Brace yourselves for an epic catch-up! I've been writing this for days...
Bluebs, how are your buebs? And how's it going with the formula? We've still got a personal best of 3oz here - not very impressive.
Ruby - so you've been back at work for a few days now? How is it?
Sounds as if you've totally nailed the bedtime routine - well done you. Glad it's paying off. Yes I do nighttime feeding too - I actually think it means I get more sleep than if I tried not to - it really doesn't bother me and I generally fall straight back asleep once I've got J out of the cot and into our bed to feed. But I do think all three of us sleep better when he's in his cot, so I'm trying harder to put him back in his cot after the feeds, rather than co-sleeping for hours.
Sunday - how are the last few/couple weeks of maternity leave going? Hope you're having fun. Nice holiday? Have you managed to do the tweaking you wanted to do to E's routine? Try not to fret if not - I'm sure hubby will work it out - the most important thing is to enjoy your last couple of weeks of leave.
Beauty and the Beast: I loved it. I've got a bit of (massive) a girl-crush on Emma Watson, so I'd probably have liked it regardless, but actually I thought it was excellent. Great cast in general, even if I did only realise that at the end when they all stopped being teapots and candlesticks etc! Definitely watch it when it's out on the small screen, if you missed it at the cinema.
Glad to hear that our breastfeeding woes are helping you feel better about not bf 😄 Now that Jasper a) has teeth and b) likes to stand up, sit down, stand up for his meals, breastfeeding is less enjoyable than it once was. Plus, he seems much more like a child than a baby now, and so somehow (personal opinion) bf just doesn't seem quite as right as it used to. Also the fact that he recently worked out how to use my nip as a water-pistol... I'm rather looking forward to when he stops needing my boobs.
Re cuddly toys, J was given lots as presents, and I've recently started keeping about 6 in his cot. As there's so many of them, I'm not worried that he'd be overly affected if we lost one. I'd previously kept them all up on a shelf at bedtime as I thought they would distract him from getting to sleep, but actually it doesn't seem to make much of a difference - he's either sleepy or not and the cuddly toys aren't the deciding factor in that.
Yes my new job is similar to stuff that I've done in the past. It's in a different sector, but it's a strategy role which I've done before and really enjoyed. It's now only a month until I go back to work - can't believe how quickly these last few weeks are flying. But they've agreed to the month's holiday that we'd already booked, which is mid-June to mid-July, so basically I've got a month back, then a month away travelling, then back 4reelz from mid-July. I'm quite looking forward to work actually. And I don't think the commute will be too bad - it's somewhat further than before, but I think I'll still be able to cycle (about an hour), or do a half-run-half-tube commute, which will make it manageable (and which won't actually take much more time than just taking the tube all the way, so is worth doing - I don't suppose I'll find time to do any exercise otherwise).
Rolly - looking forward to hearing more about your van trip!
Our nanny isn't yet sorted, but I'm feeling fairly positive about it. For the month between me starting work and our month-long trip, he'll be looked after by a combination of my mum and a temporary nanny, and then when we get back in mid-July we'll have a permanent nanny with a nanny-share partner. I've been in touch with a couple of nanny agencies and think we're definitely making the right decision - not just because a two-child nanny-share is more affordable than nurseries around here, but also because Jasper is definitely better suited to a more personal type of childcare. He's not the type of child who'll happily sit on the floor and play for more than about a minute - he's constantly moving and needs someone who can chase after him 😝
Becks - glad you enjoyed the christening. And congratulations (commiserations?) on the walking. Pics of both please!
My goodness, the dishwasher (one of my favourite household appliances, incidentally. Yes, I have favourite household appliances...) is currently the bane of my life - Jasper absolutely loves it and insists on crawling inside it when I'm trying to empty it. Very nearly had an incident with a washing tablet the other day 😬
Birchy - sorry you're finding this phase tough. I'm finding it knackering but fun. (Certainly not harder than the newborn stage for me, but then that basically broke me!). I hope your last couple of weeks of leave have been nice, and that work goes well too. Any progress on the sleep front? Massive sympathies to you, dealing with that challenge at the same time as going back to work.
Primary - congrats on the job, and especially on beating an internal candidate - go you! Is it the same age-group that you were doing before? Hope you've been enjoying the last couple of weeks of mat leave too. Good luck on Tuesday - thinking of you. Good news about Annie's bottle. I'm sure she'll be fine with the childminder once she gets into the swing of it and gets to know her.
Jasper is so much fun at the moment. His personality is really shining through, all the more so now that he can move himself around. He's an adventurer and an explorer, like his father. He never stops moving, examining, inspecting. He crawls at top speed (I have my own personal shuffly shadow following me round the house), and walks (slowly) holding onto things. He opens drawers, takes things out, distributes them liberally round the house, and leaves a trail of chaos and mayhem in his wake. He recently decided that sitting in his pushchair wasn't adventurous enough, and he worked out how to escape from his (slightly loose) seatbelt and turn around to face forward (it's a rear-facing pushchair), a bit like he was riding a Roman chariot, or like that iconic scene from Titanic. I've now had to re-thread the straps so that he's tied down tight, which he absolutely hates. What he really loves nowadays is walking around the house holding onto my forefingers (with me walking behind him). The best part is when he sees himself in a mirror, at which point he grins and starts running towards himself 
Some recent pics attached.
Well folks, 9 months: As long outside as in. Can't believe how quickly the time's flown, and how much has changed!
Oh, and happy Easter everyone! xx