Post-grad Brookers, over here! We will Brook No Argument that all Mini-Brookers sleep 12 hours a night and behave angelically during the day

[TooImmatureTurtleDoves]

Over here!

(When I say it's a proven fact, I mean it's a proven fact that I know nothing, not that they're better with bigger meatballs)

too if you are doing something like spaghetti bolognase (sp?) could you give M some pasta and veg chunks to 'play' with and spoon feed her with the sauce without the mince? I think 6 months is pretty much a free for all on the weaning unless there is a family history of allergies and obs no honey!
When we had curry, I used to take a few chunks of chicken out once cooked and rinse off the majority of sauce before serving to DS's with Bits of Naan, chapati etc. They love curry now! I can't wait until D is a active member of the dinner table. He already watches every mouthful I eat if he is on my lap:)

Good idea about taking the chicken out of the curry, Wants. I do want M to like curry/chilli because we eat a lot of it and I don't want to have to leave it out!

Right, just tidying up from our excursion this morning and I poured the unstuck formula back into the bottle to see what was left. I started off with 7oz water plus 7 scoops powder and there is just under 6 oz liquid left, so that must be at least 2oz drunk? He was pretty hungry by lunchtime.....

Unstuck? Undrunk?

For some reason my phone doesn't seem to believe me that undrunk is a word....

too - Mince is majorly useful in weaning I've found!! I either buy very posh supermarket stuff or butcher's steak mince if it's going in very little tummies.

A eats MASSES - huge amount of porridge (I buy organic gluten free oats and mill them ) or yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, then meat plus veg and fruit for lunch then weetabix (or scrambled egg or cauliflower cheese when I get round to making it) and then yoghurt/rice pudding for afters. She has chunks of banana and baby biscuits as snacks. Fluid is more the worry here she drinks minimal formula/water and i am refusing to bf between 9am and 6pm now! In terms of cooking every so often I do a massive casserole/bolognese thing using those boots baby stock cubes and then freeze it so her reportoire is a bit unvaried. stage 2 pouches also a godsend here. all her fruit bar the 'nana is usually pouches. I did more homemade for dd1 but there just isnt time now.

I've been using those beakers too biscuits - those and the boots version which have a nice rounded spout. In coming round to this decision though i have amassed enough beakers/bottles that have been used once to open a very odd shop.

first work meeting tomorrow at midday....

Ds1 did his work trial this afternoon. It went well and he has been told he is top of the runnings so far! He will have to wait until next week though to hear if he has got the job!

Oooooh good luck Wants' DS1

Can you believe that my first AF has decided to rear her ugly head today? Less than 24 hours before DD's first swimming lesson I know I can't complain about it as DD is now 19 weeks and it's about 3 weeks since I cut down to 2 BF's a day but another 24 hours would have been so much more considerate. Going to be very self-conscious now tomorrow, she's arrived with a vengence

Biscuits I'm confused and possibly being a bit thick . If you started with 7oz and you have just under 6 left how can he have drunk more than 2oz? Does the powder plus the water increase the volume of it? If so I didn't realise that, I just thought the powder disolved into the water. Gosh I really do sound thick, but I need to know now

I imagine it must increase the volume Scarlet? Even if it dissolves it still increases the volume doesn't it? I'm trying to think scientifically now but can't work it out. I imagine it must make a difference because they make all that fuss about measuring out the water before putting he powder in don't they.

Boo for AF though - grrrrrr

OBEM Special-twins and triplets at 9pm tonight!

Hmm that's very true Biscuits. I examined the last feed I made up for DD to see if it increased. As far as I could see the actual liquid level stayed about the same, but above the measured amount was lots of froth. Maybe we should ask Nina and the Neurons?

I shall experiment tomorrow when I make a feed for ds2.....

Weaning chat: I use the same beakers as biscuits, also bought 568,577 coming to this conclusion like pomme :) . Dts are 5 and a bit can't remember how much months now and they'll eat home steamed purees of sweet potato leeks and peas and parsnips, carrots and peas- these are the only two batches I've got round to doing so far . I whizz up banana and nectarine, nectarine, steamed apple and baby rice (todays) or just apple. Sometimes I just do pouches but I have enough guilt over the dts upbringing so far without feeding them solely pouches.

Ooooh, am watching OBEM and triplets! Imagine triplets! You wouldn't have enough arms or boobs. They're 35 weeks.

Oh my God, there's something wrong with one of them. It's got something wrong with its chest and you can see it's heart beating.

