April 2009 - Episode 10 - Christmas time!! we can all drink wine, while children gurgle nursery rhymes, with logs in their nappies, and pee by the tree fun will be had by baby and me!!

[SantasNutts]

here we go then Merry Christmas One and all!! xxxxx

At the moment we're just looking within about a mile of where we live - but think I'll have to extend the radius a bit We need 3 bedrooms and a big garden! Anyway, house hunting now on hold until the spring. Have fun in Kingston!

Come this way Fei go on go on you know you want to

I'm being so lazy today - I really need to walk into town but it's toooooo cooooooold.

We have a nursery place for O from April but I'm getting the wobbles about it. Have just been researching childminders and there are a few that sound really lovely, and one of them has a place coming up in April/May - fingers crossed this will work out and I can feel less sick about going back to work... going to call her in the new year to arrange a time to go round.

I'm so looking forward to Friday

So this evening Oscar refused a breastfeed and then downed a 6.5oz bottle feed

Bauble, I didn't know you were giving him bottles. (Haven't been paying attention).
Has he refused other feeds or was this the first time?

I have been carrying on with not giving night feeds, but am a bit unsure as to what qualifies as a night feed. A woke up last night at 11:30pm, and I held him and shushed/sang him back to sleep. He cried on and off a little, more cross than anything else, not hungry crying. It went on for an hour, IIRC (am losing the plot). After that he slept till 5am, and I fed him then. So he is sleeping for longer stretches. This must be a good thing, surely?
I am soooo exhausted that if no one posts saying that I am doing the right thing and that this will help A to sleep through, without doing CC or CIO, which I cannot bear to do, then I will cwy and cwy.

Auld in my books 5am doesn't count as a night feed so well done you. Having said that, Hazel has been such a rubbish sleeper these last few days that I am now determined to not feed her before 6am any more. I find that the 5am feed for her works nicely for a couple of days, then always creeps forwards again to 4.30, then 4am... and that is most definitely a night feed of the worst sort. She's a minx that daughter of mine.

I am not expecting to get any sleep tonight by the way as DD1 has a temperature - now I have no idea if this is a side effect of the flu jab or if it's because of her cough but she's sleeping in our room and will probably wake me up coughing and asking for water about every half hour. I just want these children to both be well for a couple of weeks, and to sleep properly for a couple of weeks, is that asking too friggin' much???!!!! [hsad]

Oh and Bicnod, Hazel refused a bottle earlier and then had a breastfeed - looks like she's going off bottles again!

even.

This is the first time he's refused breast in favour of bottle I'm hoping it's just because he's teething. Will try again at his next feed. I'm not ready for him to wean himself!!

Auld - I think you are definitely doing the right thing... it's exactly what I'm doing with O in the hope that eventually he will stop waking altogether. It hasn't worked so far but when he wakes he doesn't ask to be fed anymore so that's got to be progress... and he doesn't wake at specific times anymore, it's quite random, and sometimes I hear him waking and then settling himself back to sleep. I'm hanging on to the hope that this will eventually work as I just can't do CC or CIO either.

Fei - you poor thing your girls have been poorly on and off for ages. I feel your pain - O hasn't been right for weeks

Oh no - I just put three sad faces in my post - it's not all that bad...

...here's some festive cheer to make up for it:

hello all! i keep poping in and catching up and have attempted posts, but due to lack of brain power, my computer and not remembering my password i don't think they weren't published - so feel a little more in the loop than i am. Anyways hello! Jealous of you ladies who manage to get on here more often.

Boff sorry things aren't right for you yet. I was a 4 when i was discharged after 6 months, this is after ds1. Never knew what i was to start with but the faces she made tell me 0!

No tinsel her either, just lights and baubles.

Reassuring to find out that I am not the only one up in the night, everyone keeps telling me I shouldn't be but as i see it at 4.30am was not my decision to walk up and sit in the cold living room with a leech sucking me of any energy that i had just gained from sleep. Keep trying the i am not going to feed you just put my hand on your chest malarky and things do improve but then Elle gets a cold or a tooth and is just so much easier to whack her on for 15mins.

Anyways the reason I am here tonight is cause i am worrying. And can't stop. I think I am .....can't type it cause feels like it will make it more likely to true...just back from searching the web for some reasurance...think i am pregnant...but so hoping am not! hoping just a load of coincidences are freaking me out. Anyway there have told you all and that helps some - strange isn't it the mumsnet effect!

Good heavens, I haven't posted for 11 days. That must be the longest break for some time.

Fingers crossed I have finished my work for the year.

