September 2005~ We're One...Oh how Fun!

[wildcat]

Thanks for all the support guys, I truly appreciate it as this is getting harder and harder to deal with.:(

I just got a call from the ped's office with the chest xray results. Lauren has mild left lower lobe pneumonia.:( The new antibiotic we started yesterday (that we forgot to give her and gave her this morning instead and am now REALLY feeling awful about!), will treat it. We are to keep doing everything (antibiotic, breathing treatments, etc) and we have yet another appt on Monday (3rd Monday in a row) for a recheck. I just want my baby girl to be healthy.

[cr8zyforaf]

oh wildcat - so sorry. I hope Lauren feels better soon.

[solongtogo]

Wildcat I'm so sorry...I hope the she feels better soon :(((

daniel cook and go baby only the worst shorts to ever grace the television. They are on playhouse disney. It's like a 5 minute long short show, Go baby has the not at all cute baby that is basically a picture, and they manipulate it to do things, like clap hands, smile etc. DAniel cook is this firey red headed like 6 year old kid and he goes out and learns about stuff, like at the firestation at the zoo etc. In theory it's a good short, but he is one of the worlds most annoying children.

[Sandie78]

ok, a lot catch up on. Here goes:

Holiday cards We probably won't do these. If we do they'll be just boring cards, no pictures.

Sleeping Zach is a great sleeper. (I say this as I hear him talking upstairs after a way too short nap. :rolleyes: ) DH puts him to bed everynight around 7:30 and he'll usually sleep until 7:00am, but he did have a bad dream last night so I went in to comfort him.

Black Friday Shopping I'm not planning to, but if someone wants me to go along I'll probably agree, but I refuse to drive.

Charm I'd probably feel the same way about the talking as you do.

Wildcat So sad about Lauren, but she will hopefully get better soon now.

Zach has a little cold, but nothing to bad. I had a sore throat last week, it's probably the same thing. Hopefully he will be all better soon. Here's a picture of his bowling ball costume. This picture was not taken on Halloween. I didn't get any good pictures that night so I made him put it on again. It was still difficult to get a picture because as you guys know it's hard to get a 14 month old to hold still.

http://static.flickr.com/117/302413056_9b3ad74c66.jpg?v=0

[AlisonCO]

So my SIL's and nephew just left this morning after being here for a week so I wanted to come in and catch up. We had such a great visit! My nephew is 18 weeks and weighs as much as Caitlin! He is adorable and a very happy baby. They are having some major sleep issues though and I really feel for them - actually after having them here my husband scheduled his initial consult for the vasectomy:D He said that he cannot imagine having a baby again. My poor SIL's have to bounce on an exercise ball for 10-30 minutes before every nap and throughout the night. We also had some issues trying to get out and do things but we had such nice weather it was OK.

Caitlin is doing well. I am having such a hard time finding gifts and stocking stuffers for her for x-mas. I did find a cute upholstered chair finally. She is also starting to talk more and is putting a couple of words together like Hi bubba/dada. We are finally in two to one nap transition and it is going better than I thought - as long as we stay busy, she can make it until 1:30 which means that I still have some overlap. She is also fixated on feeding herself everything - she sits for dinner for 45 minutes! I started giving her a bowl of peas to keep her busy while I feed her the messy stuff.

holiday cards - I ordered and just recieved my holiday cards from Shutterfly. I had a coupon plus now they do the collage photo cards which is great since it is so very hard to get both kids to sit and look at the camera. I wanted to keep the cost down because I have about 80 people to send to and DH has about another 20.

black friday shopping - NO WAY! I love to shop online and especially where I can get free shipping.

sleeping - Usually she sleeps from 7:15-6:45 but if she takes two naps, she might not go to bed until 7:45ish.

Daniel Cook - Gosh, I think he is cute and Aidan really likes it. Maybe because I have a very inquisitive 3 year old, I can appreciate the questions he asks and don't get quite as annoyed since Aidan can ask the same kinds of questions.

wildcat - Poor L - she is just having such a rough month! I hope the meds work quickly and she feels better soon.

Sandie - Darling bowling ball!

solong - Cute!!! That is one big cat and one beautiful girl.

cr8zy - I am so glad that you had a nice date!

[AndreaMMS]

Quick post!

Wildcat- I'm so sorry Lauren is going through so much!!!! Hope she's all better soon.:(

Alison- Where did you find the chair? Could you post a picture? I'm thinking of getting one for Naomi as well.

Question- what do you give your child when he/she is constipated? Naomi is having poop issues.:rolleyes:

[solongtogo]

Question- what do you give your child when he/she is constipated? Naomi is having poop issues.:rolleyes:

pear juice, prune juice....

[AlisonCO]

Where did you find the chair? Could you post a picture? I'm thinking of getting one for Naomi as well.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000BTTQXM.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_.jpg

It is from Target and is $40. It is exactly what I wanted - something nice with no characters on it, plus it is very girly:)

[AndreaMMS]

Alison- very cute! I like that it doesn't have characters on it as well. I try to avoid all that dora-elmo-disney-whoever stuff as much as possible. I hate the idea of my one-year-old having "brand loyalties.":rolleyes:

[solongtogo]

Courtneys 15 month stats
weight: 21 lb, 5 oz
height: 30 1/4 inches
head: 46.3 cm

[jo&sean]

Wildcat - I am so sorry to hear about Lauren. Poor girl! Hang in there - things will get better soon.

Sandy - Zach is adorable in the bowling ball costume! My DH was in my ofice when I was looking at this picture and he started howling. He thought that was the coolest costume ever!

Alison - Glad you had a nice visit with your family. That is funny how it prompted your DH to get his snip-snip consult in :) Addison has that same chair. I too didn't want one with a character either and that was what I could find that wasn't $100 +. It has held up well but it tips over really easy so we just make sure it is against the wall. It cleans up easy too (after a banana episode I thought we were done with the chair..lol!)

Re: Constipation issues - Luckly we haven't had to deal with that - I think because of all the fruit Addison eats.

We just got back from doing our last bit of shopping for dinner tomorrow. The stores were starting to get crazy so I am glad I went this morning!

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving :)

[b]

[randysmandy]

HAPPY TURKEY DAY
I know tomorrow is going to be busy for everyone, so I wanted to give my shout out now.
Enjoy the day with your families and friends and the long weekend.

[cr8zyforaf]

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!

[Cr8nme]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

[Brink]

Just a quick update on us. I had my last peri appt. today before checking in on Monday. The twins are doing well and weigh 1lb3oz and 1lb4oz each. He did see cord tangles, but said they weren't too bad yet. We knew to expect some, so I'm not too worried at this point. I check in on Monday morning.....


Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

[Cr8nme]

aww brink I am soo happy to hear that! the babies are doing well... hang in there!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~


I wanted to post that I haven't been on BC since Noelle was born and I made an appointment to go see a gyn for the first time since moving to dallas! I am going to get an IUD placed in if possible... I am still doing research between the two... I really wanted that Implanon that is inserted in your arm(its new) but I am not sure who does it! I am not ready to have another baby and Dh and I joke that it will be this month I get pregnant since thats when I am really trying not to LOL. Anyway I have some anxiety because I am overweight and LOVED my Ob/gyn who delivered Noelle:) :(

[AlisonCO]

Brink - That is great news! Eat loads of yummy food this weekend before you check into the hospital.

Cr8nme - I haven't heard of an IUD that is inserted into your arm - I hope that you find a great doc!

jo - I will make sure that Caitlin's new chair is up against a wall since she is quite the monkey.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all of the moms, kiddos and families!!!

[Cr8nme]

Alison~ I must have described it wrong:o LOL basically I am getting an IUD but I really wanted the little device(not IUD) that goes in your arm...can't find a doc that does it though:(

[AlisonCO]

DUH, I gotcha ya! Of course it wouldn't be an IUD since of course that stands for intra uterine device;)

Happy Day all!

[charmcitygirl]

happy thanksgiving everybody!

brink good luck on monday... let us know how it goes after checking in to the hospital.

[wildcat]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Lauren is still working on getting better, but we had a good day nonetheless!

Brink - Enjoy your last few days "freedom";)! We'll be thinking about you!

[AndreaMMS]

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ours was nice, but I am really p*ssed at some of Rich's family. Two of his cousins - both of whom he is very close to- are getting married next year. The one getting married in April told us during the summer that children weren't being invited...except for her fiance's 11 nieces and nephews.:rolleyes: Ok, whatever. I'm disappointed, but she said if they invited all friend's and more "distant" relative's kids, there would be 50 children there, so I can understand them needing to draw a line. We'll line up someone we know and trust to watch Naomi for the evening.

But yesterday I was talking to his other cousin's fiance. She is Danish, and they are getting married in August in Denmark. They really want us to come. She told me

1. Children would most likely not be invited

2. Naomi is the only child in their lives, except for 2 friend's due in May.

So wait a minute- you want us to fly clear across the planet to attend your wedding, and then expect us to leave our toddler with someone who is an utter stranger to both her and us?????? Are you freaking kidding me? You won't depart from your vision of your wedding to accomidate relatives who are willing to take the time, hassel, and expense of that trip to support you?????? :mad: :mad: :mad:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brink- So glad everything is going so well! Will you have a computer in the hospital?

Cre8nme- Do you mean a Norplant?

Wildcat- so glad Lauren is doing better!

[Cr8nme]

Andrea~ I do agree they are being pretty unreasonable... I couldn't imagine leaving Noelle to go to a wedding thousands of miles away:( What are you guys gonna do?

Your right it is just LIKE norplant but norplant is no longer on the market... Implanon is new and is by the makers of the Nuvaring... Its been out for several years in other countries

[AndreaMMS]

Andrea~ I do agree they are being pretty unreasonable... I couldn't imagine leaving Noelle to go to a wedding thousands of miles away:( What are you guys gonna do?


I tried to be big about it- told Rich if he wanted we could just think of it as a family vacation (it never crossed my mind to leave her home!), he could go to the wedding and I'd spend that one night alone in the hotel with Naomi, be he said no- if she's not invited, we're not going. I'm trying not to take it personally, I know that the bride and groom should have the wedding they want, but come on- if you expect so much from a guest, you need to bend a little.

[philnikki]

Hey all!

Going to catch up shortly, but I wanted to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving, and drop off a picture :)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/Ava%20Pics/November%202006/Thanksgiving2006023.jpg

[AlisonCO]

Andrea - What a tough situation. I think that you were being really nice when you suggested that you all go - what an amazing opportunity, but I can understand why your DH is upset. Looking back I sure hope that I wasn't a crazy bridezilla to my friends and family with kids when I got married!

