April 2006 Moms - Our babies are on the move!

[Sal03]

Jane Your pictures are too cute! I wonder who is having more fun ;)

SaphirimalMei that onesie is hysterical!

Birthday gift we got dylan a personalized toy chest for his room for his 1st so I think we will do the same for katie

bria so sorry about the moving day. that sounds just plain awful! :(

Jennifer we got a swingset in the spring and it is the best.thing.ever. No need to pack up the kids to go to the park - it's right here!! And Katie loves the swings and Dylan loves the tower and the slides. It's so much fun

Katie has been crawling everywhere this past week. she used to move so slowly and now is much quicker and I really have to get used to it. all of a sudden she is in a totally different spot! She wants to walk though so badly. She can stand for long periods of time and has incredible balance, can bend down and get back up again...just no forward movement without me holding her hand. I gave her eggs this week once she was 11 months which she loved. I just did a whole egg. I figured if she had an allergy we would deal with it then but no signs of trouble. This child will eat ANYTHING. And she makes this devil sound which I could not even begin to describe if you are not feeding her enough. Oh and she finally got a top tooth so that is #5!

[JenniferEC]

Sal - What kind of swing set did you get? Do you have a pic? I've been on Rainbow Systems site a lot because they have some stores near us, but I'm not sure if I want to buy from them. Costco carries them, too.

[Jane&Andy]

Sal - I'd be interested in hearing about your swing set too - its on our wish list for this year. We have a small park nearby but I'd love to have a swing set in our yard - more convenient, but mostly so that the dog can run around and play while Joey plays too. Poor guy has been so neglected!

[Sal03]

This is the swingset. We did not go with Rainbow because it was so expensive. This was not cheap at all, but more reasonable. We got it at a swingset warehouse place near us. The decorative parts are cedar and the structure parts are redwood. Rainbows are all made of redwood completely which makes them more $$$. We dug out a plot for the swingset and (it is not shown in this pic because we did not have it yet) got one ton of rubber mulch to fill the plot. you can also get wood chips but a friend told us they are not recommended because not as clean and could possibly attract termites. And we were told grass alone is not as safe. we also since this picture was taken, enlarged the plot and put Dylan's little tykes playhouse on the rubber mulch too. It makes for a great play area. HTH!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f298/rebeccag202/IMG_0970.jpg

[hapahaole]

sal
Okay, that's your backyard?! It's like a National Forest! Awesome swing set! Funny about the devil noise...Kaylie totally yells at use if we don't feed her fast enough. She's totally into feeding herself now too...so if she cleans off her tray and I don't see her doing her "more" sign (which shes does by clapping), then she starts screaming.

swingset
The house we bought last summer came with a swingset. Yay! It's not as big or awesome as Sal's, but it's great for the toddlers.
http://zoomcc.richfx.com.edgesuite.net/zoomcc_littletikes/Image/Media/JPD451VA_200.jpg
http://www.littletikes.com/toys/toys-detail.aspx?Product_ID=3511&Ne=1&N=26+120

Jane&Andy
LOVE the bunny ears. :)

SaphirimalMei
Finn's so cute! Wow, what pretty eyes. Love the onesie too. :)

bramcd
All I can say "NIGHTMARE." Sorry to hear you had such an aweful move. :(


update:
So we decided to have a med sized party for Kaylie's bday next weekend. Just doing a brunch thing...bagles, fruit salad...

Here's the invite I made. I glued the picture on to some pink cardstock that I did a kind of sloppy zig zag cut on and then mounted that onto white cardstock. It's all a bit cockeyed, but with 2 kids I don't have time to stress over it too much. :)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/405409825_36ea77f479_o.jpg

Oh, we're doing a garden theme. Got to find some shovels and making little pots with grass seeds or something for favors...

hapa

[hapahaole]

And some more recent shots of Kaylie who turns 1 on March 14th. :)

She's crawling, not doing the fire hydrant exercise. ha!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/399214697_5323a2dfd5.jpg?v=0

Did I mention long torsos/ short legs run in the family? Oh, big heads too I guess...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/399214692_799fc78b86.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/399214695_98f4021568.jpg?v=0

hapa

[jrsygirl]

hapa you take great pictures..what kind of camera do you use? She's adorable and I am totally jealous she is wearing shorts and a Tshirt!!
We're still bundling up and putting vaseline on cheeks and lips before we go anywhere. I cannot wait for spring!

sal since you're in NY do you mind if I ask specifically where you got teh swing set. We are on the verge of buying a rainbow but i love the one you have!

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

We are all sick here. Last nigh the kids both had fevers (they broke during the night though) on top of that Paige is getting 4 teeth that are all about to break and Cole has two more ( he will be up to 9 now).

Its amazing to me how fast she caught up to Cole in terms of standing/walking. He has been standing since way before Christmas and is walking some. She just pulled herself up for the first time at the end of January and in a month is walking and standing as much as he is. Its a relief because we've seen an orthopedist about her hips twice and he warned us she might be a delayed walker.

I am so lame and still have NO idea what I am going to do for their birthday. We are definitely getting them a swingset and their grandparents are getting them a wagon.

[Jane&Andy]

Sal - love the swing set and your yard! I hadn't thought about the mulch - I'm afraid whatever we put down will just be something for the dog to eat and get sick on. :confused:

I've started browsing swing sets and posted a few in my journal (in case anyone else browsing for swing sets cares to piggyback off of my little bit of research done so far). We're getting a tax refund this year so we're going to buy DH a new computer and hopefully a swing set with whatever is left. I'm not looking for a superfancy one since I'm hoping to not be in this house for so long that we'd get our money's worth out of a fancy one. :p

Hapa - love the pictures but am so jealous of your shorts weather. I'm just happy to have highs in the 40s and low 50s right now. Love the bday invitation! I thought about pasting my photo invites onto paper but then decided that was too much work - but yours turned out really nice!

jrsygirl - sorry about the sick babies!

[jeeplover]

Hapa:Kaylie totally yells at use if we don't feed her fast enough. She's totally into feeding herself now too...so if she cleans off her tray and I don't see her doing her "more" sign (which shes does by clapping), then she starts screaming.

That is so funny because Kyle does the same thing even the clapping as his more sign.

So we know have 9 teeth total. AUGH! They have really been bothering him this week and last. He has one of his molars, and his two bottom side teeth are coming in as well. Jeez if he was this grumpy with just one of his molars coming in what is he going to be like when the other 3 come:eek: !

Still debating on the whole birthday party thing. I am trying to talk my parents into flying down here (we are paying for them to come) for his birthday and Easter since they are the same weekend but they are resisting which makes me not want to have a party if my family is not here. I am not even wasting my time with my sisters since they are all too selfish to bother even thinking about it. Doubt they will even remember it is his birthday anyways.

Oh I love that swingset and so wish we could have one but not with a townhouse backyard which is already occupied by a fish pond augh!

[JenniferEC]

Sal - Thanks for the pic and the information. DH and I hope to go check some out this weekend. I had not even though of putting down rubber mulch. Is it expensive? Also, did you install the swing set yourself. Sorry for all the questions, but I'm hoping to have a swing set soon!

hapa - Your pics are gorgeous! Kaylie is such a cutie. I'm jealous of your invites. I was going to make ours, but I'm running out of time so I'm going to a stationary store tonight to buy some.

Jane - I will go peek in your journal. We are using our tax refund to buy ours, too! :)

jrsygirl - I hope everyone is better soon!

jeeplover - Good luck with the party. Families are the hardest to please sometimes. Hopefully you can get something together for those that want to come.

[Sal03]

Jennifer we had them install it. I think when we got it, they were having a free installation deal. I think we bought it in February of last year. They were having all these pre-season sales. We did not get the rubber mulch through our swingset place. We shopped around and found it the cheapest online. I think it is called www.permalife.com. It definitely adds to the cost of the set, that is why we only did one ton last year and we are going to add another this year to make it a few inches thicker. We also have a bigger than usual plot because we wanted the playhouse on it too.

Hapa LOL our backyard is like a park. We have almost an acre of flat property surrounded by trees. One of the things keeping us here because we could not get that somewhere else. LOVE the invitation!!

jrsygirl we actually bought it in NJ. We are right on the border. It is I think called Swingset & Toy Warehouse. It is in Ramsey on Route 17. Is that close to you? It may actually be Upper Saddle River, but I think it is Ramsey. I can get the contact info if that is a convenient spot for you

[Txfish]

Hapa, cute invite!!

Jeeplover, oh the hell of the molars. Whitney has been far from her normal happy self lately while these come in (she's got the points of all four molars in, but they're not all the way through.) Sorry Kyle's having a rough time too :(

Playsets: we built ours. We're way too cheap to buy a Rainbow LOL It's the kit in a box from Home Depot; you just buy the wood and a few extra pieces (like the slide or exta swings.) Actually didn't take us too long to build it -- a couple of weekends, and we did it all by ourselves except moving it out into the yard, and getting to roof on (both of those jobs required a few extra neighborhood guys and about 30 minutes.) Really happy with it though, and of course we like using power tools so that was just a bonus LOL

Jane, the bunny ears are hysterical :)

Birthday: I don't think we're doing anything major for her birthday gift. We've sort of decided to get the wagon for the babies this Christmas; I think birthday will probably be her fancy baby doll from one of the grandmothers and a bunch of puzzles and clothes.

[Jane&Andy]

Playsets: we built ours. We're way too cheap to buy a Rainbow LOL It's the kit in a box from Home Depot
Txfish - we're seriously considering going that route. I looked at Home Depot's kits way back when we were buying fence supplies but I wasn't even PG yet then. So I need to go back and take a look at their kits.

[Txfish]

Jane -- if you guys are handy and have access to some tools (good drill, a miter saw was hugely helpful) I think it's a great project. It also helped to have the garage to work in, to do a little at a time. :) I think we spent about $700 altogether (with pressure treated lumber).

[jrsygirl]

fyi: we got a sale book from Toys R Us last night that had a bunch of the adventure playsets on sale.

[jeeplover]

If anyone has a Costco membership, in the coupon booklet they sent out there was a $250 off online coupon for the Yardline Explorer Series Swingset that is valid from March 12th through the 18th. If anyone is interested I am happy to send it to them as we definitely won't be needing it.

[Jane&Andy]

Jane -- if you guys are handy and have access to some tools (good drill, a miter saw was hugely helpful) I think it's a great project. It also helped to have the garage to work in, to do a little at a time. :) I think we spent about $700 altogether (with pressure treated lumber).

DH built our fence himself so he's pretty handy. We'd probably have his Dad available for guidance and his brother for labor. I think tomorrow I'll go check out Home Depot.

[LittleStar]

OK, all this talk about playsets and now I want one too :p

H took a couple of steps last night! He was very wobbly and fell forward onto the couch at the end, but still!

