January 08 Shiny New-Year Babies, not quite so shiny they are nearly one!!

[Lilyloo]

is this ok didn't want to loose everyone courtesy of Lucky!!

We've got babyclub tomorrow and DD LOVES that too!! I think its the company her own age (although they're all mostly older than her)

DD is the youngest too. But she just loves watching the other kids run round etc.

She also likes the singing we do at the end shaking the maracas etc

Mrs Mcjnr - Loving the idea of opening pressies, eating, drinking from 1pm till 10pm

I caved in today and gave DS book "The night before Xmas" (felt guilty after shouting )
He loved the story but had to simplify some of it for him and he LOVED the pictures. His DVD of Peppa Pig will probably arrive tomorrow

We dont have singing or anything - it seems more like a place for the mums to get away from watching their kids for an hour and a half.

I have been roped in to bring fairy cakes (will NOT be home made) for our party on 16th Dec.

We pay £1 a week and kids (who are old enough) get squash & biccies and adults get tea and biccies. There are LOADS of toys. DS would love it but he is at pre school and TBH it is nice to do something with just DD

Oh well ours is free - we have tea and toast :P

Its quite funny cos most of the mums come in and put their kids on the floor and just start nattering.

Thats what we do. DD sits/rolls around on floor at my feet and I chat to the other mums.

The only bit I actively "do" with her is the singing/storytime bit which is right at the end!!

Ahh but Simps your DD cant get into other peoples purses or hit other DC's can they? Thats what annoys me about it - they expect the HV's or nursery nurses to deal with it.

Ahh but Simps your DD cant get into other peoples purses or hit other DC's can they? Thats what annoys me about it - they expect the HV's or nursery nurses to deal with it.

TBH when she is old enough to do all those things I wouldn't expect someone else to look after her, I took her there

Must be tough especially as A is the youngest. They can get trampled on etc...I do have to watch DD's toes and make sure she doesn't get squashed!!

EXACTLY!!
TBH, Aaliyah holds her own. one kid took a toy off her last week so she snatched it back after a little tug of war Aaliyah won and then bopped the kid on the head with the toy just to make sure they understood it was her toy!!

I did shout at her but only halfheartedly cos she did get a bit of a battering during the tug of war.

Good for her!! Think Molly will be quite feisty too DS on the other hand is quite timid. He used to get very upset over things like that.

At the party yesterday an older boy (lives down our street, he's 9)pushed DS off a chair in musical chairs and he came running to me v upset etc (he got a "special" prize) . But he got his revenge as we were walking home from school today and said boy was behind us with his mum and DS says VERY loudly "I don't like X he's horrid!!" I was quite

LMAO GOOD ON YER DS

SUCCESS!!!!

ds1 7-6
ds 7-6.45 and counting....

light off at 9.30 so should have had 8.5hrs, but dh crashing around downstairs, grr, meant i had 1.5 then 7.
ahhh, lovely.
actually woke up before ds1, so was lying there looking at 6.00 thinking lovely positive thoughts to start the day.
Sooo much better than previous murderous negative thoughts!

playgroups - well ds1 runs off and plays nicely at the main one we go to, so i tend to stay with ds2 (who is also doing that clingy limpet thing when only mumumumumumum is good enough!).
but we do have to follow ds1 into the craft room to help with sticking if he decides to do that.
wish it was all one room, but otherwise is brilliant, £1.20 includes tea/juice/biscuits. Plus sweets at birthday time when everyone sings for whoever has a birthday that week.
And they do a Christmas party this week, FC, party food, etc. just £2.50.
(they are a Baptist church and vvvv generous/rich and happily don't seem set on converting all us heathens, lol!)

have lots to get done today, wish i could move as fast as sportacus.....

got our first 2 Christmas cards yesterday and was looking at the pictures with ds1, then reading the insides, who they were to, etc.
he asked 'where sportacus cards?'
may have to hand deliver one to sportacus-tom!

totally forgot about advent calendars so none here
ah well, he is excited enough about some pretty lights in one tree round the corner - can get a nice calendar next year.
planning to try and get outside lights up today, may wait on internal decs for a bit - seeing as how they will just get pulled down!

mrsmc - thanks on weight loss i'm so pleased, was exactly 10 stone on Wii last night, and lowest BMI in ages.
Gone from 11,4-10 in 130 days

re traditions:
we started some last year that we want to continue:
-sherry & mince pie for FC (all gone bar some crumbs on CD - dh!)

