November & December 2005 Mommies: Our First Spring!

[jengen]

birthdate 12/15/05
DC name Cole
Biggest surprise about pregnancy how you can be so nauseaus and so hungry at the same time; how from the moment you begin to show or reveal your pregnancy to someone, all the unsolicited advice you'll get. How wonderful it feels when you feel and see the baby moving inside of you.
Biggest surprise about labor/delivery How quickly it went once it kicked into full gear! I arrived at the hospital at 7 cms and had him 7 1/2 hours later. Would've been sooner, but his little arm was up by his face and it took 3 1/2 hours to push him out. The biggest surprise for me, was that I didn't have the immediate bonding/love gushy "baby story" feelings I thought I'd have when he came out of me. I was so exhausted, I was practically delirious and they didn't get to put him on my tummy or anything b/c there was meconium in the sac and it was a vacuum-assisted delivery, so the dr's had to evaluate him immediately...they didn't even hold him up to show him to me. In fact, I didn't get hold him til he was about an hour old. It was so surreal and hadn't quite sunk in yet. Don't be surprised or feel guilty if this happens to you, because I guess it is common.
oh and one more thing - the epidural was a piece of cake. It actually hurt more having the IV put in.
Biggest surprise about postpartum recovery I had an episiotomy AFTER the epidural had been turned off for over an hour. They offered me valium after the delivery, but I only took motrin. What was surprising to me was that the cramps from my uterus contracting back to normal from BF'ing were more painful than anything else. Motrin was my friend! I was surprised at how quickly I recovered.
Something no one ever told me how badly your bb's would hurt in the beginning and (TMI) how much blood comes out of you the first few times you go to the bathroom after delivery.

[helen22]

Orion, this is a great idea! Here is mine:

birthdate 12/12/05
DC name Melanie
Biggest surprise about pregnancy weird side effects, like heartburn - I only knew about morning sickness. Also people are very negative about pregnancy and I think there's a tendency to complain about it - I now wish I had enjoyed it more - it is such a special time for you and DH, and your last time for a while to enjoy totally guilt-free alone time.
Biggest surprise about labor/delivery I tell this to everyone - it can take a loooong time to get the epidural, so if you want one start asking for it before you're totally desperate for it! I had two very uncomfortable hours of waiting because of the sailne I needed and because the anesthesiologist was busy in an emergency c-section. All in all, though, for me, labor and delivery were really not the hard part - not compared to the first few weeks with a newborn!
Biggest surprise about postpartum recovery others have said it, but all that blood! for weeks! ugh. Also I had horrible swelling AFTER the baby was born, and really none at all before. I had these huge creepy hobbit feet...
Something no one ever told me the first 1-2 months are almost IMPOSSIBLY hard. No matter how many times people said "enjoy your sleep now!" when I was pregnant, it just did not sink in. You get very little in return from the baby for quite a while - no smiles, almost no eye contact. Your body is still a mess, whatever type of delivery you had. And for most people, breastfeeding is very, very difficult - my lactation consultant was amazing. And having a Dec baby can be very difficult, with the holidays - don't commit to too much!! And bail on it if you need to!

[Cookie777]

I'm way behind but I thought I would try & jump in & answer the pregnancy questions.

First...

Orion ~

I've been wanting to come in & reply to you. Don't feel bad about venting. Remember that we're in the same situation & please feel free to vent to me if you need to. ;) It does get frustrating/hard. I really wish we were with my husband. I know he misses us & is lonely etc.. but it's hard to have much sympathy for him when he's going out & having fun w/ his co-workers a lot of the time & I'm here changing 8,000 diapers a day & just hoping for a long enough nap to allow me to shower. :rolleyes: Anyway, like I said..I'm right there w/ you if you ever need to talk.

**********

I got Brandon's 3 month pictures taken yesterday @ BRU. :) I'll have to post some soon when I get them scanned.

**********

A December 2006 thread?! :eek: The past year has flown by...

Birthdate: 12.30.05
DC name: Brandon Michael JR
Biggest surprise about pregnancy:
My horrible food aversions & how painful pregnancy is/can be.
Biggest surprise about labor/delivery:
How much each contraction can wear you out (I thought they were just painful) & that it's common to throw up during labor (I threw up a LOT! - 6x's).
Biggest surprise about postpartum recovery:
That you look like a Teletubby for a while because your muscles & skin are so stretched out. I knew things wouldn't be normal but I didn't envision looking like I did.
Something no one ever told me:
How painful pregnancy can be, how hard it would be to turn over in bed! Weird dreams, how much you want to smack the crap out of your husband if he doesn't treat you like a Queen for carrying his child! :D

[Orion]

how much you want to smack the crap out of your husband if he doesn't treat you like a Queen for carrying his child!

OMG, this had me cracking up because it is just too true! You are too funny Cookie.

Cookie: Although I don't wish this situation on anyone, it is nice to know that there is someone out there who can understand what I am going through.

[Cookie777]

OMG, this had me cracking up because it is just too true! You are too funny Cookie.

Cookie: Although I don't wish this situation on anyone, it is nice to know that there is someone out there who can understand what I am going through.

Haha.. Too many times I did in fact feel like smacking him..:o

I know what you mean. It's not a fun situation but it is good to know that there is someone who understands because they are also experiencing it first hand. When I read your posts I'm just thinking that we are in the exact same spot! I just wish I could reply sooner sometimes..

[Bliss]

Has anyone seen my wonderful baby who used to STTN?!? For some reason D has totally regressed in sleeping, last night he was up crying until 3am, when I got desperate and just laid him in his crib w. a paci and let him put himself to sleep. He slept until 7a, then was up crying again. He finally went back to sleep at 9a after I fed him. I am wondering if he is waking up b/c he is hungry, since he is still asleep (2 hours later) from when I fed him. I did not feed him last night since I dont want him to start to comfort nurse during the night again, but now I am wondering (in the light of day LOL) if he was hungry. I think I am going to start the cereal early, his sleep habits are deteriorating so much and I cannot think of what else it might be. Meanwhile I feel like the worlds worst mother since I cannot figure out what is happening, what changed or how to make it better. The irrational sleep deprived part of my brain keeps thinking "what if he never learns how to sleep at night again?!" Is this just a 4 month thing? I dont think he is teething, and I gave him Mylecon last night in case it was gas but it didnt seem like that was it.

I miss sleep :(

[Cookie777]

Bliss ~

Sorry to hear about the sleep issues. How many nights has this gone on?

Brandon will be really good with sleep for a while & then have a bunch of nights where he wakes up a lot to eat. But then he goes right back to sleeping more, so I always just assume it's a growth spurt. When he wakes up, most of the time I'll just try get him to go back to sleep, which he will immediately if he's not hungry. If he's stirring more or obviously rooting then I feed him. Most of the time I know he's hungry because he's so dead tired that the only reason he's waking up is because he's super hungry, so in that situation I know that it's not his sleep habits that are bad but that his stomach is actually waking him up.

Does he seem hungry, awake for no reason... or like something's bothering him? Sometimes it's hard to tell I know. If Brandon cries but isn't hungry, he's usually over tired, but if not tired then it's his teething.

I hope his sleep gets back to normal soon. :( And I hope you can get some sleep too! :)

[abbytfox]

Bliss I have a minute to post and really need to respond to your post. Elliott was born a day before Dylan and is going through the same thing. I am at my wits end. So far it has been 3 nights of really out of character behavior. We used to give him a bottle at 7:30, rock and read a story and by 8:00-8:15 he was in his crib, awake but sleepy and out in a few minutes. Usually he woke up once between 2-4, ate and went right back to sleep. He would sleep until 6 and then take 2 predictable naps in the morning. Well, since Monday he has been all over the place with how long he sleeps and how many times he gets up a night. Also, he freaks out if we try to put him down awake and cries for at least an hour before finally falling asleep. I mean, serious crying like something is really wrong (but I don't think it is). My 2 explanations for this are 1) teething and/or 2) the time change. Maybe since you don't think he is teething, it is the time change.

As if to illustrate my point exactly, I just returned from trying to get him back to sleep for a nap. He has been sleeping for less than 20 minutes and woke up crying. Urgh. He used to take 2 hour long naps in the morning and today he has slept less than an hour total. I am really frustrated at this change.

We are going to try pushing his bedtime back an hour so he would eat at 8:30 and go down at 9 and see if that helps. My thinking is that maybe he is on "old" time and isn't adjusted yet. All I can say is that we are experiencing the same thing over here. I am also very nervous that he will never sleep again and that I did something to cause this. Good luck. Let me know if anything you try works and we'll do the same over here!

[Sebski]

Hmmm - I think AF might have entered the building this past Weds but I'm a little confused. It would be the first AF in 15 months, so I was expecting it to be heavier... and expecting cramps as well. This has been more like light spotting for the past few days. :confused:

Last night DH and I had our first night out since DS arrived. We attended a dinner party at one of our friend's houses. Anyway, we had a really nice time, but DS was a diff story. My sister and her hubby watched him and my parents were over their house too. All people that DS has been around every other day (my mom and sis at least), if not every day sometimes. Anyway, I called 3x's to see how things were going and was told "great". But, when we got there, DS's eyes were red from crying. I asked and my mom and sister said he cried just a bit off and on and they didn't want to ruin our night out by telling me when I called. I asked my 2 year old niece if DS had cried a lot because I knew she wouldn't lie and she said "oh yes, him cried all the time". :rolleyes: Besides the crying, he wouldn't eat from them. I had given them 3 bottles (yes, too much I know) and he had eaten his cereal at 4pm. We dropped him off at 6pm and he was due to eat again between 7 & 8pm. They tried but he only took a couple of oz. I don't know what to do... my mom has babysat for me a few times but I've always been back w/in a couple of hours. Now that he's older, shouldn't he be okay to sit w/ people he already knows? I'm really worried about the work thing now... and I feel so guilty thinking that I was sitting and having a good time last night while he was crying for me! :(

Okay brace yourself ladies... I'm going to attempt to make some babyfood myself! ;) I'm going to go to the store w/ DS tomorrow and buy a microwave steamer and some sweet potatos. He's had those, peas and carrots so far. He didn't care for the peas, so I figure I'll try making some sweet-taters first and see how that goes. I'm going to buy the book "super baby food" (I think that's what it's called) and go for it. This is sparked by a couple last night who asked if DS had started solids yet. I told them yes and they immediately thought I was making it for him since I BF... I told them no, but he was eating organic and they said that they were surprised because they would have thought someone who took the time to BF would take the time to make the baby's food too. Now, normally I think I would have been miffed, but the way they phrased it and the tone they used was really not offensive (that and I had already drank a big ole glass of wine ;)). Anyhoo, it actually got me thinking overnight about it. I mean, they're right in a way... I love to BF and it was hard to get used to in the beginning, but it ended up being a TON of fun for DS and me. It really helped us have a special bond. Maybe the babyfood making will be fun... who knows, it could very well be a disaster but at least I tried ya know? That was the motto I set out w/ in the BF dept and look how great that turned out. Anyhoo - I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheeks anyone elses baby have chaffed/red cheeks (not the bottom cheeks ;))? I called the ped and they said it's probably from the drooling since he doesn't have a rash anywhere else. It just looks so painful... trying to be good w/ keeping it lube'd up w/ Aquaphor.

Have to run - we're BBQ'ing tonight!

