***Lion Cub Mommies-Back In Action!***

[jelr]

Hey girls

Well see how much I can remember now, I'm pretty brain dead with little sleep and a really poorly girl all day.

Shiv: I'm so sorry Sophia is still kicking up, I actually remember reading that about the terrible two's also. I honestly do think it sounds like she a bit put out because of Cora and is doing everything to get your attention. If only she could understand she would get so much more good attention if she just behaved. I can see Natasha being the very same though if we do have another baby and it terrifies me being honest, but in some senses she is spoilled rotten with the attention from myself and DH and all my family just around the corner, she really is the apple of all of my brothers' eyes. They even all called to see her today and didn't care if they got the bug themselves and they really were all so so worried about her, so she is really going to be put out if she has to share that attention. I can see it already when we are over in my mams on a Sunday for dinner, she will now shout if she is not the centre of attention at the dinner table

I suppose it has to be hard for them to get used to the change when it has been only them for so long. I know it has flown for us, but it is there life time.

Or Spidey did have a good point, I wonder if it is food allergies. It is all so hard to know isn't it. That is still the thing I find hardest about parenting is the guessing especially when they were teeny and I am a fixer and have to know what the problem is and a way to fix it, so I find the guessing really hard work

I think your idea of the personal instructor is a fantastic idea and at £45 an hour, you wouldn't need to work too many hours to make a decent wage and like Spidey said I don't think you would have to be super super fit - Go for it.

I do think I remember something about your mum and her family, but I don't remember any details (maybe you didn't tell us details ) - I really hope the funeral goes smoothly and hassle free for both your mum and your dad.

Spidey: I love Kira's art work, it sounds like you are both enjoying the class. Have you made any new mommy friends at it as I know that was part of your original plan or have you changed your mind on that one?

Your DH cracks me up yelling at your MIL, I actually get on with my MIL, but then that is maybe as I don't see her everyday, because I definitely wouldn't get away with yelling at her, she would bury me I would say

I love your bump picture on fb, you look fantastic. I know what you mean about being the centre of attention. I never liked that about pregnancy and everyone has an opinion on everything you do - have you announced to work now that you have on fb?

Yes Natasha is left handed too, well she does use both, but she does favour the left and always uses the left for drawing, painting and eating.

About the feet turning in, I think I would get it checked, because most of these things can be corrected if they are caught early I think and I know how much extra trouble I have with my joints because I have fallen arches, which tends to cause me to twist my feet in slightly and in turn it causes my knees and hips to be misaligned. I wouldn't think you need to worry about anything like that with Kira because it is being caught so early if it is anything and if it is treatment would probably be exercise or corrective shoes (but then I'm only guessing on that), but I do think all those types of things are better dealt with as early as possible and not in your 20's like me

AFM: Well the smoking is not going to well. I decied to buy the lightest brand available so as not to be smoking DH's for 1 a day as I smoked the 2nd lightest brand here anyway and he doesn't, but that was a bad mistake as having them in the house just made me smoke more. still not much more, but more all the same. So I'm going to go at it again properly this week and try and stop full stop.

No more news on ttc. AF is due tomorrow. I did a test this morning and yesterday (this morning wasn't fmu though as I was so tired from being up all night I didn't think of it) - Both were negative of course and I do think I'm out again this month as I feel like AF is on the way, I am really bloated and have a lot of pressure down by my pubic bone and I got that on the last long cycle. Mind you I did think she would arrive today as I have it since yesterday, but she hasn't shown up yet, so you would never know. When I say she is due tomorrow that would be going on a 14 day LP, but then my cycles are so all over the place at the moment. I actually don't know when she is due - I think I'm trying to talk myself into believing that she is on the way and I'm out, so as I won't be disappointed, but I know I will be devestated again.

Although according to ff if I'm pregnant this month I would be due on the 1st of Oct, which is in or around the date I was due this time last year, so that would be a bit weird, but I don't care. I'm so so broody now and really am getting more frustrated with ttc by the day. I think I'm also dreading the next month or two as it would have been feb / march that we were going through the mc and I just don't want to deal or think about it and just want to be pregnant again so that I don't have to. It just feels like it is going to be a big enough hurdle to get to the 12 weeks and everything be okay without the waiting and worrying about ttc as well if that makes sense. But then I keep telling myself that good things comes to those who wait, although its not really working. Patients was never my strong point

Will fill you in on how tomorrows test goes. I reckon I may as well use up the 40 free tests I got with the OPK's

Well I guess I had better get a move on and get to bed in case Natasha is awake again tonight. I'm had a training course on Sat so have a day to take off instead which has to be taken within the month so I have decided to take it tomorrow. In one sense I know this week especially tomorrow is busy, but feck it, even if Natasha is not still sick tomorrow, she is not going to be right after being that sick and all she wants is me at the moment so what is the point in leaving her with my mam and then taking a day next week or the week after to do nothing on when she needs me now.

