August 08 - Sleep thiefs and baby lags in stripey tops with bags of swag.

[Steaknife]

Glad to hear from you Steak; I was worried when I saw your FB status yesterday.

OMG I made morningpaper's talk round-up! At last I am accepted

as FBG who has been receipe of week twice I feel I am at liberty to return secret handshake well done cyteen!

lovely new thread Steaky

just had shitty argument with DH so now ignoring sunshine, eating macaroni cheese and playing mario Kart with DD1 - use of Wii banned for kids in this house - not any fecking more

Hellooo from kind of sunny Rugby! Well we arrived safely. DS better than expected on the flight although he hardly had any solids. He slept quite a lot (after 7pm when he should have been asleep) but largely on me and not in the basinette so I was well and truly cream crackered when we arrived. He wasn't too happy in the car (he's not used to long car journeys) but once we got here he had a bit of an expolre and was quite smiley which pleased the grandparents. He then slept a fair bit through the what is night here and wole up at about 8am and since then we've been trying to do normal day things with meals so we'll see how tonight goes.

Had a trip to Sainsbury's this morning which I was most excited about and my brother and his fiancee and her sister are arriving this afternoon and I have to go try on bridesmaids dresses - yikes! At least I have some semblance of a tan! It's bloody cold here - DS has a coat and jeans on - he's never been in temperatures below about 20 and that's in aircon!

i'm still catching up but albs does DD really not like risotto? you might want to remind her next time she refuses to eat yours that she happily ate it at my house!

Congrats expectant. You made it! at DS not ever having experienced sub-20 degress. Come to think of it though, not sure DD2 has ever experienced anything greater.

Was great to see you on Wednesday dizzy. Both DDs were exhausted and slept at the same time AND for more than an hour when you left. Woohoo! How's L today?

Hope you have a good child-free afternoon sazzles. How's the nose now? Are you sporting a black eye or two?

Great new thread title steaky

Your garden sounds great hp. Sadly neither DH nor I are even slightly green-fingered so we downsized on the garden front from our last house and have just enough space for a bbq, table and chairs and a washing line. Perfect!

pertelote - Suddenly realised you might feel suddenly organised into a meet-up when you're up here. I know how busy weekends like that can be, so don't worry at all if you don't have time (or inclination ). Shan't be offended. Would love to see you if it fits in though.

Congrats cyteen! I saw your moment of glory and felt all proud to know you .

sibh - nothing to add I'm afraid about your friend's son, but it does sound like she has a good friend in you.

Pleased to hear your day at work went well and your nights are showing some improvement sambo. My contract has a similarly evil clause.

We're now into full on preparation/excitement mode (well DD1 is) about our holiday VG. I've finally read the detailed info though which goes into great detail about the stove and how hot the pipes get. Rather worried about DD2 now that she's crawling... Can you reassure me at all?

Am sure I've missed someone/something. Hope not, but apols anyway.

Good few days here. DD1 on v. funny form, although she did manage to get into DH's blackberry and send random e-mails to most of his work contacts. I found this funny, DH less so.... She also went round the house removing the photos in the photo frames and, having unearthed some blu-tack from somewhere has posted them all on the wall by either side of our bed. Makes it feel like a student bedroom but v. sweet all the same.

DH bought a trailer for his bike yesterday so we've been out with that a fair bit and took the girls swimming this morning. Suspect DD2 is technically far too young for the trailer, but bolstered by DD1 she looks perfectly secure and they are SO sweet sitting there together with DD1 chatting away and protectively cuddling her.

Right, best be off. DD1 needs to be brought into the real world: she's sitting with the Mini Boden catalogue telling me everything that she wants - emphasis on everything .

Cyteen thanks for worrying - yesterday was not good. A 3 out of 10 day.
Today a bit of a mixed bag, a bit 2 here, a bit 7 there. So probably averaging at 5.

Mansteak has made beef provencal for dinner - that could boost it up to a good 6 as long as we can be nice to each other all evening.

Expectant glad you arrived safely. Sainburys - oooh - When I was working in UK the other winter I did 90 quid in there on my first shop - and that was just for me.

poppy glad you like the title - your brood sound lovely.

Steak I meant to say earlier, is there the possibility of you coming back to family in the UK for a visit? Do you think it would be nice/helpful/give you space, if you could just bring DD over for a visit and be among familiar things and people? It might take the pressure off you and DH and give you both time to take stock.

DP has gone off down to London for his night out so Joe and I are vegging in the front room. A quiet night in beckons (is there any other kind these days?)

