August 2008 - The One where Sazzles was missing so this is what we got!

[oopsacoconut]

I can't do the list sazzles will have to do it when she is back!

Did you know 2008 was Chinese year of the rat...

"Those born in the "Year of the Rat" are clever, ambitious, creative, hard-working, fastidious, charming and sociable."

...and also international year of the potato... can't find specific characteristics for that

oops I'm guessing you used to go to the KZN coast? my parent always used to say Transvaalers were like lemmings every year rushing to the sea.
Am sitting up with very windy baby. haveen patting etc for aaaages. He's now lying on his belly across my knees
my contacts have gone all gritty. yeurgh.

have been even

oh and think Seb might have eczema.

on the excema Ann. Has it just started?

TS - On the few occasions DS has told me hates me I've taken great pleasure in answering him by saying 'But I REALLY love you.' You get a double score for being virtuous and pissing them off at the same time.

Right, this is complicated but can I run this by you all. I used to be a lecturer as I think I've mentioned before. Obviously not a whole lot of opportunities to do that kind of thing in west cork, but last year, by a bit of a fluke a chance came up to teach a module, for two hours a week, on my specialism for a small undergraduate college in cork (VG, think journalism degrees or 'arthur founder sinn fein'). My sister was on maternity leave and minded DS and DD1 for the 2 hours I taught and it took me 20 mins either side to get back to her house. They saw it as a great treat and were big enough to really enjoy it. Everyone's a winner ...

Yesterday they rang to ask if I'd teach the course again starting on 2nd feb. Now, I can only manage to do it by handing dds 1 and 2 to DH at 12: 45, letting him drive an hour to pick up DS from school and then mind them until I get back at about 5:15. He is a fab dad but the thought of leaving DD2 is just really really upsetting me.

I'd tell them I can't do it this time, but here are the problems. 1) They've said I can't have the teaching again if I don't do it this time (and I can see it's not fair to offer it to someone else, have them write the classes and then take it off them again). 2) This is my only way of holding on to my old career in any shape or form and you know in my own way I was quite good at it. 3) The work will, when DD2 is a bit older be really easy to do around school and even other kinds of work.

I am just totally gutted at the idea of leaving my small hot-breathed, cautious, gentle little girl without me or milk,even for an afternoon a week at this stage.

(CC and VG - you both brought me to tears with your posts)

Got to run as the small one is calling.
Sorry to throw all this at you, but my sisters, who are lovely, will say 'she's only a baby and she won't notice you're gone' and I just can't see it that way.

Ann, Reese's excema has almost completely cleared. We think it started due to powder formula fatty balance. Plus it's winter a time in which dry skin is predominate. Suggestion: do wash the area ever so often with a gentle baby type cleanser and luke warm water. do apply a "cream" not a "lotion" to the area. lotions contain alcohol to make them thinner and can be counterproductive in the case of excema. and lastly do dab a little petrolium jelly on the area. I like to that after I placed a warm damp cloth on the area...the damp cloth gives moisture to the area and the petrolium jelly seals it in. Facts to keep in mind, excema is a tricky thing with no "absolute" know cause or cure. For those effected with it in childhood MOST go on to live without ever having a recurrence in adulthood.

Sibh, a statement like that to my dd1 would only begin a whole other arguement. She's all about the NEGATIVE these days.

As for your problem, listen to your heart. Children are important but so is your own personal identity. All those here struggling with what to do seem to be in a good position for the most part as you have a choice. Trusting others with your children is the topic to sit back and reflect on. Think to yourself, if someone you trusted cared for the children would I question my return to work. From there you begin the path to your final answer.

My answer is I have trust issues so work-outside-the-home is something at this point in my life I am willing to ignore.

Each lady on this thread will have a different answer.

so much for sleep - but as we know, it's for the weak therefore I am stroooong.

sibh what a tough call. I guess for me I would take it, as it would provide longer term opportunities with significant benefits in terms of flexibility, the arrangements do sound a bit stressful, but you would be leaving dd2 with her dad.

Flip side is that you don't get this time back. I know the difficulty in this at a young age, I am now working 2 days a week (cos I have to financially), and although I enjoy the different stimulation, and trust the nursery absolutely (we have known them for years and they love her) I do feel , particularly when I pick them up and it hits home that I haven't seen her for the day.

