July 2005 Mommies - We are one!

[July05Mommies]

Welcome all mothers who had their babies in July 2005!!!

If you had your baby in July of 2005 please feel free to join us. Even if you were not previously an active member, please join now – we love making new friends!

Because not everyone is still active on CC and not everyone wants their pictures posted, etc. we are asking that you re-post your information in the following form:

CC Name
Me: Name, Age
Married: Date
Baby’s Name
Baby’s Birth Date
Time of Birth
Weight
Length
Other Children’s Name, Age


Don’t forget to post any requests for a change in roster info in red to make it easier for the thread moderators to see. Thanks!

Your thread moderators are:
docoNY & NYN
**If you would like to help us maintain this thread, please email us through our individual profiles (not through the July05Mommies email address since we don’t check it too often). We are always looking for new moderators to help us so please let us know.**

Links to our old threads):
The first year – Part I (http://http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=1095)
First Trimester (http:// http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3931939�)
Second Trimester (http:// http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?messageID=4125651�)
Third Trimester (http:// http://boards.weddingchannel.com/thread.jspa?threadID=489635&tstart=0)

[July05Mommies]

JULY 2005 MOMMIES – Member List (by username)

Char473
DH: E
Married 3-7-04
Sydney
7-08-05
8lbs
21 inches
Big Sister: Shelby 7-22-94

DanaLynn
Me: Dana, 36
Married: 8/3/02
Emma Jaidyn
7/21/05
Time of Birth: 9:31 am
7 lbs. 7oz.
20"
Big Brother: Hayden, 2 (1/21/04)

December27JJB
Me: Jessica
DH: Josh
Married: 12/27/03
Parker
6/13/05
5:53 am
6 lbs 6.2 oz 19 in

dizylizy
Me: Liz, 31
DH: Pete, 31
Married: 11/8/03
Harrison Raymond (Harry)
7/1/2005
5:30am
7lbs,15oz
21 inches

elnelson
Me: Erika, 32
Married: 6/14/2003
Andrew Axel
7/27/2005
1:31PM
6lbs 14oz
18.5 inches

Heatherlynne
Me: Heather, 28
DH: Mark, 33
Sarah Liberty
7/3/05
7 lbs., 3 oz.
21 in

jki
Me: Jen, 33
DH: Ham, 33
Married: 7/5/02
Cassidy Anne
7/9/05
8 lbs., 8 oz.
21 in
Big Brother: Jackson James

Jodi AKA Boston Teacher
Me: Jodi, 32
Married: 7.12.03
Camden
7.23.05
9lbs 2oz
21"

Jp'swife
Jill, 28 yrs old (as of March 28th...close enough!)
Married: October 11, 2002
Alexander Joseph
August 7, 2005
6:22 a.m.
8lbs, 2oz
22 inches

Kasia216
Me: 35
Married: 9/21/002
Jackson Karol
07/22/2005
6:03PM
8lbs 1 oz
21 3/4 inches

kmack
Me: Kara, 35
Married: 9.14.02
Ava Aileen
7.21.05
4:10 am
8lbs 15oz
21 inches

lil_nance
Me: Nancy, 36
DH: David, 33
Married: 10/12/02
TTC: 5/01/04
Connor Ryan
7/15/05

maggieb
Me: Maggie, 34
Married: 11/2/02
Marisa Carmen
7/8/05
2:55PM
8lbs 3 oz
20.5 in
Big sister: Helena Elizabeth 12/2/03

Montaukbea
Me: Deirdre, 29
DH: R, 30
Married: October 5, 2002
Jameson
July 28, 2005
8:00 PM
9 lbs.
21 1/2 inches

Msmarie B
Me: marie, 30
Married: 11/02/002
Lexington Thomas (Lex)
07/09/2005
10:45
6 lbs 11 oz
20 inches

myshel
Me: Shel, 29
DH: C, 27
Married: 6/6/03
Luka Alonso
7/21/05
8:17 PM
7lbs 15 oz
19.5 in

Nanner
Me: Age 36
Married: March 27, 2004
Sam
6/23/05
6:30 pm
6 lbs. 8 oz.
21 inches

newyorkgirl
Me: Erika, 31
Married: 7/20/02
Bennett Lawrence
7/9/05
11:20 am (I think?)
6 lbs, 10 oz
19.5 in

NYN
Me: Teba, 28
Married: 5.26.02
Catalina Michelle (Catie)
7.22.05
11:12am
8lbs 5.5oz
20.5 inches

PaulsGirl
Age: 34
Married: 10/26/2002
Ava
7/26/05
4:03am
7 lbs, 14.4 oz
20.5 inches

Tray85
Me: Tracie, 34
DH: Bill, 34
Married: 6/21/03
Katie
7/21/05
5:55pm
9lb 3oz
21 inches

[July05Mommies]

List of Babies (by birthday)

June 13
Parker
Mama: December27JJB

June 23
Sam
Mama: Nanner

July 1
Harrison Raymond
Mama: dizylizy

July 3
Sarah Liberty
Mama: Heatherlynne

July 8
Marisa Carmen
Mama: maggieb

Sydney
Mama: Char473

July 9
Bennett Lawrence
Mama: newyorkgirl

Cassidy Anne
Mama: jki

Lexington Thomas (Lex)
Mama: MsMarie B

July 15
Connor Ryan
Mama: lil_nance

July 21
Ava Aileen
Mama: kmack

Luka Alonso
Mama: myshel

Katie
Mama: Tray85

Emma Jaidyn
Mama: DanaLynn

July 22
Catalina Michelle (Catie)
Mama: NYN

Jackson Karol
Mama: Kasia216

July 23
Camden
Mama: Jodi aka BostonTeacher

July 26
Ava
Mama: PaulsGirl

July 27
Andrew Axel
Mama: elnelson

July 28
Jameson
Mama: Montaukbea

August 7
Alexander Joseph
Mama: Jp'swife

[July05Mommies]

List of Baby/Mother by Baby's Gender!

Our Beautiful Boys!
Sam/Nanner; Harry/dizylizy; Bennett/newyorkgirl; Connor/lil_nance; Luka/myshel; Jameson/Montaukbea; Alex/Jp'swife; Lex/Msmarie B; Jackson/Kasia216; Camden/Jodi AKA Boston Teacher; Andrew Axel/elnelson

Our Gorgeous Girls!
Parker/December27JJB; Marisa/maggieb; Sydney/Char473; Cassidy/jki; Ava/kmack; Katie/Tray85; Catie/NYN; Ava/PaulsGirl; Emma Jaidyn/DanaLynn; Sarah Liberty/Heatherlynne

[July05Mommies]

CC Parenting/Informational links
*please let us know if you run across any others that you'd like us to add.

Eating
Breast Feeding Help and Support (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=198)
Which formula for supplementing a breast fed baby? (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2575)
Formula Feeding Thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=573)
Mom's with Pumps (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=1540)
What is your child eating today? (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=191)

Sleeping
Sleep Teaching/Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=133)
The "I need sleep" thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2390)

Other Group Threads
Cloth Diapering Thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=102)
Moms of newborns to 6-month-olds meet here. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=126)
What Parenting books do you suggest? (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2226)
Baby carrier and sling info. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=402)
Master Diaper Bag thread. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2202)
Support thread for moms of high-needs babies. (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=2212)

**A big shout-out to the August 2005 Mommies who moved to a new thread before us so that we could have a format to copy. :D**

[NYN]

sorry about all the confusion. this thread is updated until here. feel free to post. sorry that i'm asking you to re-post your info -- it's just that it makes it easier for me.

also, if anyone wants to help w/ the updates and all that, let me know. i will update again later in the day. :D

[kmack]

okay, here i am!

kmack
Me: Kara, 35
Married: 9.14.02
Ava Aileen
7.21.05
4:10 am
8lbs 15oz
21 inches

[jp'swife]

Welcome, Kmack!
Sorry I didn't get to say hello in the other thread!

[dizylizy]

Hi, Great idea to start a new thread.

dizylizy
Me: Liz, 31
DH, Pete, 31
Married: 11/8/03
DS: Harrion Raymond-Harry
7/1/2005
5:30am
7,15
21"

[maggieb]

We're here too! I think Marisa has figured out that she's not very happy when Mama isn't around. Everytime I leave the room she starts crying. :( I also think she's teething...finally!

Solids are still not a big hit with her. I try every couple of days, but she just isn't interested. Her big sister didn't really take to solids until she was 9 mos old, so I'm not worried.

Marisa started pulling herself up to kneeling the other day. I have to lower her crib soon! She's also waving hi. She used to pump her arm up and down, but now she actually opens and closes her fingers. It's really cute. I think she's also trying to play peek-a-boo with me when I'm changing her diaper. She'll put her hands over her face and then quickly take them away and just smile and laugh.

She's still not doing the belly off the ground crawling, but she gets around just fine doing her belly crawl.

maggieb
Me: Maggie, 34
Married: 11/2/02
Marisa Carmen
7/8/05
2:55PM
8lbs 3 oz
20.5 in
Big sister: Helena Elizabeth 12/2/03

[lil_nance]

Movin' on over.

lil_nance
Me: Nancy, 36
DH: David, 33
Married: 10/12/02
TTC: 5/01/04
Connor Ryan born 7/15/05

The other night I went to check on Connor before going to bed. As I reached his door I could hear the music from his "fishies" (Ocean Wonders Aquarium).
He's recently discovered how to turn it on by himself. I stopped and stood quietly outside the door. A few minutes later I heard a BIG sigh and that was it. He STTN until 7 the next morning. I was so excited that he had soothed himself back to sleep. I wouldn't have even known he was awake except for the fishies. Wish it was this easy all the time.

edited: forgot we had b-days since I last posted info :)

[maggieb]

I meant to say in my earlier post...thank you for setting up the thread, NYN and docoNY!

And, Jill...it's your golden birthday this year! Yippee! Celebrate extra this year.

[jp'swife]

And, Jill...it's your golden birthday this year! Yippee! Celebrate extra this year.

Thank you! I will! Funny because I JUST noticed that the other day. "I'm 28 on the 28th!" DH just shook his head.
DH turns 30 on Wednesday! He is all depressed! Geez, 30 is a good age! Not something to get depressed about, DH! He said he feels 70 though. Not a good thing.

[newyorkgirl]

Oops. Nearly missed this!

newyorkgirl
Me: Erika, 31
Married: 7/20/02
Bennett Lawrence
7/9/05
11:20 am (I think?)
6 lbs, 10 oz
19.5 in

Bennett is just waking up from a nap now, so let's see how much info I can get typed out before he starts wailing for real. Two Mondays ago, he started crawling forwards for real. Before that, he'd been doing the commando-slither-on-the-ground thing. That Friday, he started to pull up to standing in his crib and couldn't figure out how to get back down. We lowered the crib and added a second bumper so that he wouldn't bang his head (he's already got a couple bruises that are slowly fading away now). Now he pulls up on anything and everything and is now figuring out how to sidestep along the edge of the coffee table. Still not very verbal, although he is starting to say mamamamama. Hates being on his back - if we set him down anywhere on his back, he flips over immediately. Except when I set him down, play music from my iPod, and dance - then he kicks his feet and pumps his arms up and down like crazy. Loves his solids, though - eats just about anything I give him, except asparagus, and will willingly eat that if I add just a smidgeon of breastmilk. He is learning how to pick up Gerber puffs and would happily eat a teething biscuit except me the control freak will not give it to him because it turns his clothing and him into a complete and utter mess. Witness:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/IMG_2178a.jpg

We ended up getting neither the Exersaucer nor the Jumparoo. We found a contraption called Around We Go by Bright Starts:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/anemone720/IMG_2187.jpg

[July05Mommies]

okay, i think we're updated until here. i hope more people join/re-join!

