Edward...making a meal of things!

Blog Break

2008-09-01T17:33:00.003+01:00

I afraid there will be a suspension of blog services for the forseeable future as I'm off to hospital. I hope when I return Luke will have taken some photos and I will share them with you all.

Mmm tasy Duck!

2008-08-31T21:33:00.000+01:00

Breakfast - Apple porridge

Lunch/Supper - Salmon and tomato pasta followed by Lamb and Vegetables

Edward had quite a late lunch as I was so tired when we got back from the duck race so there wasn't really time to give him two meals before he went to sleep for the night.

Edward's terrible case of imaginary CF!

2008-08-30T20:51:00.002+01:00

Breakfast - Banana and rusk

Lunch - More banana and rusk

Supper - Broccoli and courgette cheese mixed with the parsnip and date purée

Edward has had lots of fun today. He woke up at about 7 and played in his cot till about 8 when I woke up properly, we then came into the lounge as we always do and he has his milk while I did my neb.

I don't tend to have the TV or computer on in the mornings, it is mine and Edward's quiet little snuggly time and I stroke his head and cuddle him while he has his milk. I finished by neb before him today, but once he was done he decided he wanted my neb, not a new thing as he is always trying to grab it and often fiddles with it when I cuddle him. This morning he made a partiularly valient effort to get to it, not only did he clamber over me, he then crawled down the sofa to get it! I didn't have the heart to take it off him as he'd worked so hard to get to it, so I let him have a little play, and the first thing he did was put it in his mouth exactly how I do... I worry that it must have been such a huge dissapointment, I doubt it's anywhere near as exciting as it looks!

Edward then had a bit of a play on the floor, then when he got hungry and started grumping I got him his breakfast, he ate about half of it and then fell asleep in his chair! So I put him back in his bed then went back to bed myself and snuggled with my gorgeous sexy Luke.

We all woke up around 12 and came back into the lounge together. Edward had lots of fun crawling around, he's getting so mobile and much braver about leaving the lounge and out into the hallway which is full of fun things like shoes and boxes of cables! Edward also had a bit of a play in his walker, which we have re-named his Davros chair as he sits in it looking evil and commanding darleks! I spent quite a while out in the hall with him pushing it backwards and forwards, pushing him away and then pulling him right back close and wrapping him up in my arms, it was such good fun.

He is just so gorgeous, even when I'm not directly paying him attention it's lovely to hear his little voice as he squeals and chats away to himself and his toys, the little smile he gives you when you wave to him or call his name is heart-meltingly cute :o)

On A Date With A Parsnip!

2008-08-29T23:56:00.004+01:00

Breakfast - Rusk and Banana

Lunch - Apple purée and porridge

Supper - Butternut squash followed by Parsnip with Date purée

Edward was a bit unsettled this evening I think it was just because he got frustrated and annoyed. He managed to crawl all the way from the far side of the lounge, across the lounge out into the hallway (quick play with his Davros walker on the way past) and then into the kitchen to see me cooking, having made it all that way though we had to lift him up and take him back to the lounge as he kept playing with the bin!

Then once in the lounge he wanted to go and fiddle with Luke's computer and Luke's chair (he has a particualr liking for sticking his little fingers right into all the moving parts of the chairs wheels, where they could be crushed) but Luke put up the baracade (namley a chair on it's side) to stop him, and so he got angry about that. In the end though we just fed him more food and that cheered him up!

I have an awful lot of the date and parsnip puree so expect to see Edward eating alot of it over the coming weeks, he really seemed to like it, I think because it is so sweet, so hopefully that will continue as I don't want to throw it away. I did have a piece of duck for him but he fell asleep before we got to main course.

Yum!

2008-08-29T09:31:00.002+01:00

Breakfast - Wheatabix and half a banana

Lunch - A little bit of mince, potato and carrot

Supper - A rusk

Edward wasn't in a hugely foody mood today and slept quite alot, I know how he feels :o)

Wheatabix Cement

2008-08-27T23:11:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - Half a banana and a Wheatabix BLW, followed by spoon-fed yoghurt

Lunch - Salmon and tomato pasta with nectarine and baby rice for pudding

Supper - None as baby bear was TOO sleepy

Pretty good day all round Edward had lots of fun with the Wheatabix at breakfast especially, needless to say he had to go in the bath afterwards. The salmon pasta I made and froze ages ago but have put off feeding it to him as I was worried he'd turn his nose up at it and didn't want it going to waste, but much to my amazement he actually ate it all without too much fuss, dare I say he even seemed to like it :o)

Tanorexic Baby

2008-08-26T19:54:00.008+01:00

Breakfast - Apple BLW

Lunch - Apple and Crackerbread with Marmite BLW

Supper - Spaghetti Bolognaise BLW

Edward has done really well at feeding himself today, all three meals have been baby-led and he hasn't asked for much in the way of milk in addition, he's just had three bottles.

There is a major downside however to Edward's fantastical self feeding skills, it's the mess, and yes I know I always moan about that but it seems to have taken a sinister new turn, I am quite worried he is developing tanorexia. Both at lunch and supper he managed to smear so much food over himself that he ended up looking like David Dickinson, and by that I mean fake-tan orange!! We also are rapidly staring to think we may need to buy a food strainer for the bath as it seems to have more food going in it than the kitchen sink....ah well it certainly makes for VERY entertaining family viewing.

I think the best thing that happened all day had to be breakfast time, Edward offered me his breakfast, I was sat eating with him and helping him when he managed to throw everything off the tray, and as I leant forward he offered me his apple. I realised what he was trying to do and so opened my mouth so that he could put it in and I took a few bites, he was SO delighted it was so sweet. He then put it back in his mouth but it wasn't long before he offered me some more, obviously concerned I may still be hungry. It may sound like such a little thing but Edward is still so young we don't get a huge amount of feedback from him, he doesn't really play 'with' us and he rarely snuggles when you cuddle him, so to have him offer me something with such a sense of care and enjoyment was really touching and not something I think I will ever forget.

Supper was also really fun as all three of us sat at the table together and all ate the same thing, it's the first time we've done that I think since very near the start of Edward's weaning when he had roast with us and Karolina.

You have to guess whether I'm holding my knees or Edwards :o)

Strawberry Baby

2008-08-25T21:48:00.004+01:00

Breakfast - A whole pear BLW

Lunch - Crackerbread with Marmite and Cheese BLW

Supper - Yoghurt, Apple cereal and porridge (as I poured in too much water and had to thicken it!) with Strawberry's for pudding yum yum!

Edward really seemed to enjoy his food today and hardly left anything when he fed himself. His 'crawling' is proving very amusing, however the fun fun nappy-opening-poo-smearing trend is not.

I love him so much he is so awesome :o)

No news is good news

2008-08-24T19:31:00.007+01:00

Mmm tasty shoes!!

I'm afraid I've been away so there are no riveting updates detailing what Edward has consumed over the last few days, which is probably a good thing as it does include not only shoes but his own poo, however Luke has taken some lovely photos and a video hurrah!!

Well I can TRY and have it done for you by Monday...

....Or I could just eat the keyboard!!

8 Months Old Today!

2008-08-21T20:09:00.005+01:00

Breakfast - Blueberry and apple cereal

Lunch - A chip and tiny piece of doughnut...some of which got very surreptitiously thrown 'overboard'

Snack - Leaves followed by Mr Chris' watch and shoes

Supper - Muesli

We've had a really excellent day out, Edward had some new tasty things to celebrate his 8 months and got to flirt with a pretty waitress and my friend Claire who we randomly bumped into in Reading. He did really well all day and only got grumpy when we curbed his leaf and shoe eating, I was a very proud mummy.

