December 2007 - Not Quite Two, Already Terrible ;)

[claraquack]

Just checking that this worked....

Clara
Really should go to bed
Are you off on hols today/tomorrow?

I looked after 5 children single handedly last night, it went ok but not sure I'd want to do it full time, for one thing there was so much washing up!

Clairey - yes HURRRRRRRAAAAHHHHHH we are off on holiday TODAY!!! (sort of - we drive to a hotel near the airport this afternoon and fly early tomorrow morning).

I am meant to be packing at the moment, dh has taken the dd's out so I can do it without their "help" so really must get on with it! Just about to close my netbook down so I can pack it.

Will have internet access in our hotel in Orlando so will still be able to log on.

Hi all! Thanks for good wishes I'm home although very stiff and quite sore, I can't believe how much a smallish cut on the neck can affect movement, especially in the arms! Op went well, half thyroid taken and half lymph nodes too - results in around 10 days hopefully - phew! Not sure about recovery but consultant seemed to think I should be back at work in 2 weeks or so which is good, don't like feeling all weak.

Yes it was my Birthday yesterday BT so extra nice to come home on it! Got a nice new lens for my camera plus lots of flowers, chocs and jelly beans

Skid, I also read ML as Mother In Law...

Clara/Insy, I wouldn't say 3 is easy but it does definitely work for me - I like it! Hope you have a fab holiday Clara!

beckle - great you are back home and here's to a swift, chocolate-and-jellybean-filled recovery

clairey - glad to hear your baser instincts are in full working order!!

clara - think it is all about expectations - I thought having 3 would be awful but it is SO-FAR no harder than having two, and indeed much easier than having 2 and being pg. But I'm sure it is just a phase and I'll soon be back to normal (i.e. exhausted and stressed!)

at MIL - don't think I've ever enjoyed my MIL as such although she's very pleasant...

Beckle take it easy and don't try to do too much, glad it's not too long a wait for the results.

Skid baser instincts are slightly in overdrive at the moment

Another one wondering who on earth you would actually enjoy their MIL !!

Take it easy Beckle, that sounds sore, hope can get a good bit of help?

Clara have a lovely holiday, enjoy not being stranded for a while

Registered DD for nursery today (the one attached to the school she will go to, we get funded places from 3yrs so she'll go 5x per week from Jan). Not sure if it was exciting or sad!!

I've been thinking about baby no.2 - think I'd like another baby but not another pregnancy!!

clara I kind of agree with what skid said, 3 isn't easy but definitely more managable than I thought, I think the leap from 1-2 was the hardest for me and I was better prepared for 2-3, plus it depends what you see as an achievement, I have seriously lowered my standards when I had 2 babies I was proud if each child had matching socks, now its if they have clean socks/wearing the right size socks

beckle glad to hear you're doing ok and that you had lovely birthday

pox II here now, toby (ds2) has it, only about 6 spots so far, ds1 still has fever and coughing horribly, took him to docs as now fever for 4 days and said he was fine just wish he'd get spots and get it over with!
ds3 hasn't stopped whinning today, I've probably got another day in quantine with them tomorrow, need some activity suggestions before they drive me and each other mad, did gardening today and I have a tiny garden so thats that done!

Oh Insy, what a nightmare!! Poor you and poor dcs

Beckle, glad op went well. We shall all hold your hands while you wait for the biopsy results.

Insy , poor DSs, I hope Toby gets through it easier than poor Bear did, as for activityu suggestions - would they/you be up for making something in the kitchen? Rice crispie cakes or something simple (and easy to clean up after)?

Thanks BT

Oooh, I meant to say yesterday, with the talk of election stuff further up on the thread, there is a facebook group called Vandalised Conservative Billboards - tis very funny if you have some spare time! My postal vote came yesterday, not sure which way to go or if it would make a difference - we've been Tory here forever I think!