[December27JJB]

Re-Joining although DD was due in July but born in June (3 weeks early) I cant leave you ladies, I went through the pregnancy going to the July Mommies thread! :D

Me:xx
DH: xx
Married: 2003
DD
6/13/05

[PaulsGirl]

Checking in too. I didn't post much after she was born, but I'll do my best to keep up!

PaulsGirl, 34
Married: 10/26/2002
DD:Ava
Baby’s Birth Date: 7/26/05
Time of Birth: 4:03am
Weight 7 lbs, 14.4 oz
Length 20.5 inches


Not crawling yet! No teeth yet! But the most important thing has happened: She says MAMA MAMMAAAA MAAAA MAAAAA. ;) Love that!

We're on two solid meals per day. Going to move it up to three soon I think.
Want to try making my own food for her, bought all the stuff. We use Earth's Best.

In all honesty I need some support. Having a bit of PPD resurfacing. Would love to know if anyone else is having this happen....

Hoping to see more July 05 moms....

[char473]

I'm here too!!

Me: Char473
DH: E
Married 3-7-04
DD:Shelby 7-22-94
DD #2: Sydney 7-08-05
Weight: 8lbs
Length: 21 inches

We are inch crawling (going backwards really good though), and DD has just learned to sit herself up from a crawling postition:) And she is saying Maaaaa maaaa, which I love too;) It is so fun to watch her grow!!

We are on 3 meals a day, and wagon wheels/teether biscuits for snacks, with about 3-4 6 ounce bottles in between. She loves to eat!

Paulsgirl: Sorry about the PPD. I haven't had any resurrgance, but will give you plenty of support:)

[Montaukbea]

Thanks for starting the new thread! I can't believe that our babies are 7-8 months old!!

Me: Deirdre, 29
DH: R, 30
Married: October 5, 2002
Jameson
July 28, 2005
8:00 PM
9 lbs.
21 1/2 inches

Teeth: 5 teeth! Working on another one!
Solids: Eats lunch and dinner and will soon add breakfast, still BF'ing in between. Did someone on this thread say that the organic foods upset their DD/DS stomach? I thought I read that somewhere and I just can't remember where. That is what happened with our son and we switched to regular food and our nights are sooo much better. Just curious if it was on here that I read that.
Crawling: Not yet, just leaning forward and rocking!

Have a great week! :)

[myshel]

Argh! I almost missed the new thread. Here's my info:

myshel
Me: Shel, 29
DH: C, 27
Married: 6/6/03
Luka Alonso
7/21/05
8:17 PM
7lbs 15 oz
19.5 in

I'm kinda of excited today. One of my friends IRL, and a fellow CCer, is having her baby today!

Also, I'm sorry if I haven't been around too much. My MIL was in a horrible car accident, so we've been spending most of our time in an ICU waiting room.

Luka scoots! Well... backwards, but it's a good start.

[jp'swife]

NewYorkgirlSo funny and soooo cute!!! I love how messy they get. Be the food!

Ooops!
Forgot to add this:

Teeth-2 bottom ones still coming in. Sharp!
Crawling-Now does full-blown crawling...fast! He motors around like nothing, pulls himself up to a standing position (ok, that was happening early in the 6th month) and all he wants to do is be on the floor.
Solids-Eats 2 solids per day...about an ounce and a 1/2 each. A few times he has eaten the entire container at one sitting...not sure how much he really needs.

Alex is 7 months today!! yippppeeee! :D
Had his first real whack! yesterday. Ugh. :( Tried to pull himself up near the tv, missed the surface and BAM! right in the kisser. My heart stopped beating. He bawled for a good 10 minutes while I rocked him. I think I was more upset though. Am I really ready for this mobility??????

[jp'swife]

Also, I'm sorry if I haven't been around too much. My MIL was in a horrible car accident, so we've been spending most of our time in an ICU waiting room.

I'm so sorry!!! :(

[December27JJB]

Does anyone know what happened to KLo. is she still around?

[Tray85]

Joining!

Tray85
Me: Tracie, 34
DH: Bill, 34
Married: 6/21/03
Katie
born 7/21/05
5:55pm
9lb 3oz
21"
No other kiddos

Teeth - No teeth yet, but major teething is going on.
Crawling - not yet, but lots of wiggling and rolling. She gets on her tummy and either "swims" like a crazy person or gets her butt in the air trying to crawl. On her tummy, she manages to do a 360...eventually.
Solids - She gets 3 Stage 1 meals per day after nursing. I tried a Stage 2 over the weekend and she liked it just fine. She doesn't seem to be too picky about food. So far, so good!
I have been researching veggie baby info b/c I am a veggie.
I know there are some veggie moms on here. What are your plans going forward?

[December27JJB]

Tray85

I was one of them, veggie moms. But DH and I have been bad bad bad, we've been eating meat. However, I haven't and do NOT plan to feed DD any kind of meat. (I need to stop eating meat altogether --probably asap) I found this site you can look at other veggie babies' "Food Diaries" http://www.vegetarianbaby.com/fooddiaries.shtml Hope that helps? Oh! I just bought O'Soy (Soy version of Baby Yogurt) maybe you can look into that too?

We give her cooked vegetables and chop them up. If Katie has no trouble eating, maybe you can try some of these things? If she does, just puree them then slowly puree only for a short time so the food is a little chunkier and see how she does then move up to chunkier and chunkier food when she seems to be eating faster and wanting more chunkier food. Hope that helps?

[jki]

jki
Me: Jen, 33
DH: Ham, 33
Married: 7/5/02
DD: Cassidy Anne
7/9/05
8 lbs., 8 oz.
21 in
DS: Jackson James

Teeth: No teeth yet!
Solids: 3 meals per day and lots of table food
Crawling: Nope.

[Tray85]

December - Thank you so much for the link. I stumbled on that website over the weekend, but couldn't find what I was looking for. The food diaries are great. I'm not going to raise her vegan (just lacto-ovo like me), which I think will be much easier. I'm sure grandparents will be freaking out on cue. Though, I was a self-decided veggie when I was a baby and absolutely refused to eat meat no matter how sneaky my mom was!! I turned out quite healthy. :)

[July05Mommies]

updated to here.

[NYN]

did you guys see this: The Red X Photo Issue (http://www.constantchatter.com/announcement.php?f=5)
apparently we won't be able to post shutterfly pictures anymore. sucks.

teeth: none but if i had to guess we are in the midst of teething right now. i guess you can never be sure but she has been very fussy and needy.

solids: still none. i try to offer every other day or so. she is very happy to sit in her high chair while we are eating but she puckers her lips and looks away when i offer her food. very passive aggressive, lol.

milestones: still not mobile at all. says mama, baba, dada and it's usually all together mamababadada and then when she's mad or really into it she tops it all off w/ a big rassberry, lol. sometimes she is about to cry but realizes that she is saying a new word and she forgets to cry and continues w/ her new words mamamamadadabaaaaa, prffffttttt. :D

organic foods: i don't think that was said in this thread. why would there be a difference, i wonder? i make DD's food out of organic fruits/veggies and have only ever given her the tender harvest or earth's best organic jars. maybe that is why she hates food so much? LOL

PaulsGirl: we are all here to support you, please feel free to share. chances are a lot of other people are feeling the same thing.

newyorkgirl: i am extremely jealous of bennett's new toy. look how happy he looks!!

myshel: hope your MIL is okay!

[jp'swife]

In all honesty I need some support. Having a bit of PPD resurfacing. Would love to know if anyone else is having this happen....

Hoping to see more July 05 moms....

Talk talk talk talk talk to us!
We'll listen!! I promise! I'm on just about all day every day...ok, well, when DS is distracted or sleeping. :)
Feel free! Yes, we are here to help you and each other.

[msmarieb]

Msmarie B
Me: marie, 30
Married: 11/02/002
Lexington Thomas (Lex)
07/09/2005
10:45
6 lbs 11 oz?:o
20 inches?

[PaulsGirl]

Thanks ladies.....how heartwarming to know y'all care. Honestly I didn't post much in the other thread because...well, I didn't think anyone would care....I don't know why! I've been on the WC/CC since 2001 and I still feel like a newcomer. There are so many small groups that form that I feel like an outsider sometimes. There. I said it. :p Okay, so I had PPD pretty bad in the beginning, till she was about three months old. I would sit there and cry and cry and didn't know why the heck I was crying. I didn't go anywhere, and when people came to see us I hoarded Ava and wouldn't let anyone hold her AT ALL except the grandmas.

I have never had a problem with depression in my entire life till now. It has subsided quite a bit, but there are days where I feel that sick feeling in my chest, it's so awful! I can't even explain it and I don't want to tell my mom because she'll freak out. (She watches DD while I work at home). I'm thinking part of the problem is I really don't get out much. I work at home, shop online (for just about everything - except food!) I think I need to meet some new moms & get out more. I do feel better when I exercise.

My problem is that is comes and goes.....anyone else?

[December27JJB]

Myshel- I am sorry about your MIL.

NYN- Thats so funny that C blows raspberries when shes mad or frustrated. parker does the exact same thing. Sometimes she does it when im feeding her solids and she doesnt want anymore--and food splatters all over the place then she'll think its funny and do it again! :rolleyes:

PaulsGirl- I am so sorry. I remember you mentioned something about PPD but I didnt realize how bad it was. Maybe being at home all the time is the problem. Would a vacation help? You are welcome to come down here to FL with Ava to visit Parker and I! :D (I mean it!) Have you talked to your doctor about it? Maybe he/she can refer you to a PPD specialist/counselor? Would you be comfortable seeing one? But everyone here is right, you can talk about it here and we will listen and help in any way we can!

[jp'swife]

Paulsgirl- I'm so sorry you felt that way too! Sometimes when I read things, I just whiz through them and don't really READ them, ya know?
Sorry that you have been feeling so depressed. Get outside! Maybe that will give you a nice pickmeup until you get to talk to a professional! Trust me, I sometimes get a bit dark, then I become moody, and by the time DH comes home, I'm off the wall. Try the excercising too! I really should be doing more. :rolleyes: I have found that I feel incredible when I have done a little...even if it's just a quick walk outside with the stroller, or have your mom watch DC and just go yourself to get a nice breather outside.
I get down during the wintertime and I'm soooo ready for the spring to be here. I'm excited because this weekend, it's supposed to break 70!!
Maybe even just go out to the mall for an hour or two and shop/window shop. Be among the people again...it's amazing how quickly we lose touch with the outside world once these little people come into our lives. At least that's how I feel!

