A river of snot.

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!

Leaking Nappies

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

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!

Adventures at the Childminder - Part 2

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.

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

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!!!

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?

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.

Countdown to Weaning - Part 2

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!

Countdown to weaning.

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

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.