DubaiCat | ExpatWoman.com
 

DubaiCat

DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 21:27
Yep, I downloaded the Shred from it. Why?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 21:25
Another virtual kick up backside required, please. No Shred today. **insert shaking head emoticon** Pregnancy is not an illness. Get on with it. Much appreciated. I hope to report back with positive news tomorrow :D.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 16:32
DH said a while ago he'd heard they were going to fly into Edinburgh but nothing ever came of it :(. Mind you, if they did, we'd have less of an excuse not to visit the in-laws! :D
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 16:29
As a rule people moan and groan in Dubai about many things not just flights. Yes, they do. But maybe - and just maybe - there might be another reason why they pay up and go with EK ;).
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 16:27
People just prefer to moan and groan rather than stand up. Not always - there may be other aspects to consider. As I said, other airlines are cheaper for us if we compromise and fly into another airport. I don't mind doing it on the odd occasion, but it is so much easier to fly into Birmingham and only EK go there. So we're kind of stuck if we want that airport. Some people are unfortunately in that situation, where for me I have to get two flights regardless, but I still wouldn't pay over the odds if I could make alternative travel arrangements. :) I looked at flights with one connection even though we can go direct to BHX, as I thought it'd be well worth it if I could fly into our local airport 15 minutes from Mum's house. It was ludicrous money! But I guess if you're stuck and have no option but to connect regardless, then yes - I'd go for the cheaper option every time. Edinburgh for you?!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 16:02
People just prefer to moan and groan rather than stand up. Not always - there may be other aspects to consider. As I said, other airlines are cheaper for us if we compromise and fly into another airport. I don't mind doing it on the odd occasion, but it is so much easier to fly into Birmingham and only EK go there. So we're kind of stuck if we want that airport.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 16:01
It will stop when people start refusing to pay the prices. Unfortunately here when people are getting the flights paid by their companies then the cost is not always taken into consideration but I think even the companies are beginning to sit up and take notice. I know DH's has. :) DH's company decided ages ago their official policy was to choose any cheaper airline over EK if the flight times were right.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 15:59
You'll notice that they'll want to play with things which means that they'll be able to entertain themselves so you can use the washroom. Oh yes, when they can play with things. I went to the loo the other day, leaving DS in the lounge which has a large rug on the floor, corners protected and safety gates so he can't get out. Reasonably safe, I thought. In the couple of minutes I was gone he pulled the DVD player out of the TV unit, pressed the eject button and got the DVD out, pressed it again to shut the player up, pulled the sticker off the top of the DVD and ate it. Definitely sleep when baby sleeps. I didn't, and around about the stage you're at now I had a complete meltdown. I think for me, the hardest thing to get used to was the loneliness. It sounds really odd, now that you're never really alone with a baby in tow, but for some reason having a small person around all the time makes me feel really far from home, isolated and lonely! Oh, and like the household skivvy, too. And it only gets worse as they get bigger and messier :D.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 15:52
Thanks, BFC. When you say tested his hearing, what did they do? DS has had a few tympanograms (I think that's what it's called, where they put that measuring thing in his ear) and where it's supposed to be an upside down V shape, the graph is just flat. I'm sure he can hear, though, as he responds to all sounds. We tried a session of cranial oseopathy when he wasn't sleeping - I didn't realise it could help with glue ear too. Did you try a chiropractor too? I'm sure I read that that also helps. I hate the idea of him having surgery :(.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 15:41
I use a mobile hairdresser and she is a Godsend. Having said that, if she worked in a salon I'd go there to her as to me, it's more important to have a decent hairdresser than the location you prefer. I like that I can stay in my pyjamas if I want to :D and it's really handy if I have to have an appointment in the daytime as DS is home with me. And I loathe being under those bright lights in the salon because it makes me feel scruffy and unglamorous.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 11:51
You can also pay a bit extra (I think around 150dhs) and sit outside all the chaos at the RTA place while someone else does it all for you :D.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 10:34
DS has had glue ear since early this year and has a final check-up with his paediatrician soon before he's referred to an ENT specialist. His paed says he'll most likely need grommets if it hasn't cleared. Does anyone have any experience of this here? DS is almost one.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 10:29
why did nobody tell me when you become a mum/housewife you automatically give up your life????! Don't you mean 'when you become a mum/housewife your life is enriched in so many different ways'? :D It is hard. It's such a massive shift, especially if you've always been used to being out and in a workplace and it takes some getting used to! Are there any bits you find particularly difficult?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 04 May 2011 - 09:46
