Nov-Dec 2006 Mommies - They're Here, Now What? The First Months.

[rosa727]

Rancid: I'm sorry to hear that Tyler is sick :( I hope you both feel better very soon. I am so not looking forward to that inevitable first cold. I feel like Grady has enough going on with his belly, that I can't imagine him being sick too!

It will be nice once he just outgrows this condition. The doctor said that based on everything I told him, he thinks he should outgrow it between 6 and 9 months. Before that it should just get better and better. I think solids should be OK because it is the milk proteins that bother him. But we'll see. I still think I may start him on the later end of things.

BTW, I started on Fenugreek a few days ago. I think I am just starting to see results. Did it take long for you to get an effect? I am definitely taking enough and drinking Mother's Milk tea too. He seems to be nursing longer before wanting the bottle. I hope it gets better and better.

ellidew: I hear you on the policy of acting like it is no big deal when something happens. They seem to get so much more upset when you get upset. I still cannot believe how well Miles sits now!

weight: Well I am excited because I think Grady is over 14 pounds now! If he is, that would be a more than 2 pound weight gain in a month. Actually, by the time he goes for his 5 month WBV, it may be more like 2.5 pounds! I hope the doctor does not get upset - she is very cautious about obesity and says that they should not gain TOO quickly. Of course it is funny that she mentions obesity to me, considering he was only in the 10th percentile for weight last time.

sleep: Grady still STTN (about 11 hours), but he has had a really hard time going down to sleep for the night, ever since we returned from our trip. It's weird - he was great while we were away and has been tougher since we have been back. It has gotten better the past 2 nights though, so I am hoping it was just an adjustment.

sitting alone: He is starting to sit on his own for 5-10 second stretches. I don't really count it as sitting yet, but I guess it won't be long now!

giggling: My favorite sound in the world is the sound of Grady giggling. Luckily, he has just really started doing it more often. At first it was just the squeals, but now it is the true giggles. I had to post this video of him giggling while at his party last weekend.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/th_MVI_1138.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/?action=view&current=MVI_1138.flv)

And here he is getting ready for our walk the other day. He actually does not seem to mind the sunglasses I got him. That's good because he really dislikes getting sun in his eyes!

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/IMG_1199.jpg

Hope you all are having a great weekend!

[Rancid13]

BTW, I started on Fenugreek a few days ago. I think I am just starting to see results. Did it take long for you to get an effect? I am definitely taking enough and drinking Mother's Milk tea too. He seems to be nursing longer before wanting the bottle. I hope it gets better and better.


That's great about Grady's weight gain! It took a few days to a week for me to notice any difference in output, and that was with the Fenugreek and daily (big) bowl of oatmeal. I still eat the oatmeal b/c I love it and it's an easy quick breakfast (and filling!) but only take 3 Fenugreek capsules in the am instead of 6 total per day.

I love the sunglasses on Grady! I picked some up at Target (red ones) for Tyler b/c he hates the sun too, but every time I've put them on him, he's wanted nothing to do with them and will shake his head and rub it against us or the carseat and get the glasses off. We have that same carrier too, hubby tried it out yesterday while we were out and about.

Weight~ Although Tyler was 16lbs4oz last Thurs, DH thinks he'll have lost some weight by the time our next WBV this Thurs b/c of being sick (although I haven't noticed any decrease in appetite other than only taking 3oz from a 5.5oz bottle on Thurs, when his cough/congestion was at its worst). I think he'll gain an ounce or 2. We should both bet on it, LOL.:)

Giggling~I'm in LOVE with Tyler's giggles! He makes the sweetest squealy giggly sound and it's so fun making him laugh! I showed DH yesterday that Tyler loves getting 'raspberries' blown on his belly and he just couldn't stop doing it all through bath time.

Sleep~ Our sleep has gotten worse since Tyler's been sick. We were previously down to 1 night waking (at 2-5am to eat) but now he's waking up several times b/c of the coughing. Most of the time he'll fall asleep easily after being soothed (head rubbed, paci, etc) but he does cry out several times per night, not including the one time he gets up to eat/be changed. We also were down to only pee diapers at middle-of-the-night changings and since he's been sick, he's had poo diapers almost every night (DH's shift, haha!). He is still sleeping from 6:30/7pm to 7/8am though, so still getting 12-13 hours per night, but with more wakings.

Sitting up~ Not yet, but he loves his Bumbo seat! He's too top heavy and will just topple over if he's not supported, although I try to test him every day by supporting him as little as possible and letting him sit up mostly on his own (until he throws his head back or leans and I have to catch him).

[mayham]

Is your DC on food yet? DD is 5 1/2 months, and we started her on rice cereal last week. I've been reading that rice cereal isn't really even necessary and not that nutritious. So I've been thinking of starting oatmeal or sweet potatoes this weekend. Has anyone else started "real" food yet?

I just found this site and have started reading it:
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

Does anyone have any recommendations on good books with guidelines on feeding a baby or recipes? I think I might want to make my own food, but am not sure yet. TIA!

[rosa727]

I just had to post that Grady is really sitting alone now! He did it for over a minute yesterday :) I was so freaked out, and it looks like he was too. He is not using his hands to play yet, as he needs them to hold him up, but he does lift them up a little. I caught it on video if anyone cares to see...

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/th_MVI_1215.jpg (http://s14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/?action=view&current=MVI_1215.flv)

[katmg]

mayham - I bought the book Super Baby Food. It is very thorough but, IMO, a bit...dogmatic? I found it a bit overzealous on some of the food-safety issues, but very interesting to read for the information on which foods to feed when and how to make your own baby food. When we start DD on food, I plan to skip the rice cereal and go with bananas, avocados or sweet potatoes as a first food. Probably bananas since they are cheap and easy! :p

[ellidew]

Rosa- LOVE the video of Grady. He's so adorable. That little cry at the end just melted my heart. He'll be using his hands to play in no time. It seems that once they are able to stable themselves the back strength comes really fast. In just a week Miles has started sitting for longer and longer and now he plays with anything he can get his hands on. He also hasn't flung his body back in a while. They're getting so big!!

[lilo]

Oh my gosh, our babies are all getting so big!!! Before we know it, they'll be crawling and walking. *sniff* ;)

What a great video Rosa! All of your cute videos are making me re-think getting a camcorder. What kind do you have? It seems like it's pretty compact, which is always a plus.

Sorry to hear that Tyler is sick Rancid. DS is just getting over his sinus infection, which wasn't fun. It's so hard to see your baby in pain and try to figure out how to make them feel better. But I keep reminding myself that it's their way of building up their immune system and it's bound to happen whether it's now or when they go to school. Hang in there!

Sitting up: Gavin is starting to sit up on his own for a few minutes, especially when he can grab onto his feet. He is in love with his feet so that keeps him occupied in that position. :D

It's so funny that everyone's babies like the bumbo seat except mine! He will sit in there for about 5 minutes (again, staring or grabbing his feet) but then he gets really frustrated that he's essentially 'stuck' in this seat and screams to get out. I swear, as soon as DS can walk, he's going to want to run! The same thing happens when I put him in the high chair. He'll be okay for a few minutes (although he doesn't like to be strapped into anything) and then get bored and want to get out. But I'm trying to get him used to the high chair little by little so that when we are ready for solids, he'll like being in there.

mayham: A lot of my girlfriends have skipped giving rice cereal to their babies and gone straight to oatmeal or barley. I think the reason many pediatricians recommend starting with rice cereal is because it's iron fortified and exclusively breastfed babies need an additional source of iron once they're 6 months (although you could give your DC infant vitamin drops in order to get the extra iron). I've also read that if you worried about allergic reactions, rice cereal is good to start with since it's pretty bland. That being said, I'm giong to skip the rice cereal and go with oatmeal. I've put rice cereal in DS's bottle before and it really constipated him so I don't want to go through that again.

Oh, just in case you're interested, I've seen a thread called "What's your 4-6 month old eating" (or something like that) where you could probably get ideas on what to make. I've seen that Super Baby Food book and it looks pretty intimidating. You could probably find info. and recipes online too.

baby food: I'm not going to start DS on solids until the 6 month mark but I'm excited about it! I think it will be so much fun to introduce DS to different fruits and vegetables. Hopefully he'll be an good eater like his mommy and daddy. :)

Since I WOHM most days, I probably won't make too much of my own baby food for every day. But I do plan on buying organic baby food that doesn't have any fillers or additives. However, I would like to make some of DS's food, especially on the weekends. Personally I love sweet potatoes so it will be easy for me to make a big batch of that for myself and DS. Bananas and avocado are pretty easy too.

[rosa727]

ellidew: Thanks! He sat for about a minute total that time. But he is still not consistent. I can't wait until he can play like that like Miles does!

lilio: Thank you! Those videos are actually from my digital camera, which is a Canon Powershot Elph. I have a nicer camcorder, but it is more convenient to just pop the digital camera out for short things like that. I always have it nearby.

[Rancid13]

Rosa~ That video of Grady is just too cute!! Awww! I do the same thing w/my camera, I set it to video mode even though DH has a camcorder (which I still am not sure how to use!)

Lilo~ Thanks! I think Tyler's getting better thanks to the medicine, but I seem to be getting worse. I cancelled my ob appt for this afternoon (an IUD followup) and am going to one of my hospital's walk-in ugent care facilities to get my cold checked out instead (my GP was all booked up). I think it's working its way to my ears now, they feel like I have earplugs in, ugh! Sore throat, headache, congestion and now the ear thing. I *hope* I don't end up with an earache b/c that's the worst.

Baby food~Not sure when we're starting. I'm for sure asking Tyler's ped about it on Thurs at his WBV and going from there. He's been showing a definite interest when DH and I eat around him, watching the fork/spoon go from the plate/bowl to our mouths, sometimes opening his mouth as if to mimic what he sees us doing. So we'll see!! I heard there are a bunch of great baby foods out there (organic, etc) that might be worth checking out. Unfortunately I don't have the time to make our own baby food (heck, I don't even have the energy to make dinner for myself or DH these days!!):o .

[ellidew]

Video- We just use the video option on our digi camera too. We debated getting a seperate camcorder but it's just as easy if not easier to use the camera and switch it back and forth. After i took the video of Miles sitting i realized i had resolution options for the video function. I'm so stupid i was using it in the lowest resolution so i bumped it all the way up to the best :) We have a Nokia coolpix.

Food- We've tried Oatmeal, Barley and Rice. We don't use rice anymore because it upsets his stomach. We'd put it in his bottles before with the same result so we just eliminated it altogether. We've also done bananas (constipating), sweet potatoes, and prunes. He'll eat anything you put near his mouth so he must take after his father :)

Regarding Organic baby food: I looked at the regular gerber and the organic gerber over the weekend and the only difference, other than price, was that the organic food was organic food + water. The regular is just food + water. There weren't any additives or preservatives listed in either. For example: carrots, water vs organic carrots, water. Is there some difference i'm missing?

Rancid- Ick! I hope you feel better soon.

[Rancid13]

Regarding Organic baby food: I looked at the regular gerber and the organic gerber over the weekend and the only difference, other than price, was that the organic food was organic food + water. The regular is just food + water. There weren't any additives or preservatives listed in either. For example: carrots, water vs organic carrots, water. Is there some difference i'm missing?


I think 'organic' means how the specific fruit/veggie/grain was grown/processed (ie: less pesticides, etc) as opposed to what ingredients are in a particular food. I found this on the Gerber Organic FAQ:

"Organic refers to the way products are grown and processed. All Gerber Organic products meet USDA standards for "organic" and are also certified organic by the Oregon Tilth - a USDA accredited organic certified agency."

