July & August '06 Mommies ~ Halfway to 1...Let the Babyproofing Begin!

[jesseybell]

We picked up our Britax Marathon today for my new SUV. I am not sure it is going to fit in DH's Jetta, so we may have to get something else for his car. We aren't in any rush to install it. Winter has finally arrived in the North East and I feel more comfortable carrying to and from the car in her infant seat. But she's getting so big (I estimate her to be about 18.5) that it is kind a tight fit with her snowsuit on.

Last night we tried oatmeal for the first time. I am not sure if it was the oatmeal or constipation that had DD screaming when we tried to put her down to sleep. Mylicon drops did help (Constipation ended this morning). We'll try oatmeal again in a few days. I also think she is trying to move her bedtime back from 8-8:30 to 7:30-8, which kind of stinks since DH doesn't get home until 7:00, which will mean we'll have to start her bedtime routine pretty much as soon as he walks through the door.

E isn't really into rolling either. Just in the last week has she been consistently rolling from front to back. Every once in a while she looks like she's trying to roll from back to front, but usually she's just content to be on her back.

[Wrighty26]

E isn't really into rolling either. Just in the last week has she been consistently rolling from front to back. Every once in a while she looks like she's trying to roll from back to front, but usually she's just content to be on her back.

The ped said that this is a 7-month milestone, while some babies will roll from back to front sooner it's not typical :D B looked like he was going to roll over FOREVER (back to front) too. It's like he knew he could do it, he just didn't want to. I have a feeling that's just going to be his "way" of doing things (and I am the SAME way)!

Lindybug - Hope the bigger diapers help! Wow - your little guy has come quite a long way with sleeping. I can definitely understand why you would be hestitant to get rid of any of the night feedings. I'm sure you are doing all you can to fit in as many calories during the day as possible. I believe I read from Weissbluth (my main reference on all things sleep) that as long as babies are waking to eat and going right back to sleep -- then they truly are hungry and you shouldn't deny them. If they are waking up, eating, and wanting to play it's a whole 'nother ballgame though. It sounds like R fits into the first category!

Abby's Mom - I'm so sorry about the sleep :( He is a cutie though!!

Smurf - ACK! I think Kate is our first crawler!!! I'm sure it was exciting yet a little sad at the same time. I bet she's adorable :)

[Soulmate]

Constipation I am pretty sure our screaming episodes was constipation. Prune juice is the magic elixir of the gods. 20 mins after giving him some he pooped.

Travel I just booked our cross-country flight that I am seriously dreading. DS is a big homebody and highly regimented (naturally) and I think the time change and everyone wanting to run around doing things is going to send DS into a tizzy. Anyway ? for those who have flown w/ DC Do I need to bring any kind of documentation like a birth certificate? I know he doesn't need a ticket but it is a little scary that anyone can just walk on a plane w/ an infant w/ no paperwork. I just want to be prepared. Also does anyone know if I can bring jar baby food on the plane? Any tips or tricks I should know about?

smurf I think you might have the first crawler! Congratulations! Even though it is more work it is still so exciting!

mystikal I know there was a thread about early risers and the consensus seemed to be that nothing worked. Sorry. I don't know if you can search and bump it to see if they grew out of it eventually and that it was just a phase. I really feel for you....seriously.

teeth DS got 6 teeth between Thanksgiving and New Years and none since. But he is definitely teething as he is gnawing at things like a vicious animal. I have a clip of it on film and it is funny.

night feeding update Just as I posted about the night feedings DS has dropped the 10pm bottle on his own the past two nights. Although last night he woke at 4:30am to eat but I can easily work on extending him to 5:30 which is a much better time for him during the weekday. We'll see how it goes from here on out.

[maybebaby]

I have the roly-poly baby girl who can't stop rolling all directions...she log-rolls across the room to get to a toy or something she wants, and has been doing it since November, BUT she has absolutely no interest in sitting up! I think she's going to be a fast mover one of these days because she is constantly getting on all fours and wiggling around trying to crawl. One of these days.

We're making our way through solid foods. A tried avocado this week and didn't know what to make of it. I don't think she liked it. She loves applesauce and bananas. I am wondering about when to introduce meat.

Soulmate I have flown on two trips with DD, both of which were pretty easy. Honestly, the worst part was loading all the baby gear, and at the time, I was pumping a lot so getting the breast pump through was a hassle. They disassembled the whole thing in security and tested my breast milk in a bottle to see if it was an explosive (sigh...I don't think Al Queda knows what a breast pump is, but that's just my opinion). Having the sling was helpful because DD slept in the sling on the flight. Having a travel bag to cover the carseat was also helpful since I think it would get pretty dirty if thrown in the carry-on luggage under the plane without something to cover it. I bought the travel bag online.

You can definitely bring formula, breastmilk or jars of baby food with no problem. Someone once hassled me a little about an ice pack, but you can bring frozen veggies to keep your stuff cold. In the end, they actually let me bring the ice pack on but I don't know if that's 'official' policy. He had to call his supervisor. Happy travels!

[jennylou]

? for those who have flown w/ DC - I flew cross country w/DD in November. No documentation for her was needed. No idea about the food, but I would think it would be okay. ETA - I had a breast pump, and no problems, nor problems with the milk. The TSA agent did open and sniff the bottle though - and then didn't secure the lid tight, so it spilled all over the over head bin during the flight. No problems with the car seat getting dirty. :)

smurf - congrats on the crawling!

jessey - it's cold here too. I asked a question about cold weather clothes here on the boards and was told that you shouldn't use a snow suit with the snugrides. I tried to snap her in with her snow suit on and found it too tight - which is why I asked the question of what everyone else was doing and if there was a way to loosen the straps. I haven't installed our new marathon, but that's because it's too cold and I know it's going to take a little bit of time and I don't want to freeze doing it!

[Abby'sMom]

Flying - From our experience, it depends on the airport; we didn't need anything for the flight there, but DID need a BC on the way back. Call your airline and the airports you'll be using. You'd expect policies to be uniform and consistent these days, but they're not.

[jennylou]

Flying - From our experience, it depends on the airport; we didn't need anything for the flight there, but DID need a BC on the way back. Call your airline and the airports you'll be using. You'd expect policies to be uniform and consistent these days, but they're not.

Well, I guess I'm glad I didn't fly through the airport you did! I hadn't even bought a BC at that point. I did have a prescription with her name on it for her apnea machine and our insurance card, but that would have been the only ID I had on me for her.:eek:

[Abby'sMom]

Well, I guess I'm glad I didn't fly through the airport you did! I hadn't even bought a BC at that point. I did have a prescription with her name on it for her apnea machine and our insurance card, but that would have been the only ID I had on me for her.:eek:

Well, the return trip was out of Dulles (VA), so I guess they're hyper-sensitive. The woman at the counter immediately asked us for his BC. Fortunately we had one, but it would have been awkward had we not. I do wish they'd be consistent.

[nuhmah]

soulmate - I have now done 2 cross-country trips with JJ, and both have been successful because of two things:
* a carseat bag from www.go-baby.com to haul the seat in (I got the WHEELIE one with the wheels on the bottom, and gate checked it)
* my sling :D

your DC can now stay in the sling (I would use a Hotsling or something like that, with no metal) when you walk through the detector. Everyone has been SUPER nice when flying with him - the stewardesses and attendants make it a point to check in on you (and give you extra/free treats and water!), and that makes it much easier. The only tip I have is to nurse/feed during landing and take-off. I do this, and it ensures that he focused on the task, and not on what is happening. Also, if I do this he usually falls asleep as soon as we are in the air. Full tummy and the lull of the plane make for a great sleeper. He slept the entire flight from JFK to Portland last night (we also flew at 7:30pm - bed time).

[jennylou]

nuhmah - interesting that they let you keep your DC in the sling. I had to take N out of the MT.

[Chimichanga]

Note to self: don't go away for the weekend - this thread moves WAY too fast :)

I went to a scrapbook weekend and I am up to Reagan's 3 month pictures. Not too shabby!! I actually ran out of pictures to scrap; I didn't think I'd get that far.

Earrings - we'll probably wait to see if she wants them. I waited to get mine pierced until I was about 6.

Night Feedings - Reagan is getting a bottle with cereal around 8. That will generally keep her all night, but last night was an exception. Maybe because Mommy was home, but she got up 3, yes 3 times last night. DH did the last one and he ended up sleeping in the rocking chair with DD until she woke up.

Lowering the crib - we haven't done this yet. Reagan can't sit up on her own, so we haven't really felt the need to do this.

[jesseybell]

We flew with E when she was 4 months old - we brought a copy of her BC just in case, but had been told that it most likely would have only been needed if she looked less than 14 days old or close to the 2-year cut off limit. We never needed it. We had to unzip the pump to show them the BM bottles but they never opened them.

I wish DD had slept more on the plane. Both ways, she fell asleep after her take off bottle, but only slept for 1/2 an hour.

[nuhmah]

jennylou - everytime I have flown with him, he has been able to stay in, and no one batted an eye. I take that back - one guy turned and asked another about it when he saw me and the other TSA guy said it was fine. Apparently, it is a new rule instated last summer (as of August 1st) that they are supposed to be able to stay in. That stinks that they made you take her out!

[maryanne]

I was once standing/stuck behind a couple who did not have the birth certificate with them and the airline would not let them board. They did not believe that the baby was younger than two and since it was the weekend they couldn't call the records dept at either their home city or at the hospital. They lived two hours from the airport too! i thought that they were going to be arrested they were soooooooo pissed!

so I would definitely travel with the certificate :)

TRAVEL PSA--Just a friendly reminder, you now need a passport for the baby if you are flying into/out of Mexico or Canada. BEWARE :)

(there I did my good deed for the day ;) )

[smurf]

travelling with baby-we needed a birth certif. when we flew Southwest out of Dallas, but didn't need it flying Southwest out of San Antonio. Also, it didn't have to be the official BC, we just used the one the hospital gave us. I was able to keep her in my Mei Tai when I went through security.

[klav]

travelling with baby yeah I brought my DS when we went to Fla, but no one asked us. but we do have his passport!!

[emmjay]

Lowering the crib - I thought of this about a week ago when DS started getting up on all 4s. We lowered it a few days ago. We just lowered it all the way down because it was a huge PITA and I don't want to have to do it again!

Traveling - I'm glad I read this thread! I will definitely bring his BC when we go to Houston on Thursday. The only other time we flew (also to Houston) we bought him a seat and no one asked about a BC. Also I bought a wheelie-bag so I can check the carseat. I just need to decide if I want to bring the MT or the sling! Any pros/cons on either would be appreciated!

Here are his latest pictures from the other day (I think we're going to use one of these for valentines):

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m261/mollyj6/February07001.jpg

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m261/mollyj6/February07009.jpg

[Camdynlyn]

I think Mia is in the early stages of teething. Her sleep is now REALLY horrible (crying/fussy throughout the night but never getting up to nurse), she's refusing to nurse now (dangit), more drool than usual (if that's possible) and EVERYTHINGS in her mouth. Her gums feel a little swollen but no whites yet.

