DEC 08 - Welcome to the house of ill - We're riding a poonami

[MomOrMum]

This was the only thing I could remember some saying should be the next title!

JJ - am sending vibes from here. Makes my worries feel very small. x

JJ - Vibes from me also - ditto Beans

Oh JJ, that is so sad I will remember them in my prayers. He sounds like a wonderful man.

Beans, sorry to hear whizz is off colour again. If B&B start whinging again I'd be so tempted to tell then to F*k off. ake sure you take some time out to relax and look after you!

SIL had a baby girl yesterday. So sad that MIL never got to meet her but I think this little girl is just what everyone needs. Put it this way, yesterday was the first time in a long while w all had smiles on our faces.

Hopefully more later....

JJ: thank you for telling us about it.

Rubena: I think I managed it too - took a bit of wrestling with my phone mind. Or maybe all my friends saw me moaning and blocked me!

Gosh JJ that is just so sad. It breaks my heart to hear of kids losing their daddies. My dad was 45 when he died and that is young, but 37 and so sudden.

Beans I really felt for you when you said you were having the viewings. In December when we were in the short let over here they kept arranging viewing for prospective tennants for that place. I know they have to but it us hard to keep a place constantly tidy and clear and even more stressful I imagine when it's your own place so the result impacts directly on you. Good news that people are looking though.

Poison Brussels wound be lovely. I hadn't really thought of doing day trips to placed that take more than an hour & half on the train but actually it was quite pleasant on the train and reminded me of how much I like train travel with the boys. So I would def be up for it. I could come down in the morning stuff myself with chips waffles and maybe one beer and then off home again in the afternoon.

Oh gosh, Jump, how very sad. That poor family. I'll be thinking of them.

Excellent news, daisy, must be just what you all needed. Any name yet?

Brussels sounds lovely, though Eurostar there is a bit dodgy at the moment. When do you think it might be? Sorry I couldn't make the weekend, Veggie and sorry your journey home was so very trying.

I got flashed by a speed camera on the way home today. Only doing 33 but obv did not realise. That's 3 points on the licence then. Bugger.

evening.
JJ so sorry to hear about that family. I just can't imagine being in that situation. I will definitely pray for them. Hope you and dh are ok.
beans you sound a little blue. Hope you have a better day tomorrow. Poor dd with her eczema - I hope B knows that eczema is not contagious. I really feel for you - it's certainly a stress you could well do without and it seems so unfair that you're having to justify every little sniffle or blemish. That would be stressful for any of us, and with your pregancy too it's just rubbish . How long now until your leave starts?
wg you've not reported back since The Run...did you survive? Or are you perhaps still running....?
jb I hope L has had a better day today...and here's hoping for a peaceful night. I'm not sure when the back teeth come, but on her past form it wouldn't surprise me if she were ahead of the text books on it!
veggie ah my dear veggie. You are full of life and love and you make me smile

effie how is your mum?
and where's kiwi gone again

daisy sorry forgot to say what lovely news and a timely blessing for your family

Trace, I think looking after 2 small children, (one very small and one who is a concern for you) and working 4 days a week in a new challenging job & living in Arctic conditions with next to no sunshine would be a drain on anybodies mental health, let alone someone who also irons! Don't beat yourself up about being a little wobbly with or without PND life can be tough, your doing well. Let yourself cry when you need to, we all need that outlet.

DS2 has also just woken an hour & half after going to bed, P & J must be up to something via ESP.

DS2 was so shattered after the weekend and his little meltdown on the last leg of the trip. We got back from dropping DS1 at school and he went back to bed for 2.5hrs. Of course I got nothing done but hey ho. He had his 2nd hep B vaccination today and his MMR, turns out last time he had his pneumovax not MMR so there goes my theory that he got sick from the MMR vacc. The Doctor is so lovely she asked if he had any reaction ( no one has ever asked that before not sure how the UK comes up with their stats) & we discussed him being unwell but she agreed it was probably a bug. I wanted to ask her why Drs give the immunisations and do the routine check ups but I got a bit shy. I really would like to find out about child healthcare over here, just out of interest and for professional development but I feel a bit silly asking to spend sometime at the clinic esp as DS2 goes there. Maybe I should approach a different clinic? Anyhoo he has a 18 month check up in 3 months and then his last Hep B vacc in 6 months.

