All New, Sparkly Fab and 40 + : Mums, Mums to Be or TTC. Come say Hi !

[jeanjeannie]

Hello all - well, this is our third message board..so it's a popular topic.

If you're a fab forty something then please come and say Hi!

The thread lives in pregnancy as that's where it started....but it's certainly no longer confined to just being about pregnancy. It's for anyone whose a gorgeous 40 something. So get a cuppa, bring some biscuits - or cake - and have a chat x

thanks v much hedgepig was afraid to look in case of scare stories!! Will read it now

'ello ladies.

Ok....where to start....at the beginning it is then.

So, Mr Tiswas had a look at K and after what seemed an eternity of 2 hours wait in the parents waiting room, he came and told us that the ROP is not visible (probably gone)but due to poor visibility (pardon pun) at back of eye, couldn't say for deffo but prolly less than 1/10 chance it's still there. However, there was a bit of bleeding in her right eye, probably due to the pressure being too high. Off he went to find a 'pressure too high-ometer' which confirmed his suspicions. So, this can be remedied using drops. Ok so far ladies? So I asked him to clarify if K could now go home and come to his next Thursday clinic for follow up as an outpatient. He said that he didn't see that there was a problem with this apart from the drops maybe...so she'll need monitoring for the next 24-48 hours just to see but if ok, home Monday. I've asked for this in triplicate for Bury hospital so that they don't give me the runaround as they have tried to in the past about going home...so now, all being well on drops, we're home Monday Yippee!

Oxygen arrived today and it's rather nifty so that's to be set up later. Carpet man for nursery coming this afternoon to price up and hopefully lay the darned thing before Monday. Decorator nearly finished.....I'm just ticking my list.

So there we have it. Hopefully no flies in said ointment over the weekend and I'll be discussing rooming in arrangements tonight at my visit.

Seems it's your turn next mrsboogie. You'll be fine with your induction. I've had 2 inductions and it was good. Just brace yourself for slightly more intense contractions. Btw, mine didn't take anywhere near 3 days...over and done with in an afternoon (start to finish)

Hello all.

Back from overcast Pembrokeshire. Much heavier as I developed a serious welsh cake addiction. Suppose smothering them in butter didn't help. Been very busy since we got back as dd2 started secondary school on tues and I went back to work (after 6 weeks off - in a school of course).

JW - very excited to hear about the imminent arrival home of K. I lurked for ages here just to keep up with her progress!

Catching up with the posts from the last few days I feel I fit right in. My youngest 2 girls are redheads and I am an ex-strawberry blonde. Unfortunately the strawberry has faded and only the blonde (with some highlighted help) remains. Also fit in with the cradle snatching as dh is 12 years younger than me. Hope no chance of being mistaken for his mother as he is rather grey and I of course am incredibly young looking and glamorous . Ex-h was much older than me, so have gone from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Am 8+3 now. Feeling well but tired. Seeing my GP in the morning. Wonder if she'll be able to stop her eyebrows from raising when she sees my age?

hello all (again)

welcomeback ladymac - my OH is 12 yrs younger than me also! Keeps yer young is what I say!

jw fab news re K's homecoming - sounds like the outcome was near as good as you could reasonably hope for!

So you will be unpacking little Miss K and settling her nto her fab new nursery as I am pcking meself off to the hospital on Monday...

Have read the positive induction thread and feel a bit better (but made the mistake of perusing the childbirth section a bit further then and reading one thread about pushing which has made me go all lightheaded!!)

hullo,
what great news JW. I do try to catch up when I can and have been thinking of you lots. I will fly the flag on Monday in celebration for Lady K's homecoming.

jeanjeannie had I known I could have met you and Kaz1967 as I was up your way today. DH and I (oh and little Joseph of course) had a day out and did a bit of culture and went to Hughenden House, (home of Benjamin Disraeli for those interested )in High Wycome. We were going to Cliveden but decided against it because of the weather and thought a house would be better. We had a lovely day and took a wrong turn coming home (natch! ) and saw the quaintest village - High Wycome I think but not sure. Hope you had a lovely meet up.