[first-time mom]

I cant believe that Kaylin is 5 mos old tomorrow:eek: Its has gone by so fast. Well the first 8 wks were slow but its been fast ever since her surgery


Kaylin's cardiology apt- Well Kaylin saw the cardiologist on Friday. I was hoping that her residual patch leak would be sealed but unfortunalty it is still there but it is extremely small. I was really bummed out after the apt because I also found out that she has a mild mild leak on her tricuspid valve. when they repaired her hole they had to weave in and out of valves so because of this it has left a little tiny tiny leak on the valve. He told me that she could live to 100 with her heart the way it is now so I was happy to hear that. However I am still really bothered about the tricuspid valve. I asked him if she would ever have to have surgery again and he said only if the valve gets worse and he said he doesnt think that it will and that I should not worry about it. She will just have to take an antibotic to go to the dentist or for any type of surgery. I told him I was really bothered by the valve thing and he told me that it he grabbed 10 people off the street 6 out of the 10 would have some sort of a leak at the tricuspid!! I asked him why I hadnt heard anything prior to this apt about the leak and he said because the other cardiologist probably didnt want me to worry because it wasnt a big deal. I just cant help but be bothered though. Its like I want someone to tell me that I will be gone before her and I know noone can say that to any mother about their child.
I also took her to the surgeon's office to ask about the bump near her sternum and he said that it doesnt feel like wires and that was a good thing. He said sometimes they bone flexes out that way and that as she gets bigger it wont be noticable. He did say if it got worse that he would do a CT scan and check out what it is. He just said dont worry about it. I also asked him about the tricuspid leak and his response was that everyone has some regurgatation at the valves at some point in their lives and that I shouldnt worry.
All the docs were so surpised to see how big she is she weighs 16lbs and is 70%. She does not have to have another echocardiagram until her 1st birthday!! I just hope I can stop worrying about "What if." UGH sorry about the rant.... I just feel stressed!!

be back later to do some SO's

[Lindzee82]

I am 5 days behind!!!!!! I apologize in advance for not doing great shout outs. I would be here all night!

Bath time - We put the infant tub inside the big tub. DH takes care of the bath because it hurts my back too much to bend down and lean over to wash him. This morning I took him in the shower with me and held him while DH soaped him up. He seemd to enjoy it. I don't think I could give Matthew a bath by myself, though.

Cereal - I really want to wait until 6 months to start Matthew on cereal, even though my Ped has been pushing me since 3 months to give it to him. I did try it for a week right before he turned 3 months, but then had nursing problems so we quit. But, Matthew is sooooo super interested in watching us eat that I *may* give in and try the cereal before 6 months. He turns 5 months on Saturday, so I think I have done well so far with him being exclusively breastfed. He just seems to want to eat sooo bad. I feel like I am depriving him or something. I think it is going to be so fun when we actually start giving him cereal and vegetables and fruits because he seems so interested.

Bedtime - Matthew goes down to bed around 8pm and gets up for the day around 7am.

Crossing Eyes - Yep, we got that, too!

Naps - We actually have been getting really good at naptime. When we are home, we try and keep Matthew on an every 2 hour schedule. This worked really well this weekend. Pretty much all we do is put him in his sleep sack, if he is hungry I will nurse him, then we put him in his crib with his pacifier and mobile music and he puts himself to sleep. His naps are only about 30 minutes, though. I wish he would sleep longer....

[ktdelsur]

QUick post before I go get ready for work (where did the weekend go?)

bliss: Andrew's worst sleep was between 3 and 4 months. He STTN for the first time at 8 weeks, but it was off an on after that. Then he totally regressed at 3 months and I thought I was going to go crazy. It does get better...but I didn't feed him in the middle of the night though since I knew he didn't need it. Usually he either just wanted his paci or to play. It got to where we could stick our hand in the crib where he couldn't see us (if he saw us he got all smiley and excited), put in the paci and put our hand on his chest until he calmed down and went to sleep. Just a matter of time!!!!!

firsttimemom: That's great that Kaylin has grown to be nice and plump (we've got a 16 pounder, too) and that the docs say she can live to 100 w/ her heart like that. You're in my prayers!

crossed eyes: haven't had this at all, although I sort of expected it...my niece had her eyes crossed so badly she had to have surgery to tighten up the eye muscle. (it went smoothly and she's fine now)

leaving DS: We've only left DS with family when they're in town (when my parents come to visit, at least one of the nights they're here they watch him while we go out to eat and to a movie or something)...he's never been left with a "stranger". He's a social butterfly so we haven't had problems....but we'll see when we leave him with an actual "babysitter" someday.

alright. gotta jump in the shower..more later!

[Orion]

Sebeski: Cheeks anyone elses baby have chaffed/red cheeks (not the bottom cheeks )? I called the ped and they said it's probably from the drooling since he doesn't have a rash anywhere else. It just looks so painful... trying to be good w/ keeping it lube'd up w/ Aquaphor.

Just have a few minutes before DD wakes up and wanted to reply to you. DD has the same problem. I have used everything from lavender cream, emu oil to vaseline but the thing that I find works the best (and this might be gross) is breast milk. I was told when she was first born to use breast milk on the face to clear up infant acne and I thought that I would try it again. Works like a charm. The next best is the emu oil but that is super expensive (I just happen to have some for myself for my exema).

[Orion]

Alright, baby is down so time for some replies.

First time Mom: I just had to write to say how amazing I think you are. It is so tough becoming a mother but to have to deal with what you are going through and how up in spirits you always seem to be amazes me. I will continue to keep you and Kaitlyn in my thoughts.

Cookie: Thought that you would appreciate this. I totally lost it on my DH Saturday night. I waited all day for his phone call and than he called at 10 pm after I had a tough night with DD and being asleep for about an hour. Not only that but he called from downtown Montreal where he was meeting up with his buddies at a pub. Lets just say that he picked the wrong night to wake me up :D . But all is good now after a cathartic session on the phone ;) .

Only two more sleeps until I see DH. Before I mentioned that I was driving 12 hours to get some nookie, well that is no longer the case. I will still be driving 12 hours to go to my DH graduation but my MIL is coming with me and has booked one bedroom for her, me, DH, DD and my sister in law. You have read correctly. I will not only be sharing a room with everyone but also have to try to keep DD on the same sleeping and eating schedule while all these people are in the same room with us. I just love bringing the boob out in front of everyone :mad: . At least I will get to spend a few hours with DH...am just realized what I wrote...how crazy am I to drive 12 one way to see DH graduate and than spend one night with him (and the inlaws) only to drive the 12 hours back home. Oh, and did I fail to mention that I will be doing this with an infant. Call the looney bin because I am ready to be admitted :o .

Leaving DD: The only time that I have left her in either my Mom's care or my MIL's care is when she has been feed and already alseep and I have only been gone for less than an hour. This is one of the down sides of breast feeding only but I choose to do this and I choose all that it entails. But that doesn't mean that I don't get a little down with the cabin fever and don't miss a night on the town with my friends.

It is now official. We are moving to Victoria, BC at the end of this month. I knew that we were moving but we just didn't know where. We are hoping to get a house on the base in Victoria for the first six months just so we can save up to get a house. Besides my home town where I grew up, I have not stayed in the same place for more than two years so living in Victoria for at least three years should be interesting. My friends consider DH and I gypsies because after two years in one place we get bored and move on. That is why the military is going to be a great life for us because we love to move (not the packing up part though) and be in new places. Also, with the Navy, we have the option of moving back to the Maritimes (where we are from) and be closer to the family. This is a big thing for us since we are both so close to our families and hate the thought of Sophie growing up and not knowing them.

Baby is waking up so I best run. Have a great day everyone.

[ktdelsur]

I know a lot of you were talking a few pages back about your hair shedding after childbirth. I thought I'd gotten away without any of that, but in the past 2-3 weeks I've been shedding like CRAZY. It's EVERYWHERE. When does it stop!?

[Cookie777]

Cookie: Thought that you would appreciate this. I totally lost it on my DH Saturday night. I waited all day for his phone call and than he called at 10 pm after I had a tough night with DD and being asleep for about an hour. Not only that but he called from downtown Montreal where he was meeting up with his buddies at a pub...

Oh yes...I can totally relate to this. ;)

Only two more sleeps until I see DH. Before I mentioned that I was driving 12 hours to get some nookie, well that is no longer the case. I will still be driving 12 hours to go to my DH graduation but my MIL is coming with me and has booked one bedroom for her, me, DH, DD and my sister in law. You have read correctly. I will not only be sharing a room with everyone but also have to try to keep DD on the same sleeping and eating schedule while all these people are in the same room with us. I just love bringing the boob out in front of everyone :mad: . At least I will get to spend a few hours with DH...am just realized what I wrote...how crazy am I to drive 12 one way to see DH graduate and than spend one night with him (and the inlaws) only to drive the 12 hours back home. Oh, and did I fail to mention that I will be doing this with an infant. Call the looney bin because I am ready to be admitted :o .

:eek: Well I'm glad you're going to be able to see him at least but I hope no one gets murdered in the mean time! I would be so BUGGED!

It is now official. We are moving to Victoria, BC at the end of this month.

Congratulations on deciding on your move! :)
***********

Well I wanted to reply some more but I have a grumpy baby. He's bored of his toys so I need to find something else to interest him.

[Bliss]

Abby I have to tell you, reading your post made me feel so much better :) Not that you are dealing w. the same craziness, but that our boys are going through the same thing and I am not some terrible mommy who screwed up my baby's sleeping habits lol. The past few nights have been really tough (that is the understatement of the year, actually). I have gone from having a baby that slept at night but never really napped to having DS up a lot at night and now napping during the day. To be honest, I am glad he is sleeping at all since he was so exhausted on Sunday. It seems like he cannot get himself to stay asleep, last night put him to bed at 1030p, he was up at 12m, 1a, 13oa and finally went to sleep, then woke up at 630a and was hungry. He used to go down at 10p and sleep until 830-9a. It almost seems like he is trying to add in a feeding, he used to eat 5 times a day and with the 630a feeding this morning, he will probably eat 6x today. Hopefully that will help. If this continues this week, its going to be early cereal for us. I respect what the ped recommended, but I really think at least part of it is that he is hungry. I am going to try and put him to bed early tonight, that way if he has a night waking period of 2-3 hours after his night bottle of EBM hopefully it wont keep us up. Abby, I guess we have to hope that this passes soon! Good luck and if you find anything that works let me know :)

Orion That sounds like a crazy trip! I would go thru that to see DH for a short time too after such a long absence. Maybe you and DH can sneak away for a few minutes after his graduation ;)

FTM Glad to hear that your doc visit went well. That is a good sign that they are encouraged about her weight gain. Of course you are going to worry, but it seems like the visit was very positive :)

Hair falling out OMG I am shedding worse than my 2 labs lol. Its everywhere, I often find Dylan with my hair twirled around his hands. I swear its almost scary in the shower, it comes out so much. I have long thick hair and when I was PG it was really thick so I am not really surprised.

[Cookie777]

Hair falling out OMG I am shedding worse than my 2 labs lol. Its everywhere, I often find Dylan with my hair twirled around his hands. I swear its almost scary in the shower, it comes out so much. I have long thick hair and when I was PG it was really thick so I am not really surprised.


This is just starting for me. It's not a ton but I'm noticing plenty of my hairs around...mostly on the baby & in his hands. :o I have a lot of hair though..so I can stand to lose some but I'd rather it not be all over the place. Don't really know how to fix that except brushing it a lot? :confused:

[Lindzee82]

Yeah, this hair shedding thing has got to stop!!!!!!!!!! It is driving me crazy!

[shirsty]

Boy I am behind - no time for many SOs but I wanted to comment on a few things.