[Sophia]

emmjay, he's so cute!!!

[jennylou]

emmjay - too cute and I love another baby with hair. :)

[mmisabel]

emmajay - he's so cute! Love the wispy blonde hair. He's changed a lot!

travelling - we are going to FL in April. After all this talk about a BC I realized we never got one for N. You have to get it from the Town Clerk, it was a detail that got lost in the PP phase. :) My plan is to NOT bring the carseat. We are renting a car and I will just rent one as well. The chance of an extra seat being available on the plane is slim to none since it's over April break so I figure, why lug it?? Does that sound reasonable??

[klav]

emmajay He's adorable , his hair is so long.

[Soulmate]

Traveling Thanks guys for the tips. I'll definitely bring his BC. I think I'm going to put DS in his Moby. It is more versitile and I can just wear it the whole time and pop him in and out of it. The only plus to the MT is that it has a pocket that would probably come in handy. Also if the security has me unrap the carrier the MT would be easier to redo.

emmjay DS is a cutie! I like the top one for the VDay card.

I am going to write more but I am getting busy at work...BBL :D

[cpbride8203]

This thread moves WAY too fast. I finally made it here and I am 28 pages behind!


Ear piercing - With DD#1, I waited until she was about 26 months, and it worked out ok. Both ears were done at the same time, she cried for like a minute, and stopped when I said the words "ICE CREAM". I felt like it was a good age though because she understood not to touch them, helped me with the cleaning, and liked that she had earrings like Mommy. So I will wait until the same time to do Kaitlyn's.

Update on us...

Kaitlyn still isn't sitting for very long unassisted. I think that Kylie did that sometime between 6-7 months, so I am not worried, but I really am looking forward to that.

Kaitlyn has become so vocal lately and is a bit of a skreecher. When she gets going, it is so loud! Then her sister starts in and just makes her do it even louder!

[CarlaB]

It's my first day back at work. I'm doing ok, but of course, quite sad about being away from my little fella. Here we are at his first day at daycare (last week Thursday).
[Photo Removed]

And here he is trying to figure out sweet potatoes. We started him on solids on Saturday. To say he was unenthused is an understatement. I think we'll hold off for another few days before trying again.
[Photo Removed]

Emmjay I've done both the MT and the sling on flights and I prefer the sling (even thought I prefer the MT as a carrier overall). I always felt hot in the MT on the plane and just extra claustrophobic (IYKWIM). We both felt a little freer in the sling.

[emmjay]

Thanks for the compliments - I think he's pretty cute myself! :D All of that long hair on the top/front is from when he was born and it hasn't fallen out yet. The rest of it - his "real" hair - makes him look like a baby chicken! :) I'll post the valentines when I'm done with them.

Carla - thanks for the advice. I was leaning toward the sling but I also prefer the MT in general, so I was on the fence. I'll probably just go with the sling.

[mrstim]

Wow - didn't realize we combined threads!! Sorry I'm terribly behind and have been MIA for a while.

Since I'm with new mommies - I'll do a quick intro:

I'm amy, my DS is Ryan, born 8/9/06 by emergency C-section. He was 6lbs, 6oz. 18.5 inches long, and now is around 17lbs, I believe - our 6m WBV is Friday.


Crawling
Ryan "crawls" on his back - he can go all the way across our family room in a couple of minutes - he uses his feet to scoot himself around. We're constantly having to fish him out from under the couch, chair, coffee table, etc.

teeth
None yet, though he's been teething for a couple of months now - he finally does have some little bumps on his gums. EVERYTHING goes in his mouth.

Leaving him
We've let the grandparents keep him several times for a few hours - never very long though, as he refuses a bottle. Now that he's eating solids he's able to go longer, but I miss him too bad, lol.

Solids
Ryan never has been very interested in baby cereal, plus I hate the pump, so we did a few weeks of cereal - we're now on baby food. So far he's had peas, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes, squash, green beans (a no-no) and applesauce (another no-no). We also do give him the occasional taste of mashed potato & i pinch little bites of biscuit and crackers sometimes. If we eat in front of him w/o feeding him something he goes ballistic - he LOVES eating. He also loves to drink from a straw - obviously not sucking it, but if you give him water from the end, he's in HEAVEN and if he sees a cup of anything he will squeal and cry until you give it. He's a reacher - he's constantly grabbing our cups/plates, etc.

Rolling
He rolls over all the time, just doesn't like being on his tummy very long at once.

Now for some pictures - his hair is finally coming back in!
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/amrstim/DSC_0030.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d43/amrstim/DSC_0087.jpg

*waving hi* to all my August moms, and to the July moms now as well!!

[Lizard]

Hi mrstim - good to see you! You were on my mind lately because I've been thinking about putting in a veggie garden this spring, and yours is so awesome. :D Ryan is getting so big!!

Ear piercing - hasn't even crossed my mind yet. I didn't get mine pierced until I was 8 or 9. I'd rather wait until she's interested in having it done.

travelling - We flew with DD about a month ago, and it was surprisingly easy. We brought the car seat with and were able to get her an empty seat on each flight. The flight attendants were very attentive to us and helped so much. Oh, and we had to take her out of the car seat when we went through security, but we never needed a birth certificate... I checked on that ahead of time and was told by the airline (Midwest Express) that they didn't require it.

Saturday night about 11:30, DD woke up screaming at the top of her lungs, and it took 2 hours to get her back to sleep. She has never done that before.. even when she wasn't STTN she would only wake up to eat and then fall back asleep. I think it might have been her teeth, because after an hour of being inconsolable we gave her some Tylenol and she finally calmed down and passed out after more nursing. With how loud she was screaming, my mind was racing with stuff like "Did she break a bone? Is she having an allergic reaction? Did she swallow something?"... all kinds of weird thoughts, heh.

After months of her hating to be held in one, we FINALLY got DD to use a sling! It was a Snugli, not anything cool like a MT. :) We went to a home show yesterday and I carried her around for over an hour in it without any problem. I think all the people and booths distracted her from how I was carrying her.

Gotta run and clean for our Heroes party tonight. :D

[mrsash]

Hi! I'm new to CC and wanted to join in...

CC Name: mrsash
Me: 33
DH: 35
Married: 4.17.04
DS: 7.26.06


teeth DS has 8 teeth... all before his 6 month mark

crawling He does what we call the "froggie" He gets on all fours and pushes himself forward with his feet, lands on his belly, and starts all over... it's kinda fun to watch

[jennylou]

mrsash - welcome!

travelling and renting a car seat - as much of a hassle it will be to lug the car seat, we will. Only because you don't know what you are getting with a rental. Think about how people use rental cars - they're way rougher than they would be in normal circumstances. My stepmom told me to leave N's infant seat that she had my neice's and it was in perfect shape. Um, yeah, it wasn't. The straps didn't want to buckle, they were twisted and the shade was broken. I was so glad that I brought N's seat anyways and used it the whole trip. ;)

[lindybug]

This is what I saw yesterday as I got out of the shower:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/lindybug/ryanescapes.jpg

Silly boy. Is it wrong that I left him there while I ran to get the camera? ;)

So, we did CIO the night before last. DS usually wakes up 1 or 2 times a night, and I would always feed him. Sunday night, we decided I just would not go to him at all, and see what happens. He woke up probably 4-5 times during the night, and cried for 10-15 minutes each time before going back to sleep. It was heartbreaking, but it could have been worse.

I was bracing myself for the same thing last night, but amazingly, he slept straight through! I put him in the crib (awake) at 6:45pm, said good night, and we didn't hear from him again until 7:05am! (Of course, I went in to check on him anyway around 5am... Just to make sure he was still breathing.) I know it's only one night, but I am really hoping we have made some progress here!

[jesseybell]

lindybug - Great news with the sleeping! I hate hearing DD cry. We put off not swaddling for weeks thinking we'd have to deal with CIO and I couldn't believe that there wasn't any crying. If I had known that I would have tried it earlier!!
ETA: I have the same bouncy chair. I brought it upstairs last weekend for the same reason - DD couldn't sit still in it at all.

I called my OB today to get the full strength Pill - thankfully I don't have to wait for AF to arrive to start it. The nurse was so kind to remind me to come in in September for my PAP. It was amazing how easily 'I hope to be pregnant again by then' rolled off my tongue....though the thought of being pregnant again now freaks me out (thus the full-strength pill)

I can't believe my baby will be 6 months tomorrow!

[klav]

LOL Lindybug!! you know I walked in my girlfriends house today and Liam started doing the same thing!! so sweet too cute and thank goodness they are strapped in so they don't hit there heads! Yeah I would have ran and got the camera too!
I can't belive my little boy is 7months
time goes by way too fast!

[Amaye]

Lindybug DH and I were just discussing the same thing. DD usually wakes up once (at times twice) a night to eat. She usually eats about 7oz and then goes back to sleep. DH thinks we should stop and teach her not to wake but I'm arguing that she is still hungry.What made you decide to stop?

Mrsash Welcome!:D

As we were discussing kisses, I went to visit my SIL and nephews this weekend. DD and my nephew were playing when DD decided to attack my nephew and kiss. It was hysterical!! She crawled over to him, climbed up and just started kissing him! :D Here is a pic!

We also lowered her mattress this weekend. When she would wake up from her naps, this is what I would find when I went to go get her - not good!

One more pic of DD half under the couch!

[babylove]

lindybug ~ I couldn't help but LOL when I saw that pic of your DS. :D

Amaye ~ Adorable! Love the kissing pic!

***
Back from Florida. It was a good trip and DS did wonderfully on the plane both ways. He really went with the flow the entire weekend and basically didn't seem to notice that we weren't at home. The only thing was that he didn't sleep very well for 2 of the 4 nights, but he went back to normal last night.

I think we are going to try to let him CIO tonight though...he's been sleeping in his swing for over a month now and there's no reason why he should continue to do so. He slept in his crib for 12 hours every night since about 13 weeks, until he got sick last month, when we used the swing. And now he refuses the crib...that's got to end! Wish me luck! Ugh.

[CarlaB]

Amaye can you tell me where your SIL (I think) got the wooden activity center that is in the kissing photo (off to the left forground)? I would love to find something like that.

Cute photos btw. She's a doll.

[Chimichanga]

Super cute photos!!!

Today we had Reagan's 6 month WBV. She's 18.5 pounds and 28.5 inches long. 90th percentile for everything but height; there she's 95 percentile. The doctor said she's doing well and ahead of the curve in terms of sitting up; R was sitting up the entire visit (about 15 minutes) before the doctor started examining her. :) We had our shots but got over it quickly.

We sort of got "yelled" at when we told the doctor she gets food 1x day ~ if we remember :o I sounds so bad, but some days we just don't have time to do the whole process. The doctor wasn't mad, but said we need to start being consistent and getting her at least 2x a day; maybe 3. I was thinking there are some parents who wait to start food until 6 months; so I can't imagine it's that big of a deal.

