May 2016 Babies Club

This is my third attempt at replying! Keep getting kicked out of internet at the moment!

Sorry to hear about the hay-fever lucuma, hope its not too severe, any sign of another allergy appointment?

Kathy, how are you? Hope the pregnancy is going well. How is your little fella?

We're not too bad on the food front, good days and not so good. He's a bean pole, no matter how much food I get into him he'll always been skinny like his dad besides which he never stops moving! He's great to eat the food in nursery so I kind of rely on that. Some days he'll eat an adult portion of food, the next day barely a few mouth fulls.

Well done on giving up the booze & the weight loss! Great achievement on both counts. I think even just the running around doing the jobs at home helps. I lost most of my baby weight on mat leave (mostly as i had to walk with the boy terror in the carrier constantly!) Its all back on and then some now! I rarely drink these days but I'm wicked for snacks & milky coffees... OH has gone on expresso's after giving up dairy, this from the guy that used to get the shakes from a latte! For me its really all just a habit, an excuse to get away from my desk for a few mins etc.. or else I find I've stayed there all day.

We had a week of night nosebleeds, got an awful shock the first morning, looked a like a murder scene and he said his friend from nursery painted it lol!
I guess he knew he didn't 'paint'!
Got a humidifier after the 2nd one as we thought it was dry air, took him to dr after he had a few more. Thinks its a weak blood vessel, so got an antibiotic cream, been ok since. May need a little laser but hopefully not although it would only be a small procedure. Trying to get blood out of everything is an absolute pain!

Looks like the weather at home has finally turned, thank god! Hope ye are getting to enjoy it. My family were complaining it was so hot last week, its literally double that heat here, seems even worse this year and its only June. I miss having Ramadan in the middle/end of the summer. We are back at swimming the last few weeks since my eye finally got the all clear. He's loving the pool and its some manageable outside time.

Re pull ups, not really sure what the idea is to be honest, he was just wriggling like mad at nappy change and pull ups are easier, also I guess it gets them ready for potty training a bit with the up and down like undies. Also they are cheaper here.

Interesting about the bike, like you say all in their own time. He got the scooter at Christmas and even though he loved playing with other kids ones, he wasn't bothered about it for ages. Loves it now but can only use it inside at the moment, so trying stop him for crashing, he's well able to stop he just likes the bang from the door :eek: He's mad for a bike, very good on our friends balance bike. He keeps asking for 'his' he even knows where they are in the local mall and wants to go see them when we are there. His memory is too fecking good! Just had a look at those scuttlebugs they look cute!

There's a set of twins in his nursery class one of them can count to 20 and do some small adding and subtracting, the one is the total opposite. Its mad how 2 kids in same house & nursery can be so different.

They've started doing timeouts with them now, if there's any hitting or biting etc... he was fierce upset the day say 'no, no time out' thought he's gotten one but it was his friend that got one for hitting him. Didn't like it at all even though it wasn't for him and because he got slapped. Guess he doesn't understand it fully. His little girlfriend puts herself on time out if she does something bold.

Hope everyone had a lovely bank holiday weekend x

Hi ladies! Wuffly for once we maybe have a taste of what life is like for you with the heat here! Only difference is you probably get to spend most of your time in air con, no such luck here! I was stuck in traffic today for nearly an hour and it was actually great coz as a SAHM in an A3 rated new build it's the only air con available to me ! LOL. The paddling pool is getting plenty of use this weather anyway! Although I don't put them out in it until after dinner, it's way too hot any earlier than that.

Kathy I can only imagine how tired you are and totally know what you mean about life going by in a blur. That was the last few years for me! Am very happy to be out of that phase and now I finally have time to smell the roses as I'm living, not just surviving. You'll get there too! I was in a (packed) playground last week and suddenly realised that both kids were off playing, unaided. Not hanging off my leg, not asking me to come with them but actually just off playing themselves! It's moments like that you realise 'I did it......I made it!' :-) :-)

Hmm Kathy mine are still spending most of their time indoors. We're in a new self build and the outside isn't done yet so it's not very child friendly. Work has finally started though so now even the old construction gate that I used to be able to pull across to stop the lil one going out on the road is gone and it's just a wide open gap! So now I can't leave the lil one outside unless I'm with her and feck that! Them playing outside together is great coz I can get a few jobs done but I've no interest if I've to go with them LOL. Fair play to you going out playing with your little fella all the time.

