Friday, May 30, 2008
Finally, a link!
Finally decided to look werewolves up on Wikipedia to try and find a better explanation of the game than I can (or have the energy to type out!) give. Here's the link - the game was originally based on Mafia members as the bad guys, but it has the werewolf variation details as well.
On that topic - the two further games I've signed up for have 20+ players in each of them. The two games I've played in so far have only had 9 in each, so have been over in a couple of days. L's just been playing in a Narnia game with 20+ players and one thing has become painfully obvious - I am going to have to be much more organised and paying attention if I want to actually correctly guess a wolf!!! The Narnia game lasted a week, and could have gone on longer if the village hadn't played quite so badly and failed to lynch ANY of the max evils!!! Tee hee!!
On that topic - the two further games I've signed up for have 20+ players in each of them. The two games I've played in so far have only had 9 in each, so have been over in a couple of days. L's just been playing in a Narnia game with 20+ players and one thing has become painfully obvious - I am going to have to be much more organised and paying attention if I want to actually correctly guess a wolf!!! The Narnia game lasted a week, and could have gone on longer if the village hadn't played quite so badly and failed to lynch ANY of the max evils!!! Tee hee!!
End of May
How can it possibly be already???? Still, we've had a pretty busy week...
Monday - bank holiday. Travelled to the wilds of Stokesby to see my Mum and Chris. Marvelled at the 14 wild ducks which come to their garden on a daily basis (although I think Mum's more than fed up with their poo!) and had lunch at the Bridge in Acle. Lovely meal and a really good day. Z very well behaved.
Tuesday - Z a bit of a pain today, but we managed to get out to Morrisons - my first supermarket shop alone with Z. Not too bad, but still a bit of a nightmare trying to do a big shop with the babe. Used one of the parent and child parking spaces though which was fun and they did have lovely big trolleys with a shelf on them for the car seat. Only problem is, once Z is up on the shelf, I can't see the end of the trolley so have absolutely no idea how long it is and whether I'm about to run over someone's toes or not! Also, those special trolleys were only chained up in the store itself - they don't stack into each other like regular trolleys and seemed to need extra long chains. Was a bit concerned that I'd have to get Z out of the trolley into the car, then leave him there while I went back to the shop with the trolley. Fortunately the trolley parking bay near the car was basically empty so I managed to get it secured in there!
Wednesday - off to Norwich to see my sister and visit the Norwich office of work. Saw one of my colleagues, a chap whom I have worked with for basically the entire time I've been at the firm (save for the first year), and who taught me well in the ways of tax! It was good to see him and catch up with his exploits when he went to Ethiopia in February (stone catapulted at his head by a small child, wrote off his car on the M25 driving home from the airport...). I think they pretty much know now that I'm not going back at the end of my maternity leave, although I haven't officially told HR yet.
Had a good afternoon with my sister surfing the net for a suitable present for my dad's 60th this year. He's suggested a hot air balloon ride, which wouldn't be out of the question, but we had a look for other similar stuff as well. Need to speak to his wife about it to check we're on the right track!!!
Thursday - Z 12 weeks old today! Unfortunately this also meant the second set of jabs. We decided to give him Calpol before the event to try and ward off the worst this time - it seemed to work as the nurse even managed to get a smile out of him between the two injections. He still had a reaction in one leg though, but I managed to get him off to sleep without more Calpol and all was fine when he woke up and we had a good night of sleep too. Watched Mulan in the afternoon to amuse myself - the bit at the end where everyone bows to her still makes me cry...
Went into town with him in the morning as well - had a lovely iced caramellatte from Nero (although not as nice without the cream and caramel sauce - was trying to be good). Bought Z a new grobag - these are great! He's big enough for them now, which is a good job because the nights have got a bit cooler again and if we try and put him under sheets and blankets he's kicked them off after a couple of minutes!
Friday (today!) - looking forward to a trip to Somersham to see my family tomorrow. Went out for a walk this morning to find the school where Merbabies is run as I'm hoping we can get in to their summer term of classes. Then have managed to make a cake this afternoon - well it's still in the oven, but all prepared and washed up with my able assistant gamely sniffing all the ingredients to check they weren't off! well, the strong smelling ones anyway. Here's what I made - Mary Berry's Banana and Honey Teabread :
Ingredients :
225g self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
100g margarine
225g bananas
100g caster sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 extra large eggs
6 tablespoons thick honey
For the topping - 2 tablespoons thick honey and nibbled sugar or crushed sugar cubes for sprinkling
1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Lightly grease and base line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper
2. Measure the flour and nutmeg into a large bowl and rub in the margarine using fingertips until the mix resembles breadcrumbs
3. Peel and mash the bananas and stir into the flour with the sugar, lemon rind, eggs and honey. Beat well until evenly mixed, then turn into the prepared tin and level the surface
4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until a fine skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover the teabread loosely with foil during the end of the cooking time if it is browning too much. Allow to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely
5. For the topping, gently warm the honey in a small pan, then brush over the top of the teabread and sprinkle over the sugar.
In oven at the moment...I will report back!
I'm also trying to join up with two more werewolf games. There's a partners game running mid-June which we're both hoping to sign up for, and a Hot Fuzz themed game starting at the end of the June. The "wolves" are Frank Butterman, Simon Skinner and Philip Shooter (the vicar). Then there are players who play for and win with evil without being wolves themselves - Tom Weaver is the sorcerer and Roy and Mary Porter are traitors. On the Good team are Nicholas Angel, Danny Butterman, Tim Messenger, Martin Blower, Eve Draper, George Merchant and yes, even the Living Statue!!! Plus of course other citizens of Sandford and the Police department. Should be good.
Monday - bank holiday. Travelled to the wilds of Stokesby to see my Mum and Chris. Marvelled at the 14 wild ducks which come to their garden on a daily basis (although I think Mum's more than fed up with their poo!) and had lunch at the Bridge in Acle. Lovely meal and a really good day. Z very well behaved.
Tuesday - Z a bit of a pain today, but we managed to get out to Morrisons - my first supermarket shop alone with Z. Not too bad, but still a bit of a nightmare trying to do a big shop with the babe. Used one of the parent and child parking spaces though which was fun and they did have lovely big trolleys with a shelf on them for the car seat. Only problem is, once Z is up on the shelf, I can't see the end of the trolley so have absolutely no idea how long it is and whether I'm about to run over someone's toes or not! Also, those special trolleys were only chained up in the store itself - they don't stack into each other like regular trolleys and seemed to need extra long chains. Was a bit concerned that I'd have to get Z out of the trolley into the car, then leave him there while I went back to the shop with the trolley. Fortunately the trolley parking bay near the car was basically empty so I managed to get it secured in there!
Wednesday - off to Norwich to see my sister and visit the Norwich office of work. Saw one of my colleagues, a chap whom I have worked with for basically the entire time I've been at the firm (save for the first year), and who taught me well in the ways of tax! It was good to see him and catch up with his exploits when he went to Ethiopia in February (stone catapulted at his head by a small child, wrote off his car on the M25 driving home from the airport...). I think they pretty much know now that I'm not going back at the end of my maternity leave, although I haven't officially told HR yet.
