Happier Boy

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

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

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

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

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

Young Family Reunion

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

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


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

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

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

Yummy Hot Berry Punch

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

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

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

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

Sick Tom

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

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

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

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

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

He didn't sleep

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

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

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

He slept! Phew!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A good sleep for one of us

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

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

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

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

Lovely Day

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

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

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

An up and down weekend

An up and down weekend. Tom still isn't sleeping. Can't remember how many times he woke on Friday night, but obviously not a good night as we all overslept and didn't wake up until 8am. This had repercussions for the rest of the day. It meant that he didn't have his proper morning nap prior to swimming. This in turn meant that he grizzled during his lesson, and in the end Matt gave up and finished the lesson early. Matt and I then had words - it had been building up for a while, basically lack of sleep on both sides has made both of us grumpy, resentful, unaccommodating etc etc. We ended up having a heart to heart and a promise for better understanding on both sides. We also resolved to try new ways to get Tom to sleep through, starting with getting Tom up at 7am every morning regardless of the night's sleep.

The rest of the day was pretty grey in mood and weatherwise. It rained, rained, rained. So, we went to Sam's for lunch and dropped into B&Q to get some more roof felt for the shed (oh yes we know how to enjoy ourselves) Tom LOVED B&Q, was happy and giggly, very pleased with himself.

Not much else to report for the day. Tom had a huge dinner, biggest to date and then a skype chat with his Grannie and Grandpa London. We were hoping that would lead to a good sleep, however, he was sick just before Matt put him in his bed and lost half of it! Anyway he went to sleep without a fight.

I resolved today not to feed him to sleep during the night, he ate enough and is big enough not to need food during the night. I think he needs to learn not to expect food: day is for food, night is for sleeping.

It was a tough night, Tom woke at 10pm, Matt got him back to sleep ok. He then woke at midnight, it took me until 1.45am to get him to sleep. He wasn't asking for food, but for human company. He was full on crying when I entered the room, I picked him up, he calmed down. I put him back in his cot, he started to cry again. Once I got him to stop crying in his cot, he would start again as soon as I turned off the light and started to move towards the door. It went on and on and on. In the end I had to cuddle him to a relatively deep sleep so that when I put him back in his cot he stayed asleep. It is so strange because when we put him to bed in the evening, we leave him wide awake and he goes to sleep on his own with no problem.

Having got him back to sleep at 1.45, he was awake again at 3.30 - ouch. Once again, I had to cuddle him to sleep, this took until 4.15, which was much quicker than before. I didn't hear from him again until we all got up at 7am. He had a good feed from me in the morning, first time he's fed from me in the morning for ages - I wonder if that will help?

This morning it was Abi's christening (girl born on the same day as Tom). 9.30 saw us at the Church near Stafford. We were hoping that with Tom's earlier get up time he would have his morning nap in the car on the way to the church. The little bugger fell asleep literally just as we reached the church - poo!

Tom behaved well during the church service which seemed to go on and on. We managed to keep him quiet for most of the service, being the nosey baby he is, he was quite content to look around at the architecture and people. Next stop was a pub for lunch. Tom was getting fractious, so we drove double the distance we needed, in an attempt to get him to sleep, typical, he fell asleep just as we arrived!!!!

Considering he was very short of sleep, Tom, was very well behaved at the reception. He ate two large jars of food and was happy, giggly and charming. We didn't leave until 2pm, when he fell asleep almost immediately (at last). Came home, put him to bed for an hour and then popped to see Sam, Kamila and Stella to deliver christening pressie etc (we missed Stella's Christening last week as I was feeling too ill with tonsillitis!) Stella certainly has grown and is smiling which is great.

Came home, Tom had a good dinner, (home cooked braised beef and jacket potato followed by fromage frais), bath and bed. A good day today, much better than yesterday. We will see what tonight brings, but I'm not going to feed him again. (Oh, managed to express 8oz this evening without too much problem, which means my milk production is back up to what it was, which is fantastic!)

A run of the mill day

Tom was awake at 12.30, 2.30 and 4.30 before finally waking up for the day at 7am. Oh hum, giving him as much food as possible hasn't seemed to make a difference. Tom woke up in a good mood, played in bed and then had breakfast - porridge and banana, not a great success.

Put him down for his morning nap, then made our way to Stirchley for the BEST course, all about barriers to giving advice.

The afternoon saw us round at Michelle's with Lou and Jessica for a chat and walk in the park.

A pretty run of the mill day really, not much to report. Tom ate a good lunch and an ok dinner (he grunted a lot for dinner), and I managed to get him on the breast for his afternoon snack, so all good. I got a little depressed talking to Michelle and Lou, as both Seren and Jessica sleep through the night. Every bit of advice they gave me I have already tried. Really don't know if I'm doing / have done something wrong so that he has now learnt to wake up so much, or if that's just Tom, he just doesn't sleep? Oh hum, it is something I just have to learn to live with, but I think Matt and I could do with just a couple of nights undisturbed sleep, for R&R as well as for our sanity as a couple.