For the constant cough Kathy you could try a nose spray. Often a cough that stays for ages is caused by a post nasal drip (for adults or kids) he might be old enough to tolerate the nose spray now, if you can sell it as a novelty? The hidden veg is going great here. Although I found it hard to accept that I'm in the land of hidden veg (it's basically admitting 'I failed') now that I'm there I get SUCH a thrill when I disguise a veg and she falls for it. Like I'm literally doing little happy dances all over the kitchen. This is how I get my kicks now, sad or what!!! :-D

I've introduced pancakes for dinner now, as I make them in the food processor I can throw a few tomatoes, or olives, or a can of sweetcorn in. I made them with self raising flour so they're a bit puffy - even better for disguising the tiny bits of chopped up veg. She eats them !! YEEHAW. And the hidden veg meatballs work a treat as well - again the food processor. Am going to try macaroni + cheese as well (I've heard of people putting turnip/parsnip/butternut squash puree in the cheese sauce) but first I have to actually get her eating normal macaroni + cheese! She sounds similar to your lil fella Kathy - she won't eat eggs (another reason pancakes are great.....get eggs into her) but she wont' eat chicken or turkey. She eats fish though. I had a major breakthrough there in the last fortnight when I tried giving her tuna on its own and she ate it! She likes the mackerel pate as well so I think she likes salty, fishy taste. She also doesn't eat rice at all and she can take or leave pasta. The most she'd take would be maybe 3 or 4 bits of pasta (but if that happens....I celebrate!)

Yeah I needed the coffee as well to get me through the last few years, that's why I'm only in a position to consider life without it now. I no longer have problems with the kids keeping me awake at night, now it's just back to my usual insomnia/sleeping problems that I always had. It's always a challenge - trying to achieve total blackout, total silence, the right number of pillows, not needing to get up to wee, relaxing my mind to get me to fall asleep (and fall back asleep when I wake) at the moment it's going well. I'm getting enough. But I always wake up a few times. I now have black out blinds (black ones) and curtains on all bedroom windows, only just put the curtains up. It's definitely helping to prevent the kids from waking up too early - Jackpot!! What helps the most though is that since giving up work I have consistently over a long period of time put them to bed late. Then they eventually start waking up late. At the start we were all getting up at 7:15 but then I realised I don't have a job, I don't need to be up that early! So I tweaked it and now I wake before them every morning and have a 'lie-in' til they wake and I have to get up. That half hour is the highlight of my day!!

That sucks about the sleep Kathy, just curious what do you think you would do differently next time around? I think a lot of it is luck to be honest so don't go too hard on yourself! Since we moved home in Dec, I started off with the little one napping in her bed, then a few months of her napping only in the car but now it's too hot for that so I'm trying a bit of both. To get her to nap in her bed I always have to leave her cry for a while before she falls asleep. I find it hard but it's the only thing that works. Going into her only prolongs the whole thing (she just climbs all over me). Actually she is in a proper bed now! (see pic) As of this week only - big move! She was on a mattress on the floor in the downstairs bedroom but we've visitors coming for 2 weeks now in July and they will be sleeping in that bedroom so it was time to move her upstairs so in the process she moved into an actual bed. She can't climb up on it unaided so I had to put a little chair in there for he to use to climb up and down. So far she hasn't fallen out - thank god! She seems to have adjusted to it straight away actually!

Speaking of allergies....I finally had the private allergy appointment. It cost me 250 euro in total for both kids. Well I made a fecking Thames of it!! Rem I was telling ye I thought they had hay fever (which they didn't btw) and was giving them Zirtec twice a day? Well when I finally got my appointment for the private allergy testing on the other side of Cork (so drove 1 hour to get there) after waiting a few weeks to get it, and then dealing with tantrums on the way down, and waiting 1/2 and hour in the waiting room when I was telling the doc about the suspected hay fever and Zirtec she went 'But you didn't give them Zirtec for the last 7 days right???' And I was like Eh....Nooo. (but actually they'd had it that morning and every day that week - Aaaargggh). So I have the results now but I don't trust them. That was written on the letter as well - No antihistamines for 7 days before the allergy testing. One of my greatest parenting fails yet !! Not that I trust the results but the lil one tested as not allergic to anything (she was tested for cat, dog, dust mites, grass pollen, egg, cows milk etc) and the older one (who has ezcema) tested positive for dust mites. Thank god no asthma though on either child. I really hope I never have to deal with that. So yeah in the process of getting a referral to another private allergy testing clinic now (too morto to go back to the same one) so the jury is still out. Gonna keep em on the dairy and soya free stuff for now. Tbh I'm not sure how they were able to even do the allergy testing on the little one as they do it on the inside lower arm and hers are so riddled with ezcema (see pic) that I don't know how they picked out whether there was a reaction or not.

That's hard Wuffly about not being able to get a bike so the little boy can cycle/learn to cycle outside. Do they have special indoor places set up for that? Coz once he's past the scuttle bug stage you'll need space to let him off on a balance bike. I allow the scuttle bug indoors coz it's nearly an indoor bike really. But the balance bike and trike are not allowed indoors! Jesus I can't imagine letting either of them on a scooter indoors! So why isn't Ramadan in the middle/end of summer anymore? Does Ramadan mean a month's holidays for everyone? Oh so glad to hear your eye got the all clear! Meant to ask you about it. You must be delighted being able to go swimming with him again.

