Day 100

Little mans cold is really out now, he is struggling with laying flat at night as his nose gets blocked and raising the cot is pointless now as he spins round in his sleep and ends up with his head at the bottom of the slope and it makes it worse for him. He woke me up every 2 hours or so last night just needing some more decongestant and cuddles, by 4am I’d had enough so he spent the last few hours in bed with me and he slept then till 7.30am. Needs must and all that.

I really thought his appetite would be affected by his cold and lack of sleep but who am I trying to kid?? He ate all the instant porridge I’d made him, had a good try of the toast and even had half a mini pancake. I really should learn that he has my appetite, not much comes between us and our food lol.

Morgan had salmon, sweet potato and spinach for lunch, I’d made a batch yesterday evening as I’d run out so kept some aside for him. I didn’t realise how big a portion I’d kept aside but he wasn’t fazed, he just kept letting me spoon it in between giggles and demands for water. He was a bit full after that but still had some apple and pear puree.

After lunch DD wanted to play her current favourite game which involves her getting as many of us, including Morgan, to sit on the floor as she can muster then she sits with us and rolls her little pink ball to each person. For some reason both her and her brother think this is the funniest thing on earth and are in hysterics laughing throughout. The little game left Morgan so tired he was crying his heart out for about 10 minutes until he fell asleep.

Dinner was lamb roast. Lamb seems to be his favourite food and he wasted no time in eating virtually all of it. I’d made up some custard again for pudding and mixed in the rest of the apple and pear puree, he had about 3 quarters of it but took his time about this one.

I’ve had a read of all the ingredients in the jars I’ve picked up and had a little bit of inspiration. Noodles and red peppers aren’t foods I usually eat as I don’t really like them but I will get some in and have a go at creating some different dishes.

Fingers crossed for a better night all round, I really cannot stomach the thought of being up every 2 hours again.

Day 99

Not a bad nights sleep all round really. Morgan had a huge feed at 3.30am, then slept till just after 7am. When he woke up he didn't really seem that hungry, but when offered some breakfast he suddenly seemed to find his appetite. I gave him banana and strawberry porridge this morning and he had most of the bowl.

We went out to a local cafe for lunch with my mum and sister, it was really lovely. I always find it difficult to heat up home made baby food when I'm out as some places provide microwaves for public use and others will just about give you some warm water and expect you to heat up fridge cold puree with it, so I just took a jar of baby food for him to try. Today it was chicken with noodles. The first room temperature mouthful took him by surprise but after that he was away and ate just over half the jar. He had half a pot of apple and blueberry puree afterwards and was very full and sleepy, so sweet to see.

Dinner was pork and rice and he was fed by his nana. He was quite happy with this as he had a new person to baffle with his sudden refusals to eat anymore until he's batted the loaded spoon out of their hand lol. I have to hand it to my mum, she managed to get more in him than I normally do! He had a few spoons of chocolate semolina after but was too full for much more.

Day 98

It’s been one of those days I’d like to delete and start again please. It started off well, little lady woke me up at 7am and little man joined us half an hour later. We all had toasted banana bread together, and my babies had some instant porridge too. Morgan ate really well and had fun throwing things on the floor and watching where they land.

I had an appointment to attend just before lunch, I was only meant to be gone an hour or so but due to numerous hold ups I didn’t get back for 3 hours. I really missed my little family. I left DH a jar of turkey dinner and some apple and pear with custard for Morgan. I’m told he ate half the jar and really liked it but was too full afterwards for pudding.

Dinner was chicken, veggies, pasta and cheese, dairy and soya free of course ;-) , with rice pudding for afters. About half an hour into his afternoon nap Morgan woke up screaming and didn’t settle again despite being so tired. As a result he didn’t really have a great deal of his dinner or pudding so I’ve put him to bed a bit earlier than normal in the hope he catches up with a bit of missed sleep.

I’m hoping we all have a better day tomorrow. Both my babies are teething so are a bit grumpy anyway, Morgan now has a cold on top which has aggravated his reflux and little lady seems to be having a huge growth spurt as she won’t stop eating for once and is sleeping more than normal.

