January & February 2006 Moms - The first year!

[Medako]

We had our 6 month WBV today....Jack's a big boy....23 lbs. 8 oz. and over the 95th percentile for weight. He's 27.25" (75th percentile).

He's obviously growing very well and the doctor was pleased.

He's also started sitting up on his own. He's able to stay upright for a few minutes at a time now....

[jeninef]

O.k. Stupid question, but I have to ask it. When everyone talks about "sitting up" are we referring to DC sitting on their own when you put them in a sitting position and move away a bit or are we talking about DC pulling into a sitting position? I feel really silly having to ask, but I don't know. :rolleyes:

Annon and Meggers- OMG, I would be totally upset as well!!! Thankfully MIL lives several thousand miles away, but we are going to a wedding back east and she will be watching DS overnight in September! I am a bit concerned, but I guess I will just lay out the ground rules, right?

KRL626 - How exciting that DS is crawling! No rocking for us yet, but hopefully soon!

Solids - Still no solids, but eagerly anticipating starting them in August after the 6mo. WBV. I did buy the Super Baby Food bookafter the recommendations here, and have been reading up when I get a chance.

We moved DS to his own bedroom/crib on Friday and he was up every two hours! At midnight we let him CIO and he did, for about 30 minutes. At 2am he cried for 3 minutes. At 2:45am I fed him and at 5am I fed him. Saturday night he slept straight through until 5am. Nursed and back down until 7am. Same for Sunday night! Hopefully this will continue! It's nice to be able to watch tv in our own bedroom before we go to sleep!!!

[Anon25]

Aligirl-So cute! Blowing raspberries while eating? That must have been fun..lol. ;)

Jules-No, I didn't say anything but I'm taking the passive aggressive route of packing the solids I want him to eat in the diaper bag for the next visit, which is tomorrow. :)

meggers-Ok, ear plugs were enough but ranch dressing?! lol, I've never even heard of that! My MIL is similar is similar with my 2 yo niece, giving her soda after 8pm and cookies whenever. It bothers my SIL to no end who HAS said something, but she still does it. :rolleyes:

Twyla-I wish I had your courage to speak up! I've decided that it's ok for now but if it gets excessive I'll say something. :p

KRL-Cute new pic of Jeremiah! Yep, my IL's also gave him water before I had.

Medako-Whoa, that IS a big boy! WTG Mom! ;)

jen-Yeah, I think ground rules are good. I made up a little cheat sheet I keep in the diaper bag that says how often Brendan eats, sleeps, what he likes to do for play, etc. so that anyone watching him is on the same page as his "at-home" schedule.

Personally, when I refer to sitting up I mean able to hold self steady in a seated position without support. It looks like CIO is working for you! I wish I had the same luck.

Crawling/RockingThat is so awesome to see some of the babies doing this!! I can't believe we're already at that stage. Brendan shows no signs of any of it though. I'm sure it will happen soon. Then again, it might not, he seems pretty content to roll where he wants to go.

[Nikkid]

Look at all the cute babies. I love seeing photos!

Annon & Meggers I would also be upset if that happened to me. I was upset when I wasn't the first one to see him roll over. :rolleyes: My MIL passed away a couple years ago and my FIL lives a few states away so we don't see him very often so I don't have IL's to worry about. My mom is pretty good about that stuff but if she did do something I didn't like I would have no problems telling her that.


Solids Jaxson has been eating them for a month and a half now. I actually just started buying him the #2 jars since he will eat 2 jars of #1 at a time. I usually feed him food at lunch time and supper. He still has quite a bit of formula throughout the day since I know the solids are not suppose to replace his formual feedings yet.

Sitting/Crawling Jaxson has been sitting on his own for about 3 weeks now. It's so nice to be able to put him down and throw some toys in front of him so I can get some things done. He's not crawling at all but while he sits up he will lean over onto his hands and knees and then just fall on his belly. I think he wants to try and crawl because he will push up on his hand so his belly is off the floor but he can't quite get his knees up yet. I'm not ready for him to be mobile yet.

Jaxson has his 6mo WBV tomorrow and I'm curious to see how big he is now. We are about two weeks behind since we had to reschedule twice but I'm sure it's not a big deal. I know after this he won't go back until he is 9 mos. He has a cold right now. His older brother and sister came home from daycare with fevers and now he has it. He's actually doing better today but Sunday night I was up with him most of the night. :eek:

Glad to hear all the baby's are doing so well. Don't have time for S/O's right now but I have been reading along and maybe some night I will get a chance to catch up with everyone.

[jules1025]

jeninef - I consider sitting up as DC sitting on their own when you put them in a sitting position - which DD can only do for about 30 secs. Yay for DS sleeping through the night! Hope it continues!

teething - Ugh, Audrey is cutting a tooth and is just miserable. So is mommy. :( She will. NOT. sleep. And, I'm about to pull my hair out! This has been going on for about 3 days now. When will the damn tooth come in??? I can see it bulging through the top of her gums, but it seems like it's taking forever to break through. The timing couldn't be worse. We are moving tomorrow and I haven't been able to do as much packing during the day b/c she's fussy/crying all day.

[Kate&Joey]

Jules

Just wanted to give you a sympathy HUG! Having just gone through the moving thing with a wee one Audrey's age, I totally feel your pain! Hope she does better today. :)

[Nikkid]

Jules sorry to hear about the teething. I'm sort of going through that right now too. Actually his first tooth finally poked through the other day but I could see both of them bulging over the weekend. Thankfully he hasn't been that fussy. Have you given her anything like Tylenol or put any baby Orgajel or Anbesol? We have been giving him Tylenol and also have been putting some baby orajel on his gums. I don't know how well it worked but he hasn't been nearly as fussy as I thought he would be at this time. Good luck, I hope things get better.

[Twyla]

Jules- I hope She doesn't do what Caedan has been doing. I see the toth and the sweeling then it goes down LOL They have been doing this ofr over two months now! UGH it's aweful. I feel for you! BTW, Have you tried the teething tablets? They seem to work best for us, oragel is something I have never used. But tylenol doesn't seem to help quick enough.

QOTD, for nursing mamas- Do you have any issuese with nursing? Caedan has been clamping down as hard as he can and smiling at me while doign it. I swear he is going to bite the nipple off (sorry if that's TMI) He also makes a fist and hits my chest while he's eating. Anyone else dealing with anything like this? If so have you found a way to stop it? :) Thanks in advance!

[jules1025]

Thanks, Kate&Joey, NikkiD and Twyla! I have been using teething tablets, tylenol (during the day when she's really fussy) and motrin (at night before bed). She's still restless, though. I just put her down for a nap in her crib and I can hear her moving around in there... she's figured out how to pull herself up and chew on the crib rail. :rolleyes: So that's what she does instead of sleep. Oh, Twyla, I so hope this doesn't continue for months!! :eek:

nursing behavior - I haven't felt Audrey biting me, even though she's teething. But, she has hit me repeatedly before while nursing, and sometimes will rake her nails down my other bb. I just grab her hand and hold it until we're done nursing. I have no idea why she does this. :confused: Here's some info about biting while nursing: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/older-baby/biting.html

[Taurus]

6 month WBV (and 6 month birthday!) was today:

19 lbs 14 oz (75th%)
26.25 inches (50th%)

He's not sitting up on his own yet, and definitely not crawling.

He's got two swollen mounds where bottom teeth are coming in, but so far this has not affected his sleep. He's still a great nighttime sleeper and a pathetic napper!

Solids are going well, and I'm pretty sure that this kid is never going to turn down food of any kind.

anon and meggers - I'm kinda late in responding to this, but my blood pressure went up just reading your stories and imagining them happening to me!! :o

jules good luck with your move...and the teething!

[Medako]

Has anyone else's baby gone from a wonderful nighttime sleeper to a horrible one? Jack used to sleep straight through the night (9pm-5am), nurse and then go back to sleep for another couple of hours. Within the last week or so he hasn't slept a solid 2 hours without waking up. He's even gone from a self-soother to having to have someone go in and put his binky back in or pat him back to sleep.

I'm thinking about starting some sort of sleep training, I just don't know where to start. What has worked for some of you?

**and if you don't mind, not suggesting a book at this point. The nearest bookstore is over an hour away, and I can't make myself drive all that way with my lack of sleep and the outrageous price of gas.

[Twyla]

Medako- Caedan is doing this same thing! I am going nuts. Especially when I also have a 4yr old who is up at the same time veryday. AND DH is out of town Monday-Friday all summer for work. I was told it's a phase and an onset of either teething or another growth spurt. I am trying to lengthen the spaces between naps just so he'll sleep at night. And like JAsck Caedan could sooth himself but now he screams until someone rocks him and such. Last night he wound up in bed with me. I got the most sleep I've had in two weeks. One thing that seems to have worked with me it to take one of his blankets and throw it in the dryer on HOT for about a minute to get it toasty, I wrap him in it and he is out in minutes. ;) If it get's really bad I rock him in my arms in the bathroom with the sink on, water sooths him, I am thinking about getting one of those nature CD's. LOL Hope JAck gets back to his old habits soon! Good Luck!

[Kate&Joey]

Biting

DS has bitten me before. Usually at the end of a nursing session when he wasn't hungry anymore. And yes, he would look at me and smile. He didn't bite hard though. I just said "no bite" in a calm voice and we were done nursing.

Last night after I got home from work, however, he got me good. It really, really hurt. Like he clamped down and then pulled off...ouch! I think he was more tired than hungry and was not happy that I was having him nurse. I wasn't as "calm" last night. I said his name pretty loud and then "no bite...that hurts." He just stared at me and then kept fussing. I just pumped a while ago and there was a bit of blood on my horn, so I guess he really did break the skin. :(

Our middle of the night and AM sessions are fine though. I think it's the evening one where we have problems because we're keeping him up too late due to my long commute (it's temporary though...only 2 more months).

Hitting

Yes, he definitely does the "hit the chest while nursing" thing. I try to hold his free hand, but then sometimes he pops off and looks at me like "why are you interrupting my groove?"

Nursing in General

I've had to nurse DS in a quiet room, alone, for about 8 weeks now. He just gets too distracted if anyone else is there. I also have to watch him. If he catches me staring off into space, he pops off and stares at me.

Sleep Training

DS has never slept through the night so I don't have any advice. I'm content with waking once or twice a night to nurse him back to sleep. I think it's fairly common for babies around this age to have sleeping issues...going through big developmental changes/teething/eating solids/learning new stuff like sitting up. I could be wrong though!

[Nikkid]

Jaxson had his 6 mos WBV yesterday, stats:

weight: 20lbs 7ozs
height: 27 1/4 in

I was acutally surprised by his weight, I thought he would be more than that. His ped did say he was in the 90th percentile, at least that's what DH said.

Medako Jaxson was a good sleeper about 3 mos ago and since then it's been off and on. I'm still working on getting him back to the consistent sleeping through the night but we are not there yet. A few weeks ago it was bad where he was getting up twice a night (only a few hours apart) and the only way I could get him back to sleep was by giving him a bottle. I know I shouldn't do that but I was extremely tired and DH NEVER gets up with him. We also have a 2 yr old and 3 yr old that get up a lot and climb into bed with us so it's rarely that all of them sleep all night long at the same time.

I think Kate is right that it may have to do with dev changes as well as all the new issues they are dealing with. He is getting better now, he's just not consistent with sleeping all the way through every night but he does do it on occassion.

