CharlieBeth's "My Life As Mumma Walker"

I'm 12 weeks preggers today, one more week and I'll be into my 2nd Tri! It's going really fast, this pregnancy. Before I know it I'll be a mum of three.... eek! My boys - as much as I love them - are driving me potty right now. Jack WILL NOT sleep past 5.30am and CANNOT just get up and play quietly in his bedroom. Nooooo, he has to stomp up and down the landing, talking loudly, until EVERYONE is up.... it is not making for a happy home right now. And meal times, don't get me started on meal times. Never have I known a child take an hour and a half over half a bowl of cereal, 2 hours over sausage, mash n veg.... I want to give him a timer and once it goes off the food goes in the bin. No arguments, no fuss, no begging. If he wants his food he'll have to eat it while its there. And Tom, well he's at the age now where he's more active, but hasn't figured out that we mean it when we say "No!" when he does something dangerous or simply una

Made me smile on an other wise crap day

Awwwwwwwwww! This is "Smudge", our 3rd wee baba, who measures 11 weeks today - officially... I say "officially" because every measurement I saw the woman take displayed 10 weeks 5 days (I'd worked us out at 10 weeks 3-4 days) so don't know why she settled on 11 weeks 0 days. but never mind, that doesn't matter so much. What matters is little Smudge is alive and well. Its a shame that me n Mark both felt that we hadn't had the best sonographer the RLI has to offer. First off she thought this was our 2nd scan (no... that'll be the other couple we were just talking to outside) and then she wasn't chatty like they usually are. I was worried to start with coz Smudge wasn't moving, and I couldn't see a heart beat. And she said NOTHING for ages.... Then finally she went through head, bum, arms, legs and heartbeat (which I STILL couldn't see). Then Smudge moved.... phew! Think baby was trying to sleep and did not like being prodded.

To stop the kids from going nuts stuck at home today (coz I have NO energy to play all day at the mo, poor lads) I thought it would be nice to take them to Happy Mount Park with a pic-nic. The thought being that since it wasn't chucking it down they could burn off some energy out side. It is a bit cool and overcast and the schools are back so it would be quiet (normally a handful of kids round the same age as mine) so they could play without me trailing around behind them but I could still see they were safe. The bit with the cars and stuff is enclosed and the guy you pay £1 per kid to get in stays by the gate so I can tend to one kid with out the other doing a runner. I figured I could have some quiet rest time myself in the fresh air and watch the boys play to their hearts content, and even have a ride on the train before we left. Sorted! But nooooooo! With pic-nic packed and cash in hand, me and two very excited boys drove to Morecambe and walked up Happy Mount Park.... and th

I dropped Jack off at Nursery yesterday at 9.30. When we got there he charged off and I had to grab him and scoop him up for a hug-n-kiss good bye. He was far too interested in playing with his friends to say bye properly. I checked in with his group leader, took a last look at him, and left. It was odd. I thought maybe I would cry - especially in my over emotional hormonal state - but I didn't. But I know why. Nursery is the best thing to happen to Jack. He should have been there last term. He needs it. He likes it. He is a perfectly confident little feller and I knew he would be completely happy there with or with out me. I did feel strange walking back up the hill with out him... like I'd forgotten something! Nursery gave me a call at lunch time to say he was fine, no problems, and I was to pick him up at the end of the day. If he'd been distressed they would have had me fetch him then n there. I went with Mum & Tom to fetch Jack at the end of the day. As soon

It must be a pregnancy thing. I have this recurring theme to my dreams at the moment where we move house, and I love it. Always disappointed when I wake up and we're still here. Not that there is anything wrong with our home. It's a perfectly nice house. Its just getting to be a bit small for us. 1 reception room, 1 toilet, 3rd bedroom is little more than a box room.... there's just not enough space! In an ideal world I'd have a 4 bed house, 2 reception rooms and a kitchen-dinner too, a downstairs loo and (in my extravagant  moments), an en suite more me n hubby. That way there's be plenty of bedrooms for the kids, a guest-room, shorter queues for the loo, a grown up space and kiddy space down stairs, and some where for us and the kids to eat away from distractions like toys n telly (even when its off it still causes a problem). But for now it's just a dream. We'd need to do this house up to sell (time & money we don't have), assume that it sells

