January Baby Bears 2017 ~ 48 Momma Bears: 21 Blue, 17 Pink

[Apple111]

Hi ladies ,
Well tree is up, starting to feel festive now still got a bit to do though with presents ect.. O loves it. I got ds a train to go round the bottom so he is happy.

So went for my X-ray , put in this machine for 90 mins, was given some radioactive stuff IV, after 30 mins I had to eat a fatty snack, then then monitored it for another hour on the X-ray machine. Apparently the stuff they injected shows the bile traveling from your gall bladder to your intestines. Well top and bottom of it is mine didn’t move anywhere near what it should. They sent me away for an hour then put me in machine again for another 5 mins but there was just more build up. So basically my gall bladder isn’t functioning properly. There was no sign of stones on ct scans or ultra sounds b4 so don’t know what will happen now. They said my consultant may want to do more tests or may decide to remove it. I’ve been googling and as it’s not emptying bile to break down fats it looks like I really should be avoiding fatty foods , and I also read coffee ain’t good !! So no chocolate or coffee at christmas , I read that coffee actually stimulated your gall bladder to empty but as mine can’t properly and there was a clear build up in second X-ray I’m thinking I better not force it until I have spoke to my dr again. 😣what a bummer ! I’ve decided though I’ve had it this long I’m not going to chase up the dr appointment. No way do I want surgery b4 Christmas and the last couple of weeks of my mat leave . I’m due back at work end of this month. I want to wait then go off sick, not use my mat leave .. better get back to O he is not really settling tonight.
Hope all u ladies n babies are doing ok x

 

[Ally2015]

hi ladies, its been a while. Just catching up with posts now

apple- poor o and his constipation. Glad u had a lovely weekend at ur nans.
little o will love cuddles from his mumma, its our jobs as mums the seperation anxiety will be normal. I've not noticed it in Isa so much, but i've not really left him anywhere without me, so hes not had a chance haha.
Maybe just avoiding the fatty foods will help enough? hopefully it wont resort to surgery, that sounds quite stressful with you going back to work soon!

lit- hope V is feeling better.

vrogers- we booked up now, 2 nights in the lake district which is like 2 hour drive down south. How is L doing?

afm- ah we finally booked up a wee log cabin in the lake district which is like a 2 hour drive down south. Its over new year, so hopefully it'll be a nice quiet one with my two boys
i'v also decided to do a wee party for isa's birthday on xmas day. Well im going to do the party on the 28th when other people can make it. Animal themed! just about to order big animal onsies for me and dh for the party haha. ordered bunch of party stuff off eba, super cheap too.
Had busy day today, went into town with a friend and then went round to a friends house, but it was lovely. Isa loved it, he was raiding all her drawers and chucking stuff out of them haha.
hes still pretty unsettled at night, i can defo feel two teeth coming, hope thats all it is. I have just been putting him in bed as i dont have the patience to get up what feels like 673676 times at night.

 

[vrogers]

Apple- you seem to be handling no coffee and chocolate much better than I would be! I’m sorry the treatment plan is so up in the air right now, I don’t blame you for not wanting surgery with the holidays and mat leave ending. Taking some time off sounds like a good plan. I hope you aren’t in too much pain!

Ally- thank you for asking, good other than some major teething!
Glad you got the trip booked, sounds like a nice little getaway.
The party sounds so adorable, I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
Ugh I’m sorry for the restless nights/teething, it really is no fun for anyone.

Afm- L has been (we assume) majorly teething, 9 times out of 10 she goes to bed just fine, gets her last bottle and then settles on her own. The past two nights we have had to rock her to sleep and then put her in the crib, otherwise she just screams. It’s sad and frustrating at the same time. Hopefully just a short phase!
Can’t believe she will be 11 months this weekend!
Ally talked about a party, is anyone else planning anything fun?

 

[froggyfrog]

Hey ladies!!

Vroggers congrats on the girl!!!!! How exciting, and you already have most of what you need so that’s great!! Those darn teeth are hell! I hope L goes back to her normal routine soon for you. We are planning Gages first birthday now. We are doing “Winter Onederland” with snowflakes and snowman. It should be simple since it’s christmas time and all of that stuff is in store right now, hoping to go the day after Christmas and get it all on clearance! It kind of looks like Frozen, but more boy lol. I found a place that sells snowballs since it never snows here and we will have a snowball fight and play pin the carrot on the snowman, with a hot chocolate bar and some snack. I have a very large family so just inviting aunts and cousins and nieces and nephews we are at a 50 person count.