As I have said on my blog this is the first time I've gone on a day trip out of London to see a friend with Edward, it has given me a lot of confidence and hope that I will now be less nervous about venturing afar to see my country-wide chums and introduce them to my beautiful son....you never know one day it may even stop feeling weird calling him my son!

Again an unofficial weigh-in but I feel as it is his 8 month birthday I should make an effort...my porky boy now comes in at whopping 8.9 kg or 19.6lbs ...no wonder it's getting tough to lift him!

Video Diary

2008-08-20T20:17:00.005+01:00

Breakfast - Nectarine and rice

Lunch - Rusk and a very unpopular bit of lamb and vegetables out of a jar

Supper - Potato, carrot and chicken (largely worn as a facepack) followed by yoghurt

Edward has been VERY unenthusiastic about food today I'm not really sure why, I think I may need to cut his milk back as I upped it while he was teething. We will see how things go tomorrow though it could all be a bit of a pickle as we are going to see Mr Chris in Reading.

I have finally done some videos which I have been meaning to do for a while. I think all the BLW the last few days has rather gone to Edward's head and he has now decided he's too grown up to be fed. The only way to get any dinner down him was to load the spoon up and then let him put it in his mouth....though I feel the coating of food that everything got shows we still have some way to go with this.

Edward has been rolling and wriggling round the room for some time now, however this 'crawling practice' where he gets himself onto all fours has only been happening for about a week, I think it is a major indicator that true crawling is just around the corner and he looks ever so cute when he does it, though amusingly it also often looks like he is trying to hump things like a randy dog!

New Look

2008-08-19T17:58:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - half a banana BLW and a yoghurt

Lunch - Mediterranean vegetables with baby rice (from a packet) fresh carrot puree, greek yoghurt with jam, two cracker bread and a rusk!!

Supper - Apple puree and porridge followed by a yoghurt

Good day today, Edward had lots of fun pretending to be Davros in his walker commanding Daleks and naughty parents about the room!

As you may have already noticed, after some rather hairy moments when all useful editing buttons disappeared, I have managed to give Edward's blog a new 'foody' look and I'm feeling rather proud of myself for doing so.... comments on a postcard please :o)

Noodle flinging and Laptops

2008-08-18T21:51:00.010+01:00

Breakfast - Half a banana BLW

Lunch - Didn't want any had a VERY long afternoon nap instead!

Supper - Carrot, Chicken and Mash 1 cube of each followed by a yoghurt and finally some Marmite toast BLW

Late Second Supper with Mummy and Daddy - Stiry Fry of sugar snap peas, capsicum, pork and noodles.

Edward has had a good day today he's been trying REALLY hard to crawl and managed to pull himself along the length of the sofa....all in the quest to reach the laptop...BEASTIE!!

Edward's late second supper was a naughty lazy packet sauce stir-fry so I sucked all of that off and he had it quite plain. He really enjoyed the pork and sucked on that for ages, he also had quite alot of fun with the noodles, I'm not convinced he ate any of them, but he did manage to fling them across the table and the very hungry caterpillar got a mouthful!

Baby Led Weaning FTW!!

2008-08-17T20:16:00.005+01:00

Edward cheering his own mischievous mess making!!
(I particularly like the small piece of mushroom stuck on his head hehe!)

Breakfast - Banana and Pear BLW

Lunch - Parsnip, Carrot, Banana, Mushroom and Strawberry....and a cracker as he kept eyeing up mine! BLW

Supper- Muesli and Apple puree

We went rather hard-core BLW today, especially at lunch I really wanted to offer Edward a range of things and let him pick what he thought looked or smelt most tasty. He spread it everywhere and had lots of fun, the strawberry and the mushroom were the most successful things on the table, the strawberry initially got shoved in whole though sadly I didn't get a piccie of it.

Edward did did very well at manipulating the food, especially as a lot of it was slippery. It is always hard to judge how much he ate, however at breakfast looking at the pile of mush left behind I would say he ate the most part of a pear and half a banana.

In the evening though we went back to the safety of puree it's not as amusing to watch, but it is a lot easier to clean up after!

Roast Dinner!!

2008-08-16T22:22:00.005+01:00

Breakfast - Large pot of apple porridge

Lunch - Yoghurt then a bit later sugar snap peas and carrots BLW style

Supper - ROAST DINNER!! Namely beef, pasnips, carrot, potato and most favourite of all yorkshire puddings.

Now Edward has his amazing set of two teeth, each a stunning millimetre or so long, I have decided to try again with the baby led weaning as you may have noticed from the odd BLW that has been cropping up over the last few days.

I had kind of given up with BLW as he didn't really seem to ever manage to eat anything, but having given it a rest for a while and trying again now he's a bit older it seems to be more successful. His motor skills are a little better, and he seems to be better at chewing too, the sugar snap peas and the carrots he had for lunch certainly had proper teeth marks in them and looked quite bedraggled and well 'eaten' by the time he threw them on the floor. The roast dinner also looked quite mashed by the time he'd finished, though I must admit it was hard to tell how much went down and how much just got smeared....either way he went to bed a happy little monkey :o)

BIG BREAKFAST!

2008-08-15T10:10:00.000+01:00

Breakfast - Apple and porridge large bowl, followed by a large bowl of porridge, followed by a tablespoon of greek yoghurt with apricot jam (after plain greek yoghurt was spat out!)

Lunch - Fruit puree and porridge

Supper - Broccoli and courgette cheese laced with apple puree, yoghurt for pudding

Edward had a lazy day round the house today, he spent most of the morning with his nappy off rolling round a mat cunningly waterproofed with a bin-bag, but then I got bored of having to keep him on the mat and he did a poo so he went back in a nappy.

I mean to take Edward swimming today but as his nappy rash was still bad, and the skin on his head and knees very dry and eczema-ish I decided against it and so just took the library books back on my own leaving him in his Daddy's capable hands for the afternoon :o)

Two Teeth....count them baby!

2008-08-14T21:17:00.004+01:00

Breakfast - yoghurt followed by apple breakfast cereal

Lunch - Pork with apple sauce and butternut squash

Supper - Broccoli and courgette cheese, laced with apple puree for temptation purposes hehe! Sugar snap peas and crusty bread BLW style

We have had a chilled out day at home after yesterdays adventures. Edward has been back to his usual contented little self he has been merrily been rolling round the lounge all day, he particularly enjoyed his discovery of the TV cabinet with it's springy-magnetic doors, he kept kicking them so they'd pop open.

We did some reading today, or book eating as Edward prefers to call it. I tried to explain that library books were by far the least tasty books of all but he disagreed and stuffed 'The Very Hungry Catarpillar' in his lovely drooly mouth with even more enthusiasm!

The teething continues, Edward now has a second tooth, bottom row left of centre this time. His first one is poking out much more you can kind of see it now. It is making his skin bad though, in addition to the nappy rash he now has dry red scaly patches on his forehead, and knees, poor little chap, thankfully it doesn't seem to be bothering him too much.

Porkyworkies!

2008-08-13T21:50:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - none

Lunch - Slice of pork, a small piece of apple and a sugar snap pea BLW style

Supper - Pork in home-made apple sauce with carrot

Again I went easy with the food today as Edward is still not 100% himself. I took his nappy off last thing at night to find he'd done a poo, I don't think it had been there long but was so nasty it had made his inner thigh really sore, to the point the skin looked ready to blister, poor boy! I had only been thinking yesterday how we'd got through his first tooth without the dodgy poos often associated with teething, obviously 'thought' too soon.

Edward's lunch was a very laid back messy affair we just handed him the bits of food where he was on his mat and let him play with them. The pork mostly just got shredded and spread about, but the sugar snap pea got seriously munched!