And here's a picture of my little princess :)
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m76/jenmathe/100_3170.jpg

[jesseybell]

Chimichanga- Oh gosh, I wonder if E is going to be off the charts for weight :) Last week she seemed to be 18.4 lbs!

I wonder what our ped will say about # times/day for solids - the handout he gave us said at 6 months we should be doing 2-3x a day (but yeah, what about the people who don't start until 6 mo?) and the other day at daycare one of the teachers seemed a little surprised/concerned we were only doing it 1x a day. My current plan (which may change with our WBV next week) is to continue 1x a day, at least during the week, for the next month until we get through all the fruits. Maybe weekends we'll do 2x a day soon. Then we'll start having day care do 1x a day and then at some point they can do 2x a day and we'll do the 3rd.

I finally made it to the Carter's outlet the other day - She is just moving into Size 9 clothing (6-9 months) - I bought her a couple 9-12 month for the spring and I bought her 1 bathing suit and a pair of overall shorts in 12-18 months. I don't dare buy her any more summer clothes (even though they are so adorable) since I have no idea what size she'll be. I don't even dare buy her Easter dress yet either.

[Amaye]

babylove Thanks!:D Good luck with CIO tonight. It's definitely not fun!

CarlaB She got it at Target. I also saw it at Buybuy baby. Amazon also has it but the shipping was kinda out of control.

Chimichanga Wow! You've got a big girl! She is too cute. I don't understand why your doc was lecturing you about solids. As you said, a lot of people don't even start solids until 6mths and she is growing very well. Weird!

[mmisabel]

Lindy - that is too cute! I put N's bouncer away (we have the same one) cause I knew that would happen!

Amaye - love the kissing pic. Look at her pulling herself up. She is very advanced. :)

Chimi - she is very cute, and what a big girl.

solids - my pedi is younger and super laid back about solids. N hasn't been healthy pretty much this entire month so just when I add 2 meals a day we go back to none. He's 7 months now so I SO wouldn't sweat it!

ear update - he's finally clear! He puked up everything but the kitchen sink last night but still had 5 days left on the antibiotic so I brought him back to the pedi, again. Since his ear is clear we are going to stop all antibiotics and pray he doesn't get another ear infection.

[mkvh]

Bouncer--we put ours away because she got too long..but it had sides so she couldn't get out (we have the Eddie Bauer one). Too cute, lindy!!

Solids--I too got "SCOLDED" by my ped for only doing solids 1x/day at 6 months, and C isn't hurting size-wise (85% plus in all). We're up to 2 some days, 3 others now. He said we should be doing meats and starting tablefood at 7mos! :eek: We're not gonna be there.

Amaye--those pics are darling!

mmisabel--yippee for no ear infections!

Chimi--R's cheeks and eyes remind me so much of C's! Everyone comments on her "rosy" cheeks.

[amyinlosangeles]

ack! i can't keep up w/this thread.

amaye - those pictures are adorable!

lindybug - i caught ava doing that move in her bumbo - guess it's time to retire it to storage...
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/131/382053990_90bc941bb8.jpg?v=0

Chimi - such a cutie!

Ava has started getting really fussy and waking up at night a lot - I think she's having bad gas from all the solids we've been feeding her. She's got some of the loudest juiciest farts I've ever heard in my life - it's hard to believe the noises that come out of such a tiny little person.

I've got to go to the dr. right now so I'll try to do more SO's later.

Here's a couple pix of Miss Ava
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/382054016_0f4f523430.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/382054075_55e525b5f6.jpg?v=0

[MMK]

lindy: what most cracks me up about that pic is the missing sock...I cannot keep both socks on Drew! It's a constant search.

amaye: WOW! I can't believe how mobile DS is! She looks like she's practically toddling! Love the kissing (you better watch out for that one!).

amyinla: we've been having a lot of gas here too and now I wonder if it is solids related?? I hope that's NOT the cause of the night wakings as surely I cannot stop feeding the boy!

solids: I just incorporated a third meal...Drew's a big boy (just about 30" and 20lbs) and really likes to eat so it's been going well. His new thing is cheerios and the gerber veggie puffs....loves them! By the way, the puffs are much easier for him to grab and dissolve so I'm a bit more comfy with them than the o's..

Anyone have a diaper cream they love? D has his first really nasty looking rash and the balmes doesn't seem to be cutting it.

[emmjay]

Losing socks - I use these Zutano booties (http://www.oliebollen.com/detail.aspx?ID=992&Code=ZUT067) instead of socks. They are expensive, but I only have a few pairs and they NEVER come off. They might be a bit slippery for crawling, but I have used them since he was born and I love them.

Solids - we just started solids 2 weeks ago at 6 months and he only gets them 1x a day (unless I'm really busy and then he gets none!). I don't think it's such a big deal, but I'm trying to be more consistent about giving them since he loves them so much.

Love all of the pics! Amaye, she does look like such an active little girl! Really cute with the kissing!

[Wrighty26]

Lindybug - LOL. Such a great action shot! I would have run to get my camera too :) Yay for sleep! It does majorly suck letting them CIO, but it worked for us too.

Amaye - Wow! Mia is just jammin'!! Look at her go. She's going to give you a run for your money. She's SOOOO cute though. When she grows up the boys are going to love getting kisses from her (not that you want to hear that!).

Chimi - Wahoo for a good WBV!! Reagan is definitely a big girl -- but what a sweetie!

Solids - It's so interesting how all peds differ on this! The practice we go to has two ped-- and one is more old school than the other (the younger one is also the mom of an 18-month old), however both are not really pushing the solids - mostly because of the research done on allergies. They said MOST babies eat 2x a day at 6 months, but not all and it's definitely not an issue until they are over a year. We just up'd Braeden's intake to 2x a day -- and since we started doing it, he's been more interested in eating solids in general. I have no clue if there is a correlation!

Amy - Hee hee - I know that pose all too well! He'll still sit in it in the shower -- but that's about the only place. It's a sad day when the Bumbo gets put away :( You're daughter is beautiful!

mmisabel - Yay for no more ear infections!! I'm glad you can stop the antibotics too. You guys have seen enough puke lately to last the year (or two).

MMK - B loves those puffs too. It's so cute watching him eat them! I love that he's "learning" how to feed himself at the same time.

Diaper Cream - We LOVE the Butt Paste in this house. Though, we B had a rash and the paste wasn't working I bought some antifungal cream and mixed it with the paste -- and it pretty much cleared up within a day or two.

This afternoon was so much fun - it makes me wonder what I did with my afternoons before I became a mother! Braeden was in SUCH a good mood when I picked him up after work today. We hung out, did a little grocery shopping, and then but him to bed--so nothing special, but fun nonetheless!

Enough gushing -- here are a few pictures of my monkey (making very silly faces)!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/382224616_0a23ed82fe.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/141/382228217_1bbb300f3a.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/138/382228300_ab8a56d4db.jpg?v=0

[maryanne]

he has the most contsgious smile!


Ava is too cute too!

don;t give up on the bumbo quite yet! Melody was doing that move when we first got it, but now Miss thunderthighs is stuck safely in it :) and can't get out of it.

[MMK]

wrighty: I forgot to mention that every time I see B I think about how much he looks like you. Do you hear that all of the time? I also love that the puffs help ds to feed himself. I am totally amazed by how quickly these little babies pick up new skills...one day he was looking at the o's like "what???" and the next day he's picking them up and eating them! Oh and one more thing, I so hear you on ds just being fun. There must be something about this age because I could just hang-out and laugh with him forever!

[mmisabel]

amy - he's so cute. Gorgeous brown eyes!

wrighty - I agree with MMK that B looks a lot like you. But then I saw pics of your DH and B and see a resemblence there!!! I guess he's a mix!

MMK - I like Boudreaux's Butt Paste. But if it's really red and stubborn I use Lotrimin cream first and cover in buttpaste. The redness cleared right up.

first word - DH insists N had his first word since he said "Dadadada" (keep in mind bababababa came first). What are you considering a 1st word? I think it should have some intent behind it. Like pointing to a ball and saying "ball". What are you guys counting??

[Sophia]

Adorable babies, everyone!

Hello to mrstim & mrsash :)

Travelling: No plans, but if we do it'll be by car and within Texas, or maybe (but I seriously doubt it) into Mexico (the international bridge is 30 minutes from our house).

Teeth: None yet, but she has a bump on the middle of her lower gumline. I'm not holding my breath. DS & DD1 didn't cut teeth till after their birthdays.

Leaving her: I've been away from her for up to 4 hours, to go to movies with DH, shopping, appointments, etc. Either my mom or MIL watches her.

Solids: Sometimes she gets excited when she sees me bringing her bowl over to the table, but it's still very hit and miss as to whether she wants to actually eat. I'm trying for once/day but we sometimes skip a day if things are hectic. A few times she's gotten twice/day. Our ped told us at the 4m wbv we could start solids, and I told her we wanted to wait till closer to 6m because of a history of diabetes, and she was fine with it. At the 6m wbv she asked if she had started solids, and I said she had just started, and that was that. No grilling about how much, what kinds, etc.

Rolling: Really good at it, and can roll several times to move across the floor. Refuses to do TT now that she can roll onto her back.

First words: I don't consider it a "word" until the baby is using it as a label to signify something. Babbling "dadadada" or "mamamama" isn't a word. Looking at/reaching for a parent and saying "dada" or "mama" is a word. DS's first word was "kiki" for kitty. I can't remember offhand what DD1's first word was, and I can't remember how old they were (but it's been a while--they're 14yo and 11yo).

Lindybug & amyinlosangeles: OMG! What little squirmy worms! I'm afraid of DD2 doing something like that in her bumbo! We don't leave the room anymore when she's in it. Lately I use it a lot in the kitchen. She sits in it on the floor while I wash the pump & bottle stuff.

Amaye: That's what I was afraid she'd start doing if I didn't lower her mattress. Eeek.


DD2 is 7mo today! I can't believe how fast the first year is going. It makes me really sad because we don't have plans for another baby, so this is it. On the other hand, I'm already planning her birthday party. I'm thinking of a ladybug theme.

I had to take her to the ped yesterday for a followup and she weighed 17#2oz in her diaper. She's getting so big! They didn't do her length.

[babylove]

Oh my gosh, these pics are TOO CUTE!!!

I love being a part of this thread but it seems like I can never keep up :(

Operation CIO worked last night. DS cried for 47 mins before conking out. And he stayed asleep in his crib until this morning. Woohoo!!

[jesseybell]

Shoes- We have 3 pairs of the Zutano booties. We received 1 as a baby gift and started wearing them around 3 months when we just couldn't keep socks on her. I got 2 more pairs when I thought the original were lost. She's starting to outgrow the ones we got. We have a pair of Robeez (as seen in the first picture) which we wear fairly often now, but I still haven't figured out a quick way to get them on.

Tonight we are trying fruit for the first time. Peaches I think.

E decided that her birthday present to us would to be up most of the night - not really, really fussing but enough that binky replacement did help some. Finally at 3:30 I relented and fed her, but that didn't really help either. She just really wanted mom and dad and wanted to play more than anything.