Ally, I don’t blame you for just putting him in bed with you until this phase passes. Just makes life easier, and you have to have sleep! It’s all about survival with a baby! How fun about the cabin trip!

Apple I’m sorry you’re in limbo still, but at least they are getting to the bottom of it! I wouldn’t want to use my mat leave for surgery either, or even think about having it before Christmas. It’s Os first, so it’s a big one! I hope you can sort with your employer the time after you get back.

 

[froggyfrog]

Lit that’s great you got so much shopping done! I used to love Black Friday shopping, didn’t really have the money to get the big ticket items this year to make it worth while though, so I just stayed in. I do like to go out on Friday evening though and go through the movies at Walmart, they have a great selection for cheap! I hope violet is feeling better, poor thing! What sort of baracade did you use around your tree?

Ali, I hope T is feeling better! I can’t believe he is already taking steps, so crazy! It sounds like all of your work with O is paying off. It just doesn’t snap right away for some kids, he will get there.

Afm, I got all of Gages Christmas done, and bought new tree decorations, a stand and a topper, but still haven’t gotten a tree yet ha!! Our plan is to get it on Wednesday. Gage is standing unassisted for long periods of time but won’t take a step. He walks behind his walker though, and is getting pretty good at it. He stands at the patio door and turns the handle so we def have to get a top lock installed on there because it won’t be long before he can figure out how to unlock it! I’m having so much fun plannning his birthday party. It’s going to be a big one but only because we have a big family. I’m doing it so far in advance because we are having it in Texas so a 7 hour drive. I want to be as prepared as I can when we pull in there. He still wakes about twice in the night but settles back when rocked and doesn’t need a bottle anymore. I do wish he would learn how to soothe himself back to sleep but oh well!

 

[Literati_Love]

Apple - that is really too bad about your gall bladder, but it’s good they at least know what it is now. That sounds terrible about no coffee or chocolate at Christmas! I would feel the same as you not wanting a surgery or anything before the end of your maternity leave. No need to rush it. I do hope you can start feeling better soon and put this whole ordeal behind you.

Ally - that time at the cabin sounds very nice! I bet you can’t wait. Animal-themed Party sounds great as well! Woohoo!

VRogers - that is really too bad L isn’t settling on her own the last couple nights. I hope she gets back to her normal self soon. Teething is so crappy when it makes them seem like a whole different baby! Violet has been the same.

Froggy - that does sound like a really big party! Should be a lot of fun! I haven’t even started thinking of Violet’s first birthday party yet, but she is also the youngest one on here.

The barricade we used is just a baby fence type thing. We borrowed it from a friend, so I don’t know the exact name of it. It is pretty expensive to buy, I think!


AFM - well, Violet was completely miserable all last week, to the point of seeming like an entirely different baby. I thought she was just teething, but was starting to consider taking her to the dr because she was so NOT herself. However, on Sunday morning she seemed back to her cheerful self, so I was quite relieved. She was good again Monday, but today she has been rather grouchy again. This time it isn’t to the extent it was last week, but still quite draining because she was never content to sit on the floor and play at all. I couldn’t get a speck done all day, and she didn’t take her first nap until 1 pm (she normally takes it about 11 am). These babies are always going through something - teething, wonder weeks, and sleep regression. It drives me a bit crazy. I hope Violet is okay, though.
Oh, great, dd1 of course is pooping on the potty while Violet is napping (in my arms, as always), so I get to try to wipe her while holding Violet and keeping her asleep still. Argh!!!!! My dd1’s timing is so frustrating!!!

 

[Apple111]

Froggy/ Gages party sounds like it’s going to be really good fun. he sounds like he is doing really well himself. I bet he is walking in no time now.

Lit/ glad V is finally starting to pick up. It’s so horrible when they are poorly..and that’s so typical that dd1 is on the potty whilst V sleeps😣..they always pick their moments don’t they haha..my ds is the same.