My mom stayed with me the first week that DS was here. It was soooo wonderful. I really needed her and I had to start getting it out of my thick head that things were not going to be what they used to be.....I'm not 'free' to do as I want....I'm not going to be able to come and go as I please, etc.
Then she left and I remember calling her a few days later BAWLING like a baby into the phone, just overwhelmed with everything and wondering what I had gotten myself into. My dad drove her back down a day later. :)
She stayed again for a while and I felt so much better again.

Now since we are working on the house, my parents come down a lot. My mom will sometimes stay a few nights while my dad goes back home to take care of the cats, etc. It's always so nice. I realized that I was depressed because I felt alone even though Alex was here during the day if that makes any sense. It's getting better now. I still cry a little when my parents leave after they have been down. I hope that doesn't sound baby-ish of me. I LOVE being home with Alex and wouldn't trade it for the world. I think I just miss having someone to talk to during the day like I did when I was working.
Sorry, that was a ramble!
I'm thinking about you though! Keep talking!!

[PaulsGirl]

char473Thank you! So you had some PPD too in the beginning? How long did it last if you don't mind me asking?

December You are such a sweetheart. I do need to get away, be outside more, and generally remember that there is a world out there. I am so wrapped up in my Mommyness right now that it's affecting everything else. I haven't seen a counselor. My OB said to call her if I needed anything like that, and she'd refer me. The problem is it comes and goes. I will chat with you more in lj.

jp'swife Yes, I will do that. It's a bit rainy in L.A. at the moment but I plan on really being outdoors once that stops. You're so right about losing touch with the outside world, adding in the fact that I work at home and don't get out much during the week. I love being home too, wouldn't trade it for anything, but you're reading my mind when you wrote "I think I just miss having someone to talk to during the day.." (me too).

NYNThanks...I will do that. I hope others will share their experiences too!

Hopefully I can get over this and think of things to do everyday to help me work past this.

[NYN]

PaulsGirl: are you the same person who was prescribed reglan when your DD was born? i might be confusing you with someone else. in any case, if you are that person then i often thought about you and wondered how you were doing. ;) i will confess that i can seriously relate to this:
and when people came to see us I hoarded Ava and wouldn't let anyone hold her AT ALL except the grandmas.
except that in my case i didn't want anyone holding her, not even the grandmas. i started suffering from anxiety shortly after coming home from the hospital though i can't pin point when -- probably somewhere in between the drugs wearing off and the exhaustion catching up w/ me. anyway, i am not very comfortable discussing it in this public a forum but if you want to trade stories feel free to PM me (though i don't know that i am the best example since i sought help and then quickly shunned it...come to think of it, you might need me less than i need you. ;).)

December: Parker and Catie doing something alike? it can't be? hee, hee. :D

LJ: why can't i figure out LJ. i tried getting in erika's journal several times. i want to join the party. :(

[myshel]

Thanks for the well wishes in regards to my MIL. We're hoping she'll be taken off the respirator this weekend. We've taken Luka in to see her and she responds really well when he's in the room.

A fellow CCer, whom I know IRL, had a baby yesterday. She's a part of the March 2006 Mommies thread, obviously (kdotp). I went to the hospital to see her today and she birthed in the exact same room I did. Talk about flashbacks! I got to hold the new little guy. Then I scooted on home and as I opened the door, I could hear peals of laughter coming from the living room. It was Luka. Seeing the new baby and coming home to my little guy laughing reminds me how much changes in 7 months.

[PaulsGirl]

PaulsGirl: are you the same person who was prescribed reglan when your DD was born? i might be confusing you with someone else. in any case, if you are that person then i often thought about you and wondered how you were doing. ;)

Thanks so much. :) Yes, that was me. That Reglan was almost the end of me. OMG. It made things a thousand times worse, and it was prescribed to make my milk come in (which it never did, and that made me feel even worse), so it was a vicious cycle. Once I read the side effects it all made sense. I will PM you!

myshel My thoughts are prayers are with your MIL and family.

[newyorkgirl]

PaulsGirl - So that's why I haven't seen you around LJ! I was wondering what happened to you... I am sorry you are getting PPD on and off. We're here to listen - both here and on LJ. I totally empathize - baby blues during the first month were pretty bad, so I can only imagine what it must feel like to experiencing them on an ongoing basis.

NYN - To get onto LJ, go to "www.livejournal.com", click "Log in now" at the upper right corner. Log in (and click the box next to "remember me" if you don't want to do it everytime you try to get on LJ), and then go to "anemone720.livejournal.com" and that should take you to my journal. I've "friended" you, so you should be able to see all the entries. If you only see the beginning entry (even after you've logged in), then email/PM me and we'll figure it out.

Also, if other July05 moms want to be friends on LJ (that sounds so high school :) ), PM me with your LJ username. :)

[maggieb]

PaulsGirl: I'm convinced now that I suffered PPD after Helena was born. It didn't surface until about 3-4 mos PP and when it hit, it hit hard. Helena had acid reflux and it caused her pain to nurse so she would refuse to nurse. I had to put her to sleep with the paci and then wait until she was asleep and then feed her. Every. Single. Time. I was in hell. I often day dreamed about running away. I even had thoughts about hurting myself, but I never had a plan. Helena was a terrible sleeper, so I think the combination of no sleep and the stress of feeding her just put me almost over the edge. Frequently I had thoughts about circumstances in which I would die and then Helena would be without me. I thought about that a lot.

With Marisa, my DH did everything he could so that I wouldn't have to go through that alone again. He arranged it so that either my mom, his mom or he was here at home with me for the first four months of Marisa's life. It really helped a lot. Looking back, I wish I would have talked to a therapist about it and possibly gotten on some meds for it. It really helps to talk about it. I'll be thinking about you!

myshel: I'm so sorry to hear about your MIL. I hope she continues to improve.

Marisa turned 8 mos yesterday and pleased her Daddy by starting to say, "Da-da!" At first I didn't think she connected the two, but when he comes home from work she shouts it until he picks her up. Maybe she knows what it means?!?

I gave her a piece of honeydew this morning and she loved it. I think she's going to be just like her big sister and totally skip pureed foods and go straight to table/finger foods. Now if she'd only get some teeth!;)

[PaulsGirl]

Hi Newyorkgirl. Yes, that's why...but I'm really going to try to keep it up now. It is getting better, and I'll see you over there soon! I need to get out more, and I've been really making an effort to do so....

PaulsGirl: I'm convinced now that I suffered PPD after Helena was born. It didn't surface until about 3-4 mos PP and when it hit, it hit hard. Helena had acid reflux and it caused her pain to nurse so she would refuse to nurse. I had to put her to sleep with the paci and then wait until she was asleep and then feed her. Every. Single. Time.

maggieb This made me tear up. Ava had reflux too, but hers made her choke and gag on her bottles every time. It came to the point when I had to feed her, the nerves in my hands would tense up and I'd start shaking in fear. I'm sure that didn't help. You poor thing, you sound like you had it really rough.

Anyway ladies, I'm all about upwards and onwards! It has been a good week so lets have some new QOTDs:

Has anyone started taking classes yet with baby? I'm thinking of trying one out. Maybe a music class or something....

[kmack]

apparently we won't be able to post shutterfly pictures anymore. sucks.
so that is why my picture wouldn't post. what sites do you gals use to post from?

since i am a newbie here i will try to give all of DD's info. ava is 7 1/2 mos. and right now she is getting her 2 bottom teeth, they broke through the gums about 10 days ago. she started crawling a little, inch by inch, about a month ago. then one day she just went all the way across the living room floor and hasn't stopped since!! she is also pulling herself up on everything and 'walks' around pushing this thing across the floor
http://www.littletikes.com/productimages/full/JPD1621A_OL_full.jpg
she has so many little bruises from trying to get up on everything and then falling down. it also is SO hard to change her now - she hates it and it's like a wrestling match trying to put her clothes on. she hates her exersaucer now too, all she wants to do is crawl all over the place. someone posted a playzone in the last thread, i am going to look into getting one b/c i can't take my eyes off her for a second and it is getting exhausting.

she used to be a good sleeper but she hasnt STTN since before Xmas. not long ago she learned this funny trick of falling alseep while sitting up. she started doing it while we were letting her CIO a little - she would start out standing up holding the rails and crying, then she figured out how to sit down but i guess never figured out how to lie down so would fall asleep sitting right in the middle of the crib. it was quite funny to watch but needless to say we stopped letting her CIO so now i just go in and put her on her back and after 2-3 times she falls asleep.

we are BFing and started solids at 6 mos, she has eaten everything i have given her but doesn't really like avocado or bananas too much. i am giving her earth's best, my sister sent me a bunch of things to make my own food but i have been too lazy to do it!

whats with all of your babies saying ma-ma? ava loves to say da-da ALL the time!!!

Pauls Girl(fellow Ava-mom!) i suffer from depression/anxiety so a counselor came in to talk to me about PPD while i was still in the hospital. my mom stayed with me for the first week after DD was born since DH had to work and when it came time for her to leave i thought i was going to start having panic attacks again. i didnt want to go back on meds b/c of the BFing so i was totally stressing out. my SILs came over a lot that second week and then by the third week i felt so much better. now it definitely comes and goes, i find it is the worst when i dont leave the house all day. so i try to make it a point to get out as much as i can. i know it stinks to go through. do you have a professional you can talk to about it?

ok, DD is crying so i must run.

[NYN]

catie was sitting on my lap today while i was eating yogurt mixed w/ strawberries. we were just sitting and hanging out and i noticed that she was staring at me eat so i offered her some (i know i'm not supposed to give her strawberries but it was really just plain yogurt on the spoon - no strawberry chunks). she ate it, then came back for more. is she crazy or what? i try to give her yogurt every morning in her highchair and she puckers her lips and turns her face away from the spoon!

mama: yes, she said this long before she started saying da-da. DH claims that she is calling for me (i think it's b/c she has the habit of saying it when she is about to cry and she is always about to cry just as i am leaving the room b/c i need to do something) so i told him that if he wants to use that theory, then she was calling for him last night at 4am when i woke up to hear her whispering all calmly "da-da-da-da-da." LOL

okay, i'm going to try to figure out LJ again.

[Kasia216]

Kasia216
Me: 35
Married: 9/21/002
Jackson Karol
Born: 07/22/2005, 6:03PM
8lbs.1 oz 21 3/4 inches

Teeth We have 2 on the bottom and about 2-3 coming in on the top! He has been teething like crazy. He chomps on those Earth's Best Wheat Teething Biscuits ;)

Classes We take Music class on Saturdays and a Swim class on Mondays. I work during the week but I'm going to sign him up for Gymboree on Wednesdays and have my Caregiver take him.

PPD Pauls Girl - I actually had a slight case of PPD for about 5-6 weeks post baby. I would cry all day long for no reason and I had an insane amount of anxiety. I did call my OB to ask for help/guidance but in the end I was able to work through it on my own.

Trying a class with your DC might be a good idea. It will enable you to socialize and meet other moms plus you get to have some fun with DC! Most places offer trial classes. I honestly like the music class best.

I'm Kasia_216 on LG. I have a Journal there and I can "friend" you (and anyone else in this thread!). I try to keep it updated :D

[DanaLynn]

DanaLynn
Me: Dana, 36
Married: 8/3/02
Baby Name: Emma Jaidyn
Baby’s Birth Date: 7/21/05
Time of Birth: 9:31 am
Weight: 7 lbs. 7oz.
Length: 20"
Other Children: Hayden, 2 (1/21/04)

I was wondering what happened to our thread. I promise to post.

