Babies born~September 2007 #57

Just a quick hello from the depths of the jungle. Internet access has been somewhat on and off and as slow as a wet week when it was on. So this is my first time on for a while.

We are settling in well over here. The girls are great. They are both sleeping well too which is a bonus! Sas had a great 1st birthday. I made a cake and a few treats with the limited grocery supplies i could access. A few local kids came over to sing happy birthday and jump on the tramp. Was a fun day.

So much has happened already, too much to tell. I am going to try and start that blog i was talking about if anyone is interested in my ramblings.

Lu is toilet trained now. But i put a nappy on her if we go on a long car trip as it is too dangerous to stop in a lot of places. She seems cool with it. I hope i don't mess things up by doing that. :dunno:

Have baked a quiche and a banana cake this morning while our house Meri (house lady) did the dishes and watched the kids! :D I am enjoying the simple life, and certainly love having help around the house.

Cyber love to you all! x Sorry to be so self absorbed, but internet time is limited atm. :redface:

Junglemum - glad it is all going so well, can't believe that Sas is one already, boy that time does fly!

MD - hope the dentist wasn't too painful!

Trill - I'm sure A will love his time at care and all the new little friends he will make.

MP - how did you go with the nurse? Hope you got some good solutions. Glad you're enjoying work, I'm a bit over mine at the moment.

I tried shopping for K on the weekend, but couldn't find anything that wasn't pink. Very frustrating. We are going to toilet train over Easter - hope it goes as well for us as it did for you Arte!! We've had occasional successes, but other times not so much. We've stocked up big on the Big W undies so it's just a matter of seeing what happens!

Great to see you Junglemum, I have been thinking about you a lot esp with the cyclones around up there - has it been really rainy there? Do you like your new house - what's it like (I'm imagining a clad-house on stilts, darwin-style) - so yeah I'd be really interested in your blog if you start one. Also interested to know what area you ended up in? Is your house meri teaching you any of the local lingo?

Cally - Oh yeah, I got one of my layby parcels home last week and opened it and whoops - major pink fest! LOL Although this year they are gorgeous fuschia/cherry sort of colours so I don't mind too much. Missy E looks fabulous in cherry red and also light blue so I'll have to hunt around a bit more.

MP- keen here to hear how it went too.

Ginger - hmmm - tricky question re the mastitis. I think you need to seperate the question of weaning from the management of mastitis otherwise you'll just feel like you made the decision out of a not-positive space. Are you getting blockages in a persistant spot? Try to rotate the position around so J's lower jaw is over the quandrant where the problem is, don't forget the hot compresses. I have even seen a mum fill a tub full of warm water and lean over and hang her boosies into it - the gravity & the warmth & the pressure of the water can help clear it. If not it might be worth seeing someone who can do some ultrasound on the breast - it can help break up a persistant problem. Other thing - get a repeat for a course of ABs and get it filled and keep it in the cupboard to start taking it the second you feel it coming on - honestly even a couple of hours can make all the difference on how bad it is before it starts getting better. :hug:

Well the dentist was easy peasy (well compared to some of the things I've had done) and she reckons it was the worst filling they will have to do out of the NINE (:o) so I'm stoked. Had a turbo clean, weird modern sand-blasting technique but not ouchy like the old style scratch & gouge. I'm loving this new technology!

Hi Jungle Mum- we miss you! i'd love to read your blog.

md- i really don't feel ready to give up bf yet. this is my last baby and it feels so forever to stop. i feel like the mastitis is forcing my hand. i'm having trouble seperating the two as i just feel so crap. the problem is stemming from a deep crack that wull not heal. the crack in itself is ok to manage, but it seems that it just keeps flaming up iykwim? and then it leads to mastitis. this is the 3rd course of abs i've been on in 2 months. i don't think an u/s would help me as it all boils down to the stupid crack iykwim? i think i'm just gonna see out this course of abs, smother the stupid thing in lanisoh and take it day-by-day. it is not a nice feeling to feel forced into weaning though as neither of us is quite ready yet. i feel like i've got another 3-4 months in me before i really start to want to wean.

