August 2005 Mommies - Working our Way to ONE! We're halfway there!

[Kiley]

What's your favorite time of day with DC? When I visit him at noon. When he sees me his face just lights up and he kicks his legs because he's so excited. Then I pick him up and he grabs my head with both of his chubby hands and gives me a huge,sloppy kiss on my face. I love it!

[shellbell516]

toy - She loves her turtle/frog paci holder and little stuffed cow that moos.
food - sweet potatoes
sleeping position - on her side facing mom's bbs
song - Smelly Cat - we do this when putting lotion on and she just laughs and laughs
lovey - we don't really have one yet
other favs - jumping in her Jump&Go
my fav outfit - I have several that I really like, but I'll choose the white shirt with puple flowers down one side with jeans that have eyelet lace trim on the bottom and belt.
fav time of day - After we get home from daycare and work, we just play for awhile until she gets sleepy.

[leftrightrepeat]

Toy Her Jumparoo and Exersaucer. This allows her to be standing and look all over the place!
Food Hmmmm.. She eats just about everything, but not really into cereal
Sleeping position On her back, in "touchdown" position (arms up on either side of her head)
Song Itsy Bitsy spider for sure.. This one cracks her up every time!
Lovey She doesn't have one..
My Fav Outfit This is a tough one.. She has a bunch of outfits that I think she looks super cute in.. Not that I'm biased at all!! Hee
Fav time of day She has 2, the first which (unfortunately) is first thing in the morning. She always wakes up in SUCH a good mood, smiley.. And second is when I pick her up from "school". She always starts talking, and gives me tons of smiles. LOVE IT!

[snowzilla]

Everything favorites....

What is your DC's favorite toy? For actual "baby" toys, her Fisher Price telephone. Non-baby toys rule in this house though - she'd much rather play with her daddy's watch (she lunges for it when she sees him wearing it)!

food? She's not too keen on the solids - breastmilk is still her fave. :) But she does like her oatmeal.

sleeping position? Lately she's been starting to sleep on her tummy more, and seems to sleep better when she does.

song? Old MacDonald. Had a Farm. Had a Dog. Had a Duck. Had a Headache. Had a Cookie. You name it, she loves that song more than anything else, and we use it to distract her when she's irritated by her carseat straps or having a shirt put on.

lovey? She doesn't really have one, but I wish she did. She hasn't taken to anything that I've given her, and I wonder if a lovey would help her sleep better.

other favorites? Her mom. ;) And remote controls - all of the remote controls in our house have to be kept out of sight or she freaks out until she can play with them.

What's your favorite outfit for DC? I don't think I really have one. I'd say her birthday suit - she looks the cutest in that. :p

[Red'sGirl]

Ugh. I have a cranky baby on my hands! She's slept on me for 6 days, and now isn't too happy to be in a crib for naps (though she slept really well last night). Oh well.

favorites
Toy: Raffi the giraffe and "Doggy" are usually high on the list
Food: She seems to really like peaches and green beans (yuck).
Sleeping position: She likes to be on her side, with a blanket on her head
Song: "The Ants Go Marching" always makes her smile.
Outfit: She has so many that I love. Her red sailor jumper w/ hat from Janie and Jack or her rose colored shirt and pants from janie and jack come to mind.

Time of day?: First thing in the morning, when I walk in and she looks up at me from the crib and smiles. We talk, we read, we eat. And she's totally happy for at least 1 1/2- 2 hours. Then....... well, that's another story. ;)

So, since I have the daycare woes (I mentioned earlier that my daycare is closing tomorrow), I was thinking: maybe I can hire a nanny part-time??
Does anyone have a nanny - full or partime? And if so, what did you have to do to find them and hire them? What are the issues?

[QPDoll]

What is your DC's favorite toy? Elmo video, does that count? Johnny Jump-up and Exercauser

food? Pumpkin with apples

sleeping position? Pete: belly - spread eagle. Nate: on his back or side - feet hanging out through the crib bars.

song? Itsy Bitsy Spider

lovey? taggy blankets

other favorites? the keyboard!

What's your favorite outfit for DC? don't have one at the moment. Perhaps Old Navy baseball "uniform". Gap jeans and various onsies.

[LILRTL]

What is your DC's favorite toy? His Elmo cell phone.

food? BM. :p Solid, though? Organic sweet peas.

sleeping position? haven't tried any but his back!

song? There was a little turtle, whose name was Tiny Tim. ;)


lovey? Notta.

other favorites? Me. :p And playing with the fringe on one of our throw blankets.

What's your favorite outfit for DC? Some new ones I bought from Carter's yesterday. Short-sleeve, shorts, one piece, polo. Cute, cute, cute!

[JillyB]

What is your DC's favorite toy? He loves the yellow Baby Einstein block (the one that "quacks"). That one cracks him up every.single.time. And now that he can pick up the Roll-a-Rolls well, he loves to play with his Drop-n-Roar-Dinosaur. He's *almost* put them in the holes without my help.
food? Everything so far!!! But he seems to really like peas...gross.
sleeping position? He's been rolling onto his stomach lately, and he always seems to roll to the same side of the crib.
song? Frosty the Snowman. :o He really loved it during Christmastime, so I've just kept it up. I'm sure the parents who park beside be during pick-up from daycare just crack up laughing at me (I usually sing it, when putting him in his carseat).
lovey? Nothing right now.
other favorites? Our doggie. When DS hears the dog tags jingling, he gets so excited to see her (especially in the mornings). And Carla, I have a remote control lover too. :p
What's your favorite outfit for DC? Ummmm...I can't think of anything in particular right off the top of my head. Everything, b/c he's so darn cute! :D
Time of Day? Mornings and when I pick him up from "school". He's always ready to hug, kiss, and "talk" then. :)

[MurphysLaw]

What is your DC's favorite toy? Jumperoo...hands down.

food? Sweet Potatoes...aka baby crack

sleeping position? I always put her on her back, be she always rolls on her side towards the bumper and tries to mush her face into it. As a matter of fact, when she sleeps on my or Gino's shoulder, she always sleeps face down. I worry about her smothering herself, but she's only rolled onto her stomach twice and mattress is firm enough that she can't sink her face into it. Crazy kid.:confused:

song? She likes to sing along with Mariah Carey on the radio, and she loves Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera. We were playing on the floor while it was on and she was smiling & giggling. Sometimes she'll catch me whistling it and she likes that too.


lovey? Toss up between Snuggles the Snoedel, Mr. Bear, Lilly the tiger (ALL stuffed animals:D). She loves on Snuggles in the crib...and Mr. Bear AND Lilly in her carseat or in her swing...one arm around each at each of her sides. Carla - I've been putting Snuggles in there with her since she was 2 months, just so there was something familiar every night since she wasn't in with us anymore. She got to where she would FACE Snuggles, then she would reach for it. Now, a lot of times, we'll find her in there holding Snuggles in her sleep and I really honestly think it helps her sleep to cuddle with it. :)

other favorites? She really likes these new DJ toys...one that we got her, and another that a friend got her. And she LOVES the mirror...her new thing is kissing herself. LOL.

What's your favorite outfit for DC? She has the cutest jean jumper dress that she got as a gift at Christmas...it fits her now and I love to pair it with a longsleeved onesie...because it looks like something I would wear(well, if you made it just plain JEANS and not a jumper dress I suppose). :p Now if only I could find her some chunky black shoes. Oh wait, I have some of those for her, she just hasn't grown into them yet, LOL.

Time of the day? First thing in the day and last thing at night. First thing: when she wakes up, she just talks and coos and keeps herself occupied in her crib, talking to her "friends" that are in there, and trying to persuade the mobile to turn on. I very rarely wake up to her crying. When I get in there, she looks like she could burst from excitement seeing me. Last thing: at night when she takes her last bottle. I finally get to just cuddle her while she's eating...she's too interested in moving to be still during the day with me now. :( At night though, she'll let me cuddle her and play with her hair and ears while she eats and stares back at me, drifting off into la-la-land. Definitely the best parts of our(MY) day.

[kindermom]

Favorites
Toy: Ellie the Elephant - (a elephant with rattle legs). Jill - the duck block is the only one she likes. We have multiple yellow blocks at our house.

Food: She loves rice cereal and sweet potatoes

Sleeping position: she likes to be on her side, with a blanket on her head

Song: The ABC song, Hush Little Baby, and - thank you Erin - she likes the tune of John Jacob
Jingleheimer Schmitt with new lyrics just for Madelyn.

Lovey: We have 3 of them that we rotate through the wash. Her favorite (and first) is a white furry and satin
reversible blanket form Carters. We have a cheaper one in green from Target, and we have a striped chennile blanket she loves as well.

Other favorites: She loves the silver remote - the one that actually controls something. Her favorite activity is to be thrown gently in the air. That makes her laugh out loud every time.

Outfit: that's tough...I love her red Gap jammies. and her cargo pants covered in frogs. and her black velvet blazer.

Time of day: I love picking her up from day care when she is so excited to see me and gives me smiles and flaps her arms to get picked up. I also love being with her right before bed time when the family all lies in bed and snuggles.

I have a sick baby on my hands right now. THe poor girl has been coughing all week with some wheezing and now she has her first real diaper rash with diarhea to boot. I love my boss in that I am working from home while she sleeps and I do not have to take a sick day.

[Mickey&B]

What is your DC's favorite toy? Has to be his Whoosit or his bath duck that quacks.
food? I don't think there is anything this kid won't eat, but his favorite has to be strawberry and banana gerber puffs
sleeping position? On his side with his lovey over his face and snuggled up against his lambie
song? Istsy Bitsy spider and down by the river
lovey? He has two one is a silkie blue blankie and the other is a lamb shaped blanket with a lambs head on it

What's your favorite outfit for DC? I love to see him in jeans and big boy shirts. But my favorite is a surf shirt from Janie and Jack
Favorite time of day with DC Has to be the mornings when it's Mommy, Daddy and Aidan time we spend the morning playing and laughing I love hearing him squeal with laugher cracks me up.

[Daniel's Kitty]

Mickey Ben loves his Whoosit too. I found a bunch of different ones online since I wanted to see where to find them if ours wears out soon. It is great.

[Kiley]

What's a Whoosit?

[LeslieR]

What is your DC's favorite toy? gee, I don't know. He likes all the toys we give him-he doesn't seem to have a fave
food? breastmilk!
sleeping position? on his back-haven't tried any other way yet
song? Sweet Caroline
lovey? he doesn't have one
other favorites? remote controls and phones (cordless and cell)
What's your favorite outfit for DC? I like him in his sleepers best-he's so soft and cuddly. If I had to pick "real" clothes-I'd say his Guess overalls. I love little boys in overalls.

