Dec 08 Ladies - Maybe this thread they'll ALL sleep through the night at the same time!

[Beans33]

Apologies for rubbish title, couldn't think of anything - mind is totally riddled by hormones...!

ps - anyone know where that cbeebies summer song was filmed? i presumed it was abroad but then thought i saw battersea power station in teh background. looks like a gorgeous park - come on you south londoners, put me out of my misery.

Insomnia here too.... awake at 3, 4, 5 etc, but I'm not sure if it's pee related or not as I've had to go every time.
Might be the heat. I actually dreamt about buying another fan last night

WG this is off the BBC website:
^"Where was the CBeebies Summer Song filmed?
The CBeebies Summer 2009 Song, featuring CBeebies presenters with a cast of children and professional dancers was filmed in London's Battersea Park."^

As far as milk - I've been just giving ds breakfast first thing for ages now.... then milk mid morning or just after breaky
oop now ds up...

Eugh, damn insomnia. I had that early days as well. I also seem to be weeing a million times a night but can't understand why as it's not as if BB is big enough to exert any pressure on my bladder.

WG I give T a beaker when he wakes but he doesn't seem that keen, then he has a weetabix about half an hour later. But it's not a huge breakfast and he'll have a snack again at about 10ish.

His sleep's gone a bit haywire recently, he was chatting to himself at 2, 3 and 4 am then started screaming at 5am, gave him some Bonjela and he went back to sleep til 8.30!

I love that CBbeebies summer song, maybe cos it was from last year and I remember T as a baby. I didn't think I was missing T's babyhood (because I'm enjoying the toddler stage so much more) but maybe there are parts... I knew I'd look back and think "things were so easy before he was on solids, mobile etc" but I just worried about different things then.

Avo that is proper weird about your colleagues. They must have quite a far-reaching reputation.

Rubs I have really boring dreams too. I like to comfort myself that I must have a fascinating waking life that my subconscious doesn't need to compensate with interesting dreams (but this is sadly untrue).

Morning everyone....have tried to catch up a bit...

Daisy - I'm so sorry to hear that you're feeling so low. It sounds really hard. I agree that I would be inclined to try to get away with the DCs to clear your head. Also agree with NJAN that "doing the deed" out of obligation is only going to increase your resentment and make you feel uncomfortable (from experience in past relationships). You are entitled to keep yourself to yourself for now, if that's what feels best.

Beans - Thank you for coming back on with your birth story! So exciting. Hope that you'll at least be able to lurk along with us doing your marathon feeding sessions, even if you can't post.

Zoe - So sorry to hear about your accident. How terrifying. I used to be a great driver, but I haven't really driven at all since living in the UK (8 years!) and now I am really nervous. That would have thrown me for a loop too.

Lady - You poor thing with your fall and your rash and your insomnia. I have gone through major phases of insomnia (only since pregnancy and arrival of DS) and it is brutal. I bought a decent reading light so that I can read my book in the middle of the night without disturbing DH. If I can't get back to sleep within 15 mins or so, I read (in fact I was doing just this at 4:45 am this morning...hello early pregnancy insomnia!). When it was really bad in late pregnancy last time, I moved to sleeping on the couch for a few nights. It helped to break a bad pattern, where I had come to associate my bed with tossing and turning and feeling anxious. Also, and this is going back a long ways, but your publisher is missing a trick with the cross between "chick lit" (wrong words, but hopefully you know what I mean) and literary fiction. This is the exact type of reading material I covet, as do most of my friends. At this stage in life I am just a bit too fuzzy-headed to perservere with proper literary tomes, but I want something that is written beautifully. Maybe we need to start a new publisher that understands the fiction market that is out there with "thinking (but knackered from having small babies) women"!

Spot - Thinking of you and hoping things with the scans/bloods are okay. Was also amused to read (ages ago) that you got taken in by the good Mnet reviews for the NestEgg thing too. Worst baby product I bought! Honestly, the people that reviewed it must be shareholders in the company. Ditched it on ebay and bought one of those standard cheap pop-up travel cot/play pens, which has been completely fine.

Rubes - Glad the trip was okay over all, but have to say that the ferry ride sounded hellish! Will have to sneak onto Facebook to look at your pics.

Veggie - Always laugh at updates about your rathamster and hope DS2 is okay.