Had a good afternoon with my sister surfing the net for a suitable present for my dad's 60th this year. He's suggested a hot air balloon ride, which wouldn't be out of the question, but we had a look for other similar stuff as well. Need to speak to his wife about it to check we're on the right track!!!
Thursday - Z 12 weeks old today! Unfortunately this also meant the second set of jabs. We decided to give him Calpol before the event to try and ward off the worst this time - it seemed to work as the nurse even managed to get a smile out of him between the two injections. He still had a reaction in one leg though, but I managed to get him off to sleep without more Calpol and all was fine when he woke up and we had a good night of sleep too. Watched Mulan in the afternoon to amuse myself - the bit at the end where everyone bows to her still makes me cry...
Went into town with him in the morning as well - had a lovely iced caramellatte from Nero (although not as nice without the cream and caramel sauce - was trying to be good). Bought Z a new grobag - these are great! He's big enough for them now, which is a good job because the nights have got a bit cooler again and if we try and put him under sheets and blankets he's kicked them off after a couple of minutes!
Friday (today!) - looking forward to a trip to Somersham to see my family tomorrow. Went out for a walk this morning to find the school where Merbabies is run as I'm hoping we can get in to their summer term of classes. Then have managed to make a cake this afternoon - well it's still in the oven, but all prepared and washed up with my able assistant gamely sniffing all the ingredients to check they weren't off! well, the strong smelling ones anyway. Here's what I made - Mary Berry's Banana and Honey Teabread :
Ingredients :
225g self-raising flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
100g margarine
225g bananas
100g caster sugar
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 extra large eggs
6 tablespoons thick honey
For the topping - 2 tablespoons thick honey and nibbled sugar or crushed sugar cubes for sprinkling
1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Lightly grease and base line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper
2. Measure the flour and nutmeg into a large bowl and rub in the margarine using fingertips until the mix resembles breadcrumbs
3. Peel and mash the bananas and stir into the flour with the sugar, lemon rind, eggs and honey. Beat well until evenly mixed, then turn into the prepared tin and level the surface
4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until a fine skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cover the teabread loosely with foil during the end of the cooking time if it is browning too much. Allow to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely
5. For the topping, gently warm the honey in a small pan, then brush over the top of the teabread and sprinkle over the sugar.
In oven at the moment...I will report back!
I'm also trying to join up with two more werewolf games. There's a partners game running mid-June which we're both hoping to sign up for, and a Hot Fuzz themed game starting at the end of the June. The "wolves" are Frank Butterman, Simon Skinner and Philip Shooter (the vicar). Then there are players who play for and win with evil without being wolves themselves - Tom Weaver is the sorcerer and Roy and Mary Porter are traitors. On the Good team are Nicholas Angel, Danny Butterman, Tim Messenger, Martin Blower, Eve Draper, George Merchant and yes, even the Living Statue!!! Plus of course other citizens of Sandford and the Police department. Should be good.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
What have I achieved today?
Absolutely nothing!
* Had breakfast of bacon and pancakes (yummy!)
* Didn't go into town because of the rain
* Tried to have another gameathon but only managed a game of Alhambra (which I lost dismally) and a game of Scripts and Scribes (which L won - it was the decider from yesterday's one-all)
* Watched too much TV! (Waking the Dead from last week, Da Kath and Kim Code - hilarious - and the pilot episode of The Riches, which was great)
* Caught up with a week's worth of ironing
* Had a difficult day with Z who hasn't seemed like himself - quite restless this afternoon, but we think he was either too hot or just feeling a bit off colour. Lots of sicking up (most of it landing on the floor...) and a heady mix of him seeming to not want to be handled too much, but then crying when he was put down. Poor lad. He's in bed now and I'm about to go and check on him, hoping that the mobile has worked its magic again.
I'm also looking for some swim classes that I can take Z too. I want him to be happy and comfortable in the water and It's something else that I can do with him in the week. One of my friends who lives near Fleet, found classes that would take them from 4 months, although the main pool in Ipswich seems to start at 6 months. Found this website though - it sounds really good, so I've emailed them to see if they'll take us for the summer term sessions which start in June. It sounds hopeful - the website seems to be saying the sooner the better!
Only thing which slightly concerns me is how I manage him and me in the changing room! Perhaps I take a mat? Perhaps they have special tables or areas for changing baby? I'll wait and see.
* Had breakfast of bacon and pancakes (yummy!)
* Didn't go into town because of the rain
* Tried to have another gameathon but only managed a game of Alhambra (which I lost dismally) and a game of Scripts and Scribes (which L won - it was the decider from yesterday's one-all)
* Watched too much TV! (Waking the Dead from last week, Da Kath and Kim Code - hilarious - and the pilot episode of The Riches, which was great)
* Caught up with a week's worth of ironing
* Had a difficult day with Z who hasn't seemed like himself - quite restless this afternoon, but we think he was either too hot or just feeling a bit off colour. Lots of sicking up (most of it landing on the floor...) and a heady mix of him seeming to not want to be handled too much, but then crying when he was put down. Poor lad. He's in bed now and I'm about to go and check on him, hoping that the mobile has worked its magic again.
I'm also looking for some swim classes that I can take Z too. I want him to be happy and comfortable in the water and It's something else that I can do with him in the week. One of my friends who lives near Fleet, found classes that would take them from 4 months, although the main pool in Ipswich seems to start at 6 months. Found this website though - it sounds really good, so I've emailed them to see if they'll take us for the summer term sessions which start in June. It sounds hopeful - the website seems to be saying the sooner the better!
Only thing which slightly concerns me is how I manage him and me in the changing room! Perhaps I take a mat? Perhaps they have special tables or areas for changing baby? I'll wait and see.
Russia - nooooooo!
Was it inevitable? The debate rages on - would be sad to see Terry go though - would have to make sure his replacement knows what the British public expect from their Eurovision reporting.
So, what of my favourites...Ukraine in 2nd, Norway 5th, Israel 9th and Denmark 15th. The least said about the UK's bottom placement the better!!
So, what of my favourites...Ukraine in 2nd, Norway 5th, Israel 9th and Denmark 15th. The least said about the UK's bottom placement the better!!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Eurovision Spectactula!
It's that time of year again...how quickly it rolls round. Although it seems longer than a year ago that we were sat in our friends' house watching the 'camp as a row of tents' entry from Scooch!
The boy is in bed and asleep (thank you classical music on the mobile), the washing is in from outside and we both have an alcoholic drink to hand to help us through the next few hours...not sure if we'll make it to the end but should manage to the end of the entries.
This will be a bit of a real time entry as we watch the songs and I hope it won't be too long...
Am really enjoying the postcards which are introducing each of the songs and create the flags from each country. Clever. Okay here we go -
Romania - bit of a shock when the woman joined in - did not like her voice! And the chap was typically husky and gruff. Nice jeans.
