[hannahdaisy]

I've been terrible with this!

Still no teeth for Raffy, has Beaux got any yet?

We started to wean Raffy a few weeks ago. Started with peas and he wasn't very keen, most of it was spat out! Tried a few other veggies over the next few days and just lots of spitting again. Decided to take a few days break and try again because I read that if they spit out the food then they might not be ready. That break did him the world of good because he did so well from then. Gave him his first crisp too (an Ella's Kitchen melty puff) and he absolutely loved that, cried when it'd finished!

We've changed quite a bit recently in regards to being around people and have started to let family hold Raffy. Still feel a bit uneasy about it sometimes, but someone we work with has a daughter who is a GP and she said if she was us she'd just do it now while it's not as bad because we're likely to end up in a lockdown again during the winter and not even be able to see anybody. I just try to make sure they're not kissing him or breathing all over him or anything. It's really made everyone so happy to hold him and that's really nice. Just have to make sure we're all being sensible I suppose. We're actually having a night out in a few weeks. Again, feeling a bit uneasy about it but I think we really need it.

Fin is back at nursery too and he's absolutely loving it. I've seen him go in and hug the teachers which is really lovely and just shows how much he likes them. Also made us figure that if he's hugging them etc then he can give our family a hug!

Had to go to the doctors a couple of weeks back for a smear (ahhhhh) and had more trouble with the gatekeepers, typical isn't it! I booked it one evening over their website and got an email back telling me a date and a time, then about an hour before the appointment I got a text saying to remember my appointment for the week after. I rang them and they were adamant that I had the wrong date but I wouldn't let it go and had no childcare for the week after, plus had psyched myself up for the procedure! Got the lady to go onto the website and check and she realised I was actually telling the truth. Managed to get the nurse to squeeze me in right at the end of the day. Very pleased to say that all was negative after having issues before and lots of colposcopies and a LLETZ. Always makes me so nervous.

Have you done anything more towards your next cycle? So exciting!

Hi Maeve, hope all is well

 

[Omnomnom:)]

Haha, haven't we all? 😅

No, no teeth for Beaux either, even though he chomps relentlessly on his fingers, dummy or whatever he can get hold of. Ah, it's lovely to hear he's getting on so well with his weaning! Like you, we've mastered veggies and porridge now. Slowly we'll introduce other bits as the days pass.

Personally, I think you're right to be socialising him, even if it starts out slowly and carefully. Like you said, I bet they've been itching to snuggle him! We've been quite relaxed in this regard, all the family fuss Beaux after washing their hands. One old lady touched his cheek whilst we were out for lunch and I didn't have the heart to pull him away. Didn't know who was more at risk tbh 😳. Hope you enjoy the night out! I imagine it's much needed after so long. Don't even want to think about another lockdown, especially if it comes around Christmas!

Fin is so sweet! You're totally right, you have to start weighing up what makes logical sense when it comes to who you're actually distancing from. Not suprised to hear the gatekeepers are at it again. Unnecessary stress considering its something you probably weren't that excited for organising in the first place 😂. Glad to hear of the result! How's your partner finding the return to work?

The bloods and scan results have been returned to me and I've sent them to my coordinator. I'm fairly confident that all is as it should be. Keeping my fingers crossed just incase. Worried they might put an end to flights altogether though before November. Who knows?

 

[hannahdaisy]

Ah, this is the worst I've been with replying! Sorry.

Raf has just got 2 teeth within the past week. Have any of Beaux's come through now? How is weaning going? We were trying to spoon feed Raf and most of the time he just wasn't really interested. Started to give him proper food and he absolutely loves it! I bought the book 'What Mummy Makes' and we are all loving it. Had so many nice recipes from there that all 4 of us are enjoying, would definitely recommend it if you haven't already got it.

Our night out was good, thank you. So glad that we did it before the 10pm curfew came in! Have you been out for a date night? We've been having some of our family around the boys and they've looked after them for a bit a few times. Still can't help but worry about it but sometimes we've needed childcare and also our family have been desperate to see them.

My partner's had a stressful half term, as you can imagine! School just sounds so difficult. She teaches with a mask on all day for one thing and then everything is staggered so that different classes don't mix anywhere, can't have lunch in the hall, can't socialise with the other staff really. Wondering if it'll be even worse when I go back rather than better!

So exciting! November is almost here. Does it seem like everything will still be going ahead?

 

[Omnomnom:)]

Ah wow, go Raffy! Love these little milestones. No teeth for Beaux, sadly - thank you for the book recommendation, I'll give it a nose! Sounds brilliant. The only trouble we have is that DH has his meals prepped by his PT so it ends up just me making myself a meal for one and Beaux having some put aside before I season it. He loves it don't get me wrong but it's not ideal when I'd rather cook for at least 2 adults.