Sorry I didn't really offer any advice since I'm not doing anything to try and change it. Hopefully it gets better for you.

[sophonisba9]

Funny that everyone is having sleep issues, last night jack was up at 12:30, 3:45 and then on and off until I finally just got up for the day. He has sttn almost everyday for the last two months.

His 6 month wbv was monday and it did not go well. He basically hasn't gained any weight in two months. He has gotten longer and his head is still in the same percentile, so they aren't super worried, but the dr did tell me to supplement with formula whenever he doesn't seem completely satisfied by nursing. we also changed his refulx medicine to prevacid. The prevacid seems to be working pretty well, so maybe things will get better. Last night Jack played on without screaming or nursing for almost 3 hours. DH and I looked at each other and asked, "is this what it's supposed to be like?"

[aligirl]

sophonisba9 - we had the same thing (grew but no weight gain) with Alex at his 2 month WBV. The ped told us the same thing - and told me that if I wanted to continue nursing exclusively I'd need to pump every time he nursed too just to make sure it wasn't some other supply-type issue. We supplemented and then weaned.... It was easier for us though because I don't have anywhere clean/private *other than a restroom* to pump at work. I hope the prevacid helps! Sounds like it already has!

Medako - is he teething? I think Kate is right too. Alex is still STTN but I'm just waiting for the teething strike to happen and for him to no longer STTN consistently.... I know my luck can't be this good! Do you have a sleep routine (I'd imagine you do!)....?

[Medako]

He's not teething right now, although we've had a few days of swollen gums in the past.

We do have a routine at bedtime....eat, change diaper & into jammies, wrap up, rock to sleep...same time every night. And all of a sudden he doesn't want to sleep. It seems to start about 45 minutes after we put him down. He'll wake up & usually needs rocked back to sleep. After that, it's not uncommon (the last week or so) for him to wake up 6-7 times before 5am ~ Tuesday night he woke up 4 times between 1 & 2am! Sometimes he just dropped the binky, sometimes he wants on his side or tummy instead, & sometimes he wakes for no reason at all (that I know of).

It's becoming exhausting because I'm the only one who gets up with him and it seems like about the time that I fall back to sleep, he's awake again. I guess I can just hope that it's a phase and he'll go back to being a good sleeper again soon. Or else mommy might be tossing in some earplugs and letting daddy deal with the late night wakings.... *oh, wouldn't that be lovely?*

[Twyla]

Kate - Caedan get's distracted now too. I can't nurse if DH is in the room. He only has to say one word and Caedan is looking around to see were Daddy is. :lol My DD thinks it's funny to come over when he is nursing and make funny noises because he will look up and smile at her. Little stinker!

[terrys wifey]

Now Ashley wants to stay up and play when she normally would be asleep but she still STTN thank goodness. Tonight she was distracted wanting to watch TV and play with her brother but you could tell she was sleepy so I put her in her crib, turn on her mobile and she fell asleep on her own.

I would suggest just continue to follow a schedule, of feeding, bathing, cuddling in a quiet place away from TV, siblings etc.... and even trying laying them in their crib and see if they will fall asleep by themselves.

HTH

[meatpie]

Medako - Have you let him cry it out at all yet? We've had to do this with our Jack a few times now. The first was when he went from sleeping in his carseat to on his back in his crib. It took three days of restlessness and crying and he was back STTN on night three. Luckily for us, Jack would only cry for about 10-15 minutes before tiring himself out. I also had to do it the first night we were in MN visiting the in-laws. Jack had to sleep in a pack-n-play and was not happy about it. Again, took about 10 minutes and once I heard him finally calm himself, I went in stuck the pacifier in and he went out for the night. Just a thought. But I can't imagine doing it all alone. Can you talk to your Hus about giving you some help???

Another idea - How about Story Time before bed? Once I introduced this a month or so ago, it's Jack's BIG clue that it's time to sleep. I read Goodnight Moon to him, sometimes twice if he's excited, but it just might be another way to indicate sleep time if swaddling, etc. is no longer the cure.

Nursing Not too many issues here. Jack does pull off if I talk to someone, or if he hears a noise. But the kid eats so darn fast he doesn't waste too much time. He looks like he's trying to bite me at times as well, but nothing yet.

Jack hasn't hit me, but LOVES to play with my hair while he nurses and gets ticked off sometimes if I pull my hair away (he pulls on my hair really hard at times and rips some out, which does not feel good...). For the most part (knock on wood) he's still doing just fine. But I also nurse him on my lunch hour, so I think that helps...

Weekend My Benny has been working about 45 minutes away from his office all week at a convention and has to work all weekend. So we are doing a mini-retreat to visit him and stay at the hotel the convention is in. My big excuse is that I need to beat the heat. It's going to be awful ehre this weekend and we don't have AC. We typically do not need AC because it's an old Spanish house with HUGE thick walls that stay cool - but 95 is 95 and I'm so outta here. Have a great weekend everyone.

[jules1025]

Medako - Have you tried an earlier bedtime yet? In the book I have (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child), it suggests a bedtime between 6-8pm. Try to start your routine around 7pm, maybe add storytime in there. Get him good and relaxed, then put him in his crib (I say a phrase to DD right before I leave the room, so she knows it's bedtime - like "good night, sleep tight"). If he still fusses after that, you can try a gradual CIO. Wait 5 mins, then go in and sooth - but don't pick him up, just rub his belly and/or sing to him until he calms down. Then say phrase again and leave the room. If he cries again, wait 10 mins and repeat. Add 5 mins to your waiting time every time. That was exactly how we sleep trained Audrey and it worked, but it took a few days. Although now her sleep is not good b/c she's teething, but I'm still trying to keep up with it.

[Twyla]

Meatpie- I would love 95 degree weather we are topping out near 110 everyday. LOL But I love living in so cal. So I deal. :) Have fun on your mini vacation ;)

[michiganbride]

kate I have had that same problem for a while now. It is really starting to get to me. Plus it seems like I am being rude to other when I get up and leave the room or tell them not to talk for like 15 min while Alex nurses. :mad:

medako I have the same problem. Alex will not sleep throught the night. It seems as though he will go like 1 week of only waking up once to waking up 2-3 time a night the next 3 or so weeks. I know that I read that they are really not supposed to sttn until 6 months which is where we are all coming to, but if you are nursing he might not sttn ever. I have just come to terms with no sleeping until Alex is a year old.

CIO I tried this! It seems like I have a child that refuses to quit crying. When I come back in to calm him down it seems like he just cries harder.

[tsmom]

Hi all - I am still here just not posting much....

STTN ---- hahahahahah - enough said.... I recently realized that it will soon be 6 months since I have slept more than 4 hours (a good night) at a time.. Not good for a Mama who works full time and has a 2 yo.

POOP - Drake was doing much better but this month has fallen into his old ways of not pooping for weeks on end.. after 14 days I caved and gave him a suppository. I am hoping this will remind him how to do it again.

Other than the sleep the boy is doing fantastic - so cute right now wants to smile and laugh at everyone and all he wants to do is stand. He is really working hard on trying to sit but is still like a weeble-wobble!

TIA with Twyla - it is 105 here right now!

BF - we are having a bit of a hard time with the bfing right now - well my supply has tanked and I have tried everything to get it back up. Nothing has worked so I have one more thing up my sleeve and then I will not know what to do. It is really important for D to have bm because of his GI issues. I have tried to supplement with formula but he has refused from me. Our nanny did get him to take 2 bottles yesterday mixed 2/3 bm to 1/3 formula. Hope he figures it out soon as we are down to 1 bag of froozen bm!

[meggers]

Owyn had his 6 month WBV yesterday. Here are his stats:

weight: 19 lbs 7 oz
length: 29 inches

He is getting to be such a big boy. His doctor said that he has a little bit of fluid in his ear but that it wasn't infected. We also just started on solids on Sunday. He seemed mostly interested in blowing the food out of his mouth instead of trying to eat it. I'm not sure how he did with solids at daycare yesterday since they didn't write it on his sheet and DH didn't have time to ask when he was picking Owyn up. Daycare is already expensive and we just found out that starting in September it will cost $45 more per month.

[jeninef]

So...my once wonderful nighttime sleeper has turned into an all night waker! DS was sleeping so good through the night for about a solid month. We transitioned him to his crib about 2 weeks ago and for the first 6 days did great. Then last weekend he started getting up multiple times during the night. I gave myself a "rule" that said I wouldn't go in there and nurse him until after midnight. I am pretty sure he's not hungry before then, especially since he gets fed last around 7pm. He has been increasingly fussy during the day...so I'm wondering if it's teething? The only thing is, I don't really see any other signs of teething, besides the contstant biting of objects and drooling. The other thing I noticed is that he really is moving around in his crib. When he wakes up around 10pm or so, he's moved himself into a perpindicular position in his crib. We had removed the bumpers for fear of suffocation, but now I'm wondering if I should put them back in? I just don't know what to do. We've been letting him cio until the midnight hour and he usually does fall back asleep before that time...then will wake up once or twice after that, to which I usually go in and nurse him back to sleep. I just don't know what to do...and the crying is getting to me! I feel AWFUL when I let him cry, but I don't know what else to do. I don't want to create a bad habit of mommy responding to every cry. Any suggestions?

[Medako]

jeninef - I'm kinda in the same boat. DS was such a good sleeper for the longest time. We moved him to his crib about 3 months and he was STTN without waking to even nurse from about 9pm to 5am (and even then, we'd have to wake him to eat at 5am). Now, he's the total opposite and it's driving me nuts!

Last night I started putting him to sleep at 7:45. At 8:00 I put him in the crib. Between 8 and 10:30 he woke up (screaming) 8 times. Finally about midnight DS came to bed with me and DH went to the couch. I'm getting NO sleep anymore because I'm the one that gets up with him every time during the night ~ DH sleeps because he's the one that has to get up early to go to work the next day.

I'm wondering if I should just let him CIO for a few nights. Of course, I'd have to go to the other side of the house and turn the monitor where I couldn't hear him cry or else I'd be a mess too.

He's also the most restless sleeper I've ever seen. He keeps himself awake by any means possible. He still needs swaddled to sleep or else he'll hit and kick around to the point he won't sleep at all. I've even tried letting him stay awake as long as he will, thinking he'll eventually just crash and fall asleep on his own ~ never happened, not even after 8-10 hours awake during the day!

I'm just about at my wit's end....so, I'd also love any hints to make my anti-sleeper turn back into that baby who STTN.

[froggie]

I am still here. I've been reading from time to time, but just haven't posted any. Still busy at work. This summer has been crazy.

Sleeping. I am on the same boat as many of you. JR used to sleep 6-8 hours without waking for a couple of weeks when he was 3 mo old. Now he eats twice at night and wakes up a couple more times. If I give him a paci, he usually goes right back to sleep, but I can't!!! :mad: That really screws up my sleeping and I am seriously thinking about letting him cry. I am also trying to wean nightfeeding, at least reduce to just one night feeding. He usually eats around midnight and 4-5am. Last couple of night, instead of feeding him at 4-5 am, I just held him and gave a paci, and he went right back to sleep till 8am. So all these days when I thought he woke up because he is hungry, he wasn't!!! He just wanted to be held. (He doesn't go back to sleep if I just give him a paci without holding) After he gets used to not eating at 4am, I will probably try to do some sort of sleep training. He has to learn to put himself back to sleep without being held or a paci. I don't handle well with his crying though. I just feel miserable when I let him cry out. So we will see how it goes. Any advice?

