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

[rosa727]

lilo: Actually, my mom will be watching Grady when we go to a wedding for a couple nights (at the end of July). Kids are not invited and my DH is the best man (it's BIL's wedding), so really didn't have an option with that trip. So maybe if he does well with her, we could consider leaving him with her again. My mom lives far away but has been here every month to visit and helps out tons. She puts him down for naps, give him tubs, etc. She is the type that will follow our instructions to the letter, so that's good. We are also going away for a week at the beach with her and Grady next week, so she will be helping with Grady then. She should be up to date on his routine when she comes to stay at the end of July.

I am thinking that we may just do 2 or 3 nights and keep it to somewhere more local for our anniversary trip. I just feel like we should take a little time for ourselves, especially since we can't do that on a regular basis with dinner out or anything. Although I am excited about being able to go out after Grady is in bed while we are at the beach! He is STTN very well again, so we can just go out while the grandparents stay back at the house.

[AmyE]

ausi Nope, not at all. In fact, I was worried that if I kept trying every day he would actively learn to hate it and it would be that much more of a trial later.

After having him burst into tears two days in a row -with diff foods - at 5.5 months, I left it alone for about two weeks. Tried again at 6 months. Then left it for a week, then at 6months 1 week. If I remember correctly (and I may not), he did eat some bananas the first time we tried that, at 6 m 1 w. I think we might have fed him every other day for awhile, only a few bites once a day. I kept introducing new foods, to see if he's like them, about once a week, but never gave him more than two or three bites if he was unhappy. If he was "ok" or "enthusiastic" I would feed him an ounce or so, and do that food again next. My idea was to get him to learn that food is good, so I would feed a lot of the foods he liked early on. By 7 or 8 months he was eating maybe two "meals" a day, which may have really been about a tablespoon of food each. And some point during month 8 he just started gobbling up everything I gave him and was really happy about it. It was only then that we moved to "real" meals of an ounce and then two ounces of food. Three meals a day happened maybe around 9 months?

I do remember that friends' babies were onto stage 2 foods, and eating the whole big jar in one sitting, or two smaller jars, when mine was still trying to decide if sweet potatoes were edible. LOL

My best advice - FWIW - is not to stress, not to push him, and just make sure he's getting BM or formula. Again, most teenagers don't drink formula, so clearly they all figure it out sometime. I just wanted to avoid "food issues" early, so didn't let him get unhappy for long. He still LOVES broccoli, and now eats super healthy. Not a picky eater at all, which I consider a miracle for a toddler. (But can't say that it has anything to do with how I fed him early on, to be honest.)

[mayham]

Okay, I think I'm caught up now!

Solids – I really like reading what everyone else is doing. I feel like I’m always second guessing myself, since I’m paranoid of not giving DD enough food! From the guideline ellidew posted, DD should be in the 28-30 range for breastmilk, and I think she’s only at 24-26 oz. Here’s our feeding schedule:

5:30am – nurse
10:00 – 6 oz bottle
12:00 – 2.5 oz jar of fruit + 4 tbs oatmeal mixed with 3 tbs water, puffs, water
2:00 – 6 oz bottle
6:00 – 4.5 oz jar of vegetable, puffs, water (just started this, before that we were doing half a big jar)
7:00 – nurse

It’s hard to know what she gets when she nurses… is it safe to assume she gets at least 6 oz like her bottles? Then that would only be 24 oz… Hmmm…. She doesn’t seem to be hungry, and doesn’t wake up in the middle of the night. We were thinking of having daycare start giving her breakfast since we only feed her solids twice a day. Now I’m thinking of NOT doing that since I don’t want her to decrease her BM intake (like mimieliza).

We started puffs a couple weeks ago, and the first week or so, I don’t think she ate a single one. She’d lick them and drop them, and get them stuck to her face. Now she’s good at picking them up and putting them in her mouth and actually eating them! Yesterday I was wondering if we gave them to her too early, since the package says babies are ready for them when they’re crawling. But she never chokes or seems to have a problem. AmyE & mimieliza, good point on the sugars, I should check the label, and probably dial back the amount she gets. I think we were so excited to see her picking them up and eating them, she probably got a lot more than she should have!

