June 08 - a Coalition for all (even those with May or July 08 babies).

[DomesticGoddessInTraining]

Abdn liked the title so I just went ahead!

dropping in to say congrats to neenz!!!!!

lots of madness here - I've got 13 days of work/training starting monday and we've been frantic trying to arrange childcare from Canada. Originally it was just one week of training but now there's 13 days and there was no way we could cover it (you may have seen my facebook panic) but my FIL has dropped everything to come out for three weeks and take care of the boys. I'm so relieved and thankful. He's driven us mad in the past but I can't believe how much help he's being now (we're paying for his flight with the money I'll make). On the other hand, because FIL is in Ontario with DH's brother's van (picking up a quilting machine for my MIL) and he'll leave from here for Scotland (three day drive back to where they live), DH's brother has demanded that we spend $1000 renting him another van for two weeks as FIL's passat is not big enough to trasport the four of them. DH is rather pissed off but we're trying to concentrate on how lovely FIL and MIL are being (MIL offered my BIL her car for three weeks and said she'd just walk or taxi everywhere). I wasn't sleeping from the stress of all of this but now we've bought FIL's ticket (only 1100 pounds which isn't bad for flying on thursday!) I'm much calmer...

Abdn - sounds a nightmare, but thank goodness for your lovely fil, and what a shame about your bil.

Talking of sleeping with little ones,my sister spoke to me yesterday moaning about lack of sleep and she told me her 7 week old had a feed at 10 and then another at 4.30 and then woke up at 8.30 - am she was moaning!!!!! I said that's more bleedin' sleep than I get!!! I see Luke's sleep nightmares do not run in the family then. I do hope these two girls are better sleepers.

Luke is still in a cot. The only time we will take the sides off is when I am too big to put him in and take him out. I'd keep the sides on forever if I could!!

Got to take the cat for cardiac testing tomorrow - £600! They think she might have a heart defect poor thing.

I have felt rotten today with the headache from hell so I haven't read much so apologies for self centred post.

Congratulations Neenz!! So glad that you got to have Dan, and well done on the birth.

Stealing dh's 3g card as still not on broadband so can't write too much. have noved but now in post-move nightmare of boxes and engineers etc.

sybil good luck with all the boxes!

abdeen what a polava with getting your FIL over but it will be good to have the help once you get it all sorted!

sympathies to all those not getting enough sleep. I'm in a similar boat. A used to go to sleep like a dream once in bed (before wake up at 11ish, but that was bearable). Now he screams constantly from 7pm onwards (and I mean constantly, for hours and hours on end) until he gets into our bed when we're exhausted about 10.30. It's slowly (or quickly, actually!), driving me mad

We took one side of the cot off a couple of weeks ago and it took him ages to work out that he could actually get out of the bed! Our door handles are really high though so fortunatly he's still stuck in his room if he gets out of bed now

He's screaming as I type...constant headache here

Sybil, in your new house - how exciting!

Abdn, what a wonderful FIL (shame about the BIL - you'd think he would try to be more helpful). It's crap that it has impacted on your holiday tho and that you haven't been sleeping. Hope the training goes well after all that.

Eddie, lol at D sleeping though before M. No chance - he has been asleep all day (fed every 3hrs tho) so not hopeful for much sleep tonight. Actually with DH home to look after the twins, they have all been out in the garden all day and I have been really bored because D has not done anything! After his 8.30pm feed I will go to bed and hopefully get a couple of hours sleep before the madness begins. Good luck with M!

Amber, is that the sister who lost her twins? How lovely that she has her baby now - you're right she shouldn't be complaining about lack of sleep!

P just did a wee in the potty . Nothing to do with me, DH was doing the bath and afterwards DH was explaining what a potty is for: "a wee or poo will make Mummy happy; wearing the potty on your head will make Mummy sad". Hey presto he weed from standing up into the potty.

I realise that I have now made the cardinal error of bragging talking at length about potty training, so will now stop.

Sorry to hear about the screamy evenings Allnew, sounds miserable. Every few months P has a phase like that but it has always been cured thus far with cc.

