August 2006 Mommies and Babies!

[jesseybell]

No STTN here. We continue to regress. We put her down at 7:30, she was up at 8:30, woke her up at 10 and 12:15 to eat. She woke up fussing at 3. By the time I got the bottle she was back asleep. Mommy didn't go back to sleep before she got up at 5:15. Alarm off at 6. I am a walking zombie!

TV - She loves watching the TV. Re: my rant about football yesterday, DH bought us a 50" Plasma since he won't be going to all the Patriots games. So the faces are really really big. It is sad but when she is fussing, we can turn her bouncy chair towards the tv and she shushes up.

I left her with my parents today. It was so hard to leave her because she was chattering away with my dad. So adorable!


Yesterday at daycare they fed her at 3:20 and I picked her up at 5:20 so I had a screaming kid on my hands when I got home. Note to self: Bring snacks for me in the car because I was starving when I got home. I didn't get to eat anything for over an hour.

[PLNUBRIDE]

Her stats from her last appt (it was a few weeks ago):
Weight : 12 lbs 0 ozs
Length : 23 inches

Something like the 50% and 60% percentile respectively

Clothes: Lily is all over the board. She can still fit in a few NB things, but is mainly wearing 3 month stuff. 3-6 and 6 month stuff is a tad big, but we use those too.
Diapers: Size 1's. They don't seem too small and she has yet to leak through one
Eating: She was eating 5 oz every 3 hours. Now, as of yesterday she is eating 5.5 ozs every 3.5 hours. But, we will see how that works since she is quite the spit-up girl
Sleeping: Night: 9:15pm-6:00am. Her naps vary...sometime will take a 2 hour nap, but for the most part she takes about 3-4 1 hour naps
Likes: Her activity mat, kicking vigerously while on her changing table and bath time
New Tricks: I think she just found her hands, so she is constantly gazing at them and folding them together. She also has started to actually giggle (but I have only heard it a few times). She also is in the beginning stages of looking in the direction of sound.

Jesseybell- I tried to go back to see how long the sleep regression has been going on, but I couldn't tell. I just wanted to give you some encouragement. Lily went through a major sleep regression last week that lasted for about 5 days. So, hopefully you will only have a few more days. I know how frustrating it can be (I am quite the type A personality) - I was beside myself praying that it wasn't a permanent change...luckily it wasn't.

Tgoodgy - yeah, I know what you mean about the whole scientific process of charting. To be honest, I am right there with ya! I didn't mind doing it when I was trying to get pregnant...because an "opps" was ok. But, now, that we are ademently TTA, an "opps" is not an option and I am a bit too lazy to depend soley on the charting thing:).

Ok...gotta go, but will post more later. I want to get some advice on the DTD topic:)

[mrstim]

Definitely not STTN here either!

Clothes: Ryan also wears various sizes. NB/0-3 onesies, 0-3 month pants, and a few 3-6 month rompers. He's outgrown two of his Ralph Lauren 6 month outfits though, they're obviously sized small!
Diapers: Size 2 or 3's. We're finishing out the pack of 2's that we have, but I have to really stay on top of changing him or he'll blow them out. He wears 3's at night.
Eating: ALL THE TIME! No really, he's on me about 10 times a day, no kidding.
Sleeping: Nightime, he's sleeping from about 9:45-3:00, then wakes up to eat every hour thereafter. That's about every other night - the other nights he wakes up at around 12:00. naps: he likes to go to sleep around 9am, then sleep with one eating wake up until around 12. Then, he's up until mid-afternoon when he gets a quick 30 minute or so catnap.
Likes: hair dryer, vaccum cleaner, dishwasher, dryer, his mobile (only through one time, though) and laying on the changing table. He loves anything that rattles, and to be cuddled and held close.
New Tricks: He hangs on to my bra for dear life while eating, he kicks in the bath water, bats at the catterpillar I have hanging on the side of the changing table, and he also gnaws on his hands or our clothes all day long. He's drooling a TON now - even getting his clothes wet.
TV:We don't have one, so not an issue here!

[duke's flygirl]

HI all, I haven't been on CC for a while now.

I had my DD and Liam to the doctor yesterday and Liam is now weighing 15.98lbs! My little chubby monkey!
Update
Clothes: Just into 3-6 month in just about everything
Diapers: Size 2
Eating: every 2 to 4 hours during the day and up usually once a night sometimes twice
Sleeping: Night: bed between 9 and 10pm with a night feeding anywhere between 2 and 5 am. Cat naps during the day
Likes: To be held, talked to, and playing with big sis R, his Clutch Cube
New Tricks: Talking more, grabbing my hair, and batting at objects and grabbing on to them more and more!

Sorry no time for SO's, but my DH left yesterday and won't be back until the 24th, so I am single parenting it. My BFF is coming on Thursday for the weekend and leaving on Monday, so that will be a bit of a reprival. She is L's God mother and this is her first time meeting L. I'm excited! I hope to get his 3 month pictures and his sisters 2 year ones on Friday while she is here.

My parents were in town for R's 2nd Birthday, and my sis was here the weekend before. I can't believe how little time I have to myself now with 2 little ones.

Hope you are all doing well...I'm trying to get caught up!

[dandygirl]

I had lots of catching up to do -- have had a hectic several days at work and no time to read/post. :(

amyinlosangeles Hi! I live in Pasadena, but I've worked all over town, so perhaps that's it? I'm in advertising -- been with the same company, but we've moved 3 x's in the last 3 years. Ugh. Hope we're set to stay for a while!

plnubride & tgoody regarding TTC I charted on a great site - http://www.fertilityfriend.com There are some features that are free and it's really all you need. I took my basal temp each morning and logged that along with some of the other basics you guys mentioned. Once we figured out my cycle, we were prego!

Congrats to all you gals with babies STTN! We have had a handful of nights like that, but it isn't the norm.

We had our 3 mos WBV yesterday. DD is 25 inches long (!), 11 lbs 14 oz. She's a long, lean eating machine! Ped says she's just growing long before filling out and not to worry. DH and I are tall, so it isn't surprising to either of us.

Clothes - still in the 0-3 mos sizes, but she already has the 'highwater' issue with most pants! :( 3-6 mos clothes are still a bit baggy, but it won't be long.

Diapers - still in size 1s; same as above.

Eating - nurses 4-5 times in a 24 hour period and takes 3 4 oz bottles at daycare during the day. She spits up quite a bit. Pediatrican recommended that I put a little rice cereal in the bottles and see if gravity keeps it down. Anyone else heard of this? I haven't tried it yet since we just saw the dr. yesterday.

Sleeping - this is going well. DD goes down b/w 7:30/8:30 each night these days. She's up once around 4/4:30 a.m. to nurse, then awake for the morning around 6:30/7. Naps are a bit more random - some days she'll take a 3+ hour nap in daycare and another few short ones, other days she'll take lots of 30-45 min naps.

Likes - loves our singing routines and smiles at us. We sing Patticake, Patticake or I'm a Little Teapot while bouncing her around a bit. She's even laughed a few times! She also seems (strangely, being MY DD) to like watching football with DH. :rolleyes:

New Tricks - She's definitely discovered her hands, staring at them, putting them in her mouth and clasping. She can grasp toys put in her lap, and has discovered how to hold onto my hair (tightly!). She has just started cooing too. Literally yesterday. DH thought a dove was in the car - LOL! She has been chattering to me the last two mornings and has the cutest look on her face, suddenly realizing she's making that noise. :D

[PLNUBRIDE]

Dandygirl - About the rice cereal. I have heard that from several people (not for my Ped though. But, I never discusses it with her). We actually use the Emfamil Lipil AR (for babies that spit-up). It is thicker than normal formula and although Lily spits up quite a bit, she spit up even more when we had her on normal formula for about 2 days! So, I can say that "thickness" has helped us, but we have never actually tried the rice cereal thing.

About STTN...it looks like your DD has a pretty good sleep schedule to me:)

The DOVE comment is funny...when Lily giggled for the first time both DH and I looked at each other like "was that really her"? too cute

[dandygirl]

Thanks plnubride. I'm still bf'ing, but I'll see if the rice cereal helps. Figured if nothing else, maybe it'll put some meat on her bones! :)

[Chimichanga]

I'm honestly surprised your ped recommended the rice cereal, dandygirl. Every time we go to the doctor, they tell us to just keep giving her BM or formula only; that she does not need anything more.

We're trying to keep Reagan off rice cereal until 6 months; we'll see though.

[ajlanden]

STTN-Technically I guess we are mostly there, depending on what your definition is...I still get up around 3-4 because he goes down so early. For awhile I tried to get him up and feed him before I went down, but honestlylI think this hurt more than helped. He was more wakeful at night. I am not complaining though. He (knock on wood) has been a much better sleeper than DD. We didn't start STTN consistently until close to 12 months. :eek:

Jen-I'm honestly surprised your ped recommended the rice cereal, dandygirl. Every time we go to the doctor, they tell us to just keep giving her BM or formula only; that she does not need anything more.
It must totally depend on your pedi. I have heard that rice cereal can really help with spit-up and reflux. Our ped said that starting at 4 months is great, but mostly for practice. That if there is no history of severe allergies, starting that early can't hurt as along as the majority of the nurishment still comes from BM or F. I think you will find almost as many opinions as there are doctors. I guess we all just have to make our own minds up. Darn-it! I am still waiting for my complete handbook on how to be a great mommy. I check the mail every day! :)

dandygirl-I think slipping in a meal of cereal or two is a good idea. At least you can say you tried it! Isn't cooing great?

Joelle-Hey there stranger! I miss you!

PLNUBRIDE-Ooooo, I am excited for your DTD question!!! :D

I was just looking at the first page of our thread. Our babies have grown so much in such a small amount of time!!!! CRAZY!!

[jennylou]

How about some updates?
Clothes: Mainly 3-6, with some 0-3's (onesies) and some 6-9 (jeans)
Diapers: Cloth
Eating: On demand - usually every 2-3 hours, except for overnight.
Sleeping: Short naps, will sttn - goes down between 9-10:30 and sleeps until around 8:30 am - and yes, I love it. :D I'm hoping our upcoming trip doesn't screw it all up!
Likes: To be held - facing out so she can see the world, likes to nurse, likes to sleep in her swing.
New Tricks: Giggling, talking (her own language of course!)
Weight: She was 13 lbs, 5 oz on Monday - continuing to grow very well - go mommas milk. :)

[Abby'sMom]

Rice cereal - If you do it, be really careful and make sure it's SUPER watery. It can be a huge choking hazard. With all of L's food sensitivities (I caved this morning during a moment of extremely high stress and had a fun-size Snickers bar... I've been paying for it ALL DAY LONG now) and my own allergic history, I doubt we'll give him any cereal at all until at least 6 months; maybe 7 or 8.

MrsTim, how scary about the accident! And I agree with the PPs - see if your insurance will buy a new car seat for you. Any car seats involved in accidents like yours can't be used again. :(

Joelle, sending you lots of patience!

Charting - I've been charting my cycles since I got married; I've never been on the pill or anything. I really don't have any issue with it and don't consider it a hassle at all; after a while, it kind of became second nature to roll over, take my temp and make a mental note of it. :)

Clothes - Mostly 3-6 months.

Eating - Like a piglet! Still on my stupid diet so I can BF; he tends to cluster feed in the mornings for a few hours, and then several other times throughout the day.

