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.

So further to DS's busted nose - it's still a little swollen but the bruising hasn't come out on his eyes so it looks thakfully. However, he pushed DD over in the bathroom when they were playing yesterday and she does now have a black eye!

On the shoes front Ponymum we had a similar issue with DD when she first started walking as she was a size 2. As someone else mentioned the best thing to do is go to an independent shop and get some Geox shoes. They have quite a bit of choice in size 2, are really sturdy and wear really well. They really are the best shoes to buy - much better than Clarks.

Hopefully that's brilliant news.

I'M THIRTY!!!!!!
This has so far been celebrated in Dunelm with two children having a meltdown .
To be fair I had a big party on saturday and went out for breakfast this morning - we went to a local hotel and had a gorgeous fry-up, mmmm DH got a mug made with photos of the kids on and it says 'Good Morning Mummy'. DH got me a webcame, I was a bit til he said its for his laptop so we can skype while he's in Mexico with work . I haven't opened my other presents yet, waiting for DH to get home early from work and before my parents leave.

pony dd's first shoes were a size 3H and we got them from Clarks at Monks Cross, they were blue and very non-sparkly! They might simply have been out of stock. There's Clarks in Mothercare at Clifton Moor, and town centre too. Also Ruby Slipper in Fulford has a good range of European makes of shoe, bit pricey but lovely shoes.

Happy birthday carrie 30 eh? Seems a long time ago for me!!!

What is Hand foot and mouth???? Never heard of it (except in cattle!) Should I be doing something else for him or taking him back the GP???

House sounds lovely hopefully Congrats.

HAve had our house valued today but a bit disappointed with the value.....especailly considering all we have done to it...hmm.

Dh away from tomorrow so no doubt all hell will break loose....ugh.

I'm loving that the MN homepage has a picture of a birthday cake with candles and says 'happy birthday to you'

bec check out hand foot and mouth on NHS website. Its totally different to the cow disease! I had it a few months ago and i know a few kids who've had it. Its not a particularly bad illness, just painful and annoying. Might be something different your LO has, just though of it coz of the blisters on tongue.

Cooking an easy tea, then off out for birthday drinks, hooray!

Happy Birthday carriebo! Sounds rather different to my 30th, I can tell you!! Ah, those were the days...

Thanks for the shoes info everyone, I am busy looking at the websites now.

Happy birthday carriebo. 30th's are fab!

Sorry to hear about all the lurgies, I had the flu last week and have not felt that pants for a good while then got tonsilitis yesterday but I am on the mend and dd has seemingly escaped the germs.

Hand,foot+mouth is totally different to FMD in cattle! For starters it's not my job to do anything about it.

And is easily curable - I think GPs give you a cream?

A seems to have sorted his digestion out and now only has a cold, which he mostly doesn't object to. On MOnday he had a tantrum because he didn't want to leave nursery, which is a lot better than him crying when getting there which he'd done for a couple weeks. But this week I've let him walk into the building and then into his room and he's happily done it. He's wanted to walk out only won't walk holding my hand (either runs off or lies down), so it's pushchair instead.

Ebay has lots of 'Clarks shoes 3.5', if you search and then go for girl's shoes only. THere's some nice navy ones.

Whoever was wanting Clarkes in size 3.5 I have about 8 pairs of girls shoes that I've been telling myself I need to put on Ebay. DD wasn't quite touching size 3 when she first started needing shoes but I got them in a size 3.5 and they lasted her months, I got her first pair in August and she's only just started needing a size 4 (but only one one foot!) in the last week or so.

The blistered tongue - DD had blisters that started on tongue but then spread around her gums and inner lips and on the roof of her mouth - Doc said it was a viral infection and gave her anti-b's which worked. She did also have an ear infection and a spotty chin to go with it, don't know if that tipped doc over to giving more than just a cream.

bookmarking and saying a quick hello. Wish I had more time......