Solids We started feeding him solid a week ago. Still just rice cereal. He is doing well, spilling only one third of stuff. :rolleyes: I will mix some veggies with cereal soon.

BF I am still exclusively BFing. I pump at work and I breastfeed at night. Once he starts eating solids 2-3 times a day, I think I will be more relaxed about pumping and BFing. I am hoping to BF till he reaches one, but I feel like I don't have to be religious about BFing any more.

Hope everybody is doing well in these hot summer days.

[Anon25]

meggers-I am so sorry to hear about daycare going up...as if it isn't already ridiculously priced :(

Sleeping-I'm now in the same boat as some of you with Brendan waking to eat more and having a hard time falling asleep. I just don't know what to do about it anymore so I'm riding it through, hoping it gets better. I know he's going through some developmental milestones and such...maybe that's the culprit.

Solids-For those of you who have been doing solids for awhile - do your babes eat more than one solid a day? I've been giving Brendan a veggie or fruit at lunchtime just to get him used to it but my Mom recently suggested that I should be giving him two or three meals of solids a day in addition to his bottle. When is a good time to start doing this?

ETA-Oh and I checked out Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child from the library. Hopefully, that will help me shed some light on Brendan's naps and such. Now that he's getting a little older, I'd like to TRY and structure a schedule (of some sort) for him.

[elladee]

aw, meggers, that sucks about daycare.

We're in sleep hell, too. I sure as heck hope it's just a phase. It's at least a little comforting to know that you all going through it, too. I'm soooo tired all the time now though. Almost fell asleep on my way home from work the other day. :o Hope we get out of this soon.

froggie, a few nights ago, I did the same thing - just stuck the paci back in instead of automatically feeding her. As relieved as I was that she went back to sleep, I was mighty annoyed that I'd been feeding her 2-3 times/night for no good reason up until then.

WBV - Esther had her 6 month well baby visit this week.
weight - 16.4 lbs
height - 26.25 in

And she has a teeny tiny head. I forget the size, but it was only in like the 10th percentile, while she's average/above average for everything else.

[angelgirl8]

we're in a bit of hell here with a bed bug problem, dead computer and (STILL) sleeping issues so i haven't been around much!

just caught up on the thread from my parents' house (where we're staying for a bit).

we had our 6 month visit a few weeks ago. i don't have any info in front of me and i can't remember anything else, but i know their weights! they must be the smallest ones in this thread:

m is 12 lbs, 12 oz
j is 12 lbs, 1 oz

the doctor says they're doing great! no sitting up yet, but m is the rolling queen. she'll even hang out and play on her tummy. not so much for j!

j is suffering from bad eczema and some newly diagnosed allergies (milk, eggs, sesame, tree nuts, peanuts) so i've had to change my diet a bit. (that's an understatement!)

solids...we're starting them today! wish us luck!

nursing...we seem to have the same problems as everyone else...some biting, lots of distracting pulling off, lots of smacking me.

teeth...none in yet, but i'm convinced they're teething. or at least j. because he's MISERABLE!

sleep...we also have babies that wake up about 6 or 7 times a night. they nurse 3 of those times. it's not new but it seems to be getting worse! maybe after teething it will get better?

(medako...i sympathize! i totally know what you're going through!)

[Medako]

Good news on the sleeping front!

Last night I rocked Jack to sleep and put him in his crib. 45 minutes later he was awake and crying. So I gave him 5 minutes to holler and then went in. He calmed down almost instantly, so I left the room. He got upset just as fast as he got calmed down (obviously because I was out of sight). So, I gave him 10 minutes to holler and went back in. Same story, calm down instantly. So this time I was going to let him cry for 15 minutes, but about 8 minutes later he fell asleep!

He woke up a couple of times during the night, but I was going to give him 5 minutes to put himself back to sleep and each time he was back asleep within 2 minutes! I got almost 5 hours of solid sleep last night!! I feel like I could go days without sleeping now! *LOL*

[meatpie]

CONGRATS Medako!!! that sounds wonderful.

I think this must be a sleeping phase since practically everyone here is going through it. Jack wakes up but we wait a fwe minutes and he puts himself to sleep pretty quickly. Sometimes he neesd the pacifier, but mostly we try to let him put himself down again.

I will say that about a month/three weeks ago (who can really remember, I should write all this stuff down) Jack woke up in the middle of the night screaming. I fed him, and read in some book that feeding him is the last thing we should do (he's exclusively bf as well). So the next night he woke up screaming, I rocked him for about 5 mintues and he went out and slept through the night. That was the last of it until last night. Same thing, woke up screaming so I handed him his tiny little bear (he likes to hold things when sleeping) until he fell asleep again and then I took it away. He was fine the rest of the night. Now we are very lucky, Jack has been STTN since he was about 2 1/2 months - but I just wanted to let you know that you may be able to wean from some night feedings. Jack goes down late (10 p.m.) last feeding at 9:30 and wkes at 7:30 a.m.

I think our babies are going through so many changes right now. Teething, seeing 3-dimensional, hearing us more clearly, and of course rolling over all over the place - which brings me to my question for all of you. Anyway...this too shall pass (I hope)!

QOTD - Are your babes rolling over at night. Jack has decided he wants to sleep on his tummy now. I know he's safe, but just wondering if anyone else is waking up to a baby on his/her tummy after putting them to sleep on their backs?? It really freaks the Hus out, and he wants Jack back in our room, which I am not thrilled with. I want this kid to learn to be a bit independent.

[Medako]

Jack sleeps on his tummy too & I don't mind at all. When he's on his belly he can't throw his fists and legs around so much, therefore he sleeps more sound.

[meggers]

Owyn loves to sleep on his tummy too. I actually don't put him to sleep on his back anymore. I think that I stopped that around 3 months or so. I started to put him to sleep on his side and he seemed to like that. When he started rolling more, he would roll onto his tummy some during the night. Now, I put him to sleep on his side and he instantly rolls onto his tummy most of the time. He likes to get his legs underneath him so his butt sticks in the air. It is so cute.

It is now time to declutter and baby proof our home. Owyn is not crawling on his hands and knees yet, but he now moves along the floor well. Yesterday morning he would see something on the floor that was interesting and he would move right to it. He was moving half way across the room!

[blondegirl]

I know I'm a little late in the game, but anyone mind if I join in? I'm finding I have more time lately to get on the computer, so why not? I'm here every now and then, but spend most of my time in the Feb 05 thread.

CC Name: blondegirl
DS: Jace William
Me: Micheleen, 27
DH: Bryce, 31
Married: 9/6/04
EDD: 2/8/06
ADD: 1/26/06
Time of Birth: 7:37 am
Weight: 7lb 11oz
Length: 21 in
Other Children: Skylar 2/21/05, Rosalyn 6/3/99

I have to say, I am blessed with a absolutely great baby, so pleasant and easy! DS is on solids now for about 2 months. He has cereal and fruit in the am, and veggies in the pm, along with his bottles. We are due in for his 6month wbv next wk (a little late, but we try and combine as many as his visits as we can with his sister's! she is due for her 18 month wbv), but he was weighing in at 15 pounds at his 4 month, and was 26 inches. Can't wait to see how much he's grown! And I am also blessed with a good sleeped. He goes down about 8, and gets up around 7, sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a bit later.

QOTD: DS sleeps on his tummy. He rolls as soon as I put him down. DD always slept on her tummy from about 2 wks on because of gas pains, and sleeping on her tummy helped her sleep better. (My ped suggested I try it) I tried DS on his tummy from about the same time, but it didn't make a difference so I always put him on his back, but I guess now he prefers the tummy! I find that with DS on his tummy, he's able to get his thumb in his mouth easier, so he can sooth him self back to sleep - yes, he's a thumb sucker!!
This was taken about 3 months ago.
http://images1.snapfish.com/3477344%3B6%7Ffp345%3Enu%3D327%3B%3E%3B94%3E38%3A% 3EWSNRCG%3D323367%3A5989%3A4nu0mrj
And a more recent photo
http://images1.snapfish.com/3477344%3B6%7Ffp348%3Enu%3D327%3B%3E%3B94%3E38%3A% 3EWSNRCG%3D323398%3B56%3A%3C74nu0mrj

[jules1025]

Now that we've moved and are pretty settled, I finally have time to give an update! :) So many things happened with Audrey the day before we moved...

1. Her first tooth cut through! Thank goodness. Her sleeping schedule went right back to normal a day or so after it cut through, too.
2. She can push herself up into sitting from laying on her tummy!
3. And, she can pull herself up to standing!

The last two happened at exactly the same time and I was there with the video camera to record it. It was amazing! (Video is posted on my LJ.) :D I am just amazed at the things she can do. she's also crawling super fast now. My parents have tile floors and Audrey was crawling after their cat a few days ago and did a face plant right in the tile. :( Poor thing's top lip got a little swollen, too. I guess that's just the beginning of the bumps and bruises!

She also had her 6 month WBV a few weeks ago. Here are her stats:

Weight: 17 lbs, 15 oz (she's probably over 18 lbs by now, though)
Height: 26.25 inches

We got her 6 month portraits taken yesterday. They are so cute! I'll post a few once we get them. :) Today, my mom and I are taking her to the neighborhood pool. It will be her first time at the pool. I'm so excited!

--------------------

Welcome, blondegirl! Your DS is a cutie!

Medako - Congrats!! I'm so glad it worked out for you. I hope this trend continues.

QOTD - solids per day - Audrey gets two solid meals each day (most of the time). Her first is oatmeal cereal after her morning nap, and then she'll either get a fruit or veggie after her 1st afternoon nap.

QOTD - rolling over at night - Oh yes, Audrey rolls all over her crib at night. I put her down on her back and right away she rolls onto her side or tummy. In the mornings, I usually find her on her stomach in the fetal position with her head jammed into the corner of her crib.

[aligirl]

Alex had his 6 month WBV. He did fine...except for the shots part! He inch-wormed across the table and so we had to replace the paper several times. Silly boy.

Weight: 17 lbs, 9 oz (this isn't exact as he wouldn't hold still, even while mostly sitting) ;)
Length: 27.5 inches :eek:
Head: 17.75 inches

He's around the 90th percentile (range of 75-90) for length & head circumference. Wow!

He's trying to sit but he's more interested in trying to crawl. He's soooo happy! :)


Solids - He eats 2 meals a day - oatmeal w/ fruit mixed in around 9AM or so and a veggie around our dinner time. Sometimes he'll take 2 stage 1 size tubs, sometimes just 1. We let him decide. He's doing very well with it.

ROlling at night - He's done it a few times so far. Usually he'll wake up and flip over in the morning to start playing :) He almost always sleeps on his side.

[jeninef]

Medako- That is so great that DS is self-soothing himself back to sleep! And awesome that you're getting more much needed sleep yourself!