(anyone online tonight have a sneaky look at pic on my profile-I will be removing it tomorrow )

at freaky's pic

bt. I did take it down earlier but then put it back up for someone on slatterns thread. You can't really see him very well (just as well probably cos he's in his work clothes so his phone no is on his tshirt!)

ooh is that HIM???? can barely see him, couldn't you get one topless a bit closer?

insy how horrid, get better soon all you insy boys!!

DS2 just had his jabs - he was VERY brave! he has an umbilical hernia which will probaby get better itself but if not he'll need an operation when he's 1 , my little baby

Skid he wouldn't let me take any more, said I was as bad as his nan Actually she has taken quite a few of him with my dc, maybe I'll try to get one off her!

Had v good afternoon with him yesterday but it's bad because I am getting smitten and he isn't available Need to move on!

clairey - I also had a squint at piccie, yes clearer one needed please!

skid - poor ds, I really hope it rights itself in meantime

ds1 now has pox and is proudly showing anyone he can his 'chicken hen spot' only one so far which happens to be right by his willy, oh well at least he had 2 mornings at preschool this week - quarantine again for rest of week, ds2 not well this evening but he is such a happy boy he's really been no trouble, he just told me he was bit hot, needed to lie down and then fell asleep on sofa, so much easier than his high maintenance big brother! also quite nice to know by the end of bank holiday we'll have it all ticked off the childhood illness list!

beckle - luckerly the garden has kept boys very occupied, also swopped toys with neighbours ds which has really helped - plus not sure chocolate will last that long in my cupboard!

Morning at work today, dropped bomb shell that I'm taking extra 15 wks unpaid leave and wanting to come back for 3 days and they took it really well, I do have long days to work (9.15hrs) and dh won't consider flexible working to pick up ds1 from out of school club, why is it if you have a penis you just exempt yourself from childcare? I know thats a sweeping generalisation but I work with all men and they also make assumption that dw will sort kids out

Insy - yep that is pretty typical of men, they don't seem to understand that flexible working does in fact apply to both parents
At least with my DH is was more about his long commute which he couldn't do anything about, but if we move before we have dc2 (which I am still hopeful for) then I might make the point that he should and could ask for it.
I am very lucky that I have such a flexible job. But I have sod all maternity rights as I am self-employed.

BTW got a GP appt for week after next, to discuss my meds, I am on lofepramine and beta blockers, don't know about the lofepramine but I do know the BB aren't safe to take during pregnancy. So will talk to her about coming off as I want to start TTCing end of next month

Just found out my friend who has a little boy 4 months older than DS is pregnant and due in November

DrSkif - poor DS and poor you is there as possibility that the hernia could sort itself out without need for surgery then?

Hello all, well work has finally calmed down a bit...
DrSkid don't know much about umb hernias? Would it be a big op? Any op is bif at 1 tho. Hope it sorts itself like DD2's enlarged kidney seems to have done.
Beckle, how are you feeling now?
at 3 boys with chicken pox insy, poor you and them. Has reminded me to ask about vaccination for DD next time we're at GP. You can get in NZ, just have to pay. Apparently you can get a test first to see if she's already somehow developed immunity without showing symptoms so will def do that.
Clairey if he's spending that much time with you I don't like the chances of his relationship with GF lasting much longer. Having said that I hung around for someone in a similar situation in my 20s to no avail.
Clara, enjoy your holiday!
at TTC BT and Caz10 (maybe!) I can def recommend 2. Not sure about 3 but then not an option for me!! Insy and skid and beckle make it sound easy!!

Some advice: I'm giving a presentation to the management team of firm I work for in 2 weeks. Basically to convince them that I'm a good partner candidate (CA firm). One question I'm trying to prepare for is the "how will you cope with requests from clients to meet early/late/out of town when you don't have a partner and childcare obligations"? The problem I have is that there are so many dimensions to this. Yes I don't have a spouse but I do have a very helpful mum - arguably much more helpful than a man would be (refer Insy's complaint...). And is the issue here more to do with women partners with children in general rather than my specific situation? (given that women will typically have a spouse that works rather than a SAHW - I can't think of a single male partner at my firm whose wife works). And should the firm be making it an expectation that work takes precedence over family obligations? And am I really pushing the boat out here?!!!!

