Hello All

I am trying to keep up with this thread, but I think it is going to take me a while to wrap my head around it.

Thanks so much for the warm welcome. Everybody in here is so friendly

Lulu - I can totally empathise with everything you are saying. My DD breaks into my DS's room while he is sleeping and wakes him up. It was ok a few months ago when he would just go straight back to sleep, but now he is awake and he is a baby that needs to sleep when he is tired or he doesn't cope with anything!!! I also understand about the prams - I have 4 as well - 2 twin prams (an umbrella one for shopping and a 3 wheeler jogger for walking) and I have 2 singles (an umbrella and a jogger). I use my single jogger the most because I bought a baby capsule that would fit in the top before DS was born because I had a lot of problems with DD waking up when I get her in and out of the car when she was small. The capsule means that I can pack DS up while I am inside and put him down next to the car while I strap DD in and she can't run onto the road or anything. It also has rocking feet on the bottom and doubles as a rocker - best thing I every bought. DS is now 7 months and still fits in the capsule (though he is far from a small baby).

Shellbelle - Townsville is a great place to live. I love it!!!

Sarah - CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Tanstar - :hugs: It is hard that your DH has gone for the next 16 days, I struggle to survive 3 without mine. At least kids are a HUGE distractions (and a lot of work) - I hope the next 16 days goes very quickly!

I know there were a lot more posts than that and I am sorry that I have missed so many people, but there is so much going on in here!!!

Someone asked me to write a little about my kids so here goes:

My DD was born after TTC for 15 months and 2 chemical pregnancies. I had a horrible and long 41 hour OP labour, with and epidural in the 38th hour after no sleep (one day I will blog my birth story) but I did give birth naturally in the end. DD was nothing like what I expected and she NEVER slept. I ended up doing a sleep program with her at 7 weeks at IMPS here in Townsville (this is a govt run centre for parents with new babies and does everything from nutrition to sleeping to behaviour). Her sleeping improved immensly after that and we have managed to keep the technique going. When she was about 4 months old we discovered that she was losing weight and dropping weight percentiles quite rapidly as my milk had dried up and I hadn't realised So she was formula fed making it possible for me to conceive my DS when DD was only 4 months old.

I had gestational diabetes in my pregnancy with DS but managed to remain diet controlled only but I was induced at 38 weeks. He was not ready to be born. I spent 2 days in hospital having contractions that were not actually dialating - they were a reaction to the drugs for induction. I went into labour when they broke my waters (which they only managed to do because I had previously given birth) and he too was OP. The labour was far more positive an experience this time. DS is a dream baby (thus looking at having a third). We have had no sleep issues with him, he loves his sleep and he has BF really really well.

I attend a mothers' group weekly that I met when I was doing some of the courses through IMPS. We have managed to keep on meeting for about 18 months now. They are the reason that I have survived being a parent and my weekly sanity fix. There are 6 of us and all our babies are born within about 3 weeks of each other (amazingly my SIL is also in the group - she had a baby 3 weeks after me). My mother's group have done some great stuff together like girls' nights out, joint b'day party for the kids, christmas parties and been a great support through pregnancy and birth. 4 members of my mothers' group are due to have babies in the next 3 months. It is an exciting time!

Both my kids are just amazing and I am so thankful for them. I love being a mum and the new adventures that it brings each day. I am looking forward to getting to know each of you and your kids as well.

Well that was a lot of info but my story of parenthood in a nutshell. Thanks for reading (if you made it this far).