Nov 2008 - because there was no thread space to think of a clever title!

[Yorky]

Had to be done soon, hope it works!

Me too for secret Santa, i loved doing secret stork!

Pinky hope DD is better today.

Drswife hope you are feeling better too.

Its DHs birthday today so he has a day off with us. He is off to Madrid tomorrow and I have to go to work [jealous emocion].

J has another tooth and another coming so has been a little whingy for the last couple of days.

What does everyone think of Cruiser shoes, J loves being on his feet but I am thinking they might be a waste of money as I don't think it will be long before he walks properly. Just can't decide!

Morning ladies

fudge that sounds like me, ebay, MN and Fb!
daisy hope you got a restful night after your bad day
ladyb i was going to ask about footwear. My DS is walking around furniture and with his walker, also if you hold his hands. Is now the time to get measured for shoes?

Also, when he is walking his feet turn slightly outwards,is this normal whilst they are getting their balance??

ellie very cute pic of DD2, i have put a couple of up to date pics on my page.

Hope everyone has nice days planned, im off to the drs shortly as i have had a rash on 1 aarm since DS was born and its not shifting despite various creams!

Morning all

Chocgal you have cheered me up with your 'fake tan' story. Must remember to pack such essentials in my bag to take with me next week

Buzz I am a 'no shoes at all until they are properly walking' kind of person so I wouldn't waste money on cruisers personally.

Pinky hope your DD1 is ok. I know you won't be worried about the potty training as you are not the type - but DS1 didn't do it until he was 3.1. She will do it when she is ready

Love the idea of the secret santa and defintely agree it should be for the mummies I would be happy to organise it (as I will have loads of free time over the next few weeks) but then I would know who my secret santa is so not sure if that would be ok?? (Don't want to let DH do it as I don't want him to know my MN posting name )

Well looks like I might be getting rid of all the big baby stuff hanging around our house, such as bouncy chair etc) this weekend as it looks like my sis is going to have her boyfriend's 2-month old baby living with her for a while and, as her youngest DC is 6, they cleared out the baby stuff a long time ago.

Are you all still sterilising bottles? My sis needs a steriliser and it seems silly/expensive her buying one when technicially we won't need ours in about 6 weeks time - do you think it would be ok to put the bottles through the dishwasher now??

Morning all, ellielou and chocolate lovely pics on profile, gorgeous kids.

ceebee i dont sterilise, i stopped at 6 months. DD switched to formula and took to eating fluff off the carpet and licking the buggy wheels so I thought whats the point? I wash them all in hot soapy water and run them through the dishwasher twice a week

ladybuzz my DD is walking and I still havent put her in shoes. i looked up threads here on mumsnet and the general consensus is leave it til they are walking for about 6 weeks properly. I then read other articles which showed that bare feet help them "feel" the surface better and learn to balance. I'm waiting until DD actually needs shoes to walk outside. Currently she is walking back and forth round the room,her feet turn out arms in the air and she just darts off! still not saying more than Dada though!

Thanks Ladies, I think I will leave the shoes, DS1 had cruisers but only wore them briefly. I think I will wait til he is off properly. I have only had him in soft shoes recently to keep his socks on as he loves taking them off and eating them.

I've just stopped sterilising more due to it being habit then a ything else, like you drswife I figure there is no point when they eat the carpet

Choc Js feet turn outwards too - so do DHs. I seem to remember DS1s did for a while but he is perfectly straight now!

DW - how do you run the buggy wheels through the dishwasher?!

Well done ceebee for volunteering to be secret santa coordinator, if you don't want to know who your secret is then I am happy to volunteer DH as he already knows who I am on here (most of the time anyway!)

hI all thanks, and sorry to worry people about DD1, she is ok, has eaten well today, hd a big sleep this afternoon and no sign of the horrible rash thing from last night.

LOve thge fake tan story!