And some discussion on whether organic baby food is better than regular baby food:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/organic-baby-food/AN01424

I'll probably use both organic and regular when it comes time for Tyler to start on solids. Personally I eat both organic and regularly grown fruit/veggies as a personal preference...

[ellidew]

Rancid- Thanks. I understand about organic food but I've heard several people discuss the other 'additives' in baby food but from what i could tell the only difference was in regards to organic foods was that the main ingredient was organically grown. But when it comes to additional additives or preservatives i didn't see any. I opted for non-organic. Maybe i should('ve) reserached it more but i don't seek out organic foods so he's not going to get them post pureed baby food. I'm going to read the mayo clinic article you posted and maybe that will change my mind. Thanks for posting it.

eta: Based on that article alone my mind is unchanged. I think i will try doing banana and avocado purees at home. If i have time to cook perhaps i'll do the steaming and mashing. It's easy enough but too much of my time is already spent away from miles and when we're together i'd prefer to be playing :)

[fms]

Hello everyone!
DH is now in OH and I'm still in FL so, my life Hectic. I have so much respect for single moms!!! I can't remember the last time I was this tired.

Brendon had his 4mo WBV last week. 27" and 15lbs 15oz and as of today...he has two teeth and rolled over!!! It has been a very busy week. (FYI, teething sucks in a bad way. My laid back boy screamed blood curdling screams over the weekend due to tooth pain.)

food Brendon is still all boob, all the time (except for his bottle at daycare) I really think we're going to wait until he's 6+ months to start solids

Videos/Photos VERY CUTE!!!

Must go to bed and check in later...so very tired :(

[mobox]

Rosa - How the heck did you get video of him sitting? Did you have the camera all cued up and close at hand? I try to get Sam on video but whatever cute thing he is doing I always seem to miss. :(

We switched Sam's formula this week. He is still so congested and I'm sure if you recall you will remember that he has been this congested for a couple months now...little cough and all. So someone suggested trying Good Start. I went and bought a tub and we are trying it out. He seems less congested but who knows. I will wait a week and see what is up and then talk to his pede again when we go in two weeks for the 5 month WBV.

[Teresita]

I can't believe that some of the babies are sitting already! Finn is getting stronger in his sits, but still needs assistance or he tips over. He had his 4 month check yesterday and all looked good. He was 15lbs 12 oz, 25 1/2 " long. His sleep is still awful. He wakes every two hours. Sometimes DH can convince him to go to sleep on his chest, but usually he wants to BF. Thank God for caffiene.

Food We're waiting until 6 months, so Finn is still EBF. I made almost all of DD's food her first year, and it was a lot quicker and easier than I thought it would be. I did just about everything organic, and it is so much cheaper than buying the jars. If you have a food processor or blender, ice cube trays, and storage space in your freezer it is totally do-able.

[katmg]

My mom and I discovered something that makes C laugh out loud yesterday. We played "Pat a Cake" with her and she just thought that was hilarious. We started out just getting smiles but by the end we were getting her to laugh out loud. She especially likes the part where we "throw it in the oven" and make her hands throw up over her head. :D

[lilo]

Hi everyone! Thanks for the digital camera/video information. We have the video option too on our phones so I'll have to figure out how to use it.

I'm so tired today for some reason even though DS STTN (yay!) last night. I'm really trying not to go down the caffeine road but it's tempting right now. Ugh. My DH is sick right now (he actually has a lot of the same symptoms like Rancid) so I really really hope I'm not getting sick too.


I am so excited to announce that Gavin rolled over from his tummy to back(twice in fact!) yesterday! And he managed to do tummy time for a good 10 minutes without crying! I'm such a proud mama. :D

[polydactylcat]

just wanted to pop on and say how cute everyone's videos are. We use the video feature on our camera as well - it is faster than dragging another piece of equipment around.

DS is just over 4 months old, and is 13 lb, 6 oz. 23 inches long (still a little peanut). We just had all of our lovely vaccinations done so we should be set for another 2 months. He keeps catching colds from being at daycare though, which has been frustrating because he's only there 2 days a week. Hopefully this is just a phase. We're still on the no dairy/soy/egg diet so we'll probably hold off on the solid foods until after he 6 month visit with the doctor. So far, DS has decided to keep his rolling over talents to himself (he only does it at night for some reason) but he's drooling like a madman (teething) and enjoying his voice. The other day he realized that if he shrieked really loud and laughed we would all stop whatever we were doing and laugh with him.

I saw there is a pregnancy thread for December 07 mommies!! Can you believe it's been over a year since we were pregnant with our winter babies? Time is really flying.

Hope everyong is well!

[rosa727]

mobox: I usually don't get video until he has done something several times. He had been sitting lately, so I got the camera ready when I knew I was going to try to put him down on his own. Of course, when he did so well I got so excited that I forgot all about the camera! He had been sitting for about a minute before I started taking that video.

lilo: YAY for the rolling and the better tummy time!

solids: I think we will be waiting until 6 months to start solids, especially because of Grady's tummy troubles. I just saw that the AAP actually recemmends doing it right around 6 months. He has met all of the criteria to start (doubled his birth weight, sitting up, showing interest when I eat), but I just think we will wait a bit. When we do start solids, I would like to try to do mostly organic foods.

crawling: I think Grady is going to be an early crawler. Lately during tummy time he scrunches his butt up into the air and reaches his arms out in front of him. He is REALLY trying to move forward but not going anywhere yet. It actually frustrates him sometimes, I think.

weight gain: I don't know what is going on, but Grady is endlessly hungry and has been for over a week. I think we may be looking at a 3 pound weight gain this month! The doctor is going to yell at me, I just know it. But what can I do? The boy is HUNGRY! He is holding his own bottle a lot now, and when I try to pull it away because it is empty, he cries and pulls it towards him :( I don't know whether it is soothing to his sore gums or what, but he seems to want an endless supply of food.

[Rancid13]

Tyler had his 4 (actually more like 4.5) month WBV yesterday and things are looking great. He's right in the average (50th%) for weight (16lbs6oz...2oz more than a week ago) and head circumference but on the short side for height (25th%) just like his mommy and daddy. So he looks very much the roly-poly baby. I believe his height is 24.25". Got his vax and took it like a champ...only cried for 30 seconds before settling down.

Not sure if this is related to all of yesterday's fun at the dr's office, but he slept last night from 7pm until 7:15 this morning. !!! No 'real' wake ups. Woke up slightly (ie: eyes still closed) crying twice in the evening btwn 8-10pm with his blanket pulled up nearly over his head :rolleyes: which I finally removed from the crib, and put in the paci to calm him and he went right back out. DH said he gave him his medicine at around 1am but DS never actually woke up fully and didn't require a feeding/change. He also didn't nap well yesterday (a whole 30 minute nap in the morning and another in the afternoon) and was falling asleep in the bath after being quite fussy all afternoon. This was the first time DS has EVER gone for a 12-hour period of sleep with NO wake ups to eat. Usually he'll sleep 12-13 hours with 1 wake up, eat, change then right back to sleep.

Solids~ We got the green light from the ped to go ahead and start solids if we want to. Said he's definitely getting plenty of nutrition as it is, so this would be just a little something extra to see if he'll take it now or we can wait, but it's pretty much up to us. DH wants to start on Sunday to see if DS likes it (rice cereal or similar). So we'll see!!

[katmg]

crawling: I think Grady is going to be an early crawler. Lately during tummy time he scrunches his butt up into the air and reaches his arms out in front of him. He is REALLY trying to move forward but not going anywhere yet. It actually frustrates him sometimes, I think.

This is SO Charlotte! She's been this way since the first time we put her on her belly though. I swear the girl is going to be crawling before she can roll over. :rolleyes: Sometimes we put our hand behind her feet to give her something to push off of and she scoots herself forward a bit. Too bad her head is so heavy that it ends up dragging the ground. I need to try that again now that she is holding up her head so much better.

[rosa727]

rancid: Sounds like your little guy is doing great! That's fun that you might start solids this weekend! I am so excited to see how Grady likes different foods. I hope Tyler does well with it. And YAY for STTN so well.

katmg: That's amazing that Charlotte is already doing that at her age! She is over a month younger than Grady - wow!

[katmg]

rosa - I know! I thought it was so strange that she's done that since she was first born. We'd put her on our stomachs (tummy to tummy) and she'd try to crawl up us to get to our faces. She still hasn't rolled over yet though and has just recently started being able to use her arms to support the weight of her head.

Dec. 07 mommas - I can't believe it! We're having our crawfish boil next weekend which is when we found out I was pregnant last year. I remember taking the pregnancy test the day before to see if I could have a beer. Should have waited until the day after the boil! :p I'm definitely having a beer this year! :D

[mobox]

when I try to pull it away because it is empty, he cries and pulls it towards him

That's funny...Sam has always done that. I figure it's that the sucking is so comforting to him so I always give him a paci for a few minutes and it seems to do the trick.

[rosa727]

mobox: I have always used the paci trick too, but lately it's not doing it for him. It's like he REALLY wants the food. I asked his GI doctor about it, and he said to let him eat as much as he wants. If excessive weight gain was to become an issue (which I doubt) we could dilute the formula a bit more, under his supervision.

[mayham]

katmg - thanks for the info on the book! I remember reading about that book ages ago, and forgot the title. I got it this weekend, but haven't had a chance to look at it yet. I think we're going to start with sweet potatoes this weekend, since DD can take or leave the cereal and oatmeal.

lilo - thanks for the info and your thoughts on the food. I'm going to start out making DD's food and see how it goes. But i"m not going to beat myself up if I can't make everything. I'm just going to try and keep it all organic, whether I make it or use jars.

Rancid13 - Did you end up starting the rice cereal yesterday? Curious to see how Tyler liked it!

Baby Update - DD finally found her feet last weekend, which has been a major PITA since she keeps taking off her socks! She's getting really good at sitting up, and can sit up well if propped on the sofa, but is also good with the froggy sit (at least this is what DH claims it is called, since he said he read it on babycenter) where she's sitting up, but kind of hunched forward. while she's doing it, she does seem to be working her muscles to sit up straighter, which is good. Still not rolling over regularly other than the few times she did it about a month ago, but rolls to her side a lot.

[mimieliza]

Hello! I've been MIA for awhile. I can't believe we're coming up on Miranda's six-month birthday. We've had a wild couple of months, including a move to a new house!


Milestones - M started sitting up unsupported about two weeks ago. It's a lot of fun to be able to just put her down on the floor and hand her some toys. She never really liked laying on her back, so she's much happier this way.

She is not a big fan of rolling over. She can do it, but isn't really interested.


Solids - We started rice cereal this weekend. We went with rice for the following reasons:
-Added iron, vitamin fortified
-Non allergenic
-We mix it with breastmilk
-DH adores rice and wants his daughter to enjoy it, too!

I need to get her on solids and a sippy cup (with breastmilk in it) because she won't take a bottle, is EBF, and I need to leave her with a sitter several times in May. She will be started daycare three days a week in June, too.

I don't know if it is a coincidence, but DD seems to have her first cold symptoms - runny, stuffy nose, congested, and sleep was crap last night (wouldn't go to sleep, much screaming, up until midnight, ended up in bed with us all night). I'm going to assume it's just a cold, not the rice cereal.


