January 2007 Mommies - Our First Baby Has Arrived!!!

[Winter Biscuit]

jmvan74 - wow, over 15 pounds already?! Brady is going to grow out of his infant seat before you know it! (Unless you started with a RF convertible seat from the beginning?) Allison also has her 2 month WBV on Tuesday, and I'm expecting her to be somewhere in the 9-10 pound range.

Lucy VanPelt - happy anniversary (belated)! Sorry to hear that BF isn't going that great. I remember my first daughter seemed to want to nurse all.the.time too. It turned out that she was using me as a human pacifier, she refused a silicone paci and never had any interest in sucking on anything but ME. Do you think Katie could be using you as a paci, or if she definitely hungry? Regardless, I'm sorry it's been so challenging. BFing isn't always as easy or natural as "they" say it is, eh?

magdesilver, I totally relate when you say this: But I'm realizing more than ever with this second baby, how each phase is just that- a phase. Things always seem much worse in the moment than they do in retrospect. SO true! Allison has been a little more "high maintenance" (for lack of better phrase) than DD#1 ever was, and some days (or nights ;)) the only thing that keeps me going is remembering that this phase will be over soon enough and that this too shall pass. Heck, parenting a walking, talking, independent 3 year old toddler is no easier than parenting an infant, and sometimes I think parenting a toddler is MORE challenging. I'm trying to force myself to look for the positives when I am at my wit's end with Allison. I keep telling myself that if she turns out anything like her older sister, then DH and I have our work cut out for us ;) so I am trying hard not to let myself go nuts when I am up with Allison for the umpteenth time at night.

magdesilver - 2 months?! :eek: Good luck to you. My DH travels for work quite frequently (2-3 times a month, usually for 1-3 nights at a time) and I find it challenging when he is gone for 2 DAYS. It always makes me wonder how real-life single moms do it every day, 365 days a year. Well, you know what they say...what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. I'm sure everything will be fine, and your DH will be home before you know it!

Zhanna - that Nosefrida thing looks interesting and it certainly looks better than the snot sucker (nasal aspirator). I don't know a single kid that will tolerate the snot sucker. Does the parent suck on one end of the tube to pull the mucus/yuckies out of the child's nose, is that how it works? Is it only available via that website or can I find it at, say, BRU?

Working from home - After I had DD#1, I worked from home on Wednesdays for the first 2 years of her life, and I LOVED it. I loved being home with her (even though I was working), and it was nice for my boobs to get a break from pumping. Working from home on Wednesdays also helped break up the working week for us, and I am convinced that it really helped our BFing relationship thrive since I was able to nurse her on demand all day instead of pumping. Well, there are lots of changes going on at work so I wasn't sure I'd be able to work from home 1 day a week with Allison...but yesterday my boss sent me an email saying that I can WAH :) I am so happy. We have a new VP who I hear is an a$$ so I just hope he doesn't shake things up and make me change my schedule...

[zhannushka]

WB - As far as I understand, Nosefrida is only available on that website - that's where I bought ours. It's definitely much better then the aspirators - you position one end of it right outside the baby's nosdril and lightly suck on the other end - you can control the degree of suction and you don't come in contact with the snot because there's a filter (need to change those each time you use Nosefrida). Joseph doesn't cry when I do it (he used to scream his head off when I used the aspirator!) - he just lays there watching me, wondering why does mommy want to suck things out of his tiny little nose... :)

[jmvan74]

WB: I don't think the infant seat will last much longer...I doubt I'll be able to lift it! :)
Hooray for WAH!


Brady's cold is finally getting better. We hit the worst of it this weekend. He was up every hour to eat b/c he couldn't breathe and was eating like a bird. He had some really gross, mucousy poops, too. Yuck. Other than that things are going well. Hope all the other congested babes are feeling better.

[Alegna]

We survived a birthday party at my cousins house (my daycare) Megan didn't seem to have any type of reaction to the cat. I was worried since I'm alergic.

She'll start daycare in two weeks. :eek: Guess I need to make an effort to pump more. I'd like a bit of a freezer stash before I go back to work. It would be easier if she had a schedule. Right now it seems like she'll wake up hungry right after I get done pumping. It doesn't matter when I do it. :rolleyes:

Hope everybody had a good St Patricks Day.

[mommydearest]

Alegna--same here. I pump and its like she hears the pump and then wakes up!

DD had major poop issues this week--or lack thereof. She hadn't pooped since last Tuesday and every night about an hour after eating, she would grunt and push and scream like crazy. I kept putting it off thinking she would go, but finally today I called the ped and they had me cut off a little glycerin suppository and use it on her. We had success within about 5 minutes. Boy was that the grossest smelling poop ever! But her tummy seems to be better and she didn't fuss at all, even when we were putting it in. I was shocked. I had been dreading it all day, but I waited til DH came home late this evening to help me. I needn't have worried so much!

Adding to the stress is that DD's baptism is on Sunday. I thought we'd have a quiet get-together afterward with a couple family members, but it has turned into a 21 person dinner party. I am totally stressing because family starts coming into town Friday and there is so much to do between now and then. To top it off, AF has returned before my stitches are even healed. I am a hormonal mess and am ready for things to quiet down.

[wine_o_girlie]

Hi y'all, no time to post (Griffin is eating all.the.time) but I just wanted to post a 2 month picture of him that I just took. Hope everyone is doing great!!! :)

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/137438177-M.jpg

[zhannushka]

wine_o_girlie - Griffin is adorable!!! :) Happy 2 months!

[Winter Biscuit]

wine_o - what an adorable little boy you have! :)

zhanna - thanks again for mentioning the Nosefrida - I ordered one! Can't wait for it to arrive!

mommydearest and alegna - just thought I'd mention that I often pump while I am feeding Allison. She'll eat on one side while I pump on the other. It does require some careful orchestration so as not to spill any liquid gold, but it's do-able! ;) I usually pump first thing in the morning when I am fullest.

Allison had her 2-month WBV today. The little piggy is 11 lbs 7 oz. I was surprised, I was expecting her to be somewhere around 9-10 pounds. She got some shots today, but I opted out of the rotavirus one. I'm just not comfortable with that one. Other than that, everything else looks good. She's still a bit congested, but does seem to be doing better. And she STILL has a plugged tear duct, but that is looking better too and doesn't get goopy as often as it used to.

Elisabeth (my 3yo) is really sick - she has a nasty virus plus double ear infections, plus one ruptured ear drum :( It has been exhausting taking care of her while caring for Allison. I think I have been up every single hour the last 3 nights taking care of both of them. To top that off, E is supposed to have her tonsils and adnoids removed next Tuesday, so we're in for another long week next week. *sigh* The joys of motherhood... I keep telling myself that at least this is all happening while I am on maternity leave when I can be home with her. Once I return to work on 4/16, I will only have 3.5 vacation days to use until my vacation bank renews on July 1.

[robyn]

I don't think I've been back to post since I had LJ, but I have been lurking along. I don't know how you girls do it ... I don't feel like I EVER have 2 free hands to type. Or if I do, I feel like I should be eating, doing laundry, etc.

Everything is going great here. I have a pretty good night sleeper (goes down around 10PM and stays asleep till about 5AM, then goes back down until around 7:30 or so) but he's still very inconsistent about napping. I got lucky today because he has been sleeping in his carseat for about 1.5 hours since we got home from running errands. This is almost unheard of here. He will usually only nap in the car, in my arms or in a sling.

I'm taking a stroller-strides type of class and I highly recommend it. It's great to do something physical and not have to worry if the baby cries or anything because everyone there understands! LJ is the youngest, but there is another girl with a 4 month old and she just found out she is pregnant again. Can you imagine???

A couple of pics:
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b210/robynld/DSC_0010.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b210/robynld/DSC_0114.jpg

Glad to hear everyone is well! I will try to get back in the habit of popping in here more often. :)

[jmvan74]

Adorable babes! I love seeing them grow. I need to upload Brady's 2 month pics I took this weekend.

Official WBV stats:
Weight: 15lbs 1oz (95%)
Height: 23 1/2 inches (50%)

My little boy is not so little! LOL! He is such a joy. Smiles a lot and is laughing out loud. He did not like his 3 shots yesterday and cried for some time. He did sleep for 5 and half hours straight last night!:eek: I'm sure it was because he was drained from having his shots, but what a great feeling for mommy and daddy. :) Plus he then slept for 3 hours, so I was only up 2 times last night. Unheard of! He is still having a bit of "slime" in his diapers, but the DR agreed it was most likely a virus and it just needed to clear is system.

[Alegna]

Megan slept from 11pm to 6:30am last night. Too bad the dog woke me up at 4:30. Oh well.

It was 65 degrees and sunny today. Megan and I went out and then hung out at work for a while. Everybody there is in love with her :)

[GardenGirl]

Hey all! I finally have some time to talk. Carter is reliably going to sleep at 9 now. I know it's late, but now that he is sleeping at least 5 hours (I got 8 two nights ago) and half the time 6 hours, I want that to "apply" to my sleep time too. If he goes to sleep at 7 and wakes 5 hours later then I'm up at midnight. But if he goes to bed at 9, that gives me at least until 2am to sleep. That makes a huge difference. THe only problem is that I wake up before that and stare at the clock thinking he's going to wake up any minute. I need to cut that out! The only downside - my boobs are ROCK hard in the morning. In fact the other night/early morning when he slept 8 hours and woke up to eat, I squirted him in the face with breastmilk. He had milk in his hair and in his eye. It was funny, but he didn't think so.

I can't explain how much fun he is now. He smiles all.the.time and loves to laugh and coo. DH is loving it too. Plus he isn't snacking anymore (knock on wood). He is a crappy napper though, I've made a concerted effort to make him nap. He was cranky in the evenings when he didn't nap good, but now he's much better. I've resorted to letting him sleep in the swing for one nap. But I'm hoping he will do better in his crib.

He wants to sit up so bad. If we lay him at a 45 degree angle in our laps he pulls his head forward and shoulders forward and grunts. It's so cute. He would much rather sit up in your lap than lay down like a baby.

I think he has a clogged tear duct. It wasn't that bad at birth and the first 2 months. But now it's getting worse. I even noticed his lid is a little red, but I'm not sure if that is from me wiping it clean all day. Or it could be him rubbing on it. He's found his hands and loves sucking on them. It makes the funniest sound too. And of course he drools everywhere when he does it.

Here are a couple pics - this one is from a couple weeks ago while he was playing with his activity mat. DH brings it out first thing in the morning for him to play on. Carter hasn't started grabbing toys yet, but he punches at them.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j99/terashelton/Carter3-10-07011.jpg

This one was one I took on his 2 month "birthday"
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j99/terashelton/Carter3-9-07060.jpg

And finally one I took this morning. I inserted it because it shows him full length. Most of the shots I'm getting these days are his face because that's where the action is.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j99/terashelton/Carter3-21-07008.jpg

Well off to play hostess (only reason I'm still awake). My BIL is in town. It's DH and his birthday this weekend (they're twins) so we flew him in as a b-day gift for both of them. We've had so much family in recently it's ridiculous. They all said "We'll give you time to settle in before we come" or "We want to wait until all the family comes and goes so we can have you to ourselves." Well, they all waited until now and we are a Holiday Inn. I just wish it were the Holiday Inn EXPRESS!

[magdesilver]

Tera 9:00 isn't a late sleep time for a baby Carter's age. Babies don't generally move their bedtime up to early evening (for most babes, between 6-8 pm) until around 5-7 months old. Carter is a cutie!

