December 2006- where they've grown so much we spend more time talking about our lives than our children

[Indith]

Well that and our pregnancies and other non-dec '06 children

Tis a good thing I feel.

Sorry.....

Congrats Mrs Indith

Wow, sounds like you had a lovely day - congratulations on the wedding part, and congratulations on the organising too. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together.

EV, 'tis so hard sometimes this parenting lark isn't it - poor little soul, hopefully she'll wake up in a better mood. I have so far found with the canines that a mucus filled wailing day usually precedes the actual tooth arriving so perhaps you are about to see the proverbial light. We have one left to go now, and DD has spent today chewing her finger and showing me her red looking gum so am expecting the wailing day tomorrow. Oh well, nothing else planned.

Thanks for the congrats Indith - have totally come round to the boy thing now. Am sorting through my far too girly baby things ready for the NCT sale in a few weeks. I made a concious effort to buy neutral things for DD, but everything seems to be cream and covered in flowers or butterflys sure he won't notice . So is this what happens when no.2 arrives, you abandon all your previous overly precious parenting standards and establish much lazier more practical ones instead? Or is it just me?

Now I have to decide whether I am going swimming or not tomorrow because if I am I need to begin the military operation that leg de-fuzzing has become all of a sudden. I forgot about this part, when your legs may as well belong to another country let alone your own body.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Indith.

Can I move into your cupboard under the stairs for a while please Margo? As long as it doesn't have any big spiders in it like ours does

Thank you AQ you are my voice of reason

Castles - will you come out of the cupboard in the middle of the night and do my cleaning?

If so, you're more than welcome to stay!

I'll evict the children and prepare thew space for you.

O gawd, our cupboard under the stairs isn't fit for a spider, let alone a visitor - no space, for one thing, far too many old odd boots, bits of scooter, manky mittens etc.

Actually, Castles, if you're looking for a cupboard, and likely to clean into the bargain, I'll try and gazump Margo for you...

yes, but Castles, if you want another you'll still go for it, won't you? Just bear in mind your chances of twins are high, hee hee.

Indith, congrats! Glad it all went swimmingly, did you have a semi-honeymoon as well sans ds?

EV, is that what you're going to have to do from now on, drive round?? Both my ds's would do that, I'd go into town and they'd scream the entire time, turn the ignition and out like a light. Used to always carry a book with me!

I swear if one more person says I look fit to burst I'll smack them. There, got that out of my system. And the 'how will you cope' comments are quite irritating too. I'm crying at least twice a day as it is in panic without some well-meaning idiot reminding me I'll have 4 under 5.

DS1 had mother of all tantrums today just after returning from (happy) morning at school. I might have dealt with it better if he wasn't kicking me whilst I tried to lie down on the sofa for 5 minutes . I know it's an upheaval for him, I am trying so hard to be loving, understanding mummy but argggghhhhhhhh.

I'll up Elibans' offer and offer you a cupboard and one of Olis' cakes. mwah haha

Congratulations Mrs Indith! Photos on FB pronto please .

EV, I often resort to going out in the car to get ds2 to go to sleep, then leave him asleep on the drive (I can see him from the kitchen so he's not totally abandoned!). It's easier than the battle into bed, often.

Jabber, good luck for the morning .

Castles, I agree with looking back at the early days to put you off wanting another. I vivdly rtemember your battle with the reflux and you saying you ate dinner every night listening to dd2 scream . You can't want to do that again, surely?

Dd had her first day at preschool today. I felt quite emotional about it, almost more so than at the prospect of ds1 going to big school tomorrow. She seemed so little and she was really unhappy about being left, even though she knows all the staff from going in and out with ds1 over the last year. I had to leave while she was howling and refusing to be comforted by the ladies . I rang about 10 minutes later and she'd stopped crying but was refusing to talk to anyone or play. By the time I picked her up she was happy as Larry though and full of what she'd done so I felt guilty all morning for nothing!

AQ, how did ds1 get on at school?

managed to miss the last 4 or 5 posts there so ignore that last question AQ .

Margo, you can have a cake as long as it's not Dora the bleedin Explorer!

Congratulations to Indith and your DH! Pictures on here, too, please!

Aw Indith, congratulations. I can't wait to see the photos. Did your cheeks hurt from smiling so much?

Be prepared for the question "so, how's married life?" for the next 2 years.

So

um

anyway

How's married life?

at Margo. Not sure I can beat one of Oli's cakes (even if it has the Dreaded Dora on it...)...

Oli, and re dd today and ds tomorrow. You are a brave lady, I hope you are eating some cake yourself. And I too remember the guilt of that first pre-school morning (wasted, of course). Hope tomorrow feels easier as a result!

AQ, if anyone else says 'how are you going to cope' (cheeky, very cheeky) I think you should just remember you are as close as any woman can be to a goddess atm, smirk, and ask bemusedly 'what on earth do you mean?' then they'll feel hopelessly inadequate and fill with admiration.

And seriously, you will, cope, that is. I have many twin mum friends (being an IVF veteran) and I've seen them go from panic to coping every time...think it helps if you know other twin mums you can get tips from, either online or in RL (preferably both!).

AQ, have you joined TAMBA? I think they have lists of PN groups just for multiple mums and could probably put you in touch with someone who's been there and can give you lots of tips on surviving the early days. You will survive, no matter what and you will cope, once they're here. The thought is always worse than the actual event.

Ds1 waltzed off to school without a backward glance. Not sure whether to be miffed or pleased! He looked so grown up in his shirt and tie .