Nearly 70 days off the drink now. I haven't given up coffee, I am down to 1 a day (strictly). And never in the morning. It's getting on the coffee roller coaster in the morning that leads me to be nearly falling asleep in the afternoon coz of the highs and lows, the peaks and troughs. Once i'm on it, only another coffee will perk me up again whereas if I just don't get on it at all, I'm kind of at a level all day. And of course there's tea - wonderful tea! I used to have a nice ritual making my plunger coffee in the morning and i loved the smells etc. I've replaced it by making a pot of tea in a lovely tea pot with a strainer inside and real tea leaves and a lovely tea cosy etc. I love the sound of the tea pouring from the pot into the cut coz it's a proper ceramic tea pot. Sometimes the ritual is half of what's about!

Guess what I found out recently here? That there are gyms in Cork with creches!!!! I couldn't believe it. Cork has changed so much. And not just one, several!! So if the lil one would stay in it, I could go when the older one is in Playschool (or summer camp as PS is now finished for the summer but she's doing a camp every 2nd week for the summer). That would be great. I had no interest when I was working fulltime but now that I'm not working I think I'd have the energy to go alright early in the day. I think it's too hard when you're working personally, to come home for that 2 hours you have with your kids and go actually I know I haven't seen you all day but I'm just gonna fcuk off again there ok. My husband goes late in the evening when kids are in bed but I'd be way too wrecked for that. So this could be a great opportunity to go to the gym for the first time in years.

I see why the pull ups are a better option for you alright esp if they're cheaper. Maybe pull ups are a boy thing? Maybe that's why I've never understood why people think they're easier. Coz at every nappy change even just wet ones, I always wipe her and put a bit of sudocreme. Neither of which I'd be able to do if she was standing up, I'd never get the wipe into the folds or the sudocreme into the folds if she was standing up. So if I put her in pullups, I'd still put her lying down for all nappy changes wet and dirty and they'd just be no advantage to them.

Her bowel movements continue to traumatise me. Her dirty nappy leaked in bed the other night and she grabbed some and did a dirty protest all over the sheet, duvet cover, pillow slip and even the bed rail. Sigh.

Hi ladies! Kathy congratulations! A little girl for you, aww :-) Sorry you didn't get the birth you were hoping for :-( Sounds like she was a stubborn little Miss refusing to turn! Must have been frustrating after all those efforts. It's probably already starting to be a distant memory now? How's feeding and sleeping going this time around? How're you finding being a Mum-of-Two?!

Wuffly do you have a date for moving back then - 2020? How was your trip back at the end of last month? The extra-hot summer sounds unbearable! Hilarious about your little man picking up a posh accent from nursery LOL. Well I'm happy to announce that we finally started talking here, phew! (Although I was never worried about her as her 'communicative intent' was always great) round about the 2nd birthday she kicked off and she's all talk now. But still babyish though like 'Lellow' instead of 'yellow' and 'cheese' instead of 'trees'. etc. Which I love- so cute! She cracks me up on a daily basis. She has a wicked temper but she's just like me/my Dad - quick to anger, quick to forget (as in seconds in her case) her tantrums are so ridiculously over the top and put on that my 1st instinct is always to laugh. She's a little pup as well, when I'm giving out to her or putting her on time out most of the time she's smirking at me as I'm giving out to her - I find it so hard to keep a straight face and stay cross with her. She's soooo different to my 1st child - there was NOTHING funny about her tantrums (and there still isn't). I wouldn't even call it Terrible Twos now with the little one. The tantrums are there but they're more comical than anything, she keeps me constantly entertained. She's a little ray of sunshine!

Night wakings are still ongoing here. Sigh........I no longer have the Fog type tiredness obviously, and I no longer have to get up and go to work so things are in many ways far better than they were for the last few years. But at the same time 4 years into this parenting lark I'm at the stage where i'm wondering - how much longer does this go on for? I have more of a weariness that comes from years of night wakings rather than an acute falling-asleep-on-the-bus type tiredness. I do think it has a detrimental affect on your health when it goes on this long - how could it not? I have moaned here before about my aches and pains - well I pushed the GP for an X-ray and turns out I have arthritis in my pelvis - more than likely caused by pregnancy. I had progressively worse SPD in both pregnancies. Who knew that puts you at risk of arthritis later! I was relieved in a way to get the diagnosis though (I am waiting on blood tests and MRI to see if I have serious fcuk off arthritis or just 'a bit of wear and tear') after all the stuff in the news about cervical cancer and unexplained pain in that area going on for a year - it could have been so much worse! Although I didn't expect to have arthritis at 38, at least it's a well known, well understood, non-fatal condition. I'm glad as well that now in this phase of my life where both kids wise and house wise I have a lot of physical work to do - that my arthritis is mild for now so I can still do everything. Hopefully by the time it gets worse I'll have moved into a phase of life with alot less physical work.

The bad nappies continue here. Went for 2 lots of private allergy tests and I am several hundred euros less well off and no better informed than I was! She tested as allergic to nothing! One of them suggested it could be lactose intolerance (no test for that) and the other one said there's no way it's that. So who knows! She just has loose stools I suppose and the only hope for me now is to toilet train her - then it'll be (eventually) her problem and not mine! ;-)

Did you start toilet training Wuffly? How's it going?!

