40+ mums-to-be and those who've 'popped' - come say hi, pull up a chair and have some cake!

[jeanjeannie]

Hello everyone - yet another thread. I'm expecting a call anyday soon from ITV - as I imagine we'll be prime candidates for taking over the Loose Women slot when they need a break

So, for anyone interested in joining in with us - just jump in and say Hi - we don't bite - unless you're disguised as a chocolate sponge cake

Ladies..................Take it away

I must say JW I missed the wheels!

Have fun at the zoo!

Morning all. An unexpectedly OK night - only up once! Verity still sleeping but sounds better

jw that cake is corking - love it. And was pmsl@ being 7ft and eating round it to get through the door After having looked at the Slattery's website I personally think you should have gone for THIS cake and shouted "BOOBIES" when it was cut

mrsJupiter Thanks for the book recommendation Once we get more info - and if it is ASD and not just a delay then I shall procure a veritable library of stuff to get us through I'm feeling quite perky because I can already see that any problems will be reasonably mild - like you say, it's the not knowing. And while I'm a SAHM I've got time to work with her before school starts - so top tips from people who can help would go a long way!

OMG - Eva is gorgeous - and looks so well!! Those eyes and little chin - she's beautiful. Boy, you guys have come a long way! x

Making me think about our christening now. I think I may go for the tower of cup cakes option.........good for when there are loads of little hands wanting something yummy!

Busy day ahead - lots of stuff to finish off - things to do and sadly it looks like rain, so no park ....grrr. JW hope you get to the zoo

Hello all.

MrsJupiter, I hope you're not suggesting there's some kind of food obsession going on here? You must have skim-read, and missed out all the socio-political-economic debates we've been having . Eva is a little cutie, thank goodness Hong Kong took you in!

JW Love the Jesus figure. My poor ma has every kitsch religious toy we can find given her - from holy toast (which adorns your breakfast slice with an imprint of the BVM) to Nunzilla, a clockwork nun who waddles forward breathing sparks. I've given that one to several convent-educated friends . Hope the zoo proves a hit with DSS after all, and that lady K's dirty nappies are removed with the alacrity madam requires.

Tee boo to bad sleep. I usually don't mind being shortish and very short-waisted, but when all internal organs are vying for space in my squashed abdomen I wouldn't mind an extra inch or two between boobs and hips!

mrsb Mother's Day present for helpful MIL - hmm, if you don't want to go down the chocs and flowers route, how about a fruit tree in a pot? You can get dwarf apples, pears, cherries etc. that would go on a patio and do fruit, should fruit this late summer/autumn and don't take too much gardening maintenance. I'm going to have a go with them this year, as I feel my greenhouse escapades are going to be more basic than usual... There also used to be a lovely company called The Gourmet Gardener who would send out an olive plant, bottle of olive oil and pot of marinated olives, or a big pile of crocus corms to plant and a jar of saffron, or a couple of lavender plants with some lavender chocolate creams etc. A bit pricey but really lovely for cooks and gardeners.

JJ, x-posted. I love doing piles of cupcakes and have done them for loads of family events and may be doing them for sister's wedding this autumn. You probably have your own way of doing them but FWIW, after much trial and error, here are my top tips:

Use McDougalls's Supreme Sponge flour. Never have I baked a lighter and yet still satisfyingly moist cupcake!

Always softenend butter, never margerine

Use stiff cases which hold their shape thur baking, cooling and icing - I like gold and silver ones, which Lakeland and lots of online stores do if the supermarket doesn't.

Use Nigella's cupcake recipe ie. add a little bit of milk to make a dropping consistency - but not too much or they flatten.

If you're mixing in a food processor, don't overmix; that flattens them too!

Leave room for them to rise so that you don't have to cut off all the tops before icing (although the upside of doing that is that you can eat them

And finally: For a slightly fiddly but always worth-it surprise, when they're nearly cool take a deep scoop out of each cake and put in a spoonful of jam (I used rosepetal jelly for my parent's 40th anniversary) or a marshmallow - or both! - then replace the scooped-out bit and squash it down. As long as the icing is thick - Royal is handy for this - you can't see the uneven top, esp if you put on an icing or wafer rose or daisy or something.

