Babies Born July 2006 #7

[Fee]

Hi all

The wedding was fun but I didn't really get to spend much time with Mark as he was in the bridal party. I felt sad leaving Cooper at first but while I was at the wedding reception I didn't worry too much. I got home by 10.30 pm and Mark's parents said they didn't hear a peep out of Cooper. Yay!

Here is a pic of the 3 of us before I took Cooper home:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h2/Fee78/DSCN6200.jpg

I'm glad the wedding wasn't Sunday night as Cooper woke at 10.00 pm crying. Mark and I tried for 1 hour to get him back to sleep but he wouldn't. In the end I had to breastfeed him. This happened a few nights ago except it was at 1.30 am. So weird. Yet last night he slept all the way through to 5.00 am as he normally does. Although we had a bit of trouble getting him to go to sleep in the first place (also pretty unusual for bed time). I wonder if it's teeth AGAIN?! Gosh that means Cooper is going to be a cranky bum for months on end. His two top teeth are fully through the gum now – OMG they are huge. Poor bugger. It must be so painful.

I sort of thought that once Cooper was crawling around he'd be happier. But he seems to have a real separation anxiety thing going on. He just crawls after me crying. But then when I pick him up he squirms and wriggles like he wants to get down. So I put him down and he cries. I do play with him but I also like him to play on his own sometimes!!! It's quite frustrating. I think Cooper gets bored at home.

He's eating more again as well. Last time I said 3 cubes but now at dinner he's having 5 cubes. I think he'd eat more too…

kmh – That's so sad about Harrison. I hope he will be okay.

Fraser – Is Charlie waking frequently at night? Are you feeding him or just re-settling him? Sorry if you've said, but I can't remember!

Those pics of Charlie in the pool are so cute!

[Fraser]

Fraser – Is Charlie waking frequently at night? Are you feeding him or just re-settling him? Sorry if you've said, but I can't remember!!

I end up having to feed him to re-settle him - last night I tried just patting him whilst he was still in bed - but he screamed the house down, then I tried just rocking him or walking with him - but he just go more awake and ended up chatting and talking with me and squealing - so I ended up feeding him and he went right back to sleep... he doesn't drink much - I know it's just comfort but I don't know how to stop. Plus last night he kept rolling onto his tummy so his head was face down in his hands - and he would breathe really fast and loud and I wasn't sure if that was such a good thing - but when I tried to roll him back over he would either wake and cry or just roll straight back. Am tearing my hair out here!

[kmh]

9 8o9 uy uuy6 00077777777777777777 44c wa F Sa az A Hello from Charlotte

Charlotte is sleeping crap again I don't know whats gone wrong, She slept with us for most of the night, and was up all the time, so we all just had a sleep, as Madison is in Childcare today.
Harrison has problems with his heart so he will ned operation on his heart in a few days, and his mum is discharging her self from hospital today so she can be with him. He open his eyes this morning for the first time today as well, as he is so sick, he didn't have the strengh to open them.

Em- When are you going to the sleep thing, we are off on the 20th of this month for 2 nights, I love the pics.

Fee- I think Charlotte is going through the whole separation anxiety as well, because when she see's me she wants me, and sooks until I pick her up. Very cute pic of the 3 of you at the wedding.

[Bubseykel]

Hiya everyone!!

Sorry I haven't been around lately. We had a long weekend over here and works a bit crazy at the moment.

Quick update here - had my FIL's wedding on Saturday night. Danielle was very well behaved but wanted to talk through the whole ceremony so I had walk away and watch from afar. She slept for about an hour but woke up during speaches and wouldn't go back to sleep but she was happy swaddled in a blanket sitting with me. So many people commented how well behaved she was for the whole day. I was so proud of her. Sunday we had my Mother's Group over for a BBQ with the dads as well - everyone seemed to have a good time except for Ken - he burnt the meat on the BBQ. Someone brought really fatty chops that just spewed fat everywhere and the BBQ was pretty much on fire! Monday we went to a friend's place for BBQ and a swim. Danielle loved the swim.