I just got our holiday cards and wanted to share. I love the new collage cards from shutterfly since it is nearly impossible to get a good shot of both kids in nice clothes with a cute background.
http://www.winkflash.com/photo/imagew2.aspx?i=94022981&c=2938474&z=0&v=nwclpl0l8w17mezofkha11drdqewklrdgwjdz0p4yh2cgiqc ysvucxb0aawefmzgpccejjscl0xnf1dn


FINALLY Caitlin has enough hair to wear a hair accessory - I am so excited.
http://www.winkflash.com/photo/imagew2.aspx?i=94023079&c=2938474&z=0&v=nwclpl0l8w17mezofkha11drdqewklrdgwjdz0p4yh2cgiqc ysvucxb0aawefmzgpccejjscl0xnf1dn

This is from yesterday morning - we had beautiful weather for Thanksgiving.
http://www.winkflash.com/photo/imagew2.aspx?i=94023156&c=2938474&z=0&v=nwclpl0l8w17mezofkha11drdqewklrdgwjdz0p4yh2cgiqc ysvucxb0aawefmzgpccejjscl0xnf1dn

We had a nice day yesterday. We went to the park for the morning and ran around to work off what we were going to eat in the evening. Then after we all had a nap:) we went to my aunt and uncles for an early dinner. Both kids did great and were a huge hit - they are the only young kids. Caitlin, Aidan and I ate loads of yummy carbs and Caitlin enjoyed her first pumpkin pie with real whipped cream. Today we are just chillin at home and I am doing a bit of online shopping. Hope that you all are doing well!

[solongtogo]

Wow Alison what a view!!! I wish we had mountains...they're so beautiful. Only flatlands and corn for me : Caitlin is so dainty :)

Andrea wow...I can see giving a little bit of squeeze on that first situation, but the one in denmark??? Thats insane...there's no way in hell I'd leave my kid...

[wildcat]

We're back from my parents!

Lauren's diaper rash is still bad even with the diaper cream, granules, naked time, and sitz baths. I'm definitely pushing the dr. to do whatever else we can try on Monday...even though I know the antibiotic and pulmicort she's on is making it worse. Such a vicious cycle! However, her breathing is much better!!

Here's my annoying story to add to Andrea's. We went to Thanksgiving at my grandparents with my immediate family (which includes 2 babies, Lauren and my 7 month old nephew), grandparents, 1 uncle, and 1 more uncle his wife and 2 kids. My 6 year old cousin complained he wasn't feeling well and vomitted in the car as they pulled into the driveway. Instead of taking him home, they went and got him a change of clothes and kept him there. They MADE him come sit at the dinner table while we ate even though he had the freaking flu! Of course he didn't eat and as soon as we were done eating, he started throwing up. At one point we were all sitting in the living room and my uncle pulled up a chair for him and he sat among us puking into a bucket! WTF????
They left the same time we did 5 hours later. Now they freaking KNOW that Lauren has had a respitory infection, asthma, pneumonia, ear infection and yeast infection and that her immune system is crap, why the heck did they keep their kid there infecting everyone?? My aunt is a very intimidating biotch so I didn't say anything. In retrospect we should have taken Lauren and gone back to my parents. So yesterday, my dad and sister start puking at 9 (after feeling bad and missing our family dinner which is the only time my entire immediate family will be together until next year since my brother works Christmas and we won't see him, my SIL or nephew). I was LIVID. So, at 10, we decided to get out of there while we all 3 were still healthy and we packed up and got home at 2am. I'm so pi55ed right now, it ruined our time with our immediate family (especially my sister who I only get to see about 3 times a year!). I talked to my mom this morning and now my SIL, grandma, grandpa, both uncles and other cousin are all puking. URGH! Christmas is at my aunt/uncles house and I feel like calling them that day and asking them if their kids are freaking healthy before going!!!

Need to go put Lauren down for a nap...be back to catch-up later.

[randysmandy]

Wildcat OMG!!!! I can't believe your story.....I would have thought they would clean the car and go home. Where do you want to be when yo uare sick... in your bed! I not only feel bad for you guys, but for your poor nephew. I am praying Lauren (and you and DH) don't get sick!

Thanksgiving was ok...Hunter was tired, the turkey was 1.5 hours late getting out of the oven, so by the time we ate DH left to get the binky we forgot, I ate standing up and by the time he got back he ate alone and Hunter refused to nap. BUT we did not have any sick kids, or relatives that don't allow kids at weddings that you fly to-sorry Andrea that you have to go through that. I would ditch the wedding and go on a vacation somewhere else ;)

Nikki Cute pic of Ava..she's such a big girl now! And so blonde!

Alison What a beautiful background and a nice pic all together-good job on the greeting cards..I'm about to order mine.

[Brink]

Sorry - no time for s/o's

Just checking in letting you all know I check into the hospital tomorrow morning. It's hard to believe this time has come. You guys have been so wonderful in your support, thanks a lot. It might take me a few days to get my internet connection going (and to remember my password for this site). So, don't be worried if you don't hear from me. Assume all is ok, I'll just be technology challenged.

Take care all.

[charmcitygirl]

hi everyone.

our thanksgiving turned out pretty well. we went to north carolina and the weather was pretty amazing. sunny, 70°. crazy. but on friday the shit hit the fan and all kinds of drama ensued. ugh. whatever. i'm just glad we're home.

my mom found these toys that i must get for the kids... despite that they are rated for ages 5+:
blue man group keyboard
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000FBWFQG.01._SCTZZZZZZZ_V36755098_.jpg

blue man group percussion tubes
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000FBSMLS.01._SCTZZZZZZZ_V36753769_.jpg

i used to work for blue man group when i was in college, 12 years ago. too funny.

we got some pretty bad news last week. our friend has colon cancer. he's having a portion of his colon removed on wednesday. he's 34 and he and his wife are expecting a baby in february. it's so sad. there is so much cancer in his family. his doctor told him he needed to be checked every 5 years but he decided to not wait that long... good thing because he would be in much worse shape if he waited 3 more years as his doctor suggested. and you know what really sucks? his family (who brag about how close they all are) are going out of town next weekend... he won't even be out of the hospital yet!!! his family is actually very old family friend's of dh's family and we spend a lot of time with them during the holidays and now i don't think i can be around them. they just suck. anyhow, please think good thoughts for him on wednesday.

wildcat :eek: :eek: :eek:

brink i think i've already said this, but it bears repeating: good luck tomorrow!

[Cr8nme]

Brink~ Good luck tomorrow! I will be thinking of you...

[jo&sean]

Wildcat - I can't even imagine...awful!!

Andrea - That would be really irritating about the wedding in Denmark. I would be pretty ticked too.

Nikki - Adorable picture of Miss Ava. Love her dress :)

Brink - Good luck tomorrow! I can not even begin to imagine what you must be thinking, feeling and preparing for. I am thinking about you guys!

We had a very nice, uneventful Thanksgiving. I loved having dinner at our house this year and not having to drive home from anywhere! We decided we will be staying home for Christmas too and those who want to see Addison can come to her :)

[randysmandy]

Brink YIKES----so exciting.....GOOD LUCK!!

jo&sean You have the right idea..although we have dinner planned with my Mom, but whoever wants to see Hunter after that has to come to our house for dessert-sorry!

charm SO sorry to hear about your friend. I do hope that they get all of it. My family friend just found out she has a bit of lung cancer and then her house flooded! Talk about bad bad luck. They are also taking hers out very soon. I feel like I have been surrounded by Cancer lately. Saw the BMG a few years ago-very cool.

[BeachBum]

Ava Looks adorable.
Brink Good Luck. We will all be thinking of you :)
CharmThat is hard news about your friend. I'm sorry.
Alison-I can't see your pics. Poo.

We had a nice thanksgiving too. We had a 8/9 hour drive each way which sucked though. It was nice that H got to play with cousins. We usually only see them 1 or maybe 2 times per year.
Can I get an opinion on this photo for Christmas cards? I like to get "family" pics from my friend, so I thought that is what I would send. Then I showed my sister the pic and she said my hair was too crazy. I can absolutely choose a non family pic, so I would like to know what you really think. I can take it! :)

[cr8zyforaf]

beach - personally, I love the photo. I think the crazy hair is OK because you are obviously standing on the beach...I think it is perfect.

charm - love the blue man stuff. I am so sorry about your friend..that is very scary.

wildcat - that is awful..and that poor child. Glad to hear that Lauren's breathing is getting better - hopefully the rash will go away soon!

Brink - good luck. I am thinking about you guys often!

andrea - I would also be ticked about the wedding. Have you told the couple yet?

philandnikki - love the dress - and ava is adorable.

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful - it was my first and everyone raved about the food (I only had one small fire!). MIL didn't show up and now she is not answering her phone - whatever. I hate her so much. She has managed to be a black cloud ever since Ash was born.

In other news- I think my SIL is trying to get pregnant..which is exciting. And two mom's I know are preggo. I am so happy for them and a tinge jealous...I am not ready for another, but I kind of want to be.

[Cr8nme]

beach~ before I even read your post I thought GOSH her hair looks good... with that being said the only reason I would chose a different pics was if I really wanted the them to be christmasy... just a thought

[Brink]

Well ladies, I'm here. We had one NST earlier today and an u/s. All looks good so far. I'm actually doing pretty well here. My DH is on his way with Aimee for dinner. I'll keep you all updated.

Charmcity - so sorry to hear about your friend. We'll send positive thoughts.

Beachbum - I agree that since you are obviously on a beach, the hair is perfect! Use the picture you like, don't worry about anyone else.

[AlisonCO]

Brink - Congrats on making it to this huge milestone - we will all be thinking of you and your family!!!

BB - I think that your photo is great and I think that your hair looks really good - you all look great!

charmcity - So sorry to hear about your friend!

wildcat - How is L - did she end up getting sick?

It sounds like everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Caitlin is back in teething hell - it looks like two maybe three are coming in. She really only wants to eat soft foods that are preferably cold, so tonight I put some applesauce in the freezer and then added some frozen blueberries. She fed herself that while DH shoved real food in her mouth in between. She also learned to go down the stairs today - Oh man does that make me nervous!

[Cr8nme]

I am still dealing with my own teeth issue. Maybe I just want to stop validating why Noelle only has 2 TEETH... I keep seeing how ALL of the other babies her age have AT LEAST 8 teeth. I thought for sure last week there were some cutting through NOPE... :(

[Kay2003]

Phew! I'm behind on posts.

solongtogo- love your holiday picture. What a great idea to bring out holiday ornaments to play with.

wildcat - how is Lauren? Did she get that terrible virus? I'm sure you're not the only one who is thinking that if there is a sick kid on Christmas that family should go home.

brink - I'm thinking of you. I'm glad you have internet at the hospital.

andrea - wow.... I guess with the wedding in Denmark I don't see why they can't make an exception to just the three kids. That said, I wonder what the bride will say if you say "we'd love to be there, but it would be really difficult to leave her in the U.S. without us."

CONSTIPATION: Kaito has had problems with this too. What worked for us was veggie burgers! He loves them - will eat a whole one when he's hungry. He also eats the dried gerber baby fruit.

sandie thanks for sharing the bowling ball pic!! I've got to get my lazy butt to learn how to post pics...

beachbum - I LOVE that picture. It is so hard to find a good picture of an entire family (at least for me). I think all three of you look great, and I think the movement in your hair is great. It "fits" with the beach scene.

cr8zy - I'm impressed you made Thanksgiving dinner. I have never attempted it.

kitchen - Okay, I splurged. Check out the kitchen I bought for Kaito. It has a working faucet!!!