Diapers - Just started size 2 (when the size 1 box ran out of dipes).

Sleeping - ugh, next question. I think I'm having the opposite experience as Ashley - DD started STTN after a few months and has always been a great sleeper (knock on wood). L... not so much. He is a very very light sleeper and because of that doesn't nap well (since his sister is loud most of the time).

Likes - chewing / drooling on his hands, watching his sister act goofy, lying on the floor and 'talking' a lot.

New things - not a lot, really. DD's 2nd birthday was Friday and her party was yesterday, so the focus has pretty much been on her. The hand-sucking has become especially prominent over the past week, though.

[dandygirl]

Jennylou what a great little sleeper you have!!!

[Camdynlyn]

Ped told us we could start rice cereal/oatmeal around 3 months if we wanted for 'practice' and not nutrition. We aren't starting yet, but just wanted to mention it.

When we supplement a few times with formula, we use Enfamil AR.

[K&H's mommy]

How about some updates?

Clothes: 0-3 months, but starting on the 3-6 months. Especially the Gymboree stuff.

Diapers: size 1's, but once this pack is done we are on to size 2's.

Eating: whenever she wants. Usually every 2-3 hours and once at night.

Sleeping: Great at night. Goes down at 7pm, wakes up once (usually around 5am) and then up at 7:30/8:00am for the day. She's a horrible day napper though. Only in my arms or the swing, not in her bed.

Likes: mobile, sound of the vacuum (puts her to sleep),

New Tricks: talking, playing with her hands, turning over onto her tummy.

Weight: At two months (last week) she was 12 pounds 12.5 ounces - big chunk.

rolls - anyone else have a baby with a ton of thick rolls? I have to be very diligent about cleaning out the creases under her neck and in her thighs because they will get read and stink. I've used nystatin and creams to help it out, but there's nothing I can really do. My pedi said just keep it dry, but that's hard!!!

[PLNUBRIDE]

Ajlanden - you are too funny. I have a feeling that my question will be quite the "let-down".:) Here is my question....did anyone's most satisfying position change after child birth? Let me just say, I used to hate being on top, but now that is the only position that feels good. I should also add that DTD still hurts quite a bit (curious if that is normal), except for the 1 position. Just curious if anyone else has experienced this

The whole rice cereal topic is very interesting. I guess I am confused now. Do pedi's recommend rice cereal in the bottle, or do you actually feed it DC with a spoon? I never realized a 3 month old could eat "solid food" so to speak. Boy I guess I still have alot to learn. Ajlanden - When you get your book could you let me know...then I know mine is on its way:)

K&H's Mommy - about the rolls. Since Lily spits up quite a bit, I have this problem under her chin. We do give Lily a bath everyday and I tend to use a baby wipe maybe 1-2 times a day to clean there too. Where she has major rolls is on her legs, but for whatever reason those seem to be ok. Again, the daily bath I guess helps and when I change her I make sure to wipe between the rolls with one wipe and then wipe her "other area" with another wipe. I wish I could let her air out down there, but she seems to enjoy going potty with no diaper on, so her bath time is when she gets a "free" moment:)


Another question: Does anyone know what temp is considered a fever when taking an ear temp? I was under the impression that ear temps tend to run higher, so anything under 100.4 is considered ok. Lily had a temp of 100.5 tonight, which I consider to be a fever (not to mention some other symptoms lead me to believe she is getting sick)..but I am just curious if that is considered a slight fever or a full fever...if that makes sense. I will be calling my pedi tomorrow, and I am not taking Lily to daycare so I can watch her, but I just wanted to get some initial feedback. We did give her tylenol and that seemed to help

[isaacsmommy]

I am really behind in here. I have been reading just not posting as much.

Clothes: 6-12 in gymboree clothes (which is what he has mostly right now). He can still fit in some 3-6 mnths, but barely.

Diapers: size 3 for about a month now
Eating: A lot :p .

Sleeping: Usually pretty good, not STTN consistently, but close. Naps great.

Likes: Blankets, his hands, being on his belly, being tickled, oh and the tv and ceiling fans are entrancing:rolleyes: .

New Tricks: trying to sit up, holding onto/ grabbing toys.

Weight: He was 14lbs at two months and my best guess now is probably 17 lbs. He is easily as big as a 7 month old.

rolls Oh yeah he has rolls in places I never thought possible, he is my little chubby. It is hard to keep it dry, but I haven't had to many problems with redness or anything.

DTD- Any position is fine by me ;) I had a c-sec though. (Of course my dh also claims I am more like a man than a woman when it comes to sex drive, lol).

Be back in a bit with 3 month/halloween/fall pics.

[isaacsmommy]

Grant:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/sleddogg83/The%20Boys/2006_10Oct_24/P09501058_015_206_110106.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/sleddogg83/The%20Boys/2006_10Oct_24/P09501058_015_199_110106.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/sleddogg83/The%20Boys/2006_10Oct_24/P09501058_015_198_110106.jpg
Grant and Isaac:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/sleddogg83/The%20Boys/2006_10Oct_24/P09501058_015_194_110106.jpg
My fav of just Isaac:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/sleddogg83/The%20Boys/2006_10Oct_24/P09501058_015_197_110106.jpg

[JenniferH]

Isaacsmommy ~ They are SOOOOO CUTE!!!!!!

[Abby'sMom]

Jenn - Great pics!! Can I just tell you how jealous I am that your older DS will pose with Grant?! I can't get my DD (who just turned 2) to pose with L to save my life!

PLNU - the whole rice cereal-debate is rather controversial. Lots of peds say it's ok for practice at 3 or 4 months; others say to wait til 6 months since it has zero nutritional value earlier and is mainly done for parental amusement - babies don't need 'practice'. It's just super cute to see them doing it and getting all messy. A lot of the underlying issue rests on whether or not babies' digestive tracts are mature enough to handle 'solid' food (or even watered down solid food, IYKWIM). If there's a family allergy history, early exposure to grains can contribute the development of allergies in infants. Of course, a recent study suggested that waiting TOO long after the 6-month mark may cause allergies, too, so I guess no one really knows for sure what's best. :)

[Chimichanga]

Ashley - ahh, yes; the manual of being a great mommy. I think my mom got hers after R arrived ;)

Rolls - oh yes, we have them. Mostly on R's legs but she does have quite the double chin action going too. I make sure to clean out her neck every couple of hours (especially after eating) but her legs are generally okay.

Chubby babies -- okay; Reagan is not a thin little thing. She's got some chub; but I find that so adorable. She's not roly poly; but yes, she has chubby cheeks and stuff. I mean; she's a baby! My SILs like to call her "fatty" and it REALLY upsets me. I was a chunky child and I definitely don't want that for R. DH and I are going to instill good eating habits when she's old enough. But for now we just feed her when she's hungry (again, she's a baby!!). Does anyone else have this problem? Should I have DH say something to his sisters?

We had our third night in a row of STTN. Of course, she didn't go down until about 10 (I was out and got home later than anticipated). She slept until 5:40 this morning. :D Actually, I heard her stir around 3 (still a great time) and got up. When I got to the nursery she was asleep again. I figured she'd wake up so I got in our rocker and reclined. Yeah; I fell asleep there and woke up an hour later; R was still sleeping.

I think she's getting a cold; she got really congested yesterday. That might be a reason she's sleeping so long.

[isaacsmommy]

Abby's mom- Trust me it wasn't an easy sell to get Isaac to pose with Grant. Heck he didn't want to even pose by himself really. Bribery is the way my friend :D.

[Abby'sMom]

Jenn - bribing her didn't work! I offered just about everything I could think of but no dice. The grandparents are bummed, but oh well! Some day!

Baby size - both of my babies have been very much on the thin side (DD especially), and believe me, it's just as brutal to have people suggest that you're not feeding them :( I'd have him say something since it bothers you.

[isaacsmommy]

Abby's Mom- yeah the first time I tried to bribe him it didn't work either, but the second time it did I think it also helped that I took my aunt and uncle with us. Isaac LOVES them and I had extra hands to keep everything under control.

Baby size- I can understand both sides. Isaac is a peanut- super skinny and not very tall. Grant on the other hand is very chubby and long. So yep I've gotten both the "don't you feed that kid?! "and the "how much are you feeding him?!" comments as a parent. The wisdom I have gained is no matter what you do someone will have a smarta$$ comment to make.

[Abby'sMom]

The wisdom I have gained is no matter what you do someone will have a smarta$$ comment to make.

Too true. And appropriate for every single parenting decision you'll ever make.

[K&H's mommy]

[B]Isaacsmommy[/B - they are sooooooooo cute!!!!!

Here's what we are going to use for our Christmas cards. Now you don't know but both the young ones have diapers full of crap and we left the diaper bag in the car. Nice. Oh and why is DS smiling so much? because of BRIBERY. "Do you want a lollipop?" Said slowly while I searched through my purse. He smiled and she snapped away. As soon as he saw the lollipop he was up and running but we had our shot.

[Abby'sMom]

Sara, LOL... But at least Hanna looks like a pro!

[Chimichanga]

Very cute!! We take R to get her Christmas/three month photos on Sunday. I'm hoping we can prop her up into a sitting position. She's getting better at that (sitting up) and can do it for about 10 seconds before tippin over like a tree ;) Tim-burrrrrr

[ajlanden]

K&H's mommy_That is a terrific picture! Your kids are so cute!

Chimichanga-I think my mom just recieved her book too. She has all the answers. At least she is just a phone call away!

isaacsmommy-Those pictures turned out great!!

Abby'sMom-At least we both have one decent sleeper! :D

DTD-Hmmmmm, I haven't really noticed any difference. I did have a harder time after DD though with the pain. I am sure it was because I had torn. This time, I don't notice any thing different. (Thanks PLNUBRIDE, I always enjoy a good sex question!) :D

Size/Rolls-OMG, David is a chunk. I thought Dani was rolly when she was a baby. Whenever I change little D's clothes I just giggle. I try not to let people's comments bother me. He is just a big healthy boy. It will be interesting to see if he is always a big boy.

Dani is sick...I am praying it stays away from David. I just can't take anymore time off of work. Having two kids during cold and flu season is proving to be a challenge to my ability to be a good employee.

[babylove]

I definitely have to come back and do SOs sometime soon, but no time now...

but CUTE pictures everyone!!!

***

Today was my first day back to work. It was a lot less traumatic than I expected. I didn't cry when I left the house....until I saw our nanny holding Jake in the window and waving good-bye as I drove away :( But it seems like Jake had a good day. He ate, played and slept well and didn't look the least bit happy to see me when I got home. In fact, his lower lip quivered like he was going to cry as soon as he saw me. Not sure whether to be insulted by that or not. :rolleyes: Hey, at least he likes the nanny.

[JenniferH]

We bribe Caden to get his pictures taken with Cohen too. Stickers and lollipops seem to work the best. In 2 weeks, we are taking my boys and my niece and nephew to get pictures for XMAS. There ages are 4,2,2, and baby! Should be fun! LOL!

[isaacsmommy]

Man your kids are easy to bribe! My kid requires toys and cookies from the mall. He would laugh at me if I just offered stickers or lollipops. Yeah he is rotten. Thanks family :rolleyes: . Lol.

Thanks for the compliments everyone! I was sooo proud of how well they did. Now :crossingfingers: for the same for x-mas pics.