Danielle's now really crawling properly and getting through the whole house. She's pulling herself up on everything and standing and dancing away. She's just starting to talk and babble a bit now. She's going da da da da and looking at Ken. It's almost like she knows that Ken's Dadda. She's also sitting up on her own now. She goes for a crawl fits a toy and sits up. She loves waving too - she waves at everyone. Cute story for you - Mum had to drop Dad off to pick up a truck and Danielle was with her. Dad pulled up in the truck next to them, Danielle looked over and saw my Dad pulling faces and waving at her. When she realised it was him she waved like crazy and started babbling to him. Mum said it was so cute.

Mads - I too mush everything for Danielle instead of pureeing everything. I just boil up a huge pot of varous things and just hand mash it with the masher. She's fine with lumps.

Kel - that's so sad with Harrision. It's just like that Saving Babies show. I watched 10mins of it last Thursday and had to turn it over as I was in tears watching it (I had Danielle in my arms thinking how lucky I was - I'm a sook!!). Danielle also sooks when someone she does know doesn't pay attention to her. At the wedding she wouldn't go to any family member except me, Ken and Mum. She freaked out majorly when Ken's Mum took her on Sunday at her drop in visit - I loved it - Danielle hates her!!

Em - I had to laugh about your legs as I was thinking cracking the bikini bottom out but I looked at my legs and I have major shink (stretch) marks all over my thighs so maybe not. I'll stick to my shorts. I hope things get better with Charlie's sleeping. Looks like he really enjoyed swimming.

Roya - no Danielle's second lot of teeth haven't come through yet. She wasn't even 5 months when she got her first 2 but the next 2 are taking for ever!! Her gums are really white but no teeth. She's been really good lately so I can't complain at the moment. At swimming we sing songs and do actions to them like floating, swishing, jumping, blowing bubbles and dunking them. Danielle loves it. She's gotten the idea of closing her eyes and holding her breath when I dunk her - she's so clever!!

Fee - with Danielle's meat - I've either cooked up some mince and just mushed it with a fork and put it with her vegies and frozen it or just take a piece from what we are having - like a little lamb steak - cook it up and slice it very finely with a jaggered knife and it just falls apart into little pieces. I haven't boiled any meat as I think I don't want to eat boiled meat so I won't give it to her but I have cooked it in the microwave if I can't be bothered frying it.

Better run - it's so so so hot over here - over 40 the last 2 days and it's 42 again today! 38 and humid tomorrow - just as bad - where's autumn weather??? There's no aircon in the office either - I'm sweating like a pig!! I just think it'll help me with my weight loss - 11kgs down - 5kgs left to go!!

Have a great day!!

[Fee]

I finally saw Cooper clap hands! Mark said he did it the other day but I missed it. It was so cute.

He's pulling himself up onto stuff now. Not the couch but things down lower (us when we're sitting on the floor, his old rocker, the Huggies box). And he can't stand up straight. He only stands up halfway – so he's on his feet but his back is bent!

He crawls everywhere now. Loves the drain holes in the bathroom and laundry. Have to keep him away from the bathroom one as I'm scared his fingers will get stuck. He also loves watching the washing machine go around but at the same time he gets scared and cries!!!

Question... Does anyone else's baby pull their own hair? When I'm feeding Cooper he often grabs at his hair and yanks it soooooo hard. I think he's about to pull it out of his head!!!

Fraser – Cooper has done the same thing recently. Waking up at weird hours and the only thing that will settle him is a feed. But he's not doing it every night.

Does Charlie not normally sleep on his tummy? He should be fine. Cooper's been sleeping on his tum since about 4 months.

kmh – Sorry to hear Charlotte is not sleeping well. Gosh these babies keep us on our toes. Always mixing it up! I can never figure out why Cooper changes his sleeping patterns so much (although it's mostly day sleeps for him).