 

[jelr]

The silly stupid bitch got me

 

[Shiv]

oh when I saw you had been on again I really thought it was to announce your BFP. I'm really sorry. Next month honey will be your month x

 

[spidey]

jelr, I'm so sorry I was really hoping that this would be your month especially with having to wait for such a long cycle.

Kira is just like Natasha- everyone in the family showers her with attention and she doesn't have to share. She has people sending her gifts who have never met her (or me!)

I hope Natasha has a good night tonight and a much better day tomorrow.

I'll post more later- I need to get my bath before Kira wants to take one with me. Her new thing is to point to each of my body parts and say "pillow tummy" "pillow booby... baby" and "pillow booby... BIG!" I swear my boobs are the same size! DH finds it very entertaining, so I have both of them giggling at me as I'm trying to bathe and shave

 

[jelr]

Thanks girls - am really fed up with it all now to be honest.

I don't remember ttc being half as stressful last time, but then I was clueless - It feels like time is against us and I suppose to a certain degree last time I didn't expect it to happen at all and now that I know it can it just feels like it is within my grasp, but yet a million miles away and this is only the first part of the battle, I then need to manage to hold onto the pregnancy.

Each month I promise myself I won't get my hopes up, but then I'm devestated and all these silly LP symptoms are so like pregnancy ones, it is so hard not to think that I am pregnant each and every time

Ack I'm just feeling sorry for myself I guess, I will be fine.

Diet starts tomorrow and hopefully shifting the extra weight will help and I'm going to phone the docs on Friday when I'm off again and see about an appointment for a referral.

Spidey: Kira is so cute with her "pillow tummy" and "pillow booby" - although I probably wouldn't think it was as funny if it was about my tummy and boobs

Have you gotten anything to wear for the afternoon tea yet? I meant to say in my last post. I would agree that is very rude for that girl to bring a friend and especially to demand it. I was thinking the very same as Shiv though, I wonder if she is going to come out

Shiv: How is Sophia this week? did she have your gymnastics class yet? Any more luck figuring out if Cora has anymore allergies?

Well not much news here, Natasha is much better thankfully, she is still off her food, but did eat a bit, but she is back to her bright self and has colour back in her cheeks and is playing away instead of just lying on the couch and most importantly no more vomit or temperature and she is taking loads of fluids so I don't mind about the food, as it will probably be a few days before her tummy is 100% right.

 

[spidey]

jelr, I'm so sorry you're so fed up with ttc. I know exactly what you mean. On the bright side, the changes you're making (ie. weight loss) will only make ttc easier, plus you had a nice long 14 day LP this cycle. And you know you're ovulating from the opks and temping, so everything is on track for a bfp and now you have to let nature do its thing- easier said than done. I hope you can get a fast appointment with your doctor so you can get that referral and some peace of mind.

What sort of diet are you doing?

I don't think I'm going to buy anything new for afternoon tea since the girls all say they wear jeans and t-shirts. So I'm going to wear a purple shirt that I already own with a very low back. It's also see through, so it's a bit sexy and it fits over my bump still. I have some blackish gray velvety maternity pants that might look nice with it. I'll take a picture before I leave for my lady date in 2 weeks

The girl who is bringing another girl along is most certainly not coming out but I love how you 2 think! She has a bf and I am forced to hear the details of their nightly encounters on FB. I also know when they're fighting (which happens frequently) and what sort of birth control she uses He doesn't want to have any more kids (he had 1 with his first wife) but she always posts how she wants to get pregnant and how her ovaries are sad. Then 6 hours later she'll post about a new birth control pill she's taking and the side effects.

jelr, I'm glad Natasha was playing today and feeling much better. It might take awhile for her tummy to feel completely better. How are you feeling? I hope you've been spared from the tummy bug.

