cloudexplosion's blog

Saturday playgroup, fireworks and cousins

2007-11-03T21:27:13+01:00

Had a horrible night, with both Luke and Amelie up at wierd times.
Felt like I don't know what in the morning at 6am, didn't help that I went to bed late ( LATE? 10.30pm? that would be NORMAL otherwise!)
Somehow Luke managed to wet himself badly with a mega wee in the middle of the night, which managed to explode his pull ups. I suspect M. didn't get him to wee before bed?! Hmm. no evidence there, could be an unfair call...
Definitely wanted to make it to the playgroup with Luke, or Martin with Luke, It was on of those mornings where I was delerious with tiredness and anything M did or said would be wrong. He's been ducking bullets all day poor bloke. ( do you want to go? or me? or shall I take luke and amelie? or you stay at home with amelie and i take luke? ANSWER ME?! Well what would YOU say?!!!)
I went with Luke and Amelie, thinking I would get the time owed me later ( FOR SURE OR ELSE!) and Martin tinkered with his bike. Got home to find him 'slaving' over a vegetable peeler with a pained expression on his face, like he'd had a terribly hard morning. GRRRR. So I put Amelie down for her nap and stomped off on a nice fast drive on my OWN to Tescos to simmer down, oggle blokes pretending I was single and beautiful again, eat Scampi and Lemon Nik Naks in the car, yell along to my CD , vent and generally being anti social. That was better. Got home a sane woman...
Playgroup was fantastic. Run by the same lady that does our music group. Simple ideas are the BEST... huge hall, a few ride on toys,and a bouncy castle...not even that many people!!! Met another girl from music group and another from pre school, the same familiar faces are popping up and it's nice to be able to chat with them!!! Had long chat about Bringing up Baby which I didn't see but read/heard lots about...still have the article in my bag from mad 50's woman that I've been meaning to show to my best mate! Will definitely do that group again, beats a trip to Tescos or the library. Have also been told about a pool in Abingdon wth creche that might take Amelie while Luke and I swim!
Had really quiet afternoon and brother/wife and their children ( 4 and 21/2) showed up at 4.30pm for fireworks night. Luke playing on computer printing off pictures of PANDELINOS (it's a type of train you know!) and moving the desktop items around, bashing the keyboard to see what happens as well as finding people's houses on Goggle maps with Martin..!
OH! Luke in pants all day again, did really well on the wee front but ARGH pooed in them. Even though we warned him! Have given up nagging, he's not going back to nappies now.
OK, gotta make this brief. Fireworks: in my head a glowing lovely occasion with baby fast asleep in sling and three little ones enjoying firworks whilst I shared a mulled wine romantically with my husband while chatting casually with Tim Henman and the Aston barbours.
Reality: Amelie screaming as she does at five, overheating me and her in sling,stressing me out to manic woman status, trying to be nice and sociable to my brother and sister in law but unable to hear a thing. Luke trapping his fingers in hinge of back door giving me a heart attack but was ok, cousin one, frightened of bonfire ( which was scary-it was a huge as a three storey house,villagers must have knocked down their outbuildings to burn?) brother going walk about and awol. as is his wont, leaving sister in law fed up and needing to take cousin one home. I didn't even get to finish my wine. Very wierd atmosphere, bbq and wine stalls run by loud bragging types, felt like being watched but my paranoia?! Saw blokey next door ( French, owns posh pub, doesn't smile much) and nice couple from across the road, lovely people but couldn't have a conversation while running on the spot to calm baby, amid her screams. We decided to go back home and have our own fireworks in garden. They watched about one, ran inside, watched three more from window and then went to play trains while we all watched the rest! Village fireworks were like Bastille Day my brother said, they kept two fireworks for me especially as I spent most of the time getting Amelie off to sleep...
All in bed now, no tantrums today.. only from me. ;-)

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New friend,Amelie and horse murdering

2007-11-02T22:33:15+01:00

It feels like Saturday today as hubbie has a day off work, getting confused but it's nice to have a hand with Luke and Amelie! ( I DO mean that, he doesn't invade my territory AT ALL, or GET IN THE WAY) ( cue comments such as 'no I wouldn't do that' ' why do you have all the fun when I have to be the nagging old mum humph...'
Having said that I did the school run this morning while Martin was out on his motorbike as I wanted to sneak into town and have hot choc and a chill out browse round the shops (this is turning into a dangerous habit eh? Maybe I should use my free time constructively and do some ironing?! hahah)
It kind of worries me a little when I'm walking through town so early.. the only other mums visible seem to be chavs who have put their toddler in their buggy with a dummy, bottle of coke and a packet of quavers and want to hook up with their mates outside mcdonalds or shout at their kids in Woolworths in the sweet aisle...?! OO.. controversial .. I walk through town with a purposeful look on my face at all times ;-)

