December 2006 - Terrible Two's here we come!

[Olihan]

Here we go. I thought the title was apt as ds2 has morhed into a stroppy little horror overnight. His favourite expression at the moment is 'I cwoss with you, I sceam at you AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH' .

Happy Birthday ToddlerJabber and ToddlerEli .

DD is poorly again. I swear every bug in the vicinity has some kind of magnetic attraction to her . She has a bit of a temp, headache and earache today. I need to buy shares in Calpol and Medised I think.

Aoa, hotel is a very good idea - go for a posh one so you can have a vvvv hot, deep bath!

I tried to go back to the old layout as well, Eli - this one is so very odd, especially with the HUGE ads at the beginning of every thread!

Jabber, post-polio and ME are very similar. I do think that DH is trying to normalise things, but gee it's such a man-thing!

Eli, it will take time, but I'm sure your brain will soon realise that DD is sleeping peacefully. And then you can, too.

Oli, glad the ABs have kicked in.

AQ, I think you need a virtual Eli/BP to encourage eating more! Kind of like Oprah's personal chef, but leaning in the opposite direction. If that makes any sense!

Ok so I clicked MN classic [scared of change emotion] but still kind of odd...is it just that it hasn't worked or does it not change the whole page back? Killed my threads I'm on too as I had mine vset to keep for a week. Shall have to fiddle later.

AQ get more food down you! Am eating my body weight in biscuits plus normal meals, the occasional non biscuity snack, the remains of ds's meals.....Don't feel guilty about the dts, they are not going to know if you have half killed yourself taking them to mummy thinks it will make me clever music classes or not, your sanity is more important. They are only small, everything you and the older 2 do is a source of amazement.

bebe sounds a bit rubbish on the mum friends front. I remember thinking that about Spain that all people with kids seemed to do was stay out of the sun all day then congregate on the plaza in the evening. Not that it was on my mind much when I was in Alcala (quiero, erm, saber si soy embarrasada)

Hugs to the teethers.

Hope you are ok bp

DD so bad with her cough and cold poor thing, she can hardly feed and is fightin gsleep all the way. Took her to the Dr, throat and chest are fine so just have to wait for her to get over it. Been bloody ages though!

Just typed loads and lost it - grrr

I usually embrace change but this was is my sanctuary. If I could just have my threads I'm on working again I can cope with the rest.

Same here Indith - DD teething and got cold and DS bunged up again. Never rains does it... Have found lying him on his front and tickling his nose so he sneezes gets a frightening amount of gunk out. Last night I swear he sneezed a twenty pence size piece of solid snot (sorry - bit ick) but it was 3am so I may have imagined it.

DD refusing to wear nappies altogether now. Takes them off all the time. I refuse to potty train her yet. Although might be better than constantly mopping my floors which is what's happening now.

Bebe - sounds tough with not having things to do there. I used to love groups for a bit of adult interaction and to wear DD out, but since DS arrived it is nearly impossible to get out of the house with both of them clean, fed, dressed etc in the 1.5-2hr window that a group is on for. Have been going to friend's houses instead... took me ages to meet like-minded mums, never really gelled with my yummy-mummy/career woman antenatal group ... I'm wafflin, sorry.

AQ - Am thinking of you, go easy on yourself. The DTs won't care a kipper that they don't go anywhere. They have the best entertainment they could ever hope for right there at home in the shape of DS1 and DS2.

Talking of which I am convinced DS smiled at DD yesterday. She spent ages blowing raspberries at him and giggling away trying to get him to respond and he did a great big grin. I'm sure it wasn't wind [hopeful mummy emoticon] I think I have witnessed the first seeds of friendship and it feels lovely.

Had another humdinger castles-style birthday party for DD2 today. Went very well and OMG the number of presents is tres but too! Feel quite worn out by it all ... and whoopee do da, DS's party is next Saturday! Thankfully only 10 friends going to cinema/out for pizza for that one.

Hugs to all the poorly and those with non-sleeping or teething babes. Glad to hear the good bits are stretching out BP.

AQ, hope you are OK? Don't beat yourself up about activities for the DTs - they are tiny. Plus they don't really need anything (if ever) until they are one minimum. Just enjoy not having to go!

Bebe, from what I hear of Spain/Italy most mums send their LOs to nursery full-time aged 3 months minimum. Must be hard for you.