Edward went to the song and dance session at the library today, it was a special one today (quite by chance) and there was a flute player and a ballerina from The National Ballet leading the session. His little eyes were so wide watching all the other children, I think he quite enjoyed it especially the clapping :o)

We got some books out and he is now officially taking part in a reading challenge, he has a special card and a chart that he gets stickers on and everything!! He just has to read, or be read, six books by the end of the summer then we get entered into a prize draw for cinema tickets which at £10 a shot in central London is actually quite a good prize. We got a Baby Einstein book, a feely book called 'That's not my rabbit' recommended by Grandmummy, and finally the essential classic 'The Hungry Caterpillar'.

Edward is getting VERY close to crawling, I was watching him earlier and he keeps managing to get up on all fours then as he flops down he wiggles backwards. I think there is a good chance he will be crawling by the end of the month.

All in all he's had a good day, he's been really chirpy and giggly which has been just lovely, he also has a new favourite toy...namely the metal carpet edger between the hall and lounge, he likes scrunching his fingers across it and banging it as it makes a rather superb noise!

Programmer Baby

2008-08-12T21:10:00.004+01:00

Luke WILLING Edward to be able to program with the powers of his mind and crazy googly eyed stare!!

Breakfast - Nectarine porridge

Supper - Banana porridge and yoghurt

Another day with relatively little food as he wasn't interested, I think his gums are still understandably sore, however Edward has been MUCH happier and more settled, still not quite his normal self, but almost there. It has been such a joy to have my happy boy back :o)

Edward's keyboard arrived this morning, it's flexible and dribble proof and he can't pull any keys off, he had lots of fun playing like a big boy on the puter with his Daddy.

Not very hungry today

2008-08-11T20:40:00.007+01:00

Edward unwrapping the new bedding

Breakfast - Apple puree and porridge

Lunch - Offered Chicken and Cheesy mash but he refused to eat anything I think because he was tired

Supper - Yoghurt followed by Peach and Banana baby cereal

Edward has been unsettled today and not slept much, he has taken to crying whenever I leave the room. He is obviously feeling rather rubbish the poor little thing, but I find it very mentally and physically draining as even when he stops crying I keep thinking I can hear him cry and so am always listening out for it.

I must admit I've started upping his milk again as he is just so unhappy all the time recently I've started to think maybe he's hungry, it's obviously hard to tell as he's also teething, but he happily ate more today and I know he won't eat if he's not hungry so I suspect I'm right.

I was supposed to take Edward to be weighed today, I also wanted to get his head circumference and body length done too. I got as far as putting him in the buggy and slipping my shoes on, but then realised I was just too exhausted to face the trip over to the baby clinic.

Edward bossing me about and telling me how bed making 'should' be done!

I have made extra effort today to spoil Edward, with all the stress caused by having to sleep in the same room as him and all his grumbling over teething I haven't felt very motivated to play with him. I know it's bad of me, and I have been trying, but it has been hard. It was a bit easier today as Luke took Fred home so the house was much more empty and quiet, making it easier for me to focus on him. I tried to move Edward around the house with me as I did things, it is hard though as he's so heavy, to keep moving him or his chair about it tiring, Edward was excellent though and really helpful when I put the clothes away and made the bed!

Let's hope he feels better tomorrow and more interested in food, though if his mouth is painful I can understand why he just want yoghurts!

Edward checking out the freshly made bed!

TOOTHIE PEG!!!!!

2008-08-10T19:24:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - Muesli

Lunch - Fruit Medley custard with Baby rice

Supper - Carrot, Broccoli, yorkshire pudding, crackling, egg all BLW style

VERY exciting news Edward has a tooth, bottom row at the front, you can't really see it yet, you can just feel where it has cut through the gum....no wonder he's been such a grumpy monkey!

Teething?

2008-08-09T20:00:00.004+01:00

Breakfast - Apple and Blueberry baby cereal

Lunch - Salmon and mash, with yoghurt (most of which went round his face and in his hair...clearly not too impressed!)

Supper - Carrot and Cheesy potato mash. Half a fruit-medley custard pot with baby rice

Edward has been a bit more cheerful today thank goodness however he still is not himself. We suspect teething due to the excessive amount of dribble and the fact he keeps chewing on one side, I've had a feel and there are no teeth yet, however I don't think it will be too much longer before they break through.

We tried offering Edward some diluted apple juice today as we are a little concerned he's not getting enough fluid now we've started cutting down his milk. He had a little bit but wasn't terrible interested.

Puree Day

2008-08-08T21:00:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - Banana and Peach Breakfast

Lunch - Vegetable and Lentil Bake and a yoghurt

Supper - Butternut squash and Potato Mash with Salmon

Snack - Crackerbread with Marmite

I did lots and lots of puréeing today so the freezer is nicely stocked up now. Sadly Luke put my snazzy new flexible ice-cube tray in the dishwasher and it kind of melted and so now looks like some sort of piece of modern art. I shoved the potato mash in it anyway and I will have to see how well the cubes freeze and if it's still possible to get them out.

I did mostly main course type things today, and a few pots of apple, so I think I may need to buy some fruit and make some more as Edward tends to have fruit most mornings with his breakfast. It also makes a good bribe for encouraging him to eat other things.

Edward is not right in himself he's been utterly grumpy wingey and horrid all day, he's been driving me mad!! I just hope he is better tomorrow or I may have to call Mr. Stork and tell him to take him away!!

Nectarines and Butterflies

2008-08-07T22:02:00.005+01:00

Breakfast - Nectarine puree and Porridge

Lunch - Mince and mash, yoghurt, a cracker and some crackerbread with apricot jam

Supper - Apple puree and Porridge

We had a lovely day today as we went to the butterfly house exhibition at the Natural History museum with Shaune and Xander, we then went for cake though I was a mean mummy and didn't give Edward any! Luke fed Edward his supper as I was fast asleep after our exciting trip out!

Edward also did his best to eat some of his rolly-balls which I had put in a dish for him to stop them getting away, though he still managed to knock them out the dish and they went rolling off across the floor much to his intense consternation.

Piggy Wiggy Day!

2008-08-06T21:05:00.004+01:00

Breakfast - Banana and porridge (fed to him by his Daddy!)

Lunch - Mince with tomato and vegetable sauce, and two cubes of carrot. Yoghurt for pudding.

Supper - Half a jar of vegetable and lentil bake (the one from John Lewis) a yoghurt and then apple puree with baby rice!!

I was truly amazed by how much Edward ate today, what a little porker! I'm pleased though as he ate some proper foods as well as 'puddingy' sweet things, though it is obvious which is his favourite.

At dinner time he had got so hungry he'd worked himself up and started crying and continued to cry the entire time I fed him, however it all went down and I didn't take any nonsense I just poked it in, it seemed to work well as I wasn't having to force it in, he wouldn't open his mouth for it as it came in, but if I poked his lips then he would. I never want to force him to eat and I know full well that if he didn't like it he would clamp his little jaws shut and turn his head away!

I also didn't do my usual trick of 'sweet spoonful' followed by 'savoury spoonful' he just got his mains and then got is pudding. I think this is a much more healthy way of doing things as I don't want him to think of sweet things as a reward, they are just part of an overall balanced meal.

In the evening after supper Edward had a bath and Uncle Fred helped out which was really awesome :o)

I really need to have a few days of stocking up the freezer as it's starting to look a little empty now he's started eating so much, I've got some potatoes, apples, nectarines and a butternut squash.all ready to be prepared.

Tired Boy

2008-08-05T19:59:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - LARGE bowl of porridge and pear with yoghurt for pud

Lunch/Supper - Three cubes of carrot and a small pot of muesli and pear

Edward has been a VERY tired boy and spent most of the day asleep, after his early milk he slept in till late, then slept most of the afternoon and has now gone to bed for the night pretty early, I think all his riotous partying at the weekend has well and truly caught up with him!

