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

[pureeandpearls]

Bring it on!!!

Hi everyone,
My mum's visit went Ok, we had a few arguments but nothing too major.
J enjoyed his birthday on thursday, got to wear the birthday hat at tinytalk on thursday (pic on fb) and we have had a party this afternoon, I baked a cake and am pretty surprised at how well it turned out, although it looked like it had been iced by a ten year old! Little J has had a great day and ate 2 bits of pasta and a cherry tomato for his tea before he fell asleep at the table and had to be taken up to bed. Bit concerned he is going to wake up in a couple of hours starving.

Sympathies for all the poorly babies, we have been ill here with colds and coughs but seem to be on the mend now.

Neenz - that would annoy me about the PILs, I kind of like the idea of people popping round spontaneously but in reality it always annoys me as the house is a tip and we are usually busy doing something else.

BDQ - hope the cake went well!

Ali - I am surrounded by J's ever growing pile of toys so I know what you mean about clutter, my mum goes to loads of car boot sales and always arrives with masses of toys, tried to tell her it is just too much but of course she didn't take that very well. How many sets of stacking cups does a 1 year old need!

Hope all the birthday parties to come go well!

Hello I cant possibly catch up on everything but just popping in to say WE DID IT!!!!

We are now living in Holland after a 5 hr flight and mad few days back in GC

We have moved 18 cubic metres of stuff in a container, flown with 68 kilos of luggage distributed over 2 camping rucksacks, 3 hand luggage cases and huge suitcase, dog in a kennel, cat in a basket, baby, maxi cosi, and a pushchair!!!!

Ill pop in as much as i can but obviously really busy starting new life!!! One good thing im loving is BBC 1 and 2 HEHE

Well catch up soon xxx

Well done Paro.

Well done on the cake front BDQ.

Viva - Tues will be fine and will FB you.

I have made B's birthday cake. I have a fridge full of party food for tomorrow - birthday tea with friends and his sisters. I have made mini trifles and cupcakes too, and have all the things I wanted at parties - sausages, cheese and pineapple (to make a hedgehog of course), wotsits and skips, party rings, etc etc. Then we're off to my mum's on Monday for a couple of days and another birthday tea with my family on his real birthday on Tuesday. That one will be catered by a trip to M&S, because I can't be arsed doing it all twice, and my mother, aka The Fun Police, just criticizes anyway.

I shall be getting it again "If I were you..." to which my retort now is "Well, if I were you, I wouldn't have TAKEN UP smoking again when I got pregnant." Yes, she did, honestly - with me - because she wanted a smaller baby. So I don't think she can criticise any parenting choices after that.

Ah, I love her really....

Oh cak, am now on reserve battery power, so better go. BDQ and Viva, have fab parties this weekend!!!

Evening

Ethan is on the mend I think, maybe chocolate buttons would have helped eh Sybil?

Ali - yes, it has still rained today, not all day but enough to stop us doing much, getting fed up of the piles of wet clothes after the boys dash out between the showers and get soaked on the trampoline. Thank James for the weather forecast, so I have to wait until Thursday do I? Hope the BBQ goes well, choc cheesecake sounds yummy.

Neenz - sorry to hear your in-law woes, your dh needs to say something if it gets to you this much.

Viva and Whinegums - enjoy the parties. Sorry to hear about your problems with your Mum Whinegums but try to grin and bear it, I think your relationship with your parents does change when you become a parent. I take much less notice of my Dad now, you know that you are doing the best you can and ineviteably it will be different to the way you were brought up as we all look back on childhood and say my child won't experience that . You give your children what you wanted as a child, in my case it's siblings!!I am sure that if my boys become Fathers they will do things differently to us.

I'm rambling now so time to say WELL DONE to Paro and your husband to be (when is it again - the big day) can't believed you managed to move all that. Are you living near your in-laws, I'm jealous of the TV comment too!!Hope all the wedding plans are going well

Found out my half brothers mothers name, any suggestions on how to proceed.

Well done Paro on your move.

Hello, I'm back again - spent yesterday recovering from my trip to WIMBLEDON!!! It was brilliant. And I was on TV quite a lot but you'd have to know me to spot me in the crowd. I was also filmed for somebody carrying two bowls of strawberries. (Let's hope it's BBC and it's on the news because they bloody well cost me £2.40 for 10 strawbs! I'd like more than just the memory!)
Also went swimming in the longest outdoor swimming pool in Britain. Thought I was going to die of a heart attack it was so cold.

ANyways, had a fab weekend. In London for the week if anyone is around. Please someone be around!

Five just added you as a friend on facebook. I'm S E (geddit?) Roberts.

You will be the one chatting in Welsh? will get my frind to translate

DH very happy, just gone off with torch and rifle to shoot a deer that our guests hit so lots of lovely venison I hope.

Paro - just reading that made me feel exhausted! Well done on the move.