Out of desperation I've moved the little one into the same bedroom as her sister to see if it helps in my never-ending quest for a full night's sleep (for myself - ha! it's a totally selfish move). So far it's not going great. I've been woken every night the last few nights by one or both of them. However there is bound to be a transition period. It's the little one's first time in her life not sleeping behind bars (she went from the cot to a stair gate on her bedroom door) so a few nights I've been settling down to watch TV and seen her head pop past the sitting room glass door!! So yeah a lot of wandering going on but that's bound to be the case - new found freedom!! I hope it will settle down and I'll be rewarded for this move (and the buying of a toddler bed) with several full night's sleep in a row eventually. Until then I'll keep firing on some-but-not-all cylinders, yawn zzzzz

I have had to accept that the lil one is (yet another) giant child. She's not 2.5 til the end of this month and she's in a size 3-4 across different shops and brands! I suppose it's not the worst thing to be as a girl/woman - tall and broad. She's in the biggest size of sleepsuits that Pennys do (3-4) and I have nothing for after that. She still really needs a sleepsuit coz she doesn't sleep under her covers, at all! She moves around and usually falls asleep across the top of the bed/pillow. Apparently Dunnes have age 4-5 sleepsuits (as in with feet - must have feet!!) I haven't had a chance to go and have a look yet.

Foodwise she's still hard work. I had a great thing going there for a while with disguising cauliflower and mushrooms in meatballs but she just stopped eating them one day and refuses to go back! I still put 1 meatball on her plate every week but she just totally ignores it. So the only disguised veg thing that's still working now is the pizza. She scoffs that down with the pizza sauce made from red pepper, tomatoes (either fresh or canned) and a can of kidney beans. I can't give pizza 7 nights a week though! She has stopped eating fish. She won't touch rice or chicken (or beef or lamb or turkey or ham). She still takes the mackeral pate and hummous in a sandwich so at least that's some protein. She will eat a few baked beans and maybe 2 strings of spaghetti. The reliables are: Pizza, kid shape pasta + pesto, gnocchi and pesto. She has started to eat chicken nuggets in restaurants and she will eat sausages and burgers. She doesn't voluntarily eat any veg apart from raw carrot sticks which she always chews up and spits out all the little chewed up pieces all over the table/floor. I let her do it though coz a) it's the only veg she knowingly 'eats' and b) she used to do that with apple for about a year and now she just swallows it.

So yeah - eating still trouble, sleeping still trouble and nappies still trouble. Not a whole lot has changed apart from the talking which is now erupting out of her!

Hey Ladies,

How are ye doing?

Kathy delighted to hear all is going well with No2, long may it last!

Haven’t started potty training but its on the cards for this weekend, although I think we missed the boat a bit as he’s not half as interested as he was back in Sept. Will give it a go but not going to stress over it. His 2 besties trained a few weeks back thought that might encourage him but I think if anything it makes him realise nappies are less hassle!

His chat is non-stop, hears everything. Questions absolutely everything. So fecking clever and pushing boundaries at home, sweet as pie in nursery! At home he says ‘no thank you Mammy’ when he doesn’t want to tidy up or finish his food. Although at long living last he’ll eat potato, he might be my child after all!! Also eating meat now, and less interested in veg…. it never ends!!! Eating is as good as its going to get I think. We went to a meet the teacher thing in his nursery this morning so we were there for some of his morning and snack time, he literally wolfed it all in before anyone else, if he’s eating like that there, it’s all good. He’s skinny but he is tall, so are we and his dad is still skinny, I’ve taken on my mothers genes since I hit my 30s so my skinny days are behind me! We’re not getting full on tanturms yet, but I think they are coming, he has lost the plot occasionally, but usually it turns out he’s sick or something and that’s why he was mental. Had a virus the other week and it took 7days to clear, fever kept disappearing then jumping back up to 40, didn’t know whether we were coming or going with him. He does throw himself around a bit but gentle enough to know he’s trying to get his own more than anything else.

That’s frustrating about allergy tests Lucuma but good for her. Are you going to try dairy free? My OH went off Gluten and dairy last March and it’s made a massive difference to him. Although he misses it terribly and cooking is now a nightmare or just really really basic! I hope the sleep has improved. We should possible be dropping the nap as bedtime is starting to take ages and he’s waking very early in the mornings… but I love the naps!! Is there anything that can be done for your arthritis? 38 is so young to be dealing with that.

We had a great trip home, blessed with the weather although he would have loved more rain, only got one day of puddle jumping! Stayed mostly with my family and a quick trip to the outlaws where he was an angel which was amazing! He loved going out on the farm every day and settled in no bother. Also brilliant on the flights, we flew in and out of Cork so 2 flights both ways, I was dreading it on my own, but he was great. No trip home at Christmas, I don’t mind too much, last year was great as we had 3 weeks and we missed the craziness as the airports etc.. we’ve stayed a few times and its nice in its own way, having it just us.