Day 97

Naps were the theme for today. Morgan wanted one this morning but was having too much fun at the playgroup so slept through his lunch instead, DD then shocked me by falling asleep on the sofa for the 2nd day in a row, she dropped her daytime nap months ago so this is unheard of! Then little man decided he wanted a nap halfway through dinner, slept till bathtime and has not long fallen asleep again. Oops!

Sirs breakfast today was banana porridge and he had quite a bit of it. I didn't really have anything suitable to give him as finger food so he had a spoon to play with instead. I've also run out of bread as little lady managed to get to the freshly made loaf the other day, picked a hole in the side and ate about half of the bread inside, I was in fits of laughter when I found what she'd done as the loaf looked perfect from the other side!!!

When little man eventually woke up for it, lunch was chicken pasta bake which he ate very happily. Its funny as when pasta is in a meal he will happily eat it, but give him some to feed himself and he won't even touch it. Must be a texture thing?

Dinner was eventful due to Morgan's little protest over going back to bed! He was happily eating lamb stew then suddenly started to get a little upset and refused more stew. I thought he'd had enough so started him on custard with apple and pear. He had a few mouthfuls then just screamed till he fell asleep in his daddys arms, was heartbreaking yet very sweet to see.

Day 96

Breakfast today was fingers of toast and banana multigrain porridge. After waking me up at 06.00 by screaming at the top of his lungs he was a hungry boy and ate really well...

I did another mix of chicken and cheesy pasta bake for lunch and again he ate well but refused pudding afterwards. His little cheeks seem flushed and he's chewing on his fingers so I think his teeth are moving around again and it tends to affect his appetite too.

I made it to the shops today and picked up 4 jars of baby food. I feel oddly torn about feeding it to him, probably because DD refused point blank to eat them which made sure I always had a freezer full of food for her lol. The thing that really got me was he could not get enough of the jar food after the first spoonful, it was like I'd never fed him anything so tasty in his life, little menace!!!!!!!!!! I plan to stick to feeding him mostly homemade food still, more than anything its to punish him for preferring jars lol!! I also noticed that most of the jars were bulked out with wheat which isn't ideal, I have a wheat allergy myself to try to be a bit careful how much I give the babies, the only time I cook with wheat flour is when I make a loaf of bread for sandwiches or toast, even my banana bread is wheat free. I will see if there is a brand that's more appropriate for him but for now I have a couple of different choices to hand when I need them.

Day 95

Well it's been raining all day here so we've just had a lazy day at home rather than venture outside. Lots of drawing (mainly all over the dining table instead of the paper), kids films on tv and making structures from megabloks and letting Morgan smash them up.

Morgan had weetabix for brekkie, I can tell he's feeling much better as he ate almost an entire biscuit! Lunch was a combination of the chicken, potato and veggies and a bit of the cheesy pasta bake mixed together and actually he seemed to really like it this time. I may have to work on the cheesy pasta bake again to make it more to his taste.

I gave little man pork and rice for dinner. I'd forgotten how chunky I'd made it but he didn't seem fazed by it bless him. He must have had about half and I could see him really chewing each mouthful, it served as a reminder to be a bit more gentle with the blender!

Day 94

I have spent most of today in the kitchen batch cooking for my babies. In the hours I spent in there I made a loaf of bread, chocolate semolina, lamb curry, chicken curry, baby version of lamb roast dinner, chicken and sweetcorn and chicken pasta bake. My freezer is over flowing yet I can only offer a limited choice of lunches and dinners to Morgan as there is only so much time I have to spend in the kitchen. I think it may be time to introduce a few jars of baby food and see how he responds. I have nothing against preprepared baby food so please don't get me wrong, its more I struggle to find baby food that doesn't include dairy, soya or parsnip and I enjoy making up and freezing portions of food for them both. With 2 children to provide for and a husband that works shifts, it becomes quite a challenge to keep on top of it.

Anyway, today I gave Morgan the strawberry and banana porridge, he wasn't quite so enthusiastic as last time but still had a good amount. He also had a mini pancake to eat, he seemed to enjoy eating it but much prefered to pick little bits of it of and stick them to the highchair tray.

