Fab Feb 2009: attack of the zombie mums

[dinkystinky]

So here we all are, complete with babies and gro-bags under our eyes

Blimey MOS, you poor thing with DD2 - sounds like a nightmare. My DD is very good with DS, but punishing us a little I think. I am so sick of reading the same books all the time to her, but am humouring her atm. Doesn't help she is going through her terrible two's . Thank god for cBeebies....don't know how I'd manage without it.

Enjoy the alcohol.....sounds like you deserve it

Calico - good news
Rosie - hope it's not all bad news.....although does it mean I can have your chocolate rations?
PT - a guy I was best friends with for years who lost touch tried the same 18 mths ago. Was rescued by the police and is now much happier and we're in reg contact but I was completely floored by the news. I am really sorry for you. Have a good cry. Sending you hugs.....and gives you some of Rosie's chocolate

Had an accidental extra hour's sleep this morning - we changed all the clocks, but not sure what happened to DH's alarm that went off an hour later, even though wrong time....so, DS all up the creek for two days running now.

Nappies getting better colour I hope - last one back to normal even if was up to his armpits!

Infection sorting out with some magic cream.

All I need now is to work out how to get him to sleep between 1230am sleep and 630......

LMN, we dont' have cBeebies but have playhouse disney which is a godsend!

Calico great news about tests.. saw your good news update on fb too..

Beatin sending your LO sleep vibes for the early, early morning, glad that things seem to be improving though..

SMS a little late but for your childfree night and thank goodness you are not expecting twins !!

MOS no useful advices about DD2, but thought I would send you some sympathy ((((hugs)))), night out sounds great though

Rosie i am sorry about the diabetes.. fingers crossed it can be managed without injections

PT I am so sorry, what terrible news.. you will feel numb initally but you are allowed to grieve your friend even if you had not seen him for a while. I am so sorry...

Dinky... oh no about road works.. at least the weather is good for outdoor activities this week..

We are all good, but seem to spend a loooooonnng time doing very little (one day way was simply nappies, naps and food, and I was on the go all day.. how is that possible!)

DD is growing fast.. was 11llbs 4 last week and seems to have grown more again .. !

DS is learning new words and sentences everyday, but still is determinedly ignoring the potty training.. very envious of Herbgarden's success in that area !!

KT am very impressed with the horse riding !!!

Ok my kids are calling.. looking forward to the meet up though !!

PT - so sorry to hear your news.

SMS - the hypo-allergenic stuff is 'scrip only (natramigen - sp?) and that's what M's just been put on, as soy milk formula under 6 months encourages a soy allergy, causes poor teeth quality due to low calcium levels and effects fertility due to estrogen levels... Think the nursery sounds bonkers, wouldn't mind the uniform as they have that at a lot of pre-schools, but homework and structured lessons at that age is a bit unnecessary. And what a weight gain, is that on the same centile?

MOS - I was thinking of you when I posted that - sorry! Have a good time at bingo!!

Lovely HV just been in 'quickly' on her way home and stayed an hour. Lots of good advice for M, me and John and me as a couple. Mum's now come to an end of her drop in month, so I'm going to have to learn how to cope by myself!!!!

PT That's what I thought. Although I am a routine kina gal, and have been quite strict with ds1 about routines, we have set bedtimes, set mealtimes, set nap times, set story times and an order that everything had to be done in, not quite so easy with a small baby so it's all gone to pot for him and Luke, but I'm thinking that too much structure (like I have given ds1) leaves them with a lack of diversity (is that the right word?) for example, my dad bathed ds1 early so he could stay up a bit late but dad said ds1 got very distressed and ended up going to bed early, I thin k that may be because he is so used to how our evenings work and was a bit confused, maybe I think too much and over anylise, but maybe too much structure and routine can be too much for them?
And that's right, he will only be 3, surely all of that can wait 2 years.....?

Of course you have a right to be upset. Ok, so you haven't seen him for a while, but you saud at one point you were attached at the hip, he was your best friend? To be upset about a friends death whether it be a current friend or an old friend is perfectly acceptable, you know that.

This nursery has a seperate winter and summer uniform too. And I did double check that they were just talking about nursery and not the older years. Watches can only be worn in year 6. In nursery he can take a piece of fruit or a carrot for break time and water only. No juice. he doesn't drink water atm, will he in a years time? I may have to cheat and get flavoured water and hope they don't realise.
There are only 2 schools in my area and was talking to a childminder this morning and she said ne of her charges goes to the nursery at the other school and hasn't taken any reading home since October!