This was taken this morning - she toppled over right after we took it
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j215/jesseybell/6mos.jpg

From the previous discussion about who DC looks like- she definitely looked more like DH in the beginning. Now she looks more like me
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j215/jesseybell/dadandme.jpg

[smurf]

Amaye--Love the pics. Your DD looks like she's a handful to keep up with, as is mine! That's why we had to lower the mattress too. Now I think she sometimes "sleep walks" in her crib. I go in there in the middle of the night, and she's just standing there. I lay her back down and she goes right back to sleep. Crazy kid, I guess she just loves standing!

Lindy--Too funny. My DD did the same thing about a month ago, I wish I would've caught it on camera!

Amy--Ava is adorable. I love those cheeks!

Wrighty--B. is so cute. I love the teeth!

Solids- Our ped. recommended 3x a day by 6 months, but I told her we wouldn't be doing that. Kate is 7 months old and gets 1 meal a day on most days, 2 when I have time. Breastmilk/formula is their main source of nutrition until a year old, so I'm not concerned.

First words--I'm pretty sure Kate says baybay (meaning the dog, Bailey), and really knows what she's saying. Whenever the dog comes around, she starts saying it. She also says mamama and dadada, but I don't think she really knows what she's saying.

MMK-another butt paste fan here. I've never had to use anything else.

This afternoon was so much fun - it makes me wonder what I did with my afternoons before I became a mother! Braeden was in SUCH a good mood when I picked him up after work today.

I was thinking the same thing yesterday. I love just hanging out with her. Her new favorite thing is to go to the park and swing. She laughs her head off. Too cute. Yesterday she cried when I took her out.

[Mystikal]

Love all the babies! So cute! :D DD is not nearly as mobile as some of the other babies. She's content wherever she is, never tries to climb out of anything, although, this morning she was standing holding my fingers and kept trying to walk. lol.

Quick question - have any of you left your babies overnight yet?
DH an I are going out of town this weekend for a work banquet and I am leaving DD for the first time. My mom will be watching her so I'm not worried about that, but I get choked up just thinking about not being the one to put her to bed. How did you get through it?

[jesseybell]

Leaving DC overnight - We have left her twice when she was 4 months old (the first was with my parents to prep us for leaving her with MIL). By that time we were more than ready. I think if I had HAD to leave her (ie a work thing) I might have felt differently. The only advise I can give you is enjoy the time to yourselves! (Both our times away weren't very long and were very busy - no lazy Sunday mornings sleeping in) DD will be fine. When I am away from her I don't check in that often - checking in makes it harder for me.

[Amaye]

mmisabel Thanks! She is growing up too fast! Glad to hear the ear infections are done with! You must be so relieved!! First word - I think I will only count when she says something specific. She does a lot of babbaba, dadddadd but doesn't link it yet. When I say hi, she trys to say it too but I'm not counting that yet.

mkvh Thanks! I can't believe your ped was talking about meat at 7mths! That's too early for me!

amyinLA Ohhhh...she is too cute! DD does the same in her bumbo - we can't use it anymore.

MMK Thanks! She cracks me up with the kissing - I think we kiss her too much!:p As for Diaper cream, my friends who are peds all rave about butt paste.

emmjay Going to take a look at the zutanos. DD can't keep her socks on either! She will delibrately push them off too!

Wright26 I tried giving DD a lecture about kissing random people but she just looked at me and smushed her face/lips onto mine!:D That really worked huh? She is growing up too quickly! Braeden is TOO cute!! OMG - I just want to munch on his cheeks and his smile is amazing!

Sophia I was scared the first day I saw her doing that. I lowered the bed all the way down cos with it in the second level, she could still fall over. I'm with you on teeth - nothing yet!

babylove Woo-hoo on the STTN! I'm glad CIO worked out.

smurf DD is definitely a handful. I'm scared abt when she starts to walk. She is going to be all over the place! I can't believe Kate stands in her sleep!! She does love standing.

Mystikal Haven't left her overnight yet but plan to in the future. I'm sure she will have fun with your mom!

[jennylou]

I'm going to subscribe to this thread to check it in my user cp since I seem to be forgetting to check since I forget without the thread popping up in new posts anymore. ;)

Leaving DD overnight - nope, I don't think it's possible. She's very much a mommas girl. She doesn't take a pacifier and it takes her a while to fall asleep at night while BFing (we're working on other ways to get her to sleep that doesn't involve mommy nursing for an hour).

shoes - we have one pair that fit. They're dressy shoes so she only wears them when we get her really dressed up. We have some other shoes, but none fit yet. It's really random, some size 1's don't fit anymore and some size 2's are WAY too big.

Wrighty - I'm so glad that I'm not the only one of pictures of DD without a shirt on sitting in her high chair!

bouncy - we still use ours. We have a FP kick and play one (2005 model). It's long enough for her still, we just have to buckle her in. ;)

solids - N turns six months on Saturday, which is what we were waiting on for solids. DH says he's going to try cereal tonight with her (I have RCIA on Wednesday nights). I guess a few days early shouldn't hurt. Our ped told me that we were just waiting on me to start at her 4 month wbv. She also said she should be eating 3 meals per day. Um, maybe by a year.

amaye - I missed your pics, but I'm sure they were too cute. :)

[Chimichanga]

Such cute pictures all around!! :D

Our doctor wasn't lecturing too much; she just recommended we bump up the number of times Reagan eats food.

Diaper cream - we use Burt's Bee diaper cream. We bought it because we try to use cloth diapers and I read that stuff doesn't stain. Reagan normally doesn't get a rash, but every now and then she'll look a bit red. By the next diaper change she's back to normal. :)

Leaving overnight - I've taken weekend trips, but DH has been with Reagan. So technically no. But, we do have plans to go out of town for a friend's wedding and Reagan won't be coming. That's in October though, so I have time to gear up for it.

[amyinlosangeles]

Good morning!

emmjay - Those booties are so cool - I wish I had seen those months ago!

MMK - I definitely think the gas is related to eating more solids - but also due to the formula switch as well. We're giving her Alimentum now due to excessive spitting up.

Wrighty - Braeden is such a cutie - I love his smile! I bet he can get away with anything!! :D

maryanne - Thanks! We get stuck in the Bumbo sometimes too, but it hasn't stopped her determination to get out of it!

Sophia - Already planning her birthday? Wow - you're good! I love the ladybug theme.

babylove - Yay for Jake sleeping in his crib! This thread does move crazy fast doesn't it?

jesseybell - E is so beautiful! She looks a lot like her dad in those pics.

smurf - thanks!

mystikal - We've left her once for a wknd trip to Vegas when she was 3 months old (it was a work thing for DH). It was really tough but luckily she was with my mom. We're leaving tomorrow to go skiing in Mammoth until Sunday and I'm sad about leaving her but I keep thinking about the sleep I'm going to get and it makes it a little easier. ;)

amaye - thanks!


Does anyone use Alimentum or Nutramigen formula? We've been giving it to Ava for about a week now and it's really helped with her vomiting/spitting up. The only problem is she's having 4 or 5 dark green runny BM's a day and I'm worried we may have to stop giving it to her. I know it takes some time to adjust and our pediatrician said to give it another week, but I'm just curious if any of you experienced the same thing and it got better.

[klav]

all the baby pic's are too cute!!
I can't believe some people are getting scolded by there Ped about feeding I told my Ped what I was doing and she said it was fine I did not give DS solids till about 6months so I have no idea what some ped's problems are? the little digestive system are not ready till about then anyway!!
emmjay was it you who had the book or web site for picking the baby's name .. something that would work with the first child's name? I have a friend and they were interested in it but I did not know the name... anyone can help on this?
LOL I was in the supermarket this afternoon and DS was screaming because he was still hungry and he had finished his bottle and wanted more.. so I opened up one of the formulas they had on the self the liquid kind... I aid for it later but has anyone ever done this!!! He was very content after and I could finish shopping...LOL I don't think anyone saw me but I really did not care.

[mmisabel]

klav - it's Baby Wizard

[babylove]

Just doing SOs as far back as I can see...

jessie ~ E is so cute! She really does look like your DH!

smurf ~ First words already?! You have a little genius there ;)

mystikal ~ Jake is the same way...content wherever you put him. He only squirms when he's being held and that's only sometimes. He never tries to roll away or get out of whatever apparatus he's in ;)

Amy ~ Sorry about the poop issues...Jake's never had any formula (but we do have Allimentum in the cabinet just in case!!!) so I don't have advice but I hope it works itself out soon (no pun intended, heehee)

klav ~ Is that book called the Baby Name Wizard or something? There is a thread on CC somewhere about it...

***
Leaving baby overnight ~ Nope. having done it. Now that he's back in his crib at night and STTN, it's a possibility...but we have no plans to do it yet.

solids ~ My ped has also said 3 meals a day by 6 mo. We won't be there yet. We started solids around 4.5 mo and then stopped after a week b/c he was sick and uninterested. We started up again around 5 mo and now he loves it. He still only eats the "starter amount" twice a day (2 tsp oatmeal + 1/2 container of Stage 1 baby food).

Diaper cream ~ We use Balmex or A&D. I've tried all of the others and these work the best for DS's little tushie. :) Actually, I have a tube of Triple Paste AND a tube of Butt Paste that have each only been used once (a teeny tiny amount) so if anyone is interested, it's yours for the cost of shipping! Just PM me.

shoes ~ DS wears Robeez a lot. He has 3 pairs. I love those booties someone posted though b/c socks NEVER stay on his feet (hence why he wears Robeez a lot!)

[klav]

thank you!

[emmjay]

I just wanted to recommend another product that I really like - Cushy Crawlers (http://www.cushycrawlers.com/products.html). These are soft fleece pants with the knees reinforced with additional padding (the padding is shaped like an animal) for when babies start crawling. My sister got DS a pair for Xmas. Very cute, and DS is on his knees constantly so I just ordered more.

diaper cream - we use Butt Paste as well, but DS rarely gets diaper rashes (weird since he has sensitive skin).

I was in a baby boutique yesterday buying some gifts and the owner was telling me about some book - "Diaper Free by Age Three" or something like that. Apparently you can start at 6 months - you put the baby on the potty before/after naps so they get used to it and potty training isn't such an ordeal. Anyone heard of this?

[mmisabel]

emmjay - those pants are really cute!! It's called Elimination Communication. I work with a developmental pediatrician who trained her daughter super young. We were at our Christmas party when she was 18 months and she was asking to use the potty. Keep in mind this girls parents are both geniuses. It's pretty interesting though. Here's an article about her. www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,177890,00.html

[nuhmah]

overnight - nope, haven't done it yet! I just can't be without him, and I just can't bring myself to subject someone else to multiple night wakings.

diaper cream - since we switched to cloth diapers (and we have now been doing elimination communication - he has been pooping/peeing into something other than his diapers for about 2 weeks now), he has not needed it. When we do need it, I use Arbonne's Diaper Cream. I also use their bath stuff, and lotions.

emmjay - I just saw your post... we have been doing this for a few weeks now (consistently), and on and off for about a month. I have been holding DS over the toilet or a sink and cuing him to go potty in there (instead of his diaper). He has started to hold it during his naps, and has started to prefer to not wet his diaper. I always thought it would be time consuming, but it really hasn't. It has also significantly cut down on the amount of diapers I need to wash... and that is worth it! :D

[emmjay]

mmisabel & nuhmah - aha, I didn't realize that was elimination communication! I thought EC was no diapers at all and this was just getting used to a potty. Anyway, I might get the book - I'm glad it is working for you, nuhmah!