[jesseybell]

Transitioning Elizabeth to her crib is coming sooner and sooner. Last night she woke up at 4:45. I fed her in the nursery and instead of going back to bed I put her in her crib (her first time sleeping in it) and fell asleep in the glider. I overslept by an hour! But this getting up between 4-6 is killing me since I need to be up at 6.
I may just try to put her in her crib one night this weekend -we are going to be away 1 day so trying during nap times isn't really an option.Plus she isn't very good at sleeping on her back unless she is swaddled (she naps on us, in the swing or bouncer).

Also in a couple of days we are going to try to not feed her so late so if she does wake up its earlier and I can go back to sleep. But I want to give it a few days to see if it is a growth spurt - I don't want the 9 feedings a day to be forever because 36 oz is way too much for her a day.

[Chimichanga]

Reagan decided mommy had too much sleep the past few days and decided she needed to wake up at 1 and stay awake until 5 :eek:

Last night I felt so sick; I didn't want to be around R too much because I didn't want to get her sick. She woke up at 1 and I changed her and fed her. She seemed to be "smacking" when she nursed - she just couldn't get a good latch. She actually didn't want to go back to bed; I finally put her down at 2:30 and let her CIO; she fell asleep around 3 but was up again at 3:30. I finally got her a bottle and she fell asleep around 5.

I'm a bit sad; really night time is the only time I nurse her (she gets bottles during the day) and now she doesn't want it. And, my pumping has gone way down. I used to be able to get at least 12 ounces total from 2 pumps at work. Now I'm lucky if I get 6. :(

Okay - question:
DH and I are going to a wedding on Saturday. MIL is going to watch R. I know she's capable, but every baby is different and since she'll be watching her for 12+ hours, I wanted to leave a list with some things (how long she can go between feedings on average, favorite position to be held, etc). Yes, I could tell her, but writing it down helps I think. My sister thinks I shouldn't do a list because it will seem like we think MIL isn't capable. FTR, I would do this for my mom too. What do you all think?

[K&H's mommy]

jen -Make the list. I had one with the most simple details. I also included directions to the ER, phone #'s, everything. My mom & MIL found it helpful. I got the idea a few years ago when we babysat my friend's baby. I was NOT insulted by the list and I'm a baby nurse!

[Abby'sMom]

I agree, make the list. Every baby is different, as you say, and you know R better than anyone!

[jesseybell]

I would definitely make a list. My mom asks me a ton of questions. I had my neighbor babysit and I wrote everything down for her. So now I have a babysitter board to post everything to (its a whiteboard I can change as she changes).

[JenniferH]

Make a list or else you will be worried at the wedding and not have as much fun.

[isaacsmommy]

I agree with everyone else, I'd make a list.

[Sabriel]

Wow, i haven't been here forever. It sounds like everyone is doing well!

How about some updates?
Clothes: She has outgrown most of her 0-3 month clothes, so she is wearing mostly 3-6 months but they are still big on her.
Diapers: We are using cloth. She is still in the small size in Fuzzi Bunz and covers and infant prefolds.
Eating: We feed on demand. She is eating about every 2 hours during the day.
Sleeping: She takes about 3 short naps during the day. At night, she usually goes to bed between 8 and 9 and then sleeps until 3-5:30. She eats, then goes back to sleep for a little while.
Likes: She likes us to bounce her, watching the world go by, sucking on her fingers, laying on her back while we talk to her.
New Tricks: She has laughed twice. She smiles and talks constantly.
Weight: She was 12 lbs 3 oz at her WBV on 10/30. She was 9 weeks old then.

[babylove]

BIG milestone...Jake STTN in his crib last night! Every other time he has STTN it's been in his swing or in the carseat. But last night I put him down at 9:45 and he slept until 6am! I heard him around 12:30 but he didn't cry and just fell back to sleep. YAY!! :D :D

[jesseybell]

babylove-Yeah for STTN in his crib!

Last night E got up twice in the middle of the night. I think both times were because she had pooped (she'd only pooped once in 2 days prior so I was happy to see it) but we fed her both times. Needless to say, the exhaustion to ten-fold today. TGIF!!

In preparation for transitioning her to the crib, I did take off the bumper. I am paranoid. BUt also once we do start the transition I know I will be sleeping in there some nights and I can't see into the crib easily with the bumper on.

[Chimichanga]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I asked DH if he felt his mom would be insulted if I left a list; he said no. I told him he would cover it with her - just so I don't get called an overprotective mom again by the ILs (not that I care; I want to make sure my baby is safe, dang-nabit!) I'll be working on it today at work.

Reagan has been sleeping really well during the day AND night. She'll get up at night, but goes back down pretty easily so that's nice. Sometimes I think she's not really hungry, but she doesn't know how to fall back asleep. I know I need to start letting herself self-sooth to go back to bed, but it's easier to get up and feed her if only for 5 minutes and have her zonk out again. I guess I'll ask the doctor when we go for the 4 month visit.

Reagan is doing pretty well with the cloth diaper transition. DH and I are going to get some doublers this weekend. I'm still trying to convince him to get a "system" - even though it's expensive up-front, the cost in the long haul will be less.

[JenniferH]

Chimi ~ If it makes you feel better, my ped told me with my first son to start by having them learn to fall asleep when they first go to bed. Then if they wake up in the night do whatever it takes to get them to sleep again. After that initial phase is successful, he said to only go in their room to get them if they start to cry for more than a five minutes and again do anything you need to to get them to sleep. After that phase, then it is the let them CIO. This worked well for my first son. He only had to CIO once or twice. DS#2 is still at the first stage because he is small and needs that extra night feeding because he is starving by then.

[jesseybell]

How old are kids when they don't need to eat in the middle of the night (usually)? Last night when E was up at 2 and had eaten at 10:30, and then was up at 5 again, I fed her both times but realized she might not have been hungry, just poopy. But I am so not used to her getting up at all that I feel like I wouldn't know the difference - it is just automatic to feed them at night.

[isaacsmommy]

Chimi- A system is definately worth it. We use fuzzi bunz and I love them (have used them for a while now). Actually I need to order some more since Grant has outgrown smalls and I don't have enough mediums to cd full time.

[Chimichanga]

isaacsmommy - thanks for the support. I found some bumGenius ones that grow with the baby and would love to get those.

[JenniferH]

Jesseybell ~ I think the age varies with the baby and there size. I let my son take the led. I would change him and offer something to eat. When he would only eat a small amount then I knew he really didn't need it. You also have to pay attention to if they are going through a growth spurt. Then they may wake up and really be hungry. Sorry no clear answer. I do think my doctor told me around when he thought, but I think I ignored him.

[Chimichanga]

I do think my doctor told me around when he thought, but I think I ignored him.

*snort* Hee hee; not sure why but that struck me as funny. I guess a mother knows best. :D

[tgoody03]

Sophie is smiling a ton. I love it! She did something neat the other day. Daddy was clipping her fingernails and clipped a little too much. Ouch! When I got home from the gym, Sophie was crying. I walked over to her and DH and started talking to her ... and she leaned over towards me and wanted me to take her. It was soooo sweet! It made my heart melt. Especially because she loves being held by DH so it really did make me feel speical.

We are trying to get Sophie to sleep in her crib at night without being swaddled. Who knew swaddling could keep a baby so comfy and sleepy? Comfy yes, sleep I didn't know. Sophie loves being swaddled, but she's getting bigger now so it's becoming more difficult to swaddle her. Plus, sometimes she breaks out of the swaddle and it wakes her up. That's really why we are trying to transition her out of it. She doesn't like the transition. She's definitely one of those babies that swings her arms in the air which wakes her up.

We've also had a bad time with gas the last few days. I think it's due to the way she's been latching lately. My supply is out of control all of a sudden (more than it already was) and it flows too quickly. Sophie drinks out of a level 1 right nipple right now when I bottle feed her, but I think lately I'm flowing more like a level 2. Poor baby. We accidentally fed her from a level 2 nipple a few weeks back and it was not pretty. I think BFing for her right now is the same as when she ate out of the level 2 nipple (if that makes any sense). Anybody know how to slow the flow?

Has anyone tried gripe water? Is it basically a replacement for the gas drops?

Chimi - My friend gave me her unopened bottle of gripe water so I'm going to try that. I think that should do the same thing as prune juice. Do you know? If not, maybe I'll try your suggestion. She's not constipated by definition ... but it seems like it's either hard for her to poop or she just plain has gas.

Isaacsmommy - CUTE pictures! Wow! How did you get smiles from both your boys? I understand bribing Isaac, but that kind of smile from Grant in his costume is just amazing!

K&H - I didn't get to see your picture. You took it down too fast... bummer. I'm sure all the kiddos looked great.

[Abby'sMom]

Tgoody - I'm sure you don't want to unwittingly increase your supply, but could you maybe pump a few minutes before you feed S? That way she wouldn't get the huge letdown. You could either freeze what you pump, dump it, or see about donating it (if there's a milk bank in your area).

[Sabriel]

Anybody know how to slow the flow?

We have this problem too. I feel like I'm drowning the poor little girl. Try leaning back when you nurse to allow gravity to help slow the flow. Definitely make sure that you are not leaning into her when she nurses. Good luck!

[tgoody03]

S slept really well last night for not being swaddled for the first time. She slept from about 9:30 - 2 and then not well until I swaddled her at about 4:30. But, then she slept until 9. She's sleeping right now and she's not swaddled. Yay! Hope she keeps it up. I hate not swaddling her if she likes it, but I hate it more when she wakes up in the middle of the night because she broke out of the swaddle. Or even more when I walk in her room, she has broken out of the swaddle, and she has the blanket up around her face. Scary.

S seemed to have very little gas today. I think that's because I fed her from a bottle quite a bit. The times she fed from my breast went well, however, so I feel good about that. She did get a little gas tonight and we gave her gripe water for the first time and it seemed to do the trick (and, I think she liked it).

Abby'smom - Thanks for your reply! I have tried to pump a little before feeding her, but it still seems to flow pretty fast unless I pump a good 2 to 3 oz. Not kidding. I have aptly named myself the "sprinkler" :rolleyes: I'm afraid if I pump that much I'll maintain my already large supply or even increase it. Don't want to do that! Friends came over tonight and it seemed like S was hungry about 2 hrs after I fed her. Usually she waits for about 3 hrs. Today, she ate more. Because we were playing a game and I didn't want to miss much of it, I came up stairs to pump so I could give her a bottle while playing the game. In about 5 minutes I pumped 4.5 oz from the left and 3.5 from the right and stopped .... and there was plenty more to pump. I just don't get why it doesn't seem to decrease or maintain. I hope her eating more frequently today isn’t a growth spurt that will increase my supply again.

I do pump and store my milk when she eats only off one side. I wonder, though, if I do pump say an ounce before I feed her ... if it would be worthwhile saving? I have been saving what I pump but I worry if I only pump at the beginning that S will not be getting the hind milk. What do you think?

Sabriel - Thank God someone else has the same issues as me. Most people look at me like I have two heads - really, like I'm lying - when I say I have a large supply and a fast flow that sometimes chokes her and gives her gas since most people have the opposite. I sometimes do try and lean back (but because I'm tired ... never thought of the gravity thing) and S doesn't seem to like it. But I'll do it with more of an effort and see if it helps. Thanks for your help! Good luck with your flow issues. Wish I had something to tell you! Oh – someone told me to put cabbage leaves on my breasts to decrease the supply and slow the flow. Not sure if it works since I haven’t tried it yet.