DD doesn’t seem to actually drink any water with a sippy cup. She just bites on the valve to get water out, holds it for a second, then lets it all dribble out. We seem to have better success when we use a real cup.

I haven’t had enough time lately to make all DD’s food, so we’ve been trying some jars. I do want to take some time to make a few things to have food cubes to freeze.

Talking – DD says “dada,” and “blah blah blah.” No “mama” yet, not matter how hard I try! She doesn’t connect dada to DH, she just says it all the time.

Skills – She’s been big on clapping for a few weeks, and last week she started to wave. She waves at inanimate objects as well as people 

Teeth – none here yet, but like others, okay with that since we’re still BFing!

Time away from baby – I don’t think I’d have a problem leaving her with her grandparents overnight, though we haven’t tried that yet. Mostly because of BFing. My freezer stash is dwindling and my pumping output at work is terrible, so leaving DD and having to leave bottles of BM that we should be using at daycare is just not something I can deal with right now!

ausi2b – I totally understand this too!
DH and I had a fight about this yesterday, as he wanted to plan a trip for our 5 year anniversary and I just can't imagine how to deal with bringing 100 oz of milk to my ILs that live out of state, and pumping 6 times a day. Doesn't sound like much of a vacation for me!!

Sleep – This is going great for us lately. A couple weeks ago we started sleep training using the Weissbluth book. The first 3 nights were terrible (1.5 hours of crying) then that went down to 25 minutes the 4th day, then 10 minutes the next, 5, and now she barely puts up a fuss before either looking around her crib and entertaining herself, or falling asleep. Thank goodness!! Her naps are still all over the place, so we’ll try to tackle that soon.

I love everyone’s pictures, and it’s nice to hear that everyone is doing so well! We’re definitely at a really fun stage with our babies, and hopefully everyone is getting a little more sleep now too so we can enjoy it!

[ellidew]

We seem to have better success when we use a real cup.


Same here! He just bites the sippy part of the cup and if something comes out he makes the 'yuck! what the heck was that' face. How awesome that your dd took to the puffs so well! Ds gets them into the back of his throat and gags. We've decided to wait to try them again for a while. Personally, i think her bm intake is fine. That was only a 'guideline' that i posted and she's close to the range. My sisters dd always ate a lot more than the guidelines.

[msnicolea]

Drive-By Post--Little Man loves his bath!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/msnicolea/Bath.jpg?t=1182871315

[rosa727]

We just got back from Grady's 7 month doctor's visit. He took his shots very well and is up to 17 pounds, 13 ounces. He now has 4 teeth, but the middle top 2 are coming any day, I think. The doctor said it was very unusual for those side ones to come first.

Grady is sitting great unassisted now. He can sit for a half hour and just play with toys. Of course, he really wants to be mobile, so he usually will lean over and get himself onto his stomach to practice crawling (which isn't quite happening yet). Or he just rolls and rolls and rolls.

He is also really loving "lift the flap books" Now when I turn the page, he goes right for the flaps and opens them up.

Unfortunately, he has not said "mama" again since that day last week. I am hoping to hear it again soon.

We tried the sippy cup one day and he held it in his mouth, but I don't think he was really drinking from it.

I have not given him any puffs yet, but his pincer grasp is really good. He picks things up like that all the time, so I think he will be good with them once we try them. But I am concerned about the sugar too. Can you just do Cheerios?

In honor of 7 months, I had to post a picture of him with his favorite toy. He will play "baby soccer" with it now. DH rolls it to him and he kicks it back - it's so cute.

From today:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a343/rosa727/Grady/IMG_1695.jpg

[Teresita]

Rancid Love the photos of Tyler! He has so much hair compared to my little baldy!

Mimieliza Your DD is gorgeous!

Ellidew I can’t believe how mobile your little guy is! Yikes! It’s been a while since we babyproofed, but is sounds like you have the major things covered—cabinet locks, outlet covers, gates, and moving stuff out of reach. You might consider a toilet lock if he has access to your bathroom. Some people also put rubbery corners on coffee and end tables, though we never did that.

