Jan '07 part 22: Dr Foster went to Gloucester - but the rest of us are off to Nottingham. Or Northampton. Or somehwere.

[2happy]

To continue the nursery rhyme theme.

I'd read that message before it was deleted and for the life of me was trying to work out why you'd had it deleted (thought maybe it was your baking fetish you wanted eradicated!!!!) makes sense now!!!!

Right then, we think we have sold the house for £1k less than the asking price.

Found out the house we like someone died in which is why it is in a mess.

Gotta wait until next Thurs to find out if DH gets job in which case we will be relocating

...excuse me whilst I start rocking in the corner....

Oh god what a nightmare wilkie - are te potential buyers prepared to wait till you know whats going on?

My bargain swings arrived today (dh moaning that we do not need double swing but hey ho nevemind )

OMG Wilkie thats fast to sell your house so congrats and fingers crossed for DH interview. I haven not heard of either of the places you are thinking of living sorry. I'll come and see you there though!

Thanks for all your good wishes about the scan etc etc. I am still pretty chilled about it and what will be will be.

Got an early start tomorrow as on a course inLondon so 6.40 train which means 5.50 (eek) bus from my house.

Parents have taken Ellen to Scarborough today where it was apparently lvoely weather and she like dthe dogs on the beach but not the donkeys. I wish I had been able to see her walk on the sand but hey ho there will be another time.

DH just making our tea and then got to put another stairgate up. We need 4 and only have 1. E climbed from our middle landing right up into our bedroom yesterday she is getting too adventurous.

Bunny - baking sounds yummy! I was pleased withmyself for making fab yoprkshires yesterday as well as pancakes for brek (better late than never) and have got 2 cakes ready to bake, fruit type ones that you soak overnight. Perfect lunchbox food!

E&H I did some lightbulb research online and have found them for £6.10 each with free delivery so not bad, DH just got to check a place near where he works then we might be able to see properly.

Rang for a quote for an extra kitchen cupboard today, the one I need with the plinth and top thingie will be £529. We think its worthpaying so it all matches otherwise we'll always think why didn't we just get the right one IYKWIM.

shimmer is your name on facebook the same as your email address ? I just searched for that name and london to see if I could find you but wasn't sure and didn't want to send random invites to loads of people. Is your pic one of Freddie with what looks like a white fluffy dog?

Just thought I would pop in and say hello!

Vino - best of luck for Wednesday. Will be thinking of you.

Wilkie - Congratulations! How exciting.

Eah - An old mate of mine is thinking about moving to Tonbridge Wells. She has £240k to spend and wants a 3 bed house....any areas you can recommend? Her DH works in London so it needs to be fairly near to the train. She was thinking about Rustington (?) but reckons its a little too posh.

Nothing much to report here...DJ hasnt taken many more steps since last week. Just a couple here and there. No rush!

Hope everyone else is well. x

2Happy - I can't make my next scrabulous move! The board is being annoying. I've reloaded lots of times, so may have to wait until it wakes up properly tomorrow. Sorry!

(yes...I am a scrabulous addict, please excuse me)

Hi Lizz

Yep Vino it the same as my email and it is the one with freddie sitting down and the fluffy dog (his name is Horace) Anyone else want to be my friend?? Lizz? Wilkie? UD? You're on facebook aren't you?

Opps, gotta run, tea's ready..........

PCF - I think its a different Rustington (or rusting something) which they were looking at. Although, they were thinking about Worthing area as its on the main line to Victoria still. - Am really pushing West Hove/Portslade area on them.
Not that I am envious or anything but they brought their terraced house (smaller than ours) 2 years ago for £170k and its now worth £250k - just from them doing a bit of a paint job. Its in Wood Green though, just near the tube. You have gotta laugh at London prices! She could afford a 4 bed place on the sea front for that here!

Shimmer - Hotmail and Messenger are up the creek, so I can't find your full name to search on FaceBook. But I will be your friend...as long as you play scrabble with me! Look me up. Same name as my hot mail. x

Congratulations on selling the house Wilkie. Hope you hear soon about the job!

Hi girls. Managed to lose you al again for the last week or two. then I realised I could just look in the postnatal clubs threads.. and bingo there you all are.