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/117/493756/117.html

[Kay2003]

cr8nme - They are sure to come. I guess the way I look at it, Kaito has a whole mouth full of teeth and I'm super worried that he's going to get a cavity because we seem to only consistently brush his teeth once a day (!) So teeth bring a whole new set of worries. And Noelle may have her baby tooth her whole life! I'm 33 and believe it or not I still use one baby tooth!! (my adult tooth never came in for one tooth!)

[solongtogo]

cr8zy: can relate to your feelings, and also to your stupid MIL. At least she's a drama queen with ALL the family, and not just you guys. You all really should just give up entirely with that whole situation, it's not worth it.

beachbum: I like the picture too....

Brink: Congratulations! I still want to see a belly picture :)

Wildcat: How's Lauren doing?

cr8nme: I can relate to your feelings, although mine is about court not walking yet. I guess if the ped has no issues with her teeth then you shouldn't either. Maybe bring it up at her 15 month appt and see what they say.

Allison: Court is getting her I teeth in, has Caitlin yet? If she's working on these teeth, they're supposed to be every bit as bad as molars...could be why she hurts so much.

charm: I'm sorry for your friend. I love BMG...DH and I went to their chicago show for our first anniversary. It was a blast!!

[BeachBum]

She also learned to go down the stairs today - Oh man does that make me nervous!

Do you mean walking down? H still backs down, but regularly trys to walk down which I discourage. Do you have a child sized handrail?

[AlisonCO]

solong - C is getting the smaller molars right now, but the I teeth are terrible!

BB - C is just going down feet first on her tummy, but she gets going pretty fast and then sometimes she turns around to see how far she is - I don't think that her little legs are long enough to walk down yet;)

Kay - That is a great kitchen!

[wildcat]

Just a quick post as I head off to bed (I'm at a client location this week w/o internet access, so I won't be around much!).

The three of us managed to NOT catch the flu!! woohoo! We had Lauren's follow-up dr. appt on Monday and ears look great and she sounded (lungs) great!! We have to keep doing the Pulmicort through the breathing machine for another 3 weeks (which is only twice a day for 15 mins, so not too bad considering what we have been doing!). Then if she gets a cough again (after or with a cold), we have to start doing the breathing treatments and if it doesn't get better in 2 days, we're back to the dr's office for the ped to listen to her and we'll probably start on a treatment plan for asthma (which would be daily breathing treatments until she hopefully outgrows it which is generally between ages 4 and 6). The ped is also concerned about her ear infections (3 so far) and she said another one of those and we're talking tubes. My mom said I should have had tubes with as many ear infections as I had, so I'm not too surprised by that either (man, what GOOD things are we giving this poor child?:rolleyes:). I asked about being in a daycare center and she said that is Lauren's biggest risk factor so I asked if we're at the point we should consider other options (me quitting, hiring a nanny, etc) and she said not yet, but let's see how the winter goes.

The diaper rash is the same, good for a few days, bad for a few days...but we're letting her run around naked whenever we're home and doing 15 min sitz baths twice a day and I think that's helping more than the meds.

Anyway, thanks for all the kind thoughts about Lauren...it's nice to know our little Sept mom family was thinking about us!:D

I'll try to catch-up tomorrow night!

[AndreaMMS]

Catching up!

Nikki- Ava is so cute!!! Love her squirrel dress.

Alison- what a sweet holiday card.I can't believe where you live- the mountains are gorgeous! I laughed abotu your bridezilla comment. We've got weddings in April, May, June, and August. Everytime I talk to some of these brides I wonder if I was as nutty.:rolleyes:

Wildcat- I cannot *believe* that story about your nephew!:mad: Glad Lauren is doing better!

Brink- so glad to hear that everything is going well. You are so strong!!!!!

Charm- So sorry to hear about your friend. I hpe he's ok.:(

Beachbum- I think that photo is great. Your hair just looks like you're on a windy beach. Honestly I like family photos that seem real, not posed and perfect.


Cr8zy- I know what you mean about pregnant friends. Seems like I get into a discussion about second children almost every day. Sorry your mother-in-law continues to be such a challenge. Maybe it was better that she didn't show up for Thanksgiving?

Cre8nme- the teeth will come, I promise! If you're concerned, can you ask your pediatrician about it?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks, everyone for the support about the Denmark wedding. Part of me is wondering if I misunderstood her (sometimes her English is a little unclear) and maybe Naomi and the two infants are the only kids they are inviting... I guess I'll wait and see. I started a thread about it in emotional support, and the consensus seems to be her wedding, her choice. Well yeah, but I still think it's...I don't know...unkind. Whatever.:rolleyes:

QOTD- Pacifiers! Does your child still use one? How long will you let them? If you got rid of it, how did you do it and how did they react?

Naomi still uses one for naps and at night. After all the sleep trouble we had with her I have this irrational fear that if I try and take it away from her she will never sleep again (cue scary music).....

[randysmandy]

Andrea Cue the music here too--Hunter relies on that thing SO much for sleep.....and it is still hard to get him to bed. So, I need some help here too! I am thinking of waiting til he can at least talk, but I also wanted to get rid of the paci by age 1. Wildcat-was it Lauren who nixed it easily??? Awesome about the clean bill of health!
Cr8zy If you ever need to PM me about your MIL please do--I always need someone to talk to who isn't biast. She pi**es me off almost everyday.

[BeachBum]

Thanks for the feedback on the pic. I think I am goign to go ahead and use it. My sister and I are very close and it is amazing how much she can make me doubt :)

Alison-Thanks for the feeback on the stairs. A friend of DH was saying that they never gated their stairs and that his son was "walking" down the stairs by H's age. It just made me feel like we were coddling or something. Anyway I trust you guys more and I'm glad to know that we are on the same page :)

treeWe put our tree up last night and H is having a blast. He has pulled about 1 million ornaments off and tried to bite the light :0 We are going to watch him a bit then make a decision about gating off the tree. I really hope we do't have to.

[wildcat]

andrea and randysmandy - Yep, it was Lauren that gave up the paci so easy! I just didn't give it to her one day after she woke up and that was the end of it! And she was ADDICTED to that thing! I can't believe that she gave it up, honestly. Not sure every kid will be the same way, but I was shocked. I told her dr. and she wasn't surprised, she said the fear of how they'll react is worse than it actually is and that it's a parent crutch, not the kids (at this age). I guess I believe her after seeing how Lauren could have cared less! Also, we gave up the bottle at bedtime 2 nights ago and same thing. She cried for like 30 seconds when I handed her the sippy of warm milk, but then she decided it was fine and laid on my lap and drank it just like she would her bottle. Who knows. The only reason I gave up the paci and bottle were bc they can cause problems with their ears and she's already had 3 ear infections, so I didn't want to take any chance of causing more problems than she already has! Not to mention the dental problems, but I think that our ped showing us pics of kids teeth that had used a paci past a year was more of a scare tactic than anything! The potential of ear infections are what made me give them up.

trees - I put up our tree Monday night and yes, Lauren has pulled off every ornament she can reach...however, our tree is in our living room, which we rarely (if ever) use (we spend all our time in the family room downstairs), so I don't think it'll be a problem for us, we just won't let her in there! However, I do remember having the gate around the tree as a kid! I guess I ate a glass bulb when I was about Lauren's age!:p

[AndreaMMS]

Ok, Wildcat, I'm intrigued. Inspired by you I just put Naomi down for a nap without her binkie. She looked at me thusly: :eek:

She's fussing and sounding ticked off...we'll see...

[solongtogo]

Paci Power Courtney gets one at naptime and night time. I'm not in any rush to get rid of it. We'll try to get rid when she's older and can understand that pacis are for babies. It's all good :)

[wildcat]

andrea - Good luck, I hope Naomi doesn't miss it too much!! I should also tell you that about 3 weeks before we gave it up, Lauren had moved into her 1 year room at daycare and they only allow paci's at naptime. So, I think her transition to the new room was rough for not only the obvious reasons (new kids, new teachers, new schedule, etc), but also bc of the paci. However, when they told me a few weeks after she started that classroom that when she woke up from naps she handed them her paci and then got off her cot, I was amazed! So, they honestly did all the training for me. I just had to keep it up at home. Then one morning she woke up and handed me her paci so I just put it in my pocket and never gave it back. The other thing that was nice about not having the paci is that during the night, she would lose it and couldn't find it, so we'd have to go in there and give it back to her. Now, we never hear a peep out of her all night! My ped also said the earlier you give it up the better as it becomes more and more of a habit sort of thing and gets harder to break. Who knows if that's right or not, but if it is, I saw it as a "now or never" thing and gave it a shot. Anyway, good luck and let me know how naptime goes!!

[cr8zyforaf]

randysmandy - I may take you up on that offer. She called last night - she has Lymes disease and wants me to get A tested immediately. She really is a nut - she said "everyone thought I was crazy" of course DH is now feeling sorry for her...she can manipulate him like a master.

andrea - I hope the wedding thing is a misunderstanding. I would never leave Ash behind going that far. No way.

wildcat - you are an inspiration - great news about the paci...I am with solong - Ash is way too attached to try it now. I am still giving her a night bottle that I need to cut out. I am not ready for my baby to be gone. I had tubes as a child - it was one of the best things my parents did for me...I have never had an ear infection as an adult. We are in the same boat - ash had 4 infections - doctor is waiting to see what happens this winter.

beach - it is always good to get outside opinions...I am the same way with my mom and sister - I am normally a confident person but they can make me doubt everything.

So, Ash started her new room on Monday and while I am sad (her and I LOVED her old teacher. I wrote a letter telling her how much I appreciated all she did for me and Ash and it made her cry) I love the new room. This AM - she said PLEASE and did the sign for it. It made my heart sing. I was so proud of her, I thought I would burst!

[AndreaMMS]

Ok, that did not go well.:rolleyes:

She got progressively more upset and I when I went in there she was sitting up and gave me one of these::mad: and yelled at me. "AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!"

I stuck a binkie in her mouth and she literally fell over and fell asleep. It was kinda funny- guess she's not ready to give it up!

Cr8zy- do you believe her that she has Lyme? Was she diagnosed by a doctor?

[solongtogo]

That's really funny andrea

cr8zy: court still has that one bottle a day too...I'm not planning on dropping that anytime soon either. Hopefully she'll drop it on her own.

[cr8zyforaf]

solong - I agree - I've tended to follow her lead.

andrea - that is funny. Poor Naomi! Do I believe her - no idea. I think it is pretty convenient that now that Thanksgiving is over, she has a diagnosis and is now on antibiotics. And, i have no idea how she could have picked that up - the furthest she ever goes is on her deck to smoke a ciagrette. I am just waiting for what is next.

