40 + yummy mummies with baby tummies and those who've 'popped' - come hither!

[jeanjeannie]

Come join our merry (talkative) band of ladies who lunch - feel sick - are getting fatter - sleep deprived or run off their feet with babies! Some of us suffer all of the above - while trying to retain an air of calm and mystery

All we ask is you play nicely, eat cake and indulge in the occasional gossip and moan about our ills....or anything else that we can think of.

We're like grumpy old women....only not so grumpy...

I meant I was being sarcastic, JW.

Some how I don't think I'll be having that problem, since where I'm having the baby is in the top ten for diabetic mummies in the UK! I am sure they've done an insulin drip or two!

Very good forward planning there tee

Only 2 more weeekends and then I shall be preparing myself for Monday mornings back at work. boo

It is very pretty here in Norf London. How's it looking where the rest of you are?

DH has walked up to our local Sainsbury as I usually do my big shop on a Monday after deaf playgroup. As luck would have it we'd run out of everything over the weekend. Then he's going to attempt to walk to work.

My brother and his DP went to Barcelona for the weekend and as all London airports closed yesterday evening their plane kindly dropped them off at East Midlands airport. They got the last room in a Thistle hotel and I've been on the phone to him most of the morning trying to work out his journey home. National Rail enquiries website has crashed as funnily enough lots of people are trying to use it.

Grace will be keeping me company today as her school (2 mins walk away) is closed.

I was woken by the excited cries of DS shouting 'It's snowing, it's snowing!' and hid under the covers groaning. I'm not good in the cold. Or the slippy. Anyway, no excuses for not making the 4-min walk to Infants, and DD set off all cosy and welly-booted for Juniors, with her friends who were all wearing inappropriate footwear and no gloves (since their dads dropped them at ours and dads tend not to check such matters )

Anyway, it's a good excuse to keep the heating on for a change, although I've turned off all radiators except my office and the kitchen. First time I've not worn a coat and scarf inside on a weekday since the autumn . Time for a chocolate Ovaltine methinks. Keep warm ladies!

Is it me or does anyone actually get what Lily Allen is about? Her 'talent' for singing is minimal and she seems more famous for being famous. Maybe it's my age.

It's very white here. Was up in the night checking on K around 3.30am and was blizzard conditions outside. Then she woke for a bottle at 5.30am and had eased slightly but there at least 4 inches of snow on the tree stump in the garden. Kept the heating on all night on low setting so K didn't get the usual 'iced fingers'

Thankfully DSS's school is open. DH does their website so we're in the know first

mrsb oh my lordy, how quickly has that gone by? How you feeling about it all? Are you psyching yourself up for a return to office politics?

ermintrude saw that a few of the airports were closed today. You know, the scandinavian countries get far worse weather than us yet their infrastructure never crashes at the sight of a snowflake. Why is this country not taking a leaf out of their book? Their transportation systems are fantastic and actually run - on time too!

Don't envy you pregnant ladies today. I'd be frightened of falling over. Mind you I had a habit of falling over and being clumbsy when pregnant and not snowing. Think it's cos your centre of gravity shifts.

As they used to say on Hill Street Blues, lets be careful out there.

morning, unsurprisingly it is snowy here too. Bens school is shut and so he is building a snowman in the back garden helped by daddy, who can't get to work either. O and I are staying in, I can't imagine snow holds ant interest for a 4 month old baby, well that is my excuse and I am sticking with it

I quite like Lily Allen JW, I have her 1st album and you are right she is not really a singer but her lyrics are pretty good. |She does however need to get better taste in men!}.

Its gone very quickly jw I'm not sure how I feel about it - mixed emotions I guess. There's no point in being miserable about it as that will just make it worse.

Don't think I will have lost any weight this week - did v well until Saturday when my sister and her bf came to visit - drank lots of wine and of course was hungover yesterday so couldn't exert my usual iron discipline and ate a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar.

Have been reading about the octuplets woman - apparently she is soft in the head and isn't infertile - she just wanted more babies. She has no job and lives with her parents who are skint. Whoever treated her was totally unethical.

SNOW! Well, like most of the country we're covered in snow. So pleased we made it back from London ok last night as apparently there was a 32 mile tail-back on the M25 this morning It was getting bad last night so we cut across country - phew!

Been out with the girls...I'll post piccies later cos they're mighty cute

Heating on - stew for dinner - hot choccies on the go - it's actually a very convivial atmosphere here at JJ towers considering I loathe the snow and cold!