Ok, this is a little long... just wanted to pass on my recent read and help with cracking sleeping ( or not sleeping as the case may be! )

I have been reading Toddler Taming by Christopher Green. Its been a refreshing read and s nice to read such a common sense approach to most things. A few things he writes make you wonder if he has actually brought up his two children and had anything to do with toddlers as the ideas seem totally mis guided... on the whole though I has made me realsie im not doing such a bad job after all!

The best thing in it so far has been his attitude to sleep and sleep deprivation! He has a technique called 'controlled crying' but, its not done the way i've read elsewhere, and was advised by my HV.

You do leave them to cry, BUT, you decide the time period you start with, i.e. 2 minutes. Then you go in, and pick them up and settle them and comfort them. all the things the others say you dont do really... all the htings I coudlnt bring myself to do! Then when settled and not crying, you put them back to bed, and leave immediately. you return the smae amount of time later but adding 2 minutes. then repeat... you keep doing it, adding 2 minutes each time. Great for you and your sanity, and much much better for them.

So, it only took 7 minutes tonight! she was really tired, but I was really pleased as it wa just som uch less traumatic, and stressful all round. I felt I could do it on my own too.
Big test will be, at 3am! If she wakes ( who am I kidding! ) when she wakes next time, you start over again, from the first time you left her i.e. 2 mins, or 5 mins or 10 ( if youre able to leave that long ) then add your two mins again... and so it goes on.

He pretty much guarantees 3-4 nights then cured.. we will see! He says this age is ok to do it and takes about hte long. the younger they are, the longer it takes. With most 3 year olds only taking a night or 2.

Fingers crossed hey? I might, just might get rid f these suitcases under my eyes!

Other good news, DH home on wednesday night, to take me into hospital. ( for some stuff being done on my back in day surgery) He's staying until next wednesday to look after us both

Vino So sorry you have this hanging over you, you sound very chilled out about it though. I wish i were as strong as you!

Sorry no othe personals felt i'd gone on long enouguh!

oh also, am I daft to be worrying that Izzy not walking yet? she has been standing firm for weeks, and taking her hand away or standing up in the middle of the room for a while too... just not stepping holding hands or on her own.. beginning to worry due to her hip problems... am I being silly ?

Susie- Ruth will take steps if I hold her hands but cant pull herself onto her feet, only her knees so is nowhere near cruising let lone standing alone. Are there any other los not waking or are we the only one?

Is a relief to hear we're not the only ones! though not for you I guess!
what worries me Dh is that Izzy has been pulling to standing and wandering up and down the sofa for a while. She walks with her walking lion thingy, that she pushes along, but, throws her legs out in strange directions... she looks like she's has been learning from the ministry of silly walks! I'm worried that her hip problem has meant she can't weight bare unaided.

Still like I say, glad we are not alone!

God I hope that we have a reasonable sleep tonight... I ought t go to bed now really, so i dont feel so bad when she wakes at silly o'clock. I've got to be able to read the clock!

Morning = nice early start from Hattie, Ellie still asleep so we are downstairs H watching her ITNG dvd so is being quiet.

SCMP- Hello,hope all went well with the back stuff, I have that toddler taming book (had the baby one but sent it to wilkie) it is a great book isnt it. Dont worry about walking I know loads of people whose LO's walked between 13and 17 months, also Hattie walks like she is riding a horse her legs face outwards Ellie used to do this (she had clicky hohips from being breech) but I noticed as soon as Ellie was out of nappies she started walking properly so I am not over concerned.

Lizz - I dont know much about the areas around TWells, i'll ask my mate who works in that TWells branch, although I know house prices are v.expensive

Not much planned today got to take Ellie to preschool monring, hen this afternoon a friend and her LO (5onths older than H) are popping round

Susie - Dsis DTs were 16 month before they walked so don't worry!

Shimmer - I have left facebook so I can't be your friend

Am off work today with J as he still has high temp and streaming cold. He coughed so much at breakfast that he puked!! CM would prob have taken him but I think he should be at home with mummy or daddy when he is poorly.

Am off for a nap as he has just gone down and I am knackered after our broken night's sleep.

Lotts pops onto thread with match sticks propping up her eyes. My little bundle decided to scream from 10 till 4 eah kindly pointed out this morning it could be her teeth and guess what she has had two come near the back .