Life is fragile

Interesting night. Tom woke at 10.30 and was not going to go back to sleep, he was hungry, hungry, hungry. I knew I didn't have enough milk in to satisfy him, and had only managed to pump 4oz last night so I sent Matt downstairs to get a carton of formula (I bought one yesterday as I had a feeling this might happen) Tom drank the whole lot, so he certainly was hungry. I put him back in his cot wide awake and he took himself off to sleep. He woke again at 12.30, he needed a cuddle and went back to sleep. Next wake up was 4.15am, when he went on the breast for a while, then 5am ditto. He then woke up again at 6am but was just playing, cooing and talking, so I didn't go in. Next thing I knew, it was 7.45!

This morning, I thought it was about time we went to the Salvation Army group again - we haven't been for ages. It was very quiet for a change, but enough people there who I know to talk to. I could see just how far Tom has progressed in his mobility, as he was able to get around the toys much better than normal - although still goes backwards, and therefore ends up further from where he wants to be.

Tom wouldn't eat his lunch when we got back, he was too tired, hadn't had his morning nap. So, I put him in his cot and got on with mine. When he woke up he was ravenous, he ate all the savoury food I had ready for him, and some cheese, and a breadstick, a fromage frais and a jar of dessert, his mouth just kept opening.

Once I had let his lunch settle, we scooted off to Asda so I could pick up the rest of my prescription, we then spent the afternoon playing.

This evening was cake course (I swapped from Tuesday to Thursday as I was feeling so unwell), so I left Matt in the middle of bath and bed routine and headed out to Stirchley. Cake class was going well, I have got so much to catch up on having missed last week - namely making a poinsettia (sorry not sure on spelling), lots of ivy, holly and maybe a robin. In the middle of Brenda showing us what to do a lady got up, fumbled about and collapsed on the floor. She then went gray and stopped breathing! Luckily there were some nurses in the room who leapt to her help and spent 20 mins doing mouth to mouth resuscitation before the ambulance arrived. Oh my word! It was very distressing, the ambulance guys had to restart her heart, but she did start breathing on her own again. She is probably about the same age as me. I have felt numb ever since, life really is very fragile, all I wanted to do was come home and check Matt and Tom were ok. Suddenly the lack of sleep etc all seemed very trivial.

Today's pic - I was going to take a nice photo of Matt and Tom, however, I think Matt squeezed Tom too hard, and I seem to have captured the exact moment Tom spewed over his Dad. Cruel photo, but very funny, and the only photo I took.

Matt given the ok

A better night. Tom woke at 10.00 and 10.30, Matt sorted him out both times. He then waited until 2.30am. He was hungry and luckily as I had expressed at 6pm, I had enough milk in for him and managed to feed him to sleep. It took two attempts, but he was back down at 3.30 and that was it until 7.30. I also did quite well, my fever only just surfaced and I managed to get enough shut eye to feel ok. Throat still sore, but only seems to be on one side now.

Tom woke up bright eyed, which is good. He spends most of his time spinning round and reversing at the moment. Still hasn't worked out how to go forwards.

The morning saw us off to baby clinic. Tom's lost weight again, but not surprising considering he hardly ate anything for a couple of days last week. So, he's back down to 19lb 6oz. One day we may make the magic 20lb.

After lunch we headed off to Shrewsbury as Matt had his hospital appointment. We dropped him off then headed off to a retail park to kill the time before we picked him up again. So, a slow walk around Sainsburys and then an even slower walk round Toys R Us when Matt called for a pick up. He's been given the Ok for now, but needs to monitor his eyes and let them know if they get any worse.

Came home, Tom had dinner, bath and bed. Went down very easily, considering he was quite lively. As I seem to say quite regularly, we will see what tonight brings...

Oh, managed to express a bit more milk today. Yesterday I only managed 3oz, today I managed 4oz. Shows you what illness does, I was expressing 9 or 10 oz every night without any problems before. I only have 2 more bags of milk in the freezer, I wonder if I will manage to get production up again, before I run out? Tom is latching on quite nicely now, but obviously gets frustrated when he tries and gets nothing, he's used to a good supply.

Stripey Tom

Humm, interesting night. Tom woke at 9.30 - Matt sorted him out as I was already in bed. Then again at 11.45. The poor mite was hungry. He latched on, but there wasn't much milk ready for him (I had real trouble expressing any milk today - I think a combination of lack of stimulation from Tom and me being ill). He tried really hard, but got upset, so I went downstairs and got him my precious milk from the fridge (thankfully I still have a couple of frozen packets, so will use one tomorrow). He took the whole lot and was still wanting more, but there wasn't any for him.

I left him to it, but he didn't settle. He also seemed hot to the touch, not as hot as last week, but hotter than usual, so I gave him some calpol (this time from a sachet which I bought yesterday rather than from a bottle / syringe, which he took very well). I then cradled him in my arms until he fell asleep - around 1.30am. I didn't hear from him again until 7am. Took me a while to drop off (as I said before, I am so tuned into him that I hear him crying, moving, grizzling in my head as much as in real life, not great).