Alternatively, go to Slattery's and ask for a 7 foot cake instead

MrsJupiter hello! We were in China (in Xiamen) for 6 months last year. We were ttc and I was pretty ho hum about the thought of getting caught there with problems in pregnancy. We had an amazing time though! I took a peek at your daughter, and she is indeed gorgeous.

Re the mum's day debate, this year I'm giving mine "your daughter's FINALLY pregnant for the first time at 41 and the father is really quite nice" which she says she's thrilled with. I was once stuck with what to buy a boyfriend's old hag mum for Christmas that she would not turn her nose up at and that would make me look good in front of the tree and I came up with this www.liberty.co.uk/pws/ProductDetails.ice;jsessionid=811299E732A76CD2628CFC9E61E9EB2A.LibertyAS2BS?Pr oductID=1032&redirect=true which is pretty if a bit pricey.

morning all

ermintrude thanks - that sort of thing would be ideal actually, she already has a lemon tree so I'm thinking an olive plant - will check out that website. Oh I keep meaning to ask you what you think of the Myerson kerfuffle..?

funnily enough I do know more than one person that I could give the Jesus action figure to!!

mrsj Eva is beautiful - she looks like she has the longest lashes!

I didn't realise that people did Christening cakes nowadays - not that it makes any difference to me as we won't be having one.

tee I'm amazed that the kicks are strong enough to keep you awake already! D's were neither strong enough nor frequent enough to keep me awake at any point. That must be one active baby you've got there!

D is obsessed by the cat now - spends long periods of time staring at him and following his movements -breathing excitedly all the while the cat of course remains supremely indifferent to his attentions.

have fun at the zoo jw et al

/waves

mrsb have just checked and it's called The Gluttonous Gardener and you'll find it here

Back from my morning shop and pram all ordered! Quinny Buzz 3 in Storm (that's black to normal people) with the carry cot and cosy toe and all that good stuff!

ermintrude I am so with you on the need a few more inches! I'm only 5'2 and all my height is in my legs...hence the huge bump!

mrsb I think I am either growing a footballer or a can can girl. Although still has not kicked me hard enough with DH touching me for him to feel it! We've started calling it the stubborn child!

the pram thing is such fun

Tee just googled your pram, it's ace!

Hellooooo! We're back in one piece. Weather was blue skies but blowing a bitter wind. Anyway, we wrapped up and saw all the animals. DSS loved it once we got there (as predicted). Madam cried her way around (when she wasn't asleep) and we didn't take the sling so DH ended up carrying her some of the way. She's heavy now though so she ended up at several points crying in her pushchair until she went off. Anyway, nothing too traumatic. I think we're going to do another saturday day out in a couple of weeks

Love the pram tee. Very trendy.

ermintrude think I'll have a go at that recipe. I can't eat any of them of course but the joy on other people's faces is enough for me (I'm being sarcastic).

JJ that torte is indeed a breast if ever I saw one. I expect a lot of men like that one

Not much planned tonight but tbh we're both pooped and I'm hoping that all the fresh air wiped the LO's out too..........fingers crossed.

jw sounds like a lovely day!

Yes, it was the trend factor that sold me on that particular pram. I am all about the trend.

tee my buggy is similar and I love wheeling it about - they do look very good.

glad you all had a good day out jw I keep suggesting to OH to take us to the seaside but we never seem to make it - soon methinks.

must go - the little man is sat beside me on the sofa playing with a load of remote controls and he has his eye on the mouse now...

Ah yes mrsb, nothing beats playing with things you shouldn't Just remember to hide them once he can walk othewise they'll end up down the loo

Hello all. Finally back. I've tried to catch up some by reading back. You've been a busy lot!

FIL's funeral was Wednesday. Niece's wedding was today. It's been such a long week. I'm absolutely exhausted. We're hoping now to get back into a more normal routine. We've got a scan coming up on 23 March, so waiting for that before we buy anything else - hoping to find out if boy or girl.