[Brink]

Hi everyone. I am now on day 3 in the hospital and everything is going well so far. I've had 2 steroid shots to develop their lungs "just in case". I will post a pic as some point. I haven't taken very many in the pg, but I do have one of me at 5 months that I will get out there. I think I did post it over on the March07 moms (1st page) if you really want to see.

Paci - Aimee still has hers too. We try not to give it to her other than nap and bedtime, but every once in a while it comes out. Sometimes I forget to hide it at the house and she is fine until she sees it, if she does, I'm history. She is also still getting a bottle for bedtime - I'm such a bad mommy. I figure I'll let her keep doing the same thing until I get home from the hospital. I don't want to put her through that much at one time.

Tree - well, since I'm stuck in here, Aimee is not getting a tree this year. There is no way my DH is going to put one up. I think they might let me put a little tree in here, but I can't plug it in so I have to find one with battery operated lights.

Well, I'm working from the hospital, so I better get back to it.

Take care.

[wildcat]

andrea - Poor Naomi, she probably wondered if you'd forgotten to give her something!!;) My ped actually suggested that we still give her the paci, but clip the ends off all of them which renders them useless and they won't want them. Who knows.

bottles and paci's - I just wanted to say that just because Lauren gave hers up, doesn't mean that everyone else should!! Because of health concerns with her ears, our ped pushed it and I decided the risk didn't outweigh the comfort she was getting from them, so I tried it cold turkey and it worked. If it hadn't worked so easily, I'm not sure if I would have forced it or not. If I offered her a bottle or paci right now, I'm 100% sure she'd take it, so waiting for her to give them up probably wouldn't have happened until she was 10:p. I had a bottle until I was 4 and my teeth are perfect w/o braces and I don't have problems with my ears;).

Brink - I'm so glad you have internet access or we'd all go crazy without being able to hear from you!! Just tell those baby girls to stay put! Off to check out your belly pic...

cr8zyforaf - I'm so glad you love Ashley's new room and YEAH for new words and signs! I also have loved the experience we've had in Lauren's 1 year room, it's amazing how fast they start picking things up! I agree about feeling like we're losing our babies. Lauren's just seeming so grown-up now talking, walking, signing, no paci/sippy, etc. However, there are GREAT things happening, like she started giving hugs last weekend! I love it!

The weather here is AWFUL. Freezing rain started coming down at noon, my client closed early at 2 (I'm at my office now) and the freezing rain is supposed to continue through the night until it turns to snow! I think I'm leaving around 3:30ish to go get Lauren and get home! And to think it was 70 degrees yesterday!

[AlisonCO]

Brink - Thanks for checking in - hope that your stay in the hospital is long but not too draining for you!

cr8zy - I am so glad that you like A's new room at school - so cute about saying/signing please.

BB - I am often pretty lax with "baby proofing" but it also helps that Aidan is very laid back. WIth two kids and two big dogs, I can't imagine not having a gate at the stair though.

wildcat - I hear you about the weather - the high for today here was only supposed to be 16!

pacis - C still gets one in bed - no where else. It seems to really help her relax before bed plus it also seems to help when she is teething. Selfishly, she sleeps so darn well that I just can't change anything right now. With Aidan we let him have it at bed until he was like 2.75 - personally it went fine and I do think that he understood. It was nice to be able to give him that comfort object and have him be old enough to understand why it was time to give it away. I also really try to follow their lead as some of you mentioned. I have learned with Aidan that they do really "tell" you when they are ready to do things (like potty training, moving to a bed etc) and I think that in the long run, it is easier for everyone to wait until they are ready.

tree - We put ours up Sun but only put ornaments on the top half:) It looks pretty silly, but when the kids are older I think that we will all laugh at the pictures. My parents can't put ornaments on the bottom third of their tree because they have 2 big Golden's who have very long, hairy tails!

Caitlin has a new word today - Thank you (sounds like Tank u):) She says it everytime you give her something - it is so cute!

[jo&sean]

Brink - Glad you have internet access at the hospital. It sounds like you are doing ok. Hang in there.

BB - I love the photo too. We have put up a "gate" at the bottom of the stairs but it ends up being down a lot because of the dogs and cats. Addison has been really good about "asking" to go upstairs before just doing it on her own. We'll see how long that lasts!

Cr8zy - So cute about the "please" sign :) Glad you like her new room.

Widlcat - So glad L didn't get the flu on top of everything.

Alison - So cute about C's new word :)

Tree - We are planning on getting ours this weekend. With the cats, we are used to the ornaments being messed with anyhow so adding Addison to the mix will be like old hat to us....

Not much new going on here. Addison is learning something new everyday. We are working on "please" and "thank you". So far, we have gotten "thank you" very clearly but the please is going to take some work. Someone is a little impatient bean and can't waiiiiiittttt for whatever it is she is asking for. Today she discovered how yummy fruit snacks are and kept asking for them over and over and over and over. When she would see the little pouch, she would get so excited and stamp her little feet while squealing at the top of her lungs.

Addison has slept good the last three nights. Crossing my fingers that it keeps up - I haven't been feeling well and really need the extra rest :)

[pixiecat]

Hi ladies!
Sorry, it's been ages since I posted, but have been following along. I won't attempt to catch up at this point, but I'll give you a quick update!

Lily talks! Kind of. I know that she says "mama" "dada" "ball" and "dog" and she is mighty pleased with herself! We love it too, although I mostly only get a "mama" when she is whining...

Her favorite thing to do is feed the dogs. She helps me scoop the food into their bowls, carries the bowls to where they eat (usually without dropping it! :rolleyes: ) and then sits there with them and tries to feed them one nugget at time! Luckily, the dogs are very patient with her.

Her sleeping is all over the place and we are really feeling the affects of a one bedroom house... some nights she is great, others, terrible! We may be starting to teethe again, but I don't really know.

You girls are inspiring me, maybe we will get our tree this weekend! I wonder what she will think... :)

Hope you are all well! Have a great day!

[Brink]

Just checking in to say hello. I've been working from the hospital and have had very little time to do anything. I guess I should be happy that I have something to focus on.

In sad news, my husband called when he got home last night and told me my kitty had died. I've had him for 16 years and he was really "my" first pet. We always had family pets, but he is the first one I went out and got myself as an adult and it's hard to loose him. He wasn't doing really well when I left, he has a thyroid issue, and I didn't know if he would make it until I got home. I just wasn't expecting to have him gone so soon. Since he was so old, I know it is for the best, but I'm still really going to miss him. I'm also sad that I wasn't there for him and that I can't be there to help bury him.

Anyway - just heard about another mom with my condition that just delivered her babies at 30 weeks, 6 days and they are doing great. I'm getting closer..........

Sorry for not doing any s/o's

[hmbay]

Brink--glad to hear you've been able to keep busy but sorry for the kitty. :(

[Cr8nme]

Brink~ Sorry to hear about your kitty:(
How many weeks are you now?

[Brink]

Cr8nme - I'm 24 weeks, 3 days. At this point, every day is critical that they stay put, so I'm counting them all.....

I also just went to my March07 moms and realized my picture was not posted. So, here you go - this is me at 20 weeks. I'll have to take another one soon, I've gotten so much bigger

http://static.flickr.com/116/286017632_e6cd66aa2c.jpg?v=0

[cr8zyforaf]

Brink - you are adorable!! So sorry about the kitty. I am keeping you guys in my prayers...go babies!!

pixi - so cute..Ash is also a little helper but she wants to EAT the dog food. Ash is also sleeping like cr*p these days..no idea why. I cannot believe that at 15 months, I still can't get a decent nights sleep.

I think Ash is going to be cursed with her parents thick middle - finding clothes for her is next to impossible - she is short and thick - so everything is either too long, or too tight in the waist. Poor girl.

I am off to bed - the only consistent sleep I can count on is from 8-12. Her new thing is getting up at 1 for an hour, and then up at 3:30ish for the day - it took me almost 2 hours to get her back down this AM, and by that point, I had to get ready for work.

[jo&sean]

Brink - I am so sorry to hear about our kitty :( We are dealing with more cat issues ourselves and hearing that made me cry. I am really sorry. On a happier note, you look amazing!! I am glad you have something to keep you occupied while you are in the hospital.

Pixie - Yeah for the words! Addison loves to help feed the dogs too but she is like Ashley and tries to eat the food too.

Cr8zy - Ashley & Addison must be built the same way. I have a horrible time finding bottoms that fit her comfortably. She is size 2T pants now and I have to roll up the legs!

This has been just one crap-o-la of a week. Our cat had his cardiac u/s and we found out that he has a diseased heart and he is dying. We are putting him on a "cocktail" of meds to help slow down the disease and it should help him for awhile - maybe even a year or two. Without the meds, the vets gave him a couple of months. I can not deal with loosing another pet so soon.

Then today I went to the dr because I have been having a weird pain in my abdomen, feeling really naseous and just not good in general only to find out that it is my gall bladder. I go in tomorrow for an u/s myself to see if it is stones or acute somethingrather. The dr. thinks it is the later of the two because of the pattern of the symptoms. I guess I will find out tomorrow....

The only thing really positive this week is that Addison is sleeping better :) Sorry to be such a downer!!

[solongtogo]

Brink I'm so sorry about your poor kitty :( You look great! You know we're all praying those babies stay put in there for as long as possible! And what a beautiful pup in the picture too!

Jo
I'm sorry about your kitty too :(

cr8zy Maybe you can put her in 18 month (or the next size up that she's currently wearing pants and roll up the bottoms and see if that helps?? Also, what time do you put Ashley down for bed?

[AndreaMMS]

Brink- You look wonderful! So happy for you that things are going so well...all the cyber-aunties are thinking about you! Im so sorry about your kitty.:(

Pixie & Alison- Yay for new words!

Ummm...:o Naomi has a new word too. We were running late yesterday. I looked at the clock and without thinking said, "Oh, sh*t!" Sure enough behind me I hear- in my exact tone of voice, mind you- "Oh, sit!"

Good one, Mommy...

[cr8zyforaf]

jo - so sorry about the kitty. And poor you...how did the ultrasound go?

Andrea - I love it. Too funny. We do need to be careful what we say now. I don't need Ash dropping the F bomb at daycare.

pants - she has some 18 month but even they are a tad long and tight on her waist. She is built like a stump..short and wide. 2T pants fit her waist but have to be rolled.

sleep - last night was one of the worst nights ever. She goes to bed at 8 and by that time, she is exhausted - she only naps once at daycare and usually for only an hour. I've tried everything - moving bedtime up/back, sleep lady shuffle, CIO - she wants to be in bed with me. I am so tired I could scream. The sleep deprivation is affecting my job, my marriage, my friendships..I am so f*cking tired I could SCREAM..if anyone would have told me it would be this bad, I wouldn't have believed it.

[AndreaMMS]

Oh, Kim, :( I feel soooooooooooo bad for you. I can't believe how much you guys continue to struggle with sleep issues. This might be stupid, but I'm grasping at straws here...has Ashley ever been looked at for reflux? Is it *possible* that laying flat is painful for her and that's why she doesn't sleep? Could you try elevating the one side of crib to an angle?