I had a better night, still feverish, but not as bad as yesterday. The problem with looking after a baby who doesn't sleep through the night, is that if you are ill yourself, you don't get the sleep you need to mend yourself and there is nothing you can do about it. Still have white spots at back of throat, but at least I have the antibiotics now, so hopefully they will clear up quickly.

Tom woke up happy. Had a good play on the bed, and then ate half a weetabix and a big chunk of banana for breakfast.

Oh, forgot to mention yesterday that during their bath, Matt managed to get his finger into Tom's mouth and swears that he could feel a new tooth on his upper jaw, so that will be six he now has, they certainly are popping up quickly. Matt also went to the drs yesterday, he's been having even more trouble with floaters in his eyes. Dr took one look at him and referred him to hospital immediately, he has an appointment in Shrewsbury on Wednesday, hope everything is ok with them.

It was a nice day today, but I'm still not feeling great so didn't really take advantage of it. Instead Tom and I went to one of Telford's retail parks for an amble around. Went to Matalan (not been before) and found some very cheap clothes for me (why oh why haven't I been before?) and a Christmas present for Tom (which Matt will like). Tom started grizzling so we went to Tescos cafe for lunch. He charmed lots of old women, whilst taking a good 45 mins to eat his lunch (too busy watching everyone else). It is run by Eurest, which I realised as soon as I saw the sandwiches - not good, I know too much to enjoy their food now!

On our return, Tom napped whilst I relaxed. Then playtime, dinner time, bath time and sleep.

Mum is poorly, but on the mend

Last night wasn't too bad. Tom took the dummy everytime he was offered it which was good. He woke at 9pm, 9.30pm (both of which Matt sorted out as I was already in bed), then 12.00, 2.00, 2.20 and 2.40. At 2.20 he finally took my breast and at 2.40 he took the other one. He then didn't wake up until almost 8am. Unfortunately I was fully awake at 3.00, it took me a good hour to get back to sleep. I think Tom may have woken up around 7, I think I could hear cooing, but he obviously wasn't unhappy as it didn't reach fever pitch and he fell silent. When I say I think I could hear cooing, I am now so tuned into him, that sometimes I hear him even when he isn't making any noise - he has certainly got into my head.

I didn't have a great night, when Matt came up to join me in bed I woke up in a massive massive sweat. All my clothes, the bed sheets, the pillows were absolutely soaking, which meant that I then had to sleep in a cold wet bed - well that was until Matt left about 2.30, when I rolled over to his nice warm and dry side.

I was still feeling rubbish this morning - my throat is really really sore. I shined a torch down my throat and saw white spots at the back, I also did an internet search and came to the conclusion that it is tonsillitis. Phoned the drs, their first reaction was swine flu - call the helpline, that was before I could even get all the symptoms out, mind you they also thought I was pregnant - doesn't fill me with confidence! When I finally managed to explain all the symptoms the dr said that it was tonsillitis and she'll write me a prescription - what ever happened to actually seeing a dr? I realised as soon as I put the phone down that I forgot to say that I'm breastfeeding so had to call back and had to wait 3 hours for the call back. Apparently the antibiotics are fine.

I called Amanda for advice (she is a nurse and Tim, her husband is a GP). She was very helpful, the dr scared me as she said that tonsillitis is very contagious. Amanda explained that it is only contagious via saliva, so as long as I don't give Tom a big wet kiss he should be ok. Matt doesn't have any tonsils so he'll be ok as well. It also means I can be out and about with babies without fear of infecting them, I just need to be well enough.

Tom had a bit of a grizzly morning. He didn't eat much for breakfast - my fault I think - too many phone calls going on as I had to cancel gymbabes as well. He went for his morning nap and was unhappy when he woke up. I managed to get him on my breast for a snack, but after a minute he bit me, so I took him off, that meant almighty screams. Gave him his lunch, he ate a mountain of food - he was hungry, that was the problem! He ate the best part of two sachets of Ella's food (making or even preparing food right now is just too much for me to bear), a crust of bread, a chunk of cheese and a rice cake. He cheered up after that and played nicely until 1.30 when he got tired and went for his nap.

Once he woke up, I went down to the drs to pick up the prescription and then to asda to get the antibiotics and matt some food (I can't manage much at the moment, and what I do eat has to be ultra smooth and soft).

Oh, another rant, on getting my prescription I said that I understood that i didn't need to pay for it as all prescriptions to mums are free of charge for the first year. The assistant told me I needed a maternity excemption form, I looked at her blank. She told me that I should have received the paperwork at my first appointment when I was pregnant. Anyway she was very helpful, I had to pay, but she also provided me with a refund form for when I get the form. I called the surgery and asked about it to be told, "oh, we only give out that form if you ask for it" - why?! I know why, to save money in the hope that most women won't know or find out about exemption - huff!

