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

[maybebaby]

That photo of Ava is PRICELESS...love her expression! My digital camera always has so much lag time that I miss the smiles.

[emmjay]

mkvh - that really is funny. My birth plan went out the window about 5 minutes after I got to the hospital! I was just thinking today about how much time I spent getting all worked up over things that I couldn't care less about now.

amy - all of the pics on that collage are so cute, and the picture of the two of you is great! Her expression is hilarious!

Mystikal - wow, those are some serious lashes on that baby! She is gorgeous.

DH is skiing with friends this weekend. He left Thurs night and will be back on Sunday. Even though I take care of the baby almost all of the time, DH usually helps me out in the evenings with feeding and/or bath & bedtime. I definitely notice when he isn't home! I have a friend who is a single mom - I don't know how she does it.

Oh, thanks again for the well-wishes for #2 from everyone!

[klav]

Amy I love that collage!
Its so cute!!
This is the first time I've been able to get on to post anything since I started back to work on Wed.
So since wed. it's been going somewhat smoothly. I
The routine is pretty much I get up at 6 and get ready I get L up at 6:30 and get him ready DH gets up about this time and get himself ready so we can leave to get L over to SIL for abut 7:15 at the latest. then head to work which is about an hour or more drive due to traffic. work till about 5 ish depending on my lunch break and head back to SIL to get L to then get home some where around 6:30
get L dinner and ready for bed, play a bit before bed and then get l down for the night . then get myself dinner if DH has made it or what ever and then shower and get stuff ready for the next day then head to bed.
Feeeww I think that's all
So work is nice the people are nice. and the work seems sorta interesting labs an stuff. I'm going to training this coming week so I don't have to get up as early but I only have to go to Baltimore!! and only till 4:30 so next week will not be too bad.. so everything seem to be going great the only thing I dread is the travel time but I get to spend that with DH and we split the commute. plus I don't have to pay for parking or anything like that!

[sunchaser26]

Just had to swing by and say that I was lurking in the July 2007 thread and giggling a bit about their discussions! They're talking about birth plans and what they do or do not want. It's just so funny to me to be on the "other side" and realize that I worried so much about things over which I had so little control! They're having so much fun starting to show and stuff, though, that it DOES make me miss being pg JUST a little!

And I find it incredibly hard to believe that's where we all were just a year ago. Wow!

That is so funny about the birth plan discussions... I didn't have one but I remember others getting so worked up about it and when it comes down to it the baby is coming one way or the other and it normally doesn't go as planned.

I was looking at the belly thread last night and then at my own journal and thinking those exact same thoughts....


DH is skiing with friends this weekend. He left Thurs night and will be back on Sunday. Even though I take care of the baby almost all of the time, DH usually helps me out in the evenings with feeding and/or bath & bedtime. I definitely notice when he isn't home! I have a friend who is a single mom - I don't know how she does it.

Here I thought that I was the only one who got let while their DH spent a guys trip away skiing.... Nice to know that I'm not alone. I can sympathize with the way your feeling because I feel like that a lot since my DH took the job in TN with Nissan - he is normally gone half the week so I'm on my own with the baby and everything. Mind you if he hadn' have taken the job I'd have had to go back to work so it's hard to be too upset.

It was harder at first and I still have my moments when I think I'm just not going to make it through but I do and that gives me the strength for the next time. I have also learned that when I get that way to put J someplace safe and take a time out for me - like getting some tea, reading a book or drawing a bath. You get used to it and make it work.

[Soulmate]

Just had to swing by and say that I was lurking in the July 2007 thread and giggling a bit about their discussions! They're talking about birth plans and what they do or do not want. It's just so funny to me to be on the "other side" and realize that I worried so much about things over which I had so little control! They're having so much fun starting to show and stuff, though, that it DOES make me miss being pg JUST a little!

And I find it incredibly hard to believe that's where we all were just a year ago. Wow!I agree...just seeing what the first time moms are going through really brings me back. I was soooo friggin anxious about the whole baby thing that I don't think I really enjoyed my pregnancy as much as I could have. While I knew so much was out of my control I still wanted to be prepared and I think I spent too much time preparing as a means to ease my anxiety. I realize now that so many of my classes just barely touched on topics that were necessary while others just gave wrong info (nothing you can do about colic and acid reflux is really rare in babies...HA!). Part of me is not looking forward to being pregnant again because the thought of having a toddler, working, *and* being pregnant already exhausts me, however, I will be so much more relaxed and enjoy the pregnancy and new baby so much more.

amy I too just love that collage! What a great memento to keep for when she gets older. She'll love it!

klav Ugh do I remember NoVA/MD traffic! I still have PTSD from it and we haven't lived there in years. Commuting 1+ hours to go 20 miles is just insane. I feel for ya. I am glad things are going well though returning to work and everyone is adjusting well.

emmjay DH works a lot and I get really stressed when he is not home for long stretches of time. Even with DS who is super easy, I cannot imagine doing it alone. I know of women who are single moms to like 5 kids! No friggin way.

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

So DS' language explosion has ceased and he has resumed his typical babbling. I guess he tried it out and got bored and went back to the easy stuff ;)

[mmisabel]

Happy St. Patrick's Day

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b74/meglevey/IMG_3277.jpg

[makena32204]

have a great St. Patty's Day everyone!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/424367678_47b4ef2b31.jpg?v=0

[sunchaser26]

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/424483931_342bc5a4ff.jpg?v=0

[Wrighty26]

Hee hee - I love all of these Old Navy shirts :)

Carrie -- It looks like J and Braeden have the same great taste (except Braeden has a major drool problem :p)!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/424661946_cfbbc02c25.jpg?v=0

Happy St. Patty's Day to all :)

[jewamese]

Hi,
I've been gone for a few months. I had been having a rough time w/ sleep deprivation and juggling two kids (my 3yo DD is driving me nuts), but things are better now and I'm hoping to catch up with you all.

I've only gone back three pages. So many cute kids here! It's so neat to see how they've all grown so much.

Amy, you're Ava Collage is adorable! She's adorable.

Congratulations, emmjay!

Avery's doing well. We breastfed for 6.5 mos and then switched to Alimentum, a hypoallergenic formula (she's 7.5 mos now)--all of my elimination dieting was still bothering her. She's doing great now. I'm hoping we can wean her off of Prilosec soon. She's not quite crawling, but she gets around by rolling or scooching--is that a word? She's starting to pull up, but her legs aren't that strong. She doesn't stay standing long--even if we hold her up, her legs buckle. She's really sweet and loves her big sister. She smiles at anyone who will look at her. She is starting to have some momma-separation-anxiety though. She wants me in her peripherals at all times. She's finally in her crib now. She had been sleeping propped up on a Boppy on our bed for almost 7 months. I think she has transitioned to a bottle and to the crib really well. Umm, what else? She has started to wave (I don't think it's intentional--maybe more awareness of her hands) and babble a lot. I think she's close to clapping her hands. She's a sweetpea. :)

Hope you girls will have me back.

Oh, I'm Cindie (33). DH is Five (36). DD1=Taya 3-7-04, DD2 = Avery 7-28-06

[a_spark]

Hi Everyone! SUCH cute pictures, and amy, I love that collage!! So cute. :)

growth spurtI think we're starting the 9 month growth spurt early over here. I'm exhausted! Ava was up to eat (ravenously) at 10:30, 12:30, 4 and then 6:30 (her usual wakeup time). This is from STTN just a week ago. I was saying to DH, "I don't know what this could be, except for a growth spurt", looked it up on the Kelly Mom web site and sure enough, there's a 9-month spurt. Is anyone else dealing with this? I think I remember someone mentioning a growth spurt a couple of weeks ago, but mommy brain prevents me from remembering :)

dancing Ava's been doing this hilarious herky-jerky dancing movement, kind of Michael Jackson-esque, shoulder twitch and head bob. It cracks me up. We had her in bed with us last night due to the many many wakings and she was doing it and grinning in her sleep! So funny.

Welcome back, jewamese!

[smurf]

Cute pictures, everyone! I'm a bad mommy, I didn't even realize that yesterday was St. Patty's Day, so Kate didn't wear green. Oh well.

Makena--look at those eyes on her, she's gonna be a heartbreaker!!
Amy-that collage is awesome.

Warning, rant ahead: Okay, so the ILs have always given me a hard time because I waited so long (in their opinion) to feed Kate solids and because when I did finally give her solids, it was only fruits and veggies. At Christmas, they made fun of me because I wouldn't let them feed her jello--uh, hello, she was only 5 months old! Anyway, they were up here visiting this weekend and we went out to eat. K. was being fussy so FIL took her out of the highchair. The next thing I know, he had opened up a sugar packet and was pouring sugar into her mouth:eek: :eek: I grabbed Kate and told him that if he was going to blatently disregard my wishes, then he couldn't hold her anymore. He apologized and took her back, but then not 5 minutes later, he was opening up another sugar packet! I swear, why do people feel the need to give babies sugar? I was so mad at him, I really had a hard time being civil to him for the rest of their visit.

Then, later on at the house, I was giving Kate some very diluted juice (per doctor's orders) b/c of constipation issues. MIL saw her drinking it and proceded to tell me that babies shouldn't drink apple juice because it can give them cancer. WTF??? She goes on to tell me that she knew a baby once that drank tons of juice who died of luekemia. Okay, right, the juice is definitely what caused it :rolleyes: /end rant//

[smurf]

Here's a pic of our trip to the park last week, I'm so loving the warmer weather!!

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i5/jblogan1/park.jpg

[klav]

OOO my GOOOdness I would have left the house and went home! I can't believe them? what the hell is wrong??? there is a huge difference there between juice and well water flavored juice! and sugar packets?? what's that about? you have more control than i like I said I would have been out the door.
She's too cute in her hat and skirt!!

[klav]

HAPPY late ST. PAT'S
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y219/klynch/DSC05013.jpg

[babylove]

I haven't been here in a few days and I'm too lazy to try to catch up...but the pics are so adorable! Love the collage, Amy!

smurf ~ Wow. That's some blatant disrespect there. I would be fuming.

jewamese ~ Oh, I'm Cindie (33). DH is Five (36). DD1=Taya 3-7-04, DD2 = Avery 7-28-06 Am I the only one who caught your (intentional?) joke about your hubby here? LOL! ETA: LOL again...I just realized that your DH's NAME is Five, and it wasn't a joke about his age...am I losing it or what? But it would have been funny...'cause my DH acts like he's five...

We went to Atlantic City this weekend w/ my cousin and her husband. Of course DS came along. He was *so* good the whole time...except when it was time to sleep. Last night was rough. He wouldn't sleep in the PNP and DH had to drive him around for 45 mins to get him to go to sleep. He ended up sleeping in his carseat. :rolleyes: I guess I should count my blessings that the only time he sleeps like poop is when we're away from home. :p But does anyone have any suggestions for that? We have two overnight trips planned in the next few months and I'm very afraid of what it will be like with DS not sleeping at night...