[zhannushka]

Tera - We don't put Joseph to bed until 12 - 1 am and he wakes up at 7:30 - 8 am... I know it's not ideal, but - that's the only way DH gets to see him (he doesn't get home from work until 11 pm most days) and the only way DH and I could bathe him together... (usually around 11:30 pm) He does take pretty long naps during the day though (2-3 hours long about 3 times a day), so - he's not ready to go down for the night until late...

P.S. Joseph has the same socks! :)

[GardenGirl]

Zhanna and Margaret - thanks for letting me know. I just have so many friends with older babies who go to sleep around 6 or 7. I just figured it was the norm. Great to know.

He gave me a 6 hour block and then 3 hours last night. Just wonderful! It's like he heard the pediatrician say that its time to extend from 3 hours to 5-6 hours.

[Alegna]

I'm jealous of all that hair.... Megan is still a baldy.

She got a barrette as part of her St Patricks Day outfit, but she didn't have any hair to put it in. :)

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Katie is doing pretty good! She had a weight check at the Newborn Club yesterday and she is up to 9 pounds 12 ounces. She gained over a pound in two weeks so things are finally on track. What sucks is that I still have to give her formula. My milk supply just isn't enough to sustain her. I am taking 40 pills a day to help with supply and it's just not enough. *sigh*

She is starting to show more personality as well. She smiles and is fascinated by her symphony in motion mobile when I put her in her crib after she gets a diaper change. We still have her in her co-sleeper at night, but I put her in the crib while I sort through her laundry, empty her diaper pail, etc. She loves it in there! That mobile is baby crack!

Here are a couple of pics!

http://lh4.google.com/image/bradandginger/RfzNinEx29I/AAAAAAAABas/lXuRNn-ti3w/IMG_4832.JPG?imgmax=640

http://lh6.google.com/image/bradandginger/RfjEQHEx25I/AAAAAAAABaA/TT_ueDweHvI/IMG_4828.JPG?imgmax=800

I'm jealous of all that hair.... Megan is still a baldy.


Katie is pretty bald too...she has some fluffy red hair, but I think it's getting thinner...or she just has daddy's hairline! :p

Hey all! I finally have some time to talk. Carter is reliably going to sleep at 9 now. I know it's late, but now that he is sleeping at least 5 hours (I got 8 two nights ago) and half the time 6 hours, I want that to "apply" to my sleep time too. If he goes to sleep at 7 and wakes 5 hours later then I'm up at midnight. But if he goes to bed at 9, that gives me at least until 2am to sleep. That makes a huge difference. THe only problem is that I wake up before that and stare at the clock thinking he's going to wake up any minute. I need to cut that out! The only downside - my boobs are ROCK hard in the morning. In fact the other night/early morning when he slept 8 hours and woke up to eat, I squirted him in the face with breastmilk. He had milk in his hair and in his eye. It was funny, but he didn't think so.


We usually put Katie down when we go to bed which is between 11pm-12am. She wakes up around 4am. I get up, feed her, pump, then go back to bed around 5-5:15am. Unfortunately, I have a hard time going back to sleep and as I am starting to nod off (6:30am), Katie usually wakes up again!

[GardenGirl]

Ginger - Carter has the same mobile, his is the Sounds and Light. He absolutely loves it. It shuts off after 20 minutes and I have to run back in and turn it back on or he gets disgruntled. It's a life saver for this age.

[zhannushka]

We have the Tiny Love mobile as well - ours is the Symphony in Motion barnyard. Joseph absolutely loves it - sometimes I think he could stay in his crib all day watching it if I let him... :)

[wagsgirl]

Hey everyone!! I am so far behind it's not even funny! I took a look at the last page and everyone's babies are growing up so quickly!!!

Rogan is 2 months old today. I can't believe it. He's really fun now and the kids love interacting with him. Smiling and cooing all day long!

We had some family pics taken last Friday for Greydon's 2 yr shots and Rogan's 6 weeks...

The family:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/wagsgirl/47b7dd37b3127cce82162a4e105a0000000.jpg?t=11746117 08

Just Rogan:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/wagsgirl/47b7dd37b3127cce82159f07b1350000001.jpg?t=11746117 36
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/wagsgirl/47b7dd37b3127cce82159010f1bd0000006.jpg?t=11746117 63

And here's one from about a week or so ago, too.

Trying to focus......trying to focus......
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/wagsgirl/47b7dd30b3127cce8276de55da1f0000002.jpg?t=11746118 14

Aaaaah. That's better!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/wagsgirl/47b7dd30b3127cce8276df0b9ad90000001.jpg?t=11746118 39


He has his 2 month WBV tomorrow, but he was weighed last week and is up to 12 lbs 7 oz from 8.13 at birth! This boy LOVES to eat! And it's doing me some good, too! I've lost 50lbs since the day I gave birth! WOOHOOOOO!

I promise to keep up better. Rogan's getting on a much more predictable schedule now, thank god!

rebedtime: Rogan goes down about 9 as well. It works for us. Any earlier and he wouldn't be sleeping as late. He's going from about 9-1, then waking and eating, then til about 4, then 7 or 8. For me, that's good. Especially with nursing. I don't expect much better at this point.

[GardenGirl]

Tonya - Great photos. I'm so glad you posted your family pic. DH has been begging me to have a family portrait of the three of us, but I wanted to wait until DS could sit up by himself before I hired an expensive photographer. So I compromised and scheduled a sitting with Picture People in the mall (where DS's one month photos were taken). Then in a few months I'll get a photographer for some outside/garden shots. They do white backgrounds at PP and I've been wondering what the heck I'm going to wear. The pastels on top look good in your photo, we might do the same.

Carter has just turned the 2 hour mark for his morning nap in his own bed! No more morning swing naps, YEAH! I'm so lucky he can put himself to sleep. He is really getting a good routine and sleeping great at night. I too can't expect anything more right now.

Question for BTDT moms - how old was your DC when you put them in an excersaucer/jumperoo? I'm thinking 4 more weeks and DS will be just shy of 4 months and will be ready. What do you think? I've heard some babies are ready at 3 months. What are the signs he's ready.

[Elenna]

wagsgirl: Good photos. I love the crosseyed photo. It is really cute when our babies do that.

bedtime: I'm guess I'm not as bad as I thought I was. I start the bedtime routine for DS around 10pm. Some days he goes right to sleep. Others he fights it until midnight. His night time sleep routine isn't consistant, yet. For 3 nights this past week he was up pretty much every hour all night long. Mostly he'll give me 2-3 hour stretches fo sleep. I'm really, really wanting him to start that fabled 5-6 hour stretch of sleep at night.

[jmvan74]

Tonya: What a beautiful family you have! :)

Bedtime: We put Brady down when we go to bed between 9 and 10, but he's usually been asleep for an hour by then. He sleeps from 8 to 11 or 12 and then is up 3 hours from then. Some nights he's still up every 2 hours, though. Ughh.

exersaucer: I put Collin in his when he was about 3 and half months old. He had excellent head control and wanted to stand all the time, so it worked out well for us. I know some studies show it can delay walking,etc...but Collin walked at 10 months, so it wasn't an issue for us and I am counting the days until I can put Brady in it!!:D

[Winter Biscuit]

Allison is 2 months old today :) Mental note to self: must take some 2-month photos...

Allison had her cardiologist appt yesterday (she was 11 lbs 11 oz at the cardio, so she had gained approx 4 oz since her ped appt on Tuesday!), and they did an EKG and then did an ultrasound on her heart. To refresh your memory, her ped detected a heart murmur when she was 1 week old and wanted us to get it evaluated. DD#1 was born with a hole in her heart, so they wanted to play it safe and make sure Allison's murmur wasn't anything serious. Good news - the ultrasound and EKG confirmed that it is nothing to worry about. The cardio confirmed that the murmur is due to PPS (peripheral pulmonary stenosis) which she said is very common in newborns, but I have never heard of anyone else that has this. I'm just glad it's nothing to worry about and that she doesn't need continuous monitoring like DD#1 does. The ped had assured me that she didn't think it was anything serious, but it's still nice to have the "official" confirmation from the cardiologist.

Tonya - I agree with the others, what a beautiful family!

exersaucer: we have one and did use it with DD#1 sometimes, but my personal rule was "only in moderation." (The time we DID use it didn't delay her ability to walk either - she was walking when she was just shy of 8.5 months :eek: ;) ) The instructions for our exersaucer warn that it is only for use by children at least 4 months old who can hold their heads upright and it also says "DO NOT use until baby can sit up by themselves." IIRC, most babies don't start sitting up unassisted until they are about 6 months old, so I think "when" to start using it is a personal choice. I am still undecided on whether we will use it for DD#2...partly because of the things I have learned about exersaucers since we had DD#1 and partly because it takes up so much dang room! ;)

bedtime: Allison has been going down around 9pm. She wakes up around 11 or 12 to eat, then she goes back down until about 3am. She wakes up one more time around 5 or 6am for another meal, then she usually sleeps another hour or two. I am excited because we put her in her crib the last 2 nights (she has been in our bed co-sleeping with us and/or sleeping in a bassinet right next to our bed since birth) and it went very well. I was even able to put her down in her crib awake but drowsy last night, and she put herself to sleep with no fussing! It's only been 2 days, but I so hope this good luck continues. Time will tell...

Hair/bald: I'd love my baby to have a full head of hair, but I think my girls take after their daddy ;) Allison was born with quite a bit of dark hair, but most of it is in the back so she still looks bald when you look at her from the front since there's not much on the top or sides! And she has already given herself a huge bald spot on the back of her head from rubbing her head back and forth in her bed. Most of DD#1's hair fell out by the time she was 3-4 months (she was born with DARK hair and it grew back BLOND!), so I'm curious to see if that happens to Allison too!

Gift overload confession: I am so overwhelmed by all the gifts we have received since Allison was born. Don't get me wrong, I sincerely appreciate how thoughtful and generous so many people have been. But I have to say it...I feel like we just have TOO much stuff, namely clothes. DD#1 was born in December, and Allison was born in January. I am expecting that 99% of DD#1's clothes will fit Allison during the "right" seasons. We probably won't need to buy Allison much at all (but of course I know I will anyway - who can resist buying cute baby girl clothes?!) We have been given SO many outfits for Allison that I am starting to feel guilty because I know that she can't possibly wear/use that many outfits. 99% of the outfits that we got for Allison are summer outfits in size 6-9 months. I know I can exchange some for a different size, but most people didn't bother to give us a gift receipt so I'm not sure how easy it would be to try to return or exchange them. I don't think I'm going to cut the tags off any of her new outfits and wash them unless/until I KNOW she will wear them. So that brings me to the $64,000 question: what to do with outfits that she might not end up wearing given that we have SO many of them PLUS all the outfits from DD#1 that will fit her?? Is it really horrible for me to even entertain the idea of donating them to charity or - gasp - regifting them? :o

[mommydearest]

Excersaucer--We use it now in moderation. I prop receiving blankets around the front and sides of Abby to keep her from falling over and have a textbook under her feet so she's not just hanging there. She can hold her head up really well and the seat comes up pretty far if she needs to rest it. She loves being able to look around and will stay in it for about 20 minutes or occasionally more.