August And Everything After

2008-08-04T20:26:00.005+01:00

Yes my little marmosets it is indeed August already! I'm afraid I've lost track a little of what I've fed Edward the last few days as we've been away at Fleur's wedding. If truth be told I often actually struggle to remember what I fed him for breakfast and lunch by the time I sit down to do his blog each night so remembering four days worth of nosh is beyond me.

When I went over Uncle Alex picked us up from the train station and we headed to TESCO's to buy some food for Edward as it was too heavy to take with me. I got a variety of things including some Blueberry and Apple baby cereal, some Apple and banana puree pots and some Carrot and apple puree pots, I also got some Fruity Chicken and vegetables with rice he ate all of these at some point over the weekend. I did get some sort of cheesy vegetables thing which he didn't ever have any of as I didn't think it would be very popular and he was finding it hard to eat anyway as there was so much going on with the new environment and lots of people milling around.

Edward also had some crackers, twiglets, cheesecake and a wine-cork this weekend all of which he loved, though he did leave a rather tell-tale trail of crackers from the car to the caravan. It amused Gruffy, who has recently been on a Ray Mears tracking course, to be able to track the path of a monkey-baby, he was able to accurately surmise one had passed by this way recently!

Edward also rather worryingly nearly ate a wasp who rather wickedly did it's best to steal Edward's dinner from off his lips. It was quite a scary moment as Luke is very allergic to wasp stings and I don't yet know if Edward is too, so to have this horrid little wasp crawling on his face was quite terrifying for me, though I did quite well at keeping calming and shooing it away.

Edward has remained marginally unwell all weekend, his nose is still snotty which is causing him a few problems when he's sleeping as he can't breathe properly, I just hope he manages to shake it off and get back to normal soon.

Poor Snotty Edward Bear :o(

2008-07-30T22:04:00.005+01:00

Why Ello Monsier Mange Tout!

Poor little Edward-Tedward is indeed as I suspected not a well bunny. After being unsettled and grumpy all evening yesterday he actually started screaming and crying just as Luke and I were about to go to bed. We cuddled him and gave him capol and put saline drops in his nose, eventually he fell asleep in Luke's arms, but we kept him in the bed with us all night as he kept waking and it was easier to keep an eye on him and keep him comforted in with us. By morning he'd cheered up significantly and seemed alot less snotty so I took him out with me as I had a few things to get done around town today.

Breakfast - Banana and porridge

Lunch - Apple puree and yoghurt

Snack - Rusk

Supper - He tried some potato mash which he pretty much refused so I gave him some more banana and porridge. For the first time he tried mange tout with Philidelphia and some with hummus, he didn't really eat the mange tout but he enjoyed sucking off the Philly and hummus.

Sadly this evening he's obviously feeling rather rubbish again, he's grumpy, has been crying a little bit , is quite snotty and generally not himself. I know it's just a cold and nothing major but it's so upsetting to see him crying real little tears :o(

The cat in the hat comes back....

2008-07-30T12:20:00.000+01:00

This is a series of photos I've been taking, I meant to do it each month but have forgotten a few times, even so I still think they are very cute and it's amazing to see how much he's grown!

Grumpy Day

2008-07-29T21:04:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - Apple puree and baby porridge

Lunch - Chicken pie and Apple puree

Supper - Chicken pie and Yoghurt

Edward has been a beast all evening grumping and grizzling for no obvious reason, I know I shouldn't complain as he's so rarely like this, but it is frustrating when he is and actually kind of upsetting as I just want him to be happy. I'm not sure if it is a bit of a run on from last night, he was awake and crying a few times which is also unlike him, I'm not sure if it's the heat or if he's teething or what, poor boy!

I WILL have three meals a day!

2008-07-28T22:47:00.002+01:00

Very late Breakfast come brunch - mince in pasta sauce with banana and porridge

Supper - Carrot with banana and baby rice

Second Supper - Yoghurt and muesli

Things got in a bit of a pickle today as I had annual review and so had to leave the house early. Luke thought I'd already given Edward his solid breakfast before I left, I popped home at lunch time and Edward was asleep though I awoke him crashing my way in! Poor boy! Later in the day after having had a big supper and his milk he went to sleep, I thought for the night, but after an hour or so he woke up and demanded more food hence his second supper...he has obviously got used to three square meals and any less is substandard!

Pear Porridge and RED meat!

2008-07-27T22:51:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - Pear and Ready-Break. I thought he might revolt if I offered him the Peach and Banana baby cereal again and so stole a pear nuked it in the microwave and mashed it with a potato masher, it was kind of lumpy but worked ok, I added the Ready-Break in an attempt to try and get Edward's poo's to be more solid as I think it's important that his bowel starts to get the hang of passing more than just liquids.

Lunch - The last few teaspoons of the Pear and Ready-Break and an apricot yoghurt.

Supper - Luke and I had the pasta sauce with mince and pasta tonight. There wasn't enough pasta spare to include it in Edward's dish so he just got the mince and sauce pureed, which was quite exciting as it was his first taste of beef. He wasn't terribly impressed and whilst smiling smeared it all over the pair of us! For pudding I gave him about half a banana pureed and mixed with some baby rice.

Picnic!!

2008-07-26T22:48:00.004+01:00

Mmmm Tasty Playmat!!

Breakfast - Peach and Banana baby cereal (guess who forgot to pack much of a variety)

Lunch - Peach and Banana baby cereal. I did offer raspberry's but I think they were too sour for him as he spat them out. Edward also had some pita bread and some chicken and some normal bread out on the lawn at the family picnic.

Supper - You guessed it Peach and Banana baby cereal .... in my defense I did actually take some of the pasta sauce and the jar from John Lewis but he was so distracted and over excited by all the people milling around I knew it was pointless to even try so stuck to things I knew he would eat.

Other things Edward sampled that I don't strictly think come under weaning include; his playmat, grass, flowers, a dragon and a tennis ball...well until we decided said tennis ball had probably already been sampled by Frank the dog and so probably wasn't ideal!!

Concentrate...Concentrate!!

Eating Pitta Bread is a serious business!

Friday

2008-07-25T22:45:00.000+01:00

Breakfast - Apple Puree eaten in Ann Summers whilst flirting with the manikins!

Lunch - He turned his nose up at the free jar of lentil bake we got from John Lewis and instead had a slightly warm yoghurt.

Supper - Banana and Peach baby breakfast cereal...much to Cousin Emily and Duncan's dismay apparently I will confuse him for all time by giving him cereal at night!!

Exciting New Things For Edward

2008-07-24T23:05:00.003+01:00

Breakfast - Baby rice and Pear puree

Lunch - A very naughty lazy rusk and a yoghurt

Supper - Butternut squash, Baby rice and Pear puree and most excitingly some homemade pasta sauce which contained tomatoes (fresh, tinned and puree), courgettes, mushrooms, carrot, broccoli, red onion, garlic, basic, oregano and ricotta, it went down surprisingly well I'm planning over the next few days to give him this with some pasta and with some mince to introduce different meat, we eat pasta bake quite regularly with a mix of veg like this and so it's very encouraging that he liked it.

There were also lots of solid poos today which was very exciting as they are SO much easier to clean up!! Hurrah!!

I have bought Edward some custard pots made by Heinz and some Baby Porridge just to add some more variety with things that are convenient for when we are out and about. I really think I need to get some on those flexible ice-cube trays for freezing veg as it's not practical to have them all in pots. It would also enable me to give him more of a mix.