Met a really lovely girl outside pre school, have talked to her briefly before, very down to earth and most importantly, smiles! Turns out she's originally from Queensland , Australia, moved to Didcot herself in
March this year. We got talking and so I decided to drag her into town for company. We had a really lovely conversation. Amelie was absolutely impeccably behaved and we definitely decided we were cheered up by the adult conversation! She has had post natal depression and a tough life- her daughter has a hole in her heart and a very close boyfriend whom she was planning to get back together with, after a short stay in England, died in a sky diving accident...so tragic. We also talked through our birth experiences etc...lots of deep conversation in such a short time.. I love people like that ! Hopefully we can meet up again with the children soon. Her daughter is 4 months younger than Luke.

Luke was much better today, he spent the WHOLE DAY in pants! Wees were fine, even at pre school . YIPEEEEEE! However, second day without poos, whenever we spotted it he refused to do so. Have come up with cunning plan to let him poo in nappy on potty, then next time open nappy and let him poo, then next time hopefully poo ON nappy and then get rid of his phobia that way?! What an interesting subject to blog about eh?!! Neh, I'm really proud ofhim, his bad mood seems to have been averted, I distracted him with lots of hugs and cuddles today and it seemed to have worked.. particularly tickle fights. Bless him!

Amelie. The baby is sooo good?! Is it ME? I'm starting to worry about her being so good now. I mean. Both children in bed at seven, an evening to myself, bed and then she wakes up for a feed at about 1am?! for days in a row..?!! her routine as predicable as anything ....it was NEVER this easy with Luke!!!! She has a strop at about 5 till 6pm but even that's manageable knowing that she will conk out at 7pm! Never mind the militant breastfeeders, whatéver they put in that formula certainly keeps her quiet !!!!!!! She's so good!!! HUH?! What's going on, where the CATCH?! ( aaah.... wait till teething, I have probably spoken too soon, she'll start giving me hell tomorrow)
Mind you she wakes at 5am with the most bizarre straining noises you have ever heard, no poo just wierd noises , digesting must be hard work as a newborn!
If I hear one more person say 'isn't she TINY' 'hasn't she got such a lot of hair' but closely followed by, as we were in a restaurant today at 5pm and she was having her grouching, screaming time, 'Is she alright? She's chewing on her hand, shouldn't you feed her?' SHUT UP WOMAN! Note to self, if I ever see a woman with a baby who is screaming in a public place, do NOT approach, do not even look at her, it's bad enough without people craning their necks to see if you are actually strangling your own child in public. Yeah, I haven't fed her for four days.. or tantruming toddler: I deny my toddler sweets and am a fire breathing dragon of a mother who doesn't let her child have fun and I thought I would bring her out here to show you all how crap a mother I am ( neurotic, me?!)

Anyway what else? Had the most fantastic ' I"m an enthusiastic mother, everything is going so swimmingly today let's do something fun' idea that after lunch we would visit Millets Farm, Abingdon in the afternoon. ( trying to do anything after a pre school morning is madness) Martin ended up playing with Luke on the computer, Amelie needing a nap so crying, me having a tired strop about not getting everyone out of the house in military precision, bouncing off the walls going:
"Nappy bag! Luke, get some socks on! I ALWAYS have to pack EVERYTHING MYSELF.. and WHOSE fault would it be if something was forgotten?! He's in PANTS for gods sake! Anything could happen! Get him to poo NOW!'
.... and so we were all late , leaving at 3pm, getting stuck in traffic at 3.15pm, stony faces with Luke saying 'where's the FARM? I wanted to go to the FARM!' turning round and coming back to Didcot to end up in the park and then pub ---I mean RESTAURANT ( it's a Hungry Horse ok? not a pub!) and getting a Chinese for dinner to console ourselves! MY perfect Stepford wife facade is slipping.. a Hungry Horse, pint of lager for hubbie, diet coke for me and soft play area for Luke combined with screaming Amelie?!

Tomorrow- fireworks, my brother and his family are coming to share the village firework experience. It's entitled '" I'm a celebrity burn me,'" will be interesting to see which they chose, who the village idiot is and who the main kingpins are..etc. Aim to lurk on sidelines and watch these standoffish grey haired immaculately dressed older women that never smile but look aloof, knowing they have the biggest houses in the village you know.... poor horses in back field won't be having a good time of it, spoke to the owner but she has nowhere to put them. She's not worried , just said they might 'dart about a bit' Blimey poor things.