• carrots for reindeer (little bit left with teeth marks in on CD-dh too!)
• stockings opened upstairs at whatever ungodly hour the boys get up...

new ones for this year:

• new pjs (i need some anyway so good excuse)
• glitter & oats reindeer food to add to carrot [though the carrot was inside on fireplace, are the reindeer not allowed inside? ]

our family used to open stockings, go to church, then open presents, the torture!!
we don't go to church now so it's stockings, bucks fizz, smoked salmon, eventually presents once everyone's up (had to wake brother last year at 10.30!!).
normally in turn though i hate the pressure when it's my turn but love seeing everyone else open theirs.
then more bucks fizz, more food, everyone gets dressed at some point. turkey etc. later on. mum has to see the queen (though we will record her this year to avoid stress!). then collapse in a heap probably!
with 4 kids here this year it should be fun/chaos. we will have to go out for a walk/to the park with the kids i'm sure at some point.

boxing day - have to walk along seafront/other freezing cold windy spot to see kids with new bikes/scooters/blow cobwebs/hangovers away/justify more food eating/alcohol drinking later

sorry going on far too long!
feeling all festive now!

oh yes JKS you soooo deserved that!

Nathan was exhausted slept straight from 7.30-11.30 (by which time I had been sleeping for a few hours ) then fed and fed again at 2.45 then slept til 7.30

must say he also pooed at 3am and chucked up over my nightie (boobs still very full think he got more than he bargained for )
Think he had a bit of constipation or something not agreeing with him as he had literally filled his nappy at 7.30. and just chucked up the first half of his readybrek but then ate the second half , let him not get ill please, now I have just started work...think he is actualy just a bit unsettled.

Good morning ladies.
Had a good night George was down by 7.30 slept till 5am had a bottle then back to slep till 7.30 just needs to drop that 5am feed then he can move to his big brothers room
Got ds3 off school. He has a terrible cough that he can't seem to shake
I won two more Christmas presants on Ebay yesterday. A play cooker and food for ds4.£7. A hot wheels racing car , big one, for ds3 £7. Think thats everyone now except the gift vouchers for my niece and nephews. Gonna put the decs up on the 14th which is when dh starts his annual leave for Christmas.
We are meant to be at playgroup today but because its in a chuch hall the school is using it for their Christmas assembly. ds4 goes to playgruop where he stays on his own Wed and Thurs and we do another playgroup Friday which I have been going to since ds3 was a baby. They are all lovely and very different. The one we usualy go to on Tuesdays do singing at the end too. ds4 sings very loudly at the bits he knows and just loves zoom zoom zoom because I have to pick him up when the rocket takes off.
We have been invited to my sil's for Christmas dinner this year which is a result as my bil used to be a chef and his cooking is fantastic
Well were off to the library soon. ds3's books are very overdue
Have a good day all xxx

Hi Ladies,

I've tried to catch up and really want to but I'm feeling a bit demoralised this morning.

Weekend away was fine - same old family issues bubbling under though e.g Brother one trying to swipe the gin bottle, brother two being constantly critical of dad. Ho hum. . It was nice at mum's graveside for her tree planting. There were lots of other families there as they do all the trees at once and I felt as if we were part of something instead of her being stuck out hter on her own.

Got back after 9 hour journey to a stunned DD. She just started at me for four minutes with her mouth open. I was half thinking of droping bf but my breasts hurt so much that I gave in immediately. That was followed by the worst night EVER. She slept from 7 to 10.30 and from 1 until 3. That's it. I'm ashamed to say I agve her a little smack on her bottom at about 6am out of frustration. It didn't do much, good or bad.

Now feeling that 1) Dh is pressuring me to give up bf. 2) That he might be right. 3) That I've missed a good chance to do it 4) Knackered and dispirited 5) Like I don't want to stop bf.

So all in all having one of those 'confused mummy' days where you don't think you're doing anything right.

Now I've splurged, I might be able to join in properly.

Well done on your first day back MM.

Hey all we have loads of snow here!
DS na dd1 both off school pre school as they hare closed. Dp has just got to work after digging his way out and total gridlock after a snow plough had broken down on the motorway!

La Trucha glad to have you back and that there were positive aspects to the weekend.

I am sorry that bf is such a difficult issue for you. Are you sure dh wants you to stop, why? 11 months is not that long. I am not sure it would have been fair on Sabela to go cold turkey like that, you had only been away for a few days, it is not like she would have forgotten.