For lunch, little man had lamb stew. It was the last portion in the freezer so I did advise him to make the most of it, but he was too busy trying to grab the spoon and/or bowl off me. Even giving him breadsticks to hold didn't distract him and he wore more of the food than he ate.

Funnily enough by dinner time he was very hungry! As I hadn't put it in the freezer yet, I dished up some of the pasta bake for him and he left me with a clean bowl lol. His pudding was choc semolina and he ate all but a spoonful of it.

Tomorrow I will have a look for a few jars of food to try him on, I don't intend to stop making his meals but it should ease some of the pressure I'm feeling.

Day 93

Today I tried little man on banana multi grain porridge, he was unimpressed and even threw in a few little retches between mouthfuls just to make his point. Next time I'll make it a bit thinner I think. 

His lunch was lamb stew, which went down a treat as usual, and he had rice pudding afterwards. He had most of both and didn't kick up any fuss today. For his dinner I gave him chicken sunday lunch along with a few spears of broccoli as fingerfood. Oh the mess! It just goes everywhere and all he does is bite the tops off before discarding the rest. It didn't really help giving my toddler girl some too, she just poked it off her plate onto the floor while bellowing "noooo mummy!", shes never really been one for vegetables...

Dinner was a little more civilised, Morgan had beef stew followed by custard. He had a fair bit of both so hopefully he'll keep up the good sleep pattern he's getting back into.

Day 92

Not a bad night at all, both babies slept really well and Morgan only woke up once and that was for a feed at around 2am. I feel a bit more human for some sleep!

I tried little man on the strawberry and banana baby porridge and he loved it, I made quite a large bowlful by accident and he had almost all of it. He was doing the spoon grabbing bit again so I gave him his own. He was trying so hard to feed himself but just couldn't get it, and whenever he did it just dripped off the spoon all over him. He was very proud of himself though lol.

Lunch was salmon, sweet potato and spinach followed by fruit puree. He had just over half of each then fell fast asleep for 2 and a half hours. Amazing what a full tummy does to a baby!

I really need to do some cooking for him as I'm rapidly running out of baby food. I did manage to find some chicken, potato and veggies so mixed it with a bit of the cheesy pasta bake he wasn't so keen on, I'm loathed to throw out an entire bag of frozen baby food without trying him a few times first. He had a little bit of it before he started fussing. I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't like the taste or it he just wasn't that hungry although he refused pudding too so I imagine he just didn't want much to eat.

Day 91

I'm a bit shocked it's only been 3 months since I started weaning Morgan. He's doing so well with his food and his appetite is going from strength to strength despite being poorly, I'm a very proud mummy :-)

He did really well overnight too, no screaming fits, both bottles were finished and he fell asleep straight after each one with no complaints. He did have 2 further wake ups but he was settled very quickly both times by just stroking his face and replacing his dummy.

I went back to an old favourite of his for brekkie, pear and baby rice! He couldn't get enough of it and starting windmilling his arms with excitement, shame he doesn't understand that by doing that he gets less as mummy tends to wear quite a bit when he inevitably knocks the spoon flying lol. As I promised myself yesterday, I have picked up 2 other cereals for him to try, one is a banana porridge made with rice and corn and the other is a multigrain banana porridge. It would appear I could either get banana, stone fruit or creamy cereals, so not a huge amount of choice for him as he cannot have stone fruit or milk, I remember DD had a muesli type cereal when she was tiny so I'll have to see if I can track it down again.

Lunch was a new one for him as I'd made up pork and rice with veggies. He thoroughly enjoyed it and even coped very well with it being a chunkier meal than he's used to. I gave him a fruit pot for afters but he only had a few spoons before refusing any more, fair enough really as it was a very filling meal he'd eaten.

I did do some research on pork as I have never seen a baby food recipe containing pork and don't recall seeing any jar or pouch meals with it in either. It would seem that it's ok to introduce it once baby is used to eating white meats, just don't have it too often as it is a fatty meat and make sure it is thoroughly cooked as you would anyway I suppose!

