DubaiCat

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Latest post on 27 September 2011 - 08:12

Bump for spongemonkey :D.

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Latest post on 27 September 2011 - 08:00

There's a Well Woman clinic above the Allied Diagnostic on Diyafah Street. I haven't used them personally but I went there with work and all the doctors seemed lovely.

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Latest post on 27 September 2011 - 07:58

Thank you ladies for your kind messages. My test on Sunday went well. My HCG levels doubled and I will have my 6 week scan on the 5th of Oct. I am still SO nervous and hope everything goes well. =/ Soph- I hope you get a BFP soon! Just be patient and next thing u know you'll be preggers. :) Great news! Hope all is well with your scan. I well remember the almost constant panic of the first trimester and it must be even worse for you with PCOS.

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Latest post on 27 September 2011 - 07:57

Gaaah, if only they were G fitting! DS was 4.5G mid-July and I tried him in 5.5G yesterday and they were too small :(. I've just shelled out a ridiculous amount at Pitter Patter as they were the only ones I could find that fit. If I find anyone else looking I'll point them in your direction.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 21:51

So I eventually got there. Totally forgot to write down the name of the place you suggested, SS123, and staggered into the textile area with a huge bag of curtains for alteration. It was so heavy I went into the first place I got to. This is what I needed done; - make two Roman blinds from already blacked out silk fabric, including the fixings - shorten six curtains and convert from tape to eyelet fixing, including 81 eyelet rings - supply four black curtain poles with the end bits and I got it all for 730dhs. I thought that was a good deal:). And the funniest part was when I left the store. I looked up at the name... ZhongDi. Classic!

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 16:36

No worries. Just shout if you need it, someone will be home all night. Hope your LO gets better soon :(.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 16:35

It was OK when it was just a slimline (ahem) me and DS, as I always parked so I could get him out. Add a non-slimline me into the mix and it becomes impossible!

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 16:31

Brilliant, thanks. I didn't fancy lugging a big bag of curtains into DM without knowing if they'd actually do them for me! My trip out there has been postponed until this evening as today has been a write-off so far.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 16:30

You can get Pedialyte at pharmacies but you can also give them adult Dioralyte if you don't have Pedialyte (according to our doctor). I have some blackcurrant Dioralyte powder here if you need.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 15:50

Cheese and beans on toast is known as Executive Beans On Toast in our house. Makes it sound posh. You can't make it with anything but extra-mature vintage cheddar, and how you have it says a lot about you as a person. Do you make cheese on toast, with the cheese melted, and add the beans on top or do you make beans on toast and add grated cheese to the top so it doesn't melt until you eat it? :D edited by DubaiCat on 26/09/2011

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 15:39

You remind me so much of a friend back home, H.A.K. - I always said when I had kids I'd send them home to Auntie Sonia's School of Discipline if they were naughty! She's firm but fair and doesn't take any messing around :D. Sometimes it's because it's dangerous - the climbing and jumping on the coffee table - and sometimes it's unhygienic, such as playing with the dogs' bowls, but sometimes it's just not appropriate. I guess I need to pick my battles, and make sure I'm focusing on the things that really aren't OK at any time. For the mealtimes I have been trying to be firm and consistent with the throwing. If he chucks his sippy cup, he gets it back once and then not again. If he throws his food, it stays on the floor. With the spoon-throwing, he was bashing what was in the bowl at the same time so that went in the bin and the spoons went in the dishwasher and dinner was over. I guess I do worry that he'll go to bed hungry, though, and won't get why! We've been put in the travel cot twice since lunchtime for trying to climb on the coffee table and I'm not sure it's got me anywhere. He grizzled both times but when I looked over at him or went to get him out he grinned up at me and tried to make me laugh!

