few days ahead but at least i get a rest by Thursday when i only have B.

I have packed the kids off with a picnic as they were driving me crazy. Only just outside the house but it is nice and calm in here now! B sleeping so i have managed to bake a bananna cake. I have another friend coming over later to discuss me looking after her dd when she goes back to work in January. I have no childmind qulifications as such but she is not worried. We know each other from toddlers. Her dd is 7 months and soooo sweet, a pink one to borrow how fantastic is that!!

Anyhooo must dash things to clean, washing to do >

lg&t You can borrow my older pink one any time you want, she's very pink and very naughty, how long would you like her for? A couple of years would be lovely

I hope you have a lovely time in Plymouth, I know you'll miss the dc's but try to enjoy your peaceful time.

JW, hope the car journey was a success.

AbbyLou, enjoy your half term.

Hello! Well R and I have been doing a little Christmas shopping today while C is out of the way. He is too old now for me to be able to sneak things into the trolley/basket. We went to Toys R us and Mothercare and both were hectic due to the hlidays. I'm really struggling with what to get R for Christmas. Everything I've found seems to be either another version of something C had or I don't like it. Any suggestions?
We have been to the clinic today too and she is 15lb 10oz now which still seems very light but the hv wasn't worried looking at her. I explained the problems I am having feeding her but she just said persevere and she'll get there in the end.

Hi all,

Oh how Ive missed you...actually ive no broadband yet, am 'borrowing' from some un suspecting neighbour (one good thing about living in the 'burbs ) but couldnt stand to be away any longer..

Well everything is still in boxes from the move, we had a lovely time in the very palatial McVilla, M is still lovely, L's behaviour is truly appalling, (she broke me today in the end and I admit to shedding a tear, she is being a total nightmare at the moment, but then she did do a poo on her potty which went some way towards making up for it [grin))

Suffice to say the gin was apouring by 5.30 pm cest soir...

Am going to try to catch up but little hope...I hope everyone is ok...

Honestly I didnt realise how much I rely on MN and more specifically my lovely May girls till I didnt have you..

Scoot!!!! How wonderful to see you.

MKG - what a nightmare for you, go with your gut, I'm sure you will do the right thing for yourself and your children. Life's too short to be unhappy. I completely get where you are coming from though, we had a terrible week last week, dh was looking at me with pure contempt.

Julie - sorry about your grandad. My nan fell down the stairs last week, and although she seems ok physically, she just seems really old all of a sudden.

LG & T - have a brilliant time in Plymouth, I nearly rang you yesterday to talk about routines.

I'm having a mini-nightmare with L at the mo, not eating very much, but teething like a lunatic, and I read somewhere that suction causes pressure on their gums when they drink, so they need to break the pain barrier before they can start to eat properly. She's just had some sweet potato, which she loves. Her sleeping habits are dreadful, still getting in with us, but now its causing her to be unsettled in the evening. She's obviously thinking, why am I on my own? I sleep with my mum! I know what I need to do, I just don't want to do it. SOH - what's the plan to get M out of your bed eventually?

Sorry if I've missed anyone. We're off to Newbies at the Odeon at 11.30. Big kiss to all.

Scoot!!! Woo Hoo, we've missed you too, so lovely of you to pop in. Hurry up and get that broardband sorted.

Well done L on your poo but stop being a pickle, don't you realise Mummy is very busy at the moment.

Hi Scoot, long time no see. Hope all is well with you.
PJ I'm having the same trouble with R at the moment. She is teething and won't drink her milk. The problem is she doesn't eat her food that well either and I'm worried she won't be putting weight on. She has to be really comfy first before she will drink her milk and seems to hate the high chair with a passion.