Well just been Christmas shopping really last 2 days, got loads though , just a few things to buy now. I’ve bought lots of new light up things this year for in the house so looks nice and cosy and festive 🎄trying to make an effort as ds really Into it this yr. I got him the bell from polar express from eBay and he sits ringing it all the time lol.. quite funny my teenager got this app on his phone where Santa calls u back and he set it to call my four yr old.. he was really cute talking back ha.. O is doing ok. Still getting really upset when I take him to nursery. I hate it. Still only leaving him a couple of hours at a time. I see the other little ones there and they all look so happy and settled. Im happy that it’s a really good set up and not too big or busy so I’m sure once he gets past this initial stage he will have a really good time there. I just hope that time comes soon..

Hope all u other ladies and babies are doing ok x

 

[slammerkin]

Taking a break from work to finally post here, 'cause I miss you guys so much. I can't even keep up on reading most of the time, but I think I am mostly caught up now.

vrogers - Congrats on another girl! When are you due again?

Apple - exciting about private practice. Sorry to hear about your gallbladder, but I'm glad they've found what's wrong at least.

Ally - two nights away in a cabin sounds nice! I hope Isa's teeth come through and he settles at night soon.

Literati - sorry V has been so tough lately. And so funny about DD1 pooping while V was napping on you. I feel like my DD did the same thing for me so much.

Ali - happy belated bday!

Froggy - sounds like quite the bday party for Gage! You're lucky to have such a big, involved family.

AFM - I haven't been on in ages because we had a pretty miserable stretch of illness here. I think I last posted right when the kids were diagnosed with Hand Foot and Mouth... Thankfully they both took it really well. DD never even complained about a sore throat or anything and ate like normal. Jack was a little sad I think more from his ear infections than anything else, but not really fussy as long as we kept his fever down.

Sadly I got the HFM too, and OMG it was so horrendous! Sores all over my mouth and tongue. I couldn't eat solid food for 4-5 days, and only slowly for a few days after. The pain in my mouth was excruciating. I was living on meal replacement drinks and Slurpees. I am SO GLAD the kids didn't get it that bad, because I can't imagine either of them being in that much pain. TMI alert, but I even got vaginal sores from it!!! Wretched! So basically, pray y'all never get it!

Then the night before Thanksgiving Jack went to bed fine, woke at 11 fine, woke at 1am with what turned out to be croup. Neither DH nor I knew what it was, so I was freaking out that he was gasping and wheezing and didn't know what to do. DH called 911 and the EMTs didn't know what it was either, so Jack and I went to the hospital in the ambulance, and DH came shortly after with DD (had to wake her in the middle of the night, but she was cheerful about it). Of course as soon as we got in the ambulance Jack seemed to sound better, and as soon as the doctor saw him and heard his cough, he was like "Oh yeah, that's croup". He got an oral steroid and cleared up pretty quick. If I had known what it was I might have tried things like a steamy shower or taking him outside, since those can help, but I didn't know. I feel bad for calling 911, but without knowing what was wrong with him I was too scared to try driving him to the hospital myself in case he stopped breathing or something!

So, we didn't want to take Jack to my family thanksgiving, but DD had been excited about going, so she and I went and Jack stayed home with DH. We all had a fine day that way. DH picked up a thanksgiving dinner from a restaurant for himself and brought it home to share with Jack. I was sad to not have him there for the dinner with my family because he is so into food and I wanted to give him all the good stuff! DD has never been into eating a proper tgiving dinner! She ate a bit of a roll....and....not much else! Of course I brought snacks for her because I knew she'd be like that. She didn't even want to eat the delicious pavlova she and DH had made together, because she didn't want "the white stuff on her fruit" (whipped cream!). Ridiculous.

So anyway Jack had a cold and then I got it, and I think we are finally feeling better this week at last! I am really hoping we can have a stretch of everyone being healthy now for a while.

We got a tree the weekend after tgiving and put it up. We have a giant inflatable snowman up as well and a LED projector that shines lights on the house.

No Christmas shopping done! I did buy a walkie-talkie set for DD when I went out with a friend last weekend, but I left it in the back of the van to keep her from seeing it, and then she and DH went grocery shopping and she spotted it while putting the groceries in the car, ugh, lol. So I had to just give it to her then.

Like I said, Jack is great at eating food! Completely unlike his sister. He will eat almost anything you give him, and is eating proper solid things where DD ate puree pouches for sooooo long. He basically doesn't want anything you need to spoon feed him. Just chunks of stuff.

