July 2006 - bring on those tantrums!

[thefortbuilder]

New thread now we're all mums of 2yr olds!

Happy New Year my lovely post-natal chums

Hangover city here too . Do children have some kind of super-sonic-sonar-radar for this btw ... "C'mon Mummy/Daddy - Wake, Wake!!"

my hangover yesterday was absolutely appalling. I still feel rubbish after 10 hours sleep. It was a fabulous night, although I remember Toby waking up and falling asleep fully dressed with him in our bed in the guest room at friends. me fully dressed, contact lenses in, make up on and I NEVER do that.

Congrats on the wedding Impy, so glad you had a lovely day.

Apparently looking at new kitchesn today....

Christmas has left our house - all but the tree had left 3 days ago, just the lights for DH to pack away now. It's all over...how depressing.....

Bloss

xxx

congrats rhinestone, what lovely news. Birth sounds wonderful and what a lovely name ignore mil as much as you can

congrats also to you impy glad everything went well and you had a great honeymoon

bloss - how funny, my dh put the same thing on my to do list

Happy new year everyone no hangover here since i cant drink just now, dh and i just had quiet night with lots of yummy food in front of the telly, big party animals eh

dh off to work just now but he has next 3 days off and my mums taking charlotte for all 3 of them so really looking forward to it

We had a lovely christmas, my mum and dad came down, dh and i cooked and they stayed overnight and went home boxing day, was very stress free compared to what i was expecting. Dh's brother came over to visit xmas eve with presents from il's for charlotte, she got a few things {although 1 was a remote control plane meant for a 4-5year old )made more effort this year now they dont see her, dont understand them. Although they are staying away so maybe not too desperate to see her so dont know if the presents were just all for show. Dont think i care anymore, least i wont have any bother with il's annoying me when this baby comes along

Got lots of lovely presents but dh and i decided we'll not go over the top anymore but he got us a new coffee machine {from charlotte of course ) so clever of her. Its that dolce gusto and loving it, hope theres not too much in the coffee drinking and pregnancy thing thats come out since i was pg with charlotte, am keeping to 2 cups a day so hopefully thats ok

am now 23 weeks pg and feeling much better than last time although cant wait for next few months to pass , thanks for comments on placenta thing, have stopped worrying about it and googling

Have a lovely day, hope hangovers have disappeared for everyone xx

Feel a tad better today but my head is still thumping. No wine last night or tonight-need to detox and have now gained 10 lbs which is terrible. Am now cutting down

Would have taken the tree and deco down already but my friend and 2 DC are calling round this afternoon so will leave up for them and take down tomorrow.

I hate the bit between Christmas and New Year as one Christmas is over but the next one isn't until next year. Now Januray is here the girls can get excited about next Christmas now as it all starts in August doesn't it?

Just praying for a BFP this year as I hit 40 in October and don't really want to be 41 when I have a baby.

Better light a fire. Dreading the return to school on Tuesday as we will have to get up early.

Love to all!

HC
x

Hi all

Blimey, hope all the hangovers are better! We just shared a bottle of cava and had a couple of cocktails, so I didn't feel too bad. And the gorgeous Ryster was very obliging and didn't get up until 9am!!! (Sorry for all those of you with early risers!).

We've now taken the side off his cot since he was sleeping in a big boy's bed at MILs. Just need to get him out of nappies and it'll really feel like the baby stage is over... (mixed emotion!). My MIL broke my heart when we left for Copenhagen - she cried - which was only the second time I've seen her cry in 15 years. She's really going to miss Ry after having had nearly a month with him...

Ryan doesn't seem at all emotionally scarred for having been deserted by his parents for two weeks - instead he seems much more grown-up, is talking loads more and being v cuddely. Everything is "Ryan do it" and getting him dressed/un-dressed is a bleeding nightmare. But other than that it is wonderful to be reunited, I missed him SOOOO much. Will be interesting to see how he gets on at nursery after being away from it for five weeks. It doesn´t open again until next Wednesday as we have the big Epiphany/Three King's celebration on Tues - cue more pressies!

