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.

D&S Oh hell, so sorry I know that our local primary is oversubscribed and 8 kids got through on appeal last year. You must be so upset. Wish there was something I could do!

Got another viewing booked for tomorrow afternoon...any tips? Never sold a house before so no idea what I am doing! and of course dh is out all day so its all down to me - gulp.

Have bitten the bullet - so to speak - and been back to the docs re: my reflux and gastric symptoms and he is referring me for an endoscopy (tube doen throat into gullet and stomach) I can honestly say I would rather have another baby than have this proceedure but it needs checking out

Been to see 2 more houses today - netiher of which is big enough. sigh.

D&S - how did the scan go? Sorry to hear about the school place. I've not got into the whole school thing yet so I'm a bit puzzled. How can he not have a school place at all? How is that possible? Sorry if that's a stupid question.

Sorry to hear about the endoscopy becaroo. My dad had that procedure and it turned out he had a hiatus hernia. Hopefully the long term gain from getting an answer will make up for having to have the procedure.

bec it took us 5 weeks to sell.

We were advised:
minimise clutter, the less stuff there is, the bigger the place looks.
Have minimal 'personal' things around, allow people to picture their own stuff in the place.
Bake bread and brew a fresh pot of coffee so it smells homely.
Put flowers in the middle of the table to 'suggest a lifestyle'.
Don't talk too much...
and don't talk too much about how you use the house, make suggestions how spaces could be used to allow them to imagine.

D&S and and

I had my docs appt today about my self-diagnosed endometriosis/IBS/PCOS. She thinks its most likely ovarian cysts with a bit of IBS, and has sent me for bloods and a scan. The bloods have to be done on day 17-19 but today is day 18 and they don't open on Saturdays, so I have to wait a month! But DH reckons we'll get pg in that month so won't need to go...wouldn't that be nice?! She said her preferred course of treatment would be the pill and painkillers, but wouldn't give me either coz of SWI. I did come away with a prescription for a topical treatment for my acne though.

bec my top tip is somewhere in the living room and your bedroom completly empty a cupboard or drawer and put that stuff in a box in the loft (or a friends garage). Then when someone is comingto view you can quickly chuck anything lying around into those spaces.
We put loads of stuff into a friends garage as the house was so cluttered.
We didin't show any of our viewers round, the EA did it all.
And it took 4 weeks I think to get our 1st buyers and then another 1 I think to get another 1 after they pulled out.

D&S that's really rubbish. In Hampshire we had to put down 2 choices and if a place was available at both you got offered both but then obviously had to turn down 1 of them. That meant that we didn't get 1st choice to start with but within a week we did as lots of people had places to turn down. Do you know if a similar system happens in your borough? have you applied in other boroughs too?
There's a book I saw mentioned on here a couple of weeks ago about how to appeal for school places.

Good luck with the baby making carrie

D&S What an awful situation . Is that because your nearby schools have good Ofsted reports?

LOL at ILTMIMI imagining Hopefully getting her shopping down to almost nothing. I always think of her when I put the dishwasher on twice in one day

DD has turned into a total handful recently. She thinks anything naughty is hilarious and is pulling apart everything she can get her hands on, woe betide me if I leave a newspaper within her reach. She trashed 'we're going on a bear hunt' today, I'm going to buy the hard back version next week .

Sorry to hear about everyone's medical stuff. It's never fun having things poked about is it? Scan was surprisingly ok - didn't hurt at all. Worst bit was when I had my feet scanned as they started really twitching and you have to stay completely still. I get results on 15th April so fingers crossed.

Of my 5 closest schools 4 have good Ofsted reports and one not. Obviously we don't want him to go to the bad school (has a rubbish rep as well) so of our four choices that was the one we didn't put down.

In our borough the council oversee the process so that no-one gets offered more than one place - but obviously this doesn't prevent anyone not getting offered a plce at all seems that this part falls through the cracks. They see their process as a success as there are some schools in the borough that still have places available - all miles away from us at crap schools. Given that I work full-time, don't drive, DH is away a lot and I have DD to get to and from nursery every day these just aren't an option for us. I cannot believe that there isn't some check that goes on to ensure that no-one ends up in this situation.

So we're appealing and crossing fingers that being 7th on the list for our local school means we might end up there. Bloody council

I'm so sad for my little boy. He's so amazing - I know everyone would say that but he really is. They would be lucky to bloody have him.