Right he's asleep so I'm off to look at hamster cages, I think our Emily the half caste hamster needs a bigger cage.

Oh and Invis that is a tricky decision re the job. When I was 7 months preg with DS1 I was offered my dream job on a platter, its the only time I've ever been headhunted. But it would have meant returning to work fulltime (and then some) when DS1 was 6 months at the latest. They knew I was pregnant and where ok about it but did stipulate that I would have to come back fulltime. I turned it down in the end and have never regretted it. I figured I might get a chance at the job again but not at DS1's early years. However, DH being a househusband wasn't an option (it was a dream job but still NHS so nowhere near his income) so maybe if he could have been I would have thought more about it.

Sorry that should have been 'anybody's' not 'anybodies' I think.

Evening all,

JJ That is so very sad. I'l be thinking of the family. Are the church ralling round her in a practical way? My mum was widowed young (33) and said she got too many flowers IYSWIM, when what she really needed was a bit of support.

trace Perhaps speaking to a new person might be quite good. They would have a fresh perspective on things. It sounds like you need someone to talk to at the moment with all the worry about Lu.

daisy That's lovely news .

I wonder how ladyT got on. It is a shame she can't post from her phone without crashing the whole thread! Hope things have calmed down after the accident. It must have been a horrible experience.

beans I didn't realise Whizz was a rival to my DD on the teeth front .

I've just had a quick look at a teething chart and apparently the back molars should come through at 20-22 months. Oh well, these are the last ones till she is 6. I'm trying to look on the bright side.

JB forgot to say our friends who came over recently, their 18 month old DD has fully grown molars, and our real estate agent ladies DS had all his teeth by 6 months.

JJ - that is heartbreaking. It sounds like there are lots of well wishers, but JB is right, its the practical things that help.

trace - I had meant to say, I was thinking about your posts about L - it may be that she is internalising stress and its showing up in these ways? I was a bit like that as a child - always throwing up/tummy ache/dodgy stomach before exams or new things etc. Also had the hair loss in patches (grew back on its own eventually although if I remember rightly they can use steroid creams/injections to promote it to grow back). Not sure how much that helps, but maybe if that is what its about then you can focus on recogising her fears and worries working out ways to deal with them and the other stuff will work itself out. I may be completely off beam here, but it just rang a bit of a bell with me.

daisy - congrats, congrats, amazing what a new little one can do?

Molars - yes DD was around 2 when she got hers, we'd kind of forgotten all about teeth and took us a while to figure out that was what it was . Although, who knows, seeing how miserable DS has been lately it should be a whole mouthful of teeth that is coming...

Can def recommend Brussels and the Eurostar seems to be behaving itself (shame I couldn't say the same for the DCs on the journey)

Morning all

Trace: you're dealing with a lot at the moment and quite entitled to wobbles. Do ring up if you need to talk to someone, as jb says it might be good to get a different perspective.

Veggie: do they have more immunisations over there? None here betw 13 months and 3.5 years.

Am shuddering at the thought of back molars coming through! Like invisible, we forgot all about teething and didn't work out what happening with DS1 until they popped thrugh. We thought he was just in a bad mood.

Mum is still signed off work and seeing the nurses, but it's looking unlikely (frantically touches wood) that she'll be sent in to hospital. Which is great as this makes things 100 times worse. I am impressed by the hp's reactions so far (apart from the gp who prescribed dodgy medication and then insisted on phone consultations, the eejit). Her past experiences have been a) gp giving her pills and then b) inpatient treatment, with no in-between support. Things are so much better when she can stay in familiar surroundings with friends able to pop in, rather than 30 miles away with strangers. Anyway, she is sending us extremely random text messages but that's pretty normal!