Ds1 has just figured out how to work screw tops and has just drank half a bottle of gripe water. Bet that tasted nice, at least he won't get any trapped wind today

Calico Luke is only 7 weeks old, he was 7lbs 13oz at birth and has flown off the 50th line which he had been following since birth, he's now on 75th.

MrsY Just to make sure I'm understanding this right (before I go giving it all at the surgery and end up being wrong )...
Are you saying that hypo-allergenic formula and soya formula are different things?
The reasons you stated are the reasons I don't want soya milk, I have heard that it affects fertility more in boys than girls though and should not be given to boys unless under instruction from a paed. I was very at the gp willing to just hand it over without discussing these things and I very nearly logged (another) complaint at front desk about the way I was treated. I do not expect to wait 45 minutes after my appointment time to then be spoken to like I'm some sort of fool. So if they are different things, then I will go back after you confirm it. Thanks.
How's M getting on with it?

Oh and MrsY No, Luke's jumped off his line. I'm a little concerned about it because ds1 started off on the 98th line but gained so much weight so quickly, his chart was plotted in a vertical line instead of folling the curve iyswim. My hv back then told me to reduce his feed, it was awful to have to do that and hope that I won't have to do that with Luke too, but what happened to a baby only eating if they're hungry? I don't force feed my babies.

am v unpopular right now woth DD as have lefgt her in her crib to cry as its DS time right now...better go to it really!!

Evenin' all...
Been to Kew Gardens today to meet an old friend and seemed to have walked miles so am feeling a bit weary tonight. DD slept and slept and slept so was no trouble in her buggy (DS at nursery). And
she slept from 11.20pm to 6.30am last night......I know it won't last but I was VERY excited (oh and a bit nervous so tiptoed in at 5.45 when I woke up to check she was still breathing .). Maybe she's having a growth spurt so that's why she's sleeping so much ?

PT sorry about your friend. It's always a shock as well not only because it was someone you knew but also when they are the same age and also when it's in such tragic circumstances. His poor mother too .

Nkweto - it really is 2 steps forward and 1 back on the potty stuff . We have a potty up and downstairs but he still insists on keeping his pull ups on in the house and will then pull them down. I suppose it's a safety net. I have to bite the bullet I think and ditch them soon (they are soo flippin' expensive too!) - I just don't want to push it until he's really ready. I just need him trained by the time pre-school starts in September.

MOS we're thinking of perhaps doing a stint abroad with DH's job - is KSA the only overseas posting you've done? DH works for a company with offices in most places - if we want to go to for eg, Moscow we can go pretty much tomorrow - but otherwise we have to choose a place and then they wait til a job comes up to suit his next move. You can't really then change your mind. Hard one as DS starts school a year September and we live in a community where I'd like him to have little mates round the corner and be able to walk to schooland our catchment school is fantastic - not sure if he'd get in if we miss the entrance at 5 and then came back when he was, say 7/8 and whether it would make a big difference. It's hard to decide what to do ! We keep procrastinating. I just can't envisage giving up my cosy life here to be honest.

Anyway, enough of that for now....Dinky get some earplugs !!

Signing off now - dinner is calling and DH is home all this week so we have a mountain of boring jobs to do (admin!).

Pinktulips - am so sorry to hear about your mate. As the others have said, you have every right to grieve for the friend you have lost - even if you havent been in touch/close for a while, you still have lost someone who was important to you. I really feel for his poor mum and girlfriend too - things must have seemed very bleak to him to leave them that way.

Nkweto - glad all is good with you guys. My DS1 is also steadfastly ignoring potty training - am pretty sure we'll crack it sometime over the summer though before he starts preschool...

SMS - great news about Luke's weight gain - and all this despite the reflux! The nursery sounds pretty hardcore - the preschool I wanted to send DS1 to doesnt have a uniform and is very much learning through play; we've applied to the local primary school for a nursery place too where the uniform is optional and I dont think there is any homework for 3 year olds....

MoS - have a great time tonight. Am so sorry DD2 is being so horrible to Harrison - is there anyway you could put H in a playpen so DD2 cant physically get at him (or maybe DD2 in a playpen instead )? Am sure he wont remember any of DD2 being nasty to him at this young age but its really distressing for you guys as a family.

Thanks dinky. Luke doesn't have sicky reflux, it's hard to remember which ofour babies do because there is a few isn't there? I was thinking maybe he had silent reflux because of the choking and gagging all through the day, but that has now stopped so maybe not. Thankfully.

Hi everyone - just wanted to pop in and say hi and that I'm still alive (barely!) Havent read a single post so I do apologise!