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 15:31

I'm keen to read Not Without My Sisters by a trio of American women who lived as part of a cult, but it's not available on Kindle yet and I can't find it in bookstores. I guess it would help if I could remember the authors' names. Last book I read was Light on Snow by Anita Shreve. Thought-provoking, especially since baby #2 is only weeks away.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 15:28

I always went for a space next to the curb (or where the trolley lanes are) at MOE when DD was little. The spaces there are small and people do park so selfishly. That's exactly where I was parked :(. I got the number of the Land Rover but by the time I'd heaved myself back into the car to leave, I totally forgot about the BMW. Ah well, karma'll get him somewhere down the line.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 15:04

Poor you...put your feet up and relax. You must be a very nice person as I may well have given her Landrover a surreptitious little scratch! I must admit I was quite surprised that my car didn't have any scratches after I left her the note!

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 15:02

I had highlights and a fringe cut with them a few years ago. The highlights started close to my scalp one side and about a centimetre away on the other, and my fringe wasn't straight. When I went back to complain they told me it was all meant to be like that!

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 14:50

I get horrendous hayfever in the UK and haven't ever - touch wood - had it here. It kicks off my asthma too and again, I've only ever got that here when I've been pregnant or had a chest infection anyway. I seem to get a cold every time I go back to the UK, and have had plenty of tummy bugs there too. Overall I think I get less minor niggly things here than there.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 10:38

I've used the Ittihad clinic for DS's vaccinations in the past and there has been no charge, even without a health card. It's on the road behind Gulf News, just off Sheikh Zayed.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 10:35

I'll definitely try the distraction route, as he will come away from whatever he's not supposed to be touching if he has fun stuff to play with instead. I'm not at all fussed about what time he eats, but I've tried lots of different mealtimes and it doesn't seem to make a difference to his behaviour :(. He will eat something whatever time it is, but sometimes he scoffs it all without messing around and other times it takes forever and ends up with the kitchen - and me - looking like we've been in a food fight! Do you think he's too small for the choices or should I start giving him choices even though he doesn't really understand and maybe won't be able to decide? I try to talk to him as if he understands.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 10:16

Eeeek. I really, really don't want a tummy bug! Let's hope it bypasses me and goes straight to DH. Actually, no... then it'd be ebola or something, and I can't cope with that either. PS IN the truck?! Nice! Same as DS having the runs while sitting in the trolley in the supermarket yesterday :D. edited by DubaiCat on 26/09/2011

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 10:12

A parenting course sounds like a good idea, thanks! I think I need to take a step back and make sure I'm doing the right thing before I do it, and knowing some of those tips and tricks might help. After more than ten years in this place and more than ten years of swearing I'd never get a maid, we are now considering it. We have a lot more space since we moved, I'll have two under two and DH's boss currently thinks leaving the office before 7 is sacrilege. I think it might be a good idea. Grandmas would be no help whatsoever, sadly :(. MIL is coming in a couple of weeks and - aside from the fact I can't stand her - I think she's missing that maternal chip and wouldn't trust her to look after our dogs. My own Mum is one of those 'let's spoil the grandkids and sod what Mum says' kind of grandparents! One thing I think is key, from seeing my sister with her kids, is consistency and I think I really need to make sure I am 100% consistent with him, which is difficult when I'm so tired. It's not fair on him if I'm not, and I think it'll only confuse him. Must work on that bit. Kathyt, this next baby is going to be like your older one. I have ordered a calm, placid, well-behaved little girl :D.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 10:03

I'm aiming to be there early afternoon so I'm hoping it'll be quiet. We went Friday night and I wanted to murder people after ten minutes. This time I am just going to have to suck it up, hope DS behaves and get the job done. Wish me luck!

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 10:02

What's TMS? Hopefully not Thames Packing - we used them in June and they were great. Very negotiable on price, able to do the job at ridiculously short notice and great on the day.

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Latest post on 26 September 2011 - 10:00

Hmmm. Is there something going around? DS barfed all over his cot two nights ago and has been going for world-record diarrhoea ever since.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 22:31

I am off to Dragon Mart tomorrow to find out exactly that. I had a quote from a curtain company this morning and it was a little on the steep side (that's my polite version of what DH actually said) so I'm going to see if it'll be any cheaper in that h3ll-hole. Will report back in the afternoon!