***

[jewamese]

Hee!
babylove, I actually was going to post that he acts like he's five too, but decided to leave that out. It's a whole 'nother story. :)

[jesseybell]

All the St. Patrick's pictures are so adorable!

We did some major retail therapy at the outlets today for spring and summer clothes for E. It was so hard to figure out whether to get her 12m or 18m stuff, so we got a bunch of both. Though all the Osh Kosh 12m pants (even though she is still mainly in 6-9 clothing) have to go back because they are too tight - I only had experience with their overalls and she swims in them (Her 3-6 months still fit though are too short). Shopping for warm weather clothes is so much more fun! I can't wait for her to wear them.

[makena32204]

smurf - Thanks! We think she's a keeper. I love Kate's toothy smile!

babylove - I wish I could help you w/ the sleeping while traveling dilemma. However, when we went to CA, we put Amelia in the PNP in our room and she slept okay. Of course, we heard every little noise she made (and she makes a lot!), but it worked.

jesseybell - I'm a big outlet shopper but DD has so many clothes right now, and we just used our gymbucks, so I need to restrain myself. And my DH. He shops more than i do!

klav- that shamrock hat is too funny!

[mmisabel]

smurf - I'd be FUMING. That is ridiculous. Sounds like you handled yourself well. And I can't believe they make fun of you about feeding your child?? Hello?! You are the parent.

klav - he's too cute!

babylove - we are going away in 1 month for 1 week with DS, his first night sleeping away from home. Not sure how he'll sleep, so I don't have any tips for you. Sorry!!

[makena32204]

smurf - I cant belive that I forgot to reply about your IL's!! My MIL thinks I am crazy overprotective when it comes to feeding my DD. I know, b/c she tells everyone but me! She'll make random rude comments all the time that I can overhear. Of course, this is the woman who fed my DH at 3 weeks....yes, 3 weeks. I seriously doubt he even swallowed any of it.

I do admit that I am very conservative when it comes to feeding DD solid foods. However, my theory is this....why give her something that she could have a potential reaction to when she doesnt NEED it? Why take that chance?

[mkvh]

smurf--ARGH! I would FREAK too. Totally justified.

babylove--UGH! That sucks. Could you maybe "practice" sleeping in the PNP at home? One of my friends did that, and it worked wonders.

Retail therapy--I need to redeem my Gymbucks this week. We REALLY need capris/short sleeve shirts. I also need to hit the outlets but would love to do it in PA where there's no tax on clothes! We're solidly in 12-18m stuff at Gymbo, with the exception of a few things. Carters we'll be buying 18m for summer, same with CP.

WE'RE FULL-ON CRAWLING!! We went from the peg leg crawl on Wednesday to taking 2-3 steps crawling on Saturday to full-on, all over the place crawling on Sunday. Oh, is she busy!

[smurf]

Thanks everyone, for the commisseration about my ILs. Every time I think about it I just get angrier. DH is no help--his reaction was "oh, that's just what grandpas do." Grrrr....

Babylove--I have no help for you either. Kate doesn't sleep well away from home, she usually ends up in bed with us. My mom even bought a crib to keep at her house, but K. just won't sleep in it.

Summer clothes--Kate desperately needs some short sleeve shirts and some shorts. Luckily, she can still fit some of her 3-6 month things that are short sleeved.

MKVH: Yay for crawling!! Say goodbye to peaceful evenings sitting on the couch watching her play on the floor, you'll be chasing her around everywhere now!! I can't believe C is already in 12-18 month stuff at Gymbo! I thought she and Kate were close to the same size, but she's still swimming in the 6-12 month pants.

I gave K. formula for the first time yesterday because she's been biting me while nursing and actually tore the skin on one side (ouch!) I didn't have any pumped milk, so I got out the formula. Bad idea. About an hour after eating it, she projectile vomitted all over the couch. Disgusting. Let's just say that vegetable turkey dinner isn't very pretty the second time around. I started pumping last night so I can let my sore side heal but she still gets breastmilk.

[Chimichanga]

smurf - your ILs should be lucky you didn't slug them; Lord knows I would have done that to my ILs if they would try to pull that crap! MIL is convinced DD should be eating "cake and cookies and yummy stuff" by now. I told her DD's first cake experience will more than likely be her birthday because I don't want her to start with all that sugar. Luckily my parents are of the same mindset as me - the longer we can wait for the "bad" food, the better!

Reagan is still snotty. She was so congested last night. I think I might get a steamy shower going tonight and we'll just sit in the bathroom. She was waking up every 2 hours. Usually she fell back asleep, but DH did have to get up and feed her once.

[makena32204]

Luckily my parents are of the same mindset as me - the longer we can wait for the "bad" food, the better!

Mine too and it helps a lot! I think it also helps that my Mom nursed all of us, so I can talk to her about BF and she understands. My MIL is at a complete loss when it comes to BFing. She just doesnt understand how DD is getting enough nutrients from it and why she doesnt need water. :rolleyes: On a good note, even if they dont understand my food policies, atleast they respect them....or if they dont, i dont know about it! But, then again, I dont leave them alone w/ DD anytime that she's hungry either, so that the opportunity doesnt present itself.

[smurf]

My MIL is at a complete loss when it comes to BFing. She just doesnt understand how DD is getting enough nutrients from it and why she doesnt need water. :rolleyes:

This is my MIL too. Every time she sees us, she's like, "I can't believe you're still nursing her!" And she swears that Kate wakes up so much at night because she's starving. Nevermind the fact that Kate is in the 75th percentile for weight and the 95th for height--she's still starving :rolleyes: Whatever. Luckily, my mom is very supportive of the way I choose to care for Kate, and she's the one that sees her most often. I told DH last night that, until his parents can learn to respesct our decisions as parents, I won't leave Kate alone with them. They're always begging us to leave her with them for a night so we can have some time away from her, but after their behavior this weekend, I'm not sure that's ever going to happen.

[mkvh]

...Kate is in the 75th percentile for weight and the 95th for height...
Ah...see, we're still around the 90th for weight. And with her ravenous appetite, the belly just keeps getting bigger! ;)

[emmjay]

smurf - OK, wow. Sugar? I would have had a fit - first at FIL and then at DH for not backing me up. That is frustrating. I had a sort of similar situation before with MIL joking that she was going to sneak DS some rice cereal. She turned out to be totally kidding, but I asked DH to say something to her and he made it sound like I was being a neurotic mom instead of just telling her not to.

mkvh - Seamus just started crawling too! He's been going a couple of scoots here and there for the past few days but as of this morning he is really crawling! I'm excited and nervous - I need to do more babyproofing.

Chimichanga - we're going to have his birthday be the first sugary stuff too. But I found a recipe for a cake that uses grated zucchini and yogurt and applesauce - I was at a party where the hostess made it, and it is really delicious. You would never know it is pretty good for you! Here's the recipe if anyone is interested (I probably won't do this frosting but the cake is really good): Chocolate Cake (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33858,00.html?rsrc=search)

We're flying out to CA for my niece's bday this afternoon and Seamus is all snotty and sneezing. And the plane is totally full, and DH isn't going. I'm NOT looking forward to it, but at least it's only a 2 hour flight and he will be able to take a good nap (fingers crossed) before we leave. And my sister has all of the necessary baby gear so I don't need to bring the carseat or stroller or anything.

[Wrighty26]

smurf - I am so frustrated for you!! Your MIL sounds a lot like my Step-MIL -- UGH. She told me a few months ago that her son's (who is 9) first "food" was ice cream. :eek: Trying to educate her on why I am doing things is a total lost cause too. She just thinks she's always right. My parents and my MIL are both totally on board with what I am doing -- why can't she be??

mkvh - Yay for crawling!

Summer Clothes - I have a bunch of stuff from Gymbo that's 12-18 month, but I think I am going to spend my Gymbucks on a few 6-12 month items. He's a big boy, but he's still swimming in some of the 6-12 month clothes he was now (and none of it is appropriate for warmer weather). I'm going today - and I can't wait! I did pick up a few things at Old Navy for him on Friday too. I went shopping for myself -- and of course, found nothing!

[makena32204]

summer clothes - I just stocked up on tshirts and shorts at Old Navy for DD. They are having a sale - $5 each when you buy 3.

[sunchaser26]

Welcome back, jewamese!

Smurf:
You are totally justified. I would have been so upset and I probably would have left and told DH that we would stay at a hotel or something if we didn't want to head home instead.

Babylove:
Sorry, I don't have any help for you either... Jacob won't sleep in the PnP either and we did try once again while on our last ski trip renting one for a day. We end up having him sleep in bed with us which on the trip was o.k. with the king bed, there was plenty of room.

Jessybell:
I have to agree with you on Osh Kosh pants we have some jeans and they still fit Jacob and are 6M but all the other pants he has that are 6M fit him in lenght but not in the waist they just fall right off him. I haven't tried the overalls, I would like some for the spring... Yay for all the great retail therapy this weekend though.

mkvh:
Yay for crawling!!

This weekend was a big weekend for Jacob! He was climbing stairs, pulling himself up and crawling but only a few steps since he can still get around much faster with his army crawl. Plsu I enrolled him in a Momma & Baby swim class that starts April 16th and goes till June 11th only one day a week for a1/2 hour but he should LOVE it since he LOVES his baths so much.

[babylove]

Is my kid the only one in the world who WON'T sleep in bed with us? We've tried to get him to sleep in our bed when we are OOT and he refuses the PnP and when we are home and can't get him back to sleep...but no, he just won't go to sleep. *sigh* I guess I'm just destined to have a kid who doesn't sleep well away from home.

mkvh ~ We might try practice sleeping in the crib. Good idea! Yay for crawling! Look out world!

smurf ~ Yikes. Sorry about the projectile vomiting episode. I guess she showed you what she thought of the formula ;)

Chimichanga ~I hope R feels better!

emmjay ~ I hope the flight goes well!

sunchaser26 ~ WOW! Your Jacob is a busy little guy!

***

Folks, we have mobility! Jake started army crawling today. It's pretty funny. He's still slow, but he realizes now that he can get places by dragging himself around. I got it on video and it's hilarious. :) I won't be laughing when he starts moving faster than I can chase him :p

[Wrighty26]

Babylove - You are not alone! Braeden will not sleep in the bed with us (he will sleep in the PnP though he's only done it for naps). Sometimes I WISH I could just pull him into bed with us, but once he is there he thinks it's play time! I have no advice though - we haven't traveled yet :(

[cosmic]

seperation anxiety - anyone else have a momma's boy/girl?

Right now Kai is a momma's boy. In public, he will go to other people for short periods but pretty soon he's looking for/crying for me. According to DH, "that's going to be a problem later on." :rolleyes: It doesn't bother me, though, because I know DS is just comfortable with me and he will eventually branch out.
But... mini-rant alert DH's family tries to make me feel bad about it as if I'm spoiling DS by SAH with him, BFing him, etc. MIL is constantly prodding us to let her keep DS for a night (even though DS is still nursing). I haven't refused, but I just don't see it happening. Kai doesn't like her that much because she's so dern grabby. Then- everytime we see her she asks "Is he sleeping through the night yet? No? Why not?" I feel like saying "Because he's a baby?" "Because he's teething?" Grrrrrrr.