Summer - Ugh, sorry that your bump is causing trouble. I spent the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy trying to get my naughty breech baby to turn (never happened). This site had some interesting positions to help get babies to turn: www.spinningbabies.com/. You can also try handstands in the pool or even try the moxibustion stuff (where you burn this weird herb next to your toe), which didn't work for me but does have an amazing success rate.

Avo - Sorry to hear about your friend's cancer and I hope that the surgery is successful. And WHOA on your colleagues...that is seriously wacko. True life really is stranger than fiction.

Well....since I couldn't sleep at 4:45 this morning, I thought I would have a go at the Clearblue digital...positive! 1-2 weeks. Of course, I'm already freaking out because my skin that was covered in spots is now pretty clear, which obviously means I have miscarried already . I am going to have to remortgage my house to pay for the pregnancy tests I will be doing daily over the next few weeks. I might also have to camp out at the early pregnancy unit as soon as a scan would show anything and/or book myself into one of these posh private joints - Molton Brown toiletries could help soften the blow if it's bad news.

We had a very odd trip to Belgium on Tuesday for a work event for my DH. It was a dinner to celebrate the fact that his company bought a Belgian company, and it was hosted in this crazy Chateau, owned by one of the Belgian people. It had the most amazing room and bathroom and the best bed I have ever slept on! The only problem was that DS sliced his head open within two hours of us arriving and we had to go get it stitched up (well, actually glued together...apparently they don't use stitches anymore?!). Totally my fault because I had him sitting on the countertop in the bathroom while I was getting ready and he leaned over to try to turn the fancy modern tap on, but slipped and cut his head on the corner of the fancy modern tap! Oops. Luckily there was some random rural GP within a 5 minute drive who happened to be on-call at 8 pm and he sorted us out within 10 minutes. I thought for sure we would be in A&E for hours. DS was totally fine about 10 minutes later. He then proceeded to cause general havoc in this very posh chateau, including trampling on some crazy sculptural plants and puking on the crisp white table linen. Think he will be the last toddler they invite to stay!

Back to work. I have a major deadline this week (same thing I've been crazy busy working on for the last 4 months) and am dilly dallying finishing up the last bits and pieces. I'm desperate to just get it out of the way, but can't seem to get down to it.

Apols for any typos but don't have time to read back over!

Afternoon ladies (well it is here). Have to be brief as I'm supposed to be packing our flight to Belfast isn't until 5 but I love the shops at Schipol Airport so want to leave with loads of time to wander around. Also I need some jewellery for this wedding.

Had a huge row with poor DH last night well not so much as a row as more me yelling at him then storming off to bed at 9pm. I think I'd just had a bad day with the boys and he said the wrong thing or lifted his foot the wrong way when he walked, or something stupid. Anyway so I missed the Aussie match (thank goodness) but had a lovely nights sleep instead DS2 stirred a little at 4am but otherwise didn't disturb me til nearly 6.30 which was nice of him. DH didn't do his usual post fight analysis (he's not good with conflict and used to think it's the end of the relationship if we fight) and was lovely this morning. He'd cleaned the house last night and when I appologised he said it was fine and understood I was just tired and over the boys. He said he came in shortly after i'd stormed off and I was passed out. So I think I just needed a good nights sleep.

Avo that work thing is really really strange, the only question I've got is...do you have a job I could fo cos I would love to watch it all unfold! No but seriously are things getting strained enough that it might effect you guys.

Australia has a female PM finally hooray. The reason surrounding it sound a bit dodge and I think our rich mining industry moguls might have pulled a few strings but at least it's a lady.

WG I still give DS2 a little feed in the morning around 6 so that he'll go back to sleep be satisfied until breakfast. He generally still eats a huge bowl of millet porridge at 7.30 ish. If he doesn't eat it then he usually has it when we get back from the school run (he won't let me throw it away).

Beans I love your birthstory. I had the same feeling of needing to get out of the water 20 mins before DS2 was born. Also all the poo is a little astounding, everyone says you forget the pain of childbirth. I remember it, it's all the poo in the weeks after I'd forgotten. I remember about 3 hours after DS2 was born I was upstairs in our bedroom changing his first nappy on the bed, as soon as I lifted his legs up to get to his bottom to wipe it I had this sudden feeling of 'oh god not all this again!'. Well done on the no tearing too, my DH would tell you why, and his experience of watching it not tear, but I have banned him from telling anyone about my vagina at that moment (or at any moment really) ever again!

