Rock-a-bye

Tom slept from 7pm to 4.25am last night. Fantastic (except I suffered from leakage). Only problem was that we then both overslept! Didn't wake up until 8am, so we were out of sync for the rest of the day. He didn't have a morning nap and I think as a result has been more sleepy during the day than normal.

Once up and dressed, we were soon on our way to Oakengates under ones club. This time Rose and Abi and Sarah and Isabelle turned up so we had a corner of 2009 babies for once which was nice. A lady from the CAB was there as well to advise on Tax Credits etc. She did a quick check for us, it looks like we maybe able to claim for this year so she has arranged for a pack to get sent to us. I have a horrible feeling that the commissions and holiday pay I will claim for the year might take us over the threshold, but it's worth a try - might as well claim any money we are eligible for.

Once back home we had a pretty uneventful afternoon, Tom was quite sleepy, but refused to sleep in his moses basket again so he slept on me. Michelle is arranging a baby massage course for us all as well which will be good - something to look forward to, I really enjoy it when our NCT group meet up.

My Brown Eyed Boy

Tom and I had a difference of opinion last night. He wanted feeding at 1am, I wanted to feed him at 3am. I won! He didn't cry for food, but was awake, grunting and snorting. I gave him a dummy and he did actually get back to sleep. We had a similar argument at 6am, once again I won, but it was a hollow victory. He didn't get fed until 7am, but I was awake from 6 listening to him thrashing around!

Today is baby clinic and as it dawned a lovely day we did a couple of errands. So, off to Asda to get some birthday cards, then the post office to send my computer back to work (it has a virus so IT need to look at it and sort it out - this means I no longer have email, which makes me feel quite isolated - will have to resort to text to contact everyone) and then finally to baby clinic to weigh him. He is now a huge 14lb 9oz!

Once we got home, we had lunch and Tom managed to sleep for 45 mins in his moses basket. We then went to see Auntie Carol at General, where Tom fell asleep again for another hour. Once we were back, we had a play, including a good session of sucking on his fist, before bath and bedtime.

I think his eyes have got darker today, the photo certainly proves this.

Chocks away!

Today dawned pretty miserable, but it didn't matter. Today is Saturday (Matt promised me a weekday off as he was away on Saturday last week). The plan was to go to Cosford to the RAF museum to show Tom some planes and to pick up some purchases from the shop (A great place to buy things for little boys)

He started off grumbling - we think because it was so cold outside, but after a reassuring hug, he was happy to stay in the pram and look around. He stayed awake for the Cold War Hangar, but fell asleep during Hangar 1. Also, being a weekday we got the play area all to ourselves, so as is the norm, we reverted to being little kids and had a play!

After a while our tums started rumbling. Knowing that the food at Cosford isn't that great, we decided to find a pub. Ended up at The Bell in Tong. Not bad, £4.25 for two courses (both of us had scampi and chips, then rhubarb crumble (really yummy) for me and chocolate brownie for Matt) great value for money - cheaper than the sandwiches on the menu. Tom was a little grizzly, but the pub was quite empty so he didn't really disturb anyone.

Came home via the butchers and then back to the usual, feeding, playing and sleeping. I tried to put him in his moses basket for his afternoon naps, but he wouldn't have it. Would sleep for 10 minutes and then cry. He did this twice, and then fell asleep on me in the lounge, meaning I couldn't move. I guess I have instilled a bad habit here, something I'm going to have to sort out.

Matt is now feeding him after his bath. It's お好み焼き for dinner tonight - yummy.

Swing Chairs are Great

We are all out of sync today. Tom woke twice in the night for feeding - at 1am and 5am. We then overslept until 8am, which meant that his morning nap went from 8.30 to 9.45am and everything else has back tracked. I wonder how we will get back on line again?

Anyway, was a miserable day - cold and rainy. As Tom wasn't sleepy first thing, I sat him in his swing chair whilst I prepared dinner - Sloppy Joes. He seems to be very content to watch me from the chair, which is fantastic. Today I put the tray on it and switched the music on. He managed to hit the buttons to change the music which was good - although not exactly sure if by accident or on purpose, most likely accident. However, he did it with his LEFT hand - made me proud! (I'm left handed and Matt is right handed).

We went to Donnington Minis in the morning and NCT Bumps and Babes in the afternoon. Not much of note happened at either. Tom was a bit grumpy - but that is probably due to the fact that we slept in today. Had a chat with someone from Family Services at Donnington Minis she told me that I need to book Tom into nursery already - especially if we want him to go to St Matthew's School as it is heavily over subscribed and although we live in its catchment area that is no guarantee of a place. Apparently from age 3, we get 15 hours free education from the government so need to find a place for him for that, however, they maybe bringing that forward to age 2.

Caught up with Michelle and Lou at Bumps and Babes, both their little ones are doing very well. Tom was grumpy again though, made all the other mums laugh with his Elvis crying! Next time there will be a beauty therapist in attendance for shoulder massage, manicures etc etc. Maybe that will tempt some of the other mums to come along. Saw Rose and Abi - they are doing very well. Abi went on her first holiday last week and really enjoyed herself, which makes me feel more confident for this weekend.

