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!!

Loving the tree Lucky

Housemum - Fancy coming to clean my place?? Glad you got book. Hope Amelie better soon. DD not eaten very much today....hope she is not coming down with something [fingers X emoticon]

OK so tonight I've cleaned the cooker, the sides and both fridges.

I'm getting somewhere slowly but still so much to do.

Simps - Hope your DD is ok.

DD here is coughing like hell, got a really bad chest - you can hear it rattling. It's heartbreaking but there's not much I can do to help her.

Both boys slept 7-6

Off to work, leaving early as Freecycle people are coming round. so best get in early too...

Hi all just quick as at work

Night not too bad, Nathan needed quick resettle at 10 and 2 when he was coughing and snottering and miserable, but also unwilling to really wake up so back to sleep in five, once I convinced him that rooting now is just stupid habit . Fed at 12 and 3.30 so I did get some sleep. He woke up 10mins before my alarm clock to sneak a crafty drink oh well sets him up for the day. just means poor dh misses out on last half hour sleep as I needed to dump Nathan and run not to miss train.

Lucky, cleaning ok but 1am, slow down woman what are you on

sorry to hear Nathan is not the only one constantly down with something (although little dampens his spirits, it just means snot everywhere). One tip for bad chests: I felt Nathan got reluctant to cough because it hurt, which leads to build up of stuff in the chest. Spoke to pharmacist who decided he was old enough for simple linctus despite it saying from 1 year old. As he is not 11 months yet and small settled on half the those. It does not help the chest, just sooths throats and it does work. As Nathan is younger and smaller than I think any of yours it should be ok for all? Certainly Aaliyah.

Have a good day all

Wow all this cleaning is making me feel queasy (and guilty) we are meant to be at Mums & Babies but Xavier decided to delay his sleep an hour and I daren't wake him just yet.....! we are going to take him to see Santa on Christmas Eve when his Daddy finishes work I'm amazed, my DH is actually getting festive he has made noises about having bought pressies and even put Christmas music on this morning during his breakfast - unheard of!! I am REALLY looking forward to the glass of champagne I am going to allow myself on Christmas Day (bet it still tastes disgusting, my luck) I can assure you (I hope!) that next Christmas I WILL NOT be pregnant but maybe the one after.....!

Hi all

DD definately not well Has a temp, snotty nose etc.

She refused breakfast totally this morning but has just a small amount for lunch followed by a satsuma. She has to be *really8 ill to refuse her satsuma

Not got much planned today just going to walk to post office (which will take forever with DS) to post a parcel to Ireland.

LaT - Hope you are ok? Any news on what is going to happen to your brother re residential care?

I've got manflu!! I'm going to do some cleaning till my curry arrives then i'm sitting in front of the TV with a tia maria and coke for the evening.

Didn't get to sleep last night till 2am then I had to be up again at 7am this morning so running on fumes now. Dinner, drink and bed I think.

Got dentist apt tomorrow so hopefully that'll finally stop all this pain. No DD tonight she's' at mums and then DP taking her out for the day tomorrow so I can CLEAN the house.

My washing machine is coming tomorrow and GUESS WHAT - 3 more sleeps till xmas!!

simpson - your poor poor dd
hope she feels better soon.
sure you have but try combination of calpol and neurofen, think it's every 2 hours if you alternate?
the sedative side of things will help her sleep and the other stuff reduce any pain from glands swelling, etc.
then karvol on a tissue in the bedroom for stuffy noses
plus a slightly tipped up head end of mattress.
good luck!

are you posting DS's presents back...hohoho [naughty]

Lucky - hope the dentist can sort tooth out. and your Ali free time is relaxing as well as productive.

got rid of a rocking chair this afternoon through freecycle, someone coming to get a wardrobe in a min, then a sideboard thing tomorrow hopefully.
uses for an old cot mattress anyone???

got stuff into loft finally today, hooray! so one spare room is ready for Christmas visitors!!!
other spare room a total bombsite - will tackle tomorrow.
and need to collect an airbed we are going to sleep on in with the boys tomorrow too.
and collect some framed photo montage thingies for grandparents.

so much to do, so little time!!

why does Christmas make us feel that we have to clean everything, sort laundry out, empty inboxes, etc??
(have 17 emails to reply to...)

ange - was it you whose MIL was arriving yesterday?
hope she got there ok.

anyone else got people coming to stay?
i have:
my parents (2)
my PIL (2)
my sis, her dh & her 2 dds (4)
my younger bro (1)

& on sat my other bro & his girlfriend (2)
= 11 guests over the next week.
they are all here for saturday night, eek!
(though bro & gf are staying in a hotel round the corner).

hopefully will be fun....

