December 2006 - Stairgates and cupboard locks at the ready!

[MARGOsBeenPlayingWithMyNooNoo]

Couldn't think of anything contraversial!

I'm back from Norfolk, and more or less unpacked and at the stage where the holiday feels like it never happened

I've had a quick scan of posts, and speaking of scans, congrats Indith and OMG AQ mid September seems so close! Sorry you're suffering LenniEd, I wasn't anaemic whilst pg but have been both at different times and ugh...anaemia felt scary to me too, even unpg. Hope either pills or jabs work. Isn't there something you're meant to take to help absorption? Or are you taking it already? (vitamin C??)

Castles, not sure what happened originally, but can see you've had a run of bad luck re holidays...hope Scotland comes good. You might catch the start of the heather season if you go, no?

Margo, hope your dd feels better soon, poor poppet...yes re treats (mine found a £2 coin in the park today, and we all ate mini-milks: dd2's face was a picture) and hope she's not too miserable.

Jabber, again only caught the tail-end so far, but hope dh is being lovely to you...

Holiday in brief: glorious sunshine for most of it, beaches, ice cream, fish and chips, gained weight, lost discipline, generally had a good time - though dd2 did her usual holiday illness thing and had to visit a local GP for breathing check. Didn't stop her having fun with dd1 though - they're a blast together now

Now she has to have hip scan and Ortho apt this month (walking lopsidedly, foot turned out) so am crossing fingers for it not to be hip problems.

Welcome back, Eli! Glad you had fun in Norfolk . I'm in Norwich once a week, but have never seen more than the ride to and from the airport. Must, must make the effort to explore more! It's lovely to read about your DDs - it's so wonderful when they start to play happily together. Do you have a date for her scan yet?

Margo, hope your DD is feeling better.

Castles, I've been wracking my brain re. Scotland - have you tried cottages4you.co.uk?

Scans and bumps all sounding very exciting. Have you measured your waist recently, AQ? You should really keep a record, because you'll never believe it after you've had your twins

LenniEd, hope you're finding ways to look after yourself. Low BP is bad enough (trust me, I am the queen of fainting!) without iron deficiency to add to the mix. Sending much sympathy.

I've had the most awful few days with my neighbour. I'm really upset and emotional about the whole thing, TBH. Social work came and took her children from my care on Tuesday (long, sad story ), and I just can't get my head round the whole thing. Hey ho.

DD1s first tooth fell out today. It's so tiny and white. The tooth fairy has just left her £1 (I only used to get a quarter, FGS) She's beside herself with pride! I can't believe she goes back to school on the 19th It feels like summer's almost over.

Oh Eli, don't you love it when your children happily play together? I'm glad you had a good holiday.

Aw BP. Thank goodness those children had you to care for them until SS took over. I bet it's made you feel torn.

Aw BP. Thank goodness those children had you to care for them until SS took over. I bet it's made you feel torn.

This is very bad etiquette to post in such quick succession. DD2 is back on the sofa, just dosed her up with calpol again. poor thing.

Margo - your poor DD

BP - your neighbour was lucky you were looking after the children. very distressing all round But yay for DD1s tooth....

Margo, really a throat infection responsible for all that vomiting? Poor mite.

BP, you really have been through the mill with your neighbour, it's been going on for quite some time hasn't it? How old are the kids, can't they stay with other family or will they be separated now? Very but you are neighbour of the year for caring for them so much.

Welcome back Eli, you have been missed. Sounds a lovely holiday aside from the health issues for dd2 (and I hope the ortho etc has positive results). Someone was round tonight (colleague of dp's) and said how big I was. DP pointed out I was only 7 months! Must get him to take another photo of me this weekend as we're having a (wet) family bbq.

Lennied, have you followed the low bp discussion on the homepage? Licorice was suggested, I haven't tried that one. Have had to resort to caffeine and/or salt some days just to remain standing. Drinking loads does help but it's something to do with the little mites wriggling!

BP, no I haven't measured my waist, I think it would be an OMG moment. I think it's quite frightening how horrible my stomach will be after these two, bad enough after a c-section. Urggh.

Had to take ds1 to speech therapist yesterday, he has a mild dysfluency (or something, hmmm), was quite relieved it wasn't going to turn into a stammer. We're still trying to get the constipation under control in time for school (argghhhh) as he's doing horrible, liquid ones 1-4 times a day! I cannot believe I ever thought I couldn't deal with cloth nappies, he is far far worse.