Or you could start over with Ferber....we had to start over a few weeks ago with Naomi after a week of chaos, and now she's back in the groove.

[hmbay]

cr8zy--I'm sorry you're still having sleep issues. Alex has thankfully gotten better. He still isn't STTN every night but it's better than it was. Is she teething? Does she like her crib? Perhaps you could try a crib mattress on the floor or a toddler bed? Some babies just don't like the crib. I know we're about to try a mattress on the floor with Alex because he keeps throwing his paci's out them cries when he can't get them back--if he could get to them he'd just go back to sleep I think.

[Brink]

Hi all - you are all so wonderful with your support. I really appreciate having you guys as friends and helping through this. It means a lot to know you all care so much.

Jo&sean - I am so sorry about your kitty too. I know how close you are to your pets. I can't believe you have had to deal with the loss of one and now this. I really feel for you - I hope he responds well to the medications and has a couple more good years. And for your gall bladder - yuck! I was secretly hoping the u/s was going to show you were pregnant - guess that's out.

Andrea - that is too cute with Naomi. Guess we all need to start watching it. Funny story - my nephew had this big thing with trucks when he was little. Well, he couldn't say the word and it would come out as f*ck. We would be in stores or walking down the road and he would see a truck and just start screaming the word at the top of his lungs over and over. People used to give us the dirtiest looks.

Cr8zy - so sorry you are still having issues. We still give Aimee a last nap at 5:30 and let her sleep for an hour. Then she goes out between 9-10 at night. I think if we tried to keep her up she would treat it as a nap and want to get back up around midnight. Don't know if that would work, just throwing out suggestions (not that you haven't tried everything).

We'll, it's almost dinnertime and my family is coming to visit. Talk to you all soon.

[wildcat]

cr8zyforaf - I'm so sorry that you're so exhausted and Ashley isn't STTN:(. I have a friend with a 16 month old who is getting up 3 times a night to BF. They have also tried everything under the sun to get him to STTN but no luck (he's NEVER STTN and the fewest times he's ever gotten up is 2). Their ped has now referred them to a behavioral psychologist. I'm not sure how I feel about that because I've never dealt with the sleep issues and I'm not sure you're quite there yet, but just wanted you to know it's an option. Since someone else mentioned it, he also has reflux.

brink - You look great!! I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty.:(

jo&sean - I'm also sorry to hear about your kitty, it's just not fair. I hope the u/s goes well for you.

andrea - My DH was just telling me this week to start cleaning up my language, you just gave me that push I needed! Naomi is such a smart little girl!

We're sad at our house right now. Today was Lauren's first day off antibiotics in almost 3 weeks and she seems to have another cold and started coughing. That means we're going right back on the Zopenex in addition to the Pulmacort that we have 2.5 more weeks of (both taken through her breathing treatments). That means that instead of 2 treatments for 10 mins each, we have to do 2 treatments for 30 minutes and 1 treatment for 10 mins. It's just so depressing. I know we have to do it though, bc the sooner we get to it, the better. I'm just so sad that she's gotten sick again so fast. It's not surprising since DH had a cold last weekend and then I got it yesterday, so we probably gave it to her, which makes me feel even worse.:mad: If the cough isn't gone by Monday, we're going to be right back at the dr (we're supposed to go back anytime a cough is continuing past a few days now), which would be the 4th Monday in a row. I just want her to be healthy. I'm just so afraid that the answer might be to get her out of daycare, but I'm not sure we could afford a nanny and I really enjoy working (most of the time) and we like having both incomes (for trips, 529 savings, etc). I think I'm just playing worse case scenarios in my head, no sense in doing that I guess.

Anyway, sorry to be a downer, I'm just sad that Lauren was only better for 3 days. Off to do the breathing treatment and watch more Teletubbies!

[jo&sean]

Lauren - I am sorry about Lauren catching a cold and it is back to breathing treatments. I hope she gets to feeling better soon.

Brink - Thanks so much. I was secretly hoping that the u/s might reveal a little someone in there too. Your story about your nephew made me laugh! Too funny.

Andrea - I was thinking we might have a little more time before they picked up those kinds of words...yikes, I guess I better clean it up a bit too!!

Cr8zy - I am so sorry you are so tired and that Ashley just doesn't like to sleep. We had a couple of good nights with Addison but last night I was up 7 times with her. It gets so old, so fast. Hang in there.

The u/s was pretty uneventful and I wasn't able to get much info from the nurse other then that I have a polyp in/on my gallbladder. Of course the dr. was gone today and I won't be able to see him until next week to go over everything in more detail. All of the online searchs I did about polyps was more scary then gallstones. I know not to read too much so I told DH that we were just going to relax until my appt next week. It still hurts like H@*# though.

We are getting our Christmast tree tomorrow!! I am sooo excited :) Hope everyone has a good weekend.

[cr8zyforaf]

jo&sean - so sorry about having to wait on test results..I know how stressful that can be. Sorry you are also up all the time...it does get old. It makes me hate everything.

wildcat - I am so sorry. Poor you and poor Lauren. I don't even know what to say - my sleep issues seem silly compared to something like this. Thanks for the info about the friend - my mom suggested the same thing. I am taking her for her 15 month WBV and will ask the doctor about this.

Brink - I have not tried the late nap - the thought of having her up until 10 makes me sick (between 8-10 is when I get all of my stuff done). Maybe it is worth a shot - it would sure beat being up all night. Glad to hear that things are going well for you guys!!

hmbay - she seems to like her crib - this is just the past few weeks - she was doing good for awhile, then we went away...and things went to cr*p. I swear she is punishing me. It might be teeth also, who knows.

Andrea - thanks. I am thinking of starting Ferber over - although the other night, she cried/screamed for 2 hours and showed no signs of slowing down...my friends son cried for 4 hours for 2-3 nights and then it got better. I just don't know if I could do that.

We are going to get our tree tomorrow...I am off to bed..pray that she at least sleeps some!

[AndreaMMS]

Wildcat:( I hope Lauren is better soon.

[AndreaMMS]

I need some help! Which picture & wording do you like better for a holiday card?

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c133/AndreaMMS/scan-3.jpg?t=1165063175
Wishing you a "fairy" wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

or

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c133/AndreaMMS/scan0001-3.jpg?t=1165063206
May little things bring you wonder and joy in the coming year.

[Cr8nme]

Andrea I like the first one... and love the little toes :D

[pixiecat]

Andrea - I also love the first pic! Although I will say that I originally read the wording as "have a fairly wonderful holiday season" instead of "very wonderful" :o

[solongtogo]

Andrea: 1st picture with 2nd saying :)

cr8zy: Does Ash sleep if she stays in bed with you? If so, then I'd just keep her in bed with you guys, you've got to do what works to get sleep for ALL of you and if that's what it takes, then so be it. She can learn to sleep in her own room at a later point.

[AlisonCO]

Andrea - I really like the 1st picture - so cute!

jo - So sorry to hear about your kitty!

wildcat - Poor L - I hope that she is doing better today, Enjoy Tinky Winky, LaLa, Po and the other one I can't remember right now:)

Brink - You look so cute - I can't believe that you have two babies in there. Yeah for another Monday!

cr8zy - I really feel for you with the sleep stuff. You know that Aidan has pretty much always been a crappy sleeper too so I am just so thankful for Caitlin. For us it just seems like it is always something with Aidan - up too early, won't go to sleep, up alot, crying out etc. Last week was horendous - he was literally up for hours in the middle of the night wanting to sit in his chair and read:eek:

We had a nice and relaxing weekend. I bought myself a new pair of shoes to wear to DH's holiday party next weekend and I finished my holiday shopping.

[cr8zyforaf]

Thanks for all the sleep related banter. Last night was AWFUL and I finally decided at 2:30 after being up at 11 for over an hour and back up at 1:15 that she was going to have to work it out herself. I felt HORRIBLE and DH wanted to go get her but I told him no..she is working us at this point. All she wanted to do last night at 1:15 was play..she stuck her fingers in my nose, giggled, waved her arms around, smacked her lips..she cried/screamed at the top of her lungs on and off for over 2 hours.. I will just have to stay strong.

andrea - I am going to go against the crowd and say I like number 2.

alison - yeah for new shoes. And sorry you deal with the sleep cr*p also. Everyone says #2 will be totally different...not a chance I am willing to take any time soon.

solong - I think if I don't do it now, it will only get worse...now, she can't get out of her crib...when she gets a big girl bed, it will be impossible to force her to stay in there. I really think there is nothing wrong with her - she just wants her way.

[Kay2003]

cr8zy - How did she do tonight? I really do hope that she lets you get some rest. Playing at 1 in the morning??? Yikes.

andrea - I'm with cr8zy in voting for #2. I love the saying and the way in which she's looking at the flower.

we have a walker Kaito is walking now at 14 months and 2 weeks. He is still unsteady, but he crawls quickly towards me, then stands up about five steps away and then walks toward me. He then crashes into me and I give him lots of hugs : )

Good night, everyone. I hope all the sick babies get better soon. Hang in there sleepy mommies.

[BeachBum]

Go Kaito! How exciting!! :)
Andrea-Both pics are so cute, I would look for a card that could take both of them.
Things are good here. Yesterday we walked down to the mail box with him in the wagon. We took the long way back and I heard him "talking" and didn't think much of it. Then he got more insistant. I turned around and he was saying "uh-oh" , and looking down. He had piece by piece thrown all the mail overboard, and was saying "uh-oh" as he did it. I couldn't help cracking up!Uh-oh is a word I'm not so glad he learned.

He is sleeping a bit better, only waking up 1x per night. I wish he STTN, but I can deal. I really hope things get better at your house Kim. I know how hard it can be.

[hmbay]

Andrea--I agree with finding a card that will hold two pictures. If you're doing the online thing Winkflash had some with two openings and Shutterfly had a bunch with 2 and more openings.

[AndreaMMS]

Thanks for your opinions on the photos, everyone! Thanks to you I found a card this morning on shutterfly that I liked and would hold both photos. Whyyyyyyyyyyyy didn't I think of that before???:rolleyes:

Go, Kaito!!!! :)

Oh cr8zy- my gosh. :( Hugs to you. You sound so frustrated- I don't blame you one bit. I really think you should Ferberize her again. It worked before, right?C'mon Ahsley- GO TO SLEEP! Give Mommy and Daddy a break!

[Sandie78]

Hey everyone.

Zach has caught his first official stomach bug. I'll spare you the details, but hopefully he'll feel better soon and hopefully I won't catch it because I was giving him kisses this morning.

Hope everyone else's kiddos are feeling well including Lauren.

Cute pics Andrea. Good idea to use card that you can put both pictures in.

Yea for Kaito walking. That's great!

Cr8zy-I seriously don't know how you survive. Hopefully you can find something that works to get DD to sleep.

