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F(l)ab Feb 2009: Primark pants and teething rants

993 replies

dinkystinky · 04/06/2009 19:42

A brand new sparkling thread to mark the four month mark for our bubs

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
mumoverseas · 07/06/2009 09:11

rain I thought I was coming home to a nice warm summer!

mumoverseas · 07/06/2009 09:13

oh FFS, heavy thunderstorms and 17 to 18 degrees! DD and DS will freeze haven't got any warm clothes. Stupidly thought a british summer would at least be warm and am sure I read something a few weeks ago along the lines of we were going to have a lovely long hot summer!

littleboyblue · 07/06/2009 09:29

mos Counselling sounds like a good idea, might be a relief to off load onto an outsider. All I would say about depression (and feel free to ignore) is be careful about denial. I thought at the time I might have PND after ds1 was born, but was able to push it to back of my mind and mostly forget about it, but I nw think if I'd been more honest with myself and had it treated at the time, maybe things wouldn't have got so low this time round iyswim?

Haven't started stopping smoking yet. Need to pick up my patches and inhalater on monday, everyone else is giving up on 15th, I want to do it before, but will be hard being around them all, so not sure whether to wait for them or is that just an excuse to prolong it?
Had a lovely afternoon/evening yesterday. My parents had ds's, so me and dp had a nap in the afternoon, then got up had some dinner and watched Twilight (vampire film), it was really good. My friend called at 9pm to say there were a few of them at the bar at the local football club and did I want to join them, she said she'd been drinking at home and had got a call from the lady that runs the playgroup and they were all really pissed. I'd had a glass of wine at home but wasn't really feeling it so said I'd give it a miss, how sad. So we stayed in and fell asleep on the sofa

rosieposey · 07/06/2009 10:41

MOS Am glad your going to counselling but im sorry to hear you are suffering from depression. Bloody PND ive had it and its not nice (fingers crossed all is well this time though.)

Just because you are being rational doesnt mean its not bad, sometimes we can see what is wrong with ourselves but just cant fix it on our own IYSWIM. Sounds like your DH is being more supportive which is great .

I really do understand where you are coming from with regards to your Dad not meeting your DH or two newest DC's as i feel the same about my DH and Milo, he would have loved them and been so glad to see me so happy after the awful time i had with my ex DH.

Please try not to feel guilty about your mum not seeing H, circumstances conspire against us and you were intending to take him over v soon at least she knew all about him and must have been very proud of you.

Didn't know that there was that much of a restriction on medicines when you are BF'ing but i guess it makes sense, just hope that the counselling does the job for you and that you feel better very soon - hugs

PinkTulips · 07/06/2009 10:44

brrrrrr..... it's blimmin cold idn't it?

stoopid crappy summers!

welcome back to civilisation mos... hope you're enjoying swigging gin and wandering around without a tent on not to mention driving!

rosie... wow, sounds like one hell of a trip... emphasise on the hell. glad you made it home in one piece. good luck with the bbq... might have to leave dh out in the garden manning it in the rain while the rest of ye party inside though

nkweto · 07/06/2009 11:25

Hey all...

MOS, I hope you are feeling better soon and counselling sounds like a good idea..

Dinky hope you are getting some sleep and all wardrobe shenanigans are sorted soon!

LBB good luck with the non smoking.. i did it with DS and i had to think about i was gaining..not losing (doesnt need to be the normal health benefits, can be financial, nicer skin, ..mood control anything..) Hope you find a good resolution for your DH's job

Roisie we are trying any route to live permanently in Zambia (not sure if it will happen yet).. if it does.. you and anyone else are ALWAYS welcome it is a wonderful place to visit..

i am very blue about being back.. found some nurseries in london which involve moving, but the properties we have seen so far, have been frankly horrific.. really feeling 'is it worth it'.. with both of us working, we will be struggling to break even on a very frugal lifestyle (may seem wierd after a long holiday, but we had ba miles to spend and stayed at family so actually spent less in the last month than we usually do!)... i can't cut my hours.. i am the higher earner, so if someone does cut down it can't be me.. and DH is not keen at all.. ho hum

mmmmm.....

mumoverseas · 07/06/2009 13:18

PT, not back yet, arrive back around 6am Wednesday am. Rest assured, I'll be quaffing copious amounts of red wine as soon as we are out of saudi airspace (not allowed to serve it til then!)
Have ordered my tescos online shop so lots of pork products should arrive at home by 11am.

