He Slept Through Again!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We think risotto is too filling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wonky pub

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

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

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

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

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

I thrash in my sleep

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

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

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

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

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

A long day

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

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

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

Sorry, no pic from today.

Gymbabes again

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What a hat!

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

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

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

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

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

Happier Boy

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

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

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

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

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

Young Family Reunion

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

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


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

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

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

Yummy Hot Berry Punch

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

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

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

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

Sick Tom

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

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

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

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

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

He didn't sleep

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

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

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

He slept! Phew!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A good sleep for one of us

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

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

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

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

Lovely Day

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

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

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

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.