Yawn .................................

See told you I was the font of all knowledge - ellie did ring you to see if you'd like a box of her chocolates its bliss here hattie sleeping, ellie at preschool. Did umm and aaah over putting the swing together but wouldnt be able to carry it out into garden so will do it in the garden at the weekend. Could do the ironing but then it guarantees hattie will wake up (she always wakes when i start to iron )

Hows J now wilkie? I actually dont mind ellie when she is poorly as she can tell me whats wrong and she snuggles up on sofa with duvet and dvds, its frustrating when they are little though

Just waiting for dh new mobile phone to be couriered (same one as me except he got free 17" freeview lcd tv and dvd player I got the wii )

What is everyone doing about their little girls hair? Ruths is such a mess at the moment as she has long bits around the back and sides. Not sure whether to cut it all short to thicken it up like I used to with Luke's or let it grow long and just look awful for now.

Laughalot- Teeth are evil! hope now its through you get a good night tonight or a chance to nap today.

Funny you should ask that Dh! i was talking about hits yesterday with mum and my sister. Isobel has whispy flying bits all around her ears and the back. the back at the top sticks up like a baby orangutan often.. think this look is helped along by her hair being bright red! well, kinda stawberry blonde. really.

we decided yesterday to just let it grow and grow until really messy, then maybe small trim. Could try little clips ? Seems a shame to cut it, when they've worked so hard to grow it!

Thanks all for the reassurance about the walking. Does help to know! I guess we still havent had the absolute all clear on her hips so its still on my mind so much. She was in that harness for so long too, i guess that will have held her back a little. she crawled at hte 'right' tine though so I assumed it would all follow on... we'll get there hey!

news on sleep
went really really well last night. She woke at 01:30 and was back fast asleep by 02:00. SO pleased! I had to be firm, and it was a bit of a heart string tug, but we did it. it was not as bad as all the other things we've tried. So things looking up hey! Oh, she ten woke at 6am, so ai thought it reasonable that she have a feed then... we both fell asleep until 9am following that!!!

I'm thinking of a clip for J's hair - whaddya reckon

J's hair is funny, really soft and silky at the back but when he wakes up from a sleep it is like coconut matting at the back. Not sure if it's gonna be curly (blonde, curly boy - how uncool! ). I hope he goes dark like his daddy!

Just accepted offer on house - only £1k less than asking price. Whoo! Am VVVVVVVV excited.

Just watching ITNG with J, why does the Pinky Ponk fart as it's landing??

Hattie has 'me majeka' (do you remember him) hair it has a bit on her crown that will not lay down so sticks up. She has has 2 hair trims just to even length up and have a fringe cut in, I clip the front to the side (leaving her fringe) I was looking at ellies photos trying to see when it had a growth spurt and she had exactly the same length hair as hattie on her 1st birthday and by 17months had a short bob her hair used to be really curly and when it was in the bob she had curls everywhere but as I have grown it it only has ringlet curls at the back . Her hair is now past her shoulder blades so I can french plait it etc, but from the ages of 17months to 2 years I think it was in bunches almost every day

I am going to grow both their hairs as I always wanted long hair and my Mum had it cut it into a bob for years. In fact that is often a threat if Ellie is being naughty that we'll go to the hairdressers and get it all cut off she loves her hair long.

Wilkie - I have some green hairclips if J wants to borrow them fab news about the house, they say things in 3's o new house, new job for dh (fingers crossed) and maybe new baby

Have no idea about the farting issue in ITNG

I've noticed the farting too. thought it was my lavatorial mind

i'd love to be able to put Izzy's hair in a clip. Reckon we have a looooong way to go before its long enough.

When she wakes up from a sleep, its also like a coconut mat! OR when her hat comes off. Its so funny. I love her curly whisps by her ears, my friend was asking me when i was cutting them off as 'she looks untidy' Noooooooo they're so cute! Just wish the hair at the front/on top at the front would grow a bit. she's all uneven

managed to get her to have nap just now, so pleased, no battle at all. Am I counting my chickens here, or are we actually cracking this?

wilkie great news about the house. My brother has just sold his and found a lovely house. All looked ot be going fine until their survey came back. Might be pricey to sort it all out, so they're going to have to reduce their offer. really frustrating.