Feb 08 - Never mind my wrinkly tum, look what's come out of my baby's bum!

[Gill79]

done it

Yep leesmum we've been waiting for that tooth for ages!! DS1 got his first tooth at 20 weeks and ds2 at 26 weeks so kept thinking it must come through soon!! It is fantastic how different they all are isn't it.

DH is home - 5 paper stitches and a nice big white plaster on his forehead. Think I now know where ds2 gets his clumsiness from - tis lovely to have him home though - he would have been out until 6.30 otherwise!

I've nearly got all my xmas shopping done too Sarah - went to boots on Friday and got a pile of stuff on 3 for 2 cause I'm trying to be economical since I've not been earning for a while. On a positive note I think we're entitled to that tax rebate for 2002-2003 that there was a thread about this week so I've applied for that. Should get around £1000 apparently because we didn't claim for the old childrens tax credit when ds1 was born in Dec 2002. Will wait and see what happens.

Hello all. Sorry not been around much lately babies been under the weather, had a lovely MN friend visiting us on Friday, I was feeling horrendous yesterday (had to cancel my parents coming for dinner ) but better today thankfully. Babies have coughs and colds and DS1 has a cough. What's to bet one or two or three of them will get sent home from nursery tomorrow...

Leesmum found these pjs at John Lewis but it doesn't say what material they are. They dont look like the jersey type material so might be what you are looking for? I got DTs some smashing pjs at Blooming Marvellous here as they have 2 for 1 on all baby clothes at the mo so basically got them half price (obv one pair pink and one pair blue). Am saving them for Christmas. DS1 has the car print pjs from there but his best pair are ones he got last Christmas from my sis from Gap which he looks soooooooooooooooooo gorgeous in.

Rozzy your poor DH. How did he bump his head? I know what you mean about getting him home early, when I took DS1 to hosp on Weds it meant DH raced home from work and so he was back just before we got home from hospital which was 3 hours earlier than normal!

So what's this about Christmas shopping? I have done nothing except things for DS1 (ordering his bike tomorrow then we are sorted for him). I have no idea what to get for anyone else, esp DH and my parents and sis and BIL. Always easy enough buying for nieces and nephew as they have looooong lists!

Sarah glad your DD is on the mend. Both our babies puked their guts up within 20 mins of each other before bed last night. It was not fun. However thankfully they still slept ok despite having puked all their supper and milk up and I didn't have to get up til 6:30 which wasn't bad! Not a peep from either of them in the night apart from coughing.

Sarah your hamper for nursery sounds lovely . I am so unsure what to do for our nursery staff. They are all lovely. Last year DS1 had only been there 3 months and I just got a load of chocs from our local "luxury" chocolatier for them to share, but now I have three DCs there, and they all have a keyworker, and then DS1 has his old keyworker who he loves (and who is our babysitter), so do I get the keyworkers something a bit bigger, but still something for all the others to share? I don't want to not get something for the others as everyone looks after my little treasures!

Leesmum the DTs dont really play together. They went through a phase a couple of months ago where they did chat to each other (oooh, ahh, ungaaa etc!) but now they play separately with DS1 (DS1's "game" with DS2 is to kick him in the face and DS2 laughs). Today DS1 and DD were playing in the playpen together and I could hear them both happy and DS1 was laughing (I was in kitchen washing up) and so I was saying "good boy DS1 for playing with DD nicely", when I came out I found DD with about 5 cushions over her face, and a duvet cover, with her little eyes peeping out. She was grinning from ear to ear. I had to explain to DS1 that it was not the best game to play as she could suffocate...

Leesmum DTs not had choc yet although it's only a matter of time. I might let them taste my Zingy Orange Matchmakers if they are lucky! I would be a bit if someone gave any of my DC a whole bag of buttons! I remember when DS1 was little I used to buy him the white ones thinking somehow they were "better" for him but I think they have more sugar and more crap than the (much tastier) milk choc ones!

Today DS1 has eaten: 1 buttered crumpet. 4 mini choc digestives, 3 cold sausages, a few crisps, and two cups of milk. No wonder the poor lad never poos .

Strawberry hope work yesterday was not too bad. Hats off to anyone who gets up the night to feed a DC and then goes off to work, esp at the WEEKEND! Impressed with the speaking! Both DTs talk a lot, DS2 likes to to say "ungah" a lot, but nothing recognisable in the slightest! DD is back saying "mamamamamamamama" all the time though .

