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!

I'm sure you're all awaiting the beaker-watch update for today?

I shall put you out of your collective misery - I reckon 3-4oz today. Although he was sick a bit while drinking it. Oh well, it's all a step in the right direction isn't it.

absolutely biscuits sounds like he's getting the hang of it.

I have 2 (completely nonrelated) questions for you all.

1. what age were your dc when you started putting them in a different room for daytime naps. I'm debating doing this with dd. we are currently in a flat so she'd be across the hall from me plus i can dig the monitor out if neccessary.

2. minted lamb meatballs and.........

You know how you can store ready-to-drink formula in the fridge for 48 hours? Stupid question possibly but do I need to put it into a sterilised bottle to do that? Sorry it's such a dopey qn.....

Ninja - 5 months ish on the nap thing (when we decomissioned the bugaboo carry cot)

errr, still thinking on the meatballs.....

Currently sitting in my hotel room pumping, while everyone else is at lunch.

Yay E! Sounds like he'll be on the move VERY soon! So exciting! No idea about the formula I'm afraid, I keep the ready-to-drink stuff in the container it comes in.

Ninja cous cous for the meatballs! I love cous cous, mainly because it's stupidly easy to cook!

The course is actually really interesting so far, and has reminded me why I like my job! No photos from DH yet, it took me 3 hours and five increasingly agitated texts just to get a text update! They made it to DD's new music class on time though (because although DH was a predictable ten minutes late, I gave him a false start time that was 15 mins early ). Apparently she kept grabbing the arm of the slightly bemused baby boy next to her, lol! Still missing her so much, and I'm trying not to bore everyone around me senseless by talking about her nonstop!

Aw you're doing great Scream - nearly there for day 1

That was what I was wondering Scream - the bottles would be fine because I could put the lid back on but I have a whole opened carton (ds2 screaming before his nap, I thought I'd try a bit more formula, opened a carton, sterilised a cup (shouldn't have bloody bothered). By the time I'd got it ready he'd fallen asleep. So now I am a Bad Mother - he literally fell asleep crying while I was willing the steriliser to hurry up AND I have an unused but open carton of milk. Epic fail

i think cartons say 24 hours with the clipped corner folded down. Does it not say on the side?
scream you are doing brilliantly, do you come home tomorrow? Glad you are enjoying it.

I didn't even think to look at the carton Ninja

It does indeed say 24 hours, but doesn't mention the corner. Still, i have folded it over as best I can (hard, because the darn thing is still full!) and stuck it in the fridge.

DD just naps wherever she is. If she falls asleep on me then I put her on her mat on the floor but if she is in the bouncer or swing I leave her there. I'm too lazy busy doing important housework to move her

Do you have any freezer bag clips Biscuits? Just wondering if they will be easier if you can't fold the corner

I think its too small / full to be able to put a clip across. It's folded down OK I think - t'will be fine I'm sure......

I'll ask DH what he thinks and if he's worried I'll bin it. It's only one carton after all......

biscuits, I'd say clean bottle/beaker, I thought you didnt need to sterilize over 6 months? According to my hv anyway, but we know how much use hv's are font of shit usually . I don't sterilize for the boys now- I mean plates, bowls, spoons, I've not given them a beaker yet but I won't sterilize when I do. They're 23 weeks now, so looking forward to proper weaning and giving them a yoghurt etc- much easier :) . Going to dairy challenge B soon (by me drinking milk I mean), I had loads of chocolate cake on dds birthday and he was ok so everything crossed he's not cmpi!

I was up every single hour again last night. S has just slept in the buggy for three hours, way longer than he slept overnight, sigh. B now up three times after midnight again, at least. Proper sleep regression. I'm so tired.

We just arrived home and bickered over who had to take the boys in and who got to sit in the car with sleeping DD. Dh called me lazy for not wanting to get out with the boys, which I think is so unfair! Yes he's tired too, he helped when both were awake together in the night which was at least twice, maybe three times but as soon as one is fed he puts them down and goes to bed while I'm still feeding/settling but I'm so busy all the time in the day, I'm really offended. Ah well. He's baby entertaining while I mn in the car.

I have af fear. It was horrible after DD, tampax biggest every hour... So lucky I only had 2 periods before o got pg again. Dread to think how bad it'll be after my hyper-stretched uterus after the dts... As a side note, my stomach is so ruined. I still look quite pregnant, only 1-2lb off pre pg weight :( . Don't know if exercise is going to be enough to fix it, or if it'd need the muscles sewing back together.

too, I'd have rage over the lateness too. My dsis doesn't see DD and the boys that much. I've accepted that my children are never going to be this precious to anyone but me (& maybe Dh!) So as long as she's kind to her when she does see her, and have a quick cuddle of the boys I'm happy.

biscuits, I'd never have persevered this much with the beaker. He sounds like he's improving though so you'll probably get there soon ish. As DD never had, still doesn't drink milk i will not be doing it. Plus I don't want to give formula, ever if possible, same as DD. I'm aiming to bf til 15 months again, at least I hope.

rubber, S has never, ever fallen asleep in a bouncy chair or anything. Only ever car seat or buggy, or on the boob. Honestly, I can't believe how unlucky I am to have never had a good, easy sleeper!!! I hope you appreciate how easy it is in case your next isn't a good sleeper :)

Dream I didn't think I was persevering that much with the beaker - I thought he was doing OK for only day 3! Although I do hate it when he's hungry at lunchtime. Still, it is so hard to tell what's hungry, what's teething, what's because he's done another poo, what's because his bottom is as red as a baboon's at the moment etc.

