Feb 2010 They're all walking and talking....and some are even sleeping. The babies are doing okay too.

[InmaculadaConcepcion]

Pull up a comfy chair, grab a cuppa and a piece of cake, switch the monitors on low and let's PARTY.....!!!

DD had lactose overload when she was tiny - lots of babies get it, it's when their gut is too immature to produce enough lactase to digest the lactose in their milk.
Your poor DD, PA, I hope she doesn't turn out to be intolerant to too many things.

Well, my UTI seems to have subsided for the moment, thankfully. I'm hoping it'll go away without intervention. DH and I may have to aggravate it again tonight, though (CD13...)

Good luck ttc IC

Fx IC I am convinced I conceived dd2 at least 4 days before I thought I'd ovulate... But I guess you've thought of the earlier the better already if you have a UTI now

Runs in to ask PA wha the heck do I cook on Friday for a vegetarian that can also be served to my intolerant family who can't have: soya, dairy, gluten, pulses, lentils, bananas, onions? This has finally stumped me! DS2 won't eat eggs in any form either and I can't have chilli. So far, I'm thinking only of spag bol with quorn and no cheese for relevant folks, which seems rather dull.

DS1 had a reaction on the allergy test 15 months ago to dairy but we were not told - apparently some people see the level as insignificant, but it clearly wasn't to him. I will come back (when I haven't done enough ironing in one evening to clothe the entire local primary school population for a week) to discuss the allergy/intolerance thing as I now sadly consider myself to be a bit of an expert!!

Good luck IC. I tried ovualtion sticks in the end - took some of the nature out of it but worked. Got them cheap on ebay.

gluten free pasta, pine nuts(?) and spinach

quorn normally has egg and dairy in it

I look forward to your post, I'm feeling a bit lost with the whole food myself.

food thing

dd2 just came to me for help because she couldn't work out how to wear a wash mitt. It didn't seem to fit on her head, foot or hand very well . Told her it's for the bath to wash herself with and she has now carefully placed it next to the bath for tonight.

Blood in me pee today, so off to the docs for some anti-bs. Pah. Better stock up on live yoghurt too, methinks.
We didn't dtd last night because I figured I should let my undercarriage have a rest. I have a feeling I'd ovulated the night/morning previously in any case. Mind you, I'm going to test with some OPKs next cycle (assuming no luck this time) and have also got some conception-encouraging lube too. Figure I need to ratchet things up a gear....

I love outwitting a toddler. dd2 did not want to go into her cot for a nap just now so I asked her if she'd mind if I have a sleep in it instead because I am very tired. She wasn't happy with that and demanded to go into her cot herself immediately . Job done.

IC Hope it clears quickly
beth I'll also be all ears re advice on food intolerance. I am now fairly sure dd1 has an intolerance to something. I am not good with egg in its pure form eg I can't eat scrambled eggs or omlette without getting cramps.

I managed to argue with DS for 5mn this morning trying to convince him to sit on the step to put his shoes on... I won

IC I hope the AB work quickly.

BG at your child psychology.

bethy baa to the blood results, I about it for you. Hopefully, it can now help your DS1.

bethy Re what to cook - what about a risotto with some peas/spinach cooked with a veg stock, you can have the parmesan on a side? Do rice contain gluten (sorry I don't know ) ?

bethylou I've often cooked two versions of same thing e.g. pasta, tomtao sauce, veggies and 'sausage'

mous I've been thinking about your DH, is it possible that he does actually believe he is the inferior one, I assume he's projecting his issues and fears and obviously doesn't act rationally. However he needs to start actively changing his thinking before he creates the same situation he's trying to avoid. Good luck

IC sorry you got to red wee stage, drink every hour. It's hard to drink with toddlers around, I spend the whole not even going to the loo let alone drink.

Got DD weighed today 21lbs and 7oz with clothes and nappy on, no shoes and up to between 9th and 25th centiles. She's stocking quite nicely despite not eating dinner

IC Hope you are feeling better. I've just joined you in having a UTI... Same cause but without the ttc bit

Bg can the ITU be a sign???

Ugh, poor you BG..! It's a basic design flaw of the female body, I feel....
Thanks for the sympathy everyone. I was kept awake for a while with it last night, but otherwise, I've had worse (the UTI, not the TTC).

I got caught short while I was with DD in the play park and had to duck down behind the slide to have a pee, much to DD's amazement. She's spent the rest of the day intermittently saying "Mummy did wee-wee in park!"

DD is nattering away to herself in her cot. She does this for up to 3/4 of an hour some nights before going to sleep. It's quite sweet hearing the random things she says. I wonder if this is why her speaking is coming on so quickly - she practices every night before sleeping!

It means it's sometimes closer to 21.00 than 20.00 when DD goes to sleep some nights but I don't mind too much because a) she's not shouting for us and b) she's tending to sleep in beyond 07.00 now.
Mind you, because DD takes sooooo looooong eating her breakfast, it makes us late for our morning toddler groups...