I"m still debating on the theme for H's b-day party. It's not til 4/28, but I want to decide on invitations soon. DH surprised me and said something about how we should do cute invitations for the party. I was like, well yeah, of course I'm gonna do cute invites ;)

[uskiku]

Hey fellow April mamas! :)

We're just emerging from the depths of job interviews (had to spend a night away from A 3 times... and let me tell you, pumping at airport restrooms is NOT fun!), illnesses (A had his first ear infection, which was followed by a bad cold and now a little stomach virus...:rolleyes: ) and adjusting to me going back to work (part-time, right now). So, life's been... interesting... A is doing well though, he's 10 months old now and is a true little chunkster-monster (23 lbs). Still not STTN, but crawling and cruising all around the house and getting into absolutely everything.
Oh, and we're going to move this summer - DH landed a new job - yahooo!

I'm still trying to catch up, but first off

HUGE congrats to LittleStar on # 2!!! :D

[Kopper]

Cute pictures everyone!

Sorry about the sick babies. That is no fun :(
---

Jacob can now walk pretty much the length of our living room and dining room. He is getting better every day. I tried to leave him in the childcare center at the Y for my MOMs Club meeting today and he got really really upset. They had to come get me 15 mins later because he was very mad. It was so hard to see him that way. He was trying to play with the other kids at the table but he was just so upset. :( I've only left him with my mom once when he was awake and that was 5 months ago. He is fine when I leave him with DH. Does anyone else have this problem? I want him to be able to go in there but at the same time I don't want him to be upset.

[Jane&Andy]

Separation anxiety - Joey doesn't have much. He likes going out and seeing people, although I rarely leave him. I've left him once at gym daycare and he cried when I left and cried when I picked him up but was fine in between.

uskiku - good to hear from you! Good luck with the move and Congrats on your DH's new job. :)

yay for walking toddlers!!

2 more weeks til Joey's birthday! :eek: I bought a new outfit today to wear for the party - spent more than usual but it was something I felt good in. (just new jeans and a Springy top). I still need to clean my house up more. DH is actually going to my Mom's next weekend to pick up some exercise equipment she's giving us (my Mom is 6hrs away in NC) so he won't be around to help me then.

I can't wait til Joey's WBV on the 19th. He hasn't been since his 9 month WBV and I'm dying to know his weight!!

No walking here yet. He's happy cruising for now.

[uskiku]

Thanks, Jane! :) I cannot believe it's only 2 weeks until Joey's birthday!!!

Separation anxiety Not so much any more. The peak for us was around 6-7 months. During that time DH tried taking him to the Y, but had to leave early every single time... We quit the Y since the daycare there did not work out for us and we started the crazy job search process. But now that I'm working and we have a college student watching A, he seems to be doing much better with strangers. Sorry, this is probably not very helpful...

[Sully130]

Hey girls! I can't keep up in here but I do try to read along as much as possible. Today is DAY ONE of moving to one nap for us. Yikes. Though actually it has been nicer than I thought. It was nice to be able to be out and about this morning and then we came home, had lunch and T zonked out around 12:45. Now it's 3:40 and he's still sleeping! Sounds like he might be starting to stir. I'll miss my two 1.5-2 hour breaks a day, but I'll enjoying more flexibililty with getting out and doing things.

I can't believe our babies will soon be one! We're planning T's birthday party for April 29. It's funny because though that's nine days after his actual birthday, it was my due date. So that's pretty cool. I created an invite and ordered it from Vistaprint, but I wasn't thrilled with it and won't be surprised if I start all over again.

Not much else going on. He's got five teeth coming in currently (bringing his total to seven). He's crawling and cruising and sometimes standing for short periods of time, but not walking. He is not too big on solids with any texture so we're sticking with mostly baby food purees. He does like toast and waffles. Go figure. And bananas and avocado (in squares, not pureed). He's starting to want to feed himself more and more. And I'm still breastfeeding. That's our little update. :)

Hapa - I love your invite and your latest pictures. She's such a cutie. Long torsos and short legs run in our families too and I think T is inheriting it. Seems I'm often putting him in an 18M top and 9M bottoms.

Sal03 - Love that swingset and your yard!

Uskiku - Congrats to your DH on his new job! That's so wonderful.

Okay...need to go back a few more pages and read more. Just wanted to say HELLO!

[briamcd]

ok..the move from hell continued on to this weekend....Thursday we went back to the old house to finish packing up what wouldn't fit last weekend. and we signed the house over and Monday and told them we'd be out by Mar 5th. The lady wanted to get started painting so, i said no b/c we would be sleeping there that weekend. DH didn't understand why so I kind of gave in and the lady said she was only going to paint the one room. I said that would be fine, we could close the doors and open the windows and it shouldn't be bad...well she painted all the rooms and the hallway so we had to go out and stay in a hotel for the night. I was a little mad. Friday we had Mackenzie's UGI scheduled to see if she had acid reflux. So we go for that @ 9am she's screaming b/c you're not allowed to feed them before this, so she's starving. Well finally the dr. gets there and we do the test and discover little Miss Mackenzie has been saving a penny in her esophagus since probably December. So we're told she has to immidiately go and get it taken out. So we drive 1.5 hrs to Children's Hospital for one day surgery. But they can't schedule her til later that night so she's admitted to the hospital and has the surgery everything goes fine and they keep her overnight for observation. My DH has to leave the next morning to go finish moving out of the house by hisself b/c I have to stay at the hospital with the baby. After she wakes up the next day after the surgery she's like a different baby. She's hungry all the time and I'm excited b/c she will probably be able to eat more table foods. The penny kept her from eating stuff like crackers and potatoes and stage 3 baby food. It was a scary ordeal, but i'm glad it's over and Mackenzie is doing really great, as if nothing even happened. Baby's are so resilient.

[Jane&Andy]

Holy cow Bri! What a weekend you've had! I'm so glad Mackenzie is happier (and more comfortable now). Poor baby.

Sully - it's so good to hear from you! Glad to hear Thomas is doing well.

Txfish - we're going to go the Home Depot route for Joey's swing set - we picked up their brochure and they have a lot of affordable options. Did you find their estimated price range close to accurate or was it way off?

Joey at the zoo today (it was cold!)
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p3188729b3100a0149c979b291e66e39d/ea70086d.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8145ba899e808715c3155fac1e1deef2/ea700821.jpg

I've scheduled Joey for a 1yr picture at Picture people next week (the 14th).

This week another Mom and I from playgroup are throwing a playgroup bday party for our kids (her DD turned 1 on Saturday) so I'm excited for this little pre-party. I was really tempted to invite the playgroup to his party but I was really, really afraid it would just get too overwhelming for me. I'm not used to hosting big parties - my family is tiny!

[Sal03]

Briamcd OHMYGOSH! I am so glad she is okay. How scary for poor little Mackenzie. I am so happy she is doing better now. What an ordeal for you guys! :(

Sully I hear ya on the one nap. I can not stand two naps, you have such a short window to get out. We are going to be doing the same thing very soon!

Sep Anxiety It was really bad for a few months and she still really prefers me, but she will go to other people now and can be easily distracted. D never had a day of Sep Anxiety until preschool. it was so odd but made things easy

We had a DELICIOUS date last night for my first visit to melting pot. YUM. K continues to eat anything and everything. She is getting two more teeth so that will make 3 on top and 4 on bottom. She is handling it really well though.

ETA Jane I love your new avatar. Joey looks so adorable all bundled!

[Jane&Andy]

thanks Sal! Isn't the Melting Pot the BEST. I think we're going back in a few months for my birthday. :)

[Kopper]

briamcd - Oh my goodness! How scary! I'm glad she is ok and doing much better. We had a scare like that last week when we thought DS had swallowed a spring. Luckily he hadn't and I can't imagine going thru surgery. I hope your move is over and you guys can get settled in to your new place.

Sal03 - Yummy! We have a Simply Fondue here. It's so good!

Jane - How does Joey like the zoo? We need to take DS one of these days.

Sully - Wow 1 nap! I am ready for that. It's so hard to do anything when you have to be home at certain times. I don't think we will be ready for 1 nap anytime soon though.

Birthday gifts - We bought DS a swing for the front yard and plan on buying him a little basketball goal for the back yard. We also bought him a little Elmo sprinkler head for when it warms up.

[JenniferEC]

uskiku - Good to hear from you.

Jane - Cute pics at the zoo. Have fun at the party this week.

briamcd - What a crazy couple of weeks you've had. I hope you can relax now and enjoy your new house.

Sal - How's Dylan doing in school? I just registered Caden for next year.

swingset - We spent all weekend looking at them. We've been to Costo, TRU, Home Depot and Rainbow. I can't believe the prices at Rainbow. :eek: The guy kept trying to get me buy a $4000 one. Like Jane, we're going to go with Home Depot and build ourselves.

sep anxiety - Marin doesn't like it if I'm not in the room. I have to bring her exersaucer in our bathroom while I shower so she can see me. I like it though so when the ILs try and take her she cries for me.

naps - I don't think we're ready for one. Marin is always ready for a nap by 9:30. If we have to go out in the morning, I let her nap in the car and if she doesn't get a good nap then, she'll ususally sleep well in the afternoon.

[LittleStar]

Briamcd - WOW :eek: that must have been scary for you to find out, but so glad that she's all fixed up now.

naps - He sometimes skips his morning one at daycare. This weekend, he took 2 each day. I think he still needs the 2.

sep anxiety - H goes to daycare and is pretty good when I leave him. He gets a little shy when he meets strangers (he'll smile at them shyly and then bury his face in my shoulder).

grocery store - I took H grocery shopping with me for the first time since being out of the infant carrier, so he was riding in the buggy. He did great until...I stopped the cart to grab something off a shelf and apparently parked him too close to the shelves, and he reached out and yanked a huge jar of pickles, which came crashing down onto the floor. Oops - now I know to be more watchful :p

[jeeplover]

Bri-that is so scary but I am glad that MacKenzie is doing so much better now and sorry to hear about the move from hell.

Jane-Love the pictures of Joey, so cute and what a chilly day to be at the zoo doesn't look like Joey was cold at all.

Sully-Wow one nap. I don't think I am ready to venture down that road yet even though the two naps are annoying when errands need to be done but at least I know I have at least two-one hour ME times a day to regain my sanity.

Swingsets- It is so funny with all this talk about them because in todays TRU circular they are having a sale on all swingsets-really makes me want one but not at this house.

[Txfish]

bri-- how awful! So glad they figured it out and M is healing and already doing better.

Jane, (and Jen!) -- yup, dh and I both thought that the pricing they listed was fairly accurate. Have fun :) Although I agree, the prices they had in that TRU circular this weekend are phenomenally cheap for what it looks like you're getting.

separation anxiety: we have a little, but then Whit doesn't get left often with people she doesn't know. I'm bummed that we stopped going to the gym, because that was great training for her to bridge over this gap -- she pretty much does okay once I'm out of sight.

Hey uskiku! good to hear from you -- yay on the jobs :) Sounds like things are going well!