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 22:23

Oops, sorry. I didn't realise (probably not reading things properly!). Hope you find someone suitable soon - I know from going to the doctor with my sister it's so incredibly frustrating when you feel they're just not getting to the bottom of it.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 22:21

Try www.carseat.se or www.rearfacing.co.uk. We chose forward-facing for DS when we had to get his new carseat, but it was one of the most difficult decisions to make regarding his care since he was born. I'm still not sure we made the right decision but lots of factors swayed us towards the seat he has (not least the lack of suitable alternatives that were rear-facing.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 22:18

See? She's a star :D.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 18:14

Yup, I'd have a rant about that too. And not just a small one! 1. Swipe card. 2. Key in refund amount. 3. Press enter. Or am I missing something?!

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 18:11

I used to get loads of nuisance messages from strange men until I posted a pic of hubby and I together in my profile and then it stopped ;) bingo! I must just attract nutjobs then, or those with the hide of a rhino. I got more messages from weirdos when I had DH in my profile pic than I do now with DS!

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 18:07

I'm pretty sure BFC would be able to give you excellent advice on this one. I'll see if I can dig out her email and drop her a note to ask her to look at your thread :).

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 17:51

I have an old 3 seater and 2 seater sofa that I need to dispose as we have now bought new. Does anyone know where I can dispose of these in or around the springs area. I've been quoted 300dhs by Dulsco to remove them from my villa but I think this is quite expensive. Any suggestions? Won't Take My Junk do that for you? Or maybe they'd be useful for the RAK animal shelter?

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 17:43

I was, now DS is.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:52

Most welcome. Now, if you work out how to be in two places at once, please let me know! :D

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:34

I just looked online and there's one in Al Mina, down from the big flagpole. I remember driving down there but I just can't remember the name of it! This is the one I think it might be h[url=ttp://maps.google.com/maps/place?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=dubai+police+station+locations&fb=1&hq=police+station&hnear=0x3e5f43496ad9c645:0xbde66e5084295162,Dubai+-+United+Arab+Emirates&cid=3378381217459072295'>link[/url'>

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:28

The pillock isn't answering his phone. He definitely said Bur Dubai, and I'm sure if he was anywhere near Trade Centre he'd have said somewhere around SZR. Let me see if I can drag any more info out from the depths of my baby-addled brain!

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:27

You have mail :).

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:19

I got mine done somewhere down there, yes. I can't for the life of me remember where. Perhaps somewhere at the port? DH just did his, but in Bur Dubai. I'll ask him if he knows the port place too.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 13:16

Cream with blackout is exactly what I'm after for DS's room. Do you happen to know the width? And don't worry about VH being too far away. We're in Al Waha so practically Al Ain :D.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 12:12

Early Learning Centre has some lovely wooden toys.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 12:10

There are three of us and we get on like a house on fire. Granted, we used to knock lumps out of one another when we were small and my brother and I excluded our younger sister, but now we love how close we all are. My sister's DH, on the other hand, is an only child and has a very different approach to a lot of things than we do. We're all happy to pile in together and share small spaces, even if it's stressful, because we love being together. He'd rather keep what he sees as 'his family' - my sister and the kids - at arms' length. He's a lot more concerned about what's fair and what isn't when it comes to money and material things, often making issues out of things that wouldn't ever occur to any of us. He likes to make sure he and 'his family' get what he thinks is their right. He's got a real thing about making sure each of us gets the same amount of attention from our parents, and is forever banging on about how Mum favours me because I live abroad and makes too much of a big deal about me when I come home. I could go on for a while but I think, essentially, he just has a totally different view of 'family' than we do. #2 is due in a couple of months and while I'm utterly panicking at the thought of being responsible for two children, I am looking forward to seeing them interact as siblings. Once DS stops bashing his younger brother sister over the head with whatever's to hand, that is.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 11:49

Shout if they turn up again and need a garden. We'll probably pop out this afternoon for a bit but will be home after 4ish.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 11:48

Thanks!