Tom had a happy evening, ate a good dinner, played nicely, had a playful bath with his dad and then drank up well. We will see what tonight brings...

Better day

So, Tom slept until 2.30 and then slept in half hour chunks until 4, when I managed to get him on the breast again and therefore in a deep sleep until 6.30. I then put him in bed with me, he fell asleep again at 7.30 until 8.30. I discovered a new trick last night. Matt suggested dipping his dummy in something nice to persuade him to take it. So, last night i took some puree up with me and dipped it in each time I gave it to him. It worked, he didn't refuse it even once. He still screamed each time he woke up, but for only about 10 minutes rather than an hour, so an improvement. When he woke at 6.30 he was very grizzly, but once he had had a nap he was better. I, on the other hand didn't do too well, was hallucinating and having very bizarre dreams throughout the night.

Gave him breakfast, he ate half a weetabix with no trouble at all, so his appetite is definitely on the up. We were supposed to go to Stella's Christening today, but I am still feeling rough and the idea of sitting in church for a service whilst trying to keep Tom happy and quiet is just too much. I let Kamila know and felt awful as she said that we were the 4th lot to cancel on her today - oops.

Tom had a decent lunch and then we popped to Asda to get some food for tonight. 3pm saw us at the station to collect Matt (believe it or not, the trains actually ran on time today). Tom was fast asleep when Matt arrived, so we put him in his bed for his afternoon nap. After an hour and a quarter Matt went up to wake him. Apparently he was fast fast asleep. He spent the next hour grizzling, (I think we should have left him to sleep) - not a great welcome home for Matt, especially as he had been very chirpy and smiley earlier in the day.

He did cheer up after his dinner, but was soon grizzly again. He had his bath with me (I then had a nice long, hot soak) and his bottle with his Dad. Apparently he was very wide awake when Matt bid him goodnight, but we haven't heard from him yet...

Not a good day

Saturday is a bit of a blur I'm afraid. Tom woke up twice during the night - midnight and 2.30. Both times he screamed for a good hour before going back to sleep. It's all very strange. He screams when he sees the dummy coming towards him, arches his back, thrashes his head from side to side - almost as if it is an instrument of torture, but once I do get it in, he's asleep in seconds. Why does he reject something that so obviously gives him comfort?

Anyway, I ended up putting him in my bed with me around 3am, that way I didn't have to keep going into his room, however, it meant that I didn't sleep as well. I managed to get him back on the breast this morning, took a couple of attempts but we got there - yahooo. (I didn't give him milk throughout the night, I gave him water instead, hoping he would be desparate for milk in the morning, seemed to work)

As the day progressed, I'm afraid I became unwell. Kept going hot and cold, headache, tired etc. Not great when you are the sole carer for a baby. Waterbabies got cancelled this morning, due to teacher illness, so we were at a loose end for the day. Decided to go swimming anyway, so booked us in for 1pm. Was really looking forward to it as I was cold and thought the hot water would warm me up. Not to be, although it was hot, I was still cold. Anyway, there was only one other baby in the pool, who I knew from groups, so we had a good natter. I noticed that Tom had a rash on his legs now. Poor mite, what next? He also managed to do another big squirty poo whilst in the pool. It came out of his swim nappy, but luckily his trunks kept it in.

Came home, both me and Tom had a nap. Tom unfortunately woke up in a bad mood and spent the rest of the day grizzling, not good if you are feeling unwell! I gave him his dinner (he ate a suprisingly large dinner), bath and bed. I then had a sandwich and went to bed - was in bed for 7.30.

Smiles again, thanks Mum and Dad

So Tom woke at 9.30pm, 1am and 4am. Mum got him back to sleep each time with a mixture of settling and milk. Mum ended up sleeping on the sofa again and not her bed! This went well, well, well beyond the call of duty, but I am incredibly grateful to her. I was asleep by 10pm and woke up at 5.30, that's 7.5 hours of blissful, blissful, blissful sleep. You won't believe how good it felt. That's the longest sleep I've had since before Christmas last year. I dozed for a while, before coming downstairs at 7.40, to find a happy, smiley Tom with mum and dad. He looked so much better. Apparently he slept much much better than last night so we think the sleep has helped mend him.

Morning was spent expressing (I'm having to express 100% of his milk at the moment as he won't take it directly from me) and packing the car. We were on our way by 10.20.

I want to take this opportunity to thank mum and dad. I'm sorry that they didn't get to play with the happy Tom we all know and love, however, I am grateful I was with them for what I think has been Tom's worse period. I don't know what I would have done without them. They helped in so many ways and were a pillar of strength. I think they are absolutely shattered, hope you recover soon.