I'm hoping I can squeeze in some counselling over the next few weeks. I know a counsellor not far from me who I gave legal advice to a few years ago so am hoping she might be able to fit in a few sessions while DH at home. He comes back to KSA on 17th June and then DS returns to the UK for good on the 28th. Poor lad, he is back to the UK on 13th after his last exam then rushing back on 17th to go on his D of E trip on 18th.

Am shocked by weather in UK and have been rummaging around trying to find warm clothes for DC

spottyshoes · 07/06/2009 14:43

Glad you had a good time Nkweto. My brother spent a while there whilst travelling last year and loved it.

raining

raining

raining heavily

DH at Cricket

Supposedly

dinkystinky · 07/06/2009 17:34

Hi all. MoS - glad you at least have a supportive GP out there for you and the counselling sounds like a brilliant idea. My sister suffered badly from depression a few years back and counselling was the one thing that really helped her through it. Am keeping my fingers crossed that you bring the sun and heat with you on Wednesday

Spotty - what a bummer about the rain; I go stir crazy too stuck inside with the kids. The rain is periodic over in our part of london - it basically buckets it down everytime we want to venture outside.

Nkweto - so sorry to hear you're having a shocker since coming home with househounting and childcare. Am keeping my fingers crossed it all comes together for you - or the move to Zambia (which sounds lovely) does...

OP posts:
MarkStretch · 07/06/2009 17:57

I found you all!

I have been so busy this week I haven't even had time to MN

Just having dinner, will catch up later.

littleboyblue · 07/06/2009 19:37

My dad said that Luke was lovely all of yesterday and didn't stop laughing. However, it all went a bit wrong about midnight. The first thing he said when I walked into his house was "why does he cry ALL the time?" hehehehe. Dad said Luke had him up since 4:15am. I did tell him we often get up to start our day at that time but he thought I was joking
Luke is teething badly here. His gums are rock hard, his is foaming at the mouth and is so miserable, poor little thing. I'm thinking now about semi-regualr doses of calpol to get him through, but for how long?????
Ds1 was very good at my mum's. He slept in a propr bed, didn't get up or fall out once which is good, but mum said he was up at 5:30am.

PinkTulips · 07/06/2009 19:42

I've just had the best fun with Aaron while the monsters were having a shower... i'd just given him his bath and we were practicing sitting (he hates lying down now, freaks out til someone props him up and lord knows i need to keep my sitting muscles in shape )

He managed a whole 6 seconds at one point before toppling over with a big grin on his face but even more spectacular we discovered he can do all of the following rather mad party tricks;

-When falling backwards he can hold himself in a half fallen over position for absolutely ages... imagine someone doing a sit up pausing at the point where all of their back is off the floor but they're not quite upright yet.

-He can grab my fingers and haul himself to standing and support almost all of his weight on his legs (discovered that one accidentally when i gave him my fingers to pull himself to sitting from his weird half sit up and suddenly he was standing laughing in my face)

-He's discovered he can sit perfectly well if he bends at the waist and will sit like that for ages examining his toes and talking to his knees

-He spent 10 mins picking up his comb, putting it down again, picking it up, swiping at his face with it, putting it down, picking it up.... apparently it's very amusing

He was so tired after all that he fell asleep to Smashing Pumpkins on the stereo and had a little snooze in his crib while i cooked dinner

dinkystinky · 07/06/2009 20:23

Wow Pink - Aaron is a pilates natural! Sounds like your little man has abs of steel already Danny has just started properly giggling - generally at Josh - which is adorable, grabbing and sucking anything in grabbing distance and is the amazing rotating baby, but nowhere near sitting or standing yet. Am most impressed at your precocious little man

LBB - you sound like a new woman having had a nice lie in to a reasonable hour today. Hope your mum and dad arent suffering too badly with their early starts to the day. Danny is also an early riser (was hoping for a good sleeper after DS1 but it appears I breed early risers) and its a killer if you're not used to it. Am generally ok with it if I get a reasonable night of sleep with only a handful of wakings but when Danny is in his sleep is for the weak mode I'm on my knees.

