Eve Upshall

Newborn Baby Day 5

2011-06-06T20:23:00.002+01:00

Day 5 - The big weigh in.

Total is the first weigh in for Baby J. The health visitor is due to visit to see how he is progressing. This is a moment that can fill a new mother with dread. How much weight has my little baby lost? Will I be judged as being a bad mother if my baby has not maintained birth weight?

Little J weighed 3.04kg at birth. He was not as small as you would think as this is only 6lb 11. He was very long, and very very skinny.

At the 5th day weigh in he had INCREASED!!!! to a fabulous 3.1kg (6lb 13). I am a very proud mummy, and suddenly the round the clock feeding seems worth it.

Newborn Baby - Day 3,4

2011-05-06T13:31:00.005+01:00

Life with a newborn baby is always filled with wonder and excitement. Their little faces are so amazed by everything they see. All things are new to them, and they are taking every single moment in.

Life with a newborn baby and a toddler is frantic! Little E is full of excitement, jumping on all the furniture, crying when he does not get his own way, I feel like i have to have eyes in the back of my head as he wants to kiss and cuddle Baby J all the time. Little E wants to wake him up when he is sleeping, cuddle him when he is crying (because he has just been woken up), and carry him around! I am not sure how i am going to cope with both of them on my own. Thank goodness for paternity leave, and my Mother coming to stay when the Daddy is at work this week.

I am still on a high from the birth and completely unphased by the constant feeding and lack of sleep.

Day 3 Feeding = 9.40, 11.15, 2.00, 5.00, 6.00, 7.00, 9.40, 1.20, 1.15, 3.30, 4.20, 5.20, 6.30
Poor Baby J was very unsettled through the night, and the only thing that would calm him was feeding. I am not sure if I have done the right thing, however he has finally settled at 6.30am so something must be right.

Day 4 Feeding = 10.20, 11.30, 1.25, 3.50, 6.35, 8.15, 11.35, 2.30, 3.20, 5.00
Success! Baby J's feeding was a little more spaced out, although I was exhausted by 5am. I had to wake the Daddy as I can not stay up all night again.

Thank goodness for the Daddy, I would fall apart without him. From memory Baby J's feeding pattern is following the same pattern as Little E, and with any luck Baby J will sleep longer at night in a few days. I am feeling very tired from lack of sleep, but the reward from the hard work we have been doing is motivating me to stay positive.

I am not really getting any sleep in the day as we also have Little E to look after.

Oh, and thank goodness for Lansinoh. My nipples are sore, but no cracking thanks to the good old trusty purple cream!

Day 2 Feeding Frenzy!

2011-05-04T13:01:00.002+01:00

The feeding frenzy continues. Baby J has been working very hard to build up a good mummy milk supply. Here is the list of Day 2 feeding (Sat 5th Feb)

10.15am
11.15 am
12.45 pm
1.20 pm
4.00pm
5.00pm
6.00pm
8.25pm
10.55pm
midnight
1am
2.45am
4am

Baby J sleeps in between each feed, and by 4am I am exhausted.
From 1am he is so windy and unsettled, I am reaching the end of my sanity when finally at 4am he settles and goes to sleep.

I would not wish any moment away, but I am starting to look forward to when times are more settled. The contrast between Little E and Baby J is huge. The biggest in when they were newborn is the amount of sleep Baby J needs. I know it is hard to remember what happens in the early days, but Little E was never a big day sleeper. Baby J sleeps all the time!

Now is my chance to rest!

Toddler Quote of the day

2011-05-03T19:50:00.003+01:00

"I am not naughty, I am happy"

Mmm, we will see about that!

The royal wedding warm up.

2011-04-28T08:25:00.001+01:00

Is it wrong that I am recording the film of will and kate? This is my guilty secret of 2011, and I am hoping it will be good. In truth I know it will be shocking bad. Am hoping FB does not notice, he is not the most observant at noticing what has been recorded on the virgin box.

Am also taping the highlight so I can wallow in royal glam when FB is back at work next week.

Pillow Talk

2011-04-11T15:03:00.001+01:00

FB showed me a vibrating app he had downloaded on his new HTC phone.

"Ooohh" I said "that gives a whole new meaning to phone sex".

Could get a bit messy though, I thought to myself.

Day 1 - routine

2011-03-30T12:33:00.001+01:00

Once we had settled in at home, I started the notes on Baby J feeding routine. I am keen to feed on demand in the early days to establish breast feeding. Here are the details,

RHS = Right hand side

LHS = Left hand side

4pm RHS

5.30pm LHS

Sleeping and hard to wake!

9.55pm RHS

10.20pm RHS

10.50pm LHS

11.45pm RHS

12.30am LHS

1.35am LHS

4.50am RHS

6.25am LHS

7.40am RHS

Wow, when I see it written down like this I have only one more thing to say .... When do I get to sleep?

Day 2

2011-03-29T14:14:00.001+01:00

It feels so good to be home.

My body feels completely drained of all energy, and I am starved of sleep, but I love it.

We are due to have the MIL visit today, which will be lovely. Little E is so excited, he needs something to divert his attention. He seems to spend most of his time jumping up and down on the furniture, running to give Baby J kisses, and running around with excitement. I am so pleased that the Daddy will be home to help, it all seems a little too much at the moment.

Our first visitor arrived at 10am, which was a lovely surprise. She brought her little girl (one of Little E's Biatches) who shared toast with Little E.

My Brother is bringing my Mummy to stay tonight. I am looking forward to her visit, and just spending time with her.

Baby J is so gorgeous, and his hair is so velvety soft I can not stop stroking it.

These early days are heaven, and I am soaking up every moment.

The first day

2011-03-18T12:09:00.001Z

After breakfast Baby J and I made our way back to our room (I was quite impressed to remember where it was). We then settled into the morning feed.

Why is it that just when you are in the middle of a great feed with a newborn baby, you are interrupted? Just as Baby J was on a mammoth 30 minute feed and counting, a midwife came in to usher us off to the pediatrician. I manged to delay her a few minutes, but was under pressure to go home today so did not want to miss the slot. Thank goodness I am a chilled Mummy or the pressure would be too much and could ruin the flow of breastfeeding. Midwives take note please! I was told to have him naked and ready to go at any minute.

Just as I was wrestling Baby J's clothes off in preparation and Baby J was still suckling hard on the Mummy milk, the Daddy walked in with impeccable timing to help. It was great to see the doctor together, as the Daddy missed the opportunity when Little E was a baby. I felt so proud of my new little baby all perfect and tiny.

Baby J was signed off with no problems by everyone who came to check him. We happily left at 3pm, and I started to feel quite emotional about seeing Little E once more. I had only left him over night, but it seemed like forever. He has been staying with the childminder, and having a fabulous time telling everyone about Baby J.

A quick trip to Tesco to buy a thank you gift for the childminder and champagne for us, and I could not walk (all be it gingerly) into the house quick enough. It felt so good to give Little E a big cuddle and lots of kisses, and he was soooooo very excited to meet Baby J.

Suddenly Little E seems like a giant!

The First Morning

2011-03-17T12:06:00.002Z

I think I got about four hours sleep on the first night. This sounds O.K. considering I have a newborn baby, however it was not Baby J that stopped me sleeping, it was my excitement about having him.

FF had left me the laptop, and after a little re-arranging of the room I settled into watching a few movies while Baby J was feeding.

There are two things I dislike about staying in hospital ...
1. It never gets dark enough to sleep
2. Just as you are dropping off from sheer exhaustion after a sleepless night, you are woken at 6am for breakfast

Imagine my joy when
1. I was shown how to turn out the lights in my room (I wondered what all the switches were for)
2. There was no early call for breakfast. I was overjoyed to be told I had to walk to the day room for a buffet breakfast. With great pride I pushed Baby J in his goldfish tank to breakfast and mingled with other mums. The chat went a little something like this,
"OMG, it was you screaming yesterday, did they forget about you."
"Ummm yes!"

Hands on Father

2011-03-11T16:42:00.001Z

How far does a Dad have to go to be considered a hands on Dad?

My mother is always telling me how impressed she is with my Brother and his hands on parenting. She acknowledges that The Daddy is very good with Little E and Baby J, however does not fully appreciate how much he does.

I had lunch today with a very dear friend who told me that he used to do the night feeds when his little darling was a baby. I assumed he meant the weekends, however he informed me that he did it all the time ... even in the week!

This is amazing to me, and quite un-necessary, however he told me his wife suffered from migraines if she had to wake up and do the 3am feed. My dear friend is currently going through a little marital hardship, however I can not help but wonder if his loving wife knows how lucky she is. I am sure he has not had his just rewards for his efforts.

How many men would have 5 months of interrupted sleep, to rise from their bed, go to the nursery, go downstairs and feed their baby at 3am in the morning, every morning.

I can only think of one, and I hope he knows how wonderful he is.

The first night

2011-03-06T14:18:00.000Z

We settled into our lovely private room at about 10pm. I ignored all the comments from any midwives about remembering me from earlier in the day (you never know when they may come in handy.)

We ordered some out of hours dinner, FF set up the laptop so I had some entertainment and left Baby J and me to get some well deserved rest. This is easier said than done when the adrenaline is pumping and the excitement of a new baby is peaking.

I think I dozed for a few hours in between feeding and checking Baby J was ok. We had a busy hour at 1am where Baby J filled his nappy four times with the sticky black poo.
I had a few words with Baby J, as am convinced there was already some conspiracy with the Daddy. There will be none left in the morning if he does not stop and the Daddy will miss all the fun.

Baby J seems more sensitive than Little E. He hated pooing, giving out little cries each time. He gets most disgruntled at bringing any mucus or milk up in his mouth, but rather than spit it out, he swallows it back down. Little E was sick almost from the moment he was born, but already Baby J is proving how different he will be.

This is such a magical time, and I am treasuring every moment

Scary things my toddler says #1

2011-03-04T15:40:00.001Z

Looking out of bedroom window onto kitchen roof and garden ...

"Me climb on my roof"

Errrr ... I don't think so, now where do I safely hide the keys to the window locks?

Too calm to be in labour ... you must be joking!

2011-03-02T14:23:00.001Z

Baby number 2 is born ... Short version ...

More contractions Wed night, only turned out not to be wind this time

Thursday 3rd Feb woke up 4am. Contractions still coming.

Little E dropped off at Childminders, and we are in the hospital 9am.

Examined and 2cm dilated, told can go home.

Refuse to go home, so given bed on anti natal ward. Contractions are strong and I can feel my cervix dilating.

Tens machine set up 10am, and I started asking when can get gas and air.

Told over next few hours by midwives, contractions irregular, am not in labour, no gas and air on anti natal ward. I am too calm to be in labour.

2.30pm waters break. Midwives ask me if I am sure, and look disappointed when they find I am right.

Contractions start coming with no real break. Still midwives are not convinced I am in labour as still too calm!

2.50pm connected to monitoring machine, told we will be checked in 10 minutes. Midwife goes on break and no-one comes back to check.

Buzzer pushed 20 mins ... we ask why we have not been checked.

Buzzer pushed 30 mins ... I tell them I can feel the head ... no reaction from midwives.

Me screaming 40 min .. FF goes to ask for pain relief. Suddenly there are about 4 midwives coming to have a look.

Finally I am examined. Midwife looks shocked and tells me I am 8 1/2 cm dilated, and they can feel the head. Congratulated me in doing it with no pain relief, (they do not class tens as pain relief)

Tell me I can go to delivery suite.

Moved to delivery suite 3.47 pm

FF helps me onto delivery bed.

Gas and Air (finally)

New midwife attempt to put monitoring belt on, gives up when she hears my scream.

Moves to the action end, tries to put on gloves ... no time as they are thrown aside and the head is out.

Next contraction the body is out, and my beautiful Baby J is born at 4pm.

No intervention, no pain relief, no pushing.

Perfectly natural, perfectly relaxed, perfect Baby.

Any Twinges Yet???

2011-02-01T11:40:00.005Z

With only 4 days to go until my due date, THE question has started.

Any twinges yet?

The midwife looked disappointed yesterday that nothing had happened. No twinges, no show. I left with a gentle wave, and the news that I would now not be seeing them until after the baby is born. My next schedule appointment is with the consultant at 40weeks + 6 days so all I have to do now is put my feet up and rest. The midwife advised I may not make it that long .... only Baby can decide that I said.

The Daddy got a little spooked last night after I explained what 3/5 engaged meant, and updated him on what the midwife told me. I was feeling quite uncomfortable after wearing myself out vacuuming half the living room (we live in a small terrace). Baby no.2 was prodding and poking me in places he should not, and I had eaten a very large dinner. My tummy was aching, and the braxton hicks were on full form.

I may have thought the twinges were starting, however I could feel a small popping sensation at the top of my rather large belly. "I think it is wind" I said.

After another hour of this, The Daddy kept asking if I was sure I was OK, and maybe I should text the childminder to warn her something may be happening. "Ummm, no ... " I said pausing for a moment, "oooh, definitely wind!" and finally the pressure started to ease.

Pregnancy ... so dignified!

Baby No.2 ... What to pack in my hospital bag???

2011-01-31T11:15:00.004Z

Baby No.2 is just days away from being born! I am now in week 4 of my maternity leave, and completed the task of hospital bags last week.

I feel a small sense of triumph that my hospital bags are packed and in the car waiting for THE big event.

I use the plural 'bags' because there are four in total.

1. Food bad. This was the first bag to be packed (I know my priorities). Food bag contains cereal bars, chocolate, water, crisps, fruit pots, nuts ... and so on to keep my energy levels up during labour, and for however long afterwards that I may be staying in hospital.

2. Baby Bag. I finished packing this bag next and it contains
6 Vests
6 Sleep Suits
Blanket
Nappies (Nature Baby)
2 pairs socks
2 hats
4 Muslins
1 Bag Cotton Wool
1 Going Home Outfit
1 Snow Suit

3. The Mummy Bag. Finally last week, I finished the mummy bag (part a) which contains all the things I need for labour and immediately after. It contains
Slipper Socks
Lip Balm - for the Daddy to apply whilst I am using Gas and Air
Tens Machine
Mini Toiletries (Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, hand cream, moisturiser, face wipes)
2 Maternity Bras
2 Pairs washable Breast Pads
PJ's, which I intend to live in for at least one month after the birth
Toothbrush, Toothpaste
Pants, pants and more pants (disposable, and a new multi pack from George which was a bargain £3.50 for 5)
Hairbrush
Maternity Pads
Book (never going to get read)
Pen and notepad - to make notes of contractions, feeding times etc.

4. The Mummy Bag. (part b). With things I may need if I am staying in over night or longer. It contains
2 sets of PJ's
More pants!
More Maternity Pads
Portable DVD player and DVDs

Now I can relax and know that everything is organised, and all I have to do is wait until the time is right for Baby No.2 to make an appearance.

Heart melting moment

2011-01-10T21:33:00.000Z

After watching the first episode of a new cbeebies programme "charlie bear" for the fifth time in a row, Little E turned to the Mummy and said,

"Mummy build rocket like charlie bear to go to moon?"

Well, I could not move fast enough to build Little E his first rocket (out of the new version of stickle bricks). I smiled with delight as he ran round he room zooming to the moon.

2010-06-15T22:14:00.001+01:00

Before I had a baby, the main contact I had with children was vicariously through the clones of child obsessed mothers at work.

These clones of child obsessed mothers have only one topic of conversation ... their children. From the minute they conceive a little switch flips in their head that blocks out all other thoughts but that of the child and pregnancy.

Husbands and boyfriends turn into annoyances who serve no purpose other than to be a hindrance and are constantly complained about for "not helping out", "not understanding their needs" or heaven forbid "wanting sex!"

Any conversation about the evening or weekend turns into a list of achievements for their little darlings at ballet, football or school, or showing off about how many parties they have attended.

New recruits come in the form of unsuspecting expectant mothers who proudly announce their joyful news. The clones of child obsessed mothers flock round the victim to turn them into a clone as quickly as they can. The victim is bamboozled with a series of questions ...

How many weeks are you?
When are you due?
Was it planned?
How long were you trying?

The victim (soon to be cloned into a child obsessed mother) can not help but be flattered by the attention, and enjoy being a membed of this popular club. It is easy to get sucked in as an expectant mother. So much is happening to your body, life will never be the same again, it is good to have someone to talk to who has been through if before.