[LeslieR]

Oh yeah, Luke has a Whoosit, too. He loves to suck on the nose. It gets so disgusting. blech.

This is the one we have:
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/kazootoys_1890_10578655

[Daniel's Kitty]

Thats the one we have too, the pink rings are so entertaining for Ben. ILs dog thinks it should be her toy so it has had dog slobber and everything on it. It goes through the wash great!

[hiphopgirl]

What is your DC's favorite toy? He's fickle. He likes them all, but only for short periods of time. Maybe he's ADD :p For non-baby toys, he loves remotes and the door stopper.
food? Yo-baby yogurt. It is manna from the heavens as far as he is concerned.
sleeping position? all over the place. He does not lie still. Mostly on his back, but he rolls to his side and on his tummy, and frankly all over the crib
song? Little Star by Madonna. It's "our song". I sang it to him in utero and it still is the best way to calm him down when he's fussy
lovey? He sleeps on a lambskin. He rubs it on his face before he goes to sleep. It is so sweet.
other favorites? biting my nose, and (don't get grossed out here) sucking on my lips. When he gives me a "kiss" on my lips he ends up sucking on them. I can't believe I just admitted that :rolleyes:
What's your favorite outfit for DC? He has a ton of cute outfits. I can't choose. It's easier to name the clothes I don't like.

[L-O-V-E]

photo removed.

[kindermom]

other favorites? biting my nose, and (don't get grossed out here) sucking on my lips. When he gives me a "kiss" on my lips he ends up sucking on them. I can't believe I just admitted that :rolleyes:

Janet - You are not alone on that. It cracks me up when Madelyn tries to french kiss me (for lack of a better description). :eek: She does not know any better!

[Red'sGirl]

Yep. Arrena is a full on french kisser too. I love when she kisses me and her mouth is open so wide that I can still talk. :D

question who is doing an easter basket and what are you putting in it?

[Mickey&B]

LOVE oh my goodness Ethan's lips are so juicy :p

Easter Baskets I have been going back and forth on this. But I did buy plastic easter eggs and I plan on making them into rattles, stuffing them with things like cheerios and gluing them shut they are usually a big hit with kids.

[kindermom]

I already bought her basket! Here is my ideas for the content:

1) Gerber puffs (or something of the like)
2) Teether biscuits
3) Small toy of some sort (maybe for the bath)
4) Sippy cups
5) Small stuffed animal

Considering her basket is small, I think this should cut it. And considering she will not remember any of this...

[EJH]

Evening Moms!!

We have a TOOTH over here. Just poking through a little bit on the bottom. Oh she's growing up too fast. I can't believe she'll be 7 months old next week.

QOTD-- We're doing a basket for her. We have the basket and a little care bear so far. We'll probably add a couple of books...and maybe another toy.

Here's Arden on her first St. Patty's Day...
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e61/GdssLilith/Feb06048.jpg

[L-O-V-E]

Our Easter basket so far has bubbles, a cute shirt from Old Navy, puffs, teething biscuits, Baby Einstein videos, and an Easter bib. Pretty darn similar to Noels'! :)

Thanks Michelle. I can't stop kissing them! DH hates when I do it, though!!

[kindermom]

Wow - I think that has been our toughest night to date. Yesterday the nurse asked if Madelyn "barked like a seal" when I was describing her coughing. When I hesitated, she told me that you would know. So last night she woke up when we transitioned her from the swing to the crib. And she started barking like a seal. Ugh. Have any of you had croup yet?

[LeslieR]

Awww, great pics, ladies! We went to a MOMS Club event yesterday-here's a pic of Luke that one of the ladies took:
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f78/Leslie_J_R/DSC01515.jpg


Poor Madelyn! I hope she feels better soon. Did you try turning on the shower and taking her into the bathroom to hang out in the steam? I seem to remember my mom doing that with us a lot when we were little.


Sal and I decided this morning that Luke's runny/stuffy nose has got to be teething. Nothing we give him dries him up and it's been going on for a week now. There is no way this is a cold. He has the two bottom teeth-are the two top teeth next?

Easter basket-Easter is really late this year isn't it? I've only briefly thought about this. Probably some books, small toys, and an Elmo DVD.

[kindermom]

Leslie - Luke is getting so big! - We hung out in the bathroom twice last night. It definitely seemed to help. We are waiting for the peds office to open to bring her in to urgent care. And from there we will go get a humidifier or vaporizer, depending on what the ped says.

[Mickey&B]

Poor Madelyn hope she feels better soon

My God I hope this teething comes and goes, since he started he is only taking 30 min naps during the day and is getting up more at night. Last night he was up 3X :eek: one of which I am sure the phone ringing woke him up, and usually when he is down for the night NOTHING can wake him up :rolleyes: and he is so clingy it's like it's not good enough to be on my lap he wants to crawl under my skin!

[Red'sGirl]

Michelle Arrena is like that too, right now. I guess it's due to her emerging tooth. She needs to cling to me. She cries if I'm even a few feet away from her. of course, it's also because she just spent 6 days with me in Texas, attached to me 24/7. I knew this would be rough.

kindermom sorry to hear about the croup. yuck. In addition to the hot steamy bathroom, I hear that the reverse is also good - taking her outside into the cool air. Both treatments can help. Let us know what the doctor says - it's good information for us all to have.

Oh, and YAY Arden and her tooth! Great picture.

Luke looks too cute!!

[EJH]

No croup yet here but it's been in her room at daycare so who knows if she'll end up with it.

DP said she's heard that ginger root, grated into crisco, mixed with vicks vaporub rubbed on their chest is supposed to help. Sounds interesting!

Erin

[EJH]

No croup yet here but it's been in her room at daycare so who knows if she'll end up with it.

DP said she's heard that ginger root, grated into crisco, mixed with vicks vaporub rubbed on their chest is supposed to help. Sounds interesting to say the least. Hope Madelyn feels better soon.

Erin

[kindermom]

Thanks ladies for the good wishes. She was definitely better during the day and we are getting in to bad times again. At least the diarhhea and rash are clearing up. It breaks your heart to see your child in so much pain. My heart compeltely goes out just that much more to the parents who have had the illnesses so far.

The doctor said that there is nothing to do other than the steaming and chilly temps. As an FYI, you can use a steamy bathroom/shower for the heat treatment and instead of cold regular air, you can take your child to stand in front of the freezer. I thought that was a great idea. We just need to keep an eye on her breathing. In the mean time she is moaning in her sleep nonstop. Poor girl.

Oh, and my car pretty much went kaput today (only 3 years old). I am not sure why but it is one more thing to deal with!

[cc8]

sitting up unassisted - so DD turns 7 months on Monday! And I got to thinking: is it weird/troubling that she cannot sit up unassisted at this point? She's rolled over a couple of times but other than that, I wonder if she's behind in her motor development (ie she doesn't hold up her own bottle, doesn't roll over frequently, can't sit up, etc).

FWIW, she is a bit on the small side...could that have anything to do with it?

[Red'sGirl]

cc8 I don't think you need to worry. Arrena rolls over pretty easily, but only holds her bottle every now and again. She still doesn't care for sitting up alone. I make her sit up on the floor, and she always leans back against me with her arms on my legs. I just call her a lazy coconut and make her sit back up. At best, she only does it for a few minutes at a time.

[Mickey&B]

[B][cc8/B] Aidan can't sit up on his own unless I sit him up and even then he topples over when he reaches for toys, if I am around he does what Arena does and falls back on me or scootches his butt forward.

[LeslieR]

Same with Luke. He can sit for a while by himself, but I feel safer putting the Boppy around him because he does eventually topple over. He can't get to the sitting position by himself. It's kind of funny, actually. He thinks he can get to it from laying down and does what looks like a crunch. I don't know if he'll ever figure out the right way to do it, but he's on his way to some rock hard abs at this rate.;)

[alex67]

I've been out of town for a week so I'm REALLY far behind in here. We went to Tennessee to visit family. Trenton did ok but didn't sleep well there so neither did DH and I.

Tonight I gave Trenton some juice for the first time, Gerber pear juice. Are other babies drinking juice yet? I want to make sure I'm not starting something too early. TIA.

[Mickey&B]

Alex my dr said I could give juice but it really is unnecessary, she said she would rather me give him the actual fruit verses the juice, especially with those new teeth comming in. My cousin's ped just told her to cut out bottles (baby is 16mos) and juice as well because of the risk of tooth decay. It's just a thought.

[alex67]

Hmm, thanks Michelle. Maybe I'll hold off. He really enjoyed the pear juice but have noticed two runny-ish diapers since. And I never even thought about tooth decay!

[cc8]

What a relief to hear about other babies not sitting up unassisted yet. I'll have to keep my mommy worries in check! :)

[snowzilla]

I've been out of town for a week so I'm REALLY far behind in here. We went to Tennessee to visit family. Trenton did ok but didn't sleep well there so neither did DH and I.

Tonight I gave Trenton some juice for the first time, Gerber pear juice. Are other babies drinking juice yet? I want to make sure I'm not starting something too early. TIA.

Hey Alex - we won't be giving any juice here. Avery will get more benefit from real fruit, as opposed to juice, and it is highly processed and full of sugar which does contribute to tooth decay. Also, at this age, if you are still EBF, baby should still be getting most nutrition from breastmilk, and you would want to make sure that any juice consumption isn't interfering with BM consumption. (ie. if the juice causes him to nurse less, then cut back on it.) Hope that helps! :)

Sitting up - cc8, don't worry about the sitting thing. Avery is just starting to sit unassisted - somedays, she's steady as a rock, other days she topples right over. She just mastered the art of pushing herself into a sitting position from a tummy position, which makes things even more precarious since she doesn't always sit that steadily! I have to watch her like a hawk now.

Today, she made it from one end of the bedroom to the other and out the door into the hallway, in the time it took me to brush my teeth. Guess I'll be using those baby gates a lot sooner than I had planned. :rolleyes:

[EJH]

We're skipping the juice thing here too. Unnecessary calories -- so she'll just drink water and milk when the time comes.

Arden sits up quite well but she does tip over sometimes if she's reaching for something and not thinking about balance. We always put the poppy behind her. Of course she tends to then tip wherever we don't put the boppy :rolleyes: .

She's sick again -- ugh. Just a cold this time but she threw up a few times today. We're debating if it might have just been car sickness and then MIL shoving potatoes down her throat so fast an adult would have choked. Sigh. Of course in the 1 hour we were at the ILs today we learned about the many things we were doing wrong. It's always such a learning experience ;) .

