Nov-Dec 2005 Mommies: Toddling Through Winter!

[Orion]

Hi Ladies: I'm not able to visit as often as I would like since I am back to work now....yuck. But at least it is only for four months until (as my husband puts it) I retire! We decided that after #2 arrives, I will be a SAHM we just didn't think #2 would be arriving so soon after #1 but that is the way it is going to go! Work is going pretty good so far. I'm back with my old company but had to transfer to the British Columbia office since we moved to Victoria. So everything is still the same but new at the same time. I haven't told them that I am pregnant yet :rolleyes: but I'm sure that I will have to do it soon since I am now 15 weeks along and starting to show. Of course, I could just keep my mouth shut and continue to let them think that I just haven't lost the baby weight yet from Sophie because you know that no one would be rude enough to ask someone who has recently had a baby if she is pregnant again or just fat from the last baby! Returning back to work is going pretty well. I didn't end up putting Sophie in daycare as my friend (who lives just next door to me) is watching Sophie for us. It works out great because she is someone that I trust, she has a six month old little boy who Sophie loves to play with and she is only charging us $400 for a month. Can't go wrong with that since daycare would have cost us $750 at least.
Sophie is learning new things all the time. She is saying Mama and Dada (and know what they mean) as well as Nana and Papa (but I don't think she knows who they are since she has only met them once as they live 6000 miles away!). She is pulling herself up to sitting from lying down and pulling herself to standing and crawling (or her version of it) all around all the time. I went into the doctor for my monthy maternity visity and I'm actually losing weight and not gaining but is it any wonder with a small baby to chase around all day!

Diapers: Sophie doesn't mind getting her diaper changed but she is squirmy. Too many times I have ended up chasing her across the floor while her poopy little bum is crawling away at warp speed. She recently started wearing cruisers size 3 (my tiny little girl!).

Face Washes: She actually doesn't mind this. Whenever we wash her faces she always tries to lick the wash cloth!

Formula Feeding: Yes, that is right. I am now formula feeding full time as my supply is now gone. The doctor says it is not uncommon for pregnant woman to lose their supply. Sophie get four bottles a day and takes between 4 and 6 ozs. On average she takes about 4.5 ozs per feeding. This is Sophies eating schedule for jengen:

7 am - wake up with bottle and breakfast to follow.
9 am - nap
11 am - bottle with lunch to shortly follow
1 pm - nap
3 pm - bottle
*5:30 - bottle and supper
7 pm - bedtime

*We are currently experimenting with the last bottle and feeding of the day. We used to give her a bottle at 5 pm and than supper but we found that she would take the bottle no problem but be too full for a proper supper. Last night we gave her supper at 5:30 and tried to give her a bottle at 7 pm but she just cried and cried. I think tonight we are going to try supper at 5:30 with a bottle afterwards.

Sophie has recently taken to crying like a banshee at bedtime when we try to put her to bed and I don't know why. I know that there is a lot that is changing in her life right now (going to a sitters and Mommy working all day, teething, having a cold, learning new things, etc) so I think that she might be going through a little seperation anxiety at bedtime. It is just tough because Sophie never really cried before so this is killing me! But I am sure that we will survive. I'm just glad that it is only at bedtime and not everytime she is put down for a sleep.

Hope everyone is doing well. All the babies sound like they are doing well and from all the new pictures I say they are all growing well too!

Cheers,
Jess

[snoopy30]

Hi ladies!

I thought of a couple of questions I wanted to ask everyone...

~Do you brush your DC's teeth? If so, with what and how often?

~If DC meets the weight requirement will you turn his/her car seat forward at 1 yr? I keep reading that it's best to keep them rear-facing as long as possible so I'm thinking I may do that.

Just wondering!

[sem426]

teethwe do "brush" dd's teeth before we give her a bath at night. we bought the baby toothpaste and little brush. she only has 3 teeth so far, but we also scrub her gums to get off all the food etc.

carseatthink we'll leave it rearfacing for a while. she doesn't mind it that way and actually enjoys being in the car. so i figure why move it now if it's safer to keep it rear facing, right?

[abbytfox]

Snoopy Two issues that have been at the forefront of my mind too! How funny.

teeth My dad is an oral surgeon and has a wide network of "tooth professionals" I asked him to check with a children's dentist to find out what I should be doing. He said that once the baby has teeth it is really important to brush them. We have been doing it really unreligiously for a little while with a kids toothbrush my dentist gave me for Elliott. We don't use any toothpaste (even the baby kind) but just a little water. Elliott loves to chew on the toothbrush and I can wiggle it around a little to brush the teeth. The dentist said that it is really great if you can do the best you can just to get the food particles off their teeth. My only downfall is that even if we have a bottle and then brush, Elliott loves to have a little bit of bottle right before I put him in his crib. We are trying to change that habit, but it is hard. I do feel like getting most of the food off the teeth is better than not doing it at all, but I worry about the sugars from the formula staying on his teeth while he sleeps.

Carseat Elliott doesn't seem to mind rear facing most of the time, but I know he is going to LOVE turning around and looking at everything. I think we are going to keep him rear facing for a little while after his 1st b-day and see how it goes. Even I am getting excited for him to be forward facing, but he doesn't know any different, so I figure we'll keep him extra safe for as long as we can!

[rachrich]

feeding Olivia gets 3 or 4 bottles a day and they are 6 oz each. The 4th bottle is kind of rare, like maybe once a week if that. It's in place of a solid dinner if we're on the run somewhere and it's not possible to sit down and feed her food. So it's mostly just 3 bottles. And like a PP said, it seems like not much for her age, but she is peeing,pooping, and growing just fine.
A typical feeding schedule is:
7am-bottle
3 Tbsp. cereal w/juice after a.m. nap
12:30-bottle
some snack after p.m. nap -finger foods
5pm-1/2jar dinner, and veg or fruit
9pm-bottle before bed

Diaper size and changing Olivia is in size 3's. 98% of the time i get Target brand and they fit her fine. She is getting SO squrimy too, and not just at diaper changes. Keeping her occupied with a toy sometimes works. I just try to do it really fast! she's the worst right after a bath. after all that splashing excitement she just can't keep still. :)

Face washing what a struggle for us. especially after dinner or after eating one of those Biter Biscuits, when it's ALL OVER her face, in the eyebrows, hair....you name it. Sometimes I'll have DH hold her face in like a headlock(that sounds harsh, but you know what i mean) while i wipe her down. She'll scream bloody murder, and sometimes with REAL TEARS! if it's really messy we'll just throw her in the tub though.

Teeth she's got 3 and almost 4. Her 9mo WCC is next week and I'm going to ask the ped about brushing and taking care of her teeth. she was 9 monhts on the 7th but stupid me waited too long to make the appt. and couldn't get in till a few weeks after the fact...oh well.

[shirsty]

Hi all! Another busy WOH mom here. But Sam was sick today so I got to stay home and cuddle with him. But he was REALLY unhappy most of the day so a small part of me is looking forward to going back to work tomorrow when DH stays home with him ;)

Face washing, diaper changing, clothes changing Sam hates it all too. I try giving him something unusual or blowing raspberries that usually entertains him long enough. It's actually easier to change him on his pad on the dresser rather than on the floor, for some reason.

Road trips good luck Snoopy 8 hrs might be tough!!! The longest we have done is 5 hours, and we usually have to stop halfway through. I would try to time it to leave when it's naptime and plan to stop halfway through.

Car seat we are going to keep it backwards for awhile longer.

Teeth DS has 3 with #4 on the way, we have brushed them once and I thought he would totally hate it but he didn't! DH brushed them while I was brushing my teeth that seemed to help keep it interesting. We really really need to get better about working that into the routine.

[Lindzee82]

Teeth - Ugh! I am *so* upset! Anyone get the new Parent's magazine with the article about dental hygeine in it? Well, after reading the article I examined Matthew's teeth and found a yellow spot at the top of one of his front teeth. I have been calling around and I can't find a dentist who will see a baby this young. It is so frustrating when the article says that you should see a dentist before the child is one year of age and I can't find anyone who will see him! I was trying really hard to "brush" his teeth once a day with the fingertip tooth brush. But, now since he has 8 teeth I am going to the store today to buy a regular old toddler toothbrush, more flouride-free toothpaste and I am going to be really strict about brushing them twice a day. I have always taken such good care of my teeth and I want Matthew to have nice teeth like me. I fear, though, that he is taking after his father who has had like 54 cavities. I am so sad.

carseat - We are planning on turning Matthew's carseat right at his one year birthday. He meets the height and weight requirement already. He has a really hard time in the carseat lately and I think it is because he can't see me. I think that it will make for a happier ride for all parties involved when he is turned around. I am excited for him to be able to see where we are going (instead of where we have been) and I will like to be able to see him and what he is doing, too.

shirsty - Sorry Sam is sick. I hope he feels better soon!

[krbb]

Lindzee82 - The tooth brush I got for Oliver says 6months - 2 years. Do you have a pediatric dentist by you? I am confused about when to have him see the dentist. The ped said not until he is 3, but then other things I have read, like that article, says a year!

teeth - We are experiencing the joy of teething full force! I think Ollie is getting 6 teeth. 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. The 2 on the bottom are not the ones that should be coming in next, but oh well. The other day he was not happy and then last night was not fun! He would fall asleep then wake up, get him back down then repeat for about two hours. Finally at 2 he was out until 7. The other day he cut his finger by biting on it so hard, poor thing! Hopefully when these teeth come in we will have a couple month break!

teeth brushing - I have been brushing his teeth once a day. He actually likes it. I just use water. I need to move it to twice, right before his morning nap.

car seat - I think I will turn it around at a year. I know it is safer for them to remain rear facing, but he is just not happy a lot of the times. We are taking a 5 hour trip on Christmas and I think he would do a lot better facing forwad.

diaper size - Oliver has been in size 4 for awhile. I got a sample of the new Pampers Baby Dry with the stretchy tabs and I really like them. We have been using Luvs, but I might switch. I don't really care for the Cruisers and didn't think the extra cost was worth it.

Orion - Love the picture of DD in your avatar. She is so cute! After you have the baby will you still get your maternity benefits for the next year eventhough you are going to be a SAHM? I am just curious, I am jealous of Canada's maternity leave :).

helen22 - I really like the ped practice we take Oliver to. There are 4 Drs and they are great, though the one I don't care for as much, more so her personality. They do seem interested in how he is doing and make sure we have all our questions met. They also seem to go over everything and let us know what to expect at the next visit. I was also really impressed when Oliver was first born and slowed down in gaining weight (ended up being reflux) they never once suggested I supplement with formula.

[Lindzee82]

krbb - Nope, no pediatric dentist near us. I am confused too. But the article in Parents said that they should be seen before their first birthday. I wish they would have given a website or something to find a pediatric dentist. Not that there are any in my area, but it still may have helped.

[Bliss]

OMG, how is Dylan 10 months old already?? I swear time is passing me by at warp speed.

diaper changing & face cleaning Dylan hates these too. Now that he "discovered" his penis I usually spend the diaper changes trying to hold his hands up until I can at least wipe him off. And he loves to twist and turn all around, making poop diapers such a joy :)

teeth brushing I just bought the little baby toothbrush (one that goes on your finger) but havent used it yet. Dylan is cutting his top right tooth (that will be #8 :eek: ) and I know he will not let me anywhere near the inside of his mouth. I guess I should read the Parents article, but dont the baby teeth fall out anyway? My mom said she never heard of brushing a baby's teeth and my ped didnt mention it-and Dylan has a good amount of teeth which he noted.

carseat I am probably going to turn D around at 1 year. Firstly, his legs are so long that he is getting cramped back there, I dont want him to be uncomfortable. And of course, I am pretty tall and SO cramped in the passenger seat, which is all the way up to accomadate the carseat. But we will see in November.

