May 07 - The Terriffic Twos. (No harm in being optimistic, I say.)

[twelveyeargap]

Morning ladies. Sorry I have been AWOL. You'd think with DH having been at home for a full month that I'd have had time for MN. Actually no, if any of you have ever had a DH at home for a full month you'd know exactly why I haven't had time. Get your mind out of the gutter Gin, it's not that.

Thought I'd start a new thread since MKG's lovely girl arrived such a long time ago!

April, am very sorry about your friend. How sad.

Have only had a skim through I'm afraid, but Scoot; you obviously have the patience of a saint dealing with all those tantrums, so I think you'd make a great driving instructor. Is it really what you want to do or are you trying to think of jobs to fit in with family life? Is it a reaction to the current job do you think?

Congratulations on the wedding plans SKY.

Belated birthday greetings to everyone I've missed and happy birthday in advance to all the rest. Seriously, if I go off to find the birthday thread it might be weeks before I get back!

LG&T, is there any way you can channel B's energy into activity? A gets quite naughty when she's bored or hasn't been "out". "Out" can just mean the garden and "out" means she doesn't sound so loud to me, thus killing two birds with one stone. I'm wondering if you being (understandably) afraid to leave the house with him is actually making things worse? Something like a trampoline in the garden could be great because all the bouncing up and down would use up tons of energy and wear him out, whilst also being "fun" for him and "quiet" for you.
Also, re B's nappy rash. Remember A had a hideous rash that needed anti-biotics etc? Well it went away and then was back a couple of weeks later. I thought it couldn't possibly be teeth again as she seems to have all her teeth. Took her off milk and hey presto, the rash was gone in 18 hours. Plus her soft, foul-smelling poos have turned into normal firm not-awful smelling poos. She's fine with butter or the occasional bit of cheese, but any more lactose sets her off. I wonder could B have a similar problem? A's excema also got worse on milk and is now clearing up. I think it's probably temporary, she had a similar problem last year, but for now she's on rice milk or the Lactofree products when I can get hold of them.

I was at the doctor on Weds to get my Mirena removed and replaced with a copper coil to see if my libido would come back. GP couldn't "find" the Mirena. I have to go for a scan to find it, then to a family planning clinic to have it removed if they do find it. She said it's probably just lost, rather than come out, but it's kind of put me off using coils altogether now.

DH still not redundant yet. It's been a month since he was put "at risk". He's seeing HR today and I suspect this will be the final meeting and they actually sack him. His manager admitted they were hiring new people for the desk, but not for "his role", which is just a load of crap. You can't make a position redundant on the basis you want to hire someone "more senior". That's just a staff upgrade. Hopefully they'll make a settlement offer today, otherwise he'll have to appeal and start sending solicitors letters. However, he's had loads of interviews, lots of callbacks and good feedback.

Evening all.

I can't stay long, I'm just trying to make a bastard panda outfit for World Environment Day . Why couldn't she have chosen something easy like coming covered in rubbish. Bah humbug.

Anyhow great news on your scans Charley and Tills. Now you can both enjoy your pregnancies.

The Africa office has been out of action this week suffering from a similar fate to the UK branch. All operations shall be resumed henceforth.

How are you coping Tills on your own?

Well done on all those potty trained brats lovelies. My beast will have his nappy off all afternoon with not a single accident, but will he sit on the potty or the toilet 'no mama, don't want to'. Even if I try to bribe him with chocolate. I think I will leave it to Elizabeth to sort out . PMSL at Aoife's log. [grin}

LG&T MOTY, best get your finest lingerie out and make the most of your extra few days I take it Beau has been an angel this week?

MrsJB I think ellie has arrived safe and sound but its a bit difficult to tell amongst all the other parcels arriving for me after my internet shopping spree So 'un grand merci' and please send me an email so I can clear all debts.

Wow April, congratulations on another award, good for you and dh. You are looking far too glam by the way. It just isn't fair.

I forgot to ask you Pink how L is now? Has she turned a corner? You must both be exhausted......

Yes Pink how are you today?

It was lovely to speak to you yesterday You should phone more often, less tears next time though. I could have cried down the phone with you!

Aoife and the log. Good book title i think TYG? Hehehehe. I have many poo tales to tell, all yuk. i am allergic to potty training

CM i LOVE the name Elizabeth too. Verity Elisabeth. Oooooh lovely. Henry also fab. I know a horror Henry though.

I am hungry and completely uninspired by my fridge contents, no dh tonight (Duty)

Tills i see the dress message. Roger that.

A bastard panda TMAM good luck.