Had AF arrive so now DH wants us to get back on the TTC case but I'm hesitant. We'll just have to wait and see.

Well - better dash - ds clinging to trouser leg and shouting as I type. Love to all and to mrsboogie thinking of you. x

sorry - West Wycome, not High Wycome.

Johnworf Yeee 'bloody' Haaaa!!!!!! I shall ride around on Iris's hobby horse in celebration Great news - and the nursery is almost done too....OOoo, nice timing. *riffles through boxes looking for buntings! It's all so close now - you must be sooooo thrilled x

mrsboogie how exciting. I know it's not ideal - but hey, when you're getting something so fab at the end of it all then it's not so bad. I was induced with Iris - and I shot off off like a rocket with just one pessary - but it was bearable. The only reason I had a c-section was because of something other than the induction. So fingers crossed and start getting excited

pwcbird Wow you were SO close to us - you should have joined us for a muffin! Yes, West Wycombe is very cute and it has a proper sweet shop too ...MMmmmm. If you should ever be this way again then may I recommend Odds Farm (on way to Cliveden)- it's as a kids farm should be - acres of old fashion fun - HUGE barn full of hay bales and sheep racing Did you enjoy Hughenden? Not been there yet - like to go at Xmas as they make it all pretty and sparkly! Aww...would have been nice to meet you. Well, now you know the way you simply MUST come again!!

I did meet up with kaz1967 - a top bird - so lovely. And little Kez is just delicious. Iris behaved herself and we spent a pleasing few hours chatting and some light shopping in Pumpkin Patch - £££ !!!

Welcome back ladymac good to see you're a cradle snatcher too....just knew you'd fit in AND redhaired children....a kindred spirit!!

Oh - I am so very, utterly, definately and categorically FED up with this weather....groan x

Hiya pwcbird. So good to see you old girl. Thanks for thinking about us Are you going to start trying again now that DH wants to or do you feel like waiting a little bit longer? I know that when I had my MC I put it to the back of my mind although there was always a little tiny hopeful bit of me each month that thought 'well if it happened, it'd be nice'. Still, go easy on yourself. You really have been a brave lass of late (hug).

Glad you two didn't get into too much trouble jeanjeannie and kaz1967. No headlines on front page of The Sun today so must have been a tame afternoon. OOOOh @ Pumpkin Patch. Tres expensive shoppe. Only buy from Ebay if worn by several babies first. I call it recycling or being tightfisted or something of that ilk.

Hi ladymac. We're all slightly deviant on this thread in that we wait around sixth form colleges at hometime for potential mates. Ok, slight exaggeration (slaps her own wrists!).

Well, I did the discharge tick lists last night at the hospital and they showed me around the rooming in rooms. All straight out of the local hotel with said hotel's name emblazened over every item of furniture. I did ask if a few of the midwives had been out on a midnight robbing session but no, it had been officially donated by hotel. Darn, what a missed story. Anyhoo, all looks comfy. DH not impressed when I told him that K will have to have her pressure relieving drops administered every 2 hours (including through the night). I'm polishing off my sharp stick to poke him awake during the night to get up

Oxygen arrived yesterday whilst we were at the hospital. So, when I got home my decorator gave me a demonstration of how to use it. Seems oxygen delivery man was in a rush so he showed my tradesman...still, it's all in place now.

Painting nearly done and carpets are being laid tomorrow (not the red ones, just the normal bedroom/nursery ones). And with a quick swizz around M&S for a few finishing touches, we're done

I can't say how long I've dreamt of the day she'd be coming home and now it's nearly here I'm all jumbled up inside. Excited, nervous, scared, happy ...all rolled up into one....I'm sure I'll settle down after a couple of days.