UK - first time I've heard this all the way through and actually I don't think it's too bad. Andy Abrahams looks like he's having a good time anyway. Not sure it will do very well (it's near the start of the programme, and of course the UK appears to be the least popular country in Europe!) but hopefully better than the last few years' efforts.
Albania - Tits. Can't remember anything about this one...too busy typing the intro to this blog!
Germany - girls in purple. Hmmm...again not sure about the voice of the lead singer. Very shouty.
Armenia - clever flipping dancers, but having a hard time deciding whether the white showing at the top of the trousers is belt or underpants.
Bosnia & Herzegovina - the 'four knitting brides of Frankenstein.' Good grief. Why has that man got underwear on his head? I'm not listening to the song, just marvelling at the wondrous make-up and the chap singing flat. L's just got the words up on screen...hmmm, it's not making it any better and I still have no idea why they're knitting!
Israel - Pretty good. Lots of biceps.
Finland - Oooooo! Fireworks. Heavy metal. Lots of spiky things. Is that Justin Hawkins in black spandex?
Croatia - Old man in white. Blimey she can get her leg up high! I can see a row of bottles in the background - what are they for? Oh dear, the man in white appears to be having some kind of shout at the audience. Here go the bottles - now, I'm not entirely certain but I don't think she's actually playing them...oh no, now they've got the old man mixing the decks..Oh yes, and didn't really like the song either!
Poland - OMG. Terry's introduced this with a comment about the woman's teeth. He's not wrong. Just realised this blog entry will make absolutely no sense to anyone who hasn't watched it...oh well. Not bad song, but again too shouty on the top notes!!
Iceland - Techno.
Turkey - Tasty looking flag there. Something about the look of the lead singer doesn't seem to quite go with the style of the song. Surely there should be some kind of heavy eye make up a la Green Day??!! But they're having fun.
Off to the green room...oh crap. Those presenters are far too bouncy. This is one night where I wish I could dare drink more than one beer.
Portugal - Scary singer. Big earrings. Not really sparking my interest so checking the 5-day forecast to see if I can wear my new skirt tomorrow. Poo - BBC says rain Sunday and Monday.
Latvia - Oooooo. Piratey. Shiny. This is what we need - a bit of camp and an action song! Props and everything. But there's something surely going wrong with the backing singers? Oh and there's the classic key change when you've run out of other ideas. Please don't win. (I think the beer's gone to my head - I'm getting much more unforgiving)
Sweden - Hang on, the singer appears to be in black and white. And there she is in colour. Special spotlight? Hmmmm must be something like that. Now some strobing lasers. Classy. Still prefer Israel.
Denmark - Don't really like his singing, but like the song. Chirpy. Reminds me somehow of Right Said Fred - Deeply Dippy I think. That acoustic guitar verse and then full on chorus. Nice cap.
Georgia - Men on revolving stones. More leather. It's Karen from Will and Grace!!! Nice bit of magic changing into white there!
Ukraine - She's very orange! Men stuck in boxes. Nice stage theatrics. Quite like the song too. Handling the top, belting notes well.
France - Golf cart and beach ball. Female backing singers in beards like his. Oh dear. We're despairing here. Sounds a bit like Elvis Costello? Yeah,not keen.
Azerbaijan - Screeching angels. Help me. There are instruments of torture on stage too. Heaven and hell? Sadly the heaven side looks just as evil as the other!! I think it's the white contact lenses. Axl Rose is in the house. Go away please - it's making my head hurt!!
Greece - (best kiss competition??) Hey! You've got to love the way Greece always manages to crowbar a bit of the traditional music in there (Zorba music as Terry likes to call it) - and quite a lot of thrusting. L's joke - she's got a glittery pole to sit on - no, they were song 10. Yes. Now what is the backing they've just magically produced. Her dress has changed too! Blimey, I look away for 2 seconds to type something and everything changes!
Spain - Baila el chiki chiki - you can't go wrong with a name like that can you?? Oh yes you can. Spain trying a bit of Bhangra. Bad glasses and a comedy dancer. Boos from the audience! First time I've heard that.
It's okay - nearly there. Only 3 to go.
Serbia - Not bad. Sounds as though it's a bit worthy.
Russia - L has a good question - why is he lying on his back? The violinist looks a bit mad too. Now there's an ice skater zipping round them - looks mad too. I'm not sure that the combo of bare feet (singer) and ice skates can't end well.. perhaps it's a ploy to gain sympathy...oh and there goes the shirt. Not necessary.
Norway - Funky.
So my shortlist is...Israel, Denmark, Ukraine, Norway. Off to watch CSI now and then come back for the voting!
The boy is in bed and asleep (thank you classical music on the mobile), the washing is in from outside and we both have an alcoholic drink to hand to help us through the next few hours...not sure if we'll make it to the end but should manage to the end of the entries.
This will be a bit of a real time entry as we watch the songs and I hope it won't be too long...
Am really enjoying the postcards which are introducing each of the songs and create the flags from each country. Clever. Okay here we go -
Romania - bit of a shock when the woman joined in - did not like her voice! And the chap was typically husky and gruff. Nice jeans.
UK - first time I've heard this all the way through and actually I don't think it's too bad. Andy Abrahams looks like he's having a good time anyway. Not sure it will do very well (it's near the start of the programme, and of course the UK appears to be the least popular country in Europe!) but hopefully better than the last few years' efforts.
Albania - Tits. Can't remember anything about this one...too busy typing the intro to this blog!
Germany - girls in purple. Hmmm...again not sure about the voice of the lead singer. Very shouty.
Armenia - clever flipping dancers, but having a hard time deciding whether the white showing at the top of the trousers is belt or underpants.
Bosnia & Herzegovina - the 'four knitting brides of Frankenstein.' Good grief. Why has that man got underwear on his head? I'm not listening to the song, just marvelling at the wondrous make-up and the chap singing flat. L's just got the words up on screen...hmmm, it's not making it any better and I still have no idea why they're knitting!
Israel - Pretty good. Lots of biceps.
Finland - Oooooo! Fireworks. Heavy metal. Lots of spiky things. Is that Justin Hawkins in black spandex?
Croatia - Old man in white. Blimey she can get her leg up high! I can see a row of bottles in the background - what are they for? Oh dear, the man in white appears to be having some kind of shout at the audience. Here go the bottles - now, I'm not entirely certain but I don't think she's actually playing them...oh no, now they've got the old man mixing the decks..Oh yes, and didn't really like the song either!
Poland - OMG. Terry's introduced this with a comment about the woman's teeth. He's not wrong. Just realised this blog entry will make absolutely no sense to anyone who hasn't watched it...oh well. Not bad song, but again too shouty on the top notes!!
Iceland - Techno.
Turkey - Tasty looking flag there. Something about the look of the lead singer doesn't seem to quite go with the style of the song. Surely there should be some kind of heavy eye make up a la Green Day??!! But they're having fun.