I'm sure I had more to write but I really need to pack.

Mom sorry about the head. Gluing is great because it doesn't require the child to be sedated and is really effective. Poor little man. I'm glad he enjoyed himself the rest of the time. Sounds just like a normal boy hooray for him. We are at a spa resorty estate thong for this wedding this weekend. I'm sure DS's will be bringing out the big guns.

Aaaaaahhhhhhh! I can't find my wedding shoes!!!!

Just watched Location x 3. I can never get over how unreasonable so many of these people are.

Veggie, I hope you found your shoes! Have a lovely time.

WG - breakfast is the only meal when DD gets her milk before her food, as she likes to have it in bed with us, or maybe we just like it As her appetite is so crap anyway, it makes no difference to how much breakfast she eats anyway...Her hospital appt has finally come round, it's Monday.

Mom, your DS's injury sounds so scary - how amazing that the doctor could sort it then and there! The Fetal Medicine Centre is great, at the top of Harley St (Regents Pk end) but this time I got sent to the Gynaecology Ultrasound Centre for the early scans, which I think is affiliated to the FMC. Thanks for the kind words about my book. Actually I went to see my agent on Monday, all set to do extensive rewrites, but he said I shouldn't change a word However, he has advised that we don't sent it to any other publishers (if the ones it's with reject it) for 6-12 months, or until the market improves, because he thinks that they are making excuses not to buy anything they see as vaguely risky, and he says it's a waste. It's a bit annoying, but I see the sense in what he says...Tbh, I am itching to write another one, so I probably will just get on with it. Anyway, I am reading The American Wife at the moment - admittedly it's by a US writer and different rules apply, but it's surely literary chicklit if I ever saw it.

Rubes, are you watching Big Brother? Shabby is ghastly. I wish she would sod off.

I wish everyone soothing, peaceful nights. I am desperate for a good night's sleep. It's not the sleep deprivation, actually, it's the stupid, depressing, out of perspective thought patterns which inevitably ensue.

Anyway, where is everyone?

We've all been looking for Veggie's shoes. .
i am so sick of this cold, every time I blow my nose too hard (which I have to do as my sinuses are so blocked) I get a nosebleed. Damn this pregnancy lark for not being able to take lemsip.

Mom that sounds really frightening about DS, but so glad you were able to get him seen to quickly and had a nice rest of the weekend.
That is hilarious about your similar problems with the nest egg (what a good memory you have that was ages ago). I am no longer relying on MN for general advice apart from this thread. I did a recipe the other day from here that was well dodgy!

Lady, I really hope you get some kip tonight, and that's good news about the book (not having to do loads of rewrites, that is). V intrigued about the next one up your sleeve. Can you give any hints as to what it's about?

Oh and good luck with the hospital appt on Monday, I really hope they come up with something concrete for you.

T has been coughing his little guts up again today, the thing is I think he now thinks it's a normal way to be. He doesn't seem too upset by it, but it can't be right.

I find pregnancy really affects my sinuses, Spot. It is finally tapering off now. Actually, you CAN take Lemsip but not the ones with decongestants (so no good to you). The only up the nose squirter safe in pregnancy is Beconase.

I was a bit surprised about how the meeting went on Monday. Seeing as I just want to sell the flipping thing, I thought my agent would be thrilled that I was very humble and would rewrite it to make it more - well, WHATEVER, but he really was dead against it. I have a dim awareness that things are bad in publishing at the mo, but according to him they are dire. He says he has got four manuscripts circulating at the moment, all fresh new voices, all good, but hasn't sold any of 'em yet. I am slightly sceptical, because publishers must still be buying SOMETHING, but I guess they are buying the big names and the easy to market and genre fiction. Also, he isn't a guy to string me along - he's not the type. I don't know what I want to write next, actually, but I long for that sense of immersion in a world. I was keen to write an epistolary novel, always wanted to write one, but my agent thinks I would bemaking life hard for myself. I think I need to make the characters more lovable, though, this time, and write a bit more with my heart than my head.

Four weeks ago, I'd have been doing my head in about it all, but now I feel more philosophical. Yes, in the middle of the night I panic and sweat blood about my career. But ultimately, three months before I have a baby, when we are in the middle of a house renovation, is probably not the time to be putting myself under yet more pressure.