Teeth - nada

crawling - not even close

food - two meals a day. :)

Classes - none.

paulsgirl - I would suggest a mommy and me class. I take my son to one and I have met loads of nice people.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v733/girliepie/CIMG2510.jpg

[dizylizy]

Hi, all
I wrote out a long post yestersday but my PC wouldn't load it.....
Pauls Girl-I am glad you are feeling better. I think I had a bit of anxiety. the first few weeks were so hard. I cried almost every day. Harry would be crying, I would be feeding him and then start crying. his need for me was so great I couldn't understand. The complete giving over of one's self to another. get out of the house, take some classes. I would call my SIL whenever I was feeling down or anxious. Or I called Pete to chat.

Teeth-we have two and lots of drooling. I swear he goes through 3 bibs a day!

Crawling- almost up on all fours and moving. but he scoots backwards and co g forward a bit. Any day now...

Standing-Harry loves to stand. He stood up in his pack and play the other day. Such a surpise since he has never done that before. Pete lowered the crib before bedtime..

Food- two meals a day- lots of frouts and veggies. Plus, I am trying to give him more of our food. less of jars. but they are so easy. I have chopped up veggies for him. plus, given him cut up banana's and I tried the mesh feeder with grapes-he didn't like them... I have a few books from the library I need to scan or return....

Classes- I haven't signed up for any. I had a info sheet on some but DH saw it laying around and threw it away.... THe library has a story time near us I will see if he can go. not that he will pay attention. as it gets nicer, I will head to the park near our house.

[July05Mommies]

updated to this point. ;)

[PaulsGirl]

kmack Sorry to hear about the panic attacks. I don't think I've had one of those. I do have a professional I can talk to...my OB was terrific & always asks how I'm doing and if I need a referral. I am hoping now that I'm brave enough to start going out more it'll go away!!

Kasia Isn't is nuts what we go through? The crying is really unexpected and sudden. Luckily it doesn't happen too much anymore...I'm going to try music class too. I think Ava will have the most fun doing that.
I'll friend you on lj as well (I'm happy-blue-sky over there) and anyone else from here too...just let me know!

DanaLynn Hi you! I'll do that. Meeting more Mommies is the key I think. I have friends with kids but they all live too far to get together weekly. I love the pic of Emma in your siggy. :)

dizylizy Your words ring so true. "The complete giving over of one's self to another." They're such helpless little beings right now. I'm looking into classes and will start them soon. We live near the beach so I'm hoping to go there more with her once the weather warms up a bit.

********
Here's another QOTD:
How much formula/breast milk is your baby drinking in a day?
Ava has 28-34 oz a day still. As for solids we're on two meals a day, each is about the same: cereal, fruit, veggie.

[NYN]

QOTD: catie still eats between 8 and 10 times a day. she ate a few bites of yogurt today again. :D

teeth: still none!

classes: we do storytime at the library, playgroup once a week and still go to our la leche league meetings -- basically anything that is free, lol.

[char473]

Hey Ladies:)

DD is 8 months and we have crawling!! It is so darn cute. I forgot just how happy it makes me to see them learn to crawl. She just takes off now. She is also standing on her own when holding onto the table, couch, etc. And she is trying to stand up on her own too. She is trying to grow up too fast I think:(

QOTD: DD is taking about 3-4 6ounce bottles a day, with 3 meals of solids and some water in between, and wagon wheels, puffs, and teether biscuits as well. She LOVES to eat. We also started giving her some mini pancakes, because she oogles our food so much.

Paulsgirl: sorry this is late, and I know we have moved on, but I had PPD for about the first month. It at times was bad, but mostly just alot of moodiness. If you have any questions, you can message me:) Glad to hear you are having a good week!

Classes: No time for that:( We are so busy with work and my oldest DD's softball games, so her class is acutally people and softball watching. She is such a good baby, and hardly ever cries. I love her so much!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[newyorkgirl]

Nursing - Bennett is down to nursing 5-6 times a day. I have to say, it actually is a little bit of a relief for me. Since he slept 12 hrs at night and then about 3-4 hrs between all his naps - he would cram in 7-8 feedings during those 8-9 hours that he was actually awake. The ped gave us the okay to stop limiting solids so I basically nurse him until he doesn't want anymore, then give him solids. I used to limit the amt of solids, but now I'm just going to give him as much as he wants (which I don't anticipate being much more than I already give him).

classes/activities - We go to baby yoga once a week (we're right now in between sessions - there's a 3-week break before the next session starts, and then we will start the tot class for crawlers). We also have playgroup on Fridays. There are also playgroups on Mondays and Wednesdays that we can go to, but right now that's too much for us to handle. Bennett seems to thrive on a pretty strict schedule and I try not to mess it up too much.

[Jodi AKA BostonTeacher]

Hi Everyone!

I finally got around to checking in and I see there has been a change of address :) Here's my info for the main page:

Jodi AKA Boston Teacher
Me: Jodi, 32
Married: 7.12.03
Baby’s Name: Camden
Baby’s Birth Date: 7.23.05
Time of Birth 9-O-something
Weight 9.2
Length 21

Things here are going very well. I still love being home. Cam is 7.5 months and crawling around like crazy. He's also started pulling up like a champ in the crib, playpen, pack n play and on furniture. He's taken a few falls, but doesn't seem any worse for the wear.

We're headed to Disney in a few days. Looking forward to our first real family vacation, but a little nervous about the logistics of travelling with a baby.

He got his tope teeth first. There's two up there and I just found a bottom one this morning.

Well I should get to bed. Just wanted to check in and say hi to everyone and welcome to the new gals! Hope everyone is doing well!

[Tray85]

We have teeth popping in, finally! They are very cute.

Whew - Rough weekend! Mommy had the stomach flu. Blech! Katie has been less interested in nursing and that led to a plugged duct for me. We thought we'd get a good night's sleep last night, but then HUGE thunderstorms rolled through and kept the bambino up and wanting to play/nurse all night. I would bring her to bed, nurse her to sleep and then go to move her and bam - she was awake. Ugh!

Anyone else's baby less interested in nursing while teething?

[Tray85]

More questions!
Anyone buy an SUV/Minivan for the baby? I am feeling the itch to get something bigger than my sedan (Toyota Camry). Its so annoying trying to get the baby in and out of the car seat. I bang my head, bang her head and have to climb around in the back seat to get her situated. Granted, I am getting used to the Britax Marathon we installed vs. the infant seat, but still.

My question...do SUV's/minivans make life considerably easier on mom?

[dizylizy]

QOTD-DH was having a hard time with his truck. It was very hard to get Harry in the infant seat and the car seat. Then his truck started having some little glitches. so we decided to get a new vehicle. DH wanted a Ford Explorer. He did a lot of research on it. He went to test drive 4 different cars. we decided on the 2005 Explorer. DH wanted a DVD and I wanted a full row of seating in the center-eventually we will have 3 kids in car seats and I don't want to climb in the thirs row to buckle someone in.... so it was SUV for us. He didn't want a station wagon or a van. (His mom had a van and he hated it...)

[Nanner]

do SUV's/minivans make life considerably easier on mom?

They definitely do, IMO, especially when it comes to messing with the car seat.

The nice thing is, there are lots of alternatives out there these days, so you don't have to settle on either a) a gas-guzzling full-size SUV, or b) a dorky-looking minivan. There are now hybrid SUVs, nice-looking mini-vans, and "crossover" vehicles, that are kind of a cross between SUVs and vans.

If I were to get a new vehicle, I'd consider:

Toyota Highlander (they also have this in a hybrid now)
Ford Freestyle
Nissan Quest
Honda Odyssey

They also make a Ford Escape hybrid, but the interior is a little small for me. I'd get a minivan before this one.

[PaulsGirl]

Just checking in. We met a July Mommy & Baby today from another group and had a lovely breakfast! It was really cute to see her interact w/another baby. She kept doing this funny face where she'd scrunch her eyes & face up and says "eeeeeeee" to him. She does that to her cousin (1 y/o) too. Hilarious.

QOTD-Anyone buy an SUV/Minivan for the baby? Yup. We bought a Volkswagon Touareg a week before she was born. I owned a two-seater before this car, so yes, it is considerably easier. LOL

[newyorkgirl]

We bought a Volkswagon Touareg Oh man! That's one of my favorite cars! We were gonna get a Touareg, (and we had also weighed in the Volvo SUV) but in the end got the Lexus SUV instead. I had a Jetta when I had Bennett, and about four weeks after he was born, DH decided my Jetta was a death trap for his precious firstborn son and traded it in for the Lexus. ;)

[jki]

They also make a Ford Escape hybrid, but the interior is a little small for me. I'd get a minivan before this one.

Actually, the head and leg room in a Ford Escape is greater than that of a Ford Explorer. The Escape is narrower and has less cargo space than an Explorer. I have an Escape - it's a great car for the price but I do have my eye on a Toyota Land Cruiser! ;) We definitely need 7 passenger seating.

The thing I love the most about having an SUV is being able to change diapers in the trunk. I can't tell you how many diapers I've changed back there and how great it is when there's no where else to do it! I do think an SUV makes life easier on the mom and since I drive less than 5,000 miles/year, I'm not all that worried about fuel economy.

Anyone else's baby less interested in nursing while teething?
DS used to go on strikes all the time when teething. The ped's office said to give solids if he would take them otherwise, just wait for it to pass. I think it's pretty common.

classes: We go to Music Together once per week, her brother's playgroup once per week, play dates a couple times per week, the library once per week, etc. It's hard because there are very few activities where I can bring 2 kids!

[heatherlynne]

Heatherlynne
Me: Heather, 28
DH: Mark, 33
DD: Sarah Liberty
7/3/05
7 lbs., 3 oz.
21 in


Teeth: 4... That 5th one still hasn't come through
Solids: 2 meals per day, table food, and snacks
Crawling: Like crazy
Standing: Sarah wants to stand all the time and is walking around the furniture. She is starting to let go, but she usually falls. She just doesn't have her balance yet.

[lil_nance]

Tray85 Where do you have the carseat positioned at? Is it in the middle or on a side? I'm asking because we are thinking of trading DH's Acura Integra in for a Camry. We already have a Rav4 but would like a sedan (2nd car).
While on the subject of cars, anyone have a sedan they like? I don't think we want 2 SUV type vehicles.

[kmack]

Tray85 DD seems to nurse more now that she is teething. and wouldn't you know she is starting to push away the spoon when I try to give her solids now (she has been eating them for 2 mos)! she won't even eat her oatmeal anymore at all. and i feel for you, i just got over the stomach bug. it was passed around our whole family and we finally got it - it sucks!! luckily i got it on a sunday when DH was around to help, thank goodness. DH had it today so i am crossing my fingers that DD doesnt get it.

do SUV's/minivans make life considerably easier on mom?
we have 2 cars right now, a jeep grand cherokee and a nissan altima that we got right before DD was born. i use the altima all the time and dont find it that difficult transporting her around. i like that she is close enough that i can reach around and pop her paci back in if she is fussing. the only thing i hate is that the trunk space is very small and if i have the stroller in there i can't fit much else. so i really like the added space in the jeep, but while i am driving i am paranoid about everything flying up front and into DD if i ever stopped short/got in an accident.

i had to change a few diapers in both back seats and found it difficult - the jeep was easier on my back bending over though (our trunk was full so i couldn't do it there). i did end up buying a car changing kit but of course haven't had to use it since!

classes: we don't do anything :rolleyes: aside from getting together with friends who have babies here and there. my sister is a music together instructor (in VA though) so i have been meaning to check out a class in boston but i havent gotten around to it. same goes for a southie mom's group - i have the number but just haven't called! i know this sounds crazy but i feel like i am too busy to commit myself to too many schedules. i feel like i can only handle one or two outings a day, like going to the gym and then grocery shopping, or picking up things at target and then to the post office. i hope i can figure it out though b/c i want her to interact w/ other kiddies her age!

