Baby Born ~ September 2007 # 73

Hi girls just your slack buddy checking in. It's been the usual craziness for me but I am on annual leave. Tomorrow I fly to meet dh in Phuket for a week of child free luxury. I can't believe it. Can't wait but nervous re leaving the boys. It's our 10 ye anniversary.

All is well - have been having a pretty rough time at work - politics, old boys network, industrial action, bad press.... I REALLY need a break!

Boys are fab. Had parent teachers for n tonight and he's doing really well. J is loving kinder and teachers say he is wonderful. Never a tear at drop off so that's great. I did cooking w their class last week and it's a lovely group.

I can't believe it's nearly school hols. Quickest term ever.

Arte - glad to have satisfied that feeling.

MP - Have a wonderful time. Sounds like it will be an amazing holiday and hopefully the crappy work stuff will be all over on your return!

MP, I hope you are having a wonderful relaxing time and have managed to completely shut off all the work stuff in your head.

Good weekend here. We had a bbq with some of DH's work people on Saturday and went out to the river on Sunday. The kids are just so awesome at the moment.

Hello gorgeous ladies!

Sorry that i havent been posting much. too emotionally drained :( nothing in particular, just really really tired from Miss E waking several times a night lately...poor poppet is not coping with Melbourne's crazy as weather changes!

MD: i had to LOL at your 'admin' remark! it is so apt...we have decided to go for a longer camping trip next time as really all the packing and unpacking is not worth it for just one night. so am planning a minimum 2 night stay somewhere a little more remote. i actually look forward to it..actually what i look forward to is hot cocoa and toasted marshmallows pmsl.

MP: bon voyage!! i can imagine that your work would have a bit of a boys club feel to it :( pretty crap, i hope that you get to put 'em back in place after your lovely holiday :hug:

Arte: how are the JBs??

Easter is sorted in our house :D i am so awesome :lol: i saw that lincraft had 50% off all easter stuff so scored some cute-as felt flower/basket-y thingies and bought some papier mache bunnies and chicks that the girls will get to paint. i then kept to the bunny-in-the-garden theme and bought a packet of those lindt carrots and bugs chocolates to scatter in the basket. i also bought from lincraft some totally fun looking sticker sets of little girls with dress-ups that you stick on. they will love it.

Cass, your easter plans sound fun. We have those Lindt carrots at the supermarket here and I am tempted to buy some just because we are the carrot capital of NZ.

The JB's are o.k, but OMG- Whittaker's 50% cocoa chocolate, where have you been all my life!! Totally worth the near constant gallstones ache :)

Arte, glad to see you're off the chocolate wagon. LOL. I was just thinking the other day - carrots made of chocolate: so wrong, but so right. In the same category as fish made out of chocolate. Fish - WTF??! Hey take it easy on the ole GB. :hug:

I've bought up on the boxes with the Lindt bugs & beetles - just because they're cute.

Cass, agree 100%. You are awesome!

MP - you must be wallowing in child-free, job-free luxury right now. Enjoy!!

Cally, are you sleeping a bit better now? I :heart: your DH&DD camping in backyard idea! :)

I'm feeling a bit like Grumpy Cat right now. DH has just advised another trip - this time two weeks - OVER THE ENTIRE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS. :wall:. I am so over this ****. It comes right on top of fresh speculation about being posted, too. :rolleyes: It's times like these that I have to remind myself that the man wears bathing trunks covered in FLAMINGOS because that's the only way I can extract my secret revenge.

Oh no MD! The whole school holidays! And whispers of a posting? Is that him gone long term or an everyone moves scenario? Is there any chance of him changing jobs? That is hard :( I can imagine how you feel - there is a very high chance that DH will be going to CANADA later in the year.

Canada sounds awesome - for a holiday, with skiing and hot chocolates. Not so much if my DH was going and I got to stay home being mum......

