Where's Tom?

Last night wasn't too bad considering. Tom woke up screaming at midnight, so I fed him (Once I could find the right door. I was obviously in a very deep sleep when he woke me up, I didn't know where I was or what I was doing - went into the ensuite looking for him???). He took a lot, so he was hungry. He then woke again at 1 something, but I went in to settle and that was it until 6am, when once again he was crying. I didn't think I could placate him until 7am so I fed him again. I then took him into bed with me (Matt was already downstairs - he's now got a tummy bug and was running to the loo a lot during the night) where he was happy until we got up around 7.45 for breakfast. You would think he would be ravenous for breakfast, but he wasn't. I had to resort to my usual tricks to get him to eat anything. I guess the appetite will kick in around lunch time.

Tom had a little play before going for his morning nap. I put him on his back on the floor, turned round and then when I looked back at him again he was sitting! So, a new trick has been learnt. The morning saw us in Sainsburys - we had heard that duck was half price so I was dispatched to get some. Unfortunately there was no duck there, however pork was also half price, so I got some of that. Tom sat in the big seat in the trolley and had lots of fun, looking over the side, trying to grab things etc.

Came back, had lunch. Tom had a 2 hour afternoon nap, whilst I started trying to clear the house - still seem to be presents everywhere. We didn't go anywhere in the afternoon (except a quick visit to see the Gouges, we were supposed to go over for drinks this evening, but Matt isn't feeling up to it). Matt played back the film we took during Christmas. I wanted to take a photo of Tom watching himself, but as you can see, he was extremely uninterested by himself, and refused to watch, so I got a picture of his bum instead.

Tom didn't have a very good dinner time, he refused beef stew and risotto which is very unlike him. I had to resort to a sachet instead. He then refused fruit puree and also refused fromage frais. All a little concerning, am worried he is going to go back to his bad ways. Anyway he had a good bath, took his bottle well (ie no massive vomit) and went to sleep without a fight. We will see what tonight brings.

Tom and Jodie Reunited

Tom had an amazing night last night. He slept for 12 hours - the first time ever. We were really surprised as he had such a screaming fit before going to bed and his room was cold, but something obviously clicked and he slept very well. I guess it is hard work being charming, and hopefully he enjoyed being back in his cot in his room again.

We had a busy day today. First stop after his nap was baby clinic to be weighed, Matt was convinced he was 20lb. Well we had good news and bad news. He hadn't made 20lb, but he is now heavier than he has ever been before at 19lb 13oz. (Also he did a massive poo just before weighing, so he could have been 20lb!)

Next stop was Asda to pick up some food for tonight and some bits and pieces for Amanda's birthday. She doesn't really celebrate it as it is on New Year's Eve, but we thought she should, so I bought some party bits and a cake and some smellies. Rushed home to wrap them all up, then off to Amanda's in Tibberton via a very dodgy sat nav route.

Saw most of the girls - just Lou missing. Michelle left Seren at home so we had an extra pair of hands to help with things which was good. Nice to meet up with everyone. People had lots of tales of Christmas, I must say I think we probably had one of the best. First of all we don't have 'Monster in Laws' to contend with - the tales some of the girls came up with were horrendous. Secondly, Tom behaved himself very well. He was the only baby to sit with the family for Christmas dinner - I think we had the least stressful day / period of them all - made me very happy.

I was the last to leave as Tom was in the middle of his nap when the others made their excuses. Was good really as I don't know Amanda as well as I know the others, so gave me a chance to chat.

Once Tom was up we were packed and off to the kennels to collect Jodie. Got the usual 'doesn't she eat very well?!' Returned home, had a play, then dinner, then play, then bath (particularly rowdy - I got very wet) and bottle. At first Tom wouldn't take his bottle, so Matt put him down and went for a shower to give him some space. He started crying quite loud, so I went up and finished his bottle. I picked him up to do a burp. He burped, and then he did a massive vomit, and when I say massive I mean monumental! It was as if his mouth had turned into a hose pipe - he had fish pie for dinner, so I smelt wonderful! I had to strip and have a shower as I was coated in it, Tom, luckily didn't need another bath - he got me more than he got himself. It was definitely his biggest vomit to date.

Once cleaned up, he went down in his cot without a murmur. No idea what is going to happen tonight - as he is going to have an empty stomach.

Oh - almost forgot to say, today at Amanda's, Tom went to sleep in her travel cot. When I went up to fetch him, he was happily sitting up in it! Hum, how did he do that?

Busy days

We have had a busy two days, hence no blog. Tuesday saw us leave Crapstone (thanks Mum and Dad, we all had a brilliant Christmas) and on our way to Warminster to visit Lou, Tim, Jacob and Laura. They were all very well and happy. Tom did well, but got a little tired at dinner time which involved a little bit of grizzling, but other than that was ok. Unfortunately he got himself into a bit of a coughing fit at night, which led to a disturbed sleep, but can't really complain, he is sleeping sooooooooooo much better than he was.

Yesterday saw us travelling from Warminster to Godalming for Matt's Nanny's funeral. Yes, this is Tom's second funeral and he isn't even one! It was a disgusting day, the rain didn't let up for the whole day. Anyway, Tom once again behaved very well. He stayed quiet when he needed to and smiled and taught yet more people to clap during the little reception afterwards.

The service ended relatively early, meaning we were back home at 4.30 which was fab. The house as predicted was incredibly cold. We kept him up an extra half hour as he slept for so long in the car, it was a mistake, he screamed and screamed in the bath - really unlike him - he normally loves it. We thought he was in acute pain. However, he calmed down as soon as I gave him his bottle. I put him to sleep in his cot, his room was very cold, 12 degrees, so I put him in a long sleeved vest as well as the usual and then two blankets on top. We didn't hear from him again.

Oh - forgot to mention, apparently Laura was singing 'Wind the Bobbin Up' in the kitchen yesterday morning with Matt, Tim and Tom. Tom was sitting down, but apparently started to try to do the actions on his own. Isn't he clever!

The Beast of Bodmin

Not a great night. Tom coughed through most of it. He was asleep during his spluttering, but we weren't. With hindsight, we should probably have moved him into the lounge in his cot when he started, but we didn't. We will tonight though.

Still, the cough doesn't appear to have affected his well-being, and he woke up as chirpy as ever. We'd planned to visit Tom's Great Uncle Paul and Great Auntie Shirley down in Cornwall today; Paul's father was my Great Uncle Leslie, after whom Tom was given his middle name. The weather was lovely, so we decided to take the scenic route to Bodmin, down some roads that were so narrow that I had to fold the wing mirrors in just to get along. Beautiful area though.

Sadly, we didn't get to see Shirley, as she was out at work, but her parents were there and gave us a good lesson in how to speak West-Country-ese. They're from deepest darkest Somerset (and are expecting their 13th great grandchild any day now). We had a nice buffet lunch, although we had to create a huge exclusion zone around Tom or he would have had all the food on the floor. Still, he did a great job of charming everyone, as usual, and definitely made some new friends. We watched some footage from Paul & Shirley's recent trip to Kenya, including the moment when they witnessed a giraffe being born in the wild. Quite a hazardous arrival in the world. Apparently, the shock of landing from such a great height gets the breathing going. The calf (?) was walking 40 minutes after birth. I pointed out to Tom that we're still waiting for him to achieve the same feat after nearly 11 months, but he just laughed at me and clapped his hands.

We left about 2.00 and came back to Crapstone via a strangely empty Morrisons. Nik and Tom went for a lie-down (Nik's tum is playing up) and we all then had a play in the lounge before tea, which Tom hoovered down with his now customary zeal. Soon be time for bath...

Tom cheers up his Great Nanna

We had the best Christmas present of all last night - Tom slept for a good 11 hours without a murmur. Well if he made a sound it didn't wake either of us up and considering we are sleeping in the same room as him, I take it that he really did sleep through. What a good boy.