When (if you are) were you planning to go back to work?

morning all, wise words vg, I cant add anything really but it sounds like a really difficult decision, my thoughts.

Ann excema, and I Thought bf was supposed to prevent such things!

ataraxis at you being back at work already, that must be hard

dp is pressuring me to start giving ds food - says he's ready cos he stares at us eating. I tried to explain there's a world of difference between staring and being ready to eat - have ordered blw book by Gill Rapley - does anyone have this, is it any good?

my thoughts are with you sibh! got interupted by phone call and ds pulled off the boob rather sharply, he's soooo nosey!!

decided to take ds to get weighed this morning to check all ok on the growth. Dont want to deprive the poor chap of solid food if it's what he needs .

ann - there is a current thread on a excema in an exclusively bf baby here, might be some useful advice?

sambo - am very about it, but needs must and in the long run it is best for the family.

hello all - no1 - there are book in advance trains for 46 pounds return (two 23 pound singles) sheffield-bristol on the 13th.

You would arrive at 12.40pm - a bit late and leave at 6.30pm, but I should think that people would still be around.

(PS DH, DS and I will be catching this 6.30pm train as well, although we will spend a bit of time in the late afternoon visiting some other friends)

Re: Bristol - would it be helpful to have a central place like a cafe or restaurant where people could come to? I think that we will all be arriving at different times so it would be nice to have a place to go.

I have just rung here. They are open now (forgot to ask what time they open but clearly are by 10am), no need to book at this sort of time and they are happy for buggies etc. Shall we meet here?

sibh I think ts and vg also have wise words. I hope you can decide what works best for you.
longway which site did you see the tickets.

ataraxiz which cafe are you recommending???

So sorry you're feeling so torn Sibh. We are all so different... etc etc., but to me, DD2 being with her Daddy wouldn't count as being away from me - sort of . Sorry - that doesn't make much sense, but next week I have a work training day and it'll be by far my longest stint away from DD2. DH is taking the day off to look after the girls and I'm not thinking of the away from me bit as an issue, just the logistics of expressing, feeding etc.

Returning to work is a financial necessity for me and although I haven't enjoyed my job since having DD1 and am therefore not looking forward to it, I know deep down that it's absolutely the right thing to do for exactly the reason you give - long-term career prospects. If I were to give up, I'd struggle to get back in and would certainly have to start at the bottom again. A foot in the door is a good thing and for me, it's a case of being able to keep that foot in there with as few hours as possible. Now, if I could only work out what I really wanted to do with my working life...

DD1 had absolutely dreadful excema as a baby ann, so my sympathies are with you. Her first 6 months took us through the super-toasty summer of 2006 so the poor thing was extra scratchy and it always looked so sore being on show all the time. From 6-12 months it gradually cleared up and since then small patches have just come and gone. She will always have weak skin (as I have), but it rarely seems to bother her now.

ataraxis... erm, there are 4 places on that link or did you just mean cabot circus?

sambo do you have any idea re bristol and how to get from temple meads to where we're meeting? lol, we're going to be tourists! i'm going to walk really slowly on busy pavements, gaze into all the shop windows, get out a big map and stop to take photos of everything. not that i find tourists in london to be anything other than a delight!

chat has moved on a bit since but my 2cents worth on pushchairs is that i love my M&P luna.

TS your comment about not even getting started yet with DD1 really made me smile!

forgot to say, DS has got some excema as well so interested in the various advice on here

i'm quite amused that none of you spotted me posting on the "due in sept 09" thread

no1 - www.thetrainline.com

OMG Miamla - do you have something to announce???

Miamla !

PF thank you so much for sensble words on the unmentionable subject. I was gearing up for a rant . It would be a very very big deal if Marianne caught something - until she's old enough to be done herself we have to rely on herd immunity so I feel rather tigress-ish about it. But that is my final word on the subject I promise!

VG your lovely mum! Mine keeps coming out with things like that at the moment too. It's as though she thinks I'll get jealous of how much she adores DD - as if! She started with my brothers at xmas too - did they squirm

Ataraxis LOL at Year of the Potato. Dependable, versatile and delicious, perhaps?