June 2008: birthdays, bunting and bumps make mummy a little bit tired!

[pureeandpearls]

Bring it on!!!

Ooh sounds good Ali! Have fun

Puree wow!! That's fab news. Well done. When are you due? Did you take Clomid again this time? Could it be twins

Ktpie, sympathies on the mother troubles! Mine is pretty good but they can be just so... judgemental can't they?

Essie you still going to Wimbledon friday?

Been out for a lovely lunch with my work friend who has a 10wk old. The baby started crying when my friend went to order the food so I picked her up but didn't really know what to do with her. It's amazing how you forget. I blew in her face and she stopped crying so I was pretty pleased with that. Think she was just hot and a bit hungry. My friend felt a bit self-conscious about BFing in public but I said go for it and she did with no trouble, looked like she was just giving the baby a cuddle. It's a shame how many people think other people will say something if they BF in public. The baby doesn't sleep much at night either so last week I advised her to co-sleep and she said that is what she was wanting to do but didn't know if it was OK. She has banished her hubby to the spare room and they are all sleeping much better. Really interesting thread/webchat with a prof from FSID about the link between co-sleeping and SIDS. He says there is an increased risk when co-sleeping v sleeping in a cot, but he couldn't say how they know that when they have no idea how many people actually do co-sleep. I did it on and off when the DTs were newborns as it was the only way I could get any sleep sometimes (when one was asleep and the other needed feeding I'd feed in bed cos I knew as soon as DT1 had stopped feeding DT2 would wake up and want feeding again) and I think it is much safer than falling asleep accidentally while feeding in a chair/on the sofa.

The DTs are all better again and we have had a good couple of days. I have a smear and their MMR tomorrow tho so that will be fun

Tooooo hot.... And that's in Scotland, so goodness knows how the Southerners are coping.

BDQ - glad you're pleased with the jungle decs, I was chuffed with them and thought the customer service was pretty good.

Viva - oooh, the place you stayed in the Maldives looks gorgeous, we are going to Kurumba, which also looks gorgeous! Coffee and cake (or ice cream!) - we're away next Mon and Tues, and you'll probably be busy with birthday celebrations too - the following Monday or Tuesday are ok. B has his jabs late morning on the Monday though, not sure what he'll be like.

Puree - great news, congratulations!

Did have loads of other things to say, but heat has addled my brain. Think I'll go and get a nice cold beer instead.

Big congrats Puree - that didn't take too long did it? Did you use your clomid? When are you due? I must admit to being very jealous. God knows when i'll get pregnant - I'm so fed up of my weirdy cycles with this thyroid problem I can't be bothered to try anymore.

Luke is being a massive pain at the moment. He's going through a tantrum phase it's hideous. When he doesn't get his own way he screams and stamps his feet. I'm having my biggest problem in his pushchair. Sometimes he screams so much on the train that I have to take him out and hold him just for some peace. He's also waking at stupid o'clock again. He has been for weeks. It's usually 4.45 now but sometimes earlier. He's fully awake and will not go back to sleep at all so I have to get up with him. Hmmm. Not feeling the love at the mo.

Aberdeen - I hope your mum's OK and the kiddies get over their chicken pox soon. At least they'll never get it again. When |I had it as a child I was always covered in calamine lotion.

I am too hot today - I live in a freakin greenhouse - word of advice: never buy a flat or house wih lots of glass

PS The calamine lotion was always kept in the fridge - instant relief but it needs to be reapplied frequently

Dont know about the west coast whinegums but I'm feeling a bit cheated over here on the east coast. It's unbearably hot and muggy today, but although its been warm for a few days there hasn't actually been much in the way of real sunshine IYSWIM. I could live with the tail end of a heatwave if we'd actually had some really nice sunshine to go with it. What with the haar (sp?) from the sea and general cloud cover its just been icky.

Too hot to post any more. Grumble, grumble.

ooh, thanks for food suggestions though 5 and others! Any more for any more?

puree congrats!!! I am very happy for you.

ktpie I think the fact that I'm not early on in my career makes leaving harder, I'd hate to have to start again! But I did also get promoted recently which means that the crap salary I'm on now will go up by 30% in the next four years - the stupidity of civil service pay bands. So my salary wont be crap for that much longer. It's a very odd system. what field are you in again?

bdq my DH is self-employed so he could take a day of holiday but it's essentially money to us. I don't mind him taking holidays for family activities, but not to cover so I can go to a meeting...

and what about hummous and pitta for a buffet? My boys love it and it's zero effort.

Ali enjoy the reception, it sounds fun and very adultish.

Amber I hadn't thought about putting the cream in the fridge, that sounds good for this heat wave. And I thought about your when Puree announced her news. It sucks to be trying to get pregnant - I hated it and am sending hugs! Are you on thyroid medication now? Do they have to try different ones to find the right dose? half the women in my family have been on thyroid meds but they've been on it since I was a kid (I'm the only girl in my generation and now there's three boys and no girls in the next generation - weird since before that it was all girls everywhere.)

