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!

Too E has just had spinach lasagne for tea - chopped spinach gets everywhere especially since it was a comparatively easy spoon feeding job - I was a bit when I took him out of the high chair and saw the mess. Spinach is so hard to clean up, like I guess rice is too.

Honestly, they do get past this phase. I appreciate how easy it was when it was just ds1 eating to just give the table a quick wipe when he'd finished

Oh and Pomme you asked about the beaker. We had a great day today after a bad day with it yesterday. Today he must have had 9 or more oz across the mid morning and mid afternoon sessions (in total so 4-5 oz each time). This was a huge massive improvement.

Ah, threenagers. Love 'em
Ds1 used to (and still does sometimes) just eat so slowly. He'd get completely distracted from what he was doing but would still insist he was hungry. And yes, meals used totals us an hour. Even a sandwich. During which time I was going 'eat your sandwich, come on have a bite I your sandwich, eat you sandwich, EAT your sandwich, EAT YOUR SANDWICH....' etc.

What I did was said 'right, you can have 15 minutes more with your meal, and then it goes' and I'd set a timer on my phone. He hated it and hated me taking it away at first but in the end it did work. He still hates the suggestion of the timer now () but he does eat a bit better. Also I would have to keep reinforcing that it was ok to leave it if he was full (because he would just play with it an in say 30 mins have eaten one mouthful so clearly wasn't really hungry).

It just used to make me so mad that he didn't really want any more of the meal but it would take us sooooo long we could never get anything else done.

You have my sympathy though

Quick check in from CP.

So we made it finally. After yet another trip out to the GP. DS still poorly, tonsills still infected, still has a raging fever but GP seems to think it was a good idea to come as he could be well again by tomorrow. Reality probably is that GP just wants to see the back of us for a few days! We're taking it easy and laying off swimming until we think he's on the mend. I'm so stressed with it, that's a full week now of him being iller than I've ever known. Can I have some brooking for a better day tomorrow please?

I'm brooking for the twins Dream, poor babies. And for your DS's cold to clear up too Pet.

I lol'd at that very imaginitive name Biscuits. And also at your mum.

DS thinks the Gruffalo is sleeping outside our house in the woods. Bless.

Scarlet brooking for your poor DS - really hope he's better soon . How are the ABs going?

Oh I forgot to mention re my mum. After she'd diagnosed ds2's intestinal kink (based on the fact he wakes at night), he confirmed her diagnosis by...... Burping while she was here. Like a massive post dinner burp that only babies can get away with. So clearly trapped wind is it

Anyway enough of that

Enjoy CP Scarlet. By the way I went to one of those soft plays you recommended to me (the J one at H) - v good indeed - thank you .

As its now nearly midnight and I'm changing my second diarrhoea bottom I can officially say we are into day 9 of the runs for B and day 8 for S. I have stopped all solids. Why aren't they getting better?! No results from their poo samples til Wed pm or Thursday. Sigh. Also both coughing ++ and snotty.
DD keeps getting up in the night, for ages.

ARGH!!!!!!

^^ Stopped all solids 4 days ago that should say

brooking for scarlet's DS and dream's poor wee twins. :(

that's so cute about the Gruffalo in the woods though.

my boys have kept to a sneeze and sniffle, i don't think R is even waking up much more now.

i really need to somehow fix my own excruciating lower back pain though. i guess it's combination of weak muscles when pg and awkward lifting of toddler and giant baby. It's especially sore when i am in co sleeping position which is annoying as it's ruining a nice rest. it tends to fade a bit when I'm up and moving about, but just comes back at night. ouch!

ah the slow eating biscuits, DS1 could also take an hour for a sandwich. as you say though, he can still seem hungry. i may have to try the phone timer thing. :)

no accidents today, but that's because we just reminded him lots and tried to appear chilled out. DH was v brave and took him out to a big park in the car.

Dream I didn't realise it had been going on for that long. Their poor little bums! I hope you get some answers quicker than you're expecting to.

Biscuits the OOH GP we saw on Sat didn't change the Amoxycillin prescription. I did query whether he should be having Penicillin instead now we know it's tonsillitis but he just said to stick with this for now. Which is annoying because it doesn't appear to be working. You don't like to push it though do you when clearly the GP is supposed to be the expert.

DH slept with DS last night so I'm in with DD. She likes her travel cot, She's not made a sound for 12 hours! She's making up for her brother I think.