Whinegums - sounds like a great party, hope you all had fun.

Debs - hope some of our sun comes your way soon.

Essie - Wimbledon sounds brilliant!

Five - hope you got some good venison.

Have an annoying problem this morning, woke up to find someone had parked a motorbike on the road blocking in our drive.
Most likely suspects are the house directly opposite, we only moved here a couple of months ago and the house seems to be inhabited by a load of hoody teenage lads, although I have seen a man there, presumably the father. They look really dodgy but so far they haven't caused us any problems.
Don't actually need to get out of the drive today but will need to first thing tomorrow but want it moving before then.
Should I go and knock on the door and ask them to move it? (Bit scared of them to do that!) Or ring the police / council to complain but then not giving them chance to move it. Don't want to start anything with our dodgy neighbours.
I am such a wimp, I hate things like this!

Just a quick one to say that bibetta (the superior bib people recommended by Puree, have small blue bibs, and large purple bibs at half price at the moment (£1.99 for a large one). Just ordered three purples ones. Probably not my first choice of colour, still a deal is a deal.

Back later...

ktpie I'd knock on the door and ask really nicely, is this yours and could you possibly move it some time today?....

paro congrats on the move!

five I have forgotten all the details about your half brother - sorry - can you refresh us? And there was a deer on the road on my morning commute today too - seemed like a waste to just drive past it, I hope someone picks it up before it gets 'disposed' of by council. I use to date a guy who hunted (Canadian-style, not posh at all) and apart from his many many faults, I was always impressed by his abilities to hunt and provide food. That sounds rather cave-man-ish....

Update on the bike, looked out of the window a minute ago and it has gone, panic over.

Had a Vax delivered this morning, got it for £60 which seemed pretty cheap to me. I've been busy cleaning our very grubby carpets, seems as good as the rug doctors I've hired before and they are at least £20 a go to hire so I'm pleased. Will probably never get used again so actually turn out to be expensive!

Ali I think I will go and look at those bibs, our ikea ones are looking decidedly tired.

I have finished my bunting and needed to post in triumph! Will try to get a pic on tonight so Essie can feel the glow of some instructions well done.

Other than that J is still not well, the chocolate buttons being the only thing he has has past his lips in three days now, and he has just developed a nice rash. I suspect it is just a viral rash so not planning to rush to dr's, but he is grumpty and really hard work.

Opps, this has fallen off my threads I am on...[PP waves at everyone.]

Sybil, sorry that J is still poorly. Well done on the bunting.

James's cheesecake went down well at the family BBQ yesterday. I created a small riot by including one balloon in a birthday present for an almost four year old. As it isn't her birthday for a few weeks I had assumed that the present would be saved until the actual day when there was no-one else to fight her for it.

A quiet but pleasant day here. Boogie Babies, followed by a snooze and then a trip to the library.

Deb - sorry to say that the ipod now believes that there will be no sun on Thursday for you

Ali , just so this weather is awful, the boys should be swimming tomorrow with school - guess what rain forecast. Normally this last week of school is baking hot and they do lots of nice outdoor things - not this year, but at least we haven't got the flooding that there is in some parts of Austria. Please Ali, does it say on the Ipod that it will be sunny for the 9 weeks summer hols?Glad bbq went well, bibs are a bargain too.

Sybil - sorry to hear J is still not well, Ethan is much better but still not eating, have a check up at the drs on Wednesday and last time he said to take him for regular weigh ins - I haven't!!

Ktpie - glad the bike went at last

Abdn - how are the boys? Better?

Essie - wimbledon sounds great, were you on the tv?

bit fed up here, with the weather, dishwasher's on the blink again, upturned in the middle of the kitchen whilst dh tries to fix it, also in the middle of clearing the kitchen so we can get building the new one and get it in, we do have the advantage at the moment of no guests so we have another kitchen to use but it's a right pain with half here and half there, should be washing up now and painting a tile but it's nearly midnight and I've ironed for 2 hours etc...

Sorry, for the moan

Can't wait for the photos of bunting!!

Iestyn is having the longest nap ever recorded at the mo. He went down before 9am (!!), and is still sleeping now. Alas, he's also still in the same nappy he was in at 7.30am. I'm on here because I figured the moment I get time to myself he'll wake up!

Not much to report. Had a dull day yesterday - went to Mothercare, can't get orange tommee tippee cups (my current obsession), starting a big complaint against Clarks because they don't do shoes in Iestyn's size! Yes, he appears to be a freak, because babies his size shouldn't try to walk. Or something similar. He's a size 2, bless. I was willing to spend the money and everything! Also ordered a car seat - tried it in Mothercare, ordered it from Boots (cheaper and gazillions of points)!

Off to the Selden Society tonight, and thinking back to last year when I gave their annual lecture on Iestyn's 1 month birthday! I really can't believe I did that - I feel like superwoman now. (Mind you, I was a bit of a flop at managing a newborn so I suppose I got to be good at something last year...)