[Chimichanga]

Babylove - Reagan won't sleep in bed with us either. But honestly, I'm okay with that. I'm so paranoid about DH rolling over and smothering her (or the dog smothering her) so I prefer her not to sleep in bed with us. She's okay in a PnP on the road, but doesn't sleep as soundly. We do play in our bed on Sunday mornings. I love this tradition and hope we can continue it. DD and I get up and go downstairs (usually around 6:30 or 7). Around 9, we go upstairs and wake DH. Then we all just hang out in bed for about 30 minutes. It's nice. :)

Daycare sent home some paperwork about food - they gave us a list of what food they feed the kids and asked us to check what we did not want them giving our child.

Overall I thought the list was okay, there were a few things DH and I checked (string cheese - makes me nervous, cream cheese - she doesn't need the fat, grape jelly - does't need the sugar, bagels - I think too doughy) We're starting to give her more food and she's loving it. We still do bottles though - she's a good eater!!

[mkvh]

Food--I would have checked string cheese, too, and cream cheese, if for the simple fact that a lot of peds recommend holding off till 8-9 months for any dairy. FTR, though, when they start dairy it should be the full fat kind. The fats actually are good for them. But GRAPE JELLY????? Ugh.

Sleep--C is a sleep fighting MACHINE. I'm sure it's all the milestones, but bedtime/naptime is a BATTLE. And CIO is NOT working for us. She just gets more and more angry. I cannot imagine what you mamas with poor sleepers go thru daily, because it wears on my LAST nerve!

UGH, cosmic--why can't people just keep their opinions to themselves??

babylove--oh, are you in trouble! Real crawling and pulling up are NOT far behind! Oh, and you're welcome. I hope the practice works.

C started doing "SO BIG" yesterday. We've been doing it for MONTHS, and she finally responds. So fun. I guess it's a wonder she's sleeping at all with all she's got going on. :rolleyes:

[sunchaser26]

Right now Kai is a momma's boy. In public, he will go to other people for short periods but pretty soon he's looking for/crying for me. According to DH, "that's going to be a problem later on." :rolleyes: It doesn't bother me, though, because I know DS is just comfortable with me and he will eventually branch out.
But... mini-rant alert DH's family tries to make me feel bad about it as if I'm spoiling DS by SAH with him, BFing him, etc. MIL is constantly prodding us to let her keep DS for a night (even though DS is still nursing). I haven't refused, but I just don't see it happening. Kai doesn't like her that much because she's so dern grabby. Then- everytime we see her she asks "Is he sleeping through the night yet? No? Why not?" I feel like saying "Because he's a baby?" "Because he's teething?" Grrrrrrr.

Jacob is a moma's boy too! He is good most of the time for everyone else but now one can calm him and make him happy like I can that is for sure. DH & I both think this might be a problem later on too. So I've got to get him socializing this summer so that he gets used to being without me and is with other babies.

Sorry to hear about your MIL giving you such a hard time...

Food:
Those things seem a bit like they were supposed to be for older children not babies. Jacob doesn't really have teeth yet so I would never thing of giving him those things. I agree with mkvh - that a lot of peds recommend holding off till 8-9 months for any dairy. FTR, though, when they start dairy it should be the full fat kind. The fats actually are good for them.

Sleep:
mkvh, I feel for you right now. Jacob has been like that for most of his life till now but the past two nights he has STTN. I'm not holding my breath though as soon as another tooth comes I think that STTN will be over for us again. I kind of think it might be a growth spurt since he has been terribly fuss during the day and very sleepy but the naps aren't long at all.

BF'ing:
Any of you having any issues lately... Jacob insists on scratching my breasts, chest or pinching them and he is super fussy like he is distracted kicking his legs and being restless. I'm having a hard time getting him to eat causing me to get engorged and upset. Plus not to mention my breasts are sore, red and tender after having him attack them.

If this doesn't stop soon I might need to stop BF or solids... I don't want to but I'm so frusterated with the whole situation.

[jesseybell]

sunchaser26 - E isn't BFed but lately she's really distracted during her bottles, she also hits them like crazy and kicks her legs. She hold her own bottle but she's just looking all around while drinking it and taking it out and putting it back in. Getting to her to finish a bottle has become quite a production.

[makena32204]

BF'ing:
Any of you having any issues lately... Jacob insists on scratching my breasts, chest or pinching them and he is super fussy like he is distracted kicking his legs and being restless.


I could have written this! I actually made the decision yesterday to stop BFing. This decision was really tough for me, but pumping at work is killing me. I feel guilty b/c my supply is pretty good and I know that I could keep going if it werent for the pumping...and the exhaustion. When will my DD STTN??? Anyway - It's a sad day, but I KNOW that it's the right decision for me.

I guess 8.5 months isnt bad for a girl who was only considering giving it a try when she was pregnant!

[smurf]

mini-rant alert DH's family tries to make me feel bad about it as if I'm spoiling DS by SAH with him, BFing him, etc. MIL is constantly prodding us to let her keep DS for a night (even though DS is still nursing). I haven't refused, but I just don't see it happening. Kai doesn't like her that much because she's so dern grabby. Then- everytime we see her she asks "Is he sleeping through the night yet? No? Why not?" I feel like saying "Because he's a baby?" "Because he's teething?" Grrrrrrr.

I so could have written this about my ILs. Kate is pretty attached to me, and they make it sound like it's a bad thing. They say things like, "if you gave her bottles instead of nursing, she'd be more independent." Huh?? I just have no patience for people like that. I wish they'd just let me worry about how to raise my child and keep their noses out of it!!

[Mystikal]

smurf WTF is wrong with your FIL? SUGAR?!?!?!? That is wrong. I thought it was bad when my uncle tried to get me to feed Julia a cheeze doodle. :rolleyes:

Crawling while I'm not looking forward to having DD mobile I'm a bit jealous of you that have crawlers. DD is one of the older babies of this thread and she is still not crawling and she refuses to roll over. (I know she can, because when she gets close she gets this terrified look on her face and flings herself onto her back.) She climbs all over me and DH, which leads me to believe she'll skip the crawling and go right to walking. Either way, I wish she'd do something. She'll be nine months old in a week and I'm just getting paranoid. :rolleyes:

[Mystikal]

Oh, also, table foods how many of you are feeding table foods now, and what do you feed? The only thing I've offered DD is bread - whole wheat. I'm considering trying some really soft carrots or something along those lines, but I'm not sure what would be good to start with?

[mkvh]

Mystikal--there's some good discussion re: table foods in the "What is Your 6-12 Month Old Eating Today?" thread.

[Chimichanga]

sunchaser26 - E isn't BFed but lately she's really distracted during her bottles, she also hits them like crazy and kicks her legs. She hold her own bottle but she's just looking all around while drinking it and taking it out and putting it back in. Getting to her to finish a bottle has become quite a production.

YES!!!!!!! Reagan has been off and on slapping her bottle (like she's trying to get it to come out faster) since about 5 months. When she does this it is so hard to get her to eat. We try taking away the bottle and she starts crying like "why did you take away my food you meanie?" Argh!

Food - I know with dairy it should be full fat, I just don't see cream cheese as being a "good" fat. I suppose it's okay, but just not something she needs right away, KWIM. I did speak to Reagan's teacher, and she said she has never given kids jelly (I asked if it was the low sugar kind). She said the older teacher (6-12 months) wrote the list and included all possibilities.

For those with children in daycare, what are the food rules? Obviously we're focusing on foods right now. Reagan is at that point where she's interested in non-bottle foods and doing okay with things so we are fine introducing different things to her. The letter they sent home indicated they would like all kids to be off bottles (while at daycare) by time they move to the 1 year old room. What are the "rules" at your daycare?

[Chimichanga]

Oh, also, table foods how many of you are feeding table foods now, and what do you feed? The only thing I've offered DD is bread - whole wheat. I'm considering trying some really soft carrots or something along those lines, but I'm not sure what would be good to start with?

I haven't checked out the other thread, but our daycare gave us a few ideas:

whole wheat pasta
kiwi
grapes
bananas
avocados - DD LOVES avocados
couscous
barley
well cooked carrots, broccoli, asparagus tips


We're trying to keep the foods we introduce as healthy as possible. With the fruit, we are slicing it into bite size pieces that won't get caught in her throat. We're not just throwing down a banana and expecting her to eat it ;) :D

[Soulmate]

Mystikal DS too shows no sign of crawling and they are the same age. He shows more progress towards walking first as well. I too am mixed in emotion because I think he could entertain himself better if he was mobile but I also know he is going to be a world of trouble once he is.

Table Foods We don't offer table foods persay but do offer finger foods beyond puffs. The fanciest right now is waffle with butter and all fruit spread and cheese on whole wheat toast (all cut into bitty pieces). We also do pieces of turkey lunchmeat, cheese alone, rotini pasta (broken into pieces) and tofu (plain and sauteed in sesame or evoo). He hates fruits and veggies as finger foods with the exception of sweet potato (although I should try again). We also tried egg yolk but he hated it.

DS is weird. A few times a week after daycare he gets cranky but when I put him in his crib he will happily chill out there and babble for a good 30 - 40 mins before asking to get out. I think he just needs some quiet alone time just he and his bunny. But it is just too funny.

Movement Like I said above DS is no where near crawling at almost 9 mos. That is except at daycare :\ I went to pick him up yesterday and they said that it looked like he will be crawling in the near future. WHAT??!! At home, this child will lay on his tummy for all of 5 seconds before rolling onto his back and they are telling me he is showing signs of trying to crawl? They said that he was on his tummy for 5 mins and trying to get his knees under him. Maybe they have him confused with another baby ;) I'll believe it when I see it. Regardless, DS took a couple of steps while I was helping him balance. They were spastic and clumsy but well intentioned and deliberate.

[jesseybell]

Chimichanga - E needs to be off her bottle by the time she moves into the next room - the age for the toddler room is about 15 months. They also have to be down to 1 nap a day and can feed themselves. That is my vague recollection of our tour last spring.

E wouldn't repeat her rolling from back to front today. She's get really close but wouldn't do the last step.

She is so ticklish. I love listening to her laugh when we tickle her.

[klav]

cosmic yes I have a mama's boy but from what I hear his little rant ends about5 min after I leave. so I'm sorta glad it does not go on too long.

Just wanted to tell you all about the babygap oneise that the have they look really cute! and some on sale!!
http://www.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=21415&pageID=-1

[Abby'sMom]

I have, like, no free time these days. I'm sorry for not responding to anyone's posts. :( We moved this past weekend and are trying to get settled in and unpacked AND sell our other house.

Been crawling here for the past 3 weeks or so. He's gotten really fast and follows me EVERYwhere. Also pulling up on everything, too - me, the couch, the entertainment center, his sister, the cat, everything. Keeps bonking his head and has a few big bruises. Very sad looking. He really wants to walk, I can tell. I feel indifferent about it. It's harder to keep track of 'em when they're crawling anyway (since they're so low to the ground), so I figure if he walks early, that's fine with me.