Good luck with the new kitchen Bloss. I´d recommend IKEA.... Glad you had a good xmas Bead, and are not getting too stressed about your horrid ILs. It's their loss. Sure you'll get good news on the baby front this year HC, don´t worry!

Love to everyone else.

Impy xxx

hey happy new year everyone! sorry i'm so late - NY resolution for MN is to post more reg i think

congrats impy as well xxxx

not much really to report here but HC I'd never have picked you as 40 this year!!!

I'm totally the opposite as you HC and bloss with bags - i have 4 normal sized handbags and about 3 or 4 going out eveningy ones - I very rarely change them so don't mind shelling out a lot on the - shoes however - lots and lots of those.....

have just had to "tell someone off" on our may PN thread - this mum had literally just joined our born in may thread 3 days ago and basically proceeded to tell one of our regulars that she was risking breaking her lo's neck by putting him in a forward facing car seat....feel a bit bad about doing it but she was really OTT about it, and pretty mean too.

Jacob is now learning to say "Iwould like. please and thankyou" at everything - in between the incessant bouts of whingeing and whineing that is - dh very nearly just yelled shut up at him today because there was no reason for it. i pray it ends close to 3 and doesn't drag on too long afterwards!! rapidly putting me off the idea of having any more kids i can tell you

No hangover here either - I had most of a bottle of wine, watched Mamma Mia and was in bed by 10.30 but was woken at midnight by all the fireworks which also woke Josh up (Sam slept through it all!). Josh hates fireworks and became really hysterical to the point of throwing up and every time we thought they had stopped and calmed him down, another bloody firework would go off and we had to start all over again! So me and DH saw in the New Year mopping up sick...nice

Flick - wasn't your Sam born in March?? If so, the babies are more than 9 months anyway so what was the woman's problem about them going in a front-facing carseat? Maybe she is a troll anyway and just looking to cause trouble

(Mrs) Impy - glad Ry was ok - children are amazingly adaptable aren't they? I bet he is just fine at nursery next week. My tip for getting them dressed (and I am sure this would be frowned on by all and sundry on MN ) is I take Josh's clothes downstairs and dress him in front of the television, threatening to turn it off if he doesn't sit on my lap and let me dress him - it has not failed to work yet and I get him dressed in about a minute - although it is probably very bad practice, it is much better than wrestling with him for ages

Well we took the Xmas decs down today and then replaced the tree with a travel cot so the lounge is just as cramped as before!! We decided that as Josh is so boisterous with Sam that we need to move Sam out of harms way so the travel cot is now Sam's safe haven He was outgrowing his moses basket and is happiest when he is on his baby gym kicking about in the evenings (without the threat of being squashed by an over-exuberant 2 year old!) and obviously he can't kick in his moses basket so hopefully this will be the solution!

Hi all.

Well I've just bought this for Toby's room. I am praying the cot mattress will fit it. We were going to wait until he is in a bottom bunk in a room with H but we aren't going to do that for ages it looks like and he is just too big a boy to be in a baby cot with a gro bag on FFS! He sleeps in a bed every time we stay somewhere else no probs at all so I just thought sod it it's only £60.

Plus bought two booster seats for H (one for each car) so T can now go in his bigger booster seats and we can get rid of the baby car seats. Where have my babies gone? Also binning our buggies as we never use it for T at all any more, he walks as much as Harry. Sigh.

Have been very healthy today - Special K, tuna salad, fruit, steak broad beans andmash with no butter, and one, count it ONE QS choc. No wine. Annie, where are you? Dh and I are now in a month of abstinence booze wise. Gulp (or not gulp IYSWIM) A very sober boring January, if I last the distance....I have got to stop drinking for a bit though, I have drunk every night for as long as I can remember. And hopefully it will help me lose the 5 pounds I gained over christmas!!!!