Mads – It was okay to have a night out. Not anything I'm keen to repeat though. I'm happy to stay home with Cooper or otherwise continue with nights out for the 3 of us. Usually we go to BBQs at friend's houses and Cooper just sleeps in the portacot. I didn't really enjoy leaving him even though it went smoothly! But we have two more weddings coming up so I'll have to do it again.

I've also stopped pureeing. I just use a fork or the potato masher.

Bubseykel – What a cute story about Danielle waving. Cooper seems to have forgotten how to wave.

So did Danielle crawl before she could sit? Wow it's usually the other way around isn't it? She's been crawling for a while now hasn't she?

I tried boiling and then pureeing mince and it was feral. Looked like dog food. I didn't give it to Cooper on it's own … but it was cooked on it's own IYKWIM. I've since tried some baby recipes and have cooked up some fancy beef & vegies and chicken, vegies and lentils. They are yum! I'll post recipes for everyone.

[Fee]

Here are some recipes!

Recipes for babies - from 7 months

Baby Oat Porridge

25g (¼ cup) rolled (porridge) oats
185 ml (¾ cup) milk

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Makes 3-4 serves

Grind the rolled oats to a fine powder in a spice grinder or a small food processor.

Put the oats in a small saucepan and gradually whisk in the milk and 60 ml (¼ cup) water until well combined. Slowly bring to the boil and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat.

Cauliflower soup

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 small garlic clove, crushed (optional)
300 g cauliflower, cut into small florets
500 ml (2 cups) salt-reduced vegetable or chicken stock

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Makes 6-8 serves

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the cauliflower and stock, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool slightly and process in a blender or food processor until smooth.

The soup keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge or can be frozen in serving-size portions for up to 2 months.

Lentils and vegetables

2 tablespoons lentils or split peas
2 tablespoons mashed mixed vegetables
milk or cooled boiled water
cottage cheese (optional)

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes 1 serve

Rinse the lentils or split peas under cold running water and drain. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the lentils or split peas and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.

Drain, then process in a blender or small food processor with the vegetables and a little milk or cooled boiled water to give a smooth consistency. Add a little cottage cheese if desired and mix well.

As baby gets older; simply mashed the cooked ingredients together with a fork to produce a lumpier consistency.

Variation: Chicken, lentils and vegetables

Steam 1 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloin until cooked through. Add to the food processor with the lentils and vegetables and blend until smooth. As baby gets older and is starting to eat lumpier food, finely chop the steam chicken and mash the cooked lentils and vegetables with a fork until lumpy, rather than puree them.

Spinach & potato mash

1 potato, peeled
1 tablespoon finely chopped English spinach
milk or cooled boiled water

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes 1 serve

Cook the potato in boiling water for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Put the chopped spinach into a small saucepan with 2 teaspoons water. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted. Keep the saucepan tightly covered during cooking, then drain to remove any excess liquid.

Mash the potato and stir in the English spinach, adding a little milk or cooled boiled water if necessary to give a smooth consistency.

Variations: Peas or broccoli can be easily substituted for the spinach. Ensure that the peas are well blended as whole peas are a choking risk for very young children.

Poached fish with potato and peas

60 g piece white fish
milk
1 small new potato, cut into cubes
2 teaspoons frozen peas

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Makes 1 serve

Put the fish into a small saucepan and add enough milk to cover. Simmer, covered, for 3-5 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, add the potato and peas to boiling water and cook until tender. Drain. Mash the potato and peas, adding a little milk from the fish.

Remove any bones from the fish, then flake and serve with the mashed vegetables or mix through the vegetables.

Stewed beef & vegetables

90g lean round or chuck steak or veal steak
1 new potato
1 small carrot
1 baby onion
½ garlic clove, crushed
small piece of bay leaf
sprig of parsley

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Makes 2 serves

Put the steak, potato, carrot and onion in a small saucepan. Add the garlic, the piece of bay leaf and parsley sprig, then cover with water. Cover, bring to the boil, then simmer gently until the meat is tender. Add more water as needed.

