April 2007: if it walks like a toddler, talks like a toddler and tantrums like a toddler...

[StealthPolarBANG]

In honour of everyone who refuses to believe they are no longer babies (Pesha, NL and Dippy )

sol - fab news - welcome home 'mum'

good night last night but tonight........... is a different one

work tomorrow - yes I now this will be two weeks in a row

Wish I could also make it up to Scotland but at the moment even the school run is hard work

The velux windows arrived today and one is in already things are moving but I know it is still going to take forever at least another 10 weeks

Evening all. Thanks again for all the lovely wishes re my Mum

Oooggs, what's happening tonight in your house then? Who's playing up??

Dippy, hope you are ok [hugs]

Dooby, where in the UK is your dp looking?

POTC, clever J Not looking forward to that one. The pics of you and Pesha are great

Mav, very jealous of your meet-up!! Have a wonderful time!!

SPB, how are this evening?

Bramshott, glad you have your childcare sorted.

Any news on WeeOnion?

Erm... brain emptied!

How is everyone?

I'm fine thanks - you?

here here here

sol - as I was typing my last post - Jack started to kick off but dh went down to him and all is well and peaceful at the moment in the oooggs household!!!!

Great news re PHD!

I have an arsing sore throat now Had sinus issues since Friday which have finally cleared up, and now this.

I am an utter state!

SOL, hope you feel better soon. I am sure the stress of the last few weeks has had an effect on your health generally. So lovely to hear that your mum is home. Look after yourself xx

Nice photos Pesha

Dh has gone to work and I shall be going to bed soon. Up at 6am tomorrow to go to work, bleugh! I am completely organised though with clothes out for everyone, lunchboxes sorted and bags at the ready! I have to do that otherwise I end up stressed trying to run out the door at 7am with nothing ready.
Night all xx

I am knackered - work is busy but good and B woke up last night at 1 and spent the rest of the night thrashing about in our bed. Dh had to get up at 5.30 to go to London so B decided to get up then too - aaaaargh! Off to bed now! Hi to all

Isn't PHD's news exciting

SOL - hope your mum is ok

I made my own Christmas cake at the weekend. It was easier than I thought - now I just have to hope it tastes ok!!!

My throat hurts

Hurts my ear as well when I swallow Grrrrrrrr.

How is everyone else??

Am feeling so grumpy this morning. I take care of all the accounts in our house and sometimes it just stresses me out when I can't play around with the numbers anymore and things have to get cut out etc. so far so normal. What I HATE is when I do bring it up with dh he gets all dramatic and huffy and - I don't know how to explain it - it just makes me wish I'd never said anything.

All I want him to do is show a blooody interest from time to time and not just expect me to somehow make it work. Must be nice having someone tie it all up with a great big effing bow all the time, wish someone would do it for me

And on top of it all I just went and bought him a present yesterday 'just because' and I shouldn't have because given where we are and things I should have taken into account and forgot about mean we can't really afford it. And I can't take it back and I wouldn't anyway but he DOESN'T BLOODY DESERVE IT!!

bursts into tears

{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}

Oh Maveta - sorry to hear that. Money is crap isn't it, and it always seems to lead to rows (well it does here anyway). FWIW, I would either give him the present anyway, and say "well I got you this before I realised we were so broke, although I'm not sure you deserve it now ", or save it over until Christmas.

I think it's very easy for men to get defensive when talking about money, because deep down I think they still have half a feeling that because they're the man, they have to 'provide', and that any suggestion that there isn't enough cash is a slight on their manhood! Of course we all know that that isn't the way it works in most households these days, but I think culturally ingrained things take a long time to change.

DH and I were talking about money the other day, and I was pointing out that because I am very quiet with work at the moment, we will have less spare cash, and need to budget carefully for Christmas as according to our monthly budget, we don't have any spare. His argument was "there is money in the bank account - how can you say we don't have any money when there's clearly money there" (in a very defensive manner)!

thanks gmm..

Bramshott OMG that sounds like dh. I am freelance too and so in summer I earn much more than in winter. But it means we have to live on the same budget all year round to save money for the winter downtime. And I have a spreadsheet as long as my arm showing where the money needs to go to check we are going to be covered. But dh just looks at the balance and says the same thing. And I'm like 'HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT??!'

I agree with that thing about it being a culturally ingrained 'me man, me provide' mentality. And he is working pt and studying and when he just gets in a huff and says 'well that's it, I'll just stop studying and get another job' I am that's not what I am saying, although yes it may come to that (or may not) and if it does I'd rather it was a grown up decision that we all realised was necessary for the general good of the family and not a stomping my feet kind of decision.