The rest of the day was spent driving, driving, driving. Wasn't the nicest of drives, it rained the whole way. Stopped off at Cribbs Causeway where we spent 2 hours including lunch and some shopping. Then to Dudley to drop off the cake (see pic, not bad for a first attempt don't you think?) and on to Telford. Tom was an angel in the car, spent most of the time asleep (he's never going to sleep well tonight)

Came home, gave him dinner (he's eating a lot more today which is a great sign, although he still won't take any milk directly from me), then bath and bed. He wouldn't take his dummy again, and then wouldn't settle. Luckily I managed to get his dummy into him second time round. Funny, when he took the dummy, his eyes rolled in ecstasy, if it brings him so much comfort, why won't he take it easily? All very strange. Haven't heard from him since. I wonder what the night will bring...

Better day

Well, what can I say, last night mum was an absolute star. Tom woke at 9.30 when I went to bed and screamed and screamed and screamed. Nothing would placate him. Mum came upstairs and took him off me, said that she would sleep with him and that she would bring him back to me for feeding. True to her word, she did that. She came to my room at 1am so I could Tom his feed. He wouldn't take it. He refused to suck, that's the first time that has ever happened. We ended up giving him a bottle instead. I then couldn't sleep, worrying about him not latching on.

I didn't hear from him again. Turns out that Mum took him down to Dad's office and slept on the sofa with him, to make sure that I couldn't hear him. She had his cot mattress on the floor, but apparently he refused to sleep on the matress, so he slept on her for the night, she used the sofa as her bed. What a star, well beyond the call of duty, but I was very grateful.

Tom was slightly better today, wasn't in so much pain. We had to give him Calpol in the morning, but after that he did ok. He was still drooling for the whole day. Didn't do too much today, we went for a walk round the village, but then the weather took a turn for the worse, so we headed back. After lunch I finished off Ziyoun's cake, whilst Tom played with Mum in the ball pool. He was relatively happy, but then he refused to go for his afternoon nap, cried for 45 minutes before going to sleep, which put his whole routine back.

He didn't eat much today - I think he managed a yoghurt and a couple of teaspoons of puree, that was it. After dinner, he had a play and then bath with mum and bed. He wouldn't settle. Once again he wouldn't take his dummy, and cried and cried and cried. In the end we gave up. We brought him into the dining room whilst we had dinner. He still showed no sign of going to sleep, so we gave him some calpol and mum took him through to Dad's room to calm him down and get him to sleep. Took 20 minutes, but he eventually went.

Today, mum and dad persuaded me to allow them to do the night shift with Tom so that I could get a unbroken night's sleep (apparently I was looking haggard and they weren't comfortable with me driving home alone as i was). We moved the cot downstairs into Dad's office so that he could sleep in his bed and put the monitor in with him so that mum and dad could sleep in their room. There are 5 doors between his room and mine, so there was no way I could hear him.

Bad, bad night and bad, bad day

An absolutely horrific night. When I went to bed, Tom was already awake, although not in distress, so I left him. At 11pm he was calling out, I went in, he smelt like he needed changing, so went and got his changing things and changed him. He didn't need changing, but he was on fire. His cheeks were bright red, even his legs were hot to touch. He wouldn't settle at all. I ended up stripping him down and giving him some Calpol and then cradling him in my arms for a good hour, trying to relax him to sleep (he was breathing very fast).

In the end it worked and he managed 3 hours sleep, I, however, was too worried to even think about sleep, ended up reading a book and flicking through some magazines instead. 3am saw him awake again, I went in, he had cooled down considerably, so I put him back in his sleeping bag and got him back to sleep again. 4am and he was awake again, this time he needed feeding so I did so and I got him back to sleep, he then slept through to 7.45am. I think I finally managed to get to sleep around 5am. Not great!

Matt phoned up this morning, he didn't sleep last night either - I wonder if he was tuned into us? Took Tom downstairs to mum and dad, they also said he wasn't himself, lots of drool and biting on anything, so they think another tooth is on the way.

Tom didn't eat much for breakfast - about half a fromage frais, I then put him back down for a sleep which went ok. When he woke up, he was still not himself, Mum and Dad decided to take him out for the day - down to the coast in Plymouth and a good bracing walk. Apparently he had a good time, cried a bit in the car on the way home and then fell asleep.

Once back home though, he started crying and crying. Nothing would placate him. He wouldn't eat anything at all for dinner. Mum and Dad were brilliant, I got quite upset at one stage, they took him off me and gave me strict instructions not to find them. You can see he's in pain, but what can you do to help him. I ended up squirting Calpol down him, which caused even more screaming, but Mum took him away and he ended up crying himself to sleep on her. Once awake again, Dad gave him a bath and for 20 minutes he turned into a different baby, happy and giggling, it was so nice to hear.

Unfortunately once out of the bath he started crying again, he must be so tired, he has had less than half his usual naps today. Dad dressed him and mum is now giving him his bottle. Fingers crossed he manages some good chunks of sleep tonight and whatever is hurting him sorts itself out.

