January 2009 - "This is halloween, this is halloween, babies wake in the dead of night..."

[VerySpookyLennipillar]

A homage to the Nightmare Before Christmas song. DH obsessed with that film, we all (DD included) have to watch it on Christmas Eve.

tree -eggs soung great

Morning Dog

We have a no toys except dd's in the living room rule, but its often ignored and it drives me to distraction as well. I particularly hate it when they have stuff all over the living room and their bedroom is a disaster area as well. We also have to have a big pile of books and paper and a pot of pens and pencils constantly on the kitchen table to encourage ds2's writing. I am absolutely sick of constantly having to tidy the table and hate the fact that you can see our kitchen table from the street, so it makes the place always look messy to passers by. [paranoid emoticon]

I try to tell myself that in a few years time I will miss the all the toys and drawings and the dc's being happy is more important than having a tidy house. I'm not very good at it though, I do try, but it makes me twitch!

We have a school craft fair on Friday this week and the PTA Santa's grotto next week, followed by ds2's nativity the week after. Ds1 doesn't get to do a play or anything now he's in Juniors, so I'm really glad I came out of the hospital when ds2 was there last year to see his last ever nativity. I find this time of year really hectic in relation to organising all the extra curricular school stuff - costs a fortune as well with all the PTA fund raising stuff they do.

EPPM, yep they stones just stay there as long as they don't cause anymore problems. A large percentage of the population have gallstones and never know about it. Apparently they are only discovered during post-mortems!

Its my neice's due date on dd's birthday, so am thinking any party plans could get scuppered, as my sister, nephew, other neice and Mum all disappear off to be with her. (Apparently that's the plan when she goes into labour!) I'm quite disappointed as its the last 1st birthday I will get to do for my children and I wanted it to be special. I feel like I can't organise anything, as whenever I arrange it for, she is bound to go into labour either that day or the night before or something.

Anyone seen any nice but reasonably priced christmas party type dresses? Nothing too 'pretty' iykwim. We have 3 family 'dos' to go to over Christmas though and I'm stressed about organising 3 party outfits for dd as they are on 3 consecutive days. It all adds up what with cardigans, tights and shoes to match each time and we really can't afford to buy her 3 party dresses, so I have been searching on ebay for weeks, but keep missing the one's I want! I bought her a lovely 9-12 month outfit earlier in the year that I thought would be lovely for Christmas, but its huge on her (she's only just into 6-9 month stuff).

I would just put her in something nice but not partyish, but she is the only baby in the family now and there are 'expectations', especially as there are still lots of friends and family who haven't met her yet.

Moose- I'm sure I have something suitable, if you'd like me to have a root out?
What about something like this? I have it in 9-12 mo with a long sleeved peterpan cpllared top for underneath- it's a soft velvety corduroy, and just gorgeous...

That's really kind of you Peach, dd is only just into 6-9 month though, 9-12 looks huge on her and falls off her shoulders etc.

Actually, she has her 8-12 month check on Friday and I'm a bit nervous that they are going to tell me she has dropped off her centile as I haven't had her weighed in yonks. She isn't skinny though and has lovely chubby thighs. My sister saw her yesterday and said she looks like a little doll.

I do have a stunning mamas and papas dress in 6-9 mo... this one but in 6-9 rather than 9-12
looks better in rl!

Oh that's lovely. Are you sure you would want ot part with it?

Am of the cute girly dresses. MM I would just plan the party regardless of the due date; I looked it up for you and apparently only 5% of babies are born on their due date, so that's pretty good odds!

Lenni have ordered the book, thanks. Sounds like my sort of thing. After working on tiny tearaways, I am a bit reluctant to go down the naughty step path... but obviously my angel boy will never require such methods in any case . Also ordered politics of breastfeeding after reading the brilliant webchat on here with the author.

pat lol at boob leakage in class! Did you have breast pads?! I keep running to the loo for more tissue. Am terrified of sudden let down. Have been expressing 6oz in about 15 mins which doesn't take long, but the glam surroundings of the disabled loo are a bit off-putting.

dog just call your friends and organise a big playdate. It's easy to feel out of the loop, but they are probably just disorganised and busy.

hkz do fb me if your DH is up for some man time - yes, we are in muswell hill again.

tree yey for follicles, sounds good to me, but I know nothing - but what a long train journey! Hope you have lots of good reading material and that H sweetly sleeps most of the way ?

eppm am going to read those threads now. Getting ready for work and getting N ready for the day is already proving to be a bit of a challenge - was super organised last night though and laid out clothes etc.. def helped.