Betty/Gill, I too was eating mint ice cream this week, Tesco Mintylicous. Mmmmmmmmm.

Gosh Rozzy just seen that I think you said DS3 sleeps a max of one hour in the day. What is everyone else's babies doing? Mine sleep usually 2.5 to 3 hrs a day (thank god!). They are normally in bed by 7pm but then up 6-6:30am (sometimes later, and was earlier this last week while they adjusted to clock change).

Is this my longest post ever?

Oh, and do I have the record for most trick or treaters? We handed out 78 bags of sweets between 5:30 and 7pm (then we ran out so I removed the skeleton from the door and the pumpkins from the wall and nobody else knocked). DS1 loved it, he kept saying "I want more trick or treaters mummy" and DS2 was offered as as "treat" but sadly no takers . DD went to bed a bit early and missed most of the fun!

Oh and DD finally has tooth no 2. So she now has one at the bottom and one at the top. She looks comical.

LOL at ds1 game with ds2 egg - it's lovely when the older ones take an interest in their littler siblings but I now know where the phrase 'killed by kindness' came from!!! On daytime sleep ds1 used to sleep for 3 hours at lunchtime - I didn't realise how lucky I was at the time............ Ds3 sleeps for around 30 mins in the morning and 30 mins after lunch. He then goes down around 6.45 and is up once or more often in the last couple of weeks twice. I was really hoping he would be sleeping through before I went back to work but don't have the willpower at the moment to be tougher with him. I'm torn between thinking he'll sleep through when I stop bf and panicking about how I'll settle him back to sleep if he does wake in the night if I'm not bf - Aaagh!!

The bonnet of the fire engine was up and the sun was shining into the station and dh managed to walk into it and landed flat on his back. He's been told to keep it dry and clean for 5 days so his station officer has told him to stay off work. He doesn't like staying off but would mean he wouldn't have to go in on bonfire night where the yobs in the town he works are notoriously troublesome with the firemen - throwing things etc.

Tea ready better go.

Hi guys! Sounds like its been sickness city!!

Sorry its been so long but there's been so much going on it had been a while and then having seen the thread move on so much I have to confess I couldn't face trying to catch up

Have caught up a little bit though but sorry if I've missed out on anything major.

We're getting there re xmas but if ds1 asks me one more time if santa's coming tonight!!! I love xmas tho so can't complain too much. His latest thing is to watch any advert he can on telly so that he can add what he sees to his evergrowing list!! Hence we are now watching mainly dvds and cbeebies

Ds2 is coming along smashingly if not still a little diddler. He's now got quite a pace up with his pulling himself a long the floor and if I turn my back for more than a minute, I then have to scour the flat for him!! We have to have some of the doors open to let him explore a bit otherwise he gets really cross!! Now everything is up on shelves and baby friendly again - I forgot what a nightmare it is once they're on the move. He loves anything that makes a noise - grrreat!! Still haven't had his 8mth check through so having to chase it but not too worried. Just wish his tooth would come through. It feels like its been forever and he just gets so whingey!!! He starts his settling in period at nursery this week, I'm hoping he'll be alright. Feels really odd though!!

Anyway, I shall get back to reading up and just hope alls well with everyone x

Hi Count, glad all is well in your house Our families should be Twinned! yes we are getting fed up with constant questions about santa and every advert that comes on is "i'm getting that" GGGRRRR

I bought a large bell at weekend and i'm going to put some special red ribbon around it, then on christmas day i'll put it outside so he can find it and i'll say "oohh it must have fell of santas sleigh!" I'm so excited for ds1 this christmas

Egg thanks for the link for Pj's they are lovely, just what i was after. I didn't want to pay that much but if i cant see any others as nice then i'll get them. My Ds2 has a half hour nap about 9.30 am then another sleep after lunch normally from 12.30pm till 2.00pm thats it then until bedtime at 7pm then he wakes between 6-7am.

Rozzy how is your dh's head today? are you glad he's not in for bonfire night? You must worry about him doing the job he does but especially at this time of year. x

Leesmum - dh head ok today but he is planning on going back tomorrow as doesn't like being off so will be in on Bonfire night unfortunately. I do worry about him - especially after his accident 3 years ago when he ended up being off work for nearly a year.

