December 06: For my first birthday mummy I would like.......

[Indith]

Here you go Eli!

I almost put 'your clothespegs' on the end there. Ds loves clothespegs. Came home from Rainbows the other day and dp had made a deal with ds. He could play with the clothespegs as long as he did it in his playpen and let dp make dinner.

I'm sorry to hear that the blues are going around. Sounds like some good advise from those who have been there and got the t-shirt.

January is indeed very poo. miserable and grey and horrible and I must admit to not being a great mummy recently. The whole lack of groups thing makes the days I have ds very long indeed at times. Hey ho, I'm hoping to up his creche hours a bit as uni is going to kill me through smothering with mounds of work before too long!

Ds has been off food too recently. Has been turning his nose up at food and then screaming blue murder at it Creche say he ate all his lunch there though . He was also perfectly happy to steal rich tea biscuits from the Rainbows yesterday while we decorated them

Wow Castles, can I have some?! Seriously, do you think the mild ADs are responsible for all the up mood, or are you just doing what you enjoy doing most? I have a very good pal who loves being a SAHM full time, and feels truly satisfied doing it and doing it brilliantly...whereas I am quite sure I do far better mothering when I get to do a few hours of something else every week - though I've only just started picking this up again, I can feel the difference. Have been wondering a lot about direction, now I am not having to think about TTC/fertility tx, know that my family is complete, etc......

Jabber and Oli and everyone else having rough nights, my sympathy...I think we've had two unbroken-ish nights since dd2 was born, and dd1 had nightmares one of those.

But nothing to do with reclaiming my boobs, in my case - that bit is done.

Thanks everyone. I just feel a bit flat and I think it has more to do with not much to look forward to than anything else.

DH and I are going out tomorrow night though

Have a good time, FGS

Also, seven teeth....dd2 still on four at 14 months

Ds2 still on 4 teeth as well. He seems to do a good job at biting with them, tho. Not only food but various places on me and his brother. Dh seems to be able to stay out of the way of it most times. It's so odd having a biter. Ds1 never did that.

Lol at the cheery American image I was eating lunch when I read that post and almost spit spaghetti on the screen.

I've been sitting here trying to remember how my friend phrased her wonderful advice on ADs. Basically something like, "Your body is not the same after having children and needs a little extra of this and that to balance things out" Her version was much better but you get the idea. I was really lucky that the first one I tried worked and kicked in fairly quickly.

Eli, you sound like me. I have to get out and be Dr. Jabber at least 2 days a week or I start getting a little nutty.

As far as sex drive goes, dcs definitely take a lot of the energy that used to be directed elsewhere I can tell when it has been too long between times b/c I start getting really snippy and mean to dh So then I say, We really need to have some sex. And then we just make it a priority to find some time in the next day or so. It's not spontaneous at all that way but we get along much better afterwards!

Advice! Advice!

I must write my lines

some advice
to advise
some advice
to advise

Am I educated or not?

Hope you have a great time FGS. Felt wonderful going out with dp. So much better being able to say 'we went out lat week' rather than 'we went out last year'

Mind you we don't get an evening to ourselves until Sunday this week as we've both been variously out/people been round all week. Nice but annoying, why are things like that like buses? You feel lonely because you never see anybody except each other then you see entirely too many people all at once and feel lonely because you've not seen much of each other!

Jabber ds is bitey too. Usually his toys and dou dou bear the brunt of it but he sank his teeth into my arm earlier and it hurt!

both my boys are biters! I thought ds1 was going to be excluded from nursery at one point...
Indith, are there no groups near you or is it just the uni hours - I agree, very hard to keep them happy all day on your own. I'm taking them to softplay tomorrow morning (playdate hopefully in the arvo) because it's driving me insane being at home with all day. They create so much mess!!
FGS, dinner sounds a good start
AD's played absolutely havoc with my sex drive although cipralex not so much. Can't remember what the other one was. I'd prefer never to go on them again, I felt quite remote from dp & ds1. I'm trying exercise at the moment, go out on my bike at night a few nights & trying to go for long walks with the kids. If only I would get up at 6.15 (when my alarm goes off) and jog as I meant to. I'm sure I would feel a whole lot better if I did. And that 7 or 8 pounds I've gained since returning to work would shift, I hate them!
Castles, if drugs make you cope this well, I may have to reconsider! Pulsatilla seems enough for me at present...

Ewww, both my girls have come down with the dreaded bug. Out of nowhere, in the middle of the night. I have no clean sheets or pyjamas in the house. Yuck, yuck, yuck.

Awww, bp, changing sheets with your sore back - not fun, I'm sure. Plus the ick factor of a vomiting bug...

FGS, hope you have a wonderful evening out. Dh and I really should start doing that. On the rare occasion that we do actually do something without the boys it is a refreshing change of pace IYKWIM.

eugh bp you poor thing (poor girls too)

Hmm. Duvet day lasted until noon. DD2 grouchy all morning with childminder who called me to collect early

Hi everyone,

Want to stop in and say hello! I used to be on the ante-natal thread and sometimes drop in and see how you all are. I got ante-natal depression - which is mainly why I disappeared off here - thought I would tell all those who are feeling down that it goes and ADs work wonders, pretty quickly too. Crying in the GPs room also helps.

