Making hay while the sun shines and always adoring Beatrice.

[cupofteaplease]

I have chosen the thread title this time, because current circumstances means the sun isn't always shining for Beatrice at the moment. Indeed, she is currently in hospital in a fair amount of discomfort. However, when the sun does shine, and we have bright and clear days, we pack in as much as we can.

When we brought Beatrice home from SCBU, we had the consultant's words ringing in our ears, 'Take her home and make some memories.' I feel confident and proud that we have made a treasure trove of memories, however long Beatrice's life may be. She continues to be surrounded by so much love and adoration from her family and I feel this love has helped her to thrive.

During the difficult days, such as these, we pray hard for peace and calm, and for a quick resolution so we can take our darling girl home and make even more precious memories with our beautiful Beatrice.

As with all other threads, same rules apply , read if you want to, post if you can, but above all, please spare some positive thoughts or prayers for Beatrice.

What an amazing wonderful 1st year Bea has had, cant believe almost 1 already. The party in the barn sounds fantastic, have fun planning it all. Hope you and the girls all have a brilliant holiday x

Wow I thought she must be coming up to a year soon, I remember being pregnant when you posted about being at the hospital a few days before she was born. I remember you asked the consultant when you'd be able to go as you were expected back at work and he said you weren't going back to work! Seems so long ago now.
It's awful that she wasn't invited to that party, shame on that baby's mum! Anyway, Bea's party sounds far more enjoyable, you're a better person than I am if you're inviting that mum though!
Can't believe how well her weight is coming on now, team GB should stand for team Go Bea!

Wow! That is going to be one special birthday!

I think the change to Nutrini may also be age related as from our experience one is the time they like to put kids on it. (Didn't suit ds at all).

at chubby needing a diet - thus fantastic! I was just thinking about Bea's birthday before I came on mn - the party sounds brilliant and she will love it!

What an awful mum not inviting bea or at the very least talking to you to say that you know it might not be suitable for you but if bea wanted to come she was more than welcome! Horrible woman. I would not invite her out of spite but then you are probably much nicer than me and inviting her might actually shame her a bit! Some people are so annoying!!!

Just refound you! Can't believe the babies will be a year soon. I love your idea of a tea party (might have to copy you). Bea sounds like she's doing amazing, 6-9 month clothes! Big girl. Re the other mum not inviting Bea , her loss. I know that feeling as ds2 is SN and excluded often. I think it bothers us, the kids don't really notice.

Hope you are enjoying the sun (when it appears) and having all the girls together x

just checking in, I cant believe its almost a year!!

Same birthday as my dh!

Where do we send cards? I do think we all should - so you can oh-so-casually mention to Mean Mum that Bea received oh, 500?

Love that idea caroleservice

Great idea Carole

Can't believe it's a year!

Popping in to catch up.

Fabulous to see great plans for Bea's birthday

Much love to you all.x

Just catching up too, lovely to hear about your holiday.

A year, it's crazy how time flies. I saw a sign somewhere that said 'Motherhood, the days are long but the years are short', it's so true!

What could be more appropriate than a tea party?!

Just checking in to say Happy Birthday to Bea!

Would love to send Bea a card.

Wow! A year already?! :o

What a lovely catch up. Can't believe she is nearly 1! What a year she has had.

Been away so just caught up. Cannot believe how the year has flown by. The birthday party sounds great fun!

Hope you have/had a great holiday.

What a brilliant meeting with DrDoom & the Gen!! Isn't Bea a little gem!

The Mum who excluded Bea from her DD's party should be shot (and that's being kind). Cow. There's no way on earth I'd invite her to Bea's birthday - she didn't consider the fact that you are all part of the group, why should you? But hey, we've already established that you are a far nicer person than me

I'll be away on Bea's birthday, but I will be thinking of you all (dinosaur phone doesn't 'do' the internet! It should probably be in a museum somewhere!!). What a wonderful, wonderful milestone for our wee girl :) ONE YEAR OLD :) WOW.

I hope YOU are going to celebrate/be treated to something lovely - YOU have had a bloody hard year and you have done so so so well xxx

I wouldn't invite her but dh referred to the Bible passage where it says we should be kind to our enemies and in doing so heap burning coals on their heads.........