[nuhmah]

emmjay - there are a bunch of websites that you can get more information from... I think www.diaperfree.com (or something like that) is a good place to start. I will look up some more that I have bookmarked. We are actually starting late in the game - some people start as young as a couple of weeks old, and see real results even sooner. I don't know that I, personally, could have done that so soon with my first DC, you know?

[Lizard]

Diaper Cream - We have been using Arbonne cream too! I love the smell and it seems to be the only thing that helps the redness (and it does so quickly). The tube we're using now was a gift... luckily it lasts a while because it's expensive. I might get some of their lotion though, I tried a sample and really like it too.

Leaving overnight - I'm still nursing so it won't happen anytime soon. Plus, our families live hours away and they're the only ones I'd feel comfortable leaving her with at this point. Heck, we've only gone out on 3 "couple" dates since she was born. :( We need to work on that a little more.

Keeping this short, but I'd posted about DD waking up screaming a few nights ago. Well, she's done it nearly every night since the weekend. I took her to the ped today and it turns out she has a double ear infection. UGH. That explains it, at least. The funny thing is, I ALSO have an ear infection, the first one I've had in probably 20 years. Bleh.

Gotta run....

[E&O]

Lizard- my daughter has an ear infection also. Along with a case of RSV and bronchiolitis. She is amoxicillion for the ear infection and we are doing nebulizer treatments for the RSV until her coughing eases up. Such a big, harsh cough for such a little person. =(

But I'm surprised at what a tropper she has been. She's in very good spirits throughout the whole thing. Wakes up every morning all smiles and giggles.

[Nettles]

Hi, everyone! Was kindly directed to this thread by Jennylou, so I'm just jumping right in. (And trying to read through the whole thread and catch up :D...if I don't, I'll feel like I'm missing something). I have a 5 1/2 month old son who thinks he's about eight months old.

CC Name: Nettles
Me: 32
DH: 30
Married: 09/04/2005
Birthdate: DS born 8/19/2006

Favorite TV show(s): Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, The Office, Ugly Betty, My Name is Earl, EastEnders, Scrubs, Extras, Doctor Who

One thing that is on your list to do before you die: Live in England

Favorite part of pregnancy: Feeling him kick

Worst part of pregnancy: Sore hips at night

First time you felt "empty" after having DC if at all: After his birth. I had an emergency C-section and had to be put under, so when I woke up, I no longer had a baby as a part of me.

The (most recent) thing your DC does that makes you laugh every time: Grabs my hand and tries to pull my fingers in his mouth. It's become a game with him, and he cracks me up every time.

Scooting to the end...

Leaving baby overnight - I can't do it yet. He does stay with his grandparents for a little while on the weekends so DH and I can clean the house, but I just can't do an overnight yet. He's not sleeping through (he was, but not anymore), so I don't feel right, plus, since he's not sleeping through, I'd worry the whole time.

solids We just started DS on fruits and veggies. He's taken to them really well - I was going to hold off on starting two meals until he was at least 6 months, but he hit a growth spurt and the two meals a day seemed to help. I probably won't add lunch until at least 7 months, and plan to stay away from meats until about 9 months. He's FF (breastfed/FF until three months - if I had my way, I'd still be breastfeeding, but it's a long, complicated story, and now he's purely FF), and tends to eat anywhere from 24-40 oz a day - I honestly have no idea why he varies so much.

Diaper cream - we rarely use it since the only diaper rash he's ever had was caused by Pampers, but if we do, it's Boudreaux all the way.

shoes - I've never put shoes on him!

Looking at baby pics - everyone's little ones are adorable! I'm really looking forward to getting to know everyone in here.

Net

[jarocha]

Everyone's babies are adorable.

Leaving baby overnight: I dont' think I am there yet. I wanted to go to Napa for the weekend with my girlfriends but I decided to push that trip out until next month. DH keeps telling me we need some mommy/daddy alone time as well but I keep brushing him off.

Solids: Feliza is such a good eater. I finally have a process for making her food. It's much easier than what I thought it was going to be.

Diaper cream: Luckly we have not had any diaper rashes but we do use A&D on her every day.

Shoes: She has a lot of shoes for being an infant. One of DH co-workers just gave us these Trumpette shoes.

http://www.trumpette.com/store/images/products/mary%20janes.jpg

Socks: Does anyone have any req's for socks that don't leave marks on her ankles? All her socks are tight on her ankles and leave these nasty red marks.

Here is a pic of Feliza from this wkn:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/384013332_3720156cc2_m.jpg

[babywish]

If following the August thread was tough I can't even tell you how catching up with this one is... I read everyday but I can't post most days, and when I have a chance to post I feel so behind that I don’t even bother.

Just wanted to say that everybody's babies look so cute!

Here is an update on us...

Leaving baby overnight - I think is too early, he has just started STTN (for a week now) I although we have my sister around, she is the only person I would ever trust leaving him with, I didn't think it would be fair for her. I don’t think we are going to leave him anytime soon but I know that in December we are going to Paris for three days and wont be taking him with us (we will be in Spain so is a much shorter trip).

solids -He is had rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, and sweet potatoes, we are introducing carrots today. We started feeding him twice a day recently when we introduced the SP, we are going out of town soon (Peru) and I don’t know how baby safe the food will be there and I rather stick to homemade baby food, I will probably wont introduce any new fruits or veggies until we get back.

Diaper cream - I LOVE Mustela and M has never had a rash yet (crossing fingers) but Babies R Us recently stop carrying it and in Nordstroms is $8.00 a tub (and they are much smaller than the regular size), so we just changed to Desitin, my SIL swears by Tripple Paste I have a container that has to be open yet.

shoes -I always put shoes on him, just because is the only way to keep his feet warm (with socks only he pulls them off). I have three pairs or so from home and I bought a couple of Roobez (love them!)

Socks- I have the same problem here, all his socks leave a mark on him.

I am sorry but no time to do SOs.

[Fireside Girl]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

Wrighty
You have great taste in names too.:D

Leaving baby overnight
We left him overnight December 2cnd. He slept through the night. I didn't sleep all night,worrying. We probably won't do that again for awhile.

Solids
Not yet.

Diaper cream
A & D

Shoes
Robeez, when he wears them

[babylove]

emmjay ~ Those cushy crawlers are so cute!

nuhmah ~ Wow...that's pretty cool that you are trying elimination communication!

Lizard ~ I'm so sorry that your DD has a double EI and that you have an EI too! DS has had 3 EIs since he was born :( I hope you both feel better.

E&O ~ I'm sorry your DD is sick! Poor girl. DS always seems to be in good spirits when he is sick too...he's much more of a trooper than DH is when he is sick! :p

Welcome Nettles!

Jarocha ~ So share your babyfood making methods! I have a book on it but haven't really tried it much...Those shoes are precious! And yes, almost all socks, no matter the size, leave marks on DS's ankles. The only ones that don't are the GAP roll socks, but they fall off.

babywish ~ Yay for STTN! Enjoy all of your awesome trips!

***
It seems that letting DS CIO the other night was exactly what we needed to get him back on schedule and back into the crib. After 47 mins of CIO on Tues night, he has gone to sleep without so much as a peep on Wed and Thurs nights.

And if anyone is wondering, glycerin suppositories DO work to make baby poop :p Jake was stopped up from solids (again!) and I helped things along w/ a suppository last night...we had a poop within 3 mins!

Still have a tube of Butt Paste and a tube of Triple Paste (used a tiny tiny amount of each but didn't like either) that I'm willing to GIVE AWAY for only the cost of shipping....

[Chimichanga]

I think we're either hitting a growth spurt or sleep regression because Reagan woke up 3 times last night :( She got super fussy around 7:30 so we gave her a bottle. She powered that thing down. We took her upstairs around 8:30 and gave her the cereal bottle. She maybe had an ounce of that and was asleep. She woke up at 11, 3:30 and 5. I know as children get older the go to sleep earlier (at least that what I'm seeing on the board) but I can't have her waking up so early in the morning! I need sleep too and I like to shower before she gets up. As it was I put her in her exersaucer this morning while I showered and got ready. She doesn't mind (yet!) but I don't like having to do that.

Well, starting the 19th she'll be going to day care full-time as DH found a job! It's second shift which totally sucks (we'll hardly see each other) but at least it's something. In order to get her to daycare and me to work on time I'm thinking I'll need to get up no later than 4:45 each morning. Luckily much of the daycare stuff will stay there, so it will only be bottles that I have to bring.

Last night Reagan was sitting for 30 minutes without toppling over!! :D :eek: She's so content playing and sitting; it's really cool.

[amyinlosangeles]

Just checking in from Mammoth - everyone went skiing/snowboarding but me; I don't know what my problem is except that I'm missing my girl a lot more than I thought I would. I tried sleeping in but was wide awake at 7am after finally falling asleep after 2am...

This whole Anna Nicole Smith thing is just so so sad. :(

[jesseybell]

E has been waking up a lot more this week too - only once did I feed her, and even then she wasn't hungry.It's not like she's miserable or screaming. I wonder if it could be that she is cold. We have our house set at 66-67. She's got a thick sleeper, long sleeve onsie and socks on, and a loosely knit blanket over her. We've tried the sleep sack and she can't stand it. We've tried having the house a little warmer and DH and I can't sleep at all- we used to sleep in 62 and with a wonderful down comforter. Now we have a thin quilt and half the time we are sleeping on top of it.

E is doing really good sitting up too - I definitely still need something around her in case she falls over, but its too the point where I actually dare stand up and walk out of the room with her sitting. She can reach pretty far to grab toys and steady herself. It's amazing how far she's come with it in just the last week.

Last night all her 3-6 clothes were retired :( Some might have still fit but I was getting sick of torturing the poor girl by trying to put on a onsie that didn't fit over her head or getting her all the way into a sleeper to find it was too short. I had some 6-9 clothing, but very few long sleeved onsies. I couldn't find many in the store, so I resorted to buying a bunch of shirts (on clearance - yeah!) and we'll just have to put short sleeve onsies underneath. I didn't bother buying her many 6-9 clothes and went straight to 12 mos - she can have the baggy look for a while.

[Sophia]

DD2 is sick. :( She's been sleeping like crap and extra fussy and she had a very runny nose this morning. Luckily, no fever. It's not bad, but she'd gone 7 months without being sick and I just hate that she's not feeling well. I just hope it doesn't get worse.