Can't be doing at all with Lily Allen - sheds loads of hype me thinks....sorry hedgepig Wasn't she knocking off Jay Joplin - Sam Taylor-Wood's hubby? I think Ms Allen is a young media wh*re who'll disappear into obscurity.

My mum was going on about the octuplets woman - apparently her ambition is to be a childcare expert on TV, and she's charging $2million per interview. 'Freeloader' said my mum. 'Psychotic' said I. I mean, that's taking freeloading to a bizarre extreme, with no care for any of her kids, and no certainty that it will work in terms of getting sponsorship. Also her parents bought her and the 6 kids (the youngest 2 are twins from 'a friend' who was also apparently involved in the octuplets's conception) a 2-bed bungalow a couple of years ago, and then went bankrupt so all 9 (soon to be 17) of them live in that. Can you imagine?! You're right, mrsb I wonder who the hell implanted 8 embryos in a single unemployed mother of 6! And how did she pay for it? Ooh, the plot thickens. And I feel very sorry for each of those 14 kids.

Am very jealous of all you people with snow. None here yet (Devon), but local radio was forecasting some for later (I think they were being more hopeful than anything).

johnworf just a thought, but I know that in the US all prem babies are given RSV shots for their first year to keep the worst of the nasties at bay- has your doc offered them to you for K?

No snow here. [pout] Not even one little flake. Just cold as anything!

mrsb sorry to hear its time to go back already. I am looking forward to my time off and already dreading having to come back in 2010! Octuplet lady is a piece of work, but the doctor who implanted her is even worse!

JW we don't have the infrastructure for snow because we so rarely get it this badly! No point on spending the money on something we need once every, what was it? 17 years?

poor tee and duchess no snow, I will go outside and blow some towards you [blowing emoction}

I'm sure work will be fine MrsB, probably seem like a rest after being at home. How has MrD been settling at nursery?

JW Sorry for shocking you with my pals exploits ...I think too many years working with "lovies" made me pretty much shock proof[Jilly Cooper didnt get the half of it when she did her research with the LSO...orchestras are positively tame when compared with opera companies!).
I'm so with you on the Lily Allen thing but then again I'm like that about most 'pop(ular)' singers ...pass me my headscarf and brogues.

Dh got into work today (just) but I think he will be leaving his car at the top of the hill and walking the last 1/4 mile home for fear of not getting back up it tomorrow if it continues like this as promised ...It is our dogs' idea of heaven up here;as soon as Alex wakes from his nap we will all go for a walk and let them both get their snow "fix" as I'm not even going to try to get Alex to his swimming lesson in this weather.

Oh, posted before I said;Duchesse...I think your children reacted comparitively well considering their ages...one of my oldest friends (we were in nursery together!) fell pg at 38 when her 3 were 16, 14 & 11...the 16 yr old told them they were "irresponsible" , told them they couldn't afford another child, didnt have the room for another child and should have an abortion!!!!!! Personally I would have kicked him out to make room ...but 6.5 yrs later they are all still at home and adore their little sister!
and
MrsB sympathy on having to go back to the grind, isnt it frightening how fast the months fly past? ...

Duchesse K gets a monthly jab against RSV (bronchiolitis) called Synagis. It's a postcode lottery at the mo, not all PHT's offering it unless they can fit it in their budget so some babies aren't getting it. The shots are £500 each individual jab so a course from September to February is costly. They don't mix it until we arrive at clinic as obviously, far too expensive to chuck it away!

I was told on discharge K was one of the 12 babies who would receive it in our PHT which is Pennine Acute and covers Bury, Rochdale and Oldham. This was due to her having chronic lung disease. Not many babies get it as you can see as that's a wide area.

I know from the Bliss messageboards that there are some healthcare trusts refusing to give it on the grounds 'that is does no good'. I think they are bending the facts here as yes, it's not a cure for RSV for it certainly lessens the effects of it.

Hoping with all fingers and toes crossed that K is coming up to the limit for having it and it knocking her sideways into hospital. They do say that if your child makes it to 9 months and isn't RSV positive by then, then they'll build up sufficient immunity that they can shake it off. She'll still get the jabs though come this September through to February 2010 though just to be safe. Belt and braces

Not sure how the system works in the US. I know that healthcare is mostly private so I guess you get what you pay for over there.

I thought they reacted quite well, considering... I thought it was quite funny really!

Floria, almost all musos in my days working in theatre were outrageous, and that was only as the pit band for musicals - I imagine en masse they'd be uncontrollable! But poets beat them hand down - fewer drugs but much, much more sex. . They all think they're Byron.