Hello scoot - good to see you back!
I am sorry that lots of people seem to be having a tough time. I came back from seeing inlaws determined to post re DS1 (see behaviour/development - still have not worked out how to link) because he is being a nightmare. Things will get better for us all - a mantra for us to recite!!!!
BTW - Julie - hope you are feeling better. There is no right or wrong way to feel in this situation

Hi all, hope you are all well, have been away and not caught up yet! My back went last week, Hubby was working in France, so parents in law had to come and get me and george as i was having trouble lifting him. A week at the mother in laws, total nightmare! Not that i am not grateful of course

Read your post SOH, hope things better soon, i get lonely too, doesn't help when me and George have permanent colds so don't get out to see other human mortals for fear of giving them the lurgy too.

right off to catch up on the thread a little before his lordship awakes!

MKG, sorry to hear that you are having a tough time. I have been helping a friend in a similar situation recently and i have seen how stressed/drained she is so i am sending you big hugs xx

Julie, sorry to hear your news. It's always hard without the added family complications. Big hugs to you as well x

SCOOT, good to see you. We have some how managed to keep the thread going without you, but it has been tough

MumtoG, sorry to hear about your back. OOh a week with the IL's - dont envy you. Hope you are feeling better x

Hey Sky, nice to see you back with us as well.

Anneme, my ds has also been particuarly awful special recently. Mum thinks its linked to E's arrival but he has always been strong willed. We are trying a few new techniques and they seem to be working. Althouhg now i have said it he will probably go backwards :D

Ella is teething as well and seems happy one minute then the next she is a screaming banshee. She has gone a little bit off her food but not too concerned at the mo.

97%Gingerbread, Dh posted the grobag today as i havent had a chance to get out.

MrsJB, how's your finger?

Sorry if i have missed anyone. x

Hello all Im back!! Well actually I got back from my lovely holiday over a week ago but things have been so hectic that I havent had any time to get back on the pc other than to check my emails.

We had a great time in Salou, the holiday park was just over the road from the beautiful sandy beach, the pools were lovely and the weather was great. Ds2 had so much fun he didnt want to come back, to be honest I dont think anyone did. Ds1 definately liked having more children around, we hardly saw him he was always off with the others. He made us so proud with his swimming, he lacks confidence in the water usually but this time he was jumping in, swimming under water and he even mastered the back stroke first try. This year he seems to have come out of his shell a bit more which considering what has gone on at school is amazing. Its a shame he is also going through a stroppy teenager phase (3years early) at the same time lol.

Alana is now on solids and doing great. She will eat anything she is given which is great. The only thing is she gets in such a mess lol. She keeps trying to take the spoon from me and feed herself which of course she cant do yet without sticking the food up her nose or in her eye. She is also fond of grabbing the spoon just as i get it near her mouth and lettign go so that it flicks up at me and i get covered. At the beginning I was worried about baby sick on my clothes now i have to check everywhere for food blobs Isnt being a mum great lol

I have tried to catch up but gave up so if I have missed any good/exciting/important gossip in my absence I would be grateful if you could fill me in.

MKG I did read about your problems and wanted to say I know exactly what you are going through. My dh is quite similar to yours, he prefers going out to the pub rather than spending time at home and can be a very big arsehole sometimes (he admits it himself). He can go from being happy one minute to being a miserable git the next and of course being the wife we take the brunt of it. I used to argue back but now whenever he is in one of his funny moods I ignore him. Many a time i have thought of leaving and although I love him I know (and so does he) that I wont put up with his idiotic behaviour forever.
If you do decide that you have had enough at least you know that you are a strong woman and will be able to cope amazingly (thats the good thing with having lazy miserable gits for husbands)Also you have two gorgeous sons to be proud of so what ever hassle the marriage has been something good has come out of it

Im off to bed now, Alana has a very bad chesty cough so everytime she coughs (or chokes) in her sleep Im waking up. Ds2 also has a bit of a cough so some nights im up and down between them both at least 20 times and its catching up with me now so goodnight all and i will try to get on Mnet more from now on, ive missed chatting on here

Hey pebble glad to hear you had such a great holiday.

Does anyone know where my lovely, happy, smiley, sleeping baby has gone? I have been left a snotty, grizzly, non-sleeper who wakes 7 times a night!

AM I feel your pain

Woke 8 times last night.

