October 08 - Got ourselves some crying, talking, sleeping (sometimes!) walking, living dolls.

[CantSleepWontSleep]

Well somebody better start the new thread, so might as well be me!

No stats this time .

It takes an extra 5 mins if i wash my hair, and I am Very Organised (most chronically lazy people are! )
If I could send them to bed dressed, I would.

Pistachio. Schools crap all round this way. The myth that is the south of England!
It is private but a system that only accepts the most able, we will only have to contribute maybe £1000 a year.
As I am officially the worst mum on this thread would it be acceptable to admit that DD1 going to boarding school isnt the worst thing in the world[shame][shame][head hanging in shame]

I put on the kettle, toaster and make packed lunch all at the same time. I eat toast while cutting strawberries. Hopefully by this time the girls have finished, messing about eating their breakfast.
I may get half a cup of tea before it goes cold.

This is from the girl who lived 300 hundred yards from high school but was always late! I used to get dressed in bed

Ronshar - don't be ashamed. My dad hated his boarding school and swore he'd never send his kids to one, then my sister had issues with her day school and begged to go to a boarding school and absolutely adored it. It was hardest for my mum as dsis left for boarding school the same time as I left for uni.

Eeeek to morning routines, luckily dd is only doing 3 afternoons a week right now, I think I'm going to need all morning just to get her stuff ready!

pistachio - dd does one afternoon and 3 full days 9-3:55). Mornings are a PITA because ds wants a long bf, both dc muck about with their breakfast (dd the worst), and i have to cook bacon and eggs because it's the only thing that doesn't rocket my blood sugar. Thankfully dh will sometimes take dd to school if I'm in a real fix.

I think that you'll miss dd1 more than you realise ronshar. I'd have loved to go to boarding school though.

You must get popsy to come here next time we have a meet up here ronshar. I presume you knew her pre-MN.

Yeah... I could not get 2 kids out the door on time in the morning... let alone 3! No way. I'd have to homeschool, keep getting groceries delivered, order everything online, get the postman to take my mail to be delivered, if any... and maybe we'd go to the park once per month
Those of you who do it every day - hats off to you. As I said, I find it very stressful getting everything done in the morning with just 1 toddler. It's probably all of the cleaning that I think I need to achieve before leaving the house...

Thanks for the advice, Ronshar. I think we'll just make appointments to come to your house instead of going to the GP from now on. You're not that far away and the advice is more comprehensive.
I really really don't want him to have asthma, though I just hope he grows out of it.

Ronshar - your dd will probably love boarding school and it's no reason to be ashamed. Not at all. You're doing the best you can for your DD!

lol at going to bed dressed pepper and pistachio!

csws - is your dd excited about the new baby?

aubergenie - I held a newborn a few days ago, too! My ovaries didn't do anything like you describe, but it was lovely . The more I think about it, the more I want to stick with one. I'd have a thousand newborns and babies even toddlers. But I think for our family, 1 child is perfect. And he won't be spoiled or bratty. We will be sure he is socializsed!

Star - DS was an 'only' child for his toddler and pre-school years and he is far better at sharing than his friends who had siblings. He was an angel until he went to school.... I think most children grow out of childhood asthma. My brother had asthma as a child and hasn't got a hint of it as an adult.

Ronshar - DH has been very well told off by me about the car. M had a sickness relapse on Tuesday & was super sleepy yesterday but seems much better. But..... she has started spitting food out rather than swallowing it. She's too young for an EDNOS so I guess it must be a reaction to vomiting. It is the first time she has been sick more than once iyswim. DS is knackered but seems to be eating loads so hopefully he'll put the weight he lost back on.

Pepper - Hates off to you managing to eat before you leave the house! I have two to sort but I have breakfast when I get home. If I was at work I'd probably just have a coffee!

Ekka - I'm with you on the germs for the immune system front. I generally have VERY healthy children I tend to do the same as you cleaning wise. I have to mop the floor today though....

Pistachio - I am attending the Nearly New Sale as an NCT bod on Saturday! Luckily I will be lecturing advising on cloth nappies so not too scary! I have my first tutor meeting on the 1st May.

I don't think I have any other news.... Life is dull the same as ever!