7ish weeks of pumping left and I am really looking forward to stopping! It's getting a little harder to make up four bottles for him. I have to pump in the evening as well, and the whole process of prepping bags of milk and cleaning bottles and pump parts is a thing I will be glad to put behind me! Will still nurse him of course. We transitioned DD to whole cow's milk at a year and she took to it fine...mixed BM and whole milk for maybe a week or so and then just milk from then on. Hopefully Jack goes as easy.

I dunno about a birthday party for Jack. Haven't thought about it at all really!

 

[vrogers]

Froggy- thank you! Oh my goodness what a cute party idea! If you want/remember I would love to see pictures of the decor, it sounds perfect for this time of year.
That’s crazy that Gage is learning how to open doors! L stands and doesn’t walk yet either.
Sometimes we still have to rock L, and I always tell dh “surely she won’t go to college having to be rocked to sleep” to remind myself it won’t last forever haha.

Literati- thankfully the past couple nights have been better, she’ll just cry for a couple min and then be out. Hopefully it stays like that.
Ugh that sounds rough for both of you, I hope she’s feeling better and back to normal now. It’s crazy how they seem like completely diff babies with teething. I read they go through a growth spurt around 10 months and sleep regression can come along with that, yay.

Slammer- it’s good to hear from you, I always wonder about you and our other ladies who aren’t able to get on as much!
Thank you, due april 27. I still keep thinking it’s 6+ months away haha.
Wow, HFM sounds absolutely awful. It is good the kids didn’t get it like you did, glad you’re feeling better!
I think you guys handled the croup really well! I wouldn’t have known what it was either and just been a mess. You guys really have been through it with the sickness!
I’m jealous of the LED projector, those have been getting more popular and I haven’t been able to talk dh into getting one.
I bet you’ll be sooo glad to stop pumping! It really is a pain and makes you feel chained to the couch. It’s great you’ve been keeping at it for so long!

afm- I just found out this morning that my bff is pregnant! She’s been trying since before dh and I were trying for L, so I’m thrilled for her and can’t believe we get to be pregnant together! She has crazy cycles so she doesn’t know how far along for anything, but it came up on a digital.
L has been a little better in the teething at least for now. She has the 2 teeth up top and then one on each side of those teeth almost completely out, and I thought I saw a 5th. She doesn’t really let me look.
It’s gotten cold here finally so I’ve been havjng to bundle L up to take her to her swing outside but she still loves it.
Dh’s mom is coming by Saturday (the one who we’ve had drama with who didn’t come by for thanksgiving) and we are both dreading it, but just planning on being nice and getting by for an hour.
We are also wanting to bring L to the farm (the one I talked about awhile back that has animals and now Christmas trees) so we may do that this weekend.
Other than that, not much else going on!

 

[Literati_Love]

VRogers - I hope the visit from your dh’s Mom goes well even though you’re dreading it. That would be fun to take L to the farm. I’m glad she hasn’t been as bad at night lately.
I can’t believe you’re having a baby in 4.5 months! That’s so soon! That’s incredibly exciting that your bff is pregnant too! It is so much fun to go through pregnancy/kids at the same time as a close friend. Be sure to get baby bump pics with her...that is, if she’s even showing by the time you’re done! Hehe.

Slammer - oh my goodness! The HFM you got sounds absolutely horrendous! I’m so sorry you had to go through that! Hugs! It sounds like you’ve had way too much sickness in your house lately. I really hope you get a nice, long reprieve from illness now!

That will be amazing when you can stop pumping! You are a total trooper to be pumping so faithfully! Good for you! I hate pumping so don’t blame you at all for being excited to quit. I also transitioned my dd1 to whole milk after she was a year for when she was daycare (but continued nursing when at home). It worked out quite well. I hope Violet is willing to do the same, as I have no desire to pump either.

AFM - Violet continues to be so unpredictable with her naps and it’s driving me a bit batty. We often end up staying in all day because I think we will go out after violet’s nap, but then she’ll randomly not nap until way later than usual. It gets frustrating. Oh, and once again, dd1 needs help wiping after the potty when I JUST got Violet to sleep. I know I sound like a broken record, but she has the worst timing!!! I find it so frustrating. I’m glad (but sorry!) some of you have gone through the same frustration.