Three Square Meals

2008-07-23T12:05:00.005+01:00

Breakfast - About a quarter of a banana and a few tablespoons of apple puree

Lunch - Chicken Pie, quarter of a banana and a yoghurt

Snack - Nice cool apple puree

Supper - Broccoli and muesli

Edward did well today, especially with the broccoli, I tried giving him a spoon of the broccoli and then a spoon of the muesli so that he would eat the veg a sneaky trick that was most effective....now if only Luke would fall for it!

Piggy Wiggy Day...well that's what happens once you are over 7 months old :o)

2008-07-22T18:51:00.005+01:00

Check out that monkey-baby concentration hehe!

Breakfast - Apricot and banana cereal followed by a Yoghurt

Lunch - Chicken pie and rice pudding

Supper - Half a banana

Edward has done very well today and eaten lots of food. He's also been pretty good about opening his mouth so that I could feed him and swallowing his food without spitting too much of it out again in the process.

I felt it was high time the monkey-baby finally had fresh banana, I have been wossing out up to now as someone warned me it leaves black stains if you don't clean it out quickly, however my worries were unfounded as all of it went down the hatch and in an impressively lumpy state, to start with I actually gave him the banana whole to play with, and then when he got bored I diced it up really finely and tried to mush it though it's was perfectly ripe and so still a little too firm to mash easily.

He gagged a little a few times but my reaction to this has always been to just tell him calmly that it is all ok and it is just lumps in a nice calm voice, it seems to do the trick, and is a much better way of dealing with it than screaming and panicking as that would only panic him and make him frightened of lumps.

We have found Edward a fantastic website for him to play on as he loves hitting the keyboard to the point he makes a dive for it whenever he gets remotely close to one! Though I have reservations about him playing on the computer as I don't want him to end up like his parents I can see that in moderation they are fun and goodness knows I spend enough hours on mine so I can't criticize, for those who are into bright colours and loud simple noises head here!

A Good Day

2008-07-21T11:51:00.000+01:00

Edward did very well today, for lunch he had a small portion of the chicken pie which I pureed for him, followed by a yoghurt. I actually kept intermixing the yoghurt and the chicken pie to encourage him to eat both, it seemed to work quite well even if it was a bit sneaky of me.

For supper Edward had another portion of chicken pie, it was quite late at night though so I didn't give him any more.

His face has looked a little sore today and he slept alot, though there are still no teeth I think maybe they may have been hurting him as the only thing that really soothed him all day was his frozen teething ring.

We had a mini-drama at 5am this morning, I was surprised as normally Edward never wakes up that early. I went in to find Edward minus his nappy (which had somehow migrated off him and down the cot) soaked in widdle feeling very cold and miserable, poor boy!! A new nappy, a change of bed and some cuddles and he went straight off back to sleep... what a good boy :o)

Edward had a bounce in his bouncer today which we haven't used for ages, he seemed to have a good time and left some lovely slobber trails. Luke also tried rolling him around a little in the washing basket which both of them enjoyed lots :o) I thought it was a most inventive use of the basket, much more fun than smelly old washing and it's always a real joy to see my two boys playing together.

Carnivore!!

2008-07-20T14:58:00.005+01:00

Sorry I've been a bit lax with this recently. Over the last few days Edward has done quite well with his weaning and tried some new things including pear and carrot. He liked the pear because it was sweet the first time he had some he had it just on it's own, the second time he had it he had it mixed with some baby rice. The carrot he was not that fussed about though I think he bit his finger half way through eating it as he suddenly started screaming and so we had to abandon things.

On Friday I gave Edward a little piece of chicken to nibble on and play with, he didn't really eat any but he had fun sucking it and enjoying the taste and new texture. For lunch today Edward had chicken again this time I pureed it with a bit of his milk and fed it to him with the remaining carrot. He wasn't overly keen but he did eat quite a bit. I then gave him yoghurt for pudding which went down very quickly as always!

This afternoon Edward sneakily stole and ate a coupon haha!! Seeing he was in a feeding mood I gave him a rusk to play with while I did the washing. He didn't eat much but had lots of fun smearing it everywhere :o)

For supper I think I'm going to give Edward some butternut squash as I think we still have a little left in the freezer, or I may try and give him some of the potato and chicken pie thing I'm planning to make for Luke and I.

I did try to cook swede but it all went terribly wrong, I don't think I cooked it long enough and so I ended up throwing it away as I was pretty tired and not really in the mood to figure the stupid thing out!

Yummy

2008-07-16T17:34:00.006+01:00

Today for Breakfast Edward had a yoghurt.

For lunch he had a cracker bread with hummus.

For supper he had butternut squash and baby-rice.

When I had my supper I gave Edward a piece of pasta to try, I'm not sure if he actually managed to eat it or if he just sucked it, either way it meant I got to eat my dinner in peace!

We had a practice with the doidy cup and then his spout cup today, it wasn't terribly successful we just ended up with a soaking wet Edward, a soaking wet chair and a soaking wet Mummy!! I'm just glad it was only water hehe :o)

I'm planning to introduce some white meat this week which is quite exciting, however I haven't been to the shops to buy it yet.

I keep debating introducing fish, Luke doesn't eat it because he doesn't like it, and I don't eat it because it makes me sick, however I don't want Edward to miss out on all the advantages of having fish in his diet such as the Omega 3 just because we don't eat it. I am very much of the opinion that fish is an acquired taste and that if you don't have it from childhood it its unlikely you will ever get into eating it which would be a shame as I know a lot of people get a lot of pleasure from eating fish, it gives you a whole extra range of dishes you can have both at home and when out at restaurants, I feel it is my responsibility to do this for Edward, though I'm going to have to work out how to cook it as right now I have no idea!!

Overall I feel I've given up with the babyled weaning I am keen for Edward to eat normal food especially as he was premature it is important that he gets the variety of vitamins present in proper food as he doesn't have the same vitamin and mineral stores in his body that a full term baby would have.

Though baby led weaning is great in theory I think it would be more successful if a) Edward had at least one tooth to chop and tear with and b) we ate the kind of food I'm feeding him, but it's just not appropriate yet as we lots of bell-pepper and mushrooms and tomatoes as well as lots of meat none of which is appropriate for him yet. We also don't eat as frequently as him as we only tend to eat supper and not really any other meals, very unhealthy I know but I just can't be bothered to cook twice in one day and I don't like sandwiches. So in conclusion overall it's not practical to keep little finger-food portions of what we eat, and the puree is just much more convenient and gives him a better diet I feel.

Lots and Lots of Foodlings!

2008-07-15T17:29:00.000+01:00

Edward had a very piggy lunch today, he had a bowl of muesli, a bowl of peach and banana breakfast and then a cracker bread with Marmite on it which he spread all over his face!!

That was all he had today plus lots and lots of milk :o)

Ooops!

2008-07-14T18:13:00.002+01:00

Sorry my large and entranced audience I forgot to tell you all I was away this weekend and that there would be no riveting updates regarding the Edward nosh!

Today I returned however so normal service resumes.

Edward had a little yoghurt for 'lunch' and for supper had a very large pot of apple puree which disappeared at speed it's hard to tell which he prefers, but based on speed I'd say the apple. I wish it was something more wholesome like broccoli but I have to console myself that it is at least fruit and not sweeties...yet!

Mr Vince, Arron and Lady Chitzi all came over yesterday afternoon and it wasn't long before the 'how much does he weigh' question came up...answer according to our highly accurate plonking on the bathroom scales 8.10kg!!! What a fatty banger :o)

Butternut Squash on Cracker Bread

2008-07-11T19:30:00.003+01:00

I began feeding Edward butternut squash for lunch, however he really wanted to feed himself so I got half a cracker bread and spread the butternut squash on it, he did very well at eating it, and I had one too so that he could watch me and copy my example as I want him to get used to chewing not just sucking. He managed a few chews but mostly just sucked it to death! He then had some yoghurt for pudding though fell asleep in his chair towards then end of the pot, bless him :o)

For supper Edward had some broccoli, I initially mashed it with a fork but unlike last time it wasn't overcooked and so didn't mash that well, so I took it back to the kitchen and pureed it with some milk, he ate a bit but wasn't that keen. He then finished off his pot of yoghurt and had a bottle of milk which I think is what he really wanted.