Shoes: She has a pair of Robeez-esque shoes MIL gave her. It's not that cold here, and she's not walking yet (obviously), so I haven't really bought her anything.

Diaper ointment: She rarely needs anything. I use Aquaphor if needed. I'd been using Balmex when she was younger but it didn't agree with her.

jarocha, your DD is adorable! If you don't mind my saying, her harness clip on the car seat is a bit low. It should be even with her armpits or she might slip out of the harness in an accident.

[nuhmah]

shoes - we have been using a combination of Robeez and Shoo-Shoes. I love them both equally! :) He got a pair of fleece boots from Walmart for Christmas, and we have worn the bejeebies out of them. I put him in some sort of crib shoe every day - especially now that he uses my hands to pull himself up; the help with the "gripping" on our hardwood floors.

Question about crib mattresses - I am just starting to look for one for DS (we are getting ready to transition him to his crib, instead of in bed with us), and I wanted to know if anyone had some suggestions? I have no idea what to look for... and are they all covered with that plastic layer on top?

[cece]

oh my. i am way, way behind here. i found this new thread, read the first few pages, then had to fast-forward ;) i love that we've combined the july and august mamas...how fun!

the boys are doing great, harrison is amazing. and, two kids is really crazy ;) it obviously has it's great moments, but 21mos apart is a little nutty at times....well, most times!

i'm a terrible mother, and didn't take harrison for his 6m check-up in december because the holidays were so crazy. his ped had nothing available in january. so, his 6m c/up is 2/14 - he'll be 8m ;) i do know that he's 19lbs and 28" long and such a chunker. i love it. he has the greatest smile, 2 teeth on bottom, and gives the BIGGEST smiles and giggles to his brother who just cracks him up non-stop. it's so cute.

here he is a few weeks ago:

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d44/cece_0829/IMG_0149_f.jpg


and, because this is fun, i'll do the get-to-know-ya questionnaire:

favorite TV show(s): 24, the office, barefoot contessa (which gets tivo'd and rarely watched, unfortunately)

one thing that is on your list to do before you die: oh, there are so many things!

favorite part of pregnancy: everything.

worst part of pregnancy: running after a 21 month old while 8mos pg. and, giving birth 5wks early.

first time you felt "empty" after having DC if at all: when the nicu doctors took him away moments after he was born, and having to go home from the hospital without him.

the (most recent) thing your DC does that makes you laugh every time: his belly laughs.

______________

it's so great to see how you're all doing - you're babies are just to-die-for cute!

-c

[cece]

oh, and forgot to mention that harrison is all over the place mobile! i wouldn't say he's particularly crawling, but doing more the army crawl thing. he can make it across a room in seconds though. he also pushes his bottom way up from his feet - doing the perfect "down dog" yoga pose ;) he sits on his own from a crawling type position, but is aways leaning on a hand - he doesn't really sit up completely on his own yet. he does sit in his highchair now - he pops right out of his bumbo!

shoes - he was wearing these fuzzie booties over the winter (except his were lt. blue):

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d44/cece_0829/fit_baby.gif

now, he wears mostly sox, robeez, and i just had him in converse the other day like his brother ;)

diaper ointment - harrison hasn't needed any yet, but finn does ever so often, and we use desitin or kiehl's - they work the same.

solids - we started on solids last month, but he's taking to it much slower than finn did - he wears most of it ;) i usually feed him twice a day - morning is oatmeal mixed with the earths best breakfast-type jars, and for dinner - EB green veggies & orange veggies, and EB fruit or fruit i mash up.

-c

[maybebaby]

Help! I really want to make a collage of DD's first year, and I need to know what program or website other folks use to make collages. Ideally, I'd like to be able to arrange the pictures and add short text, i.e. the names of months.

I've been trying to use Adobe Photoshop, but I don't know how to use it, and it's so frustrating. This is not something I can figure out on limited sleep!

Anyone have ideas?

[Soulmate]

I only have a brief second but am having a jammy dilemma. DS desperately needs new jammies but they are no where to be found. He needs 12 mos and I prefer footed sleepers. Seriously no where has them at all unless they are blanket sleepers (too warm). Does anyone know where I can find some that are around $10?

[cece]

maybebaby- i know how frustrating it is to want to do something and not know how to do it. i don't have much time, but i'll help you out. if you want to send me an email through here, i'll get back to you tomorrow. if you email me the photos, i can get them in a 12-grid for you pretty quickly, then you just have to add the text. i'll only be able to do it first thing in the morning tomorrow though, so if you want me to do it, just be sure to email me asap. -c

soulmate- gap has a bunch of footie jammies on sale right now -some are holidays, but my kids are still wearing all their holiday jammies since they still fit ;) and, children's place usually has footie jammies really reasonably priced.

[Wrighty26]

cece - Good to see you in here! Harrison is such a cutie, I love those cheeks -- and quite a big boy (which I believe you were expecting) considering he was a preemie!

soulmate - Gymboree is having their baby sale right now - and their (non-sale) footed jammies are $10 (usually $19.50- so quite a bargain!). I'm actually kicking myself right now that I didn't buy more today. Guess I'm going to have to spend more money and pick up another Gymbuck :p I've found that Gymbo runs big --so I get more bang for my buck :) I also like The Children's Place, but Braeden has been wear wearing 12 month sleepers there for a few months now (The 6-12 ones from Gymbo are still big).

[Soulmate]

wrighty & cece Thanks for responding. I think I was going off mostly their websites and the selection is non-existent there. Gymboree has no footed jammies on their site and Children's Place only has two. The Gap's p.j.s are too expensive for me. I just miss the days where you could buy three in a package :( Nice and convenient.

Today, I got this awesome video of DS cracking up at his reflection in the mirror. Priceless.

[Lizard]

Hey, thanks for the tips on Gymboree... I see they have a new line with crabs on them. We kind of have a crab obsession in this house (don't ask). :)

So this evening DH was playing with DD by pulling her up... we've been pulling her up to a standing position for a while now. At one point he put his hands out, she grabbed onto his thumbs and pulled HERSELF up to a standing position. :eek: It freaked us out, so he put her down and she did it again, and again, and again! She isn't crawling, but she's doing this already? Holy cats. I'll try to get a video of it tomorrow. She can't get up from flat on the floor to sitting yet, but I think we're gonna lower the crib tomorrow just in case....

[mkvh]

Lizard--C started doing that last week as well! Scary.

Jammies--I have had good luck at department store clearance, but our house is cold, so we use blanket sleepers most times.

cece--OMG--Harrison is SO cute and chubby!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
We're still dealing with night wakings. Argh! It's now going on a month. I don't know if she actually needs to eat or if it's becoming a habit...

C was in the nursery at church today, and the caregiver noted that she seemed "frustrated" because all the other kids were walking/crawling and she can't get her legs to cooperate. I'll bet if she was in daycare, she'd be crawling already!

[smurf]

Ug, we've got a sick baby over here. She's been fighting what I thought were allergies for a while, but now it seems to have turned into a cold. She's so congested. She can't sleep laying down, so for the past two nights, I've slept sitting up in bed holding her. Makes for a very sore neck on mommy! She's also pulling at her ear all the time and crying. For those of you who have experienced this, does this sound like it could be an ear infection? I know pulling at the ear isn't a good indicator, but do ear infections come along with runny noses and congestion?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jammies-We love the ones from Children's Place and the Carter's brand from Target (pretty cheap too).

Lizard-Kate started pulling up right before she began crawling--watch out!!

Maybebaby-If you didn't get your stuff to CeCe in time, you could try downloading paint.net and using it. It can do the same things as Photoshop, but it's a little more user friendly. Feel free to PM me if you still need help.

[jesseybell]

We live in the sleepers from Carters. We were sleeping in blanket sleepers but I couldn't find any around here once we had to go up to the bigger size, so we've added socks to keep her warm.

She outgrew her long sleeve onsies and I couldn't find any around except a few on clearance, so she'll be wearing short sleeve onsies and long sleeve shirts until spring.

I was pysched - we found retired patterns on Robeez on sale last night for $14 at a local store. Score!

We tried bananas last night with no problem.

[Lizard]

smurf - That sounds like an ear infection to me. My biggest indicator was that DD didn't want to nurse lying down, despite being hungry. She was also pulling at her hair, but I didn't put 2 and 2 together until the doc said it was a double ear infection. DD does have some minor congestion... she had been vomiting up some mucus about a week ago, which was probably the start of it all.

I went to Gymboree and bought the 2-piece crab outfit today. :( I only say that with a sad face because I could have EASILY bought the whole line. Cute stuff.

[smurf]

Thanks, Lizard. Come to think of it, DD was throwing up mucus last weekend. Guess I'll call the Dr. in the am.

[a_spark]

Hi Girls! I've been lurking and reading along but haven't had much time to post and I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by how fast this thread is moving. It's hard to keep up!

shoes Ava spends a lot of time in her Zutano booties. I love them!! They're so cozy and easy to get on and really the only shoe she can't rub off. She rubs her feet together like a cricket and it makes keeping shoes on a little challenging. She also has a pair of Pumas that she wears from time to time. Mostly she's in socks when we're home, though.

solids We're taking this waaaayy slow due to her severe reflux. She had a lot of trouble with rice cereal, so that's out, and it seems like bananas don't work well with her either. So far, it's looking like pears, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes all are okay. We're just doing one meal a day at this point.

I'm loving all the photos of your little ones! Here's a recent one of Ava, laughing at the dog :)

http://www.hughesdesign.com/cpics/babydog.jpg

[Sophia]

She rubs her feet together like a cricket and it makes keeping shoes on a little challenging.

That's the perfect way to describe it! :D

Well, we've been sick over here. Luckily she's just conjested with a runny nose, some sneezing & coughing, and crankier than usual--no fever or anything like that. I'm sick, too. I think we got it from DH & DS because they got sick a week before we did. DD1 is still ok, though.

[mmisabel]

smurf - congestion is what leads to ear infections. I hope it's not one, but it sounds possible!

[Chimichanga]

Reagan is finally getting over her cold - and not a moment too soon! ;) Saturday she STTN which was great for me. Granted we still got up early, but it was nice.

I had people over yesterday and Reagan was so happy and content around them. DH tried to take her upstairs (we were scrapbooking and a baby can sometimes be a distraction) and she was soooo fussy. The moment he brought her downstairs she was happy as a clam. :) She was also sitting really well; like 30-40 minute stretches before toppling over.

R is a big time Daddy's girl. She's got her special perch in the crook of his arm that she is the most content in. If I try to hold her, she gets fussy because I just don't have her in the right position. All I know is she is going to be really devestated when DH starts working 2nd shift next week. He's making plans though so he can see her - Mondays he'll take her to daycare around 11 so he'll have the morning with her, Wednesdays he'll go into daycare and play with her for about an hour or so, every other Friday I get a half day at work so I'll pick her up and he'll see both of us for a few hours before work. I just hope she won't take it too hard. I know it was an adjustment for her when I went back to work, but she was still relatively young (2 months). Now she's 6 months and I don't know how she'll handle it. Anyone with any experience in this area?