Some dads form their own child obsessed fathers club. I overheard one last week showing off to an expectant father about the performance of his newborns poo. He enthusiastically explained about the contence of his sons nappy from birth to present age of 6 months, including how the nappies leak, and how far up the babies back the poo travels.

These conversations are facinating for parents, however mean nothing to single folk, and must be depressing for anyone desperate for a baby but not fortunate to have one.

I try hard to resist the charms of the child obsessed mothers, doing my best to remember what it was like before i became a clone. I don't want every conversation i have to be about Little E. I am more than just a mother, i have a social life, a fabulous boyfriend, hobbies and crazy neighbours to talk about.

I would love to pretend that i am the perfect role model of a working mother, however i fail most days. Sometimes all i want to do is talk about Little E, what he said, what he ate, i even read out texts from the childminder telling me how long he slept for and if he snored! I make excuses to myself that it is not my fault. People should be honest and tell me i'm boring, but they don't. I get encouraging noises and requests to bring Little E into work to meet everyone.

Maybe it is time i was honest with myself, and admitted that i am a fully fledged signed up member of the group of child obsessed mothers, however i think i i will resist just a little bit longer if i can and keep living the lie.

2010-06-12T21:25:00.001+01:00

The Daddy showed Little E how to wee wee standing up yesterday. We have been encouraging Little E to wee wee on his potty for some weeks. Little E always seems very enthusiastic, runs and mounts his potty as though it were a horse, sits down for no more than 2 seconds and then runs off to wee wee on the floor.

Little E's reaction to the Daddy wee wee standing up demonstration was "wa-owww!!!" followed by lots of laughing.

This gave us some hope that Little E now understood what he should be doing and would enjoy sitting on his potty to wee wee.

The next night, in the bathroom. Little E was ready to get out of the bath.

The Mummy ... "Little E would you like to get out of the bath and do a wee wee on your potty?"

Little E, climbing out of the bath with great effort ... "Yeh. Yeh. Wee wee"

The Mummy helped Little E out of the bath.

Little E ran over to the Potty, mounted it, sat for 2 seconds. Stood up, moved less than one foot. Grabbed his willy saying "wee wee" and wee'd on the floor!

Little E seemed so pleased with himself, he tried to do more wee wee. By the time his bladder was empty the Mummy had 2 puddles to clean up, and Little E was quickly dunked in the bath with the Daddy for a final once over.

The Daddy ... "Little E did you do a wee wee on the floor?"

Little E ... "Yes, dhat" (Pointing to the puddles, very proud of himself)

The Daddy ... "Very good, however try in the potty next time"

Little E ... "Yes, wee wee dhat"

In order to prevent too many more puddles on the floor I suggested that the Daddy should do another demonstration of wee wee, only this time wee wee into the potty. The Daddy was not too impressed with this, saying it would be too weird. I think he may be right!

The best Mummy moments are made of this ...

2010-06-03T23:35:00.001+01:00

Hot sunny weather.
Driving with the windows down.
Listening to Little E giggling in the back as the wind blows the magazine he's holding up and down, to and fro.

2010-06-02T19:20:00.001+01:00

Last night Little E stayed up late partying in his cot. Over the monitor we heard lots of singing ("ba ba black sheep" and "Twinkle twinkle"), chatting ("where's teddy gone?","What is that?"), Animal noises, and bouncing. I was impressed that he is so able to bounce so much in his gro-bag, however we did hear the occasional bang as he crashed against the side of the cot.

All was revealed this morning, when I went to wake him up only to find him looking rather pleased with himself, holding his toe-toes and telling me that he had undone the zip himself! The conversation went a little like this ...

The Mummy ... "did you undo the zip all by yourself?"

Little E ... "Yes, zip zip"

The Mummy ... "Clever Boy"

Aside from being impressed as any Mummy is when their baby does something for the first time, I was also filled with the realisation that this was the beginning of the end.

The beginning of the end of quite adult filled evenings, whilst Little E is happy to play in his cot for up to an hour before falling asleep.

The beginning of the end of undisturbed, sleep filled nights.

Soon Little E will have mastered the art of removing the gro-bag, climbed out of his cot, opened his bedroom door (something he has been able to do for several months), and get up to lots of mischief.

I confided in the childminder, partly to show off how clever Little E is, and partly to see what advise she gave. The baby brain must be very deep routed, cause she stated the blindingly obvious that she always hides the zipper puller behind the safety popper. A function on the gro-bag that is designed to prevent the very occurrence I was worried about.

So tonight, I will show Little E that the Mummy will tuck the zip away, and we will have no more escaping (fingers crossed)!!!

2010-05-31T21:42:00.001+01:00

My Fabulous boyfriend interrupted my hair washing in the shower this morning. Sadly not for anything naughty but to thoughtfully enquire how my eradication of the unwelcome guests were going.

I found 2 dead ones, and 2 possible lice or bits of dead skin.

I think the romance may have died along with the lice!

2010-05-30T22:25:00.001+01:00

They're back!

I washed my hair this morning and used the fine nit finding comb to see if my paranoia was valid. I was not sure how successful it would be as the tiney tiny comb had been bent out of shape by little E. From the look of the irregular gaps between the combs little E had been using it to floss!

After my best attempt to restore the comb to an almost perfect state the results were clear ... the little critters were back!

My hair is a jungle where nits can hide and avoid detection. The comb revealed two little lice, so i'm on for another steamy night of more killer nit lotion and scraping my scalp with a tiny bent comb. Talk about mood killer!

2010-05-29T21:59:00.001+01:00

I have the itchy scratchy paranoia. I don't want to mention it to anyone at work incase they brand me a dirty lice carrier.

I am growing more suspicious that the critters are back as all the itching is in one place. My Fabulous boyfriend has had a quick look in my jungle of hair and thinks it must be my scalp reacting to the tea tree shampoo.

I shall have to wait til morning to see what the nit comb reveals!

I would rather eat my words!

2010-05-25T21:14:00.001+01:00

I used to think (or hope) that once you gave birth you were bestowed with the natural ability to bake.

I remember a wonderful childhood filled with the scent of freshly made bread, home made christmas cakes, cookies, victoria sponges and home made bakewell tarts. My Mummy is not the best chef (anything beyond scrambled eggs is a no go zone) but seemed to be great at baking us goodies when we were children.

Sadely, something went wrong during the birth of Little E, any small tallent i had for baking (and there was not much) simply disappeared.

Recently one weekend morning while Little E took his nap I took the time to make him some banana muffins. Rather than restore my faith in home baking, the experience has become the final nail in the coffin of my baking career.

Little E's first reaction was curiosity at what the little coloured cases contained, grabbing one and nibbling the top saying "mmm yum". It turns out he was just humouring the Mummy as seconds later he was spitting it out!

I once read it can up to 7 tries for a baby to eat new food. Armed with this knowledge I tried giving Little E another muffin the next night. Little E was not messing this time. He enthusiastically tore the muffin in half, raised his arm and threw the muffin at the Mummy!

Message received loud and clear, it is game over on the baking front!

Adventures at the childminder

2010-05-21T22:59:00.001+01:00

Text conversation with the childminder ...

Childminder " Ah well done again to Little E. He's eaten all his lunch, all his yoghurt and drank all his milk!

He's such a gud boy! Well apart from when we were chatting about his yoghurt and I asked "do u think mummy or daddy bought this yoghurt for u" to which he replied (afta a little think) "daddy".

such a traitor! Lol!"

The Mummy " Oh dear i must have words with him about that! The mummy most definitely bought the yogurt. I also gave him some In the Night Garden pasta for his tea last night which he thought was amazing ... It is a thankless job!"

Head lice!

2010-05-18T21:56:00.001+01:00

Burn all the towels, paint a big red cross on the door, shave our heads, we have lice!

The childminder called me at work. This is most unusual and only reserved for an emergency. The conversation went a little something like this ...

Childminder " little E is ok don't worry, but he's got head lice"

The Mummy " oh no! I'm guessing those two little flies I picked out of his hair yesterday were not actually flies"

Childminder " er i guess not! Don't worry though, I will get rid of them all, and pick out any eggs, little E loves people playing with his hair. He goes into a little trance"

The Mummy " that is so kind, are you sure it's ok?"

Childminder " of course, but you have to check yourself tonight and ensure both you and the daddy are clear, i will put a comb in the bag for you"

What would i do without my amazing childminder?

I came home from word to find the daddy and little E in the bath, with the daddy already scraping his head with the little comb closely inspecting it for our little friends. The daddy was given the all clear, with nothing found. The mummy was not so fortunate!

With little E tucked up in bed the daddy started the mamouth task of inspecting my hair ... it was not long before he found one ... eugh ... disgusting! A few moments later and a second one was dragged out by the comb ... STOP! I'm not sitting here all night, this could take hours ... I'm off to Mr tesco.

20 minutes later and i was back home armed with all the teatree products i could carry, and a lice killing lotion free from pesticide. After doucing and more combing we went to bed waiting for the lotion to work it's magic.

Baby brain incident no. 4

2010-05-03T17:33:00.000+01:00

Bank holiday monday. We met some friends for an impromptu pub lunch (always the best kind). We ordered little e some fish goujons, beans and chips.

Little e loves baked beans at the moment, tucking into them with his hands, spilling juice down his top (bibs rarely feature at impromptue luncheons), occasionally using a fork when he wants to copy the older kids.

As we ate, we caught up on what the kids were doing. My friend told me how her 7year old was learning about animals and has a fab book full of animals with information about them. My friend was very proud to have taught her daughter how to determine if an animal is a mammal or not.

When we'd finished eating the daddy asked "has little e eaten any of the fish?"
The mummy answered "he had lots of beans, a few chips, but i think the most fish he's eaten is that toy penguin he's chewing on"
The daddy paused for a moment then smiling said "Yeh, only penguins are not actually fish"

Mmmm i thought, maybe i need a copy of that book!

Baby Brain Moment No.3

2010-05-01T20:43:00.001+01:00

"The time has come to say good night
To say good night till the morning light
The time has come to say good night
It's the end of a lovely day

We've had so much fun today
Tomorrows just a dream away
The time has come to say good night
It's the end of a lovely day"

Makes me cry every time I sing it!
The baby brain is alive and here to stay

Wise words from little e

2010-04-27T23:44:00.000+01:00

Haa Hoo

Baby Brain Moment No.2

2010-04-24T20:56:00.003+01:00

I filled the car up with diesel, no worries here, it is a diesel car.
Used the pay at pump option.
Remembering I was planning a business trip within the next week.
Pressed the "print receipt" button to obtain a receipt so I could claim back expenses.
No receipt.
Pressed the "print receipt" button for the second time ... No receipt.
Decided to give up and go home. I will have to claim without a receipt.

At home, a few hours later, my Fabulous Boyfriend commented that the petrol cap on my car was open, and I needed to check that some gypo had not come along and syphoned off my fuel.

Open? How did that happen? Turns out I was so focused on printing a receipt I had forgotten to shut the petrol cap. I then drove home, parked, locked the car. Walked past the petrol cap, and still did not notice it was open.

My Fabulous Boyfriend just shook his head and tutted ... "I don't know how you do it" he said.
"Neither do I" I responded.

St george's day

2010-04-24T00:24:00.000+01:00

The pub up the road is having a party. The daddy took little e out on his smart-trike to have a look when they got home this evening. Little e thought it looked so good he cried when the daddy would not let him play on the bouncy castle.

Anyway, it's 5hours later and gone 11 o'clock. The live band is still playing loud enough to drown out my i-pod pillow and i'm wondering how to get to sleep.

My fabulous boyfriend pointed out they must be playing british music tonight.
"english you mean" i said,
"you would have thought so on st georges day, but i definitely heard them playing the steriophonics earlier" he commented.
"so much for a quiet village location"

Once you are in ... you are in!

2010-04-16T08:06:00.002+01:00

I went for my pneumonia vaccination on Tuesday. I started phoning the doctors in March to book the appointment for the beginning of April only be bombarded with questions and comments from the receptionist like

"there is no such thing as a pneumonia booster!"
"have you had one before? When?"
"why do you need that?"
"who told you that you needed it?"

I don't know why, but for some reason the doctors receptionist has the ability to make me lose the ability to speak in audible sentences, and most of the time reduces me to tears over the phone within 5 minutes.

Fortunately the 3 times I tried to book the appointment and failed I was feeling on top form, was not hormonal, so did not come across as a blubbering wreak. I was however shocked into dumbfoundedness by the audacity of someone who is not medically trained that tries to tell ME that I do not need a vaccination that I have been having for the last 15 years, and that someone who had been training for over 20years in the medical profession told me I needed. Even a quick search on wikipedia (and we all know how accurate that is) will tell you that I need it!

So this week, I found myself opposite the nurse, who, rather than give me the required vaccination took one look at me, telephoned the receptionist and demanded I was immediately referred to see the GP. Turns out the little cough I've had for the last 10 days is a chest infection. I have already taken one course of antibiotics, which clearly did not work, so I am starting my second set of antibiotics in 2 weeks! Oh the joys of having a compromised immunity!

So no pneumonia vaccination after all .... however it would appear that once you get to see the doctor (hard as it may be), you are placed in better favour with the receptionists. I had no trouble booking my return visit next week, and I was able to secure a time convenient to me. No stress, no questioning, no doubting my need for medical attention.

It may be hard to get an appointment to see the GP or nurse, but it turns out once you are in ... you are in.

Cuddle

2010-04-09T22:51:00.002+01:00

Little E sure is a charmer at 16 1/2 months. On Monday he said the word "cuddle" for the very first time. He pulled at my heart strings as he walked over to me looking sad saying "cuddle" with his arms reaching up towards me. He had just trodden on his cousin for the countless time and made her cry (again for the countless time). Suddenly he realised he had done something to upset her, so he came over to the Mummy for comfort.

A few days later and he has already calculated the power of the "cuddle". Tonight, whilst he was half way through his night time bottle of milk, in front of his Bonne Maman and Great Aunty from Paris visiting for a few days, he stopped, lent over Great Aunt Paris reaching out his arms to me saying "cuddle". Of course I lent across Great Aunt Paris from the other side and we had our special moment (while squashed Great Aunt Paris offered to move). Little E then finished his bottle, had giggles and tickles with the Daddy, before once again asking for more "cuddle" from the Mummy.

Little E insisted on more "cuddle" with the Mummy, until the Daddy prized him away to give night night kisses all round before retiring to his bed to play with his toys before finally falling asleep about 8.30pm!

Sooooo majorly cute. Little E knows how to work his magic on the Mummy!

Attack of the foam letters

2010-04-07T15:02:00.003+01:00

Wednesday April 7th

Yesterday I called in sick. This was not a great move after the Easter Bank holiday week, and I know it will be logged as suspicious on HR files, however I did not have much choice after waking up with a temperature of 38 with a full on fever, feeling sick, a cough to rival a 40 a day smoker and a banging head. My attempt to take some pain relief and antibiotics failed as I promptly threw up (thank goodness for the bucket next to the bed ... I felt nauseous when I went to bed the previous night).

After a whole morning snoozing in bed, I dragged myself downstairs to the sofa to spend the rest of the day snoozing to the fabulous "High Society" and then in contrast a very poor Five US film about a woman who discovered her husband had been living a double life after going AWOL for the past 5 years. Oh the joy of daytime movies!

I was trying to summoned the strength to driven the 2 miles to collect Little E from the childminders. I had already texted my Fabulous Boyfriend to tell him I would collect Little E if he could leave work on time so he could be home early to give Little E some tea. I was not yet ready to sit upright, let alone handle food after the morning incident of sickness! Whilst I was psyching myself up for the short drive, my mobile rang. My childminder was calling to tell me that she would drive my Little E home for me, the offer was so generous and thoughtful, and I was so emotional after feeling so poorly all day I shed a tear (or two). I can not believe how lucky we are to have found such a great childminder. She constantly goes out of her way to care for Little E, to keep him happy, and never complains that we are constantly late picking him up.

