June 2008: Nine months in, nine months out

[Essie3]

Here's to the next nine months!

Sponge - will be thinking about you tomorrow

(PP pops her head in, waves at everyone and pops out again.)

PP - don't rush off, how are you?

Good morning, I am nearly human again, despite NIgel phoning very late last night(forgetting the time difference ) to get me to read him bar codes off the back of the computer! Men!!!!
But Ethan slept right through until 6 - yippee.

How's everyone else this morning?

ps - still bloody snowing.

Deb - glad you are slightly more rested. LOL re: bar codes, I can imagine that happening in this house too. Can't believe how much snow you have had.

My parents are coming later on today for a couple of nights. I think I was sounding especially crazed with sleep deprivation last week so it's a bit of a rescue mission, even though the cc has helped considerably. Peter started his day at 5 this morning, so I did too albeit dozing in bed whilst Peter fed. I have rung the health visitor to see if she can help me get the cc back on track. I failed yesterday to get him to sleep at all and he eventually conked out at 7pm fully dressed!

Just got a text from Sponge which says "Sponglet is perfect. Due 17 October".

I am crying again. I think I have cried more over this pregnancy than I did my own!

Oh, I'm crying too, what great news - well done Sponge and Mr Sponge for looking after you so well!! I'll have a smile on my face all day now. Your IVF consultant is a wonderful person too - scanning you so early today so we didn't have to wait too long!!

Alip - Sorry to hear you've had a rough night and an early morning, but I'm pleased your parents are coming to help out. Make sure Peter is fed and watered by the time they arrive, hand him over and get yourself off to bed!We have had an amazing amount of snow - another 15 cms or so last night, fantastic for skiing - downside is digging the stuff. I have just spent 40 minutes clearing snow, I so deserve this milky coffee and bag of maltesers!

Yey Sponglet!!!! That is fantastic news! That wonderful IVF expert friend (that f'ing consultant last week Grrr - stupid cow!!!!) Well done Sponge!!!!

Ali, when things go wrong like that for me I give Calpol at bath time (cos usually it is teeth or illness that they are unsettled) and it usually does the trick.

Bad night for us too - E woke at 1.15am so I tried not to feed her cos it was so early, but gave in at 1.30am. Then she went back to sleep but woke again at 2.30! So I fed her again and she went back to sleep and I woke Theo as well to feed him as it worked the night before (when he slept till morning) but last night it just seemed to unsettle him and he was awake on and off till 5am . DH had to settle him cos by that time I had been up on and off for over three hours . We all slept till 8am after that though. I dished out the medised to both of them after an hour of them being awake.

I am off to my mum's today and staying till tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it - mostly I think cos it is doing something different (maybe life has got a bit too routine!)

Debs, jut think of all the calories you are burning moving all the snow. lol at your DH!!

Ooh Whinegums, very exciting!!! Byker Grove, I love it!

Why to go Spongelet! Fantastic news. I hope she pops on later to go into minute detail!

Wonderful news - I was expecting a morning of checking the thread obsessively but great that Sponge had her scan so early! I knew everything was going to be fine. But how about a letter of complaint about the other consultant? (I only say this because in highly emotional situations like this people are so relieved that everything is fine that they don't complain, so idiots like her get to say ridiculous and insensitive things to the next couple, and the next, etc etc. Seriously, I thought sonographers and midwives etc were taught not to even say 'hm' in an odd way in case it was misconstrued!)

I have a hell of a sore throat - still! - today, but Iestyn slept ok for me. Not 8.30, but 7.30 is still great! Anything before 7 is Not Daytime in this house (mega sympathies to Ali - 5am is Definitely Still Night). I gave him Calpol because maybe he has the same sore throat and it's not very nice.

Must do a load of work now!

Hurrah for Sponge and Spongelet, maybe Sponge can chuck out some of her cotton wool now - must be quite mountainous by now!

On a less happy note my batteries have completely run out now. I am at work with a splitting headache as Luke has not slept through the night once since I have been back to work (and by that I just mean midnight to 5am). He woke up 3 times last night and as much as I didn't go in I still had to lie there listening to him cry. Mark went in in the end and gave him a dummy so I would get some sleep as I am seriously suffering. I have had to take a couple of days off (friday and Monday) to try and get some zeds in. What is going on? This is one hell of a phase (6 weeks now).

Good morning!

Don't really know what else to say!

Straight in to be seen, consultant confirmed immediately that all was, in her words, "perfect"! And then said, "well, your tubes are certainly something else"!

Essie, will definitely be complaining - told my lovely cons and she was appalled. I agree with you, unless we complain no one else will be spared this. I wrote a letter of complaint to my previous hospital about making women having m/cs wait with heavily pg women for their scans. They have since changed their waiting room, so complaints do work .

Right I'm off to celebrate with my NCT group and spend the whole day smiling!

x-posted Amber, you poor thing

do you want to share some of my cotton wool?

I would love some but I think my head is already filled with it

So happy for you though sponge xx

Neenz - have a good time at your Mums

Essie - hope the sore throat improves soon

Abdn - how are you all feeling today? Have you got your voice back?

Amber - things sound grim, surely if it's a phase Luke must be near the end of it now.If the dummy gets him to sleep at least that's something. Is he OK in the day? Does he still sleep in the day as normal?