Thanks :) and it's definitely a help! Yes, she's Filipina, but I'm afraid the details I got from my friend are all rather vague. The maid's visa expires at the end of the month, so I'm guessing she's had it three years and I'm not sure insurance was compulsory three years ago. So, it would make sense that she doesn't have insurance so I suggested she get a health card, but my friend said the man who runs the agency would have done that if he thought it would save money on the surgery so she thinks she can't get one :\:. And I have no clue why she wouldn't be able to get one or her boss would refuse to let her get one. My friend says the maid has told her the agency boss is letting her stay in the company accommodation while she recovers - like she should be grateful for that! - and she doesn't want to rock the boat, as you say. I'm pretty sure if she did start asking questions about insurance, or kicking up a fuss about having to pay for the surgery, she'd be on the first plane home :(. It's so hard to know how to advise her. We can see the injustice of it, but I think sometimes trying to help just makes it worse for the maid.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 21:26
I know, I never thought it would happen! He dropped his dream feed by himself about a month ago and now we've got the early waking thing sorted too. If I didn't need to get up twice a night to have a wee, I'd be ecstatic! :D
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 20:41
Hurrah for you! So glad you're on the mend. Another virtual kick up backside required, please. No Shred today.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 20:39
Thanks for asking :). The little toerag is currently going to bed at 7.30pm and waking around 7am (unless the bl00dy gardener rocks up at 6.30am, then the dogs bark and wake him up). After I tried the going to bed earlier trick, he had a day where he had a late nap and ended up going to bed later. Then he woke later. So he napped later again, then went to bed later again. So maybe it was that he was getting his full quota of night-time sleep and that was that? And going to bed later means he wakes later, even though it didn't work first time I tried it? Who knows.... either way, I like it! :D
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 16:47
Huh? That makes no sense at all! They are at it though - I've been charged a late payment fee twice in the past two months when I've paid two days before the due date. I'm cancelling my card.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 15:57
The funny thing is that Emirates prices when flying from here are super high, but if you buy from somewhere else they seem more reasonable (i.e. My folks bought Mumbai Dubai London and back and it was not as exp as Dubai London and back!) And this is what bugs the living daylights out of me when I look at flight prices. Here to the UK and back? 4500dhs for me and the wee guy. UK to here and back? 3000dhs. Can someone please explain that to me? We fly the same distance and use the same airports. If anything, I'd expect it to be the other way round with taxes as they are in the UK. Really annoyingly for me, I prefer to go into BHX and EK are the only ones to go there. Having said that, when we went home earlier this year the price difference between BA and EK was too high to be justifiable and we went to Heathrow. And I have to say I found BA seats more comfy :) even if their crew were miserable and they wouldn't take my minuscule stroller onboard.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 15:52
It still escapes me but I've been in Mothercare and Destination Maternity most recently. It must be one of those! I'll probably go back there soon so I'll keep an eye out. I think 9 weeks is going to be far too early to hear anything :(. If you're that concerned, I'm sure you could find a reason to pop along to your doc! :D
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 15:41
I'd still download the whole thing, as each level has different exercises and while I finished level 3, when I went back to level 1 to start again I found it hard! You're meant to work up to level 3 and you can just follow Natalie the whole way through, as she does all the exercises the hard way :D.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 11:41
I think the point is we can all go to our European homes and get treatment if and when needed Sure, if you're willing to pay for 'private' healthcare. The average Joe Blogs has to join the waiting lists, which can be months if not years long for NHS treatment, by which time it could be too late. Its ok - we are classed as foreign and so we get first Dibs. Do you mean expat Brits are classed as foreigners and go to the top of the waiting list?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 03 May 2011 - 10:45
I totally understand that feeling ;). I think, though, that those monitors can only pick up heartbeats from 21 or 22 weeks - would that be further on that you are now? I'm racking my brains now because I have a feeling I saw one somewhere recently. My brain is fried but I'll keep trying to remember.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 21:46
ooh u lucky devil Sue, which island r u going to ? Such fond memories of the maldives before the LO arrived. Oh, me too. DH thinks we can take him with us - I can't see me being able to read a book a day and still be at the pool bar in time for sundowners with a one-year-old in tow! We've been a few times in August and while there's been the odd rainy day, it certainly didn't rain all the time and when it did rain it was a great excuse to lie in bed till late and not do much :D. And it's warm rain, so you can still lie outside if you want to and of course dive. In fact, I liked diving when it rained because then I didn't feel like I was sacrificing tan time! So, so jealous....