Fraser is on the mend now and Duncan is right in the middle of the worst of it. It's much easier to handle pox with an older (bribable) child. TV, ice cream, crisps... they all make the day palatable for everyone. We did go hiking today which was probably not a good idea as it's very hot here (for us), 30 C, and it really brought out Duncan's spots on his torso where he was sweating. We came home and they had a cold bath (and a screeching competition, laughing hysterically - I will make them pay for my hearing aids when they are older!) and calamine cream and they settled well in bed tonight.

Molly Sugden has just proved my celebrity death rule of three - admittedly she's not as famous as Farrah Fawcett or MJ, but she made the news, so it still counts!

Abdn, hope you're ok. I saw some stuff called PoxClin in the chemist to soothe CP itching.

Have had cold beer... Need to have a cold shower now. BDQ - we haven't had much sunshine either, it's just hot and sticky and close.

bdq the haar's been hanging around just south of us (and in Aberdeen - we're feeling smug we moved the 10 miles out of town) and I heard it was stretching way south. can you head north to escape it for a few hours? I imagine it'd be throughout Fife, but not Perthshire...

It is hot, hot, hot! Those of you watching the tennis, that is exactly what it is like here. Currently sitting in the garden as it's too hot inside. This means that can hear everything my extremely loud and extremely loud neighbours are saying. Her: "I can't believe you don't check your balls." Him: "I do sometimes in the shower".....

Ry had lots of fun in his pool today, got me completely soaked. He also had his jabs this evening, but other than shouting at the nurse, seems fine.

Essie - That trip sounded hellish. Look forward to hopefully seeing you in your car next week. Are you still going to Wimbledon now Murray's got through?

Puree - Great news! So happy for you.

Abdn - Glad the boys are on the mend.

Amber - Trying can be fun ? Understand that the thyroid situation must be driving you mad at the moment. Luke is not alone in developing tantrums, I panicked at first TBH because it was so out of the normal. Luckily tho, Ry can normally be distracted after a few minutes. Especially if I hold him upside down. (Pls don't report me to social services, he likes it. Really).

Update: Apparently the husband next door "doesn't know how lucky he is...!". He doesn't seem to agree.

Alip - OMG I would have panicked too.

Ok, now I can hear the neighbour upstairs as well, this is getting silly. She's discussing the death of MJ vs Farrah in the sadness stakes. I'm a hard cow, because neither of them really bothered me that much. But I didn't get particularly sad when Diana died either, just for the princes. I'm afraid I'm not upset about Molly Sugden either Whinegums. Perhaps the medication is keeping me calm.

BDQ - Fruit, esp strawberries, grapes & peaches and some cream/yoghurt. Great in this weather and easy to do.

Ok, the neighbour eavesdropping has got too much. Time to go in - or time to move out of overcrowded London?

Ooh, will be in Perthshire on Sat Aberdeen. Am even more unhappy about missing the upsides of the heatwave now I know the downsides (aka the rain) will be interfering with my BBQ filled weekend. What are all the babies wearing at night at the mo? It's 27 degrees in S's room right now and that's with a fan.

All good ideas on the food front, thanks again.

Aberdeen, I hadn't realised your DH technically self employed. Glad your pay will be going up eventually.

Off to be a bit grumpy with DH.

(oh, and PP - the celebrity deaths didn't touch me either, no offence intended to those that were upset obviously)

I'm not talking to any of you, no heatwave here in Austria, still ...... raining

[ grin] deb

PP I love the neighbour updates! I worry that even though we've lots of space, I tend to yell at the boys a lot in the garden and the neighbours must hear us. However it tends to be things like "stop eating dirt" so not quite as interesting.

Fraser is 90% better but we were up with DS1 for four hours last night. We took it in shifts though and it wasn't too bad. He's well-drugged with piriton at the moment and not scratching so I'm hoping he just got too hot yesterday.

It's 8:45 am and we've just come inside after spending 2.5 hours playing in the garden - yes, that means we've been out since 6:15. Far too early. But I'm planning to keep the boys indoors through the heat of the day so I wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather now.

bdq fraser has a 0.5 tog sleeping bag and then just wears light pjs. His room was 27 last night too. He loves to sleep warm though so I figure he's okay. DS1 is the opposite and is sleeping in nothing but a nappy.

deb you can laugh at us all winter when it's wet and dark here and you guys are skiing....

J is sleeping in a vest and the lightest weight sleeping bag with the zip half undo for air circulation. Bascially, he pokes his feet out while he is asleep and seems fine like that.

Amber, a friend of mine has thyroid probs and bizarre periods too. She has clomid to conceive first child and expected to do so for second after having two periods in about 6 months, about 10 weeks apart. She went for her inital appointment to find she was already pg!!! But only by about 5 weeks. Keep trying it will happen.

PP also love the neighbours updates.

It is hot here but we have a lovely breeze which is helping. DS finally for the first time slept through from 7pm until 6.15 this morning. He know sleeps in a travel cot, light PJ's, no grobag and on a duvet and it seems to work.