Bedtime--We are still struggling with this. It doesn't matter when we start. I had been doing 10, but last night, I tried starting at 9:00 and we rocked and rocked until I gave up at 11:00 and put her in the swing so I could get stuff done. Lately she seems to always go down about 12:30 no matter what.

[zhannushka]

Tonya - Beautiful photos!

exersaucer: We don't own one and I don't think we'll be getting one... It takes up a lot of space, which we don't have. We did get a walker as a gift, so - we'll be using that instead.

hair: Joseph has had lots of hair ever since birth. I actually fear that we may need a haircut pretty soon... :rolleyes:

gift overload: I am so with you on this one, WB! We have so much stuff (especially clothes) - I'm seriously running out of room! And they still keep coming! :eek: I also feel horrible, because there's so much Joseph didn't even get to wear - I already put away a big bag of newborn and 0-3 months clothes, which he doesn't fit into anymore (about 1/3 of that has never been worn!) I am holding on to everything though, since we're definitely planning to have more children.

Joseph is getting so heavy (we don't have a scale, so - I won't know exactly how heavy until his 3 month doctor's visit) - even DH noticed it the other day... He's been eating 30 oz of expressed BM a day (6 oz every 4 hours, except for nighttime - he actually sleeps from about 12 am to 8 am.)

He's so much fun now - laughing, cooing, "talking" to his mobile toys. He is REALLY good at entertaining himself - sometimes I feel like he doesn't even need me (other then to feed and change him) - he can literally spend 3-4 hours in his swing or bouncer, just laying there, looking around and napping...

We are taking him to take passport pictures next week! DH and I decided to go to Europe in October (my family owns a timeshare in the south of France) and we're taking Joseph with us!!! :D Even though everyone here thinks we're crazy, we are very excited about this!

So, it looks like I'll be staying home at least until the end of summer, when Joseph is about 8 months old, maybe even longer. I am sure that by then, I'll be really wanting to go back to work, at least part-time. ;)

[mommydearest]

Zhanna--travel while you can. Once they hit school age, it gets so much more difficult! I think it sounds fabulous, though I'd be happy to go anywhere... I guess I'm daring, but to me, kids are portable and with good planning, you can do almost anything.

[quest]

First of all, all of your babies are SO CUTE! OMG, it's insane...you just want to jump through the screen and squeeze them!!

We're doing okay here. DS got his first set of vax...I declined the roto one and my ped was fine with that. He started life at 25th-ish percentile for weight and height and is now at 75th percentile! He's a little chunk! Despite having a cold in there where he was coughy, snorty, etc....he loves his lipil! lol :)

I was planning on starting him on cereal soonish because he drinks so much so often (DD started at 3 mos.), but wanted to wait until he was done with his cold, done with his first set of vax, etc. But I was happily surprised to find that when I told my ped he was eating at least 30+ oz. a day...she said that while she usually recommends starting cereal later...the baby often guides you to that decision, and it was okay to start him on it now. I can't wait, we're going to try tomorrow, and we're hoping it will help with his reflux (a mild case), although it may not make any difference.

We're supposedly going to get some warmer, dry weather this week...I can't wait! I mean, come on, it IS Spring now!!!

[Winter Biscuit]

Just swinging by to drop off some 2-month pics:

Full of smiles:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/434998383_0834a39e5c.jpg?v=0

Laughing:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/154/434998329_50b9632f9b.jpg?v=0

Back later - it's going to be 75 degrees today and I don't want to miss one second of it :)

[richards2]

I haven't posted in a little while but I have been reading all of your posts. I have very little time to do things with a 19 month old and a 3 month old.

Isabella is gaining weight and doing great. She is up to 12 pounds 6 ounces. Not bad for being two months early. She seems to be catching up developmentally also. She is starting to do a lot more each day.

Everyone here has cute babies and I am glad to hear everything seems to be going well for you all.

Here are some pictures of her sister and her we had done.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/435482759_6c88bc8cbd.jpg?v=0

I love this one
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/435482775_1931c41a44.jpg?v=0

Isabella
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/435497765_210d7a687b.jpg?v=0

Lilianna
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/435497873_2a91959a04.jpg?v=0

[zhannushka]

WB and richards2 - Your daughters are beautiful!!! :D

[GardenGirl]

Great pics ladies! We are doing family photos on Sunday - I must figure out what I'm going to wear. Yikes!

I think DS is in a growth spurt. He is sleeping more the last few days. He took a four hour nap, with a 10 minute break in there. I was shocked. Ask me what I got done during that time period - pretty much nothing. I kept thinking, "Don't start a project - he's sure to wake up any minute now." He also took his normal one hour nap around 6 and then went to bed at his normal 9. Maybe he was just exhausted from all the company we've had, just like his mama.

Off to eat some oatmeal while he's playing with his mobile. I swear, that thing is the only reason my house is clean. He just loves it.

[wine_o_girlie]

Hey all, I think I may finally have a minute to post - that is if the little guy stays asleep in the swing. Griffin is in his 10th week and everything is going really well except for daytime naps are very inconsistent. For the last 2 days he took a 2 hour nap in his crib in the morning from 10-12 and I was soooooo hoping that trend would continue but it came to a screeching halt today. :( I tried for over an hour to get him down but no dice. I finally gave up and brought him downstairs and put him in the swing and now he's napping. Oh well, I guess taking a nap in the swing is better than no nap. He's sleeping really, really well at night so I am trying not to sweat the daytime lack of naps and constant nursing.

Bedtime: Griff has slept exclusively in his crib at night since he was 3 weeks old and we learned around that same time as well that he really needed a much earlier bedtime than usually for a teeny baby. He was very cranky in the evenings and once we figured out to move up his bedtime, "magic" happened and he started sleeping through the night.

When he starts getting fussy sometime around 6:30 we immediately take him upstairs, dim the lights, change his diaper and put on jammies, and my husband feeds him a bottle of 2oz. pumped milk and 2 oz. formula (luckily I only have to supplement that one bottle per day with formula). He sucks down that 4 oz. in no time and then I nurse him. :eek: It seems like a ton of food for a 2 month old but it seems to work for him. He is swaddled and in his bed by 8 p.m. and he sleeps until around 4:30 a.m. When he wakes up I feed him and re-swaddle him and he's out again until 7-8 a.m. It's a fabulous schedule and I feel so lucky that he sleeps so long at night, my husband and I actually have a little time together in the evenings. Since he sleeps so long at night he eats all.the.time. during the day but it's starting to space out a bit which is nice.

Back to work - I'm going back to work on May 1st and I'm actually looking forward to it. I feel like a freak of nature saying that but it's true. Of course I will miss him so much but I am so bored at home and I really enjoy my job. Am I the only freak? I am really concerned about pumping enough for him since my boobs seem to hate the pump but I'm slowly trying to build up some reserves in the freezer.

Development - Griff is getting so cute and learning to do so much new stuff, it's really great. He's always had excellent head control and now he's getting really good on his tummy with pushing up and getting his legs in the air and trying to roll over. He looks at himself in the mirror of the gymini and sometimes tries to grab the hanging toys. My most favorite thing though is his smiling. I love, love, love when he smiles, especially in the morning when I go to get him out of the crib. It makes my heart melt.

He's starting to stir, so I better go soon but I just wanted to post these pics first of my little guy:

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/137438160-M.jpg

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/138916341-M.jpg

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/138916385-M.jpg

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/137434366-M.jpg

[Alegna]

I must say, this thread has the most adorable babies EVER!

It figures, the weather has been beautiful and I have to go back to work next week. Sunny and in the 70's. I even had to break out some shorts.

Oh well, at least I'll still have mornings off. Now I just need Megan to go to sleep earlier at night so she doesn't sleep the morning away. I was reading to her from Your Baby's First Year Week By Week and it said that she should be getting 14-15 hours of sleep with about 10 of those at night. Well, she must have understood what I said, because after that she started sleeping from 11pm till 7am, eating and then she's been going back down till 10am. I'm loving the big blocks of sleep, but I've got to be at work at 11am. It's not really going to be much fun if she spends all the time I have at home sleeping. And it's REALLY not going to be much fun if I have to wake her up to take her to daycare. I'm going to try to shift her sleeping to a bit earlier at night.

Megan has really good head control when sitting up. But she just hates tummy time. She'll lift her head every once in a while. But mostly she just rubs her face on the blanket crying or she'll find her hand and just lay there sucking on it. Oh well. Maybe she'll like it more at daycare. More things to look around at.

[zhannushka]

wine_o - Griffin is a cutie!!! :)

Angela - We have the same problem with tummy time. He's really great at holding his head when sitting up or sitting in the Bumbo (I've put him in there a few times), but he hates tummy time - he just buries his head in the blanket and cries. :(

Here's a picture of Joseph in the Bumbo:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/zhannushka/3rdmonth.jpg

And here's his 1 month vs. 2 months picture:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/zhannushka/1st2nd.jpg

[mommydearest]

Everyone's babies are so cute!

Today we had our 2 month visit--Abby is 9 lbs 11 oz. and 22 3/4 inches. She was so cute cooing on the table before the doc came in, and just as the door opened, she got seriously bad gas and was MAD!!! She screamed for an hour. Quite literally--the kind where they stop breathing and scare you half to death. She is still having poop issues and they had to stimulate her, which only made it worse. Last time she went 8 days before we gave her a suppository and this time I let her go until the visit and it was 9 days. That thermometer will never be the same! We are starting prune juice tomorrow.

I really love the docs in our practice and each time we go, it reinforces how much I like them. I was worried because I didn't want to do the rotovirus vaccine and was afraid they would try to pressure me into it or something. Well, my doc's practice won't even give it--for the same reasons I wasn't comfortable with it. She told me that if I want to go to the health dept. I can get it, but she personally isn't comfortable with it for her own children since it is so new and will not give it in her office. Hooray! I lost so much sleep over it and it was all for nothing.

Besides that, things here have settled down from her baptism this weekend. It turned out great! Here is a pic of Abby and I with my BIL and SIL, who are her godparents.
http://65.26.185.135:8080/albums/Baptism/100_2216.sized.jpg

[Winter Biscuit]

I must say, this thread has the most adorable babies EVER!

You said it better than I could have :D

Zhanna - cute pics of Joseph - he is getting so big! I have to tell you - I got my Nosefrida thing and it WORKS! My DH is/was very skeptical and told me he thought I wasted my money buying it. This is gross and a little TMI but the first time I got a HUGE wad of snot out of Allison's nose, I had to run to show DH what I was able to retrieve so he could see how well it works. :p It's definitely much better than the bulb aspirator (which never worked for us)! Thanks again for mentioning it - I use it every morning when Allison wakes up and I always manage to get a lot of junk out, which helps her breathe better.

mommydearest - you look fabulous :) I'm glad to hear Abby's baptism went well - we are planning Allison's baptism right now - it is scheduled for Sunday April 15...the day before I go back to work. Time is running out, I've got so much to do!

wine_o - you look great too, and Griffin is such a handsome little guy. I love all that hair at the back of his head!

tummy time - Allison doesn't care for it much, either. She used to tolerate it for about 5 minutes before she'd complain, but now I'm lucky if I can get her to do tummy time for 2 minutes. She has pretty good head control so I'm not too worried.

sleep deprivation - My 3 year old had her tonsils and adnoids removed yesterday so last night was probably the worst night we've had since we brought Allison home. We had to wake DD#1 up every 4 hours to force her to take her medicine (which she hates), then Allison would be up. It was a vicious cycle. I think I was awake every hour last night. This is the first time since Allison was born where I have felt completely sleep deprived. And of course, now that both girls are sleeping, I should be napping too but noooo, I'm on CC instead :rolleyes:

[Alegna]

Well, with the new bed time and Megan sleeping through till morning, the boobs can't wait that long. So that problem I was having last week about not being able to find the time to pump solved itself. I pump before I go to bed and usually get about 9 oz. So the freezer stash has been building all week. I'm still trying to figure out how much to send to daycare with her. I know she'll eat at least once. It's only going to be for 6 hours. But since we don't really have a schedule it's hard to know when she'll eat and who knows how much she eats at a time. Boobs don't come with oz markings. :)

I'm sure we'll get it all figured out soon enough.

