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

[pureeandpearls]

Bring it on!!!

Ali - well done on the flight, how's Peter, is he walking yet, I kept forgetting to ask you.

Rolf - lol at the serenity/glasses remark

will write more later, got to go

Sponge won't Bill have a good amount of immunity because you'll be breastfeeding him?

Bit of a Situation here - took Iestyn to soft play, and he's been sleeping for 2 1/2 hours! We've had to wake him!!

Bugger. I just lost my post!

It wasn't very interesting though, so I'll just wave to everyone instead.

Thanks for all the comments on vaccines - and Essie, thank you for your faith in my ability to bf this time . But he won't get immunity from me unless I'm immune will he? Don't know .

Rolf, loved the comment about you not having mainstream children !

Deb interesting that you asked that. He did stagger about 5 steps yesterday. However, I am pretending that it didn't happen as we are away from DH for a week and I want to share it with him. I am generally feeling guilty about taking P away from DH for a whole week. However being here is making my parents very happy so it's a case of
robbing Peter to pay Paul.

All action in deepest France today. We went to the International Folk Dancing Festival in the local town. This evening Kirgystan (spelling?) were performing. Woo hoo.

Hi to everyone.

The flu vaccine sounds tricky. I would probably have the jab, but only because I am very rules orientated.

KTpie. Sorry you are feeling rough. Hope you feel better soon.

AH hope your DH manages to get some more security workwise.

Ok, run out of things that I can remember I wanted to say.

Hi all

ali sounds like you're having a good time in France!

sponge - I can understand your worries about the vaccine - it must be a difficult time to be pg listening to all the media. Ultimately you will make the best-informed decision you possibly can for Bill. He was a determined little one to get there in the first place, he's not going anywhere now you've got him. Hope you can make a decision you're happy with

ktpie sorry to hear you're feeling rough

Sorry haven't read all the posts yet

Agree about Bill, allnew - he is one miracle child, a little bit of flu won't touch him! Seriously though, it is worrying about the vaccine... I agree that the lack of trials would concern me. My gut instinct is that it is not a very severe illness for healthy people. And only 10-20% of the population are expected to get it iirc. So you and Bill probably wouldn't even be that ill even if you did get it (although I think if you get it while still pg it can casue complications...?) However, any vaccine is not going to be unleashed without them being sure it is safe ... perhaps wait a few weeks after it comes out and if all seems well with others who've had it then have it then? I am TTCing from next month so may have all this to come too. It's a bit weird actually cos I am going to ttc but I'm not really that keen to be pg right away, I think it will be better to not be too desperate, as it was so hard last time .

Rolf, love the glasses comment and the mainstream children one

wrt Esther crying herself to sleep - I agree that it seems she just needs to do it to wind down. I don't mind it but DH can hardly bear to listen to it - he went out for a run today to get away from it . He has spent the last two nights doing some wind-down with her in her room but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. She sleeps all night once she has dropped off so I think it is just something she has to do.

Did you know C od is back? And she is causing a right stir. She was back as S weinfeld the other day but apparently she changes her name all the time and now she is s etsquare and she has caused a ruck by CATing someone random and asking her to slag off style threads with her. This random MNer had no idea it was C od so didn't realise it was Queen MNer so just ignored her then started a thread about it in AIBU . She can be quite nasty iirc (C od, that is). A lot of the Moldies are back apparently [yawn]. How paranoid am I doing that to C od - I am scared she might search for messages with her name in and then hunt me down

DH got back yesterday and true to form woke me up this morning banging around at 7am . I slept so well when he wasn't here . Normally I hate him being away tho.

Enjoy France Ali (and Poppy) - don't feel guilty about Peter, your DH can see him all the time, your parents can't.

Got my exam results today... Passed one failed one

Am quite pleased though - did a fraction of the recommended work for the course, and am pretty confident I would have passed both had I not been unfortunate enough to get a compulsory question on the one topic I hadn't really revised!