In other news, we are basically done our Christmas shopping. I might still pick a couple more things for my DH, but we are done for our families and whatnot. Unfortunately, we stupidly did all our shopping before the credit card cut-off, so now we have to pay the whole bill next week and it’s going to be REALLY tight. Yay for being broke around Christmas. We probably went a bit overboard - oops!

 

[vrogers]

Literati- bump photos together is a cute idea, I’ll have to remember that!
Ugh I’m sorry you’re going through the nap thing too, I end up doing the same thing because they aren’t predictable and she won’t nap anywhere but at home so it feels like I’m stuck. It’s frustrating!
The poop timing does sound super inconvenient! I’ll be there eventually haha.
At least you’re done with the Christmas shopping! Did you guys do anything for violet? I could use some ideas if so!

Afm- I spoke too soon about the teething getting better, I guess it’s a back and forth thing for awhile. Yesterday was terrible, she was fussy and whiny, not content to play like she normally is and nothing I did helped. Her naps and eating were both crap, and we ended up putting her to bed an hour early. She woke around midnight crying, about 4 times within an hour, but it would only last 30 sec or so and then she would be quiet. Then she slept later than usual, so apparently she really needed all that sleep!
Today she’s much better, hopefully I didn’t just jinx it though haha.

 

[Literati_Love]

VRogers - oh yes, teething is definitely an ongoing battle. Sorry she was so fussy for you yesterday! Violet was actually the same, and I was feeling pretty overwhelmed by the middle of the day. Oh well. I got through it! I hope you’re right that L is more back to herself today!

We didn’t get MUCH for V because we already have all the baby toys in the world from when dd1 was a baby. We still wanted her to unwrap some things, though. So, we got her:
- a new toque
- a new pair of mittens
- a nice rubbery teething toy (all her other ones are those dumb ones you can put in the fridge, and they’re the ONE thing she WON’T chew on).
- some new clothes in the next size up
- Christmas PJs
- a couple new board books

On dd1’s first Christmas we definitely bought her some nice new baby toys, but as I said, Violet is pretty covered in that department! I hope that helps you with some ideas!

You are so right that it can be so frustrating to be stuck at home due to naps. Not to mention that if we DO go out, then she’ll end up falling asleep in her car seat on the way home, and then waking up the second we get home, thus ruining her entire nap! Argh! Nap troubles. The last two days Violet only had ONE long nap in the middle of the day, so it made it super, extra difficult to manage. I was so not ready for another nap transition already. Do you still have to hold L for naps as well?


AFM - Happy Friday, everyone! Any weekend plans? I have a girls’ night on Sat evening with a little gift exchange, Christmas treats etc. So, today I have to make cookies for that, and tomorrow I’ll need to pick up a cheap gift for the exchange. We also have to print photos of the girls to give to family at Christmas. But, other than that, no major plans. Hope you all have a good one!

 

[Ally2015]

hi ladies,

vrogers- sorry about L and her screaming at night. Im certain it will be a short phase and that she'll be back to normal soon. But yeah, it might be up and down for a while. Its such a shame when they are not feeling themselves all day and nothing u do helps.on those days i am normally just counting down the time till bedtime haha!
How cute that u can have pregnancy at the same time as ur bff!

froggy- the party sounds fun! how many people will be there? are you having a theme? Isa, if nothing is up, can self settle himself back at night but other times i rock.

lit- that sounds stressful about the naps! hope they get more predictable. All the things u have bought V sounds lovely sounds like a nice weekend planned not much planned, went out today to town with dh and isa and wondered about. Isa just loves being out and looking at everything.

apple- thats great u got all ur xmas stuff done, and the lights sounds lovely and festive. Ah i can;t imagine leaving Isa in nursery, even the thought is sad. But i am sure O will settle soon and start enjoying it more. How is he at night now? is he more settled?

slammer- oh god, poor u. HFM, it was not nice when isa had it but i never ended up getting it too. I can;t believe u got vaginal sores from it!! how horrid. Fingers crossed u will never get it again. Hope u all have a stretch of good health now.
Thats funny about DD finding the walkie talkie haha. Thats great Jack is enjoying his food! I think its amazing how u are still pumping, and working. i guess it'll be a relief when u can stop and get him on the cows milk.

afm- not much, i went with dh and isa to town today and we just did some window shopping. Its so busy, i hate waiting in long queues and so just buy stuff online instead. I've almost got everything i need for isa's party! it was supposed to be small, but i think there are about 30 people invited. Not sure if all will come though.
isa is much more settled now, 2 new teeth, so he has 10 now. Although i can see more coming, for now he seems settled, and is eating better, and sleeping more contently at night, which is such a relief!!
i cannot believe he will be 1 soon! He will stand himself, but no steps yet. Don't think it'll be too long now though.