Discard the bay leaf and parsley sprig. Blend the ingredients with a little of the cooking liquid.

Steamed chicken and apple

½ red cooking apple, peeled and cored
2 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Makes 1 serve

Thinly slice the apple and cut the chicken into small cubes. Place the chicken tenderloin pieces in a steamer and arrange the apple slices over the chicken. Set over a saucepan of boiling water and steam for about 5 minutes, or until tender.

Puree or finely chop the chicken and apple, together with a little of the cooking liquid.

Variation: Steamed chicken and pumpkin

Cut 100 g pumpkin into 5 mm thick slices and steam with the chicken for 5 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and the chicken is cooked. Puree or finely chop the pumpkin and chicken and mix with a little ricotta cheese if desired.

Semolina pudding

2 tablespoons semolina
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
250 ml (1 cup) milk or cooled boiled water

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Makes 1 serve

Put the semolina in a small saucepan, then add the butter and milk. Simmer; covered, until the semolina is completely tender.

Variation: Stir in 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped sultanas and dried apricots with the butter and milk.

[Fee]

Recipes for babies – from 9 months

Simple scrambled eggs

1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Prep time: 2 mins
Cooking time: 4 mins
Makes 1 serve

Lightly beat together the whole egg and egg yolk with the milk. Melt the butter in a small non-stick frying pan over low heat and pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the egg begins to set underneath. This will take about 3-4 minutes. Stir lightly and cook until just set. Serve the scrambled eggs with lightly toasted bread.

Variations: Try adding grated cheese and chopped cooked chicken for a more substantial meal. Alternatively fold through finely chopped wilted baby English spinach leaves and finely chopped tomatoes.

Carrot and pumpkin risotto

90 g unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
250 g pumpkin, cut into small cubes
2 carrots, cut into small cubes
7-8 cups salt-reduced vegetable stock
440 g (2 cups) risotto rice
90 g (1 cup) freshly grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes 4 serves

Heat 60 g of the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until soft. Add the pumpkin and carrot and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Mash slightly with a potato masher. Put the stock in a saucepan and keep at simmering point.

Add the rice to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Ladle in enough hot stock to cover the rice; stir well. Reduce the heat and add more stock as it is absorbed, stirring frequently. Continue until the rice is tender and creamy (this will take about 25 minutes).

Remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining butter, cheese and nutmeg and season with freshly ground black pepper. Fork through. Cover and leave for 5 minutes before serving.

Cheesy stars

60 g (2/3 cup) small, star-shaped pasta
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon grated cheese
1 tablespoon milk
chopped parsley

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Makes 1 serve

Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 8-9 minutes, or until tender.

Drain, return the pasta to the saucepan, the add the butter, cheese and milk. Mix well and stir over low heat for 1 minute, or until the butter and cheese have melted. Stir in a little parsley. If necessary, mash to serve.

Variation: You could substitute the star-shaped pasta for any number of other small pasta shapes. Use larger spirals and bow-shaped pasta for babies as they show more interest in finger foods.

Steamed fish and diced vegetables

60 g piece boneless white fish, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons finely diced vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, carrot, frozen peas)
milk (optional)

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 8 mins
Makes 1 serve

Put the fish with the vegetables in a steamer and set over a saucepan of boiling water. Steam for about 8 minutes, or until tender.

Mash the fish and vegetables together to form a smooth consistency, adding a little of the cooking liquid or milk if necessary. Otherwise, flake the fish and chop the accompanying vegetables, adding a little milk or cooking liquid.

Cauliflower in creamy sauce

60 g fresh or frozen cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon dry milk powder or ricotta cheese
¾ teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)

Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 8 mins
Makes 1 serve

Cut the cauliflower into small florets and boil or steam until tender. Drain well.

Put the milk, milk powder or ricotta cheese and cornflour in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, until thickened.

Finely chop or mash the cauliflower and stir into the sauce.

Hint: This recipe can also be used for diced carrots, tiny florets of broccoli, diced asparagus or pumpkin.