Exersaucer - We have the Baby Einstein one, and DD is a huge fan. She plays in it for about half an hour every morning - she leans towards it when she sees it. :)

We had a Fisher Price Jumperoo, but it was lost in a terrible fire at my office (along with our cradle swing, bouncy seat, Boppy and about half her toys). She adored the Jumperoo, so I'm going to try and borrow one.


Hair - I'm practically bald. I miss my pregnancy hair - it was crazy thick.


Sleep - Generally, she goes down around 8:00, and wakes up once to nurse, gets up around 8:00. But it's not always that easy. Sometimes she has trouble going down and wakes up a few times before really being out for the night. As I mentioned, last night was pretty bad, but I think she's ill or possibly teething.

[mimieliza]

Oh, and some pics:

http://mimieliza.smugmug.com/photos/143092406-S.jpg
Enjoying her bath

http://mimieliza.smugmug.com/photos/139854047-M-1.jpg
With Grandpa

http://mimieliza.smugmug.com/photos/139851896-S.jpg
Smiley girl!

[lilo]

Is it Monday already? This weekend just flew by. This weekend we had gorgeous weather so I took DS on long walks both days. He ended taking some great *outdoor* naps in his stroller. It's amazing how a little fresh air can just knock him out. I think I may try to take DS for a short walk after work too since it's so nice today.

Friday night, DH and I went out on a date! My mom came over to babysit so we didn't have any worries about leaving DS with a babysitter. DS is over his sinus infection although he's been pretty fussy lately in the late afternoon/early evenings. Hopefully that's related to teething though. I shouldn't complain too much though because he has been STTN for the last week or so, which has been fantastic. I still wake up at least once during the night (out of habit) but I feel so much more rested for work these days. Hopefully it'll last a little while longer.

don't know what is going on, but Grady is endlessly hungry and has been for over a week. I think we may be looking at a 3 pound weight gain this month! The doctor is going to yell at me, I just know it. But what can I do? The boy is HUNGRY! He is holding his own bottle a lot now, and when I try to pull it away because it is empty, he cries and pulls it towards him :( I don't know whether it is soothing to his sore gums or what, but he seems to want an endless supply of food.

Gavin too!!! Not the 3 pound weight gain (although I haven't weighed him in a while) but the endless supply of food. DS used to eat every 3 hours but lately it's been every 2 hours because he's always hungry. I'm wondering if our babes are going through some sort of growth spurt or it's related to the teething. Gavin will cry when the bottle is empty and you take it away from him too. Too funny. As soon as the bottle is out of sight though and we distract him, he's fine though. I think he would love to keep eating though! ;)

solids: I think we're going to start this weekend! Yikes. I can't believe my little baby is 5 months old now! I bought some organic baby oatmeal which we'll start with. I used to put rice cereal in his bottle and it constipated him so we're skipping it. Then we'll try some easy things like organic sweet potatoes, avocado and bannanas. I'd like to make most of DS's food since I love to cook and feel good about giving him fresh food. BUT I won't beat myself up either if I give him jarred food every now and then. We'll see how it goes but either way, I'm excited about this stage. :)

crawling: Nope, not yet although he does scoot a little whe he's on his tummy which is super cute.

Rancid: Good job for Tyler taking his shots so well. And how exciting about starting solids this weekend too. Make sure to report back and let us know how it went! We can exchange notes. :)

mimieliza: cute pics! The one with her Grandpa is so precious.

November and December 2007 mommies - When I first saw the November 2007 thread, I couldn't believe how time has flown! I still remember the morning when I saw those precious two lines. *sigh* Seems like yesterday. :)

mayham: I'm going with the same attitude in terms of baby food. I'm going to try to make as much as I can but if it gets to be too much, I'll be okay with buying the organic jarred food too.

Anyone else thinking about moving DC to convertible car seat??: DS has never *loved* being in the infant car seat but lately it seems like he has really grown a strong dislike for it and as a result, cries (he doesn't scream like he's in pain but he sort of whines like, "get me out of this thing!") whenever we're in the car. I'm contemplating on switching him to the larger car seat to see if he would be more comfortable in there. I don't know. We're going to the beach in a few weeks and I'm afraid that the car ride won't be enjoyable for any of us if DS is crying the entire time. Did anyone switch yet?

[Rancid13]

That's funny...Sam has always done that. I figure it's that the sucking is so comforting to him so I always give him a paci for a few minutes and it seems to do the trick.

We do that too and it seems to work. If he's still hungry and doesn't want the paci, he'll let us know. ;)

Cereal/solids~ Mayham & Lilo, we haven't started yet, DH mistakenly thought he had Sunday off from work but he didn't. Since he doesn't get home till after DS's bedtime, it didn't work out. But he has today off and we'll both be home for DS's bedtime so we're trying it tonight! :D We have organic rice cereal and oatmeal (haha, I eat oatmeal every day so maybe he'll recognize the taste!), both fortified w/iron. We'll introduce 1 at a time.

Mimieliza~ Those pics of Miranda are precious!! What a cutie!! And such big eyes!!

Car seat~ I have been thinking lately about getting a convertible car seat, but haven't talked to DH about it yet. Tyler doesn't seem to mind the infant though so we might wait a bit longer on that.

[fms]

It's been some time since I checked in. Brendon is getting bigger by the day. His newest favorite thing in the whole world...his feet. The boy will not let them go.

I hate books regarding sleep. I bought one because teething screwed up Brendon's sleeping pattern and now I feel like I have no idea what to do next. Bedtime is at 7:30pm. We start the bath, lotion, book, boob routine at 7pm. He used to suck himself to sleep but, the darn books say to put him down drowsy. So, in lieu of using me as a paci, I have been giving him a paci and wrapping a blanket around his arms so that he can't flail (semi-swaddle.) He sleeps sound from 7:30pm-1:30am. Eat and then is up every 2-3 hours. That is the part that is killing me. I I fall asleep while I"m feeding him at 1:30am and then he ends up sleeping in bed with me...I'm forming a bad habit that I need to curtail. Agghh. Sleep issues are not fun!

My cutie:
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/meashcc/68.jpg?t=1177505657

[mobox]

Oh he IS handsome! What a cutie. As for sleep...can you put him down in his own crib after the 1:30 feeding...then let him soothe himself to sleep. It might not hurt to try (for your own sanity!).

Sam is really congested AGAIN and also very phlemmy (AGAIN!). I'm at my wits end. It's almost like now he has a cold because he has a ton of boogers. It's hard for him to breathe, especially in the morning when he has gone the whole night without me cleaning his nose. No fever though. And we switched him to Good STart but it hasn't seemed to make a difference. He has his WBV in a couple weeks so I guess I'll wait till then unless he develops a fever. I'm sure he got it from day care.

[Rancid13]

Fms~ Brendon is quite the handsome little guy, aww!!

Mobox~ I'm sorry to hear Sam is all congested again. :(

Cereal/Solids~ Tyler had his first taste of baby cereal last night. We tried the oatmeal and he loved it! Wasn't quite sure about how to eat from the spoon, but managed to lick a great deal of it. :p LOLOL!! After a few spoonfuls, he started anticipating the spoon by opening his mouth each time he saw it come near. Out of the 4tbsp BM + 1tbsp cereal he ate maybe 1 total tbsp in 10 minutes. Those spoons are tiny!!

[rosa727]

fms: What a cutie he is! Love the onsie - I got the same one but haven't used it yet. I SO agree with you about sleep books just confusing matters. They all contradict each other, and I just go crazy trying to figure it all out. I was doing better before I started reading them.

car seat: Grady likes his fine, and he should fit in it for a while still, so I am not getting a new one yet.

BFing: I think I may finally be finishing up with BFing soon. I tried using fenugreek, but it just did not work that great for me, and my supply is still pretty low. Additionally, the GI specialist actually said that BM is harder on Grady's stomach than the Alimentum, so that is another factor. Also, I have lost too much weight since giving birth, and the nutritionist I spoke to said I would keep losing until I stopped BFing. I am sad that I will only make it to 5 months, not to my 6 month goal, but I think it would be best if I switched over to all formula soon. At least Grady got lots of good benefits from it for 5 months! And I think it will go more smoothly with future children.

feet: Grady loves his! He just put them in his mouth for the first time yesterday though. It was so cute!

teething: It's in full effect over here. I can finally feel a tooth right under the surface, which hopefully means it will pop through soon.

getting chores done: OK, I have a question for all of the SAHMs. How do you get stuff done around the house? Do you get much done during the day? I find it hard to keep up with housework. Most of the time Grady is awake, I am playing with him or feeding him or whatever. When he naps, I either nap with him or need to take a shower or eat something. Anyone have any tricks for keeping up on housework?

outings: OK, this is another thing I wonder about. How do you all manage to take longer outings with your babies now that they need to be in their cribs for naps? Grady will fall asleep in his carseat or front carrier, but I have heard that around this age, it is bad to let them nap on the go and not in their crib. Since he still needs several naps per day, I feel like we can't leave the house for very long.

[katmg]

Chores - C. naps longer in the mornings, so I usually try to get any cleaning done then. I will also spread out a blanket with some toys on the floor and let her have at it while I clean the rest of the room. This works pretty well in the bathroom - she'll be just outside on a blanket and I'll do a quick scrub down. For things like laundry and the dishwasher, I usually try to get those done after she goes to bed.

Outings - Honestly, I don't get out that much. She definitely does best when we stay mainly around the house and she gets to have her naps in her crib. But I try not to stress TOO much about her nap schedule and being too rigid with it. We have to get out and experience the world sometime. ;)

[sunshine0928]

Hi everyone..haven't posted in awhile but thought I'd post an update since Grace had her 4 month WBV today. She weighs 16 lbs 3 oz and is 26 inches long. She is in the 90% percentile for both! No wonder she is growing out of 3-6 month clothing already. I do have to say that their is no consistency in baby clothes sizing. For example, I bought shorts at Target that are 9 month size and I have other clothes that are 3-6 month and they are bigger..so weird! G started giggling this past weekend and it was so cute and she almost rolls over completely from back to stomach. She winds up with her arm under her and is not quite sure what to do so rolls back over.

Outings - I don't strees too much about this either since I work during the week and the only time we are out together is the weekend. I definitely try to stick with her bedtime though.

I am off for a girls weekend to visit my friend in Phoenix and will be back Sunday night. First trip without DD but I am ok with it sinc she be with daddy. Hopefully he survives :)..funny thing is though he goes to Phoenix Monday for work and neither of us have been there before.

[mimieliza]

Chores - I work part-time, from home. I work while Miranda's napping, and when she's awake, I milk the Exersaucer time for all it's worth. Now that she can sit up, I can also set her up with a pile of toys and she'll play happily for awhile. I hope that doesn't sound neglectful, but out of necessity I've worked on getting her used to playing independently. Unfortunately, since I use all that time to work, chores only get done on the weekends or in the evenings when DH is home. Our house is not clean. :o


Outings - This sucks, big time. I try to go into the office in the afternoons, and Miranda will. not. nap. I have her co-sleeper set up there as a bassinet, but she'll go about 20 minutes in that, if I can get her down at all (more likely that she wakes up as I lay her down and throws a fit). I obviously can't do CIO in the office, either. At home she naps in her cradle swing. I used to have one at work, but it was destroyed in this horrible fire we had. I'm so angry about losing that swing - it really made life easier.