Can't give any advice on the house stuff. When we had the agent round here we fully expected her to tell us to do loads of work but instead she said that our house was beautifully presented [proud emoticon] and didn't need to do anything. I do tend to have flowers in the house anyway, and I have a lot of clutter hidden in cupboards. I also have fairy lights strategically placed which seem to draw the eye away from any bad bits

D&S does your borough work on catchment areas? Ours do so if you appeal you can state that the good one near you is best as it cuts unnecessary travelling so you can ensure he will be there on time every day. Plus you can appeal to their environmenatl side and say if he goes there you won't have to use the car and therefore will not contribute to pollution. Anything is worth a go.

Carrie when I had ovarian cysts I had to come off the implant for 6 months as they thought contraception made them grow. It was in the sixth month that I got pregnant with robyn

The only school with a proper catchment area is the faith school we applied to. They only have 20 open places and, although we're in their catchment, we're 53 on the waiting list for a place there.

For the other schools they tell you the distance that admittances went up to last year but this year they start again based on who's nearer. They have measured our distance to the closest school as 635m which makes us 7th on the wait list. We make it approx. 550m which gives us an automatic place. We've queried that but so far they've said that they've checked it and they're right.

If you look in our brochure no appeal was successful last year so, even though we're going to try, and think we're stuck to keeping an eye on the wait list to see if we move up. We're also going to submit a late application to a local school that a friend of ours got into. She's about the same distance the other side so although we might not get an automatic place we might be fairly high on the wait list.

Who knows? It's breaking my heart

Will definitely try all angles though so thanks for those suggestions Debs.

I never realised getting into school was so hard. DD1 just went to the one at the end of the road and DS went to a special school. we had a bit of a scare getting DD1 into secondary school but at least we were offered her second choice. When does he go, is it after Easter or in September?

I think we are nearly finished with breatfeeding. robyn has about 5-10 mins at 6 in the morning then back to sleep and then nothing till bedtime. Have started giving her a bottle of warm milk in the 30 mins before bed and when we go upstairs she has about 5-10 mins and then is off to sleep. If she wakes in the night it is just a min or two and she is off again. She occasionally asks during the day but I distract her and give her a drink and snack instead.

Friend is struggling with bf, baby has already blistered one nipple so she is cup feeding her formula and feeding from the other side. Does anyone have any ideas that might help

Debs - I would recommend she speaks/see's a bf'ing counsellor (not a mw or GP), and get her latched checked. It's all about the latch, get that sorted and she'll be away. And tell her to do it asap.

I'm pooped. I've been helping at our local nearly new sale today and I was there for 9 hours so I'm totally knackered. However all of the items I put in the sale sold - result

M is down to just one bf a day now and tbh that's for hardly any time at all. I don't mind actually. I think because we've sort of done it together rather than me force it upon him.

ILTMIMI From what she has said the latch is the problem, baby has been nipple feeding rather then trying to get the aerole(sp) in. at least she isn't bottle feeding as that could mess up her feeding technique, baby's obviously not friends. Am off to see her tomorrow so will see how she is

we're cutting down the bf too - she has a big one in the morning, but always asks for more after (even tho' I'm empty). Not at all during the day (she'll ofetn have a bottle tho') and if I put her to bed at night she feeds and has a bottle, if h puts her to bed just a bottle.

H is keen for me to stop but I don't want to so I'm trying to compromise. Saying that he's taking both dd's to Ireland in the beginning of May for a long weekend to see his family so that'll probably end it

sorry to hear about the school, it does sound a little crazy.

Hi all, hope you are all well. I've updated my profile as Erin was 18 mths on Thursday. I tried to upload 3 more from the weekend, but only one gone on - will try another day as too tired to upload again.

The school thing does indeed sound crazy - we moved at the end of the last year with a fab primary school at the end of the garden, but my borough does not have catchment areas so fingers crossed she gets in when that comes rapidly around!

X

I've just added a couple of photos too of ds2 from the weekend. He was actually 18 months on the 1st but hasn't changed much in 3 weeks!

Debs he's supposed to start in September so there may be movement in the lists between now and then. But that means instead of getting him excited about his new school, buying his uniform and planning properly we're left biting our nails and worrying. I don't know what I'll say to him if the other children start talking about their schools. I'm so sad for him.

Oh God Robyn was 18 months on Friday and I haven't taken a photo, I told you unless I was reminded I would forget, will scurry off and take a pic as soon as possible

saw friends baby today and she is gorgeous, she has loads of wavy hair and is very placid. friend is getting better with the feeding as her milk is now in, still can't feed off one side so she is expresing from that side. Robyn was a bit nonplussed about it all until she saw her hands, then she sat and stroked them for ages. when we got n the car to leve she told me how the baby was pretty.