Dinner was lamb stew, he had about half but I think he was still full from lunch time. I'd made up custard for him too but he only had a small amount of that. I must have already done a good job of filling him up today guess!!

Tomorrow I'll see what  he makes of the new cereals.

Day 90

Little man seems to be better again today, his recovery is slow but he's doing so well. He seems to have switched his naps around though, it used to be he'd have a short nap (maybe 30-40 minutes) in the morning and up to 2 hours in the afternoon but the last 2 days its been the other way around. I hope he swaps them back again as the toddler groups we go to tend to be in the morning!

Having realised that Morgan has had weetabix every morning for the last week, I made up some porridge for him and added a spoon of fruit puree. I also gave him some fingers of toast with dairy free spread which he devoured. The porridge went down well too, but only when I managed to put the spoon into his mouth quicker than he managed to get the toast in there lol.

For lunch, DH gave him chicken sunday lunch followed by apple, pear and raspberry puree. I'm told he did well, I had an appointment to go to so only made it back in time to see him gobble up the fruit puree, bless him!

I gave Morgan chicken, potato and veggies for his dinner. He had all but a few spoons of it but was crying between each spoonful, turns out he was so hungry I couldn't feed him fast enough and it only got worse while giving him rice pudding, he has such as sweet tooth lol. Afterwards he was still giving me his hungry cry so I gave him half a digestive biscuit, while I'm not convinced he has eaten it all I cannot find the remnants of it anywhere, so maybe he did??

I need to sort out some different brekkies for him, I seem to rely on porridge and weetabix and he will get very bored of it soon.

Day 89

Well, last night my beautiful boy seemed to turn a corner with this virus. He slept from 8pm till 7am with just 2 wake ups for bottles and no extended screaming fits. Bliss! He woke for the first bottle about 11pm but it took half an hour before he would wake up and actually drink it, I think we'll reintroduce the dream feed and see if it helps. Second wake up was about 4am and he was ready for a bottle so there was no fussing and he went straight back to sleep.

His appetite is returning too. Morgan ate half a weetabix for brekkie and he seemed to really enjoy it for the first time in days. His lunch was salmon, sweet potato and spinach and amazingly he cleared the bowl then ate half a fruit pot, after all that he was a happy boy and spent the next few hours playing peek a boo and ripping up catalogues lol.

His dinner was lamb roast and while he did fuss over it, he ate 2 thirds of it. I didn't expect that as he'd had such a good lunch. He ate all his chocolate semolina though and still seemed hungry so scoffed a bourbon biscuit too.

Fingers crossed his recovery will continue, he's really suffered with this virus and it's about time it left him alone.

Day 88

I feel like a horrid, awful mummy. Poor little man kept waking up screaming till 1am and would only settle in my arms. The second I tried to put him down, no matter how asleep he was he would start screaming again. I got fed up with this very quickly as I'm so tired and ended up sat up in bed with him in my arms but I couldn't look at him as I was getting cross and needed to tune his screaming out before I lost my temper. Eventually he had some formula and fell asleep till half 6 so he's been tired and cranky again today.

He's done fairly well with food today though. He ate half a weetabix for brekkie and was munching on some toasted banana bread too, though most of it ended up on the floor. He had quite a bit of lamb roast and rice pudding at lunchtime, although he seemed to find eating a chore by the end of it. Dinner was a struggle as he was tired after his nap was disturbed by kids playing outside. He ate some of the chicken and veggies but only when I mixed it with fruit puree. I gave him a bourbon biscuit afterwards, he really enjoyed it but again didn't have much of it.

I really want him to feel better soon, it's awful seeing him like this especially when I cannot do anything to help except keep him dosed on pain relief

Day 87

Better nights sleep for us all, though it felt like a long time coming in every sense as he didn't settle down properly till 1am.

He's not eaten much again, but I've been tempting him with favourite things like rice pudding, lamb stew and fruit puree just so he's got something in his little tummy. He's still off formula during the day and will only have a small amount overnight. I know its to be expected as he's swallowing so much yuck from his sinuses etc, but it still freaks me out a bit. I just keep reminding myself that he doesn't look like he's lost weight so if he has it's only a tiny amount and he'll put it back on quickly anyway. One day I'll believe myself too!!!