So I usually stay at work until she's falling over with fussiness and exhaustion, and then she falls asleep in the carseat on the way home and takes a 30 minute nap.


mobox - It sounds like Sam and Miranda have had similar colds - just congested and snotty, no fever. M didn't sleep well at all for a few nights, either.


fms - I hate sleep books, too. I think that these little people in our lives are just going to do what they're going to do, regardless of how many sleep books we read. When I get really sleep deprived, though, I start desperately flipping through HSHHC or NCSS hoping to find some magical answers.

[rosa727]

Glad to hear I am not the only one who does not get out too much. I try to do a fun outing (like the park) or errand (like Target) once per day so we don't go crazy inside. We also take 1-2 walks in the neighborhood per day. But it is tough to do bigger things, like go to the zoo (although we did go to a small one). Guess those things will have to wait until he is a bit older.

[polydactylcat]

Chores - I work 2 days out of the house and the other 5 I'm lucky if the house stays marginally clean. I do try to do some while the kids are occupied (napping for DS, quiet time for DD) but there are some things that just have to wait until the weekend when DH is around to help entertain the kiddos.

Car Seat We moved DD into a convertible seat at around 5 months because she was so uncomfortable in the bucket seat. She seemed pretty happy with the move, although we still had the occasional struggle to get into the seat. It seemed more padded and comfortable for her as well as roomier. DS is still in his bucket, although we might have to bust the other seat out sooner rather than later since it is getting a tad hard to lug the seat around everywhere (and he doesn't weigh that much!!)

naps It's hard to be on a strict crib nap schedule for us because we have things to get to that DS has to come along for (DDs dance classes, etc). Even when we are home all day, DS usually only takes little naps (30 minutes) every so often and then a long nap after lunch (2-3 hours). It is only going to be worse in the summer with summer camp and t-ball so I guess we'll just have to roll with the punches. My first (DD) was very particular about her sleep though, and probably would not have been this easy-going about being carted around everywhere.

cold DS is also suffering from the snot monster cold (no fever). What the heck is up with that? At least this time it didn't morph into an ear infection. Listening to Darth Baby over the monitor is just not very comforting (nor does it make my sleep restful!)

[Delaney21]

Still reading along, but rarely have my hands free to post!

Sorry to everyone who is dealing with colds! The first time Mitchell gets sick will probably be a lot harder on me than it is on him!

fms and mimieliza: Very cute pics!! Its so fun to watch all of the little ones grow up!

Chores: You mean I'm supposed to be cleaning as a SAHM?? I thought Mitchell was enough of a full-time job! :p I try to clean 1 room a day so over the course of a week they all pretty much get done. I save laundry for the weekends, except diapers which get washed twice a week.

Car Seat: Mitchell still has plenty of room in his car seat, but I don't know how much longer I will be able to carry it. There are definite advantages to the bucket seat, but I'm considering switching once it gets consistently warm here. We have a Britax Roundabout, but I think I may upgrade to the Marathon instead.

Naps: Mitchell is still a cat napper. On the very rare occasion he will give me a good 1-2 hour nap, but they are usually 20-30 minutes tops. We've tried following some sleep books and I'm about ready to chuck them out the window! I have come to accept the fact that I have a crappy sleeper and I've just gotta live with it! DH gets up with him on the weekends so I can sleep in so I try to get all caught up on my sleep then.

Outings: I joined a great Mom's Group and we have some sort of outing almost every day. I seriously don't know how I would do it if I hadn't found this group! Most of our events revolve around lunch (no wonder I'm still hanging on to about 20 extra pounds!), but its hard to do much else when the kids are little and the weather isn't very nice. Mitchell will play independently, but I always feel like I need to keep him moving and entertained when we are at home.

Cereal: I was planning on waiting until 6 months, but I decided to give in last week and he loved it! Its probably been about a week now, and when he sees me with his bowl and spoon he starts smiling and laughing. Its so freaking cute!

teething: I can see 2 little teeth under the surface of his gums, but they still haven't popped through yet. It may be months before they pop through, who knows!

ETA: Pictures!

I'm gonna break some hearts with these big blue eyes!
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q65/Delaney21/Mitchell/4%20months/Mitchell104.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q65/Delaney21/Mitchell/4%20months/Pro%20Pics/Mitchell123.jpg

Mitchell & Mommy!
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q65/Delaney21/Mitchell/4%20months/Mitchell108.jpg

[mayham]

Delaney, fms, & mimieliza - great pictures! I love seeing the cuties in this thread!

Chores: DH and I both work full time, but at night we'll tag team, and one of us will play with DD while the other does laundry or other chores.

Car Seat: DD is still in her infant seat. I need to check this weekend to see how close she is to the height and weight restrictions. I hadn't even thought about changing to our bigger one. We have the Britax Roundabout, but I've heard a lot of people lately talk about Marathon so maybe i"ll look and see if we shouldn't change to that before I open the roundabout.

Outings: If we're out and about on the weekends, DD tends to fall asleep in her carseat anyway. Right now she's not on a regular nap schedule, but I'm guessing once she gets on one, we'll start scheduling outings around her naps.

Cereal: We've tried both the rice cereal and oatmeal, and DD does well taking both of them. DH will move the spoon around like an airplane, and it is hilarious to see her eyes fixed on the spoon and following it around. We started at 5.5 months, but the last week or so, her night time schedule has had her sleeping earlier so we've been skipping the cereal, and she doesn't seem to miss it. We're starting on sweet potatoes this weekend!

Teething: DD chews on everything and drools a lot, but I'm not sure if teeth are close or not. I'm finding it impossible to try and get her to open her mouth so I can see!

[Rancid13]

Rosa~ Sorry to hear that the BM isn’t agreeing w/Grady’s tummy! At least he had it for the first 5 months, and that’s not an easy accomplishment!:)

Delaney~ What adorable pictures of Mitchell!! He’s such a little cutie!:D

Feet~ Tyler hasn’t really discovered his yet. He loves lying on his back with his legs in the air at a 90-degree angle. DH and I discover him in the crib like that many mornings when he wakes up. My mom watches him 1-3 days per week and when she plays with him, will put his feet to his hands to try to entice him to grab them but so far, no go.

Chores~ I work part time 3 days a week but am home with Tyler 4 days a week. I try to get stuff done around the house during his naps or during times that he’s content to play independently (or I’ll sit him in the swing and let him watch Baby Mozart if I really need to get something done). Since he sleeps so well at night, I get pretty good sleep then too so I only occasionally need to nap during the day. I try to concentrate on 1 task at a time, such as cleaning the kitchen floor. And then move on down the list to get stuff taken care of in tiny ‘chunks’. It helps to keep a list so I know what’s already been done in case I forget.

Outings~ We’ve gone out on many occasions for more than 3 hours at a time. We let him nap in the car or stroller as needed. Some of the times we were at my mom’s and he was able to nap in the pack n play in the extra bedroom. I never worry to much about him napping outside the crib since he sleeps so well at night. If he starts to get extra cranky in the early evening, I put him to bed earlier than usual to remedy that.

Cereal~ I don’t know if the rice cereal looks the same as the oatmeal, since I’ve only opened the box of oatmeal thus far. DH was the one to prepare the oatmeal for DS Tues night so I only got to see it after he mixed it with BM. When I prepared the oatmeal last night and poured it from the box into a measuring spoon, I was shocked to see that it looks EXACTLY like fish food!!:eek: Little beige flakes. LOLOL!! I was laughing in the kitchen, thinking about how I was feeding my son something that looks like fish food.

[mimieliza]

Feet - Miranda loooooves her feet. She'll suck on her toes while wearing her Robeez. Her favorite position in the world is laying on the changing table, pants off, with her feet in her mouth. She can actually stick her HEEL in her mouth. It's very ladylike. :D


Carseat - We have the Graco Safeseat - I love that thing! She used to hate it, but now is pretty chill in the car. She's very comfortable, naps in it well, and it isn't showing any wear or tear after six months of use. She's also nowhere near the height and weight limits, since it goes to 30 lbs and 32 inches. I plan on keeping her in it until she's at least a year, and maybe 18 months to get us through next winter.

I leave it in the car sometimes now, and I anticipate that I'll do that more and more as she gets heavier. But it is nice to be able to pop it out when I want to.


Food - M had carrots this morning. I tasted them, they were so gross (but I'm not a big fan of cooked carrots to begin with), but she seemed to like it more than the rice cereal (which I thought tasted pretty good). I also gave her some breastmilk in a sippy. She didn't drink much of it. I wasn't sure if she was full, didn't like it (it was cold from the fridge), or didn't like the sippy.

[katmg]

Carseat - I can't wait until C is big enough to sit in the grocery cart or restaurant w/o having to lug the carseat in with us. I've got bruises all up and down my leg from lugging her around in it! We'll keep her in it for awhile longer though. She seems to like it fine and will even sit in it watching me make dinner quite contentedly.

Feet - Eh, feet are okay. Occassionally she'll grab her foot with her hand, but for now her hands are the coolest things going!

[rosa727]

Rancid: Thanks for the support. Yeah, it's funny how I always thought BM would be better for everything. It really surprised me when the doctor told me that it is actually harder on Grady's stomach. So it was actually a good thing that I was supplementing with the formula from 2 months on. It probably helped him feel better. Hopefully any future children won't have those stomach issues, and I can BF without worries.

Grady sleeps well at night too, so I don't really need to nap with him, but he naps better when I do lay down with him. A lot of times I can't even sleep, so I just lay there enjoying the peace and quiet. :)

sleep: Well naps are still bad (30-50 minutes) unless I sleep with him. Then I can get 90 minutes or so. I really wonder who these babies are that supposedly take 2.5-3 hour naps daily. Night sleep has been good the past several nights. He has only needed one resettling right after being put down for the night. Then he has woken up once but just needed his paci. And I am lucky that my DH does all of the nighttime stuff (unless he needs to eat, since I am still BFing for now - but he almost never eats in the middle of the night).

WBV: Grady has his 5 month visit tomorrow (right on his 5 months b-day!). I am excited to see how big he has gotten. I know he has had a major growth spurt recently.

Food: I plan on asking the doctor more, but I think I will be waiting until hei s about 6 months.

formula: I had to mention, for anyone else whose baby is on $$ formula, eBay is the best! I got a huge lot of Alimentum (13 cans) for $15 per can. That is $10 off the store price and only about as much as regular "cheap" formula! I was so excited about this because he will be needing more formula since I will be weaning him from BM.

[AmyE]

Lemme see....

sleep Julia is a pretty good sleeper -she can go 7-8 hours, eat, then go back to sleep. Ben is still up every 3 hours.

food I"m also waiting until 6 months or more. The twins are 5 months old next Sunday. I think Julia will be ready, but I want Ben to be much better at sitting straight. He's got much weaker neck and back muscles, so I think we might start her first. Dunno. And like DS, I'll probably start them on oatmeal and bananas. Can't see why starting with rice would be good. Meanwhile, we're still BFing.

carseat both still in their infant snugrides, and will probably be there for another month or more. Ben is getting pretty tall, so I'm watching where his head is relative to the top of the seat. DS1 had to move up by 4 months due to height, but I guess he was a stringbean.

feet Seems like both babies discovered they could hold their feet this week, and Julia is just enthralled. She'll be in her crib, waking from a nap, and entertain herself for quite awhile just pulling on her toes. Very cute.


Meanwhile, we're on vacation and doing ok. DH and I scuba dive, and I had to find a place on the dive boats to pump for two of the day trips. :eek: Fortunately, one of the divemasters was a mom who nursed her son for a long time, and went out of her way to find a nice private place. on the other boat, I had to ask this big, burly, crew-cut guy with pirate style earrings. He was kinda like "ok, use that little room, but I don't want to know anything ab out it..." Very funny.