[msmarieb]

Hello all!
We are doing well. Lex had his first ear infection and it was a doosy, we are finally getting it cleared up. He seems in fine spirits. His two top teeth are just hanging in there just beneth the skin, you can see those suckers and the two next to them. We are considering getting him one of these:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000096P3A.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg

He pretty much turns anything he can push into a push toy, it was his bath tub yesterday, he looked too silly with his butt up in the air. He is pretty easily redirected and still enjoys eating table food. We're still Bfing and I've got him on the sippy cup well now, will try to wean off the bottle totally soon. Um...I guess that's it...oh yeah he says baba, and mama. Dh is jealous but were working on dada.:)

[kmack]

msmarieb we have that same toy. DD loves to try and push it around but it isn't very stable - i'm not sure if i just didn't put it together right? also, those little 'drawers' on the front have sharp edges, not big bulky ones that i would have thought would be on a childs toy. so she hurt herself a few times falling into them, and pinching her fingers in them. other than that, she loves the 'envelopes' that stick in those side grooves, as well as spinning the while that is on the front blue compartment.

[Tray85]

Thanks to everyone for your input on the cars & teething. Gotta love the July Mommies group!!

Lil Nance - I have the seat positioned in the middle. The front seats are fine in terms of enough room for passengers. I could even squeeze two people into the back. Its more a convenience factor of thinking the following things might be nice for me: headroom to get the baby in/out of the seat, auto doors to manage baby & all of my "stuff", built in window shades, LATCH! (I have a 2000 Camry w/o LATCH), the height of the seats (i.e., I may not have to contort myself as much w/ a minivan). I love my Camry and intended on driving it until it died - so its a hard decision. The trunk is large on the Camry and I can fit her full-size stroller and groceries back there. I'm just so car payment averse even though we can afford it. Decisions, decisions.

[char473]

I would love a minivan!! I never, ever thought I would say that, but I know now that I would enjoy one more than an SUV for the ease of lugging everything 2 kids require around. We will definately be getting one or the other within the next year. We are planning to relocate here soon, so once we get settled, that will be my next research project;)

Dropping off some pics:
My sleeping beauty, wait, I think there is a baby in there!
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Picture209.jpg

This is what happens when your husband does not pick up things, and is not used to having a mobile baby.
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/char473/Picture204.jpg

Take care!

[msmarieb]

msmarieb we have that same toy. DD loves to try and push it around but it isn't very stable - i'm not sure if i just didn't put it together right? also, those little 'drawers' on the front have sharp edges, not big bulky ones that i would have thought would be on a childs toy. so she hurt herself a few times falling into them, and pinching her fingers in them. other than that, she loves the 'envelopes' that stick in those side grooves, as well as spinning the while that is on the front blue compartment.


WOw thank you for posting, I thought 19.99 was too good of a price. I'll keep looking:)

[dizylizy]

Oh, shucks, AF is back. I forgot how much this was a pain. :( What a surprise but I should have known since I have been crabby and snotty for 2 days. (PMS?) Doc was surprised I hadn't had AF yet but he siad it should start soon as Harry was eating more solids.... yucky... I was trully enjoying my no AF life....

[Tray85]

char - Those pics are too funny!

Liz - You poor thing. I've had bouts of PMS, but nothing yet. I could do without the PMS! I'm sure my husband could too. :p

[newyorkgirl]

I could do without the PMS! I'm sure my husband could too. So that's what it is! I've been trying to kick this bad mood for a while. I totally forgot about PMSing! No AF yet, and not wishing for it anytime soon.

[lil_nance]

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!
It's been a big week for us. Connor is talking/babbling like crazy. His Ba Ba Bla Goo's are getting much clearer. He also got his first tooth! It started peeking through right on his 8mo b-day, Wednesday. This morning he army crawled just a little bit. DH & I were so proud. LOL
Here's our little leprechaun.
http://static.flickr.com/34/113839225_5b1b9744e8.jpg?v=0

[Nanner]

OMG, that is the cutest thing I've ever seen, lil_nance! :)

Teeth: Sam has 2 bottom ones coming in. He started getting them right before he turned 8 months. They're so cute!

Crawling: Sam wasn't doing anything for the longest time. No rolling from back to front, no crawling, nothing. Suddenly, within the last 2 weeks, he's done all of that, and he even tried to pull himself up to standing several times today! He fell onto the hardwood floors twice, and cried. :( But I think he'll be standing in no time.

Solids: We've been on solids for several months now, but we're still only doing 1-2 meals per day, with the wagon wheels and veggie puffs as snacks. We had those biter biscuits, and they're disgusting! They get everywhere. His favorite foods so far are sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and bananas. He couldn't care less about applesauce and pears. Peas are okay.

Carseat question:

We bought the Graco Metrolite travel system. He's just about to outgrow the infant seat, so we need to get a new carseat. What do you guys have? Do you like it? I get confused on "stages" of carseats. What exactly am I buying, just a regular old car seat? Is that the same as a booster seat? Will he still be facing backwards, or will our new seat be a forward-facing one? So confused!

Here's my latest favorite photo:

http://static.flickr.com/48/113855185_a4d6da2e5b_m.jpg

[NYN]

omg, so adorable!

Sam wasn't doing anything for the longest time. No rolling from back to front, no crawling, nothing. Suddenly, within the last 2 weeks, he's done all of that, and he even tried to pull himself up to standing several times today!
interesting. i wonder if catie will do this one day. she is really just so content to sit there. at playgroup all the kids are rolling and most are crawling (well, the ones her age or older) and she watches them w/ interest but doesn't even attempt to move. in fact, she gets annoyed when she gets run over, lol.

we had wonderful weather here in new york for a few days and we took full advantage but alas, the cold weather is back. some pics (the last ones are from a trade show i went to that had a little section w/ entertainment for the kids. the women who were singing had amazing voices and catie made herself the center of attention by "singing" along and flapping her arms in an attempt to clap. it was too much.)

http://static.flickr.com/29/113966441_6076edbd42_m.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/49/113966440_6d2dc248d8_m.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/50/113966443_b13c8d28c1_m.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/42/113966442_3c6694d98d_m.jpg

also, i forgot to mention that catie is a little bit more interested in solids, specifically in yogurt. she loves it plain or with fruit in it. i started mixing veggies in it too and she takes it that way. i offer it once a day if we are home. we also went to a restaurant the other day and i ordered hummus and gave her some and she kept wanting more so there is some progress on that front!

[December27JJB]

Oh My! Look at all these babies! ADORABLE!!!!

Char- I love that photo of the blanket over her! Too funny!
LilNance- How cute! Connor looks really Irish in that pic!!! And his name is Connor! :)
Nanner- Love that pic! For some reason when I look at that picture, I think Sam looks like DD when he sleeps, hm?
NYN-Loving her hat!!! Shes adorable! Congrats on the food issue! DD did the same thing, all of the sudden she wants food food food food. For the first time today, we ordered her something at a restaurant! :eek: (of course she didnt eat it all)


We are doing well. Except, DD is so much more interested in solids that she's really lost interest in breastfeeding. (She really hates baby food, she prefers to eat table food all the time.) I am a bit depressed about it. She does bf at night but...I was really really trying to breastfeed for 1 year. I am going to pump so that my milk supply doesnt go down and give her ebm in a bottle. :( It kinda 'hurts' when I offer her bm and she rejects it. Like I've been dumped :rolleyes: Anyone else having this issue also?

Heatherlynne, It was so great meeting you and Sarah on Friday! She is beautiful! We have to get together again!

Car issue: I had a smaller wagon when DD was born. We found a bigger wagon and it was a steal! The only bad thing about it was we had to buy it in another state when DD was 5 months old! Whew! Although, I admit I swore up and down I'd never ever ever get a mini-van. I am kinda wishing we had gotten one instead of another wagon because its low and I have to bend down to put DD in her carseat.

[NYN]

ya'll -- if your baby is refusing the breast or bottle during the day they are just going through a strike and you have to do whatever you can to get them back on it. it's especially important to pump or do whatever you can to maintain a strong supply while breastfeeding. i have no time to post links right now, but do a google search for "nursing strike" or "baby refusing bottle" (if you formula feed) and you will come up w/ tons of information. a baby's primary source of nutrition needs to be breast milk or formula at this age so it could also be that you are offering too many solids. the nutrients in solids are still not being fully absorbed (that's why the food comes out in their stinky poop!) so it's really important to give them their milk! also, breastfed babies do not wean before 1 year but they do go on mini strikes from time to time so don't let anyone convince you that you won't make it to a year!!!

i will be back when i have a chance but i just wanted to post that info!

[Nanner]

Question about sippy cups: How many of you have started giving your child a sippy cup? The ped. suggested at the 6 month appt. that I start offering it to him, and I have a couple of times. But he doesn't "get" it yet. Just like anything else I put in front of him, it goes directly into his mouth--but not the spout. Like the rim or the bottom of the cup. Then he loses interest.

If your child is using a sippy cup successfully, how did you introduce it to him? How long did it take for him/her to learn what it's for/how to drink from it?

[December27JJB]

NYN
Thank you! I also posted on the BF thread. Yesterday was MUCH better. She took the boob a lot. Whew. People kept telling me "Oh my mom said I just stopped breastfeeding when I was 8 months old" or "She's weaning, she doesnt need it anymore anyway." I knew in the back of my head that its important for her to have bm (or formula for ff babies) for the first year of her life. I've been pumping and my milk supply is back up. :D Thanks!

Nanner
DD has refused the sippy cup. I bought her the disposable ones, they come in all different colors (I think there are like 5 or 6) Im not sure who makes them (maybe first years?) I would put the spout in her mouth and squeeze just a little and she'd realize there's liquid in there. It took awhile but she finally got a hold of it on Saturday. I either put ebm or water in it. Now she thinks its so much fun to drink out of it. Hope that helps.

[lil_nance]

Sippy cups I actually decided to delay the sippy a bit. I've been trying to start weaning Connor from BM to formula. I offered the Avent sippy and like you mentioned all he wants to do is eat it. I've had more success with the bottle. He wasn't taking bottle or cup a while back so I'm happy with bottle for now. I still offer the sippy with a bit of water at dinner time. I'm sure one day it will just click and he'll get the hang of it. If not, I'll probably start pushing him towards the cup a bit more next month.

