Friday 13th

Rob had the day off. We all got up and headed out to the dentist, more or less on time. Teh dentist, of course, was late. However. Rob got in the big blue chair. I got in the big blue chair. Linnea watched with interest but didn't want to get up. Our teeth are fine but I'm right in suspecting that I'd benefit enormously from a good electric toothbrush; Rob is ok to carry on as is. My teeth are just too damn close together, because of this wisdom tooth stupidly poking its crown in where it's not wanted.

The we came home and Linnea and I collected wellies to deliver to L&M. Rob stayed home and put the last load of nappies on for the weekend. We delivered wellies, then came back and collected Rob and we all four went to the new coffee shop on the Oxford Road. They mainly sell coffee beans but also have three tables and some stools and pastries. They use Barrys Tea. It was the best cup of decaf I've had in years.

Home again to hang laundry and collect the bits we need for the rest of the weekend, then we headed for the bus to ERAPA. On the way Linnea hung on to a lamppost for dear life, adn Rob pulled her off, and she complained of a hurt arm again. Looked pulled, as before, but we went to ERAPA anyway in the hope that it would be ok. It wasn't. So when I left for my Critical Friends meeting, Rob and Linnea came too, and went to A&E.

A&E was uneventful; apparently this is very common between ages 2-4, and not something we shoudl ever ever attempt to fix ourselves, but also not something to worry about much. It's also apparently very painful, because Linnea was given some Calpol and promptly looked exhausted. She fell asleep sitting up on Rob's shoulders, resting her head on the top of his.

The Critical Friends group was good. I felt listened to. The staff appeared surprised by some things, shocked by some things, and unsurprised by others. I expect great things from it and will probably write a whole post about it later.

We had the buggy and the carseat with us - the one plugs in to the other - so we were able to get a taxi from the hospital to the train station, though I don't much like travelling with the buggy being a pretendy wheelchair, to be honest. Then we bought our Family Railcard for the year, and got the train, tube and train to the town near the housing estate where Rob's parents live. Both carseats and Rob just about fit in the back seat of the car, and my huge feminine hips got the front passenger seat. One more baby and we're walking 30 minutes from the train station to the house, unless we can figure out the local buses.

So we ate and went to bed.

Saturday

Linnea woke in the night, crying for milk, and was threatened with rice milk. So she cried out "No! My want Mummy milk from her NIPPLES!"

It wouldn't do to get the wrong message. Some things are important.

Someone bought a weekend paper with a billion Sudokus, so with people around to herd Linnea and amuse Emer I did a whole stack of them. The ones the Times labels "Fiendish" are harder than they were when I wasn't recovering from having a baby.

In the afternoon we went for a walk to visit Rob's childminder, "Auntie Iris," who minded him for about three years and has been an honorary relative ever since. Some of her extended family were there, so Linnea was a little overwhelmed at first, but soon settled in and chose a few minions to help her examine in minute detail all the (copious) bric-a-brac, including stuffed toys won at funfair type games and many many souvenirs from Blackpool. Toddler heaven. The decorative copper kettle by the fireirons (brass copper, and brass irons) alarmed her when she knocked its lid off though. Then she made tea in it.

While helping his mother with her computer problems, Rob discovered a huge stash of porn on his USB key. He swears it was put there innocently by a nasty evil virus he caught at work. I'm sayin' nothin'.

Sunday

We made it through almost the whole weekend before FIL made a noxious remark about Muslims. Progress! We left shortly after breakfast and while on the train realised we'd be arriving in east London ish area about lunchtime, so we called Dave and had him meet us at the station for lunch. Then we tubed and trained and taxied home, parked an exhausted Linnea in front of the telly, and decided to tear up the carpet.

It was done and advertised on Freecycle by dinnertime, so we had dinner and checked email and did laundry and read LJ and so on. The dining room is now much simpler to maintain, though a little draughty. M of M&L swears the draught is bearable so we'll give it a while; if we can't bear it we'll get cork tiles installed in December while I'm away with the babies, and if we can bear it Rob will paint it white while I'm away. Something neutral we can dump rugs on is the idea. Washable rugs that will fit in a laundrette machine.

It's a joy and a delight to wipe spilled dinner off a wooden floor. Gods I hate carpets. I expect my sinuses to express their appreciation within the week, too.

Monday

First, happy birthday Janice!

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First thing this morning I refused to get out of bed. This is because Linnea woke in the night.