JW I'm so very thrilled for you I'll put the bunting out today as we are off to deepest darkest (and apparently wettest) Cornwall tomorrow Have a fabulous time rooming in and enjoy every miute (even the 2 hrly eye drop ones).I'll be thinking of you on Monday and knocking back the champers for her homecoming while I sit on the beach miserable under an umbrella-- sunbathing.
mrsboogie similarly I will be thinking of you on Tuesday...I'm sure it will all go smoothly and swiftly...I'm just sorry I wont be among the first to congratulate you but will continue knocking back the champers on your behalf..and will send you a cornish cream tea as soon as your gd is officially gone (within 24 hrs in my case!)
pwcbird great to see you here. I know exactly how you feel..it took me 4 months to try again after Robyn(fwiw it was the 2nd anniversary on Monday and though it still breaks my heart, my 11mth olds' presence makes it a lot more bearable)as jw says, go easy on yourself,you'll know when it is the right time for you.

Right time to take the dog to his prison holiday hotel and get the packing done ...wish I could drum up some enthusiasm for this holiday..no doubt I'll buck up if the weather does but a week stuck in a cottage because it is too wet to go out without all ds's toys/playpen/saftey gates etc and my mother watching over my shoulder (oh yes, we are taking mum and brother too)is filling me with dread ...ho hum... Eden Project and Rick Steins here we come...ready or not.

The visit to the GP went well. She even said I didn't look my age so obviously she is an excellent dr! On the downside she is going to contact the HV as I mentioned 17 month old dd's lack of speech. Her only word is 'mum' but I think it's accidental rather than what she calls me. Poor dh, I told him every baby said 'dada' first. Every baby except this one that is. She also doesn't walk yet, though ds didn't walk till 18 months, so not so concerned about that. Although it would make life a bit easier if she did.

jw what brilliant news about the homecoming. And I chuckled at the thought of your decorator demonstrating medical equipment for you. Will you and dh be taking the 2 hourly 'droppings' in turn?

Have huge appetite at the moment. I thought porridge was supposed to fill you up for several days? I ate mine at 8.45 this morning yet I was ravenous by midday.

johmworf I am delighted for you that you are taking her home I can only try to imagine what you have been through but I do know it has been a long wait! I'm sure it will be a bit scary for the first day or two but at least you will now be in control and can settle into something approaching normality!

floriatosca thanks for the good wishes - can't wait till it is all over. Have decided to put off worrying about it until after the weekend. Just going to relax tonight with a curry and a nice glass of red wine. I have to say I feel a lot better having seen the lovely clean room where they will put me (hopefully - that is if they haven't had an influx of women with pre-eclampsia or smething in the meantime) I hope you have a good holiday although it sounds a bit like you mght need another one when you get back this time sans rellies, children, stair gates and umbrellas!! Cornwall hasn't had it good this year - a friend of mine went there with his wfe and two kids and spent a very wet week in a tent (nightmare). They came home early in the end. Hope you get a ittle taste of a indian summer - you never know

Over the last couple of days my horrible achey lower tummy and groin has improved a lot - I can nearly walk normally now. All the time I thought it was normal and caused by the bump but it turns out to have been caused by the excess fluid I was carrying which has now aparently diminished due to the diet controlling the GD. I learn something new everyday!!

Afternoon ladies....glorious, n'est pas?

johnworf am pmsl at the oxygen man talking through how to use it to your decorator. Good job he actually understood - just that I had visions of a poor Polish tradesman standing there - not understanding a word but polietly nodding his head....silently thinking 'what the F*ck?'

So when do you room in with Katherine? and for how long? Oh God - I bet you are all of an excited kerfuffle...not surprising. Definately get that pointy stick out. I like to prod DP awake sometimes when I'm feeding Verity - just to make me feel better....!!

floriatosca you've probably scooted already - but have a lovely time - make sure the sun factor 50+ is handy And get that Rick Stein bloke to get his best fish fingers ready for your DS!

JW have to say it was a 30% discount sign that lured us into Pumpkin Patch...girls with an eye for a bargin us!

Verity has just got through her 4th outfit of the day - she's sooooo sicky....blurgh and it all comes out. I've relegated her to sleepsuits to minimise the faff!

ladymac glad the appointment went well...any mention of looking young is GOOD!!

