December 2006- Here's to pre-school newbies, business starters and twin survivers.

[Indith]

Oh go on then.

I'm rubbish at titles though but I bow down to Oli's cakes and supermum.

sorry

ergh, sickness. Please don't send any over here, dt's only just getting over 3 week long bug!
did no-one want organised mum diary inserts? I've got about 8 of them I think, I thought they were handy for bookmarking other important bits. Also, indith, if you wanted to buy microscooter, I have 20% discount code you could use.

Hope the sick bug is passing Lenni!

AQ where did you get yours from? Code would be good (not yet decided but it looks likely!)

That is the problem with ds and dh, they are 11th and 13th of Jan and it is so hard ot motivate myself to dotheir shopping along with the Christmas stuff but I know if I leave it til after it won't get done.

Yes, hope sickness begone from your house too Lenni (looking at new pics today on FB, gorgeous!)
Indith, it was JoJoMamanBebe. I'll text it to you if you want? I don't think I could be bothered with Jan birthdays either, everyone I know is December!

ouch that looks expensive! Suppose his Christmas present came free though. Yes please for the text! May have a scout around for a cheaper one though!

20% off will ease the blow Shall try and find the code & text to you. I largely bought one as it seems ideal for children with co-ordination problems, trying to help ds2 with that. Thank god I've just sold hundreds of pounds of stuff on mumnset & ebay to fund christmas/birthdays! Getting a bit tired of 3xweekly trips to PO but oh, well.

Wish I had something to sell! Still, at least after this we are basically done. Almost SIL is November, FIL and BIL are February, after that there is nobody til my family start in June but thankfully my parents don't expect or want presents. Am doing all the parents, inlaws and siblings for around £5 a couple this year with homemade bath melts and infused oil/vodka.

Hi everyone, strep has hit our household but we're still holding off the vomit bug Was up most of the night with ds2 as his fever get going up and up. I'm so glad I decided to take him in yesterday. He just looked kind of "off" iykwim.

My extended family decided last year that we would donate money for a pig to Heifer Project instead of exchanging adult gifts so I just have dh, dcs and the little ones of the family to shop for.

AQ, I am mightily impressed with your selling. I always intend to do that but never get around to it. It's the packaging up that's the thing...

When Liam and Martha coming? When coming mummy? Time Liam and Martha yet?

They arrive

No! Liam no! Not to play mines toys! No!

Time to leave

No! I not want bye!

Flipping toddlers.

Dd has decided that teething is best done in 2s. I can't decide if this means twice as bad as double the pain or that it gets it over and done with.

@ Indith.

dd2 seems to be on the way to potty training. I've asked the pre-school to encourage her to9 visit the toilet when her friends are there too. She's now telling me when she is doing wees in her nappies, although she had a sore tummy yesterday when I picked her up from pre-school becuase she was holding her wee. She realised that she didn't have a tummy ache once she had done a wee. Has the penny dropped? We'll have to wait and see.

There seems to be a bad bug in dd1s school half of Y2 were off sick.

I've been off having plastic surgery

Not really (do need it, but never mind). Have been going through hoops finding house, bidding on house, losing house (in v frustrating circumstances), letting go of house, getting house back on our plate day before yesterday, agreeing on house yesterday, survey today. Am slightly dazed but, I think, very excited! Its a horribly long story so I won't bore you all with it, but looks like we will be moving again in the spring..fingers crossed...

I'm sorry to hear about the vomit, and the post vomit smells, and the strep . dh has caught the dds' colds and had asthma again, but apart from that and dd2's hacking cough, no real nasties yet....both dds and dh vaccinated against all sorts of flu, second lots to be done next week for the dds. Hopefully that'll help make this winter better than last

Am rushing around doing school related xmasy things, and figuring out two birthday parties - so resolutely putting fingers in ears about christmas shopping! Does anyone have any tips about getting LOs to turf out 'old' toys to give away to make room for the new?!

Eli I definitely need surgery. DH said he will pay for it!

Is that the house you did sealed bids on and lost? (I lurk alot on property threads). Great news. Really pleased for you.

Re toys. I just get rid of them. DS has still not noticed (or commented) on the missing (huge) garage from the playroom that I gave to a friend a few weeks ago

Sorry to hear about all the bugs.

DD2 had a massive strop today and refused to go to nursery. 2 of her friends were doing the same. Am too worn out to fight and I think it is quite exhausting for them really.

Everything is up in the air here and I am drowning in a sea of "stuff".