 

[AliJo]

I wanted to get on and actually reply to everyone, but life has been a mess. So.. again I'm just in for a quick update.

So, I believe I talked about how my FIL had half his liver removed because it had cancer. Well he's had a couple of PET scans. He has several areas.. lungs, liver, hip, and brain.. also broke his hip with the cancer. Didn't know it and was walking on it for a week before they found out. That got fixed. They're planning radiation to his brain and chemo for the rest. Giving him 2 years if it takes to treatment and goes into remission.. 4 if it works really well. So it's been crappy.

My brother, his fiance, and their 2 boys are now living with us. They were in unsafe conditions for the winter and I couldn't do that to those boys. So I now have 4 boys in my home ages 4, 3, 2, and 1.. born in Dec '13, Sept '14, Dec '15, Jan '17.. please give me strength. It's already been hell in my mind and it isn't mainly because of the kids although I will say I'm fed up with the yelling since their youngest likes to scream when he's mad and hit his head. It's been a week now. I almost stored down and grabbed him earlier because for 45 minutes that's all I heard. They need to get that under control. It took me 1 minute to turn him around earlier although I'm sure it wouldn't always work. They should be in bed and they aren't. Not that mine are always asleep but it's pretty boring for them if they're up this late. Lights off and quiet. Oh and they have 0 income unless you want to count food stamps that they do not utilize properly. Seriously I could complain all day about them right now.

Other news. T is great. Walking lots now. Not 100% but he walks at least half the time. He even stands back up sometimes if he falls to continue walking. Trying to say new words. Got him saying "Ki ki ki ki" for kisses. It's cute. Oh.. and he climbs.. and climbs.. and climbs. I honestly can't walk way for a second anymore. He hits those kitchen chairs and gets on the table.. climbs into his highchair.. tries to get on the counter. I can take him down and he goes right back. I tell him no he screams at me. I walk towards him and he screams at me when he's trying to climb. I'm in trouble.

O is doing well. Loves to have more kids to play with. I'm pretty sure they are going to teach him bad things though. My brother was saying it's going to happen and that he just let's it go most of the time now. Um.. no. It's hard to never acceptable to be mean. I don't let mine I won't let his. I told him that and agreed with me then turned around and said kids will be kids. Can you tell I'm frustrated? Anyways I have another attempt at a speech deal tomorrow. Probably end with them being condescending again.

I'm just over crap. I want my home back. It's only been a week and it'll probably be like this for months. She has 1 week before I bring up getting a job and 3 before I put my foot down and say go be an adult and get one. My brother is in the middle of a legal battle and can't work yet till he sees the doctor. Bah.. okay I'll shut up for now.

 

[Apple111]

Hi ladies,
This prob going to be a quick one if I don’t reply to everyone I’ll try and get back on later.

Lit/ your girls night sounds good hope it went ok. What kind of cookies do you make I’m doing a little exchange with my friends from work. We normally don’t really bother but we seem to be this year. I don’t mind though I love buying little gifts.

Ally/ Isa sounds like he is doing great, glad he is settling for u at night again. 10 teeth !! Wow bless him. I know, 1 already , time goes so fast doesn’t it. Bet you are getting excited for your little break away. The lakes are only an hour from me haha..we go all the time. We got engaged in Ambleside💕 The party sounds like it will be brilliant, 30 coming haha.. it soon adds up doesn’t it. I love the animal onsie idea for you and dh haha.

vroggers/ sounds like a difficult night hon, hope L doing ok now, Hope u r feeling ok yourself with that little lady growing fast, sending hugs x xxx