OP posts:
mslucy · 07/06/2009 20:28

PT Smashing Pumpkins - very rock and roll.
While DS1 likes to rock, Stan is more of an easy listening kinda guy.
We've got definite signs of teething here- endless dribbling, fist chewing, green poos - the lot. And the outlines of the teeth are very clearly defined in the gums.
MOS You've just suffered from a major bereavement and had a baby (in a foreign country). Of course you should see a counsellor. For what it's worth, nearly everyone I know (including myself) has seen some kind of counsellor/therapist at some time or another. It really is the best thing you can do.

rosieposey · 07/06/2009 20:46

PT what a lovely picture i had in my head then All sounds lovely in the Tulip household. Thats pretty cool that he can do that already, Milo loves to be sat up too but cant do it on his own at all - i bought him a bebe pod and he looks very proud to be sitting up in it

Dinky every night without fail Milo does what Danny does and ends up sleeping across his cot, he's not too bad in terms of waking us up in the morning though its generally somewhere between 7 and 8 but today as he went to sleep very late last night (about 12 ) he didnt wake up till half nine this morning Hope you get a decent night tonight though i really do as there is nothing worse than being tired

Mslucy lots of dribbling here too and he's been fist chewing for ages but still cant see any teeth, Milo's woken up twice in the last week with red hot cheeks in the morning too, isnt that a sign of teething as well?

mslucy · 07/06/2009 20:59

red hot cheeks def sign of teeth as well.
Must get some teething powder tomorrow, that's supposed to make the gums hurt less.
we've also had a lot of rolling over here - I'll leave the room and find he's rolled from his back right on to his tummy. Also, once he's on his tummy, he tries to move himself forward in a sort of proto crawl.

No sitting though - that's very impressive.

laughs/groans at the competitive parent that lurks within us all

dinkystinky · 07/06/2009 21:04

Hope you're feeling better now MsLucy. It is rather funny how the competitive parent lurks within us all

OP posts:
PinkTulips · 07/06/2009 21:24

lol mslucy... i love that he does these tricks just so i can say to the smug cow who tells me every week without fail at toddler group that her lo is still sleeping through; 'that's great.. i think aarons just too busy learning to sit/roll/move/talk/blow kisses to bother sleeping'

proto crawl is impressive... i think sadly aaron is going to follow in ds1's footsteps and resist the crawling stage altogether... my poor back was broken helping him walk every where for months as he refused to move himself.

mslucy · 07/06/2009 21:53

dinky feel much better today as I have not left the house - a rare occurence as I am a very restless person usually who scuttles around at breakneck speed like a headless chicken.

Today just sat around and let DS1 entertain himself with the Cbeebies website rather than taking him on an improving outing. We went to the farm and the Heath yesterday - I nearly died of cold in that freezing playground. So I wasn't in the mood for anything especially improving today.

DH has gone out and both boys are asleep. A rare moment of quiet. I am rather liking this.

PT You've just summed up why I smile politely through gritted teeth when a neighbour keeps asking me to go to baby music with her.

I know it would be full of "those people"

littleboyblue · 08/06/2009 04:11

PT Go Aaron, sounds fab. Luke can also do the sitting for a bit talking to his knees, very funny! He can't pick anything up yet, he can only hold things if I make him iyswim. We are still waiting for him to roll over, nearly there, but whenever he's on his front, he just pulls his knees right up like he wants to get going!
dinky yeah, I'm not very good without my sleep, niether's my dad. Mum's ok, she's some sort of suprwoman, but me and dad are shocking without enough sleep. I have had to get used to it though and have had nearly 2 years of it, he has 1 night every 6 weeks or so. He'll have Jacob next time and mum can have Luke

bumpsnowjustplump · 08/06/2009 08:55

Morning all hope you all had good weekends. Owen has his second lot of jabs today so not looking forward to that at all...