Demmand for Food

2008-07-10T22:46:00.004+01:00

Karolina we've got competition for our Mango!!! If Edward gives you his best flirty eyes will you eat mango with him too?

Well it appears that Edward is much more fond of his food than I'd previously realized, though he eats what I feed him, but he rarely seems very enthusiastic. Today however things changed, all afternoon Edward was grizzling and winging, not ideal timing as I was feeling pretty exhausted and trying to sleep, Luke couldn't work out what was wrong, he tried sitting him in his bouncer, laying him on his mat, giving him cuddles, giving him milk and nothing settled him.

I eventually gave up on my nap and came in to try my best to settle him without any luck, then I started eating some dried mango and noticed he was watching me very closely, it struck me that despite him not wanting milk he was actually hungry for food!!

He had had breakfast a couple of tablespoons of muesli and apple puree but clearly he wanted lunchy-munchies or actually given the time it had got to supper. So I fed him some apple puree which he wolfed down, so I then offered him a rice-cracker spread with houmous which he didn't really want, he still looked hungry and so I gave him a strawberry yoghurt the first half of which he ate quickly, and the second half less so.

Usually he gets solids at lunch and dinner, however today I gave him his first portion of solids at breakfast time as I knew we were going to be out at lunch. It is very exciting and interesting that he clearly has identified that 'solid' food is now part of his diet and misses it when it doesn't arrive at the time he's come to expect it.

In other marginally disgusting news Edwards poo is finally starting to become more solid, I don't think I ever thought I'd be pleased about such a development but it really does make life so much easier, especially given the fact we use reusable nappies.

Clementine Drama!!

2008-07-09T17:28:00.000+01:00

Edward has been quite adventurous today, he had some melon, half a crakerbread which was a new thing, he fed it to himself and I fear I will be finding for months down the back of the sofa as a resutl!

I gave him a celementine segment to suck on which was going well till he sucked so hard that it slurped out of my fingers and down into his tummy in one fell swoop! I expected choking, gagging, vomit but there was no such thing...now there's just the wait to see how it comes out the other end!!

For supper Edward had a big bowl of muesli, not very exciting except that it was an impressive quantity, probably about 3 tablespoons.

Rusky Peas

2008-07-08T23:44:00.005+01:00

Mmm that's some good rusky peas!!!

For lunch Edward had some baby muesli, he still looked hungry after and so I gave him an apricot yoghurt which he liked as much as the raspberry one he had yesterday.

For supper we tried peas again, it was not a popular move, so I gave him a rusk instead which was much appreciated. I decided however that it wasn't good to reward him turning away something healthy with something sweet, and so I mashed the rusk in with the peas and added some of his milk on the basis that if I 'watered down' the taste he's not fond of with tastes he does like the whole thing would become more palatable, the plan worked and he ate the whole pot.

In the evening Luke gave Edward a bath, it was a very noisy splashy affair! I had a peek through the door way but retreated swiftly before I got soaked by the monkey beast, who at that moment in time was doing his best to swim up the bath :o)

Swimmy in the bath!! Swimmy in the bath!! SPLASH THE DADDY MWHAHAHA!!!!

Yummy Yoghurt!!

2008-07-07T21:12:00.004+01:00

Edward had his first ever yoghurt today, he REALLY liked it and ate the whole pot really quickly and with minimal face-spreading. It reminded me of the days when he had a mix of breast-milk and formula, he clearly preferred my milk as it would all go down the hatch whereas the formula milk would mysteriously leak down his face.

I have decided to wash up and keep the yoghurt pot for freezing puree in as it makes a good portion size.

For supper Edward had broccoli it took him a littler while to get into it but once he did it disappeared very quickly, some of it was really lumpy as I'd only mashed it with a fork, I wasn't sure he'd manage without gagging but by that point he was so into the swing of things it went down without any problems.

Unfortunately a bit too soon after dinner he rolled onto his tummy and some of it came back up.....mmm broccoli sick in the ears anyone??

I have been experimenting a little over the last few days with different places to sit Edward while he's eating as I find he often flops forward in the Bumbo and I can't get to his mouth and he squishes his tummy. I tried his bouncer chair which worked well, I also tried his car-seat mounted on the buggy which again was good, then finally this evening I just had him sat on my knee at the table. All worked well, sitting on my knee I liked in particular as it enabled us to sit at the table and both of us are easily washable unlike his car-seat or bouncer. I think we will be able to use the Bumbo more when he can sit up better.

We had lots of fun playing peek-a-boo today, Edward was squealing with laughter it was the most heart warming sound I think I've ever heard....apart from maybe that first little cry he made when he was born, even now the thought of it just makes little tears come to my soppy eyes!

Melon, Clementines and Mr Piggy!

2008-07-06T22:22:00.002+01:00

I fed Edward banana and peach baby breakfast cereal today...he wasn't terribly impressed.

The honeydew melon was a little more successful though he struggled to hold it because it was slimy hehe! He also sucked on a Clementine segment for a bit and seemed to quite like it.

Sadly....and due to my cocky ignoring of the health visitor poor Edward took a tumble off the sofa, I think Mr Piggy went first and Edward followed haha poor boy got a bit of a bump and a shock, I had put a pillow in-front of him but somehow he wriggled round it....aw well you live and learn!!

This week I have been mostly eating....

2008-07-05T21:37:00.006+01:00

...butternut squash!

Luke didn't feel too adventurous to start with and so Edward got given mostly butternut squash, however as the week went on he branched out into rusks, rice-crackers, apple puree and baby muesli.

Edward tried a bit of olive, I sucked the brine off and let him have a bit of a nibble, he seemed to quite like it....proper little Crossland :o) He has also tried Marmite we spread it on a rice cracker for him, and he seemed to quite like that, Aunty Shellie will be most disappointed in him I fear!

Skills wise Edward is getting much better at holding his own bottle, today I bought him a cup with a spout and handles to help him with this development, I chose the Avent one so I can combine it with his existing bottles and teats. I did get him a doidy cup but I'm not overly keen on risking the mess and feel it's a bit too big a leap for him at the moment. It was fascinating to watch him with the spout cup, you could see him trying to figure out how to drink from it and using the same mouth actions he would use on a bottle teat and being confused by the fact it didn't work, I felt a bit mean watching him struggle but he will pick it up soon enough. When he started to get tired and frustrated I swapped back to the teat, there is no rush after all, these sorts of things can go at his pace.

Rather cunningly Edward has finally noticed his feet, and since finding them has decided THE best time to grab them is when he is covered in food...mmm muesli in the toes!! MUESLI IN THE TOES!!
Muesli on my toes up my nose and in the eyes lalala!!

Today Edward tried peas for the first time, sadly he wasn't that keen, however I'm not going to give up that easily, I shall try again in a few days and maybe he will be more receptive, after all he HAS to like peas they are are the only green vegetable deemed edible by Luke.

Lots of butternut-squash

2008-06-25T11:12:00.000+01:00

Today's portion of butternut-squash was rather large, not on purpose, I just wasn't that accurate when dishing out the puree into the freezer pots it seems. It all went down though and he managed most of his milk again, evenings are definitely the best time for munchies.