Dal

310 g (1¼ cups) red lentils
3 g unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Makes 4-6 serves

Put the lentils in a large bowl and cover with water. Remove any floating particles and drain the lentils well.

Heat the butter in a saucepan. Fry the onion for about 3 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic, ginger and spices; cook, stirring for another minute.

Add the lentils and 500 ml (2 cups) water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer; stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until all the water has been absorbed. Watch carefully towards the end of cooking time, as the mixture could burn on the bottom of the pan.

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature with pitta toasts or with naan or pitta bread.

Lamb shank and barley casserole

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
50 g (1/3 cup) diced carrot
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 French trimmed lamb shanks (about 600 g)
plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting
2 tablespoons pearl barley
500 ml (2 cups) salt-reduced beef stock

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 2 hours 10 mins
Makes 3-4 serves

Heat the oil in a small flameproof casserole dish or heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and rosemary and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

Dust the lamb shanks in flour; shaking off any excess. Add to the dish, turning to brown all sides. Add the barley and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and falling away from the bone.

Remove the shanks, allow to cool slightly, then remove the meat from the bone, discarding any sinew. Cut the meat into small pieces and return to the casserole, stirring to combine. For a smoother texture put in a food processor and lightly process. This meal can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw, then reheat to serve.

Vegetable casserole

1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed (optional)
½ celery stalk, finely diced
½ carrot, diced
50 g (¼ cup) brown lentils
200 g tinned diced tomatoes
185 ml (¾ cup) salt-reduced vegetable or chicken stock
150 g pumpkin, deseeded and cut into 1 cm cubes
½ zucchini, quartered lengthways and cut into 1 cm slices

Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour
Makes 3-4 serves

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the lentils, tomato and stock and stir to combine. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Add the pumpkin and zucchini and cook for a further 10-12 minutes, or until tender.

Mash lightly with a fork to serve if necessary.

Rice pudding

110 g (½ cup) risotto rice
1 litre (4 cups) milk
2 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon unsalted butter (optional)
pinch of cinnamon (optional)
fresh berries, to garnish (optional)

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1½ hours
Makes 4 serves

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Place the rice, milk, sugar, vanilla and butter and cinnamon, if using, in a baking dish and stir.

Bake for about 1½ hours, stirring every 15 minutes to make sure it doesn't stick to the dish. Remove the pudding from the oven when it has the consistency of creamed rice. Do not overcook or it may dry out. Cool slightly and top with fresh berries.

Fruit jelly

1 tablespoon gelatine powder
375 ml (1½ cups) unsweetened fruit juice
200 g (¾ cup) pureed fresh or drained, tinned fruit in natural juice

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Makes 6 serves

Sprinkle the gelatine over 125 ml (½ cup) cool water in a small saucepan. Heat through, then add the fruit juice and heat through again. Pour into a mixing bowel and leave until it begins to thicken. Stir in the pureed fruit until well combined.

Transfer to small dishes and refrigerate until set.

Yoghurt jelly

1½ tablespoons gelatine powder
375 ml (1½ cups) unsweetened fruit juice
250 g (1 cup) plain yoghurt

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Makes 6 serves

Sprinkle the gelatine over 125 ml (½ cup) cool water in a small saucepan. Heat through, then add the fruit juice and heat through again. Pour into a mixing bowel and leave until it begins to thicken. Stir in the yoghurt, then beat with electric mixers until fluffy.

Transfer to small dishes and refrigerate until set.

[Fraser]

Question... Does anyone else's baby pull their own hair? When I'm feeding Cooper he often grabs at his hair and yanks it soooooo hard. I think he's about to pull it out of his head!!!

.

Yep Charlie doe this - I thought it might be part of the teething experience - his head hurts so he just pulls at what ever - but then again he does it all the time - He pulls my hair at any given chance - I wonder if he just like the feel of it


Bubs - That is very cute about Danielle and the waving! LOL at her not liking your MIL - I can't wait for Charlie to refuse to go to mine.....keheheheh evil!