Josh is getting a bit better over here as well. I just let him CIO if he wakes up before midnight and so far so good. Last night he went down for bed at 7:20 and woke up at 9:30 or so. He cried for a few minutes and was back out to sleep! He will wake up once for a feeding afterwards, typically. One thing I noticed in the last day or so is that he's sleeping on his tummy now. So, my answer to the QOTD, is yes, DS is now a tummy sleeper it seems! I hope that this is more comfortable for him, but it gives me a heart attack!! I worry that he's gonna suffocate or something! I'm just paranoid, I know! I must check on him at least 10 times to make sure he's still breathing! :D I am so excited that he's learning new things though, but sad that my baby is growing up so fast! :(

[Medako]

Solids ~ Jack hasn't had anything but rice cereal and a couple of servings of peas (he got a little diaper rash after the peas, so I'm letting it heal up to make sure it wasn't a reaction). his doctor said we should work up to 3 solids a day, but I'm on the lazy side right now. He usually gets one serving of cereal a day. Next weekend is our monthly grocery trip so I'm hoping to stock up on plenty of fruits and veggies for him and then start adding a couple more solid meals a day. (it's just so much easier to just nurse instead of mixing/heating food and then cleaning up the mess afterward)

[Taurus]

Welcome, blondegirl. Your son is adorable!

QOTD - Nope, he sleeps 12 hours on his back, never wakes, and barely moves from that position. (If someone had told me months ago that this would be the case, I would never have believed it since DS hated sleeping on his back!) He has only rolled over to his tummy in his crib once or twice after waking from a nap.

During playtime, we're still at the rolling-onto-tummy-then-getting-stuck-there point. I really wish he would learn to flip back and forth because he gets so frustrated!

teeth He has two teeth that have popped through, and so far teething hasn't seemed to bother him.

solids Our doc is another who says he should be eating 3 times a day but we're getting there at our own pace. I don't know, just knowing DS's temperament and eating habits, I haven't worried too much about the how often and how much of solids because I feel confident he'll be a good and healthy eater and get what he needs. I guess I've focused more on WHAT foods he eats. I'm really learning a lot more about produce! It's fun.

[Nikkid]

Some days this thread doesn't move and then it just takes off! I don't know if I can keep up.

QOTD Jaxson is definately a tummy sleeper. The second I lay him on his back he rolls to his tummy and sticks his legs under him with his butt in the air. I believe just like Meggers Owyn. I'm not worried about his suffocating anymore since he is old enough to move his head around and sit up on his own. He is definatley all over his crib, some morning he is sitting up looking at me. (His crib is in our room).

solids- Jaxson eats solids twice a day. Once at lunch time and once again at dinner time. One time will be veggies and the next will be fruits. He's been eating solids for almost two months now so we are in the stage 2 foods. He is doing pretty well with them.

1. Her first tooth cut through! Thank goodness. Her sleeping schedule went right back to normal a day or so after it cut through, too.
2. She can push herself up into sitting from laying on her tummy!
3. And, she can pull herself up to standing!
I could have just about written this myself! Jaxson bottom two teeth cut through about a week apart. Then he started sitting up from a laying down position and one day I was sitting in the chair and he was playing on the floor next to me and when I looked he was standing up holding onto the chair! :eek: We didn't get it on video though but we did get a picture. Congrats on all the new milestones!

blondegirl welcome to the thread! Love the picture of your thumbsucking son. He is definately a cutie!

We had Jaxsons 6 mos pictures taken three weeks ago and I just got them back. I'm OK with how they turned out, we just went to Wal-Mart. His 2 yr old sister was suppose to get her picture taken too but she wouldn't cooperate. :rolleyes:

sleeping I feel so bad for all of you that are having sleeping issues, sounds like most of us are. We have been going through it too. Lately it's been getting better, it's just off and on he will have a bad night. Last night he actually slept from 10-5:30 so I was happy about that. But I'm sure he will be up again a couple of times tonight, that's just how it goes.

All in all things are going pretty well here. I've noticed he's more content with playing by himself. He's not crawling yet but he sure does try. Actually he gets on his hands and knees and then he gets on his feet and sticks his but in the air. Sometimes it looks like he wants to just take off walking. So not ready for that yet. I know he will eventually get the crawling thing down. He does know how to move around the floor though so we have to be careful.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. It's going to be hot here again this weekend. Maybe we will try staying cool in the pool.

[aligirl]

Alex cut his first tooth yesterday! :)


Another milestone -- he's going on his first trip on Thursday. We're flying to visit family in Maine. I'm excited - I hope he does well!

[catandmouse]

Glad everyone is doing well. I've been missing from these boards for a LONG time! The few baby pics that I did check out are so adorable!
We are doing well. Jordyn was 18# 10 oz & 26 1/2 in at her 6 mth WBV. I am still BF & we just started her on cereal this weekend. I'm glad to read that others haven't been too excited to start the cereal either. It seems like everyone I know started a long time ago, but she's been happy with just milk & gaining weight so I figured it wasn't worth the effort!
She rolls all over to get where she wants to go. She can't seem to figure out how to get up on her knees & get that belly off the floor! She does like to stand & LOVES to jump, but is no where near ready to walk although the ped. thinks she'll be walking by 1 yr.
She is sick all the time with colds & has had 2 rounds of antibiotics for ear infections. Besides getting sick all the time, she loves daycare.
No teeth yet & very little hair.
She usually goes to sleep around 730 & then gets up around 530-630 which is when I get up for work anyway so I do get to sleep through the night.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/catrd73/IMG_2320.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/catrd73/IMG_2318.jpg

[tray622]

Hi everyone!

solids We havent started yet and am dreading it ;)

sleep She goes from 6-3, bottle, then sleep until 6 or 7 when her sister wakes her. She is still swaddled although we are going cold turkey tonight... YIKES!!!

ali YAY for teeth :)

cat What a cutie-pie you have :)

baby calling, ugh!

[elladee]

I'll catch up later, but for now I just want to say that we are cutting our first teeth right now! I can feel the sharp edge of the bottom left one, and can see a whilte line with the bottom right is about to pop through.

[jules1025]

Yay for all of our little ones' teeth coming through! They are growing up so fast! :)

catandmouse - Such cute pictures!

Just dropping off a pic of Audrey on her first trip to the pool. She wasn't too excited about it at first, but warmed up to it a little bit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/juliebeth13/3b4ab24b.jpg

[MMH]

Coming out of long-time lurkdom...

CC Name: MMH
DD/DS: DD, Meredith Ryann (Meredith was my maiden name, Ryann is DH's middle name)
Me: Molly, 28
DH: Jesse, 30
Married: 08.16.03
EDD: 02.10.06
ADD: 02.04.06
Time of Birth: 12:06pm
Weight: 7lbs. 10oz.
Length: 22 in.
Other Children:Ruby and Tucker, our labs!

Here is a picture of the little one. She is such a joy! She smiles all the time, except in this picture where she is not so sure about the grass.
http://images1.snapfish.com/347759475%7Ffp357%3Enu%3D3238%3E9%3B2%3E375%3EWSNR CG%3D32339%3A7736%3C7%3Cnu0mrj

Sleeping: Meredith has always been a bad sleeper, although it doesn't seem to effect her during the day. She is a happy little camper most of the time. I however am getting to the point of sheer exhaustion. Last night she decided to start sleeping on her stomach which is causing much stress!

Eating: Since the minute she was born Meredith has been an excellent breast feeder. I was giving her a bottle a couple times a week since day one. At three months she decided to go on strike, no bottles for her! So far it hasn't been that big of an issue, but boy it would be nice to have the option. I own every bottle and nipple known to man, nothing works! I'm now starting to give her drinks from a cup as she can't figure out how to suck on the sippy. Anyway, now we are starting solids which she loves. I'm just so confused about how to schedule feedings with solids? I do own Super Baby Foods which has a great chart, but I'm still confused!


All the little ones are so cute!

[Medako]

Let me just say I'm so glad we decided to CIO at night. The last few nights Jack has fallen asleep in less than 20 minutes and STAYED asleep all night! He's even gone cold turkey from the swaddle (although we still use it for naps sometimes). It's so nice being able to sleep again.

**I'll be back with a few pictures later when I don't have the world's biggest wiggle-worm on my lap!




He's down for a nap now...

Our new buggy
http://x6f.xanga.com/86fa93f27523469619145/z46788936.jpg

http://xcc.xanga.com/353a7a637903269621367/z46790452.jpg

http://xf9.xanga.com/750a47f72463369622083/z46790920.jpg

[jules1025]

MMH - Welcome! Your DD is so adorable! OMG, Audrey is the SAME way about the bottle - took it until 12 weeks and then - bam! - did not want anything to do with it! We've tried everything!! It's really draining sometimes being the only person that can feed her. I think I'd like nursing a whole lot more if she would take an occasional bottle.

Medako - So glad CIO worked for you! It totally worked for us, too. Before I had Audrey, I used to say I'd never let my baby CIO. Funny how you eat your words after having a baby! Love the pictures! We've got that buggy, too. Audrey loves the cell phone on it! She'd chew on it all day long if I let her.

[Medako]

Add Jack to the list of those who are anti-bottle. He's never wanted anything to do with one which means I'm tied to him all the time. I've never been able to leave him with someone for more than 3 or 4 hours, and even then, it's only happened twice. Oh, what mommy would do for a day, or even afternoon off...

jules - we got the buggy thinking Jack would really like it. Unfortunately I doubt he likes it nearly as much as Audrey. He'll tolerate it for 10-15 minutes at a time as long as someone is there playing with him. I just KNEW it was going to be a wonderful baby-sitter so I could get things done around the house. He seems to like sitting in the floor much better.

[tsmom]

Welcome MMH - My dd has my moms maiden name ~ Tatum... Your dd is darling - love the her beautiful blue eyes!!

Medako - love that little buggy!!! Glad that the cio has worked for you and that you are getting some sleep.

catandmouse - Darling little one - love the pix of her in the pool - ds hates the water!!!

Jules - Audrey looks a-o.k. with the pool :) -- wish I was sitting there right now.

[Nikkid]

Welcome MMH! Your DD is adorable, love the look on her face.

Love all the babys pics, I can't believe how big all the babies are getting.

Medako glad to hear CIO worked for you. It's almost inspiring me to try it except I just fear that it will wake my other two toddlers. They already have a hard time sleeping in there own bed throughout the night. But I guess a few days of all of them being up at night is better than him getting up twice a night for who knows how long. DH is out of town this week so I will wait until the weekend. My week is already going to be hectic enough, I need to hopefully get a little sleep. ;)

QOTD: Bathtime Now that Jaxson is becoming mobile I've been wanting to get him a different tub since he just trys to climb out of his infant tub all the time. I was wondering if any of you have moved onto something different now that the babies are getting mobile? I would like to buy a bath ring that suctions to the tub floor, haven't really looked into them to much. Does anyone have one yet and if so what kind do you have?

[meggers]

QOTD--We still have Owyn in the baby tub maybe in a couple of months we will put him in the big tub.

We are on week #2 of solids. At first Owyn wasn't too interested in solids, but he is doing a lot better with it. On Saturday we introduced avocado. He seemed to like it. So far, I am loving making my own baby food.

I discovered last night that I sleep better when Owyn sleeps with us. Last night, we started Owyn in his crib because we are painting our bathroom and our room didn't have a chance to air out by the time it was his bedtime. We left him in his crib when we went to bed. I was having a hard time sleeping with him in his crib so at about 12:30 I went and got him and put him in the cosleeper. I slept much better after that. I think we will end up moving him to his crib at night soon but it will probably be harder on me than him.

Here is a pic of Owyn enjoying avocado.

http://static.flickr.com/68/201239793_5f15fb3163.jpg?v=0

[MMH]

Thank you for the warm welcome ladies! I have been following along for ages now, I think it's time to add my 2 cents...