Tilly, Charley good to hear you have both had positive scans. I think Tilly - boy and Charley - girl. If its a boy Tilly I think Edward is a lovely name I wanted to call Lachie this and his nickname was to be Ted but DP said no as I would be calling him SuperTed all the time.

Pebble hop eoyu hand DP have resolved some differences.

Where is Scoot she has disappeared since her drunken ramblings.

AM your pregnancy is whizzing along. Congrats on getting Jackeroo into the school you wanted and on sleep camp.

Abby have you manage dot get all your reprts done.

Good luck to all those potty training not really doing anything about it here yet although MrsJB potty training guru I have a question for you. A couple of weeks ago after swimming Archie was peeing and then holding it and then letting a bit out again after we took his swim nappy off he found it hilarious is this a sign I should crack on he hasnt done it since. He really doesnt seem to have much of a clue yet he sits on the potty at every nappy change and I say go wee wee but he does nothing.

PJ how is the pox, are you doign oat baths they will help with the itching a bit?

Oh dear I have been sucked in by BB already.

Happy Birthday to our late May early June babies. I cant believe my munchkin turned 2. We have the hellish family shindig on Sunday to celebrate its going to pish down so have no idea how they are all going to ignore each other when they are squashed into my living room. DP is making the cake its Elmo there will be pictures honeslty the amount of practice sponges I have consummed in the last 2 weeks is disgraceful.

Have fab wkends all.

I'm sucked into BB as well (as predicted ). The usual bunch of freaks this year. Is everyone in the world except me "bi-sexual" (but hasn't actually had a same sex partner - oh no - they'd just be open to the idea ) I'm sooooo uncool

Jam - I love Edward but we have a nephew who is Edward (Teddy). I'm thinking girl though. Definitely

MOTY/Gin - I don't know how you do it.... DH goes off for 4 days and I have ONE child and I struggle... I miss him even if he can be an arse sometimes

Love Verity Elizabeth too

How are things Pebble ? PJ ??

It is a sign Jam, he obviously has control over that muscle already, something they normally learn to develop in the first few days of toilet training. It's also a sign that he is happy to sit on the potty, he doesn't have to do anything, just begin to understand what it is for. There is no rush though, they are still little. I am doing J now beacause I have the time in these next few weeks before my lot break from school on the 3rd July. She starts school properly when they go back in Sept so now I decided was easier than when H & M are off. We are nearly there, day 6 today, she took herself off twice this morning for a wee and once for a poo, yesterday we only had one wee accident on the floor. She was dry this morning again, well I'm glad I'm good at something on the mother front, cause I'm pretty shite at the rest of it. I wish I was a calm mother.

So Mrs Toilet Expert, how do I get J to like the idea of the toilet or the potty? He has control of the pee pee, just doesn't want to do it on the loo or the potty, preferring to wait until bath time.

Pop a sweet inside, that'll intice him!

Have you tried getting him to stick stickers all over them? Each time he sits, doesn't matter if he doesn't do anything but if he trys it out then he can stick a sticker on. Should peel off easy after. How about a step for the toilet? J really likes the fact that she can do it ALL on her own by climbing the step!

at the toilet talk. Queasy post ball, tequila drinking, Nordic Ice shots kind of a tummy......

Hello Hello can I come in Sorry life has been crazy busy again, I am not sure how I managed working

I dont think A has even contemplated what his bits are for he looks pretty chuffed with himself when all this wee starts coming out mch to his sisters disgust as its usually in her bath, I am not even thinking about it yet, maybe in the autumn he will be ready but deffo not before then, he doesnt even have many word yet so will wait until he can at least signal he needs to go

Sleep is a nightmare still, and he has had an upset tummy, I even took him to the hospital the other day but they looked at me like I was some attention seeking looney - they didnt see him an hour before writhing around in agony screaming owww owww poor little mite, however this only seems to happen at night in the day he is still a little bugger and has even lost ,my £400 trollbead bracelet dd thinks she saw him with it near the toilet, dappy moose didnt think to take it off of him I am v. concerned about this as he can flush the loo.

AM I wont be able to make the meet up as I have a friends bbq on the 20th nr winchester, and TT on the 1st, so cant really afford another trip up that way, hopefully will make the next one

ABBY can you give me any tips on applying to be a teaching asst, I am looking into doing this when ds starts school bt would like to do the course sooner but you need to be working as a TA whilst doing the course so thought I would do it as a volunteer, anything a head would be looking for in a letter of enquiry

Hope everyone has enjoyed the fab weather, it has been lovely down here apart from the last few days

Well done on the scans Tilly and Charley

Is anyone elses little ones not got a varied vocabulary, dd was much more chatty at this age, I am not worried he had a shaky start to live and is much more capable in other ways and sooooo strong - he can push his sister over with one hand and carry 2 4pt milk cartons just wondering how slow he is ot of criosity really

Have a fab day all xx

Evening all

Lupins Alana doesnt say much either although she can say shit very clearly Im not too bothered yet as Ethan was a late talker. I do feel a bit sad when she is around younger children who speak better than her but she doesnt seem to care. Alana is very strong too. She can push all the older kids round the green in their go karts and makes it look so easy. One of the girls is quite heavy too, i have trouble pushing her lol.