We had our 3rd art class today. I sat at a table with a mom and little girl who appeared to be close to Kira's age, but it turns out she was 3 1/2. Kira is by far the youngest one there and I think most of the kids are 4 year olds. The mom didn't seem too interested in talking to me, but its not like I'm the queen of conversation

I called up for my blood results today and the very nice nurse went over them all. Everything looks great she said, even my iron which was a problem last time. So tomorrow I might get brave and tell people I'm officially pregnant- if they haven't already figured it out

 

[jelr]

Your purple shirt sounds lovely, I can't wait to see your photo.

Mmmm - Okay so your friend is not coming out so - Ar e you are sure though as she does sound a bit confused - Some people love living their entire life out of fb don't they

for the bloods coming back all right, it is such a relief to have those things over and done with. I hope it has put your mind at rest now and you can relax and enjoy it.

Natasha is back to her normal self now thank god and so far we have both escaped the bug - Fingers crossed it will stay that way.

Well I took the bull by the horns and phoned my consultants secretary to see did I need to go to my gp for a referral or could I just book in and she said she would just book me in on account of me only being there last June, so that saved me €50 in the doctors and the appointment is for 27th of March so it is not a year long wait like I expected it, so I'm feeling a lot more postive and am hoping that maybe just the security of knowing it will happen within the next few months will actually relax me enough for it to it happen before that.

Oh yeah I meant to actually answer you girls about the drawing earlier, Natasha is doing the same with the drawing and when she paints as you might remember from her video. Everything is "meant" to be something now, although it looks absolutely nothing like it and is still only a load of scribbles. It is so funny to watch her though, some days she will tell me it is "Minnie's bow" and then "Santa's foot" - Where do they get their ideas from

Well now plans for us for the weekend, just going to relax as it has gone extremely cold here and I'm very very sore and tired after Natasha being sick, so we might have a movie day again one of the days. Shiv: how did Sophia get on watching Nemo after?

Have a good weekend girls. Xx

 

[spidey]

I'm so glad you don't have to wait too long for your appointment jelr! March will be here in no time and I bet you'll get your bfp a week before the appointment.

How was everyones weekend?

Kira and I slept until 9:45 this morning and didn't leave the bed until 10:45! Just as we were done eating breakfast DH walked in the door ready for his lunch break She usually never sleeps past 7:30am, so she must have needed it. I decided to skip her nap which was a mistake because she's been a crank head all evening!

Kira had a playdate this weekend with the daughter of a good friend of mine at work. The other little girl was a very early talker but now I think the clarity of Kira's words almost matches that of this other little girl. It's nice to see how quickly she's catching up. We also cleaned the basement. Overall it wasn't a very exciting weekend

I have a midwife appointment Friday where I should get my referral for a 20 week scan. I still haven't announced my pregnancy at work. I tried on Friday but I felt so stupid saying "hey, guess what, I'm pregnant". I went as far as walking into the office of the 2 main secretaries and I was about to say something but felt so weird that I pretended I was there to buy a candy bar to support one of their daughter's schools. I can't even eat the candy bar since it has gluten in it Maybe tomorrow (Tuesday) I'll tell people if I can work up the nerve

 

[Shiv]

Hi girls, been quiet in here, hope that is because everyone is having fun with their LO's and not because of illness etc.

Jean - I am sure Natasha is fully recovered now, I hope so and I also hope that you and Jim managed to avoid it.

Great news on your consultant appointment, not you can hopefully relax a bit and let that swimmer catch the egg Where are you in your cycle now?

How is the not smoking going?

Spidey - when is your 20 week scan then? How did your mw appt go? It made me laugh thinking of you walking in to a room ready to announce your news and then...........buying some candy you can't even eat! Could you send an email instead, that is what I did at work (with SOphia) but then i sent it before I was obvioulsy pregnant

it is so cool that Kira's speech has caught up really quickly, do you still think she will need speech therapy? I don't think she does!

As for us, well let me see, I'll start with a SOphia update. She has been much less cranky the last couple of weeks. We still have daily meltdowns but they seem to be quicker to pass. Obvioulsy we still have the odd major one but not ten times a day like it was! When she starts getting upset I say e.g "right listen to me, you have two options 1)You put that back by yourself or 2) I will take it off of you and put it back myself". 9 times out of ten she will put it back herself.