Once breakfast was over, we decided to go down to Plymouth to visit Nan. Last time I saw her, she was very uncommunicative, but this time there was some real life to her. She definitely recognised her when we walked into the lounge. She knew that she knew me, she just didn't know who I was - it was great to see recognition in her eyes. She loved seeing Tom and Tom really played up to her - laughing, clapping, giggling and generally being cute. Nan responded by smiling and giggling back (not quite up to clapping - more lessons from Tom needed). She kept saying clever boy, cheeky boy, lovely boy etc etc. Was lovely - I couldn't understand every word, she's so deaf now that she can't formulate her words properly, but I got the gist of most of what she said. We stayed there for 45 mins, and quite enjoyed it. We only left when Nan started getting snoozy.

From there, we drove down to Drake's Circus. Matt had a quick lunch with us and then headed down to Richer Sounds to buy a TV for the bedroom - he's been itching for a new one for ages and as it is Boxing Day - the sales were on. Tom and I had a leisurely lunch and then I braved Next to look for clothes for Tom as they had a 50% off sale. We had Tom in his rucksack and he behaved very well. Whilst I was procrastinating about which clothes to pick, he was busy cooing on my back and generally being cute. Fantastic - meant that shopping was a more pleasant experience, plus it was much easier not having to push a buggy around. Managed to pick up some great bargains for him.

Next stop was the Hoe, where we parked up and went for a walk to look at the lighthouse, sea, Drake's Island etc. Then homeward bound. Tom stayed awake for the whole journey home - very strange as it was after 2, but very good for us. I put him in his cot as soon as we returned home, which gave us time to clean the car, prep dinner and relax.

1st Christmas

So, our first Christmas with Tom, and it was a super day. Tom helped out in a big way by giving us a good night's sleep; he didn't stir between 11.00 and 6.00 and then woke up at 7.00 in a good mood that lasted (almost) all day. Granma and Pop Pop had prepared individual stockings for Tom and Jake, full of little toys and nik-naks that went down very well, which we opened on the bed.

We then had a normal breakfast before putting Tom down for 30 minutes sleep before the big present-opening session got under way. There were so many parcels in the lounge, 80% of which were for the boys, that it was hard for all of us to fit in. We managed somehow, though, and got through the pile in about an hour. A good haul was had by all, with the result that we won't need to buy Tom any new outfits, toys or anything for quite some time. We may need a bigger car to get it all home in though.

Simon & Clare did a sterling job getting Christmas lunch ready, which we sat down to eat at about 2.00. Pheasant, turkey and all the trimmings appeared, along with a variety of strong drink. Tom, despite having had a good sized lunch at 12.00, nibbled away on carrots, parsnips and sprouting broccoli very happily. Where does he stick it all? We decided we really needed to get out for some fresh air before the sun went down, so we loaded Tom into the rucksack again and marched him round a lap of the village. As with yesterday's jaunt, he loved it and giggled most of the way round. In fact, he felt so energised by the experience that he went one better than yesterday's record crawl and managed it all the way into the kitchen this time.

We sat him down for his tea as usual at 5.00, thinking that he wouldn't be that hungry after his extra lunch. 1 sachet, 4 whole carrots, 2 roast potatoes, a parsnip, a sprouting broccoli and a fromage frais later, we thought we'd better call it a day before he burst. Incredible. Nik then had a bath with him, but his charming mood ended the second I lifted him out of the water; he screamed the house down, but as he'd been up non-stop since 2.00, he must have been awfully tired, especially with the extra excitement. He drained his bottle of milk straight down and disappeared into the land of nod. A lovely day, couldn't really have gone any better.

First hike

Not such a good night sleep-wise. We moved Tom (while asleep in his travel cot) into the lounge when we went to bed, but he woke 3 or 4 times in the night. He only needed replugging each time, but we've been quite enjoying him only waking once per night recently. Might try him back in our room tonight.

Much nicer day today, clear and sunny, so we decided to give the rucksack its first proper outing down at Saltram House near Plymouth. It was very icy and slippery underfoot, but we all stayed upright and, as can be seen from the photo, His Nibs really enjoyed being carted about in comfort, and the rucksack was extremely comfortable. It didn't feel as if I had 12kg on my back.

The cafe at Saltram House was closed, so we decided to pop into the Dartmoor Diner for lunch, a place we've been meaning to try for ages. The food was good, the service friendly and the prices reasonable, but what really did the trick was the fact that they have a model train running all the way around the restaurant above the tables. Tom caught sight of this and was transfixed. In fact, Nik had a real job getting his lunch into him, not because he didn't want it; there were just so many fascinating things going on, mostly other diners.

Anyway, we eventually finished up and brought an excited Tom back to Crapstone, where he promptly crawled the full length of the lounge and then all the way down the hall to the kitchen, ably assisted by cousin Jake. Far and away the furthest he's moved in one go. Progress and no mistake.

Miserable Day

Today dawned horrible and it didn't get any better. Icy, rainy, sleety, yucky weather.

Tom was an angel last night, he woke at midnight - I went in to settle him - needn't have bothered as he was asleep by the time I got to him. He also woke again at 5.30, but he chatted to himself for a while and then fell asleep again without me having to check on him.

He had a play on the bed with Granma and Pop Pop before breakfast and then a play in the lounge. As it was such a miserable day, we decided to take Granma and Pop Pop to a pub to say thanks in advance for Christmas - the only way we would have been able to escape the house so we went to The Rock in Yelverton for sandwiches and chips.

Spent the rest of the day inside. Tom had a good play with all the toys. He was a little better with the separation anxiety thing, went to Granma and Pop Pop without too much trauma and only came to me when tired / hungry etc.

It's going to be fun from this evening onwards: Simon, Jake and Clare are due sometime after 8pm. Then the fun really begins...

Separation anxiety - Tom is a bad boy!

Had another good sleep, then breakfast and the mammoth task of loading up the car before heading West. Considering the country came to a halt yesterday we did really well - got to Bath in 1.5 hours, then of course it took a good 30 mins to get to the part of Bath we needed, but then again the traffic in Bath has always been bad. Tom was very well behaved.

Arrived at the Moriwaki's and were very excited to see Hiromi open the door. Tom, on the other hand wasn't! He cried as soon as he saw her! Not a good first impression, especially as we wanted to ask her if we could stay with her when we go to Japan in February :(

Tom continued to grizzle until I fed him, he then cheered up considerably. We were also fed, very well of course, Kyoko cooked us an Italian dish of pasta with courgette and chilli with an orange and celery salad, all very tasty. During lunch, Tom taught everyone how to clap - they all picked it up very quickly, which he was very pleased with. He then got handed round for cuddles, he cried and cried and cried. Wouldn't stop until he came back to me. Oh hum, luckily they took it in good humour - they got some great photos of him yelling - we will embarrass him with them when he is older!

At 2pm we were back on our way to Devon. Tom slept nearly the whole 3 hours it took to get down there, so he had a good kick around on arrival. Unfortunately the separation anxiety continued and he continued to cry when I wasn't holding him. Maybe he's met too many new people and been in too many new places over the last couple of days?

Snow stops everything as usual

Another good night. Tom woke us up at 1am and 4am. Unfortunately at 4am we couldn't find his dummy so there was a little bit of crying whilst Matt crawled on the floor looking for it (it was wedged between his mattress and the cot).

We were up as usual at 7am, Tom had his breakfast, well sort any way, he didn't really eat that much and went for his nap. At 10 we set off to Julie's. A journey that is only 15 miles and should have taken 40 minutes took 1.5 hours, I wasn't impressed. Anyway, I still go there before Vera.