Hey everybody (lwandlotttie here)

I have some really news. My neighbours went on holiday to Sardinia and the mans friend went into the sea and got into some trouble. My neighbour jumped into help him and he drowned. The worst bit about it was that they have a 10 week old baby boy together. I feel utterly distraught for her. Apparently she was struggeling with the little boy after a traumatic c-section and various other things, I can't even begin to understand what she must be thinking. I feel numb.

On another note, C is driving me mad at the minute. She's sleeping through still till about 9 in the morning and feeding really well. But she's grouchy during the day, partly down to teething. She wont nap at all and wants constant attention, I feel totally worn out. We had a great time in Malta last week, but I'm really feeling like I need a break away from her for a few days. May have to arrange a trip to see my bf at a weekend and get my parents to babysit. I'm running out of patience lol!

Hope all are well.

SOH - I've just read your other thread about M teething. Didn't post on the other one as I get all confused.

Just wanted to say, I've met two wonderful friends with babies exactly the same age as Lexie, both by just talking to random strangers with prams. Its only child syndrome, what can I say? When I was little I was constantly being told to 'go and ask that little girl what her name is'. But honestly, just go for it, I know you're shy, but the support I get from my two yummy mummies is only second to you lot.

LW - what a horrible time for your poor neighbour, honestly, I don't know how to even imagine what she's going through. You sound like a great friend though, I'm sure you're doing all you can.

Took L to have her photo taken today (pushy mother). For our wall, not in a beauty pageant fashion. She was so well behaved, although she tried to eat everything in sight. Photos are so cute. Bless her little cottons. Still sleeping with us though. Doh!

L is fine generally, but the teething and slobbering is out of control. Also, very unpredictable mood swings (she really is her mother's daughter...), one minute laughing, then screaming like a loony. Hey hum, the joys of motherhood.

We're going swimming tomorrow and my 9-year old cousing is coming with me, she's my little helper when she is on school hols. Child labour really.

Just a quickie one as i am supposed to be cooking tea. Ella sat up for the first time today unaided am going to post a piccie x

Evening all,

Teeth for M as well..her little bum is red raw and she is a misery guts..
Anything know anything good other than Sudocrem or that funny poo coloured nappy cream for nappy rash? As it does look pretty sore..

Sorry to hear of everyones sad news...(have been trying to catch up betweeen connection going down left right and centre-honestly why cant next door get a decent system ? Love to all those who are sad at the moment..

L has driven me to distraction today, so much so that I put both kids in the car and drove to Tesco only to realise had left bag and purse on my dining room table..so back up the A10 we came, both girls screaming bloody murder all the way..I am losing it big style L is going to cm tomorrow, god bless her, (the cm I mean, the woman is a saint!)

I have no oven in the new house yet..so am relying on a microwave, a steamer and two camping rings...feels like we are on a jolly camping trip all the time!(except we will soon get pretty sick of pasta, baked beans, and basically anything you can fry or microwave fairly soon I imagine!)

Weaning?Cant remeber how to do it..but am going to start soon I think..whats best after baby rice?Fruit or veg or does it not matter?

Well done Ella Meadow!

Scoot - what a nightmare day. Have a glass of something strong, lovely, and put your feet up.

April - Ella is so cute. I love that sleeping picture, its beautiful. Well done to Ella for sitting up. No more baby left, baby right? Yay!!!!!!!

Hi all, sorry to hear there has been more sad news in the camp.
Pebble and LW, glad to hear you had good holidays.
AM I can't believe E is sitting, she looks so cute in that picture.
We have been out for the day today with some of dh's family and I have to say my 2 have been angels. R is teething but still no sign of anything. She also has a terrible cough at the mo but I don't really know what to give her for it. She is happy as Larry with it but then gets overtaken by awful attacks of coughing where she sounds so terrible. Then she is grinning again straight after.....

Abby - what a trouper! L is so dramatic, the tiniest bit of wind has her hysterical.

April - love the red outfit, very Parisian chic!