Yep the plan is for 2020, if we can. Although we found the last summer very though and work is just bonkers for both of us at the moment.

Hope ye are all well x

Hi Ladies, it was lovely to log in to loads of new messages! Well done Wuffly on the TT! You can now add that significant skill to your CV, you should be very proud! It makes you appreciate what our parents did for us doesn't it?!

We're in the 5th week of potty training here!! So much for 3 days LOL. I did stay indoors with her for the first 3 days and she took to the wees like a duck to water - flying it on the wees! But not the poos. We got nowhere with poos after 3 days so I just put a pull up on her and gave up. Except she was after getting a taste for it and refused to give up so for the last few weeks we've been in a situation where she'll go to the potty, pull down her pants & pull up and do her wees. She'll even do wees in the toilet! But for poos she would hold them in for a day or two and then do it in her pull up, pull it down and start walking around going 'Poos, Poos!' which led to some messy situations if you didn't get to her on time! Anyway we just got back from Dublin yesterday where we spent Christmas and randomly about 20 minutes after we came in the door she went over and did her poos in the potty! She did it again today. So maybe we're making headway! I never understood the point of pull ups before but now they've been a godsend for this transition phase we're in. And I don't feel under any pressure to remove the pull up til she's more trained as she is happy enough to pull it up and down like a knickers, and it's a safety net for me!! So I'm actually delighted, it's going better than I thought it would.

When she's trained she'll be able to go to little classes and stuff which would be handy.

So I'm 1 year back at home now, 1 year as a SAHM and 1 year on my own (apart from every 2nd or 3rd weekend when my husband flies to Cork). It's been an intense year but it's also been great. Most SAHMs I talk to speak of that moment in the evening when their other half comes home and they exhale - they've survived the day. But I don't have that moment it's just one continuous 24 hour gig. But I don't miss what I never had so it's grand. I have to say it has been one of the best years of my life, if not the best. I'm living in my dream home, I'm surrounded by my family, I'm raising my kids in the place I grew up. I don't have to work. I have everything I ever wanted in life. All the boxes ticked. So although it's hard work and tiring, I feel very, very lucky and content.

Sleeping is improving here (god I'm always afraid to say that .....touch wood). Definitely waking less at night. I have by and large axed the nap though in order to achieve that. Try it - it really does make a big difference!! She will only nap in the car since March Kathy - same as your fella. The days of happily napping in the cot/bed are long gone here! Now I still take advantage of the nap when I need to - e.g. yesterday driving down from Dublin she slept at least half the way. I'll still use the nap if it suits me and I'm not as strict at weekends but mid week I do wake her up if she falls asleep in the car and interrupt it before it even begins. The two of them are like lunatics going to bed since I put them in the same room though .......there's always something isn't there! It would often be lights out at 8pm here and they're still going strong upstairs at 10pm messing and fooling! And I like a yo-yo up and down the stairs giving out to them. Mostly they don't take a tap of notice of me! I've read online you should buy a bean bag and sit on the landing like a sentry outside their door til they fall asleep. But that time of day 8pm to 11pm is the only time I get on my own and it's my time. If I have to spend that on them as well ....jaysis.
Anyway I might try separate bedtimes and sit with the 2yo til she falls asleep, as long as it didn't take too long. I have never ever sat/lied with either of my kids til they fell asleep ever, so that would be a new one but I'd be sitting on a bean bag outside the door (must buy one in the sales!) not right next to them or anything.

Foodwise I have a rota of 7 meals now that I repeat every week. It's a headwreck but what can you do. I don't have a creche where I can say 'oh sure they eat in creche so it's grand' it's 100% down to me. My aim is that all 3 of us eat the same thing, but due to their fussiness and figaries that has changed over time. This is it now:

Mon: Risotto, grilled salmon and fishcakes - I eat all, 2yo eats fishcake and frozen peas (they have to be still frozen straight from the bag), 4yo used to eat all but now eats only plain boiled rice

Tues: Spag + meatballs - I eat all, 4yo eats all, 2yo eats a totally separate kids shape pasta & pesto

Wed: Pizza - everyone eats. Except mine has tuna and olives and theirs is just margarita (with disguised veg in the pizza sauce)

Thurs: Chicken nuggets, corn on the cob, raw carrot. I eat all. 2yo eats only chicken nuggets plus might bite into and spit out a carrot stick, 4yo eats chicken nuggets, carrot sticks + a single bite of corn on the cob

Fri: Macaroni + cheese with ham in it. Everyone eats!!

Sat: Burgers, gnocchi with pesto and green beans. I eat all, 4yo eats all, 2yo eats burger and gnocchi

Sun: I eat lasagne, 4yo eats kids pasta + pesto, 2yo eats beans on toast

This is now what my life has become !!!

Kathy I can imagine how hard Mondays and Fridays are. I'll be honest with you I don't think I could have done what I'm doing now when they were babies. When they were babies I happily handed them over to a childminder and skipped away. Having a 2yo and a newborn is FULL ON!! Give yourself a large pat on the back. Mine are at an enjoyable stage now at 2yo and 4yo. They play together. They can both be sat in front of the telly while I do jobs! It's a different ball game.

