Laura the pics are lovely! Robert looks so grown up in them and looks so chuffed with himself after getting the buttons!

Rach sorry things arent going well at the moment, hopefully they will perk up soon!

Pen that is exciting about the house! Sounds like a lot of work though, are you willing to take something like that on? I know when OH and I were looking at houses we wanted to make sure we got one that we could just move straight into and just decorate once we were in! I know what you mean about Ellie turning into a little girl! Sophie is exactly the same, they are getting so grown up now arent they!! Sophie has a real thing for teddies at the moment its amazingly cute!!

We went to group today it was so funny, Sophie managed to sneak through this door (that the lady that runs the group had left open) with this little boy that must have been about 3 ish, anyways the lady that runs the group sent her and this little boy back the way they came and Sophie came out with such a guilty look on her face, but then she looked up caught my eye and gave me the cheekiest smirk!!! I couldnt believe it! It was so funny!!!

Not really much to report from us lately! Sophie is really into colouring at the moment, she is so careful with what she does!! She is also getting very demanding, oh was taking Andrew for a shower earlier this evening and i shut the gate behind them and Sophie started having a melt down shouting DIDDY!!! DIDDY!! NOOO SHOWER!!!! She wanted to go for a shower too bless her!!

Kell the holiday sounds fab!

Hi all

Work seems better now in new room but a bit overwhelmed by big changes in paperwork and ever growing demands for data. Think will get there though, have a really good team. Also a bit sad, a colleague who had been fighting throat cancer for 18 months died. The last time i saw him Sophia was four months old. Feel really bad that i never got round to seeing him again, always was meaning to then it never happened, now too late. Will hopefully be going to the funeral next week. Am going to write a little letter saying what i meant to, to put with some flowers i think. He was a really nice guy who had been through so much.

Have had a lovely two days with sophia. Went swimming to a leisure pool yesterday which she loved coz she could walk around in the water. She loved the little slides and the water jets. so much fun. Must go back soon with Dave, and they have a soft play combo ticket i could buy so might try that next time.

And today had a lovely time at mini movers (dance group for toddlers at surestart) she is really getting the hang of it, anticipating wht happens next and starting to use the props really well like ribbons and instruments etc. Have seen a real progression in her, its so good! And this afternoon we sat in a nech at a pond and fed massive ducks and geese, sophia even fed one by her hand (which i admit was a bit hairy but fine, made her throw the rest though!) which she loved, shouting and laughing as she threw each bit. We also went to the swing park.

Sophia's fav song is row row row your boat at the mo, she has started singing row row, and she holds my hands for a dance to other music, its so cute! Loving this age, but not loving losing my ickle baby girl who is now turning into a child so quickly! I put her hair up for the first time today - she looked so sweet and funny at the same time, kind of a pineapple top! LOL

Dave's new job started Monday and is going really well, he now is sure it was the right move for him so that is good. He already has away trips for work scheduled in, which will be interesting. Getting used to the new later time he is home. Thankfully he will still be home most nights to do the bedtime bit with me. He was so worried about missing out on that.

Glad to hear how all you guys are too. Hope you all have a good rest of the week,

Mandy xx

Evening all

Glad things are going well Mandy.

Robert has croup again, its awful, i'm wondering if he has it agian because of something i've not been doing properly. When ever we go out in the cold i wrap him up warm, Better go he is coughing again

Laura i don't think your doing anything wrong, I think sometimes some babies are just prone to getting things like this. My neighbours little girl get s it quite often, even when she doesn't have it she has an awful chesty cough.

Many so sorry for your loss, its a shame you didn't get to see him but these things happen hun x

Pen the house sounds good, Hope your up for a challenge lol!

i'm good, College is keeping me busy! i have an english assignment and i'm so not looking forward to gdoing it! I'm really bad at english! I've even roped my sister into helping me as she got A*'s at alevel so she's good!
I've done another maths exam as well, should have passed i cant see why i wouldn't have!

Charlie is turning into a bit of a dare devil!
He has a small leather chair and foot stall, he's started climbing up ontop of the arm rests and jumping off, he fell off a little while ago and landed on his face. Gotta have eyes in the back of my head now lol

hi all i really need advice i had a clearout (bowels) yesterday and today but today i have had low back pain and constant painful tightenings around 12 mins apart i dont know if its braxton hicks or early labour any thoughts?

Thats how i started Rach!

Just been to the doctors with Robert and he has viral bronchiolitis

i hope its not laura im not due for another 27 days

poor robert hope he gets well soon xxx

Rach my cousin had the same day before yesterday and she's due next week, nothing came of it.
I hope your lil lady stays put for another couple of weeks!
xx

all has settled today but ive just been for a long walk so im not really helping myself

Lol no your not! Are you ready for her yet? i'm uber jelous! I canty wait to see pictures of her! It wasn't that long ago we were all doing it together so to speak!