Have to say that I am amazed that she thinks no speech at 17 months is odd..... My GP and health visitors are (and I quote) "fed up to the back teeth" with people worrying about stringent timelines for their kid's development. My DD1 is 21 months - barely says a word and definately doesn't point (according to many MNetters a definate sign of austism ) I took her to get assessed and they rolled their eyes at me saying that worried parents had got to fever pitch and they were having to do roadshows to deal with the influx of people in the surgery!!

I was told that speech can be delayed easily until 2.5 and that comprehension is the most important thing. None of my mate's LOs talk much yet and they are all 20+ months. I'd try not to worry too much - and my DD1 didn't walk till 20mths - 2 weeks after DD2 was born. She was so heavy to pick up especially when very pregnant!

mrsboogie go on - you have that curry - bring it all on a bit early I'm getting very excited for you have you got your bag ready? Have you got the name sorted?! I love that bit - when you know it's almost due - that's what I loved about my planned C-section - I could get excited and count down the days.

Jeanjeanie, thanks for the reassurance. You'd think I would be so laid back as she's no 4. She's been so vocal since she was tiny so I'd stupidly kept saying 'ooh, this one's going to be an early talker'. She still is one of the loudest children I know, it's just that it's all 'aaaaahhhhhh, ooooooohhhhh' and I think her only consonant is 'm'. And frankly the days do drag so with such dull conversation

Was your lo a crawler? Dd started off bum shuffling at a year, then started crawling. Now she uses a combination of the 2 depending on whether she's on a carpet or a wooden floor. Hardly ever have to mop downstairs as her bottom brings the floorboards up a treat. Crawling's supposed to be extremely good for brain development. My son crawled from 9 months till 18 months and now he's at Cambridge!

MrsB you must be very excited. I hope you're going to sit with your feet up all weekend in preparation for... well, not being able to sit with your feet up!

For all the ladies who are fretting re speaking/walking/crawling etc. They'll do it when they're bloody well ready! DD#1 walked at 9 months and was reeling off nursery rhymes by age 1. However, my two boys didn't walk until 18 months old and neither spoke, only grunted until they were way past 2.5 years old. In the end they went to speech therapy but there was nothing wrong with them. It's what's known in the trade as 'lazy gits'. They're still grunting and shuffling around on their bums now and they're 17 and 19 but that's only cos of their age My advice is don't worry and ditch all the mum-upmanship that's flying around.

mrsboogie bet you can't wait can you? I'd be really excited but with trepidation thrown in. You'll be reet

jeanjeannie 30% off isn't bad and I'd be lured in by that offer in letters of 6 feet in the window. Took the DH for a quick two step around M&S so I'm all ready to go tomorrow for sparkly new house. Ooooh and cot bed is fab although as DH was loading accessories into car, and I accentuate the word 'accessories', he was muttering 'yeah, she really needs this teddy to match, and she really needs this picture to match...etc'. In the end I had to threaten him with no conjugals and it seemed to do the trick. Not difficult with men is it??!

FloriaTosca enjoy Cornwall in the rain. It rained when I was there briefly in May. Give my regards to Truro hospital and Newquay. Tell them I won't be rushing back.......

ladymac DD1 was a prolific crawler and then progressed to spectacular knee walking. Tights, trousers, leggings....all had blinkin great holes in them!

Then, she got up and walked as if to say - well, I could do it all along - I just couldn't be bothered! DP and me think that it was like Wheelchair-bound Andy in Little Britain - as soon as our backs were turned she'd secretly been walking for months

Like johnworf says, the term for those-in-the-know is 'lazy git'! The fact you've got one at Cambridge is indeed encouraging! - Is he the one in Russia?

As for talking- Iris permantly says..."OOooooo LOOK!" or "1, 2, thrrreeeeeeee" Like you say - I'm now desperate for conversation!

johnworf of course Katherine NEEDS matching accessories....has your DH learned nothing about women over the years...*sigh. My DP now knows the correct response to my nursey/baby shopping whims... is "yes dear".