Anyway, we came home and she nursed and then threw up again. Poor bug. I took her upstairs with a bottle of pedialyte and she sucked down 5 ozs and fell asleep. I let her sleep on me for 20 minutes to make sure it stayed down, and it's been a couple of hours and she's been fine in her crib.

We just wish we knew if this was a bug or just the circumstances of the day. One of the cars needs to go in for servicing tomorrow but I'm thinking I may cancel and reschedule, in case DP needs a car to take her to the ped.

Well, sorry for rambling, but I'm awake and doing laundry at 11 at night so this seems like a good way to stay entertained. :D

Erin

[LeslieR]

No juice here either. I figure if he never has it, he won't know what he's missing.

[kindermom]

Nope - No juice here either. I am not sure if we will give it to her at all. My nieces are juice fiends and I do not want Madelyn turning into one as well.

We are now on day 5 of the stomache bug with little sign of it abating. At least she is coming out of the woods with the croup.

[QPDoll]

We occasionally do juice - DH moreso than me. He gives it to Pete as a "treat", well watered down, not straight. They get juice maybe once every two-three weeks. Its pretty rare though. Im not a juice drinker so I don't really think about it. I ususally give them some if they are constipated.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I give Ben juice sometimes, usually it is a little bit of juice with a bunch of water though. He loves it and I don't think anything can get him away from breast milk. I know that when he gets older he will love juice since it is always in our house, I am still a juice fiend. Ben loves water though so I am really going to encourage that love when he gets older so he doesn't wind up being a soda nut.

Sitting up Ben tries to just sit up like Luke and he can get pretty far that way. He loves to sit though and will do it for hours if there are good enough toys.

[Red'sGirl]

Arrena has had watered down prune juice to help with her constipation. But that's it so far. I doubt if we'll be doing juice much if any. It's just another thing to buy, and she doesn't really need it.

[Kiley]

No juice. He loves water so I figure what's the point?

Sitting up - he does and he's good at it. I like putting him in this position because I know when I come back,he'll still be there. If I lie him down, that's another story (he found the cat food this morning :) )

[philnikki]

We give Ava juice now and then (the gerber kind). Mostly for constipation than anything else. She will get formula for the most part until she's a year, then it will be water, juice (the stuff with actual fruit in it like, juicy juice, not all sugery) and milk.

I beleive in letting her do things in moderation, especially reasonable stuff like giving her juice and letting her watch Sesame Street, etc. in hopes that she doesn't become "obsessed" with it later on bc its always been off limits. Anyway -- just my two cents. It could totally backfire though. See me in two years and ask me again ;) lol

Oh and Happy Birthday to Kiley

[JillyB]

Juice - Haven't tried any yet. I bought some of those little Gerber ones, but he's content with just water in his sippy right now. And Nikki, I'm right there with you on the "moderation" thought. That's my plan as well. We'll see how it pans out in the years to come, huh? :)

Another solids question...Are the Stage 2 fruits/veggies that are "named" the same as the Stage 1s the same thing? Just more of the food in bigger containers? Or is there a difference in the consistency? I bought some Stage 2s to gradually throw into our normal mix (Garden Veggies, Sweet Potatoes & Corn, Mac & Cheese, Hawaiian Delight, etc.). I also bought some puffs, wagon wheels, and biter biscuits, but I think I'm going to keep these to put in his Easter basket.

My little man pulled himself up yesterday!!! My parents watched him yesterday (played hooky from "school" to hang with the g-parents), and he's been trying to pull himself up for a little while now. I think I mentioned that he loves playing with his Drop-n-Roar Dinosaur, and that's what he used to pull up on. Where or where has my baby gone?!?! And I must say "Yeah!!!" and clap my hands A LOT around him, b/c now he tries to clap his hands all of the time (especially when you say, "Yeah!!!"). It's sooo cute!!! :D

[Kiley]

Thanks for the birthday wishes, Nikki!

I'm home right now taking care of a sick baby (puking, fever, wheezing (that's the part that scares us)). I'm waiting for DH to get home and we're off to the walk-in clinic. Our ped isn't in until 3pm today and can't see us until 5pm and we don't want to wait.

[philnikki]

Oh Kiley, I am so sorry this is what you have to deal with on your birthday! Hopefully DH can make it up to you when you are better. I KWYM about the wheezing. Its scary as hell. Do you guys give him breathing treatments?

Anyway -- I am sending {{HUGS}} and get well vibes to your family!!!!!

BTW - I just noticed that we are the same age! :p

[Daniel's Kitty]

Post lost earlier.
Happy birthday.
Hope he feels better soon

[hiphopgirl]

Kiley - Happy birthday. Sorry your little one is sick. I hope it isn't anything serious. I'll keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers.

Juice - Nope, haven't given him juice yet. I wasn't sure about it either. I've been reading about it in Super Baby Food, but I discount a lot of what she writes about in there. I just don't think he needs it right now. I'll ask my ped at his next appt. though.

Jilly - I think the consistency is a little different in the stage 1 and stage 2 foods. I think the stage 1 version is more liquidy, but I'm not sure. Congrats on pulling up. What a big boy!

Question - Have you noticed any changes in the way your DC nurses (for those that are nursing). Anders has always been one to pop on and off and it drives me crazy. I never know when he's done (just one more reason I wish my boobs came equipped with a gauge). Lately he has been pushing away from me while still wanting to suck. It kind of hurts because he's stretching out my nipple (sorry for the visual). He'll get himself off and then start to cry until I help him back on again. What is that all about? We go through this about 3-4 times on each side before he's actually done. Could this be because he's getting bottles, and this is how he's taking his bottles? Is there anyway to repair this? I am sad because I used to really love nursing, but now he is squirming so much it is just stressing me out. Why can't he just relax?

[gmooter]

Juice, none here yet. I don't really give any liquids except her formula. The ped never said anything about it so I just haven't.

Question, can we talk about naps once again??? How do you know when DC is ready to drop a nap? We are on 3 naps a day. One in the morning that last about 1.5 hours (between 9am and 10am). Then another afternoon nap around 1:00. That nap only lasts 30-45 minutes and then she takes a 3rd nap at 5pm for another 30 minutes. Will she start sleeping longer for her 2nd nap and then drop the 3rd nap? I know Weisbluth says they tend to drop that 3rd nap at 9 months so does that mean I only have about 8 weeks until that happens?? Just curious what others are doing!!!

Kiley, get well and Happy Birthday wishes!

[Mickey&B]

Lately he has been pushing away from me while still wanting to suck. It kind of hurts because he's stretching out my nipple (sorry for the visual). He'll get himself off and then start to cry until I help him back on again. What is that all about?

I wish I had an answer, cause Aidan does this all the time!!! I always wonder if he wants to nurse or not, but when I take him off he starts to cry :rolleyes: BTW He doesn't get to many bottles and he still does it.

[kindermom]

Update - Madelyn's fever finally broke. Now if only she can shake her intestinal problems. Today Sean was home with her and she would only take about 5 ounces and a few spoonfuls of cereal. She nursed when I got home for about 10 minutes and sacked out. The poor thing is already on teh light side. I hate to think of her loosing weight.

Kiley - Happy Birthday! I am so sorry to hear about Preston. I understand how disconcerting wheezing can be. My poor pediatrician has talked to me just about every day since this past Friday.

Stege 2 foods - I also noticed that Stage 2's have more combination foods. Stage 1 is only one type per jar. When it came to my Stage 1 bananas and my Stage 2 apples and bananas I did not notice a consistency change - just a better deal. :D

Janet - Madelyn used to be a great nurser. Now it is next to impossible not to consistently pop off every few sucks. She was doing the same pulling thig to me tonight! I find that if she is pulling off more than a few times, I will keep her off for a few minutes and then reoffer the breast. After a few times, she will settle down and nurse for a solid 10 plus minutes. Oh - and she gets about 50% of her meals through bottles. That is not how she drinks a bottle for me!

Gretchen - Three naps?!?! Wow, you sure are lucky. We get two hours of sleep during the day max. She will either take one long nap or two short naps. For us there is no schedule yet.

[EJH]

Glad Madelyn's fever broke. Hope she feels completely better soon. Poor baby.

Naps... -- Arden has made her own schedule. Most days (especially non-daycare days), she wants to nap exactly 2 hours after she wakes up. That nap is usually 3 hours, sometimes just 2. She'll take another nap around 2, that one is shortening, used to be a couple of hours but now it's usually just 1 hour. She decided some time ago that 8pm is bedtime, so she drops off for the night at 8 almost every night.

[gmooter]

Thanks for the replies on naps so far, keep them coming!

EJH, that seems like a great nap schedule!! Grace also goes down for the night around 7:30 or 8:00. I wish she would just take a longer afternoon nap and forget the 30 minute cat nap at 5pm!

kindermom, glad to hear the fever broke! Yes, three naps but two of them totally suck and are only like 30 minutes. I wish she's sleep longer in the afternoon because it's getting trickey to get her down at 5pm and I'm afraid one of these days it's going to ruin her bedtime!

[kindermom]

Woo Wee. Last night Madelyn went to bed at about 6:15. She not only woke 4 times to eat (which is great because she has not been eating), when I changed her at 5:15 this morning she did not have a poopy diaper. Could this be the end of her illness? Can I have my nonwhiney baby back?

[EJH]

Gmooter -

Wish we could take credit for her great nap schedule but seriously, she did it herself. She's a funny kid. Daycare days are harder because the room can be so chaotic that she doesn't nap well at all. Then she wants to fall asleep at 5 or 6 which means she will wake up around 4AM, and that's not cool. On the bad daycare nap days (like 2 30-minute naps if we're lucky), we will get home around 6 and she's out cold by 6:30. I hate those days because we don't see her at all.

Arden is 7 months old today. I just cannot believe it. Here's a picture of her from the weekend, with one of her Great Grandma's. They were meeting for the first time. Long story, it's in my journal. :)

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e61/GdssLilith/March06018.jpg

[Kiley]

Update on Preston in LJ.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I hope she is feeling better, that would be great.

Nipple pulling I am so sorry! I know the feeling. I wish Ben would let me help him get back on though! He practices the pinch grasp on me to get it back and pulls it to him. I think I have bruises and stretch marks from it. Ben gets bottles every once in a while though he takes the bottle out and puts it back in since he wants to do it himself. He prefers sippy cups now though and he gets them more often.

Naps Mr catnapper here naps for feedings and that is about it. He hates to be asleep during the day.

[Red'sGirl]

Kiley Happy (Belated) Birthday! I'll be checking LJ on Preston.