Tubs:: Meredith just outgrew her infant tub, she likes to sit up now. Someone gave us this crazy duck tub at a shower. She loves it, and for $9.99 it'll do until she is stable enough for a big tub.
http://images1.snapfish.com/34775%3B9%3C5%7Ffp347%3Enu%3D3238%3E9%3B2%3E375%3E WSNRCG%3D32339977%3A3%3B%3B%3Cnu0mrj

Hot Weather Feeding: Anyone else's DC not want to eat as much these days? We have had two outdoor weddings this month and my poor kid just won't eat when it's so hot out. It's been over 100 degrees for two weeks now. Can't wait for fall!

Medako - I HEAR you on wanting a day off. My husband and I used to raft every weekend (we live in Idaho and own our own whitewater boat). Now, it's an ordeal to leave her for the day. I always get left behind!

Meggers - Glad Owen likes avacado, my little one gagged when we gave her some last week. It was hilarious.

[Medako]

MMH - do you have any idea where the duck tub came from? I've been wanting something like that since Jack is outgrowing the infant tub and we don't have a regular bathtub - just a giant (6'x6') shower. Something like that would easily sit on the floor in the shower and not make a huge mess all over the place like he's doing in the infant tub.

[MMH]

Medako - I have seen the duck tubs at Target and Burlington Coat Factory. They also have them on sale at Drugstore.com. It is the Munchkin brand...

[michiganbride]

Alex had his 6mo WBV here are his stats:

17lb 14oz
26 3/4 inches long

He is in the 50th percentile for everything. They had to do x-rays of his legs due to this cracking noise they made when we moved his legs around. The doctor seems to think everything is okay, but has to send the results to a specialist. No news is good news! :rolleyes:

CIO I have to say that I am so happy to hear that this has worked out so well for some of you. I really envy you. We tried it with Alex again and still, he just screams the whole time every time. We even tried an earlier bed time. I just think that the no sleep gods are circling my house. He won't even take naps. Yuck!

MMH I love that tub.

Eating Alex is not nursing so well lately either. I thought that maybe he has just become a pro and doesn't need to nurse but 2 min anymore.

All of the babies in here are just adorable. I think that we have the cutest babies. Shhhh don't tell the other mommies.:p

[Twyla]

Nursing and Heat- Caedan wont do it. We had a company picnic and he refused to eat. i wound up in the car with the air on. Just so he'd eat. Since it has been so hot. We have introduced juice to him. Anything to keep him hydrated LOL But it's still mostly water because I dilute it. But he loves it.

He is loving food too. We have given him more stuff now. We haven't tried Avocado, but I bet he'd really like it. Thanks for the idea meggers!

We aren't sitting up yet, but it's coming. :) He is however slmost crawling. He will pull up one leg though as if he is going to sit up. So I am guessing they will both happen about the same time.

Well here is a pic from today. Big sister dressing him up again. ;)
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/FariesByte/ToTheRescue.jpg

[MMH]

Twyla - It's so good to know I'm not the only one who resorts to feeding in the car with the AC blasting away! I have also started giving dd water with a little juice just to keep something in her, I feel so guilty when she won't eat. Thanks for making me feel better ;)

[Twyla]

MMH- Have you started her on any solids. On HOT days I always give him more food. That way he is filling his tummy and it can be a little cool for him, rather then my body temp. KWIM? One thing that he likes is frozen watermelon. it's mainly water but it cools him down a bit. I cut chunks, without seeds of course LOL, freeze em on a tray then drop em in the blender. I have been told it works for other fruit. But I have only tried this so far ;)

[blondegirl]

QOTD: Bathtime. I still have DS in the baby tub, only because it sits up to be a bath seat. I do have a bath ring that I used for both DD's, and I may start using it with DS pretty soon. I think it's a Safety First. I'll have to check.

DS loves to eat, even when it's hot out, so that is definately not an issue for us! I did start giving him water with a tiny tiny bit of juice to keep him hydrated. Like the rest of you, I can't wait for fall!! DS isn't sitting up on his own yet, but he loves to sit up in the stroller and highchair. And I also feel that he will be crawling very soon. He's already getting all over the place!

We are still on stage one foods, but ready to start stage 2, just have to finish up the stage 1's that I have.

Going to take to kids to the splash pad to stay cool, I'll catch up more later!

[terrys wifey]

Hey All,
Stopping by to give the latest stats on Ashley see how the other lil ones are doing.

Ashley is now crawling not for a long distance though (she gets distracted and frustrated)

She has a tooth coming in at the bottom one more then the other

She is saying da-da

on stage 2 foods in a month or so I will try giving her those little gerber puffed fruits and veggies.


QOTD?????

Has anyone thought much about 1 year Birthday party? Ashley will be 1 December 29th and my 10yr old b-day is December 31st (what was I thinking?)

[Twyla]

Birthday Party- I have it all planned. I started planning when I was told I was having a boy LOL Caedan was born Jan 24th and Annsleigh will be 5 on Dec. 20th. I have already been ordering party stuff so I can afford the parties and christmas. If you haven't already looked here, I suggest http://www.orientaltrading.com Caedan is having a Pirate party. I have pirate rubber duckies and a few other things already. I am ordering skull bandanas, and a few other pirate-ish toy that can go to kids ranging from 1- 10. We are renting a jumper for the big kids. And I am getting a kiddie pool to fill with balls for the babies. The cake is a pirates face. The invites are on treasure maps :D I am so into birthday parties, can you tell? LOL

Solids- We are on a few. But I still try to make as much as I can. When he gets store bought he only gets the organic. Have you found anything that your DC hates to eat? Caedan can't stand peaches! I am amazed, they are so sweet, but he refuses to eat them LOL

Bath time- I find it easiest to just take him in the shower with me. I have a mesh bath seat but he is too big for it now. Until he is sitting on his own a shower or the sink is what he is stuck with.

[jules1025]

1st b-day party - I don't even want to think about it... it'll make me cry. :o She's growing up too fast! But, seriously... I have no clue what we'll do. Hopefully we'll be in our new house by then, so we want to have it there with just family and close friends. But I have no idea on what the theme will be, etc.

solids - Now that we've moved, I'm starting to make more of Audrey's food. I was giving her commercial organic baby food during packing and moving. But now it seems like she dislikes things she used to love - like avocado. She spits it out when I try to feed it to her. :confused: She also used to love sweet peas, but now seems to hate them. One item she's never seemed to like is bananas. I thought all babies loved bananas, but Audrey spits it out! She loves prunes! LOL! She's had bad constipation so she gets prunes or prune juice every day.

QOTD - for those that make baby food and give comm baby food... The issue I'm having now is getting her to take the food I'm making. I'm thinking she got used to the commercial baby food and now doesn't seem to like the real stuff. Maybe it's a texture thing? I can't seem to get the food I make her as watery as the commercial stuff. Anyone else have this issue?

Twyla - How do you take a shower with DS?? I would love to be able to kill two birds with one stone and take a shower with Audrey, but I can't figure out the logistics.

[KRL626]

Just dropping by. We moved on Monday and I am swamped with boxes to unpack. The good thing is that we are in a much bigger apartment. I am loving the space! The bad thing about the move is that it has totally thrown off Jeremiah's sleeping. I'm going to give him a couple of days to get settled and then it's back to sleep training we go! :o

Jules I am also mosty doing commercial food as we've been stressed packing and now unpacking. I don't have any advice on making the homeade stuff more palatable. Jeremiah will eat anything. He is such a piggy! (But you wouldn't know it by how lean he is :) )

Birthday party Ha! I seriously have not even thought about this at all!

[blondegirl]

QOTD: 1st birthday party- Well I haven't planned any of the specifics yet, but since DS will be 1 on 1/26, and DD will be 2 on 2/21, I do know I will have one party for the both of them. We will be doing the Elmo theme. And the party will be at home, unless I find a good kid gym type place before then.

jules:I used to shower with DD, but I haven't with DS yet, just because I don't really get a free chance to! It definately take the one handed skill you get when you become a mother! When DD was sitting up on her own, I could sit her down at my feet while I quickly shampooed my hair. Even now, I sometimes shower with her when DS is napping.

Like I said before, DS loves to eat. A few times he really wouldn't eat peas, but know he eats them up. He also turned his nose up at green beans, but I'll have to try them again soon.

I can't tell if DS is teething yet or not. He drools like crazy and is always chewing on something. But both of my DD's did the same, but neither one of them cut their first tooth until 13 months. I keep feeling in DS's mouth for something, but nothing yet!

[Twyla]

Jules

Showers- I have been doing it since he was a few weeks old. He has a bath seat that I was using. But now that he rolls over it wont help. In the begining I would get him all washed up, wrap him in a towel then put him in his bouncy seat while I finished up my shower. It was great because the shower put him to sleep or made him very relaxed. NOW... He isn't sitting up yet. So He sits on his knees and plays with a couple toys while I shower. I do an up and down thing right now. Wash his body, set him down, then wash mine, then onto hair the same way. LOL He sems to like it. He is a real water baby. If DD is in the bath he kicks his feet because he wants to splash :) Heck with the heat lately I will fill the sink with water and let him splash in it. He loves to kick his feet in the water.

Baby food- I use brest milk in the food. I have never had an issue as of yet. If your not breats feeding I bet you can use formula the same way. I have one of thos hand held shake thing. They used to be on infomercials LOL It works great for making the small amounts I need. I usually make enough for a few feedings and just store it in the fridge.

Bananas/Peas- Have you tried mixing them with something else? Caedan loves when I mix more then one fruit together. The peas might be the same way. Maybe you can mix them with some carrots or sweet potato, may not be pretty but she may eat it. I know I am guilty of feeding more fruit then veggies. But I am trying to get him to eat more. He seems to like the peas though. I hope you find something that works for the two of you!

[Anon25]

Wow, when this board moves it moves! Sometimes it's hard to keep track of all the subjects being discussed.

I'm sad :( :( I know comparing babies is the utmost wrong thing to do - but all of your munchkins are really advancing! Brendan isn't sitting up, not even close to crawling, no teeth, I can't imagine him pulling himself up to standing...he doesn't even really extend his arms to lift his chest off the floor like Caedan is doing in the last pic posted. He's pretty content to lay close to the ground on his elbows but boy oh boy does he roll! And fast.

He is, however, interested in all things 'hands'. He bangs toys together, is constantly reaching for/grabbing things and has a pretty good pincer grasp. I guess he's just developing his fine motor skills before large ones. He does babble dada followed by a daddy which is cute. Here's a link to his Dada babble...he says it in the first 15 seconds followed by regular noisemaking. I thought it was cute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW_qp05NSJI

Bath-Brendan doesn't fit in his infant tub anymore either so I've been putting on a bathing suit and getting in the big tub with him...until he can go at it alone.

Birthday-I haven't thought about this! Having a January baby is gonna be hard on the finances. We'll probably just invite family over for a pot luck and cake or something. One thing's for sure--I can't wait to see what he does to his first birthday cake!! I've seen some baby's get a slice on their first birthday - my Mom gave me a whole cake of my own to pulverize...lol! I'd like to get him a miniature one at least. I think that would be cute.

Jules-Sounds like a texture thing to me. A couple days ago I made some rice cereal really thick on accident, like oatmeal almost, and Brendan absolutely refused to eat it. You should have seen the look on his face! He ate the cereal fine when it was really runny so that led me to believe it wasn't the actual food but more the texture that put him off.