After a long day of feeling shockingly poorly, Little E never fails to cheer me up. He refused to go for his bath without me, so I dragged myself upstairs, tidied his room quickly and prepared it for his night night time. While Little E was enjoying fun in the bath with his Daddy my Fabulous Boyfriend I lay on the bathroom floor resting. Once Little E noticed I was there, a little hand shot up, followed my a little scream and a bombardment of foam letters. I was under attack. As fast as I could throw them back, more wet letters kept coming, occasionally followed by a little head bobbing up to check his aim, but always followed by a little scream. By the time Little E had finished his fun, I was pretty well soaked!!

Afterward my Fabulous Boyfriend made me some egg fried rice for dinner (my first meal of the day, which stayed down), and we went to bed for more snoozing.

What happens when u ask a toddler a question?

2010-02-05T22:38:00.000Z

Little e is getting very skilled at his language. He as starting to repeat words and answer questions.

This weekend, instead of asking little e wait a cow says or what a dog says, we thought it would be amusing to ask him what mummy or daddy say.

The conversation went a little like this ...

mummy : little e, what does mummy say?
little e: moo
mummy :what does daddy say?
little e: ooh ooh ah ah
mummy : and what does little e say?
little e : ooh ooh ah ah

whilst i am obviously proud and slightly in awe that little e know that mummy is different from daddy, and that little e is the same as daddy (i.e. They are both boys and i am not), i'm not sure how to take being the cow in the relationship!

2009-09-26T07:59:00.001+01:00

Baby E and his Daddy dancing to the music at the Leeds Festival.

Mud Mud Mud

2009-09-05T07:55:00.005+01:00

There is no doubt we had an amazing time at the Leeds festival with Baby E. There were however moments that were a little tricky. On the last day the rain started. We knew it was forecast after weeks of reading weather predictions and were armed with waterproofs, pushchair covers, tent and groundsheet. We considered ourselves lucky that whenever it rained Baby E was asleep. We were able to avoid a wet cold Baby E. We were very happy and confident we could live the festival life with ease come rain or shine.

It was only when we came to leave that we realised just how muddy the rest of the festival ground had become. My Fabulous Boyfriend laughed at me every time I made a comment about it being a 'nightmare in the mud'. My Fabulous Boyfriend correctly pointed out that I was not the one carrying a heavy rucksack on my back while pushing a pushchair through the mud at the same time as being jostled by merry festival folk.

We were helped out by one lovely security man who escorted us through service road that relieved us from the crowd and mud for a very short time. Sadly this was not to be repeated on the long 1 1/2 hour walk back to the car from the main arena!

Baby e is a festival baby!

2009-09-01T22:27:00.000+01:00

It seems complete madness now to think we took baby e to the leeds festival. Despite this reservation after the event we had a fantastic time and baby e loved every minute of it. We bought tickets for saturdayand sunday with an overnight stay in a hotel close to the site.

Baby e was the model festival baby wearing his ear defenders and dancing along to the tunes. He loved interacting with all the happy festival folk who wanted to take his photo, give him cuddles or play boo!

Baby e was happy crawling around chasing blue bottle tops, pulling up grass and attempting to eat everything within his reach. Thankfully we were always watching to prevent anything reaching his mouth.

When it was nap time baby e would tell us he wanted to lie in his pushchair where he calmly slept while we rocked him gently.

The weekend was every bit as easy as being at home. We are already planning to visit another festival next year with baby e. Perhaps this time we will give camping a go as well!

Baby e's new words

2009-08-20T15:02:00.000+01:00

The time has come to keep a check on our language. Baby e is adding new words to his vocabulary every week and it can only be a matter of time before he starts to copy everything we say.

Every evening baby e counts the minutes until he has his bath. It is one of his favorite activities of the day, and he will happily stay in the bath playing for up to an hour!

But how do we know he loves it so much?

Asside from the excited screaming as the bath is being filled, and the climbing up the side of the bath in eagerness to get in we have more clues. Last night after baby e finshed his dinner, he crawled from the kitchen, through the dining room, up 10steps on the stairs (supervised but not helped by me of course) saying "ba ba ba" over and over again.

Baby e was beaten after 10steps, however it will not be long before he can climb them all and probably into the bath as well! Stair gates at the ready! Here we go!

The mysterious case of the travelling poo!

2009-07-09T13:58:00.004+01:00

A funny thing happened to me this week, late on Monday night. We had the rare occurrence of Baby E waking in the middle of the night. This is so rare that it had only happened once before since he was 8 weeks old and has been sleeping through the night. I know we are very lucky to have a Baby who is so happy and calm at night and is comfortable to settle himself on his own when he wakes up so I don't mind getting up to help him when he needs us. Normally he only wakes up if he is feeling poorly, and true enough he was very hot and had a little temperature.

A quick application of Calpol, and he was back in his cot yawning and cuddling his teddy. My baby brain memory is guaranteed to let me forget something just 2 seconds after it has happened, and on this occasion it was on top form. I had forgotten that moments before it looked as though Baby E was having a poo. Sure enough, within half an hour of Baby E being in his cot, and just as I was dropping off to sleep I was summoned again.

Something clicked in my brain ... oh ... I think he has had a poo. My thoughts were correct, and I found Baby E with a dirty nappy. I kept the lights dim to remind Baby E that it was still night time, and quickly changed his nappy. With Baby E's bottom now clean and a new nappy in place, I began folding up the dirty nappy to place it in the bin. Just as it was nearly wrapped up I noticed the lump of poo was on Baby E's chest. It was sitting there, winking at me. Was it a relative of Mr Hankey the Christmas Poo? I felt like it was sitting there on Baby E's left nipple mocking me, saying 'ha ha, bet you don't know how I got here'.

I was completely taken by surprise, how did it get there? The last time I saw the poo it was in his nappy that I was folding up and was holding in my hands. Did the poo leap through the air and land on his chest? Was my nappy folding action too forceful and I had inadvertently flicked the poo into a trajectory that would make it travel a whole foot up the changing stand? Maybe I was mistaken in thinking I had seen the poo in Baby E's nappy? Maybe it had been sat on his chest since I first opened the nappy. How long had it been there?

Was it possible that Baby E grabbed it as soon as I opened his nappy. He had very grabby hands that were reaching for his willy, and on a previous nappy changing occasion he had grabbed at the wet wipe that I was using to wipe his bottom. My mind turned to visions of him picking up the poo and playing with it. Turning it in his hands like it is one of his toys or even worse some food! Help! What had happened to the poo???

Fortunately there was no sign of poo on his hands (or face) so I must live with the belief that my forceful nappy folding set the poo on a trajectory leading to Baby E's left nipple. Baby E seemed perfectly happy with the situation, and not at all traumatised with the poo/nipple incident. It shall forever remain the mysterious case of the travelling poo!

Baby E's First Tooth

2009-07-02T11:03:00.004+01:00

Hooray Baby E has his first tooth. It arrived on Tuesday 23rd June 2009, and I simply can't stop looking at it!

His first tooth to come through was the bottom middle on the right side. I am amazed by how sharp it is, and how little fuss he made as it came through his gums. We had a few restless nights (aided by Calpol or course), and a few days where he had a red bottom, but nothing worrying. He was so relaxed I hardly think he noticed.

First the gum looked like it had a little indent on it, as if it were parting to let the tooth come through, then after a few days we could feel the tooth, but not see it. This was very frustrating for me as I was so excited to see what it looked like.

Now just over a week later there is a lovely white tooth shining out for all to see. It looks a little crooked, however I am sure it will straighten up when it has lots of other teeth to keep it company. Next his little tooth is another indent as the gum is preparing for it's neighbour to break through also. I think it will still be a few days until we meet the next tooth, as we are yet to see a sore bottom, but it is definitely on its way.

Both myself and my Fabulous Boyfriend have no cavities, and have never had a filling. I will forever be grateful to my parents for teaching me good dental hygiene, and am now feeling the pressure to pass this knowledge onto my son. I know I would feel a failure as a parent, and that I was not looking after him properly if he were to have poor teeth and heaven forbid a filling. So the day his tooth came through I set off on a mission to get the best toothbrush and toothpaste my wallet could buy. I went to my dentist and chatted to the receptionist who had been trained in children's nutrition and dental hygiene. She explained what snacks were safer to give him through the day as they are sugar free, and recommended some toothpaste and toothbrush. We (Baby E and I) left the dentist feeling satisfied with our purchase and a handful of leaflets on children's dental hygiene.

So now we have added teeth cleaning to our daily routine. Baby E has his own little toothbrush which he cleans his one tooth as I am cleaning mine. I must admit he mainly chews on the wrong end, but we help him out by turning the brush around and positioning the bristles over his tooth helping him to give it a little wiggle in the right spot.

Along with the tooth we have a new sound. Baby E is exploring his changing mouth and discovering he can make little clicking noises. They are so perfectly crisp and clear and very cute. This is a very exciting time, and he is changing almost every day, new noises, new teeth ... what will come next???

There's no place like home.

2009-06-29T08:51:00.002+01:00

We have been away from home for three weeks now while the house is being rewired and the loft is converted into a third bedroom. Whilst some of my time away has been fabulous i.e. trips to the beach, visiting relatives and friends, I am now starting to get frustrated at not being in my own home.

I am very grateful to have relatives that want to have us stay with them, and know how lucky we are that they have large enough houses to accommodate all three of us. Baby E does not travel light!

I really miss toasters that have a high lift function so I don't have to burn my fingers getting my hot toast in the morning.

I really miss a smoke free house, where I can wash my clothes and they smell more clean after I have washed them than before.

I really miss my wireless Internet connection, where I can log onto my laptop where ever I am in the house.

I really miss my T.V. where I have many hours of programmes series linked waiting to be watched.

I really miss some privacy, where I can play with, feed, change Baby E without running commentary.

I miss my lovely big comfortable bed, with my fluffy pillows and marshmallow like duvet.

Hopefully we are coming to the end of our nomad existence. I want to return to living in my own home this week. I return to work in two weeks and would like Baby E to be settles in his own home once more before his world is changed once more by spending his days with the childminder. Before that is possible, I need to clean and tidy a whole house that is still in the middle of being developed. Fortunately I have a strong will, and the determination to see this project finished.

I can't wait for our little family to be back in our own home.

Baby E is crawling

2009-06-21T12:06:00.003+01:00

Baby E is now 7 months old. After a month of rolling around to get to where he wants to, this week Baby E has started crawling. Nothing is safe that lies in his path. So far we have had;

* Magazines ripped up (Baby E was caught enjoying a copy of OK magazine)
* Shoes being chewed (Baby E loves flip flops and the rubbery soles of trainers)
* Cables being chewed (Baby E likes to eat black cables and especially loves the black box of the laptop lead)
* Tables being pulled over (Baby E attempted to pull himself up on his Grandads fine legged coffee table. A big crash followed but no harm was done to any babies in the process)
* Buttercups in the garden (Baby E loves to pick the flowers)

So now we have to baby proof the house. This is proving hard as we are staying at relatives for a few weeks while the builders are re-wiring and converting the loft into a master bedroom for me and my Fabulous Boyfriend. The only time Baby E is out of trouble is when he is strapped into his car seat on the long journey between his Grandma's house in Dorset and his Bonne Maman's in Staffordshire.

Soon we will be home, and Baby E can explore in a new exciting way.

Are you pregnant? ... Let me give you some advise ...

2009-06-04T14:05:00.005+01:00

Why is it as soon as you tell people you are pregnant, they start offering you advise? It is normal to wait until you are 12 weeks pregnant before spreading the word, however people seem to forget that you have spent the last 3 months swotting up on all things pregnant and they start offering helpful hints. I was told both the bizarre and the obvious.

Here is the First Are you pregnant? ... Let me give you some advise. This falls under the bizarre advise category. Here it is ...

'The best thing I ever did when I had a baby was buy a second kettle. That way I could always have cooled boiled water to hand when I needed it. I found my husband/boyfriend used to either use the freshly boiled water for his tea, or just when the water was at the right temperature for me to use he would click the kettle on again and ruin the whole exercise. I was then left with no cooled boiled water for the baby. Nightmare!'

The polite response is always to say 'Thanks that is great advise, I will remember that'

What you want to say is 'Whaaat! Why??? It is surely cheaper just to buy a jug, or use the lovely blue Thermos jug I have in my pantry, but never used. I knew it would come in handy'

My lovely blue Thermos jug is perfect. We fill it full of boiled water every night, and there is the perfect amount for the next day. When I was feeding Baby E at night it was perfect for keeping next to the bed for the feeds. If we filled it the correct amount of time before going to bed the water was the right temperature to make up a bottle just when he needed it. There was no waiting for a bottle to warm, or for a kettle to boil.

Thanks to my fabulous friend 'Are you staying for dinner' for the night-time feeding idea. It saved loads of time and stress from Baby E.

Thanks to the person who gave me the double kettle advise ... I would rather save my money and use a jug!

Baby Brain Incident No.1

2009-05-28T12:29:00.004+01:00

The most surprising and unexpected change to my body when I was pregnant was my Baby Brain.

Baby Brain can be very stressful. It is clear to everyone around you and yourself that you are slower, more emotional and very forgetful. Most of the stresses related to baby brain are imposed by ourselves ... by ME! No-one wants to admit they are not keeping up with the pace in life, and I constantly worried that people would not think me as capable or balanced.

So, I decided to appreciate the comic value of my pregnant behavior. It is true that Baby Brain can be all of the above and more, but it is also very very entertaining.

Here is Baby Brain Incident No.1

Crying at the TV Incident No.1 - Animal Park
When - 2nd Trimester - 18weeks pregnant. 8th June 2008.

Animal Park = behind the scenes stories of Longleat Safari Park and Stately Home. Whilst I have great emotional ties to the surrounding area of Longleat having grown up only 25miles from the beautiful park, scenes of the west country are is not normally enough to make me cry.

It is worth noting that this particular episode of Animal Park was being shown during the CBBC Sunday morning schedule. It is therefore assumed that it is child friendly and does not contain any distressing scenes. The episode featured a poorly tiger who was undergoing treatment for an illness. I have no memory of what illness the tiger had which I think demonstrates the importance of the programme to me in my everyday life. Whilst the programme left the tiger recovering from his operation to visit another part of the park, my Fabulous Boyfriend popped to have a shower, and asked me to let him know how our new fury friend fared.

Animal Park announced they were going back to see how the tiger was doing. I shouted to my Fabulous Boyfriend 'the tiger the tiger, he's OK', but I spoke too soon. Ben Fogle put on his most sympathetic voice and told us that sadly the tiger did not make it! 'Oh no!' I shouted again, and, as I said the words I started sobbing in a comedy manner fit for a Jane Austin novel. If you have ever seen the famous BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (no ... not the scene when Mr Darcy emerges from the lake with his shirt all wet ... that is another story!), I mean when Alison Steadman playing Mrs Bennett finds out Lydia has eloped! She sobs in a comedy over the top stylee. There I was doing the same at the TV! I shouted/sobbed 'the tiger has died' although my Fabulous Boyfriend could barely understand me as I was almost inaudible at this point.

BBC Animal Park then showed a montage of the tigers life and the powerful bond he had with his keeper. They had literally grown up together in the same house. The keepers father used to work on the park and helped to raise the tiger at the same time as his son. They both played together as children/cubs, they were practically brothers (if that is at all possible between a tiger and a boy). As the music played over the film/photo montage, I knew there was no going back, my Baby Brain was now in control!

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow - Post Birth Hair Loss

2009-05-27T12:14:00.005+01:00

It is official. My hair is falling out. I am sure this has something to do with post birth changes to my body, however my Fabulous Boyfriend thinks I have the early on-set of alopecia. I can picture him every morning making a mental note to google the local baldness clinic when he finds yet another hair ball which he has named 'hair turds' on the side of the bath.

Before I became pregnant, my hair was completely predictable. I have very straight hair with no life or soul of its own to argue with me in the mornings. One quick shake of my head with the occasional threat of a brush and the bed head is gone to be replaced with smooth shiny hair in the style last cut by the hairdresser. I have no wild moments, no sticking up cows-licks and there is never a bad hair day to be seen.

This all changed towards the end of my pregnancy when I began to notice a subtle change in my hair. I preparation for the birth of Baby E I booked myself a hair appointment when I was 38 weeks pregnant. I knew it would be the last time I would put my feet up and enjoy being pampered in peace. I went to a fab trendy hairdressers in Derby called Eye'Candy (no expense spared) and enjoyed some girly hair talk with the gay Latvian stylist. He made me feel so fabulous darling with lots of compliments and excited talk of the impending birth of my Baby E. I told him about my suspicion that my hair was getting thicker and slightly less tame now I was in my third trimester. My stylist confirmed I had lovely thick hair (something I have never heard before ... ever!), and he reassured my that it is a myth that I would see any post birth hair loss. He told me my new thicker hair was here to stay and I would forever be left with what I considered to be a slightly out of control hair.