My birthday was wonderful, not least because I wasn't pregnant this year which mean that not only could I drink but my gifts were not maternity related (oh they most certainly were not ).
We had lunch at my favourite restaurant and I had a seriously sexy cheesecake with mulled winter fruits. Bloody yum.

I think Ellen has inherited my sweet tooth. I caught her snaffling ferrero rocher yesterday. She looked so hilariously naughty I just couldn't tell her off.

Shit parenting alert:

I forgot to close the upstairs stair gate and Holly crawled to the top of the stairs and took a dive. Thankfully the first step is down onto the landing bit and I grabbed her before she went any further. I forgot how much more vigilant you have to be once they are mobile. She is in love with the tree decorations. Particularly the LOOK AWAY NOW FESTIVE SNOBS tinsel. It's holographic and catches the light beautifully and I love it so there!

BB - How was K at the funeral? Was it for someone dear to you?

MrsG - How are your boys? I hope they are much better?
I love the colour of the shalwar kameez.
My beloved eldest sister has a partner whose family are Ghanaian. They would like to have a traditional wedding over there. I would relish the opportunity to dress accordingly.

WFH - I only read the op of that art thread. Please tell me she was kidding?

Auld - I hope you and yours are better too? When do you finish for Christmas?

Fei - TYhis probably isn't helpful but every new food I introduce brings Holly out in blotches. Ellen was the same. She is fine with evrything now.
I have an egg intolerance myself. It seems to have lessened over the decades to the point of the gut spasms being worth it for that piece of pavlova.

Bebe - I'm glad you had a great trip. Sorry to hear you were unwell though.

Surprise - How is Evie now?
Where did you get your stick insects?

Wriggly - Please tell me you did dress S up as a sheep. A very smiley sheep. Too cute!

Ginger - Poor V, that must have been horrid for you all.

Zulu - I'm doing fudge again. It's an all round winner. Although chocolate coconut squares sound delicious.

Nutts - Girls can be such cows. I remember that sort of carry on only too well. It's the one thing I dread about having two daughters. Is Phoenix ok now? Have they made up? It must have been heart breaking for you. It small comfort to the mother of the hurt child but at least you are not the mother of one of the nasty little madams.

Tigs - My ex was in and out of bands for 10 years (bass player). I'm with you on the drummer thing. Except Animal of course. The late and truly bloody great Jim Henson is a bit of a deity in this household.

BB - Did you enjoy your weekend with your girlfriend. I know exactly what you mean. I saw a friend weekend before last whom I hadn't seen in a year. I adore him, he is one of those mates you could not speak to for years but when you do you just pick up where you left off. He's actually my favourite girlfriend, the uber metro sexual that he is. His girlfriend is a scream too.

Balls, i'm only up to Thursday and must go. DH has a beer and a smile for me.

Oddeyes!!! hello and ((hugs and a bit of hand holding)) do a test lady get it out of the way xx how late are you? period wise or has it still not kicked in yet? what symptoms?

Puzzle - go ellen!! i love ferrero rocher!!!

Ha. Well Holly juist put paid to that so i'm back for a bit. Where was I?...

Boff - Ouch. How is your eye now?

WFH - Please say you have changed your mind and are coming? I wish I could offer you a roof but we live in a goddamn hobbit hole that barely contains us.

Auld - Great news about DH's holiday. After our worry last week it seems DH will be finishing on Friday until January afterall.

Aah she's asleep. Laters dudes.

Boff - Fanjo electrifyer >

WFH ((hugs))

and ((hugs to everyone else too)) tiredness and illness is prevailing on this thread or so it seems hopefully santa will magic everything ok in time for the 25th xx

thanks nutts. so want to do a test! have been putting it off as credit crunch has hit here. know that if it says not pregnant but i do it early will want to do another one in a few days so want a definant yes or no. no periods here but am going to the toilet too often all of a sudden without drinking anything, have twinges, change in discharge and just under two weeks ago i was given cause to worry!
Keep telling myself that is unlikely but...

...

Oooooh OddEyes - that's quite exciting/scary/ummmmmmmmmmm - would it be a good thing? Or a bad thing? Or a bit of a mixture?

Bauble I think some teeth coming through can make bf a bit uncomfortable for them, so maybe that's why he's choosing bottle?

Orbit is this close to being put on formula (or given away to a passerby, to be honest ) - after a few nights of waking once or twice and being pretty good, last night was back to every hour, and wanting a feed each time. He cannot be hungry, the amount of food he's putting away during the day, so it must be pain/comfort/separation anxiety, but Calpol made no difference whatsoever. I think I may actually be at the end of my tether.