Mum has had a report back from the psychologist she has been seeing, saying, amongst lots of other things, that she is no longer fit to drive. She never went far anyway, but now cannot even pop to the village or hairdressers or the charity shop she volunteered in. She is gutted. And it means even more pressure on my dad....

Anyhoo - cannot resist, have to watch CBB. What a sucker I am.

Bloss

xxxx

Happy Birthday Annie ! Don't drink too much.

Off to take all the decos down.

HC
x

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Lots to catch up on!!
I'll try to be brief...

Christmas day was lovely, at home with just us four. Joey wanted to leave loads of food out for Santa, so not just mince pie and the carrot, but he started piling on chocolates and beer as well!! Don't ask where he got the beer from...
He was delighted when he came in in the morning, and said 'LOOK MIMI! A BIG PRESENT FOR US TO SHARE!!!'
His was a big castle, hers was a tiny little pink chocolate cake, so they didn't even see hers there!!
Spent the whole day munching on snacks and opening presents and PLAYING with them!
DH got me all the stuff on my list, plus a few extra tops.

Then off up north on Boxing day and spent a whole week there. I drank a bottle of wine every day! I had to!! But, surprisingly didn't have any hangovers.
Back to London for the 2nd, for my birthday on the third, where we had a few friends round, and drank myself silly, and yes, I did suffer yesterday! Serves me right, but I had a lovely time. At the time.

Big news is: Joey seems to have cracked it, toilet-wise. Not a single accidnet whilst up north, and insists on going all by himself now. He did do a poo in his pants yesterday but they were in the middle of a very exciting game. He later sat on the loo again to do another one to make up for it (though it never came!)

Mimi's sleep had hugely improved, last night she slept through again, and she wasn't too bad over the holidays. We always have a battle to get her to go to bed though, while Joey lies there going 'Mimi is keeping me awake AGAIN'.

So overall it were very nice and mostly not hungover! Today I bought myself a new handbag which I fell in love with whilst shopping for DH, and hinted strongly that I had seen the handbag of my dreams, and even found it online for him and left the page open for about three days, but still nothing.
So I got it myself. Quite right too!

So. Over to you ladies!!
HC, hope your head is better, thanks for the birthday drink!

Bloss, we have exactly that bed for both Mimi and Joey in white, it's great! I don't think the cot mattress fits though, you'll need a cot-bed size (sorry!)Kiddicare do em for about £70.
We will probably bin our buggies too soon, special the P&T as Joey never ever goes in it, and Mimi only does occasionly.
Good luck with the month off! You can do it! It's only a month. We're cutting back as well, but there still a half bottle of white wine and a bottle of bubbley in the fridge that I didn't get round to on Saturday.
I think I will just drink at weekends for a while... after all the in-laws aren't around til March again!!
Soz to hear about your mum

Well I better go as this 'brief' one is not so... just a big CONGRATS to Senora Impy and love the photos, you look fab, and so happy!
Rhiney, beautiful photos of your little girls too!

Ok Ok I'm going...

Scuse spelling, and I know Rhiney, you only have had ONE baby girl since December

Hi Annie, great to hear your update, and all your news. We do actually have Toby in a cot bed at the moment, so do you think the mattress will fit? The only reason we have bought the other bed is we have lost the bits that turn it from a cot to a bed....

Thanks for the no booze support - I am ok once I get to about 8.30pm, 9pm. Usually I start drinking at 6ish and stop about now, so if I can just get through that couple of ours....on Day 5 but feels like 50!! I am deadly serious about it though - I really do think booze was starting to control me not the other way round and am deeply disturbed at the thought that I MUST have been over the limit on more than one occasion driving the boys back from friend's houses and the like, and that thought makes me go cold. I am so scathing of others that put their kids in danger in such a way, and yet I have done it myself....booze free here missy, for the foreseeable.