Jesseybell - I asked my ped the same thing about age and feedings. He said some BF babies will continue to eat once in the night for quite a while ... up to 6 or 7 months. I guess BM breaks down a whole lot faster than formula. But I think on average he said sleeping gets better around 3 - 4 months. Also, STTN is considered 5 or 6 hrs, right? So if E goes to bed at 10 waking up at 3 might always occur. I hope not for your sake (S does the same thing, btw). Last night I noticed that she woke up 2 times and I instinctively tried to feed her. She ate only a tiny bit. Then she pooped and went back to sleep. I should have just let her grunt it out to see if she would stay asleep. But, she did wake up to eat around 4. Looks like we have the same kind of sleepers!

[Abby'sMom]

I don't know what to tell you about the foremilk v. hindmilk imbalance....

I DO know to be super careful if you use cabbage leaves. It's extremely effective and you don't want to kill your supply. Ask Marisa about it in the BF thread.

[isaacsmommy]

tgoody03 Thanks for the compliments. Believe it or not it was easier to get Grant to smile than Isaac. He is a VERY happy baby- he even smiles when his brother is trying to squeeze him to death (his attempt at hugging him).

[K&H's mommy]

Where did my good night sleeper go? Now she's back to waking up 2-3x a night. Ugh. At least she goes right back to sleep afterwards, but still! She was only waking up once in 13 hours - I want that back!! I'm back to work on Friday night. It's definitely not as bad as it was when I was going back with DS. I counted down the minutes. I know that the reality of work is worse than actually being there. Plus it's only on the weekends so it's not too bad.


tgoody - I know, I'm fast with the pics! But after all the recent drama with that evil woman writing a book about people on here it freaked me out even MORE! Oh and I am right there with you on the swaddling thing. A loves being swaddled but if she gets unswaddled then she wakes up because her arms flail all about. Plus she jumps with the littlest noises and swaddling seems to help. If you find a solution, pass it on!

babylove - wow that really is STTN!!! I'm jealous!!!!

[babylove]

Sara ~ Yeah, well...sleeping has kind of sucked lately so don't be too jealous!

***

Jake slept like crap last night. We went to a wedding last night and MIL babysat and Jake's schedule was really off. He was up at 2:30, 3:30, 5:30...needless to say I didn't get much sleep :( He has taken a few cat naps today but nothing like his usual good naps. Hopefully he sleeps better tonight b/c tomorrow is my first FULL week back to work. :rolleyes:

I worked last Wed and Thurs and it went well. Can't remember if I posted about it. I only cried when the nanny stood in the window with Jake waving good-bye. :( I'm actually excited about getting back into the swing of things!

[jesseybell]

I am so pissed at my parents right now. DH and I went to the Patriots game today. We dropped her off at 8:30. 45 minutes later my father called because he thought the nipples and bottles looked different (yum, yeah, we switched nippes 3 weeks ago and he has seen them - I don't really know what that deal was). Then 2 hours later when i was pumping in the car my mom called to announce that she thinks E has reflux because she had been inconsolable. She said a ton of things that really upset me (she wanted me to call the pediatrician so he could see her). I kept telling her that no, she doesn't have GERD. I told her we couldn't leave (our car was baracaded in with tailgaters -we could have left if it was an emergency) and she told us she didn't want us to leave. Needless to say we left at halftime (it had been pouring during tailgating and we were drenched) and she pulled the "I hope you didn't leave because of us" when we called. My mom apologized when they dropped her off - they figured out that the silence of their house was making her upset. My dad turned on the game and she shushed up.

Their overaction to her being fussy completely ruined our day. This is why we are paying for 5 days of daycare because I will not be surprised if they back out of watching her on Tuesdays. So while I was worried about Elizabeth, I was more mad than anything.

[babylove]

Jessie ~ I'm so sorry!! That really sucks. We had a similar issue last night when K's family watched Jake. They let him sleep (actually rocked him to sleep!) when he should have been up and that totally screwed up his schedule and he was up a lot last night. :mad: I guess we learned our lessons, eh?

[Chimichanga]

Ahh - family care drama is all around!

MIL watched R for us when we went to the wedding on Saturday. We told her that Reagan would cry for a bit when put in her swing (especially if she had been awake for 4-5+ hours) but to let her CIO for 5-10 minutes. Well, MIL gets paranoid and kept picking her up. the poor girl was awake almost the entire day! She took short catnaps while MIL was holding her (in a position I mentioned that R does NOT like). We got home around 11 and Reagan kept waking up at night.

Yesterday we did Christmas pictures - sooooo cute! I'm getting them electronically so I can post quicker. We also got our pictures with Santa. I got so sick too - mostly a head cold. Luckily DH took care of her all day for me. I don't want to get the poor girl sick. Thankfully she STTN last night and I was able to get some good rest (DH would have gotten up with her, but he normally doesn't hear her on the monitor).

This coming weekend will be major...I'm going on a scrapbooking weekend without Reagan :( DH will be taking care of her all weekend. MIL will come out and spend the weekend to help DH, but I'll be gone for almost 72 hours. We'll see how I do!

[ajlanden]

Jen-I hope you are feeling better!! Good for you for going away for the weekend! I think we all need to do that more often!

Jessie-UGHHH on your parents. Just when you think you are going to enjoy yourselves!!!!

Tracee-I think you are going to like being on a schedule! It just makes life more manageable!

K&H's mommy-I am going to add you on LJ! I know we have some mutual friends...I am ajlanden over there too. That smiling picture is priceless! She is beautiful!

Not much else to add. Family is good. Lots of changes happening in my professional life, so I am busy, busy!

[K&H's mommy]

ashley - I just added you! :)

jen - sorry for the MIL drama, ugh. Why can't they just listen to us, we are the moms, we know how to care for our babies. So frustrating. Can't wait to see the xmas pics!

jessey - that sucks. My mom thinks I need to take the kids to the doctors for every sniffle. She knows I'm a nurse and I can figure that stuff out but she doesn't listen and goes on and on, making me feel like a bad mom. Hopefully next time you can ENJOY your game!

Tracee - A's schedule has been screwed up ever since my MIL watched her last Saturday night. It's like she gave her a pill to wake up every few hours again...ha ha. Hope your first full day went OK. I start back again Friday night.


Allison is officially in 3-6 month clothes (at 10 weeks old). She's a chunk. I am forcing her to nap right now, she has been awake all day long. She will nap like a log in my arms but as soon as I put her down (or heck even if I move or cough) she's all bug eyed again. The child needs to learn to NAP.

[Chimichanga]

Sara - R is the same way as A; especially in the middle of the night. She'll be sleeping in my arms for a good 15-20 minutes. The minute I put her back in her crib she starts crying. I let her CIO because I know she's not wet or hungry - and she had JUST been sleeping ;)

Still not feeling 100% but I'm home with R anyways. Yesterday I heard a little boy coughing at day care - great! :rolleyes: Maybe he developed it late, but if he came in with that I'm really upset. I mean, if Reagan was visibly sick I wouldn't take her to day care. And I know they have a policy about sick kids so I'm hoping that cough started late.

This weekend I'm going away for a short trip. DH is going to be in Madison (about an hour away from our house) for work. We asked MIL what time she thought she'd get to our house ~ she's spending the weekend to help DH. She got all pissy and said she wasn't going to leave work early for us. :eek: WTF?!?! We never asked her to leave early; we just wanted to know about what time she'd get to our house so I could plan my weekend. Luckily my mom (who is coming up on Thursday for a concert) doesn't have to work on Friday and she'll watch Reagan until MIL gets here. It worked out but wow! I didn't expect that reaction from MIL! Guess we won't be asking her to watch R in the near future!!

[ajlanden]

Still not feeling 100% but I'm home with R anyways. Yesterday I heard a little boy coughing at day care - great! :rolleyes: Maybe he developed it late, but if he came in with that I'm really upset. I mean, if Reagan was visibly sick I wouldn't take her to day care. And I know they have a policy about sick kids so I'm hoping that cough started late.

I hear you on the sickness at daycare. I just can't keep both kids well. I am never going to have any vacation time! Do you know your daycare's policy? I know at both daycares we have attended, the one basic rule has to do with a fever. So that if kids have a cold with no fever, they can come to daycare. I have mixed feelings about this. I hate hearing kids cough and seeing runny noses around my kids, but I do like the fact that if they are feeling okay and just have a cold, I don't have to keep them home. Double edged sword, I guess.

[Chimichanga]

Their policy has to do with runny diapers and fever. I need to check on colds... But with babies this young I'd imagine it's going to hit them much harder than an older child. Off to check the policy!!

[jesseybell]

Elizabeth is officially in 3-6 month clothes now too. We have a ton of clothes, but I still am going to go through them and figure out where the gaps are and then that means more shopping :)

She did 6 hours last night from 10:15-4:15. This time I tried to just put the binky back in her mouth and that kept her quiet for another 15 minutes. But she was also really fussy after feeding and changing. But the best thing was that I went and pumped while DH fed her and he turned off his alarm and we slept until 8:20 (I am working from home today). I really really think I am going to try to WFH 1 day a week. It is such a luxury for us to have 1 day where we aren't rushed.

The Early Intervention lady came this morning for a preliminary screening for Elizabeth's neck (torcilitis I think they call it). And next week 3 specialists come out to give her a full assessment which I think is cool. So for free I get to ask them any question I want to in terms of her development and I can call their nutritionist if I have feeding questions. And then from there they will set up "therapy" sessions to do exercises on her neck to build the muscles up evenly. They can do them here at the house with me or they will go to daycare if I want.

My mom came to take E to her house this afternoon and I showed her how we feed E now so MAYBE that will help with her fussiness at their house. If not, over Thanksgiving we'll be spending the day with my parents at their house so maybe we'll get some glimpse of why she fusses there so much lately.

[jesseybell]

Jen - Unfortunately we have a lot of coughing and runny noses at daycare too. It does suck, but again it is good that we don't have to keep her home for every cough.

[Chimichanga]

I checked the policy - colds and coughs aren't taboo, but it is encouraged to keep the child home. Ahh well - she's only there one day a week.

Reagan has another cold. I am sure she caught it from me (or the kid at daycare ;) ). She's get a runny nose. It isn't bothering her breathing, so I'm clearing as needed. Mostly it's "firm" - sorry, TMI - so I just use my fingers to wipe it away since she hates the bulb syringe.

[isaacsmommy]

When Isaac was in daycare as long as they weren't running a fever, vomitting/ diarreaha, or have a questionable rash (ie chicken pox or something) they could come. I feel bad admitting this but there was a time or two I sent Isaac when I knew he had a bug, but when in nursing school there are some days you really can't miss.

Things have been kinda crazy around here. I am working on going back to work. We are also starting to look for a house, I am so excited. We really don't have nearly enough room in our apt. Plus all kinds of holiday stuff is coming up. Well gotta go get ready I am going to look at a house in an hour.

[ajlanden]

Two questions this fine morning!!

#1-Anyone have problems with their little ones scratching their faces. I clipped David's nails last night because he has a big scratch on his forward and he woke up with a scratch on his cheek this morning. It is frustrating me!

