May '09 - We've had our first tooth!!

[Grumpyoldcaaaaaaaa]

Here we are, in honour of baby O and the first tooth through.

flippin you'd better slap me too then! i'm thinking after we sell our flat and are hopefully settled in our nova scotian mansion in the not too distant future maybe i can talk dh into #3 i wonder what ante natal & maternity care is like over there.. another thing to find out!

my mouth is not sore at all so been i've been able to munch away all afternoon! very hungry today for some reason

Belgian somehow missed your post about your mc. Am so sorry, must have been v hard for you.

Bed jackets. Sexy!

I may get one for DH's visit this weekend. Should put paid to any amorous thoughts he may have. Then I'll change into my housecoat.

I am cooking burger and chips tonight. I struggled to even do that. Bad day here, definite teeth just below the gum, have not been able to put S down at all. She's had very little sleep. I'm physically and mentally exhausted and at the end of my tether. Just counting down till DH is here on Friday!

She's off again, back later

dandy - we do a lot of counting to three - usually when we've asked the DCs to do something (or stop doing something) - it really does work on DD whos 4 (and it worked when she was 3 too), but DS whos 2 doesn't get it. Some friends count to 10 but that just seems too long (we do stretch out the pauses between the 2 and 3 if necessary and sometimes have to have a "2 and a half" lol. With my DD it's the constant "I want a biscuit /ice-cream/ chocolate/ fruitshoot/ present" that really gets to me. She thinks if she keeps asking she'll wear me down but i don't give in...I also insist on normal voices before I will listen. I am quite strict really and have a short fuse especially when tired.

We are going to introduce the pasta jars tonight and see how that goes.

fruitshoot

Dandy- your story about the curling tong has cheered me up a bit. Looking like a mess really is starting to get me down (not that I was really glamorous before) it's the weight more than anything, pre baby I was quite skinny and being fat makes me feel very unattractive I love being a mum so much but at times I feel like I'm not 'me' any more. That sounds like I'm feeling proper sorry for myself but I can't think of a more sensible way of saying it

at horrible whingey mememe post- I need a pasta jar!

at horrible whingey mememe post- I need a pasta jar!

Dandy I just wanted to belatedly say I'm in awe of the way you have dealt with the dreadful hand life threw at you in your 20's, and how you've turned the experience around to have a positive outcome. You're an inspiration!

I was thinking earlier how fab you all are and especially those who have dealt with big life changes at the same time as dealing with a little baby. I'm impressed with myself if I manage to do a bit of cleaning alongside keeping H happy!

I possibly spend too much time on here (especially as you are all imaginary ) but I've been imagining a Sunday-Times-magazine type article about your inspiring stories accompanied by a group photograph with babies, you know, all artily shot in a studio, muted colours, side lit, you all looking effortlessly glamorous and interesting - each wearing a different luridly patterned housecoat

sophietom no time to type more but I know exactly how you feel (except I wasn't thin beforehand!).

spangle Oh I just laughed so much at the photoshoot. Could we have our babies in matching mini-coats? I can see H in his Bumbo, housecoat a go-go.

sophietom I know how you feel. I hardly ever bother with make up up now, wear my hair in a permanent ponytail and pretty much shuffle about in jeans and vests/t-shirts. I'm such a frump it's unreal.

Unfortunately, the past couple of weeks of lack of sleep have left my scalp flaking and my skin looking rough so I've no hope now.

Fuck it, may as well get a headscarf as well as my housecoat

S is asleep for now.

spangle I have literally just shrieked with laughter. I would so love to see that article. As I think I've broken my toe, can my picture be in bed wearing the fetching bedjacket that Jenn found?

soph know exactly what you mean. I am wearing the same things day in day out and don't even get me started on my hair...

oops got to go, milk is required.
xx

sophietom are you sure it is about the weight? I found it took time to adjust to the sort of clothes that I found myself wearing as a new mother. Before DS1 was born I worked full-time and therefore had a wardrobe full of suits and work clothes but very little in the way of smartish casual clothes. I hadn't a clue what to wear to NCT groups and toddler groups and similar when I wanted to be a little bit smarter than around the house clothes.

It took ages to come up with clothes that would be serviceable enough to wear with babies and toddlers and smart enough to make me feel good. Also, I wore heels a lot pre-children but found I couldn't with children, so needed new shoes and a new trouser length.

Now that I work far less, I have more choice of clothes to wear out and about. I spend less on my work wardrobe and a bit more on my non-work wardrobe, although I must stress that doesn't mean a lot by any means!

I do try and make sure that my hair is clean and relatively tidy, although as it is a frizzy mop is generally looks pretty bad. I've mentioned this before but I also feel a lot better when I've managed to off-load the boys and have been for a swim or to yoga. I'm also sitting here with a dress, tights and boots on (heels, hurrah!) and some make-up because I'm going to the pub, and trust me, it feels soooooooooo good to have dressed up a bit. Perhaps you need some time to yourself? You wouldn't believe the things I've volunteered myself for recently just to get me out of the house of an evening!