Congratulations on the scans CM and Tilly

AM im sure it doesnt feel like it to you but your pregnancy seems to be flying by. Wont be long now although the last weeks always seem to drag dont they

Things with dh have improved after i told him that if things didnt change then i would be seeking a divorce. We had a long chat and since then, apart from the odd tiny slip up, he has been more like the man i married. It was our 7yr wedding anniversary on the 1st and he took the night off work so we went out for a nice meal. Think it did us good, having time alone and away from the kids. We are going to try to do it at least once a fortnight even if its a quick meal during the day while the older two are at school and mil has the lo's.

I have entered Ethan, Deacon and Alana (jordan was too old) into a cute child competition at our local shopping centre. I know its cheeky but when voting starts online can i get you to vote for them. I know several people who come from large families so their lo's get lots of votes everytime whereas i only come from a smallish family so mine dont stand a chance lol. To be honest i only entered them so i could get their pictures taken cheaply but now i think it would be nice if they did well. The picture of Ethan is the best one ever, he looks so handsome, with his cheeky grin and freckles.

Pebble am so pleased that things are a little better for you. It is hard to make time when you have kids but is so worth it when you get to eat dinner without having to herd the kids to the table and end up bolting the food down as quickly as possible because they are playing up.

Oh this pg is flying by, 26 wks tomorrow which is total madness! Dragged at the beginning and am sure that once we get into July that it will drag again. Have a feeling though that she will also be early (or perhaps that's me being optimistic).

Cant remember if i said but Jack got offered a place at the school on the estate this week, which is a massive relief. Bought him some school trousers and polo shirts yesterday which was very scary - more so than buying baby clothes for the first time.

Lups, Ella was a lot later talking than Jack and now its hard to shut her up - dont know where she gets that from...... Shame you cant make the meet up - am really looking forward to it. Am waiting on my TT tickets at the moment - not sure what date or where abouts in the stadium they are as i am relying on my friends sister to get them for me (she has the same promoter as TT so should be able to wangle something, well fingers crossed anyway...)

I think i might even have a spare ticket as DH and my sister are away through all the Wembley dates..... JAM you sprung to mind

Ella is doing well on the potty training front - just been talking to Jaffa about it - i have found out her secret.......... gaffa tape to the toilet all day

Scoot, i hope that Mae had a good day yesterday x

Pink, i will be thinking of you tomorrow during L's hip appt. Please try not to worry. Is M still taking her? Please let me know the outcome xx

Off to bed now, hope you all had a great weekend xx

Happy Birthday to Mae for yesterday x

Good luck tomorrow PJ.

Pebble glad you and dh got some time together, we have really struggled to keep our relationship since having kids its so hard to find time for each other

AM let me know when you are going to TT we are going on the 1st (weds), well done on getting J into school hope he enjoys it - seems crazy that he is going to school already

Hope Mae had a lovely b'day

L decided to get up extremely early today - 5am!! Its ok for him as he will be back asleep probably by 9 am.

Pleased things are a bit better Pebble.

DD2s birthday today - she is 9. Why does it cost a fortune in sweets to take to School, Brownies and Centrestage? She had a pottery painting party on Saturday so not really doing anything today. She has Brownies tonight anyway. She had just gone up to wake DD1 so she can open her pressies . Not sure what response she will get!

Lups, not sure what date as its down to what my friend can get am hoping to find out soonish though.

I know it is total madness that he will be at big school in eek 12 weeks! He is more than ready for it though and at least now i know he will be at school with friends that he has known since he was born. His best mate is 8 days older and was part of our ante-natal group - fingers crossed they end up in the same class.

Happy birthday to dd2 SKY. I know what you mean about costing a fortune, J had 3 cakes for his birthday - 1 for nursery, 1 for his party plus party bags and then 1 for his actual birthday.