another question for you all- we've been invited to a wedding on may 14 and i'm already getting stressed about it. there was no mention of bringing kids along- the couple themselves don't have kids so don't really get it iykwim?( i didn't get it before i had my own kids either btw). the wedding is a 3pm-11pm sort of thing at a winery but quite a relaxed affair with a buffet meal and home-made cake kinda thing iykwim? the thing is, i'm not ready to leave jimmy for that amount of time yet. i just don't have anyone who i feel comfortable to leave him with. he is still bf to sleep at night and can be really fussy, clingy and need to be held late at night kinda thing. he's going through massive seperation anxiety. dad is fine to have lewis...but dad is 70 yo and i just don't feel like i can leave him with the 2 kids for that amount of time yet- i just feel like j is still too high maintanence and it would be too much for dad. so do you think it's rude of us to take jimmy to the wedding? i'm thinking i can just wrap him up and bf him to sleep and pop him in the pram once it gets late, or even just wear him in the ergo but i don't want to offend people. what would you guys do?

Have you been using lanisoh on it the whole time? Sometimes keeping the crack wet like that doesn't help...so if it's not helping, try leaving it to dry out. If it is working (and the problem is you're not using it until healed) then keep at it. ETA - and maybe try to 'rest' the sore side as much as possible, feed more from the good side.

Ginger - best thing is to contact the bride/groom and ask if it's ok to bring Jimmy with you. It might mean you don't stay as long as you might have, but sometimes I think it's more acceptable to bring a younger child than an older one. That's just me ( and I have taken my breastfed DDs out to events which have excluded older children and no one has minded). But ask anyway.

Thanks for your advice md. i have not been using lanisoh the whole time, i've only just gotten onto it from advice from the dr as it was forming a scab and then getting re-opened. he reckons the lanisoh helps it to heal while wet iykwim? it seems to be making a difference. i am favouring the good side but then it is getting engorged which doesn't help the mastitis iykwim? aggggggg i'm so sick of it all. just wish it would all sort itself out and i could happily go on to bf for another few months.

i guess i will just have to ask the bride- i'm so scared she'll say no though! she did make a flippant comment a few weeks that has thrown me a bit. she sort of mentioned in conversation 'who will you get to look after the kids?' which made me think she definitely doesn't want them there. ggrrrrrr. i also am a bit of a chicken and don't like being judged about bfing a toddler. i know, i know, it's stupid...but i just don't want people thinking 'omg!' that i have to bring a bf toddler along. it is a different case to a newborn you know? i personally think it's quite unfair though to expect parents to leave kids under 2yo. i can understand the older kids thing, but jimmy is still such a baby iykwim?

OMG Ginger I just noticed your new avvie - wooweewoo! I feel like I've just taken a stroll through the garden of eden and there you are sitting on a tree trunk in your frock!! :lol:

Look, let her be judgemental. It doesn't rub off on you. And even tho J is toddling he's still a baby who relies on his mumma. Pooey to what anyone else thinks about that. It's only a wedding for crying out loud - I think people get wrapped up in a whole lot of OTT expectations when that's not even what the event is about.

ETA - re the breastfeeding - I was secretly relieved when I finally weaned Missy E - it was such hard work this time - (not helped I suppose by having a lump of BC in there) but even though I would've liked to feed much longer, I was happy that the pain etc hadn't forced my hand. It's a different kind of disappointment. Hang in there, it'll be a few more tricky days and then one day you'll think - that didn't hurt! And then you can keep at it until you're both ready to give it away. :hug:

thanks so much for listening to me MD
i spoke to dh about the wedding when he got home and he said we're definitely taking J. he doesn't feel comfortable leaving dad to bath the 2 kids on his own, especially as L gets v over excited and acts up a lot when he's at grandpa's iykwim? i have to agree, it's too much to expect of dad. so stuff it, we're taking J and that's that! L and grandpa are going to have a boys night and go to Mcdonalds for dinner and watch a dvd. it'll be great for both of them.
i'm actually having a couple of hours to myself tomorrow. i'm so excited. i'm dropping the 2 of them at dad's house in the morning and then going off for 2 hours by myself! can't wait :)

thanks for all your bf support :)

Hi girls!

great to see you Junglemama!!!! so glad that you guys are settling in nicely! and wtg on baking a cake! man, in fiji we didnt have a reliable oven so those things were always very very spesh lol. lovin' the avvy btw!!
(i too would love to read your blog!!!!)