Spent a lovely day with Julie, Tal, Aaron and Vera. It's quite hard to have a proper conversation with three little ones, but we managed to catch up a little. Tom stayed awake for the whole time which was pretty good and he was pretty cheerful, so can't really complain. He taught Julie and Vera to clap - they caught on pretty quickly. He was quite pleased with them.

We left at 3, leaving a good 2 hours to get home. Silly me, it was snowing and of course when it snows everything comes to a halt, especially in London. It took me a massive 2.75 hours to get home, there was no accident, no road works, just everyone going very slowly because there was some white stuff falling out of the sky. Very very annoying and Tom wasn't very happy either. Meant we ran an hour late putting Tom to bed. All seemed well with him though.

RHS is fun

Tom slept very well last night. Considering he was in a strange cot in a strange room. We didn't hear from him at all in the evening. When we went to bed, he was awake, but not making any noise. He was back snoring (so cute) within minutes, the next thing we knew it was 4am, he let out a little screech - I went to plug him and that was it until 7am, so a very good night all in all.

After breakfast (shreddies - which went down well) and a nap we headed off with Pat to the RHS Garden in Wisley. It was very cold, so we all wrapped up warm (I wish someone would put me in a furry sleeping bag and push me in a pram). There were lots of Christmas trees in the gardens, all of which had been dressed using recyclable material by the local WI. We spent a good time critiquing them in true WI style (i.e. we were very catty!)

We had lunch at the gardens, we chose the 'Family Room' which had a soft play area. Tom sat in a high chair and had a very big lunch (beef stew and butternut squash risotto, a fromage frais and countless snacks - his tummy is bottomless at the moment) and then had a quick play with the bigger boys and his Grannie - he got very excited. We came home after lunch as we were expecting Jude and Richard to pop in, however, they got stuck on the M40 and didn't make it so we decided to try out our Christmas pressie (baby rucksack) - so tied a wriggling loony into it and took him for a quick walk around the block. He smiled all the way, and tried to make Matt go faster by hitting him on the shoulders 'giddy up Dad'.

Tom was very well behaved today - played really nicely with his Grannie and Grandpa and was full of laughs and giggles. It was a pleasure to be with him.

Sorry for lack of photos, I forgot to pack the USB cable so can't import onto my computer. We will catch up when we get to Devon as Dad has the right cable.

Holidays!

So, Christmas hols start today. We woke up to a very chilly morning, and after the usual morning routine, we headed off to Hadley for Tom's swimming lesson. Nik went in with him for the first time in a while (finally feeling well enough), and because there were only 4 babies in attendance this time, there was lots of room in the pool. Tom was much as last week, i.e. fine for 25 minutes and then screaming for the last 5. Still, he did the underwater bits very well; it was being handed to the instructor that didn't please him. We seem to be suffering from a bit of separation anxiety at the moment.

We then came home, had lunch and packed the car to bursting point. We really thought we'd have to leave some presents behind, but we got them all in in the end. We dropped Jodie off at kennels and then headed south. Getting through Brum was awful and we had to avoid the M4 as well, so not a great journey all in all. Still, Tom behaved impeccably all the way.

We unpacked the mountain of bags from the car and I had to disappear straight afterwards to show my face at Phil & Anna's Xmas bash. Very nice and I managed to catch up with some old friends from Edinburgh. Didn't stay too late though. No stamina these days. Came straight back to Mortlake, pausing only for 2 doughnuts and a coffee at Waterloo. Not as good as Greggs and twice the price. Thence to bed for some much-needed shuteye.

Happy Day

Another good night. Tom woke up at 11.30 - think it was due to Matt crashing back home after his lads' night out, and then again around 2am. Both times he went straight back to sleep after a quick pat on the tum.

He did ok for breakfast as well, ate a good portion of weetabix and prunes and then sucked on a piece of Matt's bread.

This morning saw us visiting Carol - I had a pot of chutney to deliver. She was manically busy as usual, but it was nice to see her. She gave me a brace of pheasants. A lovely gift but we are off on our travels tomorrow and our freezer is stuffed full. I did a hasty call round the girls and found Rachel M in and very happy to receive some birds - so we scooted down to her and Mae for her Christmas delivery. Very happy they found a good home (plus I'm not sure I know how to pluck and gut a pheasant?!)

Came home and Tom had a good lunch - ate everything I had for him, and more which is always a good thing. We then had a very mad playtime in the lounge (his nap times have all gone to pot today as he slept in the car between Carol and Rachel (40 mins) ). I spent a good hour throwing him in the air, spinning him round etc etc, exhausted me and had the desired effect on Tom, with him going straight down for a nap at 2.30.

He was back up at 3.30 - had a quick jaunt to Asda and then popped round the Gouges to say Happy Christmas etc. Tom then had his dinner and a play before bath with his Dad and bed.

As you can see I got my camera back today.

Most challenging cake yet

So another good night. Tom needed settling at 2.30 - when coughing got the better of him, but it took a matter of seconds and that was it, so can't really complain.

Had a quiet day. this morning we went out to the cake shop to get some bits and pieces for my latest cake (it's Michelle's birthday on Monday and Mike requested a handbag cake) I had a complete nightmare putting it together, the icing collapsed on one side and chocolate butter icing went all over the place. I managed to sort of save it by creating some 'hankies' to go over the worse bits. It's not too bad, but definitely the hardest cake I've done to date.

This afternoon saw us around Kamila's to see Stella and a catch up. Tom was a little naughty, as soon as I cuddled Stella, he yelled and yelled, and didn't stop until I gave Stella back and cuddled him.

Tom did ok on the food front. Initially he wouldn't eat breakfast (weetabix), but when i put it in a jar, suddenly he opened his mouth - humpfh, he is going to turn into a junk food baby! Lunch he had some of my home cooked food, then refused. He then took some jar food, so I mixed my food into that and he took more. Dinner he had some beef stew and root veg. Not huge amounts, but enough I think.

I like to sleep

Funny, now I am getting more sleep, I'm not as alert as I used to be when I wake up in the middle of the night. I can't really be sure how many times I got up last night. I know Tom was having trouble coughing early in the night, we dosed him with Calpol at 10.30. I think I then went in again at 12.30 to settle him. After that? No idea, there might have been a 3am wake up call, but then again there might not have been, it's all a bit fuzzy. I guess that's a good thing, I certainly wasn't lying awake for hours and hours trying to get to sleep.

I'm feeling better again today. Just my ears left to clear really. My sinuses still ache, but I think that's leftover from them being swollen, not because they are swollen now. Tom on the whole seems better as well. He still has his cough, but he's not coughing as often as he was, so that's all good.

Tom also had a good breakfast this morning. He had a third of a weetabix, and probably would have had more given the chance. Problem is that if I leave him to make more, he gives up being interested in food - doesn't like to wait (bit like his dad then!)

After his morning nap we popped out to Asda to pick up some last minute bits and bobs for Christmas. He had an enormous lunch - beef stew and some mashed root veggies (now I have more energy, I've been making lots of 'Tom food' whilst he's napping - freezer is filling up again) He then kept going until 1.30 when I put him down for his nap. He seems to nap for ever at the moment, I always have to go and wake him up these days. I'm sure if I left him to it, he would spend all day in bed. I think that as he has finally realised how good it is to sleep for long periods, he wants to make up for those months of bad sleeping. Not a bad thing...

Went to baby clinic this afternoon, Tom has put on weight - yahoooooo. He is now 19lb 9oz. I wonder if he will break the 20lb barrier on his return from Christmas. We had quite a good afternoon, Tom's forward movement has got a lot more fluid now, he is able to cover ground quite quickly. Unfortunately he is obsessed with the TV cabinet, doesn't matter how many times we say no and pull him away, he is determined to get to the amplifier and play with the controls. I guess we need to carry on reinforcing the no message to him. Whenever we say no, he stops, looks at us and then laughs. So, not really getting the message.