MD - Those swimmers sound hilarious! Not liking the sound of another posting and really not a fan of a trip over the school holidays! And my sleeping has improved - this morning I woke at 7:20!! DH had been gone for a while and DD was just sitting at the table colouring in. Awesome. Now just need the cold that has been here a FORTNIGHT to go. Ridiculous. Haven't been able to exercise due to Achilles issues though, so think the weight is creeping up again (damn those chocolate hot cross buns)

Hello my gorgeous gals!

MD: whaaattt??? going to be GONE ALL SCHOOL HOLIDAYS??? NO!!! if you feel you need a holiday you can all come and stay at our house of chaos :)

Cally: you've been sick for 2 weeks? dude, that is so not fun. broth! you need broth!!

Arte: ah Canada. definitely one of those moments where you have to put your foot down and demand a family trip. i dream of that place. when i visited Meow from on here in seattle I waved at canada as the ferry chugged past....

AFM: well, i *might* have an interview the tuesday after easter for a dream job!!!!!! I have one more practical exam thingo to do (it actually seems like fun) and then hopefully they will call me up and tell me to come on in :D i am stoked...i am hoping that they have flexible work arrangements though...they advertised as FT, but obviously I am not able to do that. eeeepp! really didnt think I was going to get anywhere with it lol. so exciting lol!

Cass, I am sure that they will be so thrilled to have your awesomeness working for them that they will be flexible about the hours/work from home stuff! Good luck xx

Canada. I don't think we can afford a family holiday and tbh, dragging 3 small kids on that length of plane ride probably isn't a holiday anyway but it still sucks I don't get to go lol. Part of me keeps thinking if only they would pay out the business class airfare straight to us, I could probably get all of us over there for not much more...

Well, we ended up not getting the beach house. After stuffing us around for a couple of weeks, the bank finally had the loan approved but decided they wanted a deposit of 20% instead of the 5% we were expecting and had been told (classified as a lifestyle property). It seems you can't pull an extra $25k from your bum so we had to let it go. I am not particularly worried about it. It was a great house but there will be others. I guess we will have to save a deposit like normal people - the last 4 properties we have bought we have never needed a saved deposit.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Looking forward to easter - kids are getting ratty and I think they could really use the break and some fun.

Double post

Bummer Arte.

No real plans for Easter. It's looking like nice weather here (low 20's) so I'm hoping to get into the garden and do some planting. Might have to hit the garden shops on one of my lunch breaks this week. It will probably be fairly crazy with tourists, particulary because Easter is so early and we've still got good weather so I don't think we'll be spending much time in town, just doing beach visits and bike rides.

Miss K spent the night with MIL last night - I slept in to 7:50!! Seems like my sleeping seems to be on the mend. But I did have AF this week, 5 days of headache, 1.5 days off work. Not impressed. Now that DH is 'snipped' I'm off the pill so hopefully I don't get headaches like that again.

Cass - woohoo on the interview!!

Yay for being off the pill Cally. I hope it ends the headaches for you.

Still no luck getting DH to get the snip. He is agreeable enough but never actually gets around to doing anything about it. I might just ask about getting my tubes tied. I know it is a bigger deal for woman but at least it would be done. I am definitely not having any more babies.

Can you make the appt for him Arte? Would that make it happen do you think?

We have a mod in the group again! Congrats Cass :)

Cally, I suspect it is more the horror stories of recovery times. The mill is about to put in his upgrade so he doesn't really have time to be sitting around with achey balls lol.

Arte: bummer on the no-go beach house :( that's a bit rich that they changed their minds about the deposit requirements. blergh.

Cally: got to feel good that the pill is no longer needed...the side-effects sounded absolutely horrendous. did your DH find getting the snip straightforward and easy enough?

AFM: yep. little ol' me is a mod now :D i figure i am on here all the time and have rattled around the forums long enough so felt that i should pull my weight around here ('cause they are the only weights that i will ever go near hahahaha).

not so great news is that i am sick sick sick :( got a lurgy and boy it is knocking me about.