Mobox Great photo—that bib really brings out his blue eyes. He’s so cute!

Delaney That’s wild that Mitchell is already so into walking (assisted). Is your back killing you yet? I remember having a perpetual sore back when my DD was into walking with us holding her hands.

Lilo Hope you had fun on your trip. For solids, we are just doing 1 meal a day, but I think when Finn hits 7 months, I might start in with a second.

Sunshine Happy 6 months to Grace and have fun in NYC!! Grace is so cute!

Ausi2b I don’t blame you for not wanting to do all that pumping for a getaway. I didn’t leave my DD overnight until after she weaned which was when she was over 20 months old! If your DH still pushes it, you could always ask your pediatrician for his/her opinion. Mine cautioned me strongly against leaving DD overnight when she was still nursing since she felt psychologically it might be difficult for her.

Rosa I think if Grady will be left with caregivers who he knows and is comfortable with, like his g’mas, then he will likely do just fine. How you will feel is of course a question mark. But, IMO, a nice getaway with your DH may really make you and your DH feel refreshed and happy and that in the end is good for Grady. I first left my DD overnight when she was 22 months old. I had a 5-day business trip. My mom flew out to watch DD during the day and then DH was here with my mom in the evenings. I thought I would be wracked with guilt and worry since I had never left her before. Well, DD had a blast with my mom. And, I surprised myself and really enjoyed the little escape (yes, even a business trip can seem like a vacation when you have a toddler!) and had little to no guilt or worry. Yes, I called home to check in each day and sure I was thrilled to see DD again when I got home, but I worried much less than I expected since I knew she was in good hands, and I really enjoyed having a little time away from the whole mommy routine.

AmyE I don’t think I realized that you were overseas. How cool! All the differences are fascinating! We have close friends with small children who are in the foreign service and I find it so cool that their little ones will have such diverse experiences at such a young age. (They are now in Madagascar!)

Msnicolea Great shot! He looks like a ton of fun—what a great grin he has.

Solids I don’t think there is any need to feed babies meat for protein at this age since they get plenty of protein (and most of their overall nutrition) from formula and/or BM. I think most things I’ve seen say the earliest they should be given meat is 8 months. I tend toward doing solids more conservatively. I really want DS to get as much BM as possible, so I am going pretty slow with solids. Right now, he just gets one “meal” a day in the evening/late afternoon after his 4:30-ish nursing session. When he hits 7 months, I think I might add another bit of solids around lunchtime. He does love to eat them. He’s loved everything we have tried (bananas, avocado, apples, sweet potato) except for prunes. He still ate the prunes, but made gagging faces. He needed them, though, because he was struggling with pooping.

Cheerios/Puffs We haven’t tried these yet, but IMO Cheerios are fine instead of puffs. After all, I don’t even think they had puffs when we were little. Like puffs, Cheerios dissolve quickly in saliva, and are not a choking hazard since they are so small plus they have the whole in the middle, which in theory can allow air to pass through.

Leaving Baby Since DS is still nursing round the clock (yes, he *still* is up every couple of hours through the night), this isn’t even an option right now. I am going to be in the poor house from lugging my kiddos along on work trips (two this summer alone). Another issue is that we live far from the grandparents, so we don’t really have anyone to leave them with. That said, someday I am looking forward to a kid-free vacation with DH. While we had a great time in Hawaii with DD and DS, we found ourselves saying again and again, “We really need to come back here without the kids!”

[rosa727]

Teresita: Thanks for the advice about leaving Grady. It is nice hearing from someone who has been through it before! I do think it could be very good for DH and I to have a little couple time, but the question is how badly I will miss Grady. Will I even have any fun?

leaving baby: Right now we are thinking of just doing one or two nights in Manahattan when we are up in Staten Island, NY to visit in September. We would leave Grady with my ILs on Staten Island and take the ferry over to Manhattan for a couple nights. Then we would plan a 4 night trip to Mexico for February or so when Grady will be a bit older. Of course, I really want to take Grady to Mexico, so maybe we will just do that after all!