Ah I'm glad you managed to get a much needed night together before the curfew! We've had a couple of meals out, pre and post the new rules and it's definitely made us less inclined to bother. Money is a bit tight for us at the moment anyway. My maternity pay is over just to add to the pinch. The future outlook with my role as SAHM is a little bleak tbh. We're ok but I absolutely hate not earning my own money. I thought I'd be fine but it's frustrating beyond words and I'm not used to relying on someone else to that extent. It was fine when he was buying the food, topping up the petrol etc, but it's turned into me having to run everything by him and that's not for me. I've lost my little bit of independence and it feels like my voice has gone with it. For the first time in 5 years we've actually had an argument or two 😂.

If we're lucky to fall again, I'd like to get the 2nd one into our local nursery once they're 1. Then I'm definitely getting my butt back to college. We'll have to see how I cope with 2 young children and full time education, ha. I'm sure they'll be times I regret the workload but it'll be so worth it in the long run.

I really feel for you and your partner. I've seen a couple of teachers on the news looking mega distressed. Can't even imagine how daunting it must be. I suppose it might not be so bad if you at least knew there was an end date set but now they're discussing entering into tier 3. Argh, who knows what going on! 🙄 Just hope you both keep as safe as possible. When do you go back to work? It's so important that you keep up the contact with your family, nothing will give you that time back. If they can go to school everyday and mix with other kids then I can't get my head round why parents should have to keep them from seeing their loved ones.

As far as I'm aware we should be ok to go ahead with the transfer in December. Depends how CZ proceed with their Covid measures. Flights don't seem to be heavily affected for those wanting to travel for IVF reasons. I'd like to think everything will be ok. Fingers crossed.

 

[ally389]

I'm so pleased you are all well! I do keep an eye on your updates xx

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hannahdaisy]

Hope you're all doing well Ally!

Teeth are coming thick and fast, a third is already completely out and nearly a fourth! Felt like we were waiting ages because Fin got some before 6 months. Wonder how long it'll be for Beaux.

Oh that's a shame regarding the meals. I'd also prefer to just be cooking for everyone rather than just myself. Might still be worth a look as it has quite a lot of snacks and desserts and things that are good for freezing. Just find it really good knowing that he can definitely eat it and love that it's tasty enough for the adults too. We're really loving it but I understand it might not work for you. We don't use it every day and admittedly we sometimes give him jars of food. I know they're probably not the best but don't mind doing a bit of a mix.

Would love another night out or something planned, just something to look forward to, but you can't really plan anything at the moment can you?!?! Saw tickets for Russell Kane in Brighton near my birthday and would just love to go but will have to leave it. Lockdown is due to end on my birthday but don't really feel like it makes a massive difference to be honest! Think we'll just get a takeaway, one that's a bit more extravagant than what we'd normally order. Good that you've been out too, weird though isn't it.

Money is starting to get worse for us too but we're coping. We're just going to use credit cards when we need to and make a plan to pay lumps of it off once I start earning properly again. My pay stops halfway through this month so will get a lot less this time. I know what you mean about asking for stuff though. I haven't totally had to yet but she's taken over paying all of our bills and I just use what I've been getting for my personal bills like my phone etc and then try and do all of the food shopping with it and pay nursery fees. We had a nursery zoom call and they said they wanted Fin to attend more days but I said I honestly just can't pay for anymore at the moment! He goes 2 mornings a week and that's almost £300 a month!

What do you think you'll do at college?

Yeah, teaching is just crazy at the moment. Really not looking forward to going back, not that I necessarily would've been anyway haha. I popped in the other day to get my flu vaccination and it was quite odd. I wasn't allowed into the building and then there were kids working out in the playground and adults doing work outside too with massive coats on. I've spoken to our headteacher and said I'll go back just before the February half term, means I'll get paid for the half term then, bit cheeky but I think most teachers do it! With Fin I went back 2 weeks before the summer holidays. Meant I got to meet my new class though rather than just starting fresh with them in September.

I know what you mean about family and kids mixing with others. I say this about Fin at nursery, he goes in and hugs the girls that work there but isn't meant to hug his own family members! Just so tough isn't it.

Ah that's so exciting! Have you been in contact with them to make plans and stuff then?

 

[Omnomnom:)]

Lovely to hear from you Ally. Hope you and little'un are keeping well.

That's incredible news about the teeth. Go Raffy! As it goes, I ran my finger across his bottom jaw and felt Beaux's first tooth. It's not all the way out just yet but it's really sharp! Saw it with a phone flashlight but only briefly, he squirms and wriggles too much, ha. Wowzers, Fin got his really quick too! Quiet amazing how different two babies can be with only a few days between them. Oh I would have loved to have seen Russell Kane too! I know what you mean about giving it a miss. Sometimes it's just not worth the agg in the end. Such a shame though, hope you get to rebook to see him in the future.