Haven't told you the story about feeding the horses apples. Made a big deal of it to Luke, three horses, a mummy horse, daddy horse and baby horse, aren't they cute?! Woke up one morning to see pony 'lying down' in the field (had dropped dead) Had to tell Luke he was sick and had to go away.. to be told by the owner it was colic, caused by people feeding too many apples to them.. I am a horse murderer.. do you think it might get leaked to the village newsletter?
( which incidently is always delivered late to our house, I have an suspicion it's so we can't attend/tarnish any of the events ( WI supper, etc) It's full of names and information that are interesting to those in the know ( Biddy has a new grandchild , well done Emily on your horseriding success) ....

Asked Martin if we can get a laptop today, he agreed. Would be able to sit and blog loads then eh?!

Ok, enough rambling. Have nearly finished Roses chocolates... the tin will be very useful for my home baking.... if the cakes ever last long enough to put in a tin. Need to drink water instead of snacking, I'm sure it's thirst not hunger making me eat so much crap. Or just STRESS.

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Nursery, chocolate and Ovaltine

2007-11-01T22:02:56+01:00

Hello again!

I've made it to my second entry which is pretty impressive , I don't think a daily entry is going to happen all the time!

Chocolate consumption has reached all time high,directly related to tiredness. I think it's peaked at the ''I am starting to be sick of it,'' which is one way of giving it up successfully!
We have a whole tin of Roses to finish first though-- bought by Martin for trick or treaters but there weren't THAT many!!! Only other solution that worked for me was when I visited the Cadbury factory in Birmingham. So much chocolate actually put me off for years- until I got pregnant!
Why I'm eating so many Cornish Wafer crackers is a puzzling one. The milk addiction is fading now I'm not pregnant any more. I'm the queen of bad snacking....

The day started at 6.10am which wasn't bad, it's slowly working it's way back to 6 30am ( Luke is the early riser here, even Amelie likes to lie in till 7!) He even came and lay in our bed quietly without starting a long complicated conversation about cars/trains or trying to get us up!
Not sign of the monster of the night before but i do wonder if he gets enough sleep!! I am dreaming of days when both children are at school and I have to wake them up not vice versa!!

In the morning Martin was a star and took Luke out while he got a haircut and apparently Luke sat quietly 'reading' an Argos catalogue ( probably mentally noting his Christmas list..currently including more Thomas trains and a lego train set.. how much train stuff can one boy have!!)
They then went to the library. I, in the meantime, wasted time on the computer ( arrghh! it's dragging me in! This and Facebook is filling up my time waaaay too much!) and sorted out more of the mountain of Amelie's clothes. She's grown out of newborn!
People have been soo kind and she's the best dressed girl, I adore chosing her outfits..deciding her style...not too much pink yet but it's hard to avoid! She has a gorgeous red coat and that's convinced me the colour suits her. I wonder if her hair will change colour, it seems lighter already and her eyes are definitely blue!
I digress... ( aah! but what is a blog for, eh?!)

We then decided to visit the magnet that is Tescos -in Abingdon- for lunch and a shop. I'm so crap at filling up the fridge at the moment and thinking of meals beyond erm, pasta and fishfingers with chips, never mind Luke's addiction to cheese sandwiches. Amelie spend the entire trip asleep, in the car seat and then of course I had to try out the sling. It was interesting eating with her still in it, trying not to drop food on her head ;-) Had one of those really nice conversations with another mum in the queue, she was telling me about sibling rivallry, she has four and half years between hers, saying how her eldest ended up drawing pictures with a house and arrows fired at the baby.. I can't complain then! We just have rebellion against us but Luke couldn't be more sweet with Amelie. He gave her a kiss on the head while going past me and her on the sofa today and later asked to carry her! ( I quote 'Give her to me to carry' The cute little man! I handed her to him but he looked aghast when she blasted a cry in his ear!!!
We have a game of 'RUN TO THE HILLS!!!'and a run round the ground floor of the house when she's crying non stop in my arms and we need to let loose some frustration. We stop when she stops and then we end up with Luke standing there saying 'Amelie.. CRY!'so he can run again!