JKS - Am totally at all your guests I panic if we have one person staying...No guests for us as going to my mum's on Xmas day itself. Will leave Dcs there overnight and my dad who doesn't drink will bring me home. DH working.

Have tried the calpol/nurofen thing but TBH her temp is still quite high so no heater on in her room tonight and will keep checking her etc. At least we have doc's appt tomorrow (was made last wk just to get neocate for Xmas)

Lucky - Hope you feel better soon. Enjoy your curry, I had one last night At least you should get a good nights sleep if A is not there.

DD has just woken for the 2nd time since going to bed at 6ish

Is sooo unlike her. She is still hot have given her another dose of nurofen but nothing seems to be settling her

simpson - poor dd hope she and you get a good night...

it'll be OK with everyone, i think.
i have moments of panic but Dh has a catering plan (& his mum is coming fully loaded with more food).
I'm i/c accomodation so;

• us + boys in boys room
• sis, her dh + 2 in one room (have checked with her that this is ok)
• my parents in one room
• my PIL in another
• my brother on floor downstairs

(other 2 are in hotel for the 3 nights they are here)

We are lucky and have a big house but there are times when i wish it was even bigger, or could 'stretch' somehow!
if we could hire rooms to add on that would be handy, lol!
but not keep to heat/keep clean/furnish/etc. too much hassle.

boys still soundo, can't believe how good they have been about sharing & moving rooms.

Simps - I hope DD is ok for you. Try NHS direct if your worried.

I really enjoyed my curry but my throat feels as though someone has cheese grated it from all this coughing

Anyhow - I've done ALL the kitchen and living room now - Do you think I've done enough for an early night?

So sorry Simpson. Sounds like you're in for a rough night.

Sorry no catch up. I am so tired. I really want to go to bed but DH is home in 40 minutes and of course I want to see him!

Brother still very ill but out of intensive care. I'm not sure of the details yet. I don't even know what we are doing for Christmas ATM. Have checked with my butcher that I can get an emergency turkey if necessary!

Took DD to softplay. She wants to walk so badly but she also has just started launching herself forward whenever I hold her up to standing. I don't knwo what she thinks she is doing. . She is as wriggy as an eel ATM.

Sorry for ill babies. I hope they get better for Christmas.

What do you all think about sugar and babies? I always think I'm too uptight, and then someone says something 'anti-sugar' and I think they are right too! I gave DD a Heinz Bicotti biscuit and I got flamed because their second ingredient is sugar and so are 'empty calories' whatever that means. I WANT dd to eat lots of calories!

LaT - Just ignore them. As long as sugar isn't the first ingrediant on what i'm giving DD, I'll give her near enough anything. The trick is all about "sensible quanties" DD has a choc every morning out of the advent calendar but i'm only gonna do that in december - its a treat.

Although I really should stop eyeing up her other chocs

Hey LaT wondered where you got off to

I am a bit uptight about sugar too. Nathan is not allowed biscuits, but I do give him fromage frais whih has sugar in it (well, in the UK, the stuff Danone makes for the Dutch market has fruit juice).

Am with you on empty calories, I give Nathan calorie dense food where possible, although I go for fat rather than sugar. I stir some unsalted butter into his home made dinners (once I realised that I cook too lean for him, out of habit)and add cheese wherever that fits.

An absolute fave is tins of fruit blitzed then mixed with full fat greek yogurt. tesco do tins of mixed breakfast fruits ie apricots, prunes etc. very taste and high in cals.

Sabela still skinny then? Nathan has a bit of a tummy now, but thin arms and a little double chin. Have stopped worrying about it and have not had him weighed for ages.

