April 2007 - Hanging out the Bunting for BIG baby Connor .......

[CaptainDippy]

Congratulations!! to Elkie and family!!

C wont go to school until August 2012.. they dont start til 5 up here [grr]. I think he is ready to go now!

Sorry, havent had time to catch up and do personals - everything NL said

Lots of talk of redunancies here too, step mum has been given 8 weeks notice today, and dp wont find out whether his contract has been renewed until 2 weeks before it runs out - At the end of march . (they are both contractors)

C is being challenging at the moment, whenever I take him to baby class or playgroup he seems hell bent on nipping as many kds as he can... it seems to ben the hope that I'll take him home, he really doesnt seem to want to be there. Its a stress because as he doesnt go to nursery I want him to mix with other kids, but I cant handle the embarrassment or stress of him nipping everyone in sight. He just seems to get bored, so I've cancelled Gymboree, and signed up to a council run mini movers class, see if that interests him for a wee while.

On a brighter note, we have booked our honeymoon to NYC which is nice, I'm pleased that the flights are booked and paid for - no matter what happens we can go -even if it means stayin in youth hostel!

Thanks for all of the nice comments about C's modelling debut - still waiting to see if he wil be in any catalogues, still waiting to be paid for it too

Ange, saw your pics - you are looking fab - your make up in the couple of close ups of you is lovely!

Dont think there is anything else to report here....

GM - maybe he finds the other kids stressful? I know what you mean about wanting them to mix but life's too short to spend your time on endless police duty! I think you're very wise to change activities - and you don't have to take him to anything much - just expeditions to different parks? That could be rather lonely for you though. Hope dp's contract gets sorted - hard times indeed Congratulations on the honeymoon though

NL that took my breath away

On the haircut front, Erin has only had here fringe trimmed by me and Jack scream for the whole cut but it does look good. James is very good, well his behaviour has to be good sometimes

Talking of schools I am going to have all 4 in Primary at the same time ds1 will be in year 6, when dts are in year 2 when ds3 starts in reception

NYC that will be so fab gm

Tonight I went solo put all 4 to bed on my own, it was hell alright ish.

A real juggle as 3 children all wanting to go to bed at the same time with only one pair of hands and ds3 screaming for food/attention

Not recommended

Hi everyone
runny, sorry W has asthma. Is it really bad? Poor little thing
Ange, happy birthday for Saturday. Thanks for letting me know what will happen. Speech is OK, not as good as his little friends, who are all girls and all a few weeks (at least) older than him, so I'm not too worried. Plus it has been getting loads better in the last couple of weeks, and I keep "testing" his hearing by asking him questions when he can't see me!
NL so sorry about your bug, also your dd1's school. Hope you're back to normal now and can think of grounds for appeal.
gm at your stepmum's job, and also your DP's being at risk. So he should find out in about 10 days?
Hi elkie, MJ, caz, dippy, oooggs, bramshott...really hope Ihaven't missed anyone, but this thread has been so busy in the last couple of days! About a week ago I was wondering if we'd keep it going but it seems that we are

at 4 dcs at primary school...actually it's about now I'm expecting you to announce plans for no5

you have got to be joking I now have my 'new car', the bedrooms have been filled (so the MIL can't move in ) we have filled the chairs around the dining room table and I am now too old for sex anymore , you on the otherhand have loads of time to catch up remember caz started much younger than me to fit all her brood in!!!!

right off to feed and sort out Luke who is now 10lb 14oz by the way and I have checked the red books this evening and even though he was born heavy than the rest at 6 weeks he is smaller than James and Jack were and is only a bit heavier than Erin!!

oooggs, eek at coping with 4 on your own. I wouldn't know how to deal with 2 at the same time at the moment - fortunately I'm spoiled there with good maternity pay, so can pay Childminder, and as dp can be here for both drop off and pick up times. Don't think I would have coped if he was working in his old job with earlies, lates and weekend shifts - he was having to do two shifts a week for about 8 months until last summer and I already can't remember how I managed that with just D around. Hopefully we'll leave London before anything happens that means he has to go back to that.

Evening all

A very belated Happy Birthday Ange. Glad you had a good day.

NL, yuk to d&v bug; glad you are feeling better. Sorry about the school situation.Not sure what to suggest; I guess you just have to go with your gut feel.

GM, fab news on booking your honeymoon - how wonderful. Sorry to hear the recession has hit your family. Try not to worry about C and his nipping. B went through this, and it is just a phase.

Dooby, good luck to your dh on Friday for his interview. Really hope things go to plan and your move goes smoothly at the end of the month.

MJ/Runny, can't believe they start them at school so young

SPB, ikwym re testing hearing when they can't see you. I am a bit stressed that K is not saying much at all. She understands everything alright, but is only saying about 10 words.

Elkie, hope you are ok

Oooggs, sounds like you are getting things well in order! I honestly don't know how you do it!!