How's the nappies going, Oli btw?

lennied, so sorry you're feeling so tired.

margo, hope dd gets better soon, poor baby

eli, glad the vacation was lovely

indith, hang in there, wedding will be fab

AQ, ds1 also has a bit of speech disfluency! how weird, maybe it's all part of a certain personality with these highly sensitive little ones.

castles, so sorry everything has been so difficult lately.

Glad scans went well!

bp, that is such a sad situation

dh still being Mr.Wonderful hard to get my head around it, tbh but am enjoying it while it lasts...

LennnieD, how are you doing? Any progress with the anaemia?

Castles, any luck with a holiday?

Eli, glad you had a good couple of weeks away, at the weather. Aren't little 'uns so sweet when they play together, my 3 are inseparable at the mo and it is very heartwarming - until they start beating 7 bells out of each other . Ds2 has developed a mean right hook and isn't shy of using it!

Margo, hope dd2 is feeling better.

Jabber, kind of good news that dh is being better at the moment, I expect you're just waiting for him to slip back into his old ways, I know I would be. Not sure what to do about it though, apart from making the most of it.

BP, those poor wee girls next to you, you've all been through the mill, haven't you? Evil disease.

Oh AQ, post birth tummy - eek. Mine is still horrible after 3 babies in quick succession - ds2 did the most damage - at 10lbs 2oz it's not surprising. My stretchmarks now reach to above my tummy button and I've got that horrible overhang of stretched skin that I am sure will still be there even if I ever do manage to lose weight .

I hate that overhang of extra skin - and the rice pudding-skin nature of it. I got away with it after DD1, but DD2 wreaked havoc on my body. I would just like to be able to wear a dress without having to worry about the 'flabby', dangly bit. Ick. All the same, the human body is miraculous, managing to accommodate one (or sometimes 2 or more!) extra people within it.

Sorry to bleat on about my neighbour. Think I'm going to start a new thread.

Ditto on the overhang. None after dd1, but dd2

BP the neighbour situation must be awful to live next to, I've been in similar ones but not where kids were involved so far less painful. Do start a thread, then you can get full-on support - yo'ure not bleating at all.

Margo, poor dd....throat pain is horrid, hope the ABs kick in fast, and the Calpol is helping.

Jabber, at least dh has proved he knows how to be Mr Wonderful - now you have a benchmark to refer him back to if/when it changes....

Oli, at the hook, am waiting for one of the dds to get to that, girls or not!

dd1 has her 'show' this afternoon - she's been doing a drama workshop every day this week. I'm so proud of her, this the girl who has refused swimming or any other kind of lesson, has ploughed through all her anxieties and learnt all her songs with gusto. I think she'll be ready for school.

BP, speaking of school, 18th?! THough, didn't dd's school break up earlier too? Funny, August often feels like the start of the autumn to me, too...must be the days drawing in. No, no, am not going to think about it...

AQ, thanks , and I wish I had some useful things to say re your ds1...it sounds so hard for you and for him both.

Eli - hope Dds show goes well.

I noticed the evenings getting a little darker lately. Cant believe it's August really and that in 4 months D2 will be TWO

Hello!

Glad the holiday went well Eli

Lennied hope you are managing to rest and look after yourself.

Margo how is dd? Ice lollies do make you feel better, I think it is because they deliver liquid and sugar at a nice steady rate so your tummy doesn't panic and bring it all up again.

BP You have done so much for that family, I hope they get the help they need and that the kids get the care they need.

Ds starting to settle down after the move. Still a bit clingy though although the extreme affection that comes with it is rather cute if you don't mind full on slobbery snogs The other one is getting very wriggly and kicking Went on a charity shop prowl today for some toys for ds, came back without toys but with a bundle of neutral newborn stuff (we borrowed for ds so don't have any). Do babies really come that small? Was ds seriously that tiny? How on earth did I not break him?

Indith, you've moved! I must ahve missed that, sorry. Congratulations. And you must be very nearly married too. Wriggles and kicks...you're in danger of making me broody in spite of myself/age

I still don't know how I don't break the LOs, or how they don't break themselves - I sort of look at them in amazement most days just because they're here and alive.

EV, I know....TWO ffs. How?!

Yup moved again Eli. Must stop doing that at some point.

Have put some holiday photos on FB, a couple on the group, the rest are on my profile if you are friends with me

I got a newborn cardie in the post today (ebay) and honestly it would fit one of ds1's teddies. I do feel quite surprised everytime I see someone with a small baby because they're soooo small and ds2 is so deliciously chubby. I love it when he's prowling around on the bed before bathtime clad only in nappy. My baby for only a little longer, sigh...Course I could do without the screech owl noise he persists in issuing over everything, felt like my ears were bleeding yesterday at the relentless squawking - any other lo's doing this??