Five, that's great news on the sleep. I have to say I was surprised when you said you were sleep training - never expected to hear that from you! What did you do?

My two are sleeping in just a nappy with a cheapo 2.5 tog sleeping bag (cheapo ie a lot lighter than the Grobag 2.5s so probably not 2.5 at all) not done up completely. It was 27C in Theo's room last night too (got no thermometer in E's room) but they have both slept fine through the heatwave. I got a lie-in till 8am this morn

Theo has learned how to open doors, which means I can't lock him in rooms upstairs while I go get E from downstairs, and Esther is going through a biting stage - she keeps biting Theo when he tries to get toys off her . She has taken to screaming very loudly too for no apparent reason. It's all to get attention I suppose - I think at this age they just want your attention all the time. I've got a book called Toddler Taming which basically says just keep giving them attention all the time.

Amber, sorry about your TTCing. I thought of Poppy too when Puree announced her news, I remember how horrible it was to hear of other people getting PG when I was so desperate to get PG myself. I have been taking my temps and have been ovulating and having periods every 30-ish days which is amazing for me. Been getting broody recently, was thinking of trying again in Jan but I think once our summer hol is out of the way we will ttc then (Sept). May was such a nice time to give birth I'd quite like the next one to be born around the same time.

Last night at the House of Lords was great. The drinks reception was on the terrace next to the Thames. Amazingly, C. London was cooler and breezier (but still hot obviously) than Guildford. Miriam Margolyes and Tessa Jowell were both there. I couldn't work out which MP Tessa Jowell was, so had to google random names this morning until I found a photo that matched. My friend J announced loudly to our group that Miriam Margolyes was there whilst the poor woman was standing directly behind us. I saw some old friends that I haven't seen for years. Afterwards we met up with another college friend S for dinner. Somehow a colleague of hers had invited himself to join us. As we arrived he had just admitted to S that he fancies her. So, J & I did a fantastic impression of giant gooseberries for the remainder of dinner. He was a nice bloke though, so I hope something develops. J & S are my two single mates in London. I really love seeing them as it really grounds me in a world that has nothing to do with babies. I got the last train home, and managed four hours sleep before P got me up. (Amber - we have been having 4.15 starts all week) I have narrowly avoided a hangover. A friend has arrived, better go!

The gooseberry bit sounds excruciating Ali! Poor man... was she receptive to his advances then? It's not so bad if she was. Can you remember those days when you were single and it was dead exciting when you fancied someone or had a date etc. Sometimes when I see scenes on telly where people are falling in love or have just got together I feel quite jealou . I love DH more than anything in the world and he is everything I have ever wanted in a husband but obviously things are not as exciting as when we first met! But I try to make it exciting as often as I can and try not to take him for granted because he is very special. House of Lords reception sounds fab anyone - very jealous!!

jealous

and

anyway

Lots more news! P&P that's fantastic, well done you x

whinegums C's jabs are the Tuesday morning, so could do the afternoon on the Tuesday, if she's OK? My phone has malfunctioned and eaten all numbers whose names begin with T onwards, and as I had you saved as Whinegums, you've been eaten so send me a message please and we can organise something!

Far too hot to be on the computer, but have plans for bunting making after Lottie goies to bed... I will photograph the outcome for you Essie (unless it's shit)

Completely self centred post alert:

Sunburnt & very grumpy. I managed to get burnt in 40(!) mins sun btw 10.10 & 10.50am, but look like a muppet that has spent all day in the day!

Ryder still not asleep after being put down over an hour ago.

At home alone. Used to like being home alone on Thursdays so I could concentrate on ER and Brothers & Sisters, but they've both finished so in need of TV recommendations for tonight please. (Could always sit in the garden and listen to the neighbours again I guess).

Moany minnie signing out....

PP- you crack me up....you obviously need anew box set!!

Debs- don't be too sure we're not a little envious of your rain (the grass is always greener...)

Five- sounds like you've got a great sleeping combo going. It's so still here CJ sleeps naked/nappied with the fan on.

Ali- evening sounds thrilling....and Miriam Margoyles is about as good as it gets (who cares about the MPs- none ofthem will last anyway!)

Viva- happy bunting-ing

Essie- glad you are driving next time. Easier to visit me!! [selfish emoticon]

Speaking of selfish- Amber and holidaying Poppy- very sorry for not being more subtle with breaking of news. I sobbed my heart out when Sponge told us her news, and she deserves such a miracle.

Thanks for all your good wishes.

Ali - the reception sounds great and so grown up!

PP - love the neighbour chat, but ouch at the sunburn

Abdn - glad boys are getting better

sorry have lost the energy to reply personally to anyone else tonight, have spent a traumatic day at Ikea buying our kitchen, with a poorly Ethan, and Nigel actually managed to get it all in the car. Got to go , baby crying....

I'm so sorry P&P - I never meant to upset you.

I think I just got carried away and needed to tell someone - it was such a shock .