Star can I ask what cleaning materials you use in the house. Not because I am a weirdo but because you may be using too many chemicals. I think alot of children grow out of asthma. it does sound that Q's is only very mild anyway. Next time he is coughing loads when running around try and give him one puff of his Blue inhaler and see what happens. I would put money on the cough going away!
Seriously though Star you should try to let go of the cleaning. I understand it is a control issue but you will probably be happier eventually.
I have a friend who was very much like you. " children and a divorcee later and she has a messy, untidy and even sometimes dirty house. She tells me it is the happiest she has been in her whole life.
I am not saying have another child or divorce your DH. Just saying the letting go has made her a different person.

CSWS I "met" PP on the MC thread. We both had MMC within days of each other. There was a core of about 15 who were going through a really hard time and we dragged each other through it. By the hair.
I shall encourage her to come along next time certainly.

50ft. Are you going to be selling some of your stash as well? That could get you a 5 star cruise around the Bahamas

I am not ashamed about the boarding school I am really because I always begged my mum to send me to boarding school.
I am ashamed because I really dont think I will miss her much. We dont get on too well and I am too hard on her. I have a load of issuse which dont have anything to do with her at all. Just me. I am trying so hard to be better with her but sometimes I find being with her very difficult.

Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
It's true in nearly every circumstance. You will miss all the things you love about her and when she is back you will embrace those things and her and I bet your relationship will be even better
fwiw you seemed very well attached and to have quite a loving happy relationship with her during our brief visit!

For the most part, I use Ecover or vinegar/water mixture - I am very, very careful about chemicals. Hoovering I don't use any cleaner for of course - no carpets.

I only use bleach in the toilet and don't let Q in there for quite a while after it has been used and window wide open.

I had childhood asthma and still had it as a teenager and even now - although more induced by exercise and I can control it - sometimes it's worse than others. I've always been involved in sports, though throughout school and beyond - it's never slowed me down at all, so hopefully it won't for Q. I jsut worry about hte early years. I can remember being quite young and that asthma attacks were terrible... struggling to catch a breath and not being able to breathe in at all... very scary and painful. I don't want Q to experience that.

Ronshar - No I'm not selling any of my stash there but I have been selling bits off. Nothing is selling very well at the moment. People are being greedy and wanting far too much for far too little!

I think the reason you don't get on with DD1 and are so hard on her is because she is so like you. You've said as much before and it makes total sense to me. I am pretty certain that M is going to be like me and I am already dreading it! Plus DD1 is your first born AND is very intelligent so you've probably got very high expectations of her. I am the same with DS. He is intelligent so we're hard on him, we know he is capable of helping around the house/doing his homework with no fuss/getting himself ready etc so we don't accept him failing at these things. I would rather be too tough on DS than not tough enough. I would rather force encourage him to work hard, to help around the house, to wait to get new toys etc and create a diligent, moral, useful adult than indulge him now and produce a useless, selfish, greedy waster. The bullying kid at DS's school gets what he wants when he wants it and does whatever he wants. He is a nasty child and will end up a nasty adult.

On the nose 50ft & Star. Mother daughters always tricky.

Star of course I forgot you had Asthma. Hope you didnt think I was being a bit patronising.

I use way more chemicals No wonder I am always ill!

Exactly 50ft, I don't want Q growing up to be one of those men who doesn't help out around the house and expects everything handed to him. Not sure how intelligent he is yet, though

No, Ronshar! I didn't think you were being patronizing at all. I thought it was good advice. And I'd seriously like to register Q with you rather than with my GP.
I guess I'm scared of him having it because I'll feel responsible for it. DH doesn't have it... so he could only have inherited it from me And my mom died of lung cancer (never smoked a single cigarette in her life, though her parents were smokers). I just have a big fear of respiratory stuff in general I guess.

Star - I can understand your worries about respiratory stuff. Alas hayfever, eczema and asthma are all spread down through families. DS has hayfever as do DH and I! M will probably have it too. But asthma, like eczema seems to be one lots of children grow out of. There's no point in worrying about whether he has or hasn't got it, you can't do anything to change that. But you can do everything within your power to help control & manage it. Oh and I think M would be happier living with you. She is obsessed with mess. She points to bits of fluff or blossom petals in the street and says "Mess. Urgh" and sticks her tongue out. She HATES mess so as you can imagine, living her is very traumatic for her!

lol. Q hates mess, too... but doesn't say "mess". Just points and grunts or shrieks or goes to the cupboard and gets the handheld duster and dustpan or a paper towel or wipe. Odd child.