She woke, which is normal, and cried for me, which is normal, and I went to her, which is normal, and I offered her milk in her bed, which is normal, and she refused and wanted it in my bed, which is fairly normal, so I said "No, your bed, come on," and went to pick her up.

She was soaked. Her nappy was soaked, her pyjamas were soaked top and bottom, her bed was drenched. Change of tack. I turned immediately sympathetic and cleaned her up and changed her and brought her into my bed - I still can't manage changing sheets easily and anyway it was the middle of the night.

So when I woke this morning I was stiff and in pain and also very very tired. A weekend in a slightly too soft bed followed by a night in a bed for four was too much. Ugh. But I got up eventually and got everyone dressed and clean and out to the doctor, and we were less than five minutes late before we had to queue at reception.

The doctor was lovely, and I have a frightening prescription for a topical treatment for vaginal vestibulitis, and lots of information on contraception, and Emer is still just above the 50th centile for weight and we're both doing very well indeed.

Linnea was better-behaved than I expected, given that we had a rushed walk to the surgery and didn't stop to look at anything.

After that we went to a couple of charity shops and I found two babygros for Emer in her current size. When Linnea was this size it was June and she only needed a nappy and sunscreen; Emer needs socks, or clothes with feet. Then we dropped in on M&L for an hour or so.

That was about 10 am. At 13:30 M&L and we-all went to Elle's for lunch, and then on to the GLOBE garden for running and getting wet in buckets of rainwater. Then they stopped here and watched a Maisy DVD and then they went home and Rob came home and we had dinner.

I called the card people after dinner and my money-plastic is being replaced. This is good; I'm a bit crippled without it. I've also been looking at Ebay for replacement filofaxes and I can definitely get one cheaper there, though it will have a 2006 diary not a 2007 one.

And we've put a load of coloured laundry on with the sling in it - it's fleece, so it will be dry enough to use tomorrow morning.

Baby stuff... Linnea did the most evil poo in the world and while I was cleaning it up I realised that the wipes I was using had been washed with conditioner and wouldn't absorb the water I was using. Argh. So M found some disposable wipes somewhere and I used those, but the delay and confusion meant it got all over her dress. So I changed her into the trousers in the nappy bag, which don't fit any more, but she had to wear them anyway. Now they're in the laundry covered in rainwater and grass and when they come out I must remember to put them away for after potty training, because they'll fit without a nappy in them. Gorgeous stripy things.

Linnea and L played remarkably well together for the most part, with a few disputes over ownership of toys, rocks, sticks and buckets, and a little throwing of stones and pushing of people. Yes, kids, the boundaries are still where they were ten minutes ago. Really.

Using the sling all day is easy. Carrying the nappy bag not in a buggy is hard. And I proved today that I can't manage without all Linnea's stuff in the bag. Perhaps if we only played indoors?

Oh! Yesterday Linnea drew a remarkable giant; head with eyes and a mouth, arms with hands, legs with feet, body... and today she drew a giant's head with a hat on. We got a photo of yesterday's effort before she wiped it off the blackboard. I must do the iPhoto thing and then the ljpics thing.

To do on Tuesday

Find out how to get my Maternity Exemption certificate replaced so that I can get free prescriptions.

Call the surgery and book Emer's vaccinations and an appointment with the practice nurse to discuss contraception.

Look up the girls' bank account details and send them to MIL.

Look up my birthday present preference (a bag for Linnea to travel to Ireland with!) and send them to MIL.

Move all my money to Rob's account so he can get it out for me. Bah. Addendum: Make Rob go and get me cash.

Shopping list for the girls' winter wardrobe:

Linnea - pyjamas, two sets
Linnea - one warm sleepsuit with feet
Linnea - start looking for a bigger fleece jacket as she's outgrowing the two she has
Linnea - heavy socks for wearing with wellies that are almost a half size too big. H&M boys, probably.
Linnea - swimming pants, preferably two sets

Emer - socks or bootees, at least two sets
Emer - something like a snowsuit but not as heavy? or fleece trousers and top, like Linnea had when she started walking

When Emer has had her vaccinations I can take her swimming, so I'll need to dig out old swimming nappies, too.

Before Baby Walks and When Baby Runs

This morning ten copies of each book arrived. I can sell them for a fiver each plus postage. I can't remember what postage is within the UK though - things all changed recently.

Perhaps I'll try to typeset the next one in the new year. I can't bring myself to do it before Christmas. It's the last "Only Linnea" one, I think.

The paper quality is better than the last batch; I have no idea why.