These babies are going to be calm, easy and sleepy at all the right times, and we're brooking no argument about it!

[Biscuitsandtea]

In here ladies - the other thread was getting full up so I thought I'd better start a new one.....

Will do some links to / from this thread but in the meantime please make yourselves at home

Happy birthday Biscuits!! Well done to your DH for such excellent gifts!

Too I have the no-cry sleep solution as well, and when I attempted to use her methods pre-4 months I couldn't get any traction. It just seemed to wind DD up. I haven't re-visited the book since DD crossed the 4 month threshold though, so I should give it another go really... Do keep us updated with how you're getting on with it!

Scarlet hooray for the poo release! Boo to sore bums though, I hope she heals asap and has no more problems.

Jaggy loving your DS1's morning announcement!

Too how annoying to have that blockage! Did you risk washing a load of clothes in the end? How did it go?

All of this comforter talk has inspired me to try again with DD. DD was given a couple of those soothers, like the ones Dream's boys have. Despite me stuffing them in my bra for a few days, and keeping them in the cot with DD, she's never really paid much attention to them. She's so much more aware now though, I must make another push for her to use them.

I finally got around to trying DD with toast today - instant hit! She just wolfed it down, I've never seen her so excited by food before! I want to offer her some cheese soon as well. The various weaning books suggest cheddar as a suitable finger food, but I'm really worried that she'll break a chunk off and choke on it. Have any of you BLW-ers offered cheese to your LOs yet? If yes what kind of cheese did you offer, and how did it go? Also, can I just use any cheese spread on toast, or are standard spreads too high in salt? [thicko emoticon]

This morning I heard little A producing a particularly gross nappy, so I put her up on the change table and opened the nappy. She immediately stuck both hands down into the nappy, and I went into panic mode trying to hold onto her hands to prevent them getting to her mouth, whilst simultaneously trying to get to the wipes to clean her hands off. While I was wrestling with her top half DD merrily continued pooing away. When she had a huge amount piled on top of the nappy she then proceeded to stick both feet into the mess, and then plant both feet firmly on my top. Lovely. So I now have two charming poo-coloured footprints on my pj t-shirt. Perhaps I should keep the t-shirt and frame it, it is technically DD's first artwork...

at A and her nappy mischief Scream I just read that bit of your post out to DH as it made me laugh.

I tried DD with toast the other day too. Also a big hit here. She only sucked on it and spat it out but she was loving the taste. She screamed every time she dropped a piece on the floor.

Why have I found the use of the word "lovey" so amusing? I know it's weird to have sniggered every time I've read it but it's tickled me for some reason and I can't fathom why.

Quick post...

too and scream, I have just laid the comforters by the boys when they're going into their cots, every night and every wake up without fail. So putting the baby down fast asleep then comforter on their arm (I always used to put them on their sides) I didn't ever stick them down my top or anything, but just gradually noticed that they'd noticed them iykwim. So then proceeded to putting down awake in cot with comforter to hold while I fed/ rocked or whatever with the other until the magic day when S fell asleep by himself. So it really was no cry, but not exactly as EP would tell you to do it. And it took way longer than the few weeks she said, but I also think being older has helped as they're more aware.

scream, I'm fairly useless re: weaning but S loves cheddar sticks (poor cmpi B :( ) . Initially he did choke and gag on them, but he did with everything, as you all remember from my despairing posts I'm sure. But he's 7 months 4 days now and doesn't like being spoon fed and today has eaten jam sandwiches (at a playbarn place) toast, potato and sweet potato wedges, lumps of cheese, raspberries and pear slices by himself. He does allow spoon feeding of porridge for breakfast. B not so good at self feeding but trying hard too. He is more limited atm though. I give S Philadelphia. To be fair though, they've both has hobnobs, S has had a bit of bakewell tart, pizza, garlic bread... . I just don't look at the salt and only just thought today to check whether B is actually allowed the soya yoghurts he's been having and discovered soya milk is nor ideal :) (hence this meant to be a quick post as I'm expressing for B's porridge tomorrow and now look, I've written so much I've expressed a bit over 8oz- way too much!!)

scarlet, glad she's pooed, I say keep up with the pears I'm obsessive about apples and pears for keeping mine regular

Yyy also at the nappy scream and your cake looked professionally done, I only just believe you actually created that

Happy belated birthday Biscuits ! Glad you had a lovely day.