Jude came round this evening laden down with Christmas pressies, Tom gave her the 'Jude stare' as usual - I really don't know why he does that, and only to her?

Tom had a good bath, bottle and bed. Not heard from him yet...

More coughs

Tom was very good again last night. He woke up at 9.30 coughing and carried on coughing for quite a while. He didn't cry at all. In the end I went in and gave him some Calpol to see if that would help (we get a headache when we cough a lot, so you have to figure that he would be the same). Anyway, it seemed to work, and he went quiet. He woke again, this time crying at 3.30, so I went in to try to settle him. It worked, I didn't hear from him until 7am.

I didn't sleep so well, BaxterStorey have finally got in touch regarding the car, all my anxieties from the old job came straight back, making me restless.

Today we went to see Rachel and Oliver for the day. Nothing much to report, just lots of chat and looking after babies and Izzy the dog. All are well. I stupidly left my camera behind, so I'm afraid there won't be any pics for the next couple of days (should get it back on Thursday night)

Came home, had a play, dinner and bed.

Tom still has a horrible cough, hasn't seemed to get any better or any worse today, is horrible to listen too though. He has ate incredibly well though. I took a huge pot of stew with me to Rachel's today, not expecting Tom to finish it, he ate the lot and managed some pudding as well. He must have put some weight on this week...

Cough, cough, cough

I'll keep this brief as somehow it's 9.30pm and I want my bed...

Tom was an angel last night. He slept through. He did wake at 4.30 and spent a good 15 minutes coughing on and off, but he didn't cry and didn't need settling which was fantastic. I had a 6.5 hour block of sleep which was fab, and I did feel better in the morning.

Today was gymbabes, so we went to Rachel's for lunch and then on to Bridgnorth for the session. Tom spent most of his time in the ball pool. I tried him on the tolberone as he is now going forward, but he didn't want to do it, just turned round and slid off. However, there was a 'piece of cheese' wedge up to the ball pool, so I tried him on that and bingo, he propelled himself forward and upwards so he could get to the ball pool - so definite progress.

He slept in the car on the way home. He was a little naughty as he refused to sleep at Rachel's today, meaning he didn't have a proper afternoon nap.

He is now in bed, but coughing away. His cough has definitely got worse today, I think we are about to go round the cycle with him again - he was just getting better as well! On the good side, Matt is feeling better as am I. We will see what happens...

Goodbye (Great) Nanny

We had some bad news this morning, Matt's Nanny died in her sleep last night. It wasn't completely unexpected, but still very sad news and a shame as we were due to visit her next week. Luckily Tom did meet her and she enjoyed his visit, so we have good memories.

Today dawned, clear, blue and frosty. However, Matt woke up with a cold in full thrust, so now we have two ill parents and one happy, healthy baby. I explained to Tom he would have to look after us but he just laughed - humpfh!

Didn't do too much this morning. Tom refused his breakfast - he wouldn't eat porridge, or bread or anything really, so I took him back to his bed and told him to think about it. After his nap I tried again with breakfast, but he said no, so I gave up! Spent the morning playing in the lounge and then had lunch - guess what, he ate and ate and ate. Not only did he eat what I got out for him, but he also had a whole chicken thigh chopped up into bits and mixed with puree. He then refused any dessert. Very strange, he used to only like fruit and more or less refuse anything savoury. His tastes have changed now, so that he loves savoury and turns his nose up at fruit. I prefer it this way, means he eats a wider range of food and therefore more nutrients.

As it was such a nice day, after lunch we went to Ironbridge for a stroll. We all enjoyed the clear, cold air and noses cleared themselves out which was good. Came back, Tom had a snooze then had a cheerful playtime before eating a large dinner, bath and bed.

As you can see from the pic, he is getting on to his knees - he hasn't quite worked out how to kick his legs underneath without falling on his belly - yet...

Forward motion!

Tom finally crawled today. It was quite hard work for him, and far from elegant, but then again he was wearing tights and on laminated flooring. It was proper crawling nonetheless. His first destination? Over to the wall to eat some speaker wire, which I promptly sellotaped to the windowsill.

Straight after this momentous occasion, we set off for swimming, which went very well for 27 minutes, but ended in mouth-open screaming (Tom, not me). To be fair, the teacher left far too long a gap between activities, and I think Tom got bored. I took him for a little chat with one of the other babies to calm him down, but she put his finger in her mouth and bit it. Cue apocalyptic howling and an early exit from the pool.

We then headed into Shrewsbury for my "Company Christmas Do" at The Armoury. I decided profits had been sufficiently high this year to invite spouses and children along, but given that (a) Tom doesn't eat pub food yet, (b) Nik has completely lost her senses of taste and smell and so ordered something cheap and simple, and (c) the pub forgot to charge us for any of the food, it was a very reasonable bash. Tom was impeccably-behaved the whole time and wolfed down a big lunch. We spent about an hour going round the shops in the town, but as the crowds were fairly awful and we're both under the weather, we didn't really have the stomach for it and came home.

Tom did a bit more "humping the floor" crawling and then had a bath with me and a bottle with his mum before getting his little head down. We had leftover duck for dinner (very nice) and settled down in front of a Studio Ghibli film. I think it'll be an early night.

Graduation Day

Today I graduated from my BEST course. Was quite an understated affair, but then again the course was pretty understated as well. We didn't really have to do much, just turn up and chat about various things to do with breast feeding.

Matt came along which was very sweet of him, especially as it didn't start until 12, when we were told 11. He's not the best at waiting, especially on a work day. Anyway, I now have my BEST T-shirt to wear to groups, a certificate and we had our picture taken for the local paper.

Tom had fun in the creche - he made a crown and a Christmas card for us - very cute. Both Matt and I were very proud parents today as one of the creche workers said "Tom is the most contented child we have ever had". Very good to hear, especially as we weren't fishing for compliments at all.

Didn't get home until 1.30 - Tom was exhausted and went for a nap. He napped forever, in the end I got him up at 3.45, thinking he would never go to sleep this evening if he napped for longer. Once he had had his feed we walked to the post office to post some more overseas letters, we then went to Asda to get a take away curry. Matt has come down with a cold as well now and neither of us had the inclination to go out again after Tom's bath time (it is frosty and very foggy today)

We hit another milestone today. Tom actually managed to go forward. I wouldn't say it is crawling, but he managed to get some purchase on his feet and inch himself forwards. It is definitely progress. I tried to film him, but unfortunately he did it at night and the film is too dark to view.

So, it could happen soon...

Oh - a story was run in the local newspaper about the incident at the cake decorating course a couple of weeks ago. Shropshire Star

Tom's first Christmas Party

An ok night. Tom woke at 1.45 crying and then screaming. Got him back off again, but he did the same at 2am and then again at 2.15. At 2.15 I gave him a dose of calpol as he really was screaming rather than crying. He immediately calmed down, I gave him a hug, put him back in his cot and I didn't hear from him again.

I spent the night tossing and turning again, I also seem to suffering from a temperture, as I woke up in a cold sweat. Had to put my dressing gown on in bed to warm up. Oh hum, this cold has to finish soon.

Today was a big day - Tom's first Christmas party. Organised by the HVs who run the Oakengates Group. It was a mad day, nearly all the babies were dressed up (including Tom), each baby had a sit with Father Christmas who gave them a pressie for which Tom was remarkably good, we also played pass the parcel - Tom won one of them - a book, and there was plenty of party food including cheese and pineapple on sticks - my favourite.

Anyway was a good day. Tom was a little naughty, as I was chatting to another mum he managed to get hold of his present and shred the paper off it! Naughty boy or clever boy? Meant he got his present 2 weeks early!