Oops, turned into a bit of a me post, sorry! DP is out on the booze, he had a do tonight. I have that Kerry Katona documentary on. I am such a mother now, because I worry about her poor kids.

well i didnt find my shoes and because i didnt want to be wandering around Belfast tomorrow (i want to be firmly planted in the spa) i bought these. The only shoe stores at Schipol was the crocs shop, and a dodgy cheapy shoe shop that sold nice but very uncomfortable looking footwear. THese will actually look ok with what I'm wearing which is quite long so wont really see the shoes anyway, and they are astoundingly comfortable. I also managed to get a really nice necklace.

THe flight was ok though DS2 was going a bit mental strapped to me. But we bought up the easyjet snacks trolley and that made him happy for a while. It's only a 1.5hr flight. As soon as we got off the plane and were in the little corridors that airports have he was off like a shot. The taxi ride was about 30mins and that annoyed him but then we arrived and the hotel is on a huge amount of land so he just flew off with DS1. WE met up with the groom and his son in the pub on the grounds and had a nice dinner, DS2 inhaled a bowl of pasta and DS1 & his mate, their DS had a great old time screeching and rolling about. THey are currently wrapped up in each other on a bed on our floor. We are having their son tonight so all the boys can go out. The bride doesnt arrive until saturday as she is with her family. Oh the boys look so cute. Their son is a lovely kid and the boys are so close. He loves DS2, they are't having anymore kids so he fawns over DS2 like a little brother and DS2 jujst loves being one of the big boys. Oh they look so cute all snuggled up in the bed together.

Lady, i really wish your book would come out. I think ive said before that i think the fact that the publishing world thinks that an intelligent well written 'chicklit' is a bit of an insult to women's intelligence. Its also sad that becasue of this credit crunch some very amazingly talented people may never see their work published. The bride of this wedding is a professor in IT stuff (very technical me) and is working on artificial intelligence and its application for helping the elderly. She has seen big cuts in hers and colleagues research budgets which effectively means amazing technologies which could help so many may never come to fruition.

right i'm waffling, one last thing, Beans i havent managed to send Pru's pressie so will have to wait until monday but it is coming, i'll pop something in for Whizz too.

oh and blocked up ladies have you tride those nasal strips, i loved them while clackered and constantly stuffed up. Also Spot on the nose bleeds, whilst staying for at a friends house i sneezed whilst in bed and didnt realise i my nose had just started bleeding and sneezed blood all over her bed linen!!!

oh i love hotel bath robes and slippers.

Hello vaggie. How long are you away for for this wedding? I must admit, when things were a bit hectic and I was up at 0430 in Spain fighting my way through traffic to get dh to the race and putting up with his super stressy pre-race mood and ds being upset by teeth, and on it goes, I did think to myself, "I wish Vaggie was here for some motvation to get through this mood I'm in" you are always so inspiring with how you never seem to get stressed about anything. I need some guidance in that area!
I'm in 2 minds over going to Devon on the weekend so have done nothing about accom. I'm tired of tagging along when it's all cycling related, so have mentioned not going but dh doesn't seem to be wanting to believe that and started looking for hotels If I do go, can anyone reccommend a good place to stay that is really nice and not booked out and somewhere near Newton Abbot / Totnes area? I've left it really late though, but cab't help thinking dh only wants me to go as maybe he feels guilty going without me? We used to live there, I really wouldn't mind and I feel somewhat overwelmed with bike stuff recently anyway.
I've got awful heartburn and have run out of Rennie's due to overdosing on the ferry
I should go to bed but it's hot, I still haven't bought another fan, and I'll have to put the tv on in bed in an attempt to get to sleep!

Lady yeah I've been watching BB can't stand Shabby as well, and don't care for that "Sunshine" lass either! Quite like Josie and Iffy? is that her name? Watched Location x 3 too... And I agree!

Right will attempt bed

Morning everyone. Have some catching up to do but just wanted to send sympathy Spot - I'm another whose sinuses did not agree with pregnancy... I got sinusitis 3 times and it was not fun while not being able to take anything stronger than paracetemol!

Sinisitis and congestion for no apparent reason is common during pregnancy. I've had it so bad with both that I went to the GP who told me it's the higher amounts of estrogen during pregnancy make swelling in the mucous membranes lining in the nose and cause you to make more mucus, plus the amount of blood in your body increases and your blood vessels expand during pregnancy, which can lead to swollen nasal membranes as well, and bloody noses etc - charming. Mine has calmed down a little now and I haven't had any congestion for a few weeks.