#2-Hair falling out? I remember this with Dani, but it seems to be worse this time. I can't believe I have any left. I have to clean our bathroom daily. UGHHH!

[isaacsmommy]

1)Yep, it does help to use a file to dull them a bit.

2) Yep again. Although it was worse with my first- I would pull out handfuls when I washed my hair.

[babylove]

Ashley ~ Yes and Yes. See below :)

Nails ~ I agree w/ Jen. I use a file to dull his nails after I cut them. But he usually ends up scratching himself anyway now that he's become quite proficient at rubbing his eyes when he's tired. :rolleyes:

Hair Loss ~ And I think I might be bald by next week if this hair loss continues. It started right around 12 weeks PP. I'm making up for not losing one single hair throughout my entire pgcy.

*** MAJOR SLEEP ISSUES HERE ***PLEASE HELP***

Anyone have a great sleeper that suddenly became a horrible sleeper? I'm at my wits end. Even if Jake woke during the night the one constant was that he was easy to put to sleep. Not anymore. The past 3 nights have been H.E.L.L. When I try to put him to sleep, he will scream bloody murder if he's not being held or nursed by me, no matter what time it is. You would think he would tire himself out, but no. It's so frustrating. And now when he wakes during the night (b/c he has totally stopped STTN too) he won't go back to sleep. I feel more sleep deprived than when I had a newborn. :(

I have a few thoughts and would love some feedback:

1. He's hungry b/c he's getting 3 bottles from the nanny now that I'm back at work and he probably eats more than 4 oz when he nurses. I'm experimenting with giving him more milk today.

2. He's overtired by the time I try to put him to sleep around 9:30-10:00pm. Maybe I should try putting him down earlier?

3. He has reflux and it's painful for him to lay flat (this is contradicted by the fact that he has no reflux symptoms other than an occasional curdled spit up and the fact that he sleeps just fine during the day).

4. He's starting to teethe. But 3 mo is kind of early...even though I got my first tooth at 4.5 mo.

5. He misses me now that I'm back at work??

Anyone have any insight??

[Abby'sMom]

Ashley - Logan's nails grow incredibly fast, it seems. I have to clip them 2x/week or he scratches his face, too.

Tracee - I still suspect the beginning stages of teething. Logan was up a LOT last night, too (but then again he's always up a lot). Maybe it's the moon or something....

[ajlanden]

Oh Tracee, I am so sorry you are having sleep issues. It is so hard, especially while working. Here is what I think...but I am not really a sleep expert.
#1-Is he having problems napping with the nanny? What time is his last nap of the day? It really sounds to me like he could be overtired. I know that David is much harder to get down if he is extremely sleepy. If he is screaming when you put him down, it lead me to believe he is just too tired to handle it. David goes down at 7:00 and if he doesn't have nap that goes until at least 5:00, we have that kind of trouble. I think that trying an earlier bedtime might be worthwhile. You might be surprised how well it works.
#2-Dani was not a good sleeper. She went through so many weeks that she would do the same thing. Just not sleep. Most of the time, I never figured out the problem. When I thought I was going to pull my hair out, she would get better. So I guess I am saying, while it sucks now, it could change tonight.
#3-If you don't have it already, I would buy the Weissbluth sleep book. I used many (but not all) of his techniques from Day 1 with Daveypoo and he has been a much better sleeper. It probably is just a coincidence, but I like to think it is all my doing!

[Chimichanga]

1 - R gets super long nails; I cut them 2-3x a week and then shape them with a file. Usually once I clip them she doesn't get scratches.

2 - Oh yes to the hair loss! I always "shedded" a lot and it's not more than before, but still; it stinks!

Tracee - Maybe he is hungry. There have been times when Reagan just won't go back to sleep and I get her a bottle (after she nursed) and she'll eat maybe 1-2 ounces more then be out. I hope things get better for you guys!!

I am still sicker than a dog. :( My neck is stiff so I can't really move too well either; I'm just falling apart :o I teased DH that he needs to trade me in for a newer model.

[dandygirl]

We have this problem too. I feel like I'm drowning the poor little girl. Try leaning back when you nurse to allow gravity to help slow the flow. Definitely make sure that you are not leaning into her when she nurses. Good luck!

tgoody this same method Sabriel suggested has worked well for us, too.

[dandygirl]

Ditto to what everyone has said on nail-trimming. DD also still likes her swaddle, so I really have to work to trim her nails carefully while she's awake -- not easy!

***

This past week at work has been absolutely NUTS, so I've only been able to catch up on my reading today.

I have a similar concern as babylove about feedings. DD is also taking 4 oz bottles at daycare - 3-4 x's/day depending on the timing, etc. She still spits up a fair amount, but not consistently (a big improvement). How do you figure out when you need to give more? I'm sure she takes a larger feeding in the morning when my supply should be at its peak, and perhaps even that first nursing when I'm home is heavy after only pumping 2x's at the office. Anyway, couldn't seem to find what I wanted to know on Kelly Mom. I'll search the BF'ing thread too, but darn it sure would be nice to have that parenting manual wherever it is!!! ;)

We hit a huge milestone last night. DD slept in her room rather than in her bassinet! I've been transitioning (myself really, not DD who could sleep anywhere!) since Friday. I'd put her down in her room, and then when she woke to nurse I'd feed her in our bed and put her down in the bassinet. Anyway, feeling super proud of myself for last night! :D

She's also been so smiley and chatty. There is nothing that puts a bigger smile on my face than to have her grin and chat with mommy!

[jesseybell]

I am horrible about clipping Elizabeth's nails. I need to be better because she does scratch her face a lot.

Today I had my day business trip. I was away for 12 hours. I only pumped once at the client -they had a pumping room I could use. We had a working lunch so I finally had to excuse myself at 1:30 because I was so engorged. I had been pumping (and producing) like crazy so I felt good leaving DH with enough BM to last until Friday morning if need be. I am going to be able to freeze a bunch unless....like last month I have started to have cramps but no AF. I threw in some tampons to go on my trip just in case.

DD continues to wake up any time between 4 and 5:30, no matter when we last feed her (between 10:30 and 12 - we wake her up after putting her down between 7 and 8:30). At least her brief stint with waking up twice at night are over. But I am beyond sleep deprived.

People really seem to believe that it most likely is due to me going back to work, but since we changed her bedtime back, daylight savings, and her 3 month growth spurt all happening at once, it is hard to pinpoint.

We did have the 1 episode the other morning of her not going back to sleep easily.

Ultimately we only want her to eat 7 times a day which means we'll need to up her oz (she still is taking 4 oz at a time) but the few times we've tried to up the oz she either spit it up or it didn't have any effect on how long between meals she would do. So for now we feel that we can't do anything else- we'll have to wait for her to sleep longer on her own. I am tempted to not wake her up to feed her before we go to bed to see what happens.

But for now my priority is to move her into her own room. I need to get a humidifier for her room before we do. We'll start trying either this weekend or over the long holiday break.

hair - Thank god it isn't just me! I already have such thin hair. I am cleaning out my brush all the time. I love to wear black tops and I am constantly pulling hair off of them.

[Chimichanga]

My milk supply has taken a hit and it makes me really sad :(

I used to pump before work and get at least 10 ounces. I'd pump twice at work and get about 6 ounces each time. I'd nurse DD when I come home, so not sure what I was producing there. And then I'd nurse her any time she woke up during the night.

Now when I pump in the morning I'm lucky to get 8 ounces. If I pump twice at work I *maybe* get 3 ounces per time - then I'm tapped. I tried nursing R the other day when I got home and she was fussy because nothing was coming out. :(

DH is supportive, but I feel bad. I had set a small goal for myself - 3 months of BF. Then 6 months. Ultimately I wanted a year but would have been happy with 6 months. Now it almost looks like if we hit 4 we will be lucky.

[Abby'sMom]

Jen, don't feel bad. This is about the time that your supply starts to regulate itself, so a decrease is natural. You've done R a great service by going as long as you have!

[jesseybell]

Jen- Is it possible that AF could be making an ugly return? I took a short hit last month.
But don't beat yourself up about it. Making it beyond 3 months is awesome.


I hit my 3 month anniversary of exclusively pumping yesterday. And on that day I froze FORTY ounces because I was a day ahead of myself. We also donated all of the formula we had bought the day after we can home from the hospital, except 1 can and 1 box of the invididual packets. But I am still taking it day by day.

I freaked out this morning. I found a dead mouse in the nursery :eek: We've never had a rodent problem in our house before. I think the cats were pissed at me that i fed the baby at 3:30 am and not them. Whichever one killed it nicely left it at the base of the glider.

[babylove]

Jen ~ I'm sorry about the supply issues. Would you consider taking a supplement to increase your supply?

Jessie ~ Ick re: the mouse! We had one in our basement this weekend, which is scary b/c there is absolutely NO access from the outside to our basement so we have no clue how it got in!

dandygirl ~ I've been told that there is some formula for figuring out how much BM to give a baby based on the baby's weight. I think it's totally off for Jake though b/c he weighs so much for his age!

***

Still having sleep issues here. Thanks for the input for those of you who weighed in. I really appreciate it...

Last night I put Jake in the swing after 1.5 hrs of rocking/nursing/etc. He fell asleep in a millisecond. I turned off the swing after 30 mins and surprisingly he slept through the night...8:30pm until 6:30am. So he will sleep, it just has to be in the swing. I have a call into the ped about this. Hoping it's not another ear infection...

[jesseybell]

I put E in the chair this morning after her 3:30 feeding - she had ton of phlegm and I wasn't about to suction out her nose at that hour. She slept so peacefully - even allowed DH to take a shower without waking up. It is frustrating because I know her body is capable of sleeping through the night. I wonder if sleeping on her back makes her feel less full, or what. There have been times in the past week that we've been tempted to put her in the chair just for a night so we can get a full night's sleep...but then we'd want to keep on doing it!

The mouse seemed to have come from the top floor - or at least that's where the blood came from. I wonder too how in the world it could get up there - I guess they could have crawled up the walls, which freaks me out even more. Our townhouse is 4 floors - that's a long way to climb.

dandygirl- Elizabeth continues to spit up a lot of her 4 oz bottles - not every bottle, but sometimes I still feel that she's lost a lot. It isn't always right after either. Daycare points out like often she likes to spit up right before eating, likes she's purposely making room for more. When we asked the doctor a while ago he said to not re-feed. Everyone keeps saying that the spit up really is a lot less than you think (even when it is pouring down your shirt).

[Chimichanga]

Thanks for the support everyone. Tracee - I had been taking Fenugreek tablets for a few days and no increase. I took it for about a week and - nope.

Reagan seems to "like" formula better now. She sleeps better after she eats that and seems to be less fussy. I think she's used to it now and when she gets BM she gets bound up. I know, BM is supposed to loosen things up; but she's bizzaro baby.

[Chimichanga]

I went to the doctor yesterday after a day of agony and got some muscle relaxers and anti-inflamatory drugs. Bad thing; I have to pump and dump. I mentioned I was BF to the doctor and he gets this look of "Well, what can I give her that's safe." I said I'd pump and dump if it meant feeling better and having less pain. He sort of chuckled and said yes, I should pump and dump. :)

Oh, those meds helped SOOOO much! I could actually move my head last night and I wasn't all contorted! I actually woke up at about 75% this morning. I took the meds again so I'm hoping I won't have to take them the remainder of the weekend. The doctor said to give it a day or two to work out of my system before I go back to nursing. I'd rather wait the longer time just to make sure nothing gets to R.