Mads - Does Freya get a rash from all the drool? Charlie has a red patch next to his mouth - I think it's from all the teething drool - the clinic nurse said teething drool is way more acidic than normal drool (eeuuiii drool....) - but I'm not sure if this red rash thing is from the Drool or maybe the chlorine from the pool

Kel - Have you heard any more about Harrison?

Roya - Charlie has just started to sleep on his tummy - it has freaked me out a little bit - but I'm slowly getting used to it - he just rolls back over if I try to put him on his back - it should be fine - I just hate it when he sleeps with his face in his hands, it make a horrible sucking noise!

Carly - Is Georgia's ear better?

Hello everyone else!

Em

[Bubseykel]

Fee - Danielle's pulling her hair too and scratches her head. I'm wondering if the craddle cap is itchy and that's why she's doing it. I can't get anything to remove the craddle cap - I've tried everything!! She could sit by herself for ages without leaning on anything but she's only just got the knack of crawling then sitting back down. She was doing it heaps last night. I get so excited when she does it and dance around and she laughs at me. I want to get Danielle to clap hands now but she's too busy waving at everyone. I might try one of those recipes tonight if I have time after work.

Em - Danielle pulls my hair too. I can't remember the last time I wore it down - I hate it when she pulls it. I don't have much as it is after it all falling out and still falling out. She ends up with big handfulls..

Mads - I hope the teeth come through quickly too. I love how panadol knocks them out but I don't use it very often. Danielle has about 3 days in a row that she plays up and then she's an angel for about a week then we get 3 days of horror again. I wish hers would come through too - we are due for 3 days of horror again!!

[kmh]

Hello everyone,

I took Charlotte to see my health nurse today, as she was up most of the night last night, so I asked her what to do, and she told me to just do what I am doing until I go to sleep school in 2 weeks. Anyway I had her weighed whilst I was there and she put on 55 grams in 2 weeks. , so all up in the last 7 weeks she has put on a total of 225 grams. So we went to see our GP today, and I have to take her tomorrow to get a urine sample, and get her weighed next week, and if she has not gained much then the poor baba has to have some blood tests.
Got a call from my mum to tell me that Harrison had his first cuddle with his dad, and the both cried, and his mummy got transferred to the womens hospital, which is great, they also have a room at the ronald macdonalds house at the childrens hospital, don't know when his heart op it yet.

Fee- thats for those recipes, I will have to look at trying them.

Well I have to go and check on Charlotte as i put her down in her bed, she was playing and now its quite in there, hopefully she has gone to sleep.

[carlys]

Hi guys! Well, its day seven of georgias ear infection she is still rubbing her ear, so its back off to the doc today for another check up poor little darling... i hate seeing her sick... although, her sleep habits are changing (for the better)... so it might not be quite as sore as it was... she is putting herself to sleep now (FINALLY!!!), she just does her little tired grizzle for a few mins, then she drops off ! YAY! and she is only up for one feed a night...but still wakes up a few times when she loses her dummy.... its tricky though, as i dont want to do CC while she has a sore ear.. so maybe as she gets good at self settling, and once she is better, it might rectify itself? who knows, these bubbas seem to change their sleep habits every couple of weeks!!

It sure seems worth considering ear troubles if your babies sleep patterns change from waking once a night to several times a night all of the sudden ...its not even something I would have thought of until this happened.

still waiting for Georgia to start saying ma ma or da da... shes 7 months and 3 weeks, I thought it might have happened by now??

Fee - Great baby food ideas!! I have started Georgia on chicken with her vegies...SHE LOVES IT! (but she loves food in general, so im not suprised!!) ...also i have added a couple of dried prunes to her normal fruit puree, (stewed with her normal, apples or pears etc)..something different, and she likes that too!

Oh, and Georgia starts playgroup tomorrow!! how exciting.. she needs some friends so she has someone to invite to her b'day when she turns one!! (oh my god, can you believe it! ONE!...its not that far away is it!)