Came home, had lunch (a good lunch for Tom), then Tom went for his nap. He had a mammoth nap - getting on for 2 hours before going round Michelle's to drop off our travel cot as tonight is the girls night out. Came home, had a play and then fed Tom (another good meal). We left his bath time until 6.30 and once ready, put him in his car seat and took him round to Michelle's for his bottle and bed. He went down at first attempt which was great.

Had a lovely night out, shame my cold stopped me from enjoying it completely, spent the night behind a mound of tissues, although got a good dose of sympathy from everyone. We did secret santas - I did really well, got cup cake lip gloss and an apron.

I was on driving duty (no point even trying to drink alcohol at the moment) so brought the girls home and then Matt and Tom. Tom was very well behaved, went down at first attempt and didn't hear from him until 6.30am. (Although Matt said that he heard him from downstairs at 5.15 - couldn't have been too bad as I slept through it)

I can clap

Tom was good again last night. He woke up coughing at 3am, needed settling and again at 3.30. At 4am, he woke again, but got himself off without any intervention from me. But that was it. I, of course was awake most hours. My cold has made its way into my sinuses, giving me an enormous headache, and of course, I can't take anything stronger than paracetamol. I was also cold in bed, all of which meant that I was tossing and turning quite a bit.

Tried a different plan of attack for breakfast, instead of a puree, or weetabix / porridge, which is what I normally offer him, I toasted a muffin and gave him that. He managed about 1.5 strips of it. Not a huge lot, but an improvement on what he normally eats.

We went to baby clinic this morning, hoping that Tom had put on some weight, but no. He's the same, so still 19lb. Oh hum. Came back, he had his morning nap, then lunch. Homemade food today - I defrosted 4 ice cubes (which although is less than he is supposed to eat, is more than he normally eats). He ate the whole lot. I even managed to get some more bits and pieces down him, which was good.

12.45 saw us in Wellington for another catch up session at Gymbabes. Tom was better today, in that he managed to get across the whole Tolberone and stayed relatively cheerful.

Today's new trick is clapping. Tom has clapped before, but it has been very hit and miss. Today he was deliberately clapping and did it more or less all day, and looked very pleased with himself as he did it.

The afternoon was a bit shouty, not good if you have a raging headache, but c'est la vie! He is now in bed after a good bath with me and his last milk feed with Dad.

And again!

Tom was a little angel last night. He slept from 6.45pm to 7am, with not a murmur. I, on the other hand had a bad night. I have lost the knack of sleeping, I'm still waking up, expecting him to call out to us. Also, Matt decided that last night would be a good night to snore very loudly, which killed me! However, this morning was the first morning I have woken up in bed with my husband for a very long time, so that was a plus.

So, any suggestions on how to teach myself to sleep again?

Let's hope that Tom's new found skill of sleeping is here to stay, it certainly is nice to go to bed and stay in bed for a whole night.

All 3 of us now have a cold. Matt woke up coughing and feeling a little rough. Tom was also full of coughs this morning, but first thing in the morning is always the worse time of day for everyone.

Tom once again refused his breakfast - managed about 3 teaspoons of breakfast before the mouth became clamped shut.

Morning was spent in Tescos (oh yes I know how to enjoy myself) We had managed to get a £12 off voucher, seemed a shame not to use it. Came home for lunch. Tom continued being naughty and didn't eat much. I had some left over tuna pasta from our dinner yesterday which I mashed up for him - he didn't eat much. I then tried some risotto, nope. Then a jar - he ate some of that, but not much. Next attempt was some apple puree, no, apparently that was also the food of the devil. Not sure what's got into him today.

Oh, I haven't told you about my recent trick. I was having huge problems getting Tom to keep his socks on. As soon as you put them on they would be pulled off. The only way I could get them to stay on for any period of time was to tuck his trousers into them Cossack style. Last week I gave up and bought him some tights. Ha ha! I foxed him. He tried to take them off, but obviously failed. He has been in tights ever since (makes sense as it keeps his legs warm in this cold weather). Yesterday he was back in socks again as it was Gymbabes (which is done in bare feet). He didn't even attempt to take them off, so I think I may have cracked it!

After lunch I put Tom down for his nap. Feels sort of weird putting him down for naps today as he slept so much last night: do babies really need to sleep during the day if they sleep at night? Anyway I experimented to see how much sleep he really got. I went up after 20 minutes, he was still up, playing with the toys in his cot. After another 20 minutes he was asleep. He then called for me half an hour later - was really cute, he was on his back down the bottom of the cot, gently stroking one of his soft toys. I wonder if that is normal for him, or whether because he had a good sleep last night, he didn't see the need to nap for long?

Anyway, once I got him up, we had a little play, then popped to Lidl in search of duck (we found one = very happy Matt), had another play, then dinner (he finished off the jar he started earlier today, but pretty much refused everything else), bath with his Dad (Matt is coming down with a cold today as well) and bottle with me.

I wonder if he will have another good night.

Oh, today's pic - somehow he managed to get himself stuck in the corner, doing the splits!

He Slept Through Again!

So, Tom woke at 11.30, Matt went in to settle him and that was it. I didn't hear him again all night. Although he was awake when I went in to get him at 7am. Have we turned a corner or am I being too optimistic?

I, of course, didn't benefit from it. Was awake at 2.30, and then wide awake at 5am - took over an hour to get back to sleep again. I have lost the knack of sleeping for longer than 4 hours as has Matt. (He ended up downstairs again last night - I apparently was full of nasty noises again - this cold is really lingering!)

Tom was a little naughty at breakfast, he wouldn't eat anything. If I got anything in his mouth, he spat it out again! I've started calling him owl face as his head just swivels round and round, anything is more interesting than me or food: the floor, the ceiling etc etc.

After his morning nap, we toddled off to Asda. It was raining, so the pram had its waterproof cover on and I dressed up very warm. This cold I've got feels like it is never going to go, the symptons don't seem to be easing at all. Came home, Tom started crying so I gave him his lunch at 11.30: he was ravenous, the food didn't touch the sides, I tried to explain to him that if he ate his breakfast, he needn't get himself in a state for lunch - I don't think he paid me any attention!

Put him down for his lunchtime nap at 12 which was brilliant as it is gymbabes today and I need him to be wide awake at 2. Had a good time at Gymbabes, Tom refused to try crawling on the tolberone sponge thingy, but apart from that he was well behaved. Errol was there today as well with Rachel and Oliver. Went for a drink at Costa afterwards which was nice, however, all three babies although tired, refused to go to sleep and grizzled instead! Oh hum. Came home, Tom fell asleep in a minute or two of being in the car. He cried when we arrived, but soon cheered up. He ate a good dinner and then had a very happy playtime before having a bath with me and bottle with his Dad.

All in all a good day, Tom definitely is a much happier baby when he's had a good night's sleep. I wonder if he will sleep properly again tonight...

PS - if you look closely at today's pic, you will see he had a bit of a quiff going on with his hair - I guess this means it is getting longer.

We think risotto is too filling

Another slightly better night. Tom woke at midnight, but just needed a gentle pat from me to send him off again. He then woke me at 5.15, but managed to get himself off. Unfortunately at 5.30 he started coughing and then crying, so I went in, gave him another gentle pat and that was the last I heard from him. So, I actually managed a 4 hour sleep which was fab. Matt tells me that he heard Tom crying at 3am as well (he was downstairs having escaped from me as apparently I was making 'farmyard noises' - something to do with being completely bunged up), I guess I must have been in a deep sleep as I didn't. I guess it didn't hurt him and he must have got himself off again ok, which I think is a good sign, maybe he won't bother to cry at 3am tonight?