Wuffly that's gas that your little fella is all questions. My 2yo isn't like that at all! She pushes the boundaries alright though - but she's comical. We were at the Olympia panto there during the week in Dublin (didn't take the 2yo obviously that would be suicide!) I went on my own Thurs and hubby and the 4yo went another time. That way one of us is always babysitting the 2yo! and my husband and I were agreeing that the 2yo is a walking pantomine, she really is. She's destined for the stage!

Great that the new babbie is so easy Kathy, well you were due one by the sounds of it! Yeah 2nd time around is a lot different. You don't antagonise as much over everything, you do things more instinctively rather than how you 'should' do it. You actually trust your instincts a lot more I found.

Kathy - you asked me why I got the 2yo allergy tested. It was because she has awful dirty nappies and has done since she was born. You know those newborn poonamis? Well still getting them 2.5 years on, they never stopped! Also she has mild ezcema.

I've done the dairy free (didn't stick to it religiously just swapped over the major things like butter, milk and yoghurt) and it made no difference. Now I do a hybrid. I've left both kids on the dairy free milk and yoghurt, but e.g. when we were on holidays i don't care if they have normal milk or whatever. I figure it's no harm for them to grow up with the taste of the almond milk in their cereal and porridge, at least they won't have the dairy addiction we all grew up with and one day if they need to give up diary coz they have a windy newborn or something, it won't be as much of a struggle for them as it was for me! :-p

Well I can't really say potty training went 'well' as it's now more than 3 months since I started and we're still training!!! :-o Unreal, I actually just checked the dates there for writing this message and I can't believe we started on 3rd Dec and it's still going on !! I suppose i started too early based on that LOL! Anyway we're making slow and painful progress, only really a proper breakthrough in the last week really. She has started Playschool 2 days a week (she's not entitled to ECCE til Sept but I'm paying to send her early coz I'm concerned about her not being able to pronounce y, c, f, v, g + r) and last week she came home from PS with a dry pullup!!! I couldn't believe it. Nothing like that has every happened before (PS is 3 hours long). Maybe seeing her peers in there going to the loo is helping as well? At least anyway thank god starting potty training finally got me off the daily grind of rinsing out poo from vests & pants. I might go a few days at at time without having to do that now - and for a child who had poo explosions every day from birth til 2 years plus - that's a really positive change in my life! :-)

She's finally sleeping through the fcuking night !!!!! Only took almost 3 years - chr!st almighty. If someone had told me that in April 2016 I'd have definitely tried to hand her back :-D Because I'm so long waiting for it, every morning that I wake up and neither of my kids woke during the night I make a point of taking a moment to savour that feeling - that I had a full uninterrupted night. During the dark days I always said that when this finally happened I would savour it, and be grateful for it and I really, really am. I think it's important to be grateful for teh breaks when they finally come - the torture went on long enough and was hard enough - gotta enjoy the good times when they finally come! I kind of can't believe I survived all that sleep deprivation tbh. And to know it's never, ever going to happen again gives me such a sense of peace and contentment in life. If we just get no.2 toilet trained now we'll be another step closer to sanity.

The nap is back though - it just didn't work without it! She naps in the car now with over a year. I use the Angelcare monitor so it's grand.

She's absolutely flying in PS. It was the first time I ever drove to an institution, left her there and drove off without her so it was a strange feeling!! Even for the 1 year that she was in childcare she was with a childminder so it's different as you're leaving her in someone's home. But she's absolutley loving it, she ran in the door on Day 1 and didn't even look back at me. She cried this week on Wednesday coz she doesn't have PS! I was soooo lucky to find one that takes them in nappies. And it's only down the road, albeit in the opposite direction of the 4yo's PS and also with a different start time. So now on Mon + Thurs I have to have the 2yo down to her PS for 9am, then the 4yo up to her PS in a different village for 9:30. Then I collect the 2yo at 12 and the 4yo at 12:30. The upshot is that I now get 2 HOURS of CHILD FREE TIME every Mon and Thurs. I have so many things I need to get done in that time that generally I don't know where to start! This week my tax return for abroad (a 28 page document and not in english!) featured prominently! I'm also trying to sort through an entire room of junk that came from both of our parent's houses. Once we got our own house they ejected all our worldy goods from theirs so it's just painstaking, time consuming work I can only do when no kids around.

So that's all here really - she's slowly making progress with TT (although always a pull up on outside of the house), flying at PS and hoping that her pronunciation improves. She's no probs language-wise she's flying it's just those letters.

How are yeer not-so-babas-anymore getting on?