Ok, well (in true DH's employer style) it now looks like he "probably" won't be away over the hols... The posting thing though - who knows? It raises the constant spectre of my life being steered off on a tangent at a moment's notice. I'm not sure how much longer I'm prepared to live with that kind of uncertainty hanging over me. The problem is that the only alternatives that are within my control involve breaking up my marriage or my family ( = not very palatable). To add insult to injury, on Sat DH spent the day working at an event (which we weren't invited to) which was put on to thank other people & their families for their sacrifices and contributions in a particular overseas place. While I stayed at home and looked after the children. IRONY MUCH??!

Arte - Oh Noes!! Now I can't live vicariously through your beach house! LOL Sheesh it must have been disappointing but it sounds like you're taking it in your stride.
PS - Canada. I'm feeling your pain. Not helped by the knowledge that he's going business class. xxx

Cass - woowee - go you! Get that dream job!! Intrigued in what the practical exam thingo is (wasn't aware you were engaged in a course of learning, thought all the Dr Cass stuff was done?) Anyway, good luck with it all. :)

Cally, your plans for the Easter weekend sound lovely. We need to fill some rather big gaps in our garden - like the gap that runs fully around half the backgarden. LOL. I'm a bit de-motivated now, though, by the threat of a posting (since that's the reason that half the garden was dead and needed to be removed). I hope your headaches resolve, they sound pretty awful - though possibly also related to pillows and not sleeping, etc. Have you ever seen an osteopath?

What??!! ERMAGERD!!! Cass is a mod! Congrats. :D

FWIW my DH had his snip done under a local and was lifting and carrying and packing a couple of days later. Not sure how much of the typical recovery pain is psychological? LOL.

ETA.
FARK - Cancel my first sentence. He's now going to be away. Again. All holidays. FML.

Blardy hell MD! that would be beyond infuriating! They just do not consider how many people have families that might be severely affected by things like this.

Arte, that's a real shame about the beach house. Fingers crossed it doesn't take long to save a deposit for an even awesomer one.

Well done Cass! So what's it like on the 'inside'? ;) I will say though that you should have an easier time of it - there just doesn't seem to be anywhere NEAR the angsty nasty rubbish that there was when i was a mod. Either that or I am living under a rock and I miss all the excitement :lol:

hey Cally :)

OMG I'm so under the pump right now it's not funny. Started my third week of prac and I have assignments due and footy season is starting and it's all just getting too much.

Trill, I hope you can use Easter break to catch up on everything. Can you step down from some of your football commitments?

MD, Sucks!! Wish I could drop by and lend a hand. Any cheap airfares to NZ? You are welcome to stay for the holidays :) Is there any chance your DH could change jobs? Does he know how much it affects you?

Cass is a MOD!! Way to go!

DH's snip wasn't particularly easy - one side bled for over 24 hours (major bruising, not pretty!). He ended up with 6 days off work which was more than expected. He was pretty bow legged for a while too (I even mowed the lawn during the recovery period - hadn't done that in 15 years). Is only now feeling completely normal (6 weeks later)

MD - crap. I see a chiropractor every 4 weeks for a click back into position. Have been reading up on migraines and preventative stuff. Taking some extra magnesium, has helped a lot of people.

Had to go down south today where they have a Big W. Got some great bargains, can't believe how excited I was getting to go to a different chain store! Got some hot pink jeans for winter though - will be so cool and trendy.

Cally, I admire you buying hot pink jeans. I see them in shops and i see people wearing them and I think, 'gee, I'd love to wear a pair of jeans like that'. But I know for a fact they would look terrible on me LOL.

Arte, I can give up the football stuff in September :lol: it won't be that bad in a few weeks, it's just that everything is all happening at once that's hard to deal with.

MD, I was going to say the same as Arte, is there any chance he'd consider a new job out of defence? it's just not doing anything for your family at all hun :hug:

Hang in there, Trill, you can do it!!

Arte, I like your suggestion of popping on over for the break! Nice. Probably not so do-able at this point but thanks for reminding me to think outside the square. :hug:

Cally, that sounds awful. AWFUL! Re the migraines - get your glasses and your wisdom teeth checked if you haven't already. I had a few last year, and I think it was a combination of things that set them off & a combination of things that fixed them as well. I took magnesium for a while after that, I think it helped with a few other things (swollen feet, nighttime leg cramps and crabby moods). BTW - awesome work on your Big W finds. I want to get some coloured jeans for E this year.