*Amber sorry you are having such a shocker.

AH sounds like a stressful holiday.

Sybil well done on the move. What are the engineers doing.

Yay spider! Well done P .

Although lol at "wearing the potty on your head will make mummy sad!"

Off to bed. DH away and 2nd night of CC .

Oh and sybil, congrats on the move .

Abdn, great that your FIL is able to help, but sorry to hear it's impacted on your holiday! I guess it must be important training to cause so much stress for you?

Neenz, I hope your night isn't too awful - only another 5 or so weeks before the newborn fog passes

at Spider's potty training bragging. Have some bragging of my own - S and I were playing 'hide' today (which involves me sitting in front of him with a blanket over my head until he ran up and tagged me) and when I didn't put the blanket over my head quick enough, he closed his eyes and said '1,2,3 coming to get you'. Super cute, if I do say so myself

Allnew so sorry to hear about your evenings. I don't know if this would work for you, but atm we're putting S down in our bed and then moving him into his own bed later in the evening. S started off really well when we moved him to a bed, but it's been really difficult to get him to settle over the last two weeks, but he'll go down straight away if he goes into our bed. Not a long term solution, but maybe worth trying for a few evenings off?

Oh, in other news today - S can now reach our door handles and open doors. He's ever so pleased with himself!

Biscuits - I know what you mean about the elc and prices. I was searching through play kitchen threads the other day and it seems that the red retro kitchen went up by £20 a few years ago overnight just a few weeks before Christmas. Also, they had a load of happyland stuff half price a few weeks ago (the school and some other bits) and now it's available at a 'new, lower price' except I'm sure it's now a smaller set. Actually, am just a bit cross that I missed out on the other sets when they were half price because I had my eye on some stuff for you-know-what presents. I refuse to pay full price for elc, nothing less than 20% off will do!

We're still 'umming and 'ahing between the elc kitchen and the JL one. Annoyingly, neither store has one on display.

Sybil - hope the unpacking goes smoothly.

Deb, I got a chance to look at your development opportunity yesterday - looks amazing!

I did plan to video and just didn't have the chance. Will video this afternoon though DG

M slept from 7.30pm til 7am!!!!!

He woke at 11.30am and cried briefly (only one visit from me needed) and then slept again til 7am .

Unfortunately I didn't get back to sleep until gone 3am so am absolutely knackered, but feel bizarrely good for it cos I'm just so bloody chuffed that it looks like we're turning a corner on sleep - and just before I go back to work too .

at the hide & seek DG!

AH, have you sorted BIL yet? He is being very unreasonable .

Nothing else to report .

Eddie that is such great news on M's sleep . It's very satisfying isn't it in a weird kind of way when the CC works. I think becaue it is quite traumatic leaving them to cry but then when it works so quickly it reassures you that it was the right thing to do and that there is nothing actually wrong with your baby!

Spider, well done P on the potty. E did a poo on the toilet ages ago and I was so pleased I made the mistake of telling a couple of people (with E in earshot) and she seemed really embarrassed and hasn't done anything since! But with D just arriving we are not working towards toilet training yet.

He slept pretty well last night, as long as he was lied on our bed . But you have to do what gets you through the night at this stage don't you. He has been awake for a few hours this morn so maybe he is getting the hang of night and day a bit quicker than the twins did! He has been struggling to latch on cos my milk has come in and my boobs are huge but if I express a bit off first he latches on ok. So far so good!

Great news on the sleep Eddie! I hope it continues for you.

No worries, Valium - I shall watch out for your video later.

DH and I are off this week so catching up on long overdue chores. Oh, and I have an assignment to do. Mid year resolutions:

1. Deal with post and paperwork within a week
2. Use topcashback for all online shopping (I always forget and I've missed out on ££££££'s looking at the rather large pile of receipts from this year)

That's it so far. There will be more I'm sure

Sorry Neenz, meant to say also, yes - you must do what you can to get through at this stage!

Wow Eddie - that's great news. Fingers crossed for tonight.

Neenz - can't believe that you aren't trying potty training the week you have had a new baby.