Last night MIL watched her for us while we went to a concert. I told her that since we have a sleep sack for her, all she needs is the light sleeper. The sleep sack is designed to be like a blanket.

Reagan wakes up at 12:30 (half hour after we got home I might add) and is crying. I get up to feed her and she is sweating buckets. MIL decided she needed her onesie under her terrycloth sleeper and still put the fleece sleep sack on her. I could have screamed! Poor R was so hot; I undressed her and she started to calm down. She was hungry too, but I know she was way too hot. I guess MIL thought she knew better than I about what R should wear to bed :mad:

[isaacsmommy]

So, I have an interview on Monday for a job. I am having such mixed feelings about it. I have to get a job though since we are going to buy a house now. I am exctited in some ways after all I did go to school for four years to be a nurse and now I finally am able to do what I worked for, but on the other hand I am kinda sad about leaving my baby. I am thankful that I have had the last four months though, which is more than many people can take. I think I may go nuts over the next couple months though- new job, househunting, and holidays! ack!!! :eek:

Grant is doing well. He is a bit congested today, but so is everyone else in the house (we all have allergies and we live in the Ohio Valley = being congested most of the time). He is getting really good at trying to sit up, I bet a few more weeks and he will be able to.

I haven't even started x-mas lists for the boys yet and people are bugging me already. Heck some people have already bought for Isaac. The only thing I can think of for Grant is an exersaucer of some sort (from us), oh and his first x-mas ornament which I have yet to pick out.

[dandygirl]

Jesseybell and babylove thanks so much for the input on spitting up and BM quantities. I figure DD will let me know when 4 oz isn't enough. :)

chimi hope you're feeling better. And no fun with MIL! My IL's arrive Tuesday for Thanksgiving. They're watching DD on Weds. a.m. since I'll be at work. I'm already feeling anxious about them microwaving a bottle of BM or something equally frightening. List of things to do this weekend: write down EXPLICIT instructions for ILs.

issacsmommy good luck to you with the job hunt! We're in a similar sit -- and with the same stresses around the holidays, etc.

DH actually flew out of town tonight for a final interview in TX (where ALL of our family is). If it works out, we'll move home over the holidays. I'm so excited I can't stand it! We could buy a much cheaper house there than what we have in CA and I'd be able to stay home. I want to get a consulting biz going, but this will give us the flexibility to try it all on for size. DH is super torn about leaving his job here, and my job is great too. But we know whatever is meant to be will happen. We've been away 7 years now, and with DD's arrival I can think of nothing more important than getting back home near family.

[jesseybell]

dandygirl - That sounds exciting to possibly move back home. For both of you to leave your good jobs is a big move, but to be near family would be a good thing. And housing in TX is so much cheaper! The other location of my company is in TX - it sucks that the CEO has a McMansion down there for about the same price as our townshouse. The Northeast is so freaking expensive.

Elizabeth is so snotty. I may call the doctor to see if it is possible to give her a decongestant (I doubt they'll allow it). The snot is in her throat, not in her nose, so using the sucky thing and saline drops isn't doing any good. We tried putting her back in her chair last night hoping she'd sleep through the night, but with her stuffiness she was still up at 1:30 and 5:00

[Chimichanga]

I had a nice weekend away, but I missed Reagan so freaking much!! It didn't help that everytime I called DH, MIL or whoever answered the phone sounded annoyed that I was calling. I told DH when I got home that it upset me; he said he was just tired and not annoyed. I think he was glad I was home so he wouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night to feed her!

I took my pump with me this weekend, but was considering only pumping to relieve myself because I was pretty upset about my supply. But, I compromised; I pumped twice a day instead of 3-4. Now of course the supply is coming back!! I woke up this morning engorged (not as much as I once was, but definitely more than it has been). Today is the last pump and dump day, so I can go back to building up the supply tomorrow.

[babylove]

Jen ~ Glad you had a good weekend! Hopefully your DH's weekend with Reagan will make him realize how hard you work :) Glad your supply is coming back!

Jessie ~ I hope E is feeling better!

***

Jake has reflux :( Now, it's not the 24/7 screaming, projectile vomiting kind of reflux, but a more mild form. Whatever it is, it's really wrecking havoc on his sleep--he refuses to sleep laying flat at all, not even for naps anymore. He is starting on a medicine for it tonight (Axid). Hopefully that will give him some relief and then we can transition him back into his crib again.

When I took him to the ped on Friday, he weighed 15 lbs 7 oz fully clothed and diapered. So I'm guessing he's around 15 lbs....that's a full lb bigger in one month! :eek: :eek:

We also started giving him more EBM in his bottles when I'm at work. 5 oz instead of 4. He's drinking it all! Not to mention, he now cluster feeds in the evenings b/c he is making up for STTN. Fine by me if it means I get more sleep! :D

[jesseybell]

I continue to be so jealous of everyone who is STTN, though I did have 6 weeks of good sleep when she was 4-10 weeks old so I guess it is payback. I anxiously await her 4 mth WBV in 2 weeks to see if the doctor has any advice to help us- After routinely going 6-7.5 hours when she was going to bed at midnight in her chair, now that she's going to bed around 8, in her bassinet, we are lucky if we get 4.5.

This long weekend we are going to start the transition to her crib. We are already so sleep deprived, what's less sleep? We may try tilting the mattress slightly since she continues to be so stuffy.


We tried to get pictures of her in her black velvet dress for our Xmas card, but she'd have nothing to do with it, so we compromised and put her in her Xmas pjs. The dress will go to waste since its 0-3 and it won't fit come Xmas. But we have the rest of her life to get pictures in pretty Xmas dresses.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j215/jesseybell/100_2417a.jpg

[Chimichanga]

Tracee - sorry to hear about the reflux :( I'm hoping the medicine will help him feel better quickly.

Jessie - cute picture!!!

I think daycare keeps Reagan up most of the day. They do write down her naps, but the longest she goes is 2 hours and she doesn't take more than 4 cat naps all day. I think it's just too noisy there for her.

So, when she gets home she's really cranky but she does zonk out around 7. Which kind of stinks because we wait for her to wake up before we got to bed. Last night she slept until almost 10:30 and then went back down at 11. Luckily I got a nap in. I might see if DH will get up with her tonight; he doesn't have to work this week.

[isaacsmommy]

Grant had his 4 month wbv yesterday. He weighs 16lb 13oz and was I believe 25 3/4 inches. My pork chop :). She also said we could start cereal (for "practice"), but I think I will wait a bit longer- I am not ready for him to start food yet. He is growing up too quickly. Well I better get my but motivated to do sometihng today.

[jennylou]

Hi ladies! Nora and I have been oot...we just got home on Sunday.

Nora is up to 13 lbs, 14oz, not as big as some of your bruisers, but certainly growing well and on target to double her weight by 6 months, I'd think. :)

I think she has her first cold. She's very congested, though doesn't have runny buggers, only sticky ones, so there's not much to suction out. She's still smiley and happy, so I suppose we just wait it through.

She sucks on her hands all the time now, continues to coo and talk to us, as well as smile. She's having more good days than bad lately, which is a nice thing. :)

Hope you all enjoy your first Thanksgivings with your dd/ds! :)

[amyinlosangeles]

Just a quick drive-by - Ava had her 3 month WBV - she's 12lbs, 3oz & 23.25" tall. She's obsessed w/her hands & feet & smiling & cooing all the time. Sleeping great still - usually 10:30 - 7/8am.

Does anyone else have a baby with wet/clammy feet all the time?


http://web.mac.com/amydillon/iWeb/babydillonproject/Month%204%20Pix_files/ava_3months.jpg


Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

[isaacsmommy]

Amy- Grants feet get sweaty/ clammy a lot (Isaacs used to as well). I call them his stinky feet and he thinks that is hilarious.

[jesseybell]

Elizabeth has incredibly sweaty feet too. And she hates to wear socks. She's learned how to push them off using the other foot.

We put her down in her crib last night at 8. We were going to let her sleep until she woke up...which ended up being at 11:30. We moved her into our room because it was freezing last night and I hadn't put her in a heavy enough sleeper - our room is so much warmer. She proceeded to be up much of the night with incredible stuffiness, despite being in the chair.

I am off to buy her high chair today. After reading threads and other reviews, against my will we'll be buying the Fisher Price Aquarium one. We have other pieces from the aquarium line, but I was hoping to get something that looked better in our dining room but since we're getting it for her so young the functionality it has seems to be what we need.

Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving. I got my BFP last year on Thanksgiving. We all have so much to be thankful for this year.

[Chimichanga]

Reagan was sick last night :( Poor girl was projectile vomiting and puked up the bottle she was eating all over DH. Then about 30 minutes later got me good. Then she fell asleep so we weren't going to take her in, but then she got some bile looking vomit so we took her in.

Surprise, surprise the doctor said there wasn't anything he could do. He suggested we give her Pedialyte and watch her. We brought her home to give her a bath (she was covered) and DH went to get the Pedialyte. She got me again and we gave her the Pedialyte instead of her bottle. She ate it fine; we only gave her a few ounces. That was at 11. She puked it up around 3 this morning. We gave her some more Pedialyte but she was crying like she was hungry. So I nursed her.

She's since kept everything down so DH didn't take her into the ped. We decided if she spit up anything we'd take her in, but she seems to be better now - thank God!

I feel like a horrible mommy being at work, but DH is home and I don't have much vacation days left for the year.

[babylove]

Jenn ~ Jake will be right up there with Grant! He was just over 15 lbs at 3 months! LOL! BIg boy!

Jenny ~ Go Nora! What healthy girl!

Amy ~ Ava is ADORABLE!! It's amazing that she was so much bigger than Jake at birth but now Jake is bigger than her! And yes, Jake always has clammy hands and feet.

Jessie ~ We have the same highchair. Not crazy about the looks but it does seem to be favored among other moms!

Jen ~ Poor Reagan!! I hope she feels better soon! I take it there is a distinct difference between spit up and throw up??

***

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

(just as an aside, last Thanksgiving, Jake was conceived :) )

[tgoody03]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[jesseybell]

Happy Thanksgiving

babylove - Jake was conceived the day I got my BFP....probably not at the same time though :) I got mine at 6 pm on a whim testing after a couple glasses of wine (wasn't not going to have wine with Thanksgiving dinner - I really didn't think I was pregnant!) and talking to my dad and him asking me if I was pregnant yet. I wasn't going to test until the morning. It was very faint - so faint I didn't tell DH until the next morning after 3 more tests were very positive. Then I braved Black Friday to go to Walmart to buy a whole lot more tests, of which I took 1-2 times a day for another 5 days.

Thanksgiving was good. I so need to start my pp diet. It was really the first time I hung out at out at my parents since she's been born- usually when I've been over there it's been to drop her off. It was a bit weird being with my baby at my childhood home and pumping in the room where I spent hours watching tv.

Tuesday night E slept in her crib for a few hours. But her room is so much colder than ours so she wasn't wearing a heavy enough sleeper so I brought her into our room. Last night she slept in her room the whole night....though I was in there from 1-6. 4 hours of it I slept in the glider by myself. The last 2 she slept with me - at 4:00 she was so wide awake so I just cuddled with her. God that glider is comfortable - so worth the money.