[newyorkgirl]

December27JJB - I am so glad Parker is nursing again. I know my SIL had similar issues with my nephew around 9 months and she thought he was self-weaning, so they weaned him. But he had so much problem taking the bottle or cup in general that they were worried about dehydration for months afterwards. I know she regrets weaning in retrospect, because my nephew just hated to drink liquids in general - and still does to this day - that nursing would have been the perfect way to make sure he didn't get dehydrated.

sippy cup - we're still working on it. We're using the Avent trainer, but I've heard good things about the Nuby, since the spout is as flexible as a bottle nipple. I keep planning on getting one, but I've been lazy about it. At first, it was so hard for the water to come out of the spout that he didn't "get" it. So I started taking the spill-proof mechanism off. (But of course, then I had to be on hand the whole time he was drinking from the sippy so that he didn't just dump the whole thing on himself!) Now he gets that the water comes out of the spout, but he still does play with it. We have him drinking straight out of a glass pretty well (we use a 5-oz juice glass) so I guess that's why I'm not so motivated about the sippy.

Gotta go! Bennett just woke up from his nap and pulled his pants off!

[char473]

Thanks ladies:)

We just had to lower the crib:( She is raising herself up on everything, and we knew it was coming. We laid her down for her nap, then heard her laughing and walked in and there she was standing away! I told DH to go get his tools NOW.

Sippy cups - DD has been using one with meals for some time now, I think about 4 months. We only put water in it, and she only likes this one type, but it works for her. She still has trouble repositioning it if it comes out of her mouth, but I let her figure it out on her own unless she gets too frustrated. I think that if I could have breastfed longer, which I wanted to do, that I would have held off on it for as long as I could.

[dizylizy]

Sippy cup- Harry is playing with it. sometimes gets it in his mouth, sometimes not. He knows water or juice is in it. He still plays with it, turns it upside down, throws it, bangs it around.

Car seat- No matter the car seat any child under 1 yo must be rear facing. then after 1 year AND weigh over 20 pounds, they can face forward. WE got a Cosco version. why do they make these things so difficult.... I hagve figured out how to get the seat in and out my my SUV and my husbands Explorer.

Teeth- Oh crap we are busting the top two at the same time. It has been a crying house today. his schedule is so off...

Standing- pulls himself up on everything. falls and bumps his head. we lowered the crib two weeks ago after he stood up in the pack n play.

crawling- Harry has the nag of this now. I have to get gates up for the stiars and keep the bathroom door closed.

Childproofing- what to do? I have outlet covers and drawer things but what else??? I need a cord wrapper for the blinds in the living room.... where do you get those?

[kmack]

I need a cord wrapper for the blinds in the living room.... where do you get those?
I just got them at babiesrus. i also bought some straps to keep big pieces of furniture from falling over, b/c DD has already tried to pull up on the CD and DVD holder. the straps at BRU are pretty thick so i think they are meant more for heavier pieces, but for now they will do the trick.

i bought a sippy cup a while ago but she never got the hang of it. i think it's buried in my cabinet somewhere, guess i should pull it out again! she is all about drinking from my poland springs sport bottle though.

[Kasia216]

Here's a recent picture of my Boo in his Exersaucer...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a294/cheryl216/Jackson8months.jpg

Sippy Cup - We started with the Avent but then we switched as my friend suggested the First Years disposable type and he likes it much better - it's smaller and easier for him to maneuver. I also let him sip out of a small juice glass and he seems to like that as well. I'll put either diluted fruit juice or water in his sippy cups.

Crawling - Still not crawling yet. He's been sliding all over the place but still no active crawl. Does not really pull up on anything yet either

Question
I started to give DS Yo Baby yogurt. He loves it! Has anyone else given this to their baby - please tell me I'm not alone :-)

[NYN]

December: sorry if i sounded a little crazed. it is just that you were the second person this week who thought their baby was weaning and it threw me into a panic, lol. i also have a friend who FF's and her baby is refusing a bottle so it seems to be every baby at once.

sippy cups: DD learned how to use the sippy early. i started her on it at 5.5 months and she pretty much learned it by 6 months. she doesn't really get it very often. i will let her sip a little water if she has some solids and i give it to her when we are at the dinner table (she sits in her high chair) but she will sip it and then play w/ it. anyway, we started off w/ the NUBY cups and now i will occasionally switch to a playtex sipster but she still uses the nuby's the most b/c she is able to hold them herself (since they are shaped like a bottle). she just hasn't mastered the handles on the other sippies. we are now moving onto straw cups but are not having any success so far. i'm going to start getting more aggressive w/ it this week.

since we never really bottle fed her i figured i would just switch to a sippy cup as soon as i could. my goal is to have her on the straw cup by 1 year (i am going to continue breastfeeding but since she will be going to daycare at this point i'd like her to know how to drink liquids out of a cup). i might be wrong but i think i remember jki saying that she went straight to the straw cup w/ cassidy. might be an option for some of you if the sippy isn't working.

childproofing: one good thing about having a lazy baby is that we haven't had to worry about this yet. :D

yogurt: i gave it to my DD once and she liked it but she also likes plain yogurt and since she barely eats anything it is not worth it for me to buy the yobaby tubs (i just buy a big tub of plain yogurt and give her a tablespoon or so a day.)

[July05Mommies]

i updated up until here. i guess doco is not re-joining the thread so if someone else would like to help me moderate, please let me know. post it here or PM me (NYN). thanks.

[newyorkgirl]

yogurt - same as NYN. I just give Bennett plain yogurt - either Seven Stars or Brown Cow organic whole fat or I'll give him Total Greek yogurt, which he just loves. Sometimes I'll mix in a little pureed fruit, but he willingly takes it plain, which is perfectly fine to me. I read the label of the YoBaby yogurt and it has added sugar, something I try to avoid where possible.

QOTD - is anyone else making the transition to table food/finger foods? Our ped said at our 8-month WBV that I should start giving him finger foods as well as start to transition him to table foods. I ended up having two problems. One, Bennett is fine picking up puffs and Cheerios and tiny cubes of soft cheese (I just cut up half a thingy of string cheese, and eat the other half myself), but anything else that is the least bit slimy, he refuses to use his hands - peas, diced carrots, cooked chicken, etc. He eats it fine if I feed it to him, he just doesn't want to pick it up. Does anyone have any good ideas to give him a little more variety in finger foods - I don't want to just be limited to puffs and cereal. Two, I am worried that I got a little over eager on feeding him finger foods because I think he may have had a mild allergic reaction - he's had a bit of a rash around his mouth (that seems a bit worse than his normal drool-related rash) along with a couple rashy/dry patches around his knees and calves. Or it could just be that the weather's turned from cold to warm back to cold & windy recently. What does a food allergy rash look like?

[jki]

Crawling: No real crawling here yet, either! She can sort of drag herself around in circles pretty well. However, she seems to LOVE standing up against toys - her brother's train table, the Leapfrog Learning Table, etc.

Lowering Crib: Our crib has been at the lowest setting for months! Of course, DH is lazy and refused to lower it multiple times. So, once Cassidy could sit up, he just lowered all the way down!

Teeth: We finally have two bottom teeth! :)

Sippy: Yup, NYN is right, we started with a straw cup at about 4 mos. I just let her play with the straw and once she started sucking on the straw, I gave her the straw cup. Now, she can use a sippy with no problems as well. She likes the First Years disposable cup but they leak too much for my taste so I tend to give her the Avent sippy. Nanner, I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough - just keep letting him play with it!

Yogurt: Cassidy eats about 1 oz. of YoBaby twice per day. She loves the stuff but I hate the sugar content! It's the second ingredient!! I tried plain yogurt with fruit mixed for weeks in but I couldn't get her to take to it.

[jki]

One, Bennett is fine picking up puffs and Cheerios and tiny cubes of soft cheese (I just cut up half a thingy of string cheese, and eat the other half myself), but anything else that is the least bit slimy, he refuses to use his hands - peas, diced carrots, cooked chicken, etc. He eats it fine if I feed it to him, he just doesn't want to pick it up.
LOL. OMG - Cassidy is the same way. She will pick something up, if it's slimy, she will immediately drop it in disgust.

I usually put slimy items into her mesh feeder and she will eat them. I figure she can get used to the taste first and eventually, she will get over her fear of slimy items.

Cassidy eats a ton of finger/table food - she eats a tiny bit of almost everything we're eating...... she eats cream cheese sandwiches on ww bread, all snacks her brother eats - goldfish, graham crackers, regular crackers, etc., pancakes, waffles, scrambled egg yolk, etc. She's a pretty picky eater and eats very little.

What does a food allergy rash look like?
My only experience with a food allergy was giant, massive, red, all over the body, raised hives. Are the patches on his legs excema like? To see if it's a food allergy, you are supposed to eliminate the last few items you fed him, wait 2 weeks, and add each item back one week at a time, without adding any new food items.

[msmarieb]

Hey Ladies!

Sippy cups: we also started at 5 mos...at first we just let him play with it, then we put juice in it for some motivation. I'm going to start subing the cups for bottles...I held it in his mouth a couple of times...without the stopper once he realized that juice came out of the spout we put the stopper back in. He does much better with the two handle one...

I haven't tried the Yogurt yet.

Table foods: we started with breads, toasted bread then softer breads. He also eats cheerios, he seems to be less and less interested in babyfoods alltogether.

[Nanner]

sippy cup:

i might be wrong but i think i remember jki saying that she went straight to the straw cup w/ cassidy. might be an option for some of you if the sippy isn't working.


This is actually a great idea. Whenever we're at a restaurant and I have a glass with a straw, he is always reaching for it and putting the straw in his mouth. He's even sucked it up a couple of times. I will try this.

baby proofing: We covered all of the outlets, and that's all we've done so far. We really have to anchor the tall shelves to the walls, especially since some of them are in his room. (He shares a room with our china--how scary is that???)

table/finger foods: We're really basic on this so far. I give him banana, sweet potato, the wagon wheels and puffs, and that's about it so far. We really need to step up the solids a little more. He's only been getting one meal per day, just because bottle feeding is so much easier! But I guess like anything else, we have to take the time to help him learn.

QUESTION ABOUT YOGURT/CHEESE: I thought cow's milk was supposed to be delayed until after 1 year? My understanding was that it can cause allergies. But is it more that it doesn't have the nutritional value of BM or formula? Those of you that have offered cow's milk products, how do your children seem to do with them?

Lowering crib: We lowered Sam's crib last weekend. He's just now getting more mobile and pulling himself to standing. We're definitely using the changing table more often now! Before we always just used the crib, and the changing table sat there unused. We're finally getting our money's worth. :)

[newyorkgirl]

QUESTION ABOUT YOGURT/CHEESE: I thought cow's milk was supposed to be delayed until after 1 year? My understanding was that it can cause allergies. But is it more that it doesn't have the nutritional value of BM or formula? Those of you that have offered cow's milk products, how do your children seem to do with them? Both - babies can be sensitive to milk proteins (but also remember that most formulas are cow's milk based). Whole milk is also less calories/oz than either BM or formula. In yogurt/cottage cheese/regular cheese, the proteins are broken down somewhat or have agents that are synthesizing them somewhat (like the bacteria in yogurt) - I don't know if that's the technical term, but it's something like that. HOWEVER, if you are on soy formula or are eliminating certain things your diet while BFing, you want to wait a bit and get an okay from your ped before introducing things like wheat or dairy to baby's diet. Babies with more sensitive guts may need a little more maturing before they can handle such foods.