Now to just find a monitor that works from her room to mine and she can start sleeping in her crib.

[mommydearest]

Alegna-

We have the fisher price private connection dual monitor. So far, it works great. I like that the parent units are rechargable battery powered, so I can carry it around the house, but don't have to buy batteries. I also like that it has two parent units--we keep one in our room and one downstairs in the kitchen.

[Winter Biscuit]

Allison slept from 10pm until 6:30am last night :eek: Let's just say that my pump got a good workout this morning...

Alegna - hooray for building a freezer stash! Re: how much EBM to send to daycare, it's always hard to figure that part out, especially if you nurse on demand vs. having a more structured feeding schedule. Like you said, boobs don't come with oz. markings! I thought I'd share that when DD#1 first started daycare, I sent four 4-oz bottles of EBM with her each day (she was there from 7am to 3pm some days, and 8pm to 5pm other days). I found that 4-oz per bottle was enough, and eventually I increased it to 5-oz bottles when she was around 5 or 6 months old. Every baby is different, but I'm willing to bet that 4-5 ounces per bottle will be enough for Megan at first. I am planning on sending 4-ounce bottles of EBM with Allison when she starts daycare in a few weeks. The question I need to figure out is, how many bottles to prepare. I'm going to send more than I think I'll need at first, and if she doesn't take all the bottles, we can use whatever she doesn't drink the following day.

[magdesilver]

Haven't posted in a bit. Things here are fun and hectic. I am getting used to being a single mom for the time being. It is hard but we are dealing with it, I just try to keep very busy and not think about it too much!
Ethan had his 2 month appt. on Tuesday. He's a chunk! 13#, 1 oz. The same weight as DD at 4 months! :eek:
He nurses like a champ but he wants to nurse all the time pretty much. We are dealing with it though, and it is getting better little by little. The ear infection has cleared and we started Prevacid for possible reflux yesterday, but it takes 2 weeks to kick in so we'll see.
We were supposed to fly to Florida this morning, but literally as we were heading out the door I decided to check on the flight status and it was cancelled!! We are rebooked for tomorrow. I am so glad I didn't drive all the way to the airport and find out. But I'm still peeved about the whole thing, I spent hours packing and getting ready, bought a new stroller and carseat to make it more manageable (both kids have their own seats and will be in their carseats), we were up early and dressed and ready to go and then....nothing. Ugh! And tomorrow is my MIL's 60th birthday party that DH, me, and BIL are throwing her but only I am going out of the 3 of us. So she is trying to reschedule the party to Sunday or next Saturday so I can be there. Just stinks all around.
Anyhow, here are a few recent pics:
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h15/nfowife/kids/DSC05001.jpg?t=1175275231
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h15/nfowife/kids/DSC049541.jpg?t=1175275216
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h15/nfowife/kids/IMG_0544.jpg?t=1175275114

[mommydearest]

OK--I need help. DH is driving me bannanas. On the weekends, every time I start nursing DD to put her down for a nap or to bed at night, I go in the nursery and shut the door. About the time DD falls asleep in my arms, he always opens the door (which squeeks), comes in, and starts talking to me. The dog usually follows him in. Of course, she wakes up and then my boobs are empty and she is wide awake, usually screaming because she is exhausted and mad there is no milk. I keep telling him not to come in and that she will never fall asleep with him in there, but he does it anyway. Then, when I finally get her asleep and in the crib, she isn't a very sound sleeper and wakes up after 20 or 30 minutes and starts fussing. He then goes in and picks her up and starts talking to her. Once you pick her up, she won't go back to sleep. Usually I silently put the binky back in her mouth and leave or just let her fuss for a minute and she goes back to sleep. So far today, she's slept a total of 40 minutes in 8 hours. Usually it would have been about 4 hours if he was at work. I have tried to let him put her back to sleep, but she screams and screams until she has a boob in her mouth. I'm going to kill him.

Doesn't it seem that a closed door means "STAY OUT"???? I have tried to be nice about it and gently ask him to leave. Then I started saying straight out "She is never going to go to sleep with you in here." But I am to the point that I am going to have to lock the door.

Does anyone else's DH do the same thing? Anyone have a nicer way of putting it? I'm happy that he wants to help with DD, but she is miserable and tired, and it is totally frustrating me to hear her scream.

[zhannushka]

Kristen - You look great! I totally hear you on DH issue - my DH doesn't seem to understand that if he comes home at 2 am and the baby is sleeping, it's NOT OK to come up to him, wake him up and try to play with him! :eek: Thankfully, we have a really good sleeper, so - if this ever happens, he does go right back to sleep, but still!

WB - I am so glad that Nosefrida is working well for you! :)

Angela - YAY for the freezer stash! I really have to start working on mine...

Margaret - Your kids are adorable! :D

I can't believe this - Joseph has completely grown out of Pampers Swaddlers size 2. :( We've been getting major blowouts for the past two weeks, so I gave in and bought a pack of Pampers Cruisers size 3 this morning... - what a difference! - we haven't had to change an outfit all day long! ;) I can't wait until our 3 month pedi visit next week to find out how much he weighs now!

[lindzgirl]

Zhanna~ I am amazed at how little time DD will spend in size 2's at the rate she is going. I had a diaper shower and I don't think I will be able to use all the ones and two's in time. Will pry have to exchange or something. I can't believe that size 2s have only a 4-6 pound growth room, while size 3s it seems she will be in forever.

Madgesilver~ I love your kiddos pics. You all make a very nice family. The curly hair is adorable!

Mommydearest~ I hope that things calm down with your little one soon. I am sorry that I can't offer any help on the subject. I will be thinking of you and hope that the problem gets resolved soon.

Daphne is sleeping really well, 7-8 hours every night and I am so glad. She is a terrific baby. Things going smoothly are a nice switch from a rough pregnancy. Hope everyone else is doing well! Plenty busy I am sure.

Does anyone have advice on a good breastpump? I tried the advent manual but couldn't get the darn thing to do anything. Are battery operated better? I don't want to spend a tub of money either. Just one I could use if in a pinch. Thanks ladies!

[Alegna]

Well, it appears that Megan doesn't want ** to go back to work tomorrow. Since Friday night she's had a runny nose and cough. I don't think daycare will take her with a runny nose.

DH is freaking out. I keep trying to tell him it's just a cold but he's really upset about her being sick. I'll probably call the doctor in the morning and see if I can get an appointment just to make him feel better. I'm not really appreciating him questioning my parenting skills. Especially since he hasn't bothered to read any books, magazines, or websites about babies.

[Alegna]

I'm all for April Fools jokes, but this is just annoying. I think I'm just going to wait until tomorrow to read any other threads.

[mommydearest]

Breast pump--I have an Ameda Purely Yours. It is the same as the Lansinoh one at Target/Wal-Mart. It gets the job done. I would buy it over the one at Target just because I like the bag that doesn't scream "BREASTPUMP" and it has the nice little cooler that fits down inside. But if *** don't care about carrying a small cooler and buying your own bag, *** could save some $$ and just get the Lansinoh one. I bought mine at the hospital gift shop because it is a non-profit co-op that does a lot of nice things for breast cancer patients, but *** can find the Purely Yours online for cheaper.

[GardenGirl]

I'm all for April Fools jokes, but this is just annoying. I think I'm just going to wait until tomorrow to read any other threads.

are you talking about all the astericks in the text? they are getting on my nerves. also, I noticed that "love slave" appears where "D-H" would be ...

[Alegna]

are you talking about all the astericks in the text?

Yep. I wanted to read a message board. Not solve a puzzle. ANNOYING!

Well I took Megan to the doctor this morning. She has RSV. Yep, I'm officially the worst mom ever. :o I thought it was just a cold. I really only called the doctor because DH wouldn't shut up. The doctor was surprised it was RSV. She thought it was just a cold too. So Megan now has a nebulizer and gets breathing treatments 3 times a day. So much for me going back to work today.

I've left a message with work. The doctor said RSV is usually a two week illness. I don't think I have that much vacation time left. I guess I'll just take the FMLA for the full day. It sucks because it will eat up the time at the end of the year. I'll have to go back to full time a lot sooner.

Oh well, whatever it takes right.

[gmooter]

Haven't checked in for a while. 2 kids really keeps you busy! Gabe had his 2 month WBV today and he's HUGE!!

14 lbs 11oz
25.5 inches long

He'll catch his sister in no time. Grace is 19 months old and only weighs 20 lbs!! Here's a picture of my cute guy:

http://images.costcophotocenter.com/349877268%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E2327%3D3%3A5%3D54%3C%3DXRO QDF%3E23237%3C%3B6%3A4275ot1lsi

He's doing pretty good so far with sleep. He goes down for the night around 8:30pm and then wakes to eat at 6:30am and then goes back down until 8 or 9am. He takes about 3 naps a day and is so happy! He smiles and coo's so much! Hope everyone and their little munchkins are doing well!

Gretchen

[GardenGirl]

I feel like crap. I can't keep anything down, not even Gatorade or water. I had a fever this afternoon, but the Tylenol brought it down. I have a doctors appt in the morning. I hope they can give me something to help the nausea/vomitting. I also hope they tell me whats going on. It's probably just a stomach bug/flu, but I want to make sure it's nothing that can hurt Carter.

He hasn't been eating as much the last two days, I think his gas is really bothering him. He passes gas all.the.time. Sometimes he wakes up screaming in pain during his naps. He's alot better today with the gas. The only other thing bothering me is he normally has 3-4 dirty diapers a day. Or at least 2 big ones. But the last 3 days, it's been maybe one a day. The one this morning was tiny. I know its normal for babies to go a couple days, but that's not normal for him, yet.

We'll get checked out tomorrow and see whats going on. In the meantime I'm back to bed. I truly feel horrible!!

[zhannushka]

Tera - So sorry to hear that you are feeling so horrible! :( Hopefully, they will give you something that helps at the doctor's appointment tomorrow. I hope you feel better soon!!!

On your diaper issue - about 2-3 weeks ago, Joseph started pooping only once a day. Prior to that, he had a dirty diaper each time I changed him (about 5-6 times a day). At first, I was worried crazy, thinking that he's constipated. But - he's been doing just fine - no fussiness, no crying. I'm assuming that something has changed in the way he digests food and we'll be getting only 1 diaper per day (at least until we start solids.)

[GardenGirl]

Thanks Zhanna! I'm feeling tons better today. Looks like it was just a 24 hour thing. But I'm still going to keep my dr appt just in case. I have a really bad dehydration headache, but it seems the Gatorade I had this morning is staying down so I think I'm on the upside.