I've forgotten everything I've just read (I am much more elderly now ) but I just wanted to say I may also have at the nappy Scream but it sounds like you dealt with it with style and grace . I can just imagine if you had that picture hanging - people would say 'oh how lovely, you did feet printing with her'

Ds2 likes cheddar too just little finger sized chunks I give him (my fingers, not his).And he'll suck, bite, chew and swallow them. Cheese spread - I don't know about the salt content. I use Philadelphia though for both boys (which I have never considered the salt content of ) but I assume that there is less salt in that than say normal cheddar type spread? Just because the other stuff tastes more salty? Ds1 lurves Philadelphia though and still has that in his sandwiches now.

On a vaguely related note, we had the book people come in to work once and I was considering getting the Philadelphia cookbook, and one guy I worked with said 'oh Philadelphia is very working class you know' . So no doubt you all think me very common now for admitting my use of it . I use it loads though in recipes, soups etc. maybe in MNworld this is akin to Greggs sausage rolls and fruit shoots?

Ha ha - my autocorrect just tried to correct etc to ttc. I never once used Philadelphia for that

Incidentally if you are common like me then I can highly recommend the Philadelphia cookbook app if you have an iPhone / iPad. It's free and has pretty much all the recipes from the book (which I never did buy in the end, but only because I found the app, not because it made me look working class!)

Now what else was I going to say? Ah I can't remember.

I have an eye test today . I wonder if I've revised enough?

Philadelphia rules here biscuits. I think DD would waste away without it... must look for the app, I've no idea what I'd cook with it.. . A friend and i were once gobsmacked when another mum said her 3 yo had never had philly

Oh, and pet its the Womb to World cd my boys listen to, courtesy of Amazon.

at the Philly being common. Although we are a Philly free house, none of us like it. Does that make us middle class?

I've made a huge mistake this morning of letting DS watch Milkshake rather than CBeebies. "I want that mummy, mummy, I want that" about absolutely every toy advert, even the baby stuff and the Baby Annabelle's. Not that I'd mind if he really wanted a doll, just that I know he doesn't. DS is very "boy" and would be very upset to open a Baby Annabelle on Christmas Day.

Philadelphia is working class? I've never heard that before. In fact, as they eat it in Jilly Cooper I always thought it was on the posh side, tbh. M has had some on bread, plus mixed into various things like mashed tatties. We don't have any at the moment because the last pot went mouldy, though.

I did a sleep log last night from the NCSS. You have to fill in the time, how baby woke me up, how long awake; what we did, time baby fell back to sleep, how baby fell back to sleep, how long of a sleep stretch since fell asleep (bad grammar is EP's, not mine). So! M went to bed at 7pm, woke up 5 times (2 before I went to bed and 3 after), got up at 8am and her longest sleep stretch was 2 hours 40 mins. She had at least 11.75 hours sleep in total, which is pretty good. However, I managed to put her down awake and gurgling at 3am, gave her the bunny I was going to use as a comforter, sat with her until she was playing happily, and then walked out and left her to it! I went back to bed and she cooed for a bit and then there was silence after about 20 minutes! Oh, and I let her co-sleep when she woke up at 6. I didn't think she was going to go back to sleep at all because she seemed pretty awake, so I took her into my bed so I could be comfy, and lo and behold she fell asleep and slept right through DH's alarm going off every 10 minutes until 8 o'clock. I've hardly ever co-slept, but perhaps now she's bigger I'm less nervous.

arf at revising for your eye test biscuits and happy belated birthday for yesterday, hope it was lovely.
I love philly, it's lovely on bread with vegemite, got to be thickly spread though.

not caught up with thread yet, back in a bit

Gosh, there are major excavations going on outside to get this drain working again. I am so glad this comes out of the estate's pocket and not mine! The drain mannie has been here ever since 9am and has had to open the septic tank (boak), hunt for the outlet, which he eventually found in the field next to us, and seems to be digging it all up. I am fairly sure that one small amount of congealed fat couldn't have caused all this - it must have been gradually backing up for months every time I poured hot fat down the sink Still, I ran the washing machine last night with no ill effects inside (I haven't been outside to see if I caused a flood there) and am now running the dishwasher because the mannie went away to find a friend and I thought he was finished and promptly stuck the dishwasher on. He hasn't come to tell me to turn it off yet.

