Chatty Saturday

Well, I'm in the mood for a right chinwag. Lots of things popped into my mind whilst I've been doing the bloggy rounds. Although, now I'm here, blogging, I seem to have forgotten most of them which irks me. I'm also aware of loads of replies owed to bloggers on my last few posts. 

Suzanne over at No.38 had her baby granddaughter to stay over. And all her paraphanalia. Including some technology that sorta blew my mind! It's a machine that you programme in how much milk you need and it heats the right amount of water perfectly. Wow. 

In Miss 22's baby days, I fed her myself at first, though having a traumatic C section, plus being a 9lb 7oz newborn, meant I really struggled at first. I had to have her passed to me, then positioned on a pillow to the side to avoid stress on the scar etc. Anyway to any mama out there whoever had sore nipples from breastfeeding, I experienced that toe curling pain of latching on and wept! I think I gave up on day 3, I was still in hospital and had the 3 day blues. My bosoms were RED HOT AND ROCK HARD and fired milk out like the HG's high pressure water power washer when I heard a baby cry. Anyone's baby would set me off. Infact, on day three, the nice midwife ( I had two, they come in pairs, one nice one, one old nasty witch one  , it's the law ) found me in tears, in the shower, unable to move. What's wrong? She asked gently. Through sobs, I told her that Nasty Witch had told me I couldn't possibly mix feed my baby because my milk would dry up, and I'd summoned the strength to go get a shower - anyone who's had a CS will know how hard it is to stand upright and move straight away - I'd got in the shower, got out and struggled to get dry. Well done, said Nice midwife. Why are you crying? Well, says I, my boobs set off and I'm all soaked and I need another showerrrrrrr. I was a right mess! 

Nice midwife sorted me out. Showed me how to express from the sore boob and the HG fed Miss 22 with the, gasp, bottle and next feed from me on the non sore boob. And that is how we carried on. Breast and bottle - quickly switching to formula when we got home. Expressing milk by hand, Dr Miriam Stoppard way, is bloody hard work! So mixed feeding sorted us fine and we carried on until she was about 8 months when it was usually just an early morning feed from me. An aside is I hate the Bfnazis out there who are SO judgey Mcjudgey on mamas who choose to bottle feed. Some mamas doing it don't even have the choice so butt out NCT types!!! Mr 19 was mixed fed too so there! 

Wow, that went far more personal than I intended! What I HAD meant to share was...

In Miss 22's day, we boiled the kettle with freshly drawn water then let it cool down. We made up 6 bottles at a time and they were stored in the fridge until needed. You could only keep them for 24 hours. My ( I can't believe I'm RELATED to this person ) sister used to feed her babies COLD milk. COLD. Call social services!! I had a state of the art bottle warmer. Basically it was an electronic water bath! Nothing that a jug and a kettle of boiled water couldn't do - but it was useful in the middle of the night. 

The thing was, when Miss 22 was born, I still lived at home with my folks as the HG was doing up our house. So he used to make the bottles for me around 10pm every night. The kettle would be boiled at 9pm. Everyone knew they had NOT TO USE THE KETTLE, because being baby number one, if it said Miss 22 had to have freshly drawn water, then freshly drawn once boiled water is what she had. Except...on more than twenty five occasions, my sister would come in with her revolting slimy boyfriend ( who became her revolting slimy husband until she woke up and realised how revolting, slimy, controlling and abusive he was ) and he would, DESPITE KNOWING WE WERE MAKING BOTTLES, switch the kettle back on and brew up, thus setting the whole bottle making process back another hour. So, ex brother in law, you utter arsehole, I hated you then, I still hate you now. 

Ahem. In other news. 

We switched from Sky to Virgin today and the new internet is so fast, I bet this blog post is up n online before I even hit publish! This caused me to properly sort out stuff in my bedroom. We are going to redecorate. There's a factory shop that sells wallpaper and fabric on the outskirts of town but we can get to it quite easily from our house.

We went for a 6km stroll downt canal n back to this place. I saw some wallpaper that wasn't at all what I'd planned in my mind - auberginey colours I fancied. This was yellowy gold, shimmery and a bit floral! Sounds horrible but the HG liked it too! We needed five rolls. They only had three. I had a look round the fabric and didn't really see anything that'd go, that I liked. So reluctantly I left it. At home, the HG suggested we just paper the full chimney wall in this fancy paper . I was too tired to walk back. But I think I may go back and get it on Monday. If it's still there, it's mine! It's extra wide too! Oh and did I mention it's Harlequin, a brand I'd not heard of. A quick Google finds this paper online for a mere £59 a roll!  FIFTY NINE POUNDS. It's £2 in the shop I was in!! It's perfect, just end of a run. It's printed in the factory you see. TWO QUID! 

So we'll see Monday. 

Anyway, the Big Clean saw me unearth this groundbreaking technology - I knew I still had them. I am a Hoarder. 

Our first mobile phone! About twenty years old. This has now been thrown away ( now I've taken a photo of it - Hoarding is a disease you know! ) 

This beauty is probably thirty one ish years old. It still works! The tape, The Smiths, is one I probably made on my tape to tape 'ghetto' blaster. The nearest it ever got to the 'ghetto' was Elvis! 

I am keeping this. For posterity.

Whilst I am 'fessing up. Look see 

I don't use this museum piece, but I can't get rid - I bought this aged 17 whilst on a sixth form trip to Camden Tarn darn in London. We all bought Indian cotton embroidered tassel skirts in black too. This brings back teenage memories aplenty. It was basically like white pan stick for all Souxie Soux wanna bees. 

However - look at all this lot!

I never wear make up. I'm too lazy to take it off. I only wear it when I go out out. You'd think I had the raging social life of a celeb in Heat magazine. I NEVER GO OUT OUT! Sometimes, when I do, I think I look alright, but mostly I tend to go a bit Drag Queeny. I do like a slick of eyeliner and it has to be liquid. 

 Decided to treat us to a trio of trifles. 

Two with sponge for the lovers ( me ) and one without for the haters ( HG )! Strawberry jelly, unashamedly delicious tinned fruit cocktail IN SYRUP, custard, cream and a crumbled flake. Yum! 

Well, I've totally forgotten what else I was going to say. It'll probably come when I've hit publish. Not to mind. 

Lots of love from 

Rachel * watching Sleb Big Bro and loving it* Radiostar xxx