Carter had the HUGEST dirty diaper this morning. It's like he was working on it for 3 days!! We had to use no less than 10 wipes to get him clean. It was hilarious. He just gave us this huge grin as he sat there getting cleaned up. I think you are right Zhanna, he's down to one dirty diaper a day. I'm glad he isn't constipated or uncomfortable though.

[zhannushka]

Thanks Zhanna! I'm feeling tons better today. Looks like it was just a 24 hour thing. But I'm still going to keep my dr appt just in case. I have a really bad dehydration headache, but it seems the Gatorade I had this morning is staying down so I think I'm on the upside.

Carter had the HUGEST dirty diaper this morning. It's like he was working on it for 3 days!! We had to use no less than 10 wipes to get him clean. It was hilarious. He just gave us this huge grin as he sat there getting cleaned up. I think you are right Zhanna, he's down to one dirty diaper a day. I'm glad he isn't constipated or uncomfortable though.
Glad to hear that you're feeling better today! :)

Yep - when Joseph started having only one dirtly diaper per day, that one diaper became the hugest mess as well... Because I know the approximate time of getting a dirty diaper, I always make sure to put him in my least favorite outfit during that time of the day, just in case of a blowout. :rolleyes:

[Alegna]

well, I took Megan to the ER last night. Her breathing got really fast. Well over 60 breaths per minute. They've admited her. She's on monitors and some oxygen. Her lungs and ears are clear. She's just having some trouble breathing right now. They say once she's able to slow it back down to a normal rate she can go home. She's still eating well, so no IV yet.
There is internet in the room. But it's on the tv and super tiny text. And no mouse. Have you tried navigating the internet without a mouse? What a challenge.

DH is freaking out. We lost my dad 3 years ago, his mom 2 years ago and his grandpa last year. He's not a big fan of hospitals. Especially after seeing dad and MIl on life support. He doesn't even want to see Megan on oxygen. iI think he actually threw up last night because he was so upset.

But on the bright side... work gave me this week off paid sick family. So I don't have to use up the rest of my vacation or go unpaid with FMLA. We'll see how long this lasts and what happens next week.

[zhannushka]

Angela - I'm so sorry to hear that Megan is in the hospital.
I hope her breathing stabilizes very soon and you can take her home!

[Winter Biscuit]

Anyone have a nicer way of putting it? I'm happy that he wants to help with DD, but she is miserable and tired, and it is totally frustrating me to hear her scream.

So sorry you're dealing with this. It can be so hard in the beginning when everyone is learning how to care for a baby. It sounds like your DH just hasn't "gotten" the part about being totally quiet when you are nursing and trying to put the baby down yet. Do you have any magazines or books you can show your DH that says something to the effect of, "Do NOT talk to your baby or turn the lights on or pick her up unless she is crying (not just fussing)?" I find that sometimes if I can show my DH a paragraph from a book or magazine article, it sometimes helps him understand what I have a hard time getting him to understand.

Alegna - I am so sorry that Megan has RSV! :( I hope she is feeling better soon. Let us know how she is doing. And you are NOT a bad mom so don't beat yourself up. Unfortunately these things just happen, and there was probably no way you could have known if she only had some cold symptoms.

GardenGirl - sorry you caught a bug but glad you are feeling better. I had a 24-hour bug at the beginning of March too, it was awful. My 3 year old caught it the next day, and then my DH caught it. Allison is the only one who didn't catch it, thank goodness. Hopefully all the wonderful antibodies from mommy's milk will keep Carter healthy as well :)

zhanna - I laughed at your comment about putting Joseph in your least favorite outfit in case of blowout. I used to do that with DD#1 too :D

lindzgirl re: breastpump - I have a Medela Pump in Style Traveler. I personally like it a lot, although I know many people who really like the Ameda Purely Yours. And YES, the battery-operated ones definitely work much better than a manual pump! I know they have different types of battery-operated ones depending on how often you plan to use it. My friend who is a SAHM had a battery-operated Medela that cost significantly less than my PIS - it was perfect for her because she only used it when she needed to, but didn't pump on a daily basis like I did.

gmooter and magdesilver - great pictures!

We're getting ready for Allison's baptism on April 15. Allison tried on her big sister's baptism gown yesterday so I could make sure it fits (it does - whew!). Here she is in her gown:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/249/444035660_8951ac408f.jpg?v=0

[Winter Biscuit]

Alegna - you posted while I was still typing my last reply. I am so sorry that Megan was admitted :( Stay strong and take care of yourself. I can only imagine how hard and stressful it is for both you and DH. I'll keep you all in my prayers. Know that she is in good hands and that your little angel will be better and back home in no time. I am also glad that your work is so understanding. Please keep us posted on how she's doing.

[zhannushka]

WB - Allison is just precious! - she looks gorgeous in that gown! :)

[jmvan74]

Angela: So sorry to hear about the RSV. I hope Megan is home soon. :(

Tera: Glad you are feeling better and Carter "got it all out". :D

WB: Allison is adorable and that gown is beautiful.

Margaret: What is holding Ethan up in the bathtub? Great pics!

Gotta go baby crying..

[magdesilver]

Julie It's called a daphne bath seat. I love it! It's a must-have for bathing 2 at once when one is an itty-bitty.

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Angela - so sorry to hear about Megan! I hope she gets better soon!

Tera - Glad to hear that it was just a 24 hour bug and you are feeling better!

Everyone pics look great!

I have the Ameda Purely Yours pump and I am pretty happy with it. Well, I can't blame my supply issues on it, but it works pretty well at draining my boobies when I use it! LOL

If DH kept coming in and waking up Katie, I would just hand her off to him and let him deal with getting her back to sleep. Maybe that will teach him to let her sleep! :p

Katie is doing pretty well. I do wish she would sleep longer at night though. We had one good night a couple of days ago. She slept from 11pm until 5am. I was so excited. However, she has reverted back to her waking up every 2-3 hours. I am just exhausted beyond words.

I went to the doctor yesterday and she thinks I might have an ulcer. Lovely. She said for sure that I have a bladder infection which is weird. I don't feel any of the signs of the infection, but I am taking a round of antibiotics anyways.

Here are some recent pics...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/chellichik/katiesmiling.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/chellichik/LucyandKatie.jpg

[zhannushka]

Ginger, that picture of Katie and Lucy is just too cute for words! :) I have a small dog too (toy poodle), but I'm so afraid to let him come that close to Joseph. My dog has a history of snapping (he's snapped at me once or twice and even bit me once!), so - I try to keep him away from the baby. :( I think we may take him to obedience classes soon, just for our peace of mind.

[Alegna]

Thanks for the good thoughts. Other than the runny nose and fast breathing you wouldn't know she was sick. She's smiling and cooing as much as ever.

And just like when I was pregnant with her, she doesn't like monitors! They are having a heck of a time keeping her oxygen sensor on. And everytime she moves her foot it sets off the alarm because it drops the reading down too low.

I suggested duct tape but nobody is listening to me. Apparenlty they like listening to the alarm go off every 2 minutes.

[Lucy Van Pelt]

Ginger, that picture of Katie and Lucy is just too cute for words! :) I have a small dog too (toy poodle), but I'm so afraid to let him come that close to Joseph. My dog has a history of snapping (he's snapped at me once or twice and even bit me once!), so - I try to keep him away from the baby. :( I think we may take him to obedience classes soon, just for our peace of mind.

Lucy is the exact opposite. We have to watch her to make sure she doesn't maul Katie with kisses. She follows us around all day and, if Katie starts crying, she gets a little anxious trying to fix what is wrong or something. Oh yeah - she also thinks Katie's pacifiers are great doggie toys...:rolleyes:

[zhannushka]

Lucy is the exact opposite. We have to watch her to make sure she doesn't maul Katie with kisses. She follows us around all day and, if Katie starts crying, she gets a little anxious trying to fix what is wrong or something. Oh yeah - she also thinks Katie's pacifiers are great doggie toys...:rolleyes:
That's the thing with our dog - he is also very affectionate, kissing us all over, following us around, trying to sniff the baby, etc. Thing is - he can snap very unpredictably at any time, for no reason (the one time he bit me because I jerked my foot and he was laying on top of it, so - he bit it!) And with Joseph waving his arms and legs around so much, I'm afraid that the dog may snap at him as well. :(

[mommydearest]

Alegna-- <<<<<<<<<<<<<<HUGS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[lindzgirl]

Hello ladies! Thank you for all the advice on the breast pump. That sure helps. We are just back from Daphne's 2 month appointment and everything looks good for the most part. She weighs 10 LBS and 9 OZ. They did send us to get her head x-rayed because of her bump from delivery with the help of the vacumn. It calcified and so they want to make sure that everything is okay. I sure hope so.

Lucy- I hope that your little gal starts sleeping longer for you at night. I will think of you tonight, I think Daphne might be up and fussy because of her shots today.

Alegna- Sending you good vibes hoping your little one gets better soon.

[GardenGirl]

Ginger - I'm sorry to hear about your ulcer. I hope they treat it will. With your bladder infection, I never knew I had had the two I had until they diagnosed me and gave me antibiotics.

Angela - I hope Megan is doing better. Do you have an update. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers. You sound like your dealing well with it though.

Linzgirl - DS ran a fever for the first 24 hours after his shots. The Tylenol worked, but I learned after the first dose lapsed that I needed to give it to him right at 6 hours and not wait because his fever came back. He wasn't real fussy but did whimper in his sleep. It was the most pitiful cry/whimper. It broke my heart. He actually slept okay that night but his naps were off for the next couple days. Good luck with your DD.

I'm back to 100%. It truly was just a 24 hour bug. Amazing really. I was very dehydrated though. I still don't think I've got all my fluids back, but I'm trying.

We are making our first long car trip this weekend. I'm going to visit my grandparents near Austin (about 3 1/2 hours from here). I've made my list and it's long. Carter has really started interacting more, so I'm bringing his activity mat and toys. My grandmother is probably going to pee on herself when she sees DS, she's so excited!!

Oh - he just woke up. Gotta run

[Alegna]

We're home! Megan's no worse for the ware. Her cheeks are a bit irritated from where they had the oxygen taped. I'm sure she'll be pretty happy about not getting a rectal temp taken every 4 hours.

Now I'm sick. I handed baby off to DH and took some sudefed and went to sleep. I'm feeling a bit better now. I'm just trying not to give it back to Megan.

Figured I'd drop off some photos too.
I don't look sick do I?
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h83/baby01_2007/IMG_3545.jpg
Home from the hospital
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h83/baby01_2007/IMG_3564.jpg

And one with our dog from a while back
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h83/baby01_2007/IMG_3168.jpg

We have a rat terrier. She's a whopping 17lbs. She hasn't really noticed the baby yet. She'll walk by and sniff her every once in a while. And I've caught her licking a burp cloth or two before. But other than that it's been a pretty peacefull coexistence.

[Alegna]

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h83/baby01_2007/IMG_3519.jpg

Megan's a big fan of ConstantChatter. :) (from last week)

[zhannushka]

lindzgirl - YAY for a good appointment! Do you have results of the x-ray yet? Hope everything is OK!

Tera - How exciting about going to see your grandparents! Have a fun and safe trip!