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 11:46

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm getting a bit desperate now as we have visitors arriving on Wednesday night and their room has no curtains :(. Mohammed who came just now was from White House, and DH said it was too expensive. Apparently the eyelets are what bumps the price up as they're 10dhs per eyelet and we need a couple of hundred :\:

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 11:27

Ta. I guess I need to go back there with a little more patience and perseverance! I do need them pretty quickly as we have visitors arriving on Wednesday night and their room has no curtains. Why I didn't get my backside in gear sooner, I have no clue.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 11:16

Thanks all :). I went to Dragon Mart on Friday but they didn't seem to have any plain off-white ones - did I miss a few shops? All I could find were the glitzy, shiny, patterned-to-the-max jazzy ones! I expect the PB ones would be absolutely gorgeous but DH has just had a hernia at the amount a curtain guy from Satwa quoted so methinks that might be out of the question :(. Do any of the Ikea ones have blackout lining?

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 10:48

I'm happy to report there was nothing sinister about him being accommodating :D. I called Munir but got no answer and Mohammed's just been round. He is the guy from White House. He quoted me 6,200dhs for curtains for two windows, one vertical blind for a big window, making two blinds from fabric I already have and fixing eyelets and shortening sheer curtains for three windows. This price also included poles for five windows. Is it excessive? DH nearly had heart failure when I called him.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 10:24

Bring them up here if you need :).

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 09:14

DH was given a Mont Blanc pen before we went home in the summer and isn't a posh-pen man, so we sold it on eBay in the UK for pretty much its retail value. Maybe try Dubizzle or souq.com? Or the EW classifieds, of course :D.

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Latest post on 25 September 2011 - 08:33

Who do you see? We've always been to Dr Hamzeh at the Meadows Clinic and have found him brilliant. We just moved up to Al Waha so now we go to Dr Gupta at the Ranches, who also seems very good. We had to take DS to the ER at City on Friday (probably the equivalent of trying to crack a nut with a sledgehammer, but nowhere else was open) and the doctor was rubbish, whereas Dr Gupta had him diagnosed in seconds yesterday morning and he's now on the mend. I have heard many, many people recommend Dr Keith Nichol too. I think he's on the Beach Road. PS DS was a bit of a cranky little boy until we got his sleep sorted. He'd be OK as long as he was being entertained, but he was totally incapable of a) entertaining himself or b) paying attention to anything for longer than two seconds. He was just ridiculously overtired all the time, and thankfully didn't have any health issues such as reflux, but if your little one is tired on top of the awful reflux that won't be helping :(. edited by DubaiCat on 25/09/2011

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Latest post on 24 September 2011 - 21:10

Hiya :). It was GBP25 per visit with the midwife or doctor, and GBP150 for a consultation with the obstetrician at the hospital (I think - I still need to get the final bill but I'm going on what I paid a couple of years ago). Unless there are charges on the final bill, I didn't pay any extra for the blood tests they did at my booking appointment. I didn't actually ask for a quotation for giving birth there as thankfully Dad's test results were good news and we came back here, but a friend who lives in Kuwait had an emergency C-section back in the UK just before Christmas last year and got a bill for just over GBP7000. My insurance (NAS/QIC) covers me abroad only in an emergency, if that helps. I'm not sure what would have happened if I hadn't said I lived in Dubai. The thing is, on the form you fill in when you register temporarily there's a section for permanent address, including your regular GP, and if I'd put another UK address - maybe the in-laws - then the clinic may have checked with the GP up there to make sure I was registered. I'm not sure. They were certainly far more on the ball with making sure I paid than in other years, when it's been a real struggle to get them to take payment! One thing the consultant did ask was whether I'd just discovered I was pregnant at 23 weeks, as that was when I had my booking appointment with the midwife. So I guess you'd probably have to have a reason why you were only booking in at 28 weeks. Does that help? Feel free to drop me an email on harpersdxb at gmail dot com if you need any more info.

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