Day 86

Awful, horrid, sleepless night. Little man just could not settle for more than an hour at a time and all he wanted was to sleep in my arms. Which is lovely, don't get me wrong, but when your holding an 18lb baby thats the almost the length of a 1 year old it's a bit difficult to get comfortable yourself. I ended up bringing him into bed and I slept on about 6 inches of mattress. How such a small person takes up so much room is beyond me.

Amazingly, Morgan had half a weetabix for breakfast. He still won't have a bottle during the day though which is worrying me a little. We went to a farm late morning with some friends and had a really lovely couple of hours wandering through sheep poo, seeing tiny newborn lambs and watching DD run from 1 pen to another as she was fascinated with the sheep inside. We had lunch there too, it felt a bit strange feeding Morgan lamb and sweet potato next to a field of sheep... Good thing was he ate it all for the first time in a few days and had half a fruit pot afterwards.

I did some more experimenting with purees yesterday and thought I would try one on baby boy. I'd made up  pasta with cauliflower and broccoli in a white sauce with a bit of dairy and soya free cheese stirred through. He really liked the first few mouthfuls but got fussier as the meal went on, he only stopped giving me dirty looks once I gave him some rice pudding. I thought it tasted really nice, but clearly Morgan isn't so inclined to agree with me!

I really think we all need a better nights sleep tonight and hope that the fresh air today with encourage that along!!

Day 85

Morgan is so poorly it's breaking my heart. He's slept through most of today and refused to eat or drink until 2pm when I managed to get 100ml of formula in him. After that he seemed a little brighter and had a little bit of dinner and some pudding. His dinner was just chicken and veggies, as I was doing some more experimenting with baby food recipes, there was some leftover white sauce I used to mix in with it. I think it helped make the food easier to swallow and fortunatley he liked the taste. Pudding was just a few spoons of apple and blueberry puree. Morgan also sat and had a couple of chips with us while we ate our dinner, he was quite happy having sips of water with it which made me feel a little easier about his food and drink intake for the day. I'm really hoping he feels a bit more himself tomorrow.

Day 84

My poor baby had such an awful night. His eyes have suddenly become so infected and we had to keep bathing them just so he could open them, he's been so upset. His cold seems to have really taken hold overnight so we've kept him dosed up on pain relief. I rang the doctor first thing and despite much sighing and being questioned if my baby boy really does need to see someone today from the receptionist, I managed to get an appointment. The doctor himself was really nice, said Morgan's chest is clear and that he has a persistent upper respiratory infection that will take a while to clear. He's given us drops for conjunctivitis too.

Food wise my baby has done ok today, but again has not had much formula. I'm starting to become quite concerned so tomorrow I'll try to coax some into him by giving him half the bottle before food and the rest afterwards. Hopefully it will help with the constipation too as he doesn't drink a huge amount of water no matter how often it's offered.

I know it's only a cold but I have this tense knot of worry in my chest and only making him better will make it go away.

Day 83

Morgan seems to be coming down with yet another cold. He seems to have one constantly, I'm starting to get a little concerned as he starts to recover and gets another one. His appetite doesn't seem to be affected that badly, he's still eating food though he barely has any formula during the day. He's dropped both breakfast and lunch bottles and today he's had less than half his bedtime bottle. I think its starting to affect his bowel movements too as he's a little constipated. If it carries on I'll consider dropping his supper and giving him more milk based puddings.

Breakfast today was amazing, he had 3 quarters of a weetabix so in a way I shouldn't be surprised he doesn't want formula afterwards. He did well with lunch too, I gave him beef casserole and a fruit pot. He managed quite a bit but was very tired and cranky afterwards. His poor little nose was streaming too so I think he just feels fed up and ill.

As Morgan has slept quite a bit today, his dinner was a bit late and that made bath and bedtime late too. He really wasn't happy during dinner, it was one of his favourites but he had very little and fell asleep before having any pudding.