Diapers We are in size 4 huggies supreme. I was using Pampers cruisers size 4 at night since we get leaks w. the huggies, but the pampers werent much better. Maybe I should try the baby dry? He moves around so much at night, I dont know how much any diaper can do LOL. I am doing PJ laundry like crazy though :mad:

feeding D gets 21oz a day (in 3 7oz bottles) and I nurse him in the morning, although I dont think he gets more tha 3-4oz from that anymore, if that. We usually do his solids (3x a day) an hour after his bottle. That is how the ped recommended it, so that when we start to wean the bottles in November it wont be so bad, since he never got the bottle w. the solid in the same meal. Of course, I feel like I am feeding him 100 times a day, and cannot wait to put whole milk in a sippy cup and serve it to him w. his meals.

crawling Still scooting/commando crawling here. But I took D to gymboree and he was watching the other babies crawling all around, and trying to imitate them. It was so cute.

My pumpkin has his first cold :( He had a wicked fever, was hovering around 101-102 yesterday, and this morning it was 103.5!! But thanks to Tylenol it finally broke after his nap this morning. He is so out of it though, not himself at all-he took a 3 hour nap this morning, and is working on a 2 hour nap now. I have to wake him soon or he will never sleep tonight....I hate it that he doesnt feel well, it breaks my heart to see his little tiny runny nose!

[krbb]

Bliss - I have had good luck with the Huggies Overnights. They only come in size 4 and 5. I also have had a hard time finding them anywhere other than Target.

[shirsty]

Lindzee thanks! Sam was allllll better by 6PM that night. Wish I could get over stuff that quick too :rolleyes: I saw that Parents article too and it totally freaked me out. I go about my business feeling like a pretty good mom then I read articles like that and I feel like I gotta step it up! Hopefully M will take after you in the teeth department.

Bliss sorry to hear about D's cold, but WOW that it's his first one that is amazing! Hope he gets over it soon. I hear ya about the challenge of the poopy diapers. I could use a couple more hands in order to keep Sam's hands out of the poop while I clean him up.

Sippy cups I bought a couple new sippies today (Nuby, Take and Toss) hopefully one of them will agree with Sam and he'll finally take to the sippy. I know the main problem is that he is fine drinking out of a regular cup so we get lazy about working on the sippy. But he needs to be able to drink by himself so we're redoubling our efforts.

Everyone have a good Sunday!

[doubleR]

hi :) I can't believe my little guy is 10 months old already. so crazy...

and I think he has officially entered the separation anxiety phase... his sleep pattern is now to wake up screaming anytime between 2 and 3 a.m. and not go back down by himself. as soon as I go in there and he knows I'm there though, he's pretty much fine. some nights it takes a little longer and we sit in the glider for a little while. fun, in those wee hours :rolleyes: we were so spoiled with him STTN for months, I'm hoping he outgrows this fast - it's been going on for about a week now. but worse, Brady has started crawling to me, trying to pull himself up to a standing position using my legs and crying when I leave him at daycare. it breaks my heart. one of the girls will pick him up and distract him while I leave, but still... who wants to leave their precious little one like that every morning? :( it has only been 2 days, but it is pure hell, let me tell you. on top of this, he is also teething - again. numbers 9 and 10 are about to make their debut :rolleyes:

what we're doing for diapers... Brady is in size 4 cruisers, has been for a while, but I bought a package of the size 5's for night time after having to change his PJ's a few mornings b/c they were soaked... I pretty much do a diaper change immediately after picking him up out of his crib, his diaper is always soaked. But I hate to have to strip him down completely right then and there, I like to let him wake up a bit before getting him dressed. At first I thought the size 5's were huge, but they seem to do the trick, his belly is no longer soaked, it all stays in the diaper. I've also been told to make sure his penis is pointing down... well, in these days when I can barely get the diaper on little mr. squirmy, there is just no way I'm going to be able to aim that thing!

Bliss ITA with shirsty, I cannot believe that you've just now experienced your first cold - that is shocking! and so great, I'm jealous!! I feel like we'll get over one, be fine for a week or 2 and symptoms are back. it is so frustrating. but anyway, glad Dylan is feeling better, that's the most important thing :) and I'm right there with you on asking HOW 10 months have gone by already... insane!

brushing teeth we're only doing this once a day, at night after his bath. and I'm not even sure how good of a job I'm doing, he bites down on the brush so I can't really see what I'm doing... we're using an Oral B baby set that we got as a gift. oh, and we're just using water, no toothpaste, I didn't even know they made baby toothpaste... I've never seen it.

front facing car seat I'm not sure about this. If he's still doing alright in another 2 months rear facing, we'll probably leave him for a little while? He's starting to not be the happiest little guy in the car these days though - not all the time, but all of a sudden it's like he gets frustrated being strapped in back there. so if that gets worse, I might try him front facing at a year and see if that makes a difference.

pediatrician we absolutely love ours. and I feel like we really lucked out since we're so new to this area. but they've been great. it's a real family practice in that it's a father, son and daugther-in-law. and the daugher-in-law's maiden name is Brady, so she goes by Dr. Brady and DS's name is on the sign outside :p but in all seriousness, Helen I really feel for you and I hope you can find someone that you are thrilled with. Ours have a call-in hour every morning just for questions and they were so helpful in the first few months with all my feeding / sleep / whatever questions... I really, really love them.

do any of you wear some sort of a mom's necklace? I'm looking for something that I can wear everyday - or most days - with Brady's name on it and his birthdate. I've seen some nice ones in Red Envelope, and I've been looking online... if anyone has any suggestions, please share! I'd like to find a small round disc pendant, and maybe have 2 of them on the necklace, one with his name, one with his birthdate? for whatever reason I haven't been able to find exactly what I'm picturing...

other shopping I got *the* cutest long sleeved onesies in baby gap the other day... I started calling Brady MR. MAN when he was a few days old and DH had to ask me to *please* stop since it reminded him of the movie Misery... anyway, gap had little onesies that said Mr. Milk Man, but when I first looked at it, all I saw was MR. MAN - LOVE IT!!!!! I also got one that says 'Expert Crawler' with a squiggly little design on it. they were 2 for $20, which is a bit steep for onesies, but... I couldn't help myself!

alright, gotta get back to my real job, hope everyone is doing well!

[doubleR]

I spoke too soon... this is exactly what I'm looking for as far as the necklace that I referred to above and thought I'd post it incase anyone else is interested.

www.clay-pot.com

[ktdelsur]

Hi girls,

I've been really MIA from this thread since so many of you moved to LJ. Let's see if I can catch up.

diapers: We are on a budget - so we've been using Target brand diapers (size 4s) and been very happy with them. Andrew has recently begun screaming when we sit him on the changing table and he's a little squirmy, but not too bad. He tries to roll over but we don't let him on the changing table since he could fall off onto the hardwood floor.

feeding: He gets between 18-24 oz/day depending on his appetite. I think I posted our eating schedule here a few weeks back, but I'll do it again.

6:30/7 a.m. - 3-4 oz formula, yogurt/fruit or cottage cheese/fruit - or a jar of oatmeal/fruit. Sometimes I'll mix multigrain baby cereal into the yogurt and fruit.
9/10 a.m. - 6-8 oz formula
12/1 - lunch - water in a sippy that he only drinks MAYBE 1.5 oz of, puffs, fruit/veg finger foods and maybe half a jar of stage 3 veggie/pasta/meat meal.
3/3:30 p.m. - 6-8 oz bottle
6:30/7 - dinner - pretty much the same as lunch w/ water, no formula

sippy cups: He still has not quite gotten the hang of the sippy cups. We have about 4 of them (two Nuby's - one with handles and one with just the grippable sides, one gerber and one from Ikea that is not spillproof).

He loves to drink from a regular cup, but will stick his tongue in the cup and make Darth Vader noises since it sounds cool (haha) or if I am holding it and letting him sip from it, he'll let the water pool up in front of his tongue, then it splooshes out down his chin/chest. He has not mastered control of the non-spillproof sippy. It's his favorite, but the messiest, of course!

carseat: He's fluctuating on the edge of 21 lbs now, so we will probably turn him front-facing shortly after his birthday. He's not unhappy in the carseat usually anyway. He loves people-watching.

attention-getters: He definitely does do the coughing thing - he'll have a sort-of real cough - then when you look at him, he'll cough and have a really dramatic "hooooah!" at the end, with a smile. Little dickens.

[krbb]

ktdelsur - I have been thinking of trying the Target diapers, but I hadn't heard of anyone using them. I might pick up a small pack to try. I am not that picky when it comes to them as long as Ollie has a good nighttime diaper!

[shirsty]

quick post: we LOVE Target diapers, I wish we had switched from Cruisers a lot earlier. I think we have even fewer leaks than we did with Cruisers, and they are soooo much cheaper.

[snoopy30]

Morning ladies!

Well we have returned from our trip to visit DH's parents and Spencer did so well! I'm very proud :) It was an 8 hour car ride but he did really well, hardly any fussing! We were around tons of people and he was Mr. Social so that was great. He's starting to stand on his own so I'm not sure if that means walking is around the corner :eek: He's pretty much on all table foods too. He's a big boy now!

car seat-I don't know what we'll do. He seems fine in the car now so I'm thinking I may just leave him rear-facing as long as he tolerates it. But that said I was kind of excited to turn him around. Man car seats take up lots of room! We can't use the front passenger seat in either car!

diapers-We're using Cruisers size 4 and Huggies Overnights size 4. He was waking up with some leaks so I started on the overnights and that's really helped.

feeding-Spencer seems to have lost interest in some of his bottles lately. He doesn't finish all of them and he probably has only 20 oz. a day now. I guess he'd rather play than eat sometimes!

[abbytfox]

snoopy Glad the trip went well. We are going to be taking a long car trip at the end of October (LA to SF) and I am hoping that it goes great too. We are planning to break it up into 2 or 3 days and make a little vacation of it so it shouldn't be really long stretches...maybe 3-4 hours at a time. Elliott isn't really drinking as much in his bottles either. I wasn't sure what that was all about, but maybe you're right...he would much rather play than eat!

pediatrician I am not thilled with ours and haven't been for some time. The problem is that I think he is a really good doctor, but there is just something missing with his bedside manner. It could be a cultural thing, but it still bugs me everytime we leave the office. I told DH that I just leave there wanting more from him! I always have a million questions and I feel like his answers aren't what I want them to be. Not that the answers aren't good, but I guess I feel like maybe I have a different philosophy about a lot of issues. Plus, I feel like I have really educated myself about lots of parenting issues and a lot of the things he tells me are things I have already read...I want MORE information, not the same information! It is hard to describe. I also know that he really loves Elliott (he talks cutely to him and when he picks him up to give E back to me he always snuggles him and gives him a kiss - it sounds strange, but it is very sweet) and I think that if there were a medical emergency he would totally handle it the way I would want it to be handled (he is very cautious and careful) I have thought of switching at a year, but I just don't know. It is a really hard decision to make and I don't know what the right thing to do is!

loss of appetite I know a lot of you have had a similar issue, but now it is my turn to worry/complain. Elliott is a great eater, or at least he WAS a great eater. In the past couple days he has started refusing food and only wants to eat cheesy things (goldfish crackers, mac n'cheese, quesadilla, cheese cubes, etc.) He will take about 4 bites of veggies or fruit and then blatantly refuse to eat. It is so hard. On one hand, I don't want to force him to eat anything but he has been really constipated from all that cheese and needs to get something else in there to move things along. Eventually, I resorted to prune juice in his bottle which has helped for now. I think it has to do with not wanting purees anymore (which you guys have mentioned) but he isn't that into pieces either. Plus, we have a new throwing up thing going on and if a piece of food (even really tiny, I always cut his food into really small pieces) gets caught and he gags, everything he just ate will come back up. HELP! Any suggestions? Should I just wait it out and not push it too much. I don't think he is teething because his front 8 teeth are in, but I guess it could be molars which would definitely make sense. Hmmm...

holding bottles and sippy cups No interest in holding a bottle or sippy and he *just* started drinking some water/diluted juice from a sippy. A couple sips is all he does, but at least some water is getting in there! He literally won't hold the cup though, still just wants to playwith it/eat it.