[Chimichanga]

Very quick post before ILs get here...

Reagan is better - but got everyone else SICK!! :( DH and I were sicker than dogs on Thanksgiving so my parents took care of DD. Then they got sick. We're all feeling better now though.

[babylove]

Jen ~ So sorry you were all so sick! Was this a stomach bug or a cold? Either way, boo!!

***

Our Thanksgiving holiday was great. Jake was a big hit with the extended family. We've discovered that he is not a big fan of crowds or strangers. He was not himself either night (Thurs or Fri) and was clearly overwhelmed by all of the attention and new faces. Not to mention his schedule was totally off from staying up late so he was a little cranky.

Last night was my 10 yr high school reunion. I'm really glad I went. It was nice to see old friends and catch up. Of course I had a pic of Jake ready to whip out when someone asked (or didn't ask...) :) It was nice to hear people say "You had a baby 3 months ago? You look great!" It took a lot of work to get me into those jeans last night :D

Hopefully everyone had a great holiday weekend and will be back on CC soon...it's been so quiet around here!

[Camdynlyn]

Milestones: I know most of your babies are probably already doing this but since Mia's really a September baby, that's okay with me. She rolled over from belly to back 2 times (first to the right, then to the left) on Saturday night at 5pm! (yes, I recorded the time) It was awesome because Hubby, my dad, my mom and myself all saw it! Talk about great! I was so glad to share that with them and we were all jumping around!! :D She's ALMOST got the back to front but her arm gets caught! She's also talking up a storm and has started to laugh! Great days!

[babylove]

Summer ~ That's great! The talking and laughing is the best!

Rolling: Jake hasn't rolled over yet at all. He has no incentive to do so b/c he likes being on his back and when he's on his tummy, he is so pissed that I don't think it occurs to him that he could try to roll over. :rolleyes: Oh well...one day he'll do it! :)

[jesseybell]

Rolling - Elizabeth doesn't seem anywhere close to doing it either. She does kick to the side some when she is on her back. I do continuously roll her from her back to her tummy. She gets startled and will hold her head up for a bit, but then spreads her arms to the side, buries her face in the blanket and cries.

The transition to the crib continues and so does the lack of STTN. She'll go 4 1/2 - 5 hours. During the break we'd put her down at 9:00, we'd wake her or she'd wake at 2 (we were actually up), then sleep until 6-7, then until 10. So we were able to sleep in a lot. We'll see how it is now that we all have to get up at 6, not go back to sleep.

Less than 2 weeks and we are off on a mini-vacation to FL. MIL called last night and said she bought a PNP. I was pretty psyched - I didn't want to ask her to because she has no storage space, so she did it on her own.

Her stuffiness continues and she has a horrible sounding cough- she doesn't cough very often but when she does it doesn't sound good. Not enough yet to call the ped.

[Camdynlyn]

Milestones: Sleep: I forgot to add that Mia officially STTN (in my terms) on Friday night from 10:30-7:30 and then last night (Saturday) from 10:30-5:30 (she woke up due to a diry diaper but slept until 8:30 after eating and back to sleep!). YAY! :D

[Chimichanga]

Tracee - it was the flu; stomach bug. Oh, it was beautiful :rolleyes:

Camdynlyn - whooohooo for rolling over! Mia is ahead of the game! Reagan isn't quite there yet, but she's close.

Jessie - I hope E gets over her stuffiness soon. Reagan has the same thing; poor thing is so congested sounding. I dropped her off at daycare with her bulb syringe.

I mentioned to her teacher today that I thought she caught the flu at daycare. Her teacher said none of the kids in the young infant room (0-6 months) had the flu, but the older infant room (6-12 months) had quite a few cases. She was in the older room when I picked her up on Monday. Figures!

We just got word that my uncled passed away from lung cancer. His memorial is on Wednesday. I feel I need to buy Reagan as more "subdued" outfit. We're going to take her because she's too young to know anything. And there's no way I'd leave her with ILs and the smoking FIL does considering why we're attending a funeral! DH thought anything would be fine for her; I'm going to see if I can find something darker and with no holiday embellishments; I'm sure it won't be a small feat to do.

In other news, R is sucking on her hand like it's going out of style. DH is convinced she's ready for solid food (well, you know).

[jesseybell]

Elizabeth sucks on anything and everything - her hand, bib, burp cloth, clothing, her rabbit lovey. And she's also a total drooling machine. Saturday we had our first family dinner with her in her high chair and her little tongue was going in and out despite having just eaten. I really don't want to start her on solids yet.

[Chimichanga]

Jessie; I'm right there with you. I'd love to hold Reagan off of solids until 6 months. But, if the doctor feels she's ready, I'll start to introduce them.

DH wants them, but he seems to forget that her poops will be even more stinky; and he thinks they are horrid now. :rolleyes:

[jesseybell]

Jen- We were having the stinky poop discussion ourselves yesterday. People say once they are on solids, putting the stinky diapers in the Diaper Champ is a thing of the past. Not sure what we are going to do next summer - we live in a townhouse and put our trash out on the back porch until trash day. Guess we'll have to find super-duper strong trash cans.

What are poops like on formula? We need to start giving E a little formula in preparation of our trip to FL (So I don't need to bring 50 oz of my stash with me).

[Chimichanga]

Jessie - I guess the best way to describe a formula poop is -- peanut butter. Kind of gross, yes, but it kind of has the consistancy of peanut butter. The color is lighter, still seedy at times but not as often as with BM.

When we first introduced Reagan to formula, she got bound up (common with formula I've heard). Then she got used to it and would get bound up with BM.

I am officially tapped out of BM. :( I am sad about it, but I gave her 15 good weeks, so I'm happy about that. The illnesses have really hit me hard. I pumped last night because I felt uncomfortable; I hadn't pumped since Friday night at 9 p.m. I only got a total of 4 ounces. :( It had to happen at some point in time.

[jesseybell]

Jen - Sorry about the BM :( But you are right - you did it for a long time. She got so much good BM from you.

I've broken down and taken a ton of Sudafed for my cold. I am miserable. I haven't seen much of a dip in supply yet, but if it happens, it happens.

I continue to flip-flop about how long I can exclusively pump for. Sunday night I was looking at deep freezers, last night I was on the verge of tears because it was 9 and I wanted to go to sleep but couldn't because I can't go more than 8 hours max without pumping. We are going to FL in 10 days and I am already stressing about possibly having to pump in the airport and how much BM to bring. I never thought I would still be pumping by our Florida trip. We'll see what the doctor says on Monday.

My parents might take E overnight on Saturday. I am SO ready!!! (We'll be away from her for 1-2 nights in FL but we'll be really busy, so no sleeping in/going to bed early so if my parents do take her it will truely be like a vacation (unless she freaks out or gets sick and we have to go get her)).

[Chimichanga]

Oh, Jessie, I'm sorry about the pumping issues. I was sort of going through that to an extent a few weeks ago. It's a lot to consider on top of everything else you guys have going on.

I hope your parents do take her for the night; it will be nice for you two!

Yesterday Reagan had a very good day in daycare (or so I was told). She took only 2 naps and was very smilie. :D She took an hour nap when we got home then power ate a 6 ounce bottle. It had been about 4.5 hours since she ate last, and I knew if I only gave her 4 ounces she'd be crying. But, because of the big bottle at 6:30, she hardly ate her bedtime bottle at 9:30. I was worried she'd be up early, but she slept until 3:45 this morning (and power ate again).

I have her in daycare today. I am taking off work tomorrow for my uncle's funeral, so I offered to come into the office today. I hope she has a good day again today.

[babylove]

Why do I feel like this thread has dwindled down to me, Jen and Jessie? :p Where is everyone?!? Maybe we should reconsider joining up with another thread?

***

Jake STTN in his crib (as opposed to the swing) for the first time in weeks. The reflux medicine is definitely working. He napped in his crib yesterday so I thought I would give it a try last night. He went down at 8pm and slept until I woke him up at 7:15. :eek: I am beyond thrilled. Hopefully we'll get a repeat performance tonight and here on out (until teething...).

[Abby'sMom]

I'm lurking, Tracee. Just don't have much to say.

[Chimichanga]

Tracee - I'm just a chatterbox ;) Always have been. And woo hoo for Jake STTN in his crib. Glad to hear the meds are kicking in and helping the poor little guy.

[cocoa_femme]

I'm lurking, Tracee. Just don't have much to say.
Me too. Really busy at work, so not a lot of time to post. I am, however, posting every blue moon in my lj.

[K&H's mommy]

I'm still here too....I lurk but don't find time to post. And when I do post it's in my LJ and a lot of you are there sooooo....I know, excuses, excuses.

Our update:

A will be 3 months old on Saturday, where has the time gone? She is just a wonderful baby. So smiley and just content to sit on your lap. But she has to face outwards though...she doesn't want to miss anything. What she is doing:
* Turns over from tummy to back (about 30% of the time I put her on her tummy).
* Obsessed with her hands and sucks on them so loudly you can hear it from the next room.
* coos and talks when you talk to her
* loves her bath. She could be screaming her head off and I put her in the bath and she is instantly quiet and calm.
* loves her baby massage
* hates going anywhere in the car
* sleeps - goes down at 7pm, wakes up at 4am, back down until 7-8am. Finally starting to take naps. Yesterday took a 4 hour nap and it still didn't screw up her schedule - thank goodness!

Me - I'm back at work as of last weekend and it was fine. It was actually nice to be back. Since I work nights I only have to pump once at work and we have a pump room for the moms of the babies so I can use that. Only hard part is sleeping during the day. DH will bring A to me to nurse her throughout the morning/afternoon so it wakes me up every few hours. Oh well. I did it with DS so I'll do it again. We don't plan on introducing anything to her until 6months.

[PLNUBRIDE]

Hey there everyone...I definitely follow along, but I feel as though I don't have much to add, except questions:).

Tracee...happy to see that you got a great nights sleep from Jake...sleep is such a great thing:)

Jesseybell - Sorry to hear about the BM situation. I have to hand it to you and all other mothers who BF....because I know I wouldn't be able to jungle my new life and trying to deal with the whole BF thing. Kuddos you for balancing it all....it truely is an accomplishment!

K&H Mommy - your DD and mine sound exactly alike. lily sucks her hand so loud it almost startles me at times. And she hates the car seat! I also have to say that I think your DD and mine look similiar...I will see if I can post a pic to compare:)

Ok..minor vent. Lily is a spitter. Which people say is common for some babies. Ok, so it has become something I have learned to accept (8-12 bibs a day -OK fine. And I only change them after they are completely dirty, not after one spit-up). But, in the last several weeks it seems to have gotten worse.
The amount has gotten worse (no joke when I say around 2.5 ozs), she seems to choke (where she doesn't breathe for 3-8 seconds) more often, and she gets fussy and cranky now before she spits up. I am to the point where I am getting sick of hearing 'Oh, that is normal! as long as she is happy and growing...everything is fine".
She is on Dr. Browns exclusively and on LIPID AR formula, I burp her and she stays upright for about 1/2 hr after her bottle. Most of her spit up comes 1-2 hrs after and it is curdled.
I have appt with her dr next week for her 4 month WBV...I am going to bring it up again. If I get blown off again I am thinking of switching drs. Am I crazy?

