May 07 - The one where some of us are already knocked up again...

[barelymorethantwelvemonthgap]

Hope you are all well, G now has 2 teeth and likes to show you how sharp they are on your fingers. He has also learnt how to escape the bumbo he levers himself up on one leg and twists at the same time then pops out head first. Not really sitting properly yet and no sign of crawling but has a good shuffle and pivot when on the floor. By our scales at home we reckon he is 14lb 8oz approx at the minute. Just grabbing 5 minutes before we get ready for a night out, just a friends b'day drinks at the pub but have to make an effort to look human so off to get bathed etc.

House was flooded but dehumidifiers and lots of concrete have sorted things out so no ducks after all. Just more money to shell out to the builders. Anyway hopefully we should be in for early March so having a final push this month to get everything completed. Can't remember if mentioned before but put some pics of house on profile last month.

I am still reading the thread but never seem to have the chance to post but hope you are all doing okay. So please forgive me as I am not responding to any individuals as do not have time to do you all and do not want to be accused of favoritism .

I can not believe G will be 10 months tomorrow. Where has the time gone?

Can I just roll call the secret santa thing as not sure if my gift arrived.

Charley - wasn't your gift to me? I left a note on the secret santa thread. It was great, thank you.

MrsJB good news..... wont be away in April afterall going in May now.

Great news AM, so glad you changed your plans for us....snigger We'll have to try and sort out a get together. Fab!

10mths CM, wow I can't believe how fast the time has gone.

Poor C, the chicken pox are driving him crazy. Does anyone know what the rules are re returning to Nursery. You'd think I would know wouldn't you! I'm sure at school we say once the last spot is scabbed they can come back but I read on the NHS website that this info is now out of date. They say 5 days off is enough. Does anyone have any experience of what schools say?

Sorry 12YG had spotted you thought it was me but not guilty I'm afraid. Glad you enjoyed your pressy though.

Oops, well hopefully my real secret santa saw my message. Sorry for outing you in the wrong!

No worries 12YG, about your holiday, it looks great.

Morning all.
AL - no idea about chicken pox I'm sorry but I'm sure one of the ladies will know. Poor C

Julie, M2LB - how you guys doing this morning?

We are off to the Natural History Museum to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition. They have the most incredible photo's. My favourite from last year is " this one"
It's 2 male penguins bitch fighting over a smaller female by slapping each other with their flippers

AL, when J had the pox in the summer we were told he had to stay away for 10days (about the same time as the last one scabbing over).

MrsJB i told dh that we just HAD to cancel the april hol so we could see you

So we are off to Disney in May for 2 weeks. Signed up to their Disney Vatcation Club (timeshare). It does cost a few pennies but with the type of accomm we want it means that it will have paid for itself in four and a half years - we get the timeshre for 50 years so its definately worth it.

Abby - you do know about not using calamine lotion as it dries and goes flaky and makes the itching worse? Try calamine cream or an anti-histamine cream if he's old enough.

I always found that the very best remedy was to mix up a paste of bicarbonate of soda with a little water and dab it on all the spots. When it's dried, it should have taken the sting out of the itch. You can also do a cool bath with bicarb added, but it's not as effective imo.

Shower off the dried paste with lukewarm water and you should have a much more comfortable child.

I had it REALLY badly when I was about 9, so I remember all this well. I did the same with S when she got it and it worked a treat.

I used the cream on J and it was so much easier to apply - that and the fact that i have a thing about cotton wool!

Have just done yet another "allowance" talk with S. Seems to have sunk in better than previous ones. Came on the back of her me giving her a £20 note yesterday to get a present for her friend's birthday and told her to come back with "a lot" of change. She knows that £10-£12 is the norm with us. She spent 19 and casually said, "Oh I'll do some jobs to pay you back £7".

Have got her to do a spreadsheet ( @ AM) and work out what she thinks she might spend, including trips out with mates, DVD rentals, any toiletries not available with the grocery shopping. She's put down what chores she thinks she should do. Have worked it all out and agreed £60 per month, with us covering £25 for her phone and she pays any extra. When she saw how "tight" the budget was (you'd think that was loads of money for a bloody 12 year old), she's asked how to check how many minutes/ texts she has left per month.