Hi folks
Ive been lurking for a while as I dropped off the list then forgot my password and never seemed to have a minute to sort it all out. Anyway Hello all

Finally got my implanon implant out on friday. I am not swi yet but had it out due to constant bleeding for months. The day it came out and the bleeding has stopped .
Still no words from e. Anyone else in this situation? He is getting more vocal but more squeals and oo and ahhs. Its a quiet life at the moment. To be honest I think we do all the talking for him, my ds 5 does not shut up!
Ninja I managed a long weekend away from E and as soon as he saw me he ponced on my hoobles (boobs) . We are Bf first thing and last thing for about ten minites only. Only during the day if I need a moments peace like a cuppa and kitkat.
Oh, I am struggling with work and 2 dcs. I do alot of driving and today I reversed into a bollord. I was so angry and upset. I had too much work to do looking after very poorly patients and my phone was ringing alot so Id parked up to answer it, I needed a wee and was so thirsty and hungry as it was two and I had not had a break. I told my boss my mind was everywhere but on the road and it was all her fault for putting too much on me She told me to put a form in about it . Sorry for rant

mamamuffin I can sympathise with the car thing. I managed to reverse into a mini skip one day when sleep deprived with dd1, and a bollard!! I'm secrtly hoping that she'll still be interested in feeding after the weekend.

Hi all..nice to hear from you again mama

Well, so far no house we have been to see is big enough..its ridiculous! I know we are a bit spoiled here because it was built in the 1950s so has fairly largish rooms and big windows but to get similar we would need to be spending 225-250k and that isnt going to happen...so....we are now thinking of extending AGAIN over the top of the kitchen extension to make 3 big double bedrooms and a study. Will have to resite the bathroom which will be a nightmare though and this will need planning permsission unlike the last one.

Am a bit as I now feel a bi "trapped" here because it is a good size and we cant really go smaller. Ds1 really doesnt want to move either - he told me yesterday "it would break my heart to move mummy"

What to do????......

Oh bec that is such a hard decision to make.

mama good to hear from you again. I keep remembering your wise words about how great things are with 2 dcs at the mo and not wanting to 'break' that by having another. My kids are playing so nicely most of the time at the moment, and I'm enjoying moving into more grown up activities with them, that I'm having doubts about going back to the baby stage. But then every time I wach OBEM I feel this physical desire to want to do it again. And I've always since being a child myself, wanted three children. I guess if we've not been successful this month then at least I won't be devastated. But if we have been then that's quite exciting too!! I hate not knowing.

I've survived two of the seven nights of dh being away now. Our hard drive recorder has broken, but thankfully the kids can watch iplayer on the computer! I'd love to have principles, but I need the tv to be a babysitter at certain times of the day! We've been able to skype dh too, although our web cam is broken so we can see and hear him, but I have to type my side of the converstation. The kids were thrilled to see daddy this morning. Gotta love technology, even when its broken!

Mum arrives tomorrow, yay!

Hi all
It does sound like your better of extending than moving bec but you should not feel trapped.
Carrie I completely understand your situation. I am very happy with my boys and am in a fantastic place. I am trying to convince myself that this is it and it may well be. However, I can never say never as I get hit by massive broodiness randomly . Am I always going to be like this?? Even after a possible third or fourth baby are we programmmed to still be broody or does this go away?? Does anyone know what I mean??
Has someone from our origional lot just had a baby???
Off to keep fit now. Lol xx

Yes, Mel has had a boy called Lennon (she had James in Sept 08). Bogie is overdue with her third as well!

mama on of my friends has had a revelation...you can feel broody but you don' have to act on it!! I still intend to act it though, just one more time! Unless it takes us years to conceive, in which case I'll have two more so the younger one wasn't lonely!

Am I the only person who feels the opposite of broody when watching OBEM? The screaming mums and usless dads (not all but some of them) drive me mad. I had 2 great (well as great as they can be) labours but still don't want to do it again. Not to mention the sleepless nights, sore boobs, exploding nappies etc etc. Mind you they are very cute and I loved the attention you and your baby get when it's tiny and cuddly and cute.

I can't be bothered to watch OBEM, all I ever hear about it is that everyone cries whilst watching it so I really don't see the point. I too have no intention of having another baby, one is quite enough thank you!

I'm just updating my profile now as DD was 18m on 15th and I haven't been on to this thread since, woops!