Ali/ oh no hon sounds a nightmare. You are such a good sister though supporting your brother and his boys the way you are. I can imagine it being really frustrating though if they have different standards /parenting with their boys than you. I agree with you, I wouldn’t change your ways to suit others. To be honest it’s similar with my brother, he toy fights with his son all the time. It’s all in fun I know but he only has the one. If my boys started doing it it would be a night mare. He always says oh they are just being lads, drives me mad as my boys always play up after being at his 😣. Hope it gets easier for you and they improve the work situation and get some income ! 😣
I know it’s probably impossible right now but could u try and get a little time for u if u can maybe ? , if anything just for your sanity xx sending hugs x

Well, had a nice weekend, took ds and O to a pantomime, first one for all. O was great, I was a little concerned if he would be ok but he liked the music then slept through last half ds likes it eventually but took him a while. He actually cried because the baddy wasn’t nice lol.. bless him, but he was soon getting into it laughing and he was booing him with the rest of the audience in the end haha.. then the bad guy turned into a good guy so all ended well ha.,
Oh had day off today so we went for a walk in park and to some shops which was nice change, it was -1 but we were all wrapped up and it was nice in the sun.

I’ve set myself a little challenge for Christmas , I saw some sweet bouquets st a Christmas market this week and I’ve decided to make some myself to save money. So I’m off to the shops tomorrow to get what I need .. I just think they will look really good Christmas morning for the kids and doing it myself I can make them personal. Let’s hope they are straight forward haha..

Anyway better get off , loads of wrapping to do ! X boys finally asleep 😴

Slammer / froggy / midnight hope u r all well x

Hope all other ladies and babies ok sorry not to comment to all x

 

[Literati_Love]

Ally - That is quite a few people for Isa’s party! I’m sure it will be fun to have so many people to celebrate with. Glad he is sleeping better for you.

Ally - oh my goodness, that sounds horrible for you! I think I would go ballistic within a DAY of another family living in my house. I don’t blame you for feeling super frustrated, especially about the different parenting styles and the bad influences of the kids. It is very good of you to allow them to stay. You’re very sacrificial! Hang in there. I hope your brother’s fiancé gets a job ASAP!

Apple - That’s a good idea to make sweet bouquets yourself. I hope they turn out well and do end up being a bit cheaper for you.
That is really nice your oh had the day off and you were able to go for a walk!

AFM - things are good, but busy. I can’t believe how many errands there are to run/ and tasks there are to do for Christmas! It feels like more than most years for some reason, even though we finished shopping earlier than usual. The wrapping really does never end, too (so I hear you, Apple)!

Girls’ night was nice. Brought Violet along and she did pretty well. It was a busy weekend, though, and next weekend will be even busier! We actually have two birthday parties and a Christmas Party to go to next weekend! Yikes!

Enjoying this time with the girls so much... but feels like time is going faster and faster now that it’s December, and I really don’t want it to be time to go back to work already.

 

[Ally2015]

ali- amazing that T is walking lots, just wow!!! sorry about your FIL, hope things go well...
You are an amazing person, for allowing your brother and family to live with you. Its the right thing to do, like you said they are living in questionable conditions, which is unfair on the kids. I can only imagine how stressfull it is in the house though, and frustrating that they aren't contributing anything. Is there a reason why they aren;'t working? are they helping you around the house etc?

apple- cute about the panto. I like your idea of the home- made sweet bouquets. I think i would be way to lazy for that though and just buy, but its a lovely sentiment!
hows the weather where u r? snowing? just very cold here, -4!! but no snow.

lit- oh no, when do you go back to work? enjoy your busy weeks, and the events u have coming up

afm- Isa is doing well. On wednesday we have a playdate with my friend and her 15 month old. She lives in england, but is up visiting her mum here so it'll be lovely to see her and i have no idea when she will next be up.
Apart from that its just the same old. Getting really cold though, -4. Now snow yet though!

 

[Literati_Love]

Isa - that sounds like a really nice play date you have planned for tomorrow! It will be great to see your friend! I hope you have a great time.
I also have a play date tomorrow with a friend, and we are planning on watching a Hallmark Christmas movie together. I absolutely love them, as cheesy as they are! Haha.

I go back on January 22nd, so I still have a bit left, but it has been on my mind more lately, and everyone I see likes to remind me constantly that I’m going back to work soon.

