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.

Anyone else with more than one dc finding that their oldest does all the talking for the youngest? DD had a rare sleep today and dh and I played with just ds - we were astonished at his understanding and abilities!

And we bought him his first pair of shoes yesterday . Loving clarks at the designer outlet for cheapness, although I don't think they love him after the fight he put up!

Debi good luck with the house move!

Carriebo nothing to add to the pre-school debate, but Starlight seems to make good points

Think it's not great new here - glad I've got the scan booked on Tuesday to confirm things, but don't think there's much danger of still being pregnant then . Have had a good cry with DP about it and feeling fairly pragmatic - clearly I fall pregnant easily, so hopefully it won't be long to wait. Seems like hard luck though - being young, fit and healthy etc clearly has nothing to do with it.

Ooo, carrie, I didn't think of Clarks at the designer outlet. We might try to go there tomorrow.

(I added 'might' into that sentence as we are currently under snow drifts here. Making it to the shops for some essentials might be all we can manage. I am also desperate to go look at double buggies but it's not really worth spinning off ice on a country road for, is it? Or is it?)

Phil and Teds Sport Ponymum, we got ours from practical pushchairs which was the cheapest at the time we were buying. But no, even I have to admit its not worth risking your neck for! Have you been to Paul Stride at Monks Cross? They have an amazing warehouse of buggies, and there's CK buggies at clifton moor.

I spent my christmas money on a skip hop change bag . [how sad am i emoticon]

hopefully

So sorry hopefully. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

carrie Yes, know them both. Nose for a bargain, me.

So sorry hopefully. Just hoping for the best for you. You never know. Some people bleed a lot on implantation. And if not, paté, baileys and some seafood for good measure seems like a good idea to build up your strength for another try. xxxxxxx

{sad} hopefully

Carrie, I do think it's worth considering the fact of whether there'll be kids that she goes to school with. When she gets to school lots of them will know people so unless she has contact with them in other ways it's worth a thought.

I hink learning thro' play is good - as long as there's oportunity for her to do the more formal bits.

Fingers still cossed for you hopefully

good luck with the move debi

Carrie on the pre school, nursery front, like you, I was worried that ds1 did not get any structured learning. He could not hold a pen write a letter or anything when he started school in september. However in a couple of months he can write and read- it really is amazing The school is not structured learning either its all done through play but it works and works well.

Maybe Pony and carrie we could meet at the outlet when the weather is better. We could do lunch at the food court there. I went last weekend and noticed a new mamas and papas outlet shop. I got a bubble changing bag for £10 rrp £50. I dont think they do good double puchchairs there though pony.

I am a bit of a bag addict tbh. I am still using my storksac changing bag its fab.

I am trying to get on with life despite the painful ribs. I got a bit short tempered with dh when he suggested slegding today though, he has no idea.

Did I mention I have booked to go to dubi? Going on the 30th for a week to see sister who has just had a baby. I am taking baby but leaving ds1 with my husband. Hope he is ok without me but he cant miss more school.

I have to say starlight I love you shinning down on are thread. You always have lots of great advice and write so nicely xx

OH i forgot to mention carrie it is good for your dd to get to know the local Kids in your area and make friends even if she does not go to the same school. When she is older she will want to walk to her friends and play out with them (i am thinking 10 yeats time!) but, by sending her local now will give you the opportunity to make friends with some parents of these kids. Make sure shes in with the right crowd locally, If that makes sense! xx

Thanks starlight (aka Muffingmum). Unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that I need an all terrain otherwise I cannot go for a walk out of my front door. I am looking at either the Mountain Buggy urban double or the Baby jogger city elite double. At the mo I favour the Baby jogger (drool) but can't find anyone who has actually used one to comment on it, and worried that it is quite heavy (I would have to buy from t'interweb sight unseen).

carrie I thought about the Phil and Teds but really don't like that one child is so close to the ground/wheels. I have seen children put their hand in the wheels. I'll have a closer look if we ever get to a shop (snow worse than ever today) to make sure I'm not missing something. Also, how does the back child cope with not being able to see anything?

Ooo yes, mamamuff, the outlet sounds like a good idea. Although, do you really want to be there when I'm trying to buy shoes for DD?

I am determined to buy myself a nice change bag/handbag effort. I have been using the very functional change bag we bought, but really I don't bother taking a handbag out with me as well, and it is a very ugly change bag. Am contemplating a nice Storksac or lin&leo one. Need to go and see if they'll fit nappies for two in though - was planning to go to John Lewis yesterday but snow and MC put paid to that a bit.

Still bleeding plenty, but not at all painfully, which is a relief. Had slightly painful cramps last night, but nothing worse than a period.

Starlight it's mainly the reusable nappies that take up the space - other than that I don't take much out with me for the baby! Of course, I can't leave the house without a notepad/assorted hankies/pens/mobile/insulated coffee cup in case of coffee emergency/tube of handcream, but that's more about me than T! . I was completely buggered when I started giving T formula all the time at 9 months or whenever it was, as I kept forgetting to take it out with me! Boobs are much easier to remember. Definitely a motivation to battle through the biting next time .

Am planning on not using contraception as soon as bleeding stops - thinking that if I fall pg (a) I won't test as early as I won't know when to expect a period and (b) if I can fall pregnant, probably it's not going to kill me to.

I love my pram, it's all right off road (as in, the occasional muddy path/field doesn't stop us) but crap with snow and sand - bugaboo cameleon. I walk for anything from 1-3 hours a day (main reason for weight loss!) and it's been amazing having a decent pram for all the trundling I do. If we go off road I put T in the woven sling, which is a lifesaver for long walks. He's 30lb and I can comfortably carry him for up to 4 hours (possibly longer, I haven't tried!).

Despite probably no longer being PG I am still debating what to do next time... Will definitely be using sling a lot, but contemplating 2 prams for weekends when DP is around (although if it takes much longer to fall PG then T can just walk everywhere).

Speaking of walking, in the past 2 days T has suddenly started pulling up on everything. Looks like I won't have a crawling 18 year old after all.

But starlight, the list of terrain you have conquered did not include 10 inch deep muddy tractor tracks, 8 inch deep impassable farm lane puddles....

Yeah? Well last week, right... last week I had to get through the two sets of skinny doors in House of Fraser and my pram fitted easily, and someone else had to get them to open the other door.

I know Starlight. I'm thinking of borrowing friend's stretchy wrap sling for early weeks (once I'm recovered from CS, obviously), as I should be able to securely keep baby in place, and not have the faff of wearing my big woven sling all the time for popping baby in and out. Hoping to finally master back carry once it's a bit older, which combined with buggy board for the pram should cover most eventualities. I really don't want a double buggy! I love my pram!

Oooh ponymum that's a lush looking buggy!
When we were buying a double we lived in a terraced house with no garage, I refused to get a side by side double as I would have to take out both children, all the shopping and collapse the buggy before I could get through the door. I love that the phil&teds is the size of a single buggy, very handy on the bus too, and the air filled tyres make it very easy to push. Wrt to the bottom seat, dd used to choose to sit there coz it looked more fun, then by the time ds was old enough to care about not being able to see, dd generally walked so he spent most of his time in the top and dd would hop in and out of the bottom. I tried a buggy board but dd was only 18m when ds was born and she hated it - screamed that she was scared and refused to ever get back on it again. Definitely try before you buy!
I have to say I've never tried to go through an 8ft muddy ditch with the P&T though...

Skip hop do this gorgeous bag. I really wanted to get it as its large, functional, fashionable, and has the skip-hop clips for hanging it off the buggy, but alas, dh would kill me if I expected him to carry that round!