March 08:Happy Birthday!!! We made it through a whole year!

[turtle23]

new thread.

we had an absolutely gorgeous day for it today, only drawback being the central heating still on in the function room, which they couldn't turn off!
Ceremony was lovely, everyone liked the readings and of course all laughed at the promise to be more mature/responsible knowing us so well
After a slow start with the kids going beserk, turning on the bubble machine worked wonders, then the ball ponds got invaded by many small beings at once. More balls on dancefloor than in t'pit. Cake tasted brilliant, forgot LO's food though, so he only had a little bit of mine before whinging loads. Stripped him down and he was all smiles again, knocked back a bottle of juice and went crawling everywhere. Stood by himself for a few seconds before doing a wily coyote expression and falling over
Presents galore, not investigated any bar a couple yet...got a bird table from one friend as something which would last long enough for him to realise it was his.
Lovely, lovely day.

yes, happy birthdays galore

I am a bad, bad person. I saw Natasha Richardson had been in an accident and my first thought was 'ooh Liam Neeson might be back on the market' .

Just a flying visit to say 'Happy Birthday Babies'!

LO's birthday on Thurs, and party on Saturday - looking forward to a couple of glasses of champers and a big piece of cake!

This year really has gone by in a blur of tears, smiles, gurgles, sick, poo, flying food and all round general chaos

Isn't it about time to start it all again

Happy Birthday mm's baba

LD - so glad you are back. I was just starting to worry about you and was going to start stalking you to see where you had been posting We too are just doing family, but even that adds up - 4 x gps, 2 x uncles, 1 x aunt, 3 x cousins and us! We also have an NCT party to attend that one of the other girls is organising, and I will take DS's birthday off work and take him for a nice lunch with his dad. Still 2 weeks away for us (we're 31/03 so second youngest to your DS!)

Presents - one set of gps plus uncle/aunt/cousins are getting him a trike. Then I think a sandpit from the other gps and uncle, and maybe one of those Ikea train tracks from us as he spent the weekend playing with a 3 yo's train track! We got him a rocking horse from the NCT sale for £3 which we ended up giving him early so he doesn't really need much more.

Down to one bf a day now - dropped morning feed last week as it was too difficult to fit in with work, and DS's teeth were really hurting (not biting, but just in the way!) Couldn't have done it without DH who has been brilliant - every morning for a week he has got DS out of bed, changed him, taken him downstairs, given him milk and fed him breakfast before I emerged. DS has only kicked up a fuss once - when he saw me and my boobs before breakfast! - but we'll soon start me being part of the breakfast routine again to check he is okay with it now before dropping the last bf. No idea how to drop that though - it is usually before DH gets in from work so I'll have to work it out myself!

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y all around!

Jeez this weather is great. We've altered dd's routine now to take advantage of the weather and also because it was beginning to be a bit of a fight to get her down in the afternoon so now we have one single 2 hour nap after lunch so we are free to wander and play in the parks in the morning and the afternoon. she seems to be sleeping better at night now too. (only wakes twice a night now )

Birthday parties so far sound grand, glad to hear they all went so splendidly. No party for us just a birthday shrine of some sort for LO to wake up to in the morning and then going to meet a couple of her baby friends for cake and coffee at the weekend.

we've no family around so it will be a bit lonesome on her actual b-day but been getting packages galore in the post which has been almost just as nice because of the suprise aspect.

Everyone keeps asking me if this year has flown by and I have to say no. For me it feels just about right, I think I felt every minute of it...

can't tell if I'm itching for another 'un yet but definitely looking at the little ones a bit more tenderly in passing.

Happy Birthday MM's and Ewe's LOs!

HQ am very of your one feed. I'm reading and researching weaning G completely but not actually doing anything about it yet. I guess I'm waiting for some magic perfect time, and that's just not going to happen.

Poor chap is always unwell or teething, so it's never the right time. I dread it mostly b/c there's no transition phase - it's from boob to cup with no bottle in between. I hope that we can find some alternative comfort association for night time. But we will start with easier feeds first, I think. Like the occasional middle of the night ones.

Right, off to look for some nice pressies for G.

happy birthday more young Ones i've been enjoying the b'day pics cropping up on facebook.

had a pg scare last week, involving stick peeing and panics, ended up being 9 days late, was probably just the (new + old) meds side effects. would have been traumatic for us. phew. better luck to those with the twinkle in their eyes though

finally pinned down a fleeting nanosecond in july when we can have a week off together with grandma. wonder how the summer weather will go this year. certainly loving this week's.

wish gg would drop morning nap, but he clearly adores that and it's the afternoon one that is shaky. it fits in far less well with the shape of our days, oh well adapt and survive...

Hi girls and Happy Birthdays!

Computer access has been majorly reduced lately thanks to the death of our laptop. Can't decide what to get next, so may be restricted for a while!

DD and St. Patrick share the same day, it was such a gorgeous sunny birthday for her! Had lunch out with friends, then went to someone else's party in the afternoon(neither of them knew or cared, of course) then dinner with dad in the evening. Her party is on the weekend- just when I thought we couldn't get any more toys!