I'm sorry for all the vents. Really, it's because you ladies have been there with me through the thick and the thin :hug:. So thanks for your words of support. This is one of those situations where most of the solutions are out of my locus of control. And YES. He could get another job. Sadly, I cannot do that for him. If I could it would be done already.

MD: big PHAT belly buddy hugs my friend :hug: that totally sucks. on all fronts....cannot believe the cheek of your DH working on that event while he has also spent so much valuable family time away from his family. TBH i dont know how defense families cope :( it seems to be a very much 100% all or nothing kinda thing (even when not on duty) and I dont know, that doesnt seem to bode well for happy families. I'm guessing that you have asked him to think about life out of defense? Bah, i really feel for you MD; when they get their stubborn, fearful boots on it can be really really hard to achieve any positive changes. my offer still stands: any time that you want company/cheap holiday, pack yourself and the girls up and come on over :D I still have hope to get over your way this year...have been putting it off for too long (and have been too crazy and busy with OS travel and making babies hahahahaha).

Trill: i have to admit, that i do love that the boards are so much more peaceful and calm. i mean, i do miss some of the closeness that BB was a few years ago, but it wasnt worth all the breakdown. and nothing, absolutely nothing is going to bring back lulu and that sucks. she was such a force on here.
I always get exhausted just reading all the commitments you have woman lol! cannot even begin to imagine all that travel that it must entail too (especially the footy??).

Cally: whoop whoop! HOT PINK jeans!! you are a rockstar! for the fashion void person: what kind of tops does one wear with hot pink pants? i see all the fluro colours and love them but yeah, have no styling sense lol.
sheesh, sounds like your DH had a really rough trot! my friend's DH also had a rough time of it too. he told my DH to only see a specialist as it wasnt worth the boy-bit pain lol.

AFM: still really really sick. not how imagined my debut as a mod lol. might have to see the GP as i am frightened that it might be tonsilitis again (yep, even without tonsils pmsl). all my lymphnodes in my neck are up and very very tender to touch, i can barely move my neck :( not to mention the crippling fever. my other worry is that my milk is beginning to drop a bit and poor DD3 is getting really frustrated and is taking to biting and scratching me when she feeds and then just cries. wahhhh! be gone nasty infection and leave me alone wahhhh!

Cass, I hope you can get your health sorted, that sounds terrible :(

Cally, I didn't even know they made hot pink jeans anymore lol.

MD, thanks for the buscopan advice, I had a couple of attacks yesterday and I am sure that gobbling up those pills stopped there being more. I forgot how intensely painful it is. Didn't really need reminding though lol Can you invite someone down for a week or so over the holidays to pass the time/help out a bit? An old friend you haven't seen for ages or family?

Cass - I hope you've called your doctor and made an appointment.

Hot pink jeans - I am currently thinking white or black tops, need to think outside the square, do some google image searches to see what else will work! I have a few blue tops too, surely that will go?? I also got some bright red ones - they were less than $15 each, really I had no choice but to buy both.

MD - wisdom teeth all gone, get eyes checked every two years. I started getting them at uni (interestingly about the time the wisdom teeth got removed, hadn't made that connectio before....). They come and go, I know most of the triggers, starting to think that excessive sugar is part of it as well. Haven't been eating well over the last month or so and they have increased in frequency and intensity since then. Also think they are related to my general fitness. Getting over my Achilles injury now so starting to pick that up again so hopefully that will assist too.

Cally, that sort of recovery story is exactly why DH won't get the snip. He won't have much time off this year (apart from overseas trips!) - his mill is in a do or die situation and he has designed the upgrade that can save it so he has to be there to install it and get it running and all the paperwork that goes with that. He just doesn't have time to sit around with sore nuts.

Cass, sweetie, I hope you're feeling better soon, and fast. :hug: Don't forget that sometimes the simplest things can bring relief: weak salt water gargles as often as you can stand it, a teaspoon of manuka honey down the hatch or in some hot water or tea, and drinking very hot water or sucking ice. I hope the long weekend means you are able to rest up a bit too.

