Jan '07 part 16: We're back in our skinny jeans (we just can't do the zips up!)

[2Happy]

I like Lizz's

i just use normal bisto gravy powder for both of them (hadnt ever really thought about now I am wondering if I should be but have always done it for ellie) they dont hve loads but hattie loves squishing the veg into the gravy and we are having roast lamb and all the trimmings on sunday yummmy!

ds4 had gravy on his dinner tonight buty it was soooooo watered down I doubt it would have tasted of anything.
it looked like apple juice.

We use bramble jelly as DH makes it (although its robinsons atm because we haven;t been blackberry picking yet)

Oh, please don't wonder on my account I just wondered if you did a separate one, took some out before adding seasoning etc. I have loads of black pepper in my gravy.

Lamb, yum, I think we will have that too. Last time we had it roasted with garlic, had mashed cannelini beans with olive oil, lemon and parsley and sundried tomatoes with green salad. It was delicious. I thiink it's back to veg and gravy now the weather's turned though.

no they just have powder mixed with vegetable water, i make dh and i proper gravy (although ellie prefers our gravy )

I love jellies in gravy too, redcurrant makes it very tasty with lamb.

So you do make two gravies?

God, what am I, the gravy police? Sorry. Maybe I need to get out more, it is Friday night I believe.

carotte you are making me laugh!

I gave lo some shepherds pie yesterday which had a stock cube in (1 for about 5 adult-size portions though) as it was only a last minute thought to make sairy-free mash! I've been feeling guilty ever since I realised so don't feel too bad now with all these gravy stories!!

Rat - lo had quite a severe reaction to milk - she's breastfed and I gave her some cows milk at 6 months on weetabix and her eyes/face swelled up, she came out in a rash on her chest and tummy and projectile vomited . It was only then we remembered she'd vomited a lot one night after dh had given a bottle of formula (he's spilt my ebm all over her!!) so put 2 and 2 together.....

canmummy- that is quite a severe reaction.
how is weaning going? I don't know anyone else who is weaning an allergic baby, so it would be interesting to know what you are doing

most nights ellie and hattoe have their dnner around 4.45 so male instant gravy for them and then dh and I have dinner together around 7pm so either make proper gravy or if being lazy do instant gravy for us but in sundays I do make 2 lots of gravy!!! (what an exciting subject huh!!!)

LTH - has DS4 got any teeth yet? I can't remember if you said he had.

The only finger food I've tried is rice cakes, cucumber or soft rusks. He is not to keen on holding slimy foods (eg. bread and dairylea) and I had to force the cucumber into his mouth so he could see how nice it was for his gums. Now he loves it. (pushy mother!)

my typing is very very crap isnt it!

its fine..just tell us where we can get MALE instant gravy!

Whats happened to the typing on here tonight ladies?? Not good

Thanks for the suggestions. I have to say that I am very chilled out with what I give to J. He tried pretty much everything although in moderation. He has had chips before (loves them), he loves sucking biscuits that have been dunked in tea , he has discovered a love of manderins too so I try to mix healthy/unhealthy cos I want him to have a really varied diet (MN food police would not be happy I am sure).

I used to be really anal about separating gravy but now I just give him what we are having. Spoke to my HV about it and she said that because proportionally they are having such a tiny bit of stock cube i.e. when in a huge tub of stew that it doesn't matter.

Asda have started doing Jam that is 75% fruit and SO much less sugar than usual. It is delicious and not so sickly.

Glad my enormous fanny amused you all

Canmummy - sorry to hear about your mum. Just wanted to let you know that my mum had a lump on her breast two years ago that they were certain was cancerous. She had a biopsy done which made them even more certain it was cancerous because of how it acted when they drew fluid from it but THANK GOD she got the all clear two weeks later. Fingers crossed for your mum - better they investigate any lumps and bumps.

Rat - I have to say it's a bit tricky. I've got some soya margarine for her toast in the morning, rice milk for her cereal and then try and just give her what we have but no milk/cheese/butter. It all gets too complicated sometimes so I resort to a jar that's got no milk ingredients in it! And of course she's still breastfed - I'd planned on doing it for a year anyway with maybe the odd bottle at nursery but now I'm under pressure to supply! I'm waiting to see a dietician but it's a long wait apparently

i am heading to bed before i do anymore typos I am so so knackered so night!

I am currently adding a new food every couple of days to see if his eczmea reacts. So far it has to several things, but it's hard to tell if it would have been bad anyway.. I think I should relax about it a bit more though.

LOL, wilkie, at your pplice camera action

Ratfly/Canmummy - I am weaning F without any wheat or dairy as he seems to react to them in my diet. Not wheat so much but definitely milk. He has rice toast with nothing on it. He loves it. Breakfast is either porridge with pear, or rice mixed in fruit like plum or blueberry. I never make porridge with milk anyway. He hasn't had potato yet, he has a lot of sweet potatoes/butternut squash with things in, lentils, chicken. Also, I saw a dietician within a couple of weeks of seeing an allergist. They are going to test him at a year as it's not severe. The dietician wasn't terribly helpful though. Hope yours is better.

pmsl laughing at the gravy police!!

Z loves scrambled eggs too, his favourite breakfast is scrambled eggs and spaghetti hoops! arrest me now food police (and gravy police) but he also quite enjoys pancakes, toast, hard boiled eggs (cut into rings) and porridge pancakes. other good finger food snacky type things are corn on the cobs just into rings and then microwaved with a bit of boiling water. you need to leave them to cool for ages, then i put unsalted butter on and give it to Z, he really enjoys it. hmm, trying to think what else he has now! (i'm so lazy with his food, must try harder!) he loves nectarines, probably his favourite fruit so far, also mango. leave the skin on and it's much easier for them to hold. oh, and melon. he;s not so keen on his veggies, although he did make short work of LTH's homemade cauliflower cheese (it was very yummy!)

if you to www.babyledweaning.com and follow the link to the forum there's loads of good ideas about finger foods under the recipes section!!

We're mostly doing BLW with the odd bit of spooning if DS is getting frustrated. He gags more if I spoon feed him lumpy stuff than if he puts it in himself as well LTH.

Finger foods I have given DS include: bagel, pitta bread, rice cakes, toast, with sunflower marge or houmous, nectarine, mango, banana, pear, melon meatballs, chicken, cold meat, carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, butternut squash, avocado, bitesize cereal with a bit of rice milk.

Ratfly - The allergy consultant asked me what I thought DS might be allergic to and then tested him for all those things. I'm sure as milk is such a common allergy that they will test for that. Ds' symptoms were projectile vomiting formula and coming out in a rash and before that being very fussy when bfing him.

Mrs C - the dietician we saw was a bit crap as well, we waited for about 2 hours only to be told not to give DS egg or milk, well duh!!

Wilkie - PMSL!!!! DS has had chips and biscuits too.

I'm going to do cauli cheese fro Ds4 today UD. I hope its a s success as it was with Z.

I see some of you have mentioned biscuits too.
Oh Ds4 has never had a biscuit.

Oh no siree.

No not here.

Deffo not.

Biscuits?? for a baby??

OHHHH no no no no no no no

hattie is like a performing seal if there is a jaffa cake involved, she'll clap/wave/crawl/smile for a jaffa cake (also keen on digestives dunked in tea and those farley bears)

in fact i would have given her a jaffa cake if it would have made her go back to sleep at 4.50 this morning, it took me bringing her downstairs changing nappy giving milk and cuddling her till 5.30 to actually get her back to sleep, then ellie was up at 6.10 dh at work today so its going to be a loooong day