I'm not sure if the blog is going to be kept up-to-date over the next few weeks as I'm off to hospital and the boys are going to have to manage on their own. We have been joking all day about how I'm going to come home and Edward is going to be in a hessian sack, in the same nappy I left him in having eaten nothing but pasta and peanut butter sandwiches for two weeks....thankfully however I know that really Luke will do a fantastic job of looking after his level one human noob!

Rice glorious rice!

2008-06-24T23:23:00.007+01:00

Today Edward had his food at dinner time rather than lunchtime, I tried moving the time of day as the last few days he hasn't drunk much milk and I thought maybe if I changed the time of day he may eat as well as drink, my plan worked well and he's back up to his usual amount.

I gave him 3-4 teaspoons of baby rice, however I'd accidentally poured a bit too much of the baby rice powder into his dish, and not enough milk so it ended up quite stodgy, however this all worked out quite well as I was able to give him the lumps of rice to eat BLW stylee!!

I feel there has been a shortage the last few days of food-covered-Edward photos and so today you can have two to make up for it, especially as he made such a spectacular job of smearing the rice over his arms, legs, face (including eyes) and chest to the extent he had to go straight in the bath afterwards!

Quick Update

2008-06-23T18:57:00.004+01:00

Sunday Edward had sweet potato, again not terribly interested but it did go down.

Monday We tried some organic baby muesli, Edward seemed to quite like it and kept opening his mouth and leaning towards the spoon which I though was promising. For dinner he had some carrot to play with, he didn't really eat any of it, but he gave it an enthusiastic attempt.

Overall eating is getting less messy, the pair of us seem to have got the knack it of now and manage to get through a meal without smearing it everywhere....I think a secret naughty part of me is kind of disappointed about that hehe!

Six Months Old Today

2008-06-21T00:01:00.000+01:00

Edward had about two tablespoons of butternut squash puree for his half-birthday it took him a while to get into it and then he wolfed the last bit down. Luke was laughing at him as he kept trying to eat the pot rather than the puree on the spoon.

I should write something far more enthusiastic, I should have done something more enthusiastic, but today has just been a very quiet day of sleepy cuddles for us all.

Octopus and Apple Puree

2008-06-20T00:30:00.000+01:00

Shameless excuse to put up this photo of Edward concentrating very hard on his octopus it's just SO cute!

Edward was a bit fussy again with his milk today, however did drink more than yesterday overall. He had a tablespoon of apple puree which went down very well, certainly his favorite so far. He also had some pieces of broccoli at dinner, though I think he was too busy watching everyone else to really eat it, and mostly just slid it around his tray.

Just 2-3 teaspoons of baby rice

2008-06-19T00:50:00.000+01:00

We did it, we stuck to the plan, just the recommended 2-3teaspoons of baby rice made up with formula-milk, eaten VERY neatly if I do say so myself.

Edward hasn't drunk that much today, which I find surprising as it's been quite warm, I'm not too worried though as he will probably drink extra tomorrow.

ROLLING!!!!

2008-06-18T22:24:00.007+01:00

VERY exciting day today, Edward rolled over for the first time!! He's been gradually getting closer the last few days, and today has managed to do it lots of time as he's now finally figured out how to coordinate his arms, head and body in one 'smooth' rolling motion hurrah!

Of course capturing a proper full roll on camera is proving impossible he keeps doing it when I go out of the room and I come back to find him laid on his tummy looking highly pesty and proud of himself.

He also had a bit of a giggle today, but as with all the other milestones so far I don't really count 'odd flukes' I only get excited when he can do it consistently.

On the weaning side he managed a good tablespoon of butternut squash, it went down better than the sweet potato, and then he managed to drink all his milk.

His new Bumgenius Version 3 reusable nappies arrived today, they are really nice, and better for sitting in than the Blueberrys. I got them second hand, but you can't tell they are really nice and have hardly been used so I'm very pleased.

All in all a good day in the world of Edward-Tedward :o)

Rice, Shark Fin Soup and Roast Dinner.... this is basic weaning right?!

2008-06-17T23:40:00.011+01:00

So another day, and some more weaning exploits for the Edward-Tedward. We tried having breakfast this morning. I used some of his milk to make up about a tablespoon of baby-rice, it went down quite well, and I was impressed at how much he ate and then drank as the mornings are his least hungry time of the day.

As Edward snoozed off his breakfast I read the organic puree book we got from the library. It had a rather evangelical organic rant at the start which I skipped, but overall proved to be a really excellent read with lots of very useful information all clearly laid out with nice pretty colours. I've decided to follow the suggested time-table in it, as it seemed very sensible and easy to follow.

For lunch Edward had very tasty shark hehe! I gave it to him to play with and thought that it was actually a really good toy for developing his 'finger-food' skills. By the time he'd finished it was utterly sodden and covered in milk, quite disgusting, but he obviously had lots of fun which is what it's all about really!

My intentions to follow the time-table in the book went out of the window at dinner time. I had made a roast and we had Karolina over and all sat at the dinner table. Edward isn't always awake or in the mood for food when Luke and I are eating and so I thought this was too good an opportunity for learning to be missed. So Edward sat at the table with us, and as we had our roast Edward had his. I don't think he really ate anything, but that wasn't really the point, I was just keen that he sat and ate with everyone else as I think the social side of eating is just as important as the food itself, that said I think I may be finding bits of broccoli and asparagus for days!

Tomorrow I will aim to return to the plan...just 2-3 teaspoons of baby rice for the boy!

7.32 Kg

2008-06-16T22:38:00.006+01:00

As I'm sure you can work out from the title, Edward weighed in at 7.32Kg or 16.1lb in old money...not bad considering he started at 2.040kg :o)

My little chubby monkey I'm so proud of him, he's done so well to gain so much weight and is midway between the 50th and 75th weight centile.

The health visitor , as I suspected, wasn't overly helpful regarding the weaning, and actually suggested I shouldn't really be trying to wean him yet as his adjusted age is only 4 months. (they call it adjusted when you calculate backwards based on how premature he was) However as Chelsea and Westminster hospital told me to wean him at 5-6 months non adjusted and they are the premature baby unit I think I will listen to them! Coupled of course with the fact that Edward is showing all the classic 'ready to wean' signs such as grabbing food, stuffing things in his mouth and not always being satisfied by his milk.

Weaning aside however she was actually very helpful and gave me lots of information about local resources, both for entertainment/education purposes and also help for when I'm ill type purposes. She is going to refer me to the local children's services team and assign me a proper health visitor who will come and see us and assess what kind of help we need. I always feel a bit of a fraud asking for help when I'm relatively well, however I know that just a few weeks from now I could be practically housebound and on oxygen, at which point even the tiniest caring duties become a monumental strain and it is my responsibility to make sure that Edward has someone to fall back on other than Luke when I'm not up to it.

Edward had all his bottles today, and managed to eat about a tablespoon of sweet potato though I got the distinct impression he wasn't that fussed about eating it, so I didn't force the issue.

Someone wrote in a thread about BLW that 'food before one is just for fun' it's a nice motto to go by I think as it curbs the impulse to get frantic, it means you can take a nice relaxed approach to the whole thing, which I think in the long term will develop a much more healthy relationship with food.

It occurred to me that neither Luke nor I have particularly great relationships with food. Luke is very fussy and doesn't eat a wide variety of foods, up until recently he has refused to eat any other veg than carrots and peas, however as he feels he needs to set a good example he has gradually been trying and succeeding in his attempts eat more different types of veg, I'm very proud of him.

