Sept 08: last year they were cute little bundles that smelt of milk and vanilla, but now they've been replaced with a babyzilla!

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

A new thread for us as the last one was running low.

Oh its a lovely surprise Debs I would not mind one of those .
Love the retro sweets idea. I am defo going to order some. I love sweets.
I can totally relate to the newborn lioness situation However, The sad thing with my sister is that I dont know when we will get to see her or the baby again. I think this made the situation worse .
I have got a little wooden child table and chairs set and now ds1 5 and ds2 sit and eat at it together its so cute. Ds2 sits and eats really well at it. I will see if this continues then I think I might have to put my lovely bloom highchair in storage . My bouncer went in loft a few weeks ago too. The baby phase is nearly over I am in a panick!

Aaaawwwww at your boys sitting at the table and eating together. When ds sits at the table for a drink and a snack at toddlers I always have to gulp back a few tears, they all look so damn cute

Is the Bloom highchair you talk of that lovely space age looking one that looks a bit like an egg? I bloody love that highchair ... but not the price! I am very

Our kids sit at their little picnic table to eat together too, it doesn't seem to have occurred to ds to get down which is fine by me! Its one of those things I'd never have done with dd at that age (still taking the totseat everywhere and pinning her down, but then she was always more adventurous!) but he just wants to copy his big sister.

Ds has gone from baby to toddler practically overnight. He's now walking outside and walked a really long way round the shopping park today - he screamed if I tried to pick him up or hold his hand. It was slow going as he stopped to kiss is reflection in every shop window though! Seeing him so grown up has sent me beyond broody now. I might even give in to dh's year's worth of begging for #3! Reality check though, only just put in planning application for extension, do not want risk of baby arriving when we have no kithcen...and I can't assume we'll get pg since it took us a year and a mc to get dd.

Congrats Debs

I'm seeing the GP on Friday to see if I can get re-referred for getting a menstrual cycle to happen (followed by more fun conversations trying to wangle insurance to pay for it. It required blood testing 3 days before my period and each month I didn't get it on the right day I had to explain to the insurers that no, it wasn't a 'regular' test which wasn't covered, it was one test but my psychic powers weren't very good...

Parents are looking forward nervously to having A overnight next week. He had fun there today and ate lots. On the weekend A had fun wandering round ELC and playing with stuff but then refused to walk in the right direction outside, so I had to use that classic phrase used by parents of toddlers: "If you don't walk nicely holding my hand, you'll have to go in the pushchair, RIGHT!"

He's not talking much, less than before, but seems to understand quite a lot.

I've applied for a promotion at work (if you pass you have permission to apply for jobs at the next level) - no idea if I'll get it but if I do pass my team have agreed they will rearrange vacancies so I can do roughly the same job for more money. Which would be fab as I'm really enjoying work. Helps that when it gets annoying I can push off and spend a day with A instead.

DS2's bug is very odd. He was sick once during the night on Monday night, then once yesterday afternoon and then just as we thought he was over it, once again just before bed today. He's quite happy the rest of the time but very tired. Slept from 9-11am (I woke him) and 1.15-4.45pm (I woke him again) today!

He gave up on the booster seat a few weeks ago and now mostly sits on a normal seat for his meals. It's very cute as he can hardly see over the edge. Then he gets down and plays half way through a meal. But then as our dining room is a playroom to I can understand.

Sounds like a fun mission nc!

I hope your ds is feeling better today debi

I'm flipping knackered. I helped out at our local toddler group today and M decided that today of all days he was going to be clingy. He's NEVER clingy

When is spring coming? Saying that, the sun is out here today (although it's bloody cold) so ds and I will go for a walk this avo. I'm quite impressed how far he'll walk actually.

ILTMIMI with a bit of luck we should get some decent spring weather by mid March, there's always the odd sunny day by that point . We have daffodils poking up in the garden now.

debi I am seriously impressed that your DS2 is in a normal seat. DD is still in a monster high chair with a tray! She's a bit of a wriggler so I daren't put her in a booster yet as she'll try and escape. Think I'll leave it a few more weeks before I move her up to a booster.