[fms]

I wrote a really long post and stupid me hit the back button. I give up.

I will drop off a photo in lieu of chit chat...B testing out my new office chair:
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/meashcc/062007.jpg

[lilo]

Teresita: Thanks for posting the info. about cheerios vs. puffs. I've been giving DS cheerios for a few days and although he hasn't gotten to actually eating them by himself, I was a little worried about the chocking factor. What's your opinion on wagon wheels? I've seen them mentioned on CC and am wondering if they're worth buying in a few months or not.

[Esq.]

I am still here lurking. :) Carrie had her first pictures done the other day. She did great, and the pictures turned out awesome. I used the same phtographer as Delaney, and I highly recommend her to any Michigan girls.

Here is a link to the dvd slideshow of pictures:

Carrie pictures (www.littlemomentsphotography.net/slideshows/Niemiec/Niemiec.exe)

[ausi2b]

Thanks to all of you that chimed in. DH has calmed down now. He was more upset (and probably justifiably so) that I jumped on him for planning a romantic getaway. I should have been a little more sensative and thankful for him wanting to plan something. When I explained about the BF/pumping issue he totally understood. I think we're going to get a babysitter and do a dinner/movie date instead for our anniversary. I was also upset about leaving DS with my ILs which is a whole OTHER story ;)

AmyE - Thanks again for the solids advice. We're doing bananas this week and it is going okay. He still just won't open his mouth for them though. I just am getting a little tired of nursing 6 times a day, and would like to cut back one feeding if he got enough solids in him. We'll keep trying :)

[sunshine0928]

ESQ - Great pictures!! Your DD did great with all the poses and outfit changes!! I started laughing the pics with her getting upset! They definitely shwoed a great range of emotion and she has beautiful eyes! We're doing 6 month pictures on Sat so I got some ideas. Thanks for sharing :)

[Esq.]

Thank you sunshine! The photographer came to our house, so that really helped a ton. When Carrie started to get upset, I took in the house, fed her , changed her, and when she was feeling better, brought her back outside. It worked really well.

[pacificbliss]

Hi everyone! I get so far behind in here, I can generally read along but rarely got to post. Now I am between jobs so I have some time :)

cute babies the babies in the thread really are so cute. I love how they're all so different too. For example, I have a little baldy and some of the babies (like Tyler) have so much hair!

solids DS loves the oatmeal cereal. He's not a big fan of rice ceral but I have a box so we sneak it in here and there. He likes peas, sweet potatoes and pears. He's not a big fan of bananas. I've never seen a baby that didn't like bananas.

breastfeeding/pumping Pumping is kind of a pain. DS is taking 4- 6 oz bottles to daycare and I struggle to keep up. So far solids have not slowed him down of breastmilk. It's good I guess but time consuming. I pump 4-5x/day and still nurse him at least 3 times/day.

travel I've got some work travel coming up. The first trip he's coming with me but soon I will have to leave him overnight with DH. Pumping and traveling is a double pain in the butt.

sleep we are going to try some form of Ferber this weekend. I hate the thought of it but DS can't soothe himself to sleep. We have 2 issues to deal with, self-soothing and nighttime nursing. He sleeps with us so the transfer to the crib is also happening. I have heard the first few days are rough but it seems like most people have positive outcomes. Any comments you have are appreciated.

Sorry no SO's but I'm going to try and be better about keeping up.

[rosa727]

fms: What a great picture - Brendon is so cute.

Esq.: Beautiful slide show! Your daughter is so photogenic!

pacificbliss: Good luck with the sleep training. I don't have any specific advice, except to be as consistent as possible. And I am one of the people that it has worked really well for, so there is hope :)

[mobox]

Rosa, don't feel guilty about going away. You will definitely miss Grady (I have had two business trips of 2-3 days and they SUCK) but you will enjoy just the alone time with DH. :)

[Nov-Dec2006Mommies]

We're over 1000 posts ladies so our home has been moved...

Nov-Dec 2006 Mommies On Our Way to 1st Birthdays (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1406353#post1406353post1406353)

I'll have a mod lock this thread soon.