How wrong could he have been? My new haircut complimented my thicker hair, and so for many weeks I enjoyed having a little more body (great for all those post birth photos). Then everything changed when I stopped breast feeding about 10 weeks ago. Baby E was 17weeks old at the time. Now, every morning when I brush my hair I am left pulling hand fulls of hair from the bristles of the brush only to deposit them into the bin. I make sure to do this before I wash my hair in a failed attempt to prevent my hair from blocking up the plughole. I am confident this must help to minimise the clumps of hair I pull out while washing, however I am still left rolling hair turds to leave on the side of the bath as a present for my Fabulous Boyfriend. The hair turds are a great measure the volume of hair loss each day and so far the most I have made is 3, all about the same size as a large woodlouse.

The hair loss is not restricted to the bathroom. Baby E is often found with lengths of my hair in his neck, hands, and rather strangely his nappy! It would seem that my hair is not fussy where it falls, and is aiming for global domination. My Fabulous Boyfriend recently decided to vacuum the spare room/nursery. It needs to be mentioned that this is the first time the Dyson has been used since before Baby E was born (my nesting phase was limited to the two weeks before my due date). Sadly the Dyson could not cope with the amount of hair that was embedded in the rug so my Fabulous Boyfriend resorted to using his fingers as mini rug rakes dragging all the hair from the rug into his hands. He was able to make hair turds large enough to make a grown man cry! The long lengths of hair in the Dyson cylinder have been spun into little Dyson Cylinder shaped nest with dust filling the gap. It is so perfectly formed it would look perfect in a tree in the garden ready for a little family of robins to move it!

I am hoping I have turned the corner and think my hair balls are finally decreasing. Today I was actually disappointed when I was only able to make one hair turd in the shower. Making hair turds is fun, however am grateful to reach a plateau. I would rather not sacrifice all my hair for my baby boy, I have already lost my firm body so think he owes me a full head of hair.

What are little boys made of?
Squishy tummy's and hair from his Mummy,
That's what little boys are made of.

Baby E - First solid Poo

2009-05-26T14:17:00.008+01:00

Baby E has had his first solid poo. Strike up the band, grab a drink and celebrate. It happened at the weekend and was quite a memorable event. I had been anticipating this moment for a while, and was quite excited about it happening. In my mind it means the end of leaky nappies, no more poo running onto clothes, car seats, laps or floors. I will never forget the time I took Baby E to the cinema and thought his nappy had leaked poo on my leg. This is not ideal in any situation, and especially pertinent when you are in a dark environment and you have to squeeze past half a dozen other mums with wriggling babies to make your way to the changing facilities. Thankfully, on that occasion it was just a pool of baby sick in my lap, I was relieved it was not a repeat of Christmas Day when his nappy leaked all over my finest clothes and my mothers table linen!

Despite this, I was apprehensive about the conversion from runny poo to solid poo. I had recently witnessed my friends little boy straining and stressing about his solid poo. The poor baby had to squeeze out mini boulders from his small bottom. My friend 'Man Bag' and his wife spent most of a day with their screaming constipated baby. This was not on my agenda of things to do this spring, and I am pleased to say we have not had to join them yet in the game of how to get giant poo out of a tiny baby's bottom. Ouch!

Baby E had not given me the delights of his morning poo on Saturday, so I was expecting the largest, widest spreading poo in the world ever. A poo that was far reaching from his knees up to his neck, and when he finally made his usual grunting noises after his 4pm feed I prepared myself. Fearing this may be a poo requiring two adults to start the clearing up process (one for the head end to stop the grabby hands from smearing poo all over his body, and surrounding furniture), I ventured upstairs rather despondently on my own to the changing mat. It was a bank holiday weekend so my Fabulous Boyfriend had volunteered to take some things to the tip (what else would he rather do on the hottest day of the year???). I was pleasantly surprised to find a little lump of soft poo in Baby E's nappy, and not the fast moving korma like poo that is normally there. This would be easy I thought. A quick little wipe with some washable wipes and we were finished ... or so I thought.

'Good Boy Baby E' I said smiling, 'you have done a big boys poo ... have you finished?'
As I reached for a new clean nappy he silently squeezed out more poo onto the changing mat.
'Good boy, you had some more poo' and I wiped this up with the washable wipes again.
'Good boy, you had some more poo', and I am sure you can guess what happened next ... more poo!
This little game went on another 4 or 5 times, until I had a neat little pile of washable wipes with lumps of poo on them. Baby E looked so proud, he was able to please Mummy now with both pooing and weeing on request. It then occurred to me and my small baby brain that washable wipes may not have been the wisest choice for solid poo. What am I to do with little towelling wipes matted with poo? I was not sure my 10 year old washing machine would cope with something so well formed.

Ah, I remembered something I had read. The washable nappies and wipes are made so the poo just 'falls off' if you stretch them over the toilet. With Baby E dressed and safely sat in his floor rocker, I began the simple task of stretching shaking the wipes over the toilet. This was easier said than done, and resulted in soft poo splattered all over the toilet bowl, and rather unfortunately my hands. I had not bargained for this. It is one thing to get the sweet smelling runny baby poo on my hands, but a whole other matter when it is solid grown up poo, even more so when it is solidt rown up poo that is not your own!

Sadly my small baby brain did not learn from this, and today we had our second grown up solid poo incident. This time I learnt my lesson and used disposable wipes, however at the time of pooing, Baby E was wearing a washable nappy. 'It will be OK' I thought, I just have to stretch and shake the nappy over the toilet. It will be different than the wipes as the organic velour lining was made especially so the poo would just fall off. Who was I trying to kid? The result of course was more poo on my hands and not so much in the toilet. I tried using some toile paper to pick off the poo but this was no more successful and so I was beaten once again. I need a plan. Clearly I do not want to use disposables all the time, and it is not always possible to predict when Baby E is going to poo. I need to find a way to solve the solid poo in washable nappy situation. I most certainly do not want a repeat event of poo on hands again. I am hoping the answer is flushable nappy liners. So far they have not porved very successful, however maybe with solid poo they will come into their own.

On another poo note, Baby E has a new 'I'm pooing' face. Gone are the grunts and strains of runny poo that we all think are rather unnecessary. The new solid poo needs a silent more controlled pose with pouting lips and a stare fit for practicing the yoga relaxation golden thread breathing. Maybe all those weeks of practicing yoga while pregnant have rubbed off onto Baby E as well. And relax!

Maternity leave is not a holiday ... honest!

2009-05-22T11:22:00.005+01:00

Maternity leave is fantastic. What other chance in my life will I have to spend time bonding with my new baby, making new friends, visiting old friends, visiting family, relaxing, walking in the countryside, and joining social groups? Add to this the bonus of SMP so there is some money coming in, and the answer is easy ... none. This is a great time in my life where I have taken the opportunity to recoup and rejuvenate and recover some balance in my life.

When my Fabulous Boyfriend came home last night to a messy house with dirty dishes everywhere, clothes on the floor, baby toys strewn all around, nursery black out blind not finished, and dirty real nappies still not washed he made a subtle comment that even my baby brain managed to process. 'Maternity leave is not a holiday you know! You will not be allowed to play with your friends is you don't wash those nappies'

My Fabulous Boyfriend is right. Maternity leave is not a holiday. In between the joyful moments of playing with Baby E, feeding him, changing his nappy, going out for walks and visiting friends, I squeeze in time to shower, eat and if I am lucky I do the laundry. The fact that when Baby E is asleep I sit and relax, do some writing, sewing or just watch TV rather than do boring chores means that I am no more organised than when I was at work, but it makes my time on maternity leave that little bit more enjoyable.

It is easy for me to procrastinate and put things off until tomorrow, tomorrows tomorrow or even tomorrows tomorrow tomorrow. Life will not stop because I have not done the laundry, we will just not have any clean clothes to wear.

Things I have learned to do in an attempt to achieve more in less time
* Don't answer the phone ... that is what the answer machine is for. If I were at work, no-one would be here to answer it.
* Don't think about it ... just do it. Try to do each task in 15 minutes, no matter how big.
* Organisation takes commitment. I am still working on this one. I simply have not inherited the nesting gene

So yes, my maternity leave is a little like a holiday. A holiday with no all you can eat buffet, no lying doing nothing but readying a book, no sun bathing, no alcohol any time of day or night, and most importantly no lie-ins! Mmmmm maybe it is not really a holiday after-all.

A river of snot.

2009-05-21T08:22:00.006+01:00

Poor Baby E has been unwell.

We noticed on Tuesday last week that he had some snuffles in his nose. When we put him to bed he was unhappy and would not settle in his usual way. We reached for the Calpol and attempted to give a small dose. This sounds easier than it actually is as Baby E refused to take it from his syringe so we tried the spoon. The battle of the medicine started ... who would be the winner? Surely the parents, after all we know best ... oh no ... how wrong can you be? Baby E started fighting our efforts to calm him and his first move was to bring out the bottom lip. We had quivering and crying, bit as that did not stop the medicine attacked he moved onto the secind stage of the assult and started coughing. This was a tactical move to bring up his milk which he deposited into the bag of clean clothes that were lying on the floor next to him! Ha! That will show you, evil Mummy and evil Daddy for trying to make me feel better. Now you have to work out how you are going to get baby sick out of a travel bag!

Another bottle of milk and lots of cuddles and Baby E was back in bed for a disturbed nights sleep. Poor little baby, he was up at 5.30 when I forced more medicine into him and put him back in his crib to sleep. By morning he was completely congested and had been mouth breathing all night, he was all dry mouthed and sore lipped.

Wednesday brought food and milk refusal, bright red cheeks and more medicine fights which resulted again in coughing and vomiting in comedy places. This time it was in his floor chair and down my jeans. This does not sound too bad, however we were getting ready to go out. I had tickets for the theatre and was meeting the girls for dinner. Baby E was about to be taken to the childminder, and this second vomiting incident made me doubt weather I should leave him. A quick phone call to my Fabulous Boyfriend calmed my anxiety (after a few tears from me), after all the childminder is an expert and would not let anything happen to Baby E when he was on her watch. A quick wet-wipe of my jeans (I'm sure some perfume would cover up any smell), and I was off. Baby E was very happy with the childminder, and had a slight temperature, but was OK. My Fabulous Boyfriend had stopped on the way home to buy a Calpol Vapour Plug to help Baby E breath more easily at night, and it has been a miracle cure to sleepless nights. It was clear that Baby E had a better night, however he was still awake very early.

After a few days of high temperature, and finding the forehead and under-arm thermometer practically useless with a wriggling baby, I took Baby E out on Thursday morning to buy a Calpol Digital Thermometer. We are now a fully signed up member of the Calpol club, well ... except Baby E who is the only person who should like it, but actually hates the stuff. Armed with the medicine, vapouriser and now the thermometer we are fully primed to fight anything! I also bought some Ibuprofen medicine for him in an attempt to try an alternative tasting medicine ... this was all in vain as Baby E also hates the taste of this also.

By the time my Fabulous Boyfriend came home Baby E's was 39.5degrees. We also found some pink colour in his nappy so were concerned about his health and possible infection. After a phone call to NHS direct, we were called back by a nurse, and then a doctor, and were advised to visit the Loughborough NHS walk in centre to get Baby E checked out. I started to worry that I had left it too long to amke the call, however everyone we spoke to was satisfied we had given Baby E the advised 48hours to see if he was going to get better. Several hours later at the NHS walk in centre, Baby E had been seen by a Doctor, spent time in a room naked in front of a fan with a plastic sample bag taped to his willy to collect a urine sample, had his wee checked for infection and was given the all clear. The doctor said he will be poorly for a few more days, so I am looking forward to the weekend when my Fabulous Boyfriend is home. The doctor advised that we can give him almost double the amount of Calpol and ibuprofen than we had been which would help Baby E to feel better. Now the only challenge is to get Baby E to take the medicine.

Baby E slept a little better on Thursday night after lots of medicine, however was up very early on Friday morning. It was at this point that I realised I had forgotten to shower yesterday. Mmmm will I get the chance today??? Baby E fell asleep in his play nest after his breakfast he was so tired. One minute he was playing with his fun activity cube, the next he is slumped with his head on the side snoring. I have been moving the Calpol vapouriser to each room we spend time in to help his breathing, and that has made a difference. Baby E took the rest of his morning naps cuddled up on my chest as he would not let me put him in his crib to sleep. We took a very long walk in the afternoon where Baby E slept in his pushchair for an hour and a half. This was a welcome relief to rocking him to sleep on my chest ... Baby E is getting heavy.

A week has now passed, and I have finally relaxed. Yesterday was the first day that Baby E seemed to be back to normal. While he is still a little snuffly and we are still using the Calpol Room vapouriser, Baby E has his appetite back (after a week of only eating half his normal amount), he is laughing again, and wanting to play with everything. His day naps are all spent in the crib in his room, and Baby E is recovered. And time to relax ... now where did I put the Gin!

Baby E is 6 Months old!!!!

2009-05-19T09:44:00.005+01:00

Baby E is six months old today. I thought it would feel strange or scary, or emotional however it feels quite normal. Baby E is growing up to be a cute, inquisitive energetic boy who is always entertaining and like most babies loves being the centre of attention.

Big changes over the last month are;
* Weening. Baby E is now eating some food each day. His favourite seems to be Apple and Pear Puree, however I think Parsnip and Carrot may be a close second.
* Drinking water from a two handled free flow cup. In the last week there seems to be more drinking than spitting. Suddenly I can see an end to soggy t-shirts on the horizon.
* Less milk coming up after a feed. It may be my imagination, but we seem to be less soggy from deposits of milk everywhere. Baby E is being sick less and less!!!
* Showing initial signs of sitting up. Last week Baby E sat still long enough to be un-supported for a nano-second. This is quite an achievement as he is always moving around, standing, sitting, rolling, reaching, grabbing. There seems no time to be still!
* Showing initial signs of being able to support himself on all fours. This seems to be a long-time coming as it has been months that Baby E has supported himself on his arms when lying on his front. Baby E is very happy to play lying on his front, so he is slowly building strength in a build up to crawling.
* Baby E reaches for the toys he wants even if they are behind his head by wriggling and turning to reach them. He seems to reach for them quite happily even when they have fallen out of sight.
*Baby E climbed out of his ELC Donkey next this morning. He is becoming alot more active and I have visions of him wanting to climb on everything. His favourite reason for climbing at the moment is to chew on electric cables! This is very strange. I have hard of rabbits chewing through electric cables, but I have never heard of babies wanting to get their gums on thin black cables.
* Baby E has started pushing you away with his hands when he is being cuddled. This is a break for independence, and is slightly annoying as you have to hold on to him tight to stop him falling out of your arms while he is wriggling, twisting and turning all at the same time.
* Baby E is now in his own room. This is a great result as my Fabulous Boyfriend and I have our bedroom back, and we all know what that means!!!

Life is definitely good with a six month old baby.

Leaking Nappies

2009-05-12T09:28:00.005+01:00

I love using my Washable Nappies. I feel good knowing what I am putting next to Baby E's bottom. He has been free from nappy rash, and never had any problems.

Some days, no matter what type of nappies he is wearing, washable nappies or eco-friendly disposable nappies Baby E seems to have leaking nappies all day. Yesterday was one of those days, where it seemed that every washable nappy he wore leaked. We had four leaking nappies throughout the day, and to go with that four changes of clothes, and four period of unhappy crying Baby E.

Each leaky nappy could not have come at a worse moment.

Leaky Nappy 1. During Baby E's morning nap. This meant waking him up early as he was wet and cold.
Leaky Nappy 2. During a lovely walk around the country lanes. This meant crying baby who would only stop if he was carried all the way home, this is not easy as I still had to push the push-chair. This could have been solved by taking spare nappies out with me!
Leaky Nappy 3. During Baby E's afternoon nap. Oh no! Not again! This time Baby E woke early from his nap and was not impressed with being wet.
Leaky Nappy 4. During play time. This was minimal as Baby E just had to wait a moment to be changed and then he could carry on playing with his lovely toys.