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 21:17
I looked for one in my first pregnancy and didn't find any. But meals is right - won't you just worry yourself more if you can't find the heartbeat? I wanted one because when I first started feeling baby move, DH couldn't feel it and I worried he felt left out. I wanted him to be able to feel and hear things the way I could. But in the end, I figured we'd just stress ourselves if for some reason we couldn't hear baby and my BP was already too high!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 21:15
What would I do? Change doctors in a heartbeat and write a strong letter to the management detailing your reasons why. Don't miss and hit the wall - let them know exactly how she's made you feel. You need to feel comfortable in the labour room and it doesn't sound like you will with your original doctor, whereas you felt you had a connection with the other lady. That's way more promising and you simply don't need the stress of worrying whether she's going to belittle you and make you feel bad on the day. Good luck and I hope you get it sorted! PS And I'd really, really want to give her a good slap, too.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 21:10
They've quite possibly closed the loophole, if indeed it'd been shown that people weren't in fact paying privately for the meds and instead just paying the subsidised £7-odd that an NHS prescription costs. I had to get a private prescription when I was home earlier this year and the meds cost me a fiver - less than an NHS prescription! I was really surprised that it was cheaper, as I was expecting to pay around 20 quid, or at least the equivalent of what the drugs would cost here. <em>edited by DubaiCat on 02/05/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 14:54
Thanks, der. I'll check it now.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 11:07
I think that Mac Defender thing has popped up on ours a few times. How will I know if it's done anything to it?
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 10:22
I SHREDDED TODAY! Day 1 level 1 of a new start. I'm 11 weeks this week and although I'm still tired, I'm not feeling as yucky as I was. On the downside, my ar$e has expanded and my hips look like I stuffed pillows down the side of my t-shirt. I so need to keep Shredding. I skipped the abs and did a fair bit of phoning in, and it was really disappointing that I'm nowhere near as fit as I was when I was doing level 3 last time, but at least I did it :D. ETA: Good luck at the doc's, CT! <em>edited by DubaiCat on 02/05/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 02 May 2011 - 08:27
I bought my first Kindle book using our UAE credit card - I think I had to register the card when I registered the Kindle. I'll probably get another one in the next couple of days so I'll report back with any problems!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 20:58
Ooooh, that's bad luck!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 20:11
I got one for my birthday from DH and I love it. Just one thing; I listed my home country as the UAE when I first registered and the selection of books available was much smaller than on the international sites. I wasn't able to buy a book I was looking for until I changed my details to list the UK as my home. Of course, this may just be because I'm not that technologically-minded!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 11:26
I'm not sure if Cecile advocates the Gina Ford method but I don't subscribe to that school of thought and I felt totally comfortable taking Cecile's advice. ETA: Have to run out for an hour but will post more about what we did when I get in if you need. <em>edited by DubaiCat on 01/05/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 10:30
You can get it on www.exercisetv.tv for $10.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 01 May 2011 - 09:18
Also, a lot of people's interpretations of what constitutes "sleeping through the night" varies enormously. I've heard a good number of mums proudly announce that their baby slept through from 2 weeks old, only to then add that they only woke for 2 feeds. That ain't sleeping through, then, is it?! lol Ain't that the truth. I got so utterly sick and tired of people crowing about how their little darlings slept through the night, only to discover that 'sleeping through the night' for them was a feed at 11pm and 4am! And anyway, even if they did sleep through the night, I didn't want to hear about it, thanks.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 22:15
Thanks :).
