December 07 - I'm still standing, yeah, yeah, no!

[Wizzska]

Hello people, is anyone there?

Cazzy, mine returned in May, 2 months after i stopped bf. Though I'm hoping that coil will soon put an end to them!

BT, its hard isn't it when your stuck between a rock and a hard place, evil work or no money. Sounds like you have a plan though, which is more than I can say atm.

fifis, when is the wedding? Does it feel close yet? Its great that you'll have the boys with you as part of the day.

I got my periods back in July, when I cut out the night feeds but they were very light until September when they started properly.

Went home from work yesterday feeling sick. DH now has tummy bug too but I'm feeling better today, although I've a headache and stiff neck and wondering if I'm fighting something else. DS still a bit pale too. I so can't be bothered with DB and SIL coming tomorrow. We're going to look like a family of zombies.

Back at work today. Should have skived and cleaned the house instead.

aaaggh DS has started waking up at 5am for the day - now WHY would he do that? Three days in a row and DH somehow manages to snore through it waking all refreshed at 7.30 - can't wait for my weekend away - a full night's sleep for the first time in 11 months!!

cazzy - I haven;t had a period yet either although I feel like my body might be getting back to normal now tht i am feeding much less. More detail than that would be far TMI but I reckon I'll have a period in the next couple of months.

poor you wizz - sounds miserable - any way you can put off your brother's visit without offending?

insy - must be so hard with 2 and pg - FWIW a friend of mine who has just had her 3rd said that having 3 was much easier than having 2 and being pg. Mind you, that was when her little one was tiny and sleeping about 20 hours a day so don't know if she'd still stand by that..

BT - poor you with the bad nights plus worrying about money/work/childcare. Good that you've made a decision though and it sounds very sensible.

Said goodbye to DH and DCs this morning as I'm going away for the weekend straight from work and won't see them again now until Sunday afternoon - seems like such a long time. DD was all upset and asking me not to go - don't know why I can't just go and enjoy myself like I know DH would - that old maternal guilt thing again

Ooh ooh ohh Insy, 4 days before ovulation-you know what that is supposed to mean don't you! Are you going to find out at your 20 week scan? 3 boys would be cool though wouldn't it...

As for the small age gap, I love having dd and ds just 18 months apart, but want a little longer for the third. Ideally I would like 2 years or so but DH really doesn't want another at all so I have a lot of persuading to do

Skid have a fab weekend away, am sure a few drinks will help with the guilt (or you might just end up wailing cos you miss them!)

Wizz feel better soon, poor you having visitors just when you are all under the weather.

Cazzy my period came back in August I think but I've only had 2. Had horrendous ovulation symptoms for the first one, really bad cramps, feeling sick, headache etc.

BT glad you have reached a decision re work but what an awful position to be in.

DS so clingy atm, won't let me put him down

BT your work plan sounds very sensible. That's what I want to do too. Can't turn down regular income at the moment.

Skid, just accept taht you will always be plagued with maternal guilt for everything you do, something men just don't get. Then go out and enjoy yourself anyway. Have a great time.

ambi its not until nov 09 BUT..ive got my dress already, well the deposit is on it, got a fitting on the 24th nov, got bridesmaid dresses ordered, my aunty is doing my cake so ive picked that,picked my flowers and i think we've decided on our rings. Only little bits to do really like get the ds's suits and my flowergirls dresses but that will be the last thing we get as i dont know how much they will have grown which is a shame coz they were all reduced a few weeks ago

A year off? that's ages - though I didn't have a big do so wouldn't know how long it takes to organise. Are you pretty relaxed about it or bridezilla yet? I think we took about 2 months to organise ours, the emphasis on the WE, I did a bit before I could finally get him to agree anything. Men, eh? He even bought his ring the weekend before we flew out.

It's weird how I've had so many free weekends and now (after this relaxing one) I'm pretty much booked up til Xmas - it's exciting to be so in demand!! Next weekend it's my Mums 50th, weekend after it's the MN Xmas Do (which I'm totally bricking it btw, MNers out on the lash!) weekend after it's FILs 60th, weekend after that we go to Centre Parcs, then it's Louise's birthday, then Xmas - God I'm knackered just thinking about it.

Skid, try to relax and have a fab time. We went away for the weekend a few weeks back, it was good, I enjoyed being responsible only for myself again, no having to remember everything before you leave the house, just keys wallet and go. By Sunday I was really missing her though, albeit hungover!

Hellooooooooooooooo all!

Sorry for massive absence - combination of work and also we've been out of the house for a week or so as we were getting some much needed work done to our falling down little house!