Went out for a couple of hours last night - left DP with the DDs. Verity got hungry, so off he went and made her a bottle of ebm...only to find she'd lost all her knack of using a bottle. Poor bloke spent hour and a half trying to get her to use it. I got out of the car and could hear her screams from the street Any tips welcome....me thinks we're going to have to start some intensive training

morning all. I finished work yesterday hurrah although i have some bits and bobs I want to finish next week I am not going into the office which will be brill. They gave me lots of sweet baby clothes which are so tiny and dinky booties things ahh (although they won't stay on for 2 seconds I know.
Jeanjennie - sorry I'm no help on the expressed breast milk front I never could get enough out to even both with a bottle. Could he feed milk to V from a spoon??

ladymac ds has just turned 2 a couple of weeks ago and has only just started saying words and most of them aren't very understanderable (errr... that's not a word is it ). For example, counting to 10 is : un, doo, dee, door, die, ix, o-o (?), aay, nigh and we don't do 10. Car is 'um' (as in brum, brum we think) and similar. He virtually waited til his 2nd birthday to speak anything other than 'oh dear' and 'ouch' ! I think boys in general, like most men, don't seem to think it's particularly important to speak unless completely necessary.
He crawled forever, we never thought he'd walk and then virtually ovenight around 17 is months walked. As jw said they just do it when they want. Also books are ridiculous and I've stopped looking at them 'at 18 months your child should have a vocabulary of 50 words' Yeah... my ar*e they do! 50 words of gobbledigook maybe.

no tips either jj on the milk. I'm afraid from about 2 months I supplemented any extra breast with formula as I could never express properly so DS was always ok on the bottle (bit like his father.. hahaha).

jeanjeannie have you tried using the closer to nature teats? I'm about to use them and they come well recommended by local MW's who say they are good for switching between breast and bottle. If not, then other than getting your DH to wear one of those bottles on a string around his neck, slung into one of your nursing bra's (can I have a pic please?), I'm all out of ideas.

hedgepig I'm sending you a virtual box of Quality Street so that you can, and indeed should, be putting your feet up and troughing before the big day.

pwcbird my DH is 38 and still doesn't have a vocabulary of 50 words....unless it's swear words for a referee then he has hundreds

Evening.....sits on sofa with belly draped over jeans as have eaten WAY too much for dinner

Hedgepig congrats on finishing work and on getting loads of cute clothes out of work mates! Time to sit on yer bum, do a bit of light nesting and eat cake

Thanks gals for your ideas on getting Verity to take the bottle. LOL @ pwcbird at the your DS always being ok on the bottle!

I thought nipple confusion was a modern myth - spread about by some of those scary ladies on the breastfeeding thread (sorry, but they are just sooo nork-confident) Anyway - Poor Verity - we've got the Tommee Tippee back to nature teats and they worked a treat with Iris....but NO...she's having none of it. I NEED my spa day treat (stamps foot) and it's in Oct...so I've got time to train her I suppose

johnworf - my DP would SO wear a contraption like that AND be happily photographed. Wasn't it some Robert de Niro film where he wore breasts...Meet the Parents or Meet the Fockers?? Anyhow- he was thrilled with that - could see he'd give it a go

pwcbird Yep - I've stopped looking at those books that tell you what your LO should be doing and saying.. 50 words...yeah - right Iris can understand 50 words but has no intention of saying them yet. She believes in the "I'll do it when I feel like it" way of going about things. Must take after her mum