Morning Sponge - enjoy your celebrations with your NCT friends.

sponge fab news! Really pleased for you! Alex must have been poking his fingers in your tubes to get a sibling!

Amber sorry you are feeling so rough. I find it hard to cope with just the normal day to day thing, certainly couldn't manage working too.

FAB SPONGE, CHUFFED TO BITS FOR YOU

Am way behind on everything here but just quickly had to come and check for sponge's news, I'm so so pleased for you all!! that's just marvellous!!!

My best friend should be having her 2nd baby any time now (planned section), her two are 18 months apart after several years of infertility first time round. I'll let you know how she gets on in the next few weeks

and yes, go for the Phil & Ted's, I love ours and every time we go out in it someone stops to admire

Sorry Deb, I'd gone before I saw your message.

So happy for you Sponge! Note that your consultant said perfect, not just fine.

Amber - That sounds really tough. Is it worth getting the night nanny in again for at least one night a week?

Essie - I hate sore throats. I don't mind any other aspect of a cold so much (and I've got one right now), but a sore throat sucks. I met a lovely little baby called Noah last week and thought what a nice name, but obviously a bit biblical. Thought it would be good if you had another boy, cos then you call call them in for tea "Yes and No!".

Ali and Neenz - Enjoy being pampered by your Mums.

I'm gutted. Went to GP yesterday and we agreed that the PND wasn't getting any better, in fact it was getting worse. The ADs aren't working. so I am being referred to someone else. We had been considering going to NZ for a break if I was signed off again, but she said she didn't think that would be a good idea (no support for me over there, esp if things got even worse). As well as that I think that the only way for things to change is for me to try different ADs which means giving up BF-ing. We're mixed feeding now, so I don't think Ryder would be that bothered, but I will!

Anyway, hoping to get a break of some sort in anyway. Ideally somewhere nice and secluded, so if we can find a cottage deal may be near you Essie.

Wow, this is turning into a mega post. In prep for the long flight to NZ DH scored some medised. (I was too scared to even try!). We tried 2.5ml on Saturday and got a hyper grouchy little boy,. Tried 5ml on Sunday and got a complete and utter screamer. It was horrid. Nothing would work even for seconds and he just wasn't himself. I was considering going to A&E. Basically it was horrendous and I am not touching that stuff ever again.

BTW - I'm not judging anyone else that uses it. I'd heard that some babvies react badly. Thank god we tested it before getting on a 26 hour flight. That said, if it had worked for us, and we were still flying, it would be in my hand luggage right now...!

sponge yeah!!!!

Amber can you sleep in a different room from your DP so that he responds to Luke rather than you? Sometimes when my batteries are out I sleep on the spare bed and since it's on the other side of the house, I can't hear Fraser (and I wear earplugs). That way I can get a night of sleep (although I'm still feeding, but as you said, it's the grunting that wakes you and tires you out!).

Thanks for everyone's thoughts! My voice is almost back, still an octave lower but at least I can yell at DS1 again . My DH was home for two nights but he's off to Norway for the night now. We dropped him at the airport this morning and DS1 had a hissy fit because he wanted to go on the plane to work too . It's so much easier since this trip has been planned in advance and I know it's only one night!

PP sorry to hear that your PND is horrible right now! I'm sending hugs!!! Maybe a specialist can help, I can't see a GP knowing that much. My friend is a GP and she didn't even clue in that she had it herself with her first baby until a year after...

PP sorry to hear about the PND - I think of you often. Usually when I look across at the ex-holiday cottage next door, which is no longer up for rent because the owners' daughter had a divorce and has moved in! Caveat: I don't like her much. She seems to do something with horses. Can anyone suggest what exactly she can do with horses all day that pays enough money to pay a mortgage?! Or, if there is a way of living that pays a mortgage but doesn't involve hard work can someone reveal it to me now!
This cottage is also next door to my house, and is lovely ("breathtaking views" seems to include being too breathless to insert commas in their first sentence! ). Couldn't get a cheap deal on that one though because the owners are (a) away and (b) millionaires and you can never get anything from millionaires...

Abdn I find it's the unscheduled nights away that are the worse. Or the one night suddenly extended to two... Tim's work is rather unplanned and last minute, which I find quite hard to deal with! Glad your voice is back. It takes a lot for me to lose my voice but this sore throat is annoying me a lot. It's more bruise-like than scratchy. IYKWIM.

TOTALLY FORGOT to comment on PP's Noah/Iestyn thing. (No, really!)

Someone in the supermarket (mis)heard me chatting to Iestyn in the trolley , and said 'Is your baby called Tintin?'!! Er, no.

Oh dear PP you poor thing - have they offered you councelling? A lovely break somewhere might be nice but not too far away from home in case you don't feel up to it. I wish I could come and visit. I've taken a couple of days off - maybe I could pop round and say Hi...

Aberdeen I would love to sleep in another room - at least a few streets away! Mark did do it last night but I could still hear and woke up. I have weirdly small ears so earplugs hurt me if I leave them in for too long so that's not an option. I already put music on to drown out any small noises but when he's wailing I could have Wembly Stadium next door and I'd stil hear it.

Deb - he does sleep in the day but not as much as he does when he's at home. i asked the nursery to try and get him to sleep more but he won't.

Anyway - enough of my misery. I am still enjoying work and even though I am sick with tiredness I still know I made the right decision.