Bliss and Abby we totally had a stage like that too, between 3 and 4 months. Sam's sleep has totally sucked this past week but he's been sick so I am sure it is that. He has never STTN yet though - his best sleep pattern so far is up once between 7 and 6 or so. I really thought I was doing something wrong too but when he does wake up he is usually hungry and eats a lot. So clearly he still needs to eat at night, at least once.

Hair falling out I think this has finally stopped for me, and Sam is 5.5 months old.

FTM glad to hear Kaylin got a good report! I am sure it is really tough but it sounds like things are going to be OK even though you have some minor worries. Good job hanging in there with all this craziness, my hat is off to you!

Chapped cheeks we have this too, I have some leftover APNO nipple cream from when he was born, this stuff works GREAT on the chapped cheeks, plus I don't have to worry about him eating it. I have also used Lansinoh (sp?) and that works good too.

[Alanna]

Hi everyone... I am just back from our first trip with Molly... we went from Boston to New York... we took the train, stayed in a hotel and visited with relatives. I had been dreading this trip forever... it turned out with no major problems! On the way down Molly was awake but very quiet and smile and on the way home she slept about 3/4 of the trip... thank god! she did well in the hotel too.. we got a crib for her and she slept alright... she had a hard time nappng while we were there.. but that was sorta expected... so anyway... there's a huge milestone for our whole family!!!

Abby and Bliss I will add my voice to those who had a period of bad sleeping after having wonderful sleep... around four months things got really bad for us... i was convinced she wasnt getting enough to eat... but IM happy to say that things are back on track.. it took about 2 weeks to get her sorted out again... one thing that helped us is that we established a regular bedtime... (prior to that we were just waiting for her to fall asleep to put her in bed... now she goes to bed btween 7:30 - 8pm no matter what... and it has helped tremendously.

Cereal/solids - we going to try to hold out to 6 months... so far so good...

leaving DD dh and i went off together for the first time this weekend (for a walk and then lunch) we left DD with his parents.. it was very strange... Im definitely not ready to leave her with a babysitter yet...



Sorry for the lack of real shoutouts... im so many pages behind!

[jaredsgirl]

Well I"m so far behind. Our internet crashed and jsut got back up last night. What a pain. So just a couple things...

4 month WBV Well Owen is 15.75 lbs and 25 1/2 in long. He is such a big boy, for his head, length and weight, he was all in the 74%...how hilarious, he is very porportional. We talked about solids and she wants us to wait to until 5 months. So we are going to try, probably giving him solids the first weekend in May, since we are home, and have nothing going on. Also, we discussed his issue with nap, since he SCREAMS every time he is down for a nap. Her two solutions, if he is getting regular with his nap times, put him down a few minutes before he normally shows he is tired. Then we are now going to give him a burp rag to sleep with. She said that it is thin enough that if it gets over his face he will be able to breathe. So now I give him the burp rag as he eats and then lay it with him to sleep. We'll see how that works. Then he got his 4 shots, he didn't even cry until the last one and he barely cried for that one...he was immediately calm after I picked him up...so that was pretty painless.

Back to work I have been having several breakdowns because I go back for my first day on Friday. I have never been so devastated. I know it will get better, I know Owen will be fine, but none of that has helped. One friend told me that the hardest was not actually going back to work, but the week leading up to it. I have the countdown and I just cry thinking of it. We are trying to do things that will let me go down to part time, but the first thing we need to do for that is pay of DH's car...once that is paid then I can do part time...so now I got some things I can do at home that will allow me to earn extra money to pay off the loan.

Ok, attempting to get Owen down for a nap...better go.

[Sebski]

Jaredsgirl <<<hugs>>> I know how difficult it must be for you to think about returning to work... but, a lot of people have said the same thing as your friend - that the anticipation was worse than the actual return. Hopefully that will be true for you... and for me too next month. Jeesh... why couldn't we all be millionaires?

Super Baby Food I just bought this book yesterday since I plan on making some of DS's food. I wish I had bought it before we started solids. It's very well written and VERY informative. I would recommend buying it even if you aren't making your own food. It's everything you need to know about feeding your baby and toddler (from starting foods until age 3).

Have to run make some breakfast - be back later for some SO's!

[sem426]

have been having several breakdowns because I go back for my first day on Friday. I have never been so devastated. I know it will get better, I know Owen will be fine, but none of that has helped. One friend told me that the hardest was not actually going back to work, but the week leading up to it. I have the countdown and I just cry thinking of it

jaredsgirl this is me too. i go back to work on Monday after being home for 5+months. i cn't stop crying either. it breaks my heart thinking about it. I really don't know how i'm going to do it. everytime I'm w/DD this week i keep saying..."this is our last tues am together.". i'm making myself crazy. HUGS to you. we'll get through it somehow.

leaving DD we've only left DD w/my parents for a few hours and that was a while ago. I think i'm a control freak and don't want anyone takiong care of her but me! i saw the thread in parenting about not being so possesive of your kid...and that is how i am. i feel like no one else can take care of her like i can and no one knows her "signs" and "sounds" like i do. i know i'm nuts and i'm going to have to get over it since i go back to work in a few days, but it's hard.

we're going to my IL's tomorrow through Friday for Passover. It should be interesting. Pretty much ever time MIL holds DD she cries. I know she's hoping to have some bonding time w/her while we're there. But it's my last few days w/my DD before I go back to work so I'm not going to just hand her over and let MIL do everything for her. should cause some problems, can't wait:rolleyes:

weight loss so i think i've hit a plateau. i've lost about 11 lbs and am pretty much at my Pre preg weight althought it's not the same as before. I did go out and treat myself to a new pair of Seven Jeans and they fit nicely so i was happy about that. I think now i just need to focus more on working out and toning...which of course will be so hard to do now since i'm going back to work and when i get home i just want to spend time w/DD...i'll have to try and find time to fit in some kind of exercise.

[happygolucky]

Quick SO -

FTM - my heart goes out to you and to your little girl. The doctor's appointments can drive you to the brink, but don't let them. You're such a champ for dealing with all of this!

Jaredsgirl - Huge hugs to you. You're going to be great - just muster up your strength and force yourself over those first few days. Everybody I know who went back says it gets easier after the first week.

Sleep - what's that? No sleep here! Last night we started trying to put Anna down at 7:30. DH finally got her down at 9:00. She was up every 20 minutes from 9:00 - midnight, then down until 3:00. Up from 3:00 - 3:30, up from 4:00 - 5:00 then up at 6:45. Sad to say, but that was a sight better than the night before, when she was only asleep for a total of three hours, and that was unconsolidated. We're still struggling with the bedtime routine here. We do bath, medicine, food, book, rock-n-cuddle and then crib, but if we don't catch her JUST RIGHT, she starts screaming and I have to pick her up and start over again. *sigh* I'm tired.

I feel for all of your pain, but it's sad to say that I'm actually glad to hear that I'm not alone in this. My mom insisted that I ruined my little sleeper by going to her at night when she cried, but with her ulcerated shoulder, there wasn't much else I could do. The poor kid needed pain killers, for Heaven's sake! So I would dose her and then nurse her back down and now she's a sleepless monster. ROOOAAARRRR!

Okay - I have to go - it's back to the specialist today and I have lots to do to get her ready.

Hope everybody has a good day!

[sem426]

sebski we cross posted

Jeesh... why couldn't we all be millionaires?

we've got our mega millions tix for tonight! a girl can dream right!???

[Orion]

Well Ladies, DH and I chatted last night and we have decided to get our own hotel room. I am not travelling all that way just to spend the night with DH in the same room as his mother and sister. Plus, his sister isn't arriving until midnight and Sophie wouldn't sleep very well with all the comings and goings and the trip is going to be hard enough on her...at least this is what I told the MIL! I couldn't very well tell her that we wanted our own room to do a little horizontal mambo! ;) I will be gone until Saturday so I hope everyone has a great week and I will talk to you soon.

I'm getting sad because as soon as my visit home is done, so is my time with the computer. DH and I don't have a computer and thus my days on CC will also come to an end :( . I just hope that they have an internet cafe on the base so I can keep up with you guys because you have all been such a joy to get to know.

[fwgirl]

Hi ladies. Exciting stuff is going on in our lives. We closed on our house yesterday and I'm so giddy about it. It's our first house and I'm so happy to stop renting. Now I have about a million and one things to do and lists all over the place. Wish me luck as we finish packing and do the actual move this weekend. Should be an adventure doing it all with a baby in tow. (Good thing we have family close by!) :)

FTM I'm happy to hear that the appt went well and that the dr. thinks Kaylin will be okay. It's very good news to hear she won't need another echo for a year. Although, it's scary to hear there is a tiny tear, but it sounds like the dr. isn't too worried. I'm sending you a little prayer of peace as I type this. I know it's hard not to worry about things, but I hope you are able to put it out of your mind and just enjoy your little one.

orion I hope your trip goes well...in your own room! ;) And I hope your move goes well too! I love Victoria. It's so beautiful! I'm in Seattle and it's just a short ferry ride for me. They have such beautiful gardens there.

jaredsgirl & sem my heart goes out to you as you prepare to return to work. It is so hard, but not as bad as I had anticipated. Of course a million people could tell you that, but it doesn't make you feel better. I hope the transition is smooth for you both.

sebski thanks for the book recommendation! We're not starting solids for a few months, but I want to start reading about it now so I'm prepared. :)

shedding hair. I am losing hair like crazy!! It's all over the place. I even found a strand in DD's diaper the other day. Ugh. I have thin, fine hair as it is and I can't afford to lose more. Geez I hope it stops soon.

swimming lessons. We're signing up for the 'little shrimp' class at the Y as soon as DD is 6 months old. I'm really looking forward to it!

[Sebski]

Sem ya gotta be in it to win it right? ;)

Orion good for you on getting your own hotel room - have a fun trip! ;)

Fwgirl Congrats on the house - such a great feeling!!! Definitely read the book... it's so much more than just babyfood recipes. It tells you about water, how to feed, where to feed, what utensils to use, tips etc. Some of the stuff is pretty standard (like no metal spoons) but I learned a few things already and I'm only up to page 77. For instance, I didn't know that you are supposed to boil whatever water you give your baby. When we give formula it's the ready to feed kind so there's no mixing involved. So, I was pretty surprised to read this.

Teeth We went to the ped today... Joey's had the sniffles for a few days now. I figured it was just a cold but then figured I'd better take him before Easter dinner since we're going to be around my nephew and we don't want DS to infect him. Anyhoo, she checked him over and it's not a cold... it's his teeth. His bottom 2 haven't broken through yet, but they're close to the gums she said. She shined her light on them and told me to take a peek... I was like "oh yeaaaah, there they are" but still didn't see a thing... she had a med student there and I didn't want to see like the odd man out w/ seeing them. :rolleyes: So, his little chompers are itching to come through. He's not eating like his usual self and she said it's all normal. I hope the little buggers make their way through soon!

Rolling We have back to tummy rolling!!! :) He's now a rolling FOOL! Put him down and he rolls and rolls and rolls! This might account for his crummy sleep the past couple of nights... that and the teeth.

Have to run start dinner...

[happygolucky]

Orion - good luck with the move!

Seb - teeth and rolling - what a combination!