[Lindzee82]

Bliss - So sorry Dylan was sick. I hope he is feeling better now. Poor little guy.

Sippy Cups - Over the weekend I bought Matthew a Munchkin Straw Cup. He looooves it! He can sip the water right out and yesterday he drank like one and a half cup fulls! I like that he can do it all himself. I keep it in the living room with him while he plays and every now and then he goes over to it and takes a drink. It is so neat to see him get thirsty and take a drink. I just love that little guy! Oh, and he knows what the "water" is. When he is playing and I tell him to go find his water...he will look around and crawl to his cup! My smart little guy!

snoopy - Glad the trip went well!

[helen22]

Bliss I can't believe this is Dylan's first cold! Wow. Hope he is better soon. Way to keep him away from germs for so long!!!! :)

Sippy cups I need a straw cup. Keep hearing good things. Plus my friend pointed out that once they learn how to use straws then you can just buy bottled water when you're out and get a straw - gives you more options.

pediatrician I decided we should see what's out there so I scheduled a "prenatal interview" with another ped in our neighborhood. Hee hee I think it's funny to have this interview when my little prenatal baby is 9 months old :D Basically I really love my current practice, love the location, but just don't feel a good connection with our particular dr. Some of my friends go to this other ped and love her, so we'll see. I've heard she's a bit of a sleep nazi - like really pushes CIO - but at least that's based on years of experience, whereas when our ped tells us to CIO I feel like she just read Weissbluth and is parroting it back to me (just like you said Abby!)

loss of appetite our little one is a v good eater except when she's tired, and then she gets really annoyed with the whole spoon/feeding process. Abby can you try one of those mesh feeders? Also this might sound totally crazy, but my friend said she and her husband did lots of exagerrated chewing when they started solids with their DB - maybe you can do that and try to stop some of the gagging & throwing up? they swear she watched and imitated them. I tried it with the stage 3 chunky blends, that had been making Mel gag, and she sort of seemed to get it. but it made me feel like a crazy person :rolleyes:

snoopy glad you survived!! what a long trip, wow.

carseat our "infant" carseat is good up to 13 kg (28.6 lbs) and is supposed to stay rear-facing that whole time, so we won't switch it around. we're shopping for the next one up now, but Mel's only 19.5 lbs so no rush.

diapers looooooove the target brand! although not as much now that they have care bears on them. care bears kind of creep me out.

doubleR - mom's necklace - I am such a fan of the clay pot! I almost got my engagement ring there but then ended up getting an antique. it's a gorgeous store and the people are so friendly and helpful. your necklace idea is so nice.

[doubleR]

Lindzee that is so cute that Matthew knows what the water is, I love that! Brady also loves the straw cup, I definitely recommend them to anyone else looking for something new to try...

snoopy I'm glad Spencer did so well - that is a long time for anyone to be in the car ;)

Abby no advice, but we're going through something really similar... and along with the not eating much, he's been waking up *screaming* at night. some nights I've been convinced it has to be nightmares, but I'm starting to wonder if it could be his molars. he also has his 8 front teeth and although teething was never fun, he never fussed all that much. the night wakings have been going on for at least 2 weeks. the gagging with little food pieces and even the stage 3's is very frustrating b/c it all comes up. maybe someone will have something more helpful to say, but I can definitely relate. oh, and water has always helped Brady anytime he starts to get a little constipated. i keep thinking that this too shall pass and am really hoping it's a very short phase. i got so spoiled with him sleeping like a champ and now i'm so exhausted i can hardly function :eek: and same with the eating, he was eating everything and now it's become such a challenge, I just don't get it.

helen I emailed the people at the clay pot and they were *so* nice. I am definitely getting the necklace. I can do his name on one side with the birthdate on back and what I really love is that I can just buy additional discs for future children. yes, already thinking that far ahead ;) When I wrote back I said I'd love to stop by next time I'm in the city... very cool that you've been there and love it. even more reason for me to shop there :) good luck with your prenatal visit and let us know how it goes!

target diapers you guys have convinced me that I've got to try these!

we have a wedding this weekend. another wedding. my mom will be watching Brady. I am so nervous b/c of everything he's been going through, mostly the night wakings (screamings). I know he'll be fine and she did raise 3 kids of her own, but... he's my little guy :p

alright, hope everyone has a good weekend!!

[ktdelsur]

He will take about 4 bites of veggies or fruit and then blatantly refuse to eat. It is so hard.

We've had this for the past few days. Andrew's getting over a nasty sinus infection, and has been a picky eater for the past few days. I don't know whether I indulged him with the spoon feeding more than I should have while his nose was all stuffed up - but he will eat a few handfuls of finger food, have a little water, then sit there and cry until I give him some fruit.

Tonight he ate what we were eating - for the first time - all of us eating the same thing. I had made chicken in the crockpot so it was nice and mushy for him. He ate that, some rice and some peas. He only had *maybe* 4-5 handfuls (not nearly enough to fill him up, i'm thinking), then he just started screaming and crying big crocodile tears. We thought it was because he was wanting the fruit/something sweet and so we held off for a bit. (Sometimes he'll get frustrated that he can't pick up enough, but after he gets the tantrum out and we ignore it, he'll start eating again.)

There was no stopping the crying this time until we took him out of his chair. I gave him a few spoonfuls of yogurt and he'd had enough. So weird.

[Orion]

So I am using up my 'poor me' post for the week. :o This week has been horrible. I just started back to work last week after being off for a year on mat leave. No big deal but a bit tough to leave my little monkey at the sitters everyday but things were going smoothly...until Tuesday when my sitter (who just happens to be my next door neighbor and my friend) decided that she didn't want to do it anymore. No notice or anything...she just quit. I panicked because here on Vancouver Island, getting childcare for a baby under one is nearly impossible. I called all the daycares and their is at least a year and a half waiting list for most of them (needless to say if I was planning on putting this new baby in daycare, I would have to sign him/her up now). I was so upset because I thought that this meant that I had to quit my job. One of my other friends came to our rescue and said that she would watch Sophie until we found daycare for her but she could only do it temporarily as she is in between jobs right now and actively looking. At least that meant that I could keep my job for the immediate future. So yesterday I got a call from one of the daycares and they said that as of 9 am yesterday morning they just got approval and their license for infant daycare and they had a spot open and we could get Sophie in their as early as Monday! So DH and I are going their tonight to check the place out and make sure that it is ok and that we are comfortable enough to leave her their. This situation just sucks and it is so hard because I only need someone to watch Sophie until about February because that is when I will go on mat leave and than I am going to be a SAHM so I won't have to worry about daycare or sitters! Oh did I mention I went to the Doctor on Wednesday too (when all of this happened)...I have a bladder infection and a bacterial infection to go along with it! But my blood pressure is back down to normal....I don't know how but it is 120/70...pretty good! After a really hectic two days, it seems as though all is working out. I've decided to be a bigger person (no pregnant pun intented here) and to forgive my neighbor for being an a-hole!

[Bliss]

Thanks for all the get well wishes for Dylan. Turns out he had Roseola, which presents w. a high fever and then a horrid rash. Poor baby was so not himself, but thankfully the fever broke and now the rash is going away too. It was his first major cold/illness, I guess I was lucky that didnt happen until he was 10 months old :)

Feeding- Same issues at my house as others have mentioned. Dylan's little strong willed personality is coming out more and more every day :) He does not like to have to eat baby food if we are eating too, he just wants some of whatever Mommy is eating. If I start eating something, he will literally stop whatever he is doing and reach for whatever it is. I have tried the stage 3 food a few times, he hates it and gags, then refuses to open his mouth. What I have been doing is feeding him a jar of stage 2 veggie before DH and I have dinner, then giving him some chicken or whatever from my plate while we eat our dinner. It has made mealtimes a little less chaotic and he at least gets most of the stage 2 jar down since there is nothing better on the table to distract him lol.

Temper, Temper- My boy has learned how to throw some terrific tantrums. If he does not get what he wants, he cries-almost immediately, and throws himself backwards, stamps his feet, the whole nine. It is almost cute :) but I force myself not to react to it, esp. the crying since its more whining/fake crying. I cannot believe he learned to do this so early, I thought I would not have to deal w. this until he was 2!!

Teeth & Biting - D has 8(!) teeth now, he cut his top 2 while he was sick. Now his favorite thing to do when I am holding him is to try and bite my shoulder. And he bites HARD, I swear the other day I thought he broke the skin. I try to tell him "no bite"! but he just laughs. Its making me nuts. What is weird is that he stopped biting while nursing, its so funny he unlatched w.out biting and I told him "good job" and he laughed, then kept latching/unlatching w.out biting like he was practicing :) My little genius :) Now if I can only get him to stop chomping down on me *sigh*

Double R - I like the idea of a moms necklace, I am going to check out the site you posted. Which one did you get?

Went and got some fall clothes for Dylan, he is in size 18 month clothes already! Its so tough to find stuff though, since he is long (31") but not too big, and everything in 18m is huge on him. The 12m clothes fit him *perfectly* right now, but I know once I wash them a few times that will be it. I already have so many clothes he has outgrown, its amazing.

Babysitters- DH and I were discussing last night when Dylan will be old enough to hire a babysitter to watch him. My parents have done it a few times, but they live 90mins away and I feel bad asking them do come up too much. I think we should ask around to try and find a reliable sitter, but DH thinks Dylan is too young to leave w. a "stranger" even just to go to dinner. Anyone use a sitter yet?

Naps- D is starting to push back him morning nap until 1130-12 noon, and naps until about 130. Since he is up later, I cannot get him down for an afternoon nap, since I dont want to put him down after 330 or he wont go to sleep at night. Can he be dropping his afternoon nap already? He still gets tired, but now its a 5p, and I am stuck w. crabby until 830p.

[Lindzee82]

Orion - Sorry about all the daycare drama. I am glad that you may have found an answer to the problem. Did Sophie start there today?

Bliss - We are having the same temper tantrums here. Matthew is also starting to cut out his morning nap. Although today he took one, but I think that is only because he had a very busy weekend and didn't sleep much at all. So maybe Dylan is trying to kick his afternoon nap. We have not used a sitter yet. We just moved to the area and don't really know anyone. Plus, with Eric gone during the week we have no need for it because we spend all our time as a family when he is home on the weekends. Yay for new fall clothes for Dylan. I love fall clothes!

[shirsty]

Biting Sam is biting more these days too, we realized we were encouraging it a bit by playing around with him and laughing when he goes to bite our toes or elbow or whatever. So we are trying to stop that, it's just so hard to keep on your toes and not encourage bad behavior! Esp. for me since I think most of these types of things are funny ;)

Feeding Sam is mostly just getting finger foods now, and it's going well. It's definitely more prep beforehand (soooo easy to just grab a jar out of the cupboard) but it is nice that he can feed himself completely now. Well we have to keep adding stuff to his tray but that's it. He was really starting to fight us feeding him so this was the logical next step. I can tell it's going to be hard to get creative about food but I am trying to plan meals where he can eat pretty much whatever we're eating. He is SO insistent about his food, if he runs out he starts grunting/complaining big time until he gets more, hope he outgrows that soon!