It's my fault, since we stopped being penniless, I've been far to relaxed about handing her money willy nilly. Am handing over control to her now. When the money is gone it's gone. It goes into her bank account. No cash from me. The bank of Mum is now closed for business.

Have just done yet another "allowance" talk with S. Seems to have sunk in better than previous ones. Came on the back of her me giving her a £20 note yesterday to get a present for her friend's birthday and told her to come back with "a lot" of change. She knows that £10-£12 is the norm with us. She spent 19 and casually said, "Oh I'll do some jobs to pay you back £7".

Have got her to do a spreadsheet ( @ AM) and work out what she thinks she might spend, including trips out with mates, DVD rentals, any toiletries not available with the grocery shopping. She's put down what chores she thinks she should do. Have worked it all out and agreed £60 per month, with us covering £25 for her phone and she pays any extra. When she saw how "tight" the budget was (you'd think that was loads of money for a bloody 12 year old), she's asked how to check how many minutes/ texts she has left per month.

It's my fault, since we stopped being penniless, I've been far to relaxed about handing her money willy nilly. Am handing over control to her now. When the money is gone it's gone. It goes into her bank account. No cash from me. The bank of Mum is now closed for business.

Sounds like a good plan TYG. I'm a big fan of spreadsheets (have thousands of the buggers) and it is a great skill for her to have

TYG you are such a wise Mummy - hopefully your dd will grow up to understand the value of money.
I'm feeling really down at the moment, maybe it's the time of year. Although C is ill he has been a real trouper and we've checked out all the local parks for things to do.
It's R I am really struggling with at the moment. Most of the time she is such a happy, contented little thing - until it comes to food. She has always hated baby food and has a serious aversion to spoons. The onlt hing she will eat off a spoon is yogurt. When I first realised she wouldn't eat baby food I wasn't really that bothered but as she has got older it has become more of a concern. I started to go down the baby led weaning route which worked for a little while but now she is refusing to eat finger food as well. The only things she will touch are rice cakes, rusks, biscuits and raisins. She will eat banan at a push if you break it up and put it in her mouth. She will sometimes eat little bits of sandwich with meat or cheese in and sometimes wraps with cheese spread on but even this is becoming more and more sporadic. I am worreid because she still drinks 5 7ox bottles of milk a day. I have tried in vain to cut back on it but she screams the place down and has hysterics. I don't know if she won't eat because she's full of milk but I have tried giving her a little milk, then food, then more milk but she still doesn't eat. She is almost 9 months now and it is really getting to me that she doesn't eat anything healthy and she's having too much milk. PLease help me.

Evening everyone

Have had a aquick scan and send cuddles to you all, but extra big ones to JW and M2LB. xx

It's all going on over here at the moment. Once we got the 'squint that never was' out of the way, Lexie decided to develop ANOTHER lurgy, this one included vomiting, shivering etc etc. I was completely beside myself, and ended up in A & E (again) with a doctor telling me that I seriously need to chill.

Anyway, this culminated in dh having a 'talk' with me, where he asked me to get some help with my anxiety. The general consensus (which I have to agree with), is that the level to which I worry about L is starting to get a little bit out of hand. I feel like I am constantly living on high alert, just flying from one catastrophe to the next. And I am just ridiculously terrified that something is going to happen to her. So anyhoo, the Health Visitor came to see me on Friday and I have been referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I am really pleased to be honest, feel like it is an opportunity to change my life. As an only child, I've always worried excessively about my parents, and this is just the same, times by a million. My mum is the same way, and I am DETERMINED to break the cycle and ensure that L does not end up like this.

So while I was so pleased about this prospect, I felt a little more optimistic, even had a fantastic night out last night with a friend.

And then this morning, while dh was 'watching' L, she fell off the bed. Backwards. She cried and cried, and tbh she has been a little quiet, but no different all day than she normally is, appetite fine etc. But now I feel like I have been propelled back into despair, and am terrified again. Dr. Spock says that bleeding behind the scalp doesn't show itself for a few days.

Anyone out there that can help?