Waves to everyone else.

Hello. Have read all, retained nothing

Just in from making eggs. Retrieval is Friday. Wow!

Moose- I would never have offered if I wasn't happy to part with it! Shall I CAT you and you can email me your address? (if this is okay with MrMoose... otherwise we could do a 'dead-letter' drop in John Lewis baby room )

dog "Some people always seem so effortlessly together" - the key word being SEEM...
A mum in the playground said to me last week "wow- you're always so organised" I nearly laughed out loud I think my face was ... some people are very good at putting on a front

tree fingers crossed everything goes well and you need do no more c'mon little eggys...

DH is a little about the place he is consulting for atm... someone complained to their manager that he doesn't wear a shirt, so he's been asked to start wearing one! It's not as if he's naked btw- he is wearing tshirts and jumpers!
Talk about childish though...

Am feel reassured after reading everyone's DD posts over the last day or so...what is it about little girl toddlers? My DD just had a mammoth tantrum that lasted from when she left nursery to when she went to bed..... she's amazingly energetic about it too...shaking, throwing herself on the flaw, shivering, clenching fists..all very exorcist. Is it a girl thing? She is only 2.7...how much longer before she turns human again? I have found the only thing that really works is distraction or getting on her level, looking her in the eye an dmaking her look at me and speaking very calmly and firmly. The drama of it all does make me and DH laugh sometimes though. When it comes to discipline I always feel I am caught in a place where I don't know hwich way to follow...I believe in clear boundaries and actions and consequences, good manners etc, but am not really too sure about naughty steps and all that, so end up being inconsistent and swing between supernanny strict and lentil weaver! No wonder DD is nuts a challenge.

Tree good luck with the eggies...it all seems to have gone very quickly. I s your head better today?

Moose....thank you for recommoending Royal canine dog food....after two days on it (we are considerably poorer ) the smell has improved massively...thank god.

Moose I've always thought so long as the dishes are washed, the house is clean. Tidy is not a concern when you have little ones. I use to tidy DD's toys many times a day, as well as the DVD's and CD's that she tears apart, and finally realized how ridiculous it was and now just kick them to the fringes until after she goes to bed at night and then toys get tossed into box, just to get a bit of reprieve from the visual noise. We just got our dining table and it took all of a day to cover it in magazines, cross stitching, bits of paper cut from flyers of teapots that I would like, etc. Its home.
gotta go. DD is up. Pop in later

MissJ have sent you a FB message...DH is uncharacteristically enthusiastic about a DH meetup!

I wish I could get my DH to have some uncharacteristic enthusiasm for child related activities, I can't even talk him into coming to a friends DS's 3rd birthday party on Sunday.

Pleased to hear the dog is less smelly HKZ small mercies eh.

MissJ, am reading book now. It's a bit preachy at the beginning but I do agree with a lot of it so far, I'll try it out on DD in the next few weeks and see if it turns her into a caring, responsible self as promised do you think I get a refund if it doesn't work??

Chef - I really enjoy cross stitching, that and knitting are the two things - actually make it three with reading - that I don't get enough time for anymore. I am shockingly geeky. What are you doing for V's first birthday?

Talking of which - Moose why don't you go ahead and plan a party anyway. Even if the baby does arrive on that day I'm sure the new parents would be very grateful for a bit of time to themselves, I wanted any excuse not to have visitors streaming in on the first few days. And E deserves her own attention on her birthday. If the baby does arrive for when you have planned the party then I'm sure your Mum etc. could spend an hour or two with you before heading back to see your new niece.

Will have everything crossed for you on Friday Tree. When will you have news of success in the pregnancy stakes?

