Dec 08 Ladies welcome to the new Bean, next stop, Summer.

[Veggiemummy]

Sorry very boring had to think quickly, not my best feature

Don't fret Spot, it happens with every book - seriously. It won't affect sales.

Veggie - I will only rent my flat out if I absolutely have to. I thought it was going to come to that quite soon. But I think I may now escape (at least for now). It's more than just a base for me, it's a place where I just have my own stuff, exactly how I like. And it's my own space. To be fair on DP he likes it when I go anyway, as he also enjoys a bit of time to himself. Also, he would have DD far more but the nature of his work makes things so difficult to plan (he doesn't usually know for sure whether he will be working the next day or not until 5pm, by which time it's too late to arrange to meet my busy friends!) How is DS2 this morn?

The cheeky buggers, Spot!

hi there. Mum is unfortunately now going away until September after Tuesday (she's coming up so I can get my wisdom tooth looked at) - damn!!! Otherwise, I know she'd offer. You can get night nannies, but they work out the same price and just do nights - plus would be good to get someone who could help out with routine in the day.... BUT I'm thinking - I'm coping. It's not a total nightmare and I am managing, so I can do it and all will be well. If I suddenly think I really can't, then will see if I can get one for 2 days or something. Then will hopefully be a bit more human and can cope again!!!

Wow, Spot - quite flattering for it to be on ebay already - people clearly think it's worth selling!

xx

haven't been on for ages, have to dash, but just to say scan went well - am 8 weeks (i thought 7+5), and heartbeat there. thank goodness there is a reason for me feeling quite so shit. will catch up over w/e.

WG you've bought a little tear to my eye, I know all the babies are special but I think I might burst into tears when you & Mom reach your 12 week scans. I'm white lighting both of you from now on.

Lady he is such a sad little sack of potatoes at the moment. I've given him neurofen but in general he is just so sad & angry. I didn't realise how much the pulsitilla lifted his mood. The neurofen def eases the pain but it doesn't do much for his mood. At the moment he is ok as both of them are just pottering away playing. DS1 is being a little star with him, he's bring very patient when they are playing & DS2 throws a wobbly over something simple & he's including him in everything that he usually likes to do sans DS2.

I think it's great that your not renting out the London flat. Even if you just use it once a month you know it's there. Oh & how cool would it be to pack yourself off to there to write your next book. Very literary genius!

WG, that is super news. Hurrah for that.

Thought of you the other night as I watched the opener of the new M&W series. Really enjoyed the Laboratoire Garnier sketch, which I noticed your DH was in!

Hello lovelies. I am on the s l o w e s t bus in the world. Am trying to rush into town while ds is at nursey to do something I should have done every day at work this week and a bit worried am going to get there and have to turn straight round (candidate for most boring update ever shared?). Congrats on the job invis and the interview jam, and big hurrahs for mom and wg.and cat I recommended your book to a friend of mine who is ttc and she says it's great -really helping her to get her head around it all. So there you go.
I have a kidney infection basically from working too hard. Is royal nightmare at the moment. Cutting back to this extent is dreadful. Anyway going to hear placido Domingo at the proms on Sunday night so v excited about that.
Oh and hello pingu.

Ooh, Urbane your friend has already bought and read it? Wow, that's made my day .

So sorry to hear about your kidney infection, that's terrible . What's the treatment for it? Are you able to let things go at work a bit? Hope Placido does his bit and calms you down [geddit]?

Veg the one on ebay was on sale for more than the Amazon discount so I doubt there'll be many takers. I guess it's just another sales channel these days but can't help feeling it's already been relegated to the bargain bin . Can I share your London flat, Lady and bask in some reflected literary glory?

Poor DS2, though that's great DS1 is being so patient with him. He sounds absolutely gorgeous (well, they both do).

WG, fab news about scan, sorry to hear you've been feeling rubbish though.

Ooh there's a new M&W? Must go see...

What is M&W?

mitchell and webb I think, beans, though it sounds like a department store or a bra

Hooray I've given up on iplayer lately as not much chop but will be back on to watch Mitchell & Webb (Beans). When will the next BE radio series be on WG?

Spot beat me.

Spot you could never be found in the bargain bin sweetie, you are much too amazing for that. Though I could imagine you on special in Asda, but just in the pre-Christmas sales.

A bra? What the mighty & weighty?