[cr8zyforaf]

No time for shoutouts- I am in class

horrible night - crying/screaming from 11-1 until she puked and started choking...DH p*ssed that I let it get that bad...no idea what to do. Going to dr on monday.

[randysmandy]

cr8zy You poor thing!!!!! Have you tried nightlights/none, changing nap schedule, food before/no food before bed? I feel for you I really do...Hunter had some nights (just last week) where he SCREAMED even for his naps. I had to take him out and lay on the couch with him-no bed and once he was sleeping I could put him back in his crib. However, he slept great last night. I seriously haven't changed anything and still haven't figured him out. I hope you find answers. [HUGS]

We got our tree on Sunday-Hunter loved helping DH cut it down. He has pulled every ornament off he can-he thinks he can throw the balls-well we bought non shatter proof this year-thankfully-so when he throws them they just bounce. He loves all the decorations and lights though. Here are some pics of us at the tree farm:

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/randysmandy/mommy.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/randysmandy/DSC06395-1.jpg

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/randysmandy/DSC06398-1.jpg

[jo&sean]

Go, Go Kaito!!

Hunter looks so cute "helping" daddy cut down the tree. Love his cords!

Hope Zach gets over the stomach bug quick. Doesn't sound fun...

Andrea- both of the pics are wonderful. So glad you found a way to use both. The cards will surely bring a smile to those who receive one.


We got our tree this weekend at the IL's farm. They have several wooded areas so we can just hike out there and choose whatever we want. Since there was snow on the ground, we decided to take Addison on the sled. Good idea right? No. She couldn't sit up in her snow suit and had to lay on her back the entire way so we ended up taking turns carrying her and letting her "sled" for short distances because she kept rolling off the darn thing. SHe thought it was fun so that is all that matters.

Addison was really cute last night with the tree. She found a rouge ornament (aka one the cat stole) on the couch and took it over to the tree and was holding it up to one of the branches and tried to put it next to another ornament. I thought she might be too young to understand the concept but how wrong was I? This morning she just sat and looked at the tree for quite awhile while talking to one of her cats.

We really need some help in the sleep area too. She was doing pretty good for about a week and she is back to waking up several times a night. Last night I was up 5 times with her and the night before 7 times. Thank goodness I work for myself/by myself, otherwise, I would have to fire myself! Anyhow, she will not go back to sleep until I pat her on the back. We have been against CIO but we have been letting her cry a bit before we go in there but now she knows that we will come in when she reaches a certain octave so what does she do? She whimpers for a tiny bit then hits the high "I know Mommy Won't Ignore Me" cry almost immediatley. These little people sure know how to work us don't they?

I am off to read up on the Ferber method...

[solongtogo]

Go Kaito!

[randysmandy]

I was catching up and must have missed a page!
GO KAITO-awesome!
Andrea-I always like candid pics, so I like the second one, but honestly I like them both! VERY CUTE.

[Kay2003]

Thanks for all your happy messages about Kaito walking. : )

beachbum - the story about the uh-ohs and mail is so cute. Needs to go into a baby book so he can read about it someday when he's a daddy too.

andrea - good solution to get a card with both photos.

Kaito didn't sleep yesterday night either- we had also been doing great in this department until yesterday night. He woke up a lot between 2 and 4 in the morning. We tried water, milk, changing his diaper, rocking, singing, his Fisher Price ocean wonders music/lights thing. And nothing worked. DH eventually gave him some Tylenol, thinking it was teething pain. He was drooling a lot and he seemed to have a stuffy nose. He did go to sleep and then slept until 8:15 in the morning. I heard that the walking stage sometimes brings on sleepless night. Anyway, as I was going through this yesterday night, I thought of you cr8zy. We're all in this together!

[randysmandy]

Not sleepingHunter woke up last night around 1-unfortunatly he went right back down with a few rocks. He woke up at 5:30 though. I swear the cat wakes him up with his "howls" when our alarm goes off.
Weird story:
Hunter was eating an apricot yesterday in the grocery store and I looked away to grab a package of meat and it was gone-including the pit :eek: I have no idea where it went-I have to assume he threw it, but I don't know. That's all I could think about last night. But he was fine. Wouldn't it have gotten stuck in his throat if he swalloed it??? I feel like such a bad mom.
Cr8zy I hope you got some sleep last night.

[cr8zyforaf]

Nope - no rest for us. She is waking up at the EXACT same time for the first time every night.

I tried CIO - I can't do it - just like jo&sean pointed out - it isn't like she is crying - she is screaming, choking, gasping for air. I let her cry for 2 hours on Monday night and finally I couldn't take it anymore - when I did go in, she was shaking so hard she couldn't stand and gasping for air - I felt like an a**.

I thought it might be teething (and who knows, it could be) so during the first waking - I gave her more motrin and that seems to make things worse...she REFUSED to go in her crib last night, so she was in bed with me which means I got no rest.

I am really puzzled. I don't know what to do.

GO KATO - somehow, I missed that. Sorry.

Randysmandy - hunter is so cute bending down to look while dad cuts the tree...too cute!!

[cr8zyforaf]

Oh - and I have a friend who had to do CIO - her son would actually puke - and they still wouldn't go in - they would just clean it up in the Morning...I really don't think I could do that.

[Cr8nme]

Kim~I am sooo sorry to hear all of this :( I sure hope it gets better. I hav heard that motrin causes hyperness. I know my friend gives her son benadryl when he won't sleep :o


Noelle seems to be doing well... we have been singing the "all I want for christmas is my 2 front teeth" song lately;)

[randysmandy]

cr8nme Too cute!
Kim I know I can't sleep with Hunter in the bed either, but in the morning just when I think I can just cuddle him til I have to get up-DH has to get up and turns the lights on! I wish I could help, but I pray it gets better for you soon!!!! Maybe it IS teeth.

[Sandie78]

Zach is still sick and now I have it too. And tomorrow is my birthday so happy birthday to me. :rolleyes: Luckily DH has taken the day off work to take care of us.

[randysmandy]

sandie Nice DH-hope you and Zach get better quickly.
nikki I've been thinking..how is your house coming along?

sleep What's going on with our babies? Hunter woke at 3am and screamed when I put him down. It took DH and I an hour of rocking to get him back down!

I know this is off of baby topic, but I have to tell you about my shopping experience last night:
Remember when we were little and used to look at our mom's clothes like "you are SO out of style" Well-I'm my mom. I went to the mall and went into every store trying to find something to wear tomorrow night (work party)
Long story short-I ended up with knee length crops and a short sleeve shirt which I will wear with tall boots after 2 hours of looking.....I was so annoyed!!!
So-where do I find good clothes-things that fit, that aren't teeny bopper style and don't cost a fortune??!!

[jo&sean]

Sandie - Hope you and Zach feel better soon. That is a bummer about your bday.

Somehow I missed the story about Henry's mail delivery skills. That is sooo cute :)

Randysmandy - I am wondering the same thing! I am really petite and I don't have a whole lot of choices. It is either Ann Taylor or AT Loft or the INC petite collection at Macy's. It sucks. I have seriously thought about opening a boutique because it is so hard to find clothes. Frustrating.

The past few days, Addison has been really into putting something over her face/head - like a blanket or sweatshirt- and then walking around without being able to see where she is going. Does anyone elses DC do this? She thinks it is great fun and actually finds her way around really well but it scares the bejeebers out of me half the time. She has ran into the wall and the corner of the couch but she didn't cry. I take the item away from her and she just finds something else to use. Silly girl.

[Brink]

Cr8zy - so sorry about the continued sleep issue. I know it sounds too simple, but can you try the "last nap" idea? It means staying up later, but that's the only way we get Aimee to sleep through the night. Seriously, if we tried to put her to bed anytime before 9pm, we would be up half the night too. We just let her get 45min to 1hour around 6pm and then she crashes between 9-10 at night and we don't hear a peep from her. I know all babies are different, but might be worth a try.

Shopping - I'm not petite, but I have very little patience for shopping. I find myself almost exclusively shopping at Ann Taylor because they are guaranteed to fit and they are not too trendy. The outlets have some really great prices (like $29 for a pair of $120 pants). Of course, I haven't been able to fit into anything in forever - maybe someday I'll get my body back.

Sandie - so sorry you will spend your day with a sick baby. Maybe you can make it up another day when he is feeling better. Oh the sacrifices we make as moms......

Things are good in my world still. Babies are being good and their heartrate is right on track. We did go to the NICU and visit a 25 weeker - wow, they are tiny.

[AlisonCO]

Brink - Glad that you are in good spirits.

Sandie - Happy B-day - hope that you all are feeling better.

mandy - Great pictures! I love the one of H and dad looking at the tree.

Kay - Congrats on the walking!

cr8zy - Continued hugs. I hope that eventually you find a solution to your sleep issues.

jo - Caitlin llikes that game too, but usually you can see her peek out underneath it to see where she is going.

We are doing well, but STILL waiting for the two teeth that are almost here. Caitlin is drooling so much that she actually choked and puked on me this morning. Afterward she looked at me and smiled and she made an Ahhh noise - like she felt better. Her favorite new "game" is following Aidan around and wanting to play with the exact thing he is playing with. Distraction used to work but now she whines and wants me to intervene - exhausting! Another game she likes is to pull her hand back into her shirt and say peekaboo and stick it back out - but when she says it is sounds more like peeboo:)

[AndreaMMS]

:rolleyes: Kim- How's it going? What did the pediatrician say? Oh, and what's up with your mother-in-law????

Sandie-:( Hope you feel better soon. Happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

randysmandy- re: shopping- I struggle with that too. I did manage to find some nice stuff at White House/Black Market...

Jo- The past few days, Addison has been really into putting something over her face/head - like a blanket or sweatshirt- and then walking around without being able to see where she is going. Does anyone elses DC do this? She thinks it is great fun and actually finds her way around really well but it scares the bejeebers out of me half the time. She has ran into the wall and the corner of the couch but she didn't cry. I take the item away from her and she just finds something else to use. Silly girl.

Oh my gosh- Naomi does the same thing!!!!!:rolleyes:

Brink- So good to hear from you! I'm thrilled for you that things seem to be going so well. How are you dealing with bedrest? Have you checked out
http://www.sidelines.org/

I highly recommend that you do- it's support for women on bedrest.

How is Aimee doing with you not being home?

Alison- Another game she likes is to pull her hand back into her shirt and say peekaboo and stick it back out - but when she says it is sounds more like peeboo

That's really cute!

Ok- Naomi just got THE MOST ADORABLE outfit from my Mom's cousin. I seriously can't get enough of this thing, it's so silly. Humor me- I've got to share!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c133/AndreaMMS/IMG_0580.jpg?t=1165581218
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c133/AndreaMMS/IMG_0579.jpg?t=1165581274

It doesn't really show in the photos- there is a big star on the top of the hat that matches the pockets. I think it makes her look like she shoulda been an extra in that late- 80's Tom Petty video that was based on Alice In Wonderland. Ooo...I'm showin my age!:o

[randysmandy]

Andrea I know exactly what video you are talking about and I am 26! Halarious!
Brink It's great to hear from you and to hear that the babies are doing well!! You will be blessed and in the end all the bed rest will be worth every day you are in the hospital.
Jo Hunter likes to stick his head under our long curtains and walk til it falls off. It reminds me of The Others with Nicole Kidman " I am your daughter (son)" Second analogy of the day.
Sorry about the stubborn teeth Alison. Poor Aidan-sounds like Caitlin really loves him!