He was more cheerful during his bath once he'd woken up and had quite a lot of pear and baby rice, he refused his bottle again though. I'm just glad he still takes his dream feed and night feed with no problems at the moment.

Day 82

Morgan slept well last night when he did sleep! At 2am he woke for a bottle but didn't go back to sleep till 3am and the longer he took to drop off, the more awake I became and didn't get back to sleep till gone 4am. Oh well, I suppose as a parent you give up your right to sleep ever again as if they aren't keeping you up by screaming or demanding milk, you're up just worrying about them for any given reason.

I had little man weighed today and in 7 weeks he's put on 1 and a half pounds. I'm astounded, food clearly agrees with him. Funny thing is he hasn't bulked out, just got so much longer. At 7 months he's already in 9-12 month clothes and in all honesty will be out of them very soon.

Breakfast today was a banana feast! He had banana porridge and toasted banana bread. Good thing he likes the taste of banana, if not the texture, lol. For lunch I gave sir some lamb stew followed by apple and raspberry puree, he had all but a few spoons of each. No wonder he's gaining weight so well!!

Dinner was a little testing, all my own fault though. I heated up some chicken pasta bake for Morgan but 2 thirds of the way through eating it, I managed to drop the bowl on the floor and it went everywhere. Poor baby boy was in tears as he saw his dinner being scraped up and put into the bin. A rice cake managed to divert his attention though. I decided to just give him pudding as he was starting to lose interest in the pasta bake so heated up apple and rhubarb crumble with some oat cream. He really enjoyed it, once he got past the initial shock of it being a little sharper than he's used to! He pulled some excellent faces though lol. I am now feeling the mummy guilt creep in, I feel so mean for making him pull those faces!!

Day 81

Yet more spots of lamb curry have turned up, this time on little ladys play kitchen. Once I see it there it seems really obvious and I don't see how I've missed it!

Anyway, little man had porridge with fruit puree for brekkie and I'm told he hoovered it up! I was able to have a lie in which was bliss so big thank you to DH.

As Morgan has a horrid cold I'm surprised his appetite hasn't been affected. Todays lunch was chicken sunday lunch, he got a bit vocal and irritable halfway through so I ended up giving him main and pudding on the same spoon, he ate loads after that. How anyone can eat chicken, potato, veggies, stuffing, apple and blackcurrant on one spoon is beyond me!!

I picked up some carrot and tomato rice cakes today. DD had one and wouldn't touch any more, Morgan on the other hand, couldn't get enough of them. I only meant him to try one as a snack but he kept putting his hands out for more, so I gave him a couple with his dinner (beef casserole) and he was quite happy sat there being fed by daddy between bites of rice cake.

I also gave Morgan some supper this eveing, just some pear and baby rice. I did the same last night and while he still woke for a bottle at half 2, he went straight back to sleep afterwards and we heard nothing else from him till 7am.

Day 80

Easter Sunday. Always a difficult one for anyone that can't eat dairy and knowing my little ones won't really be able to join in I have made no effort to celebrate the day. I kind of wish I had now but then again dairy and soya free easter eggs aren't cheap!! Next year they'll both be older and I know I'll put more effort in.

Breakfast was half a weetabix and a slice of banana bread. Both of which went down very well. At one point Morgan had a mouthful of cereal and was waving his banana bread around with gusto, that is until it broke in half and fell on the floor. He was so disappointed I thought he was going to cry for a moment but he just picked up the other piece and starting biting chunks of it instead.

I did chicken pasta bake for lunch and remembered to cook a few pieces of pasta for him to hold. It was a total waste of time though as he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, a second later he spat it out again in disgust and refused to touch anymore! Pud was apple and blueberry and a little bit of chocolate (ok so I didn't totally boycot Easter lol) I have an excellent video of his face when the first bit went in as he goes from mildly curious to huge eyed surprise then is madly gumming on the choccie till its gone.

Dinner was lamb roast and rice pud. He had all of both and was still crying with hunger after so I gave him a digestive biscuit to hold. When he'd finished there were little bites all the way around the biccie and he was smiling his little socks off!