Interesting info re shoes. C is in 3.5F but started in 3F and so we had the black patent ones that light up (have to say i like em and C adores em - so much so we're gonna have to buy a larger pair in same style). We've found Clarks have about 4 types of 3.5 shoe but no wellies until she's a 4 and she badly wants to jump in puddles! I will check out websites if I ever get the chance.

Notcitrus glad A is better and i recognise C in what you say re walking vs pushchair. I have said to C that she either holds my hand or goes in the pushchair and of course she wants to do neither. She screams and folds in half onto the floor (anyone find this soooo embarrassing!). So, we have bought a pair of reins. yes, i know, probably against mumsnet values but I'd rather have her walking safely than screaming all the time and pulling on my hand.

And ninja glad you had a good hol - have to say it's my idea of hell but then I have snow phobia
We have booked 2 hols so far (well, why the hell am I working FT otherwise?!)
We are having a week nr Calandar in Scotland in June in a lodge owned by the forestry commision. Middle of nowhere, by a loch and has a bloody hottub on the decking [very excited, picturing under the stars with wine]
Then on 31 August we are flying to Catalonia in Spain for 2 weeks in a mobile home in a park right on the beach. We have air con, decking, dishwasher etc. i love mobile homes - to me they are the perfect world of 'camping' without the tents!

oh there I go again, droning on. Must go to bed. night night.

Oh, and I cried again at one born every minute. God I must need a labour debrief badly.

thanks imo.

We have reins too - they're great for those times when you need to keeep them close or nudge them in the direction you want them to go. They give freedom.

2 weeks in Catalonia sounds lovely. We'll probably camp for one week this summer and have a week away somewhere

Carrie Glad you had a good birthday. The Deep is ace isn't it, we only live about 15 mins walk away from it. Have took the kids several times and they always enjoy looking at the sharks. Will have to take robyn one day but that means being organised.
We are all over the dreadful sickness bug and feeling much better with all the warmish sunshine we are getting.
Ponymum we got a size 3F walking shoes from clarks in a leather purply/brown colour. They are very nice and so much better then the sparkly patent things. We also have a pair of 12-18 mth wellies from Asda for when we go horse riding. The ground is just thick mud and deep puddles. She walks quite well in them but they are open down one side so let wet in, we are going to get her a size 4 pair which are also a bit higher so should keep her feet warm and cozy

imo Next do wellies in really small sizes. I got DD's from there.

Again can I also reiterate how brilliant Geox shoes are. DS always has them for his winter shoes and when I put them away they always look as good as new.

Glad to hear you had a good birthday Carrie. It's dh's 30th in 2 weeks and I need to make sure it's good so that next year I get a good 30th back .
So I need ideas.
He hasn't told me what he wants or what he wants to do. Too late to organise any kind of party I think so I'm thinking about going out for dinner on his birthday (if I can get a babysitter) and going out for the day somewhere on the Saturday. Don't know where though.
Have no idea what present to get though. I suggested a sofa for the dining/play room but he wasn't overly excited by that!

I got Tobys wellies from asda for £3 - was most imrpessed with my bargain! I hate buying wellies that are expensive as he outgrows them so fast and the sont really need them for long. My PIL just spent £16 on wellies for him!!!!! Good grief.

What are geox shoes? Are they better than clarks??? I havent had any problem with the calrks shoes I have had but I know some people dont like them. My sister has had problems with them in the past but I think its who fits them, not the shoes themselves IYSWIM.

I saw one born every minute too....its a lovely programme but I can honestly say it really isnt making me broody!

Bec I keep crying at one born every minute cos I keep comparing it to my experience and asking 'why did I/didn't I do that/say that/tell the consultant to F off?!'
I am broody but terrified my labour would decend into hell like when C was born.

And Debi I highly recommend safehands as a babysitter. They are nationwide and have a website. We have used them twice. They come to your hotel room or house and sit. Fully police checked etc. A bit pricey (you pay safehands £6 an hr and the sitter £6 an hr) but they've been fantastic, professional and both sitters have had kids of their own. I'd use them again if I couldn't get relatives to sit or was away.