Angela - Megan is too cute! Glad to hear that she's home and doing well. I hope you feel better soon! Love that CC picture - Joseph gets his share of CC as well... :p

The WBV yesterday went very well. Joseph is 14 lbs 1 oz and 26 inches long (I think we may be raising a future NBA player over here... :) ) He got 2 shots and only cried for about 2 seconds. No fever or fussiness later, so - I didn't have to give him any medication at all. The ped suggested that we start giving him baby cereal 2-3 times a day. So, starting last night I've been adding 2 tablespoons to his night bottle and the same to his morning bottle. He seems to really like it! Here are a few pics:

Trying cereal for the first time
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/zhannushka/3rdmonth032.jpg

Tummy time (what a difference from before - he's actually holding up his head now!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/zhannushka/3rdmonth031.jpg

[mommydearest]

Zhanna-- You might check a little online if you have some free time (what's that???!) about starting solids. AAP and many other groups say to wait until at least 4 to 6 months because it reduces the risk of allergies. Here is some info from Kellymom.com and the What to Expect book
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/solids/index.html
http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/ask-heidi/month-3/rice-cereal.aspx
http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/week-16/solid-foods.aspx


This is totally off topic, but...
My brother's long-time girlfriend Tarin volunteers at a school for deaf children in Minnesota. The Timberwolves are having a contest for a $10,000 grant which her school really needs. To help them, all you have to do is go to http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/index_main.html and on the right hand side near the bottom is the Fan Appreciation logo. Below it, click on "Click Here to Vote" Please vote for Northern Voices. Thanks so much!!!

[lindzgirl]

Hi ladies! Just to update you. The doctor called yesterday and said that they needed further pics of Daphne's bump. I was in Target exchanging diapers and just about fell apart when she called. It is not fun to hear that your baby's head needs to be examined again. We went to the hospital for the ct scan yesterday and so far the good news is that Daphne's brain is ok. So no brain surgery. Her scull is thin in 2 places and so the neurologists are being asked for their recommendations. If she has to have surgery we will have to do it before she is 1 and we will have to do it up in Seattle. We are praying for no surgery. Lets just say I am a little rattled right now. I shopuld hear more today.

I hope you all are doing well. I didn't get a chance to read up on everyone so hoefully I can soon. Alegna~ I am so glad that your little gal is better. It is a very scary to have anything out of the ordinary happen. I think it is harder on us mommies than them sometimes.

[mommydearest]

Lindz--We'll be thinking of you and DD today. I hope they find all good things for Daphne.

[zhannushka]

lindzgirl - I'm so sorry that you have to go through this! I hope that you get more good news and no surgery will be needed! I will be keeping you and Daphne in my thoughts...

Kristen - Thanks for the links! I did specifically ask my pedi whether it's not too early to start cereal and she said that it's not. I believe it all depends on the size of the baby and how often they eat. Joseph now eats every 5 hours and sleeps through the night, so - it's only 4 feedings/24 hours. He eats 6 oz at each feeding, which makes up for 24 oz daily, and based on his size, that's just not enough calories intake for him. I only add 2 tablespoons of cereal twice a day. We also started giving him freshly squeezed apple juice mixed with water (2 oz total) once a day about 3 weeks ago. So far - he's been liking it and we haven't had any problems. I should mention that my pedi is originally from Europe, and even though she went to med school here as well, a lot of her methods are influenced by the European teachings.

ETA: I just did a bit more reading (the links Kristen posted), called the pedi and we decided that I won't feed him cereal for now (all those reasons AGAINST feeding baby cereal before 4 months make perfect sense to me!) So, I'll just add another 6 oz feeding instead, for at least another month... Thanks Kristen! :)

[magdesilver]

zhanna- I was also going to suggest waiting on cereal, and also not putting it in a bottle. When your DS has the signs of readiness to eat solids (cereal, or whatever- you don't have to start with cereal), is when you should start. Cereal in a bottle is a choking hazard and if they aren't old enough to eat it off a spoon, then you might want to wait until they are a bit older and able to do that. DD started at 6 months, didn't really care about it until 7 months, and is a great eater and self-feeder. I really believe a big part of that was that I waited until she was ready and followed her cues. :)

We are here on vacation in Florida, it has been a great trip and we fly home tomorrow. Not looking forward to flying back with 2 kids by myself, but the trip out here wasn't that bad (it was actually pretty good, just very tiring for mommy). I am ready to get home and back into our regular routine also. I'll post some pics when I get home and pics uploaded!

[Alegna]

Did anybody get thir little ones an Easter basket? If so what did you put in it?

She's so little, I have no idea what to get.

With Megan being in the hospital I haven't really had time to do any shopping. I think we might make a quick trip to the mall for a pic of her with the Easter Bunny and then I might leave her home with daddy while I hit up Walmart for a gift or two.

[wagsgirl]

Easter baskets: I got Rogan one. I bought a bath book from Little Einstein and a chocolate bunny (for dad). That's it. His siblings are getting alot more ;)

[Winter Biscuit]

I got Allison an Easter basket, but it's not quite as full as her older sister's ;) I just got her a board book, a pack of socks, and some candy (for me and DH ;))

She's obviously too young to know the difference, but I got the basket more for her sister than anything. DD#1 is pretty concerned about equality these days (guess I should enjoy it while it lasts, eh?) I just know that my 3yo is going to be asking where Allison's Easter basket is and whether the "Easter Bunny" forgot about Allison, so that was my primary motivator when I picked up a few things for Allison. ;)

To those who are celebrating - Happy Easter!

[wagsgirl]

Happy Easter Everyone!!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/wagsgirl/easter07.jpg?t=1176044514

[Alegna]

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h83/baby01_2007/easter.jpg

[GardenGirl]

Happy Easter everyone. We are back from visiting my grandparents. Here's a shot of him enjoying his loot. My mom did an Easter basket for him with lots of candy (for DH), a nursery rhyme book, a "real Easter story" board book, and a swimsuit, hat, and shirt from baby Gap. My grandparents got him some cute rattles and candy for us.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j99/terashelton/Easter2007028.jpg

The trip was beyond believable for me. He slept the ENTIRE drive up there (3 hours) AND the entire drive back. I just have two words for my drive up there, "Breast Pads." We got about 15 minutes away and I look down and my shirt has a 4 inch wet circle on it. It was ridiculous. Thank God it was cold, so I could throw on a jacket while it dried. He was an absolute gem the whole trip. I fed him a bit more frequent than usual (once I arrived) just to keep him real happy. He's interacting alot, which makes for lots of fun for family. We were going to stop and take his pictures in the wildflowers on the way home but it was 36 degrees. In Texas!! It was sleeting last night. I couldn't believe. He didn't get to wear the cute (not too mention expensive) smocked outfit I bought for him to wear today. Instead he wore a sweater it was so cold. I think I'll make him put it on in the house tomorrow and I'll take his Easter photos then.

The inlaws are coming on Thursday so I have to get ready for them. What a chore.

Well off to unpack. We were gone a total of 29 hours from home and we filled half a Suburban. It's crazy how much stuff we took. But it was worth it. I definitely don't the next trip out of town now.

[Alegna]

My goodness, what a haul for such a little guy. Just wait till next year when he's old enough to realize the stuff is for him. :)

Megan got an outfit and a glow worm. She's been laughing and talking to it all afternoon.

[GardenGirl]

Yeah, my mom goes overboard, to say the least. DS is the first grandchild on both sides so he is/will definitely be spoiled.

[Alegna]

Megans the first on my side too. My mom and aunt are already planning their garage saling strategy. My aunt has created a notebook of things people want and is on the look out. On DH's side, the youngest is already 6 years old. So it's almost like they are starting over on the spoilage.

Well, today is my first official day back to work. It wasn't too crazy. I'm sure I'll get the hang of everything in a few days. I just got done with pumping in the conference room. I asked my coworkers if they minded or if they wanted me to walk all the way to the medical department (where the mom rooms are). Nobody seemed to care. So I'm just staying here. I'll walk over there if someone has an issue. Saves about 10 minutes.

I'm trying not to stare at Megan's photobucket webpage too much. :)

[mommydearest]

Today is also my first day back at work. I was trying to be strong, but I had to call at lunch and check on her. DD had been sleeping through the night 11:30-6:30 all week and suddenly this morning was wide awake at 4:30. But at least when I called, she was happily having tummy time and being cute. Luckily, our school webserver filters out DH's website or I'd be on it all day. I got one of those bags with picture slots in the front instead.

:) Hope everyone has a good Monday!

[Alegna]

Megan was wound up yesterday. I guess all the excitement of daycare got to her. She was wide awake, kicking and talking until midnight. And even then she fought going to sleep. No evening nap at all. She might have closed her eyes for 10 minutes or so.

She got up at 6am to eat and went right back down. Of course, now here it is 9am and she's still out! Oh well. Guess I'll eat some breakfast and get our bags packed. I'm just going to have to start shifting her bed time earlier at night.

[gmooter]

Good luck to all the mom's who headed back to work today!!

Just dropping off some pictures:
http://images.costcophotocenter.com/349945%3B84%7Ffp64%3Dot%3E2327%3D3%3A5%3D54%3C%3DX ROQDF%3E2323833957892ot1lsi

http://images.costcophotocenter.com/349945%3B54%7Ffp67%3Dot%3E2327%3D3%3A5%3D54%3C%3DX ROQDF%3E2323833957674ot1lsi

[zhannushka]

Good luck to everyone going back to work these days! We decided that I'm going to stay home until the end of the summer, so - I'll be joining all you WOH mamas in a few months! (I'm actually getting very excited about that :) )

gmooter - Gabriel is such a little man! Love the Bumbo pic! :D

[Alegna]

Work cracks me up.

I was responsible for sending out orders before I went on leave. One of the 2nd shift guys came in early and took over for me. Everything was supposed to go back to the way it was when I came back. Now that I'm back they've decided he's going to continue to do it till the end of the year. Ok, so now I've got nothing to do. :confused:

And the kicker today.... I had a file cabinet in my stock room. I kept the window decals and plastic signs in the drawers. At some point in the last 3 months the cabinet got locked. And instead of calling me and asking about the key or maintenance to get it unlocked they just ordered new decals and signs and have been shipping those instead.:rolleyes: I didn't even have the key. It was in the lockbox on the wall.

[wine_o_girlie]

Well we had an exciting milestone at my house this week - Griff rolled over from tummy to back! The best part was that he did it for the first time while both my husband and I were watching him. :)

Getting ready to flip:

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/143188014-M.jpg

Action shot:

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/143187837-M.jpg

Daddy giving him kisses after his "accomplishment":

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/143187920-M.jpg

Whew, success!:

http://thegarnerfamily.smugmug.com/photos/143188087-M.jpg

[Alegna]

Way to go Griff!

Megan has made some big improvements with her tummy time. She still doens't like it much, but she'll lift her head and look around. (Probably trying to figure out how to escape)

[zhannushka]

All the babies are just adorable! :D

Just wanted to drop off Joseph's 1st - 3rd months progression pics. He's becoming so chubby - I'm loving it! :) We're definitely not even close to him being able to roll over yet, but - he has been getting better at tummy time as well. He's also been very vocal lately - if he's not sleeping, he's constantly cooing (he talks to us, to his toys, to his hands, etc.) Here's my chubby boy:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/zhannushka/1st2nd3rd.jpg

[GardenGirl]

Zhanna - boy he's grown! Carter has too. I pulled out one of his outfits he wore those first few weeks and held it up to him, geez he's grown so much. I weighed him (with clothes and diapers) and he was just an ounce or two over 13 pounds. That is double his birth weight! He was 6lb 9oz at birth, and 6lb 1oz at discharge. Insanity!! He's also 3 1/2 inches taller now. I just can't believe how much he's grown. Plus he's starting to put together syllables now and interacting with his toys and us. He's my pride and joy.