I've started to give Morgan some supper before bed, just pear and rice for the moment. He seems really hungry at the moment and I'm hoping it will at least stretch out the time between bottles at night but we shall see.

Day 79

Rough night with the babies again. Morgan isn't himself and has been waking up much earlier for a bottle during the night. Not quite sure what's going on, either its a huge growth spurt or he's coming down with something. Time will tell.

This morning I gave sir some porridge with apple and strawberry puree and he had the entire bowl and had a good go at a mini pancake. He seems to be really getting to grips with finger food now and enjoys feeding himself.

Lunch was chicken with veggies and again he cleared his bowl. Afterwards I gave him some chocolate semolina again and couldn't get it in him fast enough, he seems to have quite a sweet tooth. Really have no idea where he gets that from... For his dinner he had a sunday lunch and ate quite a bit followed by a fruit pot.

We had a quiet day at home today as we were all tired from yesterday so it's been very low key, makes a nice change I have to admit.

Day 78

I knew I'd be wiping up curry for days, today I found spots of it going up the back door and on DD's toy cup saucer. Makes me wonder where I'll notice some tomorrow.

We've all had a lovely and busy day. DH took the babies to the park and I went to our local cafe to drink tea, eat choccie brownies and catch up with my freind. Bliss! It was so nice to talk freely, not have to wipe noses and not have to dash off as one of them is tired or bored.

I gave Morgan half a weetabix for his breakfast this morning and he stuffed the lot in minutes, I'm really enjoying seeing his appetite go from strength to strength. I've found it helps me to have the courage to move him on to the next stage, ie leave his food a bit chunkier, add pasta pieces, etc.

His lunch was chicken pasta bake and again he ate quite a bit. I meant to cook some penne pasta for him to have as finger foods with it but I completely forgot. Next time I will have to remember. I made up some chocolate semolina this morning so heated a bit up for him, it was his first taste of anything chocolately and he went mad for it. I couldn't feed him fast enough as by the time I'd reloaded the spoon he was already open mouthed and straining against the highchair straps to get at it lol.

Little man had salmon, sweet potato and spinach for dinner followed by half a pot of dairy and soya free yogurt. He had well over 2 thirds of dinner and all his pudding so his tummy was very full. In fact it was so full that when he got into the bath later in the evening he threw up a small amount of food. Fortunately he wasn't bothered by it at all and just carried on playing. Wasn't the greatest of experiences wiping puke of his belly with my hand though! Good job I love that little man ;-)

Day 77

After 2 attempts at breakfast, sir finally had porridge with fruit puree. He woke up early and had a bottle then fell asleep so I think the formula had taken the edge off his appetite.

We went to a friends for lunch, it was lovely catching up and seeing the 3 toddlers play. Morgan was watching them play together longingly, it won't be long before he's up and chasing after them, the first year really does whizz by.

While we were there little man had chicken and veggies while sat on his daddys lap. His mission to coat his daddy in chicken went well and I managed to coax some into his mouth too. He was less reluctant to share his pudding, thats my boy lol, so had quite a bit of the banana, apple and strawberry puree.

By 3.30 sir became hysterical, he was extremely tired so I tried to put him down for a nap but that didn't go at all well. DH tried him on a bottle as he had missed the lunch time one but that was spat back out and he only calmed down once he started to eat his dinner of lamb roast. Suddenly he was a happy little boy playing with toys and munching his dinner. He had rice pudding afterwards and did really well with that too. DD managed to take the limelight over dinner. She somehow managed to knock her bowl of lamb curry off the edge of the table by accident and it went everywhere. I was wiping it up from her chair, underside of the table, the door blind, window and even the ceiling, I was deeply impressed and will be finding spots of it for days!

Day 76

What a hideous nights sleep. Little man's appetite has returned with avengence, he was quite unsettled anyway after his dream feed but just 3 hours later woke up screaming. After changing his nappy, cuddles, a few pleading 'shush you'll wake your sister up' whispers, we realised he was starving hungry and he guzzled 180ml in seconds then fell back to sleep. Just as we started to relax he woke up again wanting to play. A few stern 'child it's 3am, behave' comments later it was game over and it was a case of waiting it out. Trouble is DD then woke up and heard Morgan playing and wanted in herself. Kids!!!!!!!