[Twyla]

Anon

He is developing differently, that's all. Caedan doesn't bang toys together or babble at all. Let alone saying dada. That is so cool! He'll realize that there are things he eants to look at when he is on his tummy soon enough ;)

The video is so cute! I am so jelous hehe

Birthday cake- I am making two, a mini one that will look just like the big one, for Caedan to destroy. I am thinking about making them lok like this. But I will use buttercream rather then fondant ;) Hopefully it will turn out ok. LOL
http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/MiscCakesPhotos/PirateCake.jpg

[Anon25]

Twyla- Thanks for the encouragement ... I think I was having a weak mommy moment or something. lol That pirate cake is TOO cute! Very creative, I must say!

[jasonsgal]

I haven't posted in forever but I have been reading along. Everyone's babies are gorgeous!

Noble is doing so well. We took him to his 6 month appt. 3 days early (July 14th) and he was:

height - 27 inches - 75% percentile
weight - 19 pounds - 75% percentile

Last I posted we had received a housesitting gig in St. Thomas (we used to live here). We looked at our frequent flyer miles and our flights would be free and DH already works remotely so we decided to just do it. We have been here for 3 weeks now. It has been awesome and Noble has really adapted well. I think because we started him on long trips when he was 6 weeks old?? I have no idea but he is having fun. :)
I was so stressed about it but it really has been easy. Our friends on the island lent us a pack n play for Noble to sleep in. I packed the bumbo in my suitcase so I do all the feedings in the bumbo.
Space was tight so no big toys -- just a handful of small toys and books. I stressed a lot about that but he seems to be okay with it.

He is now on stage 2 solids and has tried practically all of the fruits and veggies. We also started him on meat since we have been here. Once we get back home I'm psyched to start making his food. Baby food (well any type of food) is high priced here. The gas prices have really had an effect since everything has to be imported. A gallon of milk is $7.00!!!! A jar of baby food is 70 cents..

Noble LOVES the ocean and pool. We brought a little infant boat from one step ahead and he loves his little boat. We also brought a little cabana/tent to put up for those long days at the beach. He also likes live music! It's been great because most of the restaurants/bars here are open-aired and feature tons of live music (our favorite thing to do when we lived here). Usually he sleeps thru most of it and then he may wake up and it's like he is dancing/laughing to the music! He has been a hit with our friends here.

sleep: I'm almost scared to type this because I am afraid to jinx myself but Noble is an awesome sleeper. In the beginning he was a horrible sleeper but the past few months we have been really blessed. I almost always wake up before him and he sleeps between 10-12 hours straight!!!! He takes a long nap in the morning and 2-3 small naps in the afternoon I have no idea how it happened but he just seems really laid back about everything. Now, he is probably going to turn into a terrible sleeper!!

milestones: Noble is like a lump of coal when it comes to rolling over..he doesn't really like to do it! He sits up (with help) and stays that way for awhile and then he looks like a drunk, say da-da, bang toys together, has two teeth in.. but really I try not to focus on where he should be in relation to what other babies are doing. I stopped doing it to myself after he obviously didn't like to roll over.

YIKES: Jason is flying Noble back to the states to attend a family wedding (if it was my family wedding I would have flown him back to attend but since it's Jason's family he gets to do it) and flying back to St. thomas without the baby. We are leaving the baby with grandma and grandpa so that we can have an "adults" vacation!!!!!! I am SO nervous and I know that I am going to miss him a ton. BUT I am VERY excited to spend some alone time with Jason!

1st Birthday Party: I have NO idea

Halloween Costumes: Any ideas? I have been eyeing the blue octopus costume at babystyle.

Here are some recent photos:

<removed>

[MMH]

Jasonsgal - I'm so envious of your alone time with DH! I hope you have a wonderful time. St. Thomas looks heavenly.

It's wedding season in our neck of the woods. I swear, all we do during the summer is go to weddings! This one was wonderful however, DH and I were both in the wedding party. I finally got a good photo of dd and I, don't mind my nasty scar, it's from thyroid surgery and I wish it would just go away!
http://images1.snapfish.com/3477%3B%3B7%3A9%7Ffp358%3Enu%3D3238%3E9%3B2%3E375% 3EWSNRCG%3D3233%3A33787%3A%3A4nu0mrj
It was a perfect Idaho evening...
http://images1.snapfish.com/3477%3B%3B832%7Ffp348%3Enu%3D3258%3E83%3A%3E4%3B%3 A%3EWSNRCG%3D3233%3A36674763nu0mrj

I just broke down and bought a Britax Marathon. I'm so sad and the though of dd being too big for her carseat. She just had her 6 mo. appointment and her stats are as follows:

Height: 27inches (95th per)
Weight: 15.5lbs (50th per)

Not too bad considering how skinny she used to be!

[Twyla]

I thought this was cool. If you are running out of ideas to keep your DC entertained. Check this out http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2321&e=activities&ctypecode=np&ccat=play_and_learn&cminAge=6&cmaxAge=9

[newmommy]

Hi ladies! I have been slacking here!

Well DS is doing really -he's seven months old now! He's crawling, trying to stand---we've had to lower the crib already! This morning we checked on him, and he was standing again : ) ]

He has figured out how to make us laugh-he lowers his head and makes a goofy face(so cute!). He needs to move all the time now--and the pack and play seems like jail. I take him out for the middle part of almost everyday--going to be more difficult during the winter months.

I'm thinking of joining a playgroup this fall or winter just to keep him busy. I'm also thinking about swimming lessons.

I'm sort of bumming lately because I'm going back to work in a few weeks. Although it's part time, I'm going to be so sad : ( If we could afford to, I'd stay home in a heartbeat!

Anywho on another note, we've decided to TTC next summer...anyone else??

[MMH]

Newmommy - You have reminded me I need to get signed up for Gymboree! Our local library doesn't have infant reading group in August and I think I'll go nuts without some type of activity outside of my house. Swimming lessons would be a great idea as well!

TTC #2 - We've talked about trying for #2 starting when dd is one. But at this point who knows - I'm exhausted.

On another note, my stroller obsession continues. My latest purchase...
http://images1.snapfish.com/34782%3A4%3C6%7Ffp348%3Enu%3D3238%3E9%3B2%3E375%3E WSNRCG%3D3233%3A3%3C%3A%3C2483nu0mrj

I should have just bought the dran Bugaboo in the first place! My collection is growing...

[newmommy]

So funny you mention the Bugaboo---DH really pushed for it, meanwhile we're looking for second stroller :rolleyes:


ETA: obviously I mean we didn't get the Bugaboo! We got the Peg Perego Pliko 3--which we're not 100% happy with.

[Twyla]

I insisted on a stroller but I have really only used it twice. I was so attached to my sling. But I had Caedan in it this weekend and my shoulders were hurting after. I may start using the stroller now lol. BTW no one is 100% satisfied with their stroller.

So Caedan got a hold of his sister's toy. I love this pic his eyes look so pretty. But Daddy on the other hand hates the picture. I am sure that you can all guess why. LOL

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y169/FariesByte/DSCN0387.jpg

[froggie]

JR had his six months WBV today.

Here is his stat.

Height: 26.75 inches
Weight: 17lbs 11oz

Both height and weight are about 60%. He has lots of rolls on his arms and legs, so I was surprised that both his weight and height are on about the same percentile. I love those rolls btw.

He is doing great. He is getting close to be able to sit without any support. He is trying to crawl, but can't quite move yet. He can rotate though. He makes new sounds, squeal and smile a lot. He can't say baba mama dada yet, but he sometimes say Aboo or Agoo.

He has eaten rice cereal and oatmeal ceral for a couple of weeks now. I gave him homemade zucchini last couple of days and I think he liked it. I am going to try sweet potato, peas, squash, and eggplant soon.

He is such an easy going, happy baby. Everybody in daycare loves him. DH and I feel so blessed.

One thing though is he still wakes up a couple of times at night. Sometimes he eats, sometimes he goes right back to sleep if we hug him or gives him a paci. We are trying to get rid of nightfeeding, at least from 11:30PM to 5:30am. Once that's set, we might try CIO. I hate CIO, but I work, so it's really hard for me to have to wake up at night. I hoped that starting solid could help night waking problem, but doesn't seem like it makes any difference.

I am glad to see/hear that everybody's baby is doing great. I love all those photos! (which reminds me .. can anybody explain how to post a photo here? I'd like to post a couple of JR's photos, but I still don't know how to do that. ;) )

[Twyla]

Posting pics is easy. But you need to load your pics on another site first. I use www.photobucket.com Then you compy the url (which is right under the pic on there) then on here you click the little icon that looks like a clipart pic of a mountain. Then paste the url in it ;) Hope that helps.

[froggie]

Thanks for the instruction, Twyla.

OK. Here go the pictures. Hope it works..

Sausage arms and legs.
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m263/lkung/IMG_7205.jpg

He likes sticking his tongue out. You can see his infamous 'chicken mohawk'.
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m263/lkung/IMG_7180.jpg

[Twyla]

OMG he is so cute. I wanna squeeze him. I love his hair too. hehe

Glad I was able to help. I'll help anyone if I get to see some cute pics ;) LOL

[michiganbride]

CIO I just had to post and say that...Alex has been CIO for 1 week today. It completely worked for us this time. Third times a charm. Plus he only CIO for 1 night. Now we lay him down in his CRIB with paci and he falls asleep. I guess it really is when baby is ready to CIO.

All the babies are so cute.

[Medako]

Michiganbride, we can't see your picture :( Shutterfly pictures can't be linked anymore... :(

[MMH]

Froggie - He is too cute for words.

Strange Happenings:
Last night at 2am as I was changing dd's clothes, crib sheet and diaper (she peed everywhere) I heard a car outside our house. We live in a very quiet neighborhood with lots of Dr.'s who come and go all the time so it wasn't too odd. Then I noticed the car was parked outside our house, and then our doorbell rang! Yes, at 2am. And whoever it was jumped back in the car, took off and blew and airhorn. So weird! I would have been livid had we not already been up. Kids these days...

[KRL626]

MMH Freakish because the same thing nearly happened to us last night at 4 am. We live in a building and someone pressed our buzzer (which stuck) so our bell just kept ringing and ringing. Needless to say our already rough not got rougher!


Well Jeremiah is now officially able to stand up in his crib. Very cool, but annoying because he now must pratice this new feat for 30-40 minutes every time I put him down for a nap or to bed! We're still struggling with night wakings. Our move didn't help things. I'm desperate to have a handle on it by the time I go back to work it about 3 weeks :eek: I wish I could post some pics, but snapfish and shutterfly don't seem to work for me any more...hmm

[MMH]

KRL - Maybe it's the full moon? I'm hoping it was just some dumb kids messing around. Strange though, it seemed like they were looking for our house number. We had a rough night too if it makes you feel better. DD is up at least 2x's a night. Ugggg.

Feeding:
Anyone have a good solids/bf'ing schedule to share? I'm not sure if I'm doing this right!

[meggers]

I love all of the pics that everyone has posted. I think we have the cutest babies. :)

feeding: Owyn gets his solids meal about an hour after his mid-day feeding. He doesn't take in too much solids right now, but I think that is ok. I found this (http://www.mother-2-mother.com/samplemenus.htm) website that gives suggestions on mixing solids and nursing based on age. It seems pretty good to me, so I think I will use it as a guideline.

Owyn is moving like crazy. DH picked him up yesterday and his teacher said that he was moving around the room all day. He had a lot of fun chasing a ball. One new thing that he does now is waving!! He doesn't wave too often, but I have seen him do it a few times. I think this is a sign that it would be a good time to start teaching him sign language.