DS1 has started with a cold and not slept in a week! I tried to get some Calcold (yes I know its for over 2's but he's had it since 18 mths but it WORKS!) but f*ing boots wouldn't sell me it! They reckon the guidlines have changed to 'nothing but calpol until 6yrs' 6 YEARS!!!! I nearly posted on AIBU!!! So DH went back and lied to them and we now have a DS1 who actually sleeps all night again (he was teething his big back teeth too) but DS2 has started wanting to feed after 2 hrs sleep and taking nearly 2 hours to feed each time thanks to wind

Have just booked our family's cottage in france for the whole of June - mum and aunt coming with me and the boys so feel slightly more optimistic about some sleep eventually - albeit 2 mths away

Hope you are all well. Will try to catch up on the thread at some point!

Oh, just read a few posts - how strange that we shud all fall foul of the 'under 6' ruling in such a short space of time!!!

and PT I lost 7 friends in 1997 when I was 17 for various reasons, 2 to that. V V

Hi Spotty! Glad I'm not the only midnight lurker. Nice to see you here. Am very of your holiday.

morning everyone,

PT Really sorry to hear about your friend, I hope you are ok, big hug sent from me & P for you x

SMS Lukes weight gain is great! Poppy was born at 6lb 8oz and at 4weeks she was already 9lb - She is a right little porker. Yesterday evening, she downed a full 5oz bottle & wanted more, so I made another 2, thinking she would have a gulp & that would satisfy & she drank the full 2 aswell! Since last night every 5oz bottle she has finished to the last drop. Perhaps a 6week growth spurt
As for the nursery uniform, I think a jumper woul dbe nice, but a tie? homework? it should be all about making a mess & playing in sand

Spotty Also jealous of your holiday. Its something I was thinking about doing ( getting a cottage in france for a week ) just not sure how id cope with a baby. I love France & think it would be a really nice break.

Yesterday we took Poppy on the 6.30am train to London ( bloody rush hour!!) then got the tube from Kings cross to embankment with the pram....all to visit our work, so I could see my friends & have a day out. It was really lovely, strange to be there with a baby though.
The part of the building I work in is 2 floors underground & the fire alarm went off. Talk about panic. DP was in the gym like a shot.
Turns out it was just ANOTHER false alarm. As I work in a government building, tends to happen alot.

Today Im taking P over to MIL house so she can parade her about in the pram, while I go/attemp at 5 mile run. Providing the sun stays out its going to take forever me thinks.

morning all, slightly fragile this morning after several bacardi breezers & baileys last night . with a bit of luck a quiet morning as little minx/DD at nursery this morning

SMS, the nursery you are looking at seems a bit harsh to say the least, they are still little children at that age. I'd hate to think what would happen if I gave DD a carrot for a snack!
Still considering whether to send DD to foundation 1 at the British school in September 2010 or whether to keep her on at nursery as it seems a little young at her age (then 3, almost 4) to be in 'proper' school.

herby, KSA is the only place we've lived/worked overseas although we've considered other places. The main bit of advice I can give you is if you are going to do it, do it before the DC are older and settled in school. We'd originally planned going home this summer so that DD could join the nursery at the prep school where DC1 and DC2 went but now its looking like at least another 2 years so we can get contributions from DHs company towards DC1 & 2's school fees which is worth £9,000 each per year. Are also thinking of an extra year after DS finishes his A levels so we can get DD through her GCSEs. Originally we'd agreed we'd return no later than DD2 starting reception but have agreed we may do the last year so we can get DD1 finished and save a decent amount in that last year which would hopefully fund DD2 and H through their time at prep school.
I think if you leave it too late it makes it very difficult for the children. I know a few people out here who have come out after their DC started at first school and they had trouble settling as had already started making friends etc. If you are going to do it, do it now.
Where else were you thinking apart from Moscow? (wouldn't do Dubai, the bubble has well and truly burst there)

spotty & THOM, hope you both managed to get to sleep in the end!

Right, off to try to sort out some lose ends before our holiday and hopefully try to do some packing. Am very excited as DH has finally agreed we can go to the grand prix on Sunday as he has conceded that it would be foolish not to as we will be in the same city

Morning all. Who's left the FB group? I did have a quick scroll down the members list but there are so many of us, that I actually can't remember every single person! (please tell me I'm not alone in that)

Ds1 had trouble settling last night so I layed on his floor again, and fell asleep myself and woke up to dp shaking me awake with his foot. His foot wanker.
I made him do the 2am feed too, I'm thinking that as we both have long and tiring days, it's not really fair that I'm the only one to get up so I'm going to tell him later it's 1 feed each he can pick whether he does the 11pm or the 2 am one, but he does one.

8 week jabs today . I don't have any calpol in the house!!!!! I know I can go and buy some, and I will, but I like to give a dose about an hour before injections. Oh well, I'll buy a bottle on way to docs and hope it kicks in quick
Then off into town for an eye test and to pick out a new pair of frames, the current ones fall of everytime I pick something off of the floor!