I have tons of housework to do before that so will say tut tar for now...

oh have we got a date for the meet up yet?

mumoverseas · 08/06/2009 09:47

morning all,
just back from the hairdressers. I'd booked it 2 months ago and nearly cancelled as felt guilty for 'pampering' myself but can't look like a bag of shit for the funeral. I am throwing myself into making it perfect for my mum.
I think I've just made a really important decision about seeing her when I get back and would really value your advice. Initially when I was asked I said no way, couldn't cope with it, want to remember how she was etc but the last few days I've felt like I NEED to see her if that makes sense. Just phoned the funeral directors and they are going to make enquries with the other funeral directors where she is (we are having mass at her family church which is miles from the 'old' family home and the family burial plot so 2 sets of FD's involved) I guess they don't want a hearse going up the A3 at 5 mph, might piss off all the other motorists. Anyway, I have to phone back in an hour and they will let me know whether it is possible to see her. Still might not at the last minute but think I might need to say goodbye properly and also, if I get that over with on Friday, might make the funeral on Monday slightly easier?

Can't believe I'm leaving Saudi tomorrow night for 3 months. DD's last day at nursery tomorrow so might go and make some cakes for her to take in. Another distraction!

PT, Aaron sound so cute, will have to do an irish meet up so I can see him.

Any more news on UK meet up?

PinkTulips · 08/06/2009 14:09

MOS... over here and in Holland it's the norm to have a removal/viewing the day before the funeral where the deceased is laid out in the coffin and everyone comes to pay their respects.

Over here it's completely normal for people to touch and kiss the deceased and say their final goodbye in quite an intimate fashion.

I certainly couldn't have coped without kissing my grandparents one last time and seeing them a final time. In holland it's quite a civilised affair in a funeral home and everyone goes home afterwards but over here it can be very emotional... lots of weeping and tears and at the end the coffin is sealed and brought in procession to the church with everyone following behind (still weeping usually) and the removal service is said in the church then. The body stays in church overnight while the family usually have a wake (drinking and reminicing about the departed's life) and the next day the funeral serice is said and the procession follows the coffin to the graveyard (pausing at the persons house if possible, if the removal was in a funeral home, for a final goodbye). There's another service at the graveyard and then everyone goes off for yet more drinking and remembering the dead.

But then us Irish are noted for our alternative methods of mourning

mumoverseas · 08/06/2009 15:14

PT, thank you so much for that. I am 99% sure I want to see her, after all, she was irish. Will have to toast her afterwards with a guiness or maybe a baileys

I just said to DH (who supports whatever decision I make) that I think I need to do it and then hopefully, I will get the majority of my sobbing out of the way on Friday and have the weekend to recover before the funeral on Monday. I HAVE to hold it together on Monday for mum and to do the very best I can for her as she deserves the best.

Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
DH and I are going out to see a film now. We don't have cinemas in Saudi but the last few weeks they've started showing films in the large audatoriam (sp?) and so we've decided to get DS1 to babysit and just wander down and have a few hours just to ourselves. No bloody popcorn though

littleboyblue · 08/06/2009 19:50

Mos I know it's completely different, but when my Nan died, i saw her.
She died at home in my dad's arms and Dad carried out her wishes by keeping her there overnight (he'd informed the right people that she'd died) so family could come and say goodbye. When I got to the house, my dad was understandably in a bit of a state but was trying to hold it together for everyone else. He asked me to go into her room and say bye to her, and I really freaked out!! I tried not to show it, but the thought of going in there just......I don't really know. I didn't want to, but saw it was important to my dad, so I did. And I am glad I did. She looked like she was sleeping. She just wasn't snoring like a wild boar . She looked quite peaceful really. I sat on the bed and said something, I don't remember now what it was but I probably told her I felt a bit stupid talking to her I touched her face and kissed her hair. It hasn't changed how I remember her, but I'm glad I took the chance to see her.