Pebble - glad things are better with dh. I think sometimes we're just so busy dealing with everything else that it takes a really big row to realise that its time to sit down and have "serious" time together. Let us know where we need to vote for your dc's btw

All this talk of school scares me silly. Til is starting at playgroup for 2 mornings from September and we have been going a few times to get her used to it. The manager suggested that next time we go I might want to leave her for a hour to see how she gets on. We were supposed to go this morning but I bottled it I'm such a freak

AM (and others), I'm sorry but I think we're going to have to give the meet up a miss. We're already driving up from Cornwall to home on the Saturday and I think it'll be a bit much to drive back down to Hants on the Sunday. We were going to try and stay with some friends in Fordingbridge on the Saturday night on the way back from hols, but I then realised its my grandad's 80 th b'day party on the Saturday night and I'm under strict instructions to be back for that. Its such a shame because I would have loved to have met you all

Hello you lot.

Hope you are all ok. Have just skimmed through.

Pebble glad you and dh are back on track. Will vote for the children

Pink excellent news on the appointment. I amvery pleased to see she has settled down behaviour wise too.

I watched the sleep thing last night, not a patch on Beau i don't think. He woke at 1045 and screamed intermittently till 3 until i COMPLETLEY LOST IT. He finally fell asleep soon after. Bluebell woke at 5 and was so unsettled till 7 when it was time to get up.

AM shall we do the meet on Sunday? Is that ok? I am SO looking forward to it. Buggerations to all of you who can't be there, i really want to see you all!

I have my fil camera with pics of Families Day on it, as soon as i can find the cable i will download the pics. No laughing please, if you do keep it quiet.

Scoot where are you?

Oh and Tills leave the girl, she will love it. You will be glad she is settled somewhere and happy by the time the next baby arrives. Better for her you do it now, but you know that don't you. Be brave.

Ladies

I haven't been on Mumsnet for months might even have reached a year!!!

Had Tilda's 2nd birthday party on the weekend and started thinking about everyone and wondering how you all were. Tried to read through this thread and get a sense of how everyone is doing but I've missed so much. Basically wanted to say hello and that while I've not been online whenever I think back to being pregnant with Tild and the months after...the chats, laughs and advice from you is all part of it. Rather magical time

Tild is doing great. She is such a pisser - just makes us laugh. Moved into her own room last week and now sleeps through from 7-7!!!! Only took us 2 years to kick her out but I loved every minute of her little heels in my back and her fingers wrapped in my hair as I slept.

I'm still working 3 days a week so she is 1.5 days with the nanny and 1.5 days at nursery which she loves. I'm preggers again with a BOY (soooo excited but nervous - I'm used to my girl and her bits) due Aug 30th. Benny is good - still working from home so see's loads of Tild.

Love to you all and the little ones and chaps

xxxx

Tam

cinnamontam....woo hooo, how lovely to hear from you, congrats on your pregnancy, you sound very happy and Tild sounds delightful.

lg&t, you sound cheerful too..... you are automatic I believe, do you run on gin?

lalalala I'm not listneing to any nonsesene about flipping giant meets.

Hey there Tam good to hear from you Congrats on the pg and how cool that you are having a little boy. You are 2 wks ahead of me - my edd is the 14th Sept - another girl this time.

Dont you worry MrsJB we will get the webcam up and running for you to chat to everyone - still wish that you were able to come

Wish i could come too. At least I'll be on the beach in sunny Nerja so won't be feeling too bad!!
Tam nice to hear from you and congrats on the next lo.
Lupins nice to hear from you too. In response to your question about being a classroom assistant I would say get as much experience as you can. Could you pop into a local school when A is at Nursery if he goes? The school will be so glad of the help and it will stand you in good stead. I will warn you though it is a very popular job nowadays as more and more mums want to work around school hours. There are loads of college courses you could look at for Teaching Assistant qualifications. We have just advertised a full time permanent post for a TA and got 107 applications!!
LGT I too watched that sleep programme last night. I felt so lucky after watching it. I have two great sleepers, they always have been. I felt so sorry for that little boy with narcolepsy, he was adorable and so knowledgeable about his condition. I couldn't believe the transformation at the end in the mum of the 6 year old who hadn't slept for 3 years. She looked like a different woman.

Hello Tam - congrats on pg

We had a letter today saying C has a pre-school place from September for 3 afternoons. Had to explain to DP that it was actually playgroup, he thought he was too young to be schooled - bless him. Have a taster day next Tuesday - think he will love it. Think we will only take two of the days though - it is £7 per session.

I am really looking forward to the meet up.

I have lost 11.5lbs so far (only about 3 stone to go ).

Tam, congratulations! So lovely to hear that you and the family are all doing well.

Awww Tils, I always hate mine going off to preschool, but by Sept you'll be glad of a wee bit of time to yourself. J is also starting with 3 mornings, from September.

Pebble I am glad to hear that things are going better with dh.

LG&T, how are you doing?!