He was a lot better today, tried it on again at dinnertime and wouldn't eat his pizza ( was it the microwave mixed veg I sprinkled on top to make it more nutirious! Lazy cooking indeed- I mean I DID wonder--- carrots on a pizza? But it wasn't at all bad!) Anyway after cadjoling and then ignoring Luke, he came to the table after some babying ( picking up, cuddling, etc) and I had some kind of brainwave that I would make an EXCITING NEW bedtime drink for him ( Ovaltine!) that he could have in a FANTASTIC cup. It worked or he had given up ( the line 'it's for little boys only and not grown ups appealed to him the most ) and I topped it off with a sticker for eating his dinner. He had his bath painlessly and even a story so we just about avoided the tantrum. And he liked the Ovaltine though he still wanted to drink it through a straw!

Obviously he thought refusing would get more attention and the ignoring worked, but it got a hair's breadth away from bedtime with no dinner and an emergency bowl of porridge in bed when he thought all was lost and had calmed down. ( Martin and I spent most of his 'refusing to eat time' having covert 'meetings'' about how we would handle another blow up! ha! and our plan wasn't even put into action!!!) Amelie had her usual scream before bed but it's nothing. She sleeps from 7pm till about 12 or 1am before her next feed, and then until 5am. It's amazing!!!!!!!! We have an evening to ourselves ! ( well, me and this blog, Martin has resorted to a book, poor bloke!)

Nursery was brilliant, the woman who owns it is slightly mad ( I should be retired you know!!! grabs you and hugs you uexpectedly) but very passionate and knowledgable about children and really tuned in. The educational basis is stunning, all related to the children's own world and experiences ( they had them telling us words beginning with 'm' which all had an importance to them individually) and it's somewhere I'd love to work myself! It's immaculate, relaxed, all the staff are involved and interacting with the children on a really familiar basis, the family atmosphere is amazing. So the decision's made for Luke to go there, he loves it too and didnt want to leave! The hours will be a lot longer but only twice a week. As it's childcare more than pre school it's more expensive but with vouchers we can afford it.Definitely a super find.

Ha! but they want Luke potty trained!!They seemed to accept where we are at ( oo ...she got a black mark when she jokingly tutted that he wasn't trained already! I forgave her on account of her age-it's a generational thing ;-) but it's something to bribe luke with! He wanted big boy pants today but then when it came to pooing he was squatting to poo in them and we moved him to the toilet with another small tantrum ensuing ( i forgot about that...he scratched his own face!!! We were about to leave for tescos, ended up putting him back in pull ups and giving up-- but the weeing was fine till then) he then will keep it in and not poo for ages...we haven't let it go more than two days- he says his tummy hurts and i get worried- but damnit he's stubborn on the' not pooing' on the toilet thing!!!!!! We have to bite the bullet very soon.. he likes the lightning mcqueen pants but just isn't bothered about taking himself off to the loo. He needs to see his classmates doing it too maybe?!
Anyway, all in bed by seven and I'm off to bed myself... maybe I will take a night off blogging tomorrow, it's v.time consuming!!! So much detail eh?!
Interesting websites:

www.houseprices.co.uk
( see how much properties in your street have sold for!)
http://www.littlepossums.com
http://www.babywearer.co.uk

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Slings, tantrums and emotional washout.

2007-10-31T21:01:55+01:00

OOOoo! Got a new sling today, that cheered me up. I love carrying little ones around and it soothes them so much, but getting anything done is impossible. Even more so with a pre schooler in the house asking me to build train track etc...
I used a ring sling with Luke, mainly to calm him down and get him off to sleep and that also works really well with Amelie. But it drags on one shoulder and seeing as my back and stomach muscles are shot to pieces after my pregnancy it's for long periods eg outside.
Will attach pics of the Mei Tei sling. Found it on Ebay, wanted one that was easy to put on. I had a baby bjorn type one with luke and used it loads but got so annoyed with all the straps and bits and the crying baby to put in it!!! Getting all stressed out getting it on and off while people watching thinking I was some loon. The mei tei is soo comfy, just wraps round your body easily and the weight distribution is great for wearing round the house while you're trying to get stuff done ( or build Luke a flipping train track)