DD pee-d on a potty yesterday, twice. She sat on it before her bath, did a little wee looked at it amazed then sat back down and pee-d again . Mum was saying I might as well try and potty train her at the end of this summer .

ds2 seems better today but ds1 threw up just after he went to bed. When I going to get caught up on the washing???

Got the inlaws coming down for the weekend, they won't want to come at this rate!

debi I share your laundry traumas. After a few weeks of potty training (DS nearly done, but still the odd slip up) and 2 (2 FFS!) D&V bugs in a month my mum is now helping with my washing . I had clothes all the way down the washing line, the airer was permanently full up and the tumble dryer was on most of the time a week or so ago.

Its just so much worse in winter as there are so many layers to wash, at least in summer its all thin stuff and no vests, sweaters etc.

Just bookmaking as this has dropped off @I'm On'

M very whingy today - I suspect more teeth.

Where's Starlight btw?

ninja I don't know. I was wondering too.

Maybe shes just lurking but not got the enthusiasm to post at the moment.

We don't have a tumble drier but at least in this house we have a bit more room for driers. I've got 2 driers full, stuff on radiator, clean wet stuff in basket and dirty stuff waiting in machine and laundry basket.
Yes it's the layers that are a problem. When ds2 was sick the 2nd time we'd just got coats on so all his layers and mine had to go in machine (just glad he did it before I out him in the back carrier though). At least ds1 is a bit better at getting it in a basin.

Best thing about new house (well it's not really but in terms of washing it is) is it has an airing cupboard so I opent the doors and put a drier right up to the hot water tank- makes it dry quite quickly.

DH is at home with them both today as I really couldn't take another day off. DS2 is fine but as it's not been 48 hours since he was last sick and he's obviously been contagious she wouldn't take him either. Hope he's having fun

I was wondering where Starlight was too. Come out come out wherever you are .......

I have given in and bought some reins for ds. I have been procrastinating for bloody ages and I've finally found a pair that look like they're up to the job. I think yesterdays walk was the straw that broke the camels back

How many times can one person say 'stay off the grass and stay on the pavements'? I know he's still so young, but hopefully the reins will mean I won't have to listen to myself the repeat the same old lines, and ds can toddle about without me worrying about him shooting off into the road.

Oh, and Debi, if you're going to dry your washing like that, make sure there is air circulating in the cupboard otherwise you'll be left with a damp, musty mouldy airing cupboard. I am talking from experience I done this in my old house when I lived alone and ended up with an airing cupboard that smelt rank

We don't have a tumble drier but we've got a little dehumidifier which is brilliant at drying washing, and clearing the windows if there's any condensation. I'm pretty much doing one laundry load a day, of which every third day is a nappy wash.
Our new fridge-freezer came yesterday, finally after nearly two months of crunchy milk, we have a fridge that refridgerates and doesn't freeze things! I don't have to anticipate that I want a yoghurt and get one out to defrost.
We swapped the dcs bedrooms round yesterday as we upgraded dd from a toddler bed to a full size single. Now I have to try and find the time while the kids are awake but not demanding my attention to swap over round all their clothes. I obviously need to go to Range as well and get new underbed storage boxes and some attractive little boxes to keep things in on the shelves my brother built for us in our lounge last weekend. I love storage solutions and boxes! [unashamed emoticon]

how do you survive without a tumble dryer . (yes, I know people lived without them for millions of years but thats beside the point ). How do you dry towels & sheets without having them draped around the house?

I think I create too much work for myself. I do 2/3 washes a day at the moment. I'm a bit obesssive with clean towels TBH, I change them every 2 days, and DD snots over her sheets most nights so she needs a new one most mornings.

I can not cope without my drier. I do 2-3 nappy loads a week, 10 sets of school uniform, Robyn has a new change of clothes everyday and everynight, plus mine and dp's. dc's home clothes and towels and sheets. I wash everyday if organised or do 5 loads on a saturday when not. I can't wait till it is a bit warmer and I can get some clothes on the line.