Bloss

xx

oh and meant to say CB, I FREQUENTLY get both boys dressed in front of the telly, and always have.... Definitely the path of least resistance.....to make it worse, quite often it's Harry in front of one telly then walk into another room to dress Toby in front of another telly! That seems even worse somehow!!!!

Morning girls

Am such a whale, put on 6 lb at WW last night so well above my goal so only got paid 45p. There were lots of new members so could have got over £6 if I hadn't stuffed and drank too much.

Bloss-well done on the no wine job. Remember you doing this last year. I didn't have a drink last night and feel rougher than if I had drank some. Must be withdrawal symptoms.

Hope you are recovered Annie after your birthday.

Off to set up the pedometer I bought last night to help me be healthy. Yeah, right!

Big wave!

HC
x

Morning all
Am also a whale, HC, put on about 5 lbs too(that I had just about lost...). Thank you yes I have recovered, but still haven't drank my bubbley!

Bloss the cot-bed mattress will definitely fit the new bed. Definitely! Phew! Has it arrived yet?
When I did my month off in September, the first week was the hardest part, so now you've done that, the rest will be easy peasy lemon squeezy!! It's all in the head!

Mimi has started two mornings at nursery now, yesterday was their first day back, and she didn't even cry! I thought she would, after the long break, but no, she happily settled down next to Joey and the castle...
And today she was fine again, even sat down next to antoher little girl, then jumped up for a cuddle and kiss and sat back down and didn't even care that I left.
So she's definitely getting there.
Woke once last night but it wasn't for long. I think she had a bad dream, as she didn't even open her eyes.
So now we just have to work on a peaceful bedtime instead of an hour of hopping out and kicking and very loud singing...
And Joey, my little star, is going to nursery in Big Boy's Pants, at last!!!

Have to send in his school application this month, still deciding on which two schools to put second and third, as we are really too far from any to be guaranteed a place, if the nice priest doesn't give us a good reference!

Dammit.

Right, best do summit.
x

SS - am I allowed to be flippant and wonder if you considered the booze post or the confession about getting the kids dressed in front of the TV the bravest?

Morning Bloss!
How's the liver?! After a guilt trip from DH, I have decided to abstain for a while too, though that bottle of bubbley is still calling me - it may have to be disposed of at the weekend. Apart from that, am going to abtain til 5th Feb, when we go to Ireland.
So, Go, Us!!!
Surprisingly, my liver tests show a perfectly normal liver... (routine rheumatology thing).
Are you finding it easier now you've done a week?

Good night's sleep last night! HOrray!!

Was so funny yesterday - Mimi and Joey play this game where they pretend to be Katie and Sam, Joey being Katie, Mimi being Sam - Sam is a four year old boy! So yesterday, Mimi started straining, so I says 'Do you need to go on the potty Mimi?'
'No, mammy, I'm Sam, I'm a big boy I will go on the big toilet. Sam says he will go on the big toilet'.
So she did!

My little adorable little thing.

Here are the Festive Photos

Hello All x

Annie-those pics are lovely. I only took 2 pics on Christmas Day as got too busy but BIL took thousands so hopefully will get some of them. Will endeavour to put the 2 up I have.

Good on Bloss and Annie for abstaining. I am not doing so well (cutting down that is as couldn't cut out altogether as DH's company has had a new management system put in so he is staying late every night to sort out teething problems so as I wait for him I keep pouring just 1 more glass. Oh dear.

Re TV I am the opposite and use it for bribery to get changed. If I put it on the girls stand motionless staring at the box so I tell them the sooner they get dressed the sooner they can watch TV again. Same with eating breakfast. Nothing wrong with using the TV to get results.

Still struggling to diet as there are too many temptations in the house. Ate my smoked cheese, nuts and Christmas cake nearly gone then just a bottle of Mulled Wine and hey presto can diet!

Big wave to everyone and hope all OK.