I think any talk of literary glory is horrendously premature, given the uncertain future of the current magnum opus

Urbane, I am alarmed to hear you have a kidney infection. My DH AND DP both had them from pushing themselves too hard. You MUST take it easy - seriously, no job in the world is worth jeopardising your health. When is your next proper time off?

The guy who does the sardonic voiceover on Come Dine With Me is also the narrator on DD's favourite Big Barn Farm. He uses exactly the same intonation. Just thought I'd share that with you, fact fans.

I noticed that yesterday, Lady!

Had hellish pm of screaming DD2, just when I really needed a kip. Oh dear. Am reaching for the cheque book! Hoping I can pull myself together - but told DH that I'm struggling and he's been lovely and said we can talk about it tonight. It's just the constant screaming after a feed and no amount of winding seems to work or help. Even after a burp she screams. Got a rare moment of quiet now, but only because I've had her int he baby bjorn while I went to Boots to buy more breast pads!!

Beans: would more sling time help? If so, I'd get something more supportive than a baby bjorn or she'll knacker your back! I remember JJ had a great stretchy sling - a kari me? It was a mei tei style and was stretchy enough to pop baby jj in and out without retying the whole time.

Or it might have been a Moby. Info on both here: www.littlepossums.co.uk/slings/wrap-slings.htm

not that I'm a sling pusher or anything...

Sorry girls, I am not posting much at the moment but I am super busy. Not enough time in the day. DH is back from the cricket early (what a lovelyl way to spend one's day off) and I am about to take Lucy's friend home so I've dumped the other 2 on him whilst I have 5 mins as they finish their game. They're playing mummies. Lots of shouting.

Huge congrats to WG and MOM on the scans. AM keeping my finges crossed til 12 weeks.

Beans - I have a Moby sling which was fab fab fab. They're quite spenny so if you want to borrow it you'd be very welcome. I can nip it over to you no problem.

Spot, please don't be disheartened over your book. Everything hits Ebay so quickly thses days. I love the idea of you and LAdy T in your garrets writing away.

Great news on the job, Invis, well done to you.

There was so much more I wanted to say but my brain is mush. I'm at work tomorrow morning (for captain cash, hurrah) so have basically told DH that I won't be finished til mid pm and I@ll try to come on then. What with my affair with the swimming pool and my extended working hours I seem to be doing a good job of spinning yarns to him. Oh dear.

Love to all.

PS I have now found a sports bra which can tether my pendulous bosoms to my chest and am about to start running. I told a friend what size bra I took (in a bra conversation, rather than me just dropping it in!) and she said "32 H, what does the H stand for, hammock?" which is quite cruel but funny nonetheless. I could in fact use a hammock if I hadn't foudn this bra. It's great.

PS how are you today Rubes?

3 in a row from me. I'm off

32H! Forget what the H stands for what about the 32! You must be a waif with ginormous boosies. OMG your Jordan aren't you, the extra work your doing tomorrow is a glamour model shoot.

Sybs your affair with the swimming pool makes me giggle, how is the swimming going. I had all these grand plans to go on lots of ocean swims & beach runs but not so yet. I think I need to get onto it as summer is so limited we'll be back in deep freeze before we know it and I'll be trying to force myself out to run in the snow. Hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow & I can take my goggles to the beach and go for a long swim. I feel a little disheartened lately as I feel I'll never get back to bring fit like I used to be. Maybe I'llmuse your new running form as inspiration Syb.

Just literally rushing in before big nite out in CrystalPalace (?!) Have been away on hols and at parents so away for a while but congratulations to clackers and to Beans. Just wanted to pass on my learnings from having a colicky second baby with a small age gap!

1. Bouncing chair - we got a vibrating one before she was born - I thought it would be a complete waste of money but, in fact, I think it saved my sanity. She was most peaceful slightly upright and on vibrating mode. Swaddling also seemed to help.

1. We tried all kinds of creative winding positions. My friend suggested walking up and down stairs whicle winding over the shoulder? Worked for her (although not us it turned out)

1. We found that DD1 got quite upset by all the crying so we spent quite a lot of time explaining that babies cry when they are hungry and have a sore tummy and re-enacting soothing a crying baby with her dolls (!?)

1. We couldmn't even get her to take a bottle without screaming even more, so great that she can take expressed milk in a bottle

1. We actually had a Jane car seat thing (like an enormous carry cot) which we had her sleeping in for about 3 weeks once we realised that lying flat in the moses basket was just making it worse and worse at night. We had it slightly tilted and it did seem to help (a bit).

1. In the day, she just slept in the bouncing chair, which I felt terrible about but which doesn't seem to have done any harm in terms of her sleeping in a cot quite happily.