Still not a fan of solids, though he does seem to enjoy pears, thank goodness. He's a total boob man and wants nothing else most of the time. Still also dairy and soy-intolerant, which sucks big time because I was hoping we'd be in the clear with that by now. I miss pizza. Just a quick note about finger foods: If you choose to give them grapes, be really careful. Unpeeled grapes are super easy to choke on (kind of like hot dogs and the like).

DD and DS a few weeks ago:
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b83/pinkbunny11/s41019ca106669_5.jpg

Take it easy.

[cosmic]

(x-posted in the September thread)

*Kai now weighs 16 pounds and 10 ounces.
*He has two teeth in the bottom and two coming in at the top
*He's still Bfing, but can use a sippy cup. (Never could get him to take bottles.)
*He sits up on his own and is scooting around, close to crawling.
*He is enjoying his first solid foods- banana, pear, avocado, and sweet potato.
*He loves storytime.
*He says Da-da. But then, he also says tha-tha and ja-ja.

Better pics next week, but here are a couple of playtime and dinnertime closeups:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/cosmicgirlndc/Im000054-1.jpg?t=1174359123

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v606/cosmicgirlndc/Im000033-1.jpg?t=1174359220

[babylove]

crawling ~ Well, pretty much overnight Jake went from not-even-close to on-the-move. He does a modified army crawl right now, which is pretty hilarious, but it gets him from A to B so he's satisfied. :)

table foods ~ I haven't really offered anything other than Puffs, which he LOVES. I'm scared he'll choke! I went through the trouble of defrosting some frozen blueberries tonight but by the time it was ready, he'd had enough of the highchair. Maybe tomorrow...


***

Mystikal ~ I'm sure she'll crawl soon...don't forget that these developments can happen overnight...Jake is the perfect example of that!

Chimichanga ~ When you give R bite-sized pieces, does she know to chew them or does she gag/choke?

Soulmate ~ When you give your DS table food, does he feed himself or do you have to feed him still? Does he eat enough of the table food to constitute a meal or do you still supplement with purees?

Jesseybell ~ Some kids just aren't rollers...as long as she's done it once, that's enough! Be happy she's not a roller...Jake will roll out of the room!

klav ~ Those onesies are too cute!

Abby'sMom ~ I think you need a new username since you're Logan's mom too! LOL! Adorable picture...I think Abby loves her brother, no? ;)

cosmic ~ Kai is adorable! Glad he is doing so well!

[maybebaby]

Foods we branched out to mashed potatoes this week...DD loved them and it was her first food with seasoning, which she also loved. She's been having full fat yogurt and also tried egg yolk this past week, which she liked ok. She can eat the Gerber puffs and zwieback toast but I haven't really tried other finger foods. It's on my to do list!

cream cheese - she doesn't need the fat Not to jump on you at all, but my understanding is the fat (full fat dairy) is good for developing brains. After age 2, I think it's ok to switch to low fat dairy. I've had to learn a lot about infant nutrition because it's different from the way I would feed myself (i.e. the cereals seemed kind of blah/empty calories to me v. vegetables, but my ped emphasized they are really fortified with iron and are necessary). Chimichanga mentioned grapes as an option though, and in my infant CPR class, they said grapes were a big choking hazard. Are other people giving grapes? Maybe they're cut in little pieces? Choking really scares me.

soulmate funny, I would consider the waffle "table food" and your description of it sounds yummy! I guess it's all in what you call it!

crawling DD crawled today! She's been scooting on her belly and rolling like mad for awhile now, but she's finally figured out how to crawl forward. It's fun to watch.

abby's mom what a precious photo!

hope everyone is doing well!

[Chimichanga]

babylove - Reagan will gum food (no teeth yet). so, yeah, she does chew it - and is getting pretty good too! Sometimes she'll shove way too much food in her mouth and one time and gag. We keep a vigilent eye on her when she's eating, but she'll grabe 2-3 pieces and shove her whole hand in her mouth - thus shove in 2-3 pieces of food :)

maybebaby - yeah, I know she needs the full fat when moving to dairy products. I just think there are more nutritious dairy foods than cream cheese. I see it as a spread that really doesn't need to be used (I could cut cream cheese out of my life and be okay, KWIM). I do cut the grapes into smaller pieces - oh yes! I cut them in half then into thirds so they are small but not too small. Again, we're always watching her when she eats so we can keep an eye on her.

[Lizard]

Just checking in.. I feel bad because I haven't been able to add to the conversation much lately. We've just been too busy and it's hard to find the time to type out a big post. I had started one yesterday, but my browser crashed and I lost it, grr.

smurf - I think you mentioned about biting... we are dealing with that with DD and it sucks. My LC is convinced that she'll stop if, every time she bites, I push her head into my breast to block her airway. I've been doing that each time but it doesn't deter her at all. :( Currently I have an open sore on my right areola and another on my left that's healing. If I can't get her to stop in another week, I will probably start weaning. I hate to do that before her 1st birthday, but I can't deal with the pain and bleeding anymore.

Speaking of that, her 9 month appointment is next week Friday. I'm excited to see how much she's grown.

DD is crawling all over the house and scooting around furniture now. Of course, with that comes injuries... she has banged her head countless times. She's also caught and scraped her foot underneath our entertainment center and now has a big scab on it.

Solids are going OK - we've moved to some Stage 3 foods and she seems to like them OK. However, we can NOT get her to pick up finger foods. She'll poke at things with her fingers, and sometimes pick them up to look at, but won't try to put them in her mouth. She knows they're food, because if I pick it up she'll open her mouth. :rolleyes:

I started my Horticulture class, and holy cats is it intensive. Lots and lots of science. It's 2 nights a week, 3.5 hours each night. It's nice to have a diversion though, I enjoy using my brain a bit. :) Oh, and my husband got a new job, he starts on Monday. It's a little bittersweet, because he's worked there for 7 years, and I also worked there for 7 years before I became a SAHM. So I'm kinda losing my tie with it. But, his new job is awesome so I'm very happy for him!

I'm sure I have more to say, but my brain is melted right now. :) I will try to find the time to post more later.

[jennylou]

grapes - I give them to DD. Peeled and cut into small pieces.

other table foods - N likes whole wheat pasta. We typically feed her something off of our plates, if I think it's able to be eaten by her and it's not a no no (egg whites, shell fish, peanut butter, etc). Our ped said this was great. I told her I would take N's portion out before adding seasonings and she said we didn't even need to do that. She said she'll be used to eating what we eat and we probably wouldn't have to make her a special meal like some toddlers need (chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, etc).

crawling - not forward yet. She does get on her tip toes and hands and has her butt in the air. It's very cute. She also started pulling herself to a stand.

Breastfeeding woes - Don't feel like you're alone in this sunchaser. DD uses me as her personal punching bag, kicking bag, scratching post, pinching object etc. I have a few lovely dig marks in rightie right now. :rolleyes: As for biting, I have found that the push her into my breast works, but I can have no other reaction, otherwise, she laughs and thinks it's a game!

sleep - while I am not sleep training, per se, I am trying to get her to go to bed at a more normal time! She's been fighting sleep crazy like and not going down until midnight or later some nights. Upon me posting our schedule in my lj, some wise mommas suggested I try working on her naptimes. She fights those too, so often goes past the two hour mark. Anyways, yesterday, she hit most of her naps within the two hour mark and was sleeping before 11 for the night! Progress! We won't do CIO at all, or do much more than make sure she's getting naps and trying to get her down a bit earlier. She doesn't sttn anymore, since we took her out of the swing awhile back.

solids and other peoples reactions - lol, my ILs were much the same. I shrug it off though. Plus, DH has type II diabetes, so I used that to support me not starting solids until 6 months. They also know not to give sugar. Huge no-no for me. DH gave DD some fudgesicle one time (when she was about five months old) and tried to sneak it, but wasn't sneaky enough to make sure it didn't get on her clothes! I laid into him good on that one. His thought was at least it was sugar free. After that, I sent him dozens of links on kids and food allergies, when to start solids, the benefits of delaying, etc. Now, he's on board with me.

[smurf]

Lizard Sorry you're dealing with biting too. It's so frustrating. I don't want to wean her yet, but geez, it hurts! I've found that she does it mostly when she's not really hungry, so I'm trying to only feed her if it's been 3.5 hours or more since the last time she ate. I'm also pumping and having DH give her a bottle in the evenings since that seems to be prime biting time!

[Linnybubbles]

jesseybell: Amelia was a late roller, and she still hates to do it. She is nowhere near crawling.

table foods: I pretty much only give Amelia puffs. We tried the zwieback, but it was so darn messy and she choked a little. I give her pears and bananas in the mesh feeder.

Eating Issues: I cannot get Amelia to take more than 4 ounces at a time for the past week or so. She was previously taking 6-8 ounces at a feeding. Yesterday, she had a total of 9 oz during the day, and 6 before bed. Anyone else having this issue?

[sunchaser26]

other table foods - N likes whole wheat pasta. We typically feed her something off of our plates, if I think it's able to be eaten by her and it's not a no no (egg whites, shell fish, peanut butter, etc). Our ped said this was great. I told her I would take N's portion out before adding seasonings and she said we didn't even need to do that. She said she'll be used to eating what we eat and we probably wouldn't have to make her a special meal like some toddlers need (chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, etc).

Breastfeeding woes - Don't feel like you're alone in this sunchaser. DD uses me as her personal punching bag, kicking bag, scratching post, pinching object etc. I have a few lovely dig marks in rightie right now. :rolleyes: As for biting, I have found that the push her into my breast works, but I can have no other reaction, otherwise, she laughs and thinks it's a game!


UGH, I knew when DH gave him some peanut butter it was a NO, NO - I was angry when he said he gave J some... Now you have me worried. What can it cause???

Thanks, for letting me know that I'm not alone with the BF woes. I haven't had an issue with biting yet, but it might just be that J has barely one tooth, it could be coming.

[E&O]

linnybubbles-
We were having the same eating issues as you a few weeks ago. My daughter who was drinking 7oz bottles was quitting at 4 oz and even dropped her 4 pm feeding altogether. She was also puking her dinner back onto me every night for a week. It was attributed by an ear infection and once we started antibiotics her appetite returned and everything stayed down. So I'm not sure if that solution applies to you, but thought I'd share.

Glad to hear that you've also got a little one nowhere close to crawling. My daughter is 1 day older that your daughter, and I can't keep her on her stomach more than 5 seconds before she rolls over. Hates the belly, loves her back!

[jennylou]

Sunchaser -early exposure could cause a nut allergy.

[Soulmate]

Soulmate ~ When you give your DS table food, does he feed himself or do you have to feed him still? Does he eat enough of the table food to constitute a meal or do you still supplement with purees?The only time I feed him is when he is turning his nose up to something and throws it on the floor instead of trying it. Once he gets a bite he'll feed himself. At this stage I see finger foods as more of a practice in fine motor skills than anything for nutrition. So if he doesn't eat them himself then no biggie and therefore don't feed him. I most definitely rely on purees as his main source of nutrition. I'll feed him his purees/cereal first and then give him the finger foods.

soulmate funny, I would consider the waffle "table food" and your description of it sounds yummy! I guess it's all in what you call it!Yea, I think I'm weird because in my mind table foods are bites from our meal which we don't do (I hate to cook and graze on random things that are still not ok for DS). But I guess any finger food would also be table food since it is in the whole form??