I wish my 2 would say what they wanted for xmas. Ds2 did a list yesterday which consisted of a yellow lego car, lego fire station, xbox, a t-shirt, jumper and trousers. Ds1 won't say anything - he just wants santa to decide which is fine except I'm worried he'll turn round just before christmas with a list when we've already got everything.

Refused to feed ds3 during the night last night - was ok he was only up once and settled back to sleep after around an hour. Have had enough of night feeds.

Off to collect ds1.

Hey all. Its exciting reading about Xmas, love the idea about the bell leesmum. Am very that you have all started getting presents. I haven't managed yet, although it is DDs bday on Saturday so I will think about it after that.

Work was horrendous again. Its too dull to write about, I just hate the long hours and stress. DS has conjunctivitis now to add to his rotten cold and cough and I couldn't get home from work in time to see him or feed him. Felt such a rubbish mummy , I did really try but missed my train and then the next one was cancelled. DH was at home with him but I wanted to be there for him too. This is really tough. He was up lots last night so in the end I only had about 4 1/2 hours sleep and the house is chaos and its all a bit much really. Still, things can only get better tomorrow and at least I got to read DD my favourite book, the Cat in the Hat!

Count, DS sounds just like your DS. He is into everything too, as soon as I turn my back he makes a beeline for any visible piece of paper and eats it!! DD also obsessed with adverts too and we have a long and growing list of things she wants.

Rozzy, I am so with you about BF. I am almost at the stage of stopping but am worried about the feeds when he wakes up at about 5am, I can't bear the thought of coming downstairs to make up bottles. I didn't realise your DH is a fireman. Hope he's ok now.

Sarah, tell me about the hamper for nusery, I need some inspiration....

hi everyone,

lovely pj's egg, sorry to hear u are all under the weather too, was hoping it was leaving us but dh has d & V now!!!!OMG

Count- glad to hear your ds is doing so well, must admit i keep willing dd to get moving but then i think actually its much easier now!!!! lol - omg just think what they are gonna do to the emas tree this year lol!!! i think all my decorations wil be near the top heehee

Strawberry- the hamper for DS's nursery with nice biccies, tea, coffee, hotchocolate sachets and lots of choccies!!!!! i will put it all in a wicker basket and wrap in cellophane think it will will go down a treat!!!

For his key worker i am also making a pot of gold!!!! a bowl with ferrero roche, golden chocolate coins, werthers orgianal and a golden truffle from thorntons, xmas scratch card too, with a poem saying something like:
Here is a little pot of gold
A festive nibble too
I hope it will make
All of your dreams come true.
Have a very merry Christmas
From me to you!

Once done i will wrap with clear cellophane and ribbons xxx

Just want to do something a little different as i am sure they get enough choccies and wine and smellies, want it to look like i have put alot of thought in and ds can help too,

That's a really lovely idea. Note to self... must think of clever, original Christmas gifts....

Hello everyone, probably very rude for a serial lurker to ask but can we have a new thread soon? I would really like to get a bit more involved but am scared off by the enormity off it all.

Pathetic I know

As quick intro my ds (dc3) was 9 months old yesterday - has 2 teeth and can climb up the stairs in the time it takes me to do a wee! We are all besotted by him. I am by turn delighted by each new stage and grieving for the loss of my 'baby'. Hope to lurk less and get to know you all, but for now...back to the faraway tree!

Hi angry - thread seems to be picking up speed again so won't be that long until a brand new thread. Welcome.

Leesmum - no more holidays planned thank goodness! I'm planning to go back in February but I'm hoping to do only two days a week... Got a list of nurseries to start looking at and organised a meeting with my manager for next week.

On chocolate - Malcolm's had tastes of things like ice cream and chocolate mousse but only in very small quantities, would also not be impressed by a whole bag of buttons. Although at a party last weekend my friend's mum fed him a whole slice of sponge cake

Hope your DH's head is better soon Rozzy.

Strawberry - sorry things are hard at the moment. So horrible to be stuck waiting for a train .

Can't believe you are all doing christmas shopping already!

