June 2008: the One Show (almost)

[Essie3]

off tomorrow at 6.00 am so must get to bed, night all, don't chat too much in the next 3 days

Neenz, lol at you wanting to buy them a photocopier! They are a great organistion and I couldn't believe what a shoestring they ran on til I went to visit them - how on earth they have coped with out a photocopier I don't know!

Hmm, £500 would be fab - you wouldn't believe the list of things we've already made that we need to buy before October! E-bay here I come . . .

Ali, bless P - it's so hard isn't it! Alex has spent this morning discovering all the delights of our holiday cottage and we're spending every minute moving something different out of his reach (much to his annoyance!).

Hope you enjoyed the tennis yesterday - did Murray win?

poppy, hope you're enjoying France .

AH, so sorry you're having such a tough time with the impetigo, it really is horrible and I hope the cream works quickly.

P&P, sorry your little girl is giving you such a hard time with the sleep and that the CC isn't working .

viva, did I read that right? Your 85 year old grandpa was crawling round a chair? Wow! I'm seriously impressed - you have some good genes in your family .

BDQ, hugs to you .

Deb, have a fab time in the UK.

Right, I'm off to watch The Big Question - my little brother is on talking about the abolition of the monarchy, and Benjamin Zephanih is on too, big fan!

Oh, and if I don't get onto the PC tomorrow - Happy Birthday to Luke and Thea, Alex's birthday buddies .

Have just turned on the tv - and my poor brother is sat next to the BNP MEPs . Poor sod - they could have sat him next to someone nice .

Sponge what do you need as we are having a clear out?

Holy crap, I put B to bed, left the room, he grizzled for about a minute and then went to sleep! Halle-bloody-lujah. Amazing.

He's still waking during the night, and last night was a bit rubbish, but it looks like we're getting somewhere.

BDQ, hope your nights improve soon, and thank you - things will get better. Viva, yes, coffee and cake - let's do it. Loved the pics of C and your Papa on FB.

Ali, hope you enjoyed the tennis.

We had a lovely day at the seaside today, and B had his first plodge in the sea - it's either been too cold or he's been asleep when we've been uptil now. He looked confused and then quite into it.

Still need to talk to DP - we were too knackered last night. Maybe tonight, but he's looking after his two DDs atm, so not sure when he can back.

Right, I'm going to tidy up a bit, this place is a bombsite!

5, the usual stuff - travel cot, high chair, cot bed, etc. Are you not planning on another one though?

If you've got anything you don't want let me know - and let me know what you want for it.

Had a lovely day here today - and very excited about A's birthday tomorrow .

sponge yep, he's amazing. Totally reminds me that not all old people are crumbly every time I visit them, as working in a hospital you get a squewed (sp?) view of them! There's a photo on FB in my phone photos album!

whinegums let me know when suits you. We're off on holiday for a week on Friday afternoon, so I can do Tues afternoon this week, or a day the week after our holiday, as off work for another week (C is changing nursery so it's a settling in week!)

happy birthday to Alex,Luke and Thea, have a wonderful day x

Viva, (and Amber), yeah I lol'd at Clomid puree

Poppy, sorry for all the rambling posts from me . Good to hear from you, I know what you mean about unsuitable furniture .

Puree, we are having similar problems with E. I think it must be developmental, trying to exert their independence? She cries and cries and cries when we put her down, at lunchtime and at night. Eventually she goes to sleep, she doesn't make herself sick thankfully. I remember my health visitor talking to me about CC and how difficult it can be sometimes, 'because they make themselves sick'. I said 'wow, what are you supposed to do then?' and she said 'just ignore them, change their sheets and put the them back down' . Luckily we have never had to deal with that but I thought at the time 'that is hardcore!' Sometimes I wonder whether she is not tired enough, and other that she is overtired! She is up now (9.10pm ) but we have been out at a baptism today and she slept in the car from 6-7pm so no surprise she didn't go to sleep after her bath. (T, on the other hand, has gone off no problem - that boy loves his sleep!).

Abdn, yes all men are like that. My DH had a lie-in yesterday which I thought meant I could have one today, but no, he had to go and do a reading at church at 8.45am this morning so only one of us got a lie-in this weekend - him. Not quite the same as your situation but they are just so thoughtless sometimes. Glad to hear the babies do become reliable sleepers eventually!