Tom still has his cough and snotty nose, much worse first thing than during the day, but I feel for him as I have the same and feel miserable. Today we decided to go to the Frost Fair at Attingham Park (we are making the most of our National Trust tickets). So, once Tom had had his nap, during which I made a big load of butternut squash risotto for him (see, that 4 hour sleep really has given me some energy), we toddled off towards Shrewsbury.

Frost Fair was ok, but not particularly baby friendly, just too many people not looking where they are going. Came back via Ironbridge to see how the river was looking (not in flood) and then to a local garden centre which has a farm shop and lots of animals to look at. Put Tom in the sling and he went mad, full of smiles and laughter.

When we got home had a play, then at 3 Tom went for a nap. I was feeling quite groggy by then as well so went for a nap as well. Matt used the time to wrap Christmas pressies and write a few cards - what a swot!

The afternoon was spent playing with Tom, he was a bit grumpy, so it was hard work. Dinner time wasn't a great success, he refused nearly everything I gave him. I tried the rest of his lunchtime risotto, but he wouldn't take it, I pureed it, he still wouldn't take it. I then tried some pasta bake which he has really liked in the past, he wouldn't take it. I tried yogurt, which also got a resounding no. In the end I managed to get an Ella's pouch down him, unfortunately it was one with spinach in, so very green, it went everywhere, as I tried to get it in his mouth, such a mess.

He had a bath with his Dad, then I gave him his bottle. He didn't take it all, in fact left about a third of it. I was a bit upset, it takes me ages to express his milk, it feels a waste of time and effort when I end up pouring so much of it down the drain. Anyway, have come to the conclusion that the risotto he ate at lunchtime has 'bunged him up'. It was more chunky than things he's used to, so will probably take longer to digest, meaning that he was still full at dinner time. Although he was a bundle of energy whilst I gave him his bottle, he went down without a fight and we haven't heard from him since.

Today's pics - these are the two cakes I have completed as part of my cake course. The snowman one went to Dudley and the other one will be the Branch family Christmas cake this year. I am quite proud of them, have definitely learnt a lot during the course, I have signed up for the next term, when we are going to be learning to do more flowers.

Wonky pub

Slightly better night last night. Tom slept through from 6.45pm until 2.15am, his best stretch for many weeks. I was in the spare room by then (a very bunged-up Nik was snoring). Tom ended up in bed with his Mum at 3.15 and finally nodded off again at 4.00.

We managed to get a decent breakfast down him and then put him down for a long enough morning nap, meaning that the swimming lesson went pretty well. Very few tears, but he must learn not to open his mouth like a whale when he's under water. God knows how much of the pool he drank.

We had a quick drink with Rose, Martin & Abi and then headed down to Dudley to drop Helen & Alan's Christmas cake off. We were planning to have lunch and a walk at nearby Himley Hall, but the weather started to go off, so Nik suggested we go to "The Crooked House" pub (see photo). I've never seen a building so keen to fall over, and walking through the front door is genuinely disorientating. Like something from an old seaside amusement arcade. Still, it was an interesting old place and the food was quite decent as well.

We thought we'd use our newly acquired National Trust cards and stop at Wightwick Manor on the way back, but the car park was full when we got there, so we gave up and decided to go to Waitrose instead. Spent too much (well, it was Waitrose) and came home. Tom ate a good-sized tea and had a fun bath with his Mum before eventually taking his bottle after some stern words from his father.

We then settled down to watch the Blu-Ray version of The Dambusters. Cue stirring music...

I thrash in my sleep

Last night wasn't a success. My plan was to take Tom into our bed as soon as he woke up, as that way I wouldn't have to traipse in and out of his room each time he cries. He didn't wake up until midnight which was a good start. I took him into our bed, he took an hour to settle and go back to sleep. Unfortunately he didn't have a restful sleep. His eyes were tightly shut, but he thrashed about like a looney. His arms and legs going like pistons and keeping me awake. At 6.30 I had a moment of enlightenment and flipped him on to his front. He went still almost immediately! Oh hum, only had half an hour of sleep left. So, another lesson learnt, and another very disturbed night.

This morning dawned clear and sunny which was nice. Tom and I went to Asda to pick up some bits and pieces and enjoy the sunshine. He then had an early lunch, this is becoming a routine now, he doesn't eat much for breakfast and is then hungry and crying for food around 11am. What can you do other than feed him? He had quite a good lunch for him. He then shouted a bit before I put him down for his lunchtime nap around 1pm. He had a long snooze, woke up at 2.30. If I had a bit more energy I would have got lots of stuff done, but it wasn't to be, although a load of laundry and some phonecalls were completed.

The afternoon saw us out and about in car places trying to get hold of quotes for the repair work to the car. Meant a lot of in and outs for Tom, but he charmed everyone he saw so that made it ok.

Came back, had a play, dinner (ate an okish dinner - could have done better), another play and then bath, bottle and bed.

He has seemed better today, still has his cough but more laughs and brighter eyed. He is, however, drooling again, I'm afraid he might start teething again. Please, please could we have a couple of weeks where he is well and we can get his sleeping sorted out.

A long day

Tom woke up at 10pm again last night. Tried very hard to get him back to sleep without picking him up, but by 11.30 I gave up and picked him up. Rocked him to sleep, think he was back asleep at midnight. He then woke up screaming at 2am. Rather than spend ages trying to sort him out, I put him in our bed. He fell asleep quite quickly, he didn't have a restful sleep, kept thrashing around and coughing, but at least he was asleep. I managed a couple of hours, woke up with a very stiff neck.

Tom had his morning feed and then breakfast for which he ate a small amount of puree. 9.30 saw us in Stirchley for the BEST Enrichment Day, so Tom went in the creche whilst I listened to lots of people talking about breastfeeding. I sort of lost the will to live by the end - being full of cold, but it was good. Tom was well behaved in creche - even managed an hour's sleep and made me a calendar for next year.

Came home, Tom was in full grizzle mode for the rest of the day. I think probably over tired from not having enough naps. He was in bed by 6.30 after a grizzly bath. I've heard the odd cough, but he seems asleep. Matt has gone down the pub with Mike, Michelle is coming round here with some ice cream (her parents are baby sitting Seren).

Sorry, no pic from today.

Gymbabes again

Strange old night. Apparently Tom was up twice when I was at cake course, then he went through to 12 something. He was in full scream mode, but once calmed down, he went to sleep quite quickly in my arms. He woke again at 1am, 2am and 3am - each time he fell asleep quite quickly in my arms. At 3am I gave up and put him in bed with me again. This time, he went to sleep almost immediately, so no hair pulling, lip pulling etc etc. He was restless in his sleep in that he kept moving and coughing, but he didn't wake up. I, once again had the smallest amount of bed and woke up with a stiff neck!

Tom had a minute breakfast - I think he is taking after me. I never liked breakfast, you would think that as his last solid meal was 5pm he would be hungry, but he isn't. He had about 1/6 of a banana and a couple of teaspoons of yogurt and that was it. After his morning nap, I took him down to the clinic to get weighed. I expected that he had lost weight as he ate so little last week, I was right, he's lost 10 ounces, so is back to 19lb! Very frustrating. He weighed more at the end of August than he does now!

I gave him an early lunch as we are doing a catch up session with Gymbabes today - unfortunately the timing is really bad, 12.45 which is when he is normally napping, so my plan was to give him an early lunch and see if he would go down for an early nap. Not sure it's working as I can hear things banging around in his room! Anyway, he ate a decent lunch (well for him anyway - still not sure how much he is supposed to be eating at the moment, although do know it is more than he is)

So, he did finally go to sleep, when I went up to get him, he was out cold. I moved his cot to retrieve a sock and he didn't even stir. He didn't seem to perturbed to be woken up though. Found Gymbabes in Wellington. Tom enjoyed the different lights and tried to chat up one of the little girls there. He didn't do too bad, but did grizzle when I asked him to put some effort in!