Indith - aww poor DD its awful when they are so so young and ill like that - hugs to you both and here´s to a quick recovery Your comment about Spain brought a smile to my face, spot on too!

castles - well done on the birthday party and here´s to another humdinger next week You´re spot on about the nursery situ here, Mums go back to work a.s.a.p, no wonder there´s nobody around during the day - only wish I´d realised this myself sooner

In fact things have got so bad for me here that we have made a "tentative" plan that I shall return to the UK once next baby is 6 months old-ish. Trouble with that is DH will have to stay here for the time being as that´s where his job is Hopefully he will commute at the weekends and although that would be is far from ideal I have realised that DCs having an unhappy mum is even worse, some days I feel that the isolation and homesickness is going to kill me ....anyways.....

Any of you ladies experience muscle type tummy pain whilst pregnant? After grappling with DS during a tantrum yesterday I have had the most awful cramp-like pain down the right hand side of my tummy, hurts to breath in too. I think I may have pulled a muscle ?However no other symptoms and baby is kicking so am trying not to panic....really don´t want to go the the hospital unless absolutely necessary...

Enough of my ramblings. I hope everybody is managing to have a good weekend despite illness and other not so good stuff

Oh and its snowing again - noooooooo!

Bebe, I had something v similar with dd2...I took some paracetamol and put my feet up, and was fine. But if it carries on, or changes, maybe best to get checked out - I bet you'll know either way

And think its good to be making provisional plans if you're so homesick...sounds as though something has to change, and at least giving yourself that option has to help?

Castles, please will you do my dds parties next year?

Get well poorly babies all, LenniEd (had to at the 20p snot, though v sorry to hear it too) and Indith and AQ, wishing sleep and health to you by the bucketload. And to BP, for that matter, and Jabber's ds.

I'm getting v excited at possible snow tomorrow

And dd2, on whom I am going to stop reporting in as she's sooo normal now, is bouncing and energetic and LOUD even with a cold. And now when she wakes me up in the night (hungry!) I feel annoyed rather than terrified. Its brill.

Jabber, is Benadryl just diphenhydramine? Like in Medised? , I think

Bebe, I feel for you. Good idea to have tentative plan to move home though. Is there not a Spanish network on MN? Are you near to any of the others? Lucy5/Amopoleon for example?

It's lovely to hear that DD2 is so 'normal' Eli

Maybe I should be a party organiser ... I do rather enjoy it in a saddo kind of way

castles, I was going to suggest party organizer as a money-making venture for you. I think you would be great

Yes, eli, benadryl is the same as diphenhydramine. It works really well for me.

bebe, I'm so sorry things are so lonely there for you. Could you start a toddler group with the premise of getting the kids bilinual? Would be a great opportunity for both sides to learn a new language and culture. Maybe on Saturdays at first so the working mothers can come? I'll bet once you started networking you could find some other SAHMs.

Ds2 better today. I think it was a molar coming in. Hope dd is better as well, Indith.

Aha, thought so. We do'nt have it here, but you can get the equivalent, its just called 'Benelyn Children's Night Cough' and is basically Medised without the paracetamol. I have resorted to Medised when interrupted sleep means I am so stressed I can't get back to sleep and have loads to do next day (in dd1 sized doses). Now that dd's so much better I am going to try not to, though.

I do have lots of US friends who use Benadryl pretty regularly though, especially when their LOs are small and sleep irregular. Much better than sleeping pills.

Eli so pleased dd2 is "normal" bet it seems like a miracle

ds just said his first proper sentence! We've had chunks like "there it is" which he has obviously heard from us but today we had putting words together all by himself! It was....

"Daddy help I don't like it!?"

Said in the bath as I washed his hair.

love it, clever ds.

Yes, it does, I keep pinching myself.

Snowy here, yippee...dd2 saw it out of her bedroom window just before I put her in her bed (cue overexcited dd2, of course) and said 'oooh, I reeeely love neige'. She's never seen it before, the clown

Bet you've got loads of neige to keep DD2 happy today, Eli! I adore your bilingual children and am very . It never ceases to amaze me how children bounce back from even the most sever illness leaving everyone else around them exhausted. So pleased that everything is going well in your house.