Glad your brother is out of icu, hope it is upwards from here. Hope dh comes home in good spirits and you have a lovely cuddle before bed.

Not much chance here, dh is playing World of Warcraft, again . To counterbalance writing sermons for Christmas

Well all is quiet now so I think she has dropped off to sleep again fingers X

LaT - Glad your brother is out of intensive care. Hope he continues to improve....On the sugar thing I am a lot more relaxed about it with DD TBH. She has a rich tea biscuit a day but i tell myself she can't have rice pudding, custard, chocolate, yogurt etc so it is her treat iyswim.

Poor DS is still watched quite strictly though and he was really chuffed today as I bought some squash (for Santa to drink) and he had some. Normally only allowed water/milk [mean mummy]

Lucky - You definitely deserve an early night. Hope you sleep will and tooth doesn't give you any jip.

JKS - Luckily you have the room to fit them all in Bet the boys will love it...its what makes Xmas special having people around. I would be panicking about the cooking though and not just Xmas dinner, am hopeless in the kitchen. Glad Tom and Henry like sharing a room.

Madmouse - X post. I put olive oil into everything that DD has even hipp organic jars. DD is starting to look quite plump now but is long iyswim. She weighs about 18lbs now. But as she can't have any other sugary foods (or not many) she has her biscuit after tea.

LOL at your DH playing World of Warcraft after writing Xmas sermons

Simpson ? poor DD hope she is much better soon.

Lucky ? hope you are enjoying some well deserved me time

JKS ? wow! Busy times at your house, sounds great fun though we had a big house in Scotland and we often ran out of rooms too, I miss all that space now that we are in our tiny two bed flat here in Spain! LOL about clearing your inbox too, I?ve been trying to do that, what is that all about?

Hey LaT ? hang in there x

I do give my DS fromage frais but other than that, I make all his meals and he doesn?t have any sugar that isn?t in fruit. He has the odd Organix biscuit. It?s easier to be strict here as there is just not as much temptation as there is in the UK.

Can't believe I'm on at this stupid time when she sleeps through now! Anyway, I don't particularly restrict things - Amelie doesn't have much sugar, I try to give her plain yoghurt (with DD1 MIL pulled a face and said it was horrible, but my reply was if she eats it, it obviously isn't!) - so I figure that if most of the time her diet is good, I don't worry about other bits. If I'm having a biscuit, she'll have some. Yesterday at a party I was giving her bits of the icing from the cake! Pure sugar rush!

Both the other DDs didn't have any restrictions placed on sweets, and they will have occasional binges, but on the flip side, when we are out, they will as often choose fruit as opposed to sweets - there's no "naughty pleasure" attached to the sweets.

Just quick!

MY WASHING MACHINE IS COMING TODAY

morning all what's the saying it never bloody rains

Don't know if you have seen the news ?

We had a gas explosion yesterday had no elctric or gas until last night. Electric back on but no heating , hot water or gas to cook!
Doesn't look likely it will be back on for xmas! Won't be having family round xmas day as it is freezing

Bloody bloody bloody bloody fed up!!!!

oh no Lily!!!!

come over here it is warm you can have the spare room

Hi filly nice to see you me back after a period of quiet (well work)

Little piece of news am BFP 3 month scan all good so due 2/7/09, we were a bit worried as i m/c in september got pregnant 2 weeks later and have had the gastric bug (along with charlie) twice but all seems fine and little legs were kicking wildly - doesnt bode well for the later months i fear painful ribs i think.

Anyway in case i dont geton before christmas a very happy christmas to you all

Oh lilly - Wanna come stay at my house for xmas? I'm so sorry.

Nicky - congrats!!

No washing machine yet!

Thanks ladies car at garage as we speak so waiting to hear on that !
My dad going to take me shpping later for microwave dinners Can't imagine a micro xmas dinner is going to be that great that's if they have any left round here as 18,000 homes are in the same boat!
My dad is going to pick my nan up and have her for xmas so at least she will be warm and well fed. He is also having my gran 2 bed flat so no room for us!
My sis said we can round there to get shower later and can bath kids!

The dc aren't even bothered out playing all excited i am just finding it hard to muster up a smile let alone get excited!

Congrats Nicky!