[Jane&Andy]

Kopper - Joey enjoyed the zoo. He was a little crabbier than usual and ended up being carried most of the time which is unusual for him. But he did respond to some of the animals. DH said he really enjoyed watching some fish and turtles in a big tank (it was insanely crowded so I had taken the stroller outside).

TXfish - thanks for the feedback on the Home Depot kits!

Jennifer - which Home Depot kit are you going with? We're going to do Pine Bluff, design B. Except we'll change out the rope ladder with another swing.

naps - we've only shifted from 3 to 2 naps in the last month or so. So that has freed up a lot more errand time for me! I shower during his first nap and then we can go out when he wakes up. I think he'll be at 2 naps for a long time - my sister said her son was nearly 2 before he dropped to 1.

I didn't get the TRU circular! I feel cheated! :p

[mel7dog]

This thread is moving, I am reading along but can't keep up!
Hapa - Your pictures are amazing!

sep anxiety - Oh we have this one for sure. I've tried to leave DS a few times at the drop in day care, but that didn't go over so well. He's going again on Wed for 3 hours since I have a meeting, so we'll see how it goes.

Naps - We're still at 2 short naps (about 45 min) at 10:30/11 and 3:30ish. DS WAS only waking 1x a night to eat (sleeping 6 hours) but I think he's teething because the last 3 nights he's been eating every hour :eek:

Crawling/standing - Ben crawls like crazy and pulls up all the time. He even stood unassisted for about 5 sec this weekend. We still have about 2m till his birthday, so I thin he'll be walkign by then.

swingset - No plans on one for us. Though I am thinking about a play kitchen fir his b-day

[JenniferEC]

LittleStar - I hope the grocery didn't charge you for the pickles. :) When do you find out the sex of #2?

Jane - We're not sure yet. We went to HD yesterday and their kits aren't out yet. We looked at them online but I wanted to see them in person. They told us they'll have everything in the store in 2 weeks. DH did talk to someone there and now DH is sold on building it himself! I can mail you the TRU flyer from yesterday if you want. There is also a pamphlet in the store with all of their swingsets.

[Jane&Andy]

Jennifer - I found the flyer online but thanks for the offer. I didn't realize Home Depot would have the kits set up! It'll be at least 2 wks before we can get started anyway. We picked it out just by looking at the flyer. I want to stick with one of the cheaper ones b/c I'm hoping to be out of this house sometime in the next few years! But I think we'll be here long enough to get our money's worth out of one of the more basic ones.

[JenniferEC]

Jane - My dad just called me and the HD by him already has some, so we may head over there this week to look. I don't blame you for not spending too much. We plan on being here for a while and I still don't want to spend a lot.

[Jane&Andy]

Jennifer - we have to get out of here before Joey starts school (bad bad schools here) and I really want to move back to NC (family there and cheaper houses!). Anyway - my sister got the best deal on her wooden swing set - someone was moving out of her neighborhood and sold her their's for $50 (they had to take it apart and move it but it was still only about a day's worth of work) and then they spent another $50 on a few replacement parts (swings, etc). I haven't been that lucky!!

I went to TRU today and bought an inflatable ball pit for $7. It only came with a few balls and they weren't selling any more balls so I still need to find those somewhere. I set it up for Joey and he loved it but it was insanely windy so we didn't stay out long - he screamed when I took him out of it. If the weather is good for his party I'll set it up in the backyard for the kids (assuming I find more balls before then!).

[shania0474]

Wow, Jane that was a steal! I was thinking of getting an inflatable ball pit last week but couldn't figure out where I'd put it... for $7 though, I'll find where to put it! Cute pictures of Joey at the zoo :)

Bri That must have been such a scary experience. I have a near heart-attack every time I discover a foreign object in G's mouth so I can imagine what you were going through when they found a penny in her! I'mso happy all went well and she and you are doing ok.

hi and welcome back uskiku, good to hear from you

naps G has been down to one nap for a few weeks now. He sleeps for 2 hours at 11am (sometimes if he woke up early that day, he'll sleep at 10:30 for 2.5 hours!) It's great because D is in school and it gives me a nice block of time to get some stuff done!

sep anxiety oh yes! he doesn't let any strangers carry him (especially now that he's walking and wants to be independent) and sometimes he cries (for about 2 seconds!) when I leave the house or when DH takes him from me early in the morning but that's mostly because he wants the one thing I have that DH can't give him... speaking of which...

QOTD: For those still breastfeeding, when are you thinking of weaning? I have been trying to wean this week (I really need my bbs back after three years of pregnancy/breastfeeding!) but G is just not co-operating. David weaned himself at 9 months so I never had to do anything but G wakes up and dives straight for my chest. I successfully offered formula yesterday but today, he grabbed the bottle and flung it across the room (yeah, terrible twos already and he's not even one yet!)

[Sal03]

Shania OMG that is so weird you asked that. I was going to come in and ask the same thing! With D it was so easy, he took bottles and drank formula when I offered it around weaning time and was weaned by 13.5 months. K never took a bottle and when I offer her formula in a sippy now she will sometimes take a few sips but then barely drinks an ounce. I only wanted to BF for the same amount of time as D but I don't see that happening if she won't drink formula now. She drinks tons of water out of her cup so the cup is not the problem. I think there was a thread at some point "How to Wean". I'll do a search when I have time. HA!

[Jane&Andy]

Shania - its not a fancy ball pit but it does the job - and you can't beat the price.

Weaning - I've been thinking about it but haven't started it yet. I had no intention of nursing beyond a year but now I'm thinking about it. At the same time, its tempting to wean b/c then my Dr could prescribe something for my back - its fine most of the time but if I could take something when it gets bad that would really help. Joey has his WBV next Friday so I'll wait and see what his ped has to say on the topic.

[briamcd]

Littlestar - that's funny. Mackenzie thought we needed toothbrushes the other day and when I got to the checkout I had a few in the basket that I didn't know where they came from. lol.

Sep Anxiety - She has it. but we still try to drop her off at the daycare @ the Y when I workout so she gets used to it.

Jane - Joey looks so cute buddled up. I can't wait to take Mackenzie to the zoo!

[Jane&Andy]

I've been a lazy bum about going to the gym and I can't go tonight so I'm going to try the gym daycare when Joey wakes up - wish me luck! :p

Joey is snotty today but its clear so far - I need him to stay healthy since I'm hosting playgroup this week and we're having a little party for him and another March baby. I think he's working on his bottom teeth and he got snotty with his last top teeth so I am hoping that's all it is this time.

[jeeplover]

Teeth-Ok I am in teething HE!! right now. Kyle is currently working on 4 teeth, one molar, and 3 bottom. I am not looking forward to the other molars coming in. Thank god his runny nose is clearing up though thank goodness for J & J Vapor Bath-I love that stuff!

[mel7dog]

jeeplover - wow all those teeth at once sound like it would hurt!

weaning - We have no plans to wean at 1 year. I hope to follow child-led weaning and would love to nurse till 2 years or longer (as recommended by the WHO (http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/NUTRITION/infant_exclusive.htm)). I'm would even be open or even tandem nursing as we plan to TTC #2 at 2y. It's funny because when I first started I didn't think I would BF past a year. Now that I've learned more about extended nursing I'm all for it :)

Here is some info on gentle weaning:
Dr. Sears (http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/T026400.asp)
Parenting (http://www.parenting.com/parenting/baby/article/0,19840,647310,00.html?topic=12018)

[Kopper]

weaning - I have no plans on weaning. We are going to do child led weaning. I hope that he nurses until at least two. That said, I am going to stop taking domperidone and using the Lact-Aid (supplementer). It will take awhile to wean from those so hopefully by 14 months he will be nursing without it. DS is mostly nightweaned by his choice. 8 out of 10 nights he sleeps a full 12 hours straight. He does wake to nurse when he is sick or teething.

Oh, I have decided to become a LLL Leader. I'm going to fill out the application this week hopefully and then get started on the training. I'm so excited! :)

[JenniferEC]

Congrats Kopper! How long will it take?

Marin has already taken a 90 minute nap this morning and now she's taking her second nap of the day, so I don't think we're going to be going for one nap for a while. I'm enjoying the breaks.

[mel7dog]

Kopper - Yay for becoming a LLL leader. :D I want to be a leader as well, but I thought you have to wait till 1y to apply. Anyhow I'm excited we'll both be getting the training! I am excited to gain the knowledge and to be ready to help someone if needed.

[LittleStar]

weaning - I'd like to wean in the next month or so. Right now, we're just nursing in the morning and evening. DS actually seems to be less interested in the evening feeding (the last few nights has only nursed for a minute or 2), so maybe he will drop that himself. I have several evening and overnight events coming up plus I just want to give myself a break before the next baby. I must say though that I have enjoyed bf'ing so much more than I ever thought and it's really been a special experience.

[Kopper]

JenniferEC - Thanks! The training is at your own pace. My leader said she did it rather quickly b/c she just wanted to get it done but another leader took 9 months. I'm hoping I can get it done in 6 months or so.

mel7dog - Thanks! That's awesome that you are going to be a leader too. As far as applying my leader said 8 or 9 months (can't remember) and your baby has to be a year before you finish training. Not a problem here since DS will be a year in 4 weeks! :) I can't wait to start. :D

[Jane&Andy]

Joey was fine at the gym daycare today - so I think we'll do it again tomorrow. yay!

Mel and Kopper - good luck with the LLL training!

weaning - I think Joey is already making moves to wean himself a little bit. He really doesn't nurse much during the day. The morning and bedtime feedings seem to be the most important to him and I will probably keep up with those for awhile.

[uskiku]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome back! :)

Good luck, Mel and Kopper, that's awesome!!

weaning thinking about it, but haven't really done anything... A is only 10 months old (seems like such a baby compared to your almost 1-year-olds!), so we have time. I'm trying to night-wean though, hoping that it might solve (some) of our sleep problems... I'd been nursing him twice a night, but am trying to cut back to once. We'll see how it goes... A seems to be such a little boob man though, so I might have to nurse him until his senior year in college :rolleyes: . I mean, little man starts smiling and cooing the moment he sees the boob and sometimes he even claps while nursing... I'll stop whenever he is ready...

I have a question for more experienced mamas we've been dealing with some eh... excremental issues... Last week, A's appetite decreased significantly, and he also had trouble sleeping (more than usual). Took him to the doctor's, and the ped said that he might have a little stomach virus. Well, a day after that, his poops changed from solid to eh... peanut butter consistency... and this has continued for 7 days now! He is eating well again, it's just the poop consistency. I've been giving him potatoes, rice cereal, a little chicken etc. But I'm wondering if it's time to swicth back to his nromal diet... What do you think? Would you be concerned by the poop or not? Again, it's not "runny" or "liquidy"... SORRY for all the poop talk...................