Came home, Tom fell asleep in the car and I managed to get him into his cot and back to sleep. He slept for a good 2 hours, I went up to get him at 4pm. We had a play and then dinner - he ate all the savoury food I put out for him. Strange thing, I bought him a baby chocolate dessert (tastes a bit like angel delight). He didn't like it. A good thing maybe?

He had another play and then bath, bottle and bed.

Today was a momentous day, we tidied up the lounge, i.e. put away his play gym, and put all his toys in a box, so the room is looking much less cluttered now. We also rearranged his room again. Managed to get his room to 19 degrees today, so hopefully it won't be the cold waking him up tonight, but I'm sure something else will!

What a hat!

Last night Tom was up at 10pm - took 3/4 hour to get him back to sleep and then again at 3am - at 3.30 I gave up and put him in bed with me. He then decided it was a great joke and went hyperactive until it turned 4am, then he suddenly fell asleep and stayed that way until 7am, even though he did cough. Of course, being the smallest person in the bed, he took the most room so I was left teetering on the edge.

Today I decided to go to Market Drayton to check out a shop Michelle recommended to help me with Matt's Christmas pressie. Unfortunately it was a wasted journey. First of all it took forever to get there (too many tractors and milk tankers on the road) and then the shop didn't have what I wanted. We then popped into Morrisons, the plan being for me and Tom to have lunch and to pick up some dinner for Matt. First of all I needed a £1 for a trolley which I didn't have and then I discovered there wasn't a cafe, so a completely wasted trip.

Drove back to Telford and went to the Wrekin Retail Park, we both had lunch in Tesco (Tom was very well behaved and ate loads), and then wondered down to Matalan where I got a new hat for Tom (the blue one having got a little small in recent days - his head is growing even if nothing else is) and I got Matt's Christmas pressie, so I guess we had a successful day in the end.

As you can see from today's pic, Tom's new hat is very cute, and I'm finding it very hard to take it off, even indoors. Tom seems a little better today, he's quite active. I, on the other hand, am full of cold! He is beginning to wobble back and forth on his back legs, it's only a matter of time before he finds the crawl position...

We also rearranged Tom's room this evening. We had to drop his cot mattress down by one level as he's been threatening to climb out over the side (aren't babies supposed to crawl before they manage stuff like that?). Also, his room has been very cold for some reason recently, so the cot is now nearer the radiator. I think the radiator is the problem anyway. Just not big enough for the size of room.

Happier Boy

Last night we were up three times. 10pm (took an hour to get him back to sleep - coughing kept him awake so had to resort to drugs), 1am (quick resettle worked), 4am (took an hour and drugs to get him back to sleep again). I went to wake him up at 7, as we have gymbabes today which means we need to get his nap times right so he is receptive to the session at 2pm. Breakfast was more of a success than in recent days, he managed the remains of yesterday's breakfast (fruit puree), a fromage frais and about 2 teaspoons of porridge which is way more than he's had recently. I also tried him with some bread - but he rejected that.

Once Tom was awake again we went to Asda to collect salad items for lunch, we then dropped into the cake shop to pick up some bits for class tomorrow and then on to Rachel's for lunch. Tom did really well for lunch - managed a whole portion of savoury food, followed by half a portion of fruit. Was really pleased. He then went for a sleep in Oliver's cot whilst we had our lunch.

Had a really good session at Gymbabes. I was in two minds whether to take him or not as he has been unwell, but I'm glad I did. He did get tired quickly, but he had a really good session on the parallel bars and stood up for quite a while, looked really pleased with himself.

Had a quick drink at Costa and then returned home. Tom is certainly better today, he was in a good mood in the afternoon and managed a decent dinner - a good portion of veggie lasagna (with lumps) and the remainder of pudding from lunch. I was really pleased with him. He then played nicely until bath time at 6pm which was good - he's been really grizzly at this time for the last couple of days.

I had a bath with him (I'm going downhill now, got a cold and a painful ear - I HATE the blocked ear thing that comes with colds, find it very uncomfortable). He had a lovely time and insisted on showing us his new trick - ie standing up. He kept getting hold of the handles and trying to pull himself up. He did it again and again. When I moved him away from the handles, he tried doing the same using the top of the bath. After a good half hour, Matt took him out and dressed him, instead of crying which is what he has done the last couple of times, he gurgled and laughed. All good stuff. He still has a cough and still has phlegm, but he is definitely a happier boy. Let's hope he has a good night's sleep...

Young Family Reunion

It was a bad night last night. Tom woke at 11pm, it took over an hour for him to get back to sleep (we gave him some Calprofen as we couldn't find any Calpol yesterday - we've got through a whole bottle already. We would get him settled and he would be fine, but then he would cough and that would lead to crying). He was then awake at 1am, 1.30 and 2.00. At 2.30 I gave up and put him in bed with me. (Matt had gone downstairs). Still took him a good hour to get to sleep, but at least he wasn't crying. Our alarms are all set for 7am, so I was ready and poised to turn them off immediately as he was still asleep. He stayed asleep until 7.30 and then played quite nicely on the bed as usual.

Today we had planned to meet up with Grannie and Grandpa London and Auntie Jude and Uncle Richard at a pub roughly half way between us in Gaydon. Yesterday we weren't sure if it was going to happen as Tom has been so miserable, but he seemed a little happier today, so we went ahead. I didn't put him down for his morning nap so he was nice and tired for the car journey. The plan worked well, he slept the whole way. We took him for a quick jaunt in the Baby Bjorn when we arrived as we were a little too early.


He was extremely well behaved in the pub, we were there for a good 2 and a half hours, and considering he is not well, he really did very well. He managed some smiles and played nicely (I had a bag with about 10 different toys in to keep him distracted). He also managed a bigger lunch today and ate some of the lentils he refused yesterday. Still wasn't that big, nothing compared to what he was eating this time last week, but I think every day he is eating more. Pretty sure he is going to weigh less this week though.

He had a good giggle with his Grandpa, did very well at grabbing at his Grannie's glasses, earrings, coffee cup, etc and gave Jude his special 'Jude stare', before finally smiling with her. Towards the end he started to grizzle so we said our goodbyes. Tom was asleep before we left the village, I was asleep before we got to the M42, so Matt had a lonely trip home.
Played with Tom in the afternoon, once again he was quite grizzly. He managed some dinner, then had a long play in the bath with me before bottle and bed.

Whilst talking with Pat about Tom's sleeping pattern, she suggested that we keep some background noise on. Tom always seems to wake up just as Matt and I turn everything off and snuggle up. Makes sense, maybe the sudden quiet is a factor in him waking up. We have also noticed that his room isn't that warm, so we have put him in a vest and a sleep suit and we have left his radio on. I'm willing to try anything. We will see if it works...

Yummy Hot Berry Punch

Tom was up twice last night - 11pm and 3.30am. Both times it took an hour and some calpol to get him back to sleep again. Weren't sure what to do today, as Tom is still quite ill. We wanted him to have some fresh air, but not wear him out too much. We finally decided on going to the Cardingmill Valley. We have already received our Christmas present from Mum and Dad (National Trust Membership) so thought we would take advantage of it as the car park there is free for National Trust members.

Parked at the town end and strolled into town for lunch. Went to Berry's for our usual cheese scones and hot berry punch. This time when we asked about the hot berry punch, they told us what it was (Bottle Green Spicy Berry). This is the only non alcoholic hot drink I have found that I liked. The lady even told us where to go to buy some, which we did. Tom was well behaved, he sat up between us on a sofa, by using a blanket which we put over him with Matt and I sat on either end, we managed to wedge him sitting up and he seemed quite happy. Unfortunately he is still only on puree, couldn't even manage some lentil puree.