I am hoping it was just one of those days, and am grateful it was only a full wet nappy and not a dirty nappy.

Maybe now Baby E is eating more, and drinking more he will be filling his nappies quicker. Only time will tell.

Early Mornings

2009-05-11T08:27:00.007+01:00

We have always been lucky with Baby E as he has slept through the night from 8 weeks old. Before this age, he would only wake once or twice in the night for a feed at 1am, and 3am and Baby E would then sleep through until 7.30am like a perfect angel.

Baby E moved into his own room last week, and into a full size cot for the first time. This has meant a less disturbed sleep due to no road noise, and more room for him to move around in his sleep without waking himself up. We have however found for the last 3 nights he has woken early. This morning he awoke at 5.30am. When I walked into his room he was crying, but still had his eyes closed and was wiggling around in his crib in a most unhappy manner. I picked Baby E up, and changed his very wet nappy, gave him lots of cuddles and reminded him that it was not morning and he had to go back to sleep. This seemed to work as he went back to sleep once I put him back in his cot.

Baby E has been eating potato for the last 3 days, so this may have affected his sleep, however we are more inclined to think he is now waking up with the sunrise. We have been lucky at night up to this point that Baby E was born in the winter so we have never had to worry about the bedroom not being dark enough for him to sleep. We have a black out lined blind in our room as we overlook a main road with street lights. Baby E does not have a blind in his room to block out excessive light, and I have been meaning to make one for several months in preparation for him moving to his own room.

I love my sleep, and am finding it hard after only 3 days of early mornings to make it through the day without a nap myself. However today, when Baby E is taking a nap, or playing with his toys, or swinging in his electronic swing, I have to start making his blind for his room. Eve Upshall Interiors is open for business!

Real Nappy Week

2009-05-09T07:26:00.002+01:00

Real Nappy Week seems to have passed me by. Real Nappy Week 2009 ran from 27th April - 3rd May. I had every intention of picking up some bargains in the sales and discount offers that some of the websites were offering.

I already have about 18 washable Nappies, however there is a part of me that thinks I need more. I have some that I love more than others, and I think this is my motivation to purchase more Washable Nappies so that I don't have to use the ones I am not so fond of.

I keep running over in my head the reasons why I should buy more Washable Nappies
1. I have only 12 Washable Nappies that I enjoy using and this is not enough to use Washable Nappies full time.
2. One of these Washable Nappies is a small size, and Baby E will soon be too big for it. The rest are 'Birth to Potty' Washable Nappies so will always fit.
3. I have 3 Nappies that I prefer not to use. They are big and bulky and do not provide the level of absorbency and containment that you would expect. They are always used last when the other Washable Nappies are in the wash.
4. Baby E is going to the Childminder full time from the middle of July. I do not have time to wash my Washable Nappies as much when I am at work all day. I will need more for Baby E to stay in Washable Nappies when he is at the Childminder, so I can wash them less often.
5. I will be buying more Washable Nappies for my next baby, so it will be more cost effective to use them on Baby E as well therefore saving money in the long run.
6. I can claim some of the money back from my local council who have a grant scheme for people who buy Washable Nappies.

Then there are the reasons why I do not need to by more Washable Nappies
1. I have managed for 5 months with the Washable Nappies I have, so there is no reason why I need more.
2. I buy Eco-Friendly Disposable Nappies Nature Babycare Nappies which are 100% biodegradable. We currently use these at night or when we are away on holiday. We could use these at the Childminders if the Washable Nappies are in the wash.
3. My income is now down to SMP, so we have less money to spend on extravagant purchases like more Washable Nappies. We need the money to buy food!
4. I can apply for the local council Nappy grant to help pay for the Nappies I already have.
5. Missing the fabulous discounts available for real Nappy week is a sign that I should not be buying more Washable Nappies. I have saved myself money.

So for now I shall be resisting my urges to buy more Washable Nappies. I will keep reminding myself that I don't need them, and at the moment I don't have enough money to justify buying them. Maybe when I go back to work!

The Birth of Baby E - Part 3

2009-05-08T11:03:00.003+01:00

Here is the third part of the story of the birth of Baby E. It was about 1am on Wednesday 19th November 2008. We were in the labour room, and I was losing control over the gas and air. I was completely off my head on the stuff and loving it. My head was spinning, and my Sergent Pepper internal sound track was perfect. Lucy was definitely in the sky with diamonds!

Suddenly I felt sick. The midwife was out of the room, so we would have to deal with this on our own. All good things must come to an end I suppose, and this was the end of my love affair with the gas and air. I motioned to my Fabulous Boyfriend that I was going to be sick, and he reached for some paper towels to help catch the fallout. What was he thinking??? Paper towels to catch the vomit of a woman in labour??? It was indeed a futile exercise, as the contents of my stomach and all the snacks I had been eating in the bath ricochet off the paper towel spraying the floor, my bags and slippers on the way out. I felt much better, however did not like the look of the devastation on the floor of the birthing room.

My fabulous boyfriend pressed the call button for the Midwife, who dutifully cleaned up the mess, and provided us with some cardboard containers if I felt the need to be sick again. She also gave me an anti-sickness tablet. I was slightly confused by her intentions in giving me something else to fuel my stomach and had no doubt this would be hitting the floor in a few minutes (or hopefully the cardboard container). True to form, I was sick several more times, but we were prepared for it, and my Fabulous Boyfriend was on hand to catch anything that came up. He then offered me my toothbrush and toothpaste to freshen my mouth, I may be giving birth, but dental hygiene is still important!

Over the next few hours I focused on my breathing to help with the contractions. As the pain intensified, I started telling myself 'the pain was nothing, and it did not last long', over and over until the contraction finished. This positive attitude really helped to get me through the contractions which were becoming longer and coming harder with not much of a break in between.

The gas and air was making my mouth dry so my Fabulous Boyfriend was on hand with lip balm and water whenever I demanded it, and I was becoming quite demanding. He still reminds me of my efforts to politely ask him to give me more lip-balm or more water. 'More lip balm', 'More water', 'You don't have to put the lid back on the water you know, then you could get it to me more quickly'.

The worst moment during the early hours of the morning was the one and only time my Fabulous Boyfriend left me to use the toilet. In these short minutes that seemed like hours, I felt a contraction coming. My fabulous boyfriend returned from his trip to my en-suite bathroom to find me cross and in some discomfort. He explained that in my attempt to boost the tens machine, I had managed to turn it off! Thankfully, my Fabulous Boyfriend held in any other urges to use the toilet until after Baby E was born.

From this time until 4am, the contractions came faster and faster. The consultants want to see 4 in a 10 minute period, and I was spot on target, sometimes I was having more! I knew when a big contraction was coming as I would start shaking, and my teeth would chatter with the shock. While these contractions were forceful, they did not last any longer than normal so I knew with my mantra I could get through it. 'They did not last long, and they were not that painful.' The Midwife encouraged me to use visualisation to help with the bad contractions, and the shaking. Her suggestion was to visualise candles on a birthday cake, and I am pleased to say it worked. I was able to see the flames flickering on the top of the candles on the cake. I could blow out the candles when the contraction subsided. I felt like I was maintaining control, and had no worries in believing I could give birth in the way I wanted.

I was looking forward to the next examination at 4am. I was progressing well, and the midwife was being very supportive and kept telling me how well I was doing. I really hoped we would be a good 8cm dilated, and was pleased when finally 4am arrived and the Midwife said it was time for my examination.

Adventures at the Childminder - Part 2

2009-05-07T10:05:00.006+01:00

Yesterday Baby E had his second official trip to the Childminders. We were due to go round at 11am and I would stay with him the whole time showing the childminder how Baby E takes his late morning nap, and how he likes to have his lunch.

True to form Baby E fell wanted to go to sleep at 10.30am and remained asleep for 2 hours. Why do babies have a talent for interrupting perfectly formed plans??? Meantime I was sending texts to the Childminder to tell her he was still asleep and hoping she would still be available at lunchtime for us to visit her. The Childminder was very amenable (as always), and was kind enough to let us change the time of the appointment.

As soon as Baby E woke from his morning nap, I bundled him into the car along with his lunch, his stuff for napping and I crossed my fingers that he would need sleep early afternoon so we could continue our plan to get him accustomed and settled in another environment.

Baby E was delightfully happy and smiley after his long morning nap, and impressed the childminder with his giggles and cheeky grins. He ate his pureed apples like a pro, and then drank about half of his milk. This was not bad considering he was in a different environment with lots to look at and dsitract him. After lunch Baby E played with the Childminders toys, did lots of roley poleys and chewing of anything he could grab with his 'go go grabby hands'.

Despite his long sleep in the morning, all the excitement must have tired him out as it was not long before he needed another nap. I was a little nervous that he was bluffing, but once again he performed perfectly for his audience. I changed his nappy, put him in a Grobag, gave him cuddles and kisses while the childminder put his lullaby CD on to play. Once he was tucked into the travel cot with his teddies and blanket he needed only a few minutes to fall asleep like a perfect angel. There were no tears, no crying, only a few tired noises as he drifted of to sleep.

I felt so proud of my little boy. Even though it did not show the childminder what to do if he does not want to settle straight away, she now thinks she has the perfect model child coming her way. Whilst life is always a joy with Baby E, it requires a great deal of patience and calmness to instill the confidence in him that he is safe and loved. We chose our childminder because she seems to have the same air of calmness about her that we have, and I am hoping she will easily be able to fill in for us when we are at work.

Baby E slept at the Childminders for 2 hours. By the time he awoke, more children had arrived from the local primary school. They were buzzing with excitement to meet Baby E, and he gave them lots of smiles to reward them. He is shaping up to be a little performer just like his Daddy!

So we were very successful at the Childminders yesterday. Next week I am planning a trip out for dinner and theatre with the girls so Baby E is spending a few hours with the Childminder on his own. I am confident he will be very happy there, and not miss me one little bit. It is a good feeling to trust that your baby will be OK when you leave him with someone else, and I think we have found a great Childminder who will give Baby E the best care (next to his Mummy and Daddy of course).

Moving Baby E into his own room.

2009-05-06T10:57:00.005+01:00

We passed another big milestone yesterday. Baby E is now 5 1/2 months old and last night he spent the night in his own room for the first time. There is a part of me that is mourning the loss of my little baby sleeping by my side, and another part of me that is celebrating getting my own room back.

Before I gave birth to Baby E I had every intention of him sleeping in his own room as soon as we brought him home. The FSID (Foundation for the study of infant deaths (http://www.sids.org.uk/) recommend that baby's sleep in their parents rooms for the first six months. This is sound advise, however I had ideas of giving my baby independence and did not mind the thought of getting out of bed every night to feed him or cuddle him if he needed me. Several of my friends who had newborns had successfully put them in their own room from a few days old, so I felt it was the normal thing to do for me.

The first night we brought Baby E home, we placed him in his crib at the foot of our bed. Baby E did not like this one little bit. In the hospital, Baby E had spent the first few nights of his life in the big scary world next to my bed, spending most of the night looking at me, rather than sleeping. Now he was in a strange house, in a new bed in a place where he could not see his Mummy. He was not happy and spent most of the time crying. Finally at 3am he fell asleep for about 6 hours, and my Fabulous Boyfriend and I knew that something had to change. We wanted a happy baby, who was contented and felt safe. The next day while I was feeding Baby E, my Fabulous Boyfriend moved the bedroom furniture round so Baby E could sleep next to me. Suddenly all wishes of Baby E sleeping in his own room were gone. I knew I wanted my beautiful Baby to sleep next to me for as long as was needed. That night we had a happy, contented Baby who could see his Mummy and Daddy whenever he awoke. For the last 5 1/2 months he has slept by our sides perfectly happily.

Recently we decided it was the right time to move Baby E into his own room. He was getting quite a disturbed sleep in our room which is at the front of the house. We think cars driving past have been waking him, and of course he always opens his eyes when we come to bed.

Finally, after weeks of talking about it, last night my Fabulous Boyfriend made the cot. We have borrowed the cot from my Fabulous Boyfriend's sister. Putting the cot together was quite an achievement as we had no instructions, and I was not sure if there were any screws missing as the bag containing the small parts had a big hole in the side.

Baby E watched his Daddy put his new bed together, and looked quite impressed when we let him lie in it to check it was OK. We moved his cot bumper and teddies from his crib so it was familiar to him, and set up the i-pod with the womb music. It was almost an hour past Baby E's bedtime when we finally put him to bed in his new cot, so I think he was so tired he was happy to sleep anywhere! Baby E slept perfectly in his new room. He did not stir once, and slept happily all night. We kept the baby monitor on in our room so we could listen out in case he needed us, but he slept like an angel.

This morning he has taken his nap in his new room. We shut the curtains together, put Baby E into his growbag, started the lullaby music, put Baby E into his cot, tucked him in with a blanket, gave him kisses night night, and Baby E happily fell asleep playing with his teddy. Bliss!

Weaning Day 2

2009-05-05T17:10:00.005+01:00

Sunday 3rd May 2009.

The second day of weaning Baby E is here, and following his enthusiasm yesterday, we are all set for round 2.

We followed the same schedule as yesterday, with Baby E having his usual breakfast of 8oz formula. He drank this as normal, however he looked a little disappointed at the lack of carrot. Could I be imagining it, surely he does not expect food with every meal already??? The health visitor says to pick one meal a day to give food, and gradually increase it. I was already giving him two meals a day, surely he would not want more?

Baby E looked tired as usual at about 10am, however instead if going for his nap, he just cried and wined. What can be the matter? I mentioned my thoughts to my Fabulous Boyfriend regarding Baby E noticing the lack of carrot at breakfast time, and he just shrugged and said 'maybe he wants it all the time, maybe not'. Baby E was clearly tired, however refused sleep all morning.

My brother was visiting, and I had planned with my sister-in-law to go out for the day to a VW event so we could ogle and lust after some fine looking VW Camper Vans. At 1pm, with Baby E now extremely grumpy, I quickly packed a bag with his lunch, and we bundled the kids into the car and set off. I was confident that Baby E would sleep in the car, and we could give him his lunch when we got there.

True to form, Baby E slept lie an angel for the 45 minute drive to the VW event. He was perfectly happy in his pushchair as we walked round the show looking for a nice tree to sit under and give the kids some lunch. Baby E ate all of his carrot this time as though he was a pro! He then had a 7oz bottle, and looked very pleased with himself as we pushed him round looking at lots of old classic VW and the much coveted split screen camper vans.

With more carrot for his tea when we got home, Baby E was very happy. I am still confused about his not wanting to sleep this morning. Maybe his routine is changing now he is having a taste of solids? We will find out if this pattern remains in a few days when the visitors have gone and the novelty of food wears off.

Lots more orange sick today. I wonder if it will come out in the wash???

Weaning is here!!!

2009-05-05T15:13:00.004+01:00

Saturday 2nd May 2009

The day of weaning is here at last. Baby E looks none the wiser as I peal, chop and steam some carrots and sweat potato. Baby E is still not impressed as I use my blender to smooth out the lumps, and then painstakingly push through a sieve to stop him choking on any lumps. This was much harder then I anticipated, and I had to accept my Fabulous Boyfriends offer to finish the task as my arm was beginning to ache. The sweat potato is put into ice cubes and frozen for later meals. First we have 3 days of carrot to make it through without turning too orange!

Lunchtime. Todays portions of carrot have been set aside and the rest frozen for later. Baby E got quite excited when presented with his new food. He grabbed the spoon filled with carrot and thrust it into his mouth, pulling a face similar to that of someone who had been given thistles to eat. He then choked a little mmmm perhaps the carrot is a little too thick??? Maybe I should have added more water.

Despite the fact Baby E did not look impressed with the food, he happily grabbed the spoon again and again to eat more carrot. His Daddy, my Fabulous Boyfriend was on hand to take some great photo's. When Baby E was bored he started to spit the carrot out and made his usual sound for 'bring on the milk'. He then consumed his usual lunchtime 7oz bottle.

Baby E had more Carrot at tea time, which he had less of, but still grabbed for the spoon to thrust it into his mouth and suck the carrot off before spitting most of it out.