G: i reckon you and DH made a good decision re the wedding. it's not like you expect the kids to come, you have found an option for L, but J still needs more constant mama care and they can't get too shirty with that...and if they do have kids one day they'll look back on that time and go: 'ohhhhh!' lol.

MD: wow, 9 fillings...are you selling your firstborn (wait, forget i said that...especially if you are still fuming about the 'illegal' downloading at school incident lol)?! hmmm i am also like the sound of the sandblasting cleaner thing. i really DISLIKE that whole scraping and gouge clean they do. hurts!

Cally: yeah i have been trying to buy for Leila too, but around here it is pink-ville. i remember when she was a bubba there appeared to be alot more colour range...maybe they *know* that girls this age are getting pink obsessed??

MP: how did it go with the nurse??

AFM: all good here. leila appears to be dropping her day sleeps, but that's ok as she copes alright. as long as we have some 'quiet time' it's all good. she also came down with some conjunctivitis over the weekend. finally got in to the dr and it is clearing up, but wasnt pleasant what with the 39 temp and sleepless nights. poor baby.

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MD: wow, 9 fillings...are you selling your firstborn (wait, forget i said that...especially if you are still fuming about the 'illegal' downloading at school incident lol)?! hmmm

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:rofl:
Naw, actually Kevvie's picking up the tab this time (if I ever meet him I will have to pash him). Prolly not for all the oral surgeon stuff (which is another chapter all to itself) but this bit's paid for. Chronic disease dental scheme.

ah saweet then MD. cause man, i got one filling last year and they hammered me for almost $300. not happy jan.

Clare, I saw pink writing on your ticker just as Miss A knocked the mouse to the floor and just about had a spasm trying to scroll down to see if you had announced a girl bubba! Do you have any particular hopes? How are the pets going?

MD, 9 fillings! I am putting off my imminent root canal, just getting by with a temp filling and not eating on that side because I don't want to part with the $1000 to get it done (and it isn't the most appealing thing in the world either)

Ginger, I would take J to the wedding - I don't think small bubba's are a problem even if people don't want kids there. Even if they do have an issue with it, it is too late once you rock up with him lol. Bummer about the mastitis again! MD had some good advice for you.

Cally, there isn't much variety in girls colours is there! I hope that you get an easy go with toilet training. I have come to accept our easy ride as my repayment for all the crappy sleeping/tantrums we have had - something had to be easy!

Trill, ikwym about the daycares seeming like baby zoo's. I won't leave W at the daycare we go to play at because there are always kids crying. We did go to check out the local kindy and after about three steps in the door he was gone, an hour later I was asking to leave and he was nearly in tears saying he would just stay there lol. I have enrolled him and we are on a waiting list for a place. It has a much better feel, all the kids are 3 or 4 so the gear is right for his age and the teachers are more teacherish rather than just supervisors iykwim

MP, Isadora's status was about a bleach/Oobi disaster. How are you going? How is you mum? Do you have much other family around? Did the nurse have any solutions for J?

I am so amazed at the difference between boys and girls! Miss A is already obsessed with the cat and dog - she squeals with delight if the dog gets close enough for her to touch. And if I let her pick a toy off her shelf she always goes for a cutsie stuffed toy and hugs it. Very cute.

In my defence I do brush and floss every day (just in case you were thinking I don't). The dentist thinks it's from the chemo (the gift that keeps on giving).

Ginger - yay for your Me time! Was it nice? Glad you've taken a decision about the wedding, the boys'll have a great time.Cass, yeah 300 smackers for a filling isn't pretty. So, is the pink writing a clue?

Arte - hugs on the imminent root canal. Don't leave it too long or it'll turn into bone disease in your jaw which is b-a-d. You're right about the difference between boys and girls, it really is quite noticeable. Although some girls are girlier than others - there's a continuum there I think. That kindy sounds fantastic, I hope a place comes up soon.