Off to the green room...oh crap. Those presenters are far too bouncy. This is one night where I wish I could dare drink more than one beer.
Portugal - Scary singer. Big earrings. Not really sparking my interest so checking the 5-day forecast to see if I can wear my new skirt tomorrow. Poo - BBC says rain Sunday and Monday.
Latvia - Oooooo. Piratey. Shiny. This is what we need - a bit of camp and an action song! Props and everything. But there's something surely going wrong with the backing singers? Oh and there's the classic key change when you've run out of other ideas. Please don't win. (I think the beer's gone to my head - I'm getting much more unforgiving)
Sweden - Hang on, the singer appears to be in black and white. And there she is in colour. Special spotlight? Hmmmm must be something like that. Now some strobing lasers. Classy. Still prefer Israel.
Denmark - Don't really like his singing, but like the song. Chirpy. Reminds me somehow of Right Said Fred - Deeply Dippy I think. That acoustic guitar verse and then full on chorus. Nice cap.
Georgia - Men on revolving stones. More leather. It's Karen from Will and Grace!!! Nice bit of magic changing into white there!
Ukraine - She's very orange! Men stuck in boxes. Nice stage theatrics. Quite like the song too. Handling the top, belting notes well.
France - Golf cart and beach ball. Female backing singers in beards like his. Oh dear. We're despairing here. Sounds a bit like Elvis Costello? Yeah,not keen.
Azerbaijan - Screeching angels. Help me. There are instruments of torture on stage too. Heaven and hell? Sadly the heaven side looks just as evil as the other!! I think it's the white contact lenses. Axl Rose is in the house. Go away please - it's making my head hurt!!
Greece - (best kiss competition??) Hey! You've got to love the way Greece always manages to crowbar a bit of the traditional music in there (Zorba music as Terry likes to call it) - and quite a lot of thrusting. L's joke - she's got a glittery pole to sit on - no, they were song 10. Yes. Now what is the backing they've just magically produced. Her dress has changed too! Blimey, I look away for 2 seconds to type something and everything changes!
Spain - Baila el chiki chiki - you can't go wrong with a name like that can you?? Oh yes you can. Spain trying a bit of Bhangra. Bad glasses and a comedy dancer. Boos from the audience! First time I've heard that.
It's okay - nearly there. Only 3 to go.
Serbia - Not bad. Sounds as though it's a bit worthy.
Russia - L has a good question - why is he lying on his back? The violinist looks a bit mad too. Now there's an ice skater zipping round them - looks mad too. I'm not sure that the combo of bare feet (singer) and ice skates can't end well.. perhaps it's a ploy to gain sympathy...oh and there goes the shirt. Not necessary.
Norway - Funky.
So my shortlist is...Israel, Denmark, Ukraine, Norway. Off to watch CSI now and then come back for the voting!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Early riser
Well, it's 7.20am, Z is up and so am I! This is the earliest I've been up (as in out of bed, not awake) in weeks. He seems to have been having a bit of a problem with wind the last few nights, causing him to grunt and squirm more than normal. It's woken him up a few times and I was hoping he'd go back to sleep after the feed he had at 7, but sadly Z has decided that he's awake and wants some entertaining!
His nights have also been a bit odd recently. We had got to the stage where he would feed at 7 on going to bed and then not wake again until midnight (or even on a couple of occasions, about 2) which was great. However the last few nights he's been waking at half tenish, and then again frequently throughout the night. This coincides with his move to th new cot, so whether it's that and he's not yet used to the cot, or it's a wind thing, or we were just fortunate those other nights...who knows!
Had a good day yesterday - managed to express a whole 4fl oz, so will be having a go again today. L fed z at bedtime with the expressed milk and he took the bottle with no problems, and then went back to the breast for the night feeds. So this is looking good. Need to get a store ready in the freezer for days when it might be needed.
I also think Z is starting to consciously use his arms and hands a bit. We've got a few toys set up so they dangle above his chest and I'm sure that yesterday he was occasionally using his arm to bat the ladybird around. He'll lie there for ages really concentrating on it and then use his arm to move it. It's not happened much yet so am keeping an eye open to see whether it is what I think or he's just still moving his arm randomly.
So that's it from the home front for today - need to sort out the wind...get more sleep!
His nights have also been a bit odd recently. We had got to the stage where he would feed at 7 on going to bed and then not wake again until midnight (or even on a couple of occasions, about 2) which was great. However the last few nights he's been waking at half tenish, and then again frequently throughout the night. This coincides with his move to th new cot, so whether it's that and he's not yet used to the cot, or it's a wind thing, or we were just fortunate those other nights...who knows!
Had a good day yesterday - managed to express a whole 4fl oz, so will be having a go again today. L fed z at bedtime with the expressed milk and he took the bottle with no problems, and then went back to the breast for the night feeds. So this is looking good. Need to get a store ready in the freezer for days when it might be needed.
I also think Z is starting to consciously use his arms and hands a bit. We've got a few toys set up so they dangle above his chest and I'm sure that yesterday he was occasionally using his arm to bat the ladybird around. He'll lie there for ages really concentrating on it and then use his arm to move it. It's not happened much yet so am keeping an eye open to see whether it is what I think or he's just still moving his arm randomly.
So that's it from the home front for today - need to sort out the wind...get more sleep!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Mobile devices
It's official - the carry cot for the pushchair and the moses basket have now been retired - Z is just too darn tall for them! We tried him out in the main pushchair at the weekend and he seemed to get on great with it. He is still a little small and can't really see over the top of the cosy toes cover when he's lying down, but had a great time looking round IKEA when it wasn't on the chair.
Trip to IKEA was to buy a new cot for him. We've bought a 'main' cot which we're intending to put him in when he's about 6 months old and leaves our room, but that cot's a bit big and wide to move into our bedroom, where space beside the bed is at a premium. One of L's work colleagues had suggested IKEA and we found just what we were looking for - £30! Brilliant. Bought another mattress, although it turns out that the internal dimensions of the cot are the same as the one we already have so we're able to use the posh Mothercare mattress in it. The cot fits snugly beside the bed and as we didn't have to use the main cot, we still have a changing table at waist height (table slots onto top of cot).
To go with the whole new arrangement we also bought a lovely new mobile for Z. It's a bit bigger and more razzle dazzle than we were intending to buy, but the one we wanted wasn't in stock. The arms move up and down as well as round and round to the music and there's a choice of 3 tunes. L set it up yesterday and we put Z in the cot for a try out - to say he was transfixed by the mobile is an understatement! I've never seen him so amused. It's almost as though he's been patiently waiting out the last 10 weeks waiting for it!!! Hopefully this also means that he'll be more likely to drop off to sleep by himself now as he has something to look at and be amused by. At the moment, it's taking a last feed to get him to drop off on his own, but fingers crossed we may be able to faze that out.
