June 2008: New Year, new thread, new names, new words, new goals, but no resolutions!

[abdnhikinginawinterwonderland]

New thread since the last one's at 997 posts...

ktpie - mega congrats!! I also like Henry. My sisters nephew is called henry and he is extremely cute!

Neenz - good luck for today - not sure what you would like (girl/boy/twins/one/triplets!!) but I hope you get it.

Oooh I feel bad now about meet up - can't we think of anywhere that Sponge can get to? We can use my place as a last resort. Sponge where would work for a Berkshire drive? Would Waterloo work for you too? I think I may have looked for something like this before and didn't find anything. What about that place Tedi suggested? I'll put it in my diary though and the 12th!

Have had rerrible nights for 4 nights on the trot now. Poor Luke still isn't sleeping. I can't remember if Iposted but when he woke up crying because he couldn't breathe he said 'Help Mummy'. I thought I would cry. Anyway there is some improvememnt as last night much as he woke up 4/5 times I did not have to go in other than the first wake. I have a driving lesson now - hope I don;t kill anyone through falling asleep at the wheel!

We get out kittens this weekend - hurrah!! (my fall back in case no baby).

PS was am so tired I was reading through the other posts and thought I read about a viennetta puree!

Poor Luke.

Can I ask for some advice? Ry has had spots on his tummy and back since saturday. He also has very runny poos. However the spots don't appear to be itchy and he is fine in himself (no fever). I've been to two pharmacists and they give me the same leaflet on all childhood diseases and waffle on about calomile lotion, but he's not itchy! Basically they seem to know even less than me. Should I book a GP appointment? Is this symptonless chicken pox?

BTW, Ry is always incredibly well/fine. Hardly ever cried at jabs, hardly even noticed him teething, etc. In fact DH and I had an awful vomiting bug at Xmas, we couldn't get out of bed at all for about 12 hours each (luckily on diff days). When Ry had it he was happy, happy, happy, then he would vomit all over the place and go straight back to being happy, happy, happy again. He literally played with us between vomiting.

What would you do?

Poor Luke from me, too . He's having a horrible time isn't he?

Penguin as he is well in himself (and btw he sounds like a lovely little boy), I would do nothing but I am quite neglectful.

I'm still not dressed! DH v kindly took the children to school for me, and we've been doing some sorting out which involves DH using a steamer in the bathroom, so I can't go in to have a shower. I'm feeling pretty skanky now, though.

Poor Luke, the whole 'help me' thing would just kill me. It mist be so frightening for him. Although I am really impressed with his vocab!

Can't wait to hear from Neenz Is it wrong that I think it will be really exciting if it is twins?? I know its wrong, as she doesn't want twins, but I can't help myself!

I feel the same way

I reckon it will be just 1 baby and she'll be relieved but then feel a bit sad

PP - Personally I would just leave it too. Luke has spots all over his face and hands at the mo but I took hime to the GP when he had similar before and they didn't give him anything. They said spots come once they are out of the contageous part of the illness. They said lots of viruses come with spots and they are harmless. Thing is hun I can't see the spots and I don't know Ryder so you must make a decision based on your mum's intuition and knowledge of Ryder.

I am also looking forward to neenz results. Personally I would dread having twins but she sure has all the experience!

Blimey Rolf sometimes I don't have a shower for days when I am knackered . I am a skanky old tramp though!

Booked a hair do tomorrow. I have let meyself go so much since I left work! All my grey hairs are showing and the woman that cut my hair last time was clearly blind and now that it's grown I swear it looks like a mullet!

LOL Rolf, oh wise one .

The other amazing woman is someone that I heard interviewed on Woman's Hour just before Christmas. She is High Commissioner to Basra. However, she is also the mother of 6 including two sets of twins. At one point she had 6 children under 9 .

PP maybe it is a viral rash? P has had this before now. I thought it was meningitis and started panicing. . Apparently the happy happy happy thing when they are ill is normal in toddlers. They bomb around not able to recognise that they don't feel well until they hit a wall of fatigue and it all goes wrong. Then, when the Calpol has kicked in, they bounce back and race round again. I thought the "don't turn an invite down" thing might not be the best advice because a)unlike you, I was a shy 18 year old, and b) you have DH, Ryder and the ILs, so you aren't alone as I was. Sounds like making connections away from the family is absolutely the right thing to do. Is there are NZ equivalent to MN?