Well, better run, gotta hang out the washing while shes asleep!

Carl xoxoxox

[kmh]

Hi everyone,

Just a quick question, how many wet nappies is your babyies having, I am asking this as Charlotte has nearly dry all day today and i know this as we are trying to get a urine sample, she only just has a wet nappy and it was not much. I am going to mention this when i see the doctor on tuesday.
On and today i introduced lunch, she nearly ate 2 ice cubes of apple and pear and nearly 2 ice cubes of carrot for dinner, the most she has ever eaten, hopefully she will start to gain some more weight now.

Hope everyone is having a great night, talk soon

[carlys]

kelly - Georgias nappy is wet nearly every time i change her...as in maybe 8-9 times a day, and dirty about 2-3 times a day... she is on three to four ice cubes of solids 3 times a day, so hence alot of dirty nappies! She is taking about 150-200ml of milk every four hours during the day, a top up before bed, and one bottle during the night...shes quite a thirsty girl! So hence alot of wet nappies too!! Although sometimes the nappies are so absorbant you wouldnt know she was even wet!...oh, also, on really hot days, I offer Georgia cooled boiled water between feeds..she has a no drip sippy cup, and rolls around feeding herself that which also helps to keep her hydrated and teaches her to use the cup by herself..(its only water so it dosent matter too much if it drips a tiny bit)

Dont worry, Charlotte will be okay, but a trip to the doctors would just make sure of that, and put your mind to rest ...oh and YAY for charlotte eating so well!! Keep up the good work!

love Carls xoxoox

[Fee]

Cooper said "baba" yesterday! Or "buba" … something like that. He keeps saying it now. I think this might be more his first word than the time he said "mama" a few weeks ago. So much for "dada" being the first word a baby usually says!!!

He's also clapping his hands really well now - just as of today. It looks so cute and funny. He's been clapping nearly all day!!!

We're having a few night time sleep issues at the moment. Last night was the worst. He woke at 9.00 pm crying. Mark and I both tried to settle him. From the past week or so since he's been doing this, we thought it wasn't going to work and I would just have to feed him. Anyway I finally got him to sleep without feeding. I was very pleased. But I just knew he'd wake again. Anyway he did – at 10.30 pm. He was screaming and screaming even when I was cuddling him. I gave in and fed him. Then he woke at 4.30 am so I fed him as this was fairly close to his wake up time. Then we both went back to bed until 6.30 am.

I can't figure out why he's doing this? He's woken a few times at 10.00 pm and other times it's 1.00 am. We can spend an hour trying to re-settle him but it doesn't work. Only a feed will help. I wonder if he's waking up and feeling lonely or something! Might just be an age related thing he's going through?

Fraser – How's Charlie going sleeping on his tum? How are you?!

Mads – How's Freya? Still cranky?

Bubseykel – Poor Danielle having cradle cap. I hope you can find a cure for it! Cooper doesn't have it and I have no idea why he pulls at his hair so much!

kmh – I hope Charlotte doesn't have to have any blood tests. Poor bubba. How did the urine sample go?

I'm not sure how wet nappies Cooper has. Maybe 5-6?

carlys – Maybe I should have Cooper's ears tested. I did a month or two again as I was concerned but it was nothing. Maybe I should try again. His sleeping is not the best at the moment.

How did playgroup go?

[carlys]

Hi Guys!

Darn it! I just typed a whole big personals post, and then erased it by accident! So in brief-

Fee - Good Idea about getting ears tested...as i mentioned, it came as a huge suprise to me that Georgie had and infection... wouldnt have even thought about it... but it explained alot...she better now... and is nearly sleeping thru again..only one feed a night now...and re settles herself again... YAY! oh and playgroup was called off cos three other babies were sick...so this week it is !

Kelly - How'd you go with Charlotte? IS she okay?

Bubseykel - Georgia had a tiny bit of cradle cap when she was younger... i scratched it off gently and lathered it with olive oil..smells yuck, but it cleared up fine... it was not that bad though...so it may not work.. are you using anything on it?