Eating Issues: I cannot get Amelia to take more than 4 ounces at a time for the past week or so. She was previously taking 6-8 ounces at a feeding. Yesterday, she had a total of 9 oz during the day, and 6 before bed. Anyone else having this issue?I've posted this elsewhere because it seems to be a hot topic for other babies as well (you've probably seen it). But DS does this regularly when he is getting new teeth. DS has a stubborn tooth right now and has only been drinking 15ozs max for the past month or so. I don't know if you've seen what we've been doing, if you haven't let me know and I'll share here...I just don't want to bore you if you've already seen it.

DS is a big flirt. Pre-DS I was silently annoyed by parents who said that, especially with male babies (we do not need any more players in this world). In my mind I think I felt that their attitude (bragging about flirtyness) reinforced the behavior. Nope. DS is a natural flirt and today he got his first girlfriend. Her name is Kylie and she is a month older than DS and crawling (DS is not). She started at daycare today and they hit it off so much that as soon as I walked in the door his sitters had to tell me how much fun they had together (I have never gotten a social report before and always wondered how he interacted with the other babies). She was apparently crawling all around him and he was sitting there having the best time ever. We were in CVS over the weekend and as soon as DS locked eyes with a 2 year old girl and vice versa, they were smitten. I would venture to say love at first sight. She was all giggly and trying to come over to DS and DS was doing his super excited giggle/jazz hands thing. He does not act this way around all babies/toddlers. We are in so much trouble ;)

[mkvh]

BF Woes--Oh, yeah. Pinching, scratching, squeezing, and the likes to use my nipples as handles to sit herself back up. Fun.

Flirting--Yup...for some reason, DD already shows a serious preference for men. And she BATS those baby blues... So strange how it's natural.

babylove--wild that he went from zero to crawling in one night! Very cool!

maybebaby--DD loves seasonings too. And yay for crawling!

Grapes--we tried them tonight, and they were a HUGE hit.

Abby's Mom--Looks like she just wants to squeeze him to death. Too cute!

Lizard--No advice, but I'm so sorry about the biting. I hope you don't have to wean. And I CAN'T believe that D is having her 9 month appointment already...

jenny--Glad to hear that your work on N's sleep is going well so far. It gives you a new lease on life to have a couple hours after they go to bed for the night!

[hokiegirlie]

I haven't been here forever! I haven't even posted in the new thread. I really want to keep up with this thread--I always learned so much! I think I've caught up some, though. Everyone's babies are absolutely adorable!!

Let's see....

Nursing We started weaning at about 7 months. Matthew started biting, pinching, and playing and I just didn't have it in me to fight it anymore. Nursing was such a struggle and he was hardly eating anything so we started weaning and he had no problems at all with it. At 8 months, we cut out his bedtime nursing session and he never even skipped a beat. I still feel a little guilt about quitting, though.

Food Poor Matthew has had nothing but baby food, a little bit of banana, puffs, and a biter biscuit. He didn't have cereal until he was 6 months and I'm slow on the other stuff. He just starting having three meals a day, though, and he loves to eat!! I'm going to try to be better about introducing new foods to him. I want him to be a good eater but I'm nervous about choking, allergies, etc.

Mobility Well, we went from nothing to crawling in no time flat. One minute, he was rocking back and forth and the next minute, he was off. He started crawling last thursday and he hasn't looked back. It's so cute and it's absolutely amazing how much life has changed with a moving baby! He pulls up on anything and everything and would much rather be standing than sitting. He lets go, too, and thinks he can walk on his own.

Sleep Knock on wood--he's slept through the night every single night (except one) since he was 11 weeks old. I know how lucky I am--I really do. He just really loves his sleep. Naps are a different story, though. Since has learned to pull up on things, that's what he does when he should be sleeping. When I peek in, he's holding on to the crib, jumping up and down, and laughing. Impossible not to laugh with him :) I've learned to just let him play until he tires himself out and then he'll lay down and go to sleep.

He's exactly 8.5 months old. I am simply amazed at how fast the time has gone by. I love every new little thing that he does, but it makes me want to cry that he's growing up so fast.

Sorry this has been so long. I'll be keeping up better now!

[sunchaser26]

I've posted this elsewhere because it seems to be a hot topic for other babies as well (you've probably seen it). But DS does this regularly when he is getting new teeth. DS has a stubborn tooth right now and has only been drinking 15ozs max for the past month or so. I don't know if you've seen what we've been doing, if you haven't let me know and I'll share here...I just don't want to bore you if you've already seen it.

Soulmate could you please tell me what you have been doing... I think that is happening to me also.

[smurf]

Decrease in milk intake: Count K in among the babies who aren't eating as much. She usually nurses 6-7 times a day. Today she's nursed three times. She nurses for like 2 minutes and then pulls off and starts spitting at me. It's almost like she's telling me that she doesn't like it. She doesn't seem hungry though, so I guess I shouldn't worry. She is getting like 3 teeth, so that probably explains it.

[jennylou]

decrease in milk intake - not here, DD is a milkaholic. She enjoys eating with us, but if I just try to feed her solids on her own, she'd much rather have her milkies.

[lindybug]

Hi ladies! I haven't posted in a while, but I've been reading along. It's so amazing to see all the changes our little ones are going through.

First of all, a late congratulations to emmjay! You are one brave mama. :)

decrease in milk intake ~ Count us in! Once I started feeding him solids 3x/day, DS's intake reduced substantially. I try not to worry... if he needs/wants more, I'm sure he'll let me know!

nursing ~ Still BFing when we can, although he gets bottle of formula while at daycare since I can't pump enough to keep up anymore (2 8oz bottles, which he doesn't always finish... see above). Only been bit a couple times, but this applies to us too:
BF Woes--Oh, yeah. Pinching, scratching, squeezing, and the likes to use my nipples as handles to sit herself back up. Fun.

sleep ~ Has been STTN (6:30pm-6:30am) for the last 2 months. I still can't believe it. He even did great on our 11 night trip to FL in various Pack N Play locations and hotel cribs.

mobility ~ DS has been *this close* for a couple weeks now. As of this morning, I'd say he is officially crawling. Here's a video I took before work. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY9S5nsA9GI)

And a few recent photos:

First visit to Disney World:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/lindybug/816571666403_0_ALB.jpg

First time in a restaurant high chair (he thought he was SO cool!):
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/lindybug/777525666403_0_ALB.jpg

Smiling:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y43/lindybug/921846666403_0_ALB.jpg

[Lizard]

So I had this conversation with a lady in the store yesterday... we were at the supermarket and DD was sitting in the cart:

Lady: "HOW do you get her to sit in the cart by herself?? She is so young!"
Me: "Well, she's 8 months, almost 9, she can sit up just fine."
Lady: "8 MONTHS!! She is SO TINY!"
Me: "She's kinda skinny, but she's tall so she's not that small."
Lady: "Yes she is, she's tiny! My grandson was 35 pounds when he turned 1!"
Me: :eek: "Well, yeah, that's about twice her size..."
Lady: "You have such a cute, tiny little girl"

She went ON AND ON about how small DD is. And, she was SO loud about it. DD is kinda skinny but she really isn't THAT small... she has long legs so if she's sitting down she looks smaller than she is. I didn't take it personally, 'cause I'm sure the next person I see is gonna tell me DD is huge... LOL.

Oh, we had our first minor accident yesterday... DD fell face first into our china cabinet, and when I picked her up she had blood on her shirt! It was coming from her right upper tooth area. It wasn't loose though, and she was fine after a couple minutes. I still feel bad though.

[mkvh]

People are so RUDE. At least she didn't call her a BOY, though, when she's wearing PINK. :rolleyes: We get that daily...

[makena32204]

lizard - Someone asked me yesterday if my DD was 5 months old. I said, nope, 8 months and she gave me such a look! Oh well. She's just a petite little girl!

[Soulmate]

lindybug I love that little smirk he has in that picture! He is such a cutie!

lizard It is just crazy how open people are with their opinions once they see babies. Its good you didn't take it personally, like you have control over how your child distributes their weight :confused:

Decrease in milk intake I would say wait a week for the tooth to come through and see if the intake returns. All incidents DS has gone through his milk strike only lasted a week and returned with a gusto. If it is lasting more than a week (DS' current bout has lasted 1 month+) then this is what we do:

* Add a nice amount of water to their cereal. Experiment with this because the ped said to add formula/BM but when we did he dropped a whole bottle. He was getting more in that bottle than in the cereal so we changed to water to keep him hydrated. But if they keep up the bottles definitely add formula/BM.

* Add about 1tbs of extra virgin olive oil (not the light stuff) to their dinner. This keeps up the fat/calories that they need. EVOO is really good for them anyway so I think we are going to keep it if/when he starts his formula back up again.

* We wake him up ~10pm for another bottle. He drinks better when he is sleepy and if we didn't wake him up he'd only have ~10ozs all day.

Lastly, I tried this yesterday with him and it worked for him but may not for every baby.

* We gave him his formula in a cup (it was actually the lid to one of his bottles since we don't have a plastic cup). Yes, it was messy and I sat him on the kitchen counter so it would be easier to clean but he really enjoyed it and he took in another 2 ozs he normally wouldn't have. He enjoyed biting on the rim and then I'd tip in a little bit of formula (he would spit it out if too much got in).

Overall I wouldn't stress too much. When DS first did this (he's been doing this with each tooth - 7 now - since he was 3 mos) I was sooooo worried that something was wrong. Even this time I was worried and each time I seem to forget what it is. I don't think he is actively gaining weight, but with the EVOO he is not losing, and he is still growing, developing and extremely happy so I am keeping my anxiety in check.

[maybebaby]

Makena Someone once told me she was good at guessing baby ages and then guessed 3 months when DD was 8 months.

We also get the boy comments ALL the time, despite pink everywhere. I've decided the general public is not particularly observant.

[Mystikal]

People tell me all the time that DD is SO BIG. :rolleyes: I don't think she's big at all. I see babies younger than her that are bigger than she is. It's all relative, I guess. I don't let it bother me.

DD's third tooth finally popped through this week. She's been sleeping later in the morning now. I'm so happy for that. Of course, she was up at 3:15 this morning for a bottle. I know they say by now they should be able to make it through the night without a feeding, but when she stays awake to take the whole bottle (and takes it in less than ten minutes) I'd say she needs it. ;)

[Can't_Wait]

We're definately having more active nursing sessions over here... I have a couple scratches on my boob where DD has dug into me. Today I went w/ a friend to a beadery & made a nursing necklace to help w/ this. (Just a leather string w/ a doughnut shaped stone.) For me, the scratching & such isn't that big of a deal... just annoying. I just remove her hand when she pinches/scratches & that is it... nothing I personally would consider stopping nursing for.