 

[Apple111]

Ally/ no snow here just really low temps as well. Freezing on way to school this am. Lots of Ice on the roads. My boys were disappointed that we don’t have snow. Looks like we are having rain for next few days now. Hope the play date goes well Are u getting Isa a little animal outfit for his party? , so cute ha x.

Lit/ sorry u r going back to work also. When are you actually due back?. I’m back beginning of jan. I went to see my boss and it turns out I have quite a bit of leave to take so I’m doing phased return which I feel happier about. I’ve also reduced my days at work to 3 a week. I’ll be doing one day though private in addition but this will be shorter day. I’m def with u on having endless things to sort for Christmas 😣..there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the days but I have been doing loads with boys before I go back to work..


Ali/ hope u r feeling bit better hon x

Vroggers / hope u r well x

Well I’m kind of kicking myself slightly as I’ve suggested that we have my partners older children and his parents for Boxing Day .. why did I do that !! lol ...the kids are fine and his mum is harmless but his dad gets Into deep random conversations about space and black holes. Last year it was some random subject on politics in the 60’s lol ..

so today I ended up making another Christmas cake for then as we have eaten the other I made and it’s not even Christmas for two weeks ! haha ..

My partners family just don’t really make any effort at all so I feel it’s me sorting things. It can get tiring at times. Sometimes I think I why do I bother to be honest but I’m doing it for my oh as he hasn’t had a great couple of years with bereavement ect so I don’t want him to have any regrets with not making effort with his parents. They are late 70s now. Oh is always grateful after.

O has been little monkey tonight getting him to sleep but he is settled now so going go hopefully go and chill for little bit with oh..

He is doing well in himself, pulls himself up to standing every opportunity, still holds on to things with one hand. He is still a little while off walking yet I think. He still army crawls, just super fast. Loves having baths with ds. He gets all excited and starts screeching as we walk up the stairs as he knows he is going in. Super cute x
Loves his food but fussy now eating from spoon. Mr independent. Think I’m going to make him some fish cakes tomoz n see how he goes with them ..

Better get off now have nice evening Ladies x

 

[slammerkin]

Ali - Oh my god, I would lose my mind if I had family move in with me. Absolutely lose my mind. And for neither of them to be working? Are you kidding me? I hope they get something sorted out soon for your sanity.

Ally - great you'll be having a playdate with a friend!

Literati - you have such a full social life, hehe. I am jealous. It's great you are enjoying the season with the girls though. It's hard to believe that you are still off work and I've been back for, like, 8 months?

Apple - you are so good to do so much to make the holidays nice for OH!

Vrogers - sorry that L is so on and off with teething! I think Jack is going through the same.

AFM - I am feeling so lazy about everything in life, lol. I need to start exercising. I sit all day for work, and then I just want to sit all evening on the couch. Pathetic! Not that I have had very much motivation, but I have been putting off trying to get my diet under control while Jack is still under 1 and I'm pumping. I just feel that my body is holding on to pounds because I need them in order to make enough milk. Maybe I'm just fooling myself, lol. But after he turns 1 and I don't have to pump anymore I am really going to work on my diet and try to lose weight. I am sick of people assuming I am pregnant.

I have some presents bought for the kids and my sister's kids. I have a load of packages arriving this week from Amazon. Dreading wrapping, lol.

We went to see Santa at the mall on Sunday and DD sat on his lap for the first time! She has been too scared in years past. Her face looks ridiculous in the picture, but oh well, lol. We were all in the photo.

Jack has been super fussy lately. Screaming and whining for no apparent reason. And sleeping like shit of course. I think he has teeth coming, but ughhhhh I'm so over this. When can I freaking nightwean this baby???? I had planned on doing it at 17-18 months like I did with DD, but I am sick of this crap. I am so hot and cold with him. When he's happy and sleeping peacefully I feel so contented to be snuggled up with him, and then he is fussy and waking a ton and I'm just like fuuuuuuuckkkk. He is super cute though. I think he is dying to walk and will be a happier child when he can.

Going to my sister's Christmas party this weekend, which I don't think I've been to for 3-ish years. It's always on a Saturday and 1.5 hours away and I just couldn't face it on my own without DH. But now that he doesn't work weekends we can all go! Then on Sunday there is a "Customer Appreciation Day" at the bar where he used to work and we'll go to that. Santa will be there too.