Great to read all your news!

insy massive congrats! Sorry the morning sickness has hit though, I remember it all too well.

suey how did your counsellor apt go? I used to see a lady through my GP as I was having panick attacks etc too - she was lovely and a great help too - good luck!

loucee i know what you mean re winter - it's freezing isn't it?!

clairey thanks so much for asking for me, that was so nice to see!

Totally pushed for time, but will try to get back on here more often, in summary:

No sleep, 4 teeth, lots of shouting although not sure any of it is actual words, speedy crawling but no walking, still BF-ing apart from 2 bottles per day when I am at work - thinking about stopping too but no clue how!

Loving this stage she is so funny! Work is just awful, so busy and stressful, 2+ hours work every night after dd in bed so I am seriously lacking in me/rest time time, and I still miss her SO much. Hoping I can get down to 4 days by this time next year but that feels a long way off.

Oh - amani - have answered on your thread, but forgot to say, dd eats like a bloody horse and still doesn't sleep - my friend's ds is 14mths and still takes nothing but milk despite all her efforts, but he sleeps quite well - they are all just so different! How is it going?

hi all
wish i had time to read all the messages - hopefully will be able to catch up properly another time. Dd2 now walking properly - is so sweet to see her toddling round. dd1 still a total nightmare. Am really finding it hard to cope. Dh back on Thursday but will be back at work the following week. If things don't get better am thinking of going to see the gp as I am worried I am cracking up.

Claraq - poor you
Not surprised you feel like your cracking up considering what you are going through! And poor dd1
But well done your dd2!!

Caz - hello! Sorry to hear things are still tough, which I had some advice for you!

Woohoo! DS has taken his first unaided step!!

DS started walking properly today,at 11 months and 6 days-exactly one day younger than dd was when she started

Poor you Clara, you've certainly had a tough time of it recently and the upheaval must be tough on dd1 as well

Glad to see you back Caz but sorry to hear that life still feels relentless. Hearing various stories of juggling it all from you guys really makes me appreciate how lucky I was not to have had a job to go back to! It did mean I had to do without SMP or maternity allowance etc but at least the going back to work decision was that much easier! Although I am slightly scared of when I do go back-have been out of the work environment for so long now.

Fifi you sound mega organised! Are you like that about everything?

Ambi ditto about the busy weekends after ages of nothing, had a bodyshop party this weekend (ok not that exciting but is more than I usually do!), have my friend's hen do next week, ds' party the week after, friend's wedding (child free for 3 days and 2 nights-woohoo and eek all at the same time!), then one free weekend then it's christmas! Scary how close it is now.

Hi there. Sorry I've not been on in a bloomin age. Combination of work, writing talks for church stuff, having people up for the weekend and ... turning 32 at the loss of my youth.

You're never far from my thoughts though people and once I've done the talks and have an evening spare boy is there going to be a big Arcadie post.

See you soon

yeay for douggie and Daniel, does it feel weird though?like your boys are growing up.

Clara it must be hard, you've had a few really hectic months! Moving lock stock to a strange new country, and then moving back - it seems you've coped effortlessly. I know I couldn't take the stress, I'd be a gibbering wreck. I hope you get some help from gp and dh.

Caz nice to see you, that's the great thing about this thread you can just jump straight in. I hope you get some sleep soon.

I was talking to another mum at baby group last week about how its gone so fast (yep that ol cliche) but she reminded me of all we've achieved as Mums, learning to feed, change and soothe our babies and what their cries generally mean, basically all I worried about before DD was born. We've learnt so much in such a small amount of time.

Hey Arcadie you are just a spring chicken comnpared to some of us here (well to me anyway! ) - actually I'mn just 2 years older, but much older in baby years as this is me just on sproglet no.1!!

Yey to walking babies that is so great!! DD is a very speedy crawler these days, funny to watch, and she has absolutely no fear which is quite frightning for me!

BT totally forgot to ask, how is your feeding going with you being back at work? I'm so pleased with how it has worked out for us, the only positive thing about going back! She takes 2 bottles a day when I am at work and I feed her all the rest of the time, I had a week off in October and was able to feed her full time (except when we were out and about I'm ashamed to say I took a bottle as am quite to be still feeding, which I know is wrong. Actually more often than not she can be fobbed off with solid food then I feed her when I get home, although a couple of weeks ago she flat out refused at a friends house and started flopping herself backwards on my lap, crying and pulling at my top, had to feed her and a deathly silence came over the room ).