Anna had her appointment with the hemangiomist today - not good. The ulcers are getting worse and worse, so the doctor decided she needs to go onto steroids. I'm so upset. Aside from the fact that I hate the thought of putting steroids into my baby, I also have to deal with the fact that she'll need to go on Zantac to coat her stomach and antibiotics because the steroids will lower her immune system. Then there are the side effects to worry about - water retention, weight gain, moon face, irritability, temporary cessation in growth, increased appetite and decreased sleeping are the ones that I can remember off the top of my head. I'm sure there are more that I'm just not remembering right now. I have three different syringes that I need to use to administer the three different medicines. One of them is twice a day. One is once each day. One is twice a day, three days a week. If I manage to keep this straight and not over or under medicate my baby, it's going to be a miracle.

Boy, I just hope this works. I just don't want her to be in pain anymore.

[jengen]

One friend told me that the hardest was not actually going back to work, but the week leading up to it.
jaredsgirl and sem The above quote is so true!! I am now at my second week of work and it really isn't a tenth as bad as I thought it would be. I do have my really sad moments, but for the most part, I just try to focus on the positive...like SLEEP. He sleeps fantastic because he's sooooo tired!! :D hope I'm not jinxing myself. Anyway, good luck!!

too tired to post an update, but hope you all are well. I'm dealing with red cheeks and hair loss hair, too.

[kinaida]

happygolucky -- I'm so so so sorry :( I'll pray for you & your DD. Poor baby. Poor mommy. I can't imagine having to go through what you're dealing with right now.

fwgirl -- congrats on the house!

shedding -- oh yeah. My hair normally sheds quite a bit and it completely stopped while I was pregnant, but it's back on. It's not falling out in clumps, but it's definitely all over the place.

sebski -- yay for rolling!! Benjamin is pretty close to rolling from back to tummy -- he's been way into grabbing his feet this week and can get to his side from his back pretty consistently.

[Lindzee82]

Screaming - Does anyone else's child scream at them? I don't mean crying scream, but like bloody murder totally pi$$ed at you scream? Matthew does this all the time when he is not happy. It really hurts my feelings and has made me cry more than a few times. He just seems so mad when he does it. DH thinks he just does it because he has found his voice and it is his way of communicating and that he isn't old enough to know anger and hate yet. But I don't know. I am very disturbed by it. Anyone else going through this?:confused:

[Sebski]

Does anyone else's child scream at them?

Is the sky blue? :p Joey not only screams at me, he grunts and growls at me too. What can we do, we have determined little boys on our hands. :rolleyes: In addition to the unpleasant noises, he also has begun to shriek when he's laughing. I think your hubby's right Lindzee... they've just found their voices and are taking them out for a ride. ;)

happygolucky So sorry for your poor baby girl! Sending <<<hugs>>> and prayers your way!

kinaida Go Benjamin! Sounds like you have the makings of a back roller on your hands! :)

jengen Hope work isn't beating you up too much... I remember being tired at work w/out a baby to deal with.

We're heading out to visit family in a bit. Should be interesting. Visits with this side of the family usually are. :rolleyes:

[Lindzee82]

Sebski - You are so funny! Thanks for making me feel *a little bit* better. :) Glad to know I am not the only one experiencing this.

[doubleR]

just checking in quick... had one hell of a week. picked up Brady from daycare last thursday and they told me that he *might* be coming down with something, he had a really big, really stinky diaper. well... turns out he had rotavirus. very common. and let me tell you, NOT.FUN. it was coming out both ends. talked to the doctor on friday, did pedialyte and rice cereal all weekend and then saw him monday morning... the main scare is dehydration and Brady was doing fine. my ped actually had 2 babies hospitalized for rotavirus last week, so... I guess we did alright and it can always be worse, but it was so awful. he was so out of it, so clingy... and just so sad. finally, yesterday, he was pretty much back to himself. I stayed home yesterday and all morning, wanting him to be 100% before I brought him back to daycare. I just hope he doesn't get re-exposed to anything and take a turn for the worse. it's definitely, absolutely from daycare :o

it was really hard bringing him in today b/c finally, after days of him being sick, he was back to his happy, smiley self AND it's 70 degrees out.

so we started rice cereal. mainly b/c he was sick, but we were going to start it soon anyway and figure we might as well just go with it... so far it's going alright. I thought he was going to like it a lot more, but I think it's probably hard to introduce anything new when the babe is sick, especially food.

for anyone going back to work soon the days leading up to it are definitely worse than actually doing it. and like jengen said, sleep has been great :) good luck to you all. dropping him off that first day is by far THE hardest thing I've had to do as a mom so far. but now it's really not so bad. I say this and if my DH told me tonight that I had to go back to FT status, I'd cry so hard - mostly b/c I'd be overwhelmed with getting everything else done... I'm pretty much a single mom Monday - Thursday and it's not easy. at all.

alright, have to get back to work :rolleyes: I'll try to catch up soon ;)

[Lindzee82]

doubleR - So sorry about the rotavirus. Glad Brady is doing better. Poor thing. Yay for starting cereal!

[doubleR]

Lindzee, thanks :) it was a rough one! and to reply to your earlier post, YES on the screaming, we have that going on in our house these days too. it's all of a sudden, like he's learned how to be loud. I figured it was b/c of daycare and he had to compete with all the other noise in the room :rolleyes: I'm sure Matthew isn't screaming *at* you ;)

it is so great to have this thread :)

[Lindzee82]

doubleR - Sorry that you have screaming, too. But, it does make me feel better to know that maybe Matthew really doesn't hate me! Thanks! I agree, it is great to have this thread!

[scarlett]

Ug! I just accidentally closed my browser while writing a post!

Matti had his 4 month WBV today. It went well. He's 16 lb 5 oz and 25 inches long. All of the nurses were loving on him and telling him how cute he is. The doctor told me we could start cereal anytime now. I think I'll wait awhile though. But the doctor told me that it wasn't so much about feeding DS the food as it was about teaching him to eat from a spoon. Another thing he said was that it doesn't matter if we do fruits or veggies first. Just if we do a fruit first and then DS doesn't like a veggie introduced next to mix in some of the fruit. Mmmm, bannanas and peas. :)

He is trying to roll over. He wasn't showing any interest in it at all, then all of a sudden this week he's rolling to his side anytime I set him down. It'll be soon. And this morning, I found his feet where his head was when I put him to bed last night. He's definitely becoming more mobile. I'll have to stop leaving him on the floor in one room while I go get food in the kitchen.

happygolucky - Matti has a hemangioma on his head too. I didn't know they could become ulcerated. It sounds awful. I hope the meds help your little girl and she heals soon (and can stop taking the meds).

[Sebski]

Fly-by post -

Throwing a toy and then crying until you retrieve it for them - anyone else reach this stage yet? Fun times in the Sebski household - fun times.... :rolleyes:

Back later!

[first-time mom]

Orion- Thank you for the prayers. I try so hard to be strong and positive. I have my moments quite a lot of them but I have just learned to love life and cherish every moment. This whole experience has changed my thinking and they way I look at life. Everything happens for a reason and maybe this was gods way of making me cherish everything in life. Kaylin is my little miracle and I am so glad he brought her into my life:)

Happygolucky-Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. You are correct dr. visits can drive you to the brink. I am stuck in a worry state of mind even thought they tell me things are great and not to worry anymore. I think with time I will stop being so paranoid.

Fwgirl-Thanks, I have finally started to relax a bit and enjoy her even more. Its so hard to snap out of worry mode that I have been in since her birth. I mean I have always enjoyed her but I was always scared and worried. As I watch her grow and develop I think it will help me not worry as much.

ktdelsur-Thank you for you prayers. Plump babies are cute arent they:) I just cant get over how fast she is growing since surgery!!


Bliss-It was a very positive visit, thank goodness. Of course I want to hear she has a perfect heart but I dont think there is such a thing. The cardiologist laugh when i say a perfect heart....I dont think they think there is one either... I think sometimes the phrase "what you dont know wont hurt you is true." On the other hand I am glad we know Kaylins heart inside and out so that we can monitor her.

Shirsty-thanks for the words of support it really does help!!

To everyone else I missed thank you so much for the support. Its good to have a place to come to vent!!

Screaming-I have a very looud screamer but its the happy scream. Everyone knows we are coming when we are out in stores. Kaylin also makes this funny noise when she is sucking her binky. I dont even know how to explain it. Its like she is humming with it in her mouth as she sucks making different noises. Its too funny.

Lindz-I think dh is right about the screaming thing. I dont think he is mad at you I think its a combination of cranky and I have found my voice. Dont take it to heart he is just learning the many aspects of his voice!! He probably has learned too that when he does it you react to it. They are very smart:) Hang in there hun...

DoubleR-I am glad your ds is starting to feel better being sick isnt fun!!

Scarlett-I to have a baby that is trying hard to roll over. She gets stuck on her side. But I have the baby who is content wherever she is and is happy so she just hangs out instead of trying to move. I am sure she will get it soon...but we keep practicing.

Sebski-AND the games begin. That is such a fun stage of I will make mommy bend over hundreds of times to pick up my toy. Kaylin hasnt learned this yet but I am sure its just around the corner!!


QOTD-Does anyone else's baby do the sleepy talk. By this I mean when Kaylin is starting to fall to sleep she moans or hums herselt to sleep. I can always tell when she about to drift off!!

[kinaida]

Hey all --

screaming -- Ben mostly does happy screams, but he does have an "I'm tired!!!" scream which is really annoying. Cute, but annoying. lindzee -- everyone is right, but I am sure that is disconcerting!

dropping toys/crying -- we're not quite there yet. Normally if he drops a toy, I'll pick it up a few times, until it appears that it's deliberate. Then I stop and give him something else to look at.

sleepy talk -- I wish! When Ben gets tired, he gets fussy, he only wants to be standing or walked around and then he sometimes does that screaming thing, although he's stopped it lately (thank goodness).

another question -- is anyone starting their DC on a sippy cup soon? We've been starting to give Ben small drinks of water out of our glass and he loves it. So we're thinking about introducing the sippy cup... No juice though. Only water (and when he turns 1 year old, milk).

[first-time mom]

Just stoppin in to drop off some recent pics.....I finally downloaded snapfish!!

http://images.snapfish.com/3467%3B%3A567%7Ffp346%3Enu%3D327%3B%3E745%3E586%3E WSNRCG%3D323364%3B4%3C44%3B%3Bnu0mrj


http://images.snapfish.com/3467%3B%3A567%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D327%3B%3E745%3E586%3E WSNRCG%3D323364%3B4%3A4856nu0mrj

[Lindzee82]

Throwing Toys - Matthew throws his toys all the time, but he hasn't yet reached the stage of crying because of it. He actually whipped a toy across the room at play group last week. Ooops! :)

First-Time Mom - Thanks....I try not to take it to heart, but I just can't help it. I can't believe how cute Kaylin is. I can't quite decide who she looks more like. I definitely see a lot of both of you in her. So amazing!

Sleepy Talk - Oh yes! Matthew definitely does this. I think it is the sweetest thing! Except when he does it at 2am! hehe!

kinaida - Thanks.

Sippy Cups - Probably wont start on these for a while. Does anyone know at what age we are *supposed* to start giving water?

[Sebski]

We just got back home from being out all day. DS napped for maybe 30 min from 3pm on. Hopefully he'll sleep like a little log tonight! Where did that saying ever come from - logs don't sleep? Are you loving my short attention span? ;)

Water I asked at the ped the other day and she said that he doesn't need much water now, but if he seems constipated from the cereal, to give him a couple of oz of water. :confused: So, I'm now giving him a sip of it here and there throughout the day. Since the cereal he only seems to poop every 4 or 5 days and he's MISERABLE because of it toward day 4. If I give him a bit of water, he usually goes a couple of hours later. Plus, I read in Super Baby Food that a bit of water when you introduce solids such as cereal helps the kidneys process everything more easily (something like that, can't remember offhand).