Thanks for the shopping tips-I'll have to check out AT Loft. The problem with me is that I am in betweend a regular and a petite-I have to have all my pants hemmed and most times the crotch hangs down. My body really changed after having Hunter. Clothes fit more loose in places they were tight and visa vera. And all my old shirts are too short for me now. I don't like my tummy to show. None of my old clothes fit-so very frustrating!!

[Brink]

Hope everyone is having a good Friday.

AndreaMMS - thanks for the info on sidelines. They actually handed me the pamphlet when I checked in. Honestly though, you ladies and the support I get here are even better. I'm not on bedrest yet. Even thought I'm in the hospital, I only get monitored 3x per day for an hour each time (moving up to 2 hours next week). So, I can get up and move around all I want. I go down to the cafetria once a day, so that is my big adventure to keep me sane. Aimee is doing really well. She comes everynight and has dinner with me. She is really fond of the hospital cookies and I have to hide them until after she has eaten her dinner.

Thanks all for the encouragement - we are 25 weeks, 5 days today. Did I tell you all that we visited the NICU the other day and saw a 25 week baby? Very tiny - so now I know my babies are at least bigger than the smallest one I saw.

Take care.

[AlisonCO]

Andrea - What a darling outfit - is it fleece? I love the hat! N seems to like it too.

mandy - I have come to the conclusion that from here on out I will always have to have my pants fixed - it makes shopping less stressful because I just try to find things that I like that have a good fit in the leg and rise. I actually bought 2 pairs of Tommy pants for $25 each at Marshalls and spent $20 each to have them fixed, but now I have two pairs of pants that fit and look great for less than $100 - not bad. My problem is not not only my height but I have a tiny waist, and not so tiny hips. When I find a pair of pants that are comfy in my legs there is like 6 inches of room in my waist.

Brink - I am so glad that you are not on bedrest yet and that A visits you every night - what a treat for both of you!

[charmcitygirl]

picture this: i'm in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast when i hear my keys jingling, i turn around and this is what i see:

http://static.flickr.com/125/317384518_15011c7124.jpg?v=0

yes, that would be both of them on the dining room table.

oy.

[Kay2003]

charmcity - oh my gosh! That photo made me laugh. I can't believe you caught a picture of it. : )

andrea - cute outfit!

brink - wow I hadn't considered that you'd be away from aimee. That's so great that she comes over every night. How is your DH doing taking care of aimee alone?

cr8zy - I'm with you. I wouldn't be able to just listen to my little one gasping for air and puking and not going in. Kaito's sleep is a little better. I'm really convinced that it's teething. Any reason you're not using Tylenol? That's what we use instead of motrin.

Did you all hear about the Kim family story - the story about the San Francisco family who was stuck in snow for 9 days in the southwestern section of Oregon? The mom and two daughters (4, 7 months old) survived but the dad died after trying to get help for his family. Here's a link to the story if you're interested: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/08/missing.family.ap/index.html

This story has just shaken me up. I was so so sad when I found out the dad died. I just think it could've been any of us and it just broke my heart. The family really did everything right - park the car in a visible section of the road, stay at the car for 9 days, burn car tires (!) for warmth, collect wood and store underneath the car.

I think one legacy of James Kim's death is that I want to encourage all of us to get an emergency kit in our cars. This family was way more prepared than me - I never carry a lighter or matches with me.

Anyway, sorry to end this on a somber note but this is what's on my mind. Take care!

[Cr8nme]

Charm~ OMG what are you going to do with them,lol

I wanted to drop some of Noelle's pics off from yesterday. We went to portrait innovations

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/noegirl05/0005.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/noegirl05/0013.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/noegirl05/0030.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/noegirl05/0045.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/noegirl05/0020.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m243/noegirl05/0062.jpg

[solongtogo]

Noelle's getting so big! I bought Court the same sweater as the last picture for her Christmas outfit :)

Here's my contribution for the night...heh.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/solongtogo/santa3.jpg

[AlisonCO]

Oh solong - that is classic! I think that Santa needs to grow his beard out a bit more:)

cr8nme - What a beauty! I love the ones with the snowflakes and balls!

charmcity - Oh man does that picture ever capture how I imagine life would be with twins!

Today is Caitlin's 15 month "b-day" and she celebrated by learning how to say PooPoo:D Hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

[cr8zyforaf]

solong - adorable!

cr8nme - Noelle is adorable!! Love all the photos.

charmcity - holy cr*p..that is hysterical. I cannot believe both of them climbed up on the table!

Brink - glad to hear things are going well. You are such a strong gal!! So glad that you get to see Aimee every night - that really must be so hard for you. Hang in there - you are almost there!!

Ash had a bad fall this weekend - she was running in the yard with FIL and fell into a chain link fence - it was our first big injury complete with blood and screaming. She has quite an egg on her forehead and a big cut - I really hope it doesn't scar. FIL felt awful and thank god I held back because I wanted to scream at him for not paying closer attention.

We took her to see Santa on Saturday - she hated him...SCREAMED...so we took the picture with her on my lap screaming and waving her arms and I am sitting on santa (poor santa). She is so scared that she cries when I show her the picture. And if I say "Ash, lets go see Santa" she cries, says "no no no no" and tries to hide. We are having DH's company party at my house and Santa is coming - it will probably scar her for life - she will never sleep again once she knows Santa knows where she lives.

Sleep is a bit better - she is waking only once or twice and I just go in, lay her back down and sit in the rocker - every time she tries to get up - I say "it is time to go night night" and she lays back down - usually after repeating 1-2 times, she falls back to sleep.

We have gone absolutely nuts over Christmas..it really is bad and I told DH - this is it - next year it will need to be limited..I don't want to raise a spoiled brat.

Kay - we don't use tylenol because that makes Ash bounce off the walls. And yes, that story is heartbreaking...just heartbreaking.

[wildcat]

I've been reading everyday, but haven't taken the time to post..sorry!

OMG - cr8zyforaf, your story about Santa totally made me LOL!! We're taking Lauren on Friday and I envision the exact same reaction. I figure our parents did it to us...it's scarring for a year or so but then we figure out how good Santa really is a few years later!

solongtogo - That picture is priceless!

cr8nme - Noelle is so photogenic and beautiful!!! You always get such great pictures from Portrait Innovations! I liked it the first few times we went there but the last few have been :(. I'm looking for new options!

Speaking of which, here are a few of Lauren's 14.5 month/Christmas pictures we had done on Saturday!

http://www.billyandashlee.com/gallery/albums/wpw-20061210/normal_0004.jpg

http://www.billyandashlee.com/gallery/albums/wpw-20061210/normal_0020.jpg

http://www.billyandashlee.com/gallery/albums/wpw-20061210/normal_0027.jpg

http://www.billyandashlee.com/gallery/albums/wpw-20061210/normal_0036.jpg

http://www.billyandashlee.com/gallery/albums/wpw-20061210/normal_0079.jpg

[Sandie78]

These pictures are so adorable!
Zach & I are finally feeling better today. The weekend was not fun, but we made it.

[Brink]

Hi all - we are 26 weeks today! Another milestone met. Now if I can get to 28 we are even better.

Charmcity - that photo is really scary to me - what am I going to do with 3 of them running around?

Kay - DH is really great at taking care of Aimee. She is in daycare during the day, but he is getting her up, bathed, dressed, etc. OK, so my daughter has yet to show up in an outfit that actually matches, but at least she is fully dressed!

Cr8nme, Solong, Wildcat - those are great pictures of your girls. They are just beautiful.

OK - since we are sharing santa pictures - here is ours.....

http://static.flickr.com/131/319817356_d435b95fbe.jpg?v=0

And just so you can see her smile......

http://static.flickr.com/123/319817360_9d1cea9b7d.jpg?v=0

[solongtogo]

lol

[jo&sean]

I love all the pictures!

Charm - That picture is priceless!

Cr8nme - Noelle is so photogenic :)

Solongtogo - LOL

Wildcat - Lauren's pics turned out great. She always look so happy :)

Brink - Priceless! Glad you are doing well and yeah for another week down!!

Kay - I have been following that story too. It is very sad - I was so hoping they would find the dad alive.

C8rzy - The santa story is pretty funny. Hope A's head is feeling better after the accident. Sounds like it was pretty bad. Yeah for better sleeping!

Sandie - Glad you guys are feeling better :)

We took Addison to see Santa yesterday. It didn't go very well. I had to sit on Santas sleigh while Santa stood at the side. Even then she screamed and waved her hands for him to get away. The picture will look really cute next to my own picture at her age doing practically the same thing....heehee.

Addison finally decided to pull an ornament off the tree today. She also got a present out and opened it. I made a game of putting it back under the tree so now she walks by it and points and runs away from it. She is such a funny little person :)

We are really bored in the food department. I should check out the eating thread for some ideas. Does anyone care to share what their DC's favorites are right now? I should check out the thread in 0-18 month olds for ideas too.

[randysmandy]

Hunter is sick-101 fever and runny nose. Up fom 11-1:30 last night and up this morning at 6:00. Hoping for a better night tonight.
Pics Great pictures-even the crying ones :) I might have one of those when we go to the mall next week!
Foods Hunter eats everything, so we try lots of things...
His favorite is pasta, peas, zuccini, yogurt-nothing too special.
Cr8zy poor Ashley! Does it look better? Good news about the sleep.

MIL p*&*ed me off this morning--I asked her for oil money (they live with us remember) and she yelled at me for asking for money. And I Pay her to watch my son! I don't ask her for water or electric money mind you! She made the comment-"we don't see things the same". Well-we ARE 2 different people aren't we?

So how is shopping going for everyone?

[Brink]

Quick update on the twins - we had an u/s this morning and they are measuring 2.3lb and 2.4lb. Pretty good weights for being twins at this stage.

Jo&sean - Aimee pretty much eats whatever we are eating. I think her favorites are meatloaf and corn. I did start giving her corndogs every now and then and she loves them.

Randysmandy - so sorry to hear about Hunter. I sure hope he feels better soon. And, you MIL is amazing. I don't know how you put up with it. I would have lost it long ago.

Take care all.

[Sandie78]

Brink & Solong Hehe, funny Santa pictures.

Boring Food Yeah, we're bored here too. Zach has gotten so picky. He'll eat canned pineapple, sometimes oranges, and pick at some other things. Right now all he wants to do is drink milk from his sippy all day.

WBV Zach has his 15 month check up today. He is 32.75" tall and 26.5 lbs. He's doing great.