Also he is dropping a fair amount of food off the side of his high chair, I figure it's normal and don't stress but it gets to DH. I keep trying to tell him that reacting to it is just gonna make it worse, oh well.

Naps most days Sam is just taking 1 nap at daycare, about 1-1.5 hours around 11 or 12. He will take 2 naps/day on the weekend which concerns me a bit, like he really does still need 2, but I'm not sure what I can do about it. They do try to put him down for a 2nd nap but most days he won't take it. Bliss I think it is a little early to be dropping a nap but definitely not unheard of. Can you put him to bed a little earlier, does that help?

[doubleR]

Bliss, wow, you're the 2nd person I've heard mention roseola this week. It sounds so scary, I almost thought it was a thing of the past... glad to hear Dylan is all better now! this is the necklace I ordered, with BRADY on the front and 11.26.05 on the back. I can't wait to get it :D

http://www.clay-pot.com/catImages/scphinumulti_small.jpg

not much time for a real update, but Brady now says mama and dada. he's been saying both for a few weeks now, but I think he finally knows what they mean. it's so sweet :) we're still having issues with eating and night wakings, but I think we're making progress... he's now only up once / night, usually around 3 a.m. and not for too long :rolleyes: and I've had to resort to pulling out the big box of oatmeal cereal and giving him that with most meals, in addition to whatever else, just to make sure he's full. it's working and the main thing is that he's eating. I still feel pretty behind when it comes to him eating any *real* food / table food, but I'm sure he'll get there eventually.

I'm almost positive that his molars are working their way in and I'm hoping that once they do he'll go back to the great eater and sleeper that he once was. who knows though.

next week we go to florida. just a long weekend, but I am ***so*** looking forward to it! :) hope everyone is doing well.

[snoopy30]

Hi everyone!

Bliss-Sorry Dylan was sick but I hope he's all better now! We've been lucky that Spencer has only had a few runny noses. I know though that many sick days are yet to come :rolleyes:

doubleR-Love the necklace! I don't have anything w/ Spencer's name or birthdate on it like that. DH did give me a necklace w/ his birthstone though so I guess that counts :)


Biting-Yes, Spencer likes to bite my shoulder. I know it's teething though. He's working on 2 top teeth. Speaking of...he has 2 on the bottom, but then he cut the two top ones next to the middle ones.*not* the middle :confused: He doesn't have those yet. Any other babies cut those first? It's like he has fangs ;)

Naps-Spencer still takes two...but...the last two days his naps have been screwy. Yesterday I put him down for his usual morning nap and he SCREAMED for 45 minutes!! (I checked on him of course but it didn't help). So I got him up. He was fine and napped OK in the afternoon. He's napping now so maybe it was a fluke. I just wonder though if he's trying to phase that one out or if I need to put him down later.

Flu shot-Who's getting one for their baby? I need to call my ped on this one. Spencer's next appt. is in Dec. and if he needs the flu shot (which I keep hearing he does) he will need if before then.

Leaving DC overnight-Who's done this? DH & I are taking our first trip w/out Spencer next week and I'm getting apprehensive. I'm soooo excited, don't get me wrong, and we'll be gone just 3 nights but I know I'll miss him so much!!

[Lindzee82]

snoopy - Matthew cut teeth the same way as Spencer. Two front bottoms, two on top next to the front teeth, then two bottom teeth on the sides of the two he had, then the two front teeth.

[krbb]

snoopy - DS just cut the top two, though not the middle. I guess he just going for the fang look for Halloween.

Leaving DC overnight - DS is still nursing and except for a rare night here and there still gets up to nurse. So I don't feel comfortable leaving him yet.

Flu Shot - Oliver won't be getting one. He has only been sick once and is not in daycare so he is not exposed to that many germs. Also, since the shot only protects against a certain strain of it, it isn't like he is gauranteed not to get the flu because he had the shot.

doubleR - That is so cute he knows mama and dada. Oliver isn't there yet. If I go where's Daddy he will look at DH, but won't say it and mean him. Hope you had a nice time in Florida.

Orion - How did the daycare turn out?

[Bliss]

OMG, all of a sudden Dylan is starving all the time. I am having the hardest time feeding him, since he seems like he is never satisfied. He gets 3 7-oz bottles a day, and he BFds in the morning. He gets a stage 2 fruit for lunch and a stage 2 veggie for dinner (he HATES the stage 3, I have given up trying lol). And he usually has some of whatever I am eating for lunch and dinner as well. Well, for the past few days he screams when his bottle is done, holding onto it and sucking for dear life. And he freaks when mealtime is over. I guess I am going to up him to 8 oz bottles and see if that helps, or giving him more fruit/veggie. Is this the time to introduce table foods? How do you do that, like tonight we had steak stir-fry, which I dont think is good for him to have yet...do I have to make him a separate meal? *sigh* just when you think you have things figured out, they throw you a curveball.

Teeth- D got his i-teeth in before his front 2 teeth. He looked like a little vampire. We actually have this game we play w. him telling him to do the "monster face" where he scrunches his nose and shows his teeth, and we say "ooooo scary!!" he loves it :) Even now that his top 2 teeth are in, its still hysterical to us :)

Peekaboo- Dylan learned how to do peekaboo, its so funny. He will take a towel or blanket and put it over his head, and we say "where's Dylan" and he pulls it off and screams :). If you dont notice he is "hiding" he makes this little noise to get your attention, and peeks to see if you are looking for him. Its so funny watching him learn new things.

Overnight away from baby- Not yet. We are hoping to get away for New Years Eve.

Weaning- Anyone still BFding? Dylan is only in the morning, but lately he is only on for about 2 minutes. I dont think he is really interested anymore, he pulls off a lot and I dont think he is really getting much milk. I am so sad about it, but I think it may be time to wean him. Of course it will be so much harder on me than him, I really love the nursing/cuddle time, esp. now that he wants to be on the floor playing all the time.

[shirsty]

Bliss Sam is kind of insatiable lately too, he seems to eat A LOT of food. He is pretty much on all table food now, though he'll get a jar of baby food occasionally (he's 11.5 months now). At first the table foods seemed daunting but now we've got a good routine down. A typical dinner is starting with some cheerios, then a handful of cooked frozen veggies (these are so easy just microwave and let them cool), maybe some banana or sliced grapes, and cheese. I am trying to have him eat what we are eating more and more, mostly because he's seeming more aware if he's eating something different than we are.

I am still BFing before bed and first thing in the AM, it's still going fine so we'll keep doing it, this has been my attitude since he was 6 months and here we are at almost a year. He is getting kind of rough with me though so that may change my mind!

Allergy! well we had an allergic reaction over the weekend. Sam tried a scrambled egg for the first time and got a rash on his face within 10 minutes. He has had eczema since about 4 months so not a huge shock but still disappointing. I will ask about getting him tested at his 12 month appointment.

flu shot becuase of the egg reaction I don't know if he can have one or not, will need to check on that.

leaving DC overnight I have been away overnight 1 night before last week, when I was gone 2 nights for a conference. It was really really nice to have a hotel room to myself and relax but by night 2 I was relaxed enough and ready to get home to my baby :)

[sem426]

shirsty DD is allergic to eggs too. We are completely avoiding all egg products and hoping that by age 2 or 3 she will outgrow it. We have seen an allergist too.
re: the flu shot, we will ask our allergist as well. I don't think the ped will give it to her...if she gets it will be at the allergist's office where they can monitor her for a reaction.

[snoopy30]

Hi mommies!

Not a *whole* lot going on here. Just getting ready for our trip this weekend :) I'm definitely starting to get sad/nervous about being away from Spencer but I'm also soooo ready for a real break! Realizing I've been with this kid every single day for 10.5 months it's werid to imagine not seeing him for 3! My parents are coming here to watch him so that will be great that he's in his own environment.

Our family is getting over a little cold. I wasn't all that sick and Spencer just had some congestion (still STTN thank goodness!). DH was a bit sicker but he's fine now. Seems like it's really going around! Most of my friends have had sick babies :( Anyone else?

Question~ Since we're approaching first birthdays :eek: how is everyone planning (if you are planning to...) to switch to whole milk? I was reading a thread over in Parenting and it's suggested to do it gradually. I guess maybe we'll just do mixed bottles for several days? Thoughts?

Winter clothes~I can't figure out what kind of coat to get Spencer. I'm thinking a cute fleece would be good. We're in the south so while it can get pretty cold it's still not frigid or anything. Last year of course I could just throw blankets over Spencer in his carrier. Now I'll have to wrestle with strapping him in his carseat with bulky clothes :rolleyes:

[shirsty]

Sem I hope we are able to get in to see the allergist before a decision needs to be made about the flu shot. Sam has had foods with egg in them (pasta, crackers, that type of thing) with no noticeable reaction. But like I said he still has his eczema so that could be the reaction right there. I guess we will hold off those egg-containing foods until we get some answers. It sounds crazy but I wonder what I could have done differently to help him avoid getting allergies?! Besides marry a man whose entire family has them :rolleyes:

Snoopy enjoy your trip!! I have been meaning to try some whole milk with Sam but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Maybe I'll remember to buy some next week.

[sem426]

It sounds crazy but I wonder what I could have done differently to help him avoid getting allergies?! Besides marry a man whose entire family has them :rolleyes:



I know what you mean. When we first found out about her allergies, I was beating myself up that I could have prevented it. We have NO allergies in our family, so it was even more of a shock

[Hawaii2SJ]

sem & shirsty What type of rash did they have on their face?? Was it alot of rash or just a few spots? Sometimes when we feed DS random food he will have one or two red marks on his chin and I never really considered it to be an allergy. I'm just curious because when he eats pasta or bread I've noticed the dots. He also is a little aggresive when he feeds himself so that could be something too.

TIA

[sem426]

sem & shirsty What type of rash did they have on their face?? Was it alot of rash or just a few spots? Sometimes when we feed DS random food he will have one or two red marks on his chin and I never really considered it to be an allergy. I'm just curious because when he eats pasta or bread I've noticed the dots. He also is a little aggresive when he feeds himself so that could be something too.

TIA

Hawaii DD has never even had any of the foods she's allergic too! she did have ezcema for a while and at her 9mos appt they tested her blood and she came back positive for an allergy to eggs, soy and peanuts. basically when we got the results she was mostly on baby food and only had very limited finger foods. so that was why it was even more of a shock to us.
we are avoiding all of the above foods and hoping she will grow out of all or most of them by the time she's 2 or 3.

sorry i didn't really answer your question.

i think i already said this on LJ...but CONGRATS on BABY #2!!:D

[helen22]

Congrats Hawaii on baby #2! Exciting news!

We haven't tried any eggs yet because of my allergy fears. Shirsty, will be curious to hear what the allergist says about Sam and allergies. It seems weird that food allergies are so common now! I think I knew one kid in elementary school with a peanut allergy and that was it.

Snoopy have fun on your trip! DH and I went away for a wedding at the beginning of Sept; my parents stayed with Mel. I looooooved sleeping in, but I was ready to come home and see baby girl by Sunday.

Winter clothes - I'm still not sure about this either - realized the other day Mel has outgrown her Columbia fleece. I think I'll get her an REI one when I'm in Seattle in Dec.

I still feel like Mel is slow with food - she just doesn't like anything with texture.