That said, Bennett didn't have any problem eating yogurt or cheese and that's after having had a mild sensitivity to dairy and soy very early on (I eliminated those from my diet until around 5 months). and the changing table sat there unused. We're finally getting our money's worth. That's so funny! We are finding the changing table less useful now because any session on the changing table is like a round of WWWF Smackdown. :) He squirms and flips over and generally refuses to be diapered so we're afraid that he's just going to fall off the changing table one day. I had to pull an ottoman into his room to use as a diaper changing surface. And even then, I have to give him a toy or something to occupy him while I change his dipe as quickly as I can.

[maggieb]

One thing that might help with the slimy food issue and baby not picking them up is to crush some Cheerios and then roll the slimy food in the Cheerio dust. I tried this with bananas and pears and it really helped Marisa be able to grasp it.

Table foods: I finally just totally stopped trying to give Marisa baby foods. She refused them everytime. So far I've given her Cheerios, bananas, pears, rice, tortillas, green beans, carrots, and whole wheat bread. She really loves to feed herself. Soon I'm going to try pasta, meats and diced potatoes.

sippy cup: We started giving the sippy cup to her at about 6 mos and she does well with it. Not perfect, but she manages to get some in her. I have been giving her water and if I happen to pump on the rare occassion and have some bm leftover I will give that to her. We have the two-handled sippy and that seems to work for her.

I'm holding off on giving her yogurt since I'm fairly certain that she has a dairy intolerance.

Ack, big sister is crying. BRB.

[Nanner]

That's so funny! We are finding the changing table less useful now because any session on the changing table is like a round of WWWF Smackdown. He squirms and flips over and generally refuses to be diapered so we're afraid that he's just going to fall off the changing table one day. I had to pull an ottoman into his room to use as a diaper changing surface. And even then, I have to give him a toy or something to occupy him while I change his dipe as quickly as I can.


He squirms a little, but he has discovered his penis, so that keeps him pretty occupied. :)

Thanks for the milk info! We've been on lactose-free formula since he was about 2 months old. I guess I will give the yogurt and cheese a little try, and watch and see what happens.

[NYN]

can you guys post detailed info on how exactly you started table foods? i have an irrational fear of catie choking. if i give her something that isn't in a puree i watch the poor thing like a hawk and confuse the hell out of her. plus, i tried giving her some puffs and i cut them up first b/c i though i had to do that and my DH started saying that she could choke on them anyway. my pediatrician told me to wait until 9 months to do cheerios and things like that. also, lately i have stopped giving her those biter biscuits b/c as soon as she puts it in her mouth she bites a big chunk off and i run to pull it out of her mouth. should i just let it be? i never leave her unsupervised while she's eating.

catie did well w/ yogurt as well. i am going to try giving her cottage cheese later this week and see how she takes to it. here is a good link on why babies can eat milk products but are still too young to drink milk:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/dairy.htm

[Nanner]

can you guys post detailed info on how exactly you started table foods? i have an irrational fear of catie choking. if i give her something that isn't in a puree i watch the poor thing like a hawk and confuse the hell out of her. plus, i tried giving her some puffs and i cut them up first b/c i though i had to do that and my DH started saying that she could choke on them anyway. my pediatrician told me to wait until 9 months to do cheerios and things like that. also, lately i have stopped giving her those biter biscuits b/c as soon as she puts it in her mouth she bites a big chunk off and i run to pull it out of her mouth. should i just let it be? i never leave her unsupervised while she's eating.


I started with small chunks of banana. They're soft and mushy, and won't get lodged in her throat unless it's a big piece. You can also used soft cooked vegetables, like potato, sweet potato, carrots, green beans, etc. Just mush them up a little at first, if you want, so that makes them easier to swallow, esp. if she doesn't have teeth yet.

I also used the wagon wheels and puffs. They also won't cause choking because they start disolving as soon as the saliva hits it. That also makes them gross. :) Like you, I'm waiting a while for cheerios, since they don't disolve the same way. I want to wait until he has more teeth.

The biter biscuits--I think you were right to stop giving them. Since they're thicker, they don't dissolve as easily, so she can choke on a bigger piece like that. Sam just gnaws on them.

[elnelson]

Hi! Is there room for one more? I'm a July mom too and lurked occasionally in the old thread but was too intimidated to post. Here are our stats:

elnelson
Me: Erika, 32
Married: 6/14/2003
Andrew Axel
7/27/2005
1:31PM
6lbs 14oz
18.5 inches

Teeth: None! Though we've blamed the excessive drooling and occasional fussiness ever since 3 months on teeth - ha. :rolleyes:

Solids: We've been trying since 6 months and have been able to get in at most about 5 bites a day. He is way into grabbing the spoon and flinging food across the room but not so much into eating. We did try lumpy bananas as finger food the other day with greater success so he may just be a puree hater...

Car: We actually did the reverse of most - started with an SUV and just bought a family sedan! We have a ford explorer and a toyota prius - possibly the worlds least and most fuel efficient cars. They both work pretty well with the car seats though I do love having the ability to change diapers in the back of the explorer..

Got to run - more later! Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

[lil_nance]

any session on the changing table is like a round of WWWF Smackdown. Wish these guys would stop copying each other. My friend gave us a small cow that moos. I use it to distract him while I change him. Sometimes it works.

table food I started with veggie puffs because they melt right away. As I saw he was chewing them, I tried Cheerios broken into smaller pieces. I've also given him small bits of bread and pancakes.

We've started adding lunch this week so he's getting 3 meals.
For those of you FF, how much does you child generally take per bottle. I'm replacing some nursing sessions and want to make sure he's getting enough.

[newyorkgirl]

jki - thanks! I also called my ped this morning - from my description, he seems to think it's just weather-related dermatitis. All the same, I'm not going to introduce any new foods for a couple weeks and see how it goes.

elnelson - hello! Did you have the same username on the other board? I seem to remember that maybe we had a wedding vendor or something in common - was it the photographer? ;)

finger/table food - we went from purees to thicker purees to mashes to chunky mashes than to super-tiny-diced foods. Somewhere in there we also introduced puffs, but at first it took Bennett a while to get the hang of it, so I would watch him the whole time. Now, puffs and wagonwheels are the only two foods I let him eat unsupervised. You can also try watermelon or the innermost part of melons like honeydew and cantaloupe - Bennett absolutely loves these. He also likes waffles and pancakes - we go out to eat breakfast every Sunday and he always gets some of mine - he ate nearly a quarter of my Belgian waffle two days ago. My downstairs neighbor (with a one-year-old) said she also took the peas, diced carrots and potatoes and chunks of meat out of canned soups and used those because they were softer (and tastier) than the frozen bags of veggies you can cook up. But I still sit right in front of Bennett when he eats anything. So there are probably a lot of foods you can safely give Catie, but I still would caution against letting her eat unsupervised.

About the huge chunks she can bite off - it probably depends on how big. If it's pretty big, I would just let her gnaw on it. If you need to, you can always fish it out of her mouth. If it's smaller, i.e. larger than a pea, smaller than a nickel, I would take it away. I don't give teething biscuits anyway, but not because I'm worried about the choking hazard - I'm more concerned about the mess! :)

[heatherlynne]

December-It was great meeting you and Parker too!!! I am still working on getting those pictures for you, but I promise that it won't be long.

Sippy cup-Sarah has been using a sippy for a while and seems to do well with it.

Solids-Sarah eats cheerios, fruit/vege puffs, and usually whatever else we put in front of her. She isn't picky. She does eat yogurt, but I haven't started her on cottage cheese yet-I just bought some.

Breastfeeding-Sarah has started to drop a feeding during the day. It is usually the noon one and she is just too interested in everything else to nurse. I plan to give her milk for that feeding and see how she does.

Springtime-Is anyone else having their baby wake earlier because of the sun? Sarah has been waking over an hour earlier and I think it is because her room gets brighter... Must get heavier curtains!!!!

[elnelson]

newyorkgirl - yep - that's me - good memory! I think the connection was that we both had winery weddings? Or maybe just that your were another N. Ca bride with great taste - I think I remember stealing some ideas from you - thanks!

Man - reading these posts makes me realize we're pretty slow on the solids thing. I may just have to go out this afternoon and pick up some yogurt and give it a shot. My in-laws are coming in this weekend and since like 2 weeks of age they've been dying for baby A to eat solids. I can only imagine how bummed they're going to be that at 8 months he's far more likely to eat a stack of post it notes than a bowl of sweet potatoes. Why is it that our parents generation is so obsessed with solids anyway??

Crawling - I think we're almost there. Andrew's got the scooting backwards thing down pat and in the past couple of days he's been able to lug his full body forward a couple of inches.. We haven't baby proofed so i'm thinking I had better get on it soon!

Question - has everyone here taken an Infant CPR class? I haven't and have recently started to feel a little bit of panic that I won't know what to do if we have an incident.. We covered infants during high school CPR but that was - um - like 15 years ago. Yikes.

[kmack]

can you guys post detailed info on how exactly you started table foods? i have an irrational fear of catie choking. if i give her something that isn't in a puree i watch the poor thing like a hawk and confuse the hell out of her. plus, i tried giving her some puffs and i cut them up first b/c i though i had to do that and my DH started saying that she could choke on them anyway. my pediatrician told me to wait until 9 months to do cheerios and things like that. also, lately i have stopped giving her those biter biscuits b/c as soon as she puts it in her mouth she bites a big chunk off and i run to pull it out of her mouth. should i just let it be? i never leave her unsupervised while she's eating.

i was just going to say that i haven't given DD any finger foods yet b/c i thought since she really didn't have any teeth she couldn't chew them. so i am paranoid of her choking as well. and she also sucks on those teething biscuits for so long that big pieces break off and i have to pull them out in a panic.

where do you buy these puffs thingys? i haven't seen them.

[jki]

can you guys post detailed info on how exactly you started table foods? i have an irrational fear of catie choking.

NYN - I started out with putting a lot of food in the mesh feeder. I am sure this taught Cassidy how to 'chew' her food.
http://images.rightstart.com/global/images/thumbnail/472.jpg

Then I started giving pieces of banana, apple, etc. Have you taken infant first aid? That might give you a bit of peice of mind as far as choking. DS used to gag/choke on EVERYTHING..... DD NEVER chokes - I can't figure out what the difference is, besides the mesh feeder. I would fish the chunks of biscuit out - those things are really hard and definitley a choking hazard!

elnelson: Welcome!

Infant CPR: Yup, we took it before Cassidy's brother was born. I also made my parents and sister take the class.

Springtime: Oh yes.... we've been getting 6am - 6:30am wake up calls! :( I was getting used to waking up after 7am!! I am looking forward to Daylight Saving!

lil_nance: Cassidy takes a max of 6 oz. per bottle, she gets 4 bottles per day. She was 16+ lbs. at 6 mos. DS took 8-9 oz. per bottle but he was a bigger eater and weighed 21+ lbs. at 6 mos.

[Tray85]

Classes - We took an infant CPR class while pregnant. Now I feel like I need a refresher class.

Sippy - I let Katie take sips of water every day and she thinks its really funny. When I put the stopper in, she doesn't quite know what to do with it and just chews on the spout.