Spider anyone else to tell us about ? I set myself a little challenge - see if I can shower and dress in the time it takes for the coffee to be percolate. I did it! Basra, Schmasra....

Amber bet you don't smell as bad as I did until 10 mins ago! Standards are low low low today!

Never never buy a house that needs doing up, at least not if your DH is a perfectionist. I have had enough of blokes banging away and clouds of dust (sure that's why my eyes are so bad).

Hi all, sorry to disappoint you all but it is just one baby this time!

DH said 'I was a bit disappointed actually that it wasn't twins again' (there speaks a person who didn't spend seven weeks barely sleeping first time round!).

I am NOT disappointed in the slightest!

Everything looks fine, two arms, two legs, fluid fine and a hb. They are happy for me to be midwife-led care this time and I am even considering a homebirth. Due date Aug 13. Very happy!

PP, I got really homesick and I only moved 50 miles! I found like you that DH's family and friends didn't really 'do it' for me - I wanted to meet my own friends not have them thrust upon me. But i have only managed to do that through playgroups, it took a while but I got there in the end and now have three women who I really get on with (two of them also have twins) and we meet regularly . It's so hard being in a new country, just keep plugging away. Are there any other brits near you? They will be in same boat and will know what you are going through. I found it hard here because everyone seemed to know each other from school so it was hard to 'infiltrate' the groups iyswim!

aw, I AM pleased for you neenz, I'm just a little disapointed for me that's all . I agree though that you have probably done your bit for bringing twins into the world and deserve a singleton this time.

yeah neenz! have been checking back in for your news since lunchtime. I'm thrilled for you.

PP I'd recommend avoiding trying to meet other expats - I find it leads to everyone moaning a bit about being homesick/complaining etc. It is so hard to move countries and all the little things are so upsetting (like getting a national insurance number or opening a bank account!) that it's too easy to dwell on them. My local friends are the people who make me feel like this is home and the way they've welcomed us into the community is perfect. My expat friends on the other hand have a habit of moving on or planning to move on and I think when you're not planning to stay, you don't make the complete effort to become rooted...

Lovely news Neenz . That will be a lovely time to have a baby. Homebirth is a great idea.

Congratulations Ktpie - love the name Henry< Wonderful that you are home already

And lovely news Neenz. Now you have to wonder if you'll

oh - and that travelodge that everyone recommended (think it was near poppy's work) - where is that? I'm looking at the list and can't figure out which one it was....

Amber, can you get a second opinion on Luke's breathing/adnoids thing? Sounds like him (and you) are really suffering .

I can make Wimbledon (met with PP and Spider there in the summer), can you? Thought you couldn't get there by public transport

It's this one AH .

AH - that's where we're staying, do you work near there Poppy?

Neenz - fabulous news, if it's a good summer you could get one of those really big paddling pools and use it for the HB!!I always wanted a water birth.

Hi everyone else, up to Ethan's armpits in snow here, Tristan has just measured the snow in the garden - it's 56 cms. Had to put the snow chains on to get back from shopping this morning, am currently dreading the airport run on Saturday night to collect the family, surely it can't still be snowing then??

thanks sponge

Deb - you should hear the complaints here about the 5 cms we've got in the garden

Oops, realise I left it so long to press post that I missed neenz's post!

Congrats!

I thought that must have been it Sponge!

We have about an inch of snow here and everyone is downing tools and going home. Queue mass panic on the roads and a two-hour drive home (hope not)

Nice one Neenz.

Lol! You must have thought I was a right numpty . I started typing my post, then went off to try and settle Michael, then came back and posted not noticing that loads of other people had already posted!!

M has been wide awake all afternoon and is showing no signs of wanting to sleep at all - I'm sooooo tired!

Feeling a bit shocked here. Just found out that my best friend from my old job has split with her long term boyfriend. What is shocking is that he has gone off with another woman and that my friend had to expose him in order for the truth to come out. She has published on FB a poem that he wrote to the other woman : I think she must be going the "angry" stage of grief. They are both such down to earth, steady people that I can't quite get my head round it. I have spoken to her now, and am going round for lunch tomorrow.

Spider - I always think that people who split up are often the ones you'd least expect, how awful for your friend.

Sponge - hope you get a better night sleep

Just going out to the bin, I'll measure how much we've had this afternoon....wow - we came back from shopping at midday, since then we've had 30 cms, I measured the snow on the car!I don't know how much there's been in total but it looks beautiful out there tonight.