[Kopper]

uskiku - Thanks! If he is not runny or liquidy (Is that a word? ;)) I think he should probably be able to eat normally. Actually when DS had rotavirus I started feeding him normally again as soon as he stopped vomitting. DS also has different poops depending on what he eats. Sometimes they are more firm and sometimes more mushy. We've had peanutbutter poops when he wasn't sick.

[uskiku]

Kopper Thanks! :) Hey, I think it should be a word! ;) I started giving him veggies and he seems to be doing fine - phew! And he seems sooo happy to have carrots and sweet potatoes again :)

[shania0474]

uskiku I wouldn't worry about peanut butter poop (that's actually better than rock hard poop because it means he's getting a lot of fiber and liquids to soften his poop -- I think I read somewhere that teething/drooling also affects poop so maybe that's part of it). I agree with Kopper that sometimes it depends on what they eat.

[Kopper]

Thought I would ask a new QOTD

QOTD -How much do your babies eat?
Boy Jacob can eat. I just fed him lunch. He had a handfull of steamed baby carrots, 1 string cheese and a whole banana. When I feed him jarred food he eats a whole stage 3 jar and a stage 2 jar and if he still wants more I give him a few Cheerios. He gets so angry when I don't get him his food fast enough. He was done with his carrots and I was cutting his banana but apparently not fast enough and he threw a fit.

[JenniferEC]

QOTD - Marin still doesn't eat much. She's on stage 2 foods, but I'm going to buy stage 3 after it's all gone. For breakfast she has cereal and fruit, for lunch a veggie and for dinner a meat/veggie combo and fruit. She has snacked on some of the Gerber snacks, but I don't offer her real food too often. She only has one tooth so I'm going to wait a bit longer.

The weather here is perfect. I took the kids out for an hour walk after lunch to enjoy how warm it is and to wear them out. Marin would not keep her sun hat on despite it being tied under her chin.

Oh, and my new pet peeve...asking what Marin is. She's usually dressed in pink or at leasty girly clothes. Granted, she has no hair but I think she looks like a girl. I'm so sick of people coming up and asking if she's a boy or girl or asking me how old "he" is, and it's usually when she has a pink jacket and hat on! Maybe when she's blows out her candles on her bday cake, she can wish for hair!

[LittleStar]

QOTD: Here's what H eats each day:
wake up - nurse
breakfast - cereal mixed w/ a tablespoon of Stage 2 fruit
8 oz bottle of formula
lunch - 1 Stage 2 veggie
8 oz bottle of formula
snack - 1 Stage 2 fruit
8 oz bottle of formula
dinner - 1/2 Stage 2 fruit, 1/2 Stage 2 veggie, some Cheerios
bedtime - nurse

School has been offering him more fingerfoods (like this morning, they were having pancakes, yesterday it was bagels), but all he will eat is Cheerios. I'm trying not to worry - he'll eventually get interested in "real" food, he won't eat purees forever...right?? I never force him to try anything. I just put the pieces of food on his tray. Any other suggestions?

[Jane&Andy]

yesterday Joey had a little pre-party with my playgroup (for him and another 1yr old)
his birthday outfit (which he'll hopefully wear without the white onesie for his party next weekend - its supposed to warm up!)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/414886554_af679a2a6f.jpg?v=0
smashing his smash cake
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/414888963_1c2ac43e07.jpg?v=0
he did eat some of it too.

the dog had a blast on clean up duty after everyone left. :p

QOTD: how much does he eat? He's pretty much on all adult food now
breakfast - instant oatmeal and banana
after nap snack - yogurt, banana (usually about the last third of his breakfast banana)
lunch - lunch meat or meatball or chicken, peas, grated cheese
after nap snack - applesauce or grahams, raisins or cranraisins
dinner - more meat of some sort, peas, grated cheese

each meal also usually involves some cheerios or raisins or crackers to keep him from throwing a fit while I get his food ready

weaning - he does seem to be nursing less and less. He gets excited over the boob but doesn't nurse for long.

Joey gets called a girl a lot, even when he's dressed very clearly in boy's clothes. :rolleyes:

[Sal03]

Jennifer someone at gym class called katie a "he" when she was covered in flowers. people are just dumb

eating
wake: nurse
breakfast: about 3/4 cup oatmeal
post nap either snack or nurse (trying to cut out this nursing)
lunch: stage 2 fruit and stage 2 veggie
nurse
post nap snack, usually a yogurt
dinner: stage 2 fruit, stage 2 veggie and a lot of whatever we are eating
nurse

Kopper obviously Katie eats a lot too!!! LOL

Jane he looks like he is in heaven with that cake!!

uskiku as dylan is over 2.5 now, I can tell you his poop goes through so many stages!! He has been constipated a few times in his life, otherwise his poops are never "formed". they are always soft and sometimes like you described. that's fine, you would much rather it be that way. As long as it is not like water, he is fine. gotta love the poop talk LOL

[JenniferEC]

Jane - I love that giraffe bib! Where did you get it? I'm so burnt out on the Carter's bibs.

[Jane&Andy]

Jennifer - Colby Lane - it's an ebay store. They're a bit pricey but they are big and thick (backside is chenille) and offer great coverage. She has a heck of a lot more cut designs for girls than boys. I found one there with balloons (he wore it for his bday invitation photo and will wear it for his birthday party) and ordered a few more. She has a really cute sock monkey one that Joey needs. :p

Joey still nurses in the morning, before his two naps and at bedtime - I didn't include those in his eating schedule in my last post.

[uskiku]

Shania Thanks for the advice! I'm such a worrywart... So it's great to have you guys to reassure me! He is doing really good now, and eating like a madman, so I'm a happy mama :)

Sal yeah for the poop talk! :D DH and I have now shared the classic moment of parenthood where we stand in a badly lit bathroom, staring at a poopy diaper and arguing whether it's green or not... :rolleyes: (this happened last week, and it was green, and now we know it's normal, but boy were we worried at first!)

Eating
I still BF him once at night

6:45-7.00 breakfast: oatmeal or muesli or yogurt or toast and grapes or any other fruit to keep his little hands busy...

9:00 nurse before nap

12:00 lunch - varies, yogurt with fruit, veggies, sometimes meat. Today it was cauliflower with cheese sauce - he loved it!

2 (or 3) PM nurse (this varies depending on his nap time and whether I'm at work or not)

6:00 dinner - meat, veggies... again, it varies - today we had steamed carrots and toast

7:15 nurse

Jane great pictures!! :)

[Kopper]

So I guess my kid is not the only one who loves to eat. :D

Here's his schedule:
6:30am ish - nurse
7:30 - cereal with part of banana or 1/2 jar stage 2 fruit
9:00 - nurse before nap (and during...)
11:30/12 - lunch: usually 2 stage 2s or cut up fruit and cut up veggies and a lot of the times cheese or yogurt
1:00pm - nurse before nap
3:00 - 6oz bottle of formula
3-4ish- usually a small snack (raisins, cheerios, etc)
5:30 - dinner: usually 1 stage 3 and 1 stage 2 or veggies and maybe fruit or dairy if he didn't have any with lunch
6:30 - nurse to sleep

Wow seeing it like that he eats all the time! :eek: Does that seem like too much? He does go 12 hours at night without eating and I never force him to eat at all. Usually it is him fussing for more.

[Sevilla]

QOTD: DS just started liking solids in the past few weeks. He's doing some purees (he eats best when i use my finger as a spoon instead of baby spoons) and some small bits. He also likes to lick everything to taste it. i have a feeling he'll be a big fan of popsicles this summer.

His schedule:

Awake: 7:30ish
Nap (he dropped to one nap at 10 months): 11:30-1:30ish
Eat some solids: A few tablespoons of veggies, cereal, and/or fruit - either before or after his nap
Asleep at night: 8:30ish

We also give him tastes of whatever we're eating so he's had lots of things from hummus to pancakes to chicken. He just figured out how to swallow chunks of food in the past week or two, so that makes it easier for him to eat what we're eating.

i don't plan to move him to multiple meals per day of solids until he's closer to 18 months or if he shows an interest in eating more often.

He nurses every 3-4 hours. I have to say, making enough milk to feed a one year old has done wonders for my cleavage ;). And i'm happy that AF is still staying away - i hope that continues for awhile!

[shania0474]

G can eat a house, though the past two days have been a battle to get him to eat because of a serious boo-boo. Yesterday morning, I was out taking a driving lesson (yes, pick up your jaw from the floor, I'm the only woman over 30 you know who can't drive!) and I left DH in charge of the boys. By the time I got back, G had had a bad fall in the kitchen (DH doesn't know how it happened but I think he was probably trying to open the locked dish washer, he loves to go in there so we keep it locked now) and his two top (very sharp!) teeth had cut a horrific gash on his tongue. OUCH! God knows I would have been crying with him had I been there to witness that and it took ALL I had not to yell at DH because ultimately I knew it could have happened under my watch too. So anyway it has been hard to get him to eat but aside from mealtimes, he's been a real trooper.

Feeding schedule (pre-accident)
6:30-7am wake up and 5-6oz bottle of formula
8:00am cheerios in high chair while I prepare breakfast
8:30am oatmeal with half of stage 3 chunky fruit mix then bits of real fruit afterward (pears, tangerines, grapes, apples, whatever's in the fridge)
10:30am 4-6oz cup/bottle of formula before nap
1pm lunch: usually some sort of pasta with pasta sauce (with ground turkey or turkey sausage) and half stage 3 veggie mix with 3oz cup of formula
3:30pm snack: varies widely: cereal, banana, peas, carrots, cheese, sweet potato fries, veggie sticks, bagel, eggs, yogurt, anything goes!
6pm dinner: also varies: usually whatever we're having for dinner or whatever I can throw together from stuff in the fridge
6:45 5oz bottle of formula before bed

Post-accident, he's been having a LOT more formula and a lot less food (which is good because I'm usually worrying that he doesn't drink enough milk/formula but today formula was all he wanted!)

[bctoledo]

Just wanted to drop in quickly and say it took forever to catch up!

I have to go get ready for a meeting relating to Ben's baptism, but will try to stop in later.

[Kopper]

Hope everyone is enjoying a nice weekend. It's been beautiful here (mid 70s). We've been playing outside a lot. Our oak has dropped most of its leafs so we have been raking them (and playing in them in DS's case :)). We installed his tree swing and he loves it. I think we are going to go to the duck pond once DH is done mowing.

Oh forgot to mention, DS learned to stand on his own w/o pulling up on anything. It's so cute. He spreads his legs wide and puts his hands out in front of him and gets up.

[mel7dog]

He nurses every 3-4 hours. I have to say, making enough milk to feed a one year old has done wonders for my cleavage . And i'm happy that AF is still staying away - i hope that continues for awhile!
LOL, that us too. Not to mention I eat tons of food and keep dropping lbs :)

QOTD - DS still nurses 6-8 times a day and is not a fan of purees, he only wants to feed himself, which is fine by me! I pretty much just give him little bits of what we eat. Usually breakfast is cheerios and fruit. Around lunch time he'll have some turkey and cheese. He has an afternoon snack of goldfish or fruit, and then a little chicken and veggies for dinner (or what we have). We don't really have a set feeding schedule or times, I just sort of go with the flow and watch his cues.