[shirsty]

Wow Hawaii Congrats!!!!!! You are one brave mama!! :D H&H 9 months to you. The rash was just a few spots, it showed up within 10 minutes of him eating the egg. Are there other signs of allergy or is that it? You could experiment a bit to see if there is something in particular that bothers him.

Sem ugh the guilt is the worst. It does sound like many many kids outgrow their allergies so we'll have to hope for the best right??

Helenit does seem like there are way more allergies now it totally freaks me out, like it's all caused by global warming or crazy chemicals or something. Sam has his 12 month appt on 10/30 so I imagine we will get referred to an allergist that day. Don't worry about Mel being slow with food she'll let you know when she's ready for more!

[Orion]

Hi Ladies:

I haven't been here in a few weeks but work has been crazy. But now that DH and I have emerged from the stone ages and got the internet, I will be a more active member of this group.

For those that were asking about how the daycare went...it was horrible. DH and I went there and it was a mess. It smelled like dirty diapers (it had only been open for one week and there were only two kids enrolled at the time so tell me how it smelled of dirty diapers), it was beyond messy and they only had two cribs for twelve babies. I asked what they would do if more than two kids wanted to sleep at the same time and they said that they had mats for the floor...:eek: I'm sorry but my ten month old baby will not sleep in the same room as six other kids, especially if four of the six are on the floor with her. Even though we don't really have any other options for daycare we just didn't get a good vibe about the place and decided not to put Sophie in. At the moment I am still working because a friend is off work until January or so and has agreed to watch Sophie for as long as she can. Right now we are just hoping that I can get enough hours at work to get another mat leave before she has to get a job. But our friend is so good with Sophie and Sophie is so happy there, so everything happens for a reason I guess.

We had a pretty good scare last week-end. My friend and I (the same one who watches Sophie) went down to the water front to go to Navy Days (a big military to do on the Island here, both our DH's are in the Navy) and as soon as we got into the gate Sophie started to scream bloody murder. I have never heard her scream like that before. To make a long story a bit shorter, I reached into her mouth only to dig our a wasp! I panicked. I was worried that it had stung her on the toungue and that it would swell and restrict her breathing. I ran for the first aid station and they checked her over and said that she seemed alright (even though she was turning purple from crying so hard) but that they wanted to be safe (since she is only a baby and there is a history of allergies to bees in the family) so they rushed us to the hospital by ambulance. It was the hardest thing ever because Sophie had to be strapped to the gurny and she just wanted to be held by me but it is much safter on a gurny than in my arms. Let me tell you, I did not enjoy that ambulance ride. I don't know if it was stress, car sickness or something from the pregnancy that did it to me but as soon as that ambulance got to the hospital I jumped out and threw up! It was horrible but not the worst part. The worst part is that we got to the hospital at 1 pm but didn't see a doctor until 6 pm...can you imagine having a screaming baby, who is in pain, tired and cranky in the hospital and not having a doctor see you. I was livid! But all is well now. It turns out that she got stung on the cheek and a week has gone by now and it seems fine but she is constantly sticking her finger in her mouth because I think that it is itchy.
Speaking of Sophies, mouth...we finally have another tooth. She has her two bottom teeth and guess what tooth has popped out...her eye tooth. Just in time for Halloween, she is getting fangs!
As for me, I am now 19 weeks pregnant and have the big u/s on Monday. Again, we are not finding out the sex but are looking forward to finding out that all is well. That being said I just want to say a huge congrats to Hawaii...glad to know I'm not the only crazy one here! Should be interesting having two under two eh!

[helen22]

Oh my gosh Orion I'm so glad Sophie is OK! What a scare you had!

[Orion]

Helen22: I won't lie and tell you that I wasn't petrified but I am glad to know that in a situation like that I can keep my cool and think rationally about what needs to be done. I just thank my lucky stars that she wasn't stung on the tongue because that would have made a bad situation even worse.

[abbytfox]

It has been a long time since I have been in here and able to post. We are just having the hardest time right now. Elliott is really learning and doing a lot developmentally (which is great) but his sleeping is all over the place and he won't nap well anymore. In the past couple days he is pulling up on everything without help, standing in his crib (hence the not sleeping), crawling on hands and knees (not just army crawling) and balancing without holding on. Plus, he seems to have just started to really understand me...if I say "Where's your kitty (a stuffed toy)?" he will look at it and pick it up. All of this is really amazing and wonderful, but he must have so much going on in that little brain that he is waking up at 5 and shaking his crib rail, raring to go!

Plus, he is just starting to really experience separation anxiety and stranger anxiety and basically cried all day on Saturday when we were at my parents house. Then they babysat him (which is why we spent the day with them, so Elliott could get used to being with them again) and he cried all evening too. My mom said he even while he was eating dinner. :(

The past week he was so clingy because of his cold and I am wondering if I was too available for him or something because he won't play alone or be by himself *at all*. If he is playing by himself (for literally 2 minutes) and I go and sit on the couch he will immediately crawl over to me and start crying to be picked up or to hold my hands and walk around. I end up standing in the kitchen (basically part of the living room) most of the day so he has a little space and can start figuring things out for himself.

I am feeling really upset about this because I always thought he was pretty easy. As a newborn, I didn't really think he was very challenging and he was very easy going. I thought that he still was until someone asked DH and I if Elliott was a pretty easy baby. I said "yes" but DH hesitated and then responded that compared to the other babies in his playgroup he is pretty high maintenence. (We have been spending time with the other families due to all the 1st b-day parties recently!) It just kind of made me think and I started to realize that he does really need a lot of attention and always wants me to be right there (not next to him, but *right there*) I just feel like what did I do to make him this way? I mean, he was easy before. The worst is that I LOVE being with him and rarely am away from him (as a SAHM) and I hope that that isn't the problem.

I am thinking that this is just a phase and hopefully it will pass soon and he'll be his old self. He is almost 11 months (on Saturday, I think) so maybe that has something to do with it. I guess I just needed to write it all down and get it out so thanks for letting me do that. I am also really tired because of the crazy sleeping so that is probably making it worse.

Orion So sorry that the daycare was so gross. That is actually really disturbing. How can they run a daycare and be so unorganized? Scary that they are caring for babies. Also, I am so glad that Sophie is ok after the scare with the wasp. You always hope you would react in the right way, but I have a feeling I would be so freaked out I might not know what to do. That is great that you remained calm and did what she needed. I hope that the itchy-ness goes away soon. That must be terribly annoying to her. Good luck at your big U/S. We didn't find out the sex with Elliott and aren't planning on finding out with our second either (when I am pregnant of course and not for a while!) It is hard not to know, but that surprise at the end makes it all worth it.

helen It took Elliott a long time to get used to the textures of foods but now he is so into things like oatmeal, chunky applesauce and veggie burgers. I agree with shirsty that Mel will let you know when she's ready. Just like Elliott is really taking his time with crawling, Mel is taking her time with foods. It is so hard but I just have to keep reminding myself that each baby is an individual and will get there in their own time. Especially, when everyone around us is chasing their crawling baby around (or in your case eating chunky foods with gusto) Of course, Elliott wouldn't be a part of this family if he wasn't really into eating! :D

hawaii I went into the ped yesterday for Elliott's flu shot and asked him about the dots he gets on his face sometimes. They are little red dots kind of around his mouth area and it is only one or 2. I am assuming that is what you are talking about with Aiden. He said that it isn't a reaction to food (at least in our case) and that sometimes they just have a little irritation due to chafing or maybe a change in the weather. Just wanted to share that with you!

snoopy I am planning on waiting until Elliott is a year and then I am going to start mixing whole milk with formula in his bottle or sippy until I get to all whole milk. I may try a sippy or bottle of milk just to see if he likes it
but I am going to wait until after his first b-day. I asked the ped about when he should be done with the bottle and he said he can do a bottle until 15 months and then he should be on a cup only. So I may start reintroducing a sippy for one of the bottles now in hopes of getting off them sooner rather than later. What have you decided?

Gotta run to grab a quick shower and then we're off to gymboree. Hopefully, he'll wake up in time.

[jengen]

Hi Everyone! It has been sooooo long since I posted in here. Life is so crazy with work and, well, life!

Cole just turned 10 months old and like you all have said, the personality is coming out more by the minute. He is crawling all over the place, but still isn't cruising or walking. He does pull himself up, though. His latest things are pointing and saying "woof woof" whenever he sees our dog (and any other animal as we learned Sat at the petting zoo :p ). It is so funny!
As for food, Cole has also experienced a surge in appetite and we really need to get better about introducing table foods. I've become way too lazy and still use a lot of stage 2 jars. I need to get on the ball!

teething/fussy Cole has been SO fussy the last few days and the last two nights screamed his head off and cried to the point where I thought he was going to throw up. This is not our happy-go-lucky kid who normally passes out after two minutes! He was much better tonight...I hope this is just a phase or more teeth coming in. He got four in a week two weeks ago!

BF'ing My supply plummetted when I started weaning down to just am and pm sessions. He started getting frustrated and one day wanted nothing more to do with it. I am sad about it in a lot of ways, but feel so liberated in others! It is so nice to go places and not have to worry about when or where to pump (I was never one to BF in public). Whole Milk I plan to transition to whole milk at 1 yr.

leaving him overnight not BF'ing any more was a huge factor in my comfort with this, but I had no choice but to go on a four-day business trip last week across the country. I had been dreading it for weeks and was beside myself, but decided to just make the best of it. It was funny, beforehand, I had all these visions of him missing me and wondering if I abandoned him and he was FINE...so fine, it ticked me off a little! Just kidding, but seriously, he was so well taken care of by grandma and daddy and really didn't seem to mind I was gone and it makes me wonder why DH and I haven't taken up our parents on an overnight trip sooner! We are tentatively planning something for our anniversary in Nov. In my experience it was so much easier than I had made it out to be in my head.

abbytfox/separation anxiety Cole has just started crying when I leave him at daycare now, where a week ago, he was jumping out of my arms to hers (which killed me, by the way). I think your DS is just going through a phase and wasn't feeling well and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. Cole will often follow us around, but we try to distract him with one of his toys and that will usually work.

winter clothes I just bought him a fleece lining from BRU for the stroller to bundle him in and also bought a winter jacket from LandsEnd that should be here by tomorrow.

Orion so sorry to hear about your daycare experience and the wasp episode! :( I hope Sophie's feeling better soon. 19 weeks already?! Wow!

Hawaii Congratulations! :D


first birthday plans that is the one thread I visit daily. I can't get enough of the planning! :) How are everyone's plans coming? I'm doing a cowboy/western theme and am in the process of hand-making the invites. It is a PITA because I had to soak each one with coffee to stain them and am burning the edges so that they look really aged. They're coming out great, but it's really time-consuming. Lots of fun, though! :)

[doubleR]

hi there :) I don't have time much of an update… but I will say that Florida was great, Brady was so well behaved the entire time and made me one proud mama. As if I wasn’t already :p

I’m trying to catch up and will do a real post soonm but I just wanted to comment on a few things…

jengen LOVE the avatar picture of Cole, he is too cute!!!! Adorable! And wow, your invites sound like they’ll be amazing.

abby I’m so sorry you’re having a difficult time right now – I do think it is just a phase, if that helps at all. I know Brady went through something similar with being super clingy and he is in daycare, so don’t beat yourself up about that, I’d do (just about) anything to be a SAHM with him. I think it's something they all go through... I hope it passes soon.

Hawaii CONGRATS :D :D :D

Alright, I’ll be back when I have more time, hopefully soon as I miss this board!

[jengen]

LOVE the avatar picture of Cole, he is too cute!!!! Adorable!

Thanks!!! Brady is adorable also! :D

[Orion]

How did I get to be 20 weeks pregnant already? Where is the time going?