Scream, M loves cheese! Cheddar is soft enough that she just sucks and gums it. I honestly can't remember if she choked or not the first time, but she's fine now. I've tried her on varying strengths of it and she quite likes the mature stuff. We've got a medium one just now, though.

Dream, I was wondering last night whether it took your boys a while to notice the comforters because they were too young! M totally ignored all and any soft toys for ages. Not sure how my bunny experiment is going - she tried sucking its ear at naptime and then chucked it away and howled. I think the ear-sucking was an accident and she had really meant to relatch herself, but it got in the way.

We have mice again. Without fail, every bloody year the sodding things come in as soon as it gets cold. I've just been bleaching all the kitchen surfaces. Am seriously considering getting a cat. Can you train a cat-chasing machine whippet/Staffie cross not to kill cats? I can just picture the response I would get from the rescue home when I pitch up and say yes, I have a newish baby, I'm going back to work in a couple of months, I live next to a B road which isn't busy, but the cars that are on it go really fast and oh yes, I have a dog who chases every cat he sees and tries to eat them! Wanted: Good mouser; baby-friendly; can beat up dogs? I guess I'll have to get the mousetraps out again. I have been saying to DH all week that we need to set the traps and he hasn't done it. Surely he should know by that that what I mean is that I want him to set the traps? Oooh, that's rather sexist. I want him to deal with the nasty dirty mice because I am a delicate girly. I suppose I'll have to woman up and get on with it.

I do cheese sticks too, dd2 not keen on cheddar but a massive red leicester fan!!

Will catch up later properly. At work. dh a grumpy arse when he had a full nights sleep and I had very little as dd2's five hour stretch was interupted by dd1 with nightmares. Grrr.

Oooh, my best friend's waters have broken! Excitement! She's having tightenings but not really cx as such yet. She'll be induced tomorrow if nothing happens overnight, so I suppose at latest the baby will be born on Saturday. She's 41 weeks today and was so uncomfortable when I saw her at the weekend.

at Philly being common Biscuits! I guess I am too then, because I tried DD with some Philly on toast this morning and I've never seen such joy! I had to give her a second slice, even after she'd polished off a pear as well! Actual food consumption from DD, I never thought it would happen!

I might try DD on a couple of cheese sticks at lunchtime. Any additional suggestions to cheddar and red leicester? I can't eat cheese and DH hates both Philly and cheddar, so it'd be good if DD could get into a cheese DH already eats. Would manchego work do you think? Or wensleydale?

Too your sleep log for M sounds exactly like every night with DD at the mo. I just have no idea what to do about it.

Ninja any progress with the mortgage company? Fingers crossed you're all set to exchange tomorrow.

Oops gotta go! Just got to our station!

Ooh that's exciting Too. I was lol'ing at your own water incident when you posted earlier.

I bought DS the Disney Peter Pan DVD yesterday because we're taking him to see it for his first panto experience this year and I wanted him to know the story beforehand. I didn't realise how scary it is! Even the Dad shouting in the first 5 minutes had DS putting his hands over his ears. I'm a bit worried now about him being terrified in the theatre. Oh well I've got the tickets now, we'll have to leave if he hates it.

What about Edam, Scream? M likes Babybels. Or Port Salut? (is that 2 words or one?)

Scarlet, Captain Hook and the crocodile are pretty scary too! How did DS cope with that?

Glad I'm not the only commoner with my Philly

I think my colleague's logic was that back in the day (before the angel adverts) the adverts used to feature a couple of secretaries seeing Philly as a healthy 'treat' and he figured secretaries were working class ! To be fair it was quite an illuminating conversation as far as seeing what my colleague was like! He was one of those very very clever people with zero common sense, and as it turned out, quite a lot of class snobbery!