Spurred on by the success of the mobile, I've fitted one of the overhead arches to Z's playmat now and attached some of the toys - he's lying there now having a good grin and chat to himself (and I can also hear a good deal of bottom noises!) and seems really entertained. Fab.
Haven't tried the expressing yet - tomorrow beckons I feel.
Waiting for the estate agent to come and take some new photos of our recently cleared house for the particulars. Had a good weekend sorting and clearing - although L's dad was getting a bit carried away and taking about painting ceilings and clearing the loft...fortunately we persuaded him out of that for the time being as there was too much else to do!
Going for a walk this afternoon and am then going to attempt some hand and foot prints for the grandparents and also for Z's baby book. I feel this may prove to be too much for just the one pair of hands but will give it a go! The hands will be interesting as Z is still holding his in fists for much of the time, but should be able to manage the feet anyway.
And I've had my second successful sale on Ebay. Last minute buyer got it for the reserve price, and am waiting for payment. Have put another couple of items on there now which came to light from under our bed. Need more to sell....
Trip to IKEA was to buy a new cot for him. We've bought a 'main' cot which we're intending to put him in when he's about 6 months old and leaves our room, but that cot's a bit big and wide to move into our bedroom, where space beside the bed is at a premium. One of L's work colleagues had suggested IKEA and we found just what we were looking for - £30! Brilliant. Bought another mattress, although it turns out that the internal dimensions of the cot are the same as the one we already have so we're able to use the posh Mothercare mattress in it. The cot fits snugly beside the bed and as we didn't have to use the main cot, we still have a changing table at waist height (table slots onto top of cot).
To go with the whole new arrangement we also bought a lovely new mobile for Z. It's a bit bigger and more razzle dazzle than we were intending to buy, but the one we wanted wasn't in stock. The arms move up and down as well as round and round to the music and there's a choice of 3 tunes. L set it up yesterday and we put Z in the cot for a try out - to say he was transfixed by the mobile is an understatement! I've never seen him so amused. It's almost as though he's been patiently waiting out the last 10 weeks waiting for it!!! Hopefully this also means that he'll be more likely to drop off to sleep by himself now as he has something to look at and be amused by. At the moment, it's taking a last feed to get him to drop off on his own, but fingers crossed we may be able to faze that out.
Spurred on by the success of the mobile, I've fitted one of the overhead arches to Z's playmat now and attached some of the toys - he's lying there now having a good grin and chat to himself (and I can also hear a good deal of bottom noises!) and seems really entertained. Fab.
Haven't tried the expressing yet - tomorrow beckons I feel.
Waiting for the estate agent to come and take some new photos of our recently cleared house for the particulars. Had a good weekend sorting and clearing - although L's dad was getting a bit carried away and taking about painting ceilings and clearing the loft...fortunately we persuaded him out of that for the time being as there was too much else to do!
Going for a walk this afternoon and am then going to attempt some hand and foot prints for the grandparents and also for Z's baby book. I feel this may prove to be too much for just the one pair of hands but will give it a go! The hands will be interesting as Z is still holding his in fists for much of the time, but should be able to manage the feet anyway.
And I've had my second successful sale on Ebay. Last minute buyer got it for the reserve price, and am waiting for payment. Have put another couple of items on there now which came to light from under our bed. Need more to sell....
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Express yourself
As the breastfeeding seems to be going quite well, I'm thinking of having a go at expressing some milk to see if Z will be fed via a bottle as well. There are a couple of reasons I want to try this - firstly so that L is able to give Z some of his feeds, particularly at bedtime. Apart from one or two nights, Z usually needs a final feed to get him off to sleep, so even if L changes him, reads to him and puts him to bed, I still often need to go up to give the last feed. This has meant that L has started to feel that he's crap at putting Z to bed, which he isn't. It's just that Z is hungry, or needs that comfort, and quite frankly however much he roots at daddy's moobs, there isn't anything for him there!!
The other reason is the selfish one that it will give me a bit more flexibility and freedom - for example there's a concert I'd like to go to at the end of June. In theory, because it's in the evening, I could feed Z just before I go, make sure he's asleep and then he shouldn't need feeding again at least until I'm back. Hmmm. You know though that if I rely on that, something's bound to go wrong!!! So, being able to leave milk for one or two feeds covers that. And my very lovely kind friends bought me a spa day for my last birthday - there's no way I can make use of that without being able to express!
But there's so much to consider -
- when to express (as in baby's age). There are varying opinions on this but the consensus seems to be "when breastfeeding is established." Helpful. Agreement seems to be that about 6 weeks is okay, but bearing in mind every baby's different! You apparently need to try and catch the optimum time between too early (and your baby will get nipple confusion and find it hard to go back to the breast) and too late (baby is so used to the nipple, he won't take a teat). Hmmm, Z is now 10 weeks old, I think it's probably now or never!
- when to express (as in me - time of day). All the advice and guidance for breastfeeding in general says that your breasts produce enough milk to satisfy demand, so should be able to express anytime as your boobs will cope with the extra supply needed. Although morning seems to be generally recommended.
- how much to express. Have read various websites which suggest anything from about 5 to 8 oz for Z's age. But again every baby's different and of course at the moment I have no idea how much he's eating. Can't even really guess based on length of feed as I don't know how quickly it's coming out, whether he's eating for the full time he's on the breast...and it goes on! This seems to be the most helpful guide I've found (although based on formula feeds), so for Z's weight (now 15 lbs) he should be eating approx 37oz a day? Split between 8 feeds would be about 4-5 oz a feed? But clearly I should express more than I think.
- express by hand, hand pump, or electric pump? Not keen on doing it myself, and we did buy a hand pump which I used with limited success in the hospital (although granted my milk wasn't yet in). I think I'm going to stick with the hand pump.
- storage - easy one this. 3 to 5 days in the fridge, or about 3 months in the freezer (proper freezer, not just the ice box of a fridge - shorter time there).
Okay, so I'm reasonably sorted, pump and steriliser ready and storage bags bought today - but this all supposes I can actually get any out! My cousin's wife said she couldn't get any out, my friend expressed 3 times to get enough for 1-2 feeds and found it quite slow. Mind you on the other side, one of her friends claims no problems at all - apparently she coyld express for the whole of Farnborough. Lucky old Farnborough!
The other reason is the selfish one that it will give me a bit more flexibility and freedom - for example there's a concert I'd like to go to at the end of June. In theory, because it's in the evening, I could feed Z just before I go, make sure he's asleep and then he shouldn't need feeding again at least until I'm back. Hmmm. You know though that if I rely on that, something's bound to go wrong!!! So, being able to leave milk for one or two feeds covers that. And my very lovely kind friends bought me a spa day for my last birthday - there's no way I can make use of that without being able to express!
But there's so much to consider -
- when to express (as in baby's age). There are varying opinions on this but the consensus seems to be "when breastfeeding is established." Helpful. Agreement seems to be that about 6 weeks is okay, but bearing in mind every baby's different! You apparently need to try and catch the optimum time between too early (and your baby will get nipple confusion and find it hard to go back to the breast) and too late (baby is so used to the nipple, he won't take a teat). Hmmm, Z is now 10 weeks old, I think it's probably now or never!