Oh Lucuma delighted for you re the sleep, I honestly would have lost my mind with broken sleep for that long. I'm a terrible tired person. Speaking of which I'm a zombie this morning, after nearly 2 months of dry nappies at night I took the plunge and put him to bed with out nappies, first night went great, last night woke at 4, everything soaked quick change and thankfully I have the mattress protectors since the nose bleeds. Didn't go back to sleep until 6:45 which is normally waking up time but I just couldn't do it. gave us both 30mins then had a mad rush to get out the door, although i have to say kind of worth the rush for sleepy cuddles!
We had a major regression with the potty training after 6 weeks for about a week, just constant accidents didn't know what to do as he was needing 3 sets of clothes a day in nursery. One of the TA's was a bit aggressive about it which i think might have caused one accident to become a big deal and it snowballed. She was just really loud and snotty telling me about it and i think he got embarrassed. Anyway all ok again and i think back to nappies for night time for another while.

We still have the nap, its somewhat on its last legs but even an hour in his cot is good enough of a rest for both of us!

Glad to hear she's enjoying PS, I'm sure her language will fly along there. No issues with chat here, he never stops talking. He spends ages repeating words until he gets them right, drives me draft sometimes. He's throwing all our own phrases back at us now when he's not getting his own way. 'That is not very nice Mammy' or 'That hurts my feelings' -- when he can't have a pancake for dinner! My OH and I say silly things to each other like stop being obstreperous and he now says 'Daddy you're being obstreperous' and in context. He remembers absolutely everything, so i have to watch everything I say and be careful I don't absentmindedly say yes to going to the beach after nursery (again!). Shesty is that green card available online? would be interested to see it? We live abroad so didn't get it.

It feels like he is in a leap at the moment although they finished long ago, but he's getting so emotional and dramatic about things. Sometimes offering him what he wants sets him off. I guess its late terrible twos or early threenager but its doing my head in and my patience is minimal. Trying to pick my battles but feel like I am choosing wrong constantly. They aren't even that bad but I'm not used to them.

Otherwise trying to enjoy the lovely weather part of the year, found a lovely outdoor play park with loads of trees(shade), play houses, water play areas and some animals (tortoises) wandering around. Nice coffee shop and entrance under 20e for a family(cheap by Dubai standards) so that will be my go to for awhile! Also by the beach with a walkway so he can scoot or cycle to totally wear him out! Starting on our bucket list for here before we move home so we are hitting Jordan next month, it will be probably be hectic but we have 2 days in a nice resort by the deadsea after hitting the sites and some camping. Should be interesting with a 2 year old!

Long may the sleep continue Lucuma and hopefully not too much longer on the potty training! Also those 2 hours enjoy, do something nice for yourself one of the days! I started back at the gym at long living last, 7am on saturdays as with my part time husband its the only time i can commit to. I am soooo unfit and overweight! Copping myself on with food, I was basically having a 4th meal of crap after the little guy goes down. it slowly went from being an occasional snack fest to practically everynight... anyway! I'm in agony after the gym but going for a brisk walk on my lunch breaks (Which gets me out of the mad house!). I've no interest in being skinny just getting back to somewhat healthy size and able to run. I need physio for that tho, my pelvic floor is weak as hell! How are you getting on with your fitness buzz?

Aw lovely to see your update Kathy, the time is after flying can't believe your 2nd is 1 in Aug!
How do they get on? One of the other mum's that had a little boy the same time as us, had another boy back in Oct, the older boy doesn't even look at the baby, whereas my little fella is obsessed with him even named his baby teddy after him. Great work on the potty training, really works so much better when they are ready. Still in the pull ups at night but not a drop of wee since the wet night. I will just use the nappies I have and try again. We still occasionally have battles when its obvious he needs to go but he doesn't want to stop playing etc.. accident in a sports shop a few weeks ago, just said wee and then a massive puddle on the floor! :eek: Trying not to lose my sh*te and clean it up. Won't be back there for a while! lol

The threenager thing comes and goes, we had a parent teacher meeting in nursery the other week and she said he never behaves like that in there but that she thought he was probably copying older kids. I reckon its a bit of both. We went on a short break at the beginning of the month and he was great, even though we did a lot of driving, which he wouldn't be used to. He did lose his ****e when Daddy sat in the back with him instead of me once, he literally roared until i thought he was going to get sick and we swapped back, not one for giving in but he was hysterical, which is weird because he is such a Daddy's boy. Kathy we have the same drama with getting dressed, giving him options is useless he just wants one random spiderman tshirt, we get over it but its a battle that wrecks my head. The holiday was great, we all had a ball, we did heaps of hiking and he still fits in the carrier so was no bother when he was tired. Also had a day just playing in the pool. I'm glad I'm back at the gym tho or I would have died a death trying to do most of it. Was great to get back to an active holiday. Dying to plan something else now!!

Nothing planned for his birthday, will prob just have his 2 besties, cake and drag out the paddling pool.
Thank god summer has been slow to start this year, this time last year it was hellishly hot already. Long may it last. Ramadan starting next week. Can't believe its another year!

Hope the little ones enjoy their birthdays! Have a great holiday Kathy!

So nice to see your update Lucuma!

God she put you through a lot alright, glad most of that's behind you now. Its so easy to look back and think i should have waited it out, you can't know that at the time, you did the right thing at the time. The main thing is she's happy and well.

