40 + Mums and Mums to be - Bellies, Tellis, Vomit and Poo

[Tee2072]

Here's another one!

Come on by if your 40 + and are pregnant, almost pregnant, just pregnant or even just want some virtual cake!!!

ooh congrats hedgeig

yeah jw I have lived in some dumps - some would give Shameless a run for its money - a case of having to.

Right. I discovered the other day that York has a White Stuff shop so I'm off out for a gander...

JW living in skanky houses used to be an accepted part of studenthood. I don't want my DC to battle with bedbugs and rats - and poor Mrsb coping with all that and a baby! - but I do think a bit of basic - not disgusting, but unluxurious - living is - umm - character- forming, in a Dunkirk spirit sort of way. Living in Toxteth was an education in itself and we were never in danger as a result, but we did see the effects of poverty and neglect first-hand which has always stayed with me.

We threatened to take our landlord to the Fair Rent tribunal because he was charging us all of £17.50 p/w each, and he came round to negotiate before it got to the tribunal. My housemates ran away and left me to do it! I got it down to £10 a week and we were ecstatic. Nowadays the trouble is you have to live in a dump AND pay through the nose, which just isn't on. We also bought clothes from Oxfam or made them, cooked meals to save money, knew how to make £5 last a very long time, had no laptops, cars or mobiles and no student loans around our necks - happy days! Now students look like everyone else and budgetary reality doesn't bite until they're laden with debt. It's a worry

JJ my DH has remembered the immense breastfeeding norks - hurrah! - but then also remembered that I couldn't bear to let anyone near them except the baby - boo!

Congrats to aunty hedgepig, how lovely.

Congrats hedgepig!!

HUZZah!!! Hedgepig.......Whoops, sorry, AUNTY hedgepig

Ah, I wondered if the bombers were near you jw! We can beat 3 miles....the last lot (the ones currently on trial for the plot to blow up atlantic flights) were from four roads away - and they all went to the mosque at the end of our road!

Gawd, I lived in some hovels too. Worst was the semi-squat behind Camberwell College of Art....just on the edge of the Peckham North Estate. One night, while watching our tiny telly, perched on a box (we were on bean bags) two guys burst in through the door, looked around and said "this place is sit....have you got any money?" We said "no" - they took one look at our telly and the flat and said "Fck" and with that - they left Scary AND funny. Then there was Brixton, a few years after the riots - it was still manky. A bloke across from us on the notorious Coldharbour lane shot an air pistol through my bedroom window while I was getting dressing - it shot past me and smashed my mirror; the front window shattered. Called the police - and it wasn't an air riffle - it was a proper bullet - from a proper gun. Road cordoned off and we left that night

Sorry about the nork confusion mrsB

student days hey ermintrude those were the days. £5 did go a long way, I was in woolwich/plumstead area which was a big change from rural Shropshire.
just got another text from my bro 9lb 13oz no name yet

Eeh I know, nostalgia ain't what it used to be. Am beginning to feel like my old dad and his 'We could have pint in the 10 pubs down the Smithdown Rd, take the ferry across to Birkehead, have a few more pints and a ha'port of chips, and hide under the seats on the ferry back to avoid paying the fare, and still have change from five bob'. Medical students, they're the worst.

JJ my sis and her family have a lovely flat on Coldharbour Lane.

Hedge 9lb 13oz! Respect to your sister that's a whopper for a first

9lb 13oz!! Good on your SIL hedgepig!

hedgepig congrats on being an auntie!

winces @ 9lb 13oz Excellent news Aunty Hedgepig

I'm loving the trips down shit memory lane on here. It's really got you all taking a small wander down it hasn't it?

Nothing wrong with a bit of roughing it but kids these days don't know what that is. They've never had to as we [their parents] have pretty much kept them in the lap of luxury. World is a different place now. And on that note of speaking like I'm 90..............

K has done nothing but screach all evening. Not crying, not unhappy but liking the sound of her own voice. Finally found her lungs.

JJ great that you were part of an attempted robbery and they realised you had nowt to rob Compliment or insult?