You know, I might just cope but it's only because of my MN postnatal group, I think

Goodness, Oli, two in one week. Shirt & tie, that would give me goosebumps, they're v.casual as ds1's school and I forgot to take him to the hairdressers so he looked a state really. I hate it when they cry and cling, I just sob all the way home. Thankfully ds2 has finally, finally stopped crying when I take him to nursery. I just list off all his friends at nursery and he bounds to the car now! I think we had our first 'yes' yesterday, which is good because as ds1 put it 'ds2 says no a lot, doesn't he mummy?'

I have joined TAMBA, but haven't contacted any of the twins clubs yet, I think there are 3 round here. Must do that today as I have 2 free hours before school pick up.

I like the sound of being a goddess, Eli I did have someone call me superwoman the other day, which I preened at. If they could have heard me screeching at ds1 yesterday, they might have changed their minds . DP & I vowing to reward the positive, ignore the negative with him but sometimes I really struggle!

Really annoyed as dp finally went into the loft 2 days ago to get newborn stuff out, and found a bag of 18-24 stuff that will fit ds2. This is just after I had bought winter coat, hat, trousers argggghh. I knew there was more. Found several of those lovely cosy gap fleeces, can't wait to buy one in pink. Or perhaps she'll be a redhead and will look awful in pink?! I do. But I dyed my hair a dark red/brown the other day so feel a bit weird still.

DS1's on my profile now. I have to say, I made him try on the whole uniform a couple of times over the holidays because I knew seeing him in it for the first time this morning would bring on the tears!

I'm trying to do the reward/ignore with ds1 and it's SO hard, as is not flying off the handle when he starts screeching and yelling and stamping over the tiniest things. Staying calm is working and we've had very few strops in the last few days but OMG it's a challenge. I have a very short fuse these days . The other thing that seems to have helped massively is almost completely cutting out processed and junk food. We've slipped into eating a lot of rubbishy food (all of us, not just the dcs) and I'm struggling to get into my size 18's so we're on a healthy eating drive.

LOL at Ds2 saying no a lot . That's one of Ds2's favourites too!

Castles, I have no cupboard to offer you but you are welcome to a pair of very large maternity pants if you want no man will go near you in those... although my DH is getting a little desperate recently, keeps dry humping my leg, maternity knickers or not - I have pointed out that this baby was his idea and therefore he has to face to consequences, but men have short memories.

DD also had reflux when she was little, am desperately hoping that the next one doesn't - although at least it wouldn't take 6 weeks to diagnose this time.

Oli, I too need to cut out junk food. Have been gradually letting my usually high food standards slip in the last couple of months - mainly since I am not feeling like cooking by the time it gets round to that time and am usually not feeling like eating by the time I have cooked.

AQ - I hope you are coping, and I'm sure your girl twin will look lovely in pink. I have one of those pink gap fleeces somewhere, please let me send it to you! I have no one to give girl clothes to, I am going to have to bite the bullet soon and take them to the charity shop.

Way too much to catch up on but couldnt not tell Olihan how lovely DS looks

Amazing how alike our ds's are behaviour-wise, Oli. He is bursting into hysterical tears at the drop of a hat, screaming at me if I cut up a sandwich the wrong way etc. I did try really really hard today and it was better when I picked him from school. I think TV is a trigger so am going to try and reduce/delay it a bit which worked well today - perhaps he feels he's being fobbed off with it. Anyway, your ds looks extremely lovely and smart, I daren't post the photo dp took as mine is such a scruffbag. Can't believe what a diddy boy he is next to all the others either, he's wearing size 3 trousers with waist pulled all the way in and they're like a bag on him.

Lennied, send your girlie stuff to me, pretty please!!!! Happy to pay the postage, of course. Realised today I have virtually no sleepsuits and 30 vest, how did I do that? By the time your ds is due in Jan I can send you some boys stuff in return, I have loads and loads of it!

AQ, I have lots of girlie stuff too, esp newborn/0-3 sleepsuits etc. Do you want them? Our boys do seem to be very similar, don't they? DS1 does all of those things. At least we can reassure ourselves that it's their personalities not our parenting that makes them behave that way .

EV, thank you .

Thank you kindly, Oli, but please let me pay p&p this time!

Friends are telling me their 4/5 yo ds's are the same (getting attitude, throwing strops etc) so I was reasonably convinced it wasn't me, just feeling frustrated that this is what it's like before twins even arrive!! I must buy him a GREAT pressie from them before I pop....

Thank you for the all offers of under-stair cupboards and big pants. Might have to come back to you on that one Lennied Have now recovered from my temporary insanity and feel no maternal urges. Though I am happy to come and clean for you Margo and Elibean. Will also 'do' gardens. Anything to get out of P&T groups

Your DS looks lovely Olihan. What a cutie. AQ/Oli (and anyone else), did you see Cod's starting primary school advice? Will try and find thread but it is very normal for them to be total arses when they start school. Feed 'em and leave 'em is the (sound) advice. Even DD1 who is soooooooooooo ready and sooooooooooooo keen to start school, is obviously suffering from some sort of anxiety as she is turning up in my bed in the middle of the night etc.

Jabber, how are things?

primary school thread

mwah EV

So funny and so true

V funny, and useful thread EV....depressing too: hadn't thought about the endless forthcoming 5 yr old birthdays/parties

Oli, your ds looks so smart and very cute! How are they both doing now?