Sippy Cup we just started introducing one today! :) Picked it up at BRU and DS seems to like it. He's used to silicone nipples so I got him the Nuby since it has a silicone top/spout as well as handles on the side. The package said the cup was good for 3+ months but I don't know how you would give it to a 3 month old. Anyhoo - DS holds it, puts it to his lips, sucks but gets utterly confused because nothing comes out. I love it - he looks so bewildered! :) My slowpoke doesn't know to *tip* the sippy in order to make the water flow. :rolleyes: We're just using it for water now... no juice. I really don't want to do juice honestly due to the sugar. I'd prefer to just do water/formula until 1 year and then water/milk with juice as a 'treat'. I *just* remembered that I should have gotten one of those attachments for the cup for when DS throws it... it's sorta like the pacifier one that you can clip to the baby's clothes. *Makes mental note*

First Time Mom Kaylin's beautiful! No sleepy talk here but that must be SOOO cute!

Have to run and put the clothes in the dryer. Gotta love doing laundry at 10pm - I remember the days when I would be heading out to the local pub w/ friends around this time of night. Meeeemories.... ;)

[ktdelsur]

happygolucky: I hope your girl is better soon and your worries are eased...:-(

firsttimemom: Kaylin is adorable!

sippy cups.. Not for a good while - we haven't even had rice cereal around here yet.

wheezy: Poor Andrew can't get rid of the gunk. He is happy as a clam and no other problems (no fever, etc) but he's still on a nebulizer, and Doc wants him on Pulmocort til his 6 mo checkup. We also have antibiotics too for his SECOND ear infection. Thank you, daycare.

Speaking of daycare, I pick him up today and the girl said, "Oh, just wanted to let you know we had a little girl leave here today with the rotovirus, so be on the lookout." They had sanitized all they could, etc, but God help us if we all get that again. We all (including Andrew) had it in February and it was not cool. :(

[Alanna]

FTM- WHat a beautiful girl Kaylin is!

Throwing toys - no crying here yet... thats a neat milestone though.

Sitting up - those of you who have babies that are getting close.. have you been doing anything to encourage balance and the muscles for sitting up... Molly really isnt close at all to be able to sit up by herself...

Those of you who bottlefeed - what size nipple are you using? we have the 3 hole ones but lately molly has been sucking so hard the nipple collapses in on itself and it stops the flow... and then she starts crying :( i have loosened the caps but im guessing we have to move up nipple size... has anyone else experienced this?

Im loving all the solids stories... I'm getting so excited to start them...

[ktdelsur]

what size nipple are you using? we have the 3 hole ones but lately molly has been sucking so hard the nipple collapses in on itself and it stops the flow... and then she starts crying i have loosened the caps but im guessing we have to move up nipple size... has anyone else experienced this?


Alanna,
We're still on Avent #3s - we actually just moved up. Sometimes we still use #2s because he'll suck so hard and not be able to swallow all that comes out right then, so it squirts out the sides of his mouth and makes a huge mess. If he's really really hungry he doesn't make a mess. Weird. #3s do definitely make feeding time faster, thankfully.

solids, etc: We started Andrew's antibiotics last night for his ear infection and the "medicine giver" that came w/ it was one of the spoon things you fill up and spoon into their mouths. The last one was a syringe that you squirt into the side of their mouth, so this was NEW. I was kind of excited since it's a spoon like we'd have for solids later.

It was cute...at first, he would stick his tongue between his lips, waiting for it, but not realizing I can't get anything in his mouth when he does that. I started holding the spoon further up and he started opening his mouth the right way and enjoying it....made me excited to give him cereal later!

[krbb]

I feel so behind! Anyways...

Sebski - I'm glad to hear that you liked the baby food book. I planned on picking it up. Now I think I will sooner!!

Sippy Cups - I was thinking of trying it soon because Oliver still won't take a bottle and was wondering if he would take EBM out of it. Avent makes a soft spout that you use with the bottles, just put one of the spouts in instead of a nipple. You can also buy handles that fit the bottles.

Screaming - Oliver has this superhigh pitched noise that he has recently started making. DHand I call it the most annoying sound ever. He isn't upset but usually super happer when he is making it. He gets all excited. I figure he is just learning to make new sounds.

Sleepy Noises - He makes this ahhhhhh sound when he gets sleepy which doesn't seem that often :rolleyes: . I am lucky if I can get an hour nap out of him. I guess that is all he needs because he is rarely fussy and goes down for the night easily.

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it. We are going to my parents in Michigan. Hopefully he will do as well as last time!!

[JRPAGV]

Weebles: I know a couple of you have bought Weebles for your baby. Well, where on Earth do you find them? I searched like crazy at Babies 'R Us the other day, but didn't see any. Do they still go by the name "Weebles"? What does the package look like? I wanted to put some in Nathan's Easter basket. :)

I'll be back in a little while for shout-outs.

[kinaida]

janna -- we got the weebles as a gift, so not sure where they got them. Kohl's maybe? These are the ones that Ben has that he loves:
http://www.hasbro.com/common/images/products/06834297a0c8_a400.jpg

You can buy them here (even though I know you wanted to put them in Nathan's easter basket):http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm?BR=745&ID=15629&PG=1

ftm -- Kaylin's adorable!

katie -- I really really really hope that Andrew doesn't get another case of rotovirus. Poor baby!

sippy cup -- I think we're going to hold off until 6 months. We'll probably continue giving him sips out of our glasses.

[Alanna]

Carseats - has anyone started shopping for or bought their next seat? Im starting to think about it.. and am a little confused... i guess after the infant seats they dont work on a base system? so you cant move the seats from car to car? argh!

what have people bought or are thinking about buying...?

seems like most CC'ers end up with either britax marathon or roundabout...

[JRPAGV]

Carseat: Haven't bought a new one yet, but we'll probably get either the Britax Roundabout, Marathon, or the Evenflo Triumph (depending on how much I can talk DH into spending).

Kindra: Thanks! I'll check out Kohls.

first-time mom: What cute pics! :)

Sippy Cup: We'll probably wait a little while, although now y'all have me curious to see how Nathan would react to it. I read this on Dr. Sears' website (http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/t032200.asp), though.
You can save yourself a lot of spills by not being in a hurry to introduce the cup. Most babies can't master drinking from a cup independently until around a year of age. Expect a lot of liquid to dribble out the sides of baby's mouth until she learns to form a tight-seal between lip and cup. Try these cup strategies:
- Wait until baby is able to sit up and hold an object with both hands before trying cup feedings.
- Use a trainer cup that has two easy-to-grasp handles, a tight lid with a small spout, and a weighted bottom on a wide base to prevent tipping.
- Market the cup as a toy rather than a feeding utensil. Place an empty cup within grabbing distance of baby. As you drink from your cup, baby is likely to try and mimic you by drinking from her cup.
- The less you put in the cup, the less mess there will be to wipe up when it spills. Begin by filling the cup only a quarter-full and increase as baby's cup skills mature.
- Offer water, diluted juice, or infant formula in the cup. Water is a good training cup beverage, since it doesn't leave a sticky mess.

[krbb]

carseat - I got the Britax Marathon based on the review in Baby Bargains. I think we will probably have to have him moved in the larger one by time he is 6 months. I remember one reason we registered for the one we did is because it can fit up until 40 lbs.

sitting up - I forgot to ask if anyone else's baby is doing this earlier. Oliver isn't sitting up on his own but when he is in his car seat or swing he looks like he is trying to. His head is up instead of resting on the back. It looks uncomfortable especially in the car seat.

[mamax2]

so behind, as usual...

throwing toys ~ Not yet, although, she has made binky spitting an Olympic sport. Seriously, she can lauch that little sucker (no pun intended :p )

sebski ~ where have you found the attachments for the sippy that keep them from falling to the floor? I remember my cousin had something like this for her baby years ago and I was always looking for a product like this for DD1, but never found it. Please share where you find them!!

sippy cups ~ I'll do the same thing I did w/DD1 and introduce it about 6 months - roughly when she starts solids. DD1 never really caught onto the whole sippy cup thing though and went right to the straw cup at 9 months and was awesome w/it. I have a friend who's little boy is almost 5 months, she gave him a sippy of water last week for the first time and he picked it up and drank it w/no problems!

car seat ~ We have the Britax Roundabout for both DDs.

[jengen]

Can't believe my guy is going to be 4 mos old tomorrow! We had a milestone today - he held his bottle on his own for the first time!! I was pretty impressed, considering he only gets bottles three times a day since he started daycare last week. No sippy cup yet, though.

throwing thingsnot yet

car seat probably the Britax Roundabout when we get our tax return :)

sitting up not yet, but he is always doing sit-ups when propped up. He is getting there!

first-time mom cute picture!

ktdelsur hope your guy doesn't get the bug! Yuck!

sleepy noises sometimes he hums, if he's overtired he growls. :) No screaming, though

nipple size we are still at size 2 and that seems to be working. I am still BF'ing and I read on kellymom.com to keep it at the slowest flow nipple size you can (as he can stand it).

Got through another full week of work! My biggest challenge by far has been keeping up with pumping. The biggest issue is that I am SO busy at work, sometimes it is such a PITA to take even 10 mins to pump. Also, I'm dealing with the awkwardness of coming out of the copy room (where I pump, only place for privacy) with all my pump parts and our office is so small, half the time the three men I work with are standing right there. They've all made comments, too. :rolleyes: I just find myself asking myself lately how much longer I can keep up with it. I'm going to try to get to 6 mos but I'm getting discouraged.

Hope you all have a great weekend and Happy Easter to those who celebrate it! :)

[first-time mom]

Thanks to everyone for the compliments on my angel:) We think she's pretty cute, we are not partial or anything;)

Car seat-We just got the cosco juvenile alpha omega elite. Or something like that. The reaso we chose this one is because we wanted a car seat she could be in for a long time. This one also turns into the booster seat so we wont have to buy another car seat. It is good unitl 100lbs.

Jengen-Yeah on being four months and holding his own bottle:)

Nipple size-we use ventaire level 2 and we had to modify it so her cereal would go through it (reflux).

Sitting up-dd is also doing the sit up thing in her swing and car seat, and you are right krbb about it not looking very comfy!!

Sippy cups-Havent started them over here either.

[sem426]

carseat we registered for the britax marathon, but i think i might return it and get the roundabout instead bc the marathon is really big and might be tight in our car. for our second seat for DH's car/plane rides etc we are probably going to get a less expensive one, maybe one of the evenflo seats.

sippy cups not here yet. i didn't even think that we were close to that age yet! geez i need to get with it! DD wouldn't be able to hold it and sip now...i guess we can get it and use it as a play thing so she can mimic us like Dr Sears said.

nipple size we are still using the original 1's. DD doesn't have any problem w/them and my ped said it's fine to stick w/the 1's. I also posted a thread about this a while back and others said their DC's were also fine w/staying w/the ones as long as it doesn't look like she's sucking like crazy and taking forever to eat.

sitting up DD is getting much better at this. SHe is always trying to pull herself up when she's in her swing or carseat. i keep joking she's working those abs and gonna have a six pack soon!:) I think in a month or so she;ll be able to sit up by herself unassisted.

thanks everyone for their words of encouragement re: me going back to work. i keep telling myself it's not going to be that bad...now i just have to believe that.

we just got back from a long couple of days of family for passover. most of it was w/ IL's and it went well overall. DD was great, slept well in the PNP and was really well behaved. so all in all a good trip.

happy easter to all that celebrate. it's going to be close to 80 degrees here tomorrow! i can't wait to go out and enjoy the weather. i think we're going to take DD to the park and get some fresh air! have a great weekend all!