We're still living in a building site apart from the continued absence of builders Apparently there is a glass shortage and without the glass they can't make the doors and without the doors they can't plaster or do the floor cause it's too cold. Whatever. In the last two weeks someone has come to dig a hole and then someone has come to fill it in again. Is really not ideal living like this since I have to shut Malcolm in the front room whenever I do anything.

Anyway, musn't really moan, he is doing great apart from being a bit snotty and still getting up three times a night and this morning he was up from 5.30. Argghhh. Talking of which I really must go to bed!

welcome angry- join in as much as u can xxxxx

xoh dear gill i wiuld be going mad if my house was a building siter atm!!!! when r u going to have it finished?

bbl- dcs crying

sorry bout typing ds was helping me!!!!!

Strawberry that's exactly like me - can't face making up bottles in the night (or at all if I'm being honest - am very lazy). But I am really beginning to feel like I've had enough of the bf. Not that it's difficult or anything but would be nice to wear nice bras for one thing and would be easier when I'm back to work. I've had 2 nights of not feeding - last night not so good he would not settle so I've been awake since 4am. Sorry you're not enjoying being back at work - it's really hard trying to juggle work and kids isn't it - I often feel like I'm trying to do both and not doing either as well as I should.

Sarah - I bow down at your xmas gifts ideas - everyone gets really boring gifts from me as I'm not imaginative at all!

Hi angrily.

Hope you find a nursery you like Gill.

I don't envy you Gill, we had an extension built not long ago and it was hell when it was being done but totally worth it now. Hope it doesn't go on much longer for you all.

Hello everyone,

long time no post AGAIN! I wish I could get on here more - but work took my laptop away ages ago, so have to rely on DP's when he's home!

Gosh Sarah, I love your hamper and pot of gold ideas - you're very creative! I wish I could think of stuff like that to do for people!

Angry pixie - I'm normally a lurker like yourself - seldom get the chance to post on here coz I normally read the thread via the Wii console, and it's a bugger to type anything!

Rozzy and Strawberry - I too am still breastfeeding and want to stop the night feeds coz it's knackering! but I just don't know what to do to get her sleeping through. Generally she goes to bed anywhere between 6pm and 8pm depending on how tired she seems, then she will wake at 10ish, 2ish, 4ish, then 6 or 8ish. When she wakes, I try to settle her back down with a bit of chest patting / rubbing but invariably I end up feeding her!!

Any suggestions from more experienced mums? [hopeful emoticon]

Egg - DD usually only naps for half hour in the morning (about 10 or 11ish) and half hour in the afternoon (about 2 or 4ish)!

Leesmum - DD has tasted chocolate - we were in a restaurant and she tried some of DP's chocolate souffle (sp)- she liked it (obviously! whats not to like!) but, soon after she had some wierd red patches come up on her face around her mouth, me thinks an allergic reaction poor kid.

hiya all and nice to hear from you bovril. i often wonder whether people who go missing still lurke... its good to hear they do!

hiya pixie and welcome.

wow egg and leesmum. did i miss a memo about trying to write very very long posts?? leesmum, you must be gutted that egg managed to beat your effort . a whole bad of button is some impressive chocolating. was your ds ok after? i have an image of a baby high on sugar and the caffeine in cocoa. i slip dd the teensiest bit of chocolate if i'm having it. dh not impressed by this but she gets v upset if other people eat without sharing. my mum and i once dared to have a ginger biscuit in front of her and she went into such a rage, throwing herself at us and the food!

speaking of food,... egg,lol, after your mentioned your ds1 had had a crumpet i found myself walking zombie like to the bakery section in sainsburys to buy myself some! on subject of sleep, dd has about an hour in the morning and then maybe 90 min in day - either a proper nap at home of snatched bits when we're out and about.

strawb sorry to hear about your rubbishy day and that your ds is still poorly. sounds like worst case scenarios happened one after another - touch wood train//work//ill dont all clash at same time. if in doubt swear under breathe about train bastards while waiting on platform. i used to look like such a nutter ....

rozzy good luck with night feeds. did have to smile at the circumstances which led to your dh's injury

now gill i thought you were the queen of DIY - kick out the builders and crack on with work yourself?? when will they be done?

sarah -- i may nick your golden hamper idea... tho' i'mnot sure i could be trusted around fereo rocher

dd been about as wonderful as i think its poss for a baby to be today. i only got 2 hrs sleep last night so i copped out of trying to behave like a real person today and we slouched about. she has such a great chuckle and we've been having silly laugh offs where i giggle and she giggles harder and over and over again. awwwwwww!!!!!! this loveliness seems to be the flip side of her going to bed behaviour at moment. she is getting hysterical when put down in the evening (and also in daytime tho' that less important cause can always take her for a walk)... last week or so she's gone mental. anyone else had this??? what to do??

