June 07............watch out, Secret Santa's about!

[TheTwelveDAISYOfChristmas]

if it's no good feel free to ignore me and start another with a better title......just don;t forget to link it

Oh and annobal your holiday plans sound great! I am v !

They look lovely Holly! Well done on your free wii. A similar thing happened to me - Malaysian Airlines ruined my stroller and finally agreed to refund the money - I sent them the receipt which included a load of other stuff about £500 in all and they sent a cheque for the full amount. I felt a bit guilty, but not enough to tell them...

Andiem, that's awful, glad you're all OK, hope the insurance gets sorted lovely and smoothly for you.

And Fury, hope you get a new watch tomorrow.

Holiday plans (of any kind) sound good, we must start thinking what we might do...

Am thoroughly fed up with being ill and arguing with DH and of not being able to leave the room without DD screaming.

Nice work annobal! If companies are stupid enough to give us free money it is their fault! I never pay for anything if I can help it!

Hope you feel better soon norty. I am starting to come down with it, I am just hoping that regular lemsip will keep it at bay!

As for the screaming when you leave the room thing my dd was exactly the same. It gets a lot better once they start playing properly or can be distracted by cbeebies. It is a very annoying stage, but it doesn't lst.

Feel better soon Jammy. Hope you manage to thwart it Holly. I had it last week and it was dire.

I'm thinking of having a really early night and maybe not picking a fight with dh tomorrow

I hope so Holly. Dh has twice had her screaming madly and continuously when I've gone out, yesterday for 35 mins and before Xmas for 4 hours! Neither of us now want me to go out on my own again (especially him). I'm booked in for a facial next Saturday (should've been today but I was too ill) and original plan was for me to go out on my own and have a bit of "me time" for the morning around the appointment (probably mean about 3-4 hours out on my own), but now we think we'll all go out as a family and I'll just get to go to the appointment on my own and then meet up with them straight afterwards. Not quite what I'd had planned when it was booked but on the other hand I'd feel awful and not enjoy it if I was thinking that they were at home with her screaming.

All we can think of to help break it is for me to go out for 2 mins, and give her lots of cuddles when I come back, then build up 5 mins, 10 mins, 15 mins, 20 mins, 30 mins, 40 mins etc to try to get her used to me not always being there.

Mind I can remember being upset at my mum going out (she worked part time in the evenings doing clothes parties) so it might be a phase that lasts a few years [gulp]

IKWYM norty. Although ds is fine when I leave the room I can't really go out and leave him for more than an hour. I am not very good at expressing, so have to be around for feeds and I seem to be the only person who can get him to sleep! He needs to be wrapped up really tightly and swayed in the right way or he won't drop off! It is a right PITA!

He is doing my head in atm. He will not leave dd's potty alone! Wherever I put it he makes a beeline for it and starts playing with it! It needs to be in the living room otherwise dd will forget to use it and will wet herself! Grrrr....

Jammy. I hope you get to have your facial. Can't really offer any advice but sympathy as DS3 does that too - whenever I've gone out in the evening he wakes up as soon as i leave and doesn't settle until I return. Am just hoping he'll grow out of the phase soon.

I think the initial upset when you leave lasts for a while norty, but generally they are fine once you have gone. My dd will usually get upset if I go out without her, but gets over it pretty quickly. She is sometimes the same when dp goes to work. She cries for a couple of mins and then forgets all about it!

Jammy I am no expert but I read somewhere not to make a big fuss when you DO come back as it kind of turns it into a big deal IYSWIM?

Apparently just come and go all breezy and complacent so they learn it's totally normal, and they don't feed off our emotions.

Worth a try anyway!

DS is a child superstar. Bless him. He plays peekaboo with me (him holding the cloth, not me) and he has learned to click his tongue at me and we click at each other, makes him laugh.
He was a really tough baby, very colicy and fussy and cried ALL THE TIME, but now he's a little gem with a big sense of humour and he hardly ever cries. Am really going to miss him when I go back to work next week.

What a sweetie Fury - I love this age!

How did your posh dinner go before Christmas btw? Will next week be the first day in the new job?

My DD was terrible when I left the room for seemingly ages. Baby Sputnik so far is better as he has his big sister around usually, so I can still go to the next room.

I read him his 1st bedtime book this evening [soppy emoticon]. They are growing up so fast.

I wish the intial upset did just last a few mins Holly, but it lasts for as long as i am away and for some time after I get back. as I said, I was out for 4 hours one afternoon before Xmas and she cried the whole time.

I see what you're saying Fury, but I've also read that if you give them cuddles when you get back, they learn to associate a positive thing (cuddles) with you going away, so they don't mind it so much.

Wouldn't they associate the cuddles with you coming BACK, rather than going away?

To be honest though I am no expert in the ways of babes and I would trust the advice you have been given over mine LOL

Also I think I am confused, I think I am quoting separation anxiety remedies for puppies not babies DOH

Actually they say games like peekaboo help them realise you can disappear and come back (as well as being a good laugh)

LOL Fury - I found myself saying 'stay' to DS1 today - maybe it's not that different

Okay, i am tearing myself away from the computer and going to bed in an attempt at not yelling once tomorrow (at DCs or DH)

Night all.

Same difference Fury

I am off to bed too. Night all!!

I don't know tbh fury. But hope it gets better soon.

Hello everyone, have had a quick catch up and it seems that everyone and their DCs are ill . And Andiem at your accident, i hope you are all ok. If there's anything i can do to help then please shout.

Bed for me too (once I've had a delicious choccie or 2 )

hi Fairy, no offence meant by going just as you arrive

everyone's going, but sleep well