Oops, presses send too soon. If you're using fresh mince and cooking it fully I don't see the problem too. I just can't get worked up about these things- when was the last time you poisoned yourself cooking mince?! I have to confess I've also never done cooled boiled water for drinking or adding to food etc, I just use my brita filter jug of water as usual because I (& Dh) can't work out what they're going to get from tap water, which is so heavily treated- cholera?!?! So far none of my children have ever had d&v so it can't be crucial. I just can't get worried about these things when they're sucking grotty toys/ muslins/ whatever they can reach- that's where the bugs'll be!! Sure they'll get no variety either, as DD eats so little and Dh and i are currently living on take away and ready meals as I don't have time to cook. I can steam an apple that takes 2 min to peel and chop, but preparing veg etc and actually cooking it, with other things among the melee here isn't happening so its limited diet and I'll try and batch cook in the evening after they've gone to bed (in my one precious 'me' hour that's still usually only laundry or shower time) or microwave meals for the dts!!!

So, tomorrow is, believe it or not, my first ever full day with all 3 dc. It was absolutely full on chaos all day today, with DD refusing her nap and babies refusing to sleep too and this was with my nanny lady helping. I'm planning on having all three at playgroup for 9:30 tomorrow, so that's the morning sorted ignores naps issue for babies which is me or whoever helps me taking the buggy out , but I'm really apprehensive of the afternoon, with the inevitable overtired babies and problems of them only napping if walked in the pushchair. Eeeeek, wish me luck!!

How rubbish about af scarlet why oh why must it be the day before swimming?! Of course, nobody would suspect a thing but its totally rude of her to show up... Off to check out your dc now

Rushes off to put telly on after seeing toos post

I've put obem on the box for tomorrow as couldn't miss the bake off. In bed now. Dh is back downstairs again tonight after one night back up here last night. He's really struggling with no sleep, although he is being very complimentary about how I'm coping with it so that's always good!

Good luck tomorrow dream bet you'll be fine. How are things with the nanny lady? I find sometimes when I have my mum or dh I wonder how I manage on my own at all (and that's with one baby and toddler!) but actually without them it can be easier. They mess up routine/structure!

Go Dream, go, you can do it! It will be fine, my lovely.

It is true that I am v lax about hygiene because M puts everything except food in her mouth, and the dog licks her on the mouth/nose/hand if he gets a chance. She also tries to lick the dog, yuck! So the mince thing is silly.

Tonight's dinner was a complete failure. I did sweet potato in chip shape so M could pick them up, plus a few chunks of avocado. M tried to pick up the avocado and it squirted out of her hands, so she howled and howled and wailed. I think she ate a tiny amount of squodged avocado and no sweet potato because by the time it had cooled down sufficiently for her to eat she had totally lost interest in food. Why is it that she puts everything else in her mouth but not the food I want her to eat? Thrawn beastie.

Scarlet, how mean of AF! You will be fine, though. Hope DD likes swimming - M loves it and so do the other 2 little babies there. It's the toddlers who cry [smug].

OBEM was a bit traumatic - one twin died from twin to twin transfusion syndrome. The little boy triplet born without a sternum was okay, though - they operated on him at a month old and fixed it. They were all so tiny!

FX for DS1, Wants!

dream cbeebies is your friend. My motto is do what you've got to do and bear no guilt. As long as they are all still alive and not starving then you've done your job. Anything more is a bonus. Good luck.

Good luck tomorrow Dream . I agree with Hawthers - I frequently have to use CBeebies so that I have any chance of getting a meal (a) to the table or (b) tidied away after. And that's with just one baby and a supposedly vaguely self sufficient toddler

I still have no stomach for watching OBEM. I am looking forward to the bake off however which I've sky plussed.

Ds2 awake at the mo - I'm assuming it must be those beastly teeth - poor little guy. At the moment I'm trying just sitting in his room to see if he'll drop off. He's quiet if I'm in the room but cries if I leave so am trying the minimum intervention. He didn't drop off while being cuddled so am trying this now. Wonder how long I'll be here?

Hope DD enjoys swimming Scarlet. It feels weird that I am slightly dreading the return of AF but only in the sense that it is a bit of an inconvenience / pain. I can't get used to the idea that my life doesn't have to revolve around it and I don't need to feel so frigging crushed when she rocks up .

Good luck for your meeting as well Pomme. Also brooking that sleep improves soon in the Pomme household.

Still two little eyes watching me out of this cot.....

How do you get the smell of sick out of carpet? DS1 just vommed everywhere....

Oh no! Poor thing, and poor you!

Erm.......

Febreeze? Does that work on carpet? One of those rug doctor things that Too had the other week?

Hope he's ok

Wise words hawthers. Puke and carpet, eek. I'd only have vanish mousse and opening a window up my sleeve

All three up in the night, a real cracker. DD just had a lie in to make up for her efforts. Into battle I go, raaaaagh!!!