OH, and DS1 brought conjunctivitis home from school, had a mild case and recovered, then gave it to DH in a bad way. DH has been suffering for over a week now....and baby Ben has it now. I'm hoping against hope that 1) Ben's case is mild 2) Julia doesn't get it 2) DH recovers soon 3) I don't get it and most importantly, 4) DS1 doesn't get it AGAIN, at which point it would likely make the rounds again. Sigh. not to much fun. And alas, there really isn't much that can be done for viral conjunctivitis, we're told, except wait it out. grrrrrr!

[sandy]

Hi ladies! I'm reading along but not getting to post much... let's see if I can jump into the conversation.

But before that, I just have to say, we have the CUTEST babies in this group!!!

4 month WBV Tyler took his shots like a champ. Went to daycare after the shots and didn't fuss at all. He's 16 lbs 2 oz, 25 inches long with a small noggin. Though I think he really weighs more since he was in ending antibiotics that week and lost his appetite some becuase of it.

carseat He's been in his Britax Decathalon since the beginning of the month. He's not the biggest fan of it and it makes it kind of inconvenient when we go out to eat or shopping that we can't just plop the seat down but he was getting too heavy for the Snugride and he was swished. He rides in the Roundabout in DH's car.

outings We try to have outings every weekend. Since we both work FT after I pick him up from daycare we just go home and play together before bathtime and bed time. But we've been to a couple of Dallas Stars games with him, out to dinner, road trips, park and tons of shopping. Tyler is really good when we're out and he'll just nap anywhere. I'm very lucky in that sense.

Sleeping He's sleeping from 8:30 to 7:30 with a couple of pacifier cries in the middle of the night. I would get more sleep if I was so engorged by morning and have to wake up and pump. (I realize pumping isn't helping the issues but I'm still too groggy to make that connection at the time)

Food Our ped said we could start on rice cereal if we wanted but I think we'll hold off a little longer. Maybe next month. I'm just not sure if he's ready for solids. He still does the licking thing and he wasn't too good at taking his antibiotics from a syringe so I'm not sure he'd do well with a spoon yet.

feet/rolling over He's finally found his feet! And he's rolling onto his side but he gets confused about the rest so he rolls himself back to his back. Not getting much from the front to back though. He'll get there. He's doing great on his tummy and pushing himself up on his elbows.

My cutie...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/179/470014307_bc0173481b.jpg
And no Texas child should go without his first bluebonnet picture!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/470009967_f9293b20a2.jpg?v=0

[Rancid13]

outings We try to have outings every weekend. Since we both work FT after I pick him up from daycare we just go home and play together before bathtime and bed time. But we've been to a couple of Dallas Stars games with him, out to dinner, road trips, park and tons of shopping. Tyler is really good when we're out and he'll just nap anywhere. I'm very lucky in that sense.


As a longtime Dallas Stars fan, can I tell you how jealous I am that you got to take your Tyler to some of their games?? (My 'name' at WC was DallasStarLuvr11). I've only gotten to go to 1 game this year, when they played the Kings in LA about 1.5 months ago. My BFF and I made a roadtrip to Dallas in January 2000 and got to go to 3 home games and 2 or 3 practices...what fun that was!! All we have around here is the Ducks and Kings. Booo!!

Bad news~ We found out yesterday that DH has lost his longtime job. He had been with the company for 11-12 years and it ended rather badly. DH still has 5 weeks left of paid family leave so he resubmitted for the remaining time this morning.

[rosa727]

sandy: Such cute pictures! And lucky you that you can go on so many outings because Tyler will just nap on the go so well!

Rancid: I'm so sorry to hear that DH lost his job. I hope he finds something else quickly.

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

5 month WBV: Grady got 2 vaccinations today and took them so well. He only cried while the needles were actually in his skin. As soon as they were out he smiled at the nurse :)

I also have great news about his weight! He DID gain almost 3 pounds in the last month! He is up to 14 pounds, 12 ounces (he was 11 pounds, 15 ounces last month). I think that puts him around the 20th percentile (but that's based on an online calculator since I forgot to ask at the doctor).

Just had to add a few pictures of my "birthday" boy:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/IMG_1249-1.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/IMG_1231.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/IMG_1200.jpg

[sandy]

rancid I'm so sorry to hear about DH's job... Now I remember you on WC! I remember thinking how cool that you're a Stars fan. You'll have to make a trip out to Dallas for another game next season. We had partial season tickets this past season but we'll probably go back to full seaso now that we know Tyler is portable... or at least for now. ;)

rosa YAY for Grady's weight gain!!!! That's great news. And he is such a doll!! He is such a happy baby.

[rosa727]

Sandy: Thanks!

solids: I wanted to report that we gave Grady his first solid food today! It was just about 4 tablespoons of BM mixed with one tablespoon of rice cereal. So it was quite soupy, but solid enough to feed him with a spoon. He did really well with it. After a few spoonfuls he got the hang of it and started grabbing the spoon and putting it in his own mouth! I guess he liked it :) I am so excited to try other foods, but will stick with just this for at least a week. We already have oatmeal, so we will try that next.

teeth: Thanks goodness Grady's first tooth FINALLY popped through ! This baby has been struggling with painful teething for a couple months now. Yesterday I noticed it didn't seem as bad. I put my finger in his mouth and felt a tooth! It is still not visible when he smiles, but it has broken through the gums - yay!

[lilo]

Rancid: I'm so sorry to hear about your DH's job. I hope he finds something quickly.

Sandy: What a cutie. I love the bluebonnet picture.

Rosa: That is great about buying the formula on ebay! We are super expensive formula too so I will have to check that out. I am still hoping that maybe my insurance will cover it but if not, maybe ebay will help with the cost.

Feet: Gavin discovered his feet a while ago but now he's able to actually suck on his big toe! It's the most hilarious thing to watch. :D I guess it's just one more way for him to self-soothe. ;)

Chores: When I was on maternity leave, I found it really hard to keep up with chores. I tried to tackle one room per day so it wouldn't pile up too much. Now that I'm back at work FT, DH and I split up the chores on the weekends and try to do laundry at night once DS is asleep. And recently we've decided to hire a housekeeper to come every other week, which makes me really happy. Our time as a family is scarce as it is so the less time we have to spend cleaning, the better.

Outings: Like Sandy, we don't do much during the week since both of us work FT but we are usually out and about on the weekends. What I try to do though is have DS take his first morning nap in his crib and then he will usually take an afternoon nap in his stroller or catnap in the car. I know it's not as good as taking a nap in his crib but DS loves to be outdoors and falls asleep pretty easily in his stroller.

sleep: I am so happy to report that Gavin has been STTN for the last week or so! I know it may not last but I am loving it right now. I still wake up sometimes (out of habit) but I feel so much more rested at work. Hopefully it'll last a while longer.

teeth: I think I saw one of Gavin's teeth popping through on top but I'm not sure.

-----------------------------------------

We started solids with Gavin yesterday and he loved it! I'm starting with oatmeal and sticking with that for about a week to make sure he doesn't have any allergic reactions to it. So far so good. I think we'll try bannanas next weekend and then avocados.

And DH and I are now proud owners of a 2007 Honda Pilot!!! Yay! I love this car. We got the EX-L version with the DVD system and navigation system, which are great. It is so much roomier than our current car and has so much more storage space in the back.

Gavin has his 5 month appt. on Thursday so I'm curious to see how much he weighs and if he's grown some more. He's been wanting to eat every 2 hours lately so we might increase his bottle size to 8 oz. but we'll see what the doctor thinks.

[sandy]

EDITED: OK all of the enfamil checks are gone. Only similac left.

[mobox]

Oh how I love to look at all the pics of the beautiful babies!

Sam is still doing well. Still STTN and getting better at naps. He's still not thrilled to go down but eventually does and (when he's at home) sleeps 40 minutes in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon. I'm at home today becasue we are going to hang out with my old roomie who now lives in Memphis and her 6 month old.

Rancid--I'm SO sorry about DHs job. That sucks!

[ellidew]

I’m WAY behind on this thread!

Sandy – I LOVE the picture of you and Tyler with the bluebonnets! I didn’t even know what a bluebonnet was until last weekend when dh, ds, and I went to Dallas for a long weekend. I hope you have it framed and hanging on your wall because it’s gorgeous!!

Rancid- I’m so sorry about your dh’s job. I can’t imagine how hard that makes things right now. It will all work out in the end… everything always does. Hang in there.

Rosa- Grady is adorable in his birthday pictures. Good news about his weight gain! Does Grady try to shove that entire ball in his mouth? Miles has one about that size and he’s determined to find a way to make it fit :) Good luck with the solids. We have pretty much stuck to oatmeal, barley, and prunes because everything else we’ve tried seems to make him irritable. We’re going to hold off trying additional new things until after the 6 month wbv and talking to the doctor. I can feel your pain on the teething. Miles had his first tooth pop through about a week ago and I felt the second one yesterday. If I could just get his nose to stop running then maybe he’d sleep through the night!

Lilo- Good luck with solids! Congrats on your new Pilot. I really like those!

Mobox- Good news on the naps!! I hope it keeps up for you!!

Feet and sitting- Miles found his feet a couple of weeks ago and started putting them in his mouth. He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth! He’s sitting up like a champ and took a bath in the regular bath tub while sitting when we were out of town last weekend (pics in his blog).

Car seat- Still in his infant car seat and other than not being able to sit up he seems fine once he’s settled in. Having a designated car seat toy has worked wonders because he will stop fussing as soon as you give it to him. Then he eats it :)

Chores- Eh, who needs a clean hosue? Lol. Dh and I both work full time. I don’t work on Fridays so if Miles is napping well or playing well by himself then I’ll pick a room and clean it. We’ve been doing a lot of spot cleaning and I think it’s going to take dh and me taking a vacation day from work to give the house a really good once over. We also have some projects we want to get done so maybe we’ll take an extended memorial day weekend. It’s a little easier now that we can just sit Miles down with some toys. He plays well by himself for a long time. It seems like everything interests him.

Scooting- Miles has taken up scooting. He doesn’t go anywhere fast but he can go backwards really well and manages to get around and find his way to things he wants to play with or eat. I think we’re going to have to baby proof soon!

Outings- Ever since we got the acid reflux under control ds has become very portable and we take him everywhere. He loves to be out in public where people are coming and going and talking and laughing. He seems to like the chaos.
Teeth- Both bottom teeth have popped through. He’s still spewing green snot so he isn’t sleeping well at night. I’m just waiting for it to pass. I could use some more sleep though!

[ellidew]

We had a photographer come to the house in Feb so I bought the CD of the entire photo session along with the copyright waiver. Here are some of my favorites:

I'm going to blow this one up for the wall. In the bigger version you can see the bubbles he's blowing!
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/IMG_7576.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/IMG_7688.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/IMG_7704.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/IMG_7373.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/IMG_7435b.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e144/ellidew/IMG_7478.jpg

I'm going to make a photo book of all the ones we like. There are 311 photos to choose from! Needless to say when i went through and just picked the ones i felt i HAD to have i had already spent $1000! So, i bought the CD for $300 and can reproduce to my hearts content.

[rosa727]

ellidew: GORGEOUS pictures!!! I can see why you bought the whole CD - he is beautiful and you make such a cute little family. What a great photographer.

Grady DOES try to shove the whole thing in his mouth. He really does seem to think there is a way to make it fit :p

So far Grady is doing fine with the rice cereal, but then he was already getting a little in his bottles anyway.