Gotta run, he's up from his nap

[Elenna]

wine-o: Congratulations on Griff's roll over! Was he surprised or happy with the roll over? Lee's reaction to his first roll over was surprise. He just layed there wide eyed looking like "What happened?!?" I love that blanket Griff's on. Where'd you get it?

bumbos: I've never seen these before, but a lot of you have them. Where did you get them and do you like them?

zhanna: The progression shots are nice! Good idea! He sure has grown.

Lee's been very vocal. He's said "Mom" once and "I want boob" once (DH heard these too so it wasn't my imagination). Other than that he's very good at conversations. I repeat what he says back to him and he responds with more words ("la"s, "agee"s, "bah"s, and such). He's also very ticklish. It is a guaranteed way to get him to smile.

QOTD: hands: Lee is very good at sucking on his thumbs and putting objects held in his hands to his mouth. But he isn't studying his hands and isn't swiping at the toys dangling from his activity gym. I'm getting a bit concerned about this. Are your DC's noticing their hands?

[gmooter]

Elenna, I love the Bumbo. Got it at Target for around $30 when I had DD. We used it for many different things. 1st, it helps strengthen their head when they are this young. I also sat my DD in it when i started her on solids. She was too small for the highchair so the Bumbo worked great. It was also very portable so if we were going to the IL's I could take it there for feedings.

Had some pictures taken of Gabe. Here are my favorites:
http://display.lifepics.com/imgdisp.asp?ForceRefresh=61529&filespec=%60foxhxd8eyex59nw%5D89%3F%3D%404A%5Erjur bMWJg6949k%7D2tso%0B51%3A%3F%3E9%133825%3A%3A
http://display.lifepics.com/imgdisp.asp?ForceRefresh=61529&filespec=%60foxhxd8eyex59nw%5D89%3F%3D%404A%5Erjur bMWJg693%3Cprs%811rrl%0A799%3D%3B4%112517B9
http://display.lifepics.com/imgdisp.asp?ForceRefresh=61529&filespec=%60foxhxd8eyex59nw%5D89%3F%3D%404A%5Erjur bMWJg696%3Ek%7D2tso%0B51%3A%3F%3F6%133825%3A%3B
http://display.lifepics.com/imgdisp.asp?ForceRefresh=112813&filespec=%60foxhxd8eyex59nw%5D89%3F%3D%404A%5Erjur bMWJg697%3Ayut8mxi%0E17%3C%3E4A%0C8251%3A%3E

[zhannushka]

Elenna - Joseph has noticed his hands, because he's constantly looking at them and talking to them, but - he still hasn't managed to pick anything up with his hands. I was trying to get him to hold a teether, but he just drops it every time I put it in his hand. :confused:

Bumbo - We bought ours at BRU. But I've also seen them at Target, Baby Depot and Walmart.

gmooter - Gabe is too cute! :)

DH and I took Joseph to the pedi today - he developed a runny nose over the past few days (not just congested, but actually runny). :( He's also been sneezing more then usual. The pedi said that because he constantly puts his hands in his mouth, his upper gums are swollen, which affects his sinuses and causes congestion and runny nose. He doesn't have a fever and his lungs sound clear, so - she said that he doesn't need any meds. She told me to put a few drops of my BM in his nose and to put strong chamomile tea on his gums about 5-6 times a day. It was so funny - while the pedi was checking him out, he started smiling at her and then laughing outloud. :D

[GardenGirl]

Hands - Carter is constantly sucking on his hands. He just started picking up one of his toys, it's a rooster whose wings crackle. But he hasn't grabbed anything that hangs in front of him, i.e mobile, toy bar... He will only play with it if I place it on his lap.

Bumbo - we have a knock off bumbo we got at BRU. It's a Bebe Pod from Price Lionheart. He likes it and I love it. He is always trying to sit up, so this helps me out. Plus it helps me take pictures of him where he's not lying down.

Zhanna - what an interesting diagnosis. I would never have thought of that. Glad he didn't need any meds. I'll have to keep that in mind if Carter ever gets a runny nose.

Off to entertain the ILs.

[Alegna]

Well, bouncy seat #2 bit the dust. I got the Fisher Price Rainforest bouncer as a shower gift. Once I got it put together and put the baby it in the toybar made a really loud grinding noise. So loud you couldn't even hear the music. So I returned that one and got another. It worked well for a month or so. Much quieter. But now the little lizard guy who pops up making a clicking noise. Almost like the gear is slipping.

I called Fisher Price and they are sending me a new toy bar. They said it's a known problem. Such a problem the toy bars are back ordered till the end of the month. I should get my replacement around the first week of May.

Oh well. The customer service rep was extremely nice and didn't give me any hassel at all. You've got to like companies that understand customer service. :)

Bumbo~ I've got my garage salers out looking for a good deal on one. Plus I saw one on craigslist I emailed about. We'll see if it's still available.

Megan is always chewing on her hands. She can't quite get the thumb to work so she likes to suck on pointer. She ends up gagging herself a lot. She got a clean bill of health from the doctor yesterday. The RSV has cleared up. She was 11 lbs 13 oz. She's finally outgrown a few of her 0-3 month and newborn clothes. But most still fit. It's so hard to buy ahead for her since I don't know if she's going to get a big growth spurt or just stay small. There is a huge indoor garage sale tomorrow. Mom and I are going to go and I'm sure I'll buy more stuff she doesn't need! Oh well. I guess I can always just look at it like this... the more clothes she has the less often I have to do laundry :)

[jmvan74]

Bumbo: I borrowed one from a friend. I've seen them in target and at BJ's though. Brady really likes it. I sit him in it and read him stories. :)

Hands: Brady is all about sucking on his fists. He is drooling like a maniac because of it. He's not holding on to anything except for my fingers yet, but he does reach for the toys on his playmat and is able to push the toy bear on his swing to make it spin.

Pictures: So many beautiful babies!! I love seeing all of the pictures. I am hoping to upload the nearly 100 pictures I have on my camera this weekend. I'll share then.

Angela: Glad Megan is back to good health. It's good to know fisher price is so accomodating. ;)

Zhanna: Sorry to hear about Joseph's runny nose. Poor guy. Brady has been congested since birth. It's actually starting to worry me some.

wine_o: Way to go Griff!


Brady is over 16lbs now and so alert. He just loves to smile and laugh. It's such a refreshing change since my oldest was colicky and inconsolable. I haven't had any obvious dairy in a week and am seeing a positive change in Brady's BM's, but he's still spitting up and gagging. I honestly don't think I can give up ALL dairy, even hidden forms, so we'll just deal w/ it. He doesn't seem too bothered by it and isn't fussing, so we'll just see. I need to make an appt. w/ a new ped this week, though. I really don't want to take the boys back to our other DR. We just aren't on the same page. Brady finally got a pretty good daytime routine going on, but still not sleeping more than one 3-4 hour stretch. I am one tired mama.

[magdesilver]

Julie I think we have the same child, seriously. You might want to have his ears checked. Ethan is on his 2nd double ear infection! We think it's from the congestion that just keeps hanging around and won't go away. The dr. says it's not in his lungs, but his upper airway/nose. I suction the kid all the time but I can't get to the congestion. Ugh. I just feel like we are headed towards ear tubes with 2 ear infections already, in just 6 weeks (first one dx at 4 weeks, and now this one dx at 10.5 weeks). Also Ethan has one good block of sleep per day- it's 4-6 hours which is awesome, and goes from about 7:30- midnightish. Usually I start him out in the swing and then put him in the cosleeper or bring him into bed with me when I go to bed around 10:30. I am really trying hard to get him to sleep in the cosleeper but sometimes he wakes up when he's in there and then I bring him in bed. DH is gone right now so it's not a biggie but I want him in the cosleeper 100% by the time he gets back next month. Also the prevacid for reflux seems to be helping with sleeping longer. I skipped it for one night on vacation and he was inconsolable the next morning, I felt bad but it did confirm it was working!

On a fun note, Ethan rolled from tummy to back last night! DD didn't do this until after 6 months, so I'm surprised! But he is much more active than DD in terms of kicking, stiffening posture, wanting to "stand", etc. which I know can lead to earlier gross motor development. He is also a major fist-sucker and drooler and will make that lip blowing sound a lot too, which provides even more drool/spit. He's pretty much in all 3-6 month clothes and about 14 lbs. now. He is way outgrowing DD at this age!

Any RO's having a harder time losing weight/getting back in shape this time around? I have much more loose tummy skin this time around. I guess I will have to do some sort of abwork because this bad boy isn't going to go away by itself. Sucks! I am back at pre-pg weight but don't fit in my pre-pg clothes, and still want to lose about 10 more lbs. from this weight.

[Alegna]

The indoor garage sale was pretty boring. Not a lot of infant clothing. Plenty of larger toddler sized stuff though. I picked up a few things. Mom and I drove around town. There were a few neighborhood having sales and we stopped at 10 or so sales. I scored a good deal on some peek a blocks. I got the wagon, the cube, the nesting set, noahs ark and the circus set. I also found some soft books.

I packed away some of her 0-3 month clothes today. I'm sure they'll be more as I try to dress her this week. Kinda of sad. I'm considering heading over to Target and seeing if they still have my favorite outfit in the bigger sizes. :)

[jmvan74]

Oh no! Sorry to hear Ethan has another ear infection, Margaret. I was just saying to DH that I thought Brady could possibly have an ear infection. He's so mellow though. I plan on calling the new ped office on Monday and seeing if I can get him in this week. I'll feel so bad if he has an EI and I didn't even know. Collin is on his 4th EI since January and the ENT thinks he's probably had fluid the whole time. Luckily, it's not affecting his hearing yet. We'll see how he is after this round of antibiotics and then discuss tubes. :(
Good luck getting Ethan in to the co-sleeper. Brady is in his crib now. His long stretch is from 7:30-8:00 to 11:00-12:00, too! I usually end up bringing him in bed w/ me between 4 and 5am. :rolleyes: At that point I'm too tired to make the 10 foot trip across the hall. :p
Hooray for rolling over!

Angela: Yeah for some deals!

[zhannushka]

Just wanted to let you know that I got a 20% off Children's Place web code, if anyone shops there.
The code is: SMNM47.

[Alegna]

Well the post pregnancy hair loss has started. Yikes. I'm losing handfulls at a time. :eek: I guess it's working out. Just in time for the weather to get warmer. :)

[zhannushka]

Well the post pregnancy hair loss has started. Yikes. I'm losing handfulls at a time. :eek: I guess it's working out. Just in time for the weather to get warmer. :)
Same here. It's getting really annoying - my hair is everywhere, all over the house! :eek:

[katmg]

Username:Katmg
Me: Katherine, 27
DH: Jim, 32
EDD/Actual Birth Date:January 4, 2007
Predicted/Actual Gender:Girl
Baby's Name: Charlotte

I was a late December momma to be but DD hung on until we evicted her on the 4th. ;) I'm finding that the Nov/Dec. thread has most of the babies way ahead of Charlotte in terms of development, sleep, etc. Thought I would join in here sometimes if it's okay with all of you!