DGT hope to have an enjoyable and productive week at home.

Hello,
On holiday at the moment in Derbyshire. Kate&Kate have a holiday home here and I've refused to come until now on principle (I'm against holiday homes) but, er, it was a free holiday or no holiday and, er, principles were adjusted.

Congratulations Neenz!
Fingers crossed for Eddie and the controlled crying - it does work, from what I've heard. (Not avoiding it here for any particular reason - and have done some ignoring of crying but that kind of fixes it so no need to do Official Controlled Crying so far.)
Iestyn is still in his cot, btw, and hasn't attempted to climb out because he's too small. Not much potty training here either - he asks to change his nappy if he's dirty, and often tells us that wee/poo is coming. But he's still a bit little, and won't sit on the potty.

Going now because I'm on holiday, but one final word - all those praying for my job etc, keep doing it (and rabbit's feet, spitting in holy water or whatever - keep going! ) - I've been shortlisted. Interview 25th August.

PMSL at "principles were adjusted"!!

I'm storing that one up for future use . The Sons of Glendower will be on to you girl .

Congrats on short listing - well done you .

Don't worry, I'm with the Sons of Glendower. And will be leaving the gas full on when I leave.

There are some half price tickets going for ITNG if anyone's interested - London, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Found it on the promo bit on here, along with a new £10 off a £30 spend Boden code...

Am quite pleased, because for the first time ever I remembered to go via topcashback

Hairy Arses - I wanted to go to ITNG but can't do this weekend. Not paying full price!

I am feeling very sorry for myself at the moment with a combination of hormones, major sleep deprivation and the fact I am now mistaken for 7 months pregnant even though I am only 4 on Saturday - it's also very unfcomfy at night time. I had a crying meltdown yesterday about something I wouldn't normally have been that bothered with so apologies if I am not writing much at the mo and being self centred. I was so tired this morning I pranged the car. Need sleeeeeeeeep.

Sleep deprivation sucks big time Amber, sorry you're suffering .

Went for a girls' night last night buoyed by our success with M. Rolled in at midnight quite drunk and then M cried from 12.30am til 2 . Dh was brillant and did all the CC but then the boys both woke at 6am so he's driven to Southampton this morning absolutely knackered which is not safe.

One step forward, ten back.

Ho hum.

DGT thanks for the link. I am quite keen as we are having our electricity switched off for most of Saturday. DH was typically non committal this morning... By the time he agrees they will have sold out I expect.

Amber - sorry you are having a miserable time. Was it a bad bump on the car? Is Luke still in nursery 4 days a week? Is there any chance you can catch up on sleep then? I can only get through each day by having a sleep whenever Peter is asleep. It keeps me human, but if I sleep for too long then it does mess up my night time sleep. With P being an early riser it is a bit of a vicious circle. Regarding feeling big, obviously I am not big in a twins kind of way, but I do try to bear in mind how when I wanted to pregnant this time I would see heavily pregnant women and feel envious. The shine wears off when you feel uncomfortable etc, but it will be worth it in the end

I'd just buy 'em Spider and tell him you're all going . I'm a teensy bit gutted - I'm meeting up with Biscuits to go and see a cheap early show, and now there are half price tickets for a more civilised later show. Still to figure out the easiest way to transport S to Glasgow during rush hour . Am very much looking forward to seeing Biscuits though (and Bugger in October to go and see the Room on a Broom live show).

Amber, sorry you're not having the best of times. Hope the bump to the car was minor and that you get a chance to have some sleep while Luke at nursery. I managed crack our wing mirror while reversing out of our drive not long after I passed my test - I think everyone is allowed a wee prang!

Eddie, sorry you had another tough night but hope that your girls night out was fun. Lots of water today though if you were a bit tipsy!

I'm supposed to be working on an assignment today but have been fannying about on MN/FB/Twitter all morning in between doing random tasks about the house. Must go clean the bathroom before lunch and will try and re-group this afternoon.

Amber I had to laugh at your post, I though someone had changed their name to Hairy Arses!!!!!