- when to express (as in me - time of day). All the advice and guidance for breastfeeding in general says that your breasts produce enough milk to satisfy demand, so should be able to express anytime as your boobs will cope with the extra supply needed. Although morning seems to be generally recommended.
- how much to express. Have read various websites which suggest anything from about 5 to 8 oz for Z's age. But again every baby's different and of course at the moment I have no idea how much he's eating. Can't even really guess based on length of feed as I don't know how quickly it's coming out, whether he's eating for the full time he's on the breast...and it goes on! This seems to be the most helpful guide I've found (although based on formula feeds), so for Z's weight (now 15 lbs) he should be eating approx 37oz a day? Split between 8 feeds would be about 4-5 oz a feed? But clearly I should express more than I think.
- express by hand, hand pump, or electric pump? Not keen on doing it myself, and we did buy a hand pump which I used with limited success in the hospital (although granted my milk wasn't yet in). I think I'm going to stick with the hand pump.
- storage - easy one this. 3 to 5 days in the fridge, or about 3 months in the freezer (proper freezer, not just the ice box of a fridge - shorter time there).
Okay, so I'm reasonably sorted, pump and steriliser ready and storage bags bought today - but this all supposes I can actually get any out! My cousin's wife said she couldn't get any out, my friend expressed 3 times to get enough for 1-2 feeds and found it quite slow. Mind you on the other side, one of her friends claims no problems at all - apparently she coyld express for the whole of Farnborough. Lucky old Farnborough!
Mystery solved!
It's all right - you can rest easy in your beds tonight. The source of the nasty smell in our kitchen has been identified, and the offending bin has been bleached and washed (thank you L). Phew! What a relief that must be to you all.
In other news, Z has been asleep all morning, and I'm about to run the gauntlet of trying to get him in the car seat to go to Mothercare - yesterday's attempt had to be abandoned due to a crying/screaming fit. I've also been packing up boxes of DVDs - we're trying to empty the house of some of our excess stuff so that it's more presentable if - no, when - viewers come knocking (none so far)... L's mum and dad have offered us storage space at the shop for a few months (to save us renting a room) and are coming tomorrow to 1) see Z, 2) help sort out the garden, 3) take boxes back, and 4) help clear the alley of old mattresses. I think there were 4 at the last count? Joined yesterday by old hamster cage plus accoutrements (council will not clear because it's private land...)
Finally, I'm practising my multi-tasking skills by typing this one-handed while feeding the boy. Yay!
In other news, Z has been asleep all morning, and I'm about to run the gauntlet of trying to get him in the car seat to go to Mothercare - yesterday's attempt had to be abandoned due to a crying/screaming fit. I've also been packing up boxes of DVDs - we're trying to empty the house of some of our excess stuff so that it's more presentable if - no, when - viewers come knocking (none so far)... L's mum and dad have offered us storage space at the shop for a few months (to save us renting a room) and are coming tomorrow to 1) see Z, 2) help sort out the garden, 3) take boxes back, and 4) help clear the alley of old mattresses. I think there were 4 at the last count? Joined yesterday by old hamster cage plus accoutrements (council will not clear because it's private land...)
Finally, I'm practising my multi-tasking skills by typing this one-handed while feeding the boy. Yay!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Evil wins!
Evil won in the wolf game which has just ended - and I was one of the violent inmates! Although am not quite sure how we got away with it - suspicions were being raised about me yesterday and I thought I might be for the lynch, but both people who suspected me gave their vote to the other person they thought was in the wolf pairing. 2 players went almost completely silent yesterday as well so there was not much to go on! Would really like a game now where I don't have a role and can just not worry about what I am saying in my posts and how it might be interpreted - can just be free as a villager!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Insanity reigns...
I have signed up for another werewolf game...it's a different scenario - set in a mental asylum a la One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Set up is that we're a group of high school students visiting the asylum as part of our Psyche 101 course. We have been asked to change into asylum clothing so as not to upset the inmates. The warden asks us to link arms to stay together. The lights go out. The lights come on. The warden is dead - his throat slashed. Our group is all linked arm in arm but there are now more people than before - we are all wearing the same clothing and for some reason the students cannot remember who was part of their group prior to the blackout. The 'wolves' this time are 2 homicidal inmates...first lynch Monday.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
OMG!
L has pointed out Z's head pulse which you can see through his scalp where the soft spot is! It freaks me out but I can't stop looking at it!!!
Z's bedtime was a bit of a palava tonight. We've been quite successful over the last week and a half at getting him into bed by around 8ish (depending on dinner and things like that) - this evening a bit later, but somehow with far more messing about! Started at half 6 with changing nappy and putting Z into sleep suit, then give bedtime feed, get nearly to end of feed when I hear several loud and quite triumphant to be honest, pumps and poos. I think I should now change him, pick him up to discover that the last of the poos (hopefully) was so explosive that it has squirted up his back out of the nappy. So off to change him along with L to help me try and manoeuvre the sleep suit over his head (sadly an over the head suit and not one which just fastens at the front...) without getting the mess everywhere. I pick up all clean Z to wash off his back (note, he does not have a nappy on at this moment as it would cover the area I need to wash...can you guess what's going to happen??) and feel a strange warmness creep up my stomach. On removal of the baby, there is a large wee-smelling patch smothering my top! Then I try to put a new nappy and vest on my son standing as far away as I can reach so that his kicking feet don't get in the wee and so that I don't get it all over the change table either! Sadly by now, the sleepiness induced by the feed has all but been forgotten by the boy who wants to start again....left him after a while but knew I was chancing my luck really and have had to go up for a top-up feed. All done now and fingers crossed this time he's really asleep!
Z's bedtime was a bit of a palava tonight. We've been quite successful over the last week and a half at getting him into bed by around 8ish (depending on dinner and things like that) - this evening a bit later, but somehow with far more messing about! Started at half 6 with changing nappy and putting Z into sleep suit, then give bedtime feed, get nearly to end of feed when I hear several loud and quite triumphant to be honest, pumps and poos. I think I should now change him, pick him up to discover that the last of the poos (hopefully) was so explosive that it has squirted up his back out of the nappy. So off to change him along with L to help me try and manoeuvre the sleep suit over his head (sadly an over the head suit and not one which just fastens at the front...) without getting the mess everywhere. I pick up all clean Z to wash off his back (note, he does not have a nappy on at this moment as it would cover the area I need to wash...can you guess what's going to happen??) and feel a strange warmness creep up my stomach. On removal of the baby, there is a large wee-smelling patch smothering my top! Then I try to put a new nappy and vest on my son standing as far away as I can reach so that his kicking feet don't get in the wee and so that I don't get it all over the change table either! Sadly by now, the sleepiness induced by the feed has all but been forgotten by the boy who wants to start again....left him after a while but knew I was chancing my luck really and have had to go up for a top-up feed. All done now and fingers crossed this time he's really asleep!