Someone mentioned birthday pressies, I don't think we are getting dd anything really which sounds a bit mean, but she won't notice this time round and she'll get loads from other people. Thinking of asking my mum and dad and in-laws for money towards a climbing frame/swing thing for the garden - want to get a really good wooden one and it'll take us ages to save...hopefully we'll have enough maybe by the summer and she'll be toddling about!

ummm I'm 37 am I the oldest

count it in baby years macdoodle!! you've got older dcs don't you?

how are you anyway?

macdoo - don't worry you're not the oldest. I know there has been at least one 40th birthday celebrated amongst us!

caz10 - good to hear from you and sorry work is such a nightmare - sounds really awful especially when you are missing your DD so much. Ditto with the public BF embarrassment - I have also had silences descend and it is very awkward.

clara - sorry to hear you are feeling crap. It must be so hard for everyone - you, your DH and of course your DD1. I hope things improve when your DH gets back, and then it won't be too long until you can move back to your old house which might help your DD1 a bit. Could you go and stay with your parents again to get some help with the DDs until your DH gets back? Are you still going to the same toddler groups etc that you used to go to or are you living too far away now? Let us know how you are getting on, lot of hugs xx

Well done to more walking babies! I love it when they have just learnt to walk, can't wait for DS to walk properly. I know he can do it but he is still to worried about falling.

Had a nice weekend away except I got the most awful blocked duct (think that what it was) and my boob swelled up and was all deformed and I coudn't express any milk out at all. My nipple swelled up as well and it was absolute agony. Spent about 3 2-hour sessions in the bathroom each day trying to sort it out with warm towels/ massage/expressing etc. So that was pretty miserable but otherwise we had a great time. Then got home, fed Milo once and it was completely cured!! Maybe it was a sign I shouldn't have left him!

i'm 38 macdoo - and only have no1

I'm a mere baby, just 27 .

I am shocked that you have had silences Caz (and skid), maybe I'm just oblivious to them but I have been feeding ds wherever and haven't noticed any. In Botswana I had a couple of people comment that I was still feeding but not really in a negative way (except MIL!). Here I'm starting to find that friends are asking how long I'm planning to feed ds for though, maybe the silences will soon follow!

Skid ouch sounds painful, I am scared about my friends wedding now. Maybe ds will have drastically cut down his feeds by then

Ambi I was excited when he started walking but after he'd gone to bed I got upset cos I don't have a baby anymore but two toddlers . DH said "Get over it, I can't wait for them to be older"

Clairey - aww to having no babies - both of them are still you babies! I'm same as you with regards to public bfing, am completely oblivious, though was trying to feed him in a pub on Saturday and he wasn't being terribly co-operative, too busy looking around!

Caz - I'm getting along fine! DS won't take bottles at all just has water at nursery, so feed him the morning and when I pick him up, again like you I have no problem with feeding him more on the days I have him full time. It is hard, missing him so much though, totally understand how you feel.

Skid - ow poor you, hope your boob is feeling better.

I'm 33 btw Arcadie!

Have any of you got a humidifier in your baby's room? Ds sleep has gotten worse since I think when we put the central heating has been back on - he has been waking up 3-4 times a night, mainly for very quick feeds which I think is because he is thirsty. I've some suggestions that getting a humidifier might work. He has also had a persistent cough as well but that has co-incided with him starting nursery, plus he started cutting his teeth (of which he has 7 now) when he was 8.5 mo.

clairey - Bet your DH will be eating his words when they're 14 and 15 and demanding more money from him and telling him they never asked to be born

eating his words... have I got two expressions mixed up there? Well you know what I mean....

Gosh, too much to catch up with. Hello everyone. Congrats on all you little walkers. DS still takes the odd step but prefers crawling.

Whole family hit with tummy bug. DS now has had it for a week. It's horrible seeing him suffer, especially waking up and being sick in the night. DH getting very thin now too. I only suffered for 24 hours but now I have a cold as well.

A week off work now so hopefully will have a rest. Am shattered.

Hello Everyone,

Ahhh so exciting all the walkers!! Kaesha hasn't done any more unaided steps since that one time, but is trying to climb on and into everything!!
She's got 4 teeth through now.
We have reluctantly had to start trying CC as we both so exhausted, my man is doing it though as I am rubbish and crumble after about a minute! Last night was first night and wasn't as bad as we had thought it might be so hopefully it will sort out fast.....
I know what you mean about feeding, I am just starting to get the odd comment and raised eyebrow that I am still feeding
I kind of do want to wind it up now, mainly cause she's started biting again and pinching, kicking and wriggling when she's feeding which just makes it a battle every feed now cause she's so strong! Also with the op looming I think it will be easier all round if we've got her off the boob before then. I'll miss it though, it's our close cosy time, it will be the end of an era.

I'm 32 btw!