April 2008 - The one with the arrival of little sisters!

[Scorps]

Here's to PM's new little girl to come very soon, oh yes and my dd2

They're both lovely, I can't really decide! If I had to choose one, I'd probably go for the first one.

Sound like a lovely day, Scorps!

I feel so full of baby though today (34+2) and waddled walked slowly back up the hill to ours today after the park. Also feel all ratty. Sigh. Nice day for you?

Yes, had a lovely day, thanks. Played in park outside this afternoon, and just watching old MAS*H dvds now and browsing internet for travel ideas. There's a possibility that dh has to go to India for work (for a week) early next year, so we're considering extending his stay to make it 2 weeks, then R and I can join - would love to see some of India, but still in two minds about whether or not too risky healthwise for him... Still, is nice "window shopping"

I have a friend who spent alot of her childhood holidays in India, it's fine for small ones apparently. Would be fun!

That's wonderful to hear, Scorp, thanks for that! Most of the info out there are more in the "are you completely insane and hate your children??" category, so trying to get full info at the moment.

my friend is mner too, i could ask her to FB you with info?

Oh yes please Scorp, that would be brilliant. Dh would need to work in Jaipur, so that'll have to be the first week, but we could go somewhere else for the second.

I sent you a FB message saying who she is, she said she will help if poss

Thank you so much!

Scorps, I love the flowery bag better!

Sal, One of the mums from my old nanny families is Indian, and they often went taking the kids. It was prob a bit different because they stayed with family who had big house with chef etc, but some of the things the told me when they came back each time made me look like this ! Like the 2 year old being transported around on the handlebars of a pushbike .

The kids had a blast every time they went though. I think if you research well before you go it'd be fine.

I like both of the bags, the nearest JL to here is Plymouth so no-one will have one of those bags... I'm thinking floral too... i heart both but is v silly to have two lol. DH is buying it for me as part of my birthday pressie, don't really want much else apart from a beautiful watch which is coming too [spoilt][deserving]

I refer the second one, they both have short handles though, will you be able to hang on buggy or are you going to have to try and keep it on your shoulder whilst pushing? I dont use the double v often these days unless longer walk but when I do Im pushing nearly 5 stone and dont think id balance a bag on my shoulder very easily at the same time.

Im on a diet, poo, everyone had chocolate fudge cake and ice cream for pudding whilst I had some fruit Thought I would try and be careful over the next few weeks as I know I will put weight on over xmas, the roses and dry roasted peanuts are just too tempting.

Took the kids for a lovely muddy walk this pm, trying to wear them out as they are driving me mental at the moment. DD2 just seems to have this thing about pulling anything she can get hold off out over the floor, I consequently run round tidying up all day long (not so bad when DD1 at school, as I shut some rooms off) She has a particular fasination with shoes and regularly pulls them all off the rack and drops them randomly around the house - beginning to consider lots of lockable units.

refer?? - prefer even

Knitter. I will try not to transport R on said way, so hopefully we'll survive, lol. The main thing I'm worried about is d&v - will obviously only use tapped water, sealed food (bananas, freshly peeled fruit, freshly cooked, vacuum packed etc), no buffets etc, but there's always that worry. Will have a proper think, but it looks lovely. Benefit of going now is also that we'll only have to pay for mine and R's flights, and only pay for one week of hotel, as dh will be working first week. Well, this is of course only if he can get leave for the second week - haven't asked yet, I need to decide today.

Denny, impressed with your diet determination. I lasted one week, but had a horribly stressful week this last one, and ate my body weight x 2 (which is quite considerable, let me assure you) in chocolates... Urgh.

I prefer the 2nd one too.

Went shopping today to attempt to buy some of the Christmas pressies we need. Was half successful. Stopped at Zizzi's for lunch and it appears Gigi likes chilli! DH has a pasta dish that had chilli in it, and Gigi loves pasta so fished some out while we weren't looking and chomped on it quite happily! We were a bit and wondered how she would react once she realised it was spicy, but she just wanted more! Def takes after her father!

She has also started smacking - and thinks it is very amusing! It's not! Getting smacked around the chops by my 18 month old who is actually really strong is not fun! I'm trying to encourage her to hug not hit! lol

Denny, I'm on a diet as from tomorrow. Wish I had started earlier as have a tonne to lose before Christmas!

I also want to go on holiday! I've only been working 2.5 months and already I need one!

lol MyMama, I just read that as 'Gigi has started smoking' and really had to go back for a closer look!

Bollocks to diets I say, says the biggest girl in the group

All the other pink lining bags come with a longer strap too; I'm guessing and hoping this does too, if not I will send it back and get one with a longer strap.

It says on the blurb that it comes with a detachable shoulder strap. Worry no more!