Our current **** storm is schools and nurseries are closed here for at least a month due to the coronavirus... despite kids been the least at risk (thankfully) anyway not a single **** given for working parents with no nannies. Luckily our nursery manager is letting one of the TA's look after some kids at home for the 1st month anyway, means she can at least pay her staff.

The threenager thing is definitely real.. although thankfully its eased off a lot we seem to get a few weeks of a it a time. He literally never stops talking unless he's asleep and even then some! He's great craic and a mad imagination.

I'm due again in May, all going fairly well, my placenta is low at the moment, i'm hoping it moves as I'd rather avoid a section if I can, its more the recovery and lack of driving that worries me. I swore black and blue that there was no way in hell I'd go this time until we are all settled with baby but I may well have to eat my words if I have no child care for the 4 yr old. We'd all go dolally stuck in the house with the heat etc.... so I may be home in the summer after all although this time I would just inflicted myself on my brother as he's out all day but close to my parents so I'd have space but close enough to have help if i need it and no up and down the country every other week. We are planning to move home by the end of the year, at least in Sept I'd have the ECCE hours. I am so done with here... but I do like my private healthcare and financially the few extra months is worth it. Work expect me back after 2months... not a chance cannot wait to quit! Anyway all up in the air for now!

Wuffly, how are you? Any baba news?
We are still in lockdown since the schools and creches closed suddenly on 12th March.
Creches won't be reopening til July not that it affects me and schools and playschool not til Sept, sob!
It's been a tough time and getting harder as the months of the kids being at home with me 24/7 loom ahead.
Very hard to get no break at all from them. And of course their education is being affected too.
Are things opening back up again there? Funny how your neighbours Iran were badly affected and then Iraq next door got off very lightly! I was reading about it in the sunday times recently. Hope you're keeping well x

Hi Wuffly, only seeing this now. Congratulations on baby boy no.2 !! Wonderful news. A lockdown baby you'll be able to tell him about the strange circumstances he was born into, he'll probably never believe you !!
For my kids it's like we never lived abroad or were expats, we just blend in with all the other people who never left the village I came from (which I have now returned to) my eldest can remember some stuff about being abroad alright, she was 3 and 3 months when we returned to Ireland. She has an unreal memory.
I'd say you had an awful summer by the sounds of it. Being stuck indoors with a 4yo with no school/preschool/nursery and a newborn and not even being able to get out for a walk inside a shopping mall. Sounds awful. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Hopefully it has started to cool down there a bit now and also your move back to Ireland must be imminent at this stage, so exciting !!
How did the breastfeeding work out for you in the end? Fair play to you for giving it a go in trying circumstances like that. I wonder is the culture over there geared towards families with the mother at home? If they were talking about part time school or school online !!
Thanks be to fcuk the schools reopened here after nearly 6 months of them being at home. I never, ever want to go through anything like the lockdown here again. I'm already starting to blank it out like childbirth and pregnancy ha!
Having my little girl's 4th birthday party at the end of April with just us 4 that live in the house and everyone else even my Mam and sister that live right next door ....joining on Zoom. It seems surreal when I look back at it now. Thankfully she's still young enough that as long as there's a cake and sweets it's a birthday party to her. The Zoom did help.
That's so sad that ye weren't able to give yeer friends that left a proper send off or even meet up with them. What about for yerselves will ye be able to have a going away do? We've all had to miss out on so much this year. Getting fairly fed up of it now but as long as the schools stay open and my cleaning lady continues to come I think I can cope with anything else. 12 weeks of no cleaner nearly did me in that was actually the 2nd worst part after the schools closing :-D
Where will ye live when ye come back here? Have you a preschool place for the eldest boy? Jobs to come back to? It's a pain dealing with all the admin when ye come home, it will probably be stressful for a bit. I was lucky enough as I came home to Ireland to have both babies they already had PPS numbers, we already had a GP and hubby and I both kept our separate cars taxed and insured here even though we were away for all of 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 in my case plus 18 and most of 19 in his. Thank fcuk he moved back here July 2019 before all this covid thing broke lose. I'll never know how I did the 18 months here on my own without him. Again I've blotted it out !!! He gets to work from home alot now which is really handy.
I'll go back to work myself when the 4yo starts primary school Sept 2021.
She is doing well. The letters she couldn't pronouce a few of them she's after getting just with time (f, v) she still can't pronouce c, r, k
But her language has come on a lot and I find I'm not explaining what she's saying to people as much, they can make her out by herself.
She's a real tomboy - very violent !! Loves rough play. And as a result her friends in PS have always been and continue to be - boys! I also started her in rugby even though she's only 4 and they need to be 5. I was cheeky and signed her up and when they saw the height of her they said twil be grand bring her down for training, no problem! She's extraordinarly tall for her age.
She's also doing speech and drama and was doing indoor soccer as well til it was cancelled due to Level 3. Thankfully drama and rugby are continuing. So yeah in general she's flying. Full of devilment!