GHIIY, really glad things are getting into place for you too.

Any word from Pesha??

Thanks everyone for your wishes re my new job. It is my last day tomorrow, and I keep crying- God knows what I am going to be like tomorrow. I am sure the new job will be fine; it is just so hard as I so do not want to leave where I am

I suppose also it is more the stress of starting afresh and building up relationships. Where I am now, because I have always tried to go the extra mile, they have been really flexible with me which of course is great when you have dc.

Anyway, we will see what happens; may well be acting as a Consultant to my current place, so won't lose touch completely.

Hope everyone is well. x

Well dh has worked his last day. He was meant to be working til Friday, but his mate/boss called him into the office on the way home, was very calm and just told him that he couldn't handle working with dh for the rest of the week so he was to leave his van at the office, and one of the other lads brought him home.
Dh a bit mixed about it. Glad that things have been left civil (he made sure they shook hands before he left, and repeated that it wasn't personal) but he's not sure they will ever go back to being friends. His mate has always thought than money can buy you anything, and can't(or won't) get his head around the fact that the reason dh has left are hours and working conditions. Still, his new bosses have been ringing him up everyday checking he's ok & letting him know they've got everything ready for him on Monday.

As for W and asthma. We managed to see the nurse this afternoon who explained how to get W to take the pump which he uses with one of these. W thinks it's funny, and has been an absolute star taking it. Of course, when he laughs it means he breathes in the ventolin, so job done Although we have to pretend that J does it as well. So far, he only needs to take before he goes to bed, but we go back to the GP in 4 weeks for a review.

GM - is there a playgroup you could put his name down for when he turns 2? As for the biting - it' awful, but repeat the mantra "it's just a phase" W does it, but only to me, when he's not getting his own way.

SOL - hope everything goes ok tomorrow x

NL - d&v is blooming awful. And it can take a few days to get back to normal iyswim

We had J parents evening last night The teacher said he a lovely confident boy, plays really well the other children, shares things, and is quite popular too. Need to work on his fine motor skills - not so great at holding a pencil, but we just need to practice.

Evening to everyone else
Going to bed now, and dh has informed that he is chauffeur tomorrow and will see to the boys in the morning
Could get used to this...

Nighty night
x

Is it ok to leave them once they are 2? The only ones that I'm aware of round here you have to stay, I thought about nursery 1 day a week or a couple of mornings but alot of them have minimum of 2 1/2 days, and tbh we could do with the added expense of £80 a week

Enjoy your last day sol

4 last night wasn't too bad ds1 was the worst (would you believe that?)

I really need to menu plan to be more organised with food/waste and money - any great ideas please? online shopping? menus?

Oooggs - you are amazing!!

Hoep your last day is ok SOL. xx

Sounds so complicated and frustrating for DH, RH; but glad the new bosses seem so eager and friendly

Just keep firmly telling C "no" GM and pulling him to one side when he bites. He'll soon learn that sort of behaviour is not going to get him anywhere. Just make a big fuss, just pop him in a corner and ignore him for a few mins. It is a phase and it will stop. xx Yey for honeymoon though

GM, D is biting a lot as well - he apparently bit CM's 7 year old son yesterday! Not a good reason, really, but it makes me glad he's at a CM not a nursery - the next youngest child there is nearly 5, I would be even more concerned if he was biting other babies/toddlers.

Hey Luce.
Thanks for all the kind words - he's nipping not biting... not that its any better

Snowing here!!

Sunshine here too Chilly though

Oooggs - we don't meal plan as such, but at the weekend I went through the freezer and wrote down what meat was in there, then turned that into a list of dinners we can cook (whilst doing a small shopping list for the least number of ingredients) and then all you have to do each night is pick a dinner off the list. We're trying to have a frugal couple of months as DH has had a temporary pay cut. I think it's all the fruit juice my children drink and the yoghurts they eat which make up the main expense on my shopping bill!

you unsympathetic lot!!!!! did you not see????

MY TUMBLE DRYER HAS BROKEN!!!!!!!!!

Now come on .... feel sorry for me

Oh my gosh Caz .... how did I miss that!!!? Shit. Have you been to see your GP about counselling? How are you feeling? Any strange symptoms and I would call 999 immediately. It is going to be ok.

Hug.

I think I may have been slightly distracted by NL's mammouth post last night

I was distracted by the mammothness of my own post and failed to sympathise re the tumble drier!

It is very bad

and your washing will be very wet

and you must be very sad

(will this do?)

Seriously - is it fixable - we got a new heating element for ours once - a tumble drier that only does cold air being no use obviously! It was about £65 for the repair I think. I only have one of the little white knight ones which are about £130 I think so not too much to replace - but I don't have 5 children and I'm not sure that sort of thing would be up to your requirements!

oh and hugs hun of course too

hi everyone
just dashing on, no time to catch up sorry but caz I couldn't fail to read your news - HOW WILL YOU COPE?!