Ooooh! The dating scan is a week today! I'm excited and terrified! If I get bad news I'm going to fall apart. Too many people know, but my big worry is Jack who is expecting to meet baby next year, and see a photo of baby after the scan. I have no reason to worry. I have no bleeding, no cramping, no sign that anything is wrong at all. I'm just frightened. We've been so lucky with Jack & Tom, while people around us have not been half as fortunate. I fear that our luck will run out. Stupid isn't it... I'll blame the hormones! This time next week I'll be a wreck! The scan is at 9.40am... so I'll be setting off in 7 days 1 hour. I really am counting down the hours! I neeeeeeed to relax!

I think I know what will be big on Tom's Christmas list this year.... paints, crayons, and coloured paper! He's becoming quite the little artist! Sadly he does most of his drawing on those little magnadoodle type toys which wipe the picture away so I have very little to keep or to photo and share. Jack has been asking to do some painting this afternoon after nursery so if I can dig out the paints I think I'll set them both up for some crafting. Everytime Tom does a picture I get "Mama mama!" so I come and have a look at what he's drawn, which he always tells me is "pretty!" Sooooo cute!

My sweet angelic first born baby boy..... is a thug  >_< It's nursery induction week this week. 4 days of 1hr in nursery with parents to get used to everything before the kids are left there alone for the full sessions next week. A good idea. And Jack has been LOVING it! Only, he doesn't want to come home after an hour. He wants to stay all day. Monday: Home-time tantrum lasted all the way to the Spar. Mummy's bribe of sweeties and a fruitshoot failed. Tuesday: Hometime-tantrum lasted all the way home! Daddys bride of McDonalds failed. Wednesday: NO tantrum... but a sore head and bleeding lip after a scrap with his friend over a football. *sigh* Who knows what tomorrow - the last induction day - will bring! He is loving it though, and that's why he doesn't want to leave. More than anything he loves to play out side, being rough and running about with other boys. Boys his age and size that he can do these things with, not his baby brother who is too

We had a visit from two ladies from Jack's nursery yesterday. Apparently they like to do a home visit before the kids starts (check out the home situation and that) and where pleased to see that we do not live in a crack house / brothel / squat, or have floors which are 6inches deep in fag ash, animal crap etc. (I am a little put out that they insisted on a visit when I thought I had opted out.... nothing to hide, I just don't like having strangers round to my very cluttered and untidy, although clean, house) It went well I think. Jack was his usual over excited self when they first arrived - any visitors cause mayhem for about 10-15mins - but then settled down and was happily playing with his kitchen set bringing everyone "tea and cake" and even sharing the toys with Tom (for the most part). The only possible problem came right at the end, just as they were about to leave, and Jack was playing with some trains. He was bashing them together and shouting "Knac

I'm going to sound childish and selfish. But I'm pregnant so I think its allowed. Actually... I'm scared. When I first found out I was pregnant this time and worked out a pre dating scan estimated due date it came out as April 16th. Two other ladies on the forum I talk to a bit had the same due date. One has lost her baby, and the other is bleeding and might be losing her twins. It's heart breaking, and terrifying, and awful. And here comes the selfish bit.... If this poor woman gets bad news I'll have to come off the forum for the rest if 1st tri. I'm frightened to death, stressing that I'll lose Smudge too. I'm not so baby brained that I think I'll "catch" a miscarriage and I'm not superstious and think I'll get their bad luck through association either. But I do know stress can cause problems, and its making me stressed. I already feel paranoid because this baby isn't planned and I'm worried it'll feel unloved, or