Rarr rarrr rarrrrrrr

Morning ladies

Thank you for your concern re: DH & I, it is so sweet to know you care We're just going through a bit of a rough patch atm and it is a real struggling especially on top of having the 3 little ones and being perpetually tired ALL the time Bottom.

Ditto to the "being skint" thing - we have no money; but then we've never had any money so hey ho and all that! We usually give an amount to a local charity that we support regularly instead of buying for adults & I make up little party bags for my DD's closest friends. The Book Club at pre-school had a great offer on some Charlie & Lola books and some sticker books so the bags (colourful paper bags I got really cheap online) will have a book in them and probably some sweeties / chocolate (Christmas themed) and some colouring pencils or some such. The DDs will get stockings from Santa (I've been collecting stuff all year); but no big present - fortunately for us, they are still too young to notice and will get plenty of nice things from our families etc

So that is Christmas in DippyLand

that's a shame Luce but it does sound like you are going to have rather a lot on your plate!

Only just saw PhD's news! Congrats! How exciting. And how of just realising you are pregnant at the halfway mark! What lovely news.

POTC - eek at the cot climbing antics.. N wears a grobag and doesn't seem to have figured out how to even stand up in it yet so fingers crossed things stay like that for a while.

Does anyone else's baby always wake up crying? N always does. Always. I really wish he would just say 'mama' or something once in a while but nope, always woken by full on screams. Can't be nice for him either poor thing.

Morning all
Dippy. You always sound so stressed. Is there anything you can do to make things better (well if there was I assume you'd be doing it but ykwim!)
Maveta, T has only just stopped doing that in the last couple of weeks. When he shared a bed with me I'd be in the shower in the morning, normally I'd know if he woke up because he'd start crying but he started just coming into the bathroom and pressing his face against the shower door - nearly gave me a heart attack first time it happened! I'm sure once they're this old it's just a habit rather than genuine upset, I bet N will forget one day and then realise that actually waking up does not = screaming in the same way as T obviously did

I have some important news:
T slept last night from midnight to 7 . And actually DH went to him at midnight so I slept unbroken sleep from about 11ish to 6.45!

Note to self: must keep D off babiesnet in case that clever J starts passing on tips. He's getting pretty good going upstairs and can sort of walk downstairs but slipped and bumped down a few steps on his bum this morning. He wouldn't leave the bedroom without making me carry various bits and pieces down and I was really struggling with him, my hands occupied and just keeping my own rather dodgy balance. We made it in one piece but I think I'll avoid trying that again.

Sorry to hear about the stress, tiredness and money worries getting to so many of you.

SPB, that's great. Very jealous of the 8 hours sleep - I just can't get comfy enough any more.

Sorry to break it to you elkie but there's no babiesnet, they're all just psychic so expect some cot climbing very soon! T is trying to climb into and out of cot but luckily can't quite manage either yet.
Sorry you're not sleeping well either.

More often than not, P wakes up crying; but she does occasinally wake up and babble in her cot, which is very sweet

Thought some of you might like to chip in on this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/650701-If-you-were-a-young-mum-did-you-breastfeed

More baby news - Mavornia is expecting another little boy, she's looking for ideas on baby names to go with Daniel for the first (!) How could I resist such a thread title?

Hi everyone, can't remember the last time I posted hope everyone is ok?

I have empathy with everyone short on money atm, we're always like that. I give up trying to sort it out tbh. It's not that bad for us, but could be better IYSWIM. Maveta, dh does not 'get' the finances at all! It's always surely that could be cheaper? Or x only pays such and such for this why is ours more. I give up explaining it all.

SOL, glad your mum is home sorry you're not feeling well

DS hasn't attempted the cot escape, yet. dd was in a bed by now I think, she'd got too long for the cot! ds is still quite little so until he tries escaping he'll be in the cot.

at phd being so far along, but congrats

sorry I cna't remember any more

Not much happening here. Still busy with work. DD's had 2 trial sessions at big school and I'm off to the new starters parents evening tonight. I've given notice for ds' nursery place. They both leave 19th Dec, only 5 more fridays and then I can begin my new work/childcare routine. I cannot wait!

I've just sat for about 2 hours typing out letters for the pre-school we thought up the great idea of writing letters from father christmas to the children, a great fundraiser, but why o why did I volunteer to type them all sheesh! Oh well all typed now, just need to print them and sign them all from the man himself, add some carefully placed glitter, write enevlopes and stamp them, and we're done!!! Not much then Hope the kids like them it'll make it all worth while

Right, best be off to cook dinner. Does anyone else just loathe deciding what to cook everyday? I find it such a chore. I've never been much of a cook