More wolves...
It's all over - evil has triumphed! Went on a couple of game days longer than it really needed to, but outcome the same. Ho hum. Deciding whether I'm brave enough to have a go at another one...
And I've had my first successful sale on Ebay! Off to post it today and flushed with success I'm trying another one. Sadly noone wanted the robot dog. Any takers???
And I've had my first successful sale on Ebay! Off to post it today and flushed with success I'm trying another one. Sadly noone wanted the robot dog. Any takers???
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
...Wii Fit
Carrying on from my earlier post - sadly when Wii Fit asked me why I thought I'd put on 6lb since yesterday - "didn't breastfeed my child immediately prior to weigh-in" was not one of the options!!
Intrigue...
I wasn't night-killed in the wolves game! How strange - would have thought I was the perfect target. L was killed instead. Leaves the way open for evil to triumph if the sorcerer remains in the mix, and one person has claimed to be the sorcerer...she could just be trying to draw the wolves out though. If I'm lynched tomorrow then evil wins but it needs the votes of the sorcerer and the wolves together to achieve that. I viewed a wolf in my vision last night so we shall wait and see how the votes progress!!! There could be a great deal of double-bluffing going on...
I have also been doing to Wii Fit regime with L although I've found that trying to measure and track my weight while breastfeeding (no...not actually during a feed - duh!) is not going to work. My weight seems to fluctuate wildly from day to day depending on whether I've just fed Z or not! I apparently lost 8lbs between Sunday and yesterday. Wii Fit is a little worried that I'm taking it all too seriously and am pushing myself too hard...hmmmmm.
I have also been doing to Wii Fit regime with L although I've found that trying to measure and track my weight while breastfeeding (no...not actually during a feed - duh!) is not going to work. My weight seems to fluctuate wildly from day to day depending on whether I've just fed Z or not! I apparently lost 8lbs between Sunday and yesterday. Wii Fit is a little worried that I'm taking it all too seriously and am pushing myself too hard...hmmmmm.
More wolves!
I survived the first night! Although I strongly suspect I won't now survive the second given the revelation I've just made. I was cast as the seer - a good character. Each night when the wolves are deciding who to kill, I can ask the moderator for a view of another player and the moderator tells me if they are wolf or non-wolf. Clearly then, the wolves will not want me alive! Sadly, my viewings did not reveal any wolves, and I only managed to clear one person (well, two if you count me and the other players believe me...) as my choice of view for night 1 was killed by the wolves and I don't get another shot at it!
I'm really hoping that we can now lynch a wolf...
I'm really hoping that we can now lynch a wolf...
Monday, May 05, 2008
Fluffy wolves
Blimey, this werewolf game is shaping up to be more time consuming than I thought! Many, many posts have been submitted discussing in quite some detail previous posts, and trying to analyse who might be a wolf - even down to choice of words as being an indicator for something! The more experienced players are keen to get everyone discussing everything in great detail, but I'm having trouble keeping up with it all and the short one-liner conversations which are posted with huge tranches of quotes from earlier postings in them! This has not been helped by the fact that the game started on Friday but the first "day" in the game didn't end until 4pm our time. Should move more quickly now as will be more 'real time.'
Still it is good fun and far more dramatic than I thought it would be. We've had our first lynching (preceded by a huge flurry of postings and some last minute changes to votes which saved L from otherwise certain death!). It's now night and the wolves are deciding who to kill. Dawn occurs in about five minutes when we mourn the passing of another player and day two begins in earnest with no doubt pages and pages of analysis of voting patterns and suspicious behaviour. I'll let you know if I survive...
Still it is good fun and far more dramatic than I thought it would be. We've had our first lynching (preceded by a huge flurry of postings and some last minute changes to votes which saved L from otherwise certain death!). It's now night and the wolves are deciding who to kill. Dawn occurs in about five minutes when we mourn the passing of another player and day two begins in earnest with no doubt pages and pages of analysis of voting patterns and suspicious behaviour. I'll let you know if I survive...
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Bank Holiday
So far having a great weekend. Friends from Nottingham have come down to visit - they're staying at the family home of one of them near us, and spent the day with us yesterday. Walked into town for some treats from I-Scream (although sadly one of the freezers had died so more limited choice of ice-creams than usual) and Mr Brown's sweet shop (the best sweet shop in the world!) and then a walk through Christchurch Park on the way home. The park was gorgeous yesterday and absolutely full to bursting with families and visitors. We stopped off for a rest and some food (well for Zachary anyway - real al fresco dining!) and here's a photo of the boy having some tummy time!
Burping Z after a feed has become more hazardous of late as he grows stronger. The usual pattern is for him to burp, and then any milk being brought up appears a few seconds later. At the moment, however perfectly positioned Z may be over the muslin on your shoulder for the burping part, he has a knack of turning his head or raising his head and body suddenly just before the milk appears! Resulting in milk all over the back of the sofa, down my cleavage, down legs and even missing my back completely and hitting the floor....needs a rethink!
Spent the evening discussing almost everything and ended up on the old favourite of children's cartoons..but this time, the Wii came out and we tried finding all the opening credits on You Tube. Pretty successful - Telebots was the only one we couldn't find, and you can tell that the makers invested heavily in the opening theme songs - demonstrated rather scarily by us being able to remember most of the words to Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers, Defenders of the Earth, Danger Mouse...and the list goes on!
A couple of my favourites were
and
Although I can't remember if this is the Mighty Mouse I liked. I know there was a later series which I hated but can't remember which this one was! I couldn't find anything earlier on You Tube which had the same kind of look, so this may well be it.
We also watched the Ghostbusters cartoon - which prompted recollections from one of the group about 'the best crisps ever made' and how he ate 50 packs in one evening (election night 1992)...he no longer eats crisps.
Southwold today - glorious weather! Stopped for a picnic by the cannons and Z showed us how clever he is by sitting on one for some pictures (shame you can see the behind the scenes crew in the background really!).
Had a wander along the beach and the pier and I had my first Mr Whippy ice cream since I found out I was pregnant - oh the bliss! Home now and just time for some tea and catching up on the Werewolves (I have been particularly slack in my postings...) before Z goes to bed. Hopefully.
And because I just can't resist...
Burping Z after a feed has become more hazardous of late as he grows stronger. The usual pattern is for him to burp, and then any milk being brought up appears a few seconds later. At the moment, however perfectly positioned Z may be over the muslin on your shoulder for the burping part, he has a knack of turning his head or raising his head and body suddenly just before the milk appears! Resulting in milk all over the back of the sofa, down my cleavage, down legs and even missing my back completely and hitting the floor....needs a rethink!
Spent the evening discussing almost everything and ended up on the old favourite of children's cartoons..but this time, the Wii came out and we tried finding all the opening credits on You Tube. Pretty successful - Telebots was the only one we couldn't find, and you can tell that the makers invested heavily in the opening theme songs - demonstrated rather scarily by us being able to remember most of the words to Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers, Defenders of the Earth, Danger Mouse...and the list goes on!