I do admire you though for your stick-with-ability for bf - you're a champ. I think I'd have stuck with it longer if it wasn't such a pain in the arse when we're out and it just doesn't work. At least the formula he's taking more each day whereas bf when out and about he was taking longer and drinking less each time we did it. Although he was no doubt improving his core strength with all the leg waving he was doing

I thought the advice was to sterilise anything to do with milk up until 1 year because of the bacteria etc. Anything else (bowls, plates, spoons etc) there's no point once they're at the stage of sticking everything else in their mouths. I could well be wrong though - it wouldn't surprise me in the least if that has changed since I had DS1. Although I think with ds1 i got fed up of that eventually (at say 9/10 mths?) and just washed stuff in the dishwasher as the advice in the US (at the time - don't know what it is now) was that after 6 mths it was ok to sterilise stuff by washing it in the dishwasher. And I figured that the US was a fairly respectable country

at E improving his core strength by leg-waving.

Ninja, not sure exactly - can't remember. I think it was pretty much when I moved M into her cot, which was about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I did put her in the basket in the bedroom intermittently before then, but not as a proper, every day doing it in the same way, sort of napping regime.

Oh, and courgette ribbons in a tomatoey sauce!

Oh no, Dream, not B regressing too! At least S can't regress any further than he already has.

Today M has eaten a peach slice and a tiny amount of banana. [proud] We went back to the BLW and had some success with broccoli trees last night, but she doesn't eat much at all. She has great fun dropping food and trying to feed the dog, though. Am moving on to food that is less slippery as of tonight - DH has been dispatched to the shop with a list as long as my arm. I know you're not meant to put the food in their mouths during BLW, but she just couldn't hold onto peach or banana - it slid out of her hand as fast as she tried to grab it. So we compromised - I held the peach slice and she pulled my hand towards her mouth and bit the peach. She has already learned to delegate! Am going to try her on pitta bread with butter tonight.

Scream, glad you're enjoying the conference, but boo to DH for not texting back! at your devices for getting him to the class on time!

I already use the dishwasher for sterilising, and Iz isn't quite 4 month (insert bad mother emoticon here). I think I read somewhere that it was fine to do so. The only thing I sterilise regularly is the breast pump, but I do need to run a few bottles through tonight, in preparation for my training day tomorrow.

Glad you're enjoying it Scream. It gives me hope for mine tomorrow! I just baked some cookies, and will stock my lunchbox full of them to keep me going...

Dream, I'm hoping to stick with BF throughout, like you. The HV praised me today for still breastfeeding, which I thought was odd.

I have Iz plus a cat sleeping on my lap. No chores for me this afternoon then..

Dream don't worry, I am very aware of how easy I've had it. If I decide to have another then I hope it won't be the opposite of Tasha and be a complete nightmare. As ever I am in awe of you.

The only difficult thing so far was my 4 day labour. We conceived easily (BFP was a year ago today and we started trying in the July) and had a straight forward pregnancy. BF was really easy to get going with no pain at any point and she was a fairly good sleeper from the start. I am so grateful for this and if it wasn't for you lovely bunch of nutters people then I wouldn't appreciate it half as much.

I had my first morning back at uni today and DH and D survived. As I seem unable to express I am allowed to leave a bit early so I can do the lunch time feed before I explode! Now I just have to find the time to actually do the work:(
I realised today that I said I had a Kiddicare code and then forgot to put it on. I will have to retrieve it from DH's laptop later. Sorry.

Well done Wants - sterling effort!

What a busy week workwise for the brookers. Hope your course has gone ok Scream and that you've been kept suitably updated by DH. Good luck tomorrow Musical

Back in my room on the pump, trying to finish up before the free drinks start!

at E's leg waving during bfing! When little A's really hungry and I start bfing her teeny toes kind of curl and flex like she's just ecstatic with the milk! it's so funny, along with "drunk" smile post-feed!

If my milk supply decreases with regular mixed feeding, enough so that I can just feed at night and first thing in the morning without having to express for relief during the day, then I'll prob keep going with the bfing until DD gets her first tooth.

Love M's skills of delegation! Clearly a CEO in the making!

Musical and Biscuits I'm sure I read on babycenter that dishwashers are used in lieu of sterilising for babies of any age in the US. I think they sterilise maybe once a week for teeny babies, and just use the dishwasher on a day-to-day basis. I'm planning to do the same once DD reaches 6 months.

Dream sending lots of hugs your way! How annoying of your DH! Clearly you're both tired, it's outrageous he would call you lazy though! Tiredness brings out the inner grump in everyone unfortunately, but I'm sure he didn't mean it. Glad you won the skirmish though!

Course is still going well. Following a nagging lunchtime chat DH has sent lots of photos this afternoon (she's so cute! ). We also had a quick Skype call when I got back to my room. Plus my Nan has popped round, just to be an extra set of hands / sounding board during bedtime. So I'm feeling much more comfortable about being away now. I'm still going to miss her horribly tonight tho I'll have to compensate with LOTS of free drinks! Hee hee!

Should I keep avocados in the fridge or not? If it makes a difference they're the 'ready in 2-5 days' ones rather than 'ready to eat' (bloody Internet shopping substitutions) and I would like them to ripen ASAP

BTW, hope you are enjoying the free drinks

(That was directed at Scream unless anyone else is enjoying free drinks, in which case it applies to you too)

If you want them to ripen leave them out, preferably next to a banana.

I want to drink a bit too much right now.

Righto :)

Wow

I've just realised, if I can nail the beaker thing while we're away and swap the afternoon feed to formula, I could feasibly be wearing an underwire bra by the time ds1's birthday party comes round.

I'll look like I've lost half a stone :)