Kindermom Glad Madelyn is doing better. That must be such a relief - even with getting up so many times.

Naps Arrena has a pretty good schedule, even with me disrupting it for trips (or today, I have a meeting and with no daycare, she comes with). She wakes up anywhere from 6:30am to 8am (yippee!), and takes a 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour nap around 10:30am, then she's up until 3-ish, when she takes a 30-45 min. nap. Then she's up until 7:30-8pm and she's out for the night. The shedule works well for me, I get a good 2 hours to work during the morning hours.

question: who do we decide when it's time for Stage 2 foods? Arrena has gone through all the Stage 1's and eats nearly a jar of food eat sitting (still only 2 times a day, though I might try to add a 3rd in a bit). So far, she eats everything, though she's still not amazed by applesauce (she liked Mango and Zucchini!)

[hiphopgirl]

Hmm, okay so I'm not the only one who is going through this whole nipple stretching routine. I hope it is just a phase. This is really bumming me out. Oh well, at least last night he managed to be a little better. My little piggy ate TWO containers of fruit last night when he got home. Two whole containers. I'm usually lucky if I can get him to eat 1/2 of one. He must have really been hungry because then he nursed like a champ - only pulling of once or twice instead of the usual bajillion times. Then he fell asleep while nursing. Something he hasn't done in a loooooong time. Can you say food coma? I thought for sure he was going to sttn after all that food, but nope - he was up TWICE last night. Gah! I give up. I think perhaps it was a growth spurt or maybe now that he is active he is actually needing more calories. Day care told me that he was trying to pull himself up on everything yesterday. Perhaps he just burned a lot of calories with all that playing. Today I left him with two jars of food and told them to give him cereal at breakfast and a jar at each meal (usually one jar lasts two meals). I hope it's enough food. I may be feeding him again when he gets home tonight. Little piggy :)

Naps - Anders is down to two naps a day and has been for at least 6 weeks if not longer. I'm lucky if they last an hour each, but usually it is more like 45-50 minutes. I think it is hard for him to nap at day care because of all the activity and all the fun things to do. When I get him to nap at home I take him away from the distractions a few minutes before nap time to calm him down. I know that isn't possible at day care. Of course, yesterday he was a tired boy. One of his naps at day care lasted 90 minutes and then he catnapped in the car on the way home. That hasn't happened in awhile.

Glad Madelyn is feeling better. I hope Preston is better too.

[Mickey&B]

Glad all the babies are on the mend :D

Naps Aidan is not the greatest napper. He usually takes 3 naps a day but I am lucky if they last an hour usually about 30-45 mins. Then he is down for the night around 6 which really sucks cause lately he has been getting up between 4 and 6, this morning he woke at 4 :15 and did not want to go back to sleep until about 7:30 (read poor tired and cranky momma ;) ). I have TRIED AND TRIED to get him to take a late nap or keep him up later but it doesn't work he still wakes up at the same time in the morning so I figure at least he gets an extra hour or two if I put him to bed early.

[QPDoll]

For an Easter outfit, I would love to have the boys in Sailor outfits, but should I get white or blue?

http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/instylekids_1887_92595100 http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/instylekids_1889_100080193

and either white and navy saddle shoes or white patent leather?
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/instylekids_1887_63576536 http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/instylekids_1889_88872113

I figure I wont get to dress them like babies for much longer (usually they are in "big boy" clothes anyway) so I better get in a sailor suit while I can!

[QPDoll]

Naps The boys are usually good about naps, but then there are days like yesterday. LOL

They have two naps a day, unless they get up REALLY early (4-5) and then its occasionally three naps a day.

They take the first nap about 2 hours after they get up. They get up, have some solids, play a little bit then take a bottle and go down for a nap. Its usually an hour to two.
Then they take another nap after lunch, usually around 1 or 2 pm, usually for an hour or two again.

They go down for the night around 6:30 - 7:00.

[jillybean_247]

Tina Where did you find those sailor suits? Too cute! I like the white one.

[snowzilla]

Cute sailor suits! I think I like the blue better.


Naps - What are these "naps" that you speak of? Anybody care to enlighten me? Or more importantly, my robot-daughter? :D

[QPDoll]

one vote for white, one for blue. LMAO

I found them at http://www.infashionkids.com. they have tons of cute stuff, some a little on the high-priced (IMO) end, but some good deals on other things.

[alex67]

Ladies, I just got home from work and Trenton's voice sounds scratchy, like he might be loosing his voice. Should I be concerned? He has no cough, runny nose, sneezing, fever etc., healthy as can be. Maybe he just overworked his voice yesterday? Any thoughts?

Editing to add a few recent pics:
http://static.flickr.com/50/116544443_c4eeb11b5c_m.jpg http://static.flickr.com/52/116554375_7ff071e598_m.jpg http://static.flickr.com/35/116554376_6a9f5a3fe7_m.jpg

More in my journal if interested. Hope everyone is having a good week. Sorry to hear about the sick babies. Hope they all get better soon. I sure hope Trenton's voice is not an indication he is getting sick!

[cc8]

Just popping in quicky. Tina, what adorable outfits. I vote for white :)

[cc8]

alex, sorry to hear about Trenton. For me, when I'm in doubt about anything relating to DD's health I call her ped. During biz hours, I talk to the nurse at the office. Outside of biz hours, I call this "hotline" that my doctor set up. So I am on the conservative side in saying if you are concerned, don't hesitate to call your doc.

[Red'sGirl]

outfits One more vote for white - with the saddle style shoes.

trenton I don't know if it sounds serious, but I would still call the ped. and let them make the determination.

[Mickey&B]

Tina One more vote for white :D

Alex if it were me I would wait it out since he doesn't have any other symptoms. If I saw it was getting worse or if I started to see any other symptoms then I would call but that's just me.

Easter Outfits Tina seeing your pictures reminded me that Aidan has some adorable outfits that my mom brought back from Florida from some Cuban baby store out there, I love the classic latin style baby outfits. I wonder if they fit him yet? They are sort of the same style in linen. Ohh I was checking out Children's place and Janie and Jack on line and they have some really cute big boy outfits decisions. . . .decisions :rolleyes:

[kindermom]

Tina - One more vote for Blue with the saddle shoes. I am voting for blue for practical reasons - how quickly with the white get dirty?

Alex - I would also call the ped. The worst that can happen is that they tell you it is nothing to worry about.

Update - Madelyn is consistently crawling already! She was starting to but now she will see something and both little legs get moving. And now she is lifting her back legs straight up in an effort to stand.

Funny story (sort of) - Last night, in an effort to get her to go to bed, we let her cry a little in the crib. Eventually it turns into all out wailing. So I go into her room and what do I see? She is STANDING at the end of her crib, looking at the door, and screaming for us! No No No. It is too early for this. The scarey part, the side of the crib is down. I guess that is the end of that!

[shellbell516]

Tina - I vote for blue with the saddle shoes.

Here's one shot from our Raleigh area GTG from Saturday night. Kim and Angelina came.
http://images.snapfish.com/346635384%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3238%3E588%3E872%3EWSNRCG %3D32335%3A8647%3B6%3Anu0mrj

[LeslieR]

Tina, I vote for the blue with the saddle shoes. I have a sailor suit for Luke, too, but I can't decide if I want him to wear it for just his Easter pics or for Easter day, too.

[JillyB]

Tina - Those are so cute! I vote for blue with the saddle shoes.

Darrien - A couple of pages back you asked about "when" we're starting the Stage 2 foods...well, our ped said that once we went through all of the Stage 1s a few times (with no probs) to go ahead a start adding the Stage 2s "into the mix". DS loves all of the Stage 1s that we've tried, and we've been through them all a few times already. So, I bought some Stage 2s, but the only thing we've tried so far is creamed spinach (which he loved). HTH! And the spinach did seem to have more of a "texture" to it than the Stage 1 purees. I'm just planning on gradually working our way through the Stage 2s, and I hope we're onto Stage 2s "exclusively" by his 9 month well-visit (so, I can ask the ped what comes next, since this solids feeding stuff is so much more confusing than I EVER thought it would be!!!!). :)

What a cute pic of Michelle, Rachel, Kim, and Angelina!

[alex67]

Thanks ladies. So far I am waiting it out. His voice seems the same today, not better, not worse. I will call the nurses line at his ped's office today though. Like you said, it doesn't hurt anything to call.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I like the blue one with the little blue saddle shoes, especially with a crawling baby maybe two involved. I am already seeing black knees. Although Ben is wearing white for Easter.

[hiphopgirl]

Alex - We went through that about a month ago. It wasn't anything, but if it makes you feel better to call his dr., by all means do so. I hope he's okay.

Tina - Do you want them to match? If you don't care, why not do one in blue and one in white? Just thinking outside the box.

Michelle - That is a great shot of you, Kim, and the girls. Looks like you had fun.

[QPDoll]

dang nabitt..they are out of both now!!! Arg! Back to square one.

[Mickey&B]

Haven't posted pics in awhile so I thought I would drop some off of Aidan doing his new favorite past time. . . . getting under the coffee table and pulling down all the magazines to rip them to shreds :rolleyes:
http://images.snapfish.com/34663%3A899%7Ffp345%3Enu%3D3249%3E979%3E%3A5%3A%3E WSNRCG%3D32335%3A%3A669%3B28nu0mrj

http://images.snapfish.com/34663%3A899%7Ffp344%3Enu%3D3249%3E979%3E%3A5%3A%3E WSNRCG%3D32335%3A%3A66655%3Anu0mrj

ohh and hanging out with his stuffed Halibut from grandpa (big halibut fisherman)
http://images.snapfish.com/34663%3A899%7Ffp344%3Enu%3D3249%3E979%3E%3A5%3A%3E WSNRCG%3D32335%3A%3A664%3A84nu0mrj

[Daniel's Kitty]

Aww, what cute pics!
Would anybody like a little boy? He is really cute as long as he is getting his way. I feel like I am dealing with a newborn. He is on my lap wide awake three hours past his bedtime. I have gotten him to sleep three times. first time they started making loud noises at Fort Carson we think, then he had a wet diaper, then he rolled onto his belly in his sleep and woke up panicking about how he got there. Now I am just trying to nurse him to sleep and he wants to cuddle and play. He is starting to fall asleep.

[kindermom]

So sorry to hear about the sleep woes Kat. Madelyn has tried that act with us as well and it is not fun, especially if you are tired.

[gmooter]

Tina, I was browsing on Baby Gap this morning and they have these in 6-12 month for $26.99
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/349/349046/main/gp349046-00p01v01.jpg

Not sure if it's something you'd be interested in!