Peach - Can I borrow your air of calm and organisation please? I need something to stop me feeling like a bedragled wreck

Dog - It is lovely when you have those productive phases and stuff gets done isn't it? I love it when I'm on top of things. Never lasts though, I'm a slattern at heart. And by the way, I love you, no need to feel unloved ever again

Hi

Peach, not really sure how CAT works, I am paid up though. Mr Moose isn't all that keen on me giving out our address I'm afraid though. He is so daft, its not like we have any reason to remain incognito. I really must stop him reading conspiracy theory tomes! (Problem is I keep buying them for him for birthday and christmas presents - note to self: no more Naomi Klein, Noam Chomsky, Jello Biafra, Mark Thomas etc for dh!)

Sorry to be such a pain.

HKZ, I think it was Lenni that recommended Royal Canin, mine are on James Wellbeloved. Glad its worked though - nothing worse than a windy dog.

Chef, I am much the same with dd's toys, but don't want lots of little (dangerous) lego bits and crazy bones lying around downstairs where dd can get her mitts on them. (Why is that the older children get, the more expensive - yet smaller their toys get?) Also when you have got 3 dc's and a tiny house like us, if they all have a couple of toys out you can barely get around the room. Can't get past my hatred of a messy table though - it makes my teeth itch every time I walk past it!

Its probably all down to my general shame regarding the house in general to be honest. It needs such a lot doing to it, always smells of our poorly dog and our drive consists of several tonnes of gravel that my Dad had dumpered onto the front garden years ago. We have the worst frontage in the road and its a constant source of embarassment that we can't afford to do anything about.

I am getting nervous reading about all these tantrumming dds. The boys never really did the terrible twos/toddler tantrumming thing, so other than ds1's meltdowns (which are slightly different but probably no less spectacular) I have no clue how to handle them. I am quite sure dd is going to be a proper little madam, she already a feisty one.

The problem with the party is that my neice lives in a different town quite a drive away. My sister is going to stay with her from a week before her due date and will be there until a couple of weeks after the baby arrives and everyone else will up sticks and go over there as soon as there is a sign of anything happening. So no-one will be here for a party.

Can't believe I am going to be a Great Aunt again - makes me sound ancient.

I could postpone it, but we all know what these babies are like for staying put rather than arriving when they are expected and she could end up having her birthday party when she is 13 months old if I'm not careful. Also, DH's family will want to come on her birthday regardless and I don't think I could face that without some of my family to save me balance things out a bit.

Guess I'll just have to wait and play it by ear.

Lenni...sorry thought it was moose...but the royalcanine is doing its work...any recommendation on how to stop children smelling? (apart from washing them every now and then)

Moose, i agree with everyone else, defo plan a party, the people that are closest to E will be there anyway and thats all that will matter to her. Your DH's bookshelf is scarily similar to my DH's...If you are stuck for xmas ideas Bad Men by Clive Stafford Smith is a good one (well dh loved it, I read the first two pages and couldn't remember a word of what I had just read )

On the house front, I try to keep toys to one room and it sometimes works but generally our house is...shabby without the chic. WOuld love to do it up...but can't see it happening in the next decade, so am resigned to crayon art walls , damp and horrendous laminate flooring.

Yes, we have a scarily similar bookshelf here too

Lenni- my "air of calm" is just complete zombification from lack of sleep Come on... you've met me now... there wasn't really an air of calm was there?

Moose... I was going to suggest I put a private auction on ebay for you... but then I remembered I would still get your address [dim emoticon] I do understand where he is coming from- I have a different id/username for all the sites I use, and my web email names are all generic, not my own name. my fb isn't a name either... Plus I realise that I'm a lot closer to you geographically than the others, and he might worry (needlessly!) about me turning up at your home stalking you unannounced.
I'll CAT you anyway, and you can decide to ignore if you wish

go for party moose for dd2s 1st bday only haveing my mum and dad so she doesnt get 2 overwhelmed good luck with dresses

Morning.Meant to be sleeping as Harriet is asleep. Can't though, too nervous about tomorrow. Have butterflies!

Moose - you should get a po box. Or you can collect mail from a post office I believe?
Maybe ring and ask about that.

sure tom will be fine

Yep, you definately have an air of calm Peach. A wonderful thing to have.

I have 3 babies for the night, babysitting for my nephew until tomorrow afternoon. Am off for a shower and bed, think the morning may be hectic. Also not quite worked out how I am getting 3 from my car into playgroup in the morning?? May have to grow an extra arm.

Oh, and it's snowing here Christmas is coming...