Am feeling very organised today. I am working from home and in my lunch hour made cauliflower & maccaroni cheese plus an apple & pear crumble. I feel like bloody Delia!

Geox are a brand that you can get in independent shoe shops. The lady in our local shop says they're the only ones she buys for her nephews as they really last - and they do. As I say when I put DS's shoes away they're always as good as new. As are DD's first shoes which were Geox and are now too small for her. They have something special on the toes so you don't get that scuffing you get on others. DS is hard on shoes too so for them to last a whole winter of him and still look as good as new is pretty amazing. Link is in one of my earlier posts.

Went to my diet club earlier and have lost a pound despite having a terrible week so am well pleased.

And finally - oh my god I hate work at the moment. That's all...

A is having screaming fit again - he's done this around this time all week, not consoled by being picked up or having a drink or anything, just jumping up and down shaking his cot bars and screeching.

I would feel bad about leaving him for more than a minute, except being there doesn't seem to help in the slightest.

Any ideas? Can't find the Sleep forum and it's full of scary people telling you you're damaging your kid whatever anyway...

He's been great all day all week (in toddlery havoc fashion)

[goes upstairs, lays baby down again, gives up again]

sorry nc nothing useful to suggest here. Maybe he's had a bad dream. I think I'd go in 1st time, pick him up for quick cuddle and put him down again. Then go in every 10 mins to lie him down and leave without speaking to him.

sunshine sympathy here, I'm finding work hard at the moment too and spent all day moaning yesterday. Had a bit of a better day today though.

DS2 got a cough and a temp today, fingers crossed it'll go away quickly.

DS1 was reading The Gruffalo's Child at bedtime tonight and said he wishes they'd make a program of it. Which reminded me that I was speculating that they might as they ended the Gruffalo with it snowing and it's snowy in Gruffalo's Child.

Morning!

Sorry NC no help on the midnight tantrums, but I guess I'd probably do what Debi suggests (actually I'd probably sit there in a complete state while DP sorted it, but you know what I mean...). If it makes you feel any better, we are currently blessed with a child who believes that 5:30am is quite the best possible time to start the day, and will not be persuaded otherwise. Needless to say 10pm is currently a wickedly late night for me.

My mother is now panicking that T isn't talking (he does 'mamamamama' for me and 'neenaw' for fire engines and lots of babbling, but no 'proper' words). She phoned me last night to inform me that I don't interact with him enough as we're always busy doing stuff .

nc DD does this - I think it's like a night terror - where they're awake but still dreaming. I tend to keep talking to her quietly and pat or rub her until she calms down. She normally goes straight to sleep after one. It's horrible when it happens though as nothing you do seems to help.

Hi all.

IMO sorry to hear the programme is bringing back bad memories...I know after my experieince with ds1 it took my 4 years to have the gus to try again

NC Toby does this most nights....he wakes, crys/screams and cant be consoled. I leave dh to it most nights as he doesnt seem to want me....no idea what causes it but he has been more or less constantly ill since sept

debi ds1 and I hve had exactly the same conversation re: gruffalos child!!! Hope they do it...the gruffalo animation was lovely and we are still watching it.

NC We are having a bit of this with DD at the moment. Her screaming is sometimes more of a 'I'm in pain' pitch, and thee usual cuddling and resettling doesn't seem to work. DH and I agree that when it sounds like that and there's no other obvious reasons, then it is quite likely to be teething pain. So in those situations we do this: a dose of Calpol, a cuddle, and then offer her a bottle of milk. It usually works, and she then has a good night's sleep. I guess some would shoot me for giving Calpol if she doesn't have a temperature, but GP says give it if you think it's teething pain so we do.

hopefully You really don't need to take this on board about the not talking thing. All the interaction and the talk they observe IS going in! He sounds totally normal. I spoke to someone a couple of weeks ago who said everyone was worried about her daughter not talking. Then one day when she was three, she said "Mummy, do you know why I haven't been talking? I've been listening." Bless!