Sazz thank you for sympathy, I fear there was a tad over reaction on my part but I was furious. I know he can't help being held on at work so getting in at 5.30am not his fault BUT he knew I had a meeting at the cafe site today, which is NOT suitable for the girls to be in, and certainly not productive when having to take all 3 of them with me, which I had to do. Meeting went badly as even though I went armed with a ball to keep them amused in the garden at the rear DD1 decided she needed the toilet the minute we arrived, DD2 filled her nappy spectacularly in a similar fashion to the other day and Dylan not best pleased with sitting in the pram playing with the keys. The lady lifted DD2 up and sat her on a worksurface to try to appease her without realising that her nappy had leaked and has therefore leaked out all over the surveyors drawings that I took with me

not a great meeting at all got home to find DH had got up, had his shower (therefore already doing better than me ) and had put on the tumble dryer its fecking lovely up here today. Went upstairs to feed Dylan for her nap and he answered the phone, believing it to be my friend who was due to phone, I went down to hear him saying 'no problem, thanks' and hanging up. It was work giving him a call out and he went back in just after 2pm and he won't be home till after 2am again tonight and will no doubt sleep all fecking day tomorrow. Tesco shop has not been achieved as I planned on leaving the girls and nipping in so we've now no bread/milk etc I stomped, threw a tantrum etc and his parting shot was we need the money

now I know it wasn't directed exactly like it but there is nothing like making me feel like a financial burden needless to say I haven't heard from him since. Was cheered up by arrival of lovely friend and the lindt chocs she brought to brighten me up and then playing mario Kart on the wii with DD1 for a wee while

poppy glad they slept well for you and how sweet of M sitting catalogue shopping and making sure you have your loved ones around you!

sazz glad you had a lovely mooch, what did you buy for DH's birthday?

expectant lovely to have you home

steaky hope all going well - I'm no longer going to give advice re relationships as you can see from above I am in no way qualified

VG where are you?!?!

TS where are you?!?!?

No1 where are you?!?!?

Arse, I shall never catch up! Here's my usual infodump of manic activity though:

Have survived taking all 3 kids to 'help' on real nappy stand at local Eco minifestival and walking 2m home with them whingeing and dawdling. Also made a chicken pie in the morning, got the kids to bed by 7.30pm, had gorgeous loveydovey shag with DH and oh I hear he has just returned with takeaway. Don't tell him I already ate tea with the kids. Hope everyone else has as nice a weekend as I'm having so far.

Oh Dizzy what a nightmare. Stiff drink and straight to bed?

DH has brought home sushi and curry from Tesco. Genius or what?

ah b*stards, just got the 'are you speaking to me yet' text which was sent at 8pm and the 'baby?' text sent at 9pm both at the same time - am now going to have to play nice

arse

thanks buckets I realise on the grand scheme of things its not a huge issue but sometimes it would be nice to be the top of the food chain round here

pf where are you too?!?!??

Sound like great days, Buckets and Sazzles! I love fetes too, shame we don't have more of them in east London . Sazzles is it the uniforms DD1 is attracted to?!

Dizzy sorry you're feeling abandoned. I sympathise, though my situation can't really compare with yours - looking after my one child alone for an hour longer than I expected is enough to make me think I'm exhausted, put-upon, unappreciated....

Poppy don't worry! I'd love to meet up with you and Dizzy but it does depend on finding a time - once I know about our travel (we're coming up by train) I'll suggest something.

Welcome back to the UK Expectant!

Hope you're enjoying your quiet evening Cyteen... and you yours, Steaky.

pertelote not to worry about travel, poppy and I are both mobile and can come to you

I don't think I'd be so bad if I didn't have a wall to strip of wallpaper before Monday, to take the girls single handedly to gymnastics in the morning AND he's going to be away on a course the days immediately preceeding the christening so the huge clean up/organise and facilitating will have to be done asusual by me

right, enough said

pertelote can you remind me when you're coming up?

I had an ongoing ad hoc arrangement with DD2's nursery when I took her out but the last few times I've phoned and asked them to take her they've told me they've no spaces. I knew that was a risk at the time but she's meant to be visiting the preschool room as well so I'm sure they could shuffle something if they were inclined. When I asked the new manager if she wasn't happy re the arrangement, she pleaded ignorance and blamed it on staffing issues and her settling in period - I'm going to go and see her in a few weeks to see what's happening.

I was thinking about this tonight whilst I was bathing Dylan, the state of the bathroom lead my train of thought I think I'm going to ask one of the childminders to take DD2 one day a week up until the summer holidays and then hopefully I'll know more about whats happening. I'm not sure if she'll do it on a temporary basis but it can't hurt to ask - might as well use all this extra money that DH is earning to try to restore my sanity house to some semblance of order

its DD2 I'm wanting her to take if you mean Dylan then she probably could BUT I haven't given that any thought yet

VG lol at you explaining that DP fed E solids - did you think we were off to phone the social re the wee starving soul

glad your dsis had a very well needed break, I take my hat off to her. How is other lovely new neice doing?

sazz no problem, DD1 at school all week so was hoping that she could take DD2 one day during school hours to let me do battle with the house - am online trying to find an hourly rate without much success