[bctoledo]

Swingset How funny that everyone is looking at these! I hadn't been reading along for awhile, but I'm right there with everyone looking at swingsets. We went to a Rainbow store yesterday and priced out some units...$2200 - $2700 with a 35% sale discount.:eek: We went to Home Depot today and looked at theirs. DH refuses to buy a package and insists he can make one on his own. He make a mock one today using a glue gun and wooden skewers.:rolleyes:

We struggle everyday with eating. One day he'll love something, and the next day he won't touch it. We normally go through 4 or 5 things before he really starts to eat. He is tired of purees and wants to feed himself. Has anyone tried peanut butter? I didn't think they should have this until after 1 year, but the Super Baby Foods books said at 10 months it was okay to start.

We found out that we are expecting baby #2 yesterday.:D We're guessing a November due date, but will hopefully find out in the next few weeks. Part of me is super excited, but part of me is scared to death!

[Sevilla]

DS is really taking off with solids - today he ate black olive pieces, avocado chunks, and he tried to feed himself purees with a spoon. It's hard to believe that just a month ago he was refusing solids altogether and had no interest. I am really glad I waited and followed his cues with food.

Bctoledo: I have read that you're supposed to wait as long as possible before giving peanut butter - like even 2-3 years. But i think it also depends on your family history and such.

ETA: Congratulations on #2!!!!!

[JenniferEC]

bctoledo - Congrats on #2!

peanut butter - I tried it with DS at 18 months and he had a difficult time with it. It would get stuck to the roof of his mouth and he would be done after one bite. He will be 3 this week and is just now used to the texture.

[Sal03]

bctoledo congrats!! happy and healthy 9 months :) I can't believe we already have a few ROs. Good luck to all of you. It is insane having them so close together but so much fun!!

Peanut butter I am shocked any place said 10 months. I have never heard of anyone recommending it before 2 and that is the earliest. A lot of ped's say to wait until 3 or later. We waited until 2.5 with dylan and we have no history of food allergies on either side

Kopper WOW! That is not an easy skill. D was way older when he could stand up by himself!!

BFing cleavage not fair! mine went away after my supply regulated LOL

Sevilla I think it is so important to follow their cues. I have a friend who basically forcefed her daughter cereal at 4 months and she still is having a lot of trouble getting her to eat solids months later. Her baby cries a lot when eating. :( She just believed it was the right time to start and I have a feeling this child is going to grow up with an unhealthy attitude towards food now.

[Kopper]

bctoledo - Congrats again!! That is so great! I think you are RO #4 from our April group! :D

Sevilla - That's great! I hadn't thought of olives since I hate them but I might see if DS likes them. How did your DS do with them?

Sal03 - I was shocked too! He just started doing it in the last two days. When he learns something he masters it really fast and it is almost like he always knew how to do it. He's a great walker now.

[LittleStar]

Congratulations bctoledo!! H and H 9 months. How are you feeling?

[Sevilla]

Kopper - he really liked them. I cut them into little pieces for him. They're a good source of fat and their taste is pretty mild, and they're soft so easy for little ones to gum.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QOTD: How do you take care of your DC's teeth? What kind of toothpaste do you use and how often do you brush?

I was wondering about this. We just started brushing his teeth at night within the past month. He does pretty well with it. I usually have to give him another toothbrush to hold while i brush though.

[Kopper]

QOTD - We haven't brushed his teeth yet but plan on starting very soon. I talked to my dentist and he recommended just using water. He said he didn't recommend infant/baby toothpaste.

Playing in the leaves
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n118/Katie-John/DSC04705.jpg

In his new swing
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n118/Katie-John/DSC04684.jpg

With Grandma at the duck park
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n118/Katie-John/DSC04709.jpg

[JenniferEC]

QOTD - We just bought Marin a toothbrush last week. We haven't used it on her one tooth yet, but will probably start this week. Our dentist said what Kopper's said so we won't use toothpaste.

Kopper - I love the first pic. He looks so grown up standing in the leaves!

[mel7dog]

bctoledo - Congrats on #2, how exciting!!

Teeth burshing - We have brushed DS's teeth a few times now, but always seem to forget at night :o We use a toddler toothbrush and some baby toothpaste. We seems to like it!

[Jane&Andy]

bctoledo - Congratulations!!!!!! That's so exciting! My DH wanted to build/design his own swing set too but luckily I think he's ok with the Home Depot kit - although he still talks about making various modifications. :rolleyes:

#2 - if it were up to me we'd be TTC now (or very soon) but DH wants to wait a few more months.

toothpaste - I've been using the giggles and grins toothpaste that came with his toothbrush (only been doing it for about 2wks now). I've never heard not to use the infant/toddler toothpaste. DH goes to the dentist Friday and Joey has his WBV that day so we'll ask both dr's about it.

peanut butter - I think my ped said to wait til he was 2 but it may have been even longer than that.

cleavage/weaning - I just tried on some old bras and found some that fit! yippee! I haven't weaned yet but my nursing bras were not working with the top I bought for Joey's party so I was fishing through my old ones. (I'm really short chested and the top is a wide scoop neck - so just the very top of my nursing bra was visible). I had more than enough cleavage before I started nursing - I don't want or need more. And continuing to nurse this long hasn't done a damn thing to help me lose weight so that's not a motivating factor for me. Joey will only nurse for a few minutes before he loses interest so I will probably start weaning him next week - starting with the mid-day/pre-nap sessions.

Kopper - great pictures! love the tree swing!

Joey now has 5 teeth and I think a sixth on its way - 4 on top and 1 on bottom and another bottom one on its way. Poor kid - that's 5 or 6 teeth in a month and a half!

Joey slept in this morning - yay! I was hoping the time change would help us with that!

high's this week are in the 60s and 70s but then it drops to the 40s just in time for Joey's party this weekend - which is really annoying me!

Joey and I were home alone this weekend - both with colds. So I've fallen way behind with getting ready for his party. My family will be staying with us so I have to clean the house from top to bottom - there's no closing doors to messy rooms b/c people will be sleeping in those rooms! :p

[mel7dog]

jane - I am so excited to see how his party turns out!

#2 - DH and I are planning to wait till next Feb/Mar 08 to TTC #2. He is going to deploy this summer and will be back around then. That said I still have no AF, so we aren't really preventing now.

[Sevilla]

Kopper - jacob is so cute!c We have the blue striped tshirt from ON too :).

Jane: Woo hoo for old bras fitting again. That is exciting Joey is getting another tooth!

#2: Atv the earliest July/August 08 is when we'll TTC, so a 3-4 year age gap is what we're thinking at this point.

Toothpaste: I went through this list by EWG which ranks products in order from safer to unsafe and it was helpful in choosing toothpaste: Safe and not-as-safe toothpaste list (http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/search.php?nperpage=10&main_cat=DENTAL%2FORAL&category=Baby%20Toothpaste&stype=products&sort=scoreinc)

[Kopper]

Thanks everyone we had a lot of fun this weekend!

Jane - I can't wait to see b-day pics either! It is so close. Where did the time go?

#2 - We aren't preventing now not that it makes any difference b/c I'm not cycling yet. I'm hoping once I go off the Domperidone at the end of next month that my cycles will return. I still plan on nursing so it might be awhile. That said we would like to actively TTC as soon as they do return. I'm ready now! :D

[LittleStar]

teeth - not brushing yet, but know that I should.

I'm starting to freak out about H's b-day party. I need to get invitations out this week, and I haven't even firmly decided on a theme. I'm leaning towards frogs, with green, blue, and yellow as the colors. I'll probably go light on the "theme-y" stuff, since we're combining it with my brother's graduation party.

I *almost* skipped nursing this morning. With the time change, H didn't wake up til 7, and we try to be out of the house by 7:20 or so. But I couldn't do it.

[Jane&Andy]

Joey and I ran a few errands this morning and when people asked his age it was so much fun to be able to say that he will be one on Friday! I can't wait for his party and I know you ladies know that I'll have a ton of pictures to share. :p :) I'm such a photo freak! :p

I gave Joey a little cow milk today for the first time. I figure he's only a few days short of his first bday and I'd rather introduce something new now, when things are calm and quiet - this weekend is going to be chaotic!

Sevilla - its a small thing but man oh man - I did not want to go bra shopping this week! I'm glad I found an old one that'll work. I didn't even bother to look at what size it was - I think its one I bought while PG.

[Kopper]

Jane - Did he like it? I can't wait to ditch the formula supplements he gets. Now I just wish he would take the sippy. I'm ready to ditch the bottle too.

---
Just discovered he has a new tooth coming in. Yesterday his 4th top tooth started poking through. So that makes 4 on top and 3 on bottom.

[Jane&Andy]

Kopper - he seems to like it so far. He didn't react at first (I figured he'd make a face b/c he would have been expecting water) and then fussed for more. He'll only use the take n toss sippies (with no stopper) and I have to hold it for him but I figure he'll get better with the sippies in time.

[jrsygirl]

jane I love the avatar pic with the bunny ears ..you get some great shots of him..Cole is always scowling when I take his pic.

I cannot wait to be able to give them cows milk- the cost of formula for two is killing me! I don't know what I'm going to do with the extra cash windfall!!

teeth we just bought little brushes this weekend. Our ped said to skip the paste and just do water..its not like they're eating sugar or anything anyway..

We're all slowly getting better. We're starting to see a bit of nicer weather here. Our nanny just told me she took them for a walk today which I bet they loved..They love to get out.

birthday stuff i am slowly getting my act together. We are doing a "theme" of bright polka dots. with royal blue and hot pink accents. I habe NO idea what they are going to wear yet. We are having a photographer come and do a day of photos in two weeks so I did buy them a couple of different thins to wear, (white eyelet dress/white polo & seersucker pants for him/ matching navy polos and khakis)...I also have a tutu for her that i want to get some shots with..I just need to think of something fun for him.. any of you doing anything fun with your boys?

[Kopper]

Jane - I might have to try those take and toss sippys. We've tried everything else. :)

jrsygirl - I bought Jacob a t-shirt off eBay. I'll try and post a pic later.

Do I have the only kiddo who loves to eat paper, especially tp?
http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n118/Katie-John/DSC04736.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n118/Katie-John/DSC04729.jpg

At one point he even had a piece stuck to his foot but I wasn't fast enough to get a pic.

[SaphirimalMei]

teeth - no teeth here! Finn is still gumalicious.

kopper - um...yeah. my kid eats paper. he thinks its great :o

10 months 9 days old - Finley is officially a walker!!