Now I need to think about the next lot. Only 3 months behind on my May - Nov study plan already

sponge your body will be fighting flu and producing antibodies on its own, regardless of whether or not you get vaccinated. neenz is it really only 10-20%? The way it?s been portrayed I thought it was closer to 50%, and therefore all of us with snotty, spit-sharing children.

neenz fingers crossed about ttc.

rolf serene is a state of mind rather than a state of organization. I have a friend who really is serene; yoga instructor and meditation practitioner. She?s pregnant now and I?m amazed when she starts talking about all the same worries as the rest of us ? I feel like she floats above all my craziness most of the time.

neenz I hate the mumsnet in-group. It?s not secondary school for goodness sake! I wish my DH woke me at 7am though ? 5:30 here?

BDQ sorry to hear that the one exam question let you down ? I remember you mentioning it. And I think it?s very poor teaching when a course exam rests on one little area. It turns it into a lottery and that?s not really the point of exams?

I told the nursery yesterday that I was pulling the kids out at the end of August and I feel much better. I'm still all emotionally distraught about quitting work but I know that I don't feel their nursery is acceptable for the 3-5 age group so we don't have a choice but to pull them out (& none of the best nurseries have space and would increase my commute by about 40 minutes). But I don't want to sound like I'm anti-nursery, it's just not working for Duncan and is due to a combination of the rough area the nursery is in, the large number of kids in the room, and his desire to play on his own. Apparently when the kids are outside together he spends all his time playing with Fraser and they talk to each other in their own language. (Which is mostly composed of ear-splitting shrieks).

Abdn, That is so cute that they have their own language! Shrieks are common here too. The nursery thing is just another thing making your decision to give up work the right thing. I can completely understand your worries, I would feel the same, but remember there will always be other jobs.

I agree the school playground mentality on MN is very annoying - the response to some threads eg in AIBU is based purely on who the OP is - the regulars can post the most outrageous things and not get slammed. And the attitude of some people is just pathetic, they just love to be nasty and hide behind the excuse that it is the 'MN way'

I couldn't say I am absolutely sure about 10-20% but I remember the figure from on the news. I will try to find a link.

One expert was on the radio saying wash your hands and eat well and that is the best way to avoid swine flu at the mo. I am a big believer in 1000mg of vitamin c a day to boost your immune system (two tabs of the high-strength stuff) and more than that if I feel like I am coming down with something.

BDQ, congrats and sorry about your exam results. It's just typical isn't it that the one subject you didn't revise you had to answer a question on.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/12/swine-flu-report-pandemic-predicted this article says a third of the world's population and that is a worst case scenario - that is only 33%. More people wont get than will!

abdeen glad you're happy with your decision. Often the stress is before the plans are set into action so to speak, and once you've taken the plunge it doesn't seem so bad. Hope your dh gets something sorted as well

bdq congrats for the one you passed! Don't know how you manage it tbh, so well done

Went swimming this morning with A and he was really whingy and clingy. In fact he's been really clingy for a week or so. He's not ill and has no teeth coming through, so I'm guessing it might be separation anxiety?

It's not as bad as the Black Death then, where over half got it but a third actually died. Hm, is that perspective?

Thank you for your lovely words about my miracle baby and your reassurance.

neenz, I had also noticed that awful fish woman was back on MN - not quite sure why everyone was so upset when she left, I thought she was a total cow! Yes, the playground mentality is extremely annoying - I rarely post on AIBU tbh.

Have very active baby today so can't stop!

Ali - folk dancing sounds fun!

BDQ - congrats on passing the exam, can you retake the one you failed?

Aberdeen - that is so sweet that your boys want to play together.

Just had a look on the WHO website and it said 'there is accumulating evidence suggesting pregnant women are at higher risk for more severe disease.' which is a tad worrying and makes me think I'd have the vaccine, I'll change my mind by tomorrow.

I feel a lot better today, thanks for all the sympathy! Dh has gone away today to a bike race, he'll be back on sunday so all on our own this weekend. Had a friend and her baby over for lunch, J had a great time playing with his friend. Has had to go for a nap now.

Hello to everyone that I haven't mentioned!

Thanks everyone. I can resit the one I failed, but means I do three exams in nov instead of two. Then another 4 next year. Oh and still to squeeze in that dissertation I swore I'd finish by the end of July.

I'd def have the swine flu vaccination if I was pg I think.

I think I would have the vaccine too, although I appreciate that's easy to say.

Jamie had his measles jab and seems fine. A bit tired but I think that's more because the car journey gave him a nap in the wrong time iyswim.