Sorry I have been MIA – and thanks for all the enquiries re the nurse and Jakey.
We are going quite well….in fact it is going very well and a lot better than I thought.
The nurse was excellent – I was scared of it all being about cc or something.. and to be honest I guess it is a form of that but more gentle than I pictured and so right for us now. In a nutshell we are weaning at nights now – this means he is more likely totake milk in the day and he is sleeping a lot better. I think all the onight feeding was disruptive to him – he did know how to self settle (and did all day) but never did it at night. We started mon night and it was a pretty quick result. Mon there were 2 settles, tues 2 settles and last night 1 settle. And each night he has slept til 7.30-7.45!!! (he is making me late for work!). we are lucky that there hasn’t been as much crying as I expected (I think bc he is a good self settler really). He is starting to take on a bit more solids… and yest he had half a sippy cup of milk at crèche… so it is a positive story so far…. To be honest I wasn’t so open to what she may suggest (but I was soooo desperate) but it has been better (and so much more successful) than I thought. We haven’t had a terrible terrible week at all (so far). She was thorough – also helped us rearrange his room a bit and lots of other tips – it was qwhat we needed. I have had a really rough few months – and was gwetting so sleep deprived that I was emotional and knew I wouldn’t cope for much longer esp with work etc… so this has been great for us. Anyway – early days… so lets see how the next few go…
Anyway – work is full on (I have 16 direct reports now – ekkk and a massive load of accountability) – I better go but I wanted to update you all. I will pop on and read properly and catch up on personals later (maybe at 3am when we are settling – we are both getting up for them which is great)
xxx

hi girls!

Arte: *mwah* that is so cute about Amelia loving the animals! Leila was the same...just wanted to hug and kiss all day long lol. here's hoping you dont have to wait long for the kindy spot! sounds like he is really into it.
i actually have no preference at this point for boy or girl... a girl would be cool as we have some lovely clothes still from when leila was a bubba and i would LOVE to rip those out again, but a boy would also be cool cause it would be fun to see what kind of human boy we would make lol! (and DH would love the extra rough and tumble...although Leila does give him a run for his money lol).

MP: wowsers. 16 reports would have me sweating bullets too. i just handed in a 30,000 word update on my progress and am awaiting the Big Meeting on Tuesday. silently freaking out.

MD: hmmmm...maybe the pink is a vibe?!!! omg lol! we get to find out on the 12th of april...cant wait!!!

AFM: all good here. teeth are a bit sore with the readjustment blues of the braces. but this too shall pass...
Leila is also recovering from the conjunctivitis and sleeping much better, so that is a relief. she was sooo stoked to be back at kindy today. she just took off into the sunset (so to speak) and didnt look back. i was standing there like a nincompoop going: 'bye leila, BYEEEEEE!' ha ha ha!

Cass - I know the feeling of saying good bye to someone who is far too involved in what they are doing. Especially happens for us on days when her BFF (Tyler) is at school. He came running across with a dinosaur one day this week and they were roaring at each other around the room. Very cute.

MP - so glad that things are working out for you and that you were happy with what the nurse suggested. Good on J for adjusting quickly to the new routines.

DH has gone out for the evening (primary school reunion) and I tried to watch Big Love but it froze on me. Very frustrating.

Arte - hopefully you get W into the kindy soon, sounds like he would have a ball there. Are the tantrums a lot better now? Thanks for the wishes re TT, I figure we will have a reasonably quiet weekend at home (close to the potty) and just see how we go.

Isa - oh dear, bleach and oobi does not sound good!

Cricket grand final tomorrow. YAY!!

Hi everyone! I've been bad and not been posting again, but it's been hectic and I'm feeling pretty drained being a support for Mum because things aren't good and I have just had enough time to pop in and do a few quick posts but not much else sorry :(

A had his first day at cc today and he was so sad when I left :( he knew what was going to happen I think, because he wouldn't let them take his lunchbox and drink bottle and put them in the fridge, he kept hanging onto them and he'd go off for a walk and then turn to see if I was still there. he was so unsure of himself. Then I had to go and one of the staff took him and I said I have to go now but I'll be back soon and he started saying 'my come too' and I had to get out of there quick before I started blubbering and I could hear him starting to cry. They said they would call me if he was too distressed and I was only across the road at the school but they never called so I figured that he settled down so once I finished at the school I thought I would duck down the street quickly and see our Solicitor to try and get a will sorted for Mum's DP and then I came back to get him and he didn't realise I was there so I watched him as they read a story to the kids and he seemed fine. And then he saw me LOL. He shouted MUM! and then he took off like a dog shot in the bum and got his lunch box, drink bottle and then tried to get the nappy bag ROFL. They said he settled OK, was still a bit unsure though but played OK on his own. I think he couldn't wait to get out of there LOL. I was happier once I realised that he had been OK though. So I think I might use it every second week just to get him used to it, otherwise I am going to need to use it for a few days at a time when I start prac and he wont like it and it will make it harder kwim?