I went to the gym this morning, I did a body combat class and i have to say i loved it! It was really quite fast pased prancing about to dance music pretending to kick and punch people! excellent workout! I'm all booked up for next week already lol!

im in no way ready i dont want her to come this early i want her fully baked lol
i am ready materialisticly but not mentally or physically ... Caleb smacked me in the stomach last night with the remote control and it was so painful ..

im so bored i have stuff to do but cant be bothered to do it everything is doing my head in i feel so aggitated

Hey girls

mandy, so sorry about your colleague! Hope your ok?

Poor Robert! Laura it deinitly isn't anything your doing. Ellie seems to have one thing after another and seems to have a cold every other week!

We took ellie for a walk in the park today and she ran down this hill and we kept saying ooh when she sees we've not followed she'll run back!... But of course she didn't so we went after her but as we got closer we could see she was knee deep in mud, it was so funny because she was having a great time! She kept falling over in it and couldn't stand up so by the time mark dragged her out she was soo dirty but so happy. Everyone was looking at us walking around the park with this mud covered little girl! We had to strip her to out her in the car!

Ellie said nact nact tonigh when she went to bed!

Vic, how are your two?

How's fran? Is it strictly come dancing yet?

Kell! Get you going to the gym! You make me feel so lazy!

Rach, anymore contractions?

xxxx

Hey Pen that is so cute Ellie running off into the mud! Bless her saying night night to you!!!

Mandy that is so sad abotu your friend

Rach lets hope that baby stays in there for a little while yet! Flipping heck just checked your ticker out only 4 days until your fully cooked! Andrew came at 37+4 so could really be anytime soon!! Any names yet?

Kell you are so motivated!!!

Laura im sure its nothing your doing!

Andrew and Sophie are doing well! Andrew did a wee on the potty this morning!! First ever one!! I'm so proud!! I think Andrew tells me he is doing a poo when hes actually weeing, i thought for the last couple of weeks its because he has been fluffing but looking more likely that hes telling me when he is weeing in his nappy. We are taking potty training slowly, my only aim is to hopefully get Andrew potty trained by his 3rd birthday as nursery wont take him unless he is potty trained.

Sophie is so adorable at the moment! I love this age! Sophie is now 2 weeks with out the dummy! It has been so easy to take away! She did only have it for sleeps unless she was ill but its completely gone!! Very pleased!

Hope all are well!

Well done sophie on the no dummy thing and massive congrats to andrew on his weewee in the potty. Vic I really do like your approach to potty training, I hate it when mums rush babies, i think 3 is a nice age to aim for.

My mum keeps asking me if I've bought ellie a potty yet????? I do just laugh at her because I don't think ellie understands what is happening when she wees or if she even knows she's doing a wee. She does know when she's having a poo or a trump as she waves her hand in front of her nose and says poooooh hehe.

xxx

Awwww vic Andrew and sofie are so cute!! Well done on using the potty!

Lol pen, I've really been enjoying the gym, I've been quite alot and been to a few classes!
Wanna get all fit and sexy for my holiday lol
Lol at Ellie! That's so cute bless her!

Fran where are you?

Hope your all good! x

Hello everyone,

How are you all?

I am around, i come on and check how everyone is most days but don't always get time to post. Been really busy recently and quite ill.

Will update later. Love to all x x x

Evening lovelies,

Ah finally have a bit of time to catch up properly! But now can't remember what everyone's been up to!

Mandy sorry about the loss of your friend.

Kell i love how enthusiastic you are about your fitness. The classes sound great, and so good that you are doing something for yourself. How's your course going?

Pen how's work been? Have you settled back in completely? Ellie sounds like great fun, hehe! I know what you mean about the potty. I think my mum had already bought one for immy by this age But we do actually encourage Isla to sit on a potty, but only because it is out at bath time for Immy.

How's bumpy Rach?? Can't believe you are all cooked!

Laura how's Robert's croup? It really isn't anything you are/aren't doing, some children are just more susceptible to things.

Having a relaxed approach sounds good Vic. We tried a few times with Immy but she was well over 2 before we cracked anything, and although she is now dry at night, she still rarely poos on the potty/toilet. So we have gone back to using a reward chart to see if we can make a breakthrough...