Busy day for mum

We didn't do so well last night. Tom was awake from 11.00pm to 3.30am. He did sleep for 30 minute chunks during which I managed about 10 minutes. The problem is that he won't take his dummy. I'm not sure why. For his naps during the day he opens his mouth for his dummy and he goes to sleep, no problem. At night now, he clamps his mouth shut and won't allow it in, but then wakes up about 10 minutes later, missing the comfort it brings him. Oh hum....

Had a busy day today, Mum sent me to Tavistock on my own, so I could wonder around the shops and get what I needed for various things I'm doing (cakes, christenings etc). Came home, had lunch, Tom ate a whole pot of the Branch tomato sauce and spaghetti. He's always rejected pasta until now. I couldn't quite believe how much he ate, and mum and dad were very happy to see he likes traditional Branch fayre. Mum and dad looked after Tom whilst I made chutney, and then took him out whilst I marzipanned my second Christmas cake. By the time all that was done it was 5pm which is Tom's usual dinner time, however, he was so tired, he wouldn't eat any food, so I put him to bed for 15 mins to see if I could refresh him. It sort of worked. We had a quick skype chat with Matt first, as he was off for dinner and drink with Errol at The Fox - yummy.

Mum did Tom's wind-down routine, he was quite subdued - still tired, but went to sleep without a fuss.

A sunny, happy day

We had a good night - yahoo. Tom woke up at 11pm and 2pm, but went back to sleep immediately on feeding each time, meaning I actually had a decent night's sleep and he woke up a happy, cheery baby. It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do.

Had a good breakfast and then we all decided to go down to Saltram House for a walk as it was such a beautiful day - a good November clear, crispy day. Did a walk around the grounds and then had lunch. Tom was pretty well behaved - a little grizzle during the walk, but he fell asleep shortly afterwards. He did really well at lunch, he ate a whole pot of mashed up veg from last night (albeit mixed with some squirty sachet goo).

Came home via Tescos to pick up all the extra bits I need for the cakes and some food for Tom. Spent the afternoon steaming and cooking, made far too much so am going to leave some behind in the freezer for Christmas - will save any cooking then which will be good.

Tom had a good bath with his Pop Pop (it was hilarious listening to Dad trying to dry and dress him - Tom was being less than co-operative!) Then bottle with Granma and straight to sleep. A good day was had by all.

Me and my guardian daddy

An horrific night, Tom woke at 9.30 (when I went to bed), managed to feed him back to sleep. Then again at 11.30. This time he wasn't going back to sleep, oh no, it took until 2.30 to get him back to sleep. The thing was, I did get him back to sleep on numerous occasions, but when I put him back in his cot he would wake up again. At one stage he was really screaming (he was very tired), Matt almost took him for a drive in the car. The problem was that he wouldn't take his dummy, but obviously needed that extra comfort.

I did get him back to sleep in the end, but it was a traumatic couple of hours. Tom slept through from 2.30 to 7, so it wasn't so bad in the end. In the morning everyone said they hardly heard him, we think they were being polite, at one stage most of Trowbridge must have heard him!

We were treated to a fantastic breakfast, then Martin attacked Matt with a shaver, didn't do too bad a job. I then dropped Matt off at Westbury Station for his train (it was late, in fact Matt didn't get home till after 6.30 due to bad connections - don't think he was too happy). I returned to the Smyth's gave Tom his lunch and then left onwards to Devon. Tom did quite well in the car, slept for an hour, cooed for an hour, cried as soon as we arrived in Plymouth, stopped crying as soon as we hit Dartmoor. I had to feed him as soon as we arrived, so Mum and Dad emptied the car (it's amazing how much stuff you need to take a baby anywhere), by which time Tom was happily full and ready to play with his grandparents.

I gave him his bath as Mum and Dad were cooking. Had a good play with various toys and then picked him up and gently shook him as usual to get rid of excess water, this time however, something went "PLOP!". Matt and I have said on many occasions how amazing it is that he's only pooed in the bath once. Well now he's done it twice!!!! I was handed some loo paper and told to fish it out. It was very funny!

I gave him his bottle and put him to bed, he was asleep before I even got him in his sleeping bag.

Ball pits are fun

Can't remember what sort of a night Friday night was (brain like a sieve), couldn't have been horrific or I would remember.

The morning saw us back at HLC for Tom's swimming lesson, he did fine. A couple of little grizzles, but apart from that he was good. He holds on to the edge of the pool really well now. I can leave him there, whilst I put goggles on which is very handy.

Once the lesson was over, we went back home, Matt packed the car whilst I gave Tom his lunch. Well tried to give him his lunch anyway. He went off on a huge crying spree - not sure why. I tried all the tricks, nappy, cuddling, breast feeding etc, nothing seemed to work, but then he did a little vomit and all was ok again. I wonder if he drank too much water in the pool? He then ate his lunch.

Not long after 12 we were in the car heading to Wiltshire. Martin and Vanessa had invited Matt down to see a Led Zepplin tribute band, Tom and I decided to head down as well and use it as a half way stopping point on the way to Devon. Mum and Dad don't see Tom for a while, then twice in a month - we are like buses!