[CarlaB]

Chimi we started S at day care full time over a week ago, when he turned 6 months. He has been doing well and a been quite the trooper. But, I took two weeks to transition him to the daycare. For the first week, we went three days, for about an hour each and just sat and played together, sometimes with the teachers. In the second week, I left him for 1 hr on day one, 2 hours on day two, and then played on the third day. I felt he got a chance to get to know the teachers this way. I don't know if you or your DH would be able to do something like that, but it worked well for us. HTH.

[mia's mama]

shoes- we too have the zutano booties which I love. We also just picked up some Robeez Booties which I like much better than the shoes. They don't give J the red indentations on his ankles that the regular Robeez were giving.

sleep- I say this with caution, but it appears J may have FINALLY turned the corner as far as sleep is concerned. Sadly, it took me supplementing with a bottle of formula at his last feeding. I guess the poor kid really was hungry! He went from waking on average 4 times/night to only once. For the last 4 nights I have nursed him AND given him a 4-6oz. bottle of formula at 6 pm and it has changed our sleep lives! I never had to supplement with Mia, but I was so tired that I decided to try and just see if it made a difference. It did. Still BFing for every other feeding.

Solids- J could still take it or leave it, so we are taking things very slow. Fine by me.

My little Fish- J has been in swiming lessons with Daddy for the last month and is LOVING it! He would also stay ion the bath tub or kitchen sink (where we often bathe him) for hours on end if I let him!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/153/388109316_caf5a1db43_m.jpg

[Soulmate]

a_spark What a cute picture! DS saw a dog up close for the first time this weekend and he LOVED it! He was laughing and squealing. We have a cat and he is in love with all cats so we were calling the dog a "big kitty" :D I would love to be in the mind of a baby during these moments.

mia's mama Your DS is so cute and it looks like he is in 7th heaven!

jammies advice Thank you all for your advice. I think I am just going to have to take time and do a throrough search. I am trying to avoid Carters since they shrink so badly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I went to a baby shower this weekend and I was sooo glad I am not pregnant. It just brought me back to how extremely difficult the newborn stage was for us. Of course when I expressed this to DH he said, "it wasn't that bad". This is the man who seriously contemplated never having more children because it was so bad. I thought it was the woman who was supposed to forget the pain...not the man :rolleyes:

QOTD: When do you plan on TTCing again, if at all? I know some ladies are doing so already which boggles my mind ;) We plan on trying again in September 2007 when I am eligible for STD.

[mkvh]

a_spark--C laughs at our dogs like that, too. And the rougher they are, the harder she laughs!

Soulmate--I'd LOVE to crawl in their brains. Because I've read that they understand tons more than we can know.

Zutanos--where do you buy them? I live in the fashion armpit of America...I'm lucky I can find any Robeez here!

TTC Again--We didn't prevent from Sept-mid December but started preventing because fall is a less than ideal time for a baby due to the fact that my DH works in public school administration. Ideally we'd like a late spring/early summer 2008 baby, so we will be TTC in July. (Plus, I don't want to be pg for our summer vaca to FL.)

[Amaye]

I went to a baby shower this weekend and I was sooo glad I am not pregnant. It just brought me back to how extremely difficult the newborn stage was for us. Of course when I expressed this to DH he said, "it wasn't that bad". This is the man who seriously contemplated never having more children because it was so bad. I thought it was the woman who was supposed to forget the pain...not the man :rolleyes:

QOTD: When do you plan on TTCing again, if at all? I know some ladies are doing so already which boggles my mind ;) We plan on trying again in September 2007 when I am eligible for STD.

LOL!! Your DH is cracking me up!! I'm with you on how difficult the newborn stage was. I'm still remembering it and so is DH. Last night, he imitated how DD used to cry when we tried to get her to sleep. It was hilarious!

TTC - We are so not ready for another child yet so we are not TTCing until 2008 at the earliest. I also want a late spring/early summer baby so it would be July 2008. When we get closer to 2008, we will make a final decision.

[Wrighty26]

TTC - We are so not ready for another child yet so we are not TTCing until 2008 at the earliest. I also want a late spring/early summer baby so it would be July 2008. When we get closer to 2008, we will make a final decision.

Ditto! I'd like Braeden to be potty trained -- or close to it, by the time we have #2. I figure that after my July 08 annual I'll talk to my GYN about getting pregnant again. Since I had some issues this time, I'd like to be as proactive as possible when the time comes :)

Mia's Mama - Awww -- J definitely loves the water! Yay for sleep!! Sorry you have to supplement, but if you are all feeling more rested, it's TOTALLY worth it.

a_spark - How cute is Ava with your dog! We don't have any pets, but I would love to introduce B to a dog. He is fascinated by the ILs cat!

Chimi - So cute that your DD is a Daddy's girl! Sorry that this transition is going to be hard for her. I think it's cute that your DH is making plans to visit her at daycare!

[Chimichanga]

I'm glad DH made those plans on his own to visit Reagan. :) Makes me happy to know I've got a good one ;) R is in daycare one day a week and LOVES it; I think the interaction will be fine, but I think she'll miss Daddy a lot.

TTC - we're planning to start again this summer; around July/August timeframe. My OB/Gyn told me I better not be pregnant before R turns 1. She was joking but partly serious.

[emmjay]

TTC - we started in January. Yeah, I know, it's really soon... but I'm almost 35 and I just want to knock out two kids and then someone (*cough* DH *cough*) is getting fixed.

mkvh - you can buy the Zutano booties online. The place with the biggest selection of colors (at least that I've found) is Ollie Bollen (www.olliebollen.com)

I just got home after taking Seamus to visit my ILs. We had a good trip - it was the first time I flew with him by myself, but it was OK. My flight down there was cancelled so I had to wait almost 5 hours for the next one - he was awake for 7 hours! That could have been ugly but he was totally fine on the flight. I think he was in some kind of coma by the time we got on the plane.

[jesseybell]

ttc#2I will be 37 in August (DH, DD and I are all Leos) so we will be starting ttc #2 in July (I don't want my kids really close together and being in the Northeast and 25 miles from my hospital, I'd prefer not to have a baby in the winter though I guess its not as much of an issue since I will have a planned c-section, but still...spring/summer is such a good time to be on leave...but if we don't get so lucky as last time we'll probably end up having another Leo). I just started the full strength pill after weaning in hopes to regulate things (plus I never felt really comfortable on the mini-pill and I am not ready for an oops! yet) and will go off it after our anniversary trip in May and start charting in June.

[smurf]

TTC #2--I can't believe we're already talking about this, it seems like I was just pregnant yesterday! We used to want our kiddos pretty close together, but since Kate has been such a disasterous sleeper, I think we're going to wait a bit longer. As of now, we're planning on starting to try again in January 08.

[mmisabel]

ttc - could be as early as this summer, but N's been sleeping so crappy I mentioned it to DH yesterday and he said maybe we'll push that back! :)

[Sophia]

TTC #4: I don't think it's in the cards, given my age and other factors. I wish we could, though. :(

[klav]

TTC we have both agreed that Liam will have to be a ear old then we will talk about it.

[maybebaby]

ttc oh it's going to be a few years. can't even think about it right now! especially not until we get this one sleeping well! I loved having a summer baby (lots of July and August birthdays in my family), but I'd feel lucky to get pregnant with a healthy baby anytime!

solids I think I have a "taster"...I wish she would swallow a little more and not make such a mess, but at least she's having fun, right?

jesseybell I love finding Robeez on sale. We have these cute little pink penguin ones.

[JenniferH]

ttc #3 ~ not likely, but you never know

[Chimichanga]

*Warning - biased momma story coming*

Last night we were feeding Reagan some pears. We had given her a taste on Sunday, but she wasn't too hungry so we put the remaining food in the fridge. We spoon it out to a seperate dish so we don't cross contaminate.

Anyways, last night we put her in the Bumbo and get ready to feed her. She gets her first mouthful of pears and screws her face up; like she just sucked on a lemon. She shakes her head and sticks out her tongue. It was so darn cute!!! Of course we grabbed the camcorder AFTER she did that, but it was so freaking funny. It might have been the fact that it was cold or maybe she got a sour mouthful. :D

[jesseybell]

Jen - That story is so cute. I bet it was because it was cold. The couple times I've fed E in the middle of the night in the last month I've not warmed up her bottle and she gets that funny face because it is so cold.

I wish I had had a camera around when she tried avacado. The face was priceless. I have another one on the counter, plus real bananas so we'll get a chance to see it was the texture.

We are supposed to have our 6 mth WBV tomorrow - I hope it isn't cancelled due to the snow storm. If it is I don't know they'll be able to re-schedule. I can imagine the office will be swamped next week with vacation. I don't want to just be squeezed in, but I also don't want to wait too long either.

[nuhmah]

ttc #2 - I am so on the fence... I am really loving being able to be here with DS and really spend time with him. How do you know if you really, truly want another DC? :confused: :o Its just my inner turmoil these days, I guess. I did this to myself a few years ago when I was deciding if I even wanted children - I was a school teacher and every name out there just made my blood boil at the thought of it. I know that is a horrible way to feel, but I just didn't know if having kids was right for me. Now that he is here, I can't imagine it any other way, you know? It feels *so* right - what if having another one doesn't feel as right? What if we were meant to be a one-kid family, even though we have both talked about having 3+ kids?

In lighter news - the light at the end of our remodel tunnel is getting brighter and brighter. :D :D :D And we are getting ready to put the house on the market in 2 weeks so that we can move back to the east coast. Remodeling while pregnant and having a baby has been a HUGE challenge, but I think it has been worth it. DS has been such an easy baby for us (will sit and watch us, amuse himself, stays in the carrier for long periods of time, and is a joy to be with!), and that has made it so much easier. We have one last room to finish cleaning and move back into, and that is DS's room. I have been taking my time with this one and searching for *just* the right things. The mattress is on it's way, the crib is ready to be set up, and I have been buying bedding here and there when I find pieces I like. I am so excited to finally be able to nest! LOL

[tgoody03]

Soulmate - Ha! Funny that you are having pj issues. So are we! We spent a few hours on Friday searching stores with footed jammies in size 12 months. Babiesrus had a *few* ... like 6 ... not in a bag, just on hangers on one rack. I've realized that once the baby gets to 12 months, they have those pants/shirt pjs and no longer 1 pieces. Sad, really. Carters work well for us ... they don't shrink! Gerber stuff, on the other hand, is ridiculously small! I bought a pack of 12 month onesies for DD, they were so little when I took them out of the pack that I matched them up to her 3-6 month onesies and they were the same size. BTW - Gymboree does have some onesies on sale for $10 right ... they are the ocean print.

TTC - Considering starting at some point between Jan - Apr 2007. Is it selfish that I want to be pregnant in fall/winter because I like the maternity clothes better? LOL. Seriously, though, I thought I'd wait until DD is at least one and then give me a few months of breathing room to ponder a 2nd baby.