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 22:11
Hmmm - I don't but I have a friend who works there and DH is there at least every other week! Could you drop me a line? Ta! <em>edited by DubaiCat on 30/04/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 22:05
Is that a spin-off from the torn dress thread? ;)
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 22:04
Lovely, ta. There'll be a ball pit in this house yet! :D
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 21:21
1. You are not doing anything wrong. 2. You are not doing anything wrong. 3. You are not doing anything wrong. OK?! I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. I resisted giving DS formula so hard, because it made me feel like such a failure as a BF mother (and I don't mean that giving him formula was bad - I mean that when people suggested giving him formula it made me feel that my milk wasn't good enough and I wasn't doing a good enough job). And, every breastfeeding counsellor I spoke to said formula wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference to his sleep. I was so utterly exhausted, I ended up literally banging my head against the wall in frustration one sleepless night, much to DH's alarm! I think he thought he was going to have to call the men in white coats (and I ended up with one h3ll of a headache). Basically, by continuing to feed on demand through the night, I was teaching DS that he needed a) me and b) a boob to get himself back to sleep. I certainly wasn't doing anything 'wrong' by feeding him, but I was making it that much harder for myself. We ended up going to see Cecile and she gave us advice on how to break the cycle. It involved a little bit of crying - well, more like shouting, as there were no tears - but within a few nights he was down to a dream feed at 11pm and a small feed at 4am. Then within a week or so he dropped the 4am feed, and now since 10 months he's dropped the dream feed too and sleeps from 7.30pm until 7am (ish). We did make the dream feed and the 4am feed formula, as I was keen to break the association between me and meals and I wanted DH to get his backside out of bed for once! And I was far too exhausted to pump. I don't think the outcome would have been any different if we'd fed him EBM in a bottle, though. I think the most important lesson I've learned since I had DS is this: I can't look after him if I don't look after myself. Months of extreme sleep deprivation on end does not a happy mummy make, and I honestly believe I was headed for a breakdown. I couldn't function and take care of a child in that state and neither can you. Just do what you think is best for both of you. You being so sleep deprived you can't function is not best for either of you. Hope you get something sorted soon x ETA: And one more thing I learned: Go to bed early. Sleep when the LO sleeps during the day. Do whatever it takes to make sure you get enough rest. I tried for ages to carry on - I felt I was missing out on my life by sleeping in the day and going to bed ridiculously early - but I felt so much better for getting more rest. edited by DubaiCat on 30/04/2011 <em>edited by DubaiCat on 30/04/2011</em>
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 20:07
and it is unreal to ever imagine a girl next door snagged a prince but not just any prince... amazing. I think that's the key point - really, it could have been any one of us :D and that's what makes it so 'real'!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 30 April 2011 - 19:26
Atlantis :D.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 29 April 2011 - 09:11
I was all for a natural birth and Dr Elsa at City did everything she could to make sure I got it. It might be worth calling to see if she can fit you in.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 21:54
Thanks. I was planning to go look in one of the phone stores but I can't face some berk waffling on about irrelevant rubbish when all I want to know is 'does it do what I want it to do'!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 21:49
Lady Mary Pinkus-Lillehagveien!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 21:48
No probs at all. But I did just think of one more question... which BlackBerry?!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 21:34
Lovely, thanks! I'll check out MOE and see what Dumasafe offer.
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 21:31
Brilliant, thanks!
DubaiCat
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Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 21:21
OK, I'm excited now (sad, eh?!). So I can get the internet on a BlackBerry for 185dhs a month, using pre-paid cards? And one last question - what do you mean by 'data'? I'd only need to access emails and maybe FB and EW on the go! :D
 
 
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