Thanks for the welcome friendly Feb Mums :-)

Bovril, I don't know how you are coping I am now predominantly ff (just bf first thing in the morning) and DS sleeps through 90% of the time. I found that the switch to ff actually helped me to encourage DS into better sleeping patterns because I stopped relying on a quick bf to get him back to sleep. I wanted to be damn sure that he really needed a feed before I trudged downstairs to make a bottle.

On the subject of naps DS has about 1 hour in the morning and close to 2 hours in the afternoon, he's impossible on anything less.

wanted to add, my ideas for xmas are from the forums on money saving expert.com website, there are some great ideas on there!!!!! Wish i was so creative, to think of it in the first place!!!!!lol -

Had a nice day here, worked in theatre tonight so that was nice, and DS is back to pre school tomorrow so i can get some sort of routine back again doe 6 weeks then its all change again as it will be time to break up for xmas lol.

nite all xx

wanted to add, my ideas for xmas are from the forums on money saving expert.com website, there are some great ideas on there!!!!! Wish i was so creative, to think of it in the first place!!!!!lol -

Had a nice day here, worked in theatre tonight so that was nice, and DS is back to pre school tomorrow so i can get some sort of routine back again doe 6 weeks then its all change again as it will be time to break up for xmas lol.

nite all xx

oopppsssss

Sarah- they're really nice ideas, may steal them and do something like that for ds'nursery. We always do a little make from ds' each year. Last year it was chutney and a calendar full of pics of ds1, this year it will be a pic of both of them in a frame plus some sort of homemade confectionary that ds1 makes. Just a nice and much cheaper way of doing pressies from kids. I did get an idea from here a couple of years ago which I did and went down a storm which was getting little terracotta plant pots, then getting kids to do a handprint on it and write their name and date, then fill it with compost and bulbs and then they can watch it grow in the spring!

Ds2 did his first hour at nursery monday and is doing a full afternoon tomorrow on his own. Bit nervous. Theory of him going in sounds great but I'm starting to get that feeling of dread of am I doing the right thing!! Which clearly I am...I'm actually looking forward to getting back to work I have to confess!! Doing a few extra bits for them at the moment and its being nice having that touch of reality again. Still feel like I'm abandoning ds2 though!!!

Am I the only one excited about tonights US election results?? I so wish I could sit up all night and watch but clearly no such luck!!

count i am soooo excited! meant to go to bed early and get up at 3 or 4 but have faffed around on computer all night so prob not then . sadly enough i am currently awake cause staying up for newsnight! my only hope for being awake when results confirmed is that huge turnout means they keep polling stations open much later and delay count. around 6am when dd wakes would suit me just fine.

Hi angrypixie welcome to our gang! and dont worry about being a regular poster, as long as you nip on now and again and say hi it's fine with us xxx I dont seem to get on as much as i would like how old are your other children, I can't believe your lo is going up stairs maybe yours or Malcom will be the first walker! Anyone else's lo's close to walking yet? Mine is no-where near thank god.

And Horrah for Obama!! i put telly on this morning at 6.30 so i could see who won! Ds1 was not impressed until i told him it was a very important day, and then we had the usual 20 questions about it!!

Swotty make the most of my huge post...it may be a while before i do another one.

Bovril hi hun xx your DD's reaction could be from the egg in souffle? my ds1 has a severe allergy to egg yolk, he is ok with scrambled, french toast etc but can't have a boiled or fried egg, the other week i was making fairy cakes and i let him lick the spoon...i forgot about the egg in the mix and his mouth and tongue swelled up!! it doesn't seem to bother him or make him poorly though.

Gill..."glass shortage" eh thats a new one!

Sarah you are very thoughtful with your christmas gifts, every year i think i should put that little bit more effort into it. You have inspired me xx

Rozzy how are the nights going for you? are you still feeding in the day?

Strawberry sorry to hear you're not enjoying work xx