Edited to add hat:
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/346/346882/category/gp346882-00viv01.jpg

[kindermom]

Tina - I found another...

From Baby Ultimate (http://www.babyultimate.com/52653.html)
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/babyultimate_1887_36274689

[QPDoll]

Tina, I was browsing on Baby Gap this morning and they have these in 6-12 month for $26.99
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/349/349046/main/gp349046-00p01v01.jpg

Not sure if it's something you'd be interested in!

Edited to add hat:
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/346/346882/category/gp346882-00viv01.jpg

I can't find that on the gap site...do you have a link? I wanted that when it first came into the store, but my store didn't have multiples of it in any size and I never saw it online.

[EJH]

QP Doll --

Not sure what price range you are looking at, especially since you have to buy two! There are a lot of different sailor suits at snipsnsnails.com, ranging in price from $26 all the way up to $100.

Here are a couple of samples...
$26 (it's on sale)
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/snipsandsnails_1887_927366
$37
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/snipsandsnails_1888_5355057

$35
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/snipsandsnails_1891_373254

[jillybean_247]

I'm just started journaling on LJ, and am trying to friend those of you I didn't have on my friend list already.

Alex, Val, Erin, Gretchen, Holly, Kim, Meaghan, Michelle, and Darrien I just friended you all. :D

[QPDoll]

Tina - I found another...

From Baby Ultimate (http://www.babyultimate.com/52653.html)
http://us.st11.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/babyultimate_1887_36274689

Thank you! Thats the one I ended up getting. :) (Cross fingers anyway) The site that I had tried to purchase the origional ones through suggested that one as a replacement, and gave me a good discount since they were out of the one I wanted combo twins discount. They did say it ran a little small so I went with an 18 month as the boys are (sob!) in a 12 month already.

EJH - thank you! I love that site, I see a few things I want to get next payday! Im so bad. LOL

[kindermom]

Tina - I am glad I can help you spend your money! :D

[jordansmom07]

Megan, 25
DH:Kevin
Married:02/21/2004
Baby's name:Jordan
EDD:08/08/2005
Add:08/08/2005
Time of birth:11:59 a.m.
Weight and Length:9 pounds 10 ounces

[QPDoll]

Tina - I am glad I can help you spend your money! :D

My DH isn't! http://www.twinshock.net/forums/images/smilies/lmao.gif

[QPDoll]

Megan, 25
DH:Kevin
Married:02/21/2004
Baby's name:Jordan
EDD:08/08/2005
Add:08/08/2005
Time of birth:11:59 a.m.
Weight and Length:9 pounds 10 ounces

Welcome Megan!

[kindermom]

Welcome to the boards Megan!

[Mickey&B]

Welcome Megan!

[Kiley]

We're back from our three day stay in the hospital. Details in LJ (I'm Kilaar).

[Daniel's Kitty]

Welcome Megan

Kiley I hope every thing is okay

[Red'sGirl]

Welcome Megan! Jordan actually came on his EDD!

[kindermom]

Kiley - welcome home. I hope everything is ok now.

[alex67]

Another warm welcome going out to Megan!

Yesterday I did call the nurse line regarding Trenton's scratchy voice (thanks for the advice ladies!) and they said to just watch it since he had no other symptoms, but to call if it got worse. So this morning I noticed he basically had no voice at all and occasionally sneezed or coughed. I called and got him an appt earlier this morning and it turns out he has seasonal allergies. He is not congested at all, no cold symptoms, no weezing, ears are clear, no fever, so the ruling is just seasonal allergies. We were told to give him a quarter of a teaspoon of Allergy Triaminic every 4-6 hrs as needed.

At least he isn't sick. We have a big day tomorrow at the church and I'm really counting on the nursery to watch him for me. I hope these allergies don't present problems later on.

[LeslieR]

Welcome Megan! This is so weird, but our babies were born on the same day. 08/08 was my EDD as well (I was induced the day before). AND we had Jordan picked out as one of our girl's names!

[kindermom]

Alex - I am glad to hear that Trenton is not too sick although seasonal allergies can be a pain.

[Kiley]

Thanks, guys!

He's doing pretty good but I guess we'll see when we see the DR on Monday. He's not wheezing much anymore and his lungs don't rattle like before. We're hopeful.

His biggest problem now is that he's cutting three new teeth (maybe more). He's drooling and chewing on everything, including me and I am not enjoying that. We've done the frozen washcloth, frozen breastmilk, teethers in the fridge and tylenol. Nothing seems to give him too much relief. Poor kid.

[EJH]

Add Arden to the list of sickies...

Conjunctivitis, double ear infection, cold, and fever. Oh, and tooth #2 trying very hard to come through. She's so congested, she is tired but can't sleep...she's currently playing with her wipes box in her walker. Hey, it's keeping her happy, we'll go with it.

Kiley, I'm sorry DS was in the hospital!!
:( Glad he's home now.

Teething, motrin works well for Arden, and last night at the restaurant she was loving chewing on a straw with ice cold water in it.

Happy Sunday...

Erin

[cc8]

Welcome Megan!

Not sure whether folks are still in the market for spring clothes (for boys or girls), but Macys is having a major, major sale. I went to the mall today after church, planning to go to Baby Gap. I stopped by the baby clothing department at Macys and well, let's just say I wound up not having to go to Baby Gap!

Bought a few dresses for DD and other clothes for her as well. Average price per piece was $17 - not bad, especially since I was trying to avoid paying $45 (or more!) for a dress at Janie & Jack. After the trip to Macy's, I even returned the stuff I had gotten Saturday from The Children's Place.

Potential outfits for DD's first portraits (scheduled for this SAT): Sorry everything is kinda dark. Pics of DD in her new digs are in my LJ

http://images.snapfish.com/346664952%7Ffp343%3Enu%3D3233%3E4%3C3%3E458%3E2324 4%3C3549973ot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/346664952%7Ffp345%3Enu%3D3233%3E4%3C3%3E458%3E2324 4%3C3549975ot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/346664952%7Ffp346%3Enu%3D3242%3E538%3E7%3A7%3EWSNR CG%3D32335%3B44%3B9%3B49nu0mrj

Also got a few casual pieces.
http://images.snapfish.com/346664952%7Ffp346%3Enu%3D3242%3E538%3E7%3A7%3EWSNR CG%3D32335%3B44%3C%3A%3C99nu0mrj

Question
If you took professional portraits of your daughter in a dress, did you put socks and shoes on her? Just socks? Or did she go barefoot? I was going to have her go barefoot, but I was speaking with my mom and she thinks that's a weird idea...

[Mickey&B]

cc8 I don't have a girl but I would go barefoot, although why not take some with and some without? god looking at all those cute dresses sure does make me want to try for a girl (did I actually just write that I must be losing my mind :D )

Erin So sorry Arden has to join the sick group no fun :(

speaking of more babies Has anyone else been getting the question of when do you want another? Geez I swear does no one else see that my baby is still a baby!!! I mean let me get through this first, I mean really I was pregnant longer that he has been alive give me break here people :p

[Daniel's Kitty]

No questions about more. We get more dirty looks that we plan on having another and then we find out from other people that we are being talked about because some people think we may have too many.

[alex67]

QOTD - This may be TMI but after our journeys together through TTC I figure it's not... For those of you who are regularly having romantic relations with your significant others, how do you schedule the time and get in the mood to accomplish that?

I think DH and I are on our way to marital ruin at the rate our romantic (read sex) life is going. (I'm jk but seriously, at some point this has to improve). Any tips? Anyone else struggling with this? No time, no energy, varying schedules, stress.

[Kiley]

Just back from the DR. Preston is doing much better...he's only wheezing a little bit. But, now he has a double ear infection and is getting 5 new teeth, bringing him up to a total of 6!

[Daniel's Kitty]

QOTD We decide we want to and either wait until we have time or make time. We have even give6n Ben a pile of toys so we could have a few minutes to ourselves. With his sleep lately toys are about the only way for us to get a few minutes to ourselves.

[QPDoll]

QOTD - more than likely no more kids. And QOTD #2 - very-very-rarely; maybe once every other month. No energy, "touched out".

[shellbell516]

QOTD - I really have no desire right now. DH is lucky to get it once/month now. That's usually after Rachel goes to sleep for the night. He hinted around a lot this weekend, but I was not in the mood. We just got a new puppy and he's leaving for 3 nights for work.

Training a puppy is much worse than waking up for Rachel.

[LILRTL]

QOTD Children? We want one. Sometime. In the next 3 years. :p

QOTD2 We dtd at least once a week. Zach is guaranteed (most nights) to be asleep between 7 pm and 12am. So, we have ample opportunity. I guess I'm just lucky in that respect!

[kindermom]

QOTD: More Kids? People have been asking me about this for a couple of months! :eek: Huh? She is only 7 months old! It took us about 6 months for me to get pg the first time so we will probably aim to start BD in another year or so. We are aiming for 2 - 2 1/2 years apart.

QOTD: Madelyn is a crappy sleeper now and my libido is about nothing, especially at night when I am too tired to think! BUT we try to DTD about once a week. I may not be into it but I think it is important for the marriage.

My little girl is getting so big! We put her in the nursery at church yesterday and she was moved to the Toddler 1 room (for crawling infants). Sniff Sniff.

[jordansmom07]

CC Name- Jordansmom07
Me: Megan,25
Married: Febuary 21, 2004
Baby's Name: Jordan
EDD: August 25
ADD: August 8
Time of birth: 11:59 a.m.
Weight and Length: 9 pounds 10 ounces
Other children: n/a

[LeslieR]

QOTD 1-no one has asked us yet, but we'll likely try next year-May '07 or so. The timing depends on the selling of our house and buying a new house.

QOTD 2-no interest here. I'd say we're once a month or once every other month also. Luke's in bed early enough, so that's definitely not the problem. I'm just not in the mood.

[cc8]

OMG! Leslie that pic of Luke in your CC avatar is too cute for words!

QOTD 1 – The only people that have asked us about DC #2 are my parents. And I think they were kidding.

QOTD 2 – What a relief to read that the majority of us (at least those who’ve responded so far) are in the same boat we are in. In fact, last night I was feeling a tad queasy and mentioned to DH that maybe my new birth control was causing the nausea (NuvaRing, first time user). DH responded by saying that maybe it’s better for me to be off birth control completely since it might be causing weird side effects and **besides we never have sex anyway**. Nice. He wasn’t being mean, just truthful. Yes, we are tired and unfortunately haven’t made it a priority.