Morning ladies. Up to my 3rd coffee of the day after DS2 decided sleep was for losers lastnight. Grumbled and squealed for much of the night and sucked the life out of me as well. Then to top it off at 6.30 when I was getting at the end of my tether with it all I said to DS2 'just calm down you need to sleep & mummy needs to sleep'. I said this quite tersely, so DH said 'he doesn't understand you' didn't really think that one through but I guess he was tired too. But at that time I wasn't thinking straight so I pretty much bit his head of called a few expletives at him. He casually remarked that he was also tired. I reminded him that I'd managed to at least give him some quiet times by feeding DS2 most of the night, then I stormed out of the room (I may have also called him a rude word). By this time DS1 had heard us & woke up crying. DH came out to tell me and get me to go to DS1. I 'calmly' explained that I was feeding his other child (the one that was writhing around in my arms) and got him to send DS1 out. Poor DS1 was quite upset so I apologised to him. He reminded me that he had told me not to yell at daddy (from the arguement DH and I had in December). Bless him and we cuddeled then DH & I cuddled and he took DS2 who miraculously calmed down. Later when I was dressing him I noticed his plasters from his jabs and realised his night grumbles must have been from them. He was also a bit off his dinner and breakfast this morning.

Effie, all the jabs that the UK does 3 of the Netherlands does 4. I tend to trust the UK's regime because they tend to decide their regimes on the most necessary but the least possible. This is not due to cost but due to most likely uptake. As uptake is more likely the fewer times babies have to present they are better off doing fewer but enough to still ensure coverage. Also the Dutch health minister has a financial interest in Glaxosmithkline. They also wanted him to have another MMR because the one I gave him was given just before his 1 year birthday so there is a slight possibility he maynot make antibodies but I didn't
mind better to be safe but I also had him covered for the measles season, though that maybe later this year anyway due to the weather. The Hep B they wanted him to have because DH was born in the Phillipines, stupid I know esp as he hasn't been back there since he was 6 but it's a good immunisation to have and usually you have to pay for it. Both DH & I have hep B vaccs so we'll all be covered now.

DS2 is now happily asleep, no he's not now he's awake. Oh well. Actually I'm feeding him now on the couch but he is looking sleepy again so might drop back off. He & I went to the Koffie en Kind thing as that ANZ womens club was meeting there but I only found 2 other women there from the club. One was a bit grumpy but the other was nice. We've swapped phone numbers so might catch up during the week.

Oh and Effie I hope things go ok with your mum. I knows it's hard to talk about the things she is up to. I know you probably don't want to talk too much about it but I'd like you to know I do know what your going through. my Brother tends to need hospitalization several times a year.

hello hello - oh, JJ that is so sad. and so sad to hear about your mum, and the other parents who died so young on the thread, too. my uncle died unexpectedly at 42, leaving 3 daughters under the age of 4. my mum was 60 - still too young, but she had lived a fantastically full life. it is awful, and we should count our blessings while we have them. will be sending loving thoughts.

daisy - yay! hurrah for the power of a newborn to lift spirits

effie - good news on your mum's care - hopefully they can handle it without sending her to hospital. must be very hard for you all.

sybil - doesn't necessarily mean you've got a fine - fingers crossed

report on The Run: shush, don't spread it too far, but i think i enjoyed it. it was glorious weather, and i only did one-one and a half minutes' running interspersed with 2 minutes walking (am just beginning all over again), but i was out for 50 mins and i came back sweaty and feeling fantastic. the running club meets tomorrow night (the weekend run was in anticipation) - i have no idea how slow they go for beginners like me, but am sure it'll go ok. a little nervous... but, my, my legs have been killing me since sunday. nice to feel some muscles down there, though.

wonder how ladyt's course went???