Rubes, I grew up in Totnes! We tend to stay with friends when we visit so I don't know many hotels etc. What kind of thing do you want? Sometimes we stay at a place called Fingals which I love but it's hidden round tiny country lanes and it's a little pricey.

Another idea is the rooms at Dartington Hall. The rooms aren't that special but Are on a stunning medieval courtyard in amazing gardens. Cheaper than Fingals. It's where I got married. Ashburton has a nice B&B and is near Newton Abbot and on the edge of the moor which would be glorious this weekend. I think the B&B may be called Agaric.

www.fingals.co.uk/ the posh one down twisting lanes

www.dartingtonhall.com/accommodation.php the ok rooms on stunning courtyard with a great pub and fab gardens. 1 mile out of Totnes

www.agaricrestaurant.co.uk/ the b&b above a restaurant in ashburton. Lovely village on edge of the moor.

If you do go you could take DS to Pennywell Farm. Best petting farm ever. Or you could have a lunch on Dartmoor in the lovely garden at the Ruggleston Arms, a 14th century pub with a tiny stream and ducks in it's garden. Or try and book for a Riverford Farm tour and lunch. Best food ever and v child friendly but you usually need to book a bit in advance. I LOVE that area so much, I could talk about it all day.

Oh oh Totnes! Rubes you HAVE to go to Riverford as Avo says. It's wonderful.

Hello Kiwi! I was wondering how you were getting on. If England go out at the weekend does your DH come home early?

Hey Effie! I don't know, he seems to think it's a possibility but seems unlikely to me given they've presumably already paid for the flat he's staying in and would have to pay to rearrange flights... He's due back in a week on Monday though - it's gone really quickly..! Am off to my in-laws again tomorrow so the weekend should be relatively easy too.

Thanks for the sinus explanation, Rubes, that's really helpful. As is the reassurance that it should pass. Soon, I hope.
Veggie i hope you're having a nice time, just smiled at a mental image of you wearing Crocs to the posh wedding. Well, if anyone can carry if off.....

Morning ladies (or, afternoon, in fact).

Rubes, that gorgeous picture of you on FB looking disgracefully svelte (slim and unpregnant, in fact) at - what, 34 weeks? - has got to go It has plunged me into despair, as I resemble a plum duff more and more every day. I have put on 4kg at 26 weeks (sorry everyone, I know I keep giving you all a tedious blow by blow of my weight gain) but as I was stacking at least an extraneous 12kg of lard when I got pregnant, I do in fact look like a pregnant lady who has put 16kg on I am still in my normal jeans but my normal jeans are fat boy jeans so it doesn't count. In fact, I am now getting alarmed that my 'normal' jeans (or normal since I had children jeans) can happily contain a woman who is over 6 months pregnant. It does not commend me, or them.

How's the sleeping going, Kiwi? Is everyone/anyone still up for the 9th?

Oh, and stop press. It seems that my Dad's cancer HASN'T returned, and his crumbled vertebrae was as a result of osteopenia (a lack of bone density and pre-cursor to osteoparosis). Obviously, that isn't great, but very much the best of all the possibilities, and I am hugely, hugely relieved. (If utterly disgusted at the length of time it took to get him a scan and get him the results!)

Oh that is great news, LadyT, really really pleased for you and your family
About your dad, I mean, not the jeans. I couldn't comment as I am already in maternity gear at 13 weeks. And I agree with you about Rubes"s glamous picture Let's start a campaign that on;y women looking really rough during pregnancy can post on Fbook, and even then it has to be proper objectively rough .

rubes - those photos are lovely. and quite frankly, bump, what bump? you are looking lovely, lady. remind me - where did you stay in spain - it looks unbelievably beautiful.

ladyt - i, too am 12kg (2 stone) over what i weighed when i conceived madam, but i'm refusing to let it worry me. i'm sorry it is worrying you - it is, though, only temporary and you can really put your mind to it once number 2 is out. admittedly with much pain, a fair dose of misery and some terrifying self-denial. or at least, that is my plan.

i am feeling a little worried, for no reason, apart from there i am having no symptoms at all. i feel fine, not particularly tired (apart from insomnia between 3&5 in the morning), no sickness, etc. suppose we've got another 4 weeks to wait until we get scanned.