SB Absolutely not a sign other than a sign for finally having some energy after being full of cold for two weeks...
IC Your dd will entertain everyone you meet for some time by revealing your predicament! I'm still that dd2 told the school caretaker where exactly her sister had done a wee behind the building...

I've been out of the house at 9:30 a few days which frankly I have amazed at. I then however catch myself in the mirror and see how grey I look. I then stay out until 1:30 often by going to two different playgroups/children's centres

DH gets DD fed thankfully, I assume you can leave her mostly to it while you get ready around her?

Evening. Had info through today that says DS1 must only have liquids for 48 hours before the colonoscopy - he'll only drink water (and jelly is allowed apparently) so it's going to be ahorrid couple fo days, especially as we have to pump him full of laxatives on the second day. He's not booked in to arrive until midday on the 29th so it's basically going to be three days of starvation - kind of puts our gorgeous toddlers refusing to eat dinner into perspective I think.

I think you just have to remove one food at a time for a week or two and watch carefully for the results. Keep a food and symptom diary for a week beforehand so you can see what 'normal' was - it's very easy to forget when in the thick of it (no pun intended!) and then continue it. Look at number of bowel movements as well as consistency and any signs of pain/wind, reduction in snot/sneezing etc.. DS2 is producing mucus in his stools now which is definitely a bad sign (along with bloating, some constipation/diahorrea, random bouts of vomiting etc..). Will get him on the waiting list for the crap paediatrician me thinks. There are things like the Yorke test that can allegedly check for intolerances but they are not creditable (sp?) according to dieticians. Several friends feel they have really helped to change their lives though so I haven't ruled it out for my lot.

An allergy is something that will never go as it is the body producing antibodies to a food (an auto-immune response). An intolerance can go with age as it is not an auto-immune response, more of an irritation, albeit potentially a bad one. Allergies can be blood tested for (better if you are still consuming the food at the time) but intolerances can't. With an intolerance you might be able to find the tolerance level, whereby the children can have a bit without getting a reaction. Haven't managed that with DS1. It is not recommended to mess around with a child's diet without the support of a dietician.

People who are sensitive to cows' milk protein often react to soya too as it is apparently a similar protein.

Got to go to bed now (and hoping BBB won't need to come along and correct my take on food stuff) but feel free to ask questions as I feel like I know a bit more but can't quite work out what is useful at this time of night.

Sorry to hear about the infections BG and IC. Get well soon.

Thanks for ideas. DH spotted the quorn problems tonight when out shopping. Think risotto or two separate pans is the only answer

beth you are spot on, no correcting from me (and I'm sorry you thought I might :() What you are going through with your DS1 sounds a nightmare, I'm so sorry.

As for meal suggestions, could you do wraps using corn tortillas and vegetables, with various dips on the side? I find self-assembly meals the easiest when catering for a group of people with different eating issues as it enables people to leave out the bit that causes problems, but without making a big deal of it and still keeping it interesting.

IC and BG hope you are feeling better. Tis clearly the season as I had one a couple of weeks ago (same cause ). I had to get antibiotics too, but I'd tried too long to clear it without so I ended up on them for a week. For a pharmacist, I'm remarkably poor at taking drugs!

PA I'm constantly amazed at your achievements with your two. Your DS is gorgeous, by the way. scones you also sound to be doing brilliantly, and you are a very cute family!

SB hope you are feeling better too.

Oh bethy, your poor DS1, how rotten for him. And argh that DS2 looks like he's going the same way.
Very interesting info regarding the differences between allergies and intolerances. My friend's DS1 was seriously allergic to peanuts as a nipper - anaphylactic shock-type allergic. But at the age of 9 he seems to have largely grown out of it.

How are you doing, BBB? Lovely to hear from you!

Yes, PA, that's what I try and do now - sort myself out while DD is nibbling her breakfast. And eventually call a halt to the seemingly endless cries of "bit more...bit more...!" It's not like she doesn't have much in her bowl to start with!!

Well, the UTI isn't too bad today and I had a good sleep last night with the help of a precautionary paracetamol. The antibiotics have to be taken every six hours with food, but I'm buggered if I'm setting my alarm for 2am to eat then take the pill, argh! So I've modified the timetable slightly to every five hours from 06.30, which is manageable without overnight pill-taking and eating being necessary....

DD is reaching new heights of confidence with other children now - she was fine at the big and busy toddler group we go to on a Tuesday, far less clingy and even interacting a bit with some of the other children.

IC I am that your dd is sociable at toddler groups... I wonder why I bother sometimes when dd2 just holds on to my leg and begs to be on my arm/lap. Mind you, she did start playing about a foot away from me today just when it was time to leave...

She is starting to want to play with other children, mostly older boys. They look frightened of her mostly but she did find a 8 yr old to play with the other day. It's really cute but sad when they either don't get the message or just don't want to play with her.

BBB Just trust me that being out is easier than being in .