[alex67]

I, too, am relieved that we are not the one ones with a barely existant sex life. Thanks ladies for all your responses. I just feel guilty/worried sometimes that we are not nearly as active as we once were. DH is not complaining so I guess he is just as tired and stressed as I am.

[QPDoll]

We had a fabulous day at the park today! It was warm (maybe 55/60) and sunny with a warm breeze. The rest of the week is suppose to rain so I took the opportunity to get out while we could.

http://pics.livejournal.com/bluegingham/pic/0013c1q4/s320x240

They liked playing in the grass. It must have tickled Nates feet, he was puzzeled by it. Pete dove right in like he does with most things, and tried to eat it, like he does with most things. LOL

[Kiley]

Oh, I can't wait to start playing outside! So much fun! :)

DTD - once a month here too. in our defense, we've been dealing with a lot of sickness (DS, DH and me).

[Red'sGirl]

As always, you ladies are right on topic.

QOTD #1 We would like to have another - maybe TTC this time next year, but no one's really asking

QOTD#2 Ugh. No libido at all. DH hints now and again, but when we tried, oh, like 5 months ago, it hurt and I've balked ever since. I'm tired, and I just don't feel the same. No desire, etc. Plus, now I've regained all the weight I lost with Arrena, and I feel fat and gross.

What can we do about this? Blue pills for women? :)

Oh Kiley 5 teeth?! OMG!!! Hang in there!

[QPDoll]

I don't want a blue pill, I just don't care anymore! My DH is on AD meds too, so neither of us have any drive anymore. Plus the exhaustion for both of us and the ppd on my part just really makes it unappealing. When I have a moment to hit the sheets...its to sleep!

[Daniel's Kitty]

Hi Megan.

Is that real grass? Wow. Though we don't have any in the front yard but some neighbors are starting to get green. I can't wait, Ben loves to be outside.

[philnikki]

A little behind, but I will try and catch up:

more babies - we will have one more. trying again likely this time next year or the year after. Would like 2-3 yrs between my children.

dtd for the longest time, we were once a month, and we have recently upped it to once every two weeks. I also agree its an important part of marriage, and I am trying very hard to get in the mood, but i know where all of your are coming from!!!

A little update on us: Ava is sick again. She was dxed with an upper respitory infection with a flu component. She has the mucous deep in the base of her lungs again, so we have gotten agressive with her breathing treatments in hopes we can get it out of there soon. If it sits too long, it can turn into pneumonia, and then she would have to be admitted again. They told me that they thought about admitting her yesterday, but since she is eating so well still, they thought that keeping her at home is best.

So that is an update on us! Hope all of the other sick little ones get well soon!!!

[Daniel's Kitty]

As I almost post in caps lock. Duh.

I hope your little girl feels better soon!

I need help! I keep looking at strollers! We already have one that we like though, and an umbrella stroller that gets a bunch of use.

[Red'sGirl]

Nikki Ugh. I hope Ava feels better really soon! So sorry.

Not sure if this is what you want, but:
DanielsKitty STEP AWAY FROM THE STROLLERS! You have enough.

Of course, if you don't have enough - disregard the above. :-)

[cc8]

Solids Q
Yesterday, spoke to the nurse at my ped's practice. She told me it was OK to give DD teething biscuts and that we don't need to be worried about avoiding wheat (I did explain that DH and I had eczema as kids; no food allergies; I have hay fever). She reiterated "Wheat is not a problem".

Of course, I was skeptical. When am I not skeptical LOL? Anyway, I spoke to my mom who is a ped. This is what my mom told me - it is a lot more conservative than what the nurse told me:
*Stay on stage 1 with DD
*No wheat or barley till *at least* 1 year
*Run through all the green veggies and also fruits before starting meats
*Before starting stage 2/combo foods, make sure DD has eaten all the "inputs" separately/regularly w/o allergic rxn before offering the combo stage 2

Question: Have you given wheat to your DC? Are you concerned about food allergies at all?

We are going with my mom's advice since it's more conservative. PLUS the nurse had been telling me that DD's irritability over the last 3 weeks was due to teething. WELL, I *still* don't see ANY teeth and yesterday, I took her to the ped. Apparently, DD was so irritable because she had a major ear infection. I was pissed at the nurse... :)

[cc8]

Strollers - We have the Maclarent Techno XT and I love how it's so sturdy yet very compact....

[QPDoll]

Strollers: we have an older (2004 model) Eddie Bauer - hate it, never use it. It’s heavy, big and bulky. We also have a Mclaren...and LOVE IT, love it, love it. Its light, folds easy, its light and it steers like a dream!

Food: we aren’t conservative and haven't had any problems. There are allergies on both sides, and I was allergic to wheat, dairy and citrus (which is in everything!) as a child.

from my LJ:

I decided today to make a list of all the foods the boys have had. I think this is somewhat of the order (by month) IIRC. I didn’t introduce in any specific order, just as I got creative and things came to mind or became available to me.

Rice cereal

Sweet potatoes (love)
Carrots
Apples (love)
Avocado (don’t really like)
Banana (don’t like fresh, only jarred)
Pears (love)
Squash
Prunes

Peaches
Green beans
Peas (don’t like)
Oatmeal (don’t like)
Teething biscuits (love)
Zwieback toast (love)

Blueberries
Broccoli (mixed with carrots and sweet potato)
Kiwi (mixed with mango and banana)
Mango (mixed with kiwi and banana)
Papaya (mixed with banana and avocado)
Apricot (mixed with peaches)
Strawberries/Raspberries/Blackberries
Pumpkin (mixed with apples, cinnamon and vanilla) (LOVE)
Rice cakes (love)
Cheerios (love)
Kix cereal (love)
Wagon-wheels (love)
Fruit puffs
Yogurt
Spinach
Rice

Beyond individual simple fruits and veggies purees
I think these are the combinations I have tried with the boys.

Mango & banana
Avocado & banana
Apple, blueberry, peach
Apple, pear, blueberry & strawberry
Sweet potato, carrot & broccoli
Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
Pumpkin, apples, cinnamon and vanilla
Sweet potato, pear, carrot
Peach, pear, banana
Squash, apples
Carrots with apricots

(New in the past few weeks)
Veggie beef barley soup (Campbell’s)
Easy Mac Mac-n-Cheese
Whole wheat toast
Apple jam (homemade)
Cheddar cheese
American cheese
Cottage cheese
String cheese
Chicken (pureed with sweet potato and pears)
Grapes (peeled and sliced)

ETA: I make all my baby food with the exception of a couple jars that I carry along in the diaper bag. Ped approved all foods, said okay to start at 4 months with the exception of meat to start at 6 months (we started at 8 on meats, no particular reason). She said a lot of the "this first then that" is just hooey.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I haven't worried much about stage one or two. I am pretty okay with DS eating most things. My ILs are the ones that would like me to stop feeding Ben so many different things. Our dr told us that he could have pretty much everything now.

I really don't need another stroller, there are just so many cute ones that look like they would work great. I know we are going to wear out the one I use for walks around the neighborhood and I keep dreaming about what to get next. (head hanging in shame) I may go with a jogger next, though I haven't run in a long time.

[EJH]

AH the great stroller debate.

We have a PP Venezia. It's okay. Don't like it for walks outside etc, just doesn't steer all that well etc. This spring I'd like to get either a jogging or an all terrain stroller, as well as a Maclaren. Of course, we learned on Saturday that our oil tank has a leak and that we have to buy a new one...I'm guessing two new strollers may not be a priority for us. Sigh. :rolleyes: I so wanted to use at least part of the tax return for something fun! Oh well.

Food ...

MIL is obsessed with the teething biscuits. Well, she was two weeks ago. Now she feels like since we didn't put up a huge fight about it they're not something to push. She's only had them a couple of times when MIL has been around.

Arden's food list is still pretty small:

Bananas (favorite)
Avocado (another fave)
Sweet potato
Apples
Pears
Peas
Rice cereal
Cream of wheat
Grits

We make it all too. We'll start running homemade soups through the blender now too for her. Of course, DP has to have time to make her homemade soup first...

Ah, 5pm, time to go rescue the child from Grandma!!

Erin

[Daniel's Kitty]

I love the look of the Venezia but we use the stroller more outside and that one is so expensive.

[BuffaloBlondie]

Trying to catch up....you ladies move so quickly. I can't wait to be off in the summer so I know what is going on. Anywho....
Welcome Megan!! I'm Jennifer, mom to my little guy Brady.

QOTD #1 ~ We are going to start trying June 30th!!! Some days I think that I am so ready. Brady has finally figured out how to sleep all night & I think I have motherhood figured out somewhat! (Don't want to jinx myself) My sister is getting married on June 29 so we are going to start after that. Am I the only one trying so soon??? Anyone with me???

QOTD #2 ~ I guess if we want to ttc in June we will eventually have to meet up!! :confused: I am so glad that you posted this question, Alex67. I feel like the worst wife. I just have no desire and I am always tired.

philnikki~ Poor Ava!! and mommy & daddy:( I hope she gets better quickly.

NEW QOTD ~ Has anyone enrolled their little one in swimming? There is a mommy & me class at the YMCA and I was thinking about signing-up.

Food~ Brady is very behind in the whole food dept. I think it could be my fault. He was doing awesome with the stage 1 veggies & then we started fruits. He would gag and actually throw-up. SO I went back to veggies & now he won't eat any baby food!! I have tried other foods and he is hit or miss. His food choices are a bit strange for a 7 month old- artichoke hearts, asparagus sprears & cauiliflower. I am sorry for the food rambling, but I am so frustrated.

[EJH]

I love the look of the Venezia but we use the stroller more outside and that one is so expensive.

Honestly, not sure it was worth the $$. I love the boot that's attached and everything, and the basket is big and it has served our purposes well. DP has a really bad back (scoliosis). We wanted a stroller that when we're walking she can put a lot of pressure on. We tested them ALL an this was definitely the best for that purpose. Well, except for the Bugaboo, which we discussed at length but decided against in the end.

[jordansmom07]

Hi everyone. My friend is on here and says she loves it so I thought I would give it a try. I have a wonderful 7 month old baby boy. He is very big. Above the 95 percentile. I am married to a great guy who is a computer software engineer for IBM so he gets to work from home which is good and bad because I am a stay at home mommy. I love getting to be with my baby all day. I recently joined a mommy and me group which has been really good for both of us. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you and discussing our August babies.