All the carrot cake has gone - with the four of us and visiting grandparents it only lasted just over a day. We have made a chocolate cake to replace it though - so that's all right! Kids have decided they want lemon cake next so off to find an easy recipe. If anyone has one please share, I'm not the greatest cook in the world so it has to be really easy!

Mmmm, I love lemon cake.

Evening All,

Neenz exciting on the ttc front. Good luck. I know what you mean about not wanting to go through the pg bit again. I am definitely having moments of broodiness, but the idea of weeks and weeks feeling like shit with a toddler to run after is less than appealing. (My sympathies to the pg ladies)

AH welldone on telling the nursery. I am not into self help books, but I did once read "Feel the fear and do it anyway". In essence the title says it all. Basically you never regret the things you have done, only the things you didn't do. I am sure that quitting work and taking the boys out of nursery will be a great choice, and if it isn't then you can always change things again.

Lovely weather in France today. We went to friends of
my parents who have a pool. Swimming and a good lunch were very pleasant. Then back home for a siesta with Peter, and then more friends came round for dinner. Peter is doing more staggering, he might be quite proficient by the time we get back to England.

Allnew I have a notion that you are French. Am I right or was it someone else?

BDQ too bad about the exam.

Neenz how exciting about ttc!

Ali glad you're having a good time in France. Very .
Still don't know if we're going on holiday.

Our news is...

DH has just left the house to look at a car! A 7-seater! We are broke right now so I don't know how we can buy it, BUT going to look at one is a huge step, as you know . Brace yourselves for blithering posts about me being too scared to drive

Ktpie glad you're feeling better.

AH well done on giving the nursery notice.

Essie you crack me up . Whenever I see your name I think of Amber's classic post along the lines of "you are a barking mad hypochondriac and I no longer want to live with you". Also your comforting muses on which of us would probably have died in childbirth had we been medieval gals .

Hi guys, quick post as waiting for friends to turn up for BBQ:

Neenz, missed your exciting news on ttc - good luck .

Rolf, which 7-seater? We're buying a zafira next month and I can't wait [tragically middle aged emoticon] .

Ali, can't wait to see walking boy in a couple of weeks .

BDQ, well done on the exam, fingers crossed on passing the other one next time - I'm still in total awe of your ability to study with a small baby.

ktpie, glad you're feeling better.

Oh, I remember the musings about death in childbirth from Essie - not something I want to think about again for a while though!

Have good weekends everyone x

Ford Galaxy. Why the Zafira? (out of interest, as I'm also tragic!). Over our many years of not getting round to buying a car, we've hired lots of people carriers and we liked the Ford Galaxy and S-Max best. I think DH tried out a Zafira at one point but for some reason wasn't keen.

We got upgraded on our hire car in Austria to a Zafira. I have never driven a people carrier before, so have no point of comparison, but I thought it was quite easy to drive; easy to get Peter in and out of his car seat because he was higher up so less bending over; and generally v comfortable. However DH did not like it but he is whatever the opposite of a petrol head is, so is fairly anti cars. Hope you find the funds for the car Rolf, you certainly deserve one.

We got upgraded on our hire car in Austria to a Zafira. I have never driven a people carrier before, so have no point of comparison, but I thought it was quite easy to drive; easy to get Peter in and out of his car seat because he was higher up so less bending over; and generally v comfortable. However DH did not like it but he is whatever the opposite of a petrol head is, so is fairly anti cars. Hope you find the funds for the car Rolf, you certainly deserve one.

Hi Ali. Most people I know who have Zafiras are very happy with them and like you, they aren't necessarily used to driving big cars. I think that if you have 6 people to put in it, it can get pretty cramped, but one pretty much universal downside of people carriers is that with all 7 seats up there isn't much boot space. I think when we get a car we'll need to get a roof box for when we go on holiday. Gosh, I'm being so optimistic! Car AND holiday, with proper luggage and everything .

I think a Zafira would be perfect with 2 children as you'd have lots of boot space for pushchairs and baby-stuff, without having a huge vehicle to deal with.

DH has taken DS1 and DD1 with him which was a lovely surprise, so I'm having a lovely quiet pootling time with Thea and DS2 .

Can't remember if I posted that someone else asked me if I'm pregnant again . Again, I didn't have the moral high ground: last time I was in the sweet shop, this time in the pie shop!