DD went from her army crawl to full out crawling last week. Then she pulled up to a kneel in her crib... and a couple days later she was pulling up to a stand so we had to lower the mattress. She also figured out how to sit up from her belly & from a crawl position. I'm just amazed this has all happened in such a short time.

Her sleep has gotten soooo bad. She wakes up 4-5 times a night & even wakes up after napping for just 10-15 minutes & I have to go back & get her to sleep again. Ugh... I'm soooo tired! I can't imagine doing this & working- I don't know how some of you do it. I wonder if the sleep wakings have anything to do with all their developmental advancements? Anyone else having these problems?

[mkvh]

Can't Wait--Just swinging by to comment on the sleep issues. My DD also has hit all of the milestones you mentioned in the last 2 weeks, and our sleep also has gone to hell. They HAVE TO be related, though I think we may also be adding teething to the mix. Our issue isn't so much wakings (We're not STTN, but we only have 1-2 wakings.) as it is a battle to actually GO to sleep. Every. single. time. It's exhausting.

[Soulmate]

sleep & milestones Sleep is most definitely disturbed by milestones because the get so excited about their new skill they either want to practice it all the time (pulling up in the crib, etc) or they are just worked up. Imagine if you just got a really awesome car (or whatever), you wouldn't want to sleep...you'd just want to drive it! Now, I might actually fully understand this if DS would actually gain some real milestones :rolleyes:

[babylove]

lindybug ~ Your DS is adorable! Love the Mickey ears :)

Lizard ~ You should have said that her grandson is obese ;) How scary about her fall...glad she is ok!

Mystikal ~ Glad J is sleeping better now that her tooth came through!

Can't_Wait ~ I"ve definitely heard that there is a correlation between new milestones and sleep disruptions.

***

Still doing the army crawl over here...He's getting pretty good at it. I wonder if he'll ever crawl correctly?

I kind of got chastised by Jake's ped today...I called to ask him some questions about solid foods and if I should avoid anything specific b/c of our family history of food allergies and he basically told me to stick to purees until 9 mo and not get into table food. He said "you should be more patient" :o Usually I agree w/ what the ped says and follow it (for the most part) but here I think he's too conservative. Anyone else agree?

[cosmic]

She wakes up 4-5 times a night & even wakes up after napping for just 10-15 minutes & I have to go back & get her to sleep again. Ugh... I'm soooo tired! I can't imagine doing this & working- I don't know how some of you do it. I wonder if the sleep wakings have anything to do with all their developmental advancements? Anyone else having these problems?

I can relate.
Here's a great link on this subject:
What Are Sleep Regressions? (http://moxie.blogs.com/askmoxie/2006/02/qa_what_are_sle.html)

I called to ask him some questions about solid foods and if I should avoid anything specific b/c of our family history of food allergies and he basically told me to stick to purees until 9 mo and not get into table food. He said "you should be more patient" :o Usually I agree w/ what the ped says and follow it (for the most part) but here I think he's too conservative. Anyone else agree?

Babylove, we're going really slowly with solids because of the history of food allergies on DH's side. (His sister was 30 before she could eat eggs, nuts, seafood, etc.) DS only gets purees, and only once a day. I reallly want to avoid Kai having food allergies if at all possible.

[Wrighty26]

Wow - I was busy for one day at work (and at home) and I missed a ton!

Decrease in Food - Um, not here! The kid is an eating machine. He nurses like it's going out of style when I'm home and takes his bottle (which only HE can feed himself) in like 2 minutes. Yesterday my friend who watches him told me he needed me to bring more than 8oz because B has been acting hungry after taking his 3pm bottle.

Crawling - Braeden is still doing the Army crawl - but is not popping up on my leg every once and a while. He was trying to climb onto the bottom of one of our end tables yesterday (to reach something off limits, no doubt). I'm sure it won't be long before he mobile. I'm enjoying my last few days without crawling.

Food - Braeden try egg yolks for the first time tonight and it was a HUGE hit. I think we have a new favorite food. I also gave him a little pasta -- not a big fan. I'll come back to that :)

Lizard - How rude. I'm sure she was just jealous! Dorla never looks "tiny" to me from her pictures, but maybe that's b/c Braeden in on the skinny/tall side too.

Lindybug - Ryan is SO cute! How was he at Disney? I assume you took him to the parks. We haven't taken him yet, but I am really looking forward to it. Oh, and we have those same bibs. I like them because they are easy to clean!

Babylove - I personally don't go by the calendar when it comes to food. I started feeding Braeden solids at 5 months, and we are just now introducing table foods because he seems ready. I believe each baby is different and a set timeline is not always the way to go. If you think your DS is ready - than go for it. You're the mom :)

[makena32204]

milestones & sleep disruptions - Since DD has never been a good sleeper, this theory doesnt work for us! :rolleyes: She's no where near crawling. She just loves to sit and watch. She does have very good fine motor skills, though.

babylove- I'm pretty conservative when it comes to feeding DD. We waited until 6 months and have stuck to my pediatricians guidelines (3 day wait, more no-no foods than most, no table food, etc). I figure that she'll be eating for the rest of her life, so why rush it and cause an allergy, choking, etc? But, that's just me. To each her own! :D

Which makes me ask...soulmate - I've seen you post about olive oil a couple times. I have never heard of this before. Did you pediatrican recommend it? Or did you find it online? If so, what's the website? I would be interested in hearing more about it.

[Lizard]

DD went from her army crawl to full out crawling last week. Then she pulled up to a kneel in her crib... and a couple days later she was pulling up to a stand so we had to lower the mattress. She also figured out how to sit up from her belly & from a crawl position. I'm just amazed this has all happened in such a short time.

Isn't it amazing? DD did alll that in about a week's time too, we couldn't believe it.

[lindybug]

Lindybug - Ryan is SO cute! How was he at Disney? I assume you took him to the parks. We haven't taken him yet, but I am really looking forward to it.
He did great at the parks! We spent a few hours at the Magic Kingdom one day, and took him on Pirates of the Carribbean, the Haunted Mansion, and the Carousel before he fell asleep. :) He loved riding the rides... He was all eyes! We took him in later that night for the Pirate and Princess Party (7pm until midnight!) and he just slept in his stroller the whole time while we walked around. The next day we took him to Epcot. Again, he was great. We had a character dinner with Mickey and the gang, but he slept through the whole thing. LOL Oh well. You should totally bring B!!! For the pictures if nothing else.

[Soulmate]

babylove Like Mystikal's avatar I think you parent by the heart and not the books ;) Of course you follow the guidelines but how strictly is up to each parent and how they view their child. Also, if food allergies run in the family you can be more conservative but ultimately I think it is up to each child. Also that you don't push your own agenda on a child that is not ready. Just because this baby or that baby is doing this or that doesn't mean your child is ready for the same thing.

makena The ped of one of my LJ buddies recommended it for their baby who was not gaining weight. I was already looking for something to give him a bit of a brain boost (I worked with brain injured children and am a little more focused on protecting/fostering his brain than probably most) and found when googling evoo that it had components similar to what is found in BM like linolic acid, etc. Here ya go:Olive Oil during infancy:
Organic extra virgin olive oil, obtained from olives grown with natural fertilization without the help of chemical treatments, is suitable for children and adults. Organic extra virgin olive oil is rich in important nutritional elements and favors absorption of nutrients soluble in fat such as vitamins A, D, E and K. Unsaturated and saturated fats ratio of organic extra virgin olive oil is similar to human breast milk. Linoleic acid content of 100 ml human milk (approximately 0.3155 g linoleic acid/ 100 ml human milk) is equal to linoleic acid content of 5 ml (1/3 tablespoon) organic extra virgin olive oil. Therefore it can be considered a proper food to supply essential fatty acid need of infants' from their 5th month of life. Using 1/3 tablespoon of organic extra virgin olive oil in meals and helps the prevention of essential fatty acid ( linoleic acid ) deficiency and helps the promotion of growth and neurological development.Source (http://ta-ze.com/infant.aspx)

Unfortunately that was the only thing I found when googling good or bad.

[makena32204]

Thanks! It's very interesting. I never would have guessed.

[Linnybubbles]

Sleep disruptions: We are definitely having them. Amelia is a great napper, but she will not STTN anymore, it started about 2 weeks ago. She is up 1-3 times during the night. It is rough, I think I am more tired now than when she was a newborn.

[mkvh]

Cosmic--I seriously could KISS you! I read that Moxie blog entry and almost cried because at least I have an explanation!

Soulmate--as always, your posts are eduational AND crack me up!! thanks for the good info on EVOO

babylove--ITA to go with your gut! Our ped sanctioned table food. But I would have tried anyway. I figure if you OFFER and they can put it in and chew it up, they're ready. If they can't then they're not.

Lindy--SO cool that R was so good at Disney! he's awful cute, too. Love the ears.

maybebaby--glad, well not glad, but..., to hear that someone else deals with the "boy" comments. Must be our baldies!

[jesseybell]

E has a terrible yeast infection on her neck. It is so nasty. Thankfully it hasn't dampened her spirits, except when we try to get near it to apply medication. Off to BRU to buy plastic backed bibs.

Her sleep hasn't been great either, but the pediatrician this morning sees no signs of teeth anytime soon.

They weighed her with clothes on and she was 20 lbs! My little chub-a-lub. And she's too long to lie on the scale now so they just have her sit on it. She's growing up so fast!

I bought some grapes and whole grain pasta to see how those go over this weekend.

[babylove]

Thanks everyone for weighing in on the Great Debate of solid food ;) I think I'm just going to stick to the purees for a while longer and then in a couple of weeks (8 mo) I'll start giving him a few more things. For now, he does great with the Puffs and really seems to enjoy picking them up and putting them in his mouth.

[smurf]

K's teeth still haven't popped through. I swear, they've been right on the surface for two weeks. Poor thing, I feel so bad for her. Her gums are all swollen and purple, and she's chewing on anything she can get her hands on (including me!)

[Chimichanga]

Smurf - we still have no teeth over here. I could have sworn they were coming in weeks ago; nothing!

I am going through a total "miss my baby like crazy" phase right now. Like it seriously just hit!! Maybe because it's Friday and it's nice out. but I just miss that little girl like mad (don't get me wrong, I miss her every day, but usually I can block it out). Just 3 more hours at a minimum... :)

[emmjay]

I haven't had a chance to go back and read to do SOs, but S and I just got back from visiting my sister. He started crawling and sitting up on his own while we were gone (like a lot of other babies here, from what I quickly read in this thread!).

