December 2011: Mark your plaice, we've a new thread and a fresh catch of <haddock>

[LittleMissFlustered]

anyone?

Jesus figgy he preferred life before? I think my DH would have got significantly more than a for that one.

air even keeps managing to get herself stuck wedged sideways.

Eva has been in a teething grump all day, will get her ready for bed in a minute. We managed to make £184 on eBay!

I was planning on going to the gym tonight with my brother. That is, until a man in a local hostel (which contains alcoholics, drug addicts etc) went nuts, got a gun and got naked. Roads have been shut off around my way. This is actually happening now. Police helicopter and everything.

I was really looking forward to a good gym session.

Wow sorelip, that's the best excuse I've heard in a loooong time!

Question for honey, are cakes more likely to sink in the middle if they don't have enough raising agent? I have some special "cake/pastry" flour which is not self-raising so I added a teaspoon of bicarb and half teaspoon of baking powder to 250g of cake flour...opened The oven door 30 mins in (I know, I know) to check it wasn't overdoing before I bathed the kids, and of course it sank. But should I have used more raising stuff? (nb cake is now cooling and smells yummy even if it looks a sight. This is a practice cake for us to eat so doesn't have to win awards!)

Ps please can anyone who knows the answer enlighten me, doesn't have to be honey! I love cooking but don't make cale often enough yet to be reliable with them....

Comedy weaning today.
We started weaning today by giving BabyYBR some home-made baby rice, most of it came out again, not impressed. Around mid-afternoon DH was settling down with her to be cried on until she submitted to sleep, he happened to take a banana to snack on with him.
BabyYBR decided she wasn't sleepy and kept reaching for the banana so was given a little, various wrestling followed during which she launched herself at the said banana and took a huge bite.
A fair amount came back out all over DH's top but it was hysterical to watch.

Aethel Think you needed to add more baking powder. Can't be sure tho.

Air Can't explain tbh. when Darcie was a baby, she used to get her arms & legs caught in the bar.

Sorelip Best excuse I've heard so far nothing ever that exciting happens round here lol

YBR Brilliant about the banana

Made Chicken Casserole type thing at weaning class today and Sky loved it.
1 onion chopped finely
1 carrot peeled & chopped finely
1 celery stick chopped finely
50g chicken breast
2oz red lentils
600ml Water of Veg Stock

Put all ingredients into a pan.
Cover with the water or stock & bring to the boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 mins (lentils may take longer) until everything is soft.
Purée to correct consistency.

Is lovely I ate a small bowl

Darcie is at Brownies and found out she can start working on badges, which she is really chuffed about

Sky is having a nap, so when she wakes she will have her porridge and then her 7oz bottle and hopefully that will be it for the night

air you can get a safe, breathable cot bumper called an Air Wrap (sorry on phone can't link) that stops bumps and legs/arms getting caught in the bars but is safe as its breathable and won't cause overheating.

There was a weaning talk at the surestart centre when I went this morning, which was interesting because I never had one with DD. The woman seemed quite pro-BLW or at least pro-finger foods alongside purees, and was very anti-Annabel Karmel! As I'm someone who likes lists and structure, and dislikes mess, I'll be sticking to using AK as a guide again. It worked well for me with DD.

DS has been doing some pretty good sitting up today, it won't be long before he can do it without wobbling over too much

Congrats to AethelSpawn on the sippy cup and to Sorelip on the most inventive gym avoidance ever

Oh, and swimming was a disaster again today . Not sure what the problem is as he was fine for the first 7 weeks, but the last few he's just lost it. I made sure he wasn't tired or hungry today, and he was fine until the first dunking, then cried throughout the rest of the lesson, and was fine again once we got out. I may get the GP to look at his ears to at least rule out if that's what's troubling him. Really not sure what the matter is, but his ears have been a bit waxy, and if that is the problem then I can get him some little earplugs. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Maia used to fall asleep in her cot with her legs poking through but luckily avoided headbanging.

Aethel I'm a novice cake baker so can't advise! I will be baking my 3rd ever cake on Saturday for dds birthday but have to follow a recipe to the letter!

Kate it might be his ears or maybe he snorted water during his last good week and associates the water with something horrible? Can you not dunk him for a week and see if that helps? I dunk ds but blow in his prior to dunkage, his face is a picture but doesn't seem to bother him! He'll cry next week, now I've said that! Well done on his sitting, ds still face dives after a few seconds!

Octoboy has decided that holding his breath and wriggling like his namesake is the best way to get me to give up on giving him his inhaler.

Little does he know that I got a first in stubbornness from the University of Ornery Baggages and I'm not giving in:o

aethel sorry to answer late. To a vanilla sponge cake with 225g of plain flour I would usually add about 2 level teaspoons of baking powder so that doesn't sound quite right if it's a sponge but I need more info; what type of cake is it? From memory I think you usually only use bicarb if the cake contains an acidic ingredient like sour cream, yoghurt, lemon juice, chocolate as it needs that to make it work so that might be the problem or it might just be that you opened the oven too soon

DS dropped a nap today Just when you think you have some sort of routine...I prefer this one tbh but is he going to pull a switcheroo on me tomorrow?? First Sing & Sign class is at 11:15, I'll be mortified if he cries his way through it because he's missed his morning nap??? Oh dear.