We got to Trowbridge, just in time to accompany Mia to a birthday party at Boomerang, another play centre. Tom immediately found himself in a ball pit with Matt and Martin, whilst Vanessa and me took it easy. It was past 6.30 by the time we got home, so Tom had a quick bath and bed. Came down stairs for a mammoth dinner - two servings of Japanese curry, followed by two servings of delicious homemade cheesecake - yummy. Martin and Matt ended up staying in as their concert got cancelled - probably just as well as it was cold and rainy outside and anyway dinner took about two hours to eat!

A charming baby

Not a great night (seem to say that quite a lot don't I?). Tom woke up at 11pm and then 12, 12.30, 1, 1.30. At 2 I gave him some Calpol, I didn't hear from him again, which meant I got a good 4 to 5 hour sleep, which was good.

Tom had a happy day today. He was a charming baby, and he ate well at meal times (except his pre-bed bottle which he only half drank - maybe because he ate so well during the day. Such a shame though as it is now wasted - it takes me ages to express everyday!)

This morning I had my BEST course. Tom went into the creche, as usual he happily went with the workers there - sometimes I think he is happy to be away from me. The session was good - about supporting mums before and after giving birth so they have the best support possible. The group really came together and we had some really good discussions.

When I went to pick Tom up, he got a very good school report. He hadn't slept at all, but he also hadn't grizzled either. In fact one of the creche workers said that they really enjoy having him and wished that they could have 10 Toms each time. I of course was very proud.

Came home, had lunch whilst Tom had a nap (he feel asleep as soon as the car started to move on the way home) and then he had his lunch, which he more or less ate up. We then went to RAF Cosford as I wanted to get Ziyoun a blow up airplane for his birthday and the shop there do a great selection. Got there and was very disappointed, they are now charging £2 to use the car park. Firstly I didn't want to pay £2 to park for 10 minutes so I could use the shop and anyway I didn't have £2. Was really disappointed - it was one place round here that was truly free, and although admission is still free, the museum is in the middle of nowhere, so you need a car to visit it, so really admission isn't free anymore. I left in a huff!

Then went to Asda to get some things in for Matt (I'm down in Devon with Tom next week), to find the shop half empty of stock and very full of customers (I guess the two correlate), so left with only half of what I wanted to get.

Oh hum, came home, Tom had a nap, whilst I started putting together the mountain of things I need to take with me to Devon - we certainly don't travel light anymore.

As I said, he was a charming baby today, so happy and giggly. At one stage he was playing peek-a-boo by pulling a blanket over his head and then letting it drop, giggling at me and then pulling the blanket back over his head again. It was endearing to watch, very funny.

Today's pic - he is showing off his autumn collection, we bought a bundle of 6-9 month clothes from e-bay this week for £2.60 (he's just getting long enough to fit them). A lot of the 6-9 month clothes we have are in baby blue, so I on purpose bought a bundle which included deep colours. I think they quite suit him.

A grizzly day, but he ate well

Didn't have a very good night, Tom was up at 11pm, 2am, 5am and 5.30am when I gave up and put him in our bed, where he then played pull mummy's hair for a good 40 minutes until he fell asleep.

He was very shouty this morning and refused his breakfast, so we had to resort to squirting it. After his nap we went to Jungleland where we met up with all the NCT crowd for an hour and a half's play in the soft play area. Tom grizzled his way through most of it unfortunately, but enjoyed a ride on the train.

We then went off to the Golf Club for lunch. Tom ate most of his (braised beef - certainly going down well). I had a one handed lunch as Tom was refusing to sleep. In fact he was the last of the babies to nod off, took him until 2pm until he couldn't fight it any more, and then he only managed 30 mins.

After lunch we went to Mothercare to pick up his repaired buggy and then back home, where he went for a nap - he managed an hour this time. He did quite well for dinner and then a play before him and his Dad had a bath together and then bottle and bed.

Oh, forgot to say Tom woke up with two bright red cheeks so we are little worried that he might be teething again! Oh, forgot to mention, got a letter from BaxterStorey today saying that as they haven't heard from me they are expecting me back at work on the 4th January! Do they do it on purpose, or are they really that rubbish at anything?

And, another milestone, Tom is growing out of his 3-6 month clothes, which means that last night he wore his dinosaur sleepsuit for the last time. Matt is upset!

Beep, beep, baby reversing...

Not a fantastic night. Tom was up at 12am for feeding, 2.30am for feeding and then 7.30. At least he seems to have dropped the 9.30pm wake up which is an improvement, although I would have preferred him to drop one of the night ones instead. (Oh, seems like I was in a deep sleep last night when Tom woke at 2.30. Matt who was downstairs (I was snoring again apparently!) heard him and came up before I had woken up and I was next door to him!)

This morning I took Tom for weighing, he has lost an ounce, but I'm not concerned, he had a big poo before weighing and he's moving a lot more at the moment. He is now opening his mouth for food at meal times which is amazing, never thought I could get so much joy from seeing an open mouth!