That will be great if she can avoid hospital Effie, sounds like experience has definitely taught you what works best for her. Fingers crossed she gets the right support (other than dodgy GP).

Sorry to hear about your ropey night, Veggie, and ensuing argument with DH. DP and I have been at it hammer and tongs (in the cross way, not sex way) for the last week, which funnily enough coincides with T's middle of the night awakeathons. He's still poorly and on another batch of antibiotics and is teething but I suspect his body's also now in a new pattern which involves falling asleep at 7pm, then awake between 1 and 3, then asleep again until 8.30. Which sounds better than it is. I think he is now totally used to waking in the night at that time as he calms down when he gets a cuddle. Maybe I should wake him up at 7am again and try to reset his clock. It's hard to countenance that though as if he'll sleep longer it seems barmy for us not to.

Trace, I'm not surprised you feel swamped by life with all that's been going on, and your worries about L and P's sleep. You are doing amazingly well. The 22nd is a good while away though. Have you got the contact details of the other CPN in case you need more support before then?

How's the course, going, LadyT? JJ, so sorry to hear about your friends. I can't begin to imagine how terrible that must feel. .

JJ just popped on to the thread very briefly and saw your post. The image of those children playing in the pews has stayed with me. They will be in my thoughts today.

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the teeth info everyone. Full teeth at 6 months veggie . Sorry to hear you had such a bad night. Hope J feels better today. Sleep deprivation is just the worst thing ever.

WG Well done on the run! Exercise does improve the mood no end I find, although I do it seldom .

effie That sounds like positive news with your mum. Staying at home must be better than going into strange surroundings with people who don't know her.

It is such a lovely day here again. I think we'll go out and enjoy it when DD wakes up. Back later.

x-post WG, that's great news about the run. And 50 minutes is fantastic!

Oh, and I remember some people were asking about Brighton and if they'd missed something major. Answer, no you haven't, we've just been a bit wobbly about being here so far away from all our long-term friends. We had been looking at houses because renting is so expensive, but just looking had made us realise we're not ready for that kind of commitment here yet and will give it another year (we've only been here 5 months so projecting a fair bit ) renting somewhere cheaper.

DP is feeling it more than me as he doesn't get to meet people during the day as he works from home and isn't the type for hobbies or clubs so it's hard to have any leisure time. He'll either go to the gym or to the pub of an evening if he wants to get out but I think he's missing mates to do that with. And our friends are long-term londoners and planning to stay put, so I'm tempted to cut our losses and go back now but he wants to stick it out. I feel that if we stay two years, yes we'll definitely have given it a go but we'll have made friends by then. Whereas if we go after a year it won't feel like such a wrench.

Maybe the summer will change our minds, we did go out to the coast on Sunday which was just a 15 minute drive away (Brighton seafront itself is just a 30 min walk) which we couldnt' do from London. But....friends are so important....

Hello all! I'm back (again). WG am in awe of your run - that's fantastically good for a first run in 2 years! I have done bugger all for months (and not much then) and now I have managed to break my little toe while getting into the bath .

Veggie we've been having a run of bad nights with L. She's also feeding for dear life during the day which is doign my head in a bit. It's not a food thing - she'll do it straight after a massive meal - it's clearly something to do with bonding with me or whatever. I'm sure it's normal, developmental etc but it's doing my head in, I feel like I am a walking boob to her . Are any other b-feeders having anything similar?

I bumped into a friend on the train this morning from my NCT class, her litttle girl took her first steps yesterday. Was torn between delight for her and envy - I honestly don't think L has ANY intention of ever walking. She'll be crawling to university while I tag behind saying "But darling, they won't be able to SEE you in lectures..."

Having a terrible day at work today. Someone who does NOT know anything about my job has been telling me how to do my job. Grrrrrr!!!

Oh one last thing - DD still has only 2 teeth. That's normal right?? Nothing I should be concerned about at 14 1/2 months?