[Lindzee82]

carseat - We bought the Evenflo Triumph DLX for DH's car and we really like it. We first bought the Graco ComfortSport and HATED it! Eric has a small car and so it was impossible to reach in and tighten the straps. But with the Evenflo it has knobs on the side to tighten so you can do it very easily. I have a hard time using the harness release latch so not sure if I will get that for my car or not. I probably will because I want him to be comfy in his seat and I think that if he is always using a different seat he will get confused.

Matthew met the Easter Bunny today:

http://images.snapfish.com/346829869%7Ffp33%3A%3Enu%3D3278%3E663%3E357%3EWSNR CG%3D323365589285%3Anu0mrj

[Cookie777]

First Time Mom ~

Adorable pictures of Kaylin!

Carseats ~

We currently have 2. My husband has the Graco snugride w/ him. He drove cross country so I told him to take that w/ him so we could use it when I got there..although by then he'll be grown out of it. Probably is already actually.

I have the Cosco (I think it's that brand) infant/toddler convertible carseat in my car. It was installed by the CHP, so it's not coming out until it's time for it to be turned around. We'll just buy another larger one when we go see my husband.

Throwing toys ~

Only a little...but he's not at that point where he's doing it so that I'll retrieve it or anything. I don't even think he realizes why he's throwing it.

Exersaucer? ~

Question... Is it ok if I put him in the Exersaucer? It says 4 months & he's 3 & 1/2 (almost)... but he always wants to be on his legs & be upright. He's basically outgrown the bouncy seat. His feet go all the way to the end & I feel like he's saying "MOM I'm so BORED of these stupid fish!" We haven't used the swing in such a long time. He's so heavy that it stops swinging most of the time anyway. So I guess I'm wondering what the harm would be in putting him in the Exersaucer? If any?

*******************************

Easter/3 Month pictures:

(Taken a week ago..)

He's so chubby!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/Cookie777/BMKJR3Months1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/Cookie777/BMKJR3Months3.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/Cookie777/BMKJR3Months4.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/Cookie777/BMKJR3Months6.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/Cookie777/BMKJR3Months5.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y151/Cookie777/BMKJR3Months7.jpg

[Bliss]

carseat We are planning on getting the Britax Marathon for my truck, and the Evenflo Triumph for DHs car.

Throwing toys Oh yes, I think this is D's new favorite game. I swear he laughs as he does it for the 100th time too :) If a baby's personality can come out this early, D is a true boy-he takes his rattles and whips them around like a maniac, then throws them on the floor and giggles. I can only imagine how we are going to have our hands full in 2 years. He is also in the running for pacifier spitting distance lol.

sippy cup Not yet, we havent started cereal yet tho.

Baby Pics Everyones babies are adorable!

Sitting up I have noticed D does this a lot, especially in his carseat. He also likes to stand up now, and pulls himself into a standing position. I am planning on getting him an excersaucer soon.

Sleep positioner For those of you that used/are using one, when did you take it out of the crib? I keep finding Dylan scrunched up at the bottom w. his head where his body should be.

Yes, it is true, we have officially moved Dylan into his crib in his nursery. He is handling it much better than mommy :o I have hardly slept and want to go in and check on him every 10 minutes lol.

[Sebski]

Am sooo tired tonight but want to post a few replies before I fall too far behind...

Sippy Cup Strap I found it in a place called BuyBuy Baby that's a local chain store here. Sorta like BRU. But I just searched online for you and found them here (http://www.nothrow.com/default.htm) as well. The name of the company that makes them is Twin Beginnings.

Car Seats We received the Evenflo Triumph DLX at my babyshower. My sister uses this and I'm familiar with it. It transfers very easily from car to car. We're going to probably need a 2nd seat, but for now I primarily drive him around so we're going to hold off on purchasing another one. We plan to get a Roundabout though for the 2nd seat.

Sitting Up DS is a pro at sitting up w/ little assistance. We have him sit in the Boppy a lot but when he's on our laps we hold onto his fingers and hands so that he learns to balance mostly on his own. He can steady himself for a few seconds before toppling over. I can't wait for him to situp on his own - I think it's so cute!

Holding Bottle We reached this same milestone tonight as well! DS was having dinner in his highchair and he just took the bottle from me. He held it so tight with both of his little hands. I got so excited and that made him laugh and drop the bottle. :rolleyes: Our babies are growing up ladies!

Excersauser First off, I never know how to spell that freaking word! :D We started putting DS in it at 4mos but are now holding off on it for a little while longer. He has an undescended testicle and at his last appt the Ped had trouble locating it at first because it had 'retreated' higher up than it had been previously. I'm thinking it was the pressure from the excersaucer so he hasn't spent much time in it since.

Nipples DS is still on the 1st size. He seems to be doing well with it so we don't have any plans on moving nip sizes.

Sleep Positioner Man how I loved using this thing! We used it from day 1 home with DS and he loved it too. Kept him nice and snug since he's a side sleeper. We stopped using it when he started rolling though. He rolls a lot in his sleep (find him at the weirdest angles when we go in there) and he was getting frustrated and waking up by the positioner prohibiting his movement.

Weebles I went to TRU and BRU in search of Weebles but only found Weeble sets... like Hansel & Grettle, the 3 Bears etc. I don't want a whole getup - just the weebles, so I passed on them. I got DS a big blowup lion-weeble type toy in BRU. I'll have to checkout Playschools website for the ones that were posted - that's exactly what I want... the weebles w/out all the rigamaro of toy houses etc.

Okay - I must hit the hay... looking forward to a nice night's sleep - DH's on duty Friday nights. Woo hoo!

[Cookie777]

I have a few minutes while he's taking a nap so thought I'd try to do more replies..

HappygoLucky ~

I'm so sorry to hear about the problems w/ the hemangioma's. That must be so hard/frustrating to deal with. I hope she is able to heal very soon!

Sebski ~

Thank you for answering re: the exersaucer.. Good point about too much pressure down there. Maybe I'll just try very short stints in it.. I tried it for a little bit this morning. He liked it for a while...then got tired & wanted out.

Lindzee ~

Such a cute picture of Matthew & the Easter Bunny! Looks like he was having a great time. :)

Sitting Up ~

Only in the Bumbo.. :)

Weebles ~

Sounds interesting! I will have to check these out & maybe buy some.

Sleepy Noises ~

Yesterday for the first time in the car he was kind of humming to hear himself because the road was a little bumpy. It was cute. Other than that..no sleepy noises. Just a lot of "talking". It's so cute. He gets all serious & then tries to tell you something. I love it.

[Lindzee82]

cookie777 - He is sooo cute!

sleep positioner - We just started using one a few weeks ago when Matthew started rolling. We have the one that just goes on either side of his hip. Seems to help. He doesn't move at all all night!

sitting up - Matthew can sit up for a few seconds unassisted. He likes to practice all.the.freaking.time though. I swear the kid has the strongest abs ever!

[Cookie777]

cookie777 - He is sooo cute!

Thank you! :)

Sleepy Noises ~

Hmmm..no sooner did I write that he had just starting make noises in the car... Last night & tonight he's also doing it while I'm rocking him to sleep & when I lay him down. He really loves to hear himself. It's so cute. :)

[Bliss]

popping in for a quick question for moms who pump breastmilk-How many ounces of EBM do you give at a feeding? Dylan was 15lbs 10oz at his 4 month well visit, and he will be 5 months next week so I am figuring he is about 16lbs. He gets 5 oz. if I give him a bottle of EBM during the day, at 7oz for his bedtime feeding. He drinks the whole bottle (I actually have to give him a pacifier when he is done or he will cry once the milk is gone, he just want to suck on the bottle). He also sucks down the whole bottle in about 10 mins.

I told another mom today how many ounces he gets and she seemed to think it was a lot. I have heard this before, so I am curious to see how much other moms are giving. I feel pretty secure I am not overfeeding him since he drinks the whole thing, but you never know :confused:. I feel like I gotta feed my hungry boy :) I hope someday I can actually parent without second guessing myself on every decision, sometime I feel SO clueless :rolleyes: :)

[Lindzee82]

Bliss - Matthew is 5 months old and about 17lbs. I was giving him 5oz bottles of EBM when he was at daycare. I just switched last week to giving him 6oz bottles. Sometimes he drinks it all, sometimes he doesn't. I think that 5oz would be about right for Dylan. There is a milk calculator on Kellymom.com that you may want to check out. Hope that helps!

[sem426]

well i'm back at work day 1.....it's been ok i guess. it was a really tough weekend and the morning and trip in were hard...i had to wear my sunglasses on the train here bc i couldn't stop crying :(
now that i'm here it's weird...nice to see everyone...but i feel like i just want to go home! i know each day will get better...i'm hoping.

on to happier things...DD will be 5 months in a few days and she's just the best! i can't wait to see her when i get home.

[Kristen78]

I haven't been here in FOREVER!!!

Caitlin is like 5.5 months now. We are still exclusively breastfeeding. No solids yet but I plan to start them around 6 months. I still have a little peanut. My guess is that Caitlin is probably just over 13 pounds. She is petite, but cute as a button!!!

She is sleeping like a champ. She is now in her crib and sleeps for 8-9 hours at a stretch usually. She can fall asleep by herself too, which is nice. We havent swaddled her since she was maybe 6-7 weeks old.

She is holding toys. Sometimes she will throw them but its not the norm. She is rolling over both ways too. I am not worried at all about her sleeping on her tummy so I do not use a sleep positioner or anything like that. I will move her if she falls asleep in an awkward pose, but besides that I let her sleep how she likes. I am excited for her to start crawling, but we still need to babyproof the house!

carseat -Caitlin is still in her SnugRide. I think she will fit in it for quite some time to come. But I plan on getting her a Marathon I think.

exersaucer - We have one of these and I have put her in it once or twice, but she really isn't tall enough to use it yet.

holding bottle - I dont really know if Caitlin can do this yet because I never feed her bottles. She only gets bottles at daycare. I think she probably can, but my guess is she still needs help to keep it under control!

[shirsty]

cute babies FTM and Cookie!

bmilk bottle size DS gets 3 4-oz bottles at daycare, between 8 and 5. He is 5.5 months, 17 lbs+! It sounds like different babies will take different amounts, sounds like you are doing fine Bliss, especially if he isn't spitting up. It is so hard not to second guess yourself. I was worried I was sending bottles that were too small for awhile, then we talked to the daycare provider and she said he was doing fine with 4 oz. That is about how much I am pumping when I miss a feeding at work anyway.

Sem sounds like your first day went OK, considering! Hope tomorrow is a good day for you. I find that after I pick up DS from daycare and after DH gets home we are all so happy to be together we have so much fun playing in the evening before bed. The days that I am home with him by the end of the day I am READY for DH to come home and help with baby care, and our evenings aren't nearly as fun.

Cereal OK mamas whose babies are eating cereal already, how much do you make for them (quantity) when you are just starting out? We are going to try it this weekend and I have no clue!