I need some advise from the RO's and anyone else who can help: DD will be 15 months old when this baby arrives and I was wondering about sleeping arrangements. We are planning on buying a moses basket for the new baby for the first little bit and we also have a pnp with a bassinet attachment. Do I really need to buy another crib for this baby. Would DD be to young to move to a bed at about 18 months old? When do you normally put toddlers into beds?

Sophie is getting more teeth! She got her left eye tooth in at the beginning of the week and now the front left tooth has poked through. I think that she is getting all of her front teeth at once and they should pop through any day now. It is hard to check though because ever since the wasp incident, she is very protective of her mouth...poor wee thing.

[Hawaii2SJ]

Thanks for all the Congrats Ladies!!:) I just about 12 weeks and still feeling yucky. Hopefully that will be over soon.

Abby thanks for letting me know about the red dot issue. I guess it probably is just irritation because he will shove his entire hand all over his face/mouth to get the food in:p He only gets a few dots now and then. We don't see our Ped till November 9th so I'll check with her too.

Orion Happy 20 weeks! As for our DC#2 (Aiden will be 18 months) we are luckily getting a FREE crib from our godparents. The crib is by Ragazzi and it seems pretty sturdy. We plan on buying a new mattress of course. As for when to move toddlers out of the crib....I was told in my new mom/parenting class that kids should stay in the crib as long as they can. Probably till 3...my nephew actually still sleeps in his and he's 3. We were told that it will prevent night wakeings (sp?) and roaming around in their room at night. We just plan on playing it by ear with Aiden. But I'd recommend a second crib for the new baby since #1 is still pretty young for a toddler bed.

Well two more weeks and Aiden will be 1 year old:eek: I can't believe it! I'm going nuts with the party planning and MIL is driving me nuts about it. The party is practically like wedding planning and I can't wait for it to be DONE!! MIL loves a BIG SHOW, so we have to have entertainment and a formal "fricken" program. I'm so not in the mood for that. But they are paying for it so we'll see how it turns out. So far we got 150 guests, a ballon artist, magician, a keiki (kid) dance team performance and a singer and DJ plus we may be getting a chinese lion dance act too. un.be.lievable...:rolleyes:

[doubleR]

Oh my god Hawaii, that is crazy that Aiden is 1 in just 2 weeks, I can't believe we're really that close :eek: and WOW!!!! on the party - I'm sure it will be lots of fun. hopefully anyway, right? sorry MIL is driving you nuts though. at least if you happen to snap at her you can always blame it on those damn pregnancy hormones ;) you have to let us know how it goes!

Orion I can't believe you're 20 weeks already, that is amazing. I think I'd try to get a crib too, 15 months sounds a little young to be in a bed already. but, every baby/kid is different so... and at least you're set for the first 3-4 months, maybe wait and see how Sophie is at that point? I don't know, sorry I'm not much help! congrats on hitting the half way mark though, that's gotta feel pretty good :)

jengen thank you! after I posted that I felt bad b/c I think everyone's pictures are adorable, but I couldn't help but notice the new fall pumpkin pic, I love it. I feel like all the baby boys are looking like such little men, it's too funny :)


I just checked out the november 2006 moms thread and cannot believe that it was almost a year ago that I was having those very same thoughts/feelings. I remember it like it was yesterday, but I also have a hard time remembering what life was like pre-Brady. I'm thinking I must have had a whole lot of *free* time ;)

hope everyone had a great weekend :)

[sem426]

1st bday i can't believe it's approaching so quickly. I just went through TONS of pix to try and narrow it down to 12 for our photo progression banner for her party. i was sitting here at work, crying! it was so emotional to see my little baby grow up right before my eyes!
I hear you hawaii on bday party stress! we are having about 40 people in our house and i'm wondering what the heck was i thinking doing this!
i'm really excited, but at the same time can't wait til nov 5 comes and goes!

DD is cruising all over our house..from the couch to coffee table and everywhere in between. she still isn't steady enough to stand or walk unassisted, but I'm FINE w/that for now! it's hard enough to keep up with her crawling and cruising all over the place. We must start gating/babyproofing big time.

[JRPAGV]

Yikes, I've been MIA for a while! Sorry about that. :o

I guess I should also look into having our thread title changed since it's no longer summer.

Orion: I can't believe a wasp stung Sophie in her mouth! :eek: Poor baby! I'm glad she's okay. I can't believe you're already 20 weeks! Time is flying by!

Hawaii2SJ: Wow, you guys are having one huge birthday celebration!! I bet you are stressed out. Sounds like it will be lots of fun, though.

Whole Milk: I plan to transition Nathan to milk (and off the bottle) as soon as he turns a year old.

Flu Shot: Nathan will get one soon. I was worried about it, but his doctor reassured me.

1st Birthday: I've been busy planning for a little while now, but it's severely slowed down due to my indeciveness. :rolleyes:

Teething: Nathan's third tooth finally came through overnight! That thing worked its way down forever!

Baby Bug: You repeat offenders are seriously not helping with the baby bug! Some days I'm getting way too antsy to have another.

Halloween: What are you planning on doing for Halloween (if anything)? Will you be taking your baby trick-or-treating?

Halloween Costume: What's your baby going to be for Halloween?

I bought Nathan a blue octopus costume. :D Here's a pic...

http://static.flickr.com/26/266167090_7884eef22c.jpg?v=0

Gotta go to the grocery store. I'll be back later.

[sem426]

halloween DD will be a lady bug! we are going over to my cousins to walk around a little (i took the day off work!). her daughter is 4 and her son is the same age as DD so i figure we'll walk around w/the strollers while her daughter goes door to door and trick or treats. should be fun!

[abbytfox]

Wow! I have been absent for quite some time. I am trying to do some Live Journaling and find it hard to keep up even with that. Plus, Elliott has been SO challenging lately my computer time is short. Thank goodness for naps!

Here are some recent pics of him! He had his first haircut on Saturday and cried the WHOLE time. It was so sad, but he looked so sweet, I just had to laugh!
Pre-haircut, not a happy camper
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2493/4/52/53/18/69/2/269185352405_0_ALB.jpg
Post haircut with a fake smile!
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2408/4/52/53/18/79/9/979185352405_0_ALB.jpg
After a dinner of avocado. Could he be more of a mess!?
http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos2603/4/52/53/71/47/7/747715352405_0_ALB.jpg

Flu Shot: Elliott got the first dose (I guess the first time they have it they get two shots) and the next one is scheduled for a little before his 1st b-day. He did amazing last time. He always freaks out and he did cry, but only for maybe 30 seconds and then I distracted him with my phone. :) I was SO proud.

1st Birthday: I too have been busy planning for a little while now and our invites just went out last week. I will have to upload my pictures of them to photobucket or something so I can share. I was really happy with how they turned out and we already have gotten some RSVPs. Now I am just working on the details. I baked some cookies and they are in the freezer awaiting frosting a few days before the party. Next, we need to decide how many extra tables we'll need (either one or 2) and order them from the rental place. Our theme is frogs with blue and green and I think I am going to throw some silver in there too.

Teething: I am so through with this teething thing. It turns my normally sweet baby into a clingy, fussy mess. We had 3 terrible weeks and thank goodness we seem to be coming through to the other side.

Baby Bug: When I see a newborn I get really sad realizing that Elliott will never be that again (even though I love who he is and who he is becoming!) At the same time I can't imagine doing everything all over, starting from scratch with a new little person. It is daunting and exciting. We are planning to wait about a year to TTC #2. Sometimes though, I really have the baby bug and think...are we really going to be able to wait THAT long. But then I remember how fast this year went. It will be here before we know it.

Halloween: What are you planning on doing for Halloween (if anything)? Will you be taking your baby trick-or-treating? Elliott and I are going to a friends house and having appetizers and then taking the boys (who are matching pumpkins) to a few houses. Really we just want to show them off! I am sad because DH has a huge presentation the next day and isn't going to be able to come with us. I am going to have to take a bunch of pics for him.

Also, in California, Trick or Treating is at night...when I was growing up in Wisconsin we always went during the day. What is the tradition in your neighborhood? I thought it was SO wierd to go at night, but now I think it is kind of fun. I still have really fond memories of Halloween in WI and loved being out during the day.

[shirsty]

Hi all. Sounds like everyone is doing well!

1st birthday I CANNOT believe this but Sam will be 1 year old tomorrow!! :D I have been reminiscing a lot, like 1 year ago I was so miserable, 1 year ago tonight my water broke at 2AM, etc etc. And he's such a big boy now, he's not walking yet but he seems like a toddler in every other way. Yay!

We had his birthday party last Saturday and it went great. It was a smallish party, 15 in all, just family with 1 friend. Sam loved it, he was so charged up with all those people there admiring him and giving him presents it was great. I will try and post a pic as soon as I download them off the camera. We didn't do a seperate cake for him just gave him a slice, he picked at the frosting for awhile then dumped it over the side when he was done. So no big messy free for all but the icing was blue so we got some good picks anyway ;)

Teething we have teeth coming here too. I feel so bad for him, he usually loves his biter biscuits but couldn't eat them last night or tonight because his gums hurt so bad! :( I hope they pop through soon.

Halloween we got the lion costume from Old Navy for Sam. I thought he would hate it but he loves it! Now if only I could teach him to growl.

waving/pointing Sam just started doing both of these last weekend. It was like the switch flipped, one minute he couldn't and the next he could. Babies are so amazing.

JRPAGV love the pic!! What a cutie and what a CUTE costume!

Abby I can't see your pics - ? I also use the cell in emergency situations, it bought us a whole half hour in the car when Sam was approaching major meltdown mode on our last car trip.

[Bliss]

Add me to the "this year went by WAY too fast" list :) And of course I am the ultimate procrastinator so I am just now getting the bday party list together for Dylan's party. We are having it at the house, close friends and family, probably about 20-30 people.

Halloween Dylan is going to be a cow (I LOVE cows lol). We have a kids Halloween party on Friday w. my moms club. Then on Saturday DH and I are throwing our annual Halloween party for our friends (& their kids). This is the first year we are doing this w. kids (I didnt do it last year since I was so HUGE and DH did not want to plan anything). I am really hoping that the babies go to bed and the adults dont get too rowdy. Oh, and that DH will get up w. Dylan Sunday morning since mama plans on having a good ol' time :D

waving/ pointing Oh yes, Dylan is like a little emperor now, pointing at things and grunting, or saying "dis" and scowling at me if I dont get it fast enough lol. He loves to throw things as far as he can and then turn and point at them while looking at me, as if to say "ok, now go get it". Sometimes I think he thinks that HE is the one playing games trying to amuse ME :)

Baby Bug Totally, in moments of sheer insanity, or when Dylan is asleep lol. We are planning on waiting a year before TTC. I really want to enjoy/focus on Dylan a little longer. But I cannot help but get the "aaaaahs" whenever I see a tiny one. I have a few friends who are PG so I can get all my newborn snuggles in w. them for the meantime.

Oh, and my house has gone to the dogs. Literally. Dylan is obsessed w. throwing his food off his highchair and/or hand feeding his food to my 2 labs. Its hysterical, no matter what I do half the food I give Dylan ends up w. Onyx and Lola. He loves them and loves to feed them, then he yells at me for more food. The darn puffs alone are going to make me bankrupt. :) I have no idea how to break this cycle since the dogs cannot help it, he is dangling food up there after all, and Dylan is just a baby and likes to give them food *sigh*. Someday I am sure I will get a happy, relaxing meal again :)

[krbb]

Happy Birthday Sam!!!!