Tom is full of energy today, when put on the floor, he is immediately on his front and exploring the room. Unfortunately, he hasn't managed to work out how to go forwards, he reverses everywhere, particularly frustrating for him as the harder he tries to go forward towards something, the further he gets from it! As you can see, he managed to get himself stuck under the dresser this morning. I think something needs to click and suddenly he'll be away. Matt has put the stair gates in place ready for the momentous occasion.

5 toothed Tom

Not a great night. Tom went to sleep easily and didn't wake until after midnight which was good. I fed him then he went back to sleep until around 5am.

He woke up screaming and when I say screaming, I mean really screaming and no amount of cuddling would help. He woke up Matt (who was downstairs - I was snoring again apparently) who came up to see what was wrong. He must have woken up the whole street! It took a good half hour to get him to stop, at which point I fed him again. He immediately became a happy baby again, so we put him in his cot and he went straight back to sleep. I didn't get back to sleep though - still wondering what went on to make him so agitated.

He didn't wake up a particularly happy baby either this morning. He wouldn't eat breakfast and took a while to go for his morning nap.

Once he was up again we headed into Newport to bank a cheque for Matt and amble around the shops. Tom, unfortunately decided to grizzle again so it wasn't very relaxing. Came home, had lunch which he ate - I think I've found a recipe he likes - braised beef.

He didn't go for his lunchtime nap until late, so I was hoping for a long one, it wasn't to be, he was awake again within 40 minutes! He still wasn't that happy, but cheered up when i put him in his bouncer.

Dropped into Asda to get some cheese - fajitas tonight. Tom looked up at me with his gummy smile and guess what... there were 3 teeth in his bottom gum - so maybe that is the root of his recent grizzling? They seem to be coming very quickly at the moment.

Gymbabes is hard work - oh and Tom was tired as well!

An OK night. Tom woke up just before 11pm, but Matt managed to persuade him back to sleep (after two attempts). He then woke up again at 1am when I fed him. He woke again at 4am, as Matt had already retreated downstairs (apparently I was snoring) I decided I wasn't going to feed him this time, that he would have to get himself to sleep again. So I went in to see him to reassure him I was around, settled him and then left him. He cried for a while, but then it went quiet. At 4.30 he started crying again, so I went in again to resettle him. He cried for a little while afterwards, but I didn't hear from him again until I went in to wake him at 7.20 this morning.

Breakfast today was a bit of a chore, Tom wouldn't eat. I tried all the tricks, but he didn't seem to be interested at all. Oh humm. I'm hoping he will eat some of the new food I've made him this week.

10.00am saw us out of the house and on the way to Rachel Z's. It's Gymbabes today. Rachel kindly suggested that we all meet at her house before hand for lunch which we did. Pizzas, salad and a naughty chocolate cake for pud - yummy! Tom also ate some of my homemade food - braised beef which was fab.

Had a good session at Gymbabes, Tom as usual liked all the treat activities - ie the ball pool, the mirror thingybob, the swing, and grizzled at the activities which meant he had to work - the seesaw, the tolberone thingy and the wedge of cheese. Oh hum, as he gets more mobile, hopefully he'll be able to enjoy more of the activities. However, he did do very well on the standing up bars, he certainly does enjoy being on his feet.

Came home exhausted, I think I got as much of a work out as he did!

What's Wrong Tom?

We had a better night last night. Tom woke at 10.30, but Matt managed to get him back to sleep again. He then woke at 1am for feeding, then we didn't hear from him again until 5am so not too bad.

It was a nasty day today - cold, rain, cloudy a typically miserable winter's day. Not to worry we had been invited round to Carol's for coffee this morning, so off we went. Had a nice time, but Tom got a bit grizzly. Basically he gets tired, but refuses to sleep unless he is in his cot so fights it and grizzles.

Oh hum, he went to sleep immediately on us leaving. Stopped off at Long Lane on the way home for lunch - our usual - bacon sandwich for Matt and beans on toast for me (gourmet eaters aren't we?) He had only had 15 minutes sleep, but he was completely rejuvenated. Charmed Sam (the owner) as always.

Next stop was the retail park to look at baby carriers at Blacks. We turned up to find that Blacks is closing down (humpfh!) All items were at least 50% off, so we picked up a couple of things, but no baby carrier. Walked over to Mothercare to see if they have them, they had one, but it was the most cumbersome, uncomfortable thing so we left empty handed.

Returned home, Tom went to sleep, whilst I finished off some cooking I had been doing for Tom. Tom had a bit of a grizzle once he was awake again. Really don't know what was wrong. I offered him some milk, but he just bit me, I offered him a snack, he refused, I cuddled him, he carried on crying, I gave him some baby cocaine (his 4th tooth is on the way), it didn't calm him down. His nappy was empty, we were at a loss. He had a good hour of being very unhappy, but then he calmed down and was fine.

He had a bath and bed at the usual time and went to sleep without any trouble.