God but I miss you guys so much. I'm with Di, remembering the days when we could chat online for ages but still I wouldn't trade my little Bridie for all the tea in China. What does that even mean?, I know they drink tea in China and all and there are quite a few of them over there but isn't most of the tea grown in sri lanka and India?... shouldn't it be all the tea in Cylon? ... as you may have guessed I am suffering from some form of temporary insanity due to complete and utter exhaustion.

OK... boy do i have some things to remember to chat about:

Misty - congrats on DH's job, and the move back home. It will be great for you all to be back home with your family and jelly can grow up with her cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents much closer. Hope all goes well with the move, especially seeing as DH is in charge of the packing (and unsuppervised at that).

Tam - Ditto to what Di said.... you are an inspiration, believe or not but when I get to the point where I sit on the back step just to be away from the little screecher I think of you and Clare managing so well with 2 that It is just what I need to pick me up and realise I can do it for my 1. You just spend as much time with your pidgeon pair as you can and pop in occassionally to give us updates... we understand.

Jillian - Your birthday was remembered... I remember looking at the clock at 12:32am and wanting to cry because it was 18/1/06 but the first thought I had was "Hey its Jillian's birthday" and it made me feel heaps better.... also Kobi made her big entrance for your birthday too... so both the werribee girls made sure you were thought of... Bridie came a week early and Kobi hung out and waited just for you. I have 3 pairs of mittens which I use all the time because as soon as Bridie gets tired she claws her face so unless I wanted a child who looked like edward scissor hands I had to glove her.

Lisa - Wish i could afford to go back to gym but I am settling for walking atm... and when the doctor tells me its ok I'm planning on hitting the pool for laps. There is a physio in Point Cook that lets you hire hug-a-bubs for a week to see how you like them as some people don't. I can't remember which one but Rayray knows so I'll ask her and forward the info. I have a carrier like the baby bjiorn ones (but cheaper) as P & I go bushwalking and we thought it would be good. Its fantastic as we Bridie is being wingie or when I'm doing the shoppping I just chuck her in... its great and he only way I get any housework done sometimes.

Laura - I'm doing first time mum's group, mine starts 22nd of Feb. I'm excited also, mainly because I am getting a bit sick of not having adult conversations. I love reading your little updates as you seem so incredible happy (not that I'm not, I'm more in love than I have ever been in my life) and so in control (definately not that at my end). Hope things are going well now DH is back at work. I am all ready to do the origami cloth nappy thing but have to wait until Bridie gets the all clear on her hips (see below) according to the doctor. Oh and the lactation consultant told me that cabbage was ok but only if you had eaten it regularily during the later stages of pg. Bridies bad wind thing is chocolate, have to avoid it like the plague.

Di - It sucks that we both had crummy pg (healthwise) and then dramas post birth, although yours seem so much worse than mine. I am glad little (well getting bigger by the day) Brodie is doing so well after his rocky start... I think you are right to expect a tall boy and he is certainly going to be a tough nut as he has already had a few little battles to overcome and done so.

Teena - happy belated birthday.... IL can be such bunions on our lives.

OK - I'm another one who will fall asleep while feeding.
Things I said I wouldn't do and have:
1. Sleep the baby in bed with me... not all the time but there have been a few occassions.
2. Use a dummy... after 2 weeks of having her latch off then re-latch with just the tip of the nipple in so she couls suck without actually getting milk and having aweful cracked nipples I relented, tried a dummy and now I have no pain and she is settling and sleeping more. We only use the dummy at bed/nap times or to try and calm her when she is having a tantrum.. and believe me she has those.
3. Pick my baby up every time she cries... yeah sure, I can let her go fr 5-7mins but then if I don't pick her up for cuddles I end up crying myself.

What other news do I have.... Oh the pooing on mummy thing... only time we have had an accident was once in the bath... we have a big bath together at least once a week and showers at least twice a week... well when we were just about to get out of the bath she let a huge poo go dyed the whole bath yellow and then had to both have a shower.

The health centre nurse wants to test Bridies hearing as she thinks there is a problem, I think she is fine just doesn't want to look at things that don't interest her. Also will need an ultrasound on her hips at 6-8w as they are both definately clicking but not all the time?!!!.... most likely she has hypermobility like me and not hip dysplacia as it isn't all the time but the physio at the hospital asked me not to put her in cloth napies until after she is checked as if they aren't folded the right way then they can actually do damage if there is a problem.

Have had to have my hips re-set again and have had a few bad uti's but my kidneys are still doing really well.

Bridie's latest is she lives on a 3 day cycle... day one is whinging and grizzling all day with only very small sleeps (like Saturday where she was awake for 17 hours with 10min naps every 2 hours and only wanted to be cuddled)...3 hour screaming fits.. Day 2 is 1.5hr sleeps with a feed and an hour of lying in her bouncer before she sleeps and then day 3 is 4 hour+ sleeps with a feed, quick cuddle then back to sleep... Last night she slept for 9 hours.. it was great after the weekends episodes.

ok have to go... grandad is walking the house with princess grizzle guts and his back can't take much more... time to go home, hopefully get some housework done today. yeah like I care...

PS... sign me up for aother one... as horrible as it is some days I am absolutely loving every minute of it... even the scarey dark ones.