Friday night he took one step away from the couch to me. Saturday he practiced pushing himself up to standing. Sunday he pushed himself up to standing and took two steps to me! He might have taken more, but I didnt give him a chance. I grabbed him, gave him a big hug, told him how proud I was, and promptly burst into tears! He may be the "baby" of the family, but he's really not baby-like anymore. He's getting so big!

Naturally this whole "two baby's a-walkin" thing is going to significantly increase the workload of their parents due to Marisa's Parental Law of Babies in Motion which states: "the amount of work done by parents increases exponentially in proportion to the quickness of the babies in question". :D

I am so proud of my chunkamuffin!

[SaphirimalMei]

Mel - the "Bum Balm" is going out today. Sorry for the wait! I'm sending two jars this time, but I'll be happy to send as much as you like if you wanna spring for the postage. Each packaged jar weighs about 4oz :)

[mel7dog]

Mel - the "Bum Balm" is going out today. Sorry for the wait! I'm sending two jars this time, but I'll be happy to send as much as you like if you wanna spring for the postage. Each packaged jar weighs about 4oz :)

Oh I have no problem paying for postage! Please send me a bill to my PP account and I'll pay right away :) Send me a PM if you need my email.

[shania0474]

kopper cute photos! Jacob is just like G in terms of build and development stages :) And G loves eating tissue paper too!

bctoledo congratulations!!! H&H 9 months to you. Welcome to the RO club! :)

toothpaste/brushing I brush G's teeth 1-2 times a week or when he has a cold and wakes up with a stinky mouth. Sometimes just with water and sometimes with Baby Orajel toothpaste (is that bad? Sevilla I checked your list and baby orajel wasn't on it)

weaning/cleavage So the good news is G is officially weaned!!! After seven days of trying (two of which I broke down and fed him but 5 out of 7 aint bad), my boobs are officially dry... so here comes the bad news YIKES! Where are my perky bbs??? They are so flat and ugly (sorry for the terrible visual image but I was kinda aghast yesterday when I woke up with dry boobs and I had to go searching for my old pre-pregnancy bras from 3 years ago!!!) I used to have small perky bbs (34B) then got pregnant and ballooned to D and started bfing and ballooned even further to F. After I got preggo with G and D weaned himself, I went back down to D where I stayed until I started bfing G. Loved the cleavage! Now that I have weaned G, I am down to a C but not even remotely as good-looking as my old B. Sorry for the moaning, but I'm really lamenting the loss of my upright gravity-defying boobs here.... I might have to post in the emotional support thread :(

ETA:
birthday stuff finally got off my lazy bum and decided to do something for G's birthday. We're throwing him a small birthday party on March 31 (11 days after the actual day since mom didn't act in time) at the Carousel by our local park. We've had two nice weekends in a row so we're hoping that spring will be here by then and people will have fun on the carousel rides.

[hapahaole]

So much catching up to do...
Seems like there's always something to plan for and to keep me busier than I want to be. The earliest arriver of the April babies had her first bday party this weekend (though her bday is tomorrow).

We did a bday party on Sat morning and then got her baptised on Sunday. It was a busy weekend, but fun too.

Here's a recap that I posted on LJ. Come join me over there! I'm hapahaole76.

We threw a fun little breakfast party for Kaylie's 1st bday on Sat. We had about 20 adults, 10 kids Jack's age (about 2-3) and about 5 kids Kaylie's age (1 or less).

Menu:
**Coffee, teas, juices (had champagne too, but I forgot to open it and no one else bothered)
**Chocolate covered crossiants. I bought some crossants at Costco (TIP: bake them in the oven at home for another maybe 15 min at 350 degrees or until they get crispier...they're so much better this way. I also put a bunch of melted chocolate all over the tops).
**Mini quiches
**Fruit salad
**Poppy seed bread
**Bagels, cream cheese, lox and other fixins'
**Basket of kid snacks
**Cupcakes. My mom and I made 3 kinds. (1)The Barefoot Contessa chocolate cupcake mix--looked great, but tasted a bit coconutty to me. (2) A yellow cupcake from scratch with homemade lemon frosting and (3) Betty Crocker or one of those 99 cent box mixes lemon flavored. HANDS DOWN winner... cheap box mix.

Kaylie had fun just hanging out in the yard while I ran around taking pictures. Jack who I thought would be a nightmare sharing and having fits was actually awesome! We all just had a wonderful, laid-back time playing in the yard and socializing with friends and neighbors.

With 2 guests left, I realized that I had forgotten to pass out the party favors. DOH!
We did a kind of garden theme, so for the bigger kids got a little canvas bag with their name on it (and I zig zag stitched around their names) with a little shovel and a plant kit. The little kids got a plastic bucket with sand toys and little squirt thing.

Pics to come soon... I've got 200 still to go through..

Sunday Kaylie was baptised at our local Catholic church. I'm not religious, but my husband is. And boy can Jack say his Grace...he's sure to do it (and cross himself) before every meal. So Matt was "in charge" of the Sunday stuff. Kaylie didn't take a morning nap so she was a bit out of sorts during the baptism, but she can't be perfect and charming all the time. Matt's family came over to our house afterward for some presents, more cupcakes and fun in the sun. It got to over 80 degrees in the house. I got that yummy summer feeling walking around barefoot in the grass.

I got all inpired and bought a cake decorating kit at Michaels and cupcake stand. Let me tell you... at 2am when I did the flowers and they were not setting up (picture runny frosting) oh how I just wanted to go to bed...

I did these cross ones really fast, but they came out kind of cute. Though I think some of them might have looked more like "X"s.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/419339590_a00c4ce540.jpg?v=0

Kaylie before heading over to chuch. She just wore a white sundress...and it went very well with the hot weather
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/419339592_18fc0c3dee.jpg?v=0

big brother jack in his sweater vest
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/419339593_32a7df3d79.jpg?v=0
Backstory: DH's oldest brother LOVES buying little kid clothes on super sale. He can't turn down a good deal. So for every holiday all the cousins get TONS of clothes from them...but a lot of it is kind of crazy since it's usually the stuff on the clearance rack. I'm a clearance shopper and love to find little hidden gems, but nelly, some of the clothes we get is crazy! :)  So you'll notice Jack and his cousin Christian have matching sweater vest outifts one (thanks to the oldest uncle)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/419609882_87449f9d48.jpg?v=0
All the cousins. Poor Kaylie doesn't have the most lady like pose.

And after the baptism and a couple outfit changes... the true kaylie comes out.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/419611028_f360089e97.jpg?v=0

[hapahaole]

I'll have to do shout outs and more pics tonight.

Here's a pic of Kaylie with her crazy Hello Kitty hat.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/419779011_103f58e07a.jpg?v=0 http://farm1.static.flickr.com/11/113811826_bf8b16f9a2.jpg?v=0
And her one year ago.

And her eating her cupcake (1 of about 20 cupcake pictures I have). :)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/419762715_60db21793d.jpg?v=0

boobs I can't even tell you how small mine are now. My old bras (from middle school) are baggy! :D
hapa

[Jane&Andy]

boobs - I'll be needing a boob lift and tummy tuck once I'm done with kids - too bad I don't have the money for it! :p Just call me saggy or floppy - either name suits. :p

Shania - that sounds great for a party - there are no carousels around here that I know of!

Hapa - love love love the pictures! I love that cake eating one - that's the sort of shot I would love to get of Joey. I'm so jealous of your warm weather - its fabulously warm here today but will drop to the 40s for the weekend. :(

[JenniferEC]

Happy Birthday Kaylie! I can't believe the first birthday is here (tomorrow)!

Jane- I hope things are going well getting ready for the party. We had a great weather day here, too. Too bad it won't stick around for your party. :(

hapa - Your pics are gorgeous as always, and those cupcakes look soo good!

kopper - Thankfully Marin hasn't discovered tp yet, although everything else goes right in the mouth! Those pics are so funny!

birthday - I haven't done much. We did get our swing set at Home Depot this weekend, so we just have to figure out when we'll get it up. Our party is the 24th, so doubtful by then. The party is just family and close friends and my dad is making the cakes and I've ordered food. There is no way I have time to make anything! I'm taking both kids to Picture People next week for their bday pics. I swore I'd never go back, but I have a coupon. Marin is going to wear this, but with one candle:
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n24/jeconrard/birthdaydress.jpg?t=1173830612
Now I just have to find shoes to go with it.

[hapahaole]

Jen
Just a quick drive by...
There are some cute white shoes for sale through LJ:
http://ratqueen.livejournal.com/98603.html

[shania0474]

Happy Birthday, Kaylie!

Happy Momiversary, Hapa!

[hapahaole]

Some more pics from the bday party...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/420777195_5f878c1f62.jpg?v=0

jack trying to "smell" the flowers on the cupcakes
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/420777192_4701aa852c.jpg?v=0

And the birthday girl... Kaylie Tate!

At first she wasn't too sure about the cake. She preferred the candle actually.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/173/420850459_caee5ee4db.jpg?v=0

Once the other kids saw that she was digging into her cupcake, they swarmed around her like hungry little vultures.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/420778237_de245737ba.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/420778241_db11cae770.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/420780186_7dca674499.jpg?v=0

and for more...
http://hapahaole76.livejournal.com/

[hapahaole]

and one more of all of us...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/145/420778234_72456ef34d.jpg?v=0

shania
thanks for the birthday wishes!
Your party plans sound fun. We may try the carosel next year...it's a great idea. I'm with you on the boobs thing. I used to wear a 34B and now am probably and A. :( What's up with that?! My boobs got really small after I stopped nursing jack, but a month later I was pregnant again and back they went to a b/c cup. I haven't even stopped nursing yet and they're already small.

jenniferEC
You won't believe how many cupcakes I ate this weekend. And now my husband wants to get more for her real bday tomorrow. Hopefully all the cake goes to my boobs!
Ooo.... I can't wait to see your picture people pictures!

jane&andy
We totally lucked out with the weather. It was a bit overcast in the morning at got to 80 in the afternoon. Perfect! I hope yours stays nice. Make sure you've got your batteries charged up and your memory card all cleaned off before the big day! I need to get another memory card since I filled up my 1GB card before the party was over. And something tells me you'll be taking lots of pictures!

jrsygrl
I love your polka dot idea. Very cute!
Oh, I've got a Digital Rebel XT camera...and I LOVE it.

kooper
Cute pics!!! Jacob is just so darn adorable. He's got the prettiest eyes and curled lashes. Kaylie's into eating Kleenex but she loves playing in/with the toilet. :eek:

saphirimalMei
Yay for Finley walking!!!

bctoledo
Congratulations!!!!!

weaning
I was worried about what give Kaylie after I wean since both she and jack didn't seem to do too well with dairy right away. So I've been giving her rice milk with her meals and between when she's thirsty. So far so good. We've got 2 nursing sessions a day... it will actually be nice to have my body back.

sully
I'm crazy torso girl and I'm hoping my kids are a little better proportioned than me. :) Did you decide to go with a new invite? I liked the ones you made!

sal
just saying hi! Catch up with you on LJ.