I was surprised and pleased that Baby E was so enthusiastic about food, and glad that he ate it so nicely with no food throwing or tears or tantrums. Baby E has always been a sickly baby, bringing up lots of milk from each feed, pretty much until the next feed starts. I had however not anticipated for the new colour of orange baby sick! This is going to be interesting. I had been told by the health visitor that once babies are weaned the sickly period ends ... perhaps it takes a little longer than the first meal!!!

Are my Baby E's Eyes Changing Colour?

2009-05-01T09:26:00.006+01:00

Baby E was born with quite dark dirty blue eyes. They have clarified a little and up until now have remained quite a bright blue colour.

We have been questioning how long they will stay this colour for some time as Baby E's eyes have started looking a light brown colour in the middle of his iris, while remaining blue on the outside.

It depends on the light as to the colour they look, and when looking from the side they tend to look more brown than blue. So will Baby E's Eyes change colour?

This morning they look particularly brown, and I was taken by surprise when I looked directly at them, and they no longer looked blue. Baby E is now 5 1/2 months old and it seems very late to me for his eyes to change colour, however I read this morning that some babies eyes keep changing colour until they are 9 months. It looks like we will have to wait a little longer to find out if his eyes will stay blue like his Mummy's or turn Brown like his Daddy's.

The Birth of Baby E - Part 2

2009-05-01T08:57:00.005+01:00

Here is the second part of the story of the birth of Baby E

It was Tuesday 18th November 2008. We had attended our induction appointment, and had been having a lovely time relaxing in the bath in the labour ward at the hospital for about 3 hours when the Midwife came to collect us for the consultants 10pm round. It had been about 4 hours since our last examination. We moved to the delivery suite from the bathroom and I was connected back up the the machine to monitor Baby E's heartbeat and my contractions. After the examination I was disappointed to be told that I was still only 1cm dilated! How could this be? I had been having contractions for the last 4 hours, and nothing had happened! The Midwife explained that while I was still only 1cm dilated, the cervix had moved forward slightly so things were progressing, however things were going very slowly!

The Midwife told us we were doing very well, however they needed to take more action to speed things along a bit. Baby E was nearly 2 weeks overdue and he needed to come out into the real world. The consultant came to see us, and we agreed that I would have my waters broken. This was the last non-drug related intervention they could do to help encourage the contractions. I was connected to a drip so I could have some intravenous antibiotics (I have a non functioning spleen). The consultant then began a most uncomfortable procedure I have ever had to break my waters. I think because the cervix was still quite far back it was not an easy procedure, and I found it quite difficult to remain composed. It felt like she had been routing around for hours pulling by most intimate part around, but was probably only a matter of seconds before I had to ask her to stop.

I felt completely invaded, and was finding it hard to focus on my breathing and mantra. The consultant let me relax for a few moments before asking if she could start again. She must be joking! I had to refuse as I was feeling very shaky and I my teeth were chattering from the shock. Suddenly I could feel something wet running down my thigh and I told the consultant I thought it had worked. She gave me one of those patronising looks and said she would have to check. Soon enough the waters had reached her viewing platform and I felt elated when the consultant was able to confirm my waters had broken. Hooray, I don't think I could have composed myself enough to allow her to have another go.

Sadly the procedure of having my waters broken completely knocked me off course, and I felt like crying. I expect I had a little cry as my body was not happy. Emotionally this was very hard. I felt like I had put my body through too much already, how could I go through with the whole birth? Mentally I was still fit for anything, but physically? I knew I needed all my resolve to give birth to Baby E the way we had planned, and while it was not going to be easy, I still knew mentally I was able.

Thankfully at this stage my Fabulous Boyfriend had connected up the tens machine, and did a perfect job of managing the boost button when the contractions came, and he was able to use the machine that monitored the baby's heart beat and my contractions to time it exactly when I needed it.

At the next examination, I was still not progressing much further, so we agreed to let them accelerate the birth by using a drip. This was the first stage of true medical intervention, and we were disappointed, but realistic that we knew they had a job to do, and they were going to do it. We had negotiated with them to hold off doing anything since we were admitted about 8 hours ago, so felt we had had a good run on our own. As the contractions began to speed up accompanied by feelings similar to strong period pains, I sat on the bed working out how to use the gas and air. As the hours went by, and we moved into the night I melted into the bed with the Sergent Pepper album as my own personal soundtrack in my head. The room was spinning, and everything was becoming all blurry. Voices were muffled, and words merged into each other. I was completely high on the gas and air, this was fantastic!

Countdown to Weaning - Part 2

2009-04-30T09:09:00.006+01:00

The countdown to weaning in on. With only 2 days to go until Baby E has his first mouthful of food, he has started taking an interest in my food. This has been a long time coming and is perfectly timed. Yesterday Baby E was quite upset that I would not let him put my biscuit in his mouth, and he showed clear intention of wanting to get his hands on my breakfast cereal. He gave me one of those looks that speaks a thousand words ... 'but I want it Mummy, GIVE IT TO ME NOW!!!' He put up a food protest and refused most of his mid morning and mid afternoon bottle. Instead he had monster quantities of his breakfast, lunch and nighttime bottle. He seems to be showing signs of moving towards 3 meals a day. The proof is in the pudding, so we will find out today if things return to normal.

I hunted out the bamboo steamer this morning, as I have every intention of keeping as much nutrition in the vegetables as possible. We are planning to start with some carrot for three days. I am expecting carnage! No doubt Baby E will grab lots of food and smear it all over himself and me. The Steamer has 2 tiers so I shall do some sweet potato at the same time, and then freeze it for his next delicious taste of food. I have also ordered some apples and pear so Baby E can enjoy some delicious pureed fruit as well over the next few weeks.

Camera at the ready, stand well back to avoid the flicking of food. My brother is coming to visit with his Wife, 21month old little girl and English Bull Terrier this weekend. We better keep the dog out of the way or we will be licked to death as the food lands on us! Despite my earlier reservations I am getting quite excited about starting weaning. I may wash the steamer today in anticipation!

The First Childminder Session

2009-04-29T15:28:00.004+01:00

Baby E visited the Childminder for the first time today. We spent a few hours with the Childminder to get him more accustomed to her company.

It is the 4th time Baby E has met the Childminder, and he seemed more interested this time. He is still not laughing when he is there, and I think this is his way of telling me he knows what is going on!

I felt quite nervous about visiting the Childminder this time. It feels so formal now we have confirmed that Baby E will be spending all his time there when I am at work. Someone else will get to cuddle him, play with him, and give him lots of kisses. This feels a strange concept, and not one that I warm to. I decided to stay with him today so he knew he was with friends, and we arrived at about 11am after his morning sleep. Baby E was very happy to be there, and was so occupied with what the Childminder was doing, he did not have much of his milk but instead wanted to play with all the toys.

Baby E had some cuddles with the Childminder, and played with the fabulous Lamaze toys for babies his age. The childminder helped him play, and he especially enjoyed the Lamaze toy with little horns. He got tired within an hour of being there, so we called the morning a success and prepared to go home.

Next week we are planning for Baby E to have his first sleep-over. I can show the Childminder how we take our day naps at home, and then once Baby E is comfortable sleeping there the Childminder can put Baby E to sleep. In preparation for this we are changing his day nap routing.

Baby E currently has the same day nap routine as nighttime, and it works exceptionally well. This is fabulous at home, however it is not favourable to carry an i-pod, lights and sound machine to the Childminder everyday. Today is Day 1 of using a Lullaby CD for Baby E to fall asleep to. So far Baby E has needed a little more cuddles before falling asleep, but it is no problem, and is going very well. Fingers crossed that by the middle of next week Baby E will have forgotten his womb music, and will be loving the Lullaby's!

A perfect morning with the loose women

2009-04-28T15:44:00.008+01:00

Sometimes I can not believe how lucky I am to have such a great life. I have maternity leave to spend time bonding with my new Baby who is absolutely fantastic and is always smiling and laughing. One thing I did not expect was to have met some wonderful friends during this time who I now see every week for girly chats and baby talk.

When I was pregnant one piece of advise that kept being given to me was to join groups to meet other mums. Most mums find maternity leave isolating compared to the world of work. Looking after a new baby can be a relentless and thankless job. Whilst I took the advise on board I knew I would be perfectly happy to spend time on my own with Baby E. I have found the whole baby experience relaxing and continually rewarding, whilst I wanted to join some groups to enhance my life with Baby E, the intention was to give Baby E the best start in life, and not for me to make friends. I am very comfortable in my own company and have loved taking time out from the busy working life to relax and spend quality time getting to know my baby. Meeting some friends along the way the icing on the cake.

After Christmas, I booked myself a place on a Baby Massage course (see previous blog), and was pleases to meet a group of Mums who share the same values. As the Baby massage course drew to a close, we planned to meet up at each others houses every Tuesday at the same time as Baby Massage. My house was so rammed full of stuff, that I could not see the wood for the trees. I had huge piles of things I was convinced I would find time to take to a car boot, or sell on eBay. I had also kept some baby things to give to friends when they had babies. I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to reveal to the girls my chaotic messy lifestyle. Even before I saw the other Mums houses, I was horrified at the thought that people would see my house at its worse, and judge me accordingly.

I went home and told my Fabulous Boyfriend something had to be done! I have had enough of being so cluttered that I can not appreciate my house. My Fabulous Boyfriend could not be more pleased, as over the next few weekends we embarked on a de-clutter exercise. I am so grateful he took a few carloads of things to the tip for recycling, and we were able to collect some items of furniture that his sister had been looking after for us. We moved the furniture round so my living room is now situated in the sunny front of the house and is much more spacious and airy. Thanks to our efforts, I have a new found love of my house, and am proud for anyone to visit. It may be in desperate need of decorating, but it is now free from the clutter that crowded both the house and my ability to enjoy relaxing.

Today was my turn to host 'loose women'. In my usual procrastinating way, I had not made any effort to do more tidying yesterday, so did a quick whip round this morning. Baby E seemed very excited that something was afoot, and so was wide awake through the time he would normally have his early morning sleep. We made the front room a little more presentable and laid out the play mats for all the girls to lie on. I had made a healthy treat to eat mid morning, which was up to my usual crazy cooking standards. I had once hoped that when you gave birth you naturally inherited an ability to cook gene ... how wrong could I be! While making the delicious frozen raspberry mousse I managed to break my hand blender and had to subject Baby E to more supermarkets whilst I bought a replacement and hunted for missing ingredients.

The Mums arrived with their girls. Baby E was the model baby, giving two of the girls kisses and cuddles. He did pull one little girls ear, but she did not seem to notice so everything was OK. As predicted, once all the Mums and Babies had arrived Baby E wanted to go for his sleep, which he did perfectly with no fuss or crying. I was very proud.

I had a fabulous morning, and am so pleased to find we have all become firm friends. My new found friends from baby massage have dubbed the group 'Loose Women'. We have all found like minded people with babies of a similar age. We can chat about what is happening with our babies and re-assure each other that everything is OK when we are feeling insecure and worried. It is great to find other mums who are sharing the same baby experience. We all gain a greater understanding of how we are feeling, and what are babies are doing.

I can not believe how lucky I am to make such good friends, and am so grateful that indirectly they have prompted me to get the house in a more organised presentable state. Every time the 'loose women' meet up we learn a little more about each other. It can sometimes be strange making new friends, but it feels so natural, and has meant so much to each of us to get together and chat about anything and everything. It felt great to have the girl visit me today, and I look forward to many more occasions where we will share experiences and our babies will grow up together.

Raspberry Blowing!

2009-04-24T15:18:00.003+01:00

Baby E has found his tongue today for the first time. He was playing in his swing while I was in the kitchen making lunch. Above the delightful electronic classical music I could hear lots of raspberry's being blown.

I popped my head round the door, and found him with his tongue in full actions merrily blowing raspberry's and loving it! Until now the raspberry blowing has been using his lips only and he has easily bored of the novelty noise. Today he carried on blowing raspberry's for about an hour. He did not stop even when we were in the car on our way to visit the Childminder, and carried on the whole time we were there.

I love the noise so much, and he looks very cute having so much fun.

On a more somber note, my childminder reminded me that I have only 11 weeks until I go back to work. I am finding this more emotional than the countdown to weening. I intend to make the most of it, and enjoy every precious minute I have with Baby E.

The Birth of Baby E - Part One

2009-04-22T15:13:00.009+01:00

Baby E is now 5 months old, however I want to make a record of the experience of his birth. My Grandma said that giving birth was the most wonderful experiences of her life. I prefer to say that while giving birth was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life, Baby E is the most wonderful thing I have ever created and he provides me with the most rewarding memories everyday.

Baby E was born on the 19th November 2008. He was 13 days late to his due date, and enjoyed living in my tummy so much that we attended an induction appointment on Tuesday 18th November.

The day of the induction arrived, and I was due to attend my appointment at 4pm in the afternoon. I spent the day with my Fabulous Boyfriend in his office in Derby so he would not have to take more time off before the birth than necessary. We walked into town to get some lunch, and sat eating our baked potatoes by the fountain in the sun. As we were walking back to the office I noticed the sensations in my tummy (something like a mild period pain) were becoming stronger. Over the next few hours as I watched a film in an office on my own the contractions became more regular, coming every three minutes, and lasting for 3 minutes.

My fabulous boyfriend and I were excited about this development as we set off to the Hospital for our appointment. We were hoping the doctors would tell us we were in labour, and I was secretly hoping a miracle had happened and I would be 8cm dilated and Baby E would give me the easiest birth in the history of giving birth.

We arrived and were shown the way to the induction ward along with another couple. The induction room could be my home for the next 24 hours if the doctors were to tell me I was not in labour yet. I was given the usual tests (urine, blood pressure etc), and we were allowed to rest until the consultant did his rounds.

With all our fingers crossed, we told the consultant that we thought something was already happening and he confirmed this with an internal examination, telling us that I was 1cm dilated. This was easy! If this was 1cm, then roll on the other 9cm, I was ready. The consultant confirmed there was no need to induce me, he performed a sweep, and then I was left to be monitored with a belt and heart monitor to measure the contractions and Baby E's heart.

During this time we chose to relax by watching a movie on our laptop. We chose a comedy as I had read it would lighten the mood, and laughter will help to combat any pain I may feel. The film we watched was so funny, that we struggled to contain our laughter! We had to turn the sound down low so as not to disturb all the other Mums. Some of them were already reaching for the gas and air so we were probably not too popular with our stifled giggles.

Once all the measurements were taken the midwife offered me a bath to help with the progression of labour. I felt like I was in heaven. I lovely deep bath was filled for me with lots of bubbles piled high to the top. The bath was wonderfully warm and was fitted with a temperature gauge so we could top it up with hot water when needed but make sure it was not too hot for Me and Baby E. We were allowed to relax for a few hours in the bath until the consultants did their rounds at about 10pm. I was closely monitored by the midwife for the whole time I was bathing, so we were happy that they knew if things were running to plan. My Fabulous Boyfriend took lots of photographs, and fed me food from the bag I had prepared. I took the opportunity to call my family to tell them we were all well, and that Baby E was on his way.

I spent this time practicing my breathing I had learned from my Yoga DVD. The golden thread breathing was working perfectly, and I could imagine myself at my favourite beach in Dorset watching the waves crash on the shore and then retreat back to the sea. I was feeling good about the pain management (as there was not much pain), and feeling strong mentally and physically to give birth.

We were thrilled that I did not have to be induced, and bubbling with excitement and anticipation at how the evening was going to progress. We had a lovely time, and were on a real high wave of emotions that we would very soon meet Baby E.

Countdown to weaning.

2009-04-22T14:39:00.009+01:00

Why do I feel so emotional about weaning? There is a part of me that compares it to the emotions I felt about introducing a dummy, or moving from Breast Feeding to Formula Feeding. It feels un-natural to think about giving Baby E food, when milk has been his diet for all these months. It feels like a big milestone in Baby E's life, and seems to have come around much quicker than I thought.

Some Mums feel great about weaning. My friend the Competitive Mum, loves to mention her Baby is on solids (Competitive Mum's Baby is 5 weeks older than Baby E, and so much more advanced). Other friends with Babies of a similar age have started introducing tastes and small amounts of food to their babies, whereas I would love to freeze time now, and keep Baby E the same forever. Why do I want to stop him growing up all the time?

