Always read the instructions...

You'd think that sterilising a baby's bottle would be simple, wouldn't you? Well, you'd be (mostly) right. Unless of course you're me, a bit sleepy, and don't remember the instructions from the packaging properly.

A while ago we bought a self-sterilising bottle because we figured it'd be handy if we didn't have the full-on sterilising palaver with us at some point while we were away somewhere. Great idea, and having read the instructions carefully I sterilised the thing and then threw away the directions. Which was mistake 1.

Mistake 2 was not using the bottle for ages, and then deciding to sterilise it again without the benefit of:
a) a clear, unfettered mental state provided by adequate sleep
b) a good memory of what the instructions said
c) the use of any common sense whatsoever.

So after abaout 45 seconds in the microwave with the lid securely fastened and the requisite amount of water in the bottle, it began to make an odd hissing noise. Being curious, I stopped the microwave and opened the door to check on it - which was mistake number 3.

Lets just say that steam is a very effective explosive and propulsive force when applied to a plastic baby bottle. No serious harm to me or the microwave, but my glasses are a bit worse for wear, having collided with the bottle as it exited the microwave at approximately warp factor 9.

That'll teach me.

On being a greedy little toad

Well, we've finally had to give in and have a go at a formula feed at night. We decided to give it a go because it seemed that his regular feeds weren't keeping him full for long enough, hence the middle-of-the-night waking. So we've started doing a formula feed last thing (one of the thicker formulas, so it'll stay in there longer) and it seems to be making him a bit happier. He doesn't like the taste when he first gets it, but being a greedy little toad it doesn't actually stop him from taking all of it! He's so keen he's even started holding the bottle on his own, to make sure no-one takes it off him...

Mohawks are still cool, right?

We took this picture after his bath the other night, because his hair is just so mental... He's rubbed it short all round the sides, but still has this long mohawk on top. And to think, some people have to pay to look like this!

Mothers Day stuff

So we had our first Mothers Day on Sunday, which meant that Rach got her first sleep-in since Ollie was born! We'd been out to a comedy show on the Saturday night (Stephen K Amos - very funny) and I'd remembered to take some extra milk out of the freezer, so when Ollie woke on Sunday morning I was able to get up, heat a bottle and give him his breakfast while Rach stayed asleep.

The little bugger then chose to be really good all morning for his Daddy - happy, smiling and playing, and then going to bed like a lamb and going straight to sleep for hours on end! I say "little bugger" because he chose to do that for Daddy when he'd been giving his Mummy all kinds of crap all week...

Once again, he's proved himself to be the cheeky little sod we should have expected with a Dad like he's got...

A new friend

Yesterday Rach and Ollie went to visit a friend of Rach's at school, and Ollie was given a lovely soft new friend - who he was more than happy to fall asleep in his carseat with. The new friend is yet to be named, but if it works like this all the time we'll never go anywhere without it!

Update (14 May): The new friend now has a name - he is "Dazza Dog". He's very cuddly and likes sleeping on the top of the couch.

Murphy's Law strikes again

Well, it figures, really. Having said that we think he's getting better with the sleeping in the day, yesterday was another day of short sleeps and an unsettled Ollie. Serves us right for speaking too soon, eh?

Bugger.

A return to (sort of) normality

Well, it looks like perhaps the Losec might be doing the job at last. After a fair bit of not sleeping much during the day, we had a good day yesterday with sleeps of up to 2 hours at a time. We'll see how long that lasts, but fingers crossed! We're still doing the 5am wake-for-a-snack thing, but by that time he's already had about 10 hours of solid sleep so we're pretty happy with that.

Aside from sleeping, there's a fair bit of mess going on with the bodily functions - this morning while chilling in bed with Paul (Rach was getting ready to feed), Ollie managed to puke all over his daddy's chest and neck (yuk!), then while being fed had a big brown (well, yellow) escapee out the top of his nappy, followed by a quick wee on mummy while she was changing him... So once again he's managed the trifecta in pretty quick order! Of course, he thinks it's all completely hilarious and a great joke. So he's definitely a proper boy - bodily functions being a staple of bloke humour and all...

Oh yeah, and yesterday was 4 months since Ollie was born - a bit of a milestone which seems to have come up incredibly quickly. It really doesn't seem like it was that long ago that we first met him, and it's really hard to remember what it was like without him. Being parents is great!

The technical revolution continues...

First blogging, and now YouTube has been conquered as well! Here's the first video we've been able to load up, which is Ollie a few weeks ago after a bath. He loves being wrapped up in a nice warm towel, and was all smiles and laughter. Great fun - if only it was always like that!

I'm bored with words. Give me pictures!

Here's a few pics of our little guy over the past few weeks...

Reflux and things that go scratch in the night

Well, we've discovered why the little fella hasn't been too happy about sleeping or lying down at times - last week he was diagnosed with reflux. Basically it means that when he pukes, he's bringing up acid that over time burns the oesophagus - and that kinda hurts. So now we've got him on some medication (which he hates the taste of) to sort out the acid, and it seems to be calming him down a lot.

Bit of a sleepless night last night - aside from Ollie waking around 4 and deciding he needed something to eat, we also had a little visitor make itself known. Shadow, the big dork, had brought in a mouse yesterday and lost it while playing with it in the lounge. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, you see... Anyway, the mouse had migrated to our bedroom at some point, and woke us around 1am by running up and down the windowsill in our bedroom trying to get out to the great outdoors. You'd think mice would be quiet, but you'd be wrong. After a comedic series of attempts to catch it, involving underpants and socks, the beast was eventually captured and returned to the wild. Over the fence, at speed.

Aside from the reflux stuff, all seems to be going well. Ollie's getting pretty good at sitting up relatively unsupported, and is definitely a pretty happy baby. We think he's starting to get his first teeth too, as he's dribbling a bit and gnawing on his fist at every opportunity. Unfortunately, that includes when he chucks - so he ends up with it all over his hands and face etc... But hey, what are washing machines for!