DH is out of town for a couple days...and what am I doing? CC at almost 1am. Better get to bed.
Night!

hapa

[Jane&Andy]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLIE TATE!!!!!

Hapa - luckily I have 3 big memory cards (bought the extras when we want on a 1wk vacation long ago) so I'm all set! :p you got some great pictures!

here's Joey at the park yesterday (taking advantage of the nice weather for the short time we have it!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/picture433.jpg?t=1173826875

[jeeplover]

Happy Birthday Kaylie Tate!

I can't believe that we are already celebrating our first birthdays! How time flies by!

Hapa-I love the pictures from Kaylie's party. It looks like she had a wonderful time. And you have a beautiful family!

[relly]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLIE !

Hapa – beautiful pics, adorable children!

Sorry I haven’t been here in so long – same old story, working full time stinks, wish I could be a SAHM – but I do read along faithfully.

A quick update: neither is walking yet, but my little girl probably will be soon, my little guy is a man of leisure, he likes to sit or stand and play, while she is off exploring.

She has 7 teeth, he has 6. They eat whatever we give them. They do great with a sippy cup of water. I’m planning on taking away their bottles shortly after their 1st birthday. Our ped said we could make the switch to milk any time now, but we’ve stocked up on way too much formula, so they’ll finish that up first since it’s cost us a ton of money.

Both say Momma, Daddy, Nanny, Pop, Meg, duck, dog, teddy, tigger, uh oh. She is now saying a lot of “what’s that?” and constantly talking.

They’re still napping 3x a day, but not for much longer. She’s always standing, and since their cribs are next to each other, they are now reaching through the slats for each other and giggling lots with each other, it’s adorable but not good for napping.

They’ve been very healthy, only 2 trips to the Dr. this past year, in the fall he had a bad cough and she had an ear infection earlier this year. Both trips due to colds they probably picked up from daycare

I’m taking them out in their stroller as much as I can. Now they’re noticing the dogs and birds, the kids playing, and just chit chatting along the way. Devon went on a swing for the first time on Monday, and loved it, she giggled and giggled. Brycen was asleep in the stroller. It’s a beautiful day here today, so we’ll go for a walk after I get out of work, and we’ll stop at the swings. We’re very lucky, we live near a pretty park on the harbor.

Teeth brushing – we have those ones that go on my finger, they’re fine with that, I just forget to do it most of the time.

Jane – a while ago you mentioned how having twins sounds like fun, well, it is. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Besides, these are my first so I don’t know what its like to raise just one, so raising twins seems perfectly normal to me. After all the miscarriages and setbacks, my DH and I were so, so hoping to have twins, we feel truly blessed. They’re just simply delightful little babies.

[uskiku]

Happy Birthday Kaylie!!! Simply gorgeous photos, Hapa!!

My goodness, it's hard to believe our babies are actually turning one!

bctoledo CONGRATULATIONS!!! Happy and healthy 9 months to you!!

Kopper Jacob is *such* a cutie! :)

Jane Good luck with the party; let's hope the weather will be fine (against all odds)!

We're crazy busy, looking at houses... trying to buy our very first home... So excited, scared and nervous! I have not done a single thing toward A's party :rolleyes: But we think it'll be a very low-key BBQ with cupcakes and stuff. And we've still got 1.5 months to go! :D

[KB57]

Just a quick post to say Happy Birthday Kaylie!!
Wow, hapa beautiful pics !!!! I teared up a little with the side by side shot of her birth pic and her 1 year pic. I cannot believe its been a year!

[Jane&Andy]

relly - I do still think that twins sound like so much fun. I see how much Joey enjoys other babies and just can't imagine how cool it would be for him to have a twin brother or sister. I think some of that is my baby bug that is currently eating away at me. :p

just got back from PP. they asked me to sign a model release to use this photo in their store:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/1.jpg?t=1173893636
and I also got prints of these:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/2.jpg?t=1173893750
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/3.jpg?t=1173893774

He did really well for the photos and held together well so that we were able to hang out at the mall and view the photos as soon as they were ready. And he went right to sleep when we got home. Now I need to get my butt moving and clean my house!!! :p

[charissa]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLIE
Such cute pics Hapa!! Looks like it was a blast.

Jane You always have great pics of Joey! I love the "1" shirt.

[Sully130]

Happy birthday Kaylie!!!

Hapa - I need to come check out your latest post on LJ. And I still am undecided on the invite. I guess I'll use it b/c I haven't motivated to do anything else yet. Oh well...

Jane - Great pics of Joey, as usual!

Relly - I can't believe all the words your kids are saying! T is way behind the curve on that one!

Uskiku - Good luck on the house hunt! How exciting!

[JenniferEC]

hapa - Thanks for the info on the shoes. Marin is still in a size 2 with socks. I swear she doesn't get her feet from me, I'm in a 9.5!

Jane - PP did a great job with the pics. Congrats on Joey being a model!

My other baby turned 3 today! I'm just not ready for my kids to be 3 and 1!

[Sal03]

Jennifer What a sweet picture of Marin! And a big Happy Birthday to Caden!

Jane adorable pics. and how fun that Joey will be a model!

Relly WOW - so many words!! that is great

I CAN NOT BELIEVE KATIE WILL BE 1 A WEEK FROM FRIDAY. I mean I REALLY can't believe it :O I have not even ordered a cake for her party and I just finally got favors yesterday! How did this year go so fast! I have a feeling it is going to be teary in this thread over the next several weeks!

[Txfish]

Happy Birthday Kaylie!!! Beautiful pics, and congrats on your year of mommyhood Hapa :)

Bctoledo: congrats on #2 :) Welcome to the RO club! I laughed when I read your post re: swingsets, and read it to my dh -- who immediately said the following (and please understand, this is the guy who feels no need to EVER follow the directions or do things the "proper" way, when his way is SO much easier LOL. Why do you think I laughed??) ---- "Tell her, it is ABSOLUTELY worth it to buy the kit. Two reasons. One, it is complete with the right sizes and amounts of hardware, plus the swings, which very nearly is equal to the cost of the kit in the first place. And second, the plans are invaluable because they have worked out the most efficient use of every piece of lumber so waste is totally minimized -- the cost savings there *have* to make up the rest of the cost of the kit. And if those don't sway her husband, then get her address and we'll mail her our old plans at LEAST." Thought I'd pass his "expert" opinion along :) Personally, I thought the plans were so well-designed and explained, it was WELL worth it -- but at the same time, it would not be hard to make some personal modifications ;)

Kopper, that is so cool about Jacob standing up on his own that way! Whit shows next to no desire to balance herself, let alone walk LOL

Talking: I swear she really says nothing. She's been through a Mama phase and most days says something that is "dada"-ish, but has only said a clear Hi Daddy once, and really nothing else at all. Oh well.

Eating: she's picked up her pace a little, but she still has days where she's obviously eaten too much solid food and doesn't drink all her formula. I try to avoid that. Her schedule is:
7:30 wake, 8 oz bottle between 7:45-8:15
8:30 bowl of baby oatmeal with whole Stage 2 fruit OR baby granola bar and YoBaby yogurt
9:30-11 nap
11:30-12 8 oz bottle, not more than a few oz. of solid food -- oatmeal, cheese, black beans, avocado, whatever I'm eating (esp. if out for lunch)
1:30-3 nap
cheerios & water during afternoon
5:30-6 stage 3 dinner and stage 2 fruit, or toddler meal + fruit, OR whatever we're eating if it's ready
7pm 8oz bottle
7:30 bed
Particularly if we're eating out, we make sure to get something we can share -- I never take baby food with me anymore, unless I know we're going to McD's or something, where there's pretty much nothing I'm willing to let her eat. Last weekend alone she ate rib meat, tilapia, broccoli, cheese, grapes and olives from salad bar, refried beans, guac/avocado, etc. She's willing to try almost anything. Cannot get her to eat carrots, though.

Jane -- as always, darling pics of Joey. I'm with you on needing "the works", as I call the boob lift/tummy tuck combo. ;) If only...

Uskiku -- how exciting! Keep us updated on the house hunt.

No idea what else -- sorry if I missed you! Of course, I'm doing well to remember to take both kids with me when I leave the house lately.... LOL 10 weeks to go!

[Kopper]

Have to run but wanted to say

Happy Birthday to Kaylie!!!

[mel7dog]

Jane - How awesome they chose his picture!

Happy Birthday Kaylie!

I'm a bit freaked out our babies are turning 1!

DS is getting a molar in! He is 4 top teeth, 3 bottom, how and big space and a molar rising up. I didn't realize they would be coming in so soon. Of course he's been super grumpy and also very sleepy.

[relly]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY !

Jane - once again, adorable pics, so cool they asked to use his pic, obviously cuz he's so cute!

Hope things go smoothly tomorrow for the big party and all weekend with all the company.

[Sal03]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it! I hope you guys have a great party :)

[JenniferEC]

Happy Birthday to Joey! I hope you have a fun day and weekend!

[SaphirimalMei]

Happy 1st Birthday, Joey! :)

[uskiku]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!!! Have a great party! :)

[Jane&Andy]

thank you ladies. :)

The weather is getting crappier and crappier - raining and cold. My MIL is in the hospital for various serious cardiac issues so she will be missing the party. She may or may not be having surgery soon - we're in limbo as far as what may happen with her. So that has been stressful and has everyone down. Its rotten timing and I am so sad that she will not be able to be a part of the festivities.

On the bright side - my Mom, sister and her family are on there way here from NC now.

Joey had his 1 yr WBV today...
he's gained 2lbs and 2in in the past 3 months bringing him to:
19lb 6oz - 5% (down from 10%)
29.5in - 45% (up from 25%)

she's not worried about his weight - its common for weight gain to slow down at this age when they are so active.

developmentally he's right on track. He had fluid in one ear so we go back in a month to check that and I need to make an appt with a lab for bloodwork - to check lead levels and check for anemia. That's not gonna be fun!

and for comparison
newborn Joey
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/52/116782168_ed37129091.jpg?v=0
Joey now
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/picture433.jpg?t=1174067536

[Kopper]

Happy 1st Birthday Joey!!

[jeeplover]

Happy 1st Birthday Joey!

Jane-Sorry the weather is so crappy! Also sorry to hear about your MIL, hope that it isn't too serious! Yeah for your family coming, that is so exciting! Oh I love the pictures of Joey at birth and now! Can't believe our little ones were ever that tiny!

[Sully130]

Happy birthday Joey!

Jane, Sorry about the weather. Hopefully the party will still be perfect.

Also sorry to hear about your MIL...I hope she is okay.

[mel7dog]

Happy First Birthday Joey!!

Hope the weather gets better for you and I can't wait to hear all about his party :)

[hapahaole]

Happy Birthday Joey!

I love the comparison shots from a year ago to now.