Halloween - Oliver will be a tree frog. I was going to make his costume, but decided it was too much work because he would only be wearing it for a couple hours. We will take him around to a couple of our neighbors houses and there is a party at the subdivision's clubhouse we may take him to.

Halloween Traditions - Growing up we always did trick-or-treat on Halloween. We would leave when it started getting dark. Here is Ohio TOT is not always on Halloween. The cities also have times for it. That was so weird to me especially when they had TOT on the 30th. In Detroit that is known as Devil's Night!

First Birthday - Oliver is having two small parties. One over Thanksgiving weekend while we are visiting my family and then one on Dec 16 with the ILs and a couple friends. WOW, Hawaii2SJ, that sounds like it is going to be some party!!

Orion - I can't believe you are already halfway through with this pregnancy!! Glad Sophie is ok after the wasp, so scary!!

Teething - Oliver has four teeth. I think he is starting to get his middle top teeth and another one on the bottom.

Waving/pointing - Oliver waves. It is so cute, I will say we are going bye-bye and he will start waving. He kind of points. He uses a fist to point. Oliver is still not clapping though! He does slap his hands on his thighs when he gets excited. I think that is his version of clapping.

Baby bug - Not here. Everyone once in a while I miss Oliver being so little. We plan to start TTC #2 when Oliver is 2.

[sem426]

Happy Birthday Sam!!!

[JRPAGV]

Happy birthday, Sam!!!

[doubleR]

Happy Birthday Sam!

[abbytfox]

Happy 1st Birthday from us too!

We hope you have a great day!

[Alanna]

Happy Birthday Sam!!!

(cant believe how long its been since i posted over here... )

time flies!!!

[first-time mom]

Happy Birthday Sam!

Baby bug-not yet. We may have another one but we are not 100% sure. We are going to go to a genetic counselor first to find out what our chances of heart defects are. If we do have one it wont be until Kaylin is 2! I want to enjoy her first before adding another.

Halloween- This is celebrated on halloween here at night. Kaylin is going to be a bunny rabbit. We are going to the mall b/c they do trick or treating from 5-7. I figure she is too young so we are going to do it this way.


Teething-still no teeth here but I can feel one just below the surface of her gum so it could be anytime.

First party- Kaylins is nov. 11th and there are about 30+ people coming. Her theme is Poohs first b-day. It should be fun. It is in my home town and all my friends are going to the bar that night so it will be a mini reunion. :)

Walking-Kaylin takes 6 consecutive steps at a time now. She is very steady and I think she would be doing this full time but crawling is faster :O)

Kaylin is just getting over an ear infection and has a re-check on Friday! I didnt have a clue she had one but she ran a 103.5 temp so I took her in.

She is also having her annual echocardiagram next week on Nov 2nd. I am a little nervous even though I was told not to worry. Ugh its hard though. I will be glad when its over.

Sorry I have been MIA, the live journal thing keeps me busy. HOpe all is well. SOrry if I missed someone.

[Lindzee82]

Happy Birthday to Sam!!!!!

[oceanblue]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!!!

walking-all the time now, he can't stand up on his own yet (needs a piece of furniture or something), so the only time he crawls now is to get to that to stand up.

Halloween-Hayden is going to be Scooby Doo. He inherited it from his older cousin and he looks so cute in it, I'll have to post pictures.

teething-still only the bottom and top two, but he's been drooling quite a bit lately, so he could be getting some more.

1st b-day party-it will be on Dec. 10th (his b-day is the 8th), just now really getting into the planning phase, but we haven't picked out a theme or anything yet.

Baby bug-we're at it again! See my sig! :D

[shirsty]

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!! Unfortunately the teething is hitting Sam pretty hard and we gave him a big bottle and put him to bed early tonight, instead of going to the park after supper like I had hoped. I'm glad we got to celebrate last weekend. Also wanted to mention that we did the photo progression clothesline thing at our party and people LOVED IT.

here's a pic of Sam enjoying his cake:

http://images.photo.walgreens.com/3484%3A6592%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A%3A%3A%3D838%3 DXROQDF%3E23235774%3B%3B283ot1lsi

It's funny I really feel like this is MY big day too, like wow I have been a mom for an entire year, I really did give birth to this amazing person, etc. etc. Whoa a year ago from right now I had been pushing for 1.5 hours, with 1 hour left to go!! :eek: I had so many doubts in the beginning (still do really) but hey I've been at this mom thing for a whole year now. And doing a pretty good job I think.

Looking forward to all the other baby birthdays coming up!

[snoopy30]

Happy {belated} Birthday Sam!

I can't believe our babies are turning one! :eek:

walking-No walking here yet. I think Spencer is happy with his crawling, cruising and pulling-up strategy. He can pretty much get to what he wants that way! Good for him, bad for me sometimes, LOL. He stands alone really well but doesn't want to take steps.

Halloween-Spencer is a bunny. I got a him a costume at Baby Gap on sale for $10 so I was happy. My friends and I had a Halloween playgroup last week and all the babies dressed up. It was soooo cute!

teething-Spencer has 4 and it looks like he's slowly working on 2 more but it's not bothering him yet.

1st birthday-No real plans as of yet. Both our families are far away and won't be here on his actual b-day so we'll probably just have an informal get-together with friends and their kids. My family will be here for Thanksgiving which is a week before his b-day so we'll probably celebrate then too.

baby bug-Haven't been bitten yet ;) I am sad that Spencer is growing up so quickly but I'm very happy with just him right now. We'd like for Spencer and #2 to be about 3 years apart.

pointing-Spencer does this some. And you can tell he's trying to talk but no real words yet. He says "das" alot but we're not sure what that means. He understands ALOT which is just amazing.


I am *finally* getting some professional pics of Spencer today! His outfit is soooo cute I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Not much else going on. Spencer is really starting to get attached to me. He clings to my legs when I'm trying to fix his meals. It can get really frustrating but flattering at the same time :)

Hope everyone is doing well!!

[Lindzee82]

I went back to the first page of the thread and got this:

NOVEMBER
03- Caitlin Elizabeth (Kristen78)
03- Lily Kate (Decemberwed)
03- Lauren Marie (Bella213)
04- Abigail Marianne (Abby) (KarenInSF)
05- Aiden Kala'i (Hawaii2SJ)
08- Zoe (Albuquerque)
10- Joey (Sebski)
10- Molly Eleanor (Alanna)
10- Kaylin Mae (First-time mom)
11- Andrew (LSUGirl)
13- Liliana Chloe (Jaycee)
15- Matthew Timothy (Lindzee82)
15- Cameron Grant (amypooh)
18- Jack William Peter (MrsBuw)
21- Elliott Solomon (abbytfox)
22- Dylan Donovan (Bliss)
22- Hayley Ilyse (sem426)
22- Loren Nicole (fwgirl)
24- Hadley (burkiel)
25- Kelly Ruth Serene (Natasha)
26- Leo Abraham (e&d)
27- Benjamin Jared (kinaida)

DECEMBER
03- Connor Benjamin (Jrbnj)
05- Andrew Thomas (ktdelsur)
05- Brady Nelson (doubleR)
07- Anna Lee (happygolucky)
07- Nathan Andrew (JRPAGV)
07- Olivia Holly (rachrich)
08- Hayden Daniel (aprilbride2002)
08- Christian John (AMC)
09- Owen Richard (jaredsgirl)
09- Maya Lee (kamileer)
11- Sophie Madeline (Orion)
12- Oliver Robert (krbb)
12- Melanie (helen22)
14- Julia Emma (Tinkerbell)
15- Cole John (jengen)
21- Isaac Elliott (Postkalidurga)
21- Sophia Carmen (malala)
22- Cate (Mamax2)
29- Brenden Calvin (Torch76)
29- Daniella Jamie (MrsTazlvr)
30- Brandon Michael JR (Cookie777)


Look at all the first birthdays that are coming up!!!!!

[JRPAGV]

Wow, we should have lost a lot of our group members! :eek: I hope everyone is doing okay. I'd love to hear how everyone's babies are doing.

[Mrsbuw]

Yikes, sorry I am one of the MIA members. I do come by and read but I feel bad about posting because I have been away for sooooo long.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM!!!

Baby bug-Not really. The older Jack gets the more I long for another little one (who can't throw tantrums)

Halloween -Jack is going to be Winnie the Pooh. His face looks so chubby in the outfit, he looks so cute. He will wear the outfit to his playgroup in the morning and then we are going to help give out candy at my in-laws that night.

Teething- We have two full top and bottom teeth plus two "half" top teeth. I think Jack is getting a few more because he is so grumpy and the drool is insane.

First party- Jack's b-day is nov. 18th and we will just have a casual drop in for cake and coffee sort of deal. Some of your parties sound amazing!!!

Walking -Lots of furniture cruising but no walking yet. I think Jack will be one of those babies who run instead of walk so for now crawling is just fine:rolleyes:

I have been feeling so sad lately. I have been on Mat leave for 11 months (we get a year off here in Canada) and I go back on the 27th of November. I know I am lucky that I have had so much time off but I still feel so sad. I guess a part of it is that I have almost weaned Jack off the breast. The other part is he really likes his daycare lady. Today he didn't even seem happy to see me:( . I know I should be happy that he likes daycare and I am. I guess I am just being silly but the clock is ticking for me. Sorry I know I have no right to complain.

Jack just woke up, I am really going to try and become active in this thread again. I miss talking to other moms...
have a great day everyone.

[Orion]

Happy Birthday Sam! Shirsty: that photo of Sam is just too cute!

Mrsbuw: I know how you feel. I was at home for a year (only nine months of that was with Sophie though) and it killed when my mat leave was over and I had to go back to work. One thing that is helping me though is taking a random day off here and there to have Mommy and Sophie days. I took last Thursday and Friday off just because I wanted to spend the time with Sophie. Of course it also helps to know that in a few short months I will be on mat leave again so I will have all the time in the world (at least all the time having two babies under 15 month will allow me to have :eek: ). I won't be returning to work after this mat leave so that also makes going to work everyday more bearable because I know that it only for a short time than that will be it!

aprilbride2002: Welcome to the dark side ;) ! Sending you lots of baby dust!

Had our big u/s on Monday and had a doctors appointment yesterday for the results. I am measuring right on target, the amniotic fluid is perfect, the baby is healthy and all is well. So good to hear news like that.

Sophie is doing really well. She is teething again but not so bad. Right now she has her two bottom teeth and her left eye tooth...it looks so funny. I am trying to get a picture so I can post it. Does anyone else have a problem with their DC grinding their teeth? It sounds so awful and is driving me nuts!

[shirsty]

Orion thanks! I can't believe you're halfway through your pregnancy already. Glad to hear things are going well for you.

Mrsbuw you have every right to feel sad about going back to work - yes there are lots of us who wish we had a year off too but in some ways I'm sure it's harder to go back after being off that long. I know what you mean about it being hard when they aren't *thrilled* when you pick them up. I have had a couple times at daycare where Sam has CRIED when I took him from the daycare person, now that is tough!! :( I have figured out though that it seems to happen when he's tired or cranky, or if I just swoop in the door and grab him right away. I need to take 30 seconds-1 minute and let him adjust to my presence then he's OK. So hang in there, there's lots of us dealing with those feelings.

[Mrsbuw]

Orion & shirsty Thanks, you both made me feel better. Shirsty, I would have been so sad if Jack cried when leaving daycare. That must have been really tough. My SIL is having the same trouble with her DD at daycare. She thinks it is because her DD has so much fun at daycare but gets pretty bored at home.

Orion When Jack first got his top teeth he would grind alll day. It was awful. I think now that he is used to them he doesn't do it as much.