On the TT front though, we still are so not ready! He will tell me when he has done a 1 or a 2 (or like yesterday when it was a #3! Blergh!) but he wont wear jocks again. I think he will be like L was so I'm not fussed. Once L decided to TT he was day and night trained in 3 wks so I wont complain if A is like that too. But I have started taking him to the loo at bathtime before he gets in to get him used to it. I asked him the other night if he needed to go to the toilet and he said 'no, my do it in the bath'!!!! Only a boy would do that! :rofl: Then tonight at bathtime and we are standing at the toilet, me behind him with my knee pushing his bum forward so old percy actually reaches over the bowl ;) and he's trying to hang onto it and he gets it and points it up at him and I said 'dude! percy points DOWN!' That is the last thing I need to be cleaning up ROFL.

hi everyone!
trill we are also not ready for tt - are we getting to the late stage???? N wears undies sometimes at kindy but he seems scared to sit on the toilet... they say he asks to wear them and he will sit on there at kindy but no action yet... i guess its a case of wait and see, i am not too worried about it, and to be honest with all the chg he has ha di guess i would be expecting it to be a while yet...
how are the teeth MD?
oooh oobi and bleach sounds terrible!
afm all is well. we had a sleep through from J on fri night! i was stoked. last night not so good but not as bad as we had had previously so things are def a lot better. its amazing how much better i feel now we are a bit more in control and i have had a little more sleep! he is having a 2 hr nap at the moment... in fact i have just missed a party to welcome my friends dd as he slept the whole bloody time! LOL!
it ios passover tomorrow - i am hosting at our place tomorrow night - 22 people. luckily i have roped in ppl to help with the cooking and we have hired someone to help us on the night. should be good but yes i am a nutter!
had a little shjopping spree for N winter clothes yest. i got quite abit of stuff at the new mothercare store (in chadstone) - they have lovely things - mix of basics and really spec stuff.

MP, nah its fine, not late at all. L was 2yrs 11mths and completely out of nappies within that month. And even then it was because I really pushed him because I was pg with P and really didn't fancy having 3 in nappies. I know a lot of kids were were older than that before they started and a lot that were heaps younger. I think this is truly the one time where they cannot put a *date* on when it should happen. Like with my girls, they were TT at 2 but it was a lot longer before they were out of nappies completely, closer to 2.5 and there were a lot of accidents too.

That is really good news that you feel more in control of things and that he is sleeping better :hug:

ohhhh mp i am dying to go to mothercare. tell me more about it!
we used to have heaps of their clothes sent over from relos in uk when we were little and they had some beautiful stuff

Hi girls!

Sherie: i had to giggle at As 'creative' wee position LOL! i can just imagine the special cleaning that would take LOL! nothing like mopping the roof ROFL!

i'm sorry to hear that things with your Mum are going haywire again. i hope that the will stuff will be sorted soon for you all xx

sounds as though A will settle in quite nicely at his CC. you might find that it takes a bit if he only goes once a fortnight, as he wont be able to fit in as quickly, but once he starts going a bit more often he should be right as rain IYKWIM.

MP: 22 people. you are mad lol! at least you will have some people helping with the cooking and serving...big weight off your shoulders considering what it could of been. man, i can barely organise an easter egg hunt in my own backyard for the kids LOL!

Ginger: i havent even heard of mothercraft! i thought that it was a subject they used to teach girls at highschool in the 60s :)

Cally: yeah, we find Leila's best days at kindy are when her bestie is there. they are so cute, when one of them arrives the other runs up and they give eachother big cuddles and toddle off hand in hand *mwah*

AFM: all good here again. had a lovely whole day out yesterday visiting friends and today we went to this warehouse full of easter eggs...so bought up big on the ol lindt and bunny rabbits for leila. will go to haighs during the week for a bilby too.