Just put Luke to bed, a minor tantrum compared to last night's (and yesterday afternoons) extravanganza. Ohmygod!!!! I think he reached full throttle on the I WILL REBEL front. He also seems to be really tired at the moment and STILL waking up early ( come to think of it, it's coincided with the clocks changing) We went to a music club and he survived it though was really tired. I'm trying to make that a me and Luke thing with Amelie asleep in the car seat... mostly...he had asuch a good time but then decided he wouldn't get into the car or get his straps on ( first was avoided by getting in a pretending to start driving off) but he got sooooooooo hysterical about not putting his straps on, I've not seen him like that since he was about one year old...!!!crying.screaming. hitting everything. I eventually lost my temper too, smacked him, and forced him into his straps ( while Amelie screaming in the back which didn't get noticed at all!) We drove home and by the end of the drive he was calmer but just soooooo not going to do anything. I phoned martin and loudly told him that luke was banned from computer games as a punishment..then he simmered down till bedtime when he pulled off the most massive resistance to both me and martin doing bath.story, bed. IT took about 45 mins to get him into bed and asleep. I ended up picking him up everytime he got out of bed, putting him back in, in a loop, perioidically tunring his light off and walking out when he cried for me, then went back in and he hit punched everythhing in sight, threw stuff out of his bed..got out , got put back in, it was like an episode of supernanny, fortunately i kept my cool this time and he went to sleep. Tonight was a copy but on a minor scale and as a result didn't get a story this time either, because he wouldn't listen to it and kept punching the book.. and then went between i want, i dont want it , in bed back out, in bed, until he gave in and i won ( again) I hope that's it now ...i think he's learning that we wont take no shite any more...

As a result I was completely emotionally fked last night. had the obligatory, i hate you, i want to divorce you, you don't care about me arguement with martin and then we made it up and then I slept but woke up screaming at midnight with a nightmare? How bizarre is that? Must be really stressed! I woke up feeling sooo knackered. Amelie is pimps by comparison. i made a super strong effort today with luke. We even did 'sticking and glueing' arty crafty stuff together ! I was wracked with guilt about him being ignored and needing attention that badly since Amelie's birth that he was turning into a Supernanny case.. which isnt so. Anyway we had a good day until bedtime and that can be put down to tiredness but it's a real challenge with him.. having to be one step ahead all the time!!!! Three is much worse than TWO!!!!!!!!! As for potty training, no way thats working right now...put him in pants and he wet them and i gave up. everythings a fight, i think the past few months of changes are catching up with him poor lukey. am really trying hard to make sure that even when i lose it that i tell him i love him.. and hey he's even started saying sorry to me!!! ( today he wouldnt say sorry to daddy after naughty step but wanted to say sorry to mummy instead! haahaha)
So have been on a bit of a downer .missing my mum's group in Watford and Watford stuff to do and shops ( retail therapy!) and thinking my life had diminshed to a tiny village and nothing more. But feel better today did stuff to cheer myself up.. did some clothes shoppping, had lovely one on one time with Amelie, had a hot choc and sausage bap in a coffee shop (the ONLY one) in Didcot and did ME stuff which helped.
Met the neighbours across the road tonight who seem really lovely, she's the same age as me and he's the same age as Martin ..we were all putting pumpkins out on our steps to show that we 'welcomed' trick or treaters .. the agreed thingy in t'village.....;-)

Pre school is ok for Luke, I'm still not enthralled but hes perfectly happy. keeps talking about a naughty boy called 'Dylan that he plays with, says he will point him out to me ( DISCREETLY PLEASE!) and what a strange coicindence that would be if he does exist and isn't luke's allter ego!!! Are all Dylans naughty by default ?

Going to see the other nursery tomorrow with Martin who has booked a long weekend off work...then fireworks in the village on sat night...might meet some locals?! I just can't be arsed with socialising with people that Im not really going to be feeling Í can be natural with.. if you know what I mean..someone with a sense of humour for a start and not stuck up their own bottoms in rural 4 by 4 snottiness.
However I really haven't socialised enough yet, just enough to get a few familiar faces and brief conversations at school gate... but am busy enough not to have time if you know what i mean?!! Am concentrating on working out a routine for everyone...Amelie really does seem to be in one, have been writing things down and it helps. Still wakes grunting and straining in the morning at about 5am, though no poo, formula really does gunk them up.....but the decision has been made and I cant go on and feel guilty about that one! She does sleep like a trouper..from 7pm till 2am!

Ha! Had a go at Tim Henman by mistake the other day. Came out of the park and two big black dogs came running up barking and jumping at Luke, and me with Amelie in the sling. I was frightened and didn't know whether they were going to attack. Some tall bloke broke off his mobile phone call to call them back and said sorry, to which I replied 'I wouldn't MIND but I'm carrying a BABY' in an indignant voice.. to realise it was Tim Henman himself.. don't think we will be having cosy coffees together soon!

Am itching to return to Watford for a visit but only because of the social thing and the shopping.. I know I just need to sort out a routine here... just the major life changes going on right now, it's falling into place slowly!

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