Hope the plumbing thing is sorted Too - have they dug up any more? Did your dishwasher run ok?

Ninja how's it going with mortgage-gate?

Hope everyone is well?

Over and out (to give the boys chicken dippers made with Philly )

i must be super common as i bought own brand Philadelphia cheese with the intention of putting it on toast for DS2.

will update and read more on night shift.

Oh Jaggy

That reminds me, Jaggy, I was buying the Sainsbury's own brand Philly because it was low in carbs. Still, I'm so far off the diet wagon that it doesn't really matter atm.

Mouse traps armed and ready, boak! DH has promised to take care of any dead mice in the morning.

Biscuits, the dishwasher is running as I write, and it seemed fine earlier, as did the washing machine. Lovely swampy muddy patch in the drive, mind, smelling beautifully of blocked drains, but the mannie assured me that any septic tank overflow would be in the field, not near the house.

M went to bed at 7 after screaming while I put her pyjamas on. Not sure that was a successful bedtime routine a la Elizabeth Pantley. She was just exhausted, after not napping this afternoon. Will really try to get her to nap tomorrow afternoon. The thing is, if she gets up at 8, she naps at 11, usually for a couple of hours, so gets up at 1ish, then she's not sleepy until 4ish. I did try to put her down for a nap at 4 but she wasn't having any, and later than that feels like it will just get in the way of bedtime. If she did nap at 4 or 4.30 she could easily sleep until nearly 6, so there would be no way she'd be going to bed at 7 or even 8.

DS2 has also struggled to nap today. DS1 had no nap so theoretically should go straight to sleep now, making it easier to nip DS2 into his cot.

we're going to have to bite the bullet and put DS2 in while DS1 is awake soon though. when we first moved them in together, DS2 went to sleep later and i think DS1 wasn't napping and went earlier.

we're now ending up sitting with DS2 sleeping on my knee in the living room while DS1 messes about in bed. this is a bit silly.

my head hurts and i think i may be getting a cold. need an early night after utterly rubbish one last night. think DS2 must be teething as we had to get the Nurofen at midnight. he was up and down after that and i was so shattered i just got him in beside me. the wee monkey then slept till after 8am in my bed while i had to get up and flap about getting ready for playgroup.

dd1 never liked Philly and dh hates it too so we never have it here

Found dd2 stuffing her face with cream cheese sarnies at nursery this pm though. She's the common one then...

Thanks for the cheese reassurance. I bought DD a pick 'n' mix cheese selection at lunchtime (M&S sell handy little sticks of cheese). The general verdict was mature cheddar ok, mild cheddar good, wensleydale is manna from heaven and red leicester is the work of the devil I think the wensleydale won DD over because of the bits of cranberry in it. It won me over because it was the softest/most crumbly.

So on wensleydale days DD can hang out with the super posh Pomme and Scarlet households, but on Philly days she'll be back with Biscuits and Too Should we set up some kind of cheese-barometer of poshness?

DD has been up for HOURS tonight, but I at least managed to catch a couple of steps on camera. Not a proper cruise (she saves those for when there's no camera! ) but one or two steps. I'm trying to upload it to FB now, but I'm hopeless at posting stuff.

Hmm I don't know if I should be No Brooking for full or empty mouse traps for Too in the morning?!

Six mice, bloody six! Ick ick ick. At least they were killed at the various points of ingress, as far as we can make out, before they ran all over the kitchen/house. There's a hole behind the boiler that we can't reach to block up, and there must be some sort of hole behind the cooker too, because they seem to come in there.

Hope DD slept a bit, Scream! Where does Stilton fit in to the cheese barometer? It's lovely.

M and I are working on our first colds, boo! I've got a sore throat and a runny nose; she's all snotty and coughing. Neither of us are terribly bad. It is awkward, though - we want to go have newborn snuggles with my friend's baby and if we don't get better soon we'll have to stay away! Still, everything's gone silent - last update was at 4.30pm yesterday, at which point she was only having irregular, not very painful cx, so I don't know if she's in full-blown labour now or waiting for induction.