[Orion]

Hi All,
Well, we made it to Montreal and back last week. Sophie was amazing during the whole trip. She made the 12 hour drive on Wednesday without even fussing, the six hour graduation ceremony without fussing and the 15 and a half hour drive home with only a little fussing (I got tired and let MIL drive while I had a cat nap and she took a wrong turn off the highway, which for those of you that know the trans canada highway is really hard to do, and we ended up adding 3 1/2 hours to our trip). It was so nice to see DH and he couldn't get over the change in Sophie. I guess she has changed a lot in the last five weeks.
After that excursion it took Sophie and I a few days to recover and today we fly back to Calgary. Needless to say, I am going to be exhausted after today and I have to take Sophie for her shots on Thursday so she is not going to be a happy girl!
But on a more positive note, DH has been posted to Victoria, BC and we should all be together again in the next couple of weeks. I could land in Calgary tonight and find out that I will be moving tomorrow.:eek: DH is finding out today when we will be getting moved out. Once I get to Calgary and get settled I will jaunt over to my brothers to let you all know how things are going. DH and I are stuck in the stone ages and don't yet own a computer but I will keep in touch and let you all know how things are going.

[doubleR]

way behind, once again ;)

FTM and cookie CUTE pictures, so adorable!!!!!

Orion that is so great that you got to see DH and that you'll be together again soon. I can't even imagine... good luck with everything and keep us posted when you can :)

sitting up not quite yet but he sure is trying.

holding his own bottle almost. but he is totally guiding my hand with the spoon into his mouth when he gets cereal. it's the cutest thing!!

sleepy noises yes and they're adorable... it's like he has one last thing to say before he drifts off into la la land.

bottle size ok, my guy must be a little piggy b/c he's getting between 7 & 8 ounces at a feeding - of formula, which is more filling than BM :eek: he's almost 5 months and already 17 pounds, 26.5 inches long. his total consumption for the day is right around 32 ounces, give or take a few...

sem426 I can't believe you had to get on a train yesterday, I would have been a mess. It definitely gets better (well, easier) and like shirsty said, your evenings after daycare & work will be so great. good luck to you, it's not an easy adjustment... I'm over a month back now and still crazed every morning :rolleyes:

cereal - we started out giving 1 teaspoon of rice cereal and then once you add in some formula (or BM, whatever you're using), it's probably 2 or 3 teaspoons once mixed together... I've definitely played around with it and Brady seems to like his cereal on the thicker side. we're only on our 2nd week now and I've given him a tiny bit more at each feeding. he only gets cereal once a day. I'll probably start giving it to him twice a day next week - I held off at first b/c of daycare and wanting to make sure he took to it fine before having them give it to him. We started oatmeal cereal last night and he LOVED it. for the first time he was totally opening his mouth waiting for the next bite and grabbing my hand with the spoon, guiding it into his mouth. god, I just LOVE him :)

I can't believe he's going on 5 months already.

stupid comments I am definitely one of the "I think my baby is the cutest baby in the world" mom's, but really, I think we all are or at least should be... Brady is still bald and yesterday, on the check out line at Target, the cashier said to me, he's got a big head, huh? she did proceed to say he's cute... but I wanted to say, he'll grow into his head lady, what are you gonna do about your big ass?

[Cookie777]

FTM and cookie CUTE pictures, so adorable!!!!!

Thank you! :D

...but I wanted to say, he'll grow into his head lady, what are you gonna do about your big ass?

:eek: Hahahahahaaha ;)

[fwgirl]

Whew! I am so tired! We moved this weekend and our place is a total disaster. As much as I hate to admit it I'm glad I'm at work today because it's like a mini-vacation from the madness at home.

So much to catch up on...

sleepy talk. Yes. Lo starts to grunt really softly sometimes right before she goes to sleep. It's adorable.

screaming. Yes. Although it's more like shrieking and it's ear piercing. It's lovely. :rolleyes:

sippy cup. Nope. We haven't even started cereal yet.

sitting up. She loves the Bumbo still and likes to be propped up with her Boppy. Also, when we read I sit her on my lap and face her outward so she can see the pictures in the book. (Which by the way she's started trying to turn the pages! She's so advanced! :)) And if we lay her down she tries really, really hard to sit up. We call it her ab workout.

bottle nipple. We're still using size 1.

car seats. She's still in the infant seat, but we'll be getting a Britax when the time comes because of the reviews in Baby Bargains. Also, that is what my niece has (she's four) and it's really held up well. I'm not sure which one we'll get, but we'll probably end up with two...one for each vehicle.

EBM bottles. When I'm at work Lo usually eats between 12-16 oz. My mom watches her and said she normal makes a 4 oz bottle at a time and gives more if she still seems hungry. If DH gives her one before bed it's usually 6 oz, but since I've returned to work he's stopped doing that so that I can bf her instead.

stupid comments. I seriously cannot believe the things that come out of people's mouths sometimes. Ugh. Reading your thoughts made me laugh out loud doubleR!

ftm Kaylin is precious. I love that little purple sweat suit!

lindzee so cute! I didn't even think to get an EB picture. I love things like that. They make such good keepsakes.

cookie look at those cheeks!! He is adorable. I just want to snuggle him!

jengen I just wanted to let you know that I agree with you, pumping at work sucks! I have to pump in my car and it's the pits. You're not alone.

sem big hugs to you! I hope your second day back at work flies by so you can get home to DD. Can you believe it's been almost 5 months since we had our babies? That time has just flown by...

[sem426]

shirsty/doubleR/fwgirl thanks for all of your HUGS and positive words.

day 2 is definitely better than day 1. i haven't cried since i left my house. so at least the person next to me on the train this am didn't have to hear me sniffle the whole time. I'm more busy today so that is helping me too.
when i got home last night DD was waiting for me right by the door (DH rolled her high chair right there for me to see first thing when i got home) it was so great to see her. we had about and hour and a 1/2 of time together before she went to sleep. this am i got up w/her at 6 and spent about an hour playing w/her before i had to get ready for work. so i guess i'm learning to deal w/it now. it still feels awful when i have to leave the house, but i'm hoping that will get easier w/time.

Cereal OK mamas whose babies are eating cereal already, how much do you make for them (quantity) when you are just starting out? We are going to try it this weekend and I have no clue!
We're going to start cereal this weekend too! So, i'm interested to hear what others have to say.

[kinaida]

Hey all --

sitting up -- Ben started sitting up on Sunday! Here's a pic:
http://images.snapfish.com/346848235%7Ffp343%3Enu%3D3233%3E3%3A4%3E%3A46%3EWS NRCG%3D323365%3B8%3B3%3B5%3Cnu0mrj

He can only sit up for about a minute on his own, but he will start to fall to one side and he can now right himself instead of just falling down. If he's in the boppy, he can sit for several minutes on his own playing with his toys. It works best if there's something for him to play with in front of him. He has been doing the "baby crunches" for a few weeks, and just put it all together on Sunday.

cereal -- we started giving him just a tablespoon of cereal with lots of breastmilk mixed in. He definitely likes it chunkier though. We're probably up to 1/4 cup of cereal with about 3/4 oz of breastmilk.

Cute cute babies everywhere!!

[ktdelsur]

sem: Hi there. I feel your pain. I hate leaving every day and not having a whole lot of time after I get home. I feel like I don't even want to go get groceries or whatever after I pick him up ... I just want to take him home and play! What's fun is that I can sit him in his bouncy chair on the floor, sit in front of him and hold actual conversation. Well, as much conversation as he's capable of at this point (which is endless! he's a blabbermouth!)

sitting up: Not yet. He likes to stand (with assistance, of course) more than anything, or scoot along on the ground on his face. LOL he can get his legs up and moving but hasn't quite coordinated the use of his arms to move around yet.

I won a Bumbo seat on eBay last Friday and am impatiently awaiting its arrival.

attention hogs: So, am I the only one whose baby has started fussing for attention? Just.Attention? He's started making a grunting noise (not quite the poo grunt) that is a precursor to fussing and crying when I'm getting ready in the morning. He's in the same room with me, but I'm not paying direct attention to him (putting on makeup while talking to him but not looking at him)...he'll fuss and fuss, then I'll get down and say, "What's wrong, buddy?" and he'll kick and smile really big. Augh!

Can't wait to start cereal...but will probably wait.

doubleR: We've got a chunky monkey too. 25" and 16lbs, 10 oz. LOL:D

[Sebski]

Sem glad to hear you're surviving the return to work! And how freaking cute is your DH putting Hayley in front of the door like that!

Stupid Comments the only really stupid one I have received so far is from a co-worker when I brought DS into work that one time. She actually said "he's much cuter in person". I had sent tons of pix of him so I guess she meant in comparison to his pix. There were a group of about 5 women with us when the one said that and they were all like :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: . I brushed it off... if I hadn't, I would have been stuffing her keyboard down her throat.

Cereal we started out by mixing 1tbs of cereal w/ 3tbs of BM - reeeeally watered down. Gave it to him like that for several days until my sis came over and said that we were ridiculous and thickened it up for him. :rolleyes: Now we just eyeball it, but in the beginning we were sooo nervous. I would start on the thinner side and work your way up. Oatmeal is DEFINITELY a big hit!

Sitting DS sits on his own for a few secs before toppling to the side. He loves sitting in his Boppy so he gets lots of practice there.

In other news... I'm blue.... I've been in a funk the past few days. I'm trying so hard to lose these last 7lbs and its just not working. I don't know why. And, on top of the 7lbs, my body is just sooooo different than it was pre-pregnancy. I can't stand it anymore. I know I should hit the gym more, but w/ DH's work schedule it just isn't possible. So to try and compensate, DS and I get out walking more now that it's nicer out but that doesn't seem to help any. I guess I'm really down because I have a party this weekend and it was my "goal party". The one that I was hoping to be able to wear one of my pre-preggo dressy outfits for w/out looking stuffed into it. I mean, I'll be almost 6mos PP by this weekend. But, I'm not 'there' physically yet. So, I have to go buy something that I fit into. And I'm so tired of that. I love DS but really don't like what bringing him into the world has done to my body. I never had the perfect 6 pack etc., but at least I didn't sag as much, or in as many places, as before. It doesn't help matters that about 7 other women had babies in our circle and most of them are looking MILF-ish already. So, I get to see how great these women all look this weekend. UGH, and summer's coming. Meaning less clothing to hide under. Lovely. Just lovely. *sigh* I'm off to plant some flowers... maybe that will help improve my funk.

Edited to add about Attention Hogs... DS is a BIG attention hog. He's just not happy unless he has eye contact from me at times. He could be happily playing in his gymini while I dry my hair and all of a sudden he'll look up, see that I'm not looking his way and he'll start fussing. Only until I stop what I'm doing and look at him and say something. Then he's all smiles again. Men! Just can't please them! HA!

[jengen]

Trying to get in here at least a couple times a week! It is still crazy busy at work, but that helps me to get through the day without missing my little guy too much. On that note, sem - glad your second day was better! I agree with doubleR, it only gets better each day, but it is still difficult...I feel like I never stop from 5:30 am - 8 pm. I also agree with ktdelsur - I just want to get home with him too, and sit there and play with him. I felt so guilty today, sticking him in the bouncy seat as soon as we got home so I could wash all the bottles and pump parts, etc. :(

big baby OK, I think I win the prize. Cole's 4 mo appt is on Friday, but he has already grown out of his 3-6 mo. clothes so I weighed him here and he was 18 lbs and I also measured him and he is 27 inches!!! :eek: :eek: He's huge. He looks 6 months old. I took him to the grocery store and there was another baby in line next to us at the deli like literally 1/2 the size of him and he was older!!

attention hogs Umm, yes, definitely! He does the fake cry and then I go over there and he laughs and smiles. It's too funny. :)

EBM bottles Cole gets 5 oz bottles at daycare.

cereal and sitting Not yet.