Sponge, I bought/buy pretty much everything off ebay for T and E, and feel very proud of the money I saved . Do you need another high chair? My sister's two-year-old sits in a proper chair at the table so will Alex be big enough for that by the time Bill is weaning? I bought both cots off ebay but both of them have dodgy drop-down sides. They do the job as long as the DTs don't press down too hard (we have those sides against the wall so it is not a problem, but not ideal). So I would recommend a cheap cot from Mothercare or IKEA and then a cheap single bed when he's too big for the cot, rather than a second-hand cotbed. We got a travel cot for £15 off ebay.

BDQ, could it be the heat? Sorry you're having a tough time.

Debs, enjoy your trip

Happy birthday to Alex, Luke and Thea for tomorrow!!!

Thanks for the birthday wishes, and happy birthday to Luke and Alex . I'm feeling very sad about Thea being one, which is a bit pathetic, but it's been such a lovely happy year and probably the last time I'll have a little baby of my own to look after. DS1 was away for the weekend and he had a lovely time but we missed him and it made me even more sad about being a stage further away from babyhood.

Deb thanks for asking about DD1. She's been a lot better recently, thank goodness. I've revived the double buggy as she was getting so stroppy on the walk from nursery to school, mainly because she was exhausted. It's a bit of a step backwards but she clearly needs the chance to sit down a bit more and is much better for it. We had to cut short a telephone conversation with their grandma, though, as DD1 was screaming at the boys to get off the phone. So it's a bit 2 steps forward and 1 back, but still an improvement.

Deb again - have a great holiday.

Whinegums fingers crossed for tonight!

Happy Birthday Alex Luke and Thea and welcome to the One Club!!

FWIW Rolf- I felt sad on CJ's birthday too. Glad you are finding some success with DD1.

Totally did not gt the Clomid puree thing until now- oops! And thanks so much for your good wishes. I've mixed emotions about the whole thing.

Sponge- I had a friend who had babies 14 months apart. She had a cotbed for number one and a cot for number two then number two switched to cotbed when number one moved to bed. Also know people who used a travel cot for DD2 until DD1 was in a bed. Same with highchair- used a booster for DD1 so DD2 could move from Bumbo to highchair. Don't know if that's any help.

Bloody hell Ali- you must have had a great day at the tennis!

Progress heer on CC front (I think) CJ woke when I went to bed at 9 (gettibg earlier so I can cope with middle-of-the-night nonsense) but I gave her a cuddle for ten mins (DH got her out of nursery before I could stop him and then left me to it. Grr) then puut her back. Same at 2am and we only had ten mins of crying then she slept until 6.45!!!! Please God, let it last!!

Ooh, it's a busy birthday day today. Happy birthday to everyone!

Thanks all for sympathy with our tough nights. We went to dinner at a friends last night so he was awake till 11pm. At least we were having a pleasant evening rather than fighting to get him to sleep. He was screaming his head off by about 2pm though so he came into bed with us then.

It could be the heat neenz his room is very warm. We have a fan in there now. I'm just hoping he'll go back to normal soon. We're a bit rubbish at tackling sleep problems here! Mostly, because any sleep issues have been ad hoc and random rather than following any consistent pattern.

He's been plonked in front of cbeebies just now so I best go and rescue him! Hope deb is having a good time in tv uk.

sponge my 18 month old DN hasn't used a highchair for about a month I think, she's in one of those booster chairs.

Oh while I remember, anyone in the north west near Wigan/standish? My friend has opened a baby gift shop where you can also buy/sell quality 2nd hand baby stuff.

Happy birthday to everyone, a busy day for lots today!

BDQ was he watching anything good on cbeebies though? J is partial to the wonderpets (actually they might be Nick jr), and I have to say I have been known to sing along myself .

J has had a bit of a developmental spurt on the climbing front (sigh). He can now climb onto the sofa, but cannot get down without falling and banging himself. This doesn't stop him from getting up there every two minutes and looking incredibly pleased with himself though. I can see we are going to need eyes in the back of our heads again until he has figured out out to back off safely.

Happy Birthday to the 15th June babies. This was the Monday last year that I was in induced labour for the whole 24 hours, at this stage I was in a pethidene fuzz, and that was the good bit .