She is out of nappies again but only because since we had put her back in them she has got terrible exzema where thenappy must rub her leg, it was so sore that I couldn't keep the nappy on her. She is generally attempting to get to the potty, but rarely she makes it before she has started to wee, so we are having several changes of trousers a day. She always makes it for a poo though so that is good

We have signed up for a term of gymnastics classes. It is less of a class and more of just a free play scenario in a proper gymnastics club with a sprung floor and all teh gym equipment, beams, bars, floor level trampoline. I did gym when I was younger so it is fun getting to run around with Sophia. She is really good on the beam and she can walk along it by herself when it is a low one (practice one) but needs to hld my hand on a full height one (can't say I blame her). They have a group warm up as well and this week they used the ribbons that rhythmic gymnasts use, she picked it up and straight away did the circle swirly thing, I hope she is good at gym, I can live through her then

She is also still going to swimming lessons and is so confident in the water, she is getting good at pointing her toes when she kicks on her back etc

hmm what else.......she has started singing more songs recently, she has always been quite good at this and had been singing nuresery rhymes properly for months. The other day she just came out with Yanky Doodle, now the only place she has got this from is a book at my parents house with it in, so she maybe sees it once a month - and she sang this without any prompting

Yanky Doodle came to town, riding on a pony
stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni

(at which point I though, wow, how does she know that........then she continued on)

yanky doodle keep it up, yanky doodle dandy
mind the music and the step and with the girls be handy

I had to phone my mum to see if those are the right words, and they are! Her memory is a bit ridiculous, at times I worry she might be a bit rainman esque!

So on to Cora - she is great. My dairy trial was not a complete disaster, she did react but not nearly as badly. She got mucousy poos but didn't seem to suffer from any wind pain (which was my main concern). So I will try again in a few weeks and see. It means that I will not worry *too* much about if I eat dairy if we eat out (which is very rare) but won't eat it regularly.

I just ordered a load of milk chocolate from a company called moo free (amazon sell it which is amazing). SO far I have been eating the darkest of dark chocolate and I now really like it but am looking forward to trying some milk chocolate again, I hope it isn't rank, and I hope it turns up tomorrow!

Cora is still waking once in the night, I am really tired but am trying ot treasure every single feed as I am well aware that these days are precious and she will be a toddler in a flash, makes me sad and broody. She is just so chilled out and happy. She giggles now which is just beautiful.

SO an update on me - not much to say. I started the week wieghing 9lbs 2.5oz. I was over the moon as I hadn't really lost any weight for a good few weeks. However I weighed myself today and I am back up to 9st 4.5lbs so nevermind!

I am trying to exercise but now that Sophia doesn't nap it is hard. She will do the DVD with me for about 5 minutes but then wants me to stop. I have started doing it while she eats breakfast so that she is occupied but can see me prancing about!

It has been snowing here this weekend, we got a good few inches and Sophia was SO excited about it. You will prob have seen the photo on facebook. SO today we had another film day (after she had dragged David out in the snow at 7.30am). We watched a Winnie the Pooh movie. They are her favourite characters and she giggled loads. But still said she preffered Nemo! She LOVES popcorn which is quite good as i figure it is actually a fairly healthy snack. We pop our own and other than a tablespoon of oil we don;t add anything else (to hers, we add a tonne of salt to ours ).

Not many plans for this week, seeing some mummy friends on Tuesday, gymnastics on wednesday but other than that not much. I am really missing my old mummy friends, I don't really feel that close to the ones here, I see them more for Sophia's interaction with their kids. They are nice enough but I don't feel a big connection. I am also missing having family and friends close by, we don't do much at the weekends as I hate eating out now that I can't eat anything nice, and everything involves food, even if we go to a museum we still need to get lunch. I miss having my parents nearby so that I could drop the girls off and go for a swim or get my hair cut.........but hey what can you do. It has been just over a year since we found out David would lose his job and we have been living here for over 8 months now, so I think i have done quite well to not miss everyone until now. It is especially hard as two of my friends *back home* (must get out of the habit of calling Kent home) have had babies in the last 3 months, and I am sad that Cora won't grow up really being friends with them. And I have spent the last couple of years being the only one with a child whilst they all go out all the time, and now that they suddenly know how limiting to your social life children can be, I am not there. We always talked about holding big dinner parties at eachothers houses when we all had kids so that we could take the kids and put them to sleep upstairs..................ah well, just ignore me, I'll get over it, life would just be a bit easier if we lived closer to everyone, not the end of the world, look at how Cleck coped being so far from her family.