I agree the boards are much calmer than in days of yore but some of the sparkle left with Lulu. :( Mind you, I think that FB and other social platforms have taken over a lot from forums (speaking generally now) and let's face it, FB as a medium is far more suited to virtual spats than a nicely moderated space like this ;).

Arte, I'm sorry to hear the GB attacks are back with a vengeance. I can't remember - are you on a waiting list to get something done about them? The buscopan works a charm, and it comes in a double-strength version too. I've also done a bit of reading and discovered there are a whole lot of other innocent-looking medications that can cause GB-style pain, codeine being the main offender. So if you ever have an attack when you're taking some other medication, it's worth checking out.

Cally, I've seen a few coloured jeans around the place, often worn with 80's style small-print floral tops, but I think really anything with an 80s vibe would work. How about a Wham! t-shirt? :rofl: Funny that your migraines started around the time you had your wissies taken out. Do you know whether you grind your teeth when you're sleeping?

Anyway I hope everyone manages to enjoy the long weekend. xxx

Hello everyone - hope you all have something fun planned with your families for this weekend. We are having a lovely time in noosa.
Cally - jeans sound great! I have a funky green pair- I wear w similar tops to regular denim. Country Rd do lots of colored jeans and have lots of tops that go well. Any suitable treatment for the Achilles?
Cass - yay for your mod appointment. What do you actually have to do?
Hope you feel better soon. Do you take anything for your immune system?
Md - I feel for you with dh travel - as you know dh travels a lot too and it's always a juggle. I find it worst when we are in the " lead up"
trill - I had to lol when you said footy finishes in sept so you dont have long.... Isn't the season just starting???

Md - apparently I grind a little bit, but not significantly (ie the dentist doesn't think it's enough of an issue to need a mouthguard). Also, headaches tend to come on in the afternoon, I would imagine if it was from grinding it would be a wake up headache?

What an afternoon here - in less than an hour Miss K drew on her school library book, painted one board on the deck blue and drew on the carpet in her room and a cane footstool with crayon. I had to go for a walk so I wouldn't completely lose it.

MP - Noosa. Lucky duck.

Happy Fluffy Bunnies Day, everyone!!

Hope you're all having a lovely weekend. Nice chilled out day here today. Had an awesome egg hunt where Messrs E.Bunny, Esq. had hidden pieces of lego all around the place along with (a much smaller quantity of) eggs. Kept the girls looking for ages because there were lots of pieces to find. Inside because it rained a lot here overnight. Anyway, I haven't eaten nearly enough chocolate, I've got a lovely stash that includes Haighs and ferreros. :D

Best part of Easter though - the extra day of weekend you get once it's all over.

ETA - Hi MP - posting from Noosa -aaaaah I can only imagine the bliss!!

Cally, must be the season for silly behaviour! W has been doing really silly things that he didn't even do as a toddler - like sucking on a felt pen tip and spitting the ink onto the couch, squirting toothpaste down the plughole etc, just really mindless and irritating things that he knows he shouldn't do.

Then today A's kindy teacher asked how much chocolate she has had for easter because apparently she was screaming no about everything and being a general screechy brat today. Time to go back to low sugar methinks.

MD, I haven't had much issue with the GB until this recent attack. It seems to be set off by instant oats for breakfast. I can't find any Dr Google evidence to suggest that it would cause it but I was eating it briefly before an attack a year ago, didn't eat it for all this time with no issues and then I eat it again and have another attack? Too much coincidence for me. Anyways, there was no room on the ultrasound list last year but the Dr has dressed it up a bit this time and sent through another referral.

For Easter, we went camping overnight at the river. It was nice. I find camping to be rather boring though. I would love it if someone could enlighten me as to where the fun part of it comes from. Maybe I am just not doing it right? lol.

Silly behaviour - running around the house in undies for 20 minutes and leaving it too late resulting in wee all over the bathroom floor. Not impressed. Especially seeing as there was another incidence on Sunday, although no silly behaviour that time and the toilet seat being down threw her). At least they were both on the bathroom floor. At least the bathroom floor is clean before the cleaner comes tomorrow....