Question for the BFing moms: Are you planning on weaning at/before 1 year or are any of you considering nursing past a year? When I first was pregnant, I figured that I would nurse to 1 year when we would start cow's milk. I also thought that nursing past a year was strange and gross. Now that I'm actually BFing, I'm starting to think that I would like to nurse past a year. DH isn't fond of the idea of nursing past a year, but at first he thought that 1 year was too long to nurse.

[Medako]

I don't know if it's a "good" schedule, but it seems to work well for us....

5am ~ nurse
9:30am ~ nurse
11:30-12pm ~ solid (usually cereal)
2:30-3pm ~ nurse
4:45-5pm ~ solid (veggie or fruit)
7:30pm ~ nurse
8:00-8:30 ~ story & bedtime

The times are flexible, but I try to stay somewhat on a schedule. Sometimes he doesn't have a solid at mid-day, but I'm not too worried about it as long as he's still nursing good.

Nursing past a year...I don't know. I already know I'm going to miss it once we wean, but I doubt we'll go much past a year.

[LRL]

MMH- Did you get your Bob yet? That was our second choice to the Bugaboo. Now I am wondering if there might be a double Bugaboo by the time we decide to TTC #2 (no date yet, but boy do I love my Bugaboo!) We will prob look at the double Bob when the time comes. The Bob is supposed to fold up much better than the Bugaboo.

Meggers- Thanks for the website! I have been wondering how much to give DS in baby food. We haven't started yet though- I have been really worried about maintaining my supply since I WOH. Seriously, I really don't want my DS too hooked on solids, as I prefer to BF him for as long as possible. One year was my original goal as well, but now I *think* I want to try to go longer. DH doesn't like this idea, but I can't help but wonder what other unknown benefits I might be able to give DS by extending our BF relationship. The thing is- I gave my sister such a hard time when she BF my niece until she was two. I don't know if I will be able to continue to BF once he is asking for milk. :eek:

DS is doing great, and we have our 6 month WBV on Monday. I will update then. He just cut his first tooth yesterday- he has been cranky the past couple of weeks, and now he is a smiley baby (completely different!). Poor little guy, he must have been in so much pain! They say that the first ones are always the worst. I hope so!

[Medako]

Is anyone else thinking of birthdays yet? I know we have to make it through Christmas first, but I've already started thinking about what I want to do for Jack's first birthday (thanks to the birthday thread).

His birthday is January 12th and the party will probably be on the 13th. I'm hoping that it won't be too cold (Oklahoma) and that we can have most of it outside. *cross my fingers*

I'm tossing around the idea of a clown theme ~ basically just really bright fun colors. Is that too "girly"? I'm thinking balloons, cotton candy, bowls of froot loops, hanging balls (lanterns?) to hang from the tree, bright streamers, etc.

What do you think? Any other ideas?

[MMH]

LRL: I don't have my Bob yet, the store was sold out. However, I live in Boise, Idaho where they are manufactured so it should be in any day now! I love my Peg and Mac, but I need a sturdy ride for the outdoors. We just bought a cabin so I want something a little heftier.

I just saw the new Jane Powertwin at www.letsgostrolling.com and it looks pretty cool. Why am I already pondering a twin stroller?!

Thank you all for the solids advice, I just like to know I'm on the right track!

Birthdays: I have given this no thought at all. I will say the ladies over on the Birthday thread throw some impressive parties! I'm kind of sad that my dd will probably always have an indoor party since it will be February. I will refuse Chuckee Cheese!

[meggers]

I haven't really thought too much on the whole birthday issue. We will probably do something low key with family and a few friends. I'm starting to think about Halloween. DH is a huge Batman fan, so he would like this one:

http://www.onestepahead.com/images/product/detail_views_jpgs/10701-dv-1.jpg

Which is ok I guess, but I thought it might be nice to pick out a costume that I think is cute while I can before DS decides what he wants to be. I thought this one was cute:

http://www.onestepahead.com/images/product/detail_views_jpgs/7616_dv_1.jpg

Although, I did have the idea that we could dress DS up as Batman and dress our dog up as Robin. I thought that would be cute too.

[jules1025]

Everyone's babies are so cute! Love the pictures!!

Twyla - Thanks for the advice on mixing foods and showering with DD! I took a shower with her last week and it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. :) I've also started mixing sweet peas with sweet potatoes and she eats it right up!

birthday party - I haven't thought about this yet. :o I have no idea what we're going to do!

weaning - We're kind of starting the weaning process now, actually. I return to grad school in a month and I won't be able to pump there. This past weekend we began cutting her off from the boob during the day and giving her bottles of EBM (she wouldn't take a bottle prior to this). We'll eventually switch those to formula bottles and I'll keep nursing in the AM and PM (before she goes to bed). If I didn't have to go back to school, I definitely would have nursed full-time to 1 year. Can't say if I would have done it longer, since 6 months was my goal for BF and I'm still going!

halloween - Love those costumes, meggers! Since we're Star Wars fans, we are thinking about the Princess Leia costume... :D

http://shop.starwars.com/kernel/imageload?table=cat_images;ttl2=15;key1=2702_img1; key2=-100_img1

[Twyla]

Halloween- I am making Caedan's costume. I think he's going to be a Garden Gnome LOL

Birthday- I posted a couple pages back with the details. But we are doing a pirate theme ;)

Jules- I am so glad mixing them worked! :D

QOTD- Anyone going to wean of the pacifiers anytime soon. We have said all along that when he gets his first tooth they will all go. But I am not looking forward to thos LONG nights. Caedan loves his bink!

[meatpie]

1st Birthdays - A little bit. In that at work I saw this customized stamps from Zazzle.com. But not much else.

Halloween Will be a battle between the Hus and I. He'll ahve SERIOUS opinions about this one. I'm thinking Jimmy Duggan from A League of Their Own - he's thinking Spoc. Seriously though, Babystyle has some cute costumes. I love ths hark the best!

Weaning I don't think we'll make bf a year. Possibly 9 months. We are thinking about another baby sooner than later, and I want to get laser eye surgery, which I can't do while bf or pregnant. So who knows when I'll get that done.

Pacifier - Oh no. I had mine until I was two and my mom made me throw it away. I doubt we try and take it away from Jack-man. He loves his baba too much.

[newmommy]

Pacifier: I've been trying to decide what to do about this! DS only uses his paci in the crib for naps/bedtime. Once he falls asleep, he bats it out of his mouth.

When we first brought him home--he tried to suck his thumb-and I substituted it with a paci(I sucked my thumb until I was 5) because I think a paci will be easier to eliminate.

Not sure what we'll do :confused:

[J&K2003]

DD is going to be the pink Babystyle octopus:

http://a940.g.akamai.net/7/940/449/0004/www.estyle.com/images/product/17956_MID_r.jpg

jules1025, we gave serious thought to the Princess Leia costume, too. I love the hair! :p

[froggie]

Today is JR's half birthday!

Birthday No, I haven't thought about this at all. I actually don't want to think about it. It makes me sad to think that my little baby won't be a baby any more.

Weaning I've been EBF for the first 5.5 months. We started solid at 5.5 months and since then, I am not going too religious about pumping. I reduced my pumping time to one during the day. I usually get 10-12 oz from one pumping session and that's enough for two bottles in daycare. DS sometimes takes two bottles and sometimes takes three bottles in daycare. So I just make the third bottle with formula. I will start giving solids twice a day soon and I think once we give him solids three times a day (probably 8-9 mo ?), I will stop pumping during the day. I don't know how long you can BF by just feeding at night and early morning. But I think at that point, it will be probably okay not to BF. It will definitely make me sad to stop BFing though. I feel like the special connection between me and DS will get lost. I know.. silly mommy.

Pacifier We are going back and forth on this issue. DS only uses it in the crib for sleep. I'd like to stop using it for sleep because I think DS sometimes wakes up to look for a paci. But who wants to deal with a crying baby at night! Sometimes it's easier just to go in and give a paci. 10 seconds, and the house gets peaceful again. ;)

[MMH]

Weaning: My dd is so picky, no bottles for her. I seriously own every bottle and nipple know to man. I now am growing my collection of sippy cups. Unfortunately she will only drink water with a bit of juice in it, out of the sippy. Ugggg. I can't even begin to think about weaning with the battle of the bottle still on. I'm hoping that by 10mo or so when she is having actual meals she'll be okay?

Pacifier: Again, this has been a battle royale. DD LOVES her binky beyond belief but can't keep it in her mouth. She just can't get the sucking down. Anyway, we prop the darn thing up with a burp rag for sleeping. She only needs it at nap time and nights now.

Separation Anxiety Anyone: Anyone else's DC freak out on occassion? My dd has done this now with three different men. Her uncle, grandpa and a family friend. I've been in the room but she just goes beserk and clings to me?!

[Anon25]

Jules-That costume is adorable! Especially because I've fallen in love with the little yoda for Brendan. :D I thought I might be Princess Leia since my name is,in fact, Leah. :p

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e154/leigha2569/yoda2.jpg

[elladee]

Birthdays?!?! Halloween?!?! Geeze, you guys impress me. I have enough trouble thinking about the long weekend out of state we're taking next weekend. :o

Weaning I'm definitely going to keep nursing at night and in the morning until a year. I don't know about the pumping thing. I wanted to do that for a full year, too, but sometimes I wonder if it really matters anymore.

Pacifier She's still go that, too. I'm not really in a rush to take it away at night. And during the day, it's one of her favorite toys. She twirls it around, chews on the the handle, sticks it in sideways so she can chew on the nipple... Oh, and she really loves to eat the clip on the other side of the ribbon. :rolleyes: So I feel bad taking away her toy.

[KRL626]

Weaning We'll start when I am off for Christmas vacation. Originally I was going to cut out daytime feedings and substitute with formula for when I go back to work in Sept., but I figure I can slug it out with the pump for another 4 months. I'm pretty sure I want it all said and done by the end of January. If I was a SAHM I would probably let him self wean, but that's not the case.

Paci We have a thumb sucker. I'm not going to even worry about trying to break that habit. We have a few years before it would make a difference.

Teething anyone? Anyone have a tooth that just won't come up? DS has been cutting this tooth for over 2 weeks and it's just bulging at the surface. It's clearly bothering him. Should I be concerned?

[Medako]

Separation Anxiety ~ ummmm....YES! He doesn't get upset with new people or as long as someone is holding him or watching him play, but leave the room and you'll find out just what the lungs can do! He'll scream and scream if I get up to get myself a drink or go to the bathroom, and then he's fine as soon as I (or someone) returns. I'm just really hoping that he doesn't start getting too dependent on me and won't go to anyone else.

Pacifier ~ I'm not too concerned with weaning him off of it just yet. He loves to play with it, chew on it, and toss it around. He doesn't seriously suck on it unless he's really tired or time to sleep, so for now it'll stay.

"I'm NOT going to sleep" ~ Anyone else's DS fighting sleep? Jack has started pinching himself (well, it's more of a rough finger flick) to stay awake. He'll pinch at his arms, legs, cheeks, ears, or whom ever is holding him when he's tired in a last ditch effort not to go to sleep. I'm not sure he'd ever go to sleep if we didn't nearly force him to do so!

[newmommy]

Separation Anxiety : Sounds like my son is a weirdo!! He'll talk to/go to just about anyone!!! Honestly he hadn't seen MIL in three months, went right to her, and laughed and played with her :rolleyes: (Not what I had hoped:o )

I have a question: Have any of you joined any sort of playgroup yet? I'm thinking about signing DS up for one this fall....