It was Strictly the weekend before last Pen, and it was fantastic! I took my mum, and she did really enjoy it but said she wouldn't go again So typical of mum! Steve had bought me the tickets for Christmas and i thought it would be nice to take mum as a thank you for everything she does. I won't take her again then!! I would definitely go again next year. Mmm i love Matt Baker

The weekend just gone was a good one as well. I went to a sewing workshop on Saturday, which was fab, i learnt so much and made a gorgeous bag. Then went to stay at a friend's house in Derby with another uni friend. So we all went out for dinner. It was great to get away. One of my friends announced she is having a baby in August - so pleased for her!!

I came back early yesterday morning so i could spend time with the girlies and DH could get on with his studying. I also stayed up last night and made a seat cushion for our bench seat in the hall. So pleased with it, and today i have made some figures to go on a lampshade for Isla's room. I must start taking photos of everything to build up my portfolio!!

Immy and Isla are getting more chummy, which is lovely. Poor Isla has a bit of a cold and conjunctivitis though. Would they give her anything for it if i went to the docs?? Immy had it a few times when she was the same age but we just kept cleaning it and it cleared up really quickly. I thought i would wait and see how she is in the morning...

x x x

Hi

fran, yes I have settled back into work but I do struggle doing a job share the person I share with doesn't communicate that well so I when I get on work on a Monday moning it's quite frustrating. I am quite a bossy person and I do like to be in control so maybe it's me lo. On Friday night my job share person text me and said sorry but I didn't get the paperwork done which was needed urgently for Monday. I was really peed off as I would never have left anything like that oooooh fran I bet you're sorry you asked hehe

how's your work?

The sewing sounds great, is it still your long term goal to set up a business??

It's so nice that immy and isla are getting in better.

xx

Haha Pen, i can imagine job sharing must be really difficult. And nice of her to let you know on a Friday night so you could stew over it all weekend

Work is a little better. I have been doing an interesting piece of work for the past couple of weeks, but the atmosphere is pretty rubbish. Basically everyone is having their terms and conditions changed, the proposals are for a reduction in working week by 2 hours so they can paycut 5%, loss of sickpay and loss of essential car user allowance. Not really that bothered about any of it tbh, but there are some people it will really affect and it's the principle of it.

So yeah still long term plan to set up my own business. I actually feel like i have made lots of progress in the last few weeks, as done lots of bits and pieces that i have been pleased with. I am booking up for another sewing workshop to learn how to make roman blinds too in April. As we are in desperate need of new blinds in our house, so even if i didn't make any money from it, i would save us a fortune making our own, the windows in this house are HUGE, and they all need doing!

Hi all, good to hear all your updates.

Fran, looking forward to seeing pics of your handywork, sounds brill! wish i was clever like that! The conjunctivitis, yes they will give you drops for it to put in three times a day for 10 days. IT did help with sophia, however when iwent the doc said try drops but probs wont work and you will need to come back for ointment instead. The next time she got it, I just washed her eyes with boiled water every night and it went twice as fast as than with the drops!

Am starting to enjoy work again (famous last words am sure1 but enjoying for now!) feel a bit more in control and supported in my new group and starting to implement some changes which i was not able to do before so quite chuffed. And one of my ideas for paperwork changes is being looked at by management so that will be quite good if it gets agreed.

Sophia is a diamond and loving every minute of her at the mo, saying a bit more each day. Nows says mu-me properly. before, she would call me daddy but now when she says dad i say im mummy and she says it back. Love it! Had ready steady go, te-ye and mih (milk) today!

Hope all are well,

Mandy xx

Afternoon all...

Bumps ok very active causing a lot of pain .. still having painful braxtons but nothing im worried about im just making the most of the next 3 weeks freedom lol Vic how hard is it having 2 so close together?

dont really have a lot say as my life is boring atm daytime tv and cleaning like mrs mop

Hehe rach I love day time telly!

Mandy, I know exactly what you mean about sophia beimg a diamond. I'm abolutely loving ellie and way she's progressing in everything she does! It's just great as they're little people now and not babies.

Glad your happy at work again and the new group is good.

Ellie says mam to me and know what it means she calls oh "that" hehe

night all
xx

Haha pen 'that' how funny! Be you oh loves it lol!

I've relegated myself to the kids bottom bunk tonight, jody is snoring stupid loud!!

I'm a little worried about tommy and school, he never wants to go, he was off school yesterday as he said he'd been sick, I couldn't argue with him about it because I was down stairs so didn't know. Well it turns out he was lying.
I don't think he's being bullied I just don't think he likes school work! But seriously lying at the age of 7 to have a day off is not good.

whats the day today? is it tuesday or wednesday? im confused my ticker says 36+6 but i swear its tuesday so im 36+5 am i losing the plot or something

Yes you are its wednesday lol