MP - glad to hear you've had some good results and things are getting much better. Long term sleep deprivation is the pits. I hope your passover do goes off fantastically well. I can imagine you are the hostess with the mostess :)!

Arte - wondering how things are with you?

Cass - do not freak out re your meeting. Remember they are only academics - just like real people but with more bookshelves & bigger optometrist bills :lol: Anyway I know enough about you to know you will have knocked the pants off it.

CAlly - that is so cute the K has a little CC friend. Missy E has too - FDC's DD - they clicked straight away, but also helped because she's there more days than anyone else LOL. It's great watching them play together, they're really on the same wavelength - except here it's all girly stuff like prams and dressups and cooking and less on the dinosaurs LOL.

Trill - big hugs - I'm sure you're support for your mum & partner is deeply appreciated - just try to remember to keep a little bit of energy for yourself ok? I LOL'd at Percy points down! Though the girls can be pretty directional when they wiggle around on the dunny too LOL.

Speaking of which we have launched head first into TTing (prematurely, I think it would've been better to wait another month or two) at DH's behest. He's got a few days off over Easter and thought we might as well get cracking on it. TBH I'm not 100% convinced we will succeed, but we'll give it a go and if the m&m bribes don't work, we will back off for a bit. I'm totally exhausted after a weekend of "helping" DD with her term-long school project(s) - tho I managed to get out long enough to wander around in Big W sucking on a cappy in peace and quiet for an hour. I hope we, I mean she, gets a good mark for it :wall:. I expect next term she'll start in week 3 when it's handed out. In the meantime I'm feeling like a ****ty mother for the amount of ranting that occurred.

Hey hey MD PARTAY!!! :dance:

Had a great day today with Missy E at home because another parent needed our CC space more this week. But we popped in to visit (Tues is toddler day, 4 little girls all around same age) and took Easter treats - arrowroot biscuits iced & decorated to look like Easter eggs - Big Hit - in case any of you are looking for inspiration - and better IMO than just 'more' chocolate. DD helped me make them - not as nice of course as my home-baked honey cookies - but an alright shortcut.

Also, have left off the TTing - Missy E was starting to get stressed about it & it just ain't worth it.

hi md :) easter biccies sound great. we are giving TT a bit of a miss here atm too. i keep asking him if he wants to wear undies and he keeps just grabbing a nappy and trying to put it on himself!

MotherCARE ladies Mothercare :)

L is having a big day out tomorrow with grandpa- they're going to the movies to see the Dragon movie and J and i are meeting up with a gf for coffee.
we went to a family fun day at a garden up the road fron us today and L got to pat a baby possum, an owl, a snake and a crocodile! then on the way home we saw a wild deer on the side of the road. L absolutely loved it!

Hi everyone.

Went down to visit family over the weekend. All good, but not enough time to people for as long as I would like. My best friend came up and I got to spend all day with him which was great. We went to the beach with my cousins and their kids, it is cool that we have a group of next gen bubba's now.

I can't recommend enough waiting until TT is child-initiated. It has now been two weeks since W decided no more nappies and he is going so well. He wears a pull-ups at night and they are dry about half the time. He even managed to go the whole 4 days of travelling/out and about with only one accident. I am so proud of him.

Howdy girls!

MD: hmm the arrowroot idea is something that i *think* even i can handle LOL! oh and as for the ranting and raving...can i just say that it totally reminds me of the dynamic that i had with my mum...yes, i was a nerd that loved nothing more than forgetting about things to the last minute and my mum was the librarian that had it all under control...she told me that libraries are real places too LOL! (and if it's any consolation, i did turn out aok...albeit having allergic reactions to libraries while at school - my mum actually worked in the one at school...embarrassment PLUS for any 14 yr old lol, but once i hit uni it was all systems go and never looked back!).

Arte: ahh a day at the beach sounds just perfect right now. and how awesome is W with the TT. i'll so take his lead and let leila find the way...with some guidance (i guess?).

G: how does L go at the movies? i really wanna take leila but am wondering if it will just be stress town as she jumps all over the place??