Thanks - yes, that same one. Funny thing is, when it came on in the first place I wished it hadn't till after half term (we were checking out how we felt about moving out to Oxford at half term). Then we lost it the day we went to Oxford, and now, two weeks later - and we know we're staying where we are - its back

Yes, I get rid of toys too - but I think dd1 is old enough to get the principle of giving stuff away? dd2 possibly not

Strops are all about exhaustion, IMO, both for the stropee and the stropper

Do you mean material or psychic stuff? Don't drown, you're far too lovely!

I need surgery. My eye bags are down by my chin somewhere.

Great news on the house Eli.

Do any of your lot get growing pains? Am getting a little worried about ds and his leg pains. I get leg pain blah blah blah hypermobility blah blah but he seems to be getting it a lot, the past few days during the day too and I will feel so guilty if the poor boy has joint pain because of hypermobility or something. He is seeing podiatry in December because he walks and stands a bit funny so they will be checking all that stuff then anyway but I think I am going to take him to the GP next week too. I need something for the return of his excema anyway, and a prescription for more lactulose which we still can't bloody well seem to get right, we either have poo oozing everywhere or poo getting all backed up.

Perhaps a surgical MN meet-up type holiday ....

Indith, dd1 has had growing pains but never oingoingly - they seem to come in phases, probably with growth spurts. She does get foot pain quite easily, has tiny feet, and dh has ankles that turn very easily so am keeping an eye too. dd2 has fallen arches and ankles that turn in still, though getting better.

Good idea to run past GP anyway...think achey legs atm can be put down to viruses at times, too...

Hello, we are just about out the other end of an awful run of viruses - colds, d&v, coughs, sore throats, fevers.... the list goes on. And today DS bless him got 2 teeth, I never even noticed he was teething amongst all the snot. Oh well, that's 4 teeth with no teething so I'm not complaining. There is snot everywhere however, about which I am complaining bitterly.

House sounds like fate Eli, it was obviously meant to be and you'll no doubt be very happy there as result. And if not I'm not taking any blame so I'll quickly touch some wood just in case.

DD has growing pains, but they come and go. Hers seem to be in her legs and back, but she does grow so quickly. Is DS tall? I have no clue on these things.

I've had a real awkward time lately - have had my job fall through that I was meant to start in Jan, and can't find anything else. DH and I are having a bit of an unsettled period, as happens from time to time (thank you for the book Oli) and I've had a falling out of sorts with a close friend that made me realise things weren't what I thought they were. Plus with DD starting pre-school in Jan it is all a lot of change. Must go, DS crying...

Congrats on the house eli!

NEver had much in the way of growing pains here, Indith so can't help with that.

Ds2 will be 3 next weekend and flatly refuses to consider potty training

lenni, sorry things are so rough. It always seems to come in lots doesn't it?

Ds2 recovering from strep, ds1 down with fever last night and generally feels yucky. I finally dragged myself to the Express Clinic on Wednesday to find out that I had indeed developed bronchitis. AB's seem to be helping but I still have icky wet cough...

Jabber you poor thing! Hope everyone is well again soon.

I think I shall start living here in the summer and Australia or New Zealand for the winter months. Thus avoiding all winter bugs.

Lenni sorry things are rough Lots of change but things will settle. The job loss is tough, horrible times for that sort of thing. Dd starting pre school will be lovely though, she will havce a great time and you will really enjoy the time with ds

Dd loves it when she wakes from her nap before ds does, she is so happy rampaging around the living room without ds shouting at her for daring to play with his toys Oh but they are so cute when they actually play nicely together.

Dd is still teething. She gets horrible nappy rash when teething that bleeds no matter what I put on it I can't believe she will be 1 soon, where did the time go? She is coming out with random words left right and centre and is just sooo pleased with herself over everything she does. I think I'm going mad half the time because ds was pretty late talking but I swear she is saying things. She was playing with a car going brrrr brrrr brrr then she made it crash and said "crash" and she picked up a toy giraffe and said "giraffe" I must have looked something like this because she pointed at it and repeated it.

I may not be getting any sleep but I am so completely in love with my dd. She is all snuggly and lovely, comes up to me for cuddles (then tries to put her head down my top ) and jabbers away and is so happy and giggly. Ds is also being lovely when he is not asserting his authority, he is very into cuddles and kisses and telling us he loves us

I've had a bad week though which hasn't been great. I've been a lot happier recently and things were getting better but I've been low and tearful again. At least I recognise it though I suppose and I'm trying to make sure I have lots organised next week so hopefully it will be better.