What a week triggles. You've done the matches and dispatches, now just have to wait for your hatches Good luck with the scan (not that you'll need it).

Well, I'm in my pj's and in my bed watching tv, on the laptop and drinking a cup of earl grey. I'm thinking I'll have a look through the newspaper soon. I bought it this morning hoping to read it over lunch at the zoo. No bloody chance matey peeps! Still lying untouched on the dining room table. I plan to languish in bed and read all 57 sections of the times before I go to sleep. My neck is still sore and I feel like I'm sickening for something although what, I have no idea. Hoping DH will pamper me but he's taped the football and so I have no chance. If I don't post in the next two days, can someone email my DH and ask him to check on me in case I've died and he hasn't yet noticed? Thanks

My pants were falling down today all the way around the zoo. Tis a good sign hopefully. I'll have to buy a belt until I get down to a size 10. I have the opposite problem to you pregnant ladies

Evening all. What a day - now DP has the squits, so it's been a poorly, over-active bum kind of house Whoever mentioned Neutrodol earlier on was so right

ermintrude I think I love you Those top tips for cup cakes are superb. I'm thrilled - seriously! I'd totally forgotten about royal icing and the lush, high quality gloss it gives. Plus I've been spying the Jane Asher website and I'm fancing some of her sugar craft flowers as used by Nigella and on the cover of this month's Delicious Mag!

I was hoping that I'd be such a proficient baker that I'd venture to make a sponge Icon as a tribute to the Orthodox'ness' of the Christening....but then I saw jw's Jesus action figure and thought "why bother?" So, maybe I could just mount one of those into a cheesecake....? Or maybe a Nunzilla standing on a plinth of Battenburg

jw Glad to see Chester Zoo was full of animals and it didn't bucket down on you. at possibly needing a belt

mrsB Awwww, I bet Mr D is funny when he gets excited by the cat - Verity loves the cat too. They're great - best value toys and entertainment. I know if the cat is in the room I can nip up to the loo without her caring (or noticing) that I've gone cos Bob is infinately more amusing than me.

tee that pram is FAB As they say in America...."good choice"!! I can just hear Gok Wan saying "girl - you're BANG on trend"

peachy wow - you get about, and aren't you off again soon? or am I going mad and forgetting things and getting it all mixed up???!! It's the babies you know

triggles hi - good to have you back in one piece. Wow - that's been a rollercoaster ride of emotions for you, as if being preggie isn't bad enough! YOu've got your scan on the 23rd March and i've got my Nan's funeral then. jw is right it is all, hatch, batch and despatch....

Hot choccy and bed. Thank goodness for low calorie hot choccy - or it'd be the Horlicks. Oh, now I feel weirdly sick, I've never drunk the stuff but i'm assuming it's vile

mrsb I wouldn't be too envious. My boobs are in a bad way. They look like pancakes or balloons that someone has deflated. If they didn't have my stomach to rest on they'd by flapping in the breeze. Guess that's what happens when they've been up and down with milk over 4 children.

I told DH last night that they seemed to have sagged really badly overnight. One word he said to me. Surgery. I think he was joking as there'd be no way I'd go to that extreme.

Spaniels ears for me then.

Flippin' 'eck JJ. It never rains does it? Are you playing viral bingo in your house? If you are I reckon you must have a full house by now Just paint a red cross on the front door and hibernate for 6 months. It worked for me

The zoo did indeed have animals which was great as we'd sold it to DSS on that premiss. He loved the elephants and the apes. Especially the new baby orangutan and the baby rhino. Anything baby. Oh and the otters were very cute along with the meerkats. I missed out on a lot of the animals as the ones in the class of 'very cute and entertaining' had hoards of people around them with camera phones - blinding them no doubt I made do with the unpopular animals like the alpaca, the coypu and the emus. I was a solitary visitor with K to these poor creatures.

One thing I wasn't happy about was that people were smoking inside the zoo. Didn't think it was nice seeing a dad playing on the grass with his little girl who was about 18 months old whilst smoking a fag. Yuck. I have to steer DH away from these people as he usually approaches them and gives them a lecture on smoking in front of children. He'll get a smack in the face one day from someone

All this talk of cake and I can't have any !!! BAH! Drat and crap bollocks. I could do with some medicinal cake right now. It's only the thought of squitting my pants that deters me (now I'm thinking of JJ's OH).