When we got back, Tom was happy to sit in his swinging chair again, so I made a batch of flapjacks - got me some brownie points from his dad.

Today's pic - Tom was looking very content and cosy, asleep in his car seat and cover. However, he woke just as I took the pic.

Tom chooses his first bike

Given the good weather, we decided to take Tom for his first outing on Cannock Chase. Quite by chance, this meant we had to pass right by CMC Motorcycles in Cannock who, quite by chance, were having a huge clothing sale. As such, we thought this would be a good opportunity for Tom to decide what of bike he might like to learn on in a year or two. He seemed most keen on a Valentino Rossi replica Yamaha R1. £10,000, 1000cc, 180bhp, 185mph ... , so perhaps not an ideal learner bike, but I admire his ambition. I might have to buy one just to check it's suitable for him. Responsible father and all that.

I only spent £60 on a new coat (quite reserved for me), and then we drove the last few miles to the Chase. There was considerable activity near the visitor centre, including what seemed to be a WW1 re-enactment of some sort. We had a spot of lunch and then headed out on one of the circular walks. Not for the first time, we forgot to check the tyre pressures on Tom's pram, so this was more of a workout than it might have otherwise been, especially given the fact that his mother turned to me and said "your turn" as a steep uphill slope appeared. Hmmm.

Stopped off at Aldi on the way back for a few of life's essentials, a salmon, a BBQ cover and a terracotta wall clock. That sort of thing. Then home to potter about doing a variety of Sunday tasks, most of which just involved shoving things in the shed and forgetting about them.

Auntie Jude also popped round this morning, bearing gifts from her recent holiday in Florida. We were all very happy with the haul, and now have 5 packets of Zatarain's Jambalaya mix (an absolute delicacy), our best ever stockpile.

I've had a mad month work-wise and am hoping to take Tuesday-Friday off to unwind, especially as I was out all day yesterday at a translators' workshop in Brum.

Tom the Frog Prince

Another OK night. Tom as usual woke up at 6am, but I managed to ignore him until 7am. I figure if he doesn't cry he is OK to be left. He has almost out grown his moses basket, so will have to move into his cot soon. We will keep him in his moses basket until we have been to London for the bank holiday weekend as Pat suggested that the best sleeping solution will be for us to bring the basket down with us so he is familiar with his sleeping place.

Didn't have much planned for today - Matt was in Brum again for a seminar. The weather wasn't great either - rain and cold. We waited for it to stop raining and walked to the butcher's to get some food in for the week. Came home via Asda and then pottered around for the rest of the day. I even managed to start Tom's photo album.

Today's pics - well I had to do the bath time and bed time routine again as Matt wasn't here, so I chose his sleepsuit. This is one of the very few outfits I have bought - I couldn't resist it - can't imagine why!!! The other pic - Tom was in crying mode, it didn't matter what I did to calm him down, nothing would work. I took him in the kitchen with me and put him in the swing whilst I went to wash a dummy. Seconds later he was asleep, no dummy needed. No idea why that chair was in favour, but good to know it can send him to sleep, another thing to bear in mind next time I can't calm him.

Tom the Film Star

First of all, I must apologise for lack of photo, I forgot to take one today. Had an OK night, except he has started to thrash around again, so there was a lot of snorting and grunting. I'm wondering if it might be due to the fact that I have started eating dairy again - could it be a reaction? I would rather go without dairy, than have to listen to him snorting and grunting at night, sleep is much better than diet.

This morning we went to Breast Feeding Support Group, met a girl there from hospital which was nice. Her baby (obviously the same age as Tom) was much smaller (I keep finding myself saying that?!) We had another milestone, Tom managed (with some help from me) to grab a rattle. He held on to it for quite a while, and it was a big one. I was very proud!

Unknown to me, the Health Visitor who runs the group had arranged for a film crew to come in today to film us. A DVD is being made for Telford & Wrekin NHS Trust which is going to be given out to every pregnant lady during their booking in appointment and will include a bit about breast feeding and support groups. So, Tom and myself maybe famous (let's hope the film crew were subtle!) Apparently we will get a copy of the DVD as a thank you. I was also asked to help man a stand in Telford Shopping Centre during Breast Feeding Awareness Week in May.

The rest of the day was pretty much uneventful. Went to Asda to pick up some bits. I had to do the bath time and bed time routine, as Matt was at a seminar in Brum with the West Midlands Translators Group. No wee or poo incidents then, however, Tom did explode earlier in the afternoon with poo going up his back again - took about 20 wet wipes to get him clean and he ruined a vest which was a shame as it was brand new!

When I grow up...

So we had an ok night last night. Tom only needed one extra visit to settle down before getting himself off to sleep. Matt reported that he thrashed around big time whilst feeding. He was also doing this when feeding from me. I wonder if it means something? Think I will ask at Breast Feeding Group on Friday. I do wonder if he does actually feed when he is thrashing around so much - but he must as he is still putting on weight.

Tom woke up at 3am for feeding and then at 6am. I managed to ignore him until 7 when we went through our usual morning routine. Took him downstairs for fatherly approval and he did a huge spew on me and the stairs - lovely! Today he is wearing an aspirational T-shirt (well his daddy thinks so anyway!)

The morning saw us going to the under ones group. Tom is the youngest there but definitely not the smallest. Mothers were having to tell their charges to grow like Tom! Oh have I mentioned that he is now in 3-6 month clothes. His 0-3 month clothes are more or less redundant now excepting a few. He managed to stay awake for nursery rhymes today, but was asleep by the end - still think he doesn't like them!

The afternoon saw us popping in to see Carol at General. Tom had a huge screaming fit - so bad that we had to take him into another room to try to sort him out. Once he had calmed down, I caught up on the gossip. The office is closing down in August - such a shame we enjoy our visits to Carol, and also she deserves more.

Came home, daddy took him through the usual bedtime routine which included a very pooey nappy - ha ha, and a good long wee in the bath!

From Angel to Mr Grumps

Tom was a little angel yesterday evening. We decided to celebrate our 7 years by going out for a drink, so went to The Clock House for a glass of red wine each. We then took Tom to see Donald and Mel from our dancing lessons - they were one of the first to send us a card when Tom was born, which we were really chuffed by. Tom more or less slept through the whole evening, very surprising considering the music at the dancing class was very VERY loud! Everyone said how good he was and that we were lucky to have a baby who was able to sleep through like he was.

Humm, what a difference a night makes! Tom woke up a happy chappy, we went through the morning routine all smiles and gurgles. I got the 3-6 month clothes out this morning as he seems to be growing out of his 0-3 month gear (tummy too big)! He had a good spew over his first T-Shirt, but I was ready with a second one. I put him in the car as Matt took the Cappuccino for its service. He seemed to change on his return into a grumpy baby. Apart from the times we were out (baby clinic in the morning - he's 13lb 14oz now and Asda in the afternoon) he was a grump. I could find no reason why he was crying - nappy ok, plenty of food, warm enough, plenty of cuddle opportunities etc. Maybe a result of taking him out last night? Matt also reported that Tom wasn't himself at bath time. We will see how it goes tonight...

Tom the Film Goer

Tom woke up at 12.30 last night, had a feed and then lasted through to 7am so can't complain. Got him washed and dressed and took him downstairs. By 8am he was tired and went back to sleep, which was fantastic as we needed to be out of the house at 9am!

Today we went to Shrewsbury to the Old Market Hall cinema where they had a special Mum and Babies showing. Met up with Michelle, Lou and Sarah and collected our tickets. Tom and I had a double seat on the back row - how romantic!!!!! Felt really strange sitting in the cinema with lots of babies, but it seemed to work. We saw Valkryie and I managed to keep track of the story whilst trying to keep Tom quiet. Actually Tom was pretty well behaved, considering he was awake for most of the screening. The other babies were as well - can't really complain.

Once over, we went shopping to Next so I could get Tom a nice big floppy hat - see pic. We then bought some sandwiches and walked to the park in The Quarry for a picnic as the sun was shining. Once the babies started grizzling we made our way home.

The day out was pretty much a success - hope we do it again.

Oh, almost forgot to say, it is our 7 year anniversary today - Matt and I had our first date 7 years ago in Romantic Ruislip?! If only someone had told us that day where we would be now - I don't think either of us would have believed it. Funny how times change, and how you change with them. Anyway, it has been a very happy 7 years, and now we have Tom to show how well we go together.

A 10 Hour Sleep

Can you believe this - Tom slept from 7pm to 5am last night!!!!! Maybe the longer trip in the car wore him out (even though he was asleep for all of it?!) As I said before, I'm feeling more tired as I'm now getting some deep sleep from which it is harder to wake up.

It dawned a lovely, clear day, so before not too long we were out and about. Today is Donnington Minis so we went there for 10.30. Only four of us turned up this week - which was nice got to have some good conversations. One funny thing that happened was that the health visitor was saying that with the hot weather it is ok to give your baby / toddler water in addition to milk to make sure they are hydrated. As soon as she mentioned water, Tom screamed (must be bad memories of the horrible dr he saw at the PRH). Everyone laughed, and I had to give him a big cuddle and reassure him that he would get plenty of milk! Oh, and I now know where to get Tom's big floppy hat - Next, so we need to go shopping - something neither of us likes, but with this weather Tom really needs one.

After the group, we went down the parade to get in dinner for the next couple of days, and then to the bakers to get Matt his hot pork roll and me a cheese sandwich (I'm putting dairy back in my diet bit by bit). We then walked back up the hill home and ate lunch outside. Tom had another feed and then had a good kick around in his chair. He is in a good mood today and full of energy - very happy, must be because he had a good, long sleep. According to 'the book' he is supposed to sleep for 2 hours at lunch time, but he has never done that. The most he has managed is 45 mins, although I prefer him to sleep at night rather than during the day!

In the afternoon I put Tom in his swinging chair (thanks Debbie and Adam) in the kitchen whilst I got dinner ready. I've been trying him in this chair for a week or so and he has always cried. Today he didn't cry, he didn't smile either (as you can see from the photo) but he seemed happy enough for me to make dinner whilst he looked on. This is a real break through as it allows me to do something useful whilst he is awake. (Oh and those of you who are worried about the sun on his head, don't worry I draped a towel over his head away from the camera).

Oh - another milestone, when Matt was preparing him for his bath he let out two real belly laughs. I missed them, but I believe him and think it's nice for a dad to experience a first. Matt certainly considers himself very fortunate as he has far more opportunity to spend time with Tom than most other dads.

Today we are experimenting again. Tom normally wants to sleep between 5 and 6 and I find it very difficult to keep him awake - but try very hard to do so. Today I let him nap until 5.30, then he kicked away until he went up for his bath at 6. We will see what happens...

Where's the Ginger Army?

Tom was all out of sync last night. He went to bed at 7 as usual, but was awake at 10! The BBQ threw him out as I don't think he fed as much as usual. He also didn't really get a chance for a good kick around until after everyone had left.

So, fed him at 10 and then he slept through until 4am when I fed him again, which meant that I got a good sleep, however, I think I went into deep sleep as I found it incredibly difficult to wake up - much harder than usual - just can't win can you?!

He then woke up at 7am so we got up and went through the usual routine. He's wearing his motorbike T-Shirt again as we are going to visit Helen, Al and Finn in Market Harborough and Al is a biker and will appreciate the thought.

It was another beautiful day. Wilby joined us in the car to keep Tom company (his longest car trip yet) We got to MH 30 mins early which I knew would stress Helen out, so went to Sainsburys to get some bits and pieces and then knocked on their door. It took a while for Helen to answer - they weren't ready and she was stressed by us turning up early - oooops. Once they had got themselves ready Al and Finn appeared - wow! Finn had changed big big big time - he is a real toddler now - very tall, big blue eyes and guess what - curly ginger hair of course! They've been having trouble with his sleeping. After being a model baby (sleeping 12 hours from 5 weeks) he is now waking in the night screaming for a good couple of hours - so they are suffering big time from sleep deprivation.

We had a good lunch of pizza and trifle and then went for a walk across the park to a pub and sat out in the garden. Finn is at the age where he is into everything, so either Al or Helen had to follow him to make sure he didn't get into mischief. As they said they have no time off now, it is impossible relax.

Anyhow, they seemed to be in good spirits, and they seemed to like Tom. Stupid us, we had a camera with us the whole day and didn't take any photos! So today's pic is of Tom and not of the ginger army. Next time we will remember.

Reunion BBQ

Well, both Matt and I are shattered, so this will be a short entry. Today was the NCT reunion. We were praying for a nice day so we could have a bbq outside. It dawned very cloudy so we were quite anxious, however, by noon the clouds broke and the sun came out - phew - I have no idea how we would have fitted 13 adults, 2 children and 5 babies in our lounge?!

Everyone came up trumps with food - we certainly had a great spread. Bridget our NCT teacher also managed to come along (amazing as she has 4 children of her own), she was incredibly broody - wouldn't be surprised if number 5 came along...

Between hosting and breastfeeding, I didn't really get a chance to talk to many people, even had to ask Errol to help out with the BBQ which I feel guilty about. Lisa, Cameron, Maggie and Tamsin also popped in (on their way back from holiday in Cornwall) - didn't really get to speak to them either (not sure what I was doing as I didn't seem to find time to talk to anyone?)

Anyway, I think everyone had a good time and some loose plans were made to do it again and to have some other meet ups. All the babies have certainly grown since last time we met and it was interesting listening to the other parents and hearing how they deal with the challenges they come up against. It certainly is true that every baby is different and that parenting is trial and error. Anyway everyone seemed well and happy. Unfortunately I didn't get round to taking any photos, except when Tom was asleep before it started - but Matt did manage some video footage.

A Smile?

Tom didn't wake up until 3am again which was fantastic. He did wake at 6am, but didn't need feeding so grunted until we got up at 7am.

He was in an OK mood today, although hungry so I was in demand! Went to Breast Feeding Support Group this morning - nice small group, only about 6 mums and babies - I prefer it when the groups are small as it means that you can speak to everyone and pick up some good tips / advice.

The afternoon saw us in Asda - Tom in a sling and me with a trolley getting together everything for tomorrow - it's the NCT reunion BBQ tomorrow which we are hosting. Going to have 13 adults, 5 babies and 2 children in attendance. Let's hope the weather is good as I don't know how we are going to fit everyone in if we all have to be inside!

Today's pic: once again trying to capture that smile, this is the nearest I've got.

An 8 Hour Sleep!

Had a very good night. Tom woke only once - yahooooooooo! He woke at 3am for feeding and then again at 7.10. Fantastic - he got a big wet sloppy kiss from me. Only problem was that it took me a good hour and a half to get back to sleep after the 3am feed, and of course my milk production hasn't slowed down so I woke up to wet patches twice!

Went to Oakengates under ones club. Usual characters were there, and this time it was much quieter as a number of 6 month olds have moved up to the next room. One embarrassing episode was when Diane came up to me (from No. 51) for a chat. I didn't recognise her - she never says even a hello on the street, and here she was being really friendly, chatty and inviting me and Tom round to play???!!!!!! In the end she had to say who she was - I just didn't recognise her - out of context I guess.

Oh - Jodie is in our bad books today - she managed to sweep one of our blue Denby bowls off the kitchen table - it smashed into many pieces. We also found a lake of wee and some poo on the kitchen floor. Needless to say she has been told off and should keep a low profile for the rest of the day!

Today's movie: still trying to capture a smile. Didn't succeed, but got quite a few of his facial expressions.

How to rinse a teat

We had an OK night last night. Tom woke up at 2.30am for feeding and then at 5.00am for a grizzle and then again at 7am for feeding. This morning dawned dark and rainy, so we didn't hurry to get up and dressed, and anyway, Tom was in bed again at 8.15!

After a leisurely morning we had lunch and then set out to baby clinic for Tom's weekly weigh in. He is now 13lb 6oz, so well on the way to a stone.

He was in quite a good mood today - full of smiles and giggling - especially when I tickle his tummy. He is smiling more and more these days which is great - nice to get something back.

Matt did the usual bedtime routine, however, Tom refused his milk, it wasn't coming out of the teat very well. My fault, I rinsed it in boiling water and that isn't good for the teat, closes the hole. Another lesson learnt! He fell asleep with half a bottle still to go. Five minutes later he woke up crying so we tried again and managed to get a good chunk of what was left down him and put him down again.

Poo!

Had an OK night last night. I went to bed at 8.30 as I wasn't feeling well - a bit of a temperature, and that stitch like pain in my side, so had some paracetamol, hugged a pillow and joined Tom. He woke up at 1.15 am for feeding and then again at 5.00 with snorting etc, and 06.45 for feeding. We got up and changed. Tom fell asleep again at 8am - very early for him. Gave me just enough time for a breakfast of homemade bread and some pumping before he was awake again.

Went to Asda to get dinner for tonight. We had Jambalaya last night without prawns as we didn't have any in. This led to a hankering for prawns (I'm back on seafood since having Tom) so I bought some passata and some king prawns to have with some fresh tagliatelle.

We had lunch together and then Tom and I walked to Muxton for NCT Bumps and Babes. I had tried to rally the NCT crowd to turn up but failed - I was the only one. However, not a problem, there were only about 6 people there, and all very friendly so I had a nice time. Tom started crying half way through the session, one of the mums spotted a brown stain on his vest...POO!!!! Yes, he had exploded and it had covered his vest and trousers, so I had to strip him naked and wash him and dress him in a sleep suit (This will be a good story for when he is older - this session takes place in a church, so he has been striped naked in a church in front of lots of women!) I ended up with two nappy sacks full of discards!

Once done, Tom was happy again - kicking on a playmat, so we had a chit chat. I have to give Tom his dues, some of the stories the mums were recounting were pretty horrific. All the other babies were quite a bit bigger - 5 months plus, some of their mums are still being woken every hour and a half, and a few have resorted to sleeping with baby, otherwise their baby won't sleep at all. Others have babies that refuse the bottle and will only breast feed - meaning they haven't had a break.

Tom the Steam

Had an interesting night. Tom was up to his usual tricks and thrashed from 11pm right through to the morning. I also have a stitch like pain in my side which didn't ease through the night so everything was against me having a good sleep. Tom woke up at 11pm but went back to sleep without needing a feed, then again at 1am for feeding and again at 5am - but once again he didn't need feeding and went back to sleep. All very well, but to my detriment - I woke up at 6.45 in a pool of milk!

Tom had his feed at 6.45 - didn't take long as I was so full. He was his usual happy self when being washed and changed, full of smiles and gurgles. Took him downstairs for a kick about on his playmat. At 8.30 he was looking tired, so I picked him up. What a mistake - he vomited big time, and when I say big time - he managed to soak himself and myself and the sofa - it must have been his full feed that came up - what a waste! Needless to say, both of us needed a full change of clothing and the washing machine is now on. I'm back in

maternity jeans as I only have one pair of normal jeans and today is definitely a jeans day. Tom thought the whole thing was very funny and was full of smiles again!

Matt took him up for his morning nap at 9am. It's quite misty this morning but we are told that it will burn off and be another nice day, so we have decided to go to the Severn Valley Railway Engine Shed in Highley which we discovered during our train trip on New Year's Eve. We figured this would meet with the approval of both his grandfathers. The shed is located in a particularly lovely stretch of the Severn Valley, and is full of "retired" locomotives and rolling stock, including one of the actual mail coaches that was involved in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. Tom really did seem to enjoy himself there and smiled his gummy grin at all the engines. We had lunch on the veranda and managed to see a couple of SVR trains chugging past while we ate. All very pleasant. We then took a wander via the station down to the river for a swift half before coming home.

Tom's tank clearly ran dry in the car and he absolutely screamed for about 10 minutes. We tried to get home as quickly as possible, but bank holiday drivers are even slower than Sunday drivers. Fortunately he screamed himself to sleep in the end. He was refilled as soon as we got home, and I headed out to get the wheels knocked off my car with a huge rubber mallet.

Oh yes, a quick rant about that most English of idiosyncrasies. When you have lovely countryside, one of the country's most picturesque rivers, a new museum and a beautifully restored Victorian station on a famous old steam railway within 5 minutes walk of the car park, why the hell do you eat your picnic in the car, with the windows down and the engine running? I just don't get it. They only needed to walk 30 seconds from the car park for a stunning view. Unbelievable. Rant over.

Grannie & Grandpa come to visit

Today saw Grannie & Grandpa make the trip up from London to see Tom. They hadn't seen seem him since he was 4 days old, since when he has very nearly doubled in weight and looks almost nothing like the tiny little soul he was back then. Was it really only 2 months ago? Unbelievable. I can hardly remember life before Tom.

On the subject of milestones, today was the first time we used our garden furniture for around 18 months. Last summer was so dreadful, we didn't get it out of the shed even once. It felt very nice to be sitting on the lawn with drinks and snacks. Let's hope it comes out much more often this year.

It was another beautiful day, so we all decided to take a stroll round Granville Nature Reserve with Tom in the pram. We got some much-needed exercise and Tom got some much-needed (eh?) shut-eye. We had to do the short version of the walk as none of us fancied lugging the pram up 50-odd chunky steps to the hilltop viewpoint. Still, it was a nice trip out.

Grannie & Grandpa headed back about 4.00, but it'll only be 3 weeks until we see them again, as we're taking Tom on a tour to meet lots of Southern relations/friends at the start of May.

We dressed Tom up in his motorbike outfit today to mark the start of the MotoGP season, but it's a night race, so Tom won't be able to stay up and cheer Valentino on this time.

A Summer's Day in Spring

Tom was awake when we went to bed last night - first time in ages he's been awake at that time. So, fed him and hoped that he would then go for 6 hours in the night. Didn't quite go to plan as he woke up for another feed at 3am. However, looking back on it, he did have two large vomits yesterday so he was probably hungry.

He also made up for his lack of noise last night as he thrashed around for the whole night - noisy bugger!!!!! We were up at 7am, he was full of energy: punching, kicking, gurgling and enjoying himself as I tried to change him. At 8.20 his lights went out and he was fast asleep.

Looking at the weather forecast today, it definitely looked like it was going to be a good day if we headed west, so we decided to go to The Long Mynd. Unfortunately the car park was £2.00 for an hour or £4.00 for all day. As we only had £2.00 between us, we only had an hour, so took a quick walk to the reservoir and back. The weather today is glorious, clear blue sky - you can see for miles and all the greens and browns of the countryside were sparkling.

We headed back into Church Stretton for an early lunch, just as well as we got attacked by a ferocious group of WI women just as we finished. We then drove up the Burway to the car park by Pole Bank and walked up to the top. The view again was glorious - we must get ourselves organised so we can have picnics. We need to get Tom a big floppy hat and remember his parasol for the buggy and then we will be set.

Visited another pub on the way home - The Riverside in Cressage - where we sat in the garden by the River Severn, surrounded by exotic chickens, enjoying a drink - all three of us! Got home, Tom was commandeered by Rose for a cuddle and then he had a good kick on the playmat (where he was all smiles) before his bath and bed routine with Matt.

SPLAT!

Tom was very good in bed last night. He didn't do half as much thrashing around as has been usual which meant I got some sleep. He also only woke once during the night for feeding - at 2am so that also made me happy as well.

We woke at 7am, Tom had a feed, then we went downstairs to find Matt (he left in the middle of the night as my snoring was keeping him awake). As soon as we got downstairs, Tom did a huge vomit - SPLAT it went onto the carpet - got Matt up quickly to find a muslin to clear it up. Anyway, had a nice time in bed, Tom was full of smiles and gurgles this morning.

As is usual, he went from all limbs moving to fast asleep in an instant, so he went back to bed whilst his mum and dad had breakfast and I pumped ready for his dinner tonight.

We popped into Shrewsbury for a spot of shopping, Matt wants to start up his home brewing again and wanted to get some new kit - the only place we have been able to find it is Wilco's in Shrewsbury (the Wellington one doesn't stock home brewing kit) Tom and I went for a quick wander around the shops, then we met up and did our usual - Holland & Barrett for a stock up of dried fruit and Setonaikai for a stock up of Japanese and other Asian ingredients.

By now it was 11.30 and Tom was ready for some more food, so we thought we would try out Morgan's (on mum and dad's recommendation). Was very nice - only problem was the steps to get in. Waitress was lovely and they were happy to lend us a room to change Tom in as they don't have nappy changing facilities. Sandwiches came with 'proper chips' which is always a bonus. We got back to the car just as it started to rain and returned home. The afternoon was spent brewing beer (Matt), putting together some commission claims (me), sleeping and eating (guess who?!).

Today's pic - Matt tells me that Tom always smiles in the bath and as we haven't captured a true smile yet I thought I would try. I think he is camera shy as he wouldn't smile. As soon as I left the bathroom - guess what???!!!! Hum - I will record a true smile soon, I'm determined. At least with digital cameras I'm not wasting precious film.

Poor Mum!

I was early to bed last night - was in bed before 9pm as I suddenly didn't feel well - I had a temperature, so had myself a long hot shower, some paracetamols and went to bed. Discovered in the night that I have a stomach bug, so spent most of the night running to and from the loo, including the periods when Tom was feeding. He was quite good as I detached him from me and ran away.

Tom had two feeds as is the norm, and once again we overslept, not waking up until 7.40am. Went through the usual morning routine - Tom brought most of his milk back up again - I guess he wasn't ready for it. As soon as it turned 8am I called the NCT Breastfeeding Support line to check that it is ok to carry on breastfeeding Tom as I am obviously ill. I was told to do so, and in fact my milk will help protect him from whatever I have.

Decided to go to the Mother and baby group this morning just to get out of the house. Was good as they had a talk on baby resuscitation which means that I now know what to do if Tom stops breathing or chokes. Tom was also at the talk so he knows what to expect, although I had a stern word with him NOT to stop breathing or to choke - prevention is better than cure after all!

Spent the afternoon dozing on the sofa - I was having lots of stomach gurgles and Tom kept drifting in and out of sleep (I think the affect of the jabs yesterday). I think we will both be early to bed today.

Today's pic - one of our afternoon cuddles. He's wearing his 58 T-shirt because he is 58 days old today (so his father tells me)

Poor Tom

Had an OKish night - two feeds as seems to be usual. I haven't been looking forward to today as Tom has his first set of injections. We overslept again this morning, didn't wake until 7.40 - by the time Tom had fed, been washed, dressed etc I had just enough time to brush my hair and put some clothes on before bundling him in the pram and taking him to the surgery. He was seen promptly at 9.10 and the nurse gave him 2 injections, one in each leg. As soon as the first needle went in he turned a bright raspberry red and screamed, he stayed like that for the second injection. Once done he calmed down, although he did look at me and scream a couple more times - basically saying you did this to me - how dare you!!!!

Once he had calmed down we went to baby clinic for him to be weighed. He's put on another 12oz and is now a chubby 12lb 15oz. Next stop was the parade to get something in for dinner and some calpol just in case Tom reacts to the injections.

3pm saw us back at the drs for Tom's 8 week check-up. So he was stripped again, prodded, poked, listened too, had lights shone in his eyes etc etc. He got a clean bill of health, but then screamed as I put his coat back on (nice clear blue sky, but cold wind today). He spent most of the rest of the afternoon snoozing. I didn't have the heart to keep him awake as I'm sure the injections have had some affect on him.

Stripey Boy

Last night Tom woke at 10pm when we went to bed. We thought we would try feeding him again - so we did. He spent 20 mins feeding from me, so we thought that maybe, just maybe we would wake a little later in the night - maybe 3am or so, but no, he still woke at 1.30am and he really screamed as if he hadn't been fed for a day or so! It really doesn't make any difference if he feeds at 10 or not!

Having said that we both over slept this morning - he didn't wake me up until 7.40. Had his feed, wash and got dressed - he's a blue stripy boy today as you can see. I thought he might not go to sleep at 9am like he does normally as he was up so late this morning and full of energy, however, at 9am it was as if someone flicked a switch and his lights went out so I took him back upstairs for a sleep. At 10am, his lights came back on and I collected him from the bedroom.

Not sure if you can tell from the photos but his eyes are changing colour. They aren't baby blue anymore, they have definitely got darker - we think they maybe turning brown to be like mine. He also has cradle cap quite bad. It started on his eyebrows and then moved up his head, it's how on both sides, and as far back as his crown. We smoother him in oil at night and first thing in the morning as instructed by the health visitor, but it doesn't seem to be doing much. I think it is a bit like his rash - it will go in time. One good thing is that his rash has more or less gone, and he is beginning to get his baby skin back again on his face which is really nice.

Don't think I've mentioned this before, but we think he will be a follower of Mohammed. When he cries hard he says "Allah, allah, allah" - very cute!

The afternoon was pretty uneventful, we went to Asda, just to get out of the house. Got told off for attempting to use the escalator with the pram, and got directed to the lift (didn't even know there was one!)

Tired Boy

Tom was so sleepy by the time he went to bed last night that he didn't take his milk. He woke an hour later crying because he was hungry - his first lesson needs to be in cause and effect!!!! So, fed him, he went to sleep, and then only fed once through the night - good news, but he was so noisy with his grunting and snorting I had a very bad night's sleep - not good!

He was a grumpy man in the morning, crying for no reason I could find: he was fed, he had a clean nappy, he had had cuddles. He quietened down as soon as I put him in his pram and walked to Donnington Minis. He was extremely well behaved during the group, quite happily lying on a cushion, kicking away. Came home, he allowed us time to make and eat lunch, then started grizzling, so he had a cuddle and a feed, and went to bed.

This afternoon saw us in a quick trip to Aldi to pick up a Salmon En Croute that Carol recommended to us. (It's amazing how cooking standards diminish when you have a baby). Tom then fell asleep for an hour and a half - very unusual for him, but then he hardly slept during the day yesterday and had a restless night. Quick query - why do babies sleep peacefully during the day and thrash about and grunt at night? Why oh why can't it be the other way round?

Late afternoon was spent cuddling, kicking on the play mat and then sucking his dummy during his witching hour (although today it was a half hour)

A Big Lad!

Tom was up twice during the night again - bugger! I know he can do once - if only I knew how to get him to do it again...

As it is another lovely day today, we decided that we would go to Bridgnorth for a wander. We called Rachel and Errol to see if we could pop in to say hello - we haven't had a NCT meet up this week and I have a load of questions about expressing milk and consider Rachel the expressing guru.

In the end, we didn't make it to Bridgnorth as we spent ages yakking with the lovely Errol and Rachel and went for a longish walk in the woods that surround their house. Both dads were kitted out with Baby Bjorns (see pic). They live in a newly-converted flat in Apley Manor, an ex-stately home from which Hitler apparently wanted to run Britain once he'd invaded and conquered. It's a long way from any kind of civilization, or even roads, and the tranquility there is wonderful. The Severn flows just past the edge of their grounds. We were both very taken with the place and will definitely be dropping in again.

We eventually tore ourselves away and went shopping the usual assortment of things: some floor cleaner, a crispy duck, a gazebo and a sweatband for the cat (long story).

A Dummy Takes Mr Grumpy to Mr Happy

Tom woke up twice last night - bugger! Although can't really blame him as his sleep was disturbed with a trip to East End Balti.

Another beautiful day - decided to go to Trentham on the outskirts of Stoke. Is an outlet village, plus the largest garden centre in the UK, along with some Italian Gardens, Monkey Forest, boat rides etc etc. We had an amble amongst the shops, we weren't really looking for anything in particular. Matt got very excited when we came across a restaurant called Pieminister, full of lots of very good looking pies - we returned for lunch, and yes they were good.

Had a scoot round the garden centre, but neither boys were really in the mood and had reached their boredom thresholds, so we returned home. However, we would recommend this for both sets of parents next time they are up - take note!

Returned home, watched the Grand National - I tried to convince Matt to go down the bookies for me but he was unwilling. I am now happy he didn't go as I was going to back one of the horses that got injured!

Tom then became his grumpy self at 4.30. He's normally grumpy between 5 and 6 so this was an half hour earlier! I tried him with a dummy, low and behold he enjoyed it, cheered up and became happy again. Will try this again tomorrow when he becomes grumpy.

No pic today - video instead. I was trying to capture his many facial expressions, including a smile and sneeze. Wasn't completely successful.

Tom's First Indian

Last night was a bit of a milestone - Tom only woke once for feeding! I rejoiced when I looked at the clock and saw it was 2.48am. That means he went for almost 8 hours between feeds. I really hope this is a sign of things to come and that we are getting there when it comes to sleep. (I of course was awake at 1am, 2am, 4am and 5am as I'm so used to being awake then!). I woke up this morning in a pool of milk as a result, despite that I am a happy bunny today.

Went to Breast Feeding Support Group this morning. Is a nice group - only about 6 people go along, so it's small and intimate. Tom was well behaved, played nicely, fed, and then fell asleep just as it finished. Came home, put him to bed and got lunch for myself.

Now, anyone who knows us, will know that Friday night is curry night and that most weeks we go to East End Balti in Shifnal. Since Tom arrived, we've been getting take away, but now he is in a routine, we thought we would try to take him to the restaurant. So, we put him through the usual bedtime rigmarole - bath, feed, bed. Gave him a good half hour to fall asleep and then put him in his car seat and off to Shifnal. It worked! He slept through the whole meal - the staff were all smiles and happy to see him - in fact Abdul couldn't help but come past the table many times, and ended up giving us a free curry and nan bread to take home with a bag full of beers he's collected from previous customers (he's Muslim and teetotal). So, a success, we will be going back.

The Boys in Bed

The little angel kept me awake last night with his drowning noises. My head was spinning again thinking that the noises can't possibly be normal! I have to bury my head under the duvet and listen to some comedy to drown him out and be able to sleep. I then feel guilty that maybe Tom is in distress and that I should be listening out for him so then I put the light on, check he's OK, he generally is. I turn the light off, and then he starts making his noises again and I put my head back under the duvet again and so it goes round and round in circles...

Had a bit of a lie in this morning - just couldn't drag myself out of bed. Went to Oakengates Under Ones Club, came home for lunch. Spent the afternoon alternating between feeding, putting Tom down for a sleep and trying to do some more work in the garden.

He went through his usual routine of bath time and feed with Matt, went down at 7pm and haven't heard from him since.

50 Days Old!

Tom is 50 days old today! How time has flown. As you can see from the pic he is looking like a real boy today with his dungarees. We had an OK night and were up bright and early at 7am (well he was bright!) He started the day off well by weeing on the bed (through his nappy - the naughty boy!)

Went through our usual morning routine, but instead of falling asleep again at 9am, he fell asleep again at 8am. Oh well, gave me time to have breakfast and do some pumping. Once awake again he was content sat in his bouncy chair whilst I caught up on emails etc.

Went for a walk down to the parade and then visited baby clinic. Tom is now 12lb 3oz. Came home and as it was such a lovely day we spent some time in the garden tidying up the bushes. Tom was very good watching me from his pram.

After lunch we went to visit Carol at General. Tom spent most of the time asleep in her arms - very contented. I must say he's been an absolute angel today - long may it continue.