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

teeth: Grady's second one popped through today! No wonder why he slept so poorly last night. I really want to start some sleep training, but they say not to do it during teething. Hopefully, he will get a break now for a while. I doubt it though. I had 10 teeth by 10 months!

sleep: Grady is back and forth on sleep and I suspect it is related to how his teeth are doing. One night he STTN and the next he is up 3 times. He always goes back down easily but it still leads to a tired mom and dad the next day! Naps are still erratic, but he is down to only 2 or 3 per day, which makes it easier to go out with him.

[mayham]

carseat - I'm with katmg, getting tired of trying to lug around the carseat... it's getting heavy with a 16lb4oz baby!

AmyE - I hope the conjunctivitis clears out of your household soon!
on the other boat, I had to ask this big, burly, crew-cut guy with pirate style earrings. He was kinda like "ok, use that little room, but I don't want to know anything ab out it..." Very funny.
This is hilarious! I'm going to a conference for work soon, and will have to request a key for a separate room to pump... fun times.

sandy - Tyler is so cute! that is a great picture of the two of you in the bluebonnets. Our ped gave us the same recommendation on food at 4 months, but we waited until a little after 5 months to start rice cereal.

rosa727 - That is great about Grady's weight gain! I can't believe he already has teeth too!

ellidew - Those pictures are gorgeous!! I don't blame you for buying the entire CD!

Maya update - My little one is sick :( I stayed home yesterday and took her to the doctor. She's coughing, congested and wheezing. We tried two rounds of asthma medicine (it is no fun holding up a mask for 10 minutes at a time for the baby to inhane!) but it didn't seem to make a difference. So we pretty much just have to wait it out. No fever, though, which is a good thing.

She's 6 months today, and this weekend went for pictures. We tried JCPenney but with not that much success. Timing was bad with her coming down with a cold and her eating schedule. We've also tried Picture People and Target and weren't very impressed with any of them. But now that she's older, I might find a professional baby photographer to come to our house like ellidew.

[mobox]

Elli-I love your photos...those are all great! I love the little pageboy cap.

[ellidew]

Thanks ladies. I adore so many of the pictures we had taken. We're going to do another photo shoot in July or August and then the birthday cake first birthday pictures. I can't wait to do those!

mayham- Sorry you are struggling with a sick baby. Miles has been blowing green snot bubbles for a week and hasn't been sleeping at night because of it. We thought it was just allergies until yesterday when dh and i both got a sore throat and runny nose. Today i feel awful but Miles slept better last night so hopefully he's getting over it and ALL of us, yours included, will feel better by this weekend! I highly recommend having a photographer come to the house. Not having to lug the child out of his environment makes a world of difference!

[lilo]

Ellidew: Adorable pictures! And wow, I can’t believe Miles is scooting already! It’s amazing how fast they are growing up.

Rosa: Two teeth already! That’s so cute. Are they visible when he smiles now? Sorry to hear that sleep is back and forth although I’m sure you appreciate the nights when he is STTN. Gavin has only been STTN for the past 5 days and I appreciate it every time because I know there’s always the possibility of him not STTN due to teething, etc.

Mayham: I hear ya on lugging a 16 lb. baby and car seat!! Not fun. I’m soo glad we made the switch the convertible car seat now. Gavin seems so much happier in it since it’s much more plush. Plus it’s so much easier just to take him in and out of the seat instead of lugging the whole seat around. Sorry to hear your little one is sick. :(

-----------------------------------------

Well, it looks like I am officially done with bfing. :( I’m actually surprised on how sad it makes me considering that I never really loved it and had so many issues with it from losing too much weight to not being able to eat anything due to DS’s allergies. Although I am enjoying getting a full night rest these days, I do miss the bond that I felt when I was nursing Gavin in the middle of the night. I guess it’s a double edge sword. On the other hand, I am very very excited to eat dairy again! And eggs! And nuts! :D

Like I mentioned to Mayham, we switched DS to the convertible seat and it’s been great. We have the Britax Marathon and it’s so much more plush and obviously larger than the Graco infant seat. Plus Gavin sits much higher now in the SUV so he can look outside the windows and look around. I’m really happy we made that decision.

Has anyone thought about ordering a shopping cart cover yet? I was reading through the shopping cart cover thread and just couldn’t resist ordering one from Funky Giraffe. I’m actually going to use my own fabric since I didn’t find one on there that I loved. I figure since I can’t put the car seat in the shopping cart anymore, it was the perfect time to order one. I’ll post a pic when I get it.

I also want to buy a Ergo or Beco carrier since Gavin is getting to be a bit heavy for me to carry him in the Bjorn. It’s fine for 10-15 minutes but not for an hour or longer. Has anyone bought one of these yet?

[RubberSoul]

Not much time to post, but did want to say two things before Mommy brain strikes!

lilo- We bought an Ergo that DH uses primarily and he loves it. DS never liked the Bjorn, but really digs the Ergo. We went to the zoo and DH carried DS in it for most of the time we were there (5 hours).

Rancid- Sorry to hear about your DH's job. I hope he finds something else soon!

[rosa727]

mayham: Yeah - 2 teeth! They came in almost at the same time.

lilo: They are just starting to be visible when he smiles. It's very cute. I am pretty sure the bad nights have been due to teething. At least he always goes right back to sleep, even when he does wake up. So it's not really THAT bad, compared to what some people have to deal with. I guess I just got so spoiled by almost 3 months of STTN without fail. It just proves that babies can always change things around on you!

pictures: I definitely want to get 6 month ones done. The only professional ones we have had so far were the newborn ones. I loved how they came out, but I am not sure if that guy will come to your house. That does sound like a really good idea. Maybe I can find somewhere that will do that for us.

[pacificbliss]

Trying to catch up. I have been reading along but not finding the time to post. DH is trying to give DS a bottle but he's fussing. He's used to bfing this time of day but, I have a meeting to go to and DH will have to give him several bottles. He takes the bottle just fine at daycare but is not used to taking one this time of night. Cross your fingers.

rosa727 yay Grady, he's getting big. I can't believe he has teeth.

lilo sorry bfing is over. I think I will miss it when the time comes too. But then again, at least you can eat what you want.

ellidew those pictures are great. Actually, everyone the pictures have been so cute.

Rancid sorry about DH's job. It will be ok.

mobox yay for STTN!

DS had his 4 month WBV yesterday. The shots bugged him a lot. The first one he was willing to let go but he screamed through 2 and 3. He's 15 lbs 10 oz and over 27 inches long! His weight and head circumference are in the 75th percentile but his length was off their chart. :eek: He's in 6-9 month clothing now.

I wish I could see more of the thread...I know I'm missing lots of people.

[ellidew]

Hi everyone... can someone refresh my memory: What was the test/condition that if it came back positive we had to have antibiotics during labor and delivery?

Anyone else have an abnormal pap post pregnancy?

[rosa727]

It was the strep B test that we had. I didn't have that or an abnormal pap after pregnancy though.

[ellidew]

Thanks rosa. I couldn't remember. I have to have a colposcopy (my understanding is that it's a cervical biopsy) done because of the abnormal cells. Of course, now i'm completely freaked out!

[mayham]

ellidew - I'm sorry about the abnormal pap and that you have to go through the biopsy. I hope everything is okay and that it turns out to be nothing!

lilo - Sorry you're sad about ending BFing. I will be sad too when it's over. But it'll be so nice for you to not have to worry about your diet, so hopefully that silver lining will help you get over stopping. We have a shopping cart cover, that I bought at the store, before I knew about the custom made cushy ones online. So I might have to end up with two... will you post a pic when you get yours? As for the Ergo, I asked for one for mother's day, so no review from me. I did try it on at a store, and it seems really comfy! I want something to replace our Bjorn, which I can only keep on for short periods of time now.

[rosa727]

ellidew: Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. That's no fun. I hope it is not too uncomfortable and that everything turns out fine.

shopping cart cover: We don't have one yet, but I want one. What website is it that you can order from? Could someone post the link for me?

carrier: We still use our Bjorn a lot, but Grady is just under 15 pounds, so it's not too bad. I definitely want to look into getting another type though because he loves being in a carrier, and I want an option for when he is too heavy for the Bjorn.

naps: OK, I know I am constantly asking everyone about naps, but I just still find the whole thing elusive. We are not really falling into a pattern. Well, I guess we are, in that he still naps after being up for only about 2-3 hours, but his naps are not at the same time each day. Are other people still dealing with erratic naps or am I the only one? I am also having a heck of a time getting him to stay down for more than 40-50 minutes unless I nap with him. Luckily, night sleep has been pretty good again.

[Rancid13]

Thanks everyone for the kind words about my DH losing his job. 1 week later he has submitted his resume to a lot of places, applied online, and gotten into contact with people that might be able to help place him with a job that has similar pay to what he was getting previously. Adding to this stress is the fact that I'm still not back at full time yet, as my employer doesn' need me more than 18 hours per week currently. So I'm only bringing in 1/3 of the pay I was previously (before maternity leave). I've also been job-searching just in case.

Rosa~ Those are adorable pictures of Grady!! What a happy little guy! That's too cute about Grady grabbing the spoon while you were feeding him! I found the 4tbsp BM + 1tbsp cereal to be a bit much so I lowered the amounts to 4tsp BM + 1tsp cereal (otherwise it would take over an hour to spoonfeed Tyler the contents of the bowl!). :) We've only used the oatmeal so far and he seems to love it.

Lilo~ Congrats on the Pilot! My dad has an '04 Pilot and 2 coworkers have the Acura MDX (which is basically the same thing) and they all LOVE their cars. That 3rd row optional seat is awesome, IMO! Sorry to hear of your sadness about stopping BFing earlier than you'd anticipated. At least you'll have the freedom to eat pretty much whatever you want without worry of Gavin's tummy getting upset from it.

Mobox~ Yay for STTN!

Ellidew~I hope the results for the biopsy come out normal! You're in my thoughts! Those pictures came out great!!

Mayham~ Sorry to hear that Maya's sick! I hope she gets better soon!

Pacificbliss~ Sounds like your "little" guy is getting pretty big! He's got ~3 inches on my little shorty even though my DS weighs ~2lbs more. LOL, he's so short & fat, it cracks me up. :D

Shopping cart cover~ I'm looking to get one soon from this website: http://kozypalcartcovers.com/ unless someone posts rave reviews about one from elsewhere in the meantime. ;)

Carseat~Still lugging it around, even though DS is nearing 17lbs. I just consider it to be an upper body workout when I need to carry him in the carseat. I can just see my muscles growing by the day. Luckily I don't often need to carry him in it for more than a minute or two at a time. The stroller *always* comes with me for anything longer than that anyways.

Baby carrier~ DH bought the Bjorn Active carrier a few weeks ago and has been the only one to use it. I'd really like an Egro or Beco though, as DS is now nearing the 17-lb range and I fear that the Bjorn might not be too comfortable for me to carry him in, from what I've heard on here.

Sleep~ Still not quite STTN, but he goes down ~7pm, wakes up btwn 12-2am to eat and goes back down easily till 7-8am. The midnight feeding is on DH's shift so at least I get to STTN. ;)

Teeth~ None yet. We suspected he might have some nubs in there the other day when he was fussy ALL day and almost inconsolable, but nope, nothing.