Cruiser shoes-well DD1 had them becuase they were the only ones that wouls fit her little feet,but she was walking very well by then. I had been using little leather ones for her when cruising, becuase having DS at home too we would spend a lot of time in parks etc., but by 12 months she was walking well and it was snowy and wet ground outside, so she needed shoes, and salapets! They are fab for crawling/toddling babies= decathalon do fab ones really cheap.

sterilizing- not done any this time around but previously I stopped at around this point- but have only ever sterilized milk bottles. I used to rinse them thoroughly in boiling water-just because milk can be a bit funny. But as you say, Mimi loves chewing wellies so not much point worrying at this stage!

gotta go time for baths!

love to all.x

I must admit I've never steralised with DD and bumble! It's different with BM though as it's antibacterial and has been shown to kill bacteria in bottles, but certainly with DS1 who was FF, as soon as he was crawling round chasing atfer the cat and guddling in her bowls and litter tray steralising seemed the last of my problems! I suppose though it depends on whether you are making the milk up in advance (which you aren't meant to do anyway these days) then I would put it in sterile bottles, but if making fresh bottles as required then I wouldn't bother.

As a stop gap Ceebee if you are concerned, I have some Lindam steriliser bags that take a couple of bottles each and just go in the microwave.....I have three of them and they can be used 20 times each but I have used two of them less than five times each so lots of life left in them. they should see you through to beyond a year I'd imagine

you know I'm sitting here wondering what to have for tea and thinking I fancy chinese; totally forgetting that I'm going OUT tonight!!!

yikes started this at half three and got sideetracked by small people...such is my life these days!!

Hi Ladies

Pinky glad mimi is better.

DW you are so very organised, I will look for the next Monday I can do and try and sort out a day to meet. X

Happy birthday to Mr Buzz!

My Pelvis has been playing up today and yesterday and I am going out tonight and am hoping to wear heels.

Becca should have her scan appointment through next week. I am sure it will be nothing but can't help thinking the worst

Hi to everyone else, oh yes to secret santa!

Better go and get ready to go out, can't really be arsed though

Hello JUst wanted to say thanks ceebee. i'm not all that worried, but it would be nice if she were potty trained, and she is hopefully starting nursery school after christmas, so we are going to have to make progress sometime. I think maybe she'll be one of thsoe who just does it pretty quickly when she decides the time is right. I would so love to just be changing one lot of nappies a day, though

Coolkat hope you are not in too much discomfort, and hope you and Daisy have a good time tonight.

The way I put that sounds like you are off out together- I'm guessing not! Gah..have a good time, anyway

Pinky yep, DS1 just got potty training straight away so I am a complete convert to waiting and waiting - far easier He does still have the odd accident but usually at nursery (I assume he is busy ) but he hardly had any accidents at all. Will be waiting till Hamster is 3 too before training him

Ok, the steriliser is going to my sister - Hamster eats so much crap off the floor it does seem pretty pointless

I don't mind knowing who my secret santa is but they might so ladies who do we want to do it - me or Yorky's DH?
I won't be offended - promise

I dont mind who does the Secret Santa, just grateful you have voluntered to do it. I am not the most organised!!

Am reading the sterilising chat with interest as i am thinking its pointless when DS is into everything! I make my bottles up fresh so hopefully wont be a problem.

Glad mimi is fine pinky coolkat and daisy have nice evenings

Off to see Beauty and the Beast musical tomorrow, its my favourite Disney film so i am very excited

had a lovely evening, though it was a lot more low key than originally planned as the friend who organised it called off as her DS was taken to hospital with bronchiolitis and lots of people cancelled as she was the glue holding it all together. I was a bit scared of going, as I only knew one other person for definate but actually had a really nice time. I'm now celebrating the fact that I did it as even a few months ago I would have been too anxious to go out with semi strangers....you lot excepted of course

I hope my friend's DS is OK; he was in an oxygen tent and they were trying to get a feeding tube into him; wee soul.

Ceebee, I think it would be more fun if you didn't know who was sending to you, so if Mr Yorky is happy to volunteer then I would let him

oooh bumble a bit unsettled this evening.

morning all
Glad youve all embraced the secret santa!!! if Mr Yorky is happy to do it then that would be fantastic!

Am feeling all warm and fuzzy that you liked the suggestion

drswife - my secret stork gift was a comforter that you sleep with and then give to your DC to help them settle. I can vouch that it really works and J still uses it in his cot! Even my mum was impressed and is buying one for her friends grandchild who is expected next year!

Shall we start a new thread for secret santa?

Am stupidly excited now

Morning all. I am interested in doing the secret santa too as long as everyone is still happy to run the risk of postage to Ireland again

Can I make a 1st birhtday or Christmas toy suggestion for the babies?
My sisters bought dd1 one of those pop-up tents for her 1st birthday. She loved it and still plays with it 2 1/2 years later. Now dd2 has discovered it too and they are so cute in there giggling together. I think it is great and is a handy place to throw in all the toys in the evening.

sterilisibg I'm stil bf at night but give Amy formula during the day. I still sterilise the bottles most days and I find it keeps me organised to get them all together and washed in one go. I don't bother with spoons, beakers etc.