[Cr8nme]

Noelle went to the doctor today... she has bronchitis and they have her on zithromax and albuterol(sp) I am really upset:( The doctor said the next step was pnuemonia:( She said she isn't able to really clear her airways and is wheezing. DH is staying home with her tomorrow.

[wildcat]

cr8nme - I'm so sorry!! After having gone through pneumonia, asthma, and breathing treatments for the last month ourselves, let me know if there's anything I can do!

Way to go Zach, you're growing up to be a strong boy!!

brink - I'm so glad to read those weights, that's fantastic!! BTW - have you said what you're naming the girls? Aimee's picture is hilarious!!

randysmandy - I hope Hunter feels better tomorrow and that you all get more sleep tonight! So sorry about the MIL.:(

jo&sean - Lauren has always been such a good eater, but lately she's either gotten less hungry, more picky, or the med's she's been on are affecting her. She's never ate meat, so that's a lost cause for us. Her favorites are cheese (string, cubes, slices, you name it), crackers (goldfish, pretzels, teddygrahams, gerber ones), fruit of any kind but especially bananas, mandarin oranges, cantelope, watermelon, and peaches (which is hard in the winter), most veggies but especially green beans and avocado (just cut up with some lemon juice). She'll also still eat her baby cereal usually (I only give it to her on the weekends though), but only if she feeds it to herself. I can get her to eat quesadillas and grilled cheese every once in awhile. She'd prefer to eat french fries and ketchup everyday but I limit it to a few times a month. She'll sometimes eat rice, depends on her mood (she couldn't get enough of it at a mexican restaurant on sunday, but wouldn't touch rice for dinner on monday). She won't eat pasta at all (mac&cheese, ravioli, spaghetti, etc). Sometimes she'll eat scrambled eggs. She drinks a ton of milk and water. I just tell myself that if what she wants is cheese, fruit and veggies, I shouldn't complain, at least they're healthy. I just wish she'd eat some more protein.

Lauren became really interested in stuffed animals recently so we pulled some down off her shelves for her to play with (ones she'd gotten when she was born) and she of course chose the chocolate lab (we have a chocolate lab at home and they play together ALL the time). She's been carrying it around since Sunday and gets so excited when we let her sleep with it! Here's a picture!

http://www.billyandashlee.com/gallery/albums/wpw-20061212/normal_IMG_6462.jpg

Also, when I picked Lauren up tonight, one of the teachers showed me video on her cell she'd taken of Lauren signing...guess what? She knows way more signs than I thought!! She knows cookie, cracker and a few others! We don't know the signs for them so we didn't know she was trying to tell us anything and now that I've seen them, I totally know she's been doing them, too! The lead teacher is going to send home handouts with the signs:). She said Lauren picks up on signs really quickly and loves learning them! yeah!

Have a good night girls!

[Kay2003]

get better wishes to all the sick babies! - Hope the mommies get some rest too...

food - asparagus spears, tofu, wheat chex, dried fruit (gerber stuff), mac n cheese, soups, string cheese, MILK, meat (whatever we're having), rice, pancakes with veggies in them! The only CONSISTENT things Kaito eats are string cheese, cereal (like chex or cheerios) and he loves, loves milk. Thanks for sharing your lists. It gives me some new ideas on things to try.

wildcat - cute pic of Lauren with the stuffed animal!

brink - yay for the twins' weights!

santa pics - funny funny pics. We have one of Kaito screaming too
: )

good night, all!

[crow]

I am loving all the holiday baby photos! The ones with Santa are a riot and make me want to take my son.

kay the tragedy of the stranded SF family who lost their father made me feel just so sad. I just couldn't shake it. And I also felt alarmed b/c we can really see ourselves in similar situations, and we would be much less prepared.

wildcat oh my, I love that photo of Lauren--my guy sleeps with his butt curled up too--isn't that the cutest?--even cuter with the chocolate lab toy. How adorable Lauren loves her lab so much!

Get well soon to Hunter and Noelle. I hope their mamas don't get sick either!

brink I like reading your updates--it is reassuring and a good feeling to know that you and your little ones are doing well.

jo&sean some foods crowbaby likes, without fail...

1. cheerios
2. toaster waffles--we have to buy the Van's wheat/egg free ones.
3. Meat: crowbaby loves stir fried chicken or pork.
4. Whatever's on the floor--that he rejected/threw off earlier (we don't like this, but sometimes I'm too tired to intervene and he is too fast. And at least he's eating...:rolleyes: )

Busy here with shopping, end-of-year getting our lives in some order.

2 cute things about crowbaby this week:
This week, crowbaby has decided to say our names, like Mama (finally! finally!), Dad Dee, Grandpa, Uncle etc. A lot. He says them over and over, to us or even if no one is around, like when he is going to nap or waking up. He seems pleased about this. I am loving his saying Mama--I melt every single time.

At story time at the library, he was staring at a 3 year old girl seated next to me. He slid down from my lap, stood next to the girl and gave her a kiss!

This from a baby who rarely doles out the kisses--we have to be laying flat on our back on the floor for him to come over to kiss us. My mom still hasn't gotten one yet. But new (older) pretty girl? Yeaahh.

[BeachBum]

Cute pics guys!

Never Fail Foods:
Cinnamon raisin toast w cream cheese
black beans
spicey rice-this curry rice dish I made up w garbanzo beans, & green peas
Fruit of any kind
Cereal w milk
steamed carrots, green beans

Store bought/quick and easy ideas:
Fish sticks
Morningstar farms veggie bites
veggie burgers

[charmcitygirl]

wildcat-
I just tell myself that if what she wants is cheese, fruit and veggies, I shouldn't complain, at least they're healthy. I just wish she'd eat some more protein.

lauren is most-likely getting enough protein (there's a good amount in dairy), it's iron that she's probably lacking. i had this conversation with my ped and she promptly put them on vitamins with iron. i'm not too excited about vitamins for them so i try to do iron/vit c food combinations since vit c helps with the absorption of iron. so, if i'm giving them iron-fortified cereal or anything with whole grains, they also get oranges or pineapple.

i really could use more food ideas... keep 'em coming. we did toast with butter and jelly this morning for the first time and they both ate it up. yay. my new food find is not food per se: i am finding that they are starting to prefer larger pieces of food, and anything in stick form. apples and pears, for instance, get cut into sticks now. z will eat chicken as nuggets (i get the trader joe's kind which are shaped like little drumsticks). she def. prefers to eat them whole, not cut up. j shows more interest in them whole and will at least try it.

favorite foods: mac & cheese, chicken, turkey or all-beef hot dogs, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, bananas, pear and apple sticks, graham crackers/sticks, american cheese slices, raisins, dried cranberries, just strawberries and pineapple (i get these at whole foods and they are lilke the gerber dried fruit snacks) and pizza. i make the pizzas using whole wheat pita bread, a little bit of tomato sauce and a mix of cheddar & mozz cheese. you can cook 'em in the oven or on a skillet.

someone asked about holiday shopping... oh, if only. i still have my il's to shop for as well as my fater and his gf. they are the hardest to shop for and every year i am totally stumped. so far, almost everything i've bought has been from online shopping. i don't know what i would do if i actually had to go into stores. there is no way my kids would go for that. so thank god for the internet.

so what did everyone get their kids? our purchases:

for j:
http://www.oldnavy.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/419/419710/category/on419710-00viv01.jpghttp://www.oldnavy.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/436/436295/category/on436295-01viv01.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/137/321407517_bd870b97ec_t.jpg and a wool newsboy cap

con't...

[charmcitygirl]

for z:
http://www.oldnavy.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/419/419710/category/on419710-07viv01.jpghttp://www.oldnavy.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/422/422967/category/on422967-00viv01.jpghttp://www.giddygiddy.com/Graphics/NewClips/ladybug.gifhttp://static.flickr.com/130/321407524_51d808605b_t.jpg

for both:
http://static.flickr.com/134/321407494_8048aa8d36_t.jpg

...and some board books, kids cds (including dh's contribution, covers of ramones songs done kids-style), wooden clackers and maracas (really cute and cheap from world market). everything will be divided between hanukkah and christmas. trying not to go too overboard since we're doing two gift-giving holidays.

we put up our tree this weekend. we went to a u-cut tree farm and got a 5ft, very fat tree. it's on a table in our dining room which, so far, is working out really well. the kids aren't too interested as long as the train isn't on and i don't turn it on during the day. dh likes to have it on during dinner so they are strapped down at that point and just watch while they are eating.

still no talking yet and i've cancelled the follow-up appt with the ped and told her i'll be willing to revisit evaluating them at their 18m wbv. but they are kissing each other and hold hands (makes me teary every time), and when i say "let's go night-night" (for naps & bedtime) they beeline it to the steps and wait until i open the gate. so cute. j loves pattycake and "rolls it" on cue. z likes to carry around a purse, but only likes it empty. they love wearing hats (but only in the house) and are always taking off their shirts.

okay, gotta get ready for naps...

[jo&sean]

Randysmandy - Your MIL would drive me crazy. She won't even help pay for the oil bill??! Crazy.

Cr8nme - Poor Noelle - I am sorry she is sick. Hope she gets better soon.

Brink - Yeah for the babies!!

Wildcat - That picture is so adorable!! Love it! It sounds like we are in the same boat in the food department. Addison will not eat meat either which is ok with me. Her ped said between the yogurt, cheese, beans and cottage cheese she is getting ample protien.

Charm - Love all the gifts :)

Addison came down with a cold yesterday and is just miserable this morning. She is already taking a nap at 8:30 am. Poor little thing.

Thanks everyone for sharing your food ideas. I picked up some veggie burgers and black bean burgers yesterday. Even with not feeling well, the black bean burgers were a hit. She loves, loves black beans anyways so the burgers will be a good variation. I made a list of other things to try from your suggestions.

Hope everyone has a good Wendesday :)

[cr8zyforaf]

so sorry for all the sick babies..I hope they are all feeling better soon. We also have a cold - on top of her poor busted head...she is a mess but STTN for 3 nights..I know it is a fluke - but I will take it.

Brink - ya hoo for the babies!!

randysmandy - wow...what a piece of work. I don't know how you do it..I really don't.

foods - she hates everything..she eats only cheese, pasta, dried fruit, regular fruit, maybe greenbeens, chicken nuggets. No veggies and mostly refuses meat..I will talk to the pedi on Monday.

Things are insane here - work is busy, trying to get shopping done and we are hosting Dh's company party at our house and I am planning everything..plus we don't know what to do for Christmas - we want to stay home and have everyone come to us because if not, we have 4 stops that are pretty spaced out - only problem - my family said no...they are not coming (they HATE my inlaws). So, I probably won't see my family or else we will have to drive all day long.

[charmcitygirl]

sorry for so many sick babies... lots of runny noses around here but nothing too bad. hope eveyone gets better soon.

cr8zy can you do 2 shifts at your house: one with your family, one with the ils? it seems we are always juggling our families since they are all local. luckily we are different religions so it makes some of it easier.

i am having such a hard time getting things done lately. i have quite a bit of f