AFM: well the meeting is OVER! they apparently changed the time to an hour before hand and tried to make out that i was disorganised, until i whipped out my email and proved to them that they had, in fact, failed to inform me of the time change. they sooooo had to eat their words LOL! after that they were quite nice and told me that i have a thesis!! so great to hear those words. basically i have to knock one chapter around with a battering ram and do the general edit and i should be home and hosed for a mid August end date! :dance: pressure is on, but i knew that once i got the BFP. but it wont be bad to finish with a PhD and two babies in 3.5 years!! so glad that meeting is over though. i really cannot stand that kind of top heavy environment.

yay - well done clare... i knew you would ace it but also how much stress and hard work has gone in. wow what an achievement filled 3.5 yrs - thats phenomenal! hope the last stretch is a smooth ride... xxx

Clare - well done on having that email printed off and ready to wave in their faces!!

Well I am rethinking TT now. We've sort of mentioned it a few times lately and got lots of negatives from Miss K. Must admit I throught more of the little ones were TT'ed and I'm getting a bit of pressure from family members about her still being nappies which is why I thought about doing it. Might just have to eat that bag of incentive smarties all by myself!!

Hope everyone is well.

Hi girls
It's quiet in here.... hope everyone is having a fun Good Friday! i am glad to have a few days off... hope i get some rest, i am soooo tired. wondering if i have bitten off more than i can chew atm but think a few days when hopefully i can get life a bit in order will help.
Poor little J is having a rough time. he was badly constipated - interest in solids has sky rocketed (not like N was but having more) and think that's been causing probs.. anyway think we got over that yest and then in th enight he started screaming and obv had a v sore throat. called the locum servicve who came out to see him this morning and he has a throat infection and sore ears (but not ear infection) so we got him some anti bis... so i guess the weekend will be full of R&R for the little man. i forgot how hard it is when one issue cascades into another....
I have taken N to one movie - it was the wiggles concert on the big screen. he loved that but i am not sure how he would go with a movie with a plot to follow etc...

Hi lovelies sorry I haven't been around much. Has been a very busy month. Both kids have been sick (along with DH) as well as a trip to Sydney and trying to work as much as I can. I think about you all often though and jump on and read when I can.
Will try my hardest to catch up more later, just wanted to quickly say hi.

hi guys!

hope everyone is enjoying the extra long weekend and are up to lots of fun things!

Oz: how did the trip to syd go? lots of fun i hope!

MP: oh poor J. that does sound like a bit of a rotten time for him. hopefully the ABs will kick in soon enough.

AFM: all ok here. very tired. leila is tired too but too excited as we have friends coming over for dinner and DH mentioned it and now she is scared to miss out :wall: so now i am stuck with overtired 2 year old and a DH at soccer...grrrr....and guess who has to do the groceries??!

not happy jan! (ok, that's enough boo hoo for me LOL!).

i am looking forward to tomorrow and the easter eggs! have prepared Leila a lovely little basket and cant wait to see her face when she sees it!

Clare, don't procrastinate girly - a mid august finish date is cutting it close! Don't want to be contracting during your final meeting! A PhD and 2 bubs in 3.5 years is quite an achievement.

MP, I seem to remember you asking if you had bitten off more than you could chew about this time two years ago just after you went back to work after N. Give it a bit of time, I am sure you will find your fantastic groove soon. Hope J is feeling better soon.

Not much going on here. A has started mummmm mummming which is adorable. W is sleeping though the night more than half the time now which is great (just in time for A to start teething lol)

Oh, oh, I won the March photo comp!

I guess everyone else actually has something to do over easter...

Cally, we had an ongoing bribe system for TT - every couple of days we would say if he did his business on the potty he would get a Freddo. When he actually used the potty, the first words out of his mouth were "I can have a Freddo for that". So although he didn't take the offer, he knew it was there when he was ready.

Looks like we are taking an unplanned shopping trip since the fridge has decided to pack up. The freezer is filled with ice and the fridge is barely colder than the house.

I can't believe how contrary W has been lately! Everything is opposite to what we say. The other night he wouldn't even accept it was night - looked out the window into the darkness and proclaimed it was day! Can't wait for the teen years lol.

I keep thinking about the BB lady who took her own life. So so sad :(

Just popping in quickly to say Hoppy Easter to everyone (while it still is). Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend, we had a flying visit from my nephew today who lives in QLD, so been out all day. DDs have had loads of fun with egg hunts & playing with their cousins...few minor ownership scuffles over chocolate through LOL.