The tennis was lovely. Andy Murray just made it look so easy. In real life he is very light on his feet. That doesn't really come across on the TV. It was a shame that the other semi-final did not finish, but after that there was some doubles. I made the most of the opportunity to relax in the sun whilst not worrying about what Peter was doing.

Yesterday we went to the christening of my cousin's daughter. I was Godmother (first time for me). We had an excellent day with the extended family. Peter happily played in a sand pit for ages until he upended a bucket of sand over his head. He was not impressed with sand in his eyes and mouth.

Whinegums - awesome news about the bedtime. It is like a miracle when they first start self settling

Arrrrrrrgh! Just wrote a really long and detailed post and it's gone. Will have to start again later. Happy birthday to Alex and Thea and of course my little Luke Monster

Glad you had a good time at the tennis Ali. Did you see any celebs? Tennis is one sport I've never watched live but I'd love to one day. I can imagine it was nice not thinking about Peter - I am going away for a night with my friend on July 25 and leaving DH to it, really looking forward to that. Also going to Italy for two nights and away again in august for two nights without the kids.

Rolf, it is understandable that you are sad that your last baby is growing up. But just think how nice it will be when they are all grown up and left home and you and DH can retire and go on loads of nice holidays! (I am already dreaming of this )

I am quite near Standish BDQ, what's the details of the shop?

I am feeling a bit lonely today - I think now t and e are older they are not so demanding on my time so I feel a bit bored. I have some pals round here but not really good friends who I can have a good gossip with. I rang the wife of one of DH's best friends to see if she wanted to meet up but there was no answer, sent her a text but not heard back yet. I have made lots of lunch/play dates with people for the next few weeks though. I really have to put the work in for proper friendships to form, no good just saying they are not close friends - got to make them close friends! I am feeling sad though about everything that happened last week with my ex-friend. I even read through the last couple of months of my FB page to see what she was going on about and I really can't see what she found so upsetting . I don;t think it was really about FB tho

Hope the June 15 trio (and mums) are enjoying their birthdays

Happy birthday to the 15th June babies! Rolf, Puree, I'm also feeling strange and sad because Iestyn is one tomorrow.

Anyhow, Deb spotted my absence, but I was busy making cakes and things for Iestyn's birthday party yesterday (with inlaws). It was lovely weather so we were in the garden (relief), and FIL brought out a telescope (he's a keen birdwatcher) which he set up and we could see loads of people on top of Snowdon, and the new cafe, and the train in the station at the summit and everything! Iestyn seemed to enjoy the party, and it all went very well. Oh, and I made special bunting for him!

I missed 4 pages of chat I think so I can't quite keep up. Some highlights: crap husbands, strained relationships, yes, we're at that point too - tell me where the commune is, whinegums! neenz really sad about your friend, but I think sponge makes a good point - if it's too painful, don't go there (facebook). I had similar problems with my frenemy - she couldn't conceive, and I got pregnant, and she cut me out. It must have been hell (sponge would know), but then again, women get pregnant all over the place all the time, and if you cut out all your friends who manage to get pregnant/have healthy babies when you don't etc, then you're in a small group of people being depressed together about the same topic which isn't really healthy. (sponge and anyone else, I'm not trying to offend, and I hope I don't.)

Five welcome back! Were you asking about the Anglesey/London trip for practical tips or was it a rhetorical question? We don't do it as much these days. Did you cross at Holyhead??

Hellish week this week, might not be on here as much!

Yeah that's what I keep thinking Essie - it must be so so hard to have a disabled son, and I tried my best to be a good friend to her, but she has moved 12,000 miles away and I have had twins to look after so really the opportunities to be there for her have been limited (although I did try and she ignored or rejected me many times ). But yes she should just not use FB!

Did you MIL come up to stay with your mum, was that this week? Sounds cool with the telescope! Happy birthday Iestyn for tomorrow!

neenz sorry about your friend, don't let her put you off posting about T and E, she always has the options of blocking you.

essie yes we went via Holyhead and started to panic slightly as we arrived at the Travelodge on the Sunday night and forgot that shops shut there, luckily we found an off licence that made that night bearable, 2 years before we do it again.

sponge, the rate DD is going she will drive us to an early grave so we won't be able to have another one , we have a spare travelcot, babybath, moses basket and stand, will have a highchair later on this year.

Hope Alex and Luke have enjoyed the day. Thea loved her birthday cake and we had a few visitors which was lovely.

I am still being grouchy with DH and one of our neighbours has had to come round for the second time in a couple of weeks because of DH. The first time, DH forgot that you are supposed to park a car before you get out, and he instead just stopped it in the road outside our house, got out and came in for supper (I'm not kidding). This evening he left a huge trolley bag in the middle of the road. The poor neighbour gets stuck in the road when he's on his way home from work and has to get out of his car and come and ask us to deal with it .

Happy Birthday (just!) Luke, Thea and Alex. And for tomorrow to Iestyn too. What is 'Happy Birthday' in Welsh Essie?

The commune still seems like a good idea. We still haven't had a proper talk, DP is avoiding... We've both been knackered over the past couple of days and he's working late tonight, so he can have the benefit of the doubt for now.

Ali, tennis sounded fab.

BDQ, hope your nights improve soon. BTW, the job you gave me some advice about - it looks like it's a stitch up for someone (very inexperienced) working there already.

B went down with barely a whimper tonight! He is still waking around 9-10pm, but goes back to sleep, and then wakes between 11 and midnight when I feed him. Then he wakes about 3am, I am trying to drop that feed, managed to fend him off til 4.30 this morning. He comes into bed with me then, and then wakes for the day any time from 6.30. So we still have a long way to go, but I'm feeling a lot better about it all.

Fraught afternoon - was on my way back from the shops when the pushchair died. Gah. The bolt on the bottom strut seems to have snapped, and the bloody thing collapsed. Luckily one of our neighbours was in, so she kept an eye on B whilst I got the pushchair and shopping upstairs. It's still under warranty, so hopefully it will get sorted out soon. After that, everything seemed to go a bit wrong, I've been very clumsy today.

Viva - how about after your hols - I have to go luggage shopping tomorrow. I realised I need a much bigger case for B's stuff - a pack of nappies takes up half of my current suitcase!

Whinegums- glad you are feeling better about CC but it sucks about the pushchair ((hugs))

Essie- hope you all have a lovely day tomorrow.You'll be delighted to know that the bunting you gave us is finally up in the playhouse and looks fab. You'll have to tell me how you made it!

whinegums after my hols is good for me, send me a FB message and we'll sort something out. glad that the settling has been so much better and the night sounds better too. Hope you get the pushchair fixed OK, and just a thought, but I tend to take a few nappies and then buy more when I get there? cuts down on space!

essie happy birthday for Iestyn for tomorrow, and his birthday buddies(can't remember who they are, but happy happy birthday!)

We're going to need a new thread, and in answer to amber's question from page 1, no, they're not all one yet!

Any ideas for thread names? How about a cool rhyming one for Essie?! My favourite one is the June 2007 one, - better living through chocolate. something of that ilk would be good...

It's 'penblwydd hapus'! Iestyn has no birthday buddies. Quite unique, clearly!

Five should have given me a call - I could have sped over with, don't know, some veggie sausages or something! Holyhead is pretty grim...

Viva I leave the thread if it rhymes. Or, how about that awful one with not one but two - TWO! - misplaced apostrophes? I mean, I've been sleep deprived, but grammar still matters... (Had a panic there. Is it more than one greengrocer?!)

Essie, lol at the apostrophes - although my dad would pull you up on qualifying the word unique!!

Happy Birthday to Isetyn!

I did avoid all my pg friends actually - but then I'm lucky, I have alot of friends who don't want kids so I spent alot of time with them! (Bet they think I'm a great friend now I've got a baby and see nothing of them !).

Thanks for all the birthday wishes - we had a fab day, and Alex went on a steam train for the first time. Photos will be on FB next week - can't upload from here.

5, would definitely be interested in the travel cot and moses basket/stand. Will email you. Thanks for all the other money saving tips - having a bit of a dim moment thinking I would need a high chair from day one . Of course, Bill will be so advanced I will be weaning at four weeks !

Will be picking brains for travel tips later in the year as we want to fly to Scotland in March - is this doable?!

Doing an interview on Radio Sussex at 10.15 this morning about that horrendous case of the IVF couple who lost their embryo to another woman. So .

Hope everyone else is well x