Have a good weekend everyone. I hope all the babies deal well with the time change. I have a feeling we will be hope VERY early on sunday:rolleyes:

[Orion]

Mrsbuw: I am preparing for a very early morning. I was hoping to keep Sophie up a bit later tonight to prepare for the time change but she was having nothing to do with that. She went to bed at 6 pm so I think that I will be up at 5 am with her...yuck! DH is away with the Navy this week-end too so I can't tell him to get up with her this time!

[Lindzee82]

grinding teeth - Yep, we have that. Drives me out of my mind!!!!!! It is the worst sound. Just thinking about it gives me the shivers!

[Sebski]

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[jengen]

happy belated b-day sam! such a cute cake pic! :)

baby bug Not even close. Now that his first b-day is coming up, we are getting all kinds of questions about #2 and I say we'll reevaluate when he's turning 2.

waving/pointing/other milestonesCole has been waving hi and bye for about a month now and started pointing a couple of weeks ago. He says "dis" and "dat" sometimes when pointing and "woof woof" all.the.time. No walking yet, but definitely standing up a whole lot more this week.

grinding teeth yes! Drives me nuts! Not as bad as when they first came in though

MrsBuw nice to see you! It sucks going back to work. Cole went through a phase where he was jumping out of my arms and into the daycare lady's and didn't care at all (or cried) when I picked him up and while it was comforting to know he loves his daycare, it killed me. Now, he's crying when I drop him off...neither is easy! I wish you the best of luck.

[Natasha]

Hi everyone! I have been MIA for a really long time. But, with November already here, I wanted to check in and see how everyone is doing. Everyones babies look adorable! With a 3.5 year old and Kelly about to be one, I don't get to keep up with the threads I'd like to.


Here's a picture of my little ones on Halloween. Kelly was Piglet, and big brother Ethan was Winnie the Pooh!
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l258/Natasha1018_1982/halloween0600141.jpg

Also wanted to chime in regarding the baby bug. I have it bad. But, since we haven't gotten around to getting married yet, we are shooting for TTC next October, after the wedding.

[krbb]

Happy Birthday Aiden (Hawaii2SJ)!

[Orion]

Happy Birthday Aiden!

Natasha: Your kids are too cute!

[rachrich]

Happy Birthday to all the babies who have just turned one, or will in the next few days.
Like some have mentioned I've been MIA for a while too.....ahhhh things just pile up and I always feel behind with stuff and never have time to relax. and when I do have that time I like to spend it playing with Olivia. She's so fun to play with these days.
Babybug it's creeping up on me. haha I'd like to finish my Masters degree before giving birth again, but that won't be for almost 2 years. I think we're going to start TTC again a year from now.
Halloween Olivia was a butterfly. it was so cute. we went Trick-or-treating on Halloween night. and she takes late afternoon/early eve naps so she woke up right before it was time to go! she was rubbing her eyes when we were out-i felt bad but she was having fun. She didn't understand of course, but we've been letting her suck on a little bit of candy here and there. shame on me i know! oh well. We had such a fun night though!
i thinnk i said i'd post pictures awhile ago-yeah never did- but i'll get around to it within the week.
Have a great week everyone.

[ktdelsur]

Hi all, I've been MIA too, since so many of you have moved to LJ!!

Halloween: Very uneventful in our house. We didn't take him trick or treating since he can't eat the candy anyway (I'm a party pooper, I know, but we're on a budget and couldn't justify spending money on a costume when he wasn't going out anywhere). He *did* have a cute Carter's halloween pants/long-sleeved onesie outfit on though to commemorate the occasion.

BabyBug: No real baby bug here. DH is still in grad school until May - and Andrew was a surprise baby as it is. We want them to be 3-4 years apart if we can help it.

Happy Birthday to all the already one-year-olds!

We're having a big family party at the end of November when we're all together for Thanksgiving - and just having a small family thing on his actual birthday (12/5).

I can't believe it. We were all huge and complaining about waiting on labor at this point last year - and hadn't even met these amazing little human beings we'd been carrying all that time!:D I just love watching Andrew learn new things, and get so excited as he walks towards me and collapses in my lap. Love it.

[Mrsbuw]

Happy Birthday Aiden!!!!

[sem426]

I didn't get online al weekend so I wanted to say belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDEN!! Hope you had a fabulous party in Hawaii!!

We had DD's birthday party yesterday a few weeks early bc we will be on vacation for her actual b-day. It was a GREAT day! I was so stressed out planning it bc we had 47 people in our house! But it all turned out fine. We had everyone all over the place, kids running around, plaaying and everyone had a great time! DD did really well...there were so many people I think she was a bit overwhelmed, but she held up great. she was super tired by the end, and in desperate need of a nap, but overal she was such a good girl. She is allergic to eggs, so she couldn' have the big bday cake...so my mom made her special eggless cupcakes. she's never had cake or icing before, so it was really funny watching her attack it. she starting crying at first bc i think she was scared of the gooey icing all over her hands! then once she tasted it, she was very happy:D .
she got some really great gifts, and not too many that need to be exchanged! i need to upload the pix still, but will post some once i do. we had a birthday banner and i did a laundry line of pictures which was a big hit.

we will have a little party on her actual birtday when we are in florida w/family before thanksgiving.

[Bliss]

Happy first birthday to all our little ones!

Party- We are having Dylan's party on 12/10, a little late after his actual bday but we are going to be on vacation around then so I figured its better to make it a little later and not go crazy trying to do everything at once. We are having it at the house, I made his invites w. a pic of him in a hat with a "1" on it, and in a baby's first birthday onesie. I had them printed at Shutterfly, they came out great. I would definitely recommend them for photo cards.

Oh, the tantrums at my house. My little pumpkin has definitely found his voice and take no shit personality just like his daddy :D :D He now throws tantrums, esp. if he is playing with something and you take it. Or when he is hungry and I dont have food there at*that*minute. I feel like I suddenly work for a very small, very demanding boss LOL. I swear I cannot believe how loud this kid can scream, its amazing. But then he recovers in a minute, and gives me that big smile and all is forgotten :)

I am planning on going back to work PT (2 days a week) in Jan-Feb. Part of me is excited to get out and talk to grownups, and part wonders how I will ever survive the day w.out seeing Dylan. I know how lucky I am that I get to be a SAHM, and 2 days is nothing, but I am still having a hard time preparing myself. Luckily a close friend of ours (who has a 6m old) will be watching him. So I know he is in great hands.

Table food- What is everyone giving their kiddies to eat for lunch and dinner? I know there is a thread on this but I cannot make it through all those pages LOL. Dylan still eats a stage 2, unless he sees me eating "real" food and then he must have some also. For lunch I have been giving him cold cuts, like turkey and chicken and some cheese, or a grilled cheese (he loves them) w. a stage 2 fruit. Yes, he is a little piggy, although his interest in baby food is really waning so I know I have to get him into some "big boy" foods. I am usually lost around dinner, the kid is living off of chicken cut up, or pasta. Help!

[doubleR]

hi everyone. add me to the MIA. it's tough finding some free time these days... I know you all can relate!

happy belated birthday to Aiden :D

and Sem it sounds like your party went great! you are 1 brave mama having all those people in your house ;)

I am actually quite embarrassed to admit this, but... we *just* had Brady's christening / baptism yesterday :eek: shame on us, huh? I think my grandmother (who goes to church everyday... yes, every.day!) was getting really nervous that we hadn't... anyway, we just didn't do it when he was 3 or 4 months old like most people we know do :rolleyes: for whatever reason. but, it went great... we tried to keep it small (my family is huge) and had 30 people, which means we had it at a restaurant. Brady did great. We had to wake him up from his morning nap to go to church, the ceremony was during his usual lunch time... the poor little guy was so off, plus he was being smothered by people he doesn't really know all that well... and he still did so great. People kept commenting on how well behaved he is :) and, like we have absolutely anything to do with it ~ I'm pretty sure we just totally lucked out with this guy, lol! here is a picture of him once I sat him down to finally eat ~

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/girlreiss/christening.jpg

yup, he has a runny nose. teething AND he's getting over a sinus infection. he started antibiotics last wednesday. this is the only picture I have at work, my cousin just sent it to me. hoping we get some better shots of him/us and his cute little outfit!

baby bug yes and no. Brady is seriously so good and I'm convinced that people don't get this lucky twice, so... we're holding off for now! plus, with DH's work schedule and travel, there is NO WAY I'm doing everything I'm doing now, with 2 kids. but when I see a little baby, I definitely am looking forward to doing it all again. am I sick? crazy? of course I don't want you to answer that!

halloween we live in a super busy neighborhood and since it was such a beautiful night, I just parked Brady's stroller out front, sat on the steps and handed out candy. Brady was a very cute, non-scary skeleton. so not creative, it was one of those little sweatsuits from BRU that I got like 2 days before for $3. LAME I AM! he had a parade at daycare and that was adorable - I could not believe how much some parents got into it. I mean, next year, when he knows what's going on a little more and is actually walking, I'm sure I'll do more... whatever though! some of the kids were really really cute. and then as it gets later, the kids get older and more obnoxious, and just want free candy. that's about when I went inside and shut the lights off.

birthday party well, since we just got our act together on the baptism and I don't want people to get annoyed with us for having back-to-back Brady parties, we're keeping it small and we'll do it at my parents house, the saturday after thanksgiving - his birthday is the 26th, that Sunday. I am doing the clothes line picture banner thing... which is such a great idea. I can't wait to see what some of you all are doing, I definitely lurk in the party thread, lol!

table food my least favorite subject. Bliss you're doing way more than we're doing, so don't feel bad! I keep buying those cheese crumbles, those are a big hit... with some bite size crackers. he'll eat those while I'm getting whatever else ready. he does ok with waffles, toast, pasta... he's had a veggie burger and loved it. we still use the mesh feeders a lot though, he just gags on everything and it is SO frustrating. so we're still doing lots of stage 2's. sometimes he's eating 3 jars at dinner. I keep trying different things and he's starting to get to the point where he wants to do more and more himself, so... I'm just thinking that at some point he'll reach the point where he doesn't want anything to do with the jars... I'm not rushing it though, I figure when he's ready, he's ready.

Bliss I think that's great that you're going back to work just 2 days a week. for me, that would be ideal. gets you out of the house and away from the babe but just for a little bit. and no matter when you do it, it's not easy. just remember that the whole anxiety beforehand is worse than actually doing it. oh, and enjoy the rest of your time completely off!

grinding teeth I can't stand this. he did it when his first teeth came in, then stopped. but now it is back and it is worse than ever.

ok, I think that's a long enough post. hope everyone is doing well!

[shirsty]

Sem congrats on a great party! I am impressed I would freak out with 47 people in my house.

Natasha love the halloween pic, that must be so fun to coordinate the costumes when you have two (and they're young enough to put up with it ;))

Bliss too funny about D's personality, we are having some of those episodes too. A really typical meal for Sam is cut up grapes, cheese, tomato, crackers. I am getting more and more into quesadillas too, those are so easy, he loves em with cheese and black beans. Today I made one for lunch with cream cheese, ham, and broccoli, it went over well. Veggies are harder for us, I try to get him to eat frozen veggies but a lot of them end up on the floor.

doubleR hey we haven't baptized Sam yet either!! We keep going back and forth and back and forth about it, ugh. We're actually going to a class about it at a local church this week to try and make a stinkin decision, and I am SURE we'll be the only ones with a 1 year old there, oh well. Sounds like everything went well for you guys! Sorry to hear the teeth grinding has reared its ugly head again.

speaking of baby bug... I just saw in the Breastfeeding thread that our own Sebski is expecting twins!!!!! :D :D Maybe she'll come in here and share the good news with us! Congrats Sebski if you're out there!!