DD1 is much better today although a bit clingy and tired for the last few days.

Secret Santa thread set up this way

Coolkat walks in holding her head, good night was had here! We went to a German oompah? night, so many laughs, good job I was wearing my Tena lady !!

Its DD1's birthday and I don't know why I do not have a hang over I deserve one but I am getting tired now. DH felt awful but got called out on a call at lunch time so I am pissed off he is still not back!

I am uo for secret santa!

Those tents sound good, Becca liked DD1's in summer and crawing through the tunnels!

sounds like fun coolkat, but brave you with your gammy pelvis!!

Yay Mr Yorky have emailed now.

How are you Yorky? is it swine flu? and are the DC OK?

DH has man flu which is an altogether different thing entirely. Actually he is feeling pretty rough but doesn't think it's swine flu. He has been in bed most of th day.

Potty training DD went soooo well today with her in the same pair of pants all day and no poo on the kitchen floor like yesterday!! We put a nappy on her when she went out for a walk with DH but she told him that she was doing a wee when they were out. Can it really be this easy????? Only probelm is she has a huge red weal around her thighs and bottom where she has been sitting on the potty...it looks sooooo sore.

I am sort of working....checking out the local competition (and realising there are even more nappies out there than even I thought possible) and emailing local councile re trial packs!

Just catching up since my last post
Love the Secret Santa idea, good one Autumnlady Will head over to the other thread to have a look.
Had a rough day here - E was up with a temp of 39.5 during the night and hasn't been well all day. She was fine for a couple of hours each time we gave her Calpol and as soon as it wore off she started wailing. I ended up taking her in the sling as it was the only place she'd settle down and sleep. She hasn't been in it for 5 months and at 12kg she's not exactly light! We're currently up watching BabyTV because although she doesn't have a temperature at the moment, she's not interested in sleeping I could do with sleep after the night we had last night but never mind!
Daisy Hope your DH gets better soon. Mine has had a stinking cold this week and I think it's what E has got.
Better go - she's starting to whimper. Could be time for bed at last!
Hope everyone else is OK.

cricri, poor DD could it be an ear infection? always makes mine wail pitifully. It's a horrible noise

I hope noone minds but I've told londonboots, MonkeyMargot and jaunita about the secret santa and to get their asses over here...and if any of the old guard are lurking and want to join in as well, that's OK isn't it?

Hi Daisy, I think I'll live! My wonderful friend took DS out with her DDs yesterday and DH had DD so I hibernated. I was sick late Friday, then 3more times overnight - but with an empty stomach then spent yesterday feeling so achey and shattered.
But DD was only up once during the night even though she was late down so I like her atm
Poor DS threw up all over DH when he was supposed to be getting into bed but he seems fine this morning
Hope everyone is better now as DH is away with work for a fortnight from tonight

Hope DD lets you sleep at some point Cricri, did she settle?

Daisy - phonecalls are harder to ignore than emails and you tend to have a name to target by the end of it!

Morning All,

cricri hope DD is better today.

Yorky how are you feeling?

Daisy it sounds like you are really getting sorted with your nappies now. You will have an empire in no time!

J has a big bruise on his head courtesy of MIL not watching him going down her kitchen (tiled) step grr, she also informed me when I picked DS1 up last night that she didn't give J his morning bottle as he is big enough already - cheeky cow, yes he is a chunky boy but it is not her decision to make and they still recommend a pint a day.
I'm still mad now!

Might have a walk to the park today while the sun is out - make the most of it!

thanks for the tip yorky, but making actual calls is tricky with two babies wreaking havoc in the background and there's no-one to answer calls at 9pm on a Saturday . I really need to get them into a creche or nursery at least one morning a week. I still have some childcare vouchers to use up, but it will only last a few months.....and I doubt my empire will be paying so much by then that I can afford to keep paying it.

I'm having fun with logos and letterheads etc at the minute though

at your MIL LB. They always think they know best don't they?

We're off the local urban farm this morning to give DH a chance to rest, and hopefully meeting up with jaunita and P

laters xx