Arte, congrats on your photo win! :dance: Bummer about your fridge...you should ask around in case someone has a spare you can borrow for a few days so you don't need to be too hasty with your fridge buying decision.

hi girls!

Arte: trust me. nothing exciting happening here lol. Leila is sorta a bit like W on the opposites thing: i tell her it is early/late/night/day and she quips out the opposite in defiance. i *kinda* love it LOL!

and WOW on the photo babe! it is just beautiful! it appears we have budding photographers in our group!!

I was also really taken aback from reading that news. brings it close to home really doesnt it.

I've been here, but just had loads on my mind plus a piddly head cold/sinusitis so can't think straight which is making it super hard to get the assignment finished that is due tomorrow.

Easter was OK, but a bit ****ty. I spent all last week getting Mum's DP's will organised for him - thankfully our Solicitor was happy for me to go in with a list of his intentions and he did up a will that I was able to take out to him to sign because he's been bedridden since his chemo treatment 3 weeks prior. I got him to sign it on Wednesday, which was the day he had to go for his next round, so I knew he would be lucid (the 50mg of oxycontin twice a day has kept him pretty stoned!) and its a good thing I did because he was admitted to hospital that day and they couldn't go ahead with his chemo because his left kidney has failed, he was severely dehydrated and his bloods didn't look great. So if he has improved after the next lot of bloods tomorrow then he might be able to have the chemo, but if his oncologist isn't happy with the results, then this is the end of it :( no more can be done for him. I honestly don't think that it is worth him having it anyway. The chemo isn't going to cure him, only prolong his life but his quality of life is so bad atm who would want it to last longer kwim? Mum is run rugged to the point where her sugar is way up again (20!) and she is over it - not him, but over all the calls from his older kids, his first wife (Don't even ask about that LOL) and every other tom **** and harry who just want the gossip but can't be stuffed actually visiting. She is trying to organise a carer's pension because she has givin up work again and his medical cert runs out at the end of next month so I have been trying to take some of the burden off her, going over and sitting with him so she could go into town and get paperwork sorted out etc. As much as i don't want this to end for obvious reasons, I wish it would hurry up and be over kwim? Mum is at the point where she can't look after him properly with him being completely bedridden, so she would prefer he stay in hospital for longer so she can get herself sorted out but he wants to come home. Not only that she has had all 4 of his sisters staying with her, plus my sister and niece, so the house is just bedlam. We had planned that because he was in hospital that Mum would stay home easter saturday and his sisters would spend the day with him in hospital, but 10 minutes before I got there she had to go to the hospital because he wanted her there and she didn't get back till nearly 6pm, which I can understand, but at the same time I am being the petulant child and having a sulk about it because the kids are missing out on seeing her because of it kwim? I can't say anything to Mum because she feels bad enough as it is :( So everything is just crap atm.

Sorry to have to lay it all on you guys :hug: but i think DH is sick of me talking about it

Huge hugs Trill!! :hug::hug::hug:

Trill please know I am thinking of you and your family. Caring for someone and supporting someone who is caring for someone at the end of their life is an enormously stressful and draining thing to do. I'm sorry your kids are missing out at this time, sounds like everyone is stretched thin. :hug: Well done getting the will sorted out...I hope your mum can cut thru the red tape to get the Centrelink stuff organised too.

I feel so sad. There is tragedy everywhere I look at the moment. Hold your lovelies close everyone. :grouphug:

Hope everyone had a good Easter.

Trill - sounds like things are a bit difficult for you at the moment, thinking of you.

We had a good weekend. Caught up with family and friends, but not too busy we didn't have time to go for bike rides and visit the beach.

I think we're having semi success with TT. She doesn't want to wear undies half the time so I'm not pushing it, but when she did wear them there were no accidents. Even a few times when she had a nappy on and she told me there were wees coming and went running off to the potty, so pleased with that.

Arte - good luck with your new fridge purchase.

MD, thanks for the suggestion of asking around to borrow a fridge, but remember that I am a lonely loser and there is only one person that I even know well enough to ask here. We shopped online anyway, but buying an appliance because you have to is way more of a chore than buying a toy that you actually want.

Cally, sounds like TT is off to a good start.

Trill, thinking of you :grouphug:

There is so much sadness on BB atm :cry: