I won't sleep if I'm not at home

Not an ideal night, can't remember how many times I had to get up, maybe three, maybe four.

We decided to try to do the walk again that we had to abandon a couple of weeks back. As we drove over to Ironbridge, the clouds were threatening and for a moment we thought it would be rained off again.

However, the weather ended up being ok and we completed the walk. Was a short walk, but very very steep, I struggled just carrying a rucksack, not sure how Matt did it with Tom attached to him. View from the top of the hill was really good, and we got a new view of the Ironbridge. We found quite a few trails leading off from the paths we followed, so think there is quite a bit of exploring to do.

Once completed, we had lunch at Cherry's Cafe at the Greenwood Centre where we left the car, before coming home. Afternoon was spent baking a cake for tomorrow and then whizzing over to Michelle's to talk about the cake I'm going to make for Seren.

Because we were round Michelle's Tom refused to nap, so was quite grumbly. He fell asleep instantly in the car, but woke up on arrival back home as he couldn't go to his cot - sheets being washed due to nappy leakage during last nap. However, saying that he had his bath and drank his milk up before going to sleep so wasn't too bad.

This photo - another favourite outfit - from Vera. I think he looks like a budding pilot in it, Matt thinks he looks like a superhero, 'Chopper Boy'. This is age 6-9 months and he fills it, I can never understand the grading of baby clothes, he still fits in some 0-3 month clothes as well. How can that be?

I'm a big boy now (almost)

Had a good night. Tom woke up screaming around 9.15, took a good half hour to get him sorted - lots of cuddles, some Calpol (we think he is teething and has the sniffles) lots more cuddles, comfort feed, he went down again without any complaint. We didn't hear from him again until 5.50 so I had a 6 hour sleep (I didn't wake up at 4) yahoooooooooooooooo. He of course wanted to get up at 5.50 so we had a bit of a battle of wills until 7am which is getting up time.

Tom was pretty happy this morning, but refused to eat his breakfast. Well I think that is a little too harsh, he ate some but only about half his usual. I offered him some fruit, but he wouldn't eat that either. I think he was too tired, he had been up an extra hour after all.

Today we went down to Bristol to meet up with Mum and Dad and Simon, Clare and Jake as it is Mum's birthday tomorrow. We had found a pub at Littleton Upon Severn, a couple of miles from the M5 and M4. The others had got there early for a walk and to expend energy before lunch. We had a good lunch, unfortunately they didn't have their regular menu on but the food was good enough, the puddings were amazing - both Matt and I had chocolate mousse - not sure it was a good idea, especially thinking about our last experience of chocolate mousse. (It is now 7 hours later and I can still feel it - ooops) Tom and Jake were very well behaved. Tom was in a high chair for the first time and did very well. He ate his lunch without too much bother and was very well behaved whilst we ate ours, we all had a two handed lunch. Mum liked her cake - we didn't get to eat it - were too busy enjoying our 'token desserts' but that wasn't the point, it was the making of it. Will be quite a challenge for the two of them to eat it!

We went to a park afterwards so Jake could expend some more energy. Tom had a go on the swing but it was a little too big for him. Jake on the other hand absolutely loved them. Came home without too much bother, traffic good and Tom slept more or less the whole way.

All in all a good day, and Tom behaved very very well.

A happy day with Auntie Jude

Bloody awful night. Tom was awake every half hour from 1am. I tried the old tested method of feeding him to sleep and even that didn't work - first time ever. He wasn't crying, but noisy. I tried to ignore him, but as time went on the noise got louder and louder until I had to do something about it. He, as always was very happy to see me each time, but towards the end of the night I was getting very short with him.

Today we went up to Chirk to see Jude - haven't been to her place for ages, since before Tom was born anyway. Had lunch and then a quick walk along the canal. Tom was in great form, laughing almost constantly. His laugh has changed recently from a small chuckle to a dirty man laugh - i.e. no sound as such just heavy breathing, is very endearing. He has a snotty nose today, so that might have something to do with it.

Came home via Sainsburys to get some food. We were a little behind schedule so Tom didn't get to bed until after 7pm . He didn't manage his usual quota of sleep today being out of routine, so maybe, just maybe he will sleep tonight?

Swimming really is fab

A better night last night, Tom only woke once. Not sure if it has anything to do with the amount of food he has, but last night for his dinner he had half an avocado mixed with half a banana. It was a huge portion, I didn't expect him to finish even half of it, but it all went down and he still managed about 6oz of milk just before bed.

Anyway, was nice to have a fairly uninterrupted night. Had a boring morning - went into Newport on the hunt for some things for cake making, but failed miserably and came home emtpy handed.

Had lunch and then all three of us went to Hadley for another session in the swimming pool. Had a wonderful time, we had the pool to ourselves for the first half hour which was fab. Matt couldn't get over the change in Tom, we all had lots of fun.

I love my new bath toys

Not a great night last night either, I ended up feeding him to get him back to sleep after numerous visits to settle him. It worked, but really don't want to make it a habit for him to get back into.

We think he may be teething again, he doesn't have red cheeks, but he is drooling, stuffing his whole fist in his mouth and chewing EVERYTHING he can get hold of. I have had a good look in his mouth and can't see anything, but that doesn't mean they aren't moving. This afternoon he was shouting a lot so I tried him on the teething powders Lisa recommended and I had in ready (yes for once I was ready in advance!) Looked like I was giving him cocaine as they were white powders wrapped in a paper. I think I got most of them in his mouth - bit hard to say though.

This morning we went to the Oakengates group - haven't been for a while so it was good to see everyone again. We were brave today and went into the 'big room' for 6 month to 1 year olds. Was very very noisy, Tom rather than looking the biggest looked the smallest, there were lots of babies crawling, some walking and all very noisy. Not sure if we will go there next time or go back to the smaller baby room...

We had a quiet afternoon, not up to much. Oh forgot to mention, Michelle has asked me to do Seren's cake for her blessing next month - very scary, but I said yes. It needs a star theme (of course - Seren is Welsh for star), to be yellow, and consist of two cakes - one sponge, another fruit. Certainly a challenge, but one I hope to rise to, I certainly need the practise and am very flattered that they have asked me.

Today's pic - well Tom has finally made it to the big bath, and now he is able to sit up, we figured he would like some toys to play with. Ann, one of Matt's friends gave Tom some Amazon vouchers for his Naming Day, so we spent them and this is the result (I think Matt will be wanting to have a bath more often now...)

Toys - pahh! I love spoons

Tom was a little bugger last night. I'm not sure, but I think he woke up at 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am and 5am (not sure because it all rolls into one after a while). I did try to leave him on his own to go back to sleep, but he wouldn't and the noise just got louder and louder. Every time I went in there was a big gummy grin on his face - the little bugger - it's so hard to angry with him when he is like that.

Today is buggysize day, but the weather is horrible, my joints are very stiff and I didn't think any of the other girls were going, so I knocked it on the head and decided to do the Asda, Library and Baby Clinic run instead - Tom hasn't put on any weight, but I'm not surprised after the amount of poo he has produced this week. He, hopefully has regulated himself now, and will put on some weight next week.

This afternoon saw us at the HLC for another swimming session with Rachel and Mae. As usual it was lovely, Tom spent a full hour in the water and was very relaxed and cooing at the end.

He had a nice long sleep on our return, then dinner - today he ate my cauliflower cheese (I mixed it with butternut squash which seemed acceptable). I gave him a big lump of banana to play with as usual, today he managed to pick it up and put it in his mouth and take a chunk out of it. He suprised himself and spat it out, but I managed to convince him to take it again and he ate it - so chunks are now offically ok (well if they are made from banana). He then spent a good 30 minutes playing with a spoon in his high chair which was fantastic as it meant I could get things done.

Tom's toy box has arrived

So, no repeat performance from Tom last night. We woke at 1am (took 3 attempts to get him back to sleep) and then again at 4am. Oh well, I didn't really expect him to sleep through again, although it would have been nice. His rash is even better today, 2 big blotches on his tum, and a number of smaller spots here and there, but nothing really to worry about - so I won't!

We don't have much on this week, so we went along to a mother and baby group this morning, was good, met a couple of familiar faces, so had a good chat. Came home, fed Tom, fed self, then opened the big big package that had arrived whilst out. Tom's toy box has arrived (this is our present to Tom for his naming day) we had it custom made (those of you who went to Uni with me - remember Mel - who can forget him! His girlfriend did it for us) we asked for it to include our favourite animals - tiger for Matt, frog and giraffe for me and then of course Wilberforce had to be included. I know you wouldn't normally find these animals together but it works well doesn't it?

Sleep - we are getting there...

We all had a good sleep last night. Tom didn't wake up until 5.45 - hurray! Unfortunately I was awake at 4 as usual waiting for him to call, but he didn't. It took 4 trips to settle him back to sleep again when he did wake up, but he did nod off again around 6.30. So, a successful night, just need to convince him to do it again and tag on an extra hour...

Had a look at his rash this morning and it has very nearly disappeared. He still has some blotches on the back of his head, some around the top of his legs and a couple on his tum, but nothing like how it was so we decided he doesn't need a trip to the drs.

He was a good baby this morning, he wasn't too loud and get this - he ate his weetabix and prunes up without even one dab hitting his bib, I guess he was hungry.

After his morning nap we went out shopping. First stop the cake shop to pick up some bits and pieces for my next couple of cakes, then to Asda to stock up on bits and pieces for the week. Got home just past 12, gave Tom his lunch, but he really wasn't interested, so I put him down to nap instead.

To give him his dues, he more or less finished his lunch when he woke up. We were going to go round to see Carol, but she was on her way out of the office when I called, so we stayed in. Unfortunately Tom decided he was going to shout, I think he disturbed his Dad a little - he was pleased when he went for his afternoon nap.

So we are now all happier now that the weaning is going better, although I can tell that I'm producing less breast milk, my body unfortunately is reverting back to how it was pre- birth. So, my hair is mad in the morning, my nails are brittle and break at the slightest thing and my knees are crunching and legs are stiff which is horrible, horrible, horrible. Time to go back on the cod liver oil (can you take that if you are breast feeding? Another one to look up). Unfortunately, the appetite has not calmed down at all - I'm doomed to be forever fat, or to go on a diet which won't work as at the moment I don't have the motivation for it.

Blotchy boy

As you can from the photo, Tom's rash hasn't got any better, it's just moved north from his nappy line to his chest. It looks ghastly, but he still doesn't seem aware of it in the slightest. Thank God. Still, I think a trip to the health centre tomorrow is probably in order.

It's been a fairly quiet day for us. We popped into Newport this morning to spend £20 worth of Waitrose vouchers we had. That's about 5 items in Waitrose, but as I write this, I'm being tormented by the droolworthy smell of a belly pork joint roasting slowly in the oven. I've also opened a nice-looking bottle of French Merlot. Oh yes, it's gourmet nosh tonight.

Community spirit took over in Eastwood Drive this afternoon, as all of us (including Tom and Jodie) and all four Gouges set about mending the railings that Nik, ahem, encountered in the car the other day. We were busy wondering how on earth to bend them back into shape (they're quite thick and very stiff), but our genius neighbours from no. 53 suggested just swapping the panel in question with one that's hidden by the hedge. So that's what we did. How did we not think of that?

I did a bit of indoor refurbishment today as well, and Tom's lovely wooden aeroplane mobile is now hanging directly above his cot instead of just dangling from the light-shade. He seems very happy with the new arrangement and spent a good few minutes transfixed by it.

Right, time to go back up and see if dinner's ready.

A Rash Decision

Another ok night. Tom needed re-settling at 1, and then I didn't hear from him until 7am. Took me a while to get to sleep, but still managed about 5 to 6 hours so not too bad.

Tom was in a good mood this morning, however, on undressing him we found that his rash had got worse - he has got big red welts on his stomach and going up each side of his torso. Phoned ShropDoc who got a Dr to phone back within about 10 minutes. She asked a series of questions and came to the conclusion that it is a viral rash and will probably get worse before it gets better. She told us to keep the area affected as cool as possible, problem is that the worse affected area is his nappy area which is hard to keep cool.

We are glad to report that there was a good big soft poo in his nappy this morning, and then a gi-normous one produced during his morning nap - bigger than any from yesterday, there can't be much left in him now surely?!

We were going to try to do the walk we had to abort yesterday, however, Tom needed to be in his baby bjorn for it and we figured this wouldn't help his rash, so instead we decided to do a walk along the cycle route adjacent to the River Severn in Ironbridge, where Tom could be in his pram. This we did. Was a lovely walk, with a pub at the end with a fantastic view but mediocre food.

Came home and gave Tom nappy off time in the garden to try to get some air to his midriff. The rash has got worse as the dr predicted. Put him down for his afternoon nap on a waterproof sheet and a very loose nappy to keep the air circulating. He had a cool bath before bed. By the end of the day, the rash was also on the back of his neck, but his legs and arms were free of it. All very strange, but as i mentioned, he is quite well himself, doesn't seem at all uncomfortable and isn't attempting to scratch the spots, so we figure he is ok. If the rash isn't improving by Monday morning we will call the dr's surgery and get him booked in. Why do these things always happen at the weekend?

Poo, Poo and more Poo

Tom refused to drink his milk last night - he took less than a third of his usual portion, which suggests to me that he was full on food. I think milk is more important than food at the moment, so will reduce his evening meal back to what I was doing before speaking to the Health Visitor to make sure he gets enough.

We had quite a good night though, I had to get up once at 1am to 'plug' him and that was it until 6.45, I got to sleep pretty quickly after that so had a good night as well. This morning I gave him 1/4 weetabix with prunes. As Matt was light on work, we decided to head into Ironbridge to do one of the walks we found last week and then have lunch. We set out with Tom in his Baby Bjourn, all very happy and chatty, but about 10 minutes into the walk the heavens opened, luckily we were under trees when it happened, but it got heavier and heavier so that in the end we had to give up as Tom was getting wet. Ended up running to a fireplace showroom to put Tom down and put him in some dry clothes whilst Matt went to get the car.

By the time Matt had got the car, the sky was blue - not a cloud to be seen, but it was too late, the Baby Bjourn was drenched, there was no way we could take Tom out. What we need is baby waterproofs - never seen them in the shops.

Tom fell asleep in the car so I put him in his cot for his lunchtime nap, when he woke up I went into his room - boy did it smell! He had done a massive pate poo - this was the second of the day - nice and soft and very big. In fact by the end of the day he had done 4 big pate poos, so the prunes and weetabix certainly did their job and we are all relieved.

Gave him his lunch when he woke up - cauliflower and broccoli cheese - he hated it - would not let it near him - this is his first full on refusal of food, so I ended up eating it - yummy and I gave him some mashed avocado - he refused again, so I mashed up some banana into it - then he ate it all - difficult boy!

Tom decided he was going to shout in the afternoon, so I took him to Newport as Matt had had a job come in and was working again. Ambled around the library and Waitrose (managed to not buy anything!) before returning around 3pm. Tom fell asleep in the car again, but only managed 30 mins meaning the afternoon was a little long. Gave him his dinner early - back on smaller portions: butternut squash and peach to follow - all of which went down well.

As everything happened a little early, he had an early bath followed by his last feed and was fast asleep by 6.15.

Next on our list of things to worry about - Tom has a number of red spots on his tum which have suddenly appeared. I'm hoping it might just be a slight allergic reaction to something, they certainly don't seem to be giving him any trouble. We will have a look to see how they look tomorrow...

Happier Day

Feeling much better today, thank you everyone, it's good to know we have such good friends. Tom slept well last night - he woke at 1am, but got himself back off to sleep without any intervention. He then woke at 4 and needed a little help, and then at 6 he was wide, wide, wide awake. I unfortunately still didn't get much, I couldn't get back to sleep after the 1am wake up, and once again my back was aching badly - oh humm.

This morning Tom had weetabix and prunes for breakfast - diluted with some cows milk. He enjoyed it, almost managed half a bix (is that the right expression?) which seemed a huge portion - you can see the remnants of it in the pic. He had a good portion of breast milk at 10.30, but was uninterested in his lunch, deciding that breast milk was better. I'm not going to argue against that, we will see what he eats for dinner.

Lunchtime saw us at the Golf Club to meet the girls. Tom is now officially the smallest of the babies. However, Amanda (who is a nurse) said that it is normal for breastfed babies to get big quickly and then level off, whilst formula fed babies tend to be small initially and then catch up - so this could be Tom's natural curve, although I still think 2oz in 4 weeks is too little, but I'm not depressed about it today.

2pm saw us back at Hadley for another swimming session with Lou, Jessica & Rachel and Mae, they all really enjoyed it and we have rebooked for next week. Tom once again was fairly chilled out and went under water without too much trouble. Rachel bought along a swimming aid for Mae - a ring which babies sit in, Tom had a go and absolutely loved it - I feel a trip to T K Maxx coming on...

A Bad Day

Today has been a bad day. First of all - a bad night's sleep. Tom was awake at 1am and 4am. He went straight back to sleep each time, but I didn't. It was 3am before I got back to sleep the first time. This meant that I ended up hallucinating again - I thought I had a second baby in the bed and was too scared to move in case I crushed it, meaning once again I couldn't sleep. Also my back was aching big time which didn't help matters.

Today dawned sunny which was a good thing and 10am saw us at the Cricket Club in Shifnal doing buggysize with Rachel M. I did ok until the skipping where I went a bit mad, from there on I could hardly move! After the session I went back to Rachel's house - for drink and lunch.

Got home - get this Tom fell asleep at Rachel's, I managed to pick him up, put him in the car, take him out the car and get him into his cot without him waking up. Not bad, I took the opportunity to have a shower as I was stinking. Woke Tom up after my shower as he had been down quite a while. Noticed from the window that the car had been moved. Thought it was very strange so asked Matt if he had done it, he hadn't. I had forgotten to put the hand brake on, so the car had creeped backwards. The car has some dents and scuffs on it and the fence has bent big time. Bugger, how crap!

I then took Tom down to baby clinic - he now weighs 18lb 10oz, so he has put on 2oz in the last month - ie since I've been weaning him, so it is all going wrong, the Health Visitor wasn't overly concerned as he looks bright and healthy, but gave me some advice. The sheep poo and hard poo is wrong, it should be pate poo. She told me to give him some apricots, prunes and weetabix. I asked what size portions I should be giving and she seems to think that I haven't been giving him enough - she told me to double everything. She basically said that Tom isn't getting enough liquids and to give him more. I'm not sure how to do this - I offer him breast milk right through the day, thin down all his food so it is almost liquid and offer him water with his lunch and dinner. I explained this and she seemed to think that what I was doing was right, but maybe should give him more breast milk - I'm not sure how to, as if he isn't ready for it he refuses point blank and will not latch on.

Came home via Asda to get some prunes, apricots and cow's milk (for the weetabix). Am feeling pretty depressed about the whole thing, feel I have let him down, but am also upset about lack of help and advice you get about it. It seems that you are supposed to have an innate instinct that tells you these things, I obviously don't have it. Tomorrow he will be having weetabix for breakfast.

Lisa - thanks for your invitation, haven't had time today to go to ivillage, but will sometime soon.

No Sleep for Us

So, the towels under the mattress worked last night, Tom didn't spin. Instead he cried and cried and cried. After 2 hours I gave up and fed him so he would go to sleep, which he did. Took me another hour to get to sleep - so not a great night at all. I'm sort of lost now as to what to do.

Today we met up with Michelle and Seren, went for a walk around the Town Park and then had lunch in the Town Centre. Were talking 19 to the dozen, mainly about weaning and poo. Seren hasn't had the poo problems that Tom has had and has already moved on to meat, fish and bread. I'm not going to move Tom onto anything more until his poo is sorted out. Tom is happy and healthy on the whole, but I can't help feeling that I've gone wrong with weaning. I still can't find any literature about poo and weaning - I think it is assumed that you know what is right - why on earth that would be I don't know. All the literature tends to talk about the consistency of the food to be what baby can cope with in the mouth - chewing and swallowing. None tell you about the affect of the consistency of the food and poo. I am now pureeing everything to as smooth a consistency as possible and hope that has a positive affect. We compared routine, food intake etc, it seems more or less the same. We have the same problem in that we don't know how much food to give and I have the added problem in that I don't know how much milk Tom is having during the day.

I had the same problem with Tom today as Sunday in that he would not go to sleep when we were out, too much going on for him relax, so he went from 10am to 2pm with no sleep. He then only had 30 minutes. He woke up in a bad mood and cried and cried. I took him for a walk to the butchers and he cried all the way down there, in the shop and all the way back. He calmed down when we got to Asda - very strange - must be the ambiance or something because he started crying as soon as we got back and then threw up on me - for the third time today! I put him back in his cot and after some persuasion he went back to sleep. It's not a good day for him to be grizzly as I am irritable through lack of sleep.

I love spinning at night

Not the best of nights - can't remember how many times I had to get up, but was a few - the main reason this time being that Tom was spinning round in his cot and kept getting stuck when he was 90 degrees round, with head and feet against the bars of his cot oh humm.

Morning was spent making fairy cakes - we were going to see Rachel Z and Oliver, Rachel was providing lunch for the umpteenth time, me feeling guilty thought I should take something with me so made some chocolate fairy cakes spelling Oliver.

We met Rachel and Oliver at Haughton Hall to go swimming - Rachel wanted to learn some moves to do with Oliver, so I taught her as best I could, however, it was hard as the baby pool was so shallow it was impossible to move round properly in it.

We went for lunch afterwards in a pub in Shifnal - change of plan as Rachel had a dr's appointment. So, we made ourselves comfortable in the conservatory - both babies decided to nap at the same time which was fab, meant we could have an adult conversation without having to entertain our babies. Very lovely. Rachel has suggested we put two rolled up towels under Tom's mattress to create a gradient either side of the cot to try to stop him spinning. We have done this, we will see if it works...

Came home, had a play, Tom had his afternoon nap and then dinner for him (sweet vegetable puree followed by banana) and bath and bed whilst I continued my pureeing odyssey in the kitchen. Only a large courgette and some spinach to go - maybe tomorrow's job. Certainly shouldn't need to puree anymore vegetables for a while.

What a great great Aunt and Uncle.

Last night saw Tom giving us a repeat performance of yesterday. He was a happy baby all day including bath time. He had his milk, we put him down in his cot and then he cried and cried and cried. We tried everything including me giving him extra milk. Nothing worked, we then put him in the cot downstairs, he calmed down for a couple of minutes and then started up again. Funny thing is that it is almost as if he is scared of his room. As soon as we take him out of his room he calms down, he then gets upset when he goes in his room and then screams as soon as we put him in his cot. However, he naps in his room with no problem at all? All very strange. It took a good 20 minutes before he finally fell asleep in his room.

He did actually sleep quite well after that though, waking just once at 4 - when he had spun round in his cot and got stuck. He woke again at 6 - same problem, but each time I put him back where he needed to be and he went straight back to sleep.

Today, as you can see from the photos we went visiting relatives again - back to Shelm and Bob's in Southport. When we took Tom to see them in May, Shelm's reaction was so lovely to watch - she was straight into cuddling him and kept saying how gorgeous he was. I thought it would be lovely to visit them again whilst he is still a baby. I was hoping to see Gill as well, but once again she was unable to make it.

Anyway, as predicted as soon as we got to the door, Shelm was over and demanding a cuddle. Once again she said what a bonny, happy baby Tom is, it's so nice to hear someone else tell you what a gorgeous baby you have produced and Tom was pretty well behaved, except he refused to go to sleep in the pub, meaning our lunch wasn't as relaxed as it could be. However, on the whole he got a good school report and I don't think it will be too long before we revisit.

We also found out that I am distantly related (albeit very very very distant and not through blood) to Connor Cummins - the fasted Manx man round the GP circuit. Apparently he has very little family so would be happy to meet a very very distant relative. They were both very impressed with Matt because Bob showed him a photo without mentioning his name and Matt named him immediately - I don't think they realised that he has a good name in the TT - I even know of him. Think we will be putting in a call to Bob before we go back to the Isle of Man.

Tom slept all the way home so we gave him a kick about for an hour before bath and bed. This time he went to bed with no protest. Oh forgot to say he has been a poo monster today and has produced all types of poo that I described yesterday, he went through 5 nappies which is the most in ages.

Dinosaur Jr.

An ok night after a rocky start. Whilst I was out collecting our Indian takeaway, Tom had a screaming fit which lasted a good 20 mins. He did calm down and go to sleep eventually and stayed asleep until 4am when he cried - went in to see him to find him trying to roll from his side to his back, but his arm was in the way meaning he was stuck! Oh hum, would have been ok, except I couldn't get back to sleep again.

He was up again at 6.30, but I managed to convince him to be quiet until 7 when I fed him. This morning we had a webcam chat with Pat and Bob, so we decided to keep him in his dinosaur outfit - this is our favourite by far. Matt always dresses him at night and if the dinosaur outfit is in the drawers, that's what Tom wears. Unfortunately we don't think it will last much longer so we thought we should try to get a good pic of it for posterity.

This morning Tom had 'sheep poo' in his nappy. I am obsessed by Tom's poo. When he was exclusively breast fed he didn't poo very often, so I was constantly on the look out for it. Since being on solids, he's being pooing daily, but his poo changes consistency all the time. When he first went on solids his poo was the consistency of pate, then it went really solid like adult poo and sometimes it looks like sheep poo - little pellets. Sometimes he screams when he poos which says to me that it can't be right. All the weaning books talk about food, pureeing etc etc, but none of them tell you about the side affects of weaning - ie that your baby's poo will change. I was concerned that maybe he wasn't getting enough liquid so I now offer him a sippy cup of water with his meals. When he was having 'screaming poos' I put him on a diet of milk and fruit and that sorted it out, it seems to be the veg that makes the poo hard. I will ask the HV next time we go to baby clinic to see what she says is normal. I realise his digestive system isn't used to solids and needs to work out how to process them, but I am concerned that I might be overloading it. That's another thing the books don't tell you - how much of the solids to give - it all seems to be a guessing game. Anyway I want to be sure what I'm doing is right before we move on to bread, pasta, meat and fish etc.

Anyway, today we popped down to Ironbridge to Dale End Park where there was supposed to be a vintage bike rally (turned out to be a couple of caravans in a field). Walked down to the Meadow pub for lunch - chicken wings for Matt and moules for me (Matt had stuff all over his face by the time he finished - looked worse than his son!) We then walked to the Green Wood Centre where we found out about some new walks in Ironbridge which we can do on a sunny day with Tom in the sling.

Came home via Jungleland, I popped in to find out if there is a baby area and ended up being given a full tour. I think Tom is too small at the moment, but once he is crawling there is a good area for him to play in - only costs £2.99 so will be a good way to pass some time on a rainy day.

Spent the afternoon in the garden, I decided to tackle the weeds in the garden and Matt entertained Tom. I ended up with nettle stings and thorns in my hands, whilst Matt was punched in the face - not sure who was worse off?

I love rolling in my cot

Humm, the rolling thing continued into the night, he rolled 3 times during the night, each time I had to go in and rescue him. I ended up wedging his soft toys around the side of the cot to make the space in the cot narrower in an attempt to give him less room to roll. He didn't roll again after than, but not sure if that was because he was tired and went to sleep or because the toys worked. However, he managed not to roll during his naps today so maybe that is the solution - for now anyway.

This afternoon saw us visiting Kamila and Sam. Kamila is 38 weeks pregnant, so due anytime. Very exciting, she is very much in the same camp as me, wants the baby out, but very scared about what life with a baby will be like. She was full of questions which I tried to answer truthfully, but without alarming her. It is true, every baby is different, so it's impossible to give a real answer until the baby is here. Get this, I can't wait to hold their baby when it is born - who would have thought I would ever say that?!

Came home at 4, as Tom was getting restless, but refusing to go to sleep. I have noticed this in the last week or so, if we are out and about during his nap times he refuses to sleep. I think it is because he is so much more alert and doesn't want to miss out on anything. He definitely knows where home is and if he isn't there, he finds it hard to relax.

As he was napping I thought I would get some more pureeing done. I did the monthly shop on Monday and bought loads of vegetables forgetting the logistics involved in finding time to do all the cooking, so I have been pureeing mad this week trying to get it all done before the veggies go off. Tuesday I made a sort of dhal, Wednesday I pureed 2 punnets of peaches, yesterday a cauliflower, tomato, carrot and cheese combination, today cauliflower and broccoli cheese and butternut squash and cumin. That just leaves some courgette and spinach to do, phew! The freezer is now full to bursting.

Today's pic - sorry almost exactly the same as yesterday - must check the blog first next time.

I LOVE swimming

So, as I predicted it was a bad night last night. Tom's irregular naps led to him not taking as much milk as normal for his last feed. At 3am he woke, was in his usual place at the bottom of the cot. I put him back, gave him his dummy and hoped that would be all I would hear! Wrong. He kept going for a good hour, so in the end I gave up and fed him - he was asleep in 5 mins. I will give him the benefit of the doubt today, but I really want to get him out of the habit of feeding in the night.

Tom has also learnt a new trick whilst napping. He is generally quite good at naps when he is at home. If I put him down, he normally goes to sleep without a fight. Over the last couple of days though, about 5 minutes or so after putting him down and not hearing anything, suddenly I will hear a cry, I'll go up and find his dummy half way across the room and him on his front! He has got himself into rolling in his cot, and can't roll back. He still doesn't roll much on the floor - in fact I haven't seen him roll for a good week or so. He still doesn't really like being on his front so it's not a great habit for him to get into.

This afternoon we went to the HLC for a baby swimming session. It was fantastic, so wish I knew about this place before! Within the HLC there is a Special School which has a hydrotheraphy pool which was lovely and warm. As well as that there were multi coloured lights which Tom was fascinated by, also there were pictures of monkeys, elephants etc etc being projected on the wall. All of this was accompanied by a music - tracks from the Lion King, Oliver, Jungle Book etc, which made for a lovely atmosphere. Tom was so relaxed, I wouldn't have been surprised he had fallen asleep in there. He managed to float on his back with legs sticking in the air whilst trying to eat his feet - a real picture. I went with Lou from Waterbabies who couldn't get over the transformation in Tom, she thought he was a different baby!

Anyway he now has a glowing school report for his swimming, and this is the pool where his next term of waterbabies classes is going to take place so hopefully that will mean that he will enjoy them more. We have booked in again for next Thursday, must take full advantage of them as they are only holding the sessions during the school holidays.

Feet are tasty

Tom had me up twice last night - once at 1am, when he had managed to spin himself round in the cot and got himself stuck again. So I put him back and he went back to sleep - I'm always amazed that he goes back to sleep, as he always looks so awake when I go in. He then woke me up again at 6, once again at the bottom of the cot! Oh hum.

Today dawned grey, rainy and miserable which meant that buggysize took place inside the cricket pavillion rather than on the field. It was quite hot and muggy in the room and I think this put Tom off - he screamed for what seemed like most of the class. As soon as I took him out in the rain he was fine. Despite this, I managed to work up a good sweat and felt quite tired by the end so I guess I did get enough exercise.

Rachel Z kindly invited us back for lunch which was very generous and very well done - as expected. A big cheese board with baguettes and garlic bread - very lovely - we all grazed for the afternoon. Tom, being far more aware of things going on around him refused to relax and therefore refused to nap. It took me 2 hours to persuade him to sleep and then he only managed 20 minutes, by which time it was 3pm, meaning that we missed baby clinic, so no weigh check today.

Came home and managed to get Tom to nap again whilst I did him a big lot of peaches. Oh forgot to mention, made Tom his first recipe yesterday - lentils and vegetables - a sort of dhal, he had it for lunch today and it went down well, so that gets a big tick. Oh and he managed to get his feet in his mouth again - this is the second time he's managed this.

Daddy's Home Again

Not the best night, Tom got me up twice, but once again I didn't feed him and he went back to sleep without too much trouble and was hungry at 7 when I got him up.

We had to wait in for the gas man today, but luckily he arrived early, meaning Tom and I made it to Bounce and Rhyme at Newport by the skin of our teeth. Same woman doing it, but better - I think it must have been one of her first times last time we went. We went for coffee with Amanda and Rachel afterwards and then came home for lunch.

The afternoon saw us at General to see Carol. Tom played up to her big time - full of smiles and laughter. Came home to find Matt had got back, so we spent the rest of the day in the garden, especially as the sun had come out and it had warmed up.

Picture shows him as a happy chappy with his trademark gummy grin. He now sits without much trouble at all - funny he's gone from severe wobbling to being stable in about a week, I think something has suddenly clicked with him. His cradle cap has almost gone as well which is nice - I don't have to oil his head every morning.

6 Months Today

Can you believe it, Tom is six months old today!
How time has flown. I can't believe it has been six months - it has gone fast, yet it is getting harder to remember life before him.

Last night I tried an experiment as Matt is away. When he woke up for his feed (around 2.30) I didn't give him any. Instead I gave him his dummy. He didn't seem at all perturbed - although he was wide wide awake! I didn't hear from him again until 7am. So, a success, especially as he fed at 7am which he has refused to do for a while. I wonder if he will do that again tonight, or even better - just sleep for the whole night (wishful thinking I guess!)

Today was a run of the mill day, went to Tesco's for a monthly shop this morning (we have finally run out of left overs from last weekend). He was a model baby - looking cute, cooing and very well behaved.

Came home, he had butternut squash and peas followed by apple for lunch and then went to sleep. The afternoon saw us down at the post office and the library - he got another certificate today.

He has been a delight to be with the last couple of days: a very happy, smiling, cute baby. Someone told me that 4 to 9 months are the 'golden age' as babies are smiling and immobile and to enjoy every moment. I will try to do so, I'm certainly enjoying him at the moment.

I can sit if I really concentrate

Not a great night - Tom had me up at 1.40 and 2.40 for feeding - hummmmmmmmm! Had a pretty uneventful morning, ending up with brunch at Sam's cafe - beans on toast with an egg on top for me and a bacon sarnie for Matt. Matt then continued on his way to Sellafield for his interpreting job, whilst Tom and I returned home, Tom to have a nap and me to vacuum the house - it's looking much better, which makes me more relaxed.

Once Tom had had his lunch - butternut squash and broccoli followed by apple and peach, we went for a walk delivering thank you letters and then to Asda so I could have something for dinner (I bought some scallops - I figured that if Matt is enjoying posh nosh, I should also treat myself)

Came home, Tom had another nap, whilst I caught up on WOSAs - I've almost finished, just a couple left.

Today Tom has been really good at sitting. He sat this morning for a good 30 minutes without hardly any intervention from me. Problem is that he tends to wobble and then fall over which means tears. I can't leave him for a second - tomorrow I'm going to put a load of cushions around him to see if that helps.

Today's pic - of him sitting of course!

I can get blueberries everywhere!

As Tom didn't get to bed until after 9, I was hoping for a good night, however, he was up and needing feeding again at 2.30am and was awake for the morning at 6.50! Oh humm!

This morning I went pureeing mad, cooking everything in sight - so he should be sorted for a little while now and also now he's reaching 6 months, I will soon be able to introduce finger foods, bread, dairy etc etc. I want him to be able to feed himself as soon as possible, so we can do away with the purees and he can start eating what we eat.

Lunchtime saw us in Newport to do some shopping and have lunch. Tom refused to go to sleep whilst we were out, which meant that he had a longer sleep when he did eventually nap.

He woke up in a very good mood and full of energy, he spent 2 hours basically going mad - wriggling, laughing, gurgling, kicking etc etc. I tried him with some new tastes - peas and potatoes. He took his first mouthful, screwed up his face and was more or less instantly sick - with most of a previous milk feed coming up as well. Not sure if it was the potatoes or the peas or both he didn't like, but he refused anymore. He did take fruit though - apple and blueberries which he liked (first time for blueberries).

This whole weaning thing is very confusing, I don't know how much to give Tom, how many milk feeds he should have, if I should give him water with food, or what. There isn't any consistent advice out there at all, all the books say something different and health care officials are very careful to not tell you anything. I'm constantly worrying if I am doing the right thing. I don't think he is getting enough liquid as his poo is so hard, but I am constantly offering milk - which he refuses quite a bit of the time. Today I offered him water for the first time - just in an attempt to get some liquid into him. I think he took some. If he eats fruit and milk he is fine, but as soon as vegetables come into the equation his poo goes hard, which can't be right. The books tell you how much milk he should be taking, but as he is breast fed I have no idea how much he is getting. Oh humm, just another hurdle to overcome before something else comes up...

I'm now dreading Tom turning 3!

Friday saw Tom and I braving the motorway traffic to go to Waddesdon to meet Debi and Charlie (roughly halfway for us). I have forgotten how bad motorway traffic is on a Friday - both trips were horrible. I arrived late, but as predicted, Debi arrived even later.

I was quite excited because she was going to give me a buggy and back pack for Tom - she forgot both! Oh hum - guess I need to be her PA again!!!!! Anyway a good day was had, we had a picnic in the grounds, a look around the aviary and Charlie spent quite some time playing in the very good children's playground there.

Charlie is 3 and a half and a nightmare. He refuses to do anything Debi asks of him, very much has his own agenda and will only compromise on something if a bribe is forthcoming - is this what we have to come? In typical Debi style, Charlie seems to belong to every club going - he goes to Tennis Club, Pony Club, Soccer Tots, the Golf Range...you name it, he does it. She said that she tries to explain to him that he has more than most kids, but I don't think he understands yet...

I don't think Debi and I managed even a two sentence conversation without being interrupted, so didn't really manage to talk business, Spain etc etc. We didn't even manage to have lunch together as Tom wanted a kick on the blanket, and Debi's rather posh blanket let the water through so she had to sit on a bench with her back to me (she needs to buy things from market stalls like us - much better quality)!!!!

Anyway, we now have a provisional date for Spain, and Debi did give us some lovely clothes for Tom (mostly Ralph Lauren but also some Gap and Next!) She also included two pairs of welly boots - can't wait for Tom to be walking so he can stamp and splash in puddles - I loved doing that as a kid.

Got really stuck on the way home on the motorway, so Matt hopped on his motorbike and we met in a pub near Stourport for dinner to help the traffic calm down before trying again. Didn't get home until after 9pm. Oh, forgot to mention, Tom made his displeasure of slow traffic known in the car and screamed for a good hour from Bicester to Stourport. I stopped at Warwick services, changed him, fed him, let him kick etc, but to no avail, as soon as we were back in the car he screamed! I guess he hates long car journeys - can't really blame him.

Sorry - didn't take a photo today - forgot!

Back to Normal

Not much to report today, I'm afraid. We have now more or less returned back to our usual routine. This morning was spent at our Thursday group, came home for lunch then went swimming this afternoon. Tom was pretty chilled out again which is a good sign. A couple of grumbles when he went under water, but nothing compared to what happened in those earlier disastrous lessons.

Goodbye Gran, So sorry you never met Tom

Not a great day today. Gran died this morning at 5am. She was the only member of the family not to meet Tom. We were planning to go down to see her at the end of this month - I guess we were 3 weeks too late. Hindsight is a great thing, I have been beating myself up all day with 'what if's', 'if onlys' etc.

Why oh why didn't we make the effort to go earlier? Why didn't I keep on trying to call Judy after initially not being able to get hold of her.

We can't turn the clock back, so we have to be thankful that she knew of Tom's existence. At least I wrote to her last week with some recent photos, so I hope we were foremost in her mind. Now is the time to feel for Dad and Judy. Judy is on holiday, so Dad was the next of kin who had to speak to the hospital and make decisions that everyone dreads. Judy has got to cope with the fact her mum died when she was on holiday. Not an easy time for anyone.

Gran was 94, so she had a good innings, she was a tough, strong minded woman, someone who I looked up to. She didn't have an easy life, but I never once heard her complain about her lot in life. I hope that I can be as strong as her. She was highly intelligent, very well read and enjoyed a tipple - we always had to buy the odd bottle or five on our day trips to Calais to drop in to her when she lived in Folkestone!

Everything else that happened today seems to have paled into insignificance, although I must say that Tom is a great comfort. I have been encouraging him to sit up, using the drum that Carol got him for his naming day. (I love this pressie - think I have played with it as much, if not more than Tom!). I took him to be weighed - he's lost an ounce - but I think we can put that down to him refusing to take his milk during the day on Thursday and Friday last week. It's not anything to worry about and he's taking his solids and milk OK now that our days are back to normal.

Mum and Dad go home

So, after almost a week, mum and dad went on their way back home today. They really were incredably helpful - without them taking Tom off my hands on Thursday and Friday, there wouldn't have been any food on Saturday and they helped set up the hall, transport the food and babysit on Saturday night so I could catch up with friends etc.

I took them to the Black Country Museum yesterday which they enjoyed, and wish to revisit to finish off later this year.

They were on their way back to Devon at 10.00, so Tom and I decided to try out a new parent and baby group in Trench, as the Monday one has finished for the holidays. Good job I went as there was only one other mum and baby their (Nicola and Ben) - had a good natter, I could have quite easily have fallen asleep on the cushions they had laid out!

Came back for lunch - guess what - a roll and some salad!!!! Then off to Asda to get some bits for tonight (forgot the main ingredient - onions!) Came home to find a bunch of flowers and a lovely card from Pat and Bob saying thanks for the weekend. Was very touching.

Tom and Matt's Big Day

Apologies for lack of blog in recent days, however, with the exception of my Dutch friends, I think all of you will know why I haven't had time to look at a computer, let alone write something on it.

So the weekend went well, I think everyone enjoyed themselves, we certainly all did - it all seems a bit of a blur now as I was constantly on the go. I have to admit that I made a rod for my own back by doing the majority catering myself, but it all came good in the end, and this week we are going to eat very cheaply!

Thanks to everyone for making the effort to come and making it such a special day. I will post some selected photos up here from the day, once we have them.