Looking forward to meeting some fellow 2007 babies! :D

[zhannushka]

Hi Katherine! - You and Charlotte are very welcome to join us! :D
I'll add your stats to the front page in a little bit. :)

[jmvan74]

hair loss: Me, too. I'm clogging the tub drain. :o

Welcome Kat! I guess you missed out on a tax break. :p

[Winter Biscuit]

Any RO's having a harder time losing weight/getting back in shape this time around? I have much more loose tummy skin this time around. I guess I will have to do some sort of abwork because this bad boy isn't going to go away by itself. Sucks! I am back at pre-pg weight but don't fit in my pre-pg clothes, and still want to lose about 10 more lbs. from this weight.

Yes! :mad: :( Most of the weight came off (all except 5 pounds - which I hope/expect to drop once I stop nursing) but things definitely "shifted" this time and I am not the same size I was pre-pg. I went back to work today and I actually had to go shopping last week for an entire new wardrobe because my old clothes don't fit me :( I am a full size bigger than I was before I had Allison, even though I gained less weight with her than I did with DD#1. And yep, there's more loose tummy skin this time around. I hate it; it sucks BIG TIME!!

Welcome katmg, of course you can join us, no need to even ask! :)

Zhanna - I saw your posts in other threads about being able to nurse Joseph again -- hooray on BFing again!!

Alegna - I had to pack away some 0-3 outfits too, and it made me sad because we are 99.9% sure that this is our last kid. I'm not ready to pack away outfits that my sweet little baby has outgrown!

Hooray for the babies that are rolling over already! That is amazing!

Back to work - today was my first day back to work. It went well, and it was nice to go back (although I DID miss my girls, of course!) and the morning was a bit chaotic. I woke up at 5am (nothing new - Allison is usually up at 5am to eat) and had to be showered and dressed, grab breakfast, and then have both girls up, fed, and dressed so we could all get out the door by 6:30am. We made it out the door at 6:35am, so not bad for our first day! We did "dry runs" at daycare last week, which I think really helped. On Monday, I spent 2 hours there with Allison so she could start getting accustomed to the sounds, sights and smells of daycare. On Wednesday I dropped her off for 4 hours, then Thursday she was there from 7am to 3pm (same time DD#1 was there) while I went shopping. The caregivers loved her and Allison handled everything really well except for the fact that she wasn't too interested in the bottles of EBM. Last Thursday she only took 2oz the whole time she was there (I sent 12oz). My mom and DH have given her bottles of EBM before with no problem, but for some reason she wasn't too willing to take them at daycare. I'm not sure if the environment was too distracting and stimulating or what. I know it can take some time for an exclusively BF baby to get used to a bottle, so I am not too worried. I'm trusting that it will take some time, but eventually we'll be OK. I figure she'll eat when she's hungry OR maybe she'll start reverse cycling (which I really hope she DOESN'T do - i don't want her feeding all night!) What I WAS upset about, though, is the fact that last week they dumped out over 10 ounces of EBM when she wouldn't drink it. They dumped out liquid gold, as far as I'm concerned!! The law in Michigan states that once a bottle has been offered to a child, whether it is formula or EBM, they have to finish it within one hour or the daycare must discard whatever remains. So they tried to feed her for an hour, and then once that hour was up, they dumped out my milk even though it was still good. I know they were just following the state regulations, but it was still very disheartening to hear them tell me that they dumped it. Our first daycare (in our old city) either didn't follow that regulation or wasn't aware of it, because if DD#1 didn't finish a bottle of EBM after starting it, they'd save the remaining milk and offer it again at the next feeding, or I'd take it home at the end of the day. I just hate wasting good boob juice, ya know? *sigh* The good news is that Allison did better today - they offered her 2 bottles and she drank one completely, and drank 3oz (out of 4.5oz) of the 2nd, so they only dumped 1.5oz out today (but that's still 1.5oz too much as far as I'm concerned!:( )

[katmg]

Thanks for the welcome!

Hair loss - seems to have started for me too! I've really noticed it the past week or so. Grosses me out b/c I've been finding it everywhere - including trapped in DD's neck. :eek:

jmvan - Don't you know that DH said the ENTIRE pregnancy - "Hope we get the tax break!!" And everyone, including my OB said I'd go early! They all jinxed me! ;)

Winter - That really sucks that they threw out the BM. I know they have regulations but man, it takes so much work to get the stuff, you hate to think of it getting thrown out!

[GardenGirl]

Hair loss - this started for me about a week ago. I was wondering if 3 months was appropriate, sounds like it is.

Clothes - Carter is out of anything newborn, out of everything 0-3 except overalls, and almost out of 2 of his 3-6 pajamas (they have feet and he's too tall for them). I wouldn't say I'm a shopaholic, but I definitely love buying clothes for DS, as does my mother. He should be set for the next 3 months.

Weight - I'm down to pre-preg weight but my jeans and shorts don't fit. I think all they weight I lost was in my face and upperbody because most of my clothes still don't fit great. They are too tight. Could be the hips. I need to get more excersize. We were taking lots of walks, but then had an influx of family over the last 3-4 weeks and got out of the habit of walking.

Sleeping - he was doing so great about 3-4 weeks ago, sleeping in 6-7 hour blocks at night. Now it's 5, but mostly 4-4/5 for the first block. He had dropped a nightly feeding, but has now picked it up. Plus he's sleeping a lot more during the day. It may be a growth spurt. Or it could be that he's started playing so much more.

Playing/Hands - last week he sucked on his whole fist, now he's sucking on fingers. He still isn't grabbing at things up high, but will grab his toys that I put in his lap. And of course, those go in his mouth. He too is a drooler, it's crazy. I can't put him in overalls that are too big because they fold over right at his mouth and he sucks on them all.day.long. So it's tighter outfits these days. He makes all kinds of crazy sounds when he sucks on his hands. And he's definitely gurgling and blowing tons of spit bubbles. My mom get the biggest kick out of it.

My ILs left on Sunday evening. They enjoyed seeing DS. It was a little tiring though. They didn't enjoy me keeping Carter on a schedule. I got the feeling they felt I was bossy because I kept saying things like "15 minutes to nap time, half an hour to a feeding, etc." Plus they did the CIO method with their boys (DH is a twin) and we aren't. So we attend to DS when he gets upset during naps and sleep. I can walk in and pat his back, put his paci back in and he's back to sleep in less than 30 seconds. I know that works for us. MIL seems to think that because we are parenting in a different way, that it means she was a bad mother. We NEVER said that, I would never even infer that. I just don't want her telling me how to parent my child and I felt I was constantly interregated for my parenting styles. For example, why do I BF, how long will I BF, why does he sleep so much, why do I not let him cry, etc. I'm just tired and ready to re-coup this week. After my cousins wedding this weekend, it will be the last weekend for family. I'm ready to get back to my normal life. But I am glad we have so many people that love us and want to spend time with us and our son. I do love my ILs, I just get tired of being second guessed - especially in regards to my parenting decisions.

Well DS is ready for his morning nap.

[Alegna]

Clothes ~ Most of my prepregnancy clothes still fit. Some of the shirts are a bit snug either in the boob area or at the bottom. But I've always worn my clothes too big, I'm sure that's helped.

I'm looking forward to the nicer weather so I can go for walks. We have a paved trail that runs through town and there is a paved trail around a lake too. The one around the lake is exactly 1 mile in length. Or heck, even being able to walk around the yard would be nice. (We have 6 acres)

Daycare~ Megan seems to be taking 2 4oz bottles while she is there. I feed her about 9:30 and drop her off around 10:30. I don't think she's really on a schedule there either. She just eats when she's hungry. Then I pick her back up around 4:30. She'll ususally eat again around 6:00. I usually send 3 bottles. Sometimes more. Just depends on how much I've pumped and how much I've put in my basket. (I have a basket that fits inside my little cooler, I use that to store the bottles in the fridge.) What she doesn't eat gets put back into the basket. I freeze what's left over on Friday.

I'd probably be annoyed if they were throwing out my BM. Maybe you could send 2 oz bottles until she gets the hang of it? It's more work for the daycare but that's what you pay them for :)

[GardenGirl]

Bottles - what type of bottles are you BFing mom's using? I was (planning) on being gone for over 3 hours last Friday with my ILs at a tennis tournament. I didn't have time to pump ahead of time, but keep a stash of RTF cans of formula for emergencies. My mom was watching Carter. He's taken bottles before, but it's been awhile. She called and said he wouldn't eat anything. She didn't think it was the bottle so much, as it was the formula. He kept spitting it out. I went out and purchased one bottle of 4 different brands and plan on trying them out over the next few weeks. I'm going to start pumping more. I was only getting an ounce or two over 30-45 minutes and just didn't think it was worth it. But if I'm going to leave the house without DS, I'm apparently going to have to have EBM because he won't take formula. I was just curious what bottles seem to work the best for y'all - yes I know every baby is different. I'm also wondering if there is a more palateable/tasty formula for those once every blue moon occasions he would need formula. He seems to hate everything I've tried to give him. I'm just worried that if something were to happen to me that he'd starve if he'll only eat BM. And I don't mean to sound morbid, but being away from him is a possiblity over the next year of life. You never know if traffic/weather/sickness/car accident/whatever would keep me from getting home to feed him. KWIM?

[zhannushka]

Tera - I've been supplementing with Nestle Good Start - according to my pedi, it's the closest to BM in consistency, texture, etc. We started out supplementing with Similac, but DS would spit it all out - it was terrible. Since switching over to Good Start - he's been one happy baby! :)

[Winter Biscuit]

Bottles - what type of bottles are you BFing mom's using?

We're using Avent bottles. We used them with DD#1 and never had any problems. I bought new ones for DD#2 but only opened one box in case she wouldn't take them. So far she seems to be doing OK with them and the nipples seem to resemble mine the most (:o ). I know people who swear by Dr. Brown's bottles, but I like the fact that the Avent ones have less parts to wash ;) I also like the fact that there are additional Avent accessories we can purchase later to turn the bottle into a sippy cup, etc.

I can't say I'm surprised that Carter spit out the formula. BM is much sweeter so he is obviously accustomed to drinking something that tastes much sweeter than formula. Heck, the very smell of some formulas makes ME gag :p My guess is that if something were to happen to you, it probably would take him some time to acquire the taste of formula but I do believe he'd eventually eat when he got hungry, so try not to worry too much (and of course, we all hope we never have to be in that situation!)

[Alegna]

We use avent bottles. But Megan is not picky. She'll take pretty much any type/brand of paci without any problems. But I've only tried the avent bottles.

[katmg]

We have a starter pack of Dr. Brown's bottles that I was given at a shower. DD seems to take those okay, but she's never had formula - just EBM.

[mommydearest]

We use Dr. Browns. I love them! SIL is an infant daycare provider at a center and she says in her experience they are the best. But, to be fair, I haven't tried anything else except the little bottles that came with my pump and Abby kept collapsing the nipple. Right now, I can pump enough to keep up. We started using frozen this week just because it was getting older and I wanted to rotate it out. My mom thaws one bag a day and adds it to the other bottles I have pumped. She has noticed that Abby does nap longer with the added milk.

I keep Similac singles in the diaper bag for emergencies when she is with DH or grandma and things take longer than they planned. I love that each one makes 4 oz. and you don't have to worry about a whole can spoiling (I read that you are "supposed" to pitch the powder can one month after opening). We used them a lot more in the beginning, but my supply is better now and I feel better NIP.

[GardenGirl]

Kristin - that is exactly what I do. I keep a 4 oz bottle of distilled water and a single drop in package of Similac in my diaper bag for emergencies like you mentioned. I