Jabber, not sure if I have a sensitive child, I think the word I used the other day was mercurial . He's a lot like me, high highs and low lows, poor lamb. I have this lovely leaflet about how to 'grade' your child's poo with pictures so you know whether up or lower the dose. Cue discussion last night with dp about whether ds1 was 6 or 7 fgs, do we have nothing else to speak of? Glad that dh still being Mr Wonderful, though Jabber & long may it continue - you don't think he's sneaked on MN and realised you were thinking of splitting do you?

BP, really, you have done a tremendous thing for those kids, you're not bleating on at all!

Margo, hope dd2's better today?

Indith, wriggly and kicking LO sounds lovely. My next door neighbour has all newborn neutral stuff on the line today so I thought of you (she's due in a couple of weeks).

Indith, the photos are lovely - they are all looking so grown up all of a sudden. I was hoping to see some of you looking all pregnant though - you are obviously chief photographer.

Eli - well done DD! Sounds like she has got a talent for it - and nice she has reassured you about going to school too.

I can't wait for winter I love winter! I love cold weather and snow and frosty mornings and all the excitement of Christmas and layers and layers of warm clothes and open fires and big roast dinners and DHs and DDs birthdays... and... and...

In fact my idea of the perfect holiday is somewhere cold and snowy with lots of warm coffee and mulled wine. Plus I am enchanted by all the wildlife like reindeer and polar bears and penguins and things like that. Summer is like torture to me! I love the autumn and the spring too - especially the autumn when the trees are so beautiful, and we see so many birds as they migrate.

Jabber, am glad things are better and hope it lasts. It is strange how he has suddenly changed - you don't think he'd got wind as AQ said do you?

Am feeling a bit better today, got more sleep last night which helped. Plus DD has been fab the last 2 days and I have had to do some extra work for DH so have had a bit of time to myself. When I'm working it is nice to be able to sit down and have a warm cup of tea - I don't know why I moaned about work before I had DD, it is a treat to me now! Funny you said that about liquorice AQ, I had a craving for liquoice allsorts all weekend and finally got some yesterday and (after eating the whole enormous bag in 24 hours ) feel a lot better today. Perhaps there is some truth in it - and now of course I have the excuse of them being medicinal! I am really getting bad cravings for things at the moment, tonight it was fish pie, I had to go to the supermarket and do a shop just so I could have fish pie for tea. I hate supermarket shopping too but it was life or death

BP - I don't know the full story but given that one side of my family seem to all suffer with various addictions I can begin to imagine what those kids have gone through and I'm sure that you have done all you can for them. Hopefully their Mum will get some much needed help, it really is so hard for people to manage without proper treatment. My Uncle died at 45 from health problems caused by alcoholism and my other Uncle is currently on meds for alzeimers to try and stop the drink rotting his brain - he is 40. My Mum has had her own issues too and as a child it is very hard to understand. It is so sad for the children to be taken into care, and it must be breaking your heart, but I am sure you have done all you can and more.

On a lighter note, I hope you have all read this thread I haven't laughed so much in a long time as I did when about halfway down page 3. BTW you have to read all of the other posts beforehand for it to be as funny.

I can talk sometimes can't I! Sorry about that!

...AQ can you remember where that BP thread is? I can't seem to find it on the homepage. Sorry to be a nuisance.

Must go and look at FB, but then I would feel I ought to have posted photo of Indith's ds & my ds2 on there by now (merely a month after the fact!).

Autumn is my favourite month, lennied, I love it in England as it's so stereotypically autumnal in the north - the light is beautiful up here. DP would be with you re: winter, nothing he loves more than that horrible Christmas drink in Whitby or somewhere like that (where they have it in every shop!). Well, if licorice is that effective, I shall be buying some tomorrow! Excellent. Tho I do long for Lakeland Ltd's licorice (from Oz, of course) which is delish.

Eli, sounds absolutely lovely re: your dd. I was enchanted with ds2 this morning because he joined in entirely with this music/dance class we went to (ds1 just sat on the sidelines really), imagine what I'll be like once school starts!

It's in pregnancy here

Just dashed upstairs to get 2 minutes peace from my in-laws. They are the kindest, gentlest people you could hope to meet. But it's raining, DD1 can't get outside to play, I've got a small house, and it feels like we're all on top of each other. Needed to vent that!

DD1 has put all of DD2's baby clothes on her dolls, and it never ceases to amaze me that anything could be that tiny.

Right, back into the fray.