Also big well done to DS1 Jaggy

Poor DS Scarlet . Is penicillin better for tonsillitis then? I don't really know much about ABs

Glad dd likes her travel cot Scarlet - ahhhhh 12 hours...... Ds2 was up at 11, 11:50, 2:30 and 4:30. I managed to settle him by cuddling and sitting with him though apart from the 4:30 one and I didn't even try to settle him that time, I figured I may as well just feed him. So we'll see how it goes tonight. Am going to try to not feed if I can

I think penicillin is supposed to be the most effective for tonsillitis. How's your DS doing? I'm guessing ok as he's been to soft play? Pleased you liked it there, we'll have to go together some time.

He seems totally fine now, thanks, which is good. Other than the Night Of A Thousand Temperatures you would hardly know he's been ill but yet the doc said his tonsils looked pretty bad. He hasn't had a temp or any Calpol since that night. He's even happily taking the ABs with the help of chocolate buttons . Really hoping your DS is on the mend soon. In fact hoping all the poorly mini brookers are better soon.

Poor little babies! Brooking extra hard for Dream's DTs and Scarlet's DS. Also Pet's poorly wee man.

Jaggy, Brooking for you too - back pain really sucks! Pilates is supposed to help, but I have no idea how easy it might be for you to get to a class. I did look up some Mums and Babies Pilates, but they were at awkward times for us.

On the verrrrry slooooowwwwly eating toddlers, is it bad to read a book while they eat?

Must get some breakfast organised. We took DH to work this morning and I came home, stuck M in her baby gym and collapsed on the sofa with a cup of tea. Think M might be getting hungry, as am I, but I just don't have the energy for it yet! It doesn't help that I left the kitchen in a giant mess last night and there's still curry all over the high chair. Why, oh why did I or DH not tidy up at the time?

Aaargh, why is the bread mouldy? Grr. That means I have to feed M something messy and difficult, like yoghurt or scrambled eggs or something, instead of nice easy toast.

Poo gate continues apace here. . My knuckles are so chapped they're bleeding from constant hand washing. Fact. Hurry up and get better babies! They were doing so well weaning too, but now I can't really feed them- fruit and veg would be a terrible idea and introducing new foods to poorly guts ditto.

Crumpet fingers for finger food biscuits . My only idea.

How did breakfast go too? Why don't you put a loaf in the freezer, if you have a freezer, so you can just defrost in microwave to toast? or pick the mould off as I've been known to do

Tired. Very tired. Another night of 5 runny poo nappies between the boys and if I had my nappy done with brightish lights (to make sure S totally clean) I'd be wide awake and not go back to sleep too.

Impressed you can cuddle E to sleep biscuits. I also read for habitual waking, if they're pretty regular, wake before they would so if they always wake around 4am, you set your alarm and wake around 3 to disturb that pattern and re-set them, iykwim?

Oh, crying, laters

Brooking hard for all poorly No Brookers/mini No Brookers, including the Scarlet, Jaggy, Pet and Biscuits households. Extra no brooking going out to the Dreamy twins and their overworked supermum!

I have been up for an obscene amount of hours and I am desperately hoping DD will let me sleep tonight if I let her cosleep with me! We are back on UK soil, at my parents' house and already set for bed!

I gave DD her very first food this afternoon mainly to give myself an incentive to stay awake a few more hours. She had aptamil baby porridge, which she seemed to like - maybe it tastes a bit like her formula milk? She also had some pureed mango, courtesy of Ella She was not at all sure about the one!

Too tired to focus... No Brooking for one and all!

p.s. at *Biscuits' Mother.

scream - A has refused three things so far - banana custard stuff, mango yoghurt and mango puree! She loves the Ella's banana puree though.

dream - We have some poo bug here too but yours sounds mega difficult and 9 days too!! Do they have a cold? A has a cold again and is now doing a squitty poo (technical term) post every meal - I'm think adenovirus. She needs to be ok for first proper day at nursery Thursday. Brookign for your boys to make a quick recovery soon.

I had some friends round today and it was a bit stressful and my house was turned upset down. I may stop volunteering my place for the gatherings soon!

