Ruth_Baldock

Oh Otta, you and Mrs Otta are proper bonafide romantics. It's like something from a Jackie Collins novel, truely.

When my eldest was 10mo old, me and Mr B went away overnight after getting some mega amazing deal at Shoreditch House. Brilliant location, we decided we'd go up to Brick Lane for a curry then a spot of (trendy) bar crawling.

we managed Brick Lane, then went back to the Hotel. "Lets go out later, say 9:30, 10pm...we've got THE WHOLE NIGHT!" we thought. Instead, we watched 3/4 of Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and fell asleep. I woke up at 7:15am, looking like Pammie because I'd missed 2x breastfeeds and didn't think it's be an issue (idiot). I ended up hand expressing in the shower and wailing.

Good hotel breakfast though.

BEAT THAT for Sexy Getaway antics!

Oh, you...!

Otta Wrote:

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> Sleeping naked together would be lovely...,If we

> even got to share a bed!

Theres a reason why no one should ever sit on our sofas at home without asking if they've been cleaned recently. Just sayin'.

Do you know, I've said on facebook that I've wanted to post this on several threads before, and if it gets me banned, or gets reported then I HAVE NO REGRETS.

WHY does EVERYTHING have to turn into a butthurt slinging match, all the time, on here? Seriously?!

WHY all the 'errr man, you're being WELL racist!'. In fact, why the debate at all? Like Saffron said, a woman has died. It was largely preventable. It is bloody tragic. Shouldn't we be focussing on that, and thinking of her family, understandbly in HUGE mourning right now, for the loss of a daughter, wife, sister, and their unborn grand-daughter, neice, daughter.

*exasperated*

P.S. I am in agreement with everything you said Straferjack, though.

Abortion on demand? eh? Whats that when it's at home?

My youngest always did this, without fail. All up the back, and neck, and leaking everywhere. Yeuch.

Seb did this when he was about 11 months old, and I was baffled. Turned out I was pregnant...

I would give the sippy cup a go tbh, make a big novelty out of it?

Not paying your nanny SSP? What a ridicolous statement! They are your employees; how would you like it if your boss refused you SSP?

Some of the extremeley anti-nanny viewpoints and sweeping statements on here(the forum in general...) are incredibly rude. And sad!

Mum2be; some children can outsmart child locks. My 2y/o can, he also undoes the stairgate, and window locks. A few weeks ago I found him spraying his little sister with antibacterial spray. And stainless steel cleaner.

Perhaps loosen your judgy pants?

Seconding reren's suggestion of later bedtime. OR earlier?

Seb: Woke at 4:20am every day, we put him to bed at 6pm one night and he went until 8am. He continued this way for months, until the 5am starts began again so we went back to 7pm bedtime (This was when he was about 15/16mo...)

Lex: Wakes silly early if we put her down before 7:45pm.

Absolutely you can ask for a scan/minor investigations to see whats up, and it

may also be useful to request your maternity/labour notes from Kings, which is done via PALS and costs ?25.

I'm sorry it's taking longer than you thought to concieve. I tried for two years with an ex, had several losses and gave up. Tried for 9mo with my now husband, had another loss, and then gave up, which of course meant I fell pregnant immediately. We weren't actively trying really for baby 2, I had a loss (again again) when baby 1 was 6mo, then 8mo old, and then became pregnant when he was 9mo old. It's been a tough road, and although we haven't prevented baby 3 from arriving, no joy there at the moment, for various reasons.

Scuse the essay, you're not alone in finding it hard was the gist.

Rx

I also know an Eden! She'd be 4 now, her name was Eden Rose. Lovely!

Grotty- your names list is outstanding! LOVE Coco.

Wizadora, we adore her! Sorry, sorry. LOVED that show.

My girl is Alexa Ruby. Ruby after me, my entire family call me Ruby. I never call her Alexa, she has always always been Lex. Other top girls names I love are:

Karis

Thea

Bridget

Meredith

Iris

Adriana

Scout (was very high on our list for Lex, even right up till being wheeled into theatre)

If I have a third, and it's a girl, she'll be Karis Rio :)

My top boy's names were:

Dallas

Silas

Szymek (prounounced shemeck, Polish for Simon)

Jesse

Jude

Asher

Theo

Seth

...baby (now almost 3) was named Sebastian Michael Dallas in the end, poor sod.