Hi I am back

Had a lovely time with Jean, Iris is an angel was so funny watching her and another toddler in the cafe pass packets of sugar to one another, and Kez has learnt a new face from the delightful Verity who we saw very little of because she was as good as gold and spent most of the time asleep

johnworf the did have a 30% of baby stuff some more but still spent too much still it is 6-9 months so will fit her for a while over the winter Most of the stuff Kezzy sports is from charity shops so she deserves something new once in a while

johnworf the whole speech thing came up because dd was so blooming noisy throughout my appt at the docs. Dr commented on it and I said something along the lines of 'yes, if only she would say an actual word ha ha'. I told her that mother-in-law had just mentioned how dh was late to talk but she had already started writing a note to the HV. Doubt anything will happen as I haven't heard from HV since she dropped in when dd was 5 days old. Next time I'm in the surgery I will keep my big mouth shut! Nursery sounds fab by the way. Men just never understand the whole accessory thing, do they?

pwcbird I always thought that 10 was an overrated number anyway Do you (or does anyone) remember Glenn Doman? I think he was big in the 80s. He wrote about 'hothousing' children and ran some institute for brainy kids (had to have been in California) where crawling was on the timetable. He thought it was essential for right brain development.

jeanjeanie I love the idea of Iris as Andy. I'm sure ds was like that. He showed absolutely no sign of walking then seemed to wake up one morning thinking he would humour us by walking across the room. Yes, he is the one at Cambridge who's now in Russia. Can I just have a moment to boast here? He was on University Challenge a few weeks ago, captaining his college team to a win!

Am in bed with the laptop as dh is out celebrating his cricket team's last match of the season. Looking forward to the snoring that inevitably follows a night of drinking. I am going to make sure small children jump around on his head in the morning. Anybody want to send a few extra round?

ladymac I'd send Katherine but she hardly even cries so instead I could send around my own snoring DH and they can appreciate each other's nose music! Yay

Ah re GP/HV. Scaremongers without a shadow of a doubt. Just keep in mind that children rarely do anything by a textbook and that guidelines for child development are just that; guidelines.

I bet you are extremely proud of your DS. I know I would be. I'd be having leaflets printed and distributing them through surrounding letterboxes within a 12 mile radius. haha. Deffo.

I also remember hothousing and how it all went quiet. I've read over the past few months about the lives of child prodigies from the 80's and how they've not turned out so great or even fallen off the straight and narrow (remember Ruth the math genius? Or even Sufiah? She's now a prostitute). Actually, I've looked into Montessori as I think it looks very good but DH is vehemently opposed...mebbe something to do with he's a trained teacher in the traditional sense of mainstream education. Not sure.

jeanjeannie can't believe your DH would actually wear one of those things! Should I send my own DH round to have a manly word with him?!

Ok, so we're almost all set to go. Spent all day yesterday cleaning the house and getting the nursery in (after carpet men had left), and I must say it does look fab. Totally agree with kaz1967 about buying secondhand. A lot of my stuff is second hand from Ebay but to look at it, you couldn't tell at all. Nothing wrong in saving a few quid and recycling at the same time. By last night I was well and truley knackered. DH and I went for our 'last supper' and it was ok but really I wanted to be in my comfy jammies lying in bed (everything now is prefixed with a 'for the last time') relaxing as I know that when K comes home, I won't get the chance.

Anyhoo, looking around the old homestead you'd think the Queen herself was visiting. Even the dog is confused about whose house he's actually in as he's not used to it looking so neat and tidy.

I won't be around after 1pm today until a time in the week when Katherine allows me to use laptop. I'm off to hospital this afternoon for rooming in with my little darling

Huzzah !
P.S. mrsboogie I'll be thiking of you tomorrow and hoping that all goes well with the induction. I'm absolutely 100% sure it'll be fine and you'll soon have the pics of your LO up on your profile for us to coo over ((hug))

jw will be thinking of you two too and hoping it all goes swimmingly - I'm sure it will - between yourself and Miss K I think you'll have it all under control in no time!

I will probably be out of commission until around the same time during the week - but might try and post if I am hanging around waiting and can figure out the internet thing at the hospital...

greetings to all...

had to go and buy a car seat yesterday and a few cute going home outfits for himself. Have bags packed now - all that's to be done is to maintain state of denial and stay chilled out until tomorrow...

(((hugs mrsboogie))) - thinking of you tomorrow x
and you too of course jw. In fact... hugs all round