[LeslieR]

strollers-I like our stroller (Combi Savona-I think it is) just fine except for the fact that I think Luke is too small for it right now. It's like an in between stage or something-too big for the bucket and too little for the stroller. The straps are so long and no matter what I do, I can't get them tight enough around his shoulders and legs. He slumps down and just looks so uncomfortable. It's not as bad if I recline it so that he's laying down, but he's not a big fan of that, of course.

baby food-I've been a real slacker with this. There are many days Luke doesn't get any baby food at all. I'm trying to do better though because he is definitely more into it now. In the past week he has eaten 1 whole jar at a time on two different days! Both of which were meats (new) and made him very constipated. Poor little guy was crying trying to push one out. I felt so bad for him. I didn't want to give him meats until 9 months, but oh well. Yesterday I gave him some YoBaby for the first time and he really liked that.


Jen, I take Luke to swimming lessons on Thursdays. It's only 30 minutes long and pretty $$$ since we aren't members at the Y, but it's fun. They actually teach them skills-practicing how to get out of the pool, jumping in the water, blowing bubbles, stroke movements, splashing. Lots of singing.

Question for my fellow bf'ing moms-anyone dealing with biting??? I feel like I'm all alone here.:( Luke has his two bottom teeth and I think he's working on the top ones next. He bites me at least once every day. I tell him "No biting!" and end the nursing session (if I can), but it doesn't seem to be working. He thinks it's a big game-he smiles and/or laughs at me. I try not to give him a big reaction, but it's hard because those little teeth HURT! Marisa gave me some tips in the bf'ing thread, so I'm going to try those. I just want to know if I'm the only one dealing with this?

[LILRTL]

Question for my fellow bf'ing moms-anyone dealing with biting??? I feel like I'm all alone here.:( Luke has his two bottom teeth and I think he's working on the top ones next. He bites me at least once every day. I tell him "No biting!" and end the nursing session (if I can), but it doesn't seem to be working. He thinks it's a big game-he smiles and/or laughs at me. I try not to give him a big reaction, but it's hard because those little teeth HURT! Marisa gave me some tips in the bf'ing thread, so I'm going to try those. I just want to know if I'm the only one dealing with this?

Yes, yes, yes. And I am so, so, so tempted to end our BFing because of it. It literally brings me to tears - and it is at least once every session (which is every 2.5 hours!). It is killing me. :(

[Kiley]

Leslie, I replied to your LJ post about biting. You are not alone! DH called me a wimp so I told him to stick his nipple in DS's mouth and then talk to me. Preston has one bottom and two top poking through and another bottom and two more top on the way!

My ped said to pull him in when he bites but DS bites harder then and cries. It's supposed to startle them. Didn't work for us, but maybe for you. Once the teeth are through, it seems DS lays off the biting.

[LeslieR]

Oh man, I'm sorry you guys are dealing with this, too. It really sucks.:( For some odd reason, I never dreaded this stage or thought much about possible biting-I mean, people nurse their babes into their toddler years, right? I really didn't think it would be this bad. I just hope we can get past it!

[philnikki]

oh kiley if my DH EVER said anything like that to me, I think I would ask him how he would like to get bit *somewhere else*! Ok, yeah, I went there ;) lol ha ha

I can only imagine what you guys are going through! Ava doesn't even have teeth yet, but she loves to bite the nipple of her bottle and then pull on it while still clamped down. OUCH!!!!

[Red'sGirl]

Arrena has bitten me plenty. I warned DH that when it gets really bad, we are going to rethink this nursing situation.

However, I tried the face smash (when baby bites, you smash the face into the breast so they can't breathe. They should immediately panic and open their mouths to breathe). She let go and, after I did that twice, hasn't really bitten me since. Of course, she has another tooth coming in now, so we'll see.

Arrena's foods:
applesauce (not her favorite)
peaches (loves)
Pears (loves)
mango (loves)
prunes (necessary, but doesn't really "work"
bananas
peas (loves! ugh)
green beans (loves)
zuchini
sweet potatoes
carrots
squash (she's undecided about this one)
avocado (not a favorite)

Still to try: Creamed Spinach

We haven't done any meat yet, we're holding off a few more months. But we've started Stage 2 combinations and she's liking that.

Yo Baby yogurt, did you ask your pediatrician first? I know it's cow's milk - I need to ask, I guess.

[LeslieR]

Okay, I think I'll try the face smash next time!

Darrien, our ped suggested the YoBaby when we were at his 6mo WBV. I was skeptical about trying it so early, but I saw it listed on the chart (http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solids.htm)for 6-8mos at wholesomebabyfood.com so that made me feel better.

[EJH]

Our ped suggested yogurt to me at 6 months (well, 7 since her WBV was delayed because her constant colds). Yogurt and cottage cheese were two that he mentioned. I did tell him that DP's family has a dairy allergy, and he said it's absolutely fine for us to hold of if we'd like, but that she's past the point where we'd be giving her an allergy if we gave her some yogurt.

Hitting the market today to get some new foods for her to try. Think I'll get some peaches and a couple of other fruits to try with her. I'm sure she'll love them.

[JillyB]

*thanking my lucky stars that DS is still teeferless* :) Sorry about all of the biting! Ouchers! Makes me squirm just thinking about it.

[Daniel's Kitty]

yogurt For people that are giving it what kind do you use? There seem to be so many different flavors. I want to find something that he loves in it.

Biting We don't have any teeth that are currently in, but sometimes I think I am his favorite teether. He hasn't been to bad for a few days though. I was taking him off and setting him down someplace for a few minutes.

I have to brag a little. I am so happy. I have been trying to put Ben to sleep awake. Last night he fell asleep before he made it to his crib (oh well) but he slept in his crib from 8:30 until 8:00 That has never happened and after the last few weeks I am so happy. Mommy is feeling a little better from her cold and I think Ben is starting to feel a little better. I can't believe he slept that much!!! I am so happy!

[kindermom]

So sorry to hear that some of our little ones are still sick. :(

Biting - Not here - I am glad that Madelyn is still toothless too! Although she has been sucking so hard and for so long, it hurts none the less!

So she is still not eating much from us right now. Yesterday she had a whopping 5 ounces of formula and nursed 4 times (but did not have much each time). It looks like she is losing weight through this whole ordea. Ugh. (oh, but she will inhale rice cereal and applesauce if we offer those to her :o )

Madeyn's Foods
Cereal
Rice (loves)
Oatmeal (tolerates)

Fruits
applesauce (a favorite)
pears (a favorite)
bananas (will only eat them from my MIL)
peaches (gagged on/hates)

Vegetables
sweet potatoes (a favorite)
eggplant (boiled and mashed; a favorite)
avocado (a favorite)
green beans (tolerates)
carrots (tolerates)
peas (hates)
squash (dislikes)

I also gave her egg yolk 2 times because it was on the list my pediatrician gave us. Then when we spoke to her, she told us no egg until after 1 year. That was too bad becasue she really liked it.

[shellbell516]

biting - Rachel has only done it once so far and it was after she was about done nursing. I think she was playing, so I ending that session. She loves to bite on the spoon eat time I feed her solids though.

foods - I just don't have time to make my own, so we've only done the organic jarred stuff.

oatmeal cereal (loves)

Stage 1
sweet peas (Stage 1 and frozen peas - not together)
green beans
sweet potatoes (loves)
apples
bananas (doesn't like jarred, but will eat fresh)
peaches (doesn't like too much)

Stage 2
banana, oatmeal and peach
pear and wild blueberry
apple, mango, kiwi
apple sweet potato (loves)
butternut squash and corn
green beans & potatoes (loves)
pasta primavera
spinach lasagna

biter bisquits (loves)

We also gave her an orange slice while we were at Cracker Barrel. She loved it. I know citrus shouldn't come until later, but she liked it.

She also likes sipping on our pepsi or sweet tea. Bad I know.

[hiphopgirl]

Wow, you all are much better at remembering what foods you've given your kids than I am. We have tried a bunch of different things - all jar food with the exception of mashed bananas, avocados, and potatoes. I just do not have the time on the weekends (or rather I choose not to spend the time that I have doing that). He has loved everything so far except green beans. He also didn't like thawed avocado, but he liked it fresh. That stuff goes bad within minutes, though, so I won't be giving that to him again anytime soon.

I tried egg yolks, but I did it scrambled and the texture was too hard for him. Should I be hard boiling and then just peeling the white away? I think I'll try that next.

He just had meat for the first time yesterday. I gave him the stage 3. I don't really get what the difference is. I am so bad about not following any pattern whatsoever. If I see a type of food he hasn't tried yet I'll buy it regardless of the number on the container.

biting - sorry you ladies are going through this. I can only imagine how painful this is. One reason I'm glad we are still toothless. If I hear that he is teething one more time I'm gonna lose it. We've been hearing this from his day care teacher for the last 2-3 months. I'm not sure if she realizes that she sounds like a broken record yet.

QOTD #1 - I would like to wait until he's 2.5 to 3 yrs old before we have another. I've had several freakouts and have already burned through one box of tests. I never thought I would wish for AF to come back, but at least then I could stop freaking out.

QOTD #2 - My DH has been bugging as well. Pre-baby we were pretty faithful 2 times/week, but post-baby there is no pattern at all. I think we've been known to go a whole month. I am just so darn tired all the time.

[cc8]

Foods
We have tried rice cereal, squash, carrots, peas, banannas, peaches. DD loves everything so far except the peaches. We plan to run through all the green veggies and also all the fruits before introducing meats.

Car Seat Question #1 (I am sorry if this has been asked before):

Alexis is 27 inches (70 percentile) and she weighs 16lbs, 1 oz (40 percentile). According to the Babies R US web site, for the Graco Snugride there's a size limit of: 26 inches and 20lbs. I will recheck the Graco manual when I get home.

Alexis has reached the height limit but not the weight limit - are we supposed to switch her?

The Britax Marathon (which we have)is good for babies/kids 5lbs to 33 lbs rear facing, so technically Alexis would "qualify" for this seat but I have read that it's good to keep infants in infant seats if they still meet the specifications because of the way infant seats cradle the spine.

Car Seat Question #2
Right now, DH and I both have a Graco SnugRide base in our car because we both drive DD around. When it comes time to put DD in her Britax do you think we can make do with 1 or do we have to get another one? What do you guys do - do you have a car seat for your DC in both your car and your husband's car?

[Kiley]

Foods
Rice (didn't like plain)
Oatmeal (didn't like plain)
Apples
Bananas
Pears (loved)
Sweet Potatoes (liked)
Acorn Squash
Butternut Squash
Peas (liked)
Avocado (liked)
Carrots
Puffs (Sweet potato and cherry)
Frozen bagel (liked)

[Kiley]

Carseat - as long as there is at least one inch of the carseat above her head, it should be safe. Generally, whatever limit she hits first is when you make the switch but if her height is in her legs, she'd be okay for a bit yet.