Puzzle I wish I could come on Friday, but there's just too much going on down here and I would just end up exhausted. If I could leave Orbit for a night I'd come on my own and have a lovely break, but it just isn't going to work. DP thinks it would be fine as long as I left plenty of milk, but I don't think I could express enough in time, I just never seem to have the time to do it. Plus I'd be too far away to get back if it wasn't ok.

Warning - Me Me ME ME RANT alert:

The washing machine is fixed, thank goodness, but we are having our carpets cleaned tomorrow so have just cleared the lounge of everything except sofa and big cabinet. But DP has just found out he has to get up at 5am to go to Wales tomorrow, so I have to get the boys up, take DS1 to nursery on foot, come back, attempt to express some milk for the babysitter to give to Orbit tomorrow night, let the carpet cleaners in, make myself scarce somewhere with Orbit (not sure where yet!) while they do their thing, then go to DS1's nativity at 2pm, then come back and somehow stop the boys from playing on the wet carpet when it's our main living space, then put them to bed, explain to the babysitter why we have no furniture in the lounge, and go out for dinner with the girls. I have no car because DP is taking it, he's away tomorrow night so I'll have to put all the furniture back by myself at some point, as well. Plus I'm worried that Orbit will just wake up ten thousand times and I'll have to come back early from my night out.

Am also worried about my mum See thread here, DS1 is being a monkey, and we still haven't found a place to live.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

WFH you have every right to me me me that is plenty for you to be going on with.

Hope Orbit settles down for you and you ahve a good night.

Auld I fb'd you back will let you know when it arrives.

Boff sending you gentle hugs - don't get mad at me Yay for your electric fanjo monitor

Gui I think the crying thing has something to do with hormones - it's why hv's check up on us for pnd at about this time.

Bebe very at your walking!

mrsg I love all the rich colours in the pictures!

Nutts why are you running in a cocks leg? Do you have to take it carefully a la a new car. How would you tell if you'd taken it to quickly? Enquiring minds and all that

Odd do your test love, find out for sure!

WFH you really will have to wait re your mum - it isn't going to be easy and it's probably nothing!

No crawling yet - we have much bottom in the air waving in the mode of a break dancer but very little coordination. Takes after momma!

GrumpyOldWomanTiggaxx

Morning Tigga what time were you up?

Am I the only one currently encouraging night feeds? It's that or playing like a dervish in the night, it would seem. As it is, I came downstairs at 4 and have finally let him get down and play properly. And now DS1 is up too

I was awake at 0350 and feed finished about 0420.

I'm resigned to night feeds.

As long as I can get some dleep I'll be ok.

OffToHaveMyHairDoneTiggaxx

WFH - you poor thing these babies are hard enough work on their own without a host of other stuff going on at the same time.

Oddeyes - go on, do your test... it's the only way you'll be able to set your mind at rest either way. ooooooo - i think i'd be a) terrified b) terrified and c) ecstatic if i found out i was pregnant again

Tiggs and MrsG - early birds catch the worm. don't know if that helps but couldn't think of anything else to say.

O was up at 11pm, midnight and 4.30am last night so not too bad - he is maxed out on calpol and nurofen again though - i think his top two front teeth must be finally coming through as he's dribbling like a loon, biting everything (and i mean everything - owch) and doing proper pain cries (the low moan screwed up face one) in the night, poor little monkey.

Fei - what's that wooden toy website you linked to ages ago? Been trying to find it but to no avail.

ONLY TWO MORE SLEEPS TIL FRIDAY

hello.

A woke at 11:30pm (I fed him) and then at 4am (I made him us hang on till 5). He has just gone down for his morning nap and is clearly miserable with teething. His gums have been bugging him since about Sept, but not a single damn tooth has come through. How long can this go on, FFS? I am using up all the precious stock of Calpol I brought from the UK. I refuse to shove paracetamol up his bum.

DS1 is ill again, has bouts of fever and headache. I cannot miss another day off work, and I have no one to look after him on Friday.

WFH, fingers crossed for your mum.
Oddeyes, that is exciting, however you look at it!
Can't remember much else. Off to try and wash the dishes.

Good morning

My Waitrose were giving out Burts Bees samples yesterday. If you are near one it may be worth looking to see. I love Burts Bees but really can't justify the price. The samples were decent sizes so i'm very happy.

Bicnod - I just read about your trip to A&E. How is O now?

Tigga - How was your Christmas do?

Wriggly - How was your meal? Did your MIL approve?

King - Bugger, not you too? I hope you can come.

Aah crap, just had a client on the phone. I thought I was done for Christmas.