I am not sure you have been able to traipse thru it all, bu I said below that I am going to wean Nathan onto cow's milk at 11.5months and then stop bf. I did find it empowering that he was obviously fine drinking water during the day yesterday.

Bf is something special between you and Sabela and you need to stop in a way that makes you both happy.

LaT - If your DH wants you to give up try to find out why and maybe you can make the decision to give up when she's ready to go onto cows milk to save the formula stuff? They're allowed cows milk from around 12 months so that would be a good date to set for.

But you need to stop when your both ready not when your DH says really in order to give yourselves closure on it.

LaT sorry you feeling so down about it.

Does dh know how you feel about it ?

Thanks guys. I'm mainly just tired.

I do feel it's a special bond, as you say MM. I've told DH I'd like to do a year but I need to explain why. I think DH just wants me to stop because he thinks it would be easier for him to look after her then. She will take milk froma bottle or cup but she looks for it for comfort and he can't give her a boob for that. The problem is that when she's upset that's all she wants.

I think we need a big discussion. He's always very supportive. I think he just feels that he could be more supportive without the bf.

I also got into that state where you start thinking along the lines of - why isn't she crawling or making any effort to move / why is the house a mess / why have I not time to exercise / why won't she eat the food people says she sould etc etc - niggles that are usually just to ponder but sometimes get on top of you. Really, I know she'll move when ready, eats well etc etc. She's having a megs nap so we missed swimming but will go along for lunch after. And I managed to do some cleaning, so on the way to feeling better.

Ahhhh guys - look what I found!

On this day last year Gingeme was thinking of getting her moses basket down!

Oh LaT - The memories I was complaining about leaking boobs!! LMAO

Aaliyah really not well today - cold got hold of her, she's got a bad stomach too which has given her TERRIBLE nappy rash. Its blistered and bleeding but I can't leave her nappy off cos of her stomach bug.

Oh wow that was lovely memories. Well for most of us. Was it this cold this time last year? I'm sure it wasn't. Or was it because we all had our own central heating systems with us
Wow what a difference a year makes eh?
LaT sit down, take a breath and have a little think about what you want to do. Its not dh who should decide realy. He isn't doing the breast feeding is he? Your not that far off from a year anyway. As for why can't baby do certain things yet. All babys develop at their own pace. I should know having 5. Not one did the same thing at the same time. Stop worrying it will come with time
Take care babe try not to stress.
Right dh bringing chip shop home so better get some plates out.
Take care all xxx

testing to see if my Christmas name works...
not the most exciting but mind is a blank!

LaT - main argument to your dh for keeping going to a year is that then you can switch straight to cow's milk - avoid formula (which may or may not agree with her) & not have to pay for formula (esp big tins which you may not use up).
That may appeal to his financial side?
Anyway, you can only stop bf when you are ready as you will keep 'giving in' otherwise and confusing Sabela & your body.
Remind him that being supportive of you bf, IS being supportive overall

I plan to stop as near to 1st birthday as is practical - finding a weekend when dh is here for a while so he can help with bedtimes in case that's an issue.
with ds1 he put him to bed for a couple of nights when i stopped that feed to break the link.
and when i stopped the morning one (the last one), he got up with him and took him away from me for a few hours so that link was broken too.
it was sad but also liberating and gives a great feeling of freedom so &
Assuming it will all work out as easily with ds2 - fingers crossed!

gingeme - it was def not this cold, even with our extra heating system!
mmm fish and chips, yum

lucky - poor A can you try and put some towels down and let her have some nappy free time & just cope with the mess? keep trying different creams too.

Lily - cool name
lucky you with snow! nothing here in essex. wish we could have a decent amount to have a play!

madmouse - glad first day went well - i was so busy yesterday but meant to say hi from one working mum to another

have put up some christmas lights for ds - they both are suitably impressed!
got some bits for the handyman for more jobs this weekend - including ordering a new door handle for H's room - hasn't had a working one for years
want things sorted by Christmas & family arriving.

popped into a charity shop and got a dinosaur (like George Pig's!), some cars (including Lightning McQueen) and a Happyland Firefighter for £1.20 which Tom is v impressed with.
Have to go back to door handle shop tomorrow with boys which won't be fun but will bribe talk them round with a visit to the charity shop for more dinosaurs

right, waffling again, sorry if i've missed you!
off to orchestra later so back tomorrow probably.