Oh, Georgia still has not said anything no mama or dada ... i guess she will soon enough...

averyone else, a big hello! sorry i have no time to re write all my personals... but will catch up really soon!!

Carls coc

[carlys]

whoops...was meant to be

Carly xox !! (how funny!)

[kmh]

Hello everyone,
I hope you are all enjoying your long weekend ( if you are having one)

Nothing much happening here, My friend came around yesterday and Charlotte keep saying DaDa for about 1 hour Tim thought it was very cute, My mum also had Madison over night on Sat night and brought her home around 5 pm yesterday so the house was very quite. Charlotte's still trying to get up on to her knees but can not get it just yet.

Carls- bugger about the long post, I hope you can get to play group this week.

Fee- Another cute picture of Cooper. How has Cooper been the last few nights? I have been getting Charlotte up to feed her, I don't want her getting upset during the night, and if I get up to feed her, we are only up for 15 mins max.

Whats everyones babies having for breakfast at the monent? We are trying the Heinz banana ceral, she is not that keen on it, I found a recipe for oats with banana, so i might try making that for her. Also how many sleeps are your bubs having during the day? Charlotte is having a really long morning sleep 2 1/2-3 hours and then a short one in the afternoon.

[Fee]

Cooper had a bad night on Saturday night. We went to Mark's parents for dinner and we gave Cooper his dinner and bath there as well. We tried to put him to sleep in the portacot at his usually 6.00 pm time. He hadn't slept since 12.30 pm that day so should have been tired. But he screamed and screamed. Plus it was so hot in the room he was in. Dinner was being served so we ended up bringing him out to the deck while we had dinner. He just sat in his highchair and watched us eat. He was actually pretty good. He yawned at times and rubbed his eyes but overall was pretty happy, clapping away and looking at the candles and fairy lights etc. So he stayed awake until 8.00 pm!!! He fell asleep pretty much the second we pulled out of their driveway to go home.

But then he woke at 11.30 pm doing his screaming thing. Mark couldn't calm him and even I had trouble. We can be cuddling him and he still screams. I ended up feeding him. I'm starting to think maybe he is actually hungry?!?! I decided then that if he keeps doing this then I'm just going to feed him straight away instead of trying to re-settle him. Although I just don't know how to tell if he is actually hungry or if it's just that the breastfeed soothes him and calms him down. We are going to buy a night light to see if that helps at all.

I took Cooper to the doctor yesterday just to rule out the possibility of an ear infection. He's fine. I was just a little worried as he's all raspy and husky in his voice. Doctor said it's probably from crying/screaming so much. Poor Cooper – I feel terrible. Maybe he has been hungry and I've been trying to re-settle him for up to 1 hour when he's starving - poor little thing. Who knows. I'm so confused.

He's still husky today. Poor little man. But guess what?! He actually slept well last night – like normal. From 6.30 pm to 5.00 am without a peep. And then after the 5.00 am feed we both slept a bit more until 6.30 am. I hope he's back to normal for good.

I wrote a bit post about his screaming fits in the General Baby Discussion. I have been so worried about it.

Anyway aside from sleeping he's doing well. Pulling himself up to standing on some things now! Babbling a lot but not many words. He hasn't hasn't said "mama" or "baba" again and he's never said "dada". Although it sounded like he made the "da" sound yesterday. He claps all the time now. Very funny. And he's getting much faster at crawling.

carlys – Well Cooper's ears are fine. He's totally healthy so that's good to know. I hope Georgia is nearly 100% better.

kmh – Cooper usually has 3 cubes of fruit and some Farex Mixed Cereal (6 month one) for breakfast. One day I tried rolled oats and he seemed to like that too.

As for naps. Sometimes 3 per day and sometimes 2. Depends what time he wakes up. Cooper doesn't really have any routine. Every day is different! Some days he has short naps and other days they are long. He's all over the shop!