So far still sleeping!

Sybil and Deb hope the babies are feeling better.

Essie you were amazing giving that talk last year . It reminded me (by way of contrast) of the truly awful job interview that I went to when I had small-ish children, when I actually talked about poo . It wasn't a poo-related job, either, unless defamation counts (actually, maybe it does?).

Thea's new game is handing me stuff, and when I don't hold out my hand for it, she takes my hand and puts the thing into it. We spend many a happy few moment handing things back and forth, and it is very sweet. She can also climb up the stairs which is a bit scary. We don't "do" stair gates so I need to spend a morning teaching her how to climb down safely. She can get off the sofa safely, which is a huge relief. She races up the stairs then stands at the top shouting for someone to either bring her downstairs or come and play with her!

My friend locally whose DC3 is Thea's age, is pregnant again. She's 13 weeks so is beginning to get excited about it and wondering about double buggies etc. I'm so happy for her and can't quite decide if I'm slightly jealous, or slightly relieved that it's not me. Bit of both, I think.

Whinegums how are you getting on with your fitflops? I bought some a few weeks ago and although I love them I am still waiting for Buns of Steel. Do you have steelybuns yet or is that a creepily inappropriate question to ask someone on the internet?

Yes Essie that talk you did was very impressive! Not sure about the poo interview tho Rolf . Did you not get the job then . Interesting about the stair gates, I loved Puree's strategy of letting them go down the last few steps on their own each time you come downstairs, and I have been trying to do that but obviously it is not always easy because I always have another baby somewhere. I have a gate at the top but not one at the bottom yet and would love not to put one on but think I will just put it on because i go back to work next week and the lovely Anna will be looking after the kids here, and I will probably just die with worry if there is no stairgate (will probably die with worry anyway, although she will probably watch them closer than I do )

Sounds like you're having a mare, Debs . Hope things improve soon and fingers crossed for the weather.

Theo can now stand up from sitting position (without holding on to anything) which I find very strange because E was walking properly before she could do that. But T can still only do a couple of steps and even that is quite rare. He seems scared to move his feet and even cries sometimes when he is stood up as if he wants to go but doesn't know how.

I am off to Pisa on Saturday , really looking forward to that obviously!!

Essie have fun tonight.

deb nightmare for you, hope it doesn't take too long, we are getting ours done November time so going to move out completely while it is being done hopefully. Hope Ethan is on the mend and fingers crossed that the sun remembers where Austria is.

neenz have fun in Pisa are T and E going with you?

Rolf we are stairgate free as well, Seb has been climbing stairs since he was 10.5 months and has also mastered the art of coming down safely.

ah my mother told me about 6 years ago that my father had had a relationship between leaving his wife and meeting her which resulted in a son who I guess is probably 4 or 5 years older than me, I now know his mothers name but just wondering if I want to proceed and how to go about it, I know that other siblings want to aswell.

Ok I know this is very early but we are more than likely to be skint as Christmas but I have seen some really cool tins that are cheap, do you think these filled with fruitcake/buiscuits would be OK for Christmas presents?

Five - yes it is ridiculously early to be mentioning the c word, but the tins sound like a good idea.I wish I was moving out whilst the place is a tip too!!I would try and find your half brother if I were you, what do you have to lose?Don't go in expecting anything and see what happens. Dh's Aunty had a baby as a teenager and he was adopted (none of the family knew)and a couple of years ago he found my Aunty, she became a Grandma to 3 boys overnight!

Neenz - have a great time - you're going without children aren't you? I'm still bfeeding but when I stop then it's Paris for us!

Rolf - Ethan loves to hand me things too, and also spent a long time today moving 1 wooden brick from the coffee table to the fireplace to a chair and back again - over and over again!!Do you think you'll go for #5 then eh Rolf?

Essie - how long did he sleep?

It was fine(but cool) for the boys to swim today but they said the teachers didn't get in - chickens!!The rain's back and very heavy, my poor flowers in the window boxes are ruined.

When's Poppy back? Hope she's having a great holiday.

Also stairs - I am too chicken for that one - ours are marble so a little unforgiving!!

Deb I would feel miserable if I was having to put up with any one of: sick baby/no kitchen/ broken dishwasher/endless rain. Hope that some of these things improve very very soon.

Neenz have a lovely time in Pisa.

Five tins of nice stuff sounds like a good idea. I think I would be too intrigued not to try and find my half brother.

I am seriously impressed by Bibetta. The bibs I ordered yesterday at 9am arrived in the post this morning. However, as I suspected the purple bibs are a bit girly. I don't really like how all baby stuff is split into boys' and girls' colours, so I am happy to put P in a purple bib with pink edging. Having said that, it is testing me though . I keep on reminding myself that it is worth it for half price.