I put him in his crib when we got home so I could put some stuff away, and when I walked back into his room I saw this:

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

Guess we're done with the mobile, and probably the bumper as well! :D

[jesseybell]

I am going through a total "miss my baby like crazy" phase right now. Like it seriously just hit!! Maybe because it's Friday and it's nice out. but I just miss that little girl like mad (don't get me wrong, I miss her every day, but usually I can block it out). Just 3 more hours at a minimum... :)

I am totally with you. Every Monday gets harder and harder. This week has been hard because I've been so sick so I haven't spent much time with her. I am home today and she is at daycare. DH was surprised that I am going to pick her up early because I am in dire need of sleep (which I haven't gotten) but instead I am going to pick her up early to spend more time with her (she's been moving her bedtime back to almost 7 this week)

[sunchaser26]

Soulmate:

Thanks for the good info on EVOO. Might have to try that if we continue to have weight problems. I think I might ask the ped about it next time too.

babylove:

Our ped hasn't said anything about table food either but I haven't asked. As mkvh said - if you OFFER and they can put it in and chew it up, they're ready. If they can't then they're not. - is good advice.

Lindy:

Yay for R being so good at Disney! He is so cute in his mouse ears!!!

maybebaby:

Funny about the girls being mistaken for boys. I had the same issue with J, people kept telling me what a "cute little girl" I had even when he was wearing baby blue. Now that he has so much hair I haven't gotten that comment anymore but for a while there everyone thought he was a girl.

emmjay:

Sounds like your son was busy while you were away... Definitely done with the mobile and crib bumper I'd say.

[Wrighty26]

Emmjay - LOL!

[a_spark]

teeth No teeth over here, either!! I'm starting to think she'll never get them :)

sleep disruptions Last week was weird, with Ava waking up a ton. This week, she's only waking once a night to eat and a couple of times for the binky, so I can live with that. I think. I'm so tired today!

emmjay OMG! That is so funny. I recognize that Zutano outfit too. Very cute!

babylove We've tried table food, but A just squishes it between her fingers and throws it on the floor for the dog to eat. If I put a little piece in her mouth, she makes the worst face and spits it out. I guess she's not ready, LOL!

In other news, Ava is officially saying "Mama" but when broken down into it's most basic meaning, it means, "something is bothering me and you better fix it now." this can apply to dirty diapers, being hungry, tired, wet, etc... As soon as something bugs her she starts hollering, "MAMAMAMAMAMAMA!!!!" and won't let up until I fix whatever it is. I told her she needs to learn how to say "dada" REALLY soon. :)

[Soulmate]

Quick questions What do you put on your DCs feet in the summer? We usually do not put shoes on him and he only wears socks but do socks look funny when they wear shorts? Also, when boys go into the pool should they wear a shirt also (w/ sunscreen)?

[smurf]

In other news, Ava is officially saying "Mama" but when broken down into it's most basic meaning, it means, "something is bothering me and you better fix it now." this can apply to dirty diapers, being hungry, tired, wet, etc... As soon as something bugs her she starts hollering, "MAMAMAMAMAMAMA!!!!" and won't let up until I fix whatever it is. I told her she needs to learn how to say "dada" REALLY soon. :)

Hee, hee, that's totally what Kate does too. DH jokes with me that she only says mama when she's mad, she says dada when she's having fun. It's so true. In the middle of the night when she wakes up, I always find her standing in her crib, hollering mamamamama....

[babylove]

Soulmate ~ I'm thinking no shoes or socks for the summer (unless they're walking and then shoes are probably a good idea!). At this age they don't need to be more clothed than adults, so socks probably aren't necessary. Maybe only if you are going to be somewhere where it's really cold from the a/c or at night if it's chilly. But I don't think socks w/ shorts looks funny. As for the pool, Target sells swim shirts for boys and girls that have sunscreen in them. I think that's a really good idea to avoid sunburns. I don't think Jake will be shirtless by the pool this summer.

[lindybug]

she only says mama when she's mad, she says dada when she's having fun.
This is true for DS as well!

What do you put on your DCs feet in the summer?
We have been using the Robeez sandals (no socks) with shorts.

[Mystikal]

Smurf Julia took probably a month to get her top tooth in. Her gum was all blistered and everything. I felt horrible for her.

*Talking* DD says "mama", "dada", and "nana" all the time, but I don't think she knows what they all mean.

Speaking of milestones DD FINALLY rolled over tonight for the first time! She'll only be nine months old next week. :rolleyes: :eek: She's already trying to walk and is doing a really good job at pulling herself up. I told DH when she rolled tonight that we're really in trouble now. I know there will be no stopping her. I'm so excited, though!!

Table foods I tried giving DD chunks of banana this morning. She would pick it up and then didn't know enough to put it into her mouth so she would drop it on the floor. She does the same thing with the gerber puffs. I ended up mashing up some of the chunks and giving them to her. She was so funny with the faces she made. lol. :D

[smurf]

Yay for rolling over, Mystical! See, she just wanted to do it on her own timetable!

Well, after I wrote my earlier post, I felt Kate's top gums and lo and behold, I felt two tiny teeth! Just a little bit is poking through, and there's still one more to go, so I'm sure she's still hurting a bit. Hopefully only a couple more days of this and she'll be a happier girl.

[Wrighty26]

mama vs dada - Yep. Braeden only says mama if he pissed off or hungry. Dada is when he is happy and is playing. He also just likes to say "BAH!" (and BAAAAAAAAAH!) and he's really loud about it too. It cracks us up.

Mystikal - Yay for rolling!! Too funny about the bananas. She'll figure it out soon enough :D

Smurf - Hope those teeth finish coming through soon!

Shoes - When I dress B with shorts, I just put his Robeez on. When DH dresses him he ends up with socks and Robeez. I think it looks a little silly, but at least his feet are covered! I plan on getting him some sandals sound. I think he's just about to grow out of the 6-12 month size though (he has HUGE feet).

[cosmic]

Cosmic--I seriously could KISS you! I read that Moxie blog entry and almost cried because at least I have an explanation!


You're welcome. It was helpful to me, too! :)

[jennylou]

Thanks everyone for weighing in on the Great Debate of solid food ;) I think I'm just going to stick to the purees for a while longer and then in a couple of weeks (8 mo) I'll start giving him a few more things. For now, he does great with the Puffs and really seems to enjoy picking them up and putting them in his mouth.

I think if he's doing so well with those, table foods would go well. What kind of table foods would you feed him that he couldn't get out of a jar? I know for N, most of the foods she is eating up until now is veggies, mashed up if need be, but she doesn't enjoy purees at all (spits them right out!). I guess I don't see the problem with introducing foods that he's already eating - just in a different texture?

[emmjay]

Question about sippy cups - which ones do you all use? I am trying to get S to drink more water, but he doesn't know what to do with the cup. I took the plastic "stopper" thing out so he would know there was water in there (so it comes out without him sucking on it), but then it just pours down his face. If I try giving it to him to suck, he just makes a face or licks the cup. These are Avent Magic cups.

[Mystikal]

emmjay I can't get DD to drink from a sippy, either, but I've heard the Nuby ones from wal-mart are really good. They have a spout that's almost like a nipple. It's soft and squishy so that might work...

[Wrighty26]

emmjay - DS likes the Nuby brand - he has the ones from Target. We have the ones with handles coming down from the top and he's also used the taller ones without handles. Don't know if that makes a difference! I've tried out a few - he hates the Gerber ones especially. Honestly, I think he'd rather drink straight from a cup, but he tolerates the sippy :)

[Soulmate]

emmjay We have the Avent Magic ones also and DS *can* drink from them but just doesn't care to. He uses it more as a teether than anything. Like Wrighty, I think he prefers to drink straight from a cup. I know DS lets water fall out of his mouth when there is too much in his mouth. Or maybe he just doesn't like water.

[hokiegirlie]

Matthew loves his sippy cups. So much that he holds on to it for dear life and refuses to give it up! We have had the best luck with the avent ones--with the handles on both sides. I bought Nuby ones today from Target but they leaked all over. Maybe I just got a bad set?

[cosmic]

We use the Nuby brand of sippy cup, too. The spout is soft and the cup has handles for babies like Kai who try to hold it themselves. Kai never really took to bottles so we quit trying, lol. Here's a pic of the sippy cups he likes--->
http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000JOOGR0.01-A30AQ4MR3ROD53._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

We got ours at BRU.

[sunchaser26]

Kai never really took to bottles so we quit trying, lol. Here's a pic of the ones he likes--->

Glad to hear that someone elses baby wouldn't take a bottle, we quit trying too. I have started letting Jacob play with sippy cups for when ped says he can have other things like water. Occasionally I'll give him one with EBM in it but he doesn't really drink much just throws it on the ground and uses it as a teething toy.

I just want to get him used to the sippy so that when we decide to give up BF'ing he isn't confused or won't take a sippy.

I'm taking notes of the ones recommended, we have Gerber & a Playtex one right now.

[jennylou]

sunchaser - DD never took a bottle really either. She loves her sippy cup now, though when we first introduced it, it was more a toy.

That said, we use the nuby soft cups.

[Chimichanga]

Sippy cups - we use quite a few, and DD likes them all. We have 2 of the Nuby ones from Wal-Mart and I got 2 Avent Magic ones. She does well with all of them. We also have some novelty sippies that are more for older kids. The flow is too fast, we we don't use them too often.

I'm sorry for not doing SOs right now, but I wanted to drop off a few milestones:
1. Reagan scooted forward this weekend for the first time. She also stayed up on her hands and knees for about 30 seconds!
2. We're finally cutting a tooth! :D I wouldn't have known she was, except I happened to pull her lip back when she was fussy and I saw a bit of white poking through.

[smurf]

Sippy Cups: K actually likes the Platex ones that are meant for older kids. If I try to give her the ones with soft spouts, she just teeths on them. Like others have said, she'd really rather just drink straight from a cup.

I bought Nuby ones today from Target but they leaked all over. Maybe I just got a bad set?
The Nuby that I have leaks all over the place too. K doesn't like it anyway, she'd rather just chew on it.

Glad to hear that someone elses baby wouldn't take a bottle, we quit trying too.
I just want to get him used to the sippy so that when we decide to give up BF'ing he isn't confused or won't take a sippy.

K won't take a bottle either. I'm dreading trying to wean her from bf'ing. I'm really hoping she gets the hang of the sippy cup soon.

[Soulmate]

Poor DH is getting innundated with parenting judgment :( He's been asked why our DS goes to bed so early (before 8pm...he starts losing it around 7pm if not home) and why he still wakes up to eat at night. I told him about the poll around here that says that a majority of the babies are in bed before 8pm (he is getting that bedtime should be like 9/10pm!) but I don't know if that helped. Plus our little guy just insists on getting a night feeding in there somewhere no matter how much I try to wean him from it...he likes to sleepy eat ;) Even a ped (not ours) got on my case about his eating schedule when I called about his formula refusal. Uh, that is not why I called! I remind him that there is no standard rule and we parent based on our child's need. We are both very lucky we have the CC to give a much more realistic approach to parenting!

[Amaye]

I am so behind. I haven't been here in ages!! So many of our babies are growing up!! Look at all the milestones going on.

Soulmate We have gotten a lot of "advice" too about DD bedtime. She goes to bed between 6.30pm and 7pm and usually wakes up once (4-5am) fora bottle and then wakes for the day around 730am. People have told us to drop the night feeding and get her to bed later. But it doesn't work. Going to bed later means waking up earlier. I just nod and say interesting and go about my usual business.