[katmg]

grocerycart covers - I know this website has been posted on here several times. This is what I plan to get DD. I love the Amy Butler fabric! http://www.sewcuteboutique.com/wst_page8.html

[mobox]

Cart cover - I bought mine from http://kozypalcartcovers.com/. It was extremely well made and I just love it. I haven't started using it yet but I can't wait to. It doubles as a high chair cover as well.

Car seat - I started looking at the convertible seats. I think we are going to go with the Britax Marathon. It seems to be excellently rated and looks pretty darn comfortable.

My friend from Memphis was in town with her 6 month old. We call the two kiddies future Mr&Mrs. Here's a pic of them chillin' on the couch. :)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/204/483433908_3945209689.jpg?v=0

[lilo]

DS had the rest of his 4 month shots yesterday and did okay. He cried a little after the first one and then of course screamed when he got the remaining 2 shots. Poor little guy. Luckily he calmed down pretty quickly after we picked him up but he was not a happy camper. He’s 15 lbs. 8 oz., which is great. He’s gained a pound from 3 weeks ago when he was sick with s sinus infection so that made me happy. I think he could easily fit into 6-9 month onesie since the arms on the 3-6 month ones are getting too short on him (he is such a long baby!) so we’ll have to do some shopping soon.

shopping cart covers: For those of you thinking about ordering a shopping cart cover, I HIGHLY recommend working with Marisa at www.funkygiraffe.com She has been awesome to work with and the prices are really great. Like I said before, I ordered my own fabric from another site (www.fabricparadise.com) but she has a lot of cute fabric (especially for girls!) on her website too. A lot of other CCers have raved about her as well. It comes with a little matching pillow too, which I think is so cute.

Rubbersoul: Wow, 5 hours! That’s amazing. What color Ergo did you buy? I can’t wait to buy one since the bjorn really starts to bother my shoulders after 20 minutes of wearing it.

Ellidew: good luck with the biopsy. I hope everything turns out okay.

Mayham, Yes, I will definitely post a pic of my shopping cart cover when I get it. You can actually use it as a high chair cover which is great. I actually ordered extra fabric to make some pajama bottoms for DS since the design is super cute and for an extra $10, why not!

Rosa: Don’t feel bad about Grady’s erratic naps. I find myself going crazy trying to figure out why Gavin won’t take longer naps every day too. Most days, he only takes 2 naps at daycare (I wish he’d take at least 3 but oh well) and they’re only about 30 minutes to an hour in length. I have come to the conclusion that he’s going to sleep when he needs to sleep and there’s nothing I can do to change that. I have another friend whose little one is a short napper as well so it seems like some babies just don’t take long naps. I’m over trying to lengthen them. I figure, they’ll either lengthen naturally as he gets older or he’ll just continue to take short naps, which is fine. I can’t stress about it anymore because it makes me so crazy.

Rancid: Keep us posted on your DH’s job situation. Hopefully something will come up quickly for him.

mobox: We have the Britax Marathon and I love it. It is so plush and DS looks so comfy in it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

[rosa727]

Rancid: Thank you! He is a very happy, smiley guy. I guess he is making up for being cranky for the first 2 months of his life :p
The spoon-grabbing is tough - it sure makes it messy, but I am glad that he is getting the idea of feeding himself. It takes a long time to feed Grady the rice cereal, and he usually only eats half, so I may start making less. I do 3 tablespoons of BM to 1 tablespoon of rice cereal. That is one of the main reasons I am still pumping - he seems to like it better when mixed with BM than formula. I think we are starting oatmeal this weekend. When do you think you will give Tyler his first fruit?

I am keeping my fingers crossed that your DH has success in the job market. I am sure that must be stressful.

lilo: Thanks for your remarks about napping - it really makes me feel better. I need to look at it more like you do. I am making myself insane. He took an almost one hour nap by himself today, so I am happy with that. He actually takes about 4 naps per day still, but they are short.

Thanks for posting the cart cover sites, everyone! There are some REALLY cute ones out there! I'm so excited to order one.

[AmyE]

Rancid - I hope your DH finds something quickly. It sounds like things are on the right track.

Rosa - the mess is one of the reasons I might not start solids at 6 months - I might let my inherent laziness take over and start at 7 months. FUnny, because I was SO excited to begin with my son...

Carseats - we have DS1s old (2005) Britax Roundabout and a new one for Twin 2. We like them, and they should all fit in the car with the new booster we got from Graco for the toddler.

Ellidew - I hope things go well. (and that it's painless!)

Naps - DS 1 is just over 2 years old and takes a 3-hour nap in the middle of the afternoon, for which we are SO. Grateful. The babies do nap every 1.5-5 hours, although not for long usually. We often get one one-one.5 hour nap from them in the afternoon. Nirvana in our house is the rare Sunday when all three sleep at the same time.

Question Does anyone have a regular full sized high chair that they would recommend and that isn't over 100 bucks? I have (and LOVE) the first year's booster for DS1, but he's still using it and I don't want to dedicate 3 dining room chairs to baby feeding. My kitchen is much bigger now, so I can fit two high chairs in there. I'm looking for something in the 50-80 dollar range, esp since I'm buying two, but keep reading mixed reviews on all the websites.

[mimieliza]

Highchair - I bought a used Fisher Price Healthy Care high chair (the blue aquarium print one) on Craigslist for $50. I like it, seems pretty good so far. I'm glad I got it used, though. I'm feeling a bit maxed out on spending on baby gear.


Shopping Cart Cover - I just ordered my cover from Funky Giraffe. I can't wait for it to get here! DD has been sitting unsupported about a few weeks now, so it will be really nice to have her in the cart rather than fiddling with the mei tai for grocery shopping.


Miranda had her six month WBV on Friday. She's at 14 lbs. 10 oz., and 25 inches, which is 25th percentile.

[rosa727]

high chair: We have the Chicco Polly High Chair. I really like it, but I think it is about $130. It's great because it can be used for all stages - it reclines to 3 different positions and goes to 7 different heights. It can also slide right up to a table. And I love that it comes with 2 tray covers that pop off, so one can always be in the dishwasher and one is clean.

shopping cart cover: Grady is really sitting unsupported well now, so I think it is time for one. I usually just keep him in his car seat or put him in the Bjorn, but he would probably be happier in that. I think I want one in the retro cowboy print from Funky Giraffe. :)

solids: I'm excited that Grady tried oatmeal for the first time (his second food), and seems to like it. I do have a question for those of you doing solids - do you usually give a bottle before, after, or not at all during that feeding? I usually feed him the solid food and then a bottle right after. I give him a smaller bottle though, and he always takes it all.

[ellidew]

highchair- We have the Chicco Polly too. I like it enough but the tray is so big that it doesn't reasonably fit into our dishwasher.

solids- We usually do solids either right after a bottle or between bottles. He doesn't seem to have the patience for it if he's really hungry!

[Delaney21]

Solids: From what I've read BM/formula should still be their main source of nutrition so you should give a bottle/breast first and then do solids. Otherwise they can fill up on solids and not take in the nutrients.

Highchair: We have the FP Space Saver High Chair and we love it! It easily secures onto a chair, reclines and is easy to keep clean.

shopping cart cover: I bought one about 6 months ago from Marisa (Funky Giraffe) and I love it! Mitchell is almost sitting on his own so I'm getting ready to finally break it out.

[mimieliza]

Solids - I do one solid feeding per day, in the evening. We do it before nursing, and then she nurses right after. It doesn't seem to affect her appetite for nursing.

She's had rice cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas and apples and loves everything. She did get a yuck face the first time she had the apples (go figure - loves the peas but hates the fruit) but has been fine with it ever since.

I've got prunes in the cupboard which I'm going to try tonight because it's been three days since she pooped. I'm really, really scared about the diaper that's in store for us.


QOTD: How long will you be avoiding certain foods? I asked DD's ped how long we should avoid eggs, wheat and dairy products (such as yogurt and cheese). She said we didn't need to wait on any of them - just introduce them slowly to look for a potential reaction. But my Baby 411 book and WTE say that egg whites should definitely be held off until over a year, and that wheat and dairy should be towards the end of the first year.

I'm sure she would love yogurt, but I'm not sure when to introduce it.

Another QOTD: Anyone's baby have eczema? DD has it on her face, chest and back. It seems to be getting worse. I'm using the Eucerin that comes in a tub, which helps, but new patches keep showing up.

[ellidew]

Avoiding foods: At ds' 6 mwbv last Friday our ped said to avoid eggs, peanuts, honey, and strawberries until after his first birthday. We're going to wait on all of them and probably longer than the first birthday.

I couldn't find a good guideline about how much food ds could/should eat per day but then the Parents As Teachers Educator gave me one and it was more than i had expected it to be. I verified the amounts with the ped on Friday and she said they were right. We started some solids at 4 months because Miles was taking in 50-60+ ounces of formula per day and the ped and the GI doc said that was too much. We kept things simple and went with Barley, Oatmeal, bananas, apple juice (to flavor cereal) and prunes. We just started adding additional foods and as of Friday we've gone to 2 meals per day, per our peds advice. Miles was still taking 40+ ounces even with 1 solid food meal per day. If anyone is interested in the food guidelines (again, they're just guidelines and Miles still doesn't eat nearly what it states) let me know and I'll post it tomorrow. The paperwork is at my office to read.

[ellidew]

mimieliza- Good luck with the eczema. I get it on my hands and it is awful. I hope your dd's skin clears up soon!

[sandy]

eczema Tyler has it and I've been using Arbonne's baby lotion on him and it cleared it up. He has pretty sensitive skin so I try to only use natural products and it's cheaper than the "special" skin care products.

[RubberSoul]

Ian had his 6 month WBV last week. He is 15lbs, 4ozs and 25.75 inches long. He is 15th percentile for weight and 25th for height. He is still chewing on everything in sight, but still no teeth popping through. He hasn't started sitting unsupported yet, but he loves to stand up and has started to stand up on his own holding onto something. We have to prop him up next to the couch or something - he doesn't pull himself up.

Solids- We have done all of the stage 1 foods and our Ped told us to move on to stage 2. Ian loves Pears and Apples the most. He hates oatmeal and rice cereal, but will eat it mixed in with something else. He will eat peas and green beans, but makes this face that says, I'm only doing this cause it makes you happy. It is pretty funny. We also give solids in between nursing/bottles so it doesn't interfere with the amount of BM he is getting.

Avoiding Foods- Our Ped actually didn't say anything about it, but from everything I have read we will stay away from eggs, peanuts, and honey. We will also avoid strawberries because Ian had a reaction to them when I ate them.

Eczema- DS has it above his bum. We use the Gentle Naturals lotion for eczema and it seems to help clear it up.

High chair- I need to buy one. I just can't decide which one to get. I like the Eddie Bauer high chair for its looks, but it doesn't seem very functional compared to the FP Healthy Care high chair. Right now I am feeding DS in his bouncy seat and it is working just fine.

lilo- We bought the camel colored Ergo. Just to clarify. DS wasn't in the Ergo for the whole 5 hours. He was in and out of it most of the day though. DH did carry him for at least an hour and a half straight at one point. DS just doesn't like to be confined for that long, he has to be able to kick his legs and move around :).

rosa- My DS is a short napper too. He only sleeps for about 30-40 minutes most naps. I think some kids are just built that way. According to the sleep books he is supposed to be consolidating his sleep at his age (6 months) but it just isn't happening yet. I need to stop reading the books, they make me crazy. He still takes 4 naps a day and we still use the 2 hour rule. We tried going to a clock schedule and 3 naps a day and it was a disaster. I figure he will let us know when he is ready to take fewer naps and sleep for longer stretches. His night sleep was pretty terrible until just recently and he changed that all on his own (I didn't do anything different). Hopefully, Grady will get there on his own :).