The terrorists are far too close at 3 miles or so away. Wouldn't feel comfortable 4 streets away. OOOOh no sirree. flicks through local estate agents web site

Congratulations aunty hedgepig But wow!! 9lb 13oz for a first ouuuuch!! (hope your SIL's not 5ft 2 like me!!)

jw - I feel like an awful parent now (well, maybe not)as I've left DD to sort herself out as she's 4 hrs drive away in Leeds(admittedly it's been very hard when I hear about the mice, gunshots through windows, bogus maintenance men wielding monkey wrenches when not allowed access and her male housemates leaving the front door unlocked all night!!! ) she's moving back in with all her original halls mates this year so will be in an all girl house thankfully (I think??)

Oh Lordy - that's a big 'un hedgepig ...aww, keep us posted on the name

Ahh, jw good to hear that K is doing the singing/shrieking thing....I can send earplugs BTW What was the flat like?

ermintrude I know - parts of Coldharbour lane are positively 'des res' these days. I moved here three years ago from the also once infamous Railton Road (adjacent to Coldharbour) where my flat was snapped up by an architect; he wouldn't have been seen as roadkill there a decade before!!

The girls have only just gone to bed. Iris has been attempting to put together sentences and all that comes out sounds like "yes, yes, NO, I don't want that" but we know that's not what she's trying to say!! Verity is in a clapping and waving frenzy - just all arms flying about the place.

Wow Aunty Hedgepig that is one big nephew you have . Congratulations to you and all the family

JW want a list of estate agents in this area?

Play date was lovely...the mums due in May and June were whinging about how tired they were but watching all the boys playing together was a real treat ... A is tiny very light in comparison to the rest of them however ...we can only hope that my aunt is correct in recollecting that my Dad was only tiny until he was 6 or 7 and that A will suddenly have a growth spurt like he did.(he was 6ft 4")

Oh FGS!! - so, after thinking I'd got DS1 sorted by removing the loo roll so he didn't flood the place - I've just discovered he's been wiping his bum on the handtowel from the sink, despite yelling for me or DH to wipe him after a poo!!!!! grrrr.

On the upside though,I managed to make Marslady's lemon drizzle cake into an egg/wheat/dairy free delight yesterday. Result!!! (pauses to shine new halo over cake making skills that has hitherto been conspicuously absent )

floria they all (mostly) really do even out in the end. As your aunt says, around that 7 year old growth spurt. DSS was tiny in his class (he's a prem 29 weeker). Right up until last school year and now he's towering over some of them. He's gone into 10 year old clothing (he was 9 feb just gone) and seems to be all leg, arms and big teeth! He's growing into himself A will catch up. K is going to be tiny too until she catches up in a few years I must say, A is completely adorable so you have no worries. What he lacks in size he more than makes up for in charm.

I'm also working on DH for our maybe move in 2 years to your neck of the woods. So far I've put a very good case in my defense and all is going well. I'll keep you informed

JJ why do they do that shrieking? What's it for? What does it mean - if anything? She also waves. Well, more accurately smacks things. She bangs her hand down on the table when she's in her high chair. I keep expecting her to shout out 'right, I'll have the steak. Make it rare!' She also bangs her feet down really hard when I'm changing her....and changing her these days is really tricky now she can roll over. Like putting a nappy on a ferret.

Funny re Iris and her sentences. She reminds me of the man in the vicar of dibley (no, no, no, yes)

Didn't see the flat due to cross wires and breakdown in communication by estate agent. We're booked to view at 11am tomorrow after speaking directly to the landlady. It looks as though we might be killing two birds with one stone as I think DS#1 may be moving in with DD#1. Helps with rent/bills and he has somewhere nice to live whilst his g/f is making up her mind about what she's doing housewise. Don't get me started!

iris that is (snigger, cough, splutter, hahahahahahaha) not funny at all ! Have you all been wiping your hands on said towel too (lol)?

JJ I think Brixton is going to take a while to become completely gentrified . My sis is in a recently done-up flat on 2 floors, all sand-blasted and lovely, but the road outside is still Coldharbour Lane. They cycle everywhere to avoid the tube station but it was v exciting for my mum to erm breathe in the exotic local scene when she visited. God knows what she'd have bought if another sister hadn't been there to steer her away.