Lizard I have to say that DD did the same with the mobile. Cracked me up. Are you going to replace the mobile with something else? She likes to play around with something in the morning while she is waking up.

Milestones Well, DD got her second tooth in about 2weeks ago and seems to be working on another one. She has been crawling/pulling up for a while and on thursday (8 mth bday), she started semi-cruising. She finally realized that she could hold on to something and move around. Her latest game is to try and stand by herself without holding onto something. She stands for about 5secs and is down on the floor cracking up.

Sippy Cup We have been using the playtex ones and she loves it!

Question DD was eating solids three times a day (3 EB level 2 jars)and suddenly is done to maybe 1 jar through out the day. I'm not sure what to do??? She does have a cold & cough but her milk amt has stayed the same. Do you thinks she is done with purees? It's so hard to figure out what is going on!

[mmisabel]

Soulmate - wow that's too bad people are saying stuff. Tell DH to ignore them!! My DS went to bed at 6:15pm last night, cause he was tired! I don't know many babies at this age who stay up till 9 or 10.

Sippy cups - we use the Nuby's too. My friends son did really well introducing the straw ones, but he's a few months older than N. He really doesn't get the concept, just plays with it for the most part.

pincer grasp - anyone elses kid have none or not much desire to do it?? N just plays with the puffs I give him, sometimes they get stuck on his hand and make it to his mouth, but that's the extent of it.

[mmisabel]

Amaye - you snuck in there!! I'd try some more finger food or stage 3's with DD. Maybe she's bored??!! Also, want to recommend the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders. I think the new one is a jungle theme. It attaches to the crib and N loves it. It buys some time in the morning!!

[Wrighty26]

Soulmate - That is SOOOO frustrating. I get some flack (mostly from my inlaws) about how early Braeden goes to bed. I just ignore them - or I'll start stating what Weissbluth says about children who lack sleep (that it has been linked to ADD and other behavioral disorders as they get older). Most don't believe the whole "sleep begets sleep" thing - even when I tell them that B usually sleeps 12-13 hours at night. As for the wakeup - it's a natural time for babies to wake up and when they are hungry you can't do anything about it! Hopefully L will grow out of that :(

Amaye - Wow - Mia is SOOOO going to be walking way before her first birthday! You are in TROUBLE :) No advice on the foods. Braeden has started blowing raspberries as he eats lately. He thinks it's HILARIOUS. Oh, and we have this in B's crib:

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/B0002P5IAU.01._AA280_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Fisher Price Activity Mirror or something. We don't turn it on (maybe I should?) -- but he will lay in his crib and babble at himself in the mirror for a while.

[Camdynlyn]

Mia is on all fours now. She is still pushing herself backwards but overall, I'm proud of her... especially considering she's THE youngest in this group.

She's also cutting her 2nd tooth. I expect it to be through by the end of the week. She's not cranky about it but it's caused 2 clothing changes yesterday (watery poop that's more water than poop but not diarrhea). Her first is the bottom right and this one is the bottom left.

Overall, she's doing great. Her milk intake has really gone down and even her solids have decreased due to this tooth. Usually, she's a piggy but not so much in the past week.

[Soulmate]

Thanks guys...I agree with you all. I mean who would want to *keep* their baby awake when they are tired? Besides the inhumanity, they are not pleasant to be around! I personally do not mind waking up to feed him (only once though!) because he is super sweet and eats fairly fast. I know one day he will stop needing it. Until then I like taking care of my little guy!

amaye We too have a mirrored crib toy (the Sassy one popular at BRU) and he loves it but it doesn't attach well and he'll pull it until it falls flat in the crib. He doesn't mind but it bugs me.

wrighty How social your little guy is just cracks me up every time. I still picture that video of him chatting to himself in the mirror.

[Lizard]

I feel like I should post this as a PSA:

This weekend, BIL and his family visited us. They have a 4 year old daughter that's an absolute delight. DH and BIL's daughter were messing around with a basketball in our driveway, and he put her on his shoulders so she could reach the basket. She went to make a basket and fell off DH's shoulders onto our concrete driveway, hitting her head. We ended up calling 911 because she couldn't swallow and had a MASSIVE hematoma on the back of her head... it showed up within about 1 minute.

She went to Children's Hospital and they ran a multitude of tests, and in some crazy miracle, she is fine. Her only injuries are a big wound on her left elbow (I think that's what took the brunt of the fall), and she says her ear hurts. The doctors still aren't sure why it's hurting, but it doesn't appear to be anything serious. They discharged her after several hours with directions to wake her up every 2-3 hours and bring her back if she felt worse.

I wanted to post this because I'm sure many of you have DH's that carry your kids on their shoulders.... PLEASE get them to stop. The doctor at the ER said that a kid falling off an adult's shoulders is one of the most common injury situations they see. I didn't think much of it until this happened. DH is sooo despondent over all this... he knows it was a miracle that she didn't have a skull fracture, brain bleed or worse. I saw her hit the pavement and I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head. And I can't even imagine if it had happened to DD. :(

[rande]

Hey gals, I feel like I haven't posted in forever!

Lizard-That is so scary! Poor DH, he must feel terrible! So glad that she is okay!

Bottle-Add Olivia to the babies that won't take bottles. I am trying to wean her from breastfeeding right now and it isn't going so well. She loves the sippy with water but hasn't really gotten the concept yet. Should I be pushing the bottle or go straight to sippy or straw for formula????? Drew loved his bottle and wouldn't give it up until 18 months. We eventually switched him to a straw sippy because he drinks more milk from this than a regular sippy (took too much effort). Now he has all of his milk from straw cups.

Crawling-Livie is a peanut at just about 16 pounds, however, she is quite strong. She has been crawling since 8 months and is now pulling herself up to standing. We might have another early walker here. Her brother was walking at 9 1/2 months.

Teeth-Still no teeth for Olivia! She appears to be close to getting her first one though.

Soulmate-That is so rude! Early bedtime is not that uncommon. Also, I firmly believe that we know our children best and what they need. Also, Livie is going to bed at 7-7:30 and gets up at 5 or so to eat and back to sleep until 8.

Table food-Livie loves the puffs but hates cheerios (gags and chokes) and also hates stage 3 food (gags and chokes). I feel like I am not giving her enough of a variety. All she is really getting is stage 1 and 2 baby food. Any ideas??????

Swing-Olivia is finally sleeping in the crib. She fell out of her swing last week. It was aweful. Luckily, she was not hurt. Funny part is that Drew climbed out of his crib for the first time on the same day! Not fun transitioning one from a swing to a crib and one from a crib to a bed at the same time! However, we are doing much better this week!:)
Also, could someone post directions on posting pictures??? I would love to post one of Olivia!

[lindybug]

Lizard ~ Oh, that is awful! Poor little girl... thank goodness she is okay. And your poor DH must feel terrible. Thank you for sharing that with us... I sometimes put DS on my shoulders, but no more!

Table foods ~ In addition to stage 2 fruits and veggies, I have recently added in: yogurt, whole grain waffles, cheese, banana, and Cheerios. He seems to love everything. He does gag a little sometimes, and I am always poised to do a baby heimlich. It has never come to that though, thank goodness! :)

Early bedtime ~ DS is asleep in his crib by 6:30pm most nights, and sleeps through to 6:30am. Don't listen to the negative comments... Just do what's right for your baby and you.

[Mystikal]

Lizard how scary! I'm so glad that she's okay. I can't imagine how horrible your DH must feel. Thanks for the warning.
Soulmate I guess I'm lucky in the whole "parenting advice" aspect. The extent of the advice I receive is from the IL's as to whether or not I'm going to start putting walking shoes on DD, because, you know, back when their kids were little you were supposed to start doing that right away. I believe if I were in your situation I would tell them to remember that they got their chance to parent, this is your and your DH's chance so they need to bite their tongues and let you do it the way you want. Probably won't work, though. *sigh*
mmisabel my DD has used the pincer grasp once or twice, but mostly she just likes to play with the puffs and cheerios and when they get stuck to her hand she will look at them funny and then throw them on the floor for the dog. lol. However, when I feed them to her she loves them. She'll get the hang of it soon enough.

Milestones Aside from DD's third tooth last week and her rolling for the first time on Friday yesterday she said her first words. Yes, she said TWO words yesterday! In the morning I was showing her all the pictures on the walls and I have a school picture of my sister Hannah. Well, she saw that and she just went nuts! She was kicking her feet and waving her hands. I said "is that Hannah?" She got a big grin on her face and said "An-ah"! It was crazy! Then, last night I set her on the bed with DH so I could change out of my work clothes and as soon as I started to walk away she started crying and saying "mama". She's said mama before, but never in that context. Usually just babbles. So, needless to say, I was pretty excited! I can't believe she's growing up so fast! *sniff*

[makena32204]

unsolicited advice -Everytime (and I mean everytime) we talk to my MIL, she has advice to give us. It drives me crazy!!! She just doesnt understand that it's a different time and things arent done they same way as when she had kids. Luckily, my DH and I have the same parenting views. Now, if i could just learn to let her comments not upset me or drive me crazy.

milestones - DD has a great pincer grasp. It probably comes from her love of the tags on all her toys! LOL. She says Mama and recently started the "bababa" and "dada", but Mama is the only one that she's really put any context to.

DD will stand and play w/ her music table or holding the couch for as long as you will let her. She has also started bouncing up and down while the music plays. We refer to it as her "dancing". That being said, she's really not making any moves toward crawling. She HATES being on her stomach. Last night, she started lunging for toys from a sitting position and would end up on her stomach. She'd immediately flip over onto her back. But, that's moving towards crawling, right??:rolleyes:

[Amaye]

makena32204 M does the same bouncing while standing and listening to music. She does it even while we are carrying her - once the music comes on, she's off bouncing and head bobbing. Hysterical!

mmisabel Maybe she is bored with the food. I will try some stage 3 and see what happens. It's just so frustrating. Thanks for the recommendation. She definitely needs a crib toy!

Wrighty26 I think she will be walking sooner rather than later but who knows? She is a crawling machine and is getting into everything. It's going to be bad once she starts walking! Fun times to come!:cool:

Soulmate M is the same with eating and I too don't mind. She gulps down her milk and is back to sleep pretty quickly.

Lizard OMG! Poor baby. I'm so glad she is fine. I will definitely be talking to DH about this - he had M on his shoulder a lot this weekend. Scary!

[sunchaser26]

Lizard how scary! I'm so glad that she's okay. I can't imagine how horrible your DH must feel. Thanks for the warning.


I agree, Thanks for the warning! DH just tried putting Jacob on his shoulders last night, better nip this in the bud.

unsolicited advice -

I only get this from the ped and my mother, but I only really listen to my mother for the most part. I have yet to start Jacob on table food except yesterday we tried banana and he loved it. I need to start putting him in the highchair and giving it to him and some other things like well cooked veggies - worried about giving him puffs and cheerios since he only has one tooth so far though.

[emmjay]

Lizard - how scary! I have a 4-yr old niece too. That must have been horrifying to see. I'm glad sh