I have felt this way since Baby E was born. I have loved every minute of every day I have spent with Baby E, I don't want to lose the moment, I don't want to move on from the joy that I feel right now everyday. Baby E is so beautiful, I wish I could capture every moment and play them over and over again.

I need to face the facts and understand why I feel so emotional about weaning. Have I turned into one of those mothers who does not want their child to grow up? Will I still be calling him "my baby" even when he is 34! Will I be telling his girlfriends that no-one knows him like his Mum, and he will always be my Baby??? I am starting to feel this is not healthy.

I know that weaning him is one step closer to returning to work. I think this is a major fuel on the fire of my emotions. Hopefully once I have read my Annabel Karmel book, I will be feeling prepared, and excited about giving Baby E something interesting to eat each day.

All I know at the moment is that we are planning to start on the first May Bank Holiday, and I have not read the book, and I have not defrosted the freezer to make room for his meals. I am not feeling prepared, and plan to start in 10 days!

Baby E is 5 Months Old

2009-04-22T14:18:00.004+01:00

Baby E is now 5 months old. I can hardly believe how quickly the time has gone.

Baby E is now enjoying active play, he likes to sit, then stand, then lean forward to grab a toy, then sit, and so the cycle begins again. He enjoys siting and watching me build a tower with his soft blocks, and then he stands up to grab one which knocks the tower over.

Baby E is starting to enjoy his door bouncer, and showed excitement for the first time today when I got the harness out to put on him. He plays in the door bouncer for about 10 minutes, and loves kicking up with his legs, and spinning around.

Baby E's sleeping pattern is changing. His day naps are becoming less predictable, with some days sleeping all morning (from 9am - 12pm), and then a light 30 minutes in the afternoon. Some days he does not sleep in the morning, and some days he has his usual 3 sleeps. This makes it hard to plan my day as I am not able to commit to see friends in the morning. Baby E has also started waking a little earlier in the morning, and last night he started chatting and moving in his crib from 4am! This is not good for my Fabulous Boyfriend who still has to work as sadly we have still not won the lottery.

This change in sleeping is both a sigh of a growth spurt (Baby E has less creases at the moment), and a sign that he is warming up to weaning. Another emotional milestone that feels bigger than his age! I have armed myself with my Annabel Karmel books and hope that knowledge will help with my sadness that my baby is growing up.

We are planning to start weaning on the first May Bank Holiday. Baby E will be 5 1/2 months, and so ready to take the next step ... I only hope I will also be ready.

Heyfever and pregnant or breastfeeding.

2009-04-08T08:51:00.007+01:00

I have suffered from hayfever since my teens. Despite my efforts to tell myself it is all in my mind, every year my hayfever gets worse until I can no longer go outside during the months of April - August without taking antihistamine. This is fine if you are happy to take drugs for five months of the year, and spend lots of money on eye drops, inhalers and pills. It is another case entirely if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and suffer from hayfever.

Like many mothers, I chose not to take any drugs during my pregnancy. I wanted to ensure that the baby that I am nurturing and growing inside me was as perfect as could be, and had the best start in life. I knew hayfever would be a problem when I was pregnant or breastfeeding however I was determined not to succumb to the drugs, and had full resolve to go cold turkey for the season. Maybe I would not suffer from hayfever while I was pregnant, maybe my new healthy diet would help.

How wrong could I be! Within a few weeks of the hayfever season starting it was unbearable. I could not go outside for more than a minute without my eyes watering, my throat swelling, my nose running and constant unfaltering sneezing. I could just about make it to the car everyday to travel to work, and prayed that the air conditioning would work in the office so a window would not be opened. This was not the life I planned while pregnant.

Suffering from hayfever when pregnant or breastfeeding is so debilitating. I felt trapped, and hated the thought of spending the summer and so majority of my pregnancy indoors with no fresh air. I was even tempted to reach for the antihistamines! Fortunately my Fabulous Boyfriend was at hand to stop me. He promised to hunt the shops until he found a solution. My Fabulous Boyfriend found a herbal remedy for hayfever sufferers that was safe to use when pregnant or breast feeding. He return with "HayMax" in two varieties (Haymax Lavender, and Haymax Pure). http://www.haymax.biz/

Haymax is a none drug solution to hayfever, and so is suitable for hayfever sufferers who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Haymax is an organic sunflower/beeswax drug free pollen barrier that you apply regularly around the bottom of your nostrils. It catches the pollen and prevents it from travelling up your nose thus stopping an allergic reaction. I was amazed that it worked ... it really worked. No runny nose, no sneezing, no sore or swollen throat, and no headache. I used Haymax Pure during the day, and Haymax Lavender for night-time. I slept much better at night than when using drugs, as Haymax does not stop working unless you wipe it off your nose, whereas drugs can stop working half way through the night, and you may not be able to take anymore until morning.

I personally found that Haymax worked better than any other treatment for hayfever. I find it amazing that it is not more widely known as a solution to hayfever particularly for pregnant or breastfeeding women. I found it to be such a good barrier against heyfever that I have already started to use it this year ... and I am not pregnant! I am still using the two pots I was given last year, so don't need to rush out and buy new drugs as last years are out of date. It is more cost effective, and wonderful to know that I am doing the best for my body and my baby.

Baby E is 19 Weeks old

2009-04-06T09:14:00.006+01:00

Baby E is now 19 weeks old. He is continuing to change and develop each week.

This week he has started dribbling for the first time. Baby E has had teeth growing in his gums for several weeks now, and has been putting everything and anything into his mouth to chew on. So far this has been without dribble ... until now. Baby E has the ability to soak any toy or item of clothing he puts into his mouth within minutes. He particularly loves sucking on his Giraffes ears or horns, and makes both these and the head very soggy.

Baby E has discovered a new noise. He has started whining, in a pathetic eeeh eeeeh high pitched stylee. At first I thought this was a sign that he was being clingy, and wanting his Mummy, however it appears that he uses this language when he is tired. It gives me another sign that he needs a nap along with rubbing his eyes, scratching his head, and showing signs of general unsettled behaviour.

We have now turned the pushchair to forward facing. Baby E used a form of communication known as screaming to tell me that he was no longer happy in his pushchair. After a few walks where he chose to scream at the top of his voice ... only to stop screaming as soon as I picked him up. There was obviously nothing wrong with him so there was only one thing to do. I decided to turn the seat around so Baby E could see the road ahead. This was particularly difficult when holding a wriggling baby on the side of the road as it required two hands minimum. I was relieved to find it worked, and Baby E is back to his normal happy self when we go out for walks. The weather has been particularly warm for this time of year, so we have enjoyed some long walks in the sunshine. Baby E is very good and happy to let me smother him in Nivea Childrens factor 40 suncream, he tries to eat most of it, but at least I know he is protected against sunburn.

Baby E has settled in well to his day naps in his crib. We have established a little routine, where I ask him if he needs to have a little sleep or night nights. We change his nappy, put on his growbag, have cuddles for a few minutes, Baby E lie down in his crib with his womb music and lamp on dim settling. I then turn on his lights and sound machine, and he settles to sleep while watching the display. He is normally asleep within two plays of the lights and sound. If he has trouble settling I pick him up and give him more cuddles to help him go to sleep. He seems very happy with this routine and gives a little smile when I put him in his crib.

Baby E has started to instigate game playing. He loves to play Boo! and will often pick up his muslin and place it over his face. He then gives a quiet giggle and kicks his legs. We start saying "where's Baby E, Where's Baby E" and he will remove the muslin for us to say "Boo!" at which he laughs. If he wants to play again, he just places the muslin over his face again. This is fantastic, and very entertaining.

Crying Baby

2009-04-02T09:09:00.006+01:00

Listening to a crying baby is very hard. Leaving a crying baby to cry is even harder.

This morning I am slightly traumatised by a Facebook comment from a new mum with a 14 day old baby. The post said ... "This ignoring crying baby stuff is very very very hard!!!"

There are two very divided parenting styles with regard to leaving babies to cry. The most old fashioned of those is that leaving your baby to cry for periods of time will teach them to settle themselves. That babies have a time in the day where they cry, and some people choose to leave them to cry-out. This may have a time and a place, and is dependent on the nature of your baby. I would certainly not advise any parent to try this with a newborn baby, I view this as baby abandonment, and find it completely heartbreaking.

Babies cry as a form of communication. They are trying to tell you something. Babies have many different types of cry, and it is hard to differentiate between them when you first bring the baby home. We believe that this was the case with Baby E, and we found that Baby E cried when he needed food, nappy changing, cuddles, winding, sleep, too hot, too cold, was over stimulated.

My brother came to the rescue when Baby E was born and recommended a fabulous DVD called Dunstan Baby Language. The Author is Australian Mum Priscilla Dunstan, who spent time listening to her baby crying and worked out what her baby was telling her. This is fantastic news for all new mums, as we need no longer get frustrated that we can do nothing about listening to our baby crying. The DVD gives short tutorials showing the different type of baby cries, and explains what they mean. It literally translated them into a language we all can understand. As soon as I watched the DVD it was as though life was so simple, and we knew exactly what Baby E was telling us. It really worked.

Dunstan Baby Language told us that Baby E was hungry. We found this to be a common occurrence, and only when we satisfied his hunger did we find that Baby E started communicating on other needs such as wind and finally tiredness.

It breaks my heart to think that new Mums are not listening to their baby's needs, and hoping that if they ignore the crying it will go away. Babies are people who deserve more respect than being ignored. I would not dream of ignoring a family member or work colleague who I found crying, so why would I not extend this philosophy to my own baby. Baby E was with me every day for nine months, my body comforted him, and nurtured him. He knew no pain, nor hunger nor loneliness. I want life outside the womb to be as enjoyable as I can make it, and so never let him cry, never leave him hungry, and never let him sit in a wet nappy (another thing I have witnessed new Mums doing).

Of course there are times with a newborn baby where things can be a little overwhelming, and you feel like you are about to crack. I can recall a few times in the early weeks where Baby E was crying, and I could not settle him. I was tired, and very emotional, I could not see clearly and so I would just start crying with dispair. I would cuddle Baby E and rock him gently, and will him to be calm, all the time crying! This is no help to a 2 week old baby, so my fabulous Boyfriend would always rescue me. He would let me sleep, and have some Daddy - Son time for a few hours. Baby E could spend this time with his Daddy, and I could have some Mummy time and get some well earned rest. Once we found and understood Dunstan Baby Language, this situation stopped occuring!

We spent time getting to know our Baby when he was born. Within a few weeks, we were tuned into Baby E's needs, and were able to give him everything he wanted. Baby E gets lots of cuddles, lots of love, lots of time playing with Mummy and Daddy. From birth he was a contented happy baby, who willingly played on his own from 3 weeks old, never cries when you put him down to sleep at night, and slept through from 8 weeks. Baby E loves to chatter and laugh, and he only cries as a form of cummunication when he is trying to tell us he needs something.

Baby E is 18 Weeks old

2009-03-30T13:50:00.008+01:00

Baby E is now 18 weeks old.

His development is progressing in leaps and bounds. I can hardly keep up with how much he is changing every day.

Baby E is now 100% formula fed, and we now have a life free from crying. This formula feeding has resulted in Baby E putting on 6 ounces in one week. We were giving him 6 feeds a day, which has resulted in him eating approximately 36 ounces a day. This seems far too much, so we have decided to drop the 10.30pm "dream" feed. This is working very well, and Baby E is now sleeping through from 7.30pm to 7am. Suddenly it feels like my fabulous boyfriend and I have our evenings back, and we can spend some time together. We are now planning to find some time to organise Baby E's room, so he can move into the nursery. He no longer needs us at night, and so seems ready for a bit of freedom.

Baby E is sleeping more in his own crib for his day naps. This has improved over the last few weeks since his abandonment issue on the day he spent with his Grandmother. I currently have to rock him to sleep in the crib, as he is still fighting sleeping during the day.

Baby E is still chatting to us, and has included some raspberry blowing in his vocabulary.

Baby is loves standing up, and has started to play a game of stand up - sit down - stand up - sit down until he is all worn out. While doing this he likes to look around, or chew on your fingers.

Baby E's crawling is developing slowly. He is able to roll over onto his front and push himself along with his legs, he is still unable to co-ordinate both his arms and legs, and so only travels along a few inches before getting frustrated.

Baby E's favourite toy at the moment is some new teething rings I bought from ELC. They are fantastic as they are so light weight he is able to pick them up and put them in his mouth with ease. He likes it when they are shaken in front of him, and he will grab them, and chew on the soft textured sections, or harder plastic patterned section.

Baby E loves laughing, and is interacting more and more every day. He loves playing games such as Boo! and is especially fond of his nappy free time when he can play roley poley with great ease.

Baby E is 17 Weeks old (4 months)

2009-03-17T20:36:00.008Z

Baby E is 17 weeks old. I am finding it hard to believe how quickly the last 4 months have flown by.

The past week has been quite busy for Baby E and his development.

Tuesday - We have been to Baby Massage, where we discussed baby's development. We learned how to massage the chest and arms. The other mums invited me to join them at another play group on Thursday, however I am busy with work. In the afternoon he had his second set of vaccinations. He started crying as soon as he saw the needles on the desk in the nurses office. I am amazed he remembers what they are for. His fear of the needles was far greater than the pain of the vaccinations, and he was not too upset when the nurse injected him. He was a little clingy and unsettled the next day, but nothing to worry about.

Wednesday - We have been to a weening group at the local Sure Start centre. We were invited by the Health Visitors and were part of the pilot group.

Thursday - Baby E spent the afternoon with his Grandmother while I went to a meeting at work. He refused to sleep all day and so was exhausted when I returned to pick him up. He had a lovely time, however has since started crying when I put him in his crib for a nap in the day. I think he is suffering from baby abandonment trauma. He is getting lots of cuddles, and re-assurance that I am still here for him.

Saturday - We took Baby E on our favourite walk around a local reservoir. Baby E loved the windy weather, and had lots of birds, trees and fishermen to look at. He was not as impressed with the water as he was by the sea. When we returned home, he started baby chatting to us. Once he was started, he would not stop! He had so much to say, and no doubt was telling us all about his morning. Now he chats at every opportunity, he even chats in the middle of the night if he awakes in his crib. I may be time to start planning on moving him to his own room. (oh no!)

Sunday - Baby E tried a door bouncer for the first time on Sunday, he spent most of the time knocking the bar against the door frame to hear the banging noise.

Monday - Baby E started rolling over. He has been accidentally rolling over for a few weeks, however there has been a sudden development, and he happily rolls from front to back and back to front when he is playing on the floor. Now he tries with all his might to move around when he is on his front. He wriggles, and pulls at anything around him in an attempt to get moving.

Monday - Baby E also started standing up when you help him into a seated position. He stops bending in the middle, and pushes up with his legs into a standing position. From there he wants to enjoy all his usual pastimes of sucking on your fingers, and looking around.

Baby E is much happier to sit in the high chair, and can now occupy himself for up to twenty minutes. He loves playing with his squeaky giraffe, and fluffy bunny.

Baby E Typical Day at 16 Weeks

2009-03-09T15:30:00.005Z

At 16 weeks old Baby E's current typical day is below

6.30am - 7.00am Wakes up and plays in crib.
7.30am Nappy Change (wet and dirty). Breast Feeding, supplementing with formula if required (rarely required)
8.00am Playing
9.00-10.00am Nap
10.00am Nappy Change (wet), Breast Feeding, supplementing with formula if required.
10.30am Nappy Change (Dirty and Wet)
10.45am Playing
11.30 Walk in the pushchair usually taking a nap
1.00pm Nappy change (wet), Breast feeding, supplementing with formula
1.30pm Playing
2.00pm Nap
3.00pm Nappy Change, Playing
4.00pm Breast Feeding, supplementing with formula
4.30pm Playing
6.30pm Bath
7.00pm 7oz Formula Feed and Bed
10.30pm Nappy Change, 7oz Formula Feed and back to Bed

Playing

Play involves kicking, sucking, chewing on hands and toys (both his and anyone Else's), tummy time, sitting up (supported), singing songs (row row row your boat, teddybears picnic, I know and old lady), naked playing (rolling around), reading books (that's not my bear, Ten in the Bed).

Baby E is 16 Weeks old

2009-03-09T14:31:00.008Z

Baby E is now 16 weeks old, and is developing repidly at the moment. Big changes over the last week are Supplementing Breast Feeding, Nap Time, and the first stages of Crawling.