And I forgot that the other day she had also drawn all over her arm in biro.

MIL brought round some bunnies for DD - 3 bunnies (325 g total weight) plus a toblerone bar! Luckily DH intercepted and spread them out for each of us. She always goes overboard, same at Chrissy, I seem to remember last year was around 500g of chocolate for one small person.

Good Easter here, I got a bit done in the garden, caught up with some friends and read a bit. Nice and relaxing. Hope you all had a good time.

OMG don't even get me started on the state of the toilet floor! Kid can't get any in the frigging bowl!

We've had a bit of deliberate silly behaviour - I just put it down to learning other kids' tricks (from school). For us it's more saying silly things and complaining/whinging about stuff she's never even batted an eyelid over before. The whining is driving me BONKERS at the moment. I hope she's past it by school holidays... but I don't like my chances LOL.

Chocolate overload here too - fortunately Miss E seems to have an off-button unlike DD1 who will just keep going as long as there's still chocolate there (LOL). DD1 has inventoried every last tiny portion of her Easter choc, but the rest of it has gone into the family stash, it will keep us supplied for eons.

Arte, that's weird about the oats-GB thing. You would think oats would be a pretty safe food, right? Unless you slather it with butter, scots-style LOL. Have you ever had any suspicions about gluten-intolerance?

I'm not sure about the fun part of camping. We've never been camping as a family - only when we were young and able to drink a lot and lie around by the side of the hot springs or whatever. LOL.

Hi ya lovelies!!! Thought I would try and catch up while I have 5 minutes but I'm waaaaay to far behind.

Congrats Cass on becoming a mod!!

We are getting loads of silly behaviour too. Lots of whinging and not listening. Doing things he knows he will get in trouble for. I'm hoping these school holidays go quick lol. He is doing so well at school.

I have a sick little miss who has cut my 5 minutes short, will try to catch up again soon.

We had major whining last week, I think the break over Easter has helped, but we have also been really prompt on the 'I can't understand when you use that voice, ask me again in a nice voice'

Oz - lovely to see you!! :hug: Great to hear that L is doing well at school :). Hope little miss is much better soon so you can put your feeties up for a nice BB catch up. xxx

Cally - yes - the "I can't hear you" thing should work, except both DH and DD jump to her attention the second she starts up :wall:. So I'm alone in a sea of trying to ignore the whine. Coping strategy for school hols is going to be sending her along to vacation care for a few little outings ... less for her amusement and more so my head doesn't explode :rofl:.

I am getting "I'm booooooooooooooooored" and "but that's too boring". I blame school, he never uttered those words once in his life until now.

MD, we tend to take some camping drinks for after the kids have gone to bed - got to jazz it up someway!

hello lovelies!

I am baaackkk! feeling much better now :) managed to get strep throat A...tonsilitis without tonsils hahahaha.

Re: camping...for me the fun comes with the toasted marshmallows. i am a sucker for those babies.

Oz: wahoo! so great to see you in here! have been FB stalking all those gorgeous photo shoots. you seriously have an awesome job.

MD: loads of norti behaviour in this house too. also Miss L now believes that she is all grown up and has to (s)Mother poor Miss M. i can sense that she is going through some big mental changes as she has also started to have some pretty serious nightmares influenced from the games she has been playing (dinosaurs and dungeon-y games with the neighbour)...wahh she is becoming like a proper kid IYKWIM...sooo not ready lol!

you are so right RE: FB. i am part of this smallish group on there and i thought it was just a pram buy sell swap thingo...but these ppl treat it like a forum! it is so weird and of course seriously not moderated and man, the spats on there are IMMENSE. it is like watching a train wreck.

we have sooo much chocolate. considering that i only had 6 teeny pieces each for the girls (those lindt carrot and bug ones) we are just drowning in the sugary brown stuff. i have hidden most of it away now in the freezer and it has become my night-time snack stash once the kids are in bed :D

MP: so lived vicariously through your recent holidays hahaha.