Thanks for all the birthday wishes for Kaylie. Where did the time go?

hapa

[briamcd]

Happy Birthday to all the babies turning 1!!!!!

Sorry to be MIA.

This is an updat on Mackenzie after the surgery to remove the penny. Sorry it so long...needed someone to spill it all to. The day after the surgery she began to eat like a new child. She practically doubled her food intake. Then 10 days later she started spitting up her food again. So we were admitted back to Children's Hospital thinking that she had swallowed something else. The surgery on March 14th found that she did not swallow anything and from the inside out she looked ok. The dr. decided to do another UGI to see if something else showed up that might explain the spitting up. What we found this time what is called a stricture, or a narrowing in the esophagus. She was probably born this way, and this was preventing solid foods from passing through and it would get stuck and come back up b/c there was no where else for it to go. So on March 15th she went into surgery again and this time it was to stretch the narrowing. A complication occurred and her esophagus tore slightly. Another UGI showed it only tore through 2 of the 3 layers, which was better than all they way through. We are currently trying to get her to drink clear liquids so that we can try some milk, but she's refusing to drink. If she does not drink in the next day or two she will have to have a G-tube inserted so that we can feed her directly into her stomach. Then in about a week they are going to try and stretch her esophagus again. So the main concern to fix is the narrowing in the esophagus...but the immediate concern is getting her to drink clear liquids. Please keep us in your prayers.

[Sevilla]

Brianna - oh my goodness how scary for you guys! I hope that Mackenzie is able to start taking more liquids and that she does not need a Gtube. Thank you for posting and giving us an update. I hope that she recovers very quickly.

[shania0474]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!!!!

HAPPY MOMMIVERSARY JANE!!!! And thanks for being such an awesome threadmistress! Sorry to hear about the weather and your mother-in-law. I am sure that you will have a great time with your baby, DH and family despite everything.

Oh Brianna I am so so sorry that you're going through all that. Lots of {{{HUGS}}} to you and to Mackenzie!

ETA: My goodness! I just realized that my little Angel Gabriel is next!!!!

[charissa]

Happy Birthday Joey!

Can't wait to hear about the b day!

brianna We're praying for a speedy recovery for Mackenzie.

[Sal03]

Brianna how scary - I am so sorry you are all going through this. Praying for a quick and easy recovery!!!

[Kopper]

Brianna - How scary. My thoughts and prayers are with Mackenzie, you and your family. Thanks for updating us.

[Jane&Andy]

Brianna - I'm so sorry Mackenzie is going through this - I hope she is all better soon!

Joey's party is over. :( MIL had surgery today so my BIL and his wife did not come to the party (they live the closest to the hospital). My DH's extended family was a no show. So I lost a heck of a lot of guests at the last minute and have a ridiculous amount of leftovers. But aside from that it was a fun party. MIL is out of surgery (a graft to try to restore blood flow to her right foot - has been an ongoing problem) and doing ok.

Joey just woke up from his nap so I've gotta run. I've uploaded pictures but haven't looked at them yet and have family staying here and a neice and nephew sleeping in the room with the computer so it may be awhile before I upload.

thank you for all the happy birthday wishes!!

[JenniferEC]

Brianna - Prayers for Mackenzie, you and DH!

Jane - I'm glad your MIL is doing okay. Sorry about all of the no-shows! I can't wait to see the pics.

Our double party is next weekend so we are starting to clean and get ready this weekend. I'm not looking forward to the cleaning at all!

[Jane&Andy]

I've now found out what happened to the no shows - they had their reasons but it still sucks b/c I lost half my guest list at the last minute - I have a TON of leftovers!

here's a couple of pics...
birthday boy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/picture150.jpg?t=1174170841
me and Joey
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/picture171.jpg?t=1174170889
Joey and cake
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/picture069.jpg?t=1174170909

[mel7dog]

Jane - Love the pics so far and can't wait to see more. You look great BTW. I like your hair color and you look very slim :)

[Sal03]

Jane you look great! glad the party was fun and sorry about the noshows. seeing Joey got me all emotional all over again anticipating Katie's next weekend! Joey's eyes look gorgeous in the cake pic!

[Jane&Andy]

thanks Sal and Mel!

copied from the first bday thread:
We did a jungle theme

goody bags
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p22410e64183c5cb9809f73c8530eb22d/ea467d24.jpg
girraffe cake
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p0f754c40c83cd1a3081e2507a9b9054a/ea467d0b.jpg
cubcakes
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p437ecc56e67e3f3c20ba425768e6079a/ea467cf7.jpg
cake table
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pf479b522382df2bb11e74ec13c420ab9/ea467ce9.jpg
food table (crockpots of pork were over on the counter b/c they had to be by oulets) the pictures are not symmetrical on the wall - that's what happens when you are rushed and ask your Mom if its even and she's not paying attention when she says yes
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p306fd3e8ba2aee830b2b2a6be8809a05/ea467cd6.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p30c47c073537f0c109a67d9e88dcf04f/ea467cbc.jpg
(later there was punch in the bowl and cheese and crackers on the platter)

[Jane&Andy]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p7160d32a085d3b06cab646fb7f8e1be0/ea467c84.jpg
birthday boy
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p2968ce1a3056e306e3746ae86ca536e4/ea467c41.jpg
cake
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/Jane52403/picture069.jpg?t=1174170909
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pda417c575cca9738ec7b9e9505ff4007/ea467d6d.jpg
cake - the aftermath
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p849acadebe2aa5db493688c025afbef1/ea467d46.jpg

my final thoughts on the party...

photofetti was a big hit
cupcakes turned out better than the cake - smaller surface to decorate is easier, will likely stick to cupcakes from now on
will ignore my Mom when she gets stressed about moving on to the next thing even though people are still eating!!
will not stress over no shows and spend the entire party worrying that they've died in a tragic car accident!!
had canned sodas in a cooler in addition to the punch - self serve worked great b/c I just didn't have time to worry about refreshing drinks

[JenniferEC]

Jane - Your party looks like it turned out great. You did such a good job with the cupcakes. Joey seems to have enjoyed his cupcake and I love the belly in the aftermath picture! I hope you can relax today.

[Kopper]

Jane - What a great party! Sorry about the no-shows. Good tips! I think I will take your advice and have canned sodas. Love the cake pictures!

--
We have had some bad news in the past few days. DH's company let DH's boss go and so we have been very worried about his position. He has only been with this company since November. His boss brought him over when he changed jobs. The new boss called on Saturday and was very reassuring but we are still a little shocked and nervous. They are doing more cuts and probably salary cuts but DH has been told he was safe (from the job cut not necessarily salary cut).

[briamcd]

Jane- glad your MIL is doing ok. And the pictures of the party are great!

Kopper - hope your DH's job is safe.

Update - Mackenzie did not drink clear liquids but we were able to talk them into letting us try milk before we did something as drastic as a feeding tube. She started off slowly but she's drinking the milk very well. The doctors are very happy with her progress and are letting us go home on Monday. We will be back at the hospital in a week to try and fix the narrowing in her esophagus. Hopefully that surgery will be a success.

[shania0474]

Brianna So happy to hear that she is progressing well and drinking milk. I hope next week's surgery is successful and you can put this behind you and focus on happier things like her upcoming birthday

Kopper That must have been upsetting. Glad to hear that your DH's job is safe

Jane YOU look GREAT! And you have given me new strength to restart project get-cute (see more below). Love the pics... it looks like it was such a fun party! Is that a PBK chair Joey is sitting on? I will definitely do canned sodas in a cooler at the carousel party, thanks for the idea! And cupcakes! They were a big hit at David's first birthday so I will get them again. I don't make them myself though because there are so many great cupcake places in NYC.

Project Get-Cute Okay now that it is a year since I had G, I have no excuses. DH is traveling after G's birthday party for 8 weeks (ouch!) so it is now my new mission to become McHottie by the time its G's birthday so all the while DH is away, he can't wait to rush home to me :p

[Jane&Andy]

thanks Kopper. :) MIL is recovering in the hospital still. They found an infection from the previous surgery (the same exact graft procedure was done almost 2 months ago but didn't work) so they need to treat that. I don't have any idea how bad the infection is. DH is probably taking tomorrow off to visit her - she's about 3hrs away right now.

Shania - thanks! :) yep, that's a PBK chair - it was a bday present from my sister.

Brianna - good luck with Mackenzie and the surgery. My Mom has had trouble with her esophagus narrowing so I know its not much fun at all.

project get cute - I had lost 20lbs since mid-October but I think I may have gained half of it back over the weekend. Almost the entire cake was left and a full crockpot of pulled pork and countless other leftovers. :eek: insert smiley of face with big cheeks about to burst here. :p

I took my Mom to the airport this morning and Joey fell asleep coming home and slept for about 20min. He's playing and happily screeching in the crib now, guess he's not going back to sleep. :rolleyes: :(

[uskiku]

Brianna Oh my goodness, poor Mackenzie! DH and I are sending our fiercest good thoughts and get-well wishes to her! And yay for her taking milk!!

Jane Amazing party and you look fabulous!

House-hunt update... well, we made our first offer, but got out-bid... boo hooo... Oh well, onward and upward, right?!

[jeeplover]

Jane-I love all the pictures from Joey's party! So cute! And you look fabulous! The cupcakes are adorable.

Brianna-I am so sorry to hear all you are going through but I am glad to hear that MacKenzie is able to drink milk now and you have avoided the G-tube. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

shania-Wow he will be gone for 8 weeks. I don't think I could handle that. Heck I have a problem with DH going away for a weekend, I am always exhausted by the end of it.

Uskiku-Good luck with the house hunt. It can be a pain but I am sure you will find a wonderful home.

I don't know if you all remember a couple of weeks ago I said we were in teething hell. Well it is worse now. Kyle is currently getting in 3 of his 4 molars (he already had one) along with 2 of his side teeth. This makes 12 teeth total for my little munchkin! :eek: Needless to say he eats almost everything except for some fresh fruit like cantaloupe, pineapple, and mango. I think that is because he is not used to the slippery feel of them. He will eat blueberries and mangos that are freeze dried so I am not too worried.

We leave on Friday for our weeklong vacation in Vermont so I am trying to get everything packed up and hoping I don't forget anything. The grocery stores are limited in the area we are going to be.

Well Kyle finally went to sleep so I need to dry my hair and get some more laundry done.

[JenniferEC]

uskiku - That just means there's a better house out there for you. Good luck!

jane - I hope your MIL is doing better. I wish you could send some of that cake to me, but that's the last thing I need right now considering we'll be having lotso cake this weekend!

[jeeplover]

JenniferEC-Cute pictures of the kids! Love Marin's dress!

[Sal03]

Jennifer LOL I did not even notice the stickers until I read that. Marin looks absolutely precious in her picture. I love the one of the two of them. Caden looks like such a big brother. I may have to be brave and try with my kids closer to father's day

Kopper ugh - not what you needed to hear. I hope your DH's job situation really is safe!!

Shan