Eli, house does indeed seem like fate. I really, really hope it all goes smoothly for you from now on in, you more than deserve a stress free move this time .

Indith, I'm dipping mood wise atm, too. I suspect it's partly the short days and partly the counselling as stuff is coming to the surface that's been repressed for a long, long time. Your description of your dd is lovely though, I personally think non-sleepers have to be extra gorgeous during daylight hours to insure against any nocturnal urges to hurl them out of the window .

Have 3 new cakes on my profile from the last fortnight, this week I'm doing my dad's homecoming cake - a 3d cake of his UK house, eek. I may be over extending myself with it though, I suspect the air in my kitchen will be very blue over the latter part of the week .

Oh poo, sorry Lenni, didn;t add my commiserations over the job. Was that the one you were telling me about at the zoo? Can you do supply or do you need set days for childcare? I agree with Indith about preschool, she will love it once she's settled in. The thought and build up is always worse for us - well it was for me anyway, ds1 going to preschool because ds2 had literally just been born and I was so worried he'd feel he was being sent away because of ds2, and dd going to school because she's so young but both have been fine.

Glad the books got there ok. Is your t'internet sorted now?

hi, all glad you're talking a bit more now.
Lenni, v.sorry about illness and the job, that must be a blow was just on verge of asking what you were doing work-wise. Are you looking after your nephew from jan as well? re: pre-school, it might well be a bit tough to start with but she'll get there and it will b really good for her socialisation too. I wish ds2 would talk in public at the moment, it's driving me mad as I'm not used to it. Took him for eye test friday (he's prob. longsighted, more tests) and he just wouldn't speak to the orthoptist at all poor woman.
indith, lovely to hear your glowing description of your dc's, that's so sweet. I do love the cuddles at this age. Course my two have to push each other off my lap to get them (I can manage both, but they disagree).
Finding it ahrd to follow house up and downs, Eli - you have one, yes?? You're happy with it? I think so, I got distracted halfway through. eeek.
castles, what's the stuff & the drowning?
just got back from London for my 40th birthday weekend, very nice, completely exhausting tramping around as my joints etc pretty bad but lovely to have some time out. Went to V&A, Natural History Museum and saw Moliere in some tiny little theatre somewhere I'd never heard of (but v.v.good). Spent lots of quality time with sisters and mum, who were fab. Kind of a let down to come back to soiling (ds1), tantrums (ds2) and ill/teething ds3. At least dd was pretty happy and problem free, bless her little walking robot socks. She's so bloody fast after 5 weeks of walking, hope ds3's not that fast too!
must go catch up with chores I missed whilst away!

forgot to also say, indith, empathise with you on the tearful front, I spent most of last week crying at drop of hat and don't know why. (hormones usually involved tho).
jabber, bronchitis sounds horrible, are you having to work through all this? dh helping out? hope you feel better soon, bronchitis is awful.

AQ, sounds like you had a fab weekend . I know what you mean about coming home though. Back to reality (and the backlog) with a thump.

I forgot to mention my newly acquired allergy to nuts that means I have to carry an Epipen with me at all times and scrupulously avoid all nuts. Which is fun. So much ordinary food has some kind of nut traces in. The anaphalactic asthma attack I had after eating pecan pie was distinctly less fun, especially when my voice went peculiar, which was apparently a result of my windpipe closing up .

Yes Oli, job was the one in Pupil Referral Unit that I told you about. Was meant to start second week in Jan but something has happened with the person's maternity leave so they don't require me - they offered me an alternative position but is 32 hours a week, no way I could manage without putting both DCs in nursery and we've got DD mentally prepared for preschool now so don't want to do a u-turn. I'm under contract with them but would end up unemployable if didn't voluntarily terminate it with being a state school. My Mum had a stillbirth a while ago and didn't take much maternity leave as result, I just hope that hasn't happened to this person. Something else will come up eventually I'm sure, I just had my heart set on that job, and sounded promisingly permanent too. Oh well, obviously not meant to be.

AQ - Happy Birthday! Glad you had a lovely weekend in London. Sounds like your return was a bit more eventful than planned though. Hope the teeth appear soon for you and for Indith.

I have felt better today, for the first time in the last 2 weeks I've woken up not feeling worse than when I went to bed, which is progress!

Internet still off - probably be reconnected by Friday so still using DH's mobile dongle which is crap a bit slow. Will no doubt be lurking even if you don't hear from me. Oli am on right computer now so will fb you PILs picture before I forget.

x-posts OMG about nut allergy. How frightening, you are okay now though?