I always feel a bit silly saying it out loud or in this case typing it, as it almost seems a bit far-fetched what with me have zero qualifications at this point (besides GCSE's) - but I'd love to be a sonographer or 'obstetric ultrasound technician', as it keeps telling me on google. Especially with everything we go through with our IVF and everything. I definitely think I'd like to bring a level of sensitivity and relatability to the role that I don't feel I've been met with during each scan I've had done so far. I just think it's something I could really throw myself in to. Like I said, a reeeeeaaaally long way off and I'm determined as a person, but just not sure how I'll cope as an older student with potentially two babies. I'd like to try though. Uni's would like me equipped with my science A-levels so that's the next step. We'll see.

It really isn't an easy time at the moment. Especially when our maternity has essentially come to an end. The timing was pretty impeccable, ha. In a way, it's nice to know others relate to the sudden lack of dependence. For you, it must be reassuring at least to think you have a career you can return to that will allow you that bit of financial freedom again. Those nursery fees are a bit eye watering though! That sounds like quite an ask considering how much you're already paying. I suddenly remembered why home-schooling sounded so appealing in the first place. Haha, I definitely don't blame you for heading back before the half-term, I mean why not?! I can't imagine being a teacher, you must be on a whole other level of zen to deal with a class of kiddies. With all this covid stuff on top, its just mind boggling. How have teachers not been given a substantial pay increase though? I'll never get it.

Everything is sadly suspended for now. I'm to let my coordinator know once my period is here and we'll decide then. If BoJo definitely lifts the lockdown on the 2nd then no problems, however there seems to be a lot of speculation that he might extend it. Ergh, who knows...
We may end up pushing it back till January which isn't the end of the world and at least we wouldn't have to worry about flight cancellations, wasted meds, etc.

Beaux is nearly crawling forward now, he takes a few shuffles in front and then returns to a sitting position, but each time he seems to get more and more confident. How is Raffy getting on with his crawling? I've also ordered some organic, fresh food that's been pre-prepared by a local company. Got a months worth. Lots of variety which I'm hoping might go down well. It's not something I could do from home for just me and him. Not that varied anyway.

Eeeeek, it's nearly time to put the tree up!

 

[hannahdaisy]

Aww that's exciting! I bet some more won't be too far behind now. We absolutely love Russell Kane, think I've seen him live about 3-4 times now, will definitely see him again in the future, just a shame that it won't be next month!

Doesn't sound far-fetched at all. I think if you're willing to put in the time and effort to study then you can definitely achieve that goal. It really does make such a difference to have a sonographer who is friendly, caring and a bit chatty. I imagine that it must be such a rewarding job and I'm sure it must be really tough when you inevitably have to give some people bad news but that's where the caring and friendly part comes in isn't it. They'll really remember that if the sonographer was nice.

Money-wise I luckily heard something about loads of people being due student loan repayment refunds so thought I'd try my luck. Rang up last week and turns out that I'm owed almost £500 so that'll be very handy over the next few months to help to pay some of my bills and the food. It's definitely reassuring to know that my career is safe through Covid too, although to be honest, if Covid hadn't have happened we probably would've been handing in my notice so that I could privately tutor during weekends and holidays and maybe other little bits to make up some money. Now it feels like I can't really do that for a while and teaching is the safest bet until this all calms down. I don't necessarily want to give it up but with two young children it would just be easier if I could do the nursery runs etc myself. It's now especially daunting to think about going back with all of the changes and the risks. As you say though, looking forward to the money coming back in. At Easter, Fin will also get his 30 free hours of childcare so that'll be a massive help. Again, a bit of a shame because if I was at home and he was getting the 30 free hours I'd send him to nursery every morning. Bless you, thank you for appreciating teachers, it really is a demanding job where you need a lot of patience but very worthwhile and rewarding!

Oh that's a shame, sorry to hear that. It must be hard when it's obviously something that we get so excited for. Must be a bit stressful with it being up in the air. At least it should hopefully happen not *too* far away.

Well done Beaux! Raffy has been shuffling backwards for ages now, turning on his belly and rolling around so he manages to get himself all around the living room but gets frustrated because he's always backing himself into tight spots and frequently ends up with his bottom half trapped under the sofa! I don't think it'll be long until he starts to go forwards because he's often up on all fours now and rocking back and forth. I think he'll be a lot happier once he can do that because at the moment he tends to move further away from the toys he wants rather than towards them!

The food sounds great, hopefully not too expensive! Sounds really handy to not have to worry about it.

Speaking of trees, I'm more excited this year. I think Fin will really enjoy it even more and Raf will love the lights and decorations. We've had a tiny tree for the past however many years, think it's maybe a 2 or 3ft that we used to just put up on the cabinet and I kept being told we don't have space for a proper one but this year I think my nagging has paid off! We've decided to fold down the Jumperoo and put it in that space, think I've found a nice 6ft one but we've both been shocked at how much the nice ones cost! Also don't have many proper decorations so will have to pay out for those too. A bit concerned that both boys may just wreck the tree and try and pull it down....!