He and dh went to the park to feed the birds (duck pond, not park, sorry just too lazy to delete). I'm exhausted. Need energy.

Star - DS used to do that too. His favourite thing to do at my mum's house was mop the floor.... M gets very excited when I get the vacuum cleaner out.... At least you know where Q gets it from.

They would love each other. I am so tired from a really really horrid night last night. I hope there's a tooth coming or something...

Star, I hope you have a better night tonight. I was out last night with some friends and have paid for it today, but my tiredness was self-inflicted!

Ronshar - I'm with you on the mother daughter relationship. I tend to find myself struggling with dd, and I know I'm harder on her because she is the eldest and I have to help ds with so much that I expect her to be more self-sufficient and she isn't even 3 yet .

She had a great afternoon at school, said goodbye with no problems and apparently had great fun, from what she and the teachers told me.... Ds enjoyed being on his own - he got to walk around the supermarket and help me pick food, including a huge carrot that he would NOT put down and clutched all afternoon . He was pretending it was a camera and a screwdriver and all sorts....

[waves] Working silly hours here, in at 10 tonight, 11 last night, miss my baby but still love my job

Oh people, could the fact that Poppy's had a virtually constant cold and cough (nothing too bad but constantly snotty) since Jan be an allergy? Got paed appt finally at end of June re her allergy test..

Dairy can do that Hmm... but we have a resident dairy allergy expert on this thread who would be able to tell you more. Dairy allergy/intolerance is also a factor in reflux..... Having said that though, M has an almost constant cold and DS did at this age too! It isn't unusual for children at nursery to have a constant cold as they just pass them between each other. In year R DS was called "snot Boy" by one particularly pleasant child on account of his constantly snotty nose!

Star - Hope you had a better night. M needed a middle of the night cuddle but I had forgotten how rubbish a broken night is and M has only been sleeping through (touches all wood within reaching distance) for about 6 weeks.

M is still not right so I've had to cancel my driving lesson this morning. My brother was meant to be looking after her but considering she won't stop crying & he is not a baby person, it doesn't seem very fair.

50ft of the sleeping through for 6 weeks. Q is such a crap sleeper. He loves his nap and he loves his night sleep but loves to wake up a few times and fuss and cry, too

I do hope she's feeling better soon. Maybe it's a tooth?

Ekka - glad dd liked nursery and that ds had a fun afternoon with you and the carrot

I gave Q a carrot yesterday when we got home and he spit it out. maybe I should go back to steaming and roasting them.

HMM word of warning re allergy test for babies. They are very unreliable, give lots of false positives. As 50ft said as soon as a child is exposed to another human outside of the immediate family then they are going to get a little poorly. It is a sign that the immune system is processing all the different germs etc.
Dont wish an allergy onto P as it is a bloody nightmare and so very restrictive.

50ft, what is wrong with M? Just grumpy? Has O gone back to school ok?

Sky+ box finally gave up last night. Bugger. I have just signed up to the Sky+HD as it was free, rather than £250 for new Sky+ box. Robbers

Lovely and sunny here.

Glorious day here too Ronshar! Who knows what's up with the girl. I wondered if it was teeth but I had a good look and nothing I can see. She still won't eat anything without spitting it back out. I am wondering whether to ignore this behaviour or confiscate her food when she does it. I have tried both with little effect. When I ignored her she pushed her bowl on to the floor, when I took her food away she just wandered off into the living room. I know she'll eat properly when she's hungry but for now it's very frustrating and wasteful! I am wondering if she is perhaps very tired so I have got her down for her nap early in the hope that she can get a bit more sleep than usual. She is being a very stroppy little madam at the moment though. She has stepped up the slapping when she doesn't get her own way. O has gone back to school fine, he's tired but OK. The bullying seems to have stopped for the time being so we'll see how it goes but if it starts up again we'll be making an appointment to see the head. We've just got Sky+ HD (but only so we can have free sat in a year..... at DH).

Oh and DH's car has been found! It's intact and undamaged! Very very strange! I have told him that the DC & I are not going anywhere near the car until it has been sterilized cleaned inside and out!

lol 50ft. They probably smelled the vomit and ditched the car!

HMM I have also heard that allergy tests are highly unreliable for babies/toddlers, despite what they will tell you.