Orion glad your trip went well!

cookie what a cutie pie Brandon is!

stupid comments I get tons of dumb comments about how big he is. Another person in the grocery store recently asked if my son got his blue eyes from the milkman (because me and DH don't have them). :rolleyes:

sebski what an idiot your coworker is. Joey is adorable! And as for weight, you look great ( I remember the baptism photo) so don't be so hard on yourself!!! It is great you only have 7 lbs to go! I still have at least 10 (give or take a few) to go after the way I've eaten the last couple of weeks!

fwgirl I can't believe you have to pump in the car!! You poor thing! I won't complain about the copy room any more...

[kinaida]

sebski -- I totally resonate with this:

I love DS but really don't like what bringing him into the world has done to my body.

I have stretch marks galore and my skin is a little bit loose still. I'm softer all over in places I used to be toned. I have definitely had my down-in-the-dumps days too -- you're definitely allowed to have them! Your body will bounce back -- we're only 5-6 months pp at this point. What do they say? 9 months on, 9 months off?

sem -- I'm glad that Day 2 was better. When I was working (for those 2 short weeks until my child care quit), I would tear up showing my co-workers his picture knowing that I wasn't there with him.

jengen -- wow!!! Cole is huge! Ben was 16 lbs 2 oz and 25 1/2 inches at his 4 month wbv. I think he's up to 17 lbs right now.

carseat -- we bought a Britax Roundabout. We bought it used off of Craig's List -- it's from a family who used it in the second car, so it wasn't used that often, never been in an accident, etc. We will probably buy a new one as well. The used one might go in our second car.

attention -- Ben is hilarious with this. He'll be in his jumperoo and I'll go into the kitchen and I'll come out and start saying "Hi Benjamin! Are you in your jumperoo?" and he'll get the hugest smile and start jumping all over the place. I love it!

[first-time mom]

Thanks to everyone for the compliments on my peanut.

fwgirl-Thanks Kaylin got that purple sweatsuit for Easter each piece was like $3 at the osh gosh outlet!!

Kinaida-Yeah on the sitting up. Kaylin is almost there but is a little top heavy so she falls forward.


Sebs-I hear your frustration about the weight loss. I am going through the same thing over here. Except I still have 12lbs to lose. It is frustrating and I am hard on myself as well. Hang in there it will come off some how. I feel like wiring my mouth shut!!

A question for bottle feeders and cereal feeders w fruit or veggies- My doctor said he wanted me to start in giving her three bowls a day, morning, noon and supper. He also said he wanted me to give her four 6 0z bottles. I cant fit all of this in. On top on that he does not want me to give them together. So he wants a bottle followed in a couple of hours by cereal. Also Kaylin has reflux and he doesnt want me to take the cereal out of her bottle. Each bottle has 6tsp of cereal in it. Its so much food. So I talked to my friend whose baby is three weeks younger and she gives the cereal and bottle together. So this morning I tried to do this and she ate her cereal then took only two ounces of her bottle.!! ugh Just curious what others are doing. I called and left a message with the ped to find out how I am supposed to do this. I also dont know how much cereal I should be giving her. I was giving huge bowls so maybe it was too much, I dont know!!

I got a phone call back from another cardiologist yesterday. I had called him and asked for a second opinion on Kaylin's valve regurgatation. It was a very positive converstation. He told me 70% of all children at her age have mild regurgatation on their tricuspid valve and it wasnt a big deal. He told me that 80% of children her age have regurgatation on their aortic vavle (Kaylin doesnt have this). He also told me that when they placed the patch in her heart they anchor it to the leaflet of the tricuspid valve so thats why there is a little regurg. He said its to risky to put it near the electrical system because it would damage the heart. (ie. She would have needed a pacemaker if this happened, thank god it didnt). So I was very relieved to hear that what is going on in her heart is common in a lot of children. He said he reads 2,000 echos a year and its so common that he doesnt even mention it b/c he sees it so much. So I feel 100x better about her results. Now I can finally relax!! YEAHHH

[shirsty]

weight loss I am right there with you girls. I still have 10-15 lbs to lose myself. And now that I'm working I have EVEN LESS time and energy to exercise! And I think OMG I should have been on this big time while I was still at home full time! Oh well, I am hoping to take lots of walks with the stroller this spring and summer.

doubleR what a lamo cashier at Target. It's probably good you kept your thoughts to yourself but what a great comeback :) There is nothing better than walking in the door to your babe at the end of the day, is there?

fwgirl Wow pumping in your car! Kudos on you to really going the extra mile, that is tough.

Sem glad there's someone else trying cereal this weekend too! I am really looking forward to it. Glad to hear your 2nd day went better.

jengen ugh I hate washing the pump parts too at the end of the day, what a a pain. I tried putting all the parts through the dishwasher but didn't feel like the connector part to the bottle was getting totally clean, so I wash all those by hand now. I will do the rest in the dishwasher but we don't usually have enough dishes to run it every day.

kinaida congrats on the sitting up! what a cutie.

FTM yay for a good 2nd opinion! glad you are feeling better. No words of wisdom here about the solids, hopefully your ped will have some good info.

[sem426]

thanks to everyone for their support in my return to work! day 3 is a little better than day 2...but am i crazy..i feel "bad" for not getting SO upset like i did on day 1. i mean i should be sad to leave..and i am, i still got weepy this am, but it was easier. is that terrible? it doesn't mean i love her any less.

I feel like I don't even want to go get groceries or whatever after I pick him up ... I just want to take him home and play!
ktdelsur i totally agree...i run off the train, rush to the car and get so anxious driving home and if there is traffic...forget it i start freaking out! i can't get home soon enough.

but it is still difficult...I feel like I never stop from 5:30 am - 8 pm.
jengen i know what you mean...i have about an hour + commute to "wind down", but when i get home all i want to do is spend time w/DD until she goes to sleep.

sebski don't beat yourself up over a few lbs. i totally know what you mean though about your bod not being the same. i am about at my pp weight, but it's not distributed the same. the majority of my clothes fit fine, but there are a few pairs of pants that don't fit the same way. it's so hard to find time to work out. now that i'm working i literally do nothing.

FTM so glad you are relieved about Kaylin's condition!

[Alanna]

well we are dealing with our first sickness here... Molly has been under the weather for a few days and we took her to the Doctor last night to find out that she has an ear infection :( she is super congested and has runny eyes.. but she hasnt been touching her ears at all so i never would have guessed it...

she ison amoxycillan twice a day for 10 days.. she isnt a fan.

she is still smiling through all of it.. but it breaks my heart to see her having such a hard time breathing... the doctor said she should feel better tomorrow.. so fingers crossed its true.


FTM thats great news on Kaylins condition!

SEM Im glad the week is getting easier for you... your little girl is well loved!

[albuquerque]

I'm sooooo behind. I can't even try to keep up these days. A few SOs, just off the top of my head:

Sem, hugs on going back to work. I hope it will only get easier.

Sebski, your coworker is an idiot. If Joey is "cuter in person", he must be extremely freaking cute because it's hard to imagine a cuter baby than we've seen in the pics you've posted here.

Alanna, sorry about the ear infection. We've been through our first cold over here also, and it was NOT fun. I won't even go into a description of the night before last except to say that I got 3.5 hours of sleep total, broken into 5 separate pieces. Ugh. Thankfully we seem to be on the mend. I hope Molly is well again soon also.

sitting up...we're starting to do that over here! Fun! Also today for the first time I saw Zoe turn from back to tummy, and then tummy to back. I think she's done it before but it's the first time I've actually seen it.

Pictures....I haven't had a picture up here since Shutterfly shut down. Here's a 5 month picture. Lovely Threadmistresses, could we post this picture of Zoe at the front of the thread? Many thanks!
http://images.snapfish.com/34686%3B693%7Ffp344%3Enu%3D3277%3E%3A%3B6%3E7%3C8%

ETA: UGH, why isn't my picture showing up? It's on snapfish, other snapfish pics show up??? Grrrrr....

[Sebski]

Feeling much better today about the weight - especially after reading that "9 months on - 9 months off" blurb. :)

Thanks for agreeing that my co-worker was an idiot. I laughed her comment off because I know how adorable my baby boy is. We never got along well so I shouldn't have been surprised that she would have something so nasty to say.

Anyhoo - it's supposed to be 78 degrees here in NJ today! :D We're about to have bkfst - bannanas for the 1st time before heading out so I don't have much time to post... Before I forget though...

FTM we started out giving bottles w/ the cereal but that's changed since DS has been taking more solids. He now gets some cereal but eats a full jar of fruit with it in the morning and a full jar of veggie in the early evening. So, he wakes up and gets a full bottle. Then a couple of hours later he gets his cereal and fruit. Couple of hours later, a bottle etc. He doesn't get solids for lunch yet though. I'm waiting a couple of more months for that. Anyhoo - he doesn't take a full 8oz anymore in his bottles since they're couched between solids... but he does take 5-6 so that's not bad. HTH!

Alb so nice to hear from you! How's Zoe? Is your mom with you over in Greece now? Hope all's well!

[helen22]

Hey all, I will try to be back tonight or this weekend with SO's, just wanted to stop by quickly - Sem, this is my first week back at work too, although I'm a wimp and am only doing three days this week. Mel is at the childcare center in my building today which is HEAVEN and makes me obsessed with finding a job that has on-site childcare - does such a thing exist??? But anyway, I know what you mean about feeling bad for not being insanely sad and missing her - the first two days when any of my co-workers asked about her I thought I was going to lose it and sob, but today I feel more ok...

Anyway, ironically I may have more CC time now that I'm back at work, so hope to be better at staying caught up. I know it's been said before, but I feel sooo lucky to have this great community - you all are so supportive, and it's great to be able to talk to others who are going through similar things :)

[sem426]

Anyway, ironically I may have more CC time now that I'm back at work, so hope to be better at staying caught up. I know it's been said before, but I feel sooo lucky to have this great community - you all are so supportive, and it's great to be able to talk to others who are going through similar things


Ditto!:D

[ktdelsur]

Anyway, ironically I may have more CC time now that I'm back at work, so hope to be better at staying caught up. I know it's been said before, but I feel sooo lucky to have this great community - you all are so supportive, and it's great to be able to talk to others who are going through similar things

Ditto again!

I wish we had onsite childcare here. Then again, I'd probably be taking every opportunity of a break to run down and see him. :)

fwgirl: Kudos to you again - pumping in your car can't be fun, but I'm so proud of you for going that extra mile to do that. I know, even though I quit BF'ing at six weeks, that pumping is a pain. I can't imagine having to do it at work.

I still have a little guilt over the not-BF'ing-longer thing, but I'll get over it. I'm scared that now that I know how "easy" formula is, I'll be quicker to want to do that with #2. Actually though, hopefully by the time #2 comes along I will be a full-time SAHM and won't have to worry about going back to work and pumping.

weight loss: What happened to the "losing the baby weight" support thread? I forgot to subscribe and now I can't find it. Can someone post a link?

Yesterday at Target I tried on a pair of jeans and capris, both in my pre-PG size that had previously been too tight when I tried them on, and they fit perfectly! I've been doing little miniworkouts at night with my exercise ball (really more toning that anything - arms, abs and thighs) and making myself take the stairs at work. It's enough motivation to keep me going! I am still, like Kindra, battling the weird loose skin and flabbiness in places I used to be toned. :( I don't plan on going bathing suit shopping anytime soon.

Still have 10 lbs to go.

Poor Andrew - 2 more days left of takin