Great to hear you making plans for Bea

Happy Birthday to Bea!

Hope you don't mind me asking, but we're having a similar tea party birthday thing for our daughter Eleanor (great minds think alike!), she was born 2 weeks after Bea, we were on the same baby bus and I've thought about you often since and lurked on this thread. You have done so well, and the way you have coped and how you write about Bea has been wonderful.

We were going to ask for charity donations instead of presents, and wondered if there is a charity that you and Bea support, or that you'd like us to collect for? Would you mind us telling people about Bea if they ask?

That's a lovely idea Glabella - I would love to do that too. I was on your antenatal bus also and my girls arrived just a few days after bea and they certainly don't need any more toys.

Hope you're all enjoying your summer holidays.

I cannot believe the gorgeous Bea was not invited Cup. I am so excited for you to be planning Bea's first Birthday party. A tea party sounds lovely.

CupofTea You might remember that i was in Weymouth last year when Bea was born and i went into the church at West Bay and put pebbles in a bowl for Bea. The church is very close to Weymouth if you wanted to visit!!

Well we are back from our 3 night break by the sea. We almost didn't make it! Due to problems with Beatrice's NJ tube, she ended up in Oxford 5 times between last Wednesday and Saturday, and twice in our local hospital, involving 2 night stays. Unfortunately, the last stay was Saturday night, meaning we weren't able to go to the Olympic event we had tickets for. Thankfully, we got her home on Sunday and I got us all packed up for going away.

Our holiday was 'okay'. It was very hard work, I have to admit. Dh couldn't come but a friend from work came and although I was very grateful to have another adult there to sit with the buggy whilst I took the big girls to the toilet etc. it wasn't the same as a family holiday, nor was my friend able to help practically with Beatrice or the driving, so it was a tiring experience.

LottieJenkins what a shame I didn't see your message before we left, I would have loved to take a visit there!

Plans for Beatrice's first birthday have been shelved, unfortunately . The barn we wanted to use wanted £30 an hour, which is more than I can afford at the moment. We tried a local pub with a pretty function room, and they originally said yes, but a week later said they couldn't let us have the room as they'd be using it for roast dinners that day . Anyway, I haven't got the energy to sort anything else out, and dh has just informed me that he is working that weekend anyway, so I guess there won't be a celebration for Beatrice after all.

Glabella and BB3, that is so kind of you both to want to remember Beatrice in your own babies' first birthday celebrations! Beatrice doesn't have a named condition, so unfortunately there isn't a charity directly related, but I would always suggest Helen House Hospice as a very worthy place needing funding. Of course, it is close to our hearts too.

I'm feeling pretty low at the moment. No, I'm feeling very low actually. I can't see anything to get excited about at the moment. I see people around me who have great things happening in their lives. More new babies being born, another friend pregnant, another planning her first pregnancy. Others off on lovely holidays to warm places. People getting promotions at work or embarking on masters or training.

On the other hand, my life feels like it stopped still 11 months ago. I can't bear to think of the future, because it's going to be rubbish isn't it? In the short term, there are trivial things- no career prospects, I've already been 'advised' that I shouldn't take on a responsibility that's about to come up which I've been coveting for a couple of years, due to Beatrice being hard work. We can't have a proper family holiday as my dh has to work his socks off and uses all his holiday for when Beatrice is in hospital. Added to that, we have no spare moeny to pay for the travel insurance which we would need to take Beatrice away.

And then in the medium term- I'm filled with heartache whenever I think about other people having babies. I can't bear it, and I can't even make myself feel happy for them. And there are still friends and family members that will get pregnant and have babies and I don't know how I will be able to face it. I just want to bury my head and ignore them all.

And lastly, the long term. My future will not be a nice one, will it? It will be full of grief and loss and resentment.

I feel so lonely, I just want someone to hold me and tell me that it IS all shit and I'm allowed to feel like this. But people don't like to hear that do they? They want to see me all happy and smiley and just loving the fact that people gawp at my child, pity me and thank God they aren't living my life. I feel that my confidence is at rock bottom. I think I've had enough of being me and living inside my head.