Feeding
We have changed the feeding routine again. After a few weeks of Baby E crying more often at feeding time, we decided to supplement his breast feeding with some formula. We were aware of the negative aspects of this (breast milk production will reduce) however wanted to take advantage of the positive points that Baby E is happier and more contented after his feeds.

The negative emotional impact of this change was harder than I expected. I had been putting off supplementing his feeds for a few weeks, despite the impact a crying baby was having on me. It is so easy to feel like you are failing as a mother when your baby shows breast feeding refusal, or cries after each breast feed. Baby E was not crying after his formula feeds at night, therefore it was becoming more clear that his crying was caused by hunger.

After a week of supplementing formula at feeding time, Baby E is much happier and more content. When he has finished feeding he sits up, gives a little (or big) burp, and then is happy to play. I feel happier now that my baby is happy, and have no regrets or guilt that I have chosen to use formula in additional to breast feeding. The quantity of formula varies at each feed depending on how much breast milk there is, and how hungry he is. Sometimes he does not need any formula top up, and sometimes he will have 7 ounces!

Baby E is still getting breatmilk every day, and I am happy in the knowledge that I am giving him the best start in life possible.

Nap Time
Baby E is now now too big to rock and cuddle to sleep. My back and knees have gone on strike, and I am finally taking notice of their protest. We have just returned from holiday where my fabulous boyfriend had to rock Baby E to sleep for most of the day naps. Now my fabulous boyfriend has gone back to work I am making a change. Baby E must start sleeping in his crib for his day naps. It is working well, and Baby E settles quickly when in his own bed. We use the same Womb Music, and Lights and Sounds machine to sooth him that we use at night, and he nods off into dream land within a few minutes.

Baby E is getting Active
Baby E has started moving! We have some tummy time every day (during play time). Baby E enjoys this for a few minutes, and has started moving about a little. He can either push with his legs OR pull with his arms, but he is unable to do both together at the moment.

When he pushes with his legs, his bum lifts into the air, while his head stays firmly in the floor, with the result that he ends up turning in a circle on his head in a hip hop body pop stylee.

When he pulls with his arms, he tries to drag himself along the floor. This produces a better result as Baby E moves a few centimeters along the floor.

It wont be long before he is crawling! He already wriggles and roles along if he is sat on the sofa or bed. Soon there will be no stopping him.

Baby Massage - Sure Start

2009-02-24T14:33:00.005Z

Today Baby E and I went to our first Baby Massage session. We registered for the course with our health visitors office at my local GP. The course is free and is part of the governments Sure Start Scheme which was set up to give every child the best start in life possible.
http://www.surestart.gov.uk/

There were 6 mums and babies on the course, which meant it was small enough to be relaxing and personable. The course was extremely well structured, and was run by two health visitors, one of whom is qualified in baby massage. This gives me the confidence that they are professional and qualified to coach on all aspects of looking after a baby.

We were given an informative booklet, which we will follow each week, and a bottle of oil suitable for massaging babies skin. We were advised on the types of oil to use on baby's skin, and why some oils may not be suitable for massage.

We were given time to introduce ourselves and our babies. Everyone seemed really lovely, and we all commented how great it was to meet like minded mothers, with babies who were born within six weeks of each other. Meeting new mums in a similar situation is great, and helps to re-assure my that everyone is the same, and all babies behave in the same way. It was a comfort to me that all the babies needed as much attention as Baby E does, Baby E was not the first to be rocked to sleep, however he was the first to need feeding!

We began this week by learning massage techniques on the legs and the feet. Baby E was so hungry we were not able to complete the whole of the massage, however I look forward to practicing at home. I fed Baby E during the coffee break, and used the excellent changing facilities. The course facilitators plan group discussions which start in the break so there is no long silences, or difficultly in striking up conversations with people you dont know. We were all free to join in if we wish, but there was no pressure if we did not want to share any experiences.

I have to miss next weeks session as we are away on holiday. I am quite sad about this, as I really enjoyed the course this morning. Part two is on baby weaning as well as more massage techniques. I am also looking forward to seeing the other mums again. They were all so nice, and it has made me consider joining more groups!!!

My first week being pregnant

2009-02-23T12:08:00.006Z

Within a week of conceiving Baby E, I started behaving in a crazy way. I did not know I was pregnant yet, however the hormones I was producing were already changing the way I would react to situations.

The weekend after we conceived, my fabulous boyfriend was working on some finishing touches to his house before we put it on the market. I had decided to stay at home and strip some wallpaper in the dining room (could this be an early sign of nesting???). Half way round the room, my wallpaper stripper stopped working. We owned more than one wallpaper stripper, however no matter where I looked, I could not find it. A text conversation ensued between myself and my Fabulous Boyfriend where I learned that it had been in his car for the last 2 months. The text conversation quickly turned into a text argument, which was fuelled by my over active hormones. I was furious that he had not thought to bring it into the house for me (just in case mine broke), and could not believe that he was so happy to drive around with it in his car. Was he some sort of D.I.Y. emergency service? Did he think he may happen upon a wallpaper stripping emergency, and he could come to the rescue? Why was it still in his car???

We argued both on the phone, and by text all day. My Fabulous Boyfriend had no-where to run or hide from my crazy mood, and I thought myself perfectly justified in being angry and blaming him for anything and everything that went wrong that day.

I am normally a patient, calm and relaxed person. Once we found out that I was pregnant, it became a little more clear why I had behaved so much out of character and in such a hideous way that weekend.

I am pleased to say my over active hormones did not produce many more mood swings of this kind while I was pregnant. I think my Fabulous Boyfriend worked very hard to make sure I stayed happy and relaxed so we could make a happy and relaxed baby. I dislike arguing so much, life is too short for fighting, and I am pleased to say I spent the rest of my pregnancy in relative harmony with my Fabulous Boyfriend.

How we made a Baby.

2009-02-19T13:55:00.012Z

Baby E is now 3 months old, and my mind is drifting back to his time last year when we were lucky enough to conceive him. We conceived Baby E on the 16th February, yes, you guessed it, he is a valentines baby!

I was 32, and had made up my mind I wanted a baby within the next year. I was tired from working long hours, was a long term sufferer of migraines, and had already started a course of acupuncture in the summer to give me more energy. I wondered how I would cope with fitting a baby into our busy lifestyle, so knew I had lots to sort out before a baby could come along. I decided to adopt a new healthier lifestyle.

My new healthy lifestyle meant a trip to a nutritionist who gave me a list of foods I was intolerant to and therefore food to avoid, a course of acupuncture, and coming off the contraceptive pill. This all started at the beginning of December 2007. Getting pregnant was never on the list of things to achieve, however would be a welcome blessing. My new lifestyle free from medicine meant we had to find an alternative form of contraception. I wanted to be more in tune with my body, so decided to use Persona http://www.persona.info/uk/index.php to help me understand my monthly cycle. It seemed the perfect contraceptive for us, and I ticked all the boxes as a suitable user.

Persona was easy. After the required waiting time following coming off the contraceptive pill, I started to to use it. Each morning I would wee on a little stick, and pop the stick into the Persona machine. The machine then tracks your ovulation cycle. When Persona gives a green light it is telling you that you may have sex with no risk of pregnancy. When Persona gives a red light it is telling you that you are at risk of becoming pregnant if you have unprotected sex.

We had been using Persona for a few weeks. The most negative aspect I could find was that it put me in control of when we could or could not have penetrative sex. I had seen my Fabulous Boyfriend looking at the machine in the mornings, so I started to assume he knew if we were at risk of becoming pregnant. I decided to stop telling him each morning if it was a red or green day (I was starting to feel like the parent in our relationship, telling him when he could or could not play with his favourite toy).

The morning of the 16th February 2008, Persona showed a red light. As we were nearing the end of some passionate love making, it became apparent that my Fabulous Boyfriend had either not looked at Persona that morning, or he had looked but did not understand what Persona had to tell him. I expected him to do the honourable thing and withdraw when was close to climaxing, however he did not!!!

Rather than being shocked at my Fabulous Boyfriend's act, I laughed. I genuinely found it funny that he was so naughty, and I did not think for one moment we would actually make a baby. I explained that Persona had given a red light, and he suggested I should have told him as he did not know, and never knows what Persona is doing. To this day, my Fabulous Boyfriend tells me he thinks I withheld the red light information as I had the intent to get pregnant. I believe he knew that Persona was showing a red light, and did not withdraw so we could get pregnant. Maybe it was the twinkle in his eye, or the way he jumped up and down with excitement when my period was late that arose my suspicions ... we will never know.

It was all forgotten by the next morning, until Persona told me I was ovulating over the next 2-3 days. I called down the hallway to my Fabulous Boyfriend, letting him know that Persona had told me we could have made a baby. I never thought for one minute we would actually get pregnant. It would never be that easy! My fabulous Boyfriend's reaction was "Yippee".

I laugh to myself when I look back at this time. Only a few weeks before conception, we had had a conversation about starting a family. I had told my Fabulous Boyfriend that I wanted a baby in the next year. He had laughed at a statement I had made about not wanting to be pregnant during the hay fever season, and he asked me when he would need to impregnate me! He thought it was too planned, preferring to live life as it comes. Soon we would find out we would not have to wait that long for our little bundle of joy to arrive.

I am so happy that we made Baby E out of love. There was no stress involved, or pressure to conceive, just the two of us making love. I look at Baby E now, and feel so happy to have made him. He is so beautiful, and has made our lives complete.

Baby E is 13 Weeks (3 months) Old

2009-02-19T10:04:00.005Z

My Baby E is now 3 months old. The last three months seem to have flown by. I keep looking at him and can't believe how much he has changed from the teeny tiny baby we brought home 13 weeks ago.

Over the last week my baby's development has been quite noticeable.

Toys
My 3 month old baby has started grabbing for toys, and holding onto them. When I hand him a toy, he brings it up to his mouth with both hands. He then tries to suck on the toy for a little while, until he loses interest.
I have extended the mat on his Blossom Farm play gym this week as he is getting quite big, and looking like he needs more space.

Clothes
My 3 month old baby is comfortably in his 3-6month sized clothing. He has been wearing them for about 3 weeks now, and I am starting to wonder how long they will fit him for. He has about half an inch left in the feet of his sleep suits which seems to get smaller every day. His lovely Denim Dungarees from M&S are now on the largest strap setting, and only just cover his feet. I know using Washable Nappies means clothes have a slimmer fit, however they do not affect the length. I predict we will have to start looking for some new clothes in one month. Baby E is literally growing before my eyes!!!

Movement
My 3 month old baby is no longer stationary! Over the last week we have found a new game. He loves lying on the floor, with no clothes on (such an exhibitionist) lifting his legs into the air and rolling over onto his side. When he returns to lie on his back, he moves up around about 45 degrees. He repeats this until after a few minutes he is facing the opposite direction, and has moved half off his small play mat. Obvious risks involved in this type of play are baby wee or even worse baby poo on the mat. For this reason, we do not play this game on a carpeted surface, and use a washable play mat.

Baby E is starting to enjoy tummy time. When he is put on his front he makes little eh eh noises while he makes a big effort to lift his head, kick with his feet, and move his arms around. The game does not last long (only a few minutes), however he does a little more every time.

Baby Sounds
My 3 month old baby is laughing! He especially loves laughing at his Daddy, who tickles his neck, and blows raspberries. Baby E regularly musters up a couple of un-prompted chuckles for me each day, and it is fantastic! Most of the time makes lots of Eh Eh noises, along with cooing (lots of "Boo" "Gay" and "Ah Ha" sounds). He still has a little voice, which is a lot quieter than any of my friends babies. I am very glad of this.

Watch this space for another post on what Baby E is doing next week.

My Washable Nappies

2009-02-18T14:42:00.000Z

Early on in my pregnancy, I made the decision to use Washable Nappies on Baby E. I knew very little about them, but knew I wanted to limit landfill and use the most natural products on Baby E's bottom. I am not the most adept user of the Internet, and so enlisted the help of my sister-in-law R who was on maternity leave.

Together we embarked on a journey of discovery into the world of Washable Nappies. I quickly learned there are many types of Washable Nappy to chose from, and with so many on the market I wanted to ensure I bought the best for Baby E. I found lots of websites giving good information and advice, however it all seemed quite alien to me. I had never changed a nappy in my life, and so reading about Washable Nappies could be quite confusing at times.

I found lots of reviews on-line of Washable Nappies, however nothing to tell me which I would prefer. In choosing which Washable Nappy to use, I decided to buy lots of different brands of Washable Nappies to see which one I thought best. I am glad I did this, as the performance and fit is quite varied.

Here is a list of the Washable Nappies I purchased. I did not want to be a part time Washable Nappy user, intending to start from when Baby E was born, therefore I bought the below Washable Nappies which the web-sites told me were small enough to use from birth.

1. Easy Peasy Quick Dry Bimble
2. Nature Babies - Diddy Diaper
3. Bambinex - Teddy
4. Minki Huggle
5. Hip Hip Baby - Real Easy Nappy (AIO = All in one washable nappy including of waterproof wrap)
6. Swaddlebees Organic Sized Nappy

Most of the above Washable Nappies need a Waterproof Wrap, I bought the below types.

1. Motherease Airflow Wrap
2. TotsBots PUL Wrap
3. Nature Babies Wrap

Being careful with my money, I wanted to get the maximum use out of my Washable Nappies for the money I spent, therefore I chose to buy AIO Birth to Potty Washable Nappies. These Washable Nappies have adjustable poppers which give the perfect fit from 10lb to potty training. I bought the below types.

1. Hip Hip baby Wonderoos.
2. Bumgenius 3.0
3. Blueberry Minky
4. Swaddlebees Econappy
5. Modern Baby
6. Nature Baby Stuffable
7. Tiny Touch Elite
8. Mommys Touch

Not being the type to stop at Washable Nappies, I also bought some washable baby wipes.
1. Value Wipes
2. Minky Wipes

Finally I finished off with some Washable Breast Pads
1. Swaddlebees Washable Breast Pads
2. Avent Washable Breast Pads
3. Mothercare Washable Breast Pads

Watch this space to see how I get on using them, and what I thought of the reviews!!!!

Valentines day with a baby

2009-02-17T16:34:00.002Z

How to do valentines with a three month old baby???

We decided to include Baby E in all our Valentines plans. We always go out for a meal, and decided that lunch was better than taking him out for dinner and disturbing everyone's romantic meal.

We picked our favourite local pub, the Bulls Head.

http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/thebullsheadthringstone/

They have lots of seating areas, and delicious food. Whilst we think of this as a relaxed eating environment, perfect for taking children, there is no doubt in my mind the locals think of it as quite posh, so we still have the risk of ruining peoples romantic meal if Baby E is not happy.

We decided not to book (as the pub told us there was no need). It was quite busy, with lots of young couples taking a moment to enjoy themselves. We found a small corner with a sofa to sit on, that was perfect for us and Baby E. Baby E was quite well behaved, needing lots of hugs, and walks around the pub to satisfy his curiosity which kept him quiet. After we had eaten our starter and nearly finished our main course he fell asleep. This is a classic Baby E move as we had been playing lunch time baby relay for an hour! I managed to resist desert this time, as all the food is on the “band list”. Instead I thought of all the food we had at home waiting for us (along with Champagne).

We exchanged gifts first thing. My fabulous boyfriend wrote a lovely poem in my card. He always writes me poems, and they normally make me cry. For some reason there were no tears this time. Perhaps I have used my hormones so much over the last year, that they have run out??? He mentioned later that he was not entirely happy with the second verse. Perhaps my lack of tears has disappointed him. My fabulous boyfriend gave me some Ted Baker Silk Negligee. He always buys me the perfect gift. I wore it in the evening when Baby E was in bed, and we got up to some serious love making on the sofa. My boyfriend had lit a roaring fire, that made the room sooo toasty and warm, it would have been rude not to get undressed!!! He made me tingle in a way never seen since I was pregnant. I don’t know how he does it, but he knows how to hit the spot, and hit it hard.

Even though we were not able to eat our lunch looking into each others eyes, and most of the time we were on our own, I thought it was the perfect Valentines Day ever. Having Baby E makes everything perfect (and my fabulous boyfriend gave me the perfect ending!!!).