LO is doing good, although having all the same problems as many of you - still no sleep, DH cops it a lot of the time for my fed-up-ness with being a SAHM and could do with some time and energy for some more sex but apart from that laundry list...

hey lennied, good to see you back - stick around this time! Sorry to hear about the pnd, how long has that been going on? I think when it really hits, ad's can fix a situation fast.

Indith, that must be a bind, are you graduating this summer - is that the plan or is it another year? What do you think you might do or are you hoping to be v.pg by then?! You must have it tough at durham as students here seem to spend v.little time attending classes! There have been a no of things here that I would have loved to have taken ds2 to but couldn't because I couldn't take ds1 such as baby signing. Although I'm teaching him no [he just giggles]

bp, urggggh! I thought the boys both had something this week as there was exploding poo on Weds but seems to have passed - my heart sank at the mere thought, so my sincere sympathies (ds1's new thermal trousers held it all in v.well, must remember that next time!) [hugs]

FGS half a duvet day better than none, I guess. I asked ds1 if he would like to spend the morning with me tomorrow (usually dp has them both and I get a couple of hours to myself in theory). He said he wanted to be with daddy instead and for me to look after ds2. Tried not to feel rejected, I was quite looking forward to trailing to the train station with him or something!

Lennied, welcome back! I had PND with ds1 and it does so suck.

FGS, did the cm think your dd2 was unwell? Otherwise it seems a bit off to call you early.

Just took the dcs in for their mumpsvax. Ds2 had started pulling at his ear last night and so...another round of antibiotics as it appears his ear infection did not clear up after all and then another visit back for the jab. Ds1 got his and acted like a wild animal I am completely exhausted. We had to wait an hour before being seen and were back in the room for about 45 minutes with people coming and going since the receptionist forgot to put down that ds2 needed his ear checked before he could get jabbed. grrrr

Hi lennied

Thanks AQ

Jabber - DD2 got into a rage when I left and had an angry cry for about an hour. When she got over that she was in much pain with teething and whiny and unsettled and tired. She was fine if the CM was cuddling her but the moment she put her down she screamed. It was only DDs 2nd visit and the CM didnt want DD to associate her house with badness iykwim. She was miserable for me for a while in the afternoon and then cheered up. I'm going to give it 2-3 more sessions and then re-think. DD is ok with my friend on Mondays.

Aww, jabber, never-ending for all of you lately [hug]
FGS, fwiw ds2 took several visits to settle at nursery, he screamed his head off and was most unhappy. And it's much more difficult to settle them at this age than, say, 6 months, as they're more aware. Are you doing whole days or just mornings?

Hi guys, Back from evening out. DD2 cried from 9.30 to 11.30 apparently as teething. Feel very guilty as MIL looked after her

Hi Lennied!

AQ, I'm on Cipralex, how long did it take before the side effects stopped? I'm not sleeping because of them and it's driving me mad!

Well, it never rains but it pours in the Olihan house at the mo. All 3 dcs have gone down with a headache/temperature /fluey bug that's doing the rounds. They've also passed it on to MIL so I'm expecting it to be my turn next . Still, Calpol's profits should be good with the amount of Calpol, Calprofen and Calpol Night that they've been glugging.

FGS, at least your MIL was there, not a relative stranger. It's so guilt inducing when you leave them and they're miserable, isn't it?

Oh, dear FGS. But she does know your MIL, not a stranger (ds2 woke up unexpectedly when dp's friend was babysitting and cried for an hour, I don't know who I felt more sorry for). I know must have bee horrible to come back to BUT you do deserve a night out now and again - don't let it stop you.
Oli, I think a week at least, maybe a bit longer, I had horrible headaches I seem to remember & the sleeping too. But you will also see a mood difference after 2 weeks (I hope!) so stick with it. What are you on? 5,10. 20?

I'm on 20mg. Day 6 today so I'm hoping it'll ease soon.

20 is pretty high to start with afaik. After 2 weeks if it's still bad, maybe go back to dr and ask for lesser dose? Are you feeling better though or too tired to notice?

Can I have some sympathy here please?

Hi Lennied

Am rushing around like a crazed woman trying to clean house from top to toe because dd1 has threadworms, which I SAW , and if I have a phobia, its probably worms. Pre-school being very 'don't want to knowish' about it even though the one thing their recent OFsted picked up on was the need for better hygiene in their toilets.

Poor dd2 has had pink (wormless) diarrhoea from being fed Pripsen and her MMR and her pneumoccocal booster today

Poor dd1 has had half her cuddlies washed and dried and the other half binned

Poor dh is being asked to hoover every five minutes

Am off to put another wash on, but hope to be back later, more sanely, to read and catch up! Oli, hope the ADs are helping, xxx

eewww. I had worms when I was about 19 (uni food) and I am still phobic about it now. You have my full sympathy.

Hello Lennied!

Worms...bleugh

That said I had them loads as a kid. Probably to do with sucking my thumb while playing with the cat, rolling in the mud etc.

AQ tis this July I graduate. Am counting down the days. As for after, if anyone can work out a way to earn enough to cover 2-3 days a week in creche for ds while I do volunteer work within the youth work type area so I can gain the necessary experience to figure out what aspect of youth work I want to do and then get a job doing it please let me know! Waste my degree? Me? Never!

FGS a friend popped round yesterday with her dd. Tis her dc2 and has always been far more independent than ds, happy to sit and watch, was one of those babies whoo would lie on the floor at baby group while I constantly juggled ds to keep himi happy. She is currently in limpit phase and just would not even smile at anyone else, she even started crying at dp's monkey impressions