Solids - We just started 2 weeks ago. DD hated rice cereal. Spits it out. She loves bananas. Yesterday she ate an entire banana. Do you think that's ok?

nuhmah - Everything you wrote described/s me to a T. Except, I know I want more kids, just not sure when. I thought I never wanted kids, but now I wonder why I waited so long because I love DD so much and can't imagine life without her. The thing I worry about is how I can love another baby this much. People say you do, but how? I don’t want to take away from DD when she's just learning to talk and walk and all that good stuff by spending too much time with an infant. I think many women have this dilemma, and all tell me that it works out just fine in the end. That your heart expands, you love the child the same, and you manage to spend just as time with DC#1 than you did before. Hm. I wonder if that's true?!

Jen - Sophie a daddy's girl (and secretly, I love that!! I'm glad she is because I am too ... so important for a daddy to be that close with his DD). Anyway, Sophie is doing great at school and DH was staying home with her when I started back to work. He drops her off at day care and she is fine. She loves school. She likes playing with the kids and all that good stuff. I thought she might not like it or might be sad when DH dropped her off, but she's a-ok. Such a trooper! It's DH and I that are sad. LOL

[nuhmah]

The thing I worry about is how I can love another baby this much. People say you do, but how? ... That your heart expands, you love the child the same, and you manage to spend just as time with DC#1 than you did before. Hm. I wonder if that's true?!

My thoughts exactly! :) I looked back on my pictures and videos of Christmas morning and thought - can I do it again? Can I make that first Christmas just as special for another LO just like I did this one? What if I get careless and slip because it is easier? I don't want that DC to look back and ask why they didn't have pictures, a baby book, cute ornaments, new clothes, etc. :( I know this may seem *really* trivial to other people reading this, but these have been thoughts heavy on my mind. I guess I don't want to rush into something I am only partially sure of - in some ways I think we rushed into getting pregnant because it was the "next step." I am a planner by nature, and I needed another project. I refuse to resent my son, so I hate thinking that way, but I don't want to feel that way EVER when #2 does come.

[jesseybell]

Gerber clothing- I second that about them being so small. I had Gerber onsies until now but she outgrows them before anything else in the same size so I gave up and moved to Carters, even though they are more expensive. And her Gerber blanket sleepers - grew out of them SO quickly and they had none in her size at BRU.

I actually wonder if we'll take more pictures of a second child. We've taken a lot, but not a ton, because we get so engrossed in spending time with her that we forget to whip at the camera. Or we don't know to expect a "milestone" coming and we don't capture the first anything. Or maybe I am just teasing myself in thinking we'll be able to do more for the second one.

[Soulmate]

Feelings about having a second DC I too worry about having a second DC mostly because I feel very intensely about just a few people. For example, I feel completely fufilled just being with DH and do not feel a need for other friendships (but it is not co-dependence). I describe myself as a one plug outlet ;) Even when DS came along I was very consumed by him and it took me some adjustment to be able to feel intensely about two people (DS & DH) at the same time. I figure if I adjusted when DS came along I'll adjust to another DC as well. I guess I am the ultimate loner :D

jammies I found some footed jammies at BRU that were 9-12 mo and huge so they will fit him with some room to grow. Plus they were only $8. They were Mini-Me brand I think?? I think I offended the BRU lady because she pointed me to the Carters 9 mo saying they were 9-12. Well DS is 7 mos and growing out of their 9 mo clothes. She then said that at 12 mos they move to the 2 piece pajamas. I then said "well there is only 2 styles in the boys and I was looking for more of a selection". She gave me a dirty look and pointed me to the pajamas I ended up buying. But a lot of boys pajamas, especially the 2 pieces, are ugly IMO. The colors and graphics are so harsh that they look weird on a child that is still very much baby looking.

chimichanga I love those sour lemon icky faces! They are just too funny.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I think DS likes having his feet up against the crib slats so he has been moving so he sleeps perpendicular in his crib. It is sooo weird. That boy won't move anywhere on his own except in the crib. I still have no idea how he does it.

[emmjay]

The thing I worry about is how I can love another baby this much. People say you do, but how? I don’t want to take away from DD when she's just learning to talk and walk and all that good stuff by spending too much time with an infant. I think many women have this dilemma, and all tell me that it works out just fine in the end. That your heart expands, you love the child the same, and you manage to spend just as time with DC#1 than you did before. Hm. I wonder if that's true?!

This isn't something I worry about at all, although I have heard people mention this before. I feel like #2 will be my baby too, and I don't see how I wouldn't love it the same. I love my brother as much as my sister, and my mother as much as my father - I think people have an infinite capacity for love. I can see there being another adjustment period with a newborn and a toddler, but I'm not worried about the love part.

[Camdynlyn]

TTC: We've tossed around the idea of just having one but lately I'm thinking we'll have another one and I want them 2.5-3 years apart so that has us TTC around the summer of 08. I would like to have a spring baby.

**
I'm super busy but thought I'd drop by really quick. Mia's a rolly pollie and turn herself in circles to get toys. It's super cute.

[Sabriel]

TTC #2 As long as I am still working, we want our kids about 4 years apart, which would have us TTCing starting November 2009. If things work out to where I can SAH, we may move that date up.

solids So far E has had sweet potatoes, green beans and rice cereal. She loves the sweet potatoes and seems to like the rice. She makes the worst faces when she eats green beans! She always opens her mouth for more, though. :p

We're having a "snow day" today, so I get to be home with my baby! We have already gotten 12" of snow today, and it is still snowing. We are expected to get about 2- 4" more by tomorrow morning. That is in addition to the 5" that are still on the ground from last week. DH has been out plowing since 2 am, which totally stinks. :(

Edited to correct weater info.

[MMK]

gerber: arhhhhhhggg! I JUST bought a pack of 12 month gerber onesies yesterday and they SUCK. So thin and not big enough for my very long bodied boy. I wish I had read pp's yesterday!

pj's: picked up a bunch of Carter footies (12mths) at Macy's. All on sale for $5. Once it warms up I'll switch over to the two piece jobs that seem all the rage in 12month size but for now, I prefer the warmth of the fleece onesies.

ttc #2: ditto what others have said. Can I really love another dc as much? Can I stand to share my affections with another? That having been said, I can't imagine not being pregnant again or ds being an only child. Will probably get going this summer.

soulmate: A sleeps the exact same way...feet propped up on the side of the crib. I have a pic somewhere, it makes me laugh!
********
In other news, Drew turned 7 months today and it was a pretty eventful day. First, for the first time EVER he slept all the way through the night (7pm-7am). If you had told me while I was preg that this would just be happening now I would have died. As it is, I'm just taking it one day at a time and totally grateful for small victories.
Second, after three weeks of being fully weaned, AF has shown. While I certainly didn't miss the cramps and aggrevation, I have to admit, in a weird way, it made me kind of happy. Sort of a return to normal, if you will.

[emmjay]

pjs - I just bought a bunch from my favorite consignment store - 9 and 12 months, all one-piece footies. We also use a sleep sack on top because he seems to wake up a lot of he's cold (our house is drafty).

MMK - that is great about STTN! I hope it continues!

We just finished our Valentines. They are pretty cute.

[jennylou]

TTC#3 = We're undecided on this. It's taken clomid for both of my pregnancies, so although we thought we'd want to try around a year, N will have to be fully weaned before I go back on the clomid. That's the undecisiveness. I don't want to wean her just because she's a year, if she still wants to nurse at night, etc. But, DH is older and doesn't want to wait too long for the next one.

[babylove]

DS is 6 mo old today...*sniff*....where did my baby go?? It seems that in the last 2 weeks or so there has been an explosion in development...he's wiggly and "talkative" and eats solids well and sits up...is it bad that I miss my little baby? ;)

then:
http://re2.farm1.static.flickr.com/135/389445149_86e3f2e081_m.jpg

now:
http://re2.farm1.static.flickr.com/164/389334213_f0a350d322_m.jpg

and trying to grab the "6 month" sign we used for his pictures today:
http://re2.farm1.static.flickr.com/127/389341387_7fc1de0f1e_m.jpg

***

TTC #2 ~ Originally I wanted to wait until DS was at least 2 to even think about trying...but now I'm thinking I'll have my IUD removed in May 08 (a few months before his 2nd b-day) and start trying them. DS is a clomid baby and it took 3 cycles before we were successful...so who knows how long it will take?

jammies ~ Having the same problem finding warm winter footie pjs. I love the carters pjs b/c they are warm and soft but 9 mo ones are no where to be found! Ugh!! I have some 12 mo hand-me-down ones that are in decent shape so I guess he'll just skip 9 mo and go right to 12 mo pjs.

***
Just picking a place to start SOs b/c I'm sooo behind...

smurf ~ I hope your DD doesn't have an EI...my DS has had THREE already. I agree with you about TTC #2...seems way to close in time to be doing it over again now...

jesseybell~ Love the avatar! How do you prepared the avocado?

a spark ~ That pic of your DD w/ the dog is adorable!

sophia ~ I hope your DD feels better!

Chimichanga ~ How cute that R is a daddys girl :) YAY for STTN!

mias mama ~ That is an adorable picture of your DS in the sink! YAY for better sleep!

Soulmate ~ yeah, I've totally forgotten the craziness of those first few weeks. I just visited my friend who has a week-old baby and it all came back...makes me sooo thankful for my full night of sleep now! My DS sleeps like that too..perpendicular!!! He bangs his legs on the mattress and arches his back to propel himself around...it's hilarious to watch (we have a video monitor)

emmjay ~ Good luck w/ TTC #2! I'm glad you survived the long delay without a meltdown. The valentine is adorable!

nuhmah ~ Congrats on almost completing your remodel! We moved and remodeled our house while I was pg and it was a near disaster...I cried over everything!

Sabriel ~ Stay warm...that's A LOT of snow!

MMK ~ Your DS is exactly one month older than mine :) Happy 7 mo to Drew!
Congrats on him STTN!

[Wrighty26]

This isn't something I worry about at all, although I have heard people mention this before. I feel like #2 will be my baby too, and I don't see how I wouldn't love it the same. I love my brother as much as my sister, and my mother as much as my father - I think people have an infinite capacity for love. I can see there being another adjustment period with a newborn and a toddler, but I'm not worried about the love part.

I'm in total agreement with you on this. I don't think that there is anything wrong with feeling like you don't have enough love, a lot of my friends feel this way until the second one is born, but for ME I know I have enough love to share. Like you said, my love is infinite :)

[jesseybell]

babylove- I mashed up the avacado as best I could with a fork and mixed it with BM. But there were still little chunks. It was the first "real" food she had had - everything else had been a puree, so I think it was the texture she wasn't familiar with.

[Abby'sMom]

TTC #3 - I love, love, love the spacing between #1 and #2 (just under 21 months) and wish I could handle another pregnancy / newborn sooner than I can - I'd love for #2 and #3 to be 21 months apart, too. But pregnancy is HARD on me and L has been SUCH a difficult baby that I don't think I can hack it that soon. Maybe the end of this year. August of this year at the abs