Well i promised myself an early night, which for me is 9pm and it is already nearly 10pm so I better go, I hope to see some nice big updates soon from you both xxx

oh and I don;t know how you feel about this, but I realised the other day that it is ridiculous that I tell you girls pretty much everything but i don;t even send you Christmas cards or birthday cards, or send Natasha and Kira birthday cards. I would love to swap addresses.............I kow that makes e sound like a stalker but I promise I'm not Anyway if you are up for it then let me know and we can PM or something, if not then don't worry, I won't be offended. (that's a lie, I will be mortally offended but will try not to show it )

xxx

 

[jelr]

Spidey: Well how the Kira's play date go and how did the midwife appointment go, I hope you got your scan appointment.

I really can't believe you are nearly half way there already, the time is flying by.

Well were you brave enough to tell work yet? I think the email would be a great idea.

Yay for the lie in, Natasha has done the opposite and is walking at 7 instead of her normal 9 - so I envy you at the moment

Shiv: I'm glad Sophia has settled down, thankfully it seems to have been just a phase and hopefully the potty training will get better and better also. Natasha actually asked to use her potty today to do her poo, but when I brought her into the bathroom to where the potty is she started shouting no no no, so I have no idea what that was about. That sounds painful where the nappies were rubbing, your right though I wouldn't have been able to leave it on either.

Natasha usually doesn't have too many tantrums but this week she did seem to have loads and then I discovered one of her bath teeth have broken through. She also is waking at 7, instead of 9 so is tired all day, although I can't actually say she is awake, but is crying in her sleep and shouting "no its mine" and "no I want to go to the bank with mammy" and stuff like that, like she is having nightmares. But yet when I go in, she will talk to me normally as if she is awake so I don't know

Like you though I would have thought she would have been able to tell me her mouth is hurting as she can communicate everything that she wants and chatters away about everything now and tells me all about her day when I'm home from work and tells me if she has a pain in her stomach. I wonder if they just feel like crap with their teeth and can't can't exactly pin point what is wrong with them - I just don't know

I'm glad the Cora dairy challenge wasn't a complete disaster and it definitely sounds like things are looking up when she didn't get wind. I wonder if the poos where just the change rather than a reaction. I know if we are away and I eat lots of rich foods my bowels either back up or get loose due to the change in my diet.

Sophia sounds like she is doing great with the gymnastics and swimming. She sounds so cute singing - she really does have a fantastic memory.

I'm sorry you are feeling like you are missing everyone, it is totally normal though, you have done brilliantly to last this long, I would have been a big mess right from the start. I miss my friend that has moved away too especially now that she has a child as I know we would probably do stuff with the kiddies, my dream was always that we would all have children at the same time and do stuff together, but it hasn't worked out like that either as 2 of my friends have no children, 1 has 3 so it is hard for her to get out with them all and other other has a 12 year old, so there is not much common ground with a 12 and 2 year old.

Big hugs - I hope you are feeling better soon, the tiredness will make you feel worse also.

Well not much news from me, diet is going well and I have lost 8lbs so I'm 4 away from my goal, I am also going to join the gym again as it is only a two minute walk from my house and they are doing a special deal and it is only €100 for the year, so I reckon even if I only go for a few weeks I will have gotten my moneys worth as most gyms here are about €350 to €500 a year and I got my last decent pay check (we used to get paid nearly two months behind, so I got decembers pay at the good rate ) and reckoned if I didn't do it now I won't have the money next month.

The smoking isn't going too well, since going on this liquid only diet again, I have found it so hard the fact that I was still smoking a few in the evenings to stop when I'm already so hungry. I do know though I have to knock it on the head because I can't afford to spend €10 a pack (which was what I smoked a day before) and I can't keep half giving them up and then eating more and putting up the weight and having to go to such extremes to lose it or there will be no babies. I really hate having pcos for that reason. I'm still only smoking 3 or 4 in the evenings on the days I'm working, but it is about 8 to 10 on my days off - I'm hoping the gym will keep me busier in the evenings until I have cracked it and that it will also help to keep the weight off when I eat extra when I completely stop.

I'm on CD12 today so if I have a 32 day cycle I should OV on CD18 when I will be back on proper food, I have started testing with the OPK's though just incase I OV earlier and will go back on food straight away just in case.