HC
x

Here are the pics:

Emma

Emma

Sophie

HC
x

Hi everyone

Glad you had a good b-day Annie! And long may Mimi's sleep improve! Pix of the kids are gorgeous! How is your arthritis going these days? Drugs still helping? (prescription and non ;-)

Bloss - good luck on cutting down the booze and sorry about your mum not being able to drive anymore. How is your Dad coping with everything? Has he got help? It's so so sad when these things happen...

Cripes at Queen Roshi in a 6 year old swimsuit!!! Oz sizes are pretty large from what I remember (some friends sent some lovely Bonds stuff over for Ry when he was little). Really recommend you cutting out wheat - it's not as difficult as it first appears and I'll bet you'll notice a difference - I'm really anti-wheat! I think it causes bloating and general rubbishness in a lot of people.... I'm trying to cut back on carbs in general and chocolate which is my big vice.... well dark chocolate is good for you though, innit?!

GORG pix too HC - Sophie's hair is incredible! I should have let Ry's grow - opens up a whole new world of styling options

CB - yeah dressing him in front of the telly seems to work ok - except sometime he doesn't want telly on ! Luckily we had a freak snow shower on Friday and stood him on a chair to look out the window and got him dressed there. Also had a magical moment watching the flakes fall down with him - he couldn't believe it! We played in the snow in the evening after nursery and had a great time - never seen Madrid like it before. Apparently the last similar snowfall was in 1996....!

I don't know why I said "luckily" we had snow - as it wreaked havoc on DH's travelling. He was supposed to fly back to Madrid on Thurs night but City Airport was shut cos of fog, then on Friday Madrid airport was shut because of the snow... then today all BA's airplanes seem to be broken and I'm STILL waiting for him to get here... booooo! Such bad luck.

Had a lovely Kings day last Tuesday. Ry stayed up late the night before "King in the Castle, tomorrow", he kept saying! Then he had porridge at 7 and came in our bed afterwards and slept till 10am!! Result! He's not been too keen to go back to nursery and was a bit clingey the first couple of days but didn't cry at least.

Well, guess I better do some clearing up before DH finally gets back.....

Love to all. Impy xxx

Just spied pinkdolly on an another thread and she is 27 weeks PG with No 4. Ill with the flu at the moment though.

HC
x

Hello all,
Hope you had a good weekend.
HC, sorry you are ill again. Hope you feel better soon, is it proper flu? Lovely photos of your girls - they are so well groomed!!

Mrs Impy (thought I was being clever before saying 'senora' - is that right?), hope DH turned up in the end - what a palaver!?
Arthritis is grand these days thanks. The odd twinge sometimes, but mostly I'm pain-free. My drugs are fantastic. All blood tests show normal levels of everything. I'm so lucky really.

Spin, you healthy thing !
I'm not improving my diet, need to really, eat more fruit, less crap etc. The usual.
But at least I've cut down on the booze (for now!)
Bloss, how is it going? Still hanging in there!??
Not much use to you, but DH and I had our bottle of pink champers last night (it was meant to be for my birthday). Really enjoyed it though. The plan is now to have one bottle of wine at the weekend, and that is it. Until Ireland...

Mimi has a gunky eye now. I dunno what happened, but it keeps leaky yucky stuff. DH is taking her to the doctor's this afternoon. We are cleaning it with water and cotton balls, and it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. She wakes up with sticky eyes. Didn't sleep too well last night, but can't really complain for that reason.

I did a HUGE toy/clothes clear-out on Saturday - all the Little People have been doomed to the shed for a while, I'll bring them back out in a few months, and if there is no interest, then eBay. Lots of the baby-ish toys are getting gone. Scooby Doo monster game is the current fad...

My beautiful bag arrived only it's the wrong one! It's the huge tote bag instead of the handbag. And yes it was my own fault - I ordered the wrong one. Luckily I can take it back and exchange it at the shop. So I STILL haven't got my birthday present!

RIght shut up Annie... x