It's difficult because there's so many nappies and both are clearly in discomfort and going a lot . Quite often in the night they wake crying, I check nappies, no poo, I cuddle, no luck, feed....then huge squitty nappy, wide awake baby who doesn't want to feed... And mornings are just nappy after nappy after nappy. I think s has done 8 squitty nappies today and B 6, S was definitely 3 overnight to B's 2. They do both have coughs and colds now, B only got his cough 2 or 3 days ago though. We're thinking maybe rotavirus?? I'm thinking cryptosporidium with DD as vector from petting farm and her touching them/their toys but Dh not as convinced .

S has refused most savoury home made food. He likes Ella's Kitchen. In fact, I think he's a cat, he just wants to eat pouches . He ate a play banknote from dd's till today. At least half of it swallowed. Think he's missing his food!?!

pomme one of my best friends is a bit like that. Comes round and lets her boys run amok. I see much less of her now. Plus she's gone a bit mental (left husband, gone vegan, taken up running and triathlons- as a previous confirmed exercise hater, gone away for a month now taking her eldest- 4 in November- and leaving her 16 month old who'll have no idea where mummy's gone behind). But i do find the house-trashing stressful!!

Hope you get a really good sleep scream . Your pic was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Dream, lots of Brooking being aimed in your direction! And yours, Pomme. 9 days of poo-hell. Poor little beasts - and poor you!

I was intending to pick the mould off, and then I turned the loaf around and the cut end was entirely blue, so I gave up and binned it. Keeping bread in the freezer would work very well now that it's only M eating it. However, I made her an omelette instead and she actually ate it! Properly with her fingers and swallowed bits and everything! I was amazed - I was feeling so bloody depressed by BLW and my general failure to get M to eat finger food, and then suddenly this morning it worked. This evening she ate heaps of hard-boiled egg (mostly yolk, because the white was too slippery), a teeny bit of sausage and mushroom, some lettuce and finished up with vast amounts of yoghurt. I did the yoghurt with a spoon because she hadn't bf in ages and I knew she must be starving, despite the egg, and she ate a whole ramekin and shouted for more! In the end I had to cut her off. Little yoghurt fiend!

Am trying to psych myself up to Shred. I had a huge dinner, though, and I still feel stuffed. Feeding M yoghurt meant that I had some too - must not start eating more just because M isn't finished yet!

Scream, welcome back! Hope you had a great time, and that you get a decent night's sleep.

Welcome back Scream. Really hope you got some sleep.

Dream I hardly dare ask how your night was? Less pooey I hope? I hope you're wrong about the petting farm, that sounds nasty.

I think DS might finally be starting to feel a little bit better. He was actually snoring in bed last night, it was so nice to hear after the last week of him just dozing lightly here and there. DH has slept in with him again so I've had another night with the bed to myself. Bliss. DD's being a little angel, no trouble whatsoever.

It's my birthday today. DH left my cards, presents and cake at home. I'm trying not to be annoyed about this as I am now 32 so these things shouldn't matter.

Happy birthday Scarlet

Oooh I'd be making DH pay for leaving my birthday stuff at home or make him him drive home and get it.

So glad DS is finally on the mend - hope that continues. And hope all the other poorly brookers are on the mend too. Especially the pooey bottomed Dreamy twins.

Also though - good job you'd already had the Kindle so he couldn't leave that at home too!

scarlet - I would be SO annoyed! I am also old enough to know better as I will be the same age as you in a few weeks time. Massive happy birthday for you, brooking that ds continues to get better and that your dh pulls his finger out and gets you another birthday present for today!

Bad, bad night here - A up with poos (not runny though?? bit weird??) at 8.30-9.30 and 11-1. She then woke for 2 quick feeds after that and both dds were up at 6.30. YAWN. However no poos since 12.30 .

DH in Italy and he also had a crap nights sleep. Im sure the universe is challenging us (although possibly not as much as its challenging dream...)

happy birthday scarlet! glad to hear DS is getting better. you'll have to have an extra birthday with your presents when you get home. :)

hope all the other ill babies and toddlers are similarly on the mend soon.

DS2 slept for 4 hours in a row when i first put him in his cot...then was up an hour later. it's calmed down a bit though, i think he's only up 2-3 times just now.

glad i put him back in his cot after feeding lying down last night. he woke up at 6.45, did a poo and i discovered he'd done a massive wee which had leaked right through his sleeping bag and all the way to his mattress cover.

then i had to eat DS1's breakfast as he decided he didn't want it after I'd got it ready. mmm chocolate weetabix.