My relationship with food is long, complicated and painful. I suffered from anorexia for a LONG time, not that anyone ever bothered to diagnose it as such, but it was. Pretty much all of my childhood memories of meal times are bad, and full of arguments and forcing myself to down pints of fortified milk supplement, not to mention the constant search for new ways to dispose of my food without eating it. I then had my tube fitted and ate very little for years and relied almost entirely on feed. Since I was about 14 and left home things began to improve, initially just because my boyfriend at the time used to cook for me and I felt rude refusing to eat, but eventually I got to the stage where I eventually came to like food and really enjoyed cooking. I also got a lot braver about trying different things, which is always a bonus! However even now whenever I'm unwell or stressed my appetite is always the first thing to go!

I think a very large portion of people have an unhealthy attitude to food, eating too much or too little or taking no care or interest and just shoving in the easiest thing. I understand how it happens, however I don't think it is right, and I feel it my duty as a parent to try and foster a healthy attitude to food in Edward, you are what you eat after all! That is why I have him in the kitchen cooking with me so often as I feel it is important that from a young age he is exposed to 'proper cooking' not just oven heating and microwaving. I don't want him to be like one of those kids off of 'Jamie's School Dinners' who could identifiy every fast-food chain under the sun and yet couldn't identify something as basic as an onion!!

Anyway enough evangelical food ranting....

In other news Edward and I registered at the library, Edward choose his first ever book, and I have to say I approve of his choice .....

Oh well so much for good intentions!

2008-06-15T06:36:00.001+01:00

Well as you can see I didn't wait till the end of the weekend or till the rash had gone. This may seem kind of irresponsible but I decided that the rash was entirely the fault of the sun-cream and the sweet potato only aggravated things and caused a rash because it got smeared over slightly dry skin.

On Saturday night I was cooking dinner and Edward was 'helping' me by very convincingly waving a spatula (visible in the bottom of the shot) however as I picked at bits as I cooked I decided it was unfair that Edward didn't also have something to nibble on, well other than the spatula, so in the end I gave him another rusk despite accusations being leveled at me that I was weaning my baby onto nothing better than digestives! Though I understand the persons point I'm not relying on it for nutrition, I'm just trying to give Edward the opportunity to start getting the hang of eating and rusks are much more convenient than trying to steam a piece of veg each time, they are also nice and soft, so I feel it will be encouraging to him that with very little effort or skill he's still getting 'rewarded' for trying.

He did pretty well eating it, I think! It's always hard to tell how much has gone down the hatch and how much has just been smeared. The new plastic bib was quite effective, however after a while he got bored of eating the rusk and started eating the bib, and so some of the rusk ended up getting on his trousers anyway, which was a shame, it seems I need to develop my 'catching skills' or he's going to have to change clothes every time he eats, or more likely eat naked!

Sunday I gave Edward a whole bottle that he wolfed down after which he was still looking about for more, which I thought would be a good opportunity to try some more food. Just to be on the safe side I gave the sweet potato a miss and instead plumbed for the apple puree. Edward seemed to have improved in his puree eating skills already, and was much better at opening his mouth to eat, and managed the table-spoon or so's worth of food well. It was nice because it was also the first time I fed him at the new dining table, and it made everything much more comfortable.

I'm pleased to report that there has been no dire reactions or horrible poos, so it seems that Edward's tummy is coping well with the new food.

I have found out where and when the baby weighing clinic is held and so we shall be going to that tomorrow. I'm hoping that the health visitors may be able to give me some advice and guidance...however I'm not holding my breath!

The Sweet Potato Trial

2008-06-13T22:15:00.010+01:00

Edward practicing those eating moves!
Well today as I had plenty of time I began experimenting with the purees. I fed Edward one portion of sweet potato, which was about a tablespoon for breakfast, and the same again at lunch, as well as offering him his usual amount of milk, most of which he drank.

It was messy and took a while to go down, and he seemed a bit confused as to what was going on, but didn't struggle or gag once which I was impressed with. It was quite interesting to see him trying to work out what was going on, and how to move his tongue to get the puree from the roof of his mouth and lips down his throat.

He was very helpful as I was feeding him, and stuck his fingers in the bowl and stuffed them in his mouth, he seemed to think that was a much better way of eating, it did look more comfortable and natural for him and so it's made me think quite seriously about BLW as in a way I feel like I'm breaking his natural instincts teaching him to eat puree only to then have to teach him how to handle solids at a later date.

I had intended to give him some more at dinner, but sadly across the afternoon he seems to have developed a rash across his face. I'm not sure of the cause, though suspect it may be a hangover from a reaction he had to some suncream the other day. However in the interests of safety I'm going to give the weaning a rest until it's cleared up.

He has ruminated/ posseted a little more than usual today aswell, nothing dramatic or projectile but enough that in combination with the rash I think it may be best to slow down a little. I must admit I may have gone a bit over-board, but it is an exciting time and both he and I are on a learning curve together with this!

Inroduction

2008-06-13T00:55:00.003+01:00

The initial aim of this blog is to plot the early days of Edward's weaning process as it is quite exciting for us all, however I imagine in time it will meander into other things!

I feel this is a good point to give a quick summary of Edward's eating to date. Initially like most mothers I planned to breastfeed, however as Edward was eight weeks premature things didn't quite work out. He was very small, only 4lbs, and found feeding quite tiring and difficult, and much easier from the bottle than the breast. I found breastfeeding very stressful as I worried that he was not getting enough and may become weak and unwell, so eventually decided to exclusively express my milk to feed him with.

This was also a good strategy as it meant Edward could still have my milk if I had to go into hospital and hopefully would be less confusing for him as he wouldn't have to keep switching between methods, I also hoped it would make my absence less distressing as he wouldn't be loosing his breast-feeding as well as him mummy.

Initially it worked well, and I stocked up enough spare milk that Edward was able to go completely without formula through my first course of IV's. However sadly my second course of IV's came so quickly after the 1st it hadn't been possible to stock up enough as so we had to start using formula. I also got a bad tummy bug that badly affected my milk supply so I was struggling to keep up with him.

Then finally at five months I moved Edward onto formula full time. I had to pour my milk away for most of month four due to my drugs, and then found out to my horror that the drugs wouldn't leave my system for another month. As I had planned to stop at six months (mainly due to pressure from my hospital team) I decided it was pointless to carry on, due to the amount of time and effort required.

I found it very hard to stop as despite the hassle involved I was incredibly proud of myself and my body, and given everything it's not often I get the chance to say that. However I do appreciate not having to do endless hours of milking any more, and I think overall my health has been better since I stopped, though this may be due to the doctors taking out an infected implant that I had which I think had been dragging me down for a few months.

Real food wise, untill today Edward's adventures have been limited. He licked a chocolate button about a month ago, and sucked some pitta-bread and some carrot the other day in the park, however today was the first time he properly ate something.

I cannot, and still have not made up my mind exactly how to go about weaning Edward. The two main methods on offer are purees which you gradually make more solid, or Baby Led Weaning (BLW) which skips out puree all together and goes straight for finger foods.

Both methods have aspects which appeal to me and others that don't. Puree is a hassle to do, however can be store bought in the lazy moments and in all instances stored conveniently. It is also the most common method and so wouldn't be hard for various baby-sitting friends and family to understand.
BLW is in my opinion more natural as it has the mentality that if a baby has the motor skills to get food to it's mouth it must be able to eat it, however it is difficult to store the small portions of food needed to do it in my opinion (eg. a slice of butternut squash what are you supposed to do with the rest of it?!)

So for now I'm messing about with both until I decide which I find most convenient. So I have pureed a bunch of butternut sqash, sweet potato and apple, aswell as buying a selection of baby rice's and cereals. I have also however bought some rusks and rice crackers as these are easy to store and should enable him to feed himself.

Despite having made all my puree's there wasn't really the right opportunity to feed them to Edward today, and so BLW won out and he got given a rusk, and here is what he did with it, his first ever meal other than milk :o)