Please tell me I am not crazy for thinking something needs to be done..not sure what, but something. (I am not advocating medication per say) but I am looking for more then...."it is normal, deal with it".

Ok...see this is what happens when I post. A major vent/question comes with it:)

[jesseybell]

PLNUBRIDE- I know what you mean about spitting up. I am definitely bringing it up at my 4 mth WBV next week. While we don't go through so many bibs and she is gaining weight (I estimate her to be 13.8 lbs) the spitting gets ridiculous, especially when it is hours later. Even daycare mentioned how she seems to spit up right before her next meal. Why can't DD roll yet? Because we don't give her enough tummy time because even 1 1/2 - 2 hours after eating she spits it all up if she's on her stomach.


Thank you for the kudos about BFing. I give huge kudos to those who are "really" BFing. But I have decided to wean DD when we get back from Florida. I turned into a crying mess at work because I am so ready to be done. Could AF be returning? Perhaps but most likely not. Now that DD is being put down earlier not only is my time with her more limited (and thus I would prefer to spend all that time with her, not pumping), but I want my time away from her to truely be my time (or mine and DH's time).

Off to figure out a plan to wean. Part of me is definitely sad, but part of me is quite excited (hello regular Pill, bye bye zits)

[babylove]

PLNUBRIDE ~ Does she cry when she spits up or is she a happy spitter? Is she gaining weight appropriately? I know that there is nothing that can be done (medication-wise) to reduce the amount of spit up, except maybe reduce the amount of formula she is getting. According to my ped and a friend of mine who is a ped, the muscle at the base of the esophogous is totally incompetent in infants, which is why they spit up. I can completely understand how this would be frustrating/scary for you though, especially considering the fact that she chokes and stops breathing. I would absolutely say something to your ped and if you aren't satisfied, switch drs.

Jessie ~ Good luck with weaning! You've done a great job giving your DD BM so you should be really proud!

Sara ~ WOW--a four hour nap?! I'm lucky if I can get 2 hours out of Jake!

Bree and Sherry~ Thanks for stopping in! We miss you!

Jen ~ I'm a chatterbox too, I guess :D

***

Night 2 of Operation Crib...Jake has been babbling/whining/yelling for about 20 mins, but no actual crying yet. There are prolonged periods of silence in between, as if he is falling asleep briefly and then waking up to keep me on my toes. I keep going in to reassure him, etc and the minute I walk in he's silent. It's like he just wants my attention or something. Well, he's not getting out of that crib, dammit! ;)

[KKay]

I haven't posted in awhile, but I'm still lurking too. I started back to work this week and I'm just trying to KEEP my job. I work for Ford Motor Company and it's really hectic around here right now. I went from being a calm, cool, collected mama last week to being a stressed out, crying, concerned mama this week.

As for DD Lauren. She is STTN for the most part (down at 11 and up at 5:30). She has finally stopped spitting up a lot after she eats. She is very alert and smiling/cooing/babbling non-stop. :)

Jessey - congrats on BF this long. I know how hard it is to exclusively pump (I did with DD1).

K&H Mommy - my DD has the same outfit! It must be one of the trendiest Carter's baby outfits around. There were 3 babies wearing that outfit at daycare yesterday (including mine). LOL The daycare actually took a picture of the girls and sent it to the parents.

[isaacsmommy]

I am here too. I haven't posted recently because last week I strained my neck and have been in a lot of pain, but that is getting better now. Not sure how I did it (probably packnig my pork chop around ;) ), but it was awful.

Anyway, Grant is doing well. He had his first overnight adventure on Monday night. Both dc stayed at my aunt's house because I had to be at an appt early on Monday and she lives 35 mins away. Of course he slept like crap for her, I felt so bad. He was up every few hours wanting to play. She said she was just happy that he wasn't up screaming his head off. Luckily he is very happy usually :knocks on wood:. OH and he kind of sat up on his own yesterday, but only for about 10 seconds. I won't officially call it sitting up, but really close.

Chimicanga- Sorry about your bm drying up. You did awesome though, but I can understand why you are sad. Heck I was sad (but also very ready) when I weaned Isaac at 14 mths.

Babylove- Stay strong, you can do it. Good luck! I hated the transition with Isaac (and so did he). Grant is still happily sleeping with mommy or in his bassinet at this point, but that is because we have no choice until we move.

Jesseybell- My advice- cabbage leaves and sudafed.

PLNUBRIDE- Grant spits up a lot too, probably because he would eat for hours on end if I would let him. I don't have any good advice though, but I can commiserate.

[babylove]

I'm so glad I guilted everyone into posted :)

KKay ~ Good luck with going back to work! This is my 3rd full week and I'm finally in the swing of things.

Jenn ~ I'm sorry about your neck! Funny you should mention that b/c I have had so many neck aches since Jake was born...I mean at least once a week. I really think it's a combo of lugging a heavy carseat/diaperbag AND (don't laugh) starring down at Jake while he nurses :o

***
Jake finally fell asleep at 9 last night (after one hour of making noise in his crib) and slept until I woke him up at 7:15 this morning! Who wants take bets that he'll be up at the crack of dawn on Friday, a day I don't have to work!? :p

[JenniferH]

I have been lurking too. Very busy at work right now. Cohen turned 3 months yesterday and we had our WBV today. Here are his stats:

Weight: 12lbs 4oz
Height:22 3/4 inches

He is still Mommy's little peanut! He still isn't sleeping through the night. He has had a cold for over a week and has been getting up about three times a night. We are so tired!

DID EVERYONE SEE THERE IS AN AUGUST 2007 THREAD!!!!

PLNUBRIDE ~ My first son was a spitter upper. Nothing we could do about it, but he did eventually out grow it. As he ate more solid food and less formula, spit up became less. Turns out he has a sensitive gag reflex. Talk to your doctor about it. Not sure what Enfamil AR is, but we switched Caden to Isomil Advance which helped but did not totally stop it.

KKAy & K&HMommy ~ That outfit is so cute!

Isaacsmommy ~ Sorry about your neck! Hope you feel better soon!

Chimi ~ Sorry about the BM. Mine dryed up almost immediately when I went back to work. 14weeks is great! Congrats!

Babylove ~ We are going through the same thing. I just keep reminding myself it will get better! STAY STRONG!

Jesseybell ~ Have fun in Florida! Once I switched to the Pill my BM dryed up overnight. Congrats on pumping this long!

[PLNUBRIDE]

Yes...I did just see the August 2007 thread! For some reason it makes me kind of sad. I brings me back to when I found out we were pregnant and all the excitment that came along with it:)

We are attending my DH annual Christmas Party on Saturday (which will be 1 yr exactly from when we got our first BFP). The funny thing is last year I tested the day before the party to confirm a BFN...so that I could drink at the party:). As you can all see....there was no drinking for me last year!

Ok...be back in a second

[isaacsmommy]

Yep, just saw the thread. Happy for them, kinda sad for myself. Oh good lord, someone smack me please!? Knowing that we most likely won't have anymore makes me want to cry (dh says no more). Of course I am a baby/ kid nut (if it were up to me) I would end up with a ton cause I'd have a bunch of my own and then start taking in other peoples (adopt) most likely.

[Camdynlyn]

I'm reading along but will be back in action next week when I start back to work. I jsut don't have the time to post during the day.

[Sabriel]

I can't believe it is already time for the August 2007 thread. Time is flying by so quickly!

PLNUBRIDE Have fun at the Christmas party! I hope you can find a solution for the spit-up.

JenniferH I hope Cohen lets you get some sleep soon!

isaacsmommy I hope you neck feels better! Wow for Grant almost sitting up!

KKay Yay for Lauren STTN! Emily sleeps from about 9/10 pm - 5:30 am, and it is heaven!

Sorry that I have been MIA. DD requires my complete attention while I am home, and the only time I can get on the computer is when I am pumping.

E is doing great. We took her to the ped Monday, and she weighed in at 13 lb 12 oz! We took her, because she has been crying a lot in the evenings I was afraid that she had an ear infection. Fortunately, she doesn't. She has a slight cold and she is teething already. :rolleyes: I kinda figured as much, since she has been drooling a ton. Is anyone else's DC starting to teethe?

Bfing is going better, but we are still using a nipple shield. We try to go without it at every nursing, but she gets so frustrated. I am trying not to stress about it too much. She just doesn't latch properly. I even have to fix her latch when we use the shield.

She is talking, smiling and laughing a ton. She sucks her fingers constantly. She can hold toys now and can take her paci in and out of her mouth. She is trying to roll over, but can only get from her back to side so far. She loves the sitting up game, where we hold her hands and she pulls herself up. :)

I will try to come by more often. Hope everyone else is doing well!

[isaacsmommy]

Teething- Grant is drooling everywhere as well, but it may not be because of teething. Increased saliva also occurs as the bodies way to prepare itself to start eating (more) solid foods

[Chimichanga]

Lots of activity around here!! :D

Tracee - good luck with Operation Crib. I let Reagan cry/whine a bit at night. I know she's full and dry so I figured it's okay.

KKay - good luck! I'm sure everything will work out with the job situation.

Isaacsmommy - sorry that Grant slept poorly for your aunt, but it's good that she looked at the positive side.

Jennifer - I'd say a little peanut! Glad to hear Cohen doesn't have an ear infection ~ although colds aren't fun either!

Sabriel - yes, I'm thinking Reagan is starting to teethe. She's a big drooler (my shirts can attest to this) and constantly sucking on her fist, my hand, DH's hand; anything she can get her mouth on.

**********
Yesterday was a rough day all around. Reagan was up from 11 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Yes, 9.5 hours. Not by mine or DH's choice either!! We were at my uncle's funeral and she was just so over stimulated. She took maybe 3 short cat naps (I'm talking about 10 minutes each) all day. She was very cranky at the end of the service; which stunk because I kept having to take her out and I was very emotional. DH did a reading so he couldn't help. The funeral director offered to watch her for me since "it was important for me to be there". We put DD in her car seat, he rocked her and gave her the bottle. I thought that was so nice.

She didn't want to go in her crib last night so we put her in the swing so we could get some sleep. I guess now she's been crying for the past 2.5 hours for DH at home. I think she's WAY over tired!

I guess the "good" news (can you get good news at a funeral?) is that I can now get formula for stupid cheap. My aunt works for Willy Wonka (Nerds, Bottle caps, etc) which is owned by Nestle. She can get us the Nestle Good Start formula for $27. That's $27 for six large cans of formula. We normally pay about $21-24 for one can. She can get two six packs a month. She said she'd sign up to get the formula (I guess it's a high demand item) but there wouldn't be a problem.

QOTD ~ In honor of the August 2007 thread, post your BFP stories. :D
I got our BFP on 12/2. I tested early before DH went to work. He was convinced we were PG and I wasn't so sure this time. I was cranky that morning so I had DH read the test. He told me it was negative. I cried and went back to sleep (it was 3 a.m.) I had dreams that he read the test wrong. When I woke up I checked the test and sure enough there was a faint line. I called DH immediately on his cell and told him he was a dork; we were pregnant. He made me take 2 more tests before he believed me. He thought the line had to be dark. But I knew "a line is a line"

[K&H's mommy]

QOTD - I got my BFP on 12/16. You could only see the line if you squinted while holding it up in front of a white piece of paper. I waited to tell DH until I got a cute picture of DS wearing a onesie saying "big brother 8/26". I was going