Phew. An essay. Hope I haven't barked up the wrong tree!

spangle - snort at the photoshoot! Would we have some chickens in the photo too?

sophietom - every sympathy. I struggle with my body, my clothes and so on. I've got a funny thing going on in my head where I'm a lot more confident than I used to be (I was larger for years, then lost weight and a lot of stuff improved), and I'm confident enough not to really care what other people think, but I just don't feel great in/about myself at times, although I love my body for what it's been able to do. Does that make sense? No idea how to fix it.

IKWYM llareg about mum clothes. I haven't been making much of an effort lately and find it difficult to look presentable when dribbled, sicked and smudged by food all over my clothes. Also my clothes are so old now and I can't really afford anything new. I need a SAHM make over.

Dandy Love your whinge plan. DD is 22 months now and is starting to whinge. She doesn't have much language so it makes some of the strategy tricky but I'm sure she understands alot so I think I will start a simplified version.

DS has been such hard work the last few days. I think he is teething and has been a velcro baby all day. He only slept 20 mins on my chest and 20 mins in the sling but is asleep now so hopefully he is better tonight. I'm so tired......

Evening everyone,

Thank you for the sympathies for the wedding day misc. It was a bit of a surprise pregnancy, it was our 1st month of TTC and I didn't expect to get a BFP. I also didn't feel pregnant and always had this feeling it wouldn't run its course. So it wasn't a bad misc in as far as misc go as I had sort of anticipated it. Though of course the timing wasn't good and it did stop me from enjoying my big day as much as I would have as the whole day long I felt that I really just wanted to be in bed and let my body rest.

house coats and bed coats PMSL at this conversation. I love Spangle's image of us all in matching housecoats. I've been trying to find a picture of one of those floral ones my grandmother used to wear, but I can't find what they're called in Dutch. All I can think of is our word for 'apron'

tummum Great news that it wasn't shingles. What relief. Hope you're feeling better soon.

body image or however it's best described. After ds I started wearing the mummy uniform of jeans and t-shirt, because it was comfy. But after a while I decided that it really wasn't me. My clothes made me feel a bit frumpy. I decided that it wasn't because I was a mum that I couldn't wear nice skirts/dresses. I bought some cheaper clothes in my new size and felt instantly better. Nothing's worse than wearing clothes that are too tight all the time. Make up I don't tend to wear, I just forget and my hair is usually air dried, because it's very straight and stubborn so any attempt at styling it is useless.

I've been by the story in the news today of the women that were looking after eachother's children who were told to stop their illegal childminding by ofsted. I've just realised that I've been illegally childminding my SIL's children. I'm a criminal

whinging My dd1 is good at it. I tend to just tell her to ask me what she wants in a normal voice. If she's getting too much on my nerves I sometimes imitate her. Probably not the best strategy Is whinging a girly thing you think? DS doesn't tend to do it.

Hmmm, I've probably forgotten loads of people, but I've forgotten half of what I've wanted to say so far. My brain's gone a bit mushy

Loving the photo shoot! Of course we'd all have to have pre shoot make overs for the when the housecoats come off photo.. & not forgetting the assorted home baked cakes and favourite tipples that'd be available too

dandy dandy, dandy... thanks so much for the great advice/whinge-plan you've detailed for me. I'm going to read over it a few times with a cup of chamomile tea before sleeping tonight. DD1 is defn old enough to understand the communication thing. i think it's important for her to use words instead of crying/whinge so I'm going to really work on that with her.

great advice on here.

spangle, can I wear a bed coat for the photo shoot?

ok. going to get my tea, get into bed with laptop. and be back with you in a mo so i can catch up with the rest.

Can I just say that Sophietom is lovely and doesn't look fat and frumpy. At all. Sorry you hurt your neck. Does it look like a chewy? [smirk]

Dandy Wow that's a good strategy. I'll certainly be re-reading that.

Very hungry here too. Might have to have a banana before I go to bed.

llare I'm going through that process now. My wardrobe is mainly work and going out stuff (which is what I find easiest to buy) with scruff-bag things for slobbing in the house/cleaning/gardening. I've never really got to grips with 'smart casual' or whatever looking nice in the day is called. I have the heels thing, too. I find I'm wearing pumps all the time so I can kick them off at baby groups etc. Time to peruse the Boden catalogue perhaps?

Housecoat and headscarf here

I love Dandy's great whinge plan. Does anyone have an equally detailed (with guarenteed success, please) for toilet training? DD1 cam home from the CM's today with a sticker for doing a wee on the toilet. She never does it at home, but then sometimes I think she likes the childminder more than me .

As for clothes, I wear jeans and converse with a T-shirt that is too short in the body because at only 5'10'' I seem to be some sort of freak who has to show her baby apron to all and sundry because I can't find tops long enough. Smart casual? What is that? Even at work I've become a scruff bag.

dandy i'm taking notes re your great whinging advice. We've been doing the counting thing for a while and it really does help ds stop mucking around when I'm asking him to do things eg getting into his car seat so I don't end up chasing him around the car.