Natasha is completely back to normal now thank god, I never want to see her go through that again, although I'm sure I will. she is hilarious though telling people about it. She says "I had a tummy bug in my belly and spuddies and carrots came out of my mouth on nanna's floor and mammy and daddy's cuddles made me better" - she is so dramatic about it too and does the actions with her hand up to her mouth and then down to the ground to show how she got sick

We had a christening / birthday party yesterday as Jim's neices baby was christened and it was her older sisters 4th birthday. Natasha had a ball as she really loves meeting up with her cousins, although I did notice even though she really is a little social butterfly and loves other children and is usually so so confident, she wasn't herself in such a big crowd and was happier sitting down looking at books when it got really noisy and the other children were really running aorund wild. She can be quiet cautious and seemed to be really uncomfortable when they were getting really boisterous. I hope she will get on okay when it comes to playschool and won't be pushed around, because she is so laid back and relaxed.

Today we also had a movie day and watched the Lion King, Natasha also loves the popcorn and we do the very same, we pop our own and don't put any salt on her bowl

We actually have a copy of every disney movie ever and more on an external hard drive that we got from a friend, it is a pity you girls are not nearer and I could give you a copy or that there wasn't a way of compressing it to send it on a disk or usb, but it is over 80 gigabytes and there is over 100 movies so I reckon we will never get bored on movie day or have to watch the same ones over and over. She really loved the Lion King more so than when we watched beauty and the beast, that is about all we have been up to and last week we spent 1 of my days off in town sorting bank stuff as we are changing our accounts and it was a mega pain to change all the direct debits for the bills and on the other day, myself and my sister took Natasha to the soft play area.

We didn't get any of the snow thank god. Do you still have much shiv? Have you gotten any Spidey? My sister and her husband were over visiting my brother in London and only just got out on time last night before it really all started.

Shiv that is a fantastic idea about the swapping of addresses and the cards, so you don't have to be mortified - I just hope I remember to send cards - I used to be so so good with that and always remembered everybody, but in the last few years i'm getting more forgetful and have to put constant reminders in my phone. I think it is because I tend to do the remembering for DH's family also and there is so many children have been born in the last few years. There seems to be about 3 or 4 birthdays with both families and friends and their children every month, so it is hard to remember them all, so please do not be offended if I do miss any of them - Christmas I will definitely be okay for as I keep a list of the names and addresses and they are all done together

Well I have blabbered on enough, but wanted to make sure I got in today as I will hopefully be getting fit during the week - knowing me I will go once and that will be it - I really wish I had a passion for exercise

 

[spidey]

wow, lots to catch up on!

I have my scan this Wednesday at 10:30! They want me to drink 32 ounces of water 1 hour before the scan... no f-ing way!

The email announcing my pregnancy is a great idea. I asked DH what he thought and he agreed. So on Tuesday I'll send an email to my boss and my employer since I'm on a contract hired by the government. How about something like this:

"I want to inform you that I'm pregnant and due July 1st. I plan to work until my due date and then take maternity leave which will start in July or possibly late June. I will be returning to work 12 weeks after the baby is born, or perhaps earlier if I can arrange childcare. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me"

Shiv, after you talked about getting in shape, I decided to buy a pregnant lady work out dvd! It mostly focuses on squats and lower body. I've done it 2 nights in a row and my legs are sooo sore! I've managed to find time in the evening as DH entertains Kira. When I do floor exercises, Kira likes to crawl under me like a tunnel I need to start training for labor- I remember after having Kira every single muscle in my body hurt for days.

This weekend I went shopping for maternity clothes! I bought 2 pairs of leggings and 4 short sleeve shirts. DH says 2 of the combinations are too hot to wear to work I'll have to take pictures one day when Kira gives me a chance. I haven't been to this particular maternity store before but I could have bought everything. It was all so stylish... I was in shopping heaven!

Tonight Kira is sleeping in her own bedroom for the very first time! She was fine falling asleep but we'll see if she wakes in the night. It might sound stupid but I'm really going to miss sleeping in Kira's bed. She has such a nice comfy room and I loved sleeping alone with no disturbances. Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night and read my kindle. I have a feeling she'll love sleeping in her room too, but she also likes to snuggle so we'll see how she does tonight.