Breakfast (eventually when our sleeping little menace decided to join us) was porridge with some fruit puree. Again he tucked it away no problem then the menace fell asleep again. Made me feel like creeping up on him and screaming "I'm hungry, give me food and do it now" and see how he likes it lol.

Lunch was beef casserole followed by rice pudding. He ate all of both dishes then afterwards refused a bottle so he was certainly a full little man.

We went out for dinner to an italian restaurant as it is DH's birthday. It was really lovely being out as a family, even though DH refused to eat while we were there and instead opted to have her chips, cod goujons and peas from a pizza box in the back of the car. Little man was antsy when we arrived as he was hungry, so he really enjoyed the chicken pasta bake I'd brought with us. He refused pudding, which was fruit puree, though.

Day 75

I still have 2 tearful babies but at least they are eating again. Little man had instant porridge for breakfast and ate the lot in minutes. He really seems to enjoy food and its a pleasure to see. DD was also giving his breakfast the eyeball but when offered some for herself she turned away, was good to see her interested in it though as she hasn't touched porridge since last summer.

Morgan had salmon, sweet potato and spinach for lunch. I'm always shocked at how much he enjoys it as its such a strong flavour. I really need to work on some salmon fishcakes for him as I'm sure he'll enjoy them as a finger food. Pud was a little bit of soya and dairy free yogurt, personally I find the after taste of it puts me off but both my babies seem to really like it.

Dinner time was nothing like the organised and relaxing affair of yesterday, instead I had DD booby trapping the kitchen with her dolly pushchair, train track and tool kit while I was cooking then Morgan decided to scream the place down when presented with chicken and veggies. He ended up sat on my lap while I spoon fed him, trouble was he was very good at grabbing hold of the loaded spoon then smearing it across my white top. All I could focus on was at least he's not crying anymore!!!

Day 74

It's been an easier day today, I really hope it means my babies are on the mend. They're both still a little tearful but not as bad as yesterday and their appetites are picking up again.

Sir demolished half a weetabix this morning for breakfast, I wasn't there at the time as I was allowed a precious lie in, but seeing the highchair afterwards gave me an idea of how much he enjoyed himself being fed by daddy, lol.

Lunch was beef casserole and pear and apple crumble with oat cream. As he was tired, Morgan was easily distracted from eating and after half the casserole he gave up. The crumble was appreciated but he still only had a few spoons of it. I really thought he would want a nap straight after lunch but he got his second wind and was up another hour and a half before giving in to sleep. It did mean he had a good nap for the first time in days though.

I really thought it would all go a bit wrong at dinner time as both babies were hungry and tired, as I was constantly getting up and down to dish up dinners, heat puddings, etc. However I was pleasantly surprised. They both sat happily and ate almost all their dinners. Morgan was happy playing with a highchair toy and munching on fingerfoods and chicken and veg puree,while madam was tucking into her pizza and playing peek a boo with Morgan. Moments like that make my heart burst with pride. Morgans pudding was custard and cooked pears and he ate the entire portion in minutes, I was half surprised he didn't start to cry when it was all gone lol.

Day 73

Tears, snot and tantrums is probably the best way of describing today and it wasn't just the kids lol. It's been one of those days where one of the babies cries and the other joins in. I understand they both feel poorly and are still teething, but it is so frustrating when you manage to calm one down only for the other one to start and once again they are both screaming at you.

Breakfast and lunch were both eventful yet unsuccessful. Each time he had a few spoons of what was on offer then refused any more. We just gave him a bottle both times and it worked, we were just glad his tummy was full and he was happy again.

Morgan ate quite well at dinner time. I gave him salmon, sweet potato and spinach followed by rice pudding and he had about half of each one. It took quite a while and a lot of patience to get it in him as there were regular breaks for hysterics, but we got there in the end.

I can honestly say it was a relief to just put them to bed this eveving. I love them to bits but my ears are ringing and my patience have all but disappeared. It's exhausting looking after 2 poorly children, especially when you're tired and run down yourself :-(