Iris poo-towel, yuk! Don't know whether that's better or worse than the little collection of bogey we discovered DS had been wiping near the sink. At least you won't have to redecorate. DD was never so disgusting; is it just boys?
And don't feel guilty about leaving your DD to her scuzzy accommodation - my 20yr old self would have been mortified if my mum had got involved; I'd put up with an awful lot to be independent. Depends on the personality of the child and the circumstances. But yes, living with girls will almost certainly be better for her in terms of basic hygiene.

Floria my DD was born bang on the 50th centile and stayed there until she was about 7, at which point all her friends overtook her and now at 10 she refers to herself as a midget. Her mates are Amazonian, with bigger shoe sizes than mine while she's little and has been shoe size 1.5 for a year. So as JW says, birth weight and prematurity don't tell the whole story. I'm hoping she pushes up to be a bit taller than me but her maternal grandmother is only 5'1" and my mum is 5'3" so it won't necessarily happen...

JW I hope your DS1 has good toilet habits, otherwise his sister won't be v pleased about her new flatmate . And hope the flat passes muster.

ermintrude DS#1 has been living with his g/f for the past 6 months. I've seen my darling slob of a son turn into a cooking/cleaning/chauffeuring domestic god. If I didn't know better I'd swear he was gay. I think his sister will have a good housemate.

Lovely bogie-fied sink It's def a male habit.

I don't know Brixton at all, never having been there but my mental image over the years has not been a very nice one.

Thanks for the congratulations, I have been grinning all afternoon. It is indeed a large baby I haven't managed to speak to my brother yet so I don't know how it all went but apparently he didn't faint which is pretty impressive for him

We have finally (almost) packed, off to Norfolk tomorrow for a week hurrah. No internet so don't chat too much or I will never catch up

Good luck Ladymac waves and positive vibes coming your way.

JW what's your DS's g/f doing, letting slip a well-trained domestic god?! He sounds like a catch; I hope she's not going to break his heart.

ermintrude I suspect she will probably break his heart at some point. He's dead set on finishing his degree (they met at uni). In the meantime she's left her degree, gone back to do another course, left that, talking about Australia next year, now the latest is going back to uni (again). I'm just glad that DS doesn't have as many flights of fancy. He's glad with a day out to Alton Towers. I think that he'll praps be better off living with DD until his degree finishes. Plus, they'll both be up the road from me so it'll be like the old days; come round to see me but actually they just make small talk while they have a look what is in the fridge Ah cupboard love.

Have a good holiday hedgepig. You've prolly left already.

Yes, is there any ladymac news today?

Picking DS#2 up this morning and off to get DD#1 for flat viewing at 11am. Hopefully it'll be as good as it looks on paper and she'll be sorted out before the end of the day. Will report in later.

Saw this article on my trip around the net today. This was no surprise. I think every couple goes through a 'period of readjustment' just after a baby. Thought it was just me

mornin all

jw hope the flat turns out ok!

woken this morning at 6am by D puking in his bed. He has puked several times since so its a fair bet the anticipated D and V bug has struck. Any ideas ladies on how to get him to drink water as he always refuses it?

sigh

Morning all.

Just woke up after a fab night's sleep! About time.

JW I do love how that article says it will happen and then back pedals and says 'but really, don't worry, not all happiness is the same!' Gee, thanks Daily Mail.

Oh no mrsb! Can you put anything into the water to make it taste better, like a bit of lemon? Or is that a big no no at his age? I hope the little guy feels better soon.

I saw that article too, not that it was saying anything I didn't already know.

I think a lot of it is down to tiredness - which is why rich people are less affected as they can afford to get other people to to the dirty work!

It amazes me when people decide to have a baby in order to try to fix a failing relationship - its much more likely to have completely the opposite effect!

Ah yes mrsb the band aid baby theory never struck me as working long term. Like you say, if anything, a baby will drive you apart.

Rather than try and give D water, what about the little bottles that Heinz/C&G do of fruit juices? K loves the pear juice. Actually, thinking about it, these might be better for him as they'll have natural fruit sugars in them and keep his electrolytes up. Alternatively do you have any sachets of Dioralyte in? These come in fruit flavours now for LO's. Not sure what age they can be taken at but I'm sure that D is old enough. Not sure if you can still only get Dioralyte from the chemist or it's now over the counter. Prolly tell you on the Boots website.

Really sorry to hear that the little man is being sick. Prolly come from nursery (?) Hopefully it'll be a 24 hour jobby and then he'll be back on his feet, if not before.