Sigh. I've told you; chuck her in the pool, chuck some Peppa Pig toys in the deep end as incentive and bob's your uncle!

Seriously though, quite a few friends have had group private lessons which we held in a private pool. Not too expensive iirc and her now almost 3y/o can swim independently. I'll get the name of the company when I speak (tweet, lets be honest...) to her later.

When I went back to work, the ONLY way I could afford to was because my in laws extremely kindly offered to look after my son two days a week. When I became pregnant, I knew it would be way too much to expect my MIL to look after a (what would eventually be...) a 9mo old and 2y4mo old. My son was 17mo old when I went on maternity leave, and had a 3 hour nap in the day, and it was extremely tough on my MIL. No way would it have been workable with both of them (feisty baby and toddler won't/can't nap). So that was that. Bye bye work. Good job I was made redundant just before I left to have the baby, eh?

I know freelance and work from home around the children, which is bloody difficult actually, but needs must...

Dead remote controls are a huge hit in our house, as are dead (and worthless) mobile phones.

Baby wipes- will get off even really tough and unlikely stains. To date, my trusty Huggies Pure have got off strawberries from a cream wool carpet, and blackened bananas/avocados off the same bloody carpet.Ditto with clothing (mine).

Best stain remover for clothes when washing has to be the green household soaps we get from Morrisons, I believe a pack of two is 59p! Total bargain, and I think it was Mr B's find of the century. Gets off every stain, every time (including huge red wine stain from our duvet cover, although that admission makes us sound like we belong in Withnail&I...)

Immac down the plug hole will also help to clean and unblock a plugged sink :)

Nelson's teething powder really helped with nappy rash due to teething, taken orally of course. Didn't do much for baby's discomfort, but helped to change the acidity of her drooly wee, or whatever it is that causes the rash. That with lots of bare bum time/Metanium cleared up my girl's rashy bum in no time at all.

Two of my recently found favourites:

1) Primark nail varnish. I have loads of those packs of 4 x 6ml nail varnishes and all of them, without fail, have lasted a week (at least!) with no chipping, on only two coats. This comes from someone with two toddlers (SCREAM) who spends the majority of her time washing her hands. I didn't even have to use topcoat! Easy to take off as well, I didn't find myself having to scrub at my nails mercillesly, unlike with other brands (Bourgois, this means you...)

2) John Barnett shoes. Just got my youngest's first pair of shoes, and the assistant who measured my crazy girl's little feet was lovely, and made all the appropriate 'How cute/gorgeous' noises at her waddling around the shop in a pair of shocking pink clompers, like she was doing the Thriller dance. Her shoes were also ?11 in the sale, very pleasantly surprised. Will visit again.

My son has been going through this off and on since he was 22mo. He's 2y9mo now (34 months???)

We have had some success with gradual withdrawal over the course of a week; so day 1, sit in chair until he falls asleep, day 2, stay until he is just about to fall asleep, leave, whisper that 'Mummy is going to sleep now...' (Lies, I am downstairs watching my SATC boxset) day3, wait for 5 mins so he's drowsy but awake, and so on...

Good to hear the GP agreed it's "just" a virus. Funny you should mention that re:dialoryte. I had mastisis and a bug a few months back, and I was terrified of getting dehydrated so decided to get some dialoryte into me, but the lady at the chemist was very reluctant to sell it to me...

Toddler wouldn't settle till 11pm on Saturday, slept till lunchtime!!! Baby woke up at 5am, house was an oven, we were in the park by 7:15am. Madness. Last night better, although only slightly.

Fly Wrote:

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> Keep them up till 11 and all have a lie in the

> next day

I envy you! With my two it's stay up till 11, wake at 6am and be tired and grumpy all day. Whinge warp factor 10, until either me or my husband seriously considers buggering off and joining the circus/french foreign legion to escape the screeching and whining.

DG2: If someone starts to follow you, then yes, you can see tyhat they;re reading your tweets. If you have an open profile where people can have a nosey without following you, then who knows who is reading what you're writing.