We just have one Marathon but that's because I do all the drop-off/pickups from daycare. When just DH has him, he takes my car or when we all go together we take my car. It hasn't been too big a problem for us. Would two carseats be nice? Sure, but I think it's unneccesary.

[EJH]

Add peaches to Arden's food repetoire. I mashed one up for her tonight and boy was it just the greatest thing to her. She LOVED it. Good times.

CC8--

I think when they hit one or the other of the limits you're supposed to move them. We moved Arden into her Marathon at 2 months. The child DESPISED her snugride and would scream bloody murder until we'd stop the car and take her out. A battle she always won because eventually, the car WOULD stop when we got home and she'd get out and 'win'. Apparently she felt too confined because we moved her to the Marathon and she's been happy ever since.

We only have one carseat. Technically, I was supposed to do drop off and DP was to do pick up. She'd switched her schedule to 8 to 4. Then I'd go meet them at the choc. factory (IL's, next to the daycare) and bring Arden home. Lately though she's been running late so I just get Arden and bring her home. It can definitely be a pain sometimes, I'm on a Board and encourage extra meetings to be on Monday when DP is home with DD anyway, so I don't have to worry about pickup. In general, it's be doable with 1 though.

Oh, QOTD #1: The original plan was for me to carry the next babe in 3 or 4 years. However, I'm so head over heels for Arden I just have no desire to have another one. And I honestly don't think that will change. I have a feeling she'll end up being an only child. Never say never, but that's what my gut tells me.

Erin

[Red'sGirl]

kindermom It was my understanding that babies can't have any egg white for teh first year, but egg yolk is fine now. Maybe you should ask your ped. again, just to be sure that she heard you correctly. If her answer is still no, I'd like to know why.

And I guess I'll be trying Yo Baby yogurt soon.

[jordansmom07]

Jordan was biting me off and on. He has his two bottom. I would sternly say no and take my breast away. I figured out he only does it when his teeth hurt. If he is having teething symtoms I put orajel in his mouth before feeding him so he won't use me as his teether and it seems to work. Good luck!

[kindermom]

kindermom It was my understanding that babies can't have any egg white for teh first year, but egg yolk is fine now. Maybe you should ask your ped. again, just to be sure that she heard you correctly. If her answer is still no, I'd like to know why.

That is what my understanding was as well. I am not sure why she said no egg at all, especially considering she is the one who suggested cereal at 4 months which is also against AAP. She also said to wait until 8 or so months to start finger foods like veggie puffs and Cheerios. Maybe it is something specific to my toothless wonder?

[JillyB]

Food - Y'all are so good about "knowing" what foods you've tried. I have no idea. :o We have been through all of the Stage 1s (that my local grocery store and Target carry, but I'm thinking some other places carry more than here, based on y'alls lists), and we recently started adding some Stage 2s into the mix. Last night, I gave him Mac & Cheese (Stage 2) for the first time, and he LOVED it!!! It was funny. He's liked everything that we've tried so far (yes, I have a Hungry, Hungry Hippo). Anyone else's baby stick their fingers into their mouth after every single bite of food? DS has recently started doing this. I always say that his fingers are his "chaser". :)

Carseat - We went ahead and bought 2 Marathons, b/c we had been sharing drop-off/pick-up duties. But since we "upgraded" to the Marathon, I've done ALL of the drop-offs/pick-ups from daycare. DH has been really busy with work, and he needs to get his Marathon inspected before re-assuming this drop-off duties. But for us, I think having 2 (one for each car) will fit our situation best.

Today is Landen's Easter pics with the live baby ducks! I hope it goes well for us, and he doesn't try to bop them on the head (like he does our dog)!

[LeslieR]

carseat, we have two Marathons. I'm sure we could have gotten by with just one car seat, but having one in each car is just a lot easier.

[leftrightrepeat]

carseat: We have 2 carseats, one in each car. This is b/c Chris does drop off, and I do pick up. But also it makes it easier so that we don't have to think about which car has the seat in it, etc. We have one Marathon, and one Graco ComfortSport. I have no complaints about either of them (yet).

[Kiley]

I'm in search of a cute little boy outfit. Preferably something that isn't too busy because I'd like to use it in pictures. Can anyone help?

[QPDoll]

Kiley: what price range and what do you consider cute? baby-ish, toddler-looking, style...

carseats: we have two (duh) marathons for our Durango (family vehicle) and two cheepo carseats for the Jeep.

[QPDoll]

couple of recent pics:

tubby-time! (are they looking more alike?)

http://tinaandtravis.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=8220&g2_serialNumber=2

at the park with dada...and dada being funny by putting them both in one swing:

http://tinaandtravis.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=8059&g2_serialNumber=2

on the slide with dada - Nate "hey, I have a paci too!"

http://tinaandtravis.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=8113&g2_serialNumber=2

the boys in their marathons:

http://tinaandtravis.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=8155&g2_serialNumber=2

Pete trying to crawl: (ignore the mess, I was folding laundry)

http://tinaandtravis.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=8474&g2_serialNumber=2

[Daniel's Kitty]

We have one car seat, but it would take Daniel an hour or two to make room in his car for it anyway. His car has all of his work stuff in it so there is a ladder and tons of tools in there with him. Two just didn't make sense though if Daniel doesn't calm down we will need a second one.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I can't wait until we can go to the park! It has been way to windy, or too cold depending on the day

[QPDoll]

I can't wait until we can go to the park! It has been way to windy, or too cold depending on the day

When does it warm up where you are? Its been in the mid to high 50's, low 60's here. When the sun is out though, its been quite warm feeling. I have been bringing them to the park since late January/early February, but always pretty bundled up. The other day when we were there, there were kids in shorts and tank-tops! People, its not THAT warm! LOL Our major weather buster here, is of course, rain! Its suppose to rain all week, but so far, the afternoons have cleared up for a little while. I hate taking the boys out in the rain, getting the rain bonnet on the stroller is a PITA, and one of them usually ends up with a wet tush. I usually stay home on wet days, but being that this is Washington state in spring, it seems like its always raining! I love that park we go to though: two kiddy swings (most parks only have one it seems like) and lots of big kids for the boys to watch, and its on the waterfront with an awesome view of the Olympic Mountain range.

[shellbell516]

Tina - your boys are so cute! I love how you take them to the park so much. I'm sad to say that we haven't done that yet. Maybe that should be our goal this weekend. We're supposed to have temps in the 70's!

[QPDoll]

We have only been a handful of times, but I always carry my camera with me. LOL They get bored sitting at home playing with the same toys, they seem to do better when we get out of the house at least a couple of times a week - if not every day. And they (and me) get bored with the mall and get restless at being strapped into the stroller all the time. Thus, the park! I don't know what else to do with them really. Most things seem to take one parent for each child and that counts us out! Or is too old for 8 month olds/non-walkers.

[Kiley]

Tina,
Price ~ $50 (or cheaper)
Style - I used to like him in baby clothes but now I'm liking him in more toddler style so either. I love a long sleeve onesie for everyday.
Size - 12-18mo
Other...well, I love him in blue to bring out his eyes but really, I'm not picky.

[Daniel's Kitty]

It keeps being warm enough but with 30 (well usually 20) mile an hour winds. Such is Spring in Colorado. We may try it today since mr whiney needs to get outside.

[hiphopgirl]

Tina - I love the pics. Your boys are so handsome. I took Anders to the park for the first time last weekend and put him in the swing. You've inspired me to post the pictures (just as soon as I upload them)

Carseats - My ped made me switch seats as soon as he was too tall for the seat. We just have the one Britax Boulevard because I normally do both drop-off and pick-up. If Jack does it we just switch cars. I don't like the idea of Anders riding in his car because it is a 2-seater convertible. They make a carseat for his car, but I'm just being hyper-sensitive.

[EJH]

Kiley...

Not sure exactly what you are looking for, but I thought this would make his blue eyes stand out...

$44 from babystyle, they have it in a 12 month size.
http://www.babystyle.com/images/product/19139_MID_t2.jpg

or this shirt is cute from baby gap ($19), pair it with some khakis maybe?

http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/340/340641/main/gp340641-01p01v01.jpg

sweater vest .. baby gap $16.99

http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/340/340773/category/gp340773-00viv01.jpg

pretty sweater ..baby gap $29

http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/340/340775/category/gp340775-00viv01.jpg

They also have some cute seersucker overalls there...

Just some ideas.

Erin

[Kiley]

Ohh, I forgot about babystyle! Thanks, Erin!

[JillyB]

Pics with the baby ducks didn't go as well as I had hoped. :rolleyes: Landen wanted no part of the ducks...actually, I think it was more the room that they had the "settings" for the pics in. It was kind-of dark, and I don't think he liked it. Oh well! When we would go in the other room to view the pics on the computer, he would stop crying and start smiling & laughing. Little booger. So, no smiles in any of the pics, but some of them were still cute...and of course, I'm going to have to order one of the ones where he's *really* crying. ;) And Kiley, Landen wore this outfit today:
http://slimages.macys.com/is/image/MCY/products/9/optimized/215069_fpx.tif?bgc=255,255,255&wid=273&qlt=90,0&layer=comp&op_sharpen=0&resMode=bicub&op_usm=0.7,1.0,0.5,0&fmt=jpeg
Our Kaufmann's (soon to be Macy's) is having a sale on their Polo stuff (and other baby clothes too), and I think I got that for less than $40 (I found that pic on the Macy's website, and it's listed for $41 - I think I got a *little* better deal than that at the store). We did no socks or shoes, and they had him sitting on a little wooden dock, with flowers/greenery all around it, and the ducks in a little pond in front of the dock (and they put a couple of the ducks up on the dock beside him). He looked REALLY cute...even though he wanted no part of any pics today and wouldn't smile. We were going for a "Springy" look without being "full on" Easter.

Tina - Your little guys are soooo cute! I, too, cannot wait to take Landen to the park for the first time...I wanted to not come back to work today and take him to the park this afternoon...it's in the 70s here today and b-e-a-uuuu-ti-ful! On a related note...Is anyone planning on buying a swingset this year? We looked at a little set at Toys 'R Us this past weekend that we might buy. It was just a little swing and slide.

[namrodda]

Hi girls! Remember me?! Long lost over-travelled, so sick of moving and unpacking boxes, fellow August mommy! Geez its been a while...I can't even begin to catch up so I'll just jump in...

We're all settled in Charleston, loving the weather (72 today) sunny almost all of the time...we'll pay for it come summer. There are a handful of boxes left to be unpacked and basically just the office