For who asked, I am 10 weeks, have really bad nausea, look like I am 6 months due to bloating and have extreme backache. The joys of pregnancy eh? Yes I am glad it isn't a cyst, a friend had one that weighed almost a stone and she was in agony until they took it out. They had to take an ovary as it was wrapped around it. Before the scan DP joked that this time it better not show another robyn. We found out i was pregnant last time when having a scan to check on the last lot of cysts. He wasn't joking when I came home with this lot of good news.
Not looking forward to bf much longer but Robyn is so attached I don't want to stop. Also she doesn't sleep well so and bf's herself to sleep. I think we will have to give ourselves a week where we try other methods of geting her to sleep and be strong about it.

debs sorry about the sickness. I thought mine was never going to end this time but one day it finally went.

Those without a drier - consider getting a Sheila Maid. They are absolutely brilliant, use no power, and the washing dries so quickly it's hard to believe. Ours has been to three different houses with us and we couldn't live without it. It must be because it is up near the ceiling.

We had a mental power cut yesterday after lunch that lasted until 10am this morning! It was quite scary, as also no phone and no heating. Apparently there's some major problem underground and our village is cut off, so they trucked in a generator this morning which has been going on and off. Not ideal but hopefully we don't have to spend another night shivering cold, in the dark, cooking dinner by candlelight on a feeble camping stove, and trying to keep DD warm enough.

Starlight said 'Hi' to me on another thread (a bf one) so she is around....

My mum has one of those, didn't know they were called Sheila Maids I want one and now I know where to get one

bookmarking

hi everyone x

Hi Becaroo - how are you? How's your son's schooling going? (he's HS now isn't he?)

DD1 is much better this year and is actually starting to read by choice, she still writes a lot of her letters the wrong way round tho'

ponymum do you still have snow where you are? I remember you had an awful lot of it. It's long since melted in 'sunny' Hampshire, but the piles of swept up snow have only disappeared in the last week.

meglet We have had several days this week with snow flurries on and off, and there was still a dusting a the ground when the power cut started yesterday. But it must have been a bit warmer overnight as it actually rained instead of snowed for a change.

Nice and warm now, and watching mindless telly. Ah, electricity... everything back to normal.

DD has been really cranky, grizzly and clingy for several days. I am pretty sure it is teeth (again). Looking at how many more there are to come through - will this ever end? Every single tooth is a drama in this house.

I don't have a drier, I have two airers that do fine though and I use the radiators for boxers, jeans and socks as they seem to take the longest.

I have had a s*it day today. DD is teething and it has been absolute hell, I think she has cried for about 80% of the day, it's been awful. On top of that I've been looking after a 4m/o all week, I have to pick him up by 07:30 and I drive him home for 19:00 so basically I'm working 12h days, three of those days I look after another boy as well so with DD I'm looking after 3 kids all under 17 months.

My parents came round tonight as I wanted to go for a run and DF is out with our friends, it's actually supposed to be our Engagement party but I had to cancel as I've been looking after the 4m/o and the party started at 5.30 in London and I'm in Oxford finishing at 7pm . Anyway, my mum was her usual pushy self and I did my usual tired face and she started having a go at me, normally I just suck it up and sit there like stone whilst she has a row at me, but tonight I couldn't take any more so we ended up having a ding-dong, mum being the more mature of us (not!) stomped off in a huff and went home! Honestly!! I swear to God I could go on for hours about it but I've seen enough topics in the past about toxic parents to know that my mother basically is one and I know now that it really isn't my fault, it's hers, so I am trying not to feel too guilty about it ......

Don't feel guilty lolli, you've had a tough week. Sorry your mum is of the non-helpful variety. I've got one of those too.

Forgive me for saying it, but do you think you have taken too much on? That sounds like a lot of hours. The child minders around here don't offer those hours as far as I know, and don't do pick ups either. Is this a permanent arrangement?