Hi everyone,

hope you have all had a lovely weekend.

Charley looks like your new house is going to be fab.

Abby how is C better I hope. I really wouldnt worry too much about the eating with R she will find her groove when she is ready some days A hardly eats anything and just has milk and he rarely has anything that is spoon fed just wont have it finger food is the only way to go with him. Remember that milk is the main source of nutrition for the first year.

TYG you are teaching S great budgeting skills for the future I wish I had been sat down when I was her age and taught all of that might have stopped me from being rubbish with money and taking until the last couple of years to get my head screwed on and budget properly.

TAm how was the exhibition? We keep intending to go there but have yet to get around to it.

AM you lucky bugger, how is all your house move buisness sold thing going, are you in your new palatial pad yet? Also stop working so hard in the daytime we miss you on here.

MRSJB how are you doing not long till you get to squeeze the little baba.

Not much more happening my end feel in limbo really, had a bit of a bleed today but not much really just want to get everything over and done with so we can move on its horrible just waiting for it to be gone.

PJ please dont panic if Lexie has been her normal self all day then she is fine just keep an eye out for vomiting am sure you have read all the concuscion related things.

Are you able to take a bit of time out for yourself when you feel a bit in desperation like sit quietly and immerse yourself in a book for 10 mins or for me its go outside and have a sneaky fag totally the worst thing for my health but those 5 mins of time out help me get a bit back on top of myself again. Really glad you got out last night and had a night out sometimes some wine a bit of a girly gossip and a dance is just the thing to make you feel like a human again. Please post if you need to vent thats what we are all here for.

TYG - god the idea of having a teenager is scary, mobiles, make-up and going out You do such a good job, I am coming to you for tips 7 years down the line

Abby, sorry to hear you are still having trouble with R and eating, but listen, 5 7oz bottles a day is not that much and milk is the most important thing for her to have still. Also she could be off the food having been feeling not so well recently and she may have some teeth bothering her. J is really only on finger food apart from yog and I am telling you, he really doesn't each much. Take the things she does likes and smother them in 'good' stuff, cream cheese, homemade tomato sauce etc and see if that will help. Fingers crossed it gets better soon.

Pink, its great to hear you are getting some help, otherwise it sounds like life may be a constant rollercoaster of worry for you. And on that note, L is absolutely fine, even having fallen off the bed. Babies are much tougher than you think, you should see what J has to put up with

Dh has left for a business trip to the US leaving us here alone in this big house . Its 11.30 here and past my bedtime...

I just can't stop feeling like she deserves a better mum.

PJ you are a great mum and best of all your the best thing since sliced bread for Lexie.

Just remember once this stage is over we have terrible 2's and picking up every bug going then you have the horrible tweenager years then the actual TEENS when you will be panicing about the boys she brings home and going out and drinking too many bacardi breezers

God is it to late to send them back and ask for refund

You are the only mum she knows and wants, she doesn't think you should be better, she loves you just the way you are

Besides we all think at some point we could be better mums (apart from LG&T of course who is supermum )

PJ don't try to be the "perfect" mom. I aim for "good enough".

PS If I had a dollar for every time my kids have fallen over, I wouldn't have to work. Poor Cruz looks like he came out of a Rocky movie.

PJ you are a fantastic mum. The most important thing is she is loved and she has that in spades from you. The cognitive behavioural stuff is really good and you will begin to notice postitive changes in the way you approach things which will then feed your confidence and so on.

Julie - exhibition was great You should definitely check it out if you get a chance.

Cam - sorry you're on your own Damn those husbands and their glamourous business trips

Abby - have you tried giving R food from your fingers. For some weird reason for a little while Tilda wouldn't take food from the spoon but was very happy to take it straight from my fingers. We did this for a couple of weeks and even now I still do it with some food - like cod, salmon and scrambled egg. I also tried a couple of different spoons and I think i've found one (the Tommy Tippee one) that she seems to prefer. Have you tried her on sweet corn. Tild looooooves it. I just buy the tin that has no added sugar or salt, mash it with a fork, heat it slightly and she inhales it! Good luck - I know how frustrated you must be feeling xx