[michiganbride]

Alex is Crawling Last night I got home and we were laying on the floor and he just started crawling. I will have to post pictures later.

weaning Since I have made it to my goal of 6 months I am leaving the rest up to Alex. Probably I will stop pumping at 1 year. I would like my life back about then. Right now I pump 2-3 time a day and get about 18-20 oz. Alex has started eating twice while I am at work so I will probably decrease to 2x.

Solids The doctor told me that if I nurse Alex to 7-8 months I can start giving him table food. So we have not been giving him anything but cereal for a while. Last night I tried bananas...he is just not into it.

B-day Haven't even really thought about it. I know that I am going to throw a huge party though. Katelynn's birthday is 3 weeks later, so I am really trying not to think of how much of a mistake I think I made having two babies in the same month.

Halloween Haven't thought much about it. If I had to say anything probably would go with a pumpkin.

http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/11394.jpg?zm=130,130,1,0,0

Or maybe something farm like because DH is a farmer.
http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/21067.jpg?zm=130,130,1,0,0

DH is also a fireman so maybe something like that. I love everyones ideas! :p This topic makes me so excited. I am ready for fun stuff like this.

newmommy Alex is the same way. He will go to anyone and that is how my DD was too.

Anyone know where my signature went?

[MMH]

Playgroups: I really haven't found a playgroup for dd and we don't have Stroller Strides where I live. I have been going to the infant reading group at our library which dd loves and today we start Level 2 at Gymobree! I can't wait to see how she likes it.

[Kate&Joey]

Hi Ladies,

I still read along, but rarely post...right now I'm commuting 4 hours a day so that leaves little time for anything but work, pumping, and sleep!

We had our six-month WBV last week. These are from memory so I hope they are right. :)

Weight: 18 lb 10 oz (55th %)
Height: 28 in (85th %)

Weaning: My original goal with BF was six months. But, things are going so well I'll just keep going for however long it works. The pumping thing is a pain, but I'll continue. By the way, I'm incredibly jealous of some of you pumping ladies: I usually only get 12 oz a day (pumping three times). I made a decision to supplement about 1.5 months ago so I'm not freaking out anymore if I don't get that *magic* 12 oz, but I quite often only get nine or ten oz a day. DH just mixes four oz of formula and spreads it out accordingly and/or uses it for cereal.

Birthday or Halloween: I'm with elladee, I can barely plan what I'm going to wear the next day, much less DS' birthday...bad mommy!

Teeth: The two bottom came in almost two months ago. Now he's getting three (possibly four) on the top. I think they have all broken through as he is in a much better mood this week than last. Guess this means we should be feeding him more solids. :rolleyes: Once again, bad mommy!

Solids: DS has had rice cereal and now we've moved on to baby oatmeal. He doesn't get it every day, but DH says he's getting the hang of it. I'm thinking about maybe trying avacado this weekend. I know...we're behind!

Pacifier: No pacies...DS is a finger-sucker (usually the index and middle fingers together...I don't think I've seen other babies do this, but it's quite cute). I won't worry about breaking that habit for a while, especially if it helps him sleep.

Sleep: He wakes up at least once, usually twice, to nurse for about 15 minutes. Still has three naps during the day. We just put him down in his room after two hours of wakefulness or if he's especially cranky. He might fuss for a few minutes, but then goes to sleep. I guess we used CIO, but DS never really cried after he was about four months old. If he's especially worked up (really crying and upset), I'll nurse him to sleep. That usually only happens if his schedule gets majorly disrupted and his bedtime is off.

Separation Anxiety: Not that I've noticed. DS still is happy to see people (for example, we went to a new ped. and DS just grinned like crazy at him...no worries at all).

Playgroups: Haven't done this yet, but we've moving (again...long story) in about a month. Might try some there, but we're moving back to my hometown...lots of my girlfriends have babies so that's a playgroup by default!

Crawling: DS has gotten himself on all fours, but keeps his head down (it looks like a yoga pose...downward dog?). He scootches around, but hasn't gotten it all together yet. Honestly, I don't feel like babyproofing our temporary housing so if doesn't happen for another month, that's ok with me. :)

All your babies are so incredibly adorable...love the pictures!!!

[jules1025]

Anon25 - I love the yoda costume too! :) What a great idea to dress up as Leia! Your hubby could be darth vader! How fun!

paci - We have a thumb sucker too. I'm not too worried about it... she'll stop eventually and we're pretty much resigned to the fact that she'll need braces since I had horrible teeth and had braces for 2.5 years!

separation anxiety - Oh, yes!!! She freaks out when she's around my dad and DH's dad! It's probably b/c she doesn't see them very often. But she will cry like I've never heard and reach for me. I feel bad for our dads. I'm sure it doesn't make them feel good, ya know? She also freaks when I leave her sight for just a minute. Ugh, it's annoying!

weaning - Ok, you ladies who are pumping 1-3 times a day and getting a ton of milk... I'm jealous!!!! I've replaced my day nursing sessions with pumping and can only get 2 oz out of each bb. :(

playgroups - Not yet. There is a mommy group I want to join but just need to get off my butt and do it!

KRL626 - Same here with the tooth!! It's been a week now that it's been bulging and it's not breaking through! The first one just took a few days, now this one's taking forever.

[Taurus]

Wow, lots to catch up on!

Crawling: We are still working on sitting up unassisted around here! He still needs pillows around him for help or to catch him. Yesterday my custom shopping cart/high chair cover came in the mail, so he sat up for the first time in the shopping card and we both LOVED it!

Halloween: I have not given it any thought! Cute ideas though!

Birthday: I have only thought of this recently when my sister and I started talking about if we'd do a joint birthday for our sons (their birthdays are Jan 19 and Jan 23). We are very close (our whole family is) and live 1 mile apart, and have a majority of our friends in common. But there would be a group of friends for each of us who only kinda know or "know of" the other baby and shouldn't have to, like, bring a gift or anything for the other baby. I don't know. Making people uncomfortable would be my only reason not to do a joint party, I don't need DS to have his "own" party at this age, and I'd actually prefer to do it together.

Pacifier: DS has long been only using it for naps, and as I'm writing this I let him put himself to sleep without it for his AM nap, and he did! When he's overtired it works like a charm to get him to sleep. Other than that, it's not really needed and it becomes a toy. Yesterday he was in his stroller at BRU and I gave it to him in hopes he'd fall asleep. He didn't, and when I noticed it was gone, I had to retrace my steps and found that he had chucked it and it was on the bottom shelf of the booster seat display. :)

Playgroups: I agree with Kate&Joey that I feel like like w/ my sister and friends, I have default playgroups when I desire them. I only have a handful of mom friends, but between working one day/week and liking days at home or for errands, if anything it's sometimes hard for me to keep up with invitations for playdates.

Other things...
We are working on purchasing and getting him into a convertible car seat. I think he is about to or already has become 22 lbs :eek: which is the limit for our Snugride.

I actually left DS and DH this past weekend to go to a wedding all the way in NYC (I'm in CA). Everyone did great and I was so glad I went. DH has always been a great dad and partner, but the reality is that he works and I stay home, so of course I do more of the day-to-day stuff, and he said that while he's always appreciated it, he now can't believe everything I get done in a given day aside from caring for DS. That wasn't why I went on this trip, but what a great bonus!

Crazy hair after a long day...Oh, and I LOVE this lightweight washable bib that gets rinsed right in the sink and drips dry!!
(deleted this pic!)

[KRL626]

jules Our babes are kindred souls, always doing the same thing at the same time! Maybe we'll all meet in person one day! :)

taurus What a cutie!

MMH Thanks for your post over in Bfing support. Maybe someday soon we'll get some sleep! By the way, your daughter is gorgeous!

[cgriffin]

I was on the Feb 2006 mommies thread and then got so busy and never came over here...but I miss everyone and all the advice like crazy! Anyone mind if I pop back in?

CC Name: cgriffin
DD/DS: Claire Ryann
Me: Caitlin, 22
DH: Josh, 22
Married: July 24, 2004
EDD: Feb 9, 2006
ADD: Jan 31, 2006
Time of Birth: 3:42pm
Weight: 7 lbs. 6 oz.
Length:20 inches
Other Children: not just yet!

[tray622]

Welcome back cgriffin :)

Well Jocey is 6 months today. It is crazy how fast it has gone. To be honest, I am so glad the first few months are over. Things were so rough with her surgery and then the reflux. Thank goodness for Prilosec :p

It is now time to start solids and I am not looking forward to it! I am trying tomorrow so wish me luck :)

[cgriffin]

tray622, I totally agree with you. ALthough I can hardley remember my life without Claire these 6 months flew by so quickly. I also can relate to the reflux. Claire was on Prevacid for a while which was a huge relief to her constant throwing up!
Don't sweat starting the solids. I kind of introduced them a little after 4 months just a taste here and there and now she is pretty much eating a few meals a day. She still BF mostly but its nice to know that if I had to leave and didnt have a ton of milk pumped that she would be ok..

As of now my problem is teething. I hate the whole process. Its amamzing what it does to their mood and personality....or at least to Claire's. I know that it must be so painful so I try not to get aggrevated but sometimes its so hard. For a few days she was up all night and cried all day long. I am hoping now that she has her bottom two teeth that there will be a bit of a break before getting anymore.

Pacifier- DD doesnt really like them but ever since she started teething she will use one on occasion.

Birthday- Wow! You ladies are so far ahead of me. I have not thought one bit about her first birthday yet. Maybe I will pick up on some of your great ideas!

Crawling- DD is rolling over like crazy and really tries to crawl but hasnt gotten there quite yet. I really hope that she does soon only because I see how much she tries and how frustrated she gets. On the other hand I am not looking forward to her being so mobile!

Halloween-As of now I am leaning toward the pink octopus from babystyle but not 100% sure yet.

Well, there is a ton more that I would love to write about but I have to get myself and DD ready for church and I only have 20 min!! Talk to you all later!

[MMH]

cgriffin - I think dd is going to be an octopus as well, our friends have the blue costume, I think I'll just stick a big pink bow on the head! I'm guessing she really won't be into Halloween anyway!

We had a lovely weekend. My mom was in town to visit which is always nice. We traveled up to visit our new cabin, Meredith LOVED the water and the beach. I can't wait until we can start staying at the cabin. We're going to have so much fun.
http://images1.snapfish.com/34786%3C239%7Ffp348%3Enu%3D3238%3E9%3B2%3E375%3EWS NRCG%3D3233%3A599365%3B7nu0mrj
http://images1.snapfish.com/34786%3C239%7Ffp348%3Enu%3D3238%3E9%3B2%3E375%3EWS NRCG%3D3233%3A598%3C6368nu0mrj
http://images1.snapfish.com/34786%3C239%7Ffp358%3Enu%3D3238%3E9%3B2%3E375%3EWS NRCG%3D3233%3A599365%3B8nu0mrj

Sleeping: I am still bf'ing and dd does not sleep very well. Anyone out there with other children that have not slept through the night? I hope the end is in sight, I need some sleep!

[Jackie&Tom]

mmh...DS is 7.5 months old and is a pretty bad sleeper.
He just started taking regular, decent naps...but he's up a number of times at night (I'm also bf'ing). I thought solids would help, but no luck for us.

I have no advice, but you're not alone!