Sal I went to Delhi for 10 days for work and was scrupulous about water/food etc. Stayed and ate only in good hotels and I still got a slightly dodgy tum but nothing bad - I am the only person at my work NOT to have had a major upset though. I'm not saying you shouldn't go, but maybe look into what is available for R's age-range in terms of things of immodium etc. Adults can take those things and recover quickly but if there isn't anything suitable for young ones it's a bit more a big deal.
Would you be going around February? That's when I went and the temperature was lovely, but I think I wouldn't want to go much later than that.
There's a possibility I'll have to go again next year and am mulling over much the same question - whether to take DH and B, and so far I'm thinking pretty positively about it (even if the above sounds negative!)

Ok, I have been a domestic goddess today and would like to pass on two discoveries I made:

1. You can use a salad spinner to help get rid of water from baby woollens you've just hand-washed. It doesn't distort them and it's better than hand-wringing.

1. If your toddler normally destroys sandwiches rather than eating them, try using a teeny-tiny cookie cutter to cut them into bite-sized shapes - our favourite is 'star'. He just pops them into his mouth - no investigating, no peeling, no 'one bite and I'm done' sandwich fragments left everywhere.

I am not on a diet.

Fab tip re salad spinner LadyBee, I'd never have thought of that! To be honest I just stick it all in the machine on delicate cycle then dry on a towel on the radiator. If it absoloutely has to be handwashed, it doesn't get bought!

Ladybee, thank you for the info. (Mean it, not being sarcastic! ) That's just about the only thing I worry about - I know R's fine with change of scenery, flying, new people, etc etc, but the tummy...

Problem with UK is that so far I haven't seen anything for d&v - every time R had it here, they've just said to hang in there and come back if he's dehydrated! The doctor in South Africa did however give me a special mix when we were there which supposedly works almost immediately to bring on the flight with me when I came back the other day (R had ever so slight upset stomach, and I was worried it could develop into something on the plane). It was a powder mix (can't remember what the active stopping ingredient was) to stop, to rehydrate and then that friendly bacteria stuff you have to take after d&v. I've binned it now as was not sterile, but I guess I could try doctors here, and if no help, could call doctor there and get my mom to post it to me.

If we go, it'll probably be late January, so at least wheather wise ok. Hmm, need to decide!

Ladybee, if you do take B with, I'd highly recommend making an appointment at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases' Travel Clinic in London. They're cheaper (slightly) than normal travel clinics, but know more and have actual doctors. It beats going to gp or travel clinic, who'll immunise for randomly anything (from a typed up list, not taking individual patient into account). We went before Peru, and they were brilliant. I suspect if it was just for dh and I, the nurse would have dealt with it on her own, but as R was also involved, she went away to consult the doctor, and R's age, exactly (as in towns) where we were going and his medical history were taken into account. We ended up not giving him any jabs (e.g. yellow fever - for where we were going, it was riskier to medicate than not). He also gave us pediatric malarone for malaria for R, but he didn't have to take it beforehand - again unlikely areas, but had to have with us to use immediately should symptoms develop.

Love the domestic goddess tips - will try sandwich thing with R, who is currently on a hunger strike (except for milk). Am in two minds about the milk thing - on the one hand, it would probably mean he's able to sustain this no-eating-regime for longer and possibly make it stick, but on the other - at least he gets the required vitamins in this way? He eats grapes and a little apple, but during the last 2 days, that and a couple of spoonfulls of homemade soup was about it! Sigh. (At least no sign of anorexia - knew the Michelin Man start in life would pay off sooner or later...)

Whoh, sorry for that long post!

Sal - G sometimes goes days hardly eating anything. That's how he's always been though, and I don't worry any more. If he's ungry he'll eat, if he isn't he won't. He doesn't have any milk either though. He deigned to drink some of the milk that his cheerios had been soaking in this morning but other than that he hasn't had any milk since he refused to bf any more 3 weeks before his first birthday. That was nothing to do with anything though, was it! Guess what I'm trying to say is don't worry, don't start offering too many alternatives as he'll eat what's on offer when he's hungry. He won't starve himself! I know he'll pretty much always eat cheese, banana and yogurt so we fall back on them to offer as a meal when I think he really needs to eat something.

Because he won't drink it (in any form, even as banana milk or hot choc) rather than because I haven't offered...

That's a relief, thanks Knitter! I always like it when you give this kind of info, as you're a professional, so that puts me at ease. Also reminded me to buy bananas tomorrow, he loves those (usually half at a time), but we've run out yesterday.

Ladybee, thought this might interest / scare you too. It's the "official" advice for India. As stated in my life story above though, would probably be worth it to read this, but then go and discuss B in person with them. Actually, since you've been there, I guess you know most anyway, sorry.