Oh and have to say I'm quite excited to be even having this conversation

Buzzybee, I am very excited for you, that sounds absolutely fabulous. But I am kind of fuming on your behalf that they have asked you that sort of question, I bet they wouldn't have asked it if you were a single dad!
Don't know what to suggest, except to say that you have made adequate childcare provision for such cases and leave it at that. I can understand their concern, but how often will this need come up? Would they expect you to be at their beck and call 24/7? What could be so urgent that it could not wait until proper business hours?
What if you were a single man and they were wanting short notice late night meetings but you played football every night??
That is probably not very helpful

Buzzy sounds great. I think that as long as you don't think it will be a problem and can confidently say as much then it should be ok?

RE wc I think he is pretty settled with his gf tbh, he has known her for years (coaches her ds in football) and they seem to have gone straight into a serious relationship. He stays at hers pretty much every night etc.

Skid my friend's dd had an umbilical hernia, it started to shrink and was gone by 15 months (although she still has quite an outy!)

How are the boys today Insy?

first down side of boys sharing a room, had to put ds1 in our bed as he was getting really stressed at ds2 waking him up, ds2 is couple of days ahead of him so at the itchy spot stage, dug out the piriton syrup and I think its knocked him out, feels wrong but he was scratching his head so much he couldn't sleep. Now got to evict ds1 from my bed...

buzzy - my advice is (for what its worth!) be completely honest without going in to detail about how you would do it. in my experience (working with all men) they just want to hear that you can do it but don't care how. I would say that I would expect reasonable notice to meet at out of work time unless it was a regular meeting that you could plan for, I think its a two way arrangement, they know you have commitments and remember that could be parental dependants, children or even your dog! no job should expect you to drop everything at a moments notice, say how much notice is reasonable and make it clear that if they give you that heads up you'll be able to excell hope that helps x

BT - I've left dh to think about it, it might have been a knee jerk reaction

as for TTC, I was on lofepramine before TTC ds2, GP recommended stopping it before I fell pregnant but I was already cutting back my dose, I think I actually stopped the month before I fell pg, I think it is one to be discussed as even if they say to stop you'll need to wean yourself off it rather than cold turkey - good luck tho exciting to hear baby planning!

BT I completely missed the bit of your post talking about ttc. How exciting!!

Arrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I was sat on the floor, Daniel threw himself into my arms... and ended up headbutting me in the mouth, and I ended up with a split lip! He was fine of course, kept trying to kiss me (which is something he does very very rarely!) while I was struggling to get up so I could wash all the blood out of my mouth! The little sod darling!

Ouch BT

ow BT poor you! Are you SURE you want ANOTHER one?

buzzy - are they definitely going to ask you that question or are you just preparing in case? I would be very annoyed if I was asked that as I think it is an inherently sexist question - surely you are good enough or not and how you choose to sort out childcare is none of their business [raging feminist emotion] - fantastic that you might become a partner though!

insy - gosh, hope they get better soon - how did your work take your news?

clairey - such a shame you didn't meet him 2 months earlier - does his GF know about you and is she fine with it? Do you think he's completely above board (i.e. not contemplating an affair)? Sorry to be so suspicious - I know not ALL men are potential cheaters!

beckle - how are you doing, have my fingers crossed for results

clara - hope you are enjoying yourself

Skid I think his gf knows me as his friend that lives near his nan. He is definitely not contemplating an affair, we were texting earlier and he made an innuendo then got v worried that I thought he'd meant it. It does make me a little bit uncomfortable though, if I was her I wouldn't be happy about me iyswim, even though it has all been innocent and just banter. I think it makes him a bit uncomfortable too though, we are both holding back a bit and not contacting so much to do the right thing by her.