Sounds like all you southerners got hammered last night. (The Canadian in me sniggers at a country brought to a standstill by 6 inches of snow. The Brit in me is stockpiling beans and water in the event of more snow falling. My children left today looking like Inuit babies )

Indith, DD2's first sentence was 'Mummy stop hurting DD1. You OK DD1?' as I did the ritual Sunday night nit-check. She tries to force her solid little body between me and the bath to rescue her big sister!

Bebe, I somehow missed your last post. Hope the pain has subsided, and that you are well.

Have I mentioned that I weighed and measured the DDs last week? DD2 is the same height and weight that DD1 was at 3.4years. DD1 is on the 25th centile and 9lbs heavier than her 98th centile little sister. How does that happen, when they come from the same place?? At this rate, DD2 will be bigger than me by the time she's 8

Hello everyone. Short post as I am a bit traumatised by the change in the site and huge ads at the top of each thread.

Read everything but can only remember that Jabber is drugging herself to sleep, AQ isnt going out because of logistics , bebespain is lonely and Elibean's DD is 'normal'

Had a lovely time at DLP. Kids tres excited and I got a hug fron Donald and Daisy Duck . We are now under 6 inches of snow and school/preschool closed so I have two bored/ratty kids and I am hiding.

I appear to have gone back to MN Classic without doing anything. Aah. That's better

EV, is it still snowing? I'm no big fan of snow days, either, as DD1 gets really ratty when she's not at school but should be, IYKWIM.

Thanks goodness I've managed to get rid of the huge ad and move it to the side of the page.

Snow has stopped now BP. Kids squabbling so I have given them lollipops

EV, mine have ice lollies (and iced feet, we've been out on the green in Lowry-esque scene of giant snowmen and rosy cheeked families - amazing!) and I love it, but 24 hours will be enough I think!

Yes, enough neige is right

I'm glad Disneyland was good, any pics of you being hugged by giant ducks please EV?

BP, not a Canadian but did live in Montreal during the winter of '68, which gave me a taste, and have to admit am also tickled by the standstill London comes to with a few inches of snow. Our local supermarket (tiny) is nearly empty, Brits obviously stockpiling big time

Ah well, at least we have some oven chips and lots of ice lollies left over from dd's post-op days.........

how did you go back to MN classic?!

I have done customise talk board > MN classic. And then I have done ctrl and F5 to refresh the screen which seemed to sort the annoying ads out.

will post picks on fb when i get chance.

Some photos now on FB

Ooo, will go and look now EV - am very glad you had a fab time.

Pleased DD2 is now very normal Eli - hope your sleep pattern adjusts soon. Nice to think you can stop reporting on her, it is amazing to think the difference a couple of weeks have made.

at the first sentences! DD has gone from virtually mute to a chatterbox in the space of a couple of months. She talks mainly in sentences now and there isn't much she can't get across one way or another. She makes us laugh so often with the things she comes out with. It really did happen overnight practically so don't lose hope with DS2 AQ.

Bebe - ime fwiw second pregnancy was a lot more niggly throughout than first time. I had a lot of aches and pains right through and all sorts of cramps etc. I was never concerned by them, I think you know yourself if there is something that doesn't seem right. And just wait til you are 35wks+ I permanently felt like I was in early labour so different to first time... but then you are probably a lot fitter and healthier than I am and will sail through.

BP - DD measured today by HV when came to see DS. She is 91cm tall and weighs 13.7kg (abotu 30lbs I think)... she's right on the 91st centile for both. Funny that both of yours are so different, but nice too.

Talking of which DS now weighs 10lb 5oz he's gained 1lb 2oz in a week! No wonder I am constantly starving!

And I've now done almost a month of exclusive breastfeeding [preens] am feeling very proud of myself for it having finally got over the guilt for not having been able to feed DD. And I'm actually enjoying it now I never thought I'd say that!

LenniEd, your milk seems to be more like double cream, given DS's weight gain! So glad you're enjoying it. I love BF, esp after the first 6 weeks are over. Which might explain why I haven't stopped!

It's ever so snowy here now. Hope they don't close the schools tomorrow. [fingers crossed]

Hooray, we are snowed in here (deepest, darkest SW London). No school or work and hopefully tomorrow too. Must post some pictures on FB soon.

Have also posted snow pics on FB. Our school is closed again tomorrow.

Lennied - you sound really positive. This is good. Long may it continue