Morning

God that nursery SMS [shock}....I was gobsmacked. Kids grow up quickly enough without all that....5 is quite soon enough. At 3 they should be learning through play IMO.

I noticed someone had left the FB group but couldn't work out who either!

Glad you enjoyed last night MOS...

My DS went from 11pm - 4.30am ...when I went to bed he was wide awake in his cot happily gurgling away, so I let him get on with it and went to sleep and I didn't hear him until 4.30am....even then he was coughing rather than shouting, but I fed him anyway as I figured it would only be a matter of time. Got back to bed at 5am to be woken ion quick succession by the cat, dog and DD....then alarm went off at 6.30am

Have good days everyone....osteopath for me!

Hope Luke is OK SMS.....our turn tomorrow....I hate jabs

Just came to say 'morning'. DS decided to have another marathon crying session - 8pm (halfway through his evening sleep and our dinner) right through to 230am.

Both DH and I shattered this morning even though we managed to sleep between 230 and 730.

Luckily no plans today, so think will stay in my jim jams. He's looking sleepy so am planning to et my head down whilst I can.

Hope you all have good days.

Morning! Night from hell here. Baby T spent most of the night screaming. He's got another cold and I think that's what it was though he was also pretty windy too. A so tired I feel hungover. Without the benefit of Baileys and Bacardi.

Is it Onwardandupward who has left FB?

Morning all

Sorry Pink to hear about your friend.

SMS, I'm horrified to hear about the nursery you looked at. Uniform and homework at 3. How can a 3 year old do homework, anyway? Or is that really for parents?

Beantin This stage is absolutely horrible isn't it? Luckily for me, my ds1 was quite good at night, think because he was exhausted from the constant screaming through the whole day!
This stage is over in the blink of an eye though, I know it doesn't seem like that atm, the only thing getting me through this bit is knowing that I got through it before and anything I've done once, I can do again.......(she says now)
LMN I hate jabs too, I always end up crying more than them Mascara free day today I think.
I'm going to feed him straight after which will only be half hour/40mins early but should calm him, until the wind getstrapped and all the rest of it......maybe I won't

Apparently, children aren't allowed to be children anymore. I've heard that the only other nursery in my area is the same for uniform and discipline, just crap with numbers and reading so think I may go with the one I saw yesterday. Bullying is supposedly an issue at other place atm and ofstead report wasn't as good.

Elkie It's only tracing letters and things like that, so nothing major, it just bthers me that we'd be forced to do something that we may be doing anyway and personally I think that doing letters and number work at home should be a parental decision, I mean that is why children are sent to school isn't it? To do all the things we can't be arsed to do at home?

thanks all for the kind words.... still a bit shellshocked. weirdest thing is not long ago i had my phone in my hand and everything and was going to text and try and make contact again but decided against it... it was him who broke contact with me not long after dd was born. he came up to see me when she was about 8 weeks and then i never heard from him again, tried to contact him when i visited cork a few months later but he didn't respond and it seemed clear he didn't want to know. i presumed it was because i was settled with dp and having a child with him made that serious and i think he was pissed off. he'd told me several times he loved me as more than a friend but i was unwilling to ruin our friendship by taking it further [bitch]

just wish i'd texted him now and at the very least i might have had some inkling of what was going on in his life

might have been onward who left FB... she's not been around in a while. hope everythings ok with her.

mos... glad you enjoyed the booze last night i think whther you send dd to school depends on whether she'd be interested in it. my ds is 2.8 but facinated with letters already and is asking me to teach him to read [runs and hide emoticon needed] so i'm more than confidant that sending him at barely 4 is the right choice.... if he didn't have that interest though i'd definitely defer him the year as it would be far too overwhelming at that age having that stuff forced on him.

kt.... good god woman would you give your poor body a break! 5 mile run? you really need to be careful not to wear yourself out as you could end up regreting it, you've only just had a baby which is a massive strain on the body, it needs time to recover. over here we're told no excercise more strenuous than simple stretches until 3 months post birth.... the leaflet the hospital gives expressly forbids going to the gym til that point.

spotty... that holiday sounds lovely. i'm mad to do something this summer but yet again finances may work against us. my cousin is getting married in manchester in june though and if i could scrape the money together i'd love to go to that. so expensive though, clothes for me and the kids alone will cost a fortune, plus gift, travel, hotel and then spending money on top of that... eek!

herb, i'm very jealous of your success with the potty training...ds1 doesn't grasp it at all and i'd love him to be able to go to playschool a couple of days a week after easter but that doesn't look like it'll happen now.