She loves her wheelybug though, and has moved about 3 inches on it- that's a record for her!

MB- snap on ???pg???, but not as severe or panicky as you! Had a bit of a contraceptive hiccup about 2 weeks ago... then af has been consistently early since its return- but not this time! However, it has made DH confess that he wouldn't have minded it at all, so we may be visiting the ttc circles sooner than I might have originally thought!

Shhhhhh...please don't tell anyone...but this morning I took a very important test...
(So very happy!!!!!!)

turtle - I don't often post but I saw your message and I just had to post....fingers so tightly crossed for you - I so well know the emotions and I really hope things work out....oh goodness how exciting -secretly!
Good luck and Happy birthday to all the babies.

oOoh turtle. have a very "shhh..." high five and congratulations from me

I'm a bit nervous at posting on here now - two near misses and two pg ladies in the last 4 posts. Eeek!!!

Oooh yes, turtle, a quiet congrats from me too! v pleased for you

congrats turtle! shhyippeeshhhhh

quick question: do they get more jabs at 1? Should I be hearing from the hv?

Hib and men c booster at 12 mth and mmr a month later.
Def due at 12m tho i may have actual jab wrong... Speaking of due...turtle your idea of quiet fb status update has me smiling. Congratulations here too

congratulations turtle!! So so exciting.

Must meet up soon before you're too waddly tired

ah bngger. so run down with the RA not really responding to treatment (other than getting side effects!) that we're getting in some mother's help for me. probably 2 hours a day just after lunch to play with kids a bit, help handle laundry, veg prep and other things and ensure i get a break. i feel really moody about this, like some kind of failure, though i can't help my immune system going bonkers. having to just accept it and make sure i use it wisely...i just want to get to end of day without barking at boys with tiredness, and hopefully that will help me start the next day without the quiet leakge of tears i get when i have to screw myself up to deal with it all. AND there goes the tasty reduction in our mortgage that we smiled about earlier this month. oh well easy come easy go

wish me luck finding someone who can help and do please tell me i'm not a loser to do this, cos i feel like it!

you are absolutely not a loser mb! i want a mother's help and i only have one child and no nasty auto-immune condition to deal with. laundry, veg prep and life at home can be tedious and difficult enough even when not in pain. if it makes you feel any better, why not think of it as just doing your bit to shore up the creaking economy ? taking that extra money you are saving on the mortgage and putting it towards keeping someone in gainful employment is just what our dear chancellor wants!

how long do you need to give these drugs before they know whether they are just slow to kick in or def not working? any mention of the anti-tnfs yet? for some people they can work real wonders and may be worth fighting for.

cheers hq, i'd have not had a helper with one kid, cos i'd have been tied into the house too much, but seeing as i am tied in the house now, i want help

anti-tnf's., think i have to be a lot worse first and fail on the MTX/combined chemo. i don't know what constitutes a failure of Rx. But dh is coming with me next consultant appt to make sure I don't undersell the bad times. which i am prone to, i know.

anyway, have just been on the RA forum (no appetite for dinner, feeling to moody for company) and BINGO, so many people saying the sulfalazine makes them low+++. Am illogically cheered to know i'm being driven mad, as opposed to going there me self....;)

MB, take it you've already looked at the dietary stuff like cutting out acidic foods/nightshades whatever?

Turtle, still smiling, keeping everything crossed

Happy birthday to the latest 1yr olds, lost the list again so apologies for not naming names!

mb - now i'm back at work part time have decent access to info/people with knowledge of ra drugs incl side effects, regimes etc. let me know if you need anything queried or just want broader info.
get that help around the house - far far more important that you have rest and hence happier time for your boys than whether you chop the carrots or someone else does!

and meant to say, that my mother's help is currently the freezer. huge vats of frozen casserole/one pot dinner things plus bags of frozen veg (cauli, broad beans, peas, spinach, berries surprisingly good, brocc spooky for me but ds likes). can your dh spend one weekend day a month stocking up on v healthy home cooking perhaps? feel v happy knowing we get home-cooked food without having to make it fresh from scracth every night.

Congratulations Turtle! (can't believe any of us have time to [ahem] conceive)
MB hope you are feeling better today? I would cut of my arm to have someone help around the house so don't even think twicw about it. Your children want you as a mother, not a housewife or someone who is in tears at the thought of another day. That is no way to live. Carrots are carrots whoever chops them.
Suddenly, after all that feminista talk have realised I have 1 week to prepare for an avalanche of family turning up for a party so must go and hoover the spare room.
PS- my frivolous party purchase is this:
www.zigzagbunting.com/images/Bells%20and%20Tassles/Bright%20Bells%20and%20tassles%20MED.jpg
I justified it on the grounds that it was more enviromentally friendly than buying paper bunting every year.

Hi sorry for the hijack.

Just wondered do any of you still dress your babies in baby grows in the daytime and when you go out of the house?