We then found ourselves on a shopping trip, which we didn't expect, somehow managed to acquire a joint of belly pork from a butchers, some mulled wine ingredients and some other bits and pieces until we were completely loaded up. So, returned to the car, dumped purchases, and then carried on to the National Trust cafe. Tom was in the baby bjorn today and loving every minute of it, he kept kicking and laughing in delight - was lovely to see as he has been so miserable recently with his cold.

Came home, spent the afternoon trying to entertain Tom, but as the afternoon wore on he got more and more grumpy. Basically he is happy for as long as he is distracted from his cold, but as soon as he remembers hes got it he cries. Managed to get some dinner down him, then bath time which he really enjoyed before bath and bed.

Sick Tom

Another bad night. Tom was up at 10pm, 12am, 2am and 3am. At 3, it took a good hour to get him back to sleep again - had to cuddle him to sleep in my arms. He is so full of cold he finds it hard to breathe.

He woke up at 6.45, had a small feed from me, then a play on the bed. He played quite nicely, but by 8am he was exhausted again, eyes all puffy and he refused his breakfast. Poor thing. Put him back to bed for a rest.

9.30 saw us in Stirchley for BEST course. I was worried taking Tom with me to the creche as he was so unwell, but he went quite willingly and stayed the course. The creche workers said he was ok. He had puffy eyes when he was back though, so got him home, had a quick lunch (he managed some puree - at the moment he will only eat loose puree, anything with texture / lumps gets rejection. His phlegm is causing him lots of grief when it comes to food at the moment.

He then went for a nap - was asleep a good 2 hours and woke up just in time to be wrapped up warm and wheeled round to the school to pick up Hannah and Boo (I'm on babysitting duties today) . Once we were back, Tom looked exhausted again, so he went down for another nap whilst I looked after the girls. Tom then stayed with his dad whilst I took the girls to their dancing lesson.

Arrived back to find Tom being fed (he managed a little more puree, but not much). Then I had a bath with him (he cheered up considerably) before bottle and bed.

He didn't sleep

It was a false start, Tom was back to his usual tricks last night, oh hum. Bit depressing really.

Tom got progressively worse and worse yesterday with his cold. Snot was streaming out of him all day and his cough sounded really bad. Went to a pub for Rachel's birthday, where he managed 30 mins sleep. By 5pm he was inconsolable, so we had a quick dinner (he didn't eat much), then a hot bath with his dad and only 1/4 of his usual bottle before bed. His eyes were really puffy and he was crying and crying.

He went straight to sleep - obviously exhausted, poor thing.

He slept! Phew!

A good night. Tom woke at 11pm, I had to go in and settle which took all of 5 mins, and that was it. He woke at 5am and 6am, but both times he cried for about a minute and then fell silent - FANTASTIC. I managed to sleep for about 5 hours which was also ace, I am so used to broken sleep, that it is hard for me to stay asleep for the night when I am responsible for him. I woke up at 5.05 am and could not get back to sleep. However, it was nice to lie in bed and not have to get out. If he carries on like this, I will need to learn to sleep again.

It's even more amazing that he slept as he has a nasty cough at the moment, when we were in Spain that was the initiator for waking up and crying.

So, he got a huge kiss and cuddle when I went in to wake him up at 7am (he was on his front at the top of the cot). He had his feed and then a play on the bed. He was full of energy and rolling, rolling, rolling around the bed. He's getting more and more nimble, so we are going to have to be extra careful that he doesn't fall off.

After breakfast (he didn't eat much - too much phlegm I think) he had a play and then a nap, whilst I made Rachel's birthday cake. We then made our way down to baby clinic for weighing, and he has put on weight - hurrah. He is now 19lb 10oz, so still not where he was in September, but almost. If he carries on like this, he will hopefully crack the 20lb barrier in a week or two.

After lunch and afternoon nap we nipped to Asda to get some spuds to go with our sausages for tonight. Tom then had a play before dinner. He got a bit cranky, but I think that was because he is ill rather than unhappy. He ate an ok dinner (lumps not good at the moment - symptom of his cold I think) before bath and bed with his Dad.

He was on the whole a happy chappy today, plus Matt and I were also happy chappies after better sleeps. Fingers crossed that his better sleeping continues, would make such a huge difference to us all.

Today's pic - this is what happens if your baby sneezes whilst you are feeding them with a spoon - lovely!

A good sleep for one of us

A better night. Tom woke at 9pm, had a short cry and went back to sleep without any intervention, same happened at 1.10am. At 2.50, he woke and cried and cried, so I went in to see if I could help. My plan was not to pick him up, but it went a little awry as I couldn't find his dummy, in the end I had to take him out of the room whilst Matt put the light on to find it. Once settled, we left him to it, it was quiet for about 5 minutes, then he started crying and crying again. I went in, didn't pick him up, patted him, reassured him, then left him. He started crying again, but we decided to leave him to see if he would stop. Amazingly, after 5 minutes it went quiet, so in all it took half an hour to get him back to sleep again. Didn't hear from him again until 6.30. The night would have been an even better success if Matt and I had managed to get to sleep in between the crying episodes, but it wasn't to be. We both woke up at 1.10, and were awake until after 3.30. Oh hum, I just hope that Tom will get better and better, and then Matt and I need to work on ourselves.

Matt here. The shock of Tom almost sleeping through the night seemed to have an odd effect on me, as I woke up with something of a stomach bug and have had about a dozen trips to the loo today. I think the recent lack of sleep has run me (us) down and made me susceptible to things I wouldn't ordinarily suffer from. Fortunately, I didn't have much work today, so I did a bit of online Christmas shopping, gingerly ate my lunch, and went for a snooze and then a bath this afternoon. The bath felt nice but completely drained me of any energy.

Tom's been quite a charming little chap today, which is good considering that he's developed a cough. Nik walked him round to Asda this afternoon to get him some medicine for it. He ate a pretty good tea, had the usual "active" bath time and went straight down after draining his bottle. Good lad. Let's hope (a) he sleeps as well as he did last night and (b) we take advantage of it. My December batch of patent work will be in soon, and I need to be much more alive than today to maintain my standards.

Nik's out at her cake course this evening, so it's just me and the cat here watching NHK. I'm wondering whether a good shot of cask strength whisky will kill all the bad bacteria in my gut or just finish my stomach off for good. Only one way to find out....

Lovely Day

We had a slightly better night last night. Tom woke at 10pm (plugged and went straight back to sleep), midnight (same) and 2.45 (took an hour to get him back to sleep). So I got some more sleep (Matt didn't even try to sleep upstairs last night - he's got lots of work on and is suffering trying to work with lack of sleep and in his business making silly mistakes is inexcusable and an easy way to loose clients), but still pretty broken and still lacking that 4 hour chunk of sleep which seems to make the difference between being tired and being shattered. Tom certainly isn't hungry, he doesn't even try to feed, so that's certainly not the problem. Each time I went in he had rotated himself round in the cot and got himself wedged across it. How on earth do we stop him doing that? We have tried putting towels under the mattress to create a hollow to stop him doing it, but it doesn't work.

Today was Gymbabes, so 10am saw us in Asda buying some salad ready to meet up with the girls at 11. Had a really nice day with the girls. A lovely lunch at Rachel's followed by a gymbabe session - Tom was able to manoeuvre along some of the equipment much better than before, then Costa for a quick coffee before home. Had a nice long chat with the girls about the sleep problem, although they were all sympathetic, they couldn't really come up with much new that I haven't already tried. They gently nudged me along the controlled crying route, which I have tried before and failed, but they did point out that you have to try things with babies more than once before they normally work, which they are right about, so maybe that is the route we need to take.

Got home around 4.30, so time for a little play before dinner (partial success - he sicked up his dessert - hence no trousers in the pic), then bath and bed. Went to bed very alive, but went to sleep without too much of a fight.