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

I rarely ever get time to post anymore, but I am reading along. I can't believe I have a 6 month old. Time is flying by. It is crazy to think that our babies are going to start to be mobile soon. Everyone has such incredibly cute babies.

[Rancid13]

High chair~ We have the Chicco Polly chair too. However, it's still sitting in the box, unopened at my parents' house (Tyler got it for Christmas). We chose that one b/c my mom recommended we get one that has more adjustments so Tyler won't outgrow it quickly.

Rubbersoul, my SIL had/has the wooden Eddie Bauer chair and while it's very nice to look at (love the design!), my niece outgrew it by the time she was a year old b/c the it doesn't adjust enough to accommodate a growing baby. They moved her to a booster seat when she outgrew the high chair, but early on and even now she still has a problem with getting up during meals and doing whatever she pleases, rather than sitting still and eating dinner (she's almost 3). After being present at many mealtimes and watching her act like such a terror b/c she has such freedom of movement I took my mom's advice when we chose the high chair if only to be able to keep the little guy restrained as much as possible during meal times, LOL. :D Aw, your little guy is adorable! His eye are gorgeous!!

Baby eczema~ None here, knocking on wood. DH and I both have it so we're hoping that DS won't have to suffer from it, but I'm not sure if he'll/we'll be that lucky.

Solids~ Two weeks later and we've still only fed DS oatmeal. He loves it! We have a box of rice cereal too but haven't cracked it open yet. Our ped said that for now (at 5 mos and for another few weeks) solids are more of a fun, new experience rather than a real source of nutrition.

Rosa, regarding when to feed it all depends on the schedule that day. His ped recommended that for the time being, the cereal would best be a 'between meals' snack (meals meaning getting nursed or fed a bottle). Just a little something to keep getting him used to the texture of it. As an example, we'll do 5pm bottle/nurse, 6:30pm cereal, 6:45pm bath, 7/7:05pm nurse, 7:15pm bed, or thereabouts. If I know without a doubt that he's hungry I'll nurse him or give him a bottle before breaking out the cereal.

[rosa727]

solids: Thanks for all of the input on that everyone - it's good to hear what everyone is doing! I think Grady would like the rice cereal or oatmeal a lot better if mixed with fruit, so I think we will be introducing fruit soon - probably a couple more weeks. I am excited for him to try bananas!

eczema: None here, but I do use Eucerin Aquaphor on his face to act as a barrier so he doesn't get a drool rash.

sleep: Naps are still 30-40 minutes (4 per day), but night sleep has gone back to being pretty good for the past week or so. Last night he slept from 7-7 with only one resettle around 11PM, and he just needed his paci - his eyes were not even open. Let's hope this continues!

[Rancid13]

sleep: Naps are still 30-40 minutes (4 per day), but night sleep has gone back to being pretty good for the past week or so. Last night he slept from 7-7 with only one resettle around 11PM, and he just needed his paci - his eyes were not even open. Let's hope this continues!

I've seen you use the word 'resettle' here and there and keep forgetting to ask you what it means. :) Is it when they sorta wake up and need to be soothed back to sleep b/c it's not time for a bottle/nursing yet??

[lilo]

highchair- We have the Chicco Polly too. I love how easily it folds up and that the tray can be stored to the back of the chair.

solids- We usually do solids about 30 minutes to an hour after a bottle. I’ve read the same thing like Delaney in that BM/formula should be the main source of nutrition and that feeding solids at this point is really just for practice and fun.

So far we’ve only tried oatmeal and bananas. DS loved both of them but I think he may have had a slight reaction to the bananas so we’re only giving him the oatmeal right now. We’ll try again with the bananas in a few weeks but because DS has reflux and other food allergies, we’re introducing solids very slowly. I think we’ll try avocados next.

avoiding certain foods? Since DS has reflux and milk allergies, we will probably avoid most if not all dairy products until he’s over a year. We’ll avoid all the other obvious ones too like egg whites, honey, strawberries, etc. too.

Anyone's baby have eczema?: We haven’t had any problems with eczema but DS has pretty sensitive skin and occasionally gets a drool rash on his chin but it usually clears up in a few days.

QOTD: What is everyone doing for Mother’s Day? As of right now, I don’t know what we’re doing. My DH will probably let me sleep in (that alone will be awesome!) and make a nice brunch for us at home. I’m just so excited to spend this Mother’s Day as a mom for the first time. :)

[rosa727]

rancid: That's when he doesn't really even open his eyes or wake up totally but just needs a little quick soothing. I guess I made up my own term :p!

[ellidew]

QOTD: What is everyone doing for Mother’s Day? We're doing brunch at my moms house with her, my sister, her dh and dd, my mil and fil, dh and ds. Afterwards we are going to the Zoo.

[Rancid13]

rancid: That's when he doesn't really even open his eyes or wake up totally but just needs a little quick soothing. I guess I made up my own term :p!

I figured that's what it meant. ;) We have to do that on occasion as well, anywhere form 1-3 hours after we first put him down at night, but thankfully not every night. :)

Mother's Day~ Not sure yet. I made sure DH is well aware that it's this Sunday (the 13th...that should stick in his mind as it's also our 'monthly' anniversary, LOL). I'm sure we'll be getting together with my parents, brother & SIL, and possibly grandparents for breakfast, lunch or dinner somewhere, as we usually do. I expect gifts/cards, of course. ;)

[sunshine0928]

Mother's Day - My DH is taking me out for dinner on Sat and then having my mom over for dinner on Sunday. Other than that, not sure but that sounds good for now. Although, the sleeping in idea sounds nice so hopefully that, too!

We gave Grace rice cereal tonight for the first time. She basically left her tongue out and wasn't sure quite what to do. I probably gave her 6 spoon fulls but she was more interested in eating her bib so we'll keep trying. Tonight was definitely more for practice vs nutrition.

[rosa727]

Mother's Day: I am getting to sleep in, and then we are going to brunch. Grady has been doing well with going out to eat with us, so I think it will be fun. Then, we are planning on going for a nice hike or something like that later in the day.

[Teresita]

We're back from Hawaii (Maui and Oahu) and had a fabulous trip! I can't wait until we can go back. Finn did fine with all the travel. Here's a picture of him chillin' on the beach in Haliewa:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/212/490856126_20e2b5dd15.jpg?v=0

I took him in the ocean a couple of times, but he wasn't a big fan. He was ok if I just did a quick dip of his feet, but any more than that and he was LIVID! He did a little better with the hotel pool.

Finn's sleep is still horrendous. Up at least a few times a night to nurse. At this point I don't see STTN anywhere in our near future. I used to (pre-kids) be such a morning person. Now I am a beyotch from hell in the morning before I get a huge cup of coffee in me. I really miss sleeping more than 2 to 3 hours consecutively!

He is Mr. Grabby Grabby lately. Loves to pull my hair, grab my nose, mouth, clothes, boobs, the dogs' fur, whatever he can get his hands on. His favorite move is to grab his pacifier (which he is totally addicted to) out of his mouth and then scream in frustration when he has trouble getting it back in. He is also a drooling fool--between his drool and his spit-ups we are both pretty much a wet mess. I love his little personality. Just so sweet and full of laughs and giggles--the silliest little things I do will set him off on a good belly laugh. He is still totally enamored with his big sister, though the feeling is not always mutual. (Today, DD insisted that we ought to leave Finn at the park and not take him home with us. When I asked her who would feed and care for him, she said "someone else can." :eek: )

Still no teeth, but definitely teething. And very close to being able to sit unassisted. He can do it briefly, but then slowly tips over.

Mother's Day Not sure. Probably some kind of outing with DH and the kids...maybe the zoo or the beach? I'm afraid the zoo might be packed, though.

Solids We plan to start sometime after he hits 6 months, so we haven't done any yet.

High chair We have a Graco high chair that DD used in the garage, but I am tempted to leave it there and just use the Fischer Price booster w/tray that we have. I much prefer the little booster since it is so much quicker to clean and takes up less space. We'll have to see how big his messes become, though, once he starts to self feed.

Car seat Finn has outgrown his Snugride (too long), so we got a Britax Marathon for him. I have the Britax Roundabout for DD and have been very happy with it. But, since Finn is on the bigger side, we decided to go with the Marathon instead of the Roundabout.

Carriers I am still loving my Moby Wrap as is Finn. I have a bunch of other carriers from DD--ring sling, mei tai, pouch, Bjorn, Kelty, but always use the Moby. When he gets too heavy for the Moby, I will probably look into getting another wrap but with a tighter weave. I just love the versatility and comfort of wraps.

Rubbersoul Ian is so cute!:)

[rosa727]

Just wanted to post that Grady is up to 15 pounds, 6 ounces - still gaining about an ounce a day! He is also at 27 inches, which I think is great! The doctor seems to think his protein intolerance is basically gone (based on the fact that he did OK with oatmeal). He said oatmeal is one of the hardest things for babies with that issue. He also told me to start feeding him fruits and vegetables (a new one every 3 days). He said those are all very easy on the stomach. He said for me to do them 3 times per day and then follow with a bottle or BFing. The reflux is a related, but separate issue. He said that he will outgrow that completely by about a year, but once he gets on his feet it should get a lot better. He stood him up and said he has great leg strength, so I should work to get him standing ASAP. He also told me to put him in the Exersaucer or something like that as much as possible. So I think I am going to get either another Exersaucer or a Jumper so that he will have plenty of upright options.

[Rancid13]

I like everyone's ideas of sleeping in on Mother's Day! Since DH is still out of work, that might be a gift that would work out for us since it doesn't cost $$. :D

Teresita~ I'm so jealous you got to go to Hawaii! My IL's live in Haleiwa. DH and I have decided that we must get out there to visit them sometime this year. Tyler is the same way about grabbing at things as Finn is. Luckily he just learned how to put the paci back in after pulling it out. So now instead of screaming for it while it's in his hand, he just puts it back to his mouth (sometimes backwards) and sucks on it.

Rosa~ That's great news about Grady!! Whoohoo! We need to get an Exersaucer for home b/c Tyler loves sitting up assisted, and loves sitting in the Exersaucer at my parents' house.

[Ilovemygeek]

Daria had her 6 month WBV yesterday and it seemed to go well. She is 18lbs 1oz (90th percentile) and 26.5in long (75th percentile). I always get comments about what a chunky baby she is and it is so annoying. People can be so judgemental! I usually just smile sweetly and say that Daria is perfectly healthy, just curvy :).

She started sitting independently about a month ago and it has made life so much easier! I can plop her on the floor with some toys and actually get things done around the house. It feels so freeing. I do have to be careful though, because she is starting to roll and scoot all over the place. I have to keep my eye on her constantly. The other day I turned around for a second and when I looked back, Daria was trying to suck on our dog that was laying on the floor by her! Luckily our dogs just adore her and are extremely gentle, but I do try not to let her get too close to them without either DH or me right there just in case.

Here are a couple of pics from the earlier this week:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/491672891_3f2f02f3c7.jpg?v=0
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/491672899_129ebf4a0e.jpg?v=0

[rosa727]

Ilovemygeek: What a cute "curvy" baby :) She looks perfectly healthy to me! I totally know what you mean though. My DS has been pretty small all along (although he is catching up now), and I get comments going the opposite way. I just want to tell people - "you know, he has never been sick and he smiles constantly - I t