1. I found the crying really tough. I found it hard not having any peace and quiet at any point. It sounds like you are doing really well and it does get easier

Aaahhhhh had to post just before as without filling you in on my screamy afternoon. The boys are both asleep now & DH is out getting our Friday night takeaway. Gosh it's been a hard one. I had to dig deep and keep reminding myself how much I love DS2. He screamed and carried on for no apparent reason this afternoon. It was set off when a man rang the doorbell and the boys & I went to answer it. It was just a Market research guy who found me of no use as I started the conversation with "Ik spreckt hay Nederlands"(sp). As soon as I closed the front door DS2 went mental & just cried & cried I gave him more neurofen & calpol and between screams he ate the watercress & potato soup I had made for dinner (I think he finally thought hooray something I don't have to chew. Finally I found some pulsitilla drops I bought at the pharmacy here and he really calmed down and actually made some happy noises. Oh & I mushed up some mango for him because he loves mango but I thought he might not bite the cubes because of the pain but he just took the empty mango skin off me and ate it! It was a while half a mango skin, it had a little bit of flesh on but not much.

Dab came home five mins after he settled down & I think I must have looked pretty nharrased as he suggested I go for a coffee in the morning.

Vaggie, sorry about all the teething, I feel your pain.

Sybs, We seem to be over the worst of that latest batch and that Metanium cream is like gold as far as I'm concerned now. The weepy sore bit has healed and the redness is meerly a faint tinge of pink, He is much happier. It was hard as his appetite didn't change with the sore bum (except to sit in his highchair) so he was still producing massive poos which were so painful for him to get wiped up. Thank God for Johnsons wipes with aloe vera, but we did have many a sponging off with warm water instead. Ever since those 2 bad nights of not going to bed a he was sore, he's decided it's a nice game to come out of his room after being put to bed. I have just re-deposited him for the 4th time and hopefully he's staying put now as I hear nothing. the 4th time was kind of cute though as he heard me coming and zoomed back to bed and pretended to be asleep! Hilarious!
It wasn't a good week I must say but i looking brighter now towards the end. After my massive meltdown the last couple of days, dh had the arvo off so took him on the bike for the afternoon and I had a Lush bath (complete with known labor inducing bath bomb ) called sex bomb - not really appropriate at the minute but it smelt delighful and turned the bath water a lovely shade of pink
ds went nack to waking at 7am again today so got a bit more of a lay in and he also napped for 2 hours so I did a little nanna nap for an hour thiafternoon too and feel much better for it.
Lady sorry you are suffering the heartburn too - mine seems to be not quite as bad as it was today so I'm wondering if baby has dropped a little more I can def tell she is laying on one side as I actually can't sleep on the other (almost like she is sitting on too many organs if I have her on the top side if that makes sense.
WG such great news about your scan. I keep thinking Kiwi is clackered too but I'm wrong right? I have so many baby boys clothes hanging around so if any of you clackered's find out it's a boy and want some there is some really nice things I've got that have hardly been worn. Not to mention all my maternity stuff and I can't recomment this support vest enough for your back and belly which will be on offer too.
Spot don't worry for a second about your book on eBay - that's normal - everything is on eBay!
Beans you're very welcome - it's wasn't much but glad you like it. I hope you are ok and things are getting easier. I had the very windy baby with ds too but it must be so hard with a toddler as well. I'm getting scared now! There are some colic drops in Australia that I can't find anywhere else and are brilliant so if I can get some sent or brought over for me I'll get some to you. I remember using them last time and nothing else worked. Can't remember what they are called but it will come to me. There's also a website (again slipped my mind) which sells products which help in sleeping and colic and all that which I will try and think of. I put him in a carrier a lot after feeds and that helped so more slinging might be the answer too.
JordanSybs that's hilarious (sorry) about the hammock but I have to agree with Vaggie - 32??

I think we have finally decided on a name it was down to 2 or 3 but now just one I think! have a few days left to change my mind but we both seem to agree!!
Lady great news you get your first name choice. We never really had a problem deciding on middle names here so that was decided awhile ago. Oh I hope I don't change my mind again but I'm pretty happy with our final choice. I think dh is just happy we can move on from discussing it - typical guy.

hello Urbane sorry about the kidney infection, and the slow bus, but I suspect you are off that now!
Hello Pingu, long time - and hello Dora also long time.
geez this is geting long. i had more to say / ask but I can't remember - it will come...