Okay, thats everything with me I think. Shiv, I'm glad Sophia's tantrums are lessening. It sounds like you are being very consistent when she starts to act up, so I bet thats the reason why she's learning not to throw such a fit all the time. Kira does not sing AT ALL, so thats very cute Sophia is a singer. Taking her to gymnastics sounds like fun... I'll have to see if we have something similar in this area because I think Kira would like doing the balance beam and jumping in foam pits. We have 2 more art classes left and had to skip last weeks since I was sick. Kira had a runny nose and gave it to both me and DH so we've been blowing our noses and coughing all week, but I think we're finally over it. Oh, and don't worry too much about your lack of weight loss- I bet you're gaining muscle! And I would love to swap addresses with you! I'll send mine to jelr too and anyone else who reads here and wants it- just ask! Like jelr, I'm awful at sending cards so don't expect mine to be on time,

jelr, congrats on your weight loss! I'm sorry quitting smoking is so hard- its one of the hardest addictions to quit so don't beat yourself up about it. Kira doesn't like boisterous crowds either. If the playground has other children on it, she's very cautious, I think because the other children are much bigger than her and she's afraid of being knocked over. I can just imagine Natasha's reenactment of her vomiting, lol!

I better get to bed, this might be a long night! Fingers crossed Kira sleeps good!

 

[jelr]

I think that emails sounds fine to me. Do you think you will go back earlier than the 12 weeks? I would probably leave that bit out if you don't have too or don't want to

Delighted you got some nice new maternity clothes, I found nice clothes so so hard to get when i was pregnant on Natasha and ended up wearing leggins and bigger sized tops all the time

I hope last night went well with Kira and that she loves her new room. - you will have to show us a photo now that it is all done and I hope you got some sleep too.

Best of luck on Wednesday for the scan - I hate having to drink all that water - I usually end up emptying my bladder by the time I get to the hospital and then I have to poor another litre of water down into me really quickly. They always ask did I half empty it or fully empty it too when I tell them - Who the hell manages to half empty their bladder

Shiv: I meant to say, I would agree with Spidey, I bet you are just toning muscle or could you be half way through your cycle and are ovulating as I always put up a few lbs for a few days and then it goes again. You are doing so so well though with your weight

Oh yeah I also meant to update about Natasha in her bed, she has done really well and doesn't get out at all and even calls us in the morning. I do think it is because the bed guard is up and she only has a little space at the end of the toddler bed to get out and she just wont attempt it in the dark and if I was in any doubt tonight has confirmed it because she is kicking up a stink about being in bed for some unknown reason as she never does this, she is looking for water and all sorts and we have been in about 10 times, we are currently leaving her cry for a while and even with all this she hasn't got out

 

[spidey]

hmm, good idea jelr... I'll probably leave that sooner than 12 weeks part off. At this moment I'm considering it since I'm not sure if we can do 12 whole weeks without my paycheck and DH will still be on a paycut when I take leave. But if I do go back early they should consider it a special bonus and not be expecting it. At my work the typical maternity leave time is 8 weeks and it's sort of expected that you start to return at 6 weeks, but I'm protected under the law for 12 weeks... actually I'm not protected, but I'm pretending that I am and hopefully they don't know the specifics of the law. The only people protected under the family medical leave act are those who work nearly 40 hours/week for 12 months before giving birth, and those who work for employers who hire more than a certain # of employees. Since I only work 20 hours/ week, I'm not protected, but perhaps they don't realize that. So if they fired me, I would have no grounds for a lawsuit. Gotta love this anti-family country that I live in! So many of our laws protect wealthy businesses and the people in power and they don't give a sh*t about the common people. When DH finds a restaurant that could be killing people will poisonous food, he has no power to shut it down because it might piss off the business owner and eventually lead to less monetary support for the local elected official so they can't run a good campaign for re-election. oops, sorry for the rant.

Kira did great in her own bed! She slept all the way through until 7:30 which is her normal wake up time. But I slept awful and was hyper aware all night waking up to every tiny sound in the house. I probably only got 2 total hours of sleep. Tonight I'm putting a baby monitor in her room so I don't have to listen so hard to hear her. I've been drinking tea and eating chocolate to try and stay awake today.

Thats great Natasha is doing so well in her bed I'm glad she doesn't escape We have a bed guard on Kira's bed and it makes it difficult for her to escape too.

Oh, I see some pm's about addresses so I better have a peek!!

 

[jelr]

Yep I definitely think that is the way to go Wendy, because you don't know how you will feel or how things will be then, so at least if you do want to take it they won't be expecting you back and sure they will be delighted to see you back early I'm sure.