JW having seen the effects of RSV on my niece - first as a newborn and then again at 21 months - I wish they'd given her a jab. They've tested everything you can imagine and her general immunity is excellent, but that nasty virus has had her on a ventilator with her lungs full of crap for 2 periods of 3 weeks and it was bloody awful to watch. . Still no policy that will allow her to have the jab though, so my sis is always terrified every time she gets a snotty nose.

Blimey jw thats just such a bad call if your LO doesn't get the jab Brilliant that you're going to get it way past the 9 mnth mark....give K the best shot possible.

mrsb wow - it's gone so quickly. You've got a really nice balance on the childcare front though - so that's going to be peace of mind for you.

I shall also blow snow over to those who are without. It's pretty now - but think of all the slush later

hedgepig he's only been the once for an hour so far, he is in for 2 hrs on Friday and then all day next Monday. Boo hoo. But yes, I think it will be a bit of a rest going back

Gosh - what the heck is the DM on about saying Liz Hurley looks haggard and old - she looks bloody fantastic! I now she's not the most likeable or talented actress but I do respect her for being nearly the only celebrity to admit to having to eat bugger all in order to stay thin.

ermintrude my DS#2 had bronchiolitis age 4 months and it was shocking. Luckily he didn't end up in hospital but my MW has told me of a few babies from SCBU that have had to hav been put back on a ventilator because of RSV. That would be absolutely devastating for us and especially K. It was bad enough the 5 weeks she was on it as a newborn, then back on it again after her laser eye surgery. To go back on it again.... Which is why I've been OTT (others words, not mine) in staying in, washing hands etc etc. She's got to 8 months without a cold so I guess we couldn't keep it at bay forever plus DSS has one heck of a cold right now too.

I totally agree that all LO's should receive the jab but until they bring the price down, then they'll have to take their chances.

Liz Hurley does look good but I'm sure that an army of stylists, a few shots of botox and other little 'helpers' all help. I'm not even sure why she's famous anymore - Hugh Grant was a life time ago....and he's not up to much these days either. I'll send her to the talentless step to sit with Lily and compare notes

Feeling very moany. Took half an hour getting Elizabeth and me wrapped up to go out in the snow then she wouldn't put her bloody feet down, whipped her gloves off and insisted on being carried.

Feeling a bit stuck as would love to get a bit more fresh air than the 4 minutes I just had but no chance of getting back out. Very jealous that the rest of the men in our street have not been able to commute in to work whereas DH had no such excuse and walked his commute in 50 minutes.

bonzo don't get put off coming on here, we're not usually a strident bunch. I started off feeding Elizabeth mush which she wasn't mad on but as soon as she could pick up something and stuff it in her mouth it was a different story. She's 22 months today and still doesn't like mush - won't touch porridge or weetabix - so we have to be a bit creative about breakfast. Her favourite is either an egg and soldiers or pancakes. I make a kind of American/Scotch hybrid and as she's a skinny malinky I'm quite liberal with the golden syrup

It's really coming down again here. I have achieved nothing so far today so must get busy. Need to do washing then want to make a veggie soup and a cottage pie. However to have the strength for those taxing jobs I first need to eat a large sandwich

gosh I am a lazy mare as I am delighted to have an excuse to stay indoors all day!

OTT jw?? that's ridiculous - if K hadn't been premature then yeah it would be over cautious but she was and anyone who tells you it is OTT needs a good slap with a wet fish.

Woah - the snow is really coming down now - it's like snow and fog combined

ladymac don't you just hate it when kids get the 'jelly legs' ! Ooo cottage pie sounds nice. I've dug the pressure cooker out and we've got stew - but can't be bothered to make dumplings!

jw I too have no idea what the Liz Hurley appeal is either. Didn't she have an enormous toddler?

SNOW pictures!! I've stuck up some pics from the morning....they actually look reasonably pleased to be out in it too!

jj - what cute snow babies - must say that verity looks particularly unimpressed with this white stuff though.

jw - hope the little one gets over this cold - sounds scary - but reaching 8 months without one is brilliant.

ladymac - our T is a skinny minny too (but her Dad and Grandpa are long pieces of string so no surprise). She does eat loads and loads one day and then nothing much for a few days (fussy madam) - so yes tricky but amusing when she decides she's eating everything in sight. Ends up with her tummy is sticking out like a full term preggers one. Don't know whether to stop her or not ... tricky. (But breakfast at your house sounds yum!)

Talking of breakfast - had a lovely family fry-up in Weatherspoons and no dishes and greasy pans to wash. Then had a freezing cold walk round the park to pretend we were healthy. Snow here today but still had to come to work (boo).