A jesus cake. A first I'm sure. Would be a great conversation starter too

A seven foot Jesus cake - it should be the law for all Christenings!

jw sympathies on the boobage or lack thereof, mine are humongous and I am very worried abut what will happen to them when I lose weight... I most certainly would go for surgery but maybe not until the little fella is a bit older as I don't want to die on the operating table and leave a toddler behind.

My goodness I appear to be having period pain - that's a first! Feels like my left ovary is about to explode...

jj poor you - it sounds relentless there at the moment- your lot will have titanic immune systems by the end of this!

I'm with your DH on the smoking in front of children - its six years this month since I gave up and its very true what they say about the zeal of the converted...

JJ you just reminded me of the Cake Wrecks website which features supposedly professionally-made cakes that go badly wrong. I couldn't find a Jesus one, but here you'll find a first holy communion one that might give you inspiration . It's a cake website which is more likely to make you laugh, or indeed barf, than drool, which can only be a good thing.

I hope you avoid a terrible moment when your pants are too big for you AND you have a momentary lapse with a bowl of double cream so when the knickers fall they'll be ahem soiled. That would be the worst of both worlds. Still, it would have made folk get out of your way at the zoo...

JJ I can get very waylaid by decisions about sugar craft. More than stationery catalogues nowadays, and I used to love them .

Hope your family's bowels sort themselves out soon - horrid when everyone is poorly a the same time.

Super buggy tee. However, unless I come into money soon, my poor LO will have its brother's old buggy with the plastic bits at the side poking out of the upholstery. I'll wrap a fleece around them or something. Mums in the playground might start putting coins in the hood out of pity as I walk past.

DH out till very late so I think early bed with the Guardian puzzles. Futoshiki, Killer Sudoku and the crossword. Bliss. I quite like Horlics JJ . Night night all.

Sorry, I meant JW not JJ for my jesus cake comment.

And mrsb I find that boob elasticity runs in families - despite b/f both my DC until they were 2 and 18 months respectively mine sprang back quite nicely, and the 2 sisters who have also gone through the process likewise. Not quite as perky as when I was 20 but I don't think anyone's are, b/f or not. My ma is nearly 70 and has great knockers. Are you able to check out your mother's?

I keep pressing Post msg before thinking. I'll write this and then shut up, I promise.

mrsb you asked me what I thought about J Myerson. Well, it seems to me that if you have a family your first loyalty is to them and so however compelled you are to tell their story - or the story of you with them - you just shouldn't do it, or at least you should be at great pains to do it under a pseudonym or in such a way that it isn't autobiographical. However good the book is I think she has unfairly exposed her teenage son and he will be labelled and judged as a result. Writers are thieves and vultures, certainly, but they are also liars, and a good combination of those traits should protect identities sufficiently .

Someone said she's the one who did that awful Living with Teenagers in the Guardian Family section - in which case she's already sold all their secrets. I hated that column - wanted to slap everyone in it!

What are your thoughts on what she's done?

ermintrude I think she's a horrid woman. Ok her son was using cannabis which in my opinion, is a no-no. However, it's not like he's done crack cocaine or even worse, become a scientologist Why couldn't she be like most other mums and dads? Freaked out, shouted a bit, ordered some form of punishment and over and done with. Not tell the whole world about it after you've thrown him out. I feel very sorry for the poor lad.

I think this just about did it for me (from the Telegraph re Living with Teenagers):

"In the Myerson saga, it emerged that Julie Myerson was the author of Living With Teenagers, an anonymous column laying bare the very intimate travails of life with three adolescent children. The column did not remain anonymous, however, and it was abruptly halted after the author's youngest son was taunted by classmates who had worked out the family association and read his mother's account of his growth of pubic hair."

What a bloody mare she must be.

Hang her. After she's been on the ducking stool.

ermintrude my mums boobs are little pimples. She's lost about 3 stone and they're there but only seen through a microscope.