This will make everyone feel better - My Mayo clinic book said that only 25% of babies know how to use a sippy cup by 9 months old. :p

elnelson - Don't worry - I'm right there with ya! I have only given Katie purees so far. She loves them. I am so worried about food allergies because we have a family history. I went to get the Gerber puffs the other day, but didn't buy them because they contained wheat and strawberries. The charts I see say to avoid those items for a while. I tried to get adventurous and bought stage two green beans and potatoes. Even though they were organic, I noticed that they contained milk and butter when I got home! Hello! How is that a stage 2 food? Maybe I'm too worried about this stuff.

Spring - We just put up curtains on top of the blinds in the baby's room this past weekend. It has helped a bit.

[Nanner]

where do you buy these puffs thingys? i haven't seen them.

The ones I get are from Gerber, and they're just at my regular grocery store. They're in the baby section along with the teething biscuits and Gerber "Graduates" meals. They're in tall hourglass-shaped plastic containers.

[newyorkgirl]

i thought since she really didn't have any teeth she couldn't chew them Even if the babies did get their first couple of teeth in, it really doesn't make a difference wrt their ability to chew. It's the molars they would need teethwise to chew anyway and I don't think they get those for a while, no? I know Bennett just mashes stuff between his gums and that seems to work fine.

[NYN]

that is actually a great idea to try the mesh feeder. i kept meaning to buy one. i just have a feeling that it will go in her mouth and then right to the floor. the only thing she likes to "eat" are those biter buscuits (and i bet it's b/c they taste sweet). i assume she will eat one day right? she will have to stop exclusively nursing before kindergarten. :D

elnelson: welcome. you are not too behind on foods. we don't even offer solids on most days. i know it's little consolation but i'm glad we're not alone, lol. oh, i added you to the roster.

infant cpr: we have had trouble finding a class to take but we have been meaning to take it. i bet it would ease my fears. i never leave her unsupervised but i am so NOT relaxed that she ends up looking at me like "what's wrong?" instead of eating her food.

wake time: yes, catie wakes up 1 hour earlier everyday. she has been sleeping terribly for two days now, fighting me for every nap and up every two hours at night. yesterday i didn't get any sleep until 4:30 and then she woke me up again at 6:30. thankfully my DH was home and took her to the living room with him. tonight was another day of terrible naps to the point where i just couldn't deal w/ putting her to sleep so DH did it. i just pray that she sleeps okay today b/c it just breaks my heart to see her so tired but fighting it.

oh, what are wagon wheels? i've never seen those.

[kmack]

thanks for the info on the gerber puffs, i was at target right after i posted that and saw them so i bought two cans. she loves the veggie ones! and it was funny b/c it was like she was chewing them w/ her 2 front stubs, somehow she knew exactly what to do with them. i feel like i am really behind on feeding solids as she is going through a bit of a strike right now.

infant CPR i have been meaning to take a class but we never signed up. i had a really bad experience last year where a man in our office had a heart attack and no one in the office knew CPR so they were running around frantically looking for someone to help. i had taken a class 7 years ago so i tried to help but i was preggo at the time and was so shaken by the whole incident that i could not really remember what to do. and this was a man who i didn't even know, so i could only imagine how i would be if it were my DD. i have since taken a real CPR class but tell myself that if anything were ever to happen i will call (!! and have them walk me through it. it makes me shudder to even think that i ever might have to use it again.

[Kasia216]

Infant CPR - Took a class when DS was about 2 months old. They handed out a magnet with instructions that i have on my fridge. It's good to glance at every once in a while to make sure I understand what I need to do in case of an emergency.

Finger/Table Foods - Don't really give him food from the table often. I've given him toast, veggies from my soup and baked potatoes. Glad to hear that you girls give yogurt (was worried about doing that...). I really need to explore more foods.

elnelson Welcome

Wake Time I still have a terrible night sleeper. He's up 2x night still :( and I don't know what to do about it. He sleep's till about 8:ooAM most mornings and I get 2 decent naps a day.

[elnelson]

Hi all! Thanks so much for the warm welcome. Also for the solid advice and support - glad to know i'm not the only one! We did try yogurt last night and it was really funny - he seemed to like it as he ate more than two bites (very good sign) but every bite was accompanied by a look of total shock - like what in the heck IS this stuff???? :)

Wake Time - funny because for us 6am is a GREAT wake up time - much better than our frequent 5 or 5:30s! The last few days have been 6 which feels like pure luxury. kaisa - Andrew's typically up 2x a night as well so I feel your pain. Weissbluth says this is pretty normal up to 9 months so i'm holding out hope that things will get better in a month..

Bottles - Andrew typically takes 3-4 6oz bottles a day when we're apart. Sometimes he'll down the full bottle and other times he'll start with 4oz and finish the other 2 later.

Classes - I think someone asked about classes before - we've been taking Music Together since Andrew was 8 weeks old and he absolutely loves it. The classes are a great way to meet other moms and they're really fun and interactive. Andrew "dances" literally the entire class and lights up when it's time for his favorite songs. Too cute. I've been thinking about signing up for Gymboree as well - has anyone taken their level 2 class?

[NYN]

my DD wakes twice a night too (and she really nurses - like very aggresively and for a long time). she started doing this at around 16 weeks and i think there were only two or three nights since then where she slept through one or both of those wakings. like elnelson said though, i'm not too worried b/c i've read that this is normal in many babies until 9 months.

[maggieb]

Marisa wakes usually one time at night and sometimes two. She generally nurses well at these times, so I'm not quite ready to night wean her. Also, when I night weaned Helena my supply really tanked and I'm not ready for that to happen yet. I don't mind getting up to nurse her as long as she goes right back to sleep and isn't expecting a party. I think I'll try to night wean her at about a year.

Well, I tried yogurt, even though I suspect a dairy intolerance. So far no major symptoms noticed. She did have red cheeks and really stinky toots, but nothing else. I'll take that. I tried it again this morning. It's weird. She doesn't like baby food, but ate yogurt. I'm gonna try diced meat sometime soon.

[NYN]

I don't mind getting up to nurse her as long as she goes right back to sleep and isn't expecting a party. I think I'll try to night wean her at about a year.

She doesn't like baby food, but ate yogurt. I'm gonna try diced meat sometime soon.

same here on both accounts. i was planning on trying to give her a meatball tonight. we tried peas yesterday but i think she was swallowing them whole.

[kmack]

i know this is probably a stupid question, but what exactly does it mean to night wean - that you don't BF at all during the night? or just cut out one feeding? if i started to supplement w/ formula at the night feeding (right before bed, but if she wakes during the night i would BF), does this mean i am night weaning at all?

i just visited my mom in NY for 3 days and DD slept horribly. last night she woke about every 2 hours so i am ready to collapse right now. i think her teeth are really bothering her, but nothing i give her seems to help (hylands tablets, motrin, tylenol, etc.). she hasn't been sleeping great for some time, but like maggieb said, i was starting not to mind it so much as long as she went right back to sleep. and slept more than an hour and a half after the last feed!

[lil_nance]

kmack I believe night weaning means no BFing (possibly no feeding?) at all from when they go to sleep until the next morning. I know my DS can go all night if he wants to. He's done it before, slept for 10-12hr. Usually, he wakes up after 7-8hr, eats, and goes back to sleep for a few hr.

[maggieb]

nightwean: To me, night wean means that the child does not eat at all, whether from breast or bottle, from the time he/she goes to sleep until they wake up for the day.

[newyorkgirl]

Update: I don't think Bennett had a food allergy - I slathered on the Aquaphor and most of it seems to be going away. The only red patches I can't get rid of are the ones around his mouth and on his left thumb (the one he sucks). :)

QOTD: Just curious - does your DC favor one hand over the other? For a while, our ped told us to make sure that DS was more or less ambidextrous, but I think he might be starting to favor his right hand.

[myshel]

Yay! We finally have teeth at our house. Luka's front bottom teeth are coming in.

Thanks for all of the posts on feeding solids. We've been working our way through solids, but have had a recent long stop in Stage 2 foods. Luka will not eat anything thicker. He loves Puffs and will gobble those things up, but if you try a Stage 3 food on him, he spits it back out. Maybe a mesh feeder is in our future.

QOTD: Luka does favor his right hand over his left. He does use both, but always seems to grab with his right first.

I apologize for being in and out so muh these days. I am buried under school work and have been traveling a lot due to my MIL. Things are looking up though-- both in terms of school and my MIL.

[dizylizy]

QOTD-Harry sucks his right thumb. but he seems to reach with either hand at the moment. I catch him using his right a lot more for Cherrios...

Teeth-Harry's top two should be popping out any day. He has been so fussy the last two days...

Falling-Harry loves to stand but I am so nervous about him doing it. He wants to stand at his intellinliner activity toy. but he falls backwad and hit his head. he screams so loud. He did it yesterday and I was almos ready to take him to the ER. He cried and cried for 10 minutes... I have moved the intellliner onto the carpet... poor guy. I hope he gains his balance soon.

[lil_nance]

Is anyone else's kid "eating" them? Connor has recently start grabbing my clothes and trying to eat them. It's not just teething because he doesn't necessarily want a substitute. He's not doing it out of hunger. I hope this phase ends soon. I'm not crazy about having my top yanked around in public. The wet spots he leaves on my shoulder, sleeve, knee (whatever he got a hold of) are oh so attractive. :rolleyes:

Liz Can you put some pillows behind Harry when he's standing? That way he'll have a softer landing. I put a folded comforter on top of the carpet when Connor was first sitting so that it cushioned those tumbles. He hasn't started pulling up yet but I'm sure he will soon.

[NYN]

QOTD: catie definitely favors her left hand. so much so that i have to remind her to use her right hand. someone gave her a leap frog learning drum and she uses both hands to bang it and i notice is has helped her use both more often.

solids: i began trying finger foods w/ catie. she started feeding herself puffs though it took a few tries. i've also started giving her toast w/ cream cheese which she does well with. i also put some shredded mozarella cheese on her tray and she fed it to herself. my main concern now is that i am offering too much dairy so i bought a mesh feeder. i don't know if i am really dumb or what but i have been trying to open it for over an hour w/ no success.

still no teeth, crawling or standing though she has learned how to lift her butt while on her stomach. progress, slowly but surely. ;)

[myshel]

... so i bought a mesh feeder. i don't know if i am really dumb or what but i have been trying to open it for over an hour w/ no success.


I just bought two today too in an effort to get Luka interested in some more solid foods. On one side of it, there is a latch (the whole top is a hinge). You kind of have to pop to latch up and it should open. They are not easy to open.

[dizylizy]

nance-
Thanks for the idea of the comforter. I was putting some of the couch pillows down but the little guy found the "crack" this morning between them... I am going to get one of the blankets out of the closet and add some padding....

mesh feeders- I have two types- one the twists and one that has two yellow "buttons" that need to be pushed together so that then you twist... always takes me a bit to get it apart.

[myshel]

Well, operation mesh feeder was a bust tonight. Luka had zero interest. In fact, he ate pretty poorly anyway. I did smash up some peaches and he ate those.. sort of.

For those of you who have tried yogurt with your baby, what kind did you use? Did your DC like it? I almost bought some Yo-Baby