Evening - quick hello from me to mark my place. All well here - find days pretty full on with the 2 of them but DS seems to be really growing up (he is 4 in a few weeks) which is both lovely as he is easier but sad as he seems a proper little boy now and is off to school all too soon. Freya was grumpy with teeth last week but seems happier this week and is still very cute. I am very lucky as she still sleeps 7-7 pretty consistently (sorry I know how annoying it is to hear that but believe me I put the hours in with DS! so know what it is like). She is quite hungry now but still prefers her milk to the limited veg and fruit she has had so far. Worse result of weaning is she now has the most explosive nappies ever and has ruined so many underbodies now!

DH and I are working hard to get on better and most of the time it is fine - 3 days of a bank holiday weekend had its moments but was generally good.

kate I used to take DS to water babies (cant afford it with Freya) but had to stop in the end as it hurt his ears too much and he cried after every dunking, but he did have loads of ear infections as a child (still an issue today) so might well be worth getting his ears checked out.

seven, well done on the eBaying! how much are they taking in fees? The money grabbers!

YBR, awwww! DS watched me eating porridge today and seemed to have a 'WTF? That's MY food' face

Sorelip, walking back from my Gym I came across three, 3(!) RTC's! Luckily none were serious but in a 20 minute walk you don't expect that many. One of them was a stolen car that smashed into our block of flats front wall & smacked it over.

A slattern question; Am I the only one still dressing DC in babygro's all the time? I look at all the fb piccies & everyother baby seems to be v.well dressed. Didn't want to start dressing him like a person until he was mobile.

AWCH I only dress Freya in real clothes if we're going out!

Octoboy is mainly in babygros, but I love the blue and brown closed toe dungarees, though they're practically a babygro as its soft jersey fabric and a long sleeved vest underneath:)

Right, bed! He's had jabs this evening (5pm!) and several snacky feeds and now a 3/4 hour two-boober. Hoping for some more epic sleep:o

Hopefully see you all on the other side!

If I'm hanging around the house, Asa stays in his sleepsuit or pyjamas! If he whoopsies over them, however, I put him in clothes because i don't have many sleepsuits that fit at the moment.

If we're going out, I dress him up a bit because he looks so cute and is my own personal doll

Me too on the sleep suits especially since I have about 30 of the bloody things again!!

aethel, I'd have put in more baking powder and no bicarb. And not opened the door of the oven :) my cardinal rule of baking (which doesn't apply to cooking at all) is to follow the recipe exactly, or at least to follow the ratio exactly of flour-fat-eggs-sugar. And getting to know your oven helps, or using an oven thermometer, to make sure it's baking at the correct heat. I have tried many times to deviate a little from recipes and it nearly always ends in failure! I am sure if you google it you can find the proper amount of baking powder to add to plain flour if you don't have any self raising. Wish I wasn't on a diet. I loooove baking! But then I scoff it all :)

Oh and AWCH, minim is mainly in babygros cos they're SO CUTE and they only really wear them when they're wee. She only has a couple of other 'real' outfits. But some gorgeous cute babygros. Plus they're way less hassle when changing her. And her feet stay warm (her socks always fall off).

BOi's ears are v waxy. Is this something that should be checked?
If we are staying in (rare), he'm stay in babygros, but if we go out , I'll dress him. He has a better wardrobe than me, and is always far better turned out.
I'm knackered, I didn't get the 3 hour morning nap that BOi had (10-1), so I'm going to bed now. G'night!

AWCH Sky is dressed everyday, I prefer that, rather than babygros.

LMF Hope Octoboy repeats his nights sleep for you.

Sky is fast asleep has had almost 4 bottles today plus 2 meals so hoping for a repeat performance of last nights all night sleep

LMF where are these closed toe dungarees from? I think I need some for Freya

Ooh thanks for advice guys! Cake was a Lemon Drizzle cake, I totally guessed with the bicarb as I rember my mum putting some into her cakes (a long time ago, and no idea which cakes, she made loads!) . Will have to make another one with more baking powder and no bicarb. The one I made today is rather smaller than it started, as DH keeps needing to "tidy it up" with a knife...

Waxy ears is normal peeps, and nothing to worry about. Wax is how your ears self-clean, it is a sign of healthy ear canals for you (and baby) to deposit little pellets of wax out From time to time. I'm sure the GP wouldnt mind checking your LO's ears, but expect they will look normal. If you suspect blocked ears then simple olive oil fr the chemist can help to debung gently, but don't stick ear buds up into
The canal or you'll impact the wax and cause earache!

We vary between babygros, trousers and tee, and dungarees. Inalso have a few pairs of lovely wooly knits/crochet soakers (nappy covers) , but it's been so darned miserable he can only wear the winterweight ones at the mo, it's too cold for bare legs!

Good luck with the sing and sign honey, must dig out my DVD of it for DS. Time to sing and time to sign, are
We ready for music time?.....