Hi all

I'm feeling vaguely nervous today because I've got to go and do pick up with Mr & Mrs B tonight. Hideous. Mr rang DH last night and basically slightly read him the riot act. DH was very very nice about it, but now wishes he'd been a bit more forceful - as do I! If I see them tonight, though, I think I might say something - particularly if they mention DD's eczema.

We've got loads of house viewings going on , so am hoping that it's going to be sold pretty shortly - got 2nd viewings too, so that's good. Although am having to live in a state of unnatural tidiness, which is fraying my nerves somewhat!

Plus I had a lovely romantic (not sex) dream about my ex last night, who was lovely, although 5 years younger than me. It made me miss him terribly as we just laughed for 2 years. BUT it was a long time ago and before we had any real life issues, so was much easier. But I've thought about him all day - that's almost as bad as cheating!!! But I would never take it any further than daydreaming, so I guess that's ok? Isn't it??!

WG - well done on the run. That's good. I'm going to sign up for a sprint triathlon next summer so I have something to train for and lose some fat post this baby!!!

Anyway, must do some work - really busy- so unlike me! And I do quite like it.

Veggie - I hope you have a better night tonight. Thinking of you. x

Beans I don't see what problem they have with eczema, it's unfortunate for the sufferer but it's not infectious, it can get infected but even then it's not infectious. DS1 was once completely covered in red dry skin from contact dermatitis it looked terrible but it was not infectious. I don't think nursery even asked me about it. This must be getting so stressful for you.

Isn't it amazing what a sunny day does for the mood. DS2 & I took a long leisurely walk to pick DS1 up from school (via and lingerie shop that had a sale). Then bought some bulbs for the garden (and some chocolates) and then went to the park to feed the ducks and for the boys to play. Loads of DS1's little school friends where so he had a great time playing with them. Unfortunately DS2 got it in his head that he wanted to go for a swim with the ducks so I spent most of the time dragging him away from the pond. But it was nice. We often go to the park after school but often no one else is there. We are obviously the only ones balmy enough to be out in the cold.

When we came home we had a lovely package fro
Lady. The books are brilliant, thank you sooooo much. DS1 just loves the London bus one being the London boy that he is, and was completely mesmerised by the Traction man book, his little eyes were so wide. They were perfect Lady. That London bus book is such a fun book to read!

Kiwi, DS2 is very changable with feeds lately. On good days he has a teeny sip in the morning to get back to sleep, then a mid morning feed & mid afternoon (I think both of these could be replaced by snacks & milk but I'm too lazy). Then a feed at bedtime and one at 10.30ish. All but the morning feed he really guzzles them so he def wants them. I remember DS1 would slowly reduce a feed to just a sip before giving it up completely. However, that is all on a good day, when he is sick or just plain pooey grumbly like today he is quite random with his feeds. He hasn't been as bad as he was overnight and today for a while though and unfortunately I have a little mastitis. Oh well nothing trying my new bras on won't fix, and lots of feeding and water.

Evening...beans I hope B&B were okay with you, they reallydo sound like the most overbearing couple possible!

LadyT hope the course is going/gone well. Apologies I can't remember how long you said it was for

WG well done on the run. 50 mins doing any exercise is fantastic

Veggie, hope your trip out today and the fresh air helps DS2 have a better night tonight. DS has definately been out of sorts this week, and again teeth I think.

Effie, glad to hear they didn't send your mum into hospital. I hope that they can continue to treat her at home, where she is more settled.

Oh and Beans, I ran into 'an old flame' just before Xmas. It was so weird, I spent days thinking about what might have been between us. Stupid as it never worked then, no way it would work now (I have no feelings for him but my tummy did get butterflies seeing him again). So 'no' I don't think it counts as cheating....just a natural curiosity I think.

Trace, so sorry to hear you have more worries with L. I have no idea what itcould be but i do hope you get to see someone and get to the bottom of it. And as for your little wobble, completely understandable given everything you have been going through lately.

Right I have a shocking headache and really neeed to get some painkillers.