A couple of my favourites were
and
Although I can't remember if this is the Mighty Mouse I liked. I know there was a later series which I hated but can't remember which this one was! I couldn't find anything earlier on You Tube which had the same kind of look, so this may well be it.
We also watched the Ghostbusters cartoon - which prompted recollections from one of the group about 'the best crisps ever made' and how he ate 50 packs in one evening (election night 1992)...he no longer eats crisps.
Southwold today - glorious weather! Stopped for a picnic by the cannons and Z showed us how clever he is by sitting on one for some pictures (shame you can see the behind the scenes crew in the background really!).
Had a wander along the beach and the pier and I had my first Mr Whippy ice cream since I found out I was pregnant - oh the bliss! Home now and just time for some tea and catching up on the Werewolves (I have been particularly slack in my postings...) before Z goes to bed. Hopefully.
And because I just can't resist...
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Hudson Hawk
Have friends visiting us and we've in the middle of a conversation about films we've seen - it appears that Hudson Hawk is the Marmite of the film world...
Friday, May 02, 2008
Willy Wigwams
So it appears that our 'wee-shield' idea (holding a towel over Z's bits to avoid mucho spraying during nappy changes) just isn't sophisticated enough for some people...
Z has been much better today and looks to be basically over the effects of the jabs (although in saying that I may be letting myself in for a rough ride tomorrow!) - but sadly the first thermometer we bought was no good whatsoever. It's shaped like a dummy, but the child has to have it in his mouth for 5 minutes before it will confirm a reading! It may have been because we were trying to take his temperature when he was crying, or just that he knew instantly that it wasn't a boob, but Z wasn't having any of it, let alone 5 minutes! Have now bought one which goes under the arm ...
Z has been much better today and looks to be basically over the effects of the jabs (although in saying that I may be letting myself in for a rough ride tomorrow!) - but sadly the first thermometer we bought was no good whatsoever. It's shaped like a dummy, but the child has to have it in his mouth for 5 minutes before it will confirm a reading! It may have been because we were trying to take his temperature when he was crying, or just that he knew instantly that it wasn't a boob, but Z wasn't having any of it, let alone 5 minutes! Have now bought one which goes under the arm ...
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Screaming baby a go-go
The jabs finally took hold this afternoon, and left Z with a hot, red, clearly painful leg. Lots of screaming! Cold compress and boob were quickly applied, but didn't mnge to completely soothe the savage beast. Enter the Calpol (mmm...strawberry - wonder if Z will now reject the normal milk!), and that really seemed to help, so much so that I managed to get him off to sleep for an hour or so. One dead arm later, the redness has gone for now, but he has been left with a little bruise. We'll have to see how things go when the Calpol wears off - anyone know how long the effects last?
On another matter, L has finally nagged me into joining one of Board Game Geek's online Werewolf games. It's a team game played over a few days and essentially every player is either a werewolf (bad) or a villager (good). There are a couple of special roles as well. There are more villagers than werewolves - the werewolves know who the other wolves are, but the villagers don't know who anyone else is. Each day, all players vote to lynch someone - the villagers hope it is a wolf! Every night the wolves kill a villager. Very basically, wolves win if they end up with the same number of villagers as them - villagers win if they kill all the wolves. L's playing in the same game - roles to be assigned Monday at the latest...oo-er!
On another matter, L has finally nagged me into joining one of Board Game Geek's online Werewolf games. It's a team game played over a few days and essentially every player is either a werewolf (bad) or a villager (good). There are a couple of special roles as well. There are more villagers than werewolves - the werewolves know who the other wolves are, but the villagers don't know who anyone else is. Each day, all players vote to lynch someone - the villagers hope it is a wolf! Every night the wolves kill a villager. Very basically, wolves win if they end up with the same number of villagers as them - villagers win if they kill all the wolves. L's playing in the same game - roles to be assigned Monday at the latest...oo-er!
Jabs
Two sorts of jabs today - first L caught me with his 'pinch, punch, first of the month' routine (bah!) and it's time for Z's first set of immunisations. How quickly those eight weeks have gone!
We've decided to let him have all the jabs which are offered by the NHS - after all to our minds, the consequences of him catching one of the illnesses could be horrendous, and making sure he's vaccinated is worth the risk of side-effects. (bogging April showers! I've just put some washing on the line, and here comes the rain and hail!!) The eight-week jabs are the 5-in-1 (covering diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Hib [an infection which can lead to other big nasties] and polio) and PCV (one of the commonest causes of meningitis among others).
It's not great seeing someone else cause your baby pain, but Z was a little star. High-pitched squeal for the first one and then some tears, but we were able to soothe him in the waiting room afterwards and he's now merrily chomping away on me! We've prepared ourselves for grumpiness and the Calpol and thermometer are on standby in case of fever.
We then took him to do his civic duty and vote in the local elections...wonder who he plumped for...
Talking about tears, have started to notice real tears from Z now when he cries. There's something about tears that makes his crying seem all the more heartbreaking, even though he's crying for exactly the same reasons!
Visit to Yarmo went well yesterday and Z was much admired and cuddled! Met a woman who now lives in the house I grew up in! How strange. And we are now into day 4 of our reintroduction of the sleep routine. It's not going too badly - managing to get him in bed and settled (with a feed) by eight, and he's then actually sleeping quite a while. Last night was the best so far - fed at half sevenish, just before midnight, fourish and then was awake about half seven again, so only two feeds during the night! After the injections though, tonight could go one of two ways...
We've decided to let him have all the jabs which are offered by the NHS - after all to our minds, the consequences of him catching one of the illnesses could be horrendous, and making sure he's vaccinated is worth the risk of side-effects. (bogging April showers! I've just put some washing on the line, and here comes the rain and hail!!) The eight-week jabs are the 5-in-1 (covering diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Hib [an infection which can lead to other big nasties] and polio) and PCV (one of the commonest causes of meningitis among others).
It's not great seeing someone else cause your baby pain, but Z was a little star. High-pitched squeal for the first one and then some tears, but we were able to soothe him in the waiting room afterwards and he's now merrily chomping away on me! We've prepared ourselves for grumpiness and the Calpol and thermometer are on standby in case of fever.
We then took him to do his civic duty and vote in the local elections...wonder who he plumped for...
Talking about tears, have started to notice real tears from Z now when he cries. There's something about tears that makes his crying seem all the more heartbreaking, even though he's crying for exactly the same reasons!
Visit to Yarmo went well yesterday and Z was much admired and cuddled! Met a woman who now lives in the house I grew up in! How strange. And we are now into day 4 of our reintroduction of the sleep routine. It's not going too badly - managing to get him in bed and settled (with a feed) by eight, and he's then actually sleeping quite a while. Last night was the best so far - fed at half sevenish, just before midnight, fourish and then was awake about half seven again, so only two feeds during the night! After the injections though, tonight could go one of two ways...
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