Do you not get paid at all then for maternity, We really are so lucky here then. that is about the first perk I have seen of this country that isn't every where else. We get 26 weeks off (at least two weeks have to be taken before your due date) and if you have the correct PRSI (pay related social insurance - which is taken out of your pay check every week) - you get a payment also, which is dependant on how much you earn. The minimum is €217 and the maximum is €262 a week and I am even luckier now as one of the perks of being made a perminent public service employee is that I get fully paid maternity leave. We also have the option of another 16 weeks unpaid. I didn't take this the last time but if we manage okay on our new budget I will definitely take it the next time around because my job is 100% secure now and I did manage to save a little over the last year which if I don't have to break into it I will use it to cover my wages. I reckon I will never have the option to get time off work without breaking my service so I might as well make the most of the time when both children are small. I just hope money doesn't end up tighter than I think though and that we have to break into it.

Well done Kira for staying in her bed, I do know what you mean about not sleeping though, I was nearly going to put up a stair gate on Natasha's room and leave the door open the first night as I was terrified that she would get up wandering and that I wouldn't hear here, until DH reminded me that we have the breathing sensor on her monitor still turned on so the alarm would sound if she was to leave the bed - so I sleep easier now.

Well my poor baby as you know from fb has another tummy bug. My brother came down with it last Friday and DH was sitting on the loo most of Saturday night and then my mam phoned this mornign to say another one of my brothers had it and what did I want to do as she knows I try to keep Natasha away from anything like that. I was very upset to be honest as I asked her if she would mind, looking after Natasha here for just today rather than her picking it up again. I know my mam had a point that if she was going to get it again she would after being in contact with my brother yesterday, but I still wanted to try and prevent it if possible, but she had a right old moan about how she would come over, but that she wasn't happy as she wouldn't be able to get her own stuff done and what was she going to do all day (I felt like saying entertain your grandaughter which is what you are being paid to do ) - but I didn't want to be mean because she really is very good to us and especially to Natasha. My brother then had a go at me in the car as I was giving him a lift to work that she was right and that I was being silly. I know I probably was being overprotective but I have to be honest I would climb a mountain if it meant preventing Natasha from being sick. I wouldn't expect him to understand as he is a 20 year old chap with no children, but I did think my mam would and it was only for the 1 day.

Anyway in the end it was all for nothing as I got a phone call at 2.30 to say she was sick again - DH headed straight home and I finished at 4 (the time which I am meant to finish as I have opted not to take a lunch) - I usually don't get finished until 5, as I prefer to finish the task I'm doing rather go back at it the next day and once I have dinner organised from the night before I'm still home at 5.30 which gives me a chance to get it ready and it has actually worked out perfectly as I get time in lieu for any extra that I work now and I had about a half day built up again and I have a training course this sat which is another half day so I'm going to take it off tomorrow to be home with Natasha.

The poor little mite is being so brave this time and is not panicking when she is sick, but she hasn't held anything down since it started. She is drinking lots more though this time as I don't think she is as afraid as she was two weeks ago. She is sipping water all day and even drank some flat 7up, so at least I'm not as worried this time.

Well I'm going to run and get to bed as this could be a long night and I'm going to take Natasha in with me in the spare bed tonight just in case she is sick again.

 

[spidey]

We don't get maternity pay here and I don't know of any employers that do. I emailed my boss and the contract company that I get paid by. My boss wrote back a nice email saying congratulations and he hoped I had a smooth sailing pregnancy. He didn't mention anything about my 12 weeks of leave, so that's good. But my contract representative called me and said they typically only "give" 6-8 weeks of leave. I guess they're not happy that they won't make money off me for 12 whole weeks!

I'm so sorry Natasha is sick again. Poor thing it's not fair at all. I don't think its unreasonable to ask your mom to come to your house for the day so Natasha could avoid germs. I hope this tummy bug passes quickly for her and you manage to avoid it again. 20 year old boys (men) have no idea what its like to be a parent. My BIL is 22 and he says some of the stupidest things about my parenting. My BIL is the one who said "how could you possibly remember when Kira was born- you were sleeping" and he also asked why I still looked pregnant 3 days after giving birth. I could seriously slap him sometimes!

Tomorrow I have my scan. I had one around 9 or 10 weeks and the baby was still a blob, so it'll be neat seeing a real looking baby in there. I really hope everything is okay. I'm still convinced there must be something wrong because I can't be this lucky to have a smart beautiful daughter and a healthy baby inside me too.