February 2007 Mommies ~ Enjoying our Valentines!!

[la_bride_2004]

Not much to report here. I did go back to work last week- it was really rough in the beginning, but it's getting better! M is transitioning into daycare on the big movie studio lot- he seems to love it.

My Mommy and Me classes have started- I take Wednesday afternoons off to go. I love them! It's about 15 first-time moms who had babies in Feb. It's led by a psychologist and social worker, so we go over things like sleep scheduling, etc. It's so nice to bond with others who are going through the same thing!

I went to a "sling class" at a popular BF store here today after group and bought this sling- it's called The Baby Pouch. http://babypouch.biz/ I love this thing!! The Bjorn was absolutely killing my back but this one doesn't hurt at all. I wore it all evening- M loves it too- I wore him facing out since he's so interested in looking at everything. I would definitely highly recommend it!

[ladybug777]

QOTD: Having DD has been a pretty big adjustment for us. We've been together for 10 years and pretty much have our routine down. We've always spent a lot of time together and are like two peas in a pod. DD is pretty high needs and demands most of my attention. We've really had to make an effort to carve out some us time (ha ha) and keep up with what is going on in each others life. DH tries to help when he can, but he gets frustrated pretty easily when DD is screaming. He does try to take her in the mornings on weekends so I can get some sleep. Thank goodness for frozen bm. We did have an occasion to have a "discussion" about him helping me more and he's been really making an effort.

[rancherswife]

I must say, I'm quite jealous of those of you who are getting to sleep in, on the weekends while your dh takes the babe. That's just nearly impossible w/ two! Once Landon's up (he's usually the first! :)) we're all up, he makes sure of that!

[ladybug777]

Rancherswife:If it makes you feel any better, my definition of sleeping has drastically changed since having Sophie. ;) I can usually squeeze an extra 30 minutes to an hour before she's starving or yelling for mommmy. Even if DH gives her expressed bm, I've got to get up to pump.

[PrincessCJ81]

la_bride_2004 He's a pro bottle washer and sterilizer, and has been really supportive of my pumping- I would not have made it this far without him.

Ditto!!! There is no way I would still be BF if it weren't for DH. He gets my pump clean and packed for me in the morning while I get ready, he even puts it in my car for me! My sis only BF for a month and she swares if her DH would have helped she could have gone so much longer.

Labride-Glad to hear work is going good. Carrying around all of the bags is definatley a PITA, but I think my arms are starting to look more tone :D
How's M's hip? He is such a cutie! Your mommy and me classes sound awesome. I should see if we have any of those around here.

USAF- Sorry to hear A is still in premies...I'm sending him weight gaining vibes (lord knows I don't need to hold onto those vibes ;) )

bomb- Thanks for letting me vent! DH and I have discussed how much he works a million times, but as you know the industry are DH's are in doesn't stop:( How's Z doing?

Ranchers- Sleeping in...What's that?:rolleyes: Once DS is up I'm up! Glad to hear R's skin problem is clearing up! He is such a cutie! He looks so much like DS #1

ladybug- I hear you on change in sleeping! I used to sleep in until 11am on the weekends, now we are up by 7am (at the latest:eek: )

mrsski- Sorry to hear about the deaths, but I am so happy to hear that DS is doing well!

tummytime- Not a favorite around our house either, but we do about 5 minutes a night.

boiler- Glad to hear from you! When are you planning to go back to work?

[isobel]

Hey girls! Finally was able to get caught up and post. Excuse any typos, Iam posting while NAKing.

Everyone's babies are so cute! I love seeing all those chubby cheeks. My girls are doing good, keeping me busy. They have just started sleeping four to six stretches which as made all the difference. I was about to go insane. My mom was also here last week helping which was also great. After her visit we decided to bite the bullet and get a maid. I am pretty much still breastfeeding or baby wrangling full time. I calculated that I get an hour to myself a day, if I am lucky. Of course that cuts into my sleeping but hey, five hours is enough right?! :D

As for as the husband thing, I hear what all of you are saying. D is great but I definitely do more. Sometimes I swear he ignores their crying because he knows my super sonic mom ears will make me come running. We all need to vent and this is a great place to do it.

[ladybug777]

Isobel: We hired a housekeeper while I was pg and it made all the difference. Our original plan was to stop when Sophie got here, but who knew babies were sooo much work! ;) Definitly a nice service to have!

[rancherswife]

house keepers: Two words...LIFE SAVER!!! :cool:

[bombera77]

Isobel- It was great to hear from you. Good choice on the housekeeper, I can't imagine how busy you must be with two! I bet it was nice to have your mom visit- I wish mine were still here. Thanks for spending part of your one hour of alone time with us- that means a lot!

labride- the mommy and me classes sound fun- I know I love mine. Zoey and I go every week and now a group of us go to lunch after class too. It is fun and we are making new friends!

Candice- Anytime girl, you can always vent to us! We need to get together again soon. I saw Danea at a potluck briefly last week, but Zoey melted down not long after she got there so we had to jet, but maybe we can get together for a few hours on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon here soon. I know weekends are precious family time, so it is tough, but I am dying to see your little man again!

****
We had the easiest baby weekend on the planet! Zoey slept through most of the night both Saturday and Sunday and she was up for a bit in the mornings, took a 5 hour nap on Saturday afternoon and a 4.5 hour nap on Sunday afternoon, was a sweet baby in the evenings and then went to bed! DH and I got some alone time, I got some sewing done (I made Zoey two pairs of pants and two new diapers!) and the kitchen is even clean! It was amazing.

She is sleeping right now and I hope she will sleep long enough for me to finish this message, work out and take a shower. That may be a lofty goal because she doesn't sleep as long in the morning as she does in the afternoon, but we will see!

Zoey is really starting to notice more stuff and actually play with toys a bit. She is just barely starting to reach for things, but she was very interested in this bumble bee that rattles last night and was so serious about inspecting it! Too cute. I love that she is interacting more each day. It is too much fun. She really is an easy baby. She even recognizes when I sing "Hush little baby" to her. I have been singing her to sleep to it since she was just a few weeks old and now when we get ready for bed and I swaddle her and she is fussy, I start to sing and she calms right down and falls asleep shortly thereafter. Very cool. :) Oh, she is even starting to splash with her feet during baths and I think it is on purpose- maybe not, but it seems like it. I am afraid she is growing up too fast, but there is nothing I can do to stop it!

Alright, I need to cut it off and try to get that work out in. I have 13 more pounds to lose before DH and I go to Portland to see my family on the 22nd of May. I need to get my butt in gear!

[PrincessCJ81]

isobel- I am so glad to hear the girls are doing well! Thanks for letting us know. I know you are super busy, but when you get a chance please post an updated pic =) I bet they have grown so much!

ranchers and ladybug- I might need to look into this housekeeper idea!

Carrie- I think you were talking about a schedule for when P goes back to daycare?? I meant to comment on this earlier, but I forgot. My daycare is more concerned with DC being on a feeding schedule, not so much a napping schedule.

Michelle- We do need to get together again soon. Cole would love to see his GF ;) My weekends are pretty open, so just let me know what works for you and Danea. Where are you taking Mommy and Me classes? I'm glad to hear Z is doing so well, they are growing up fast but it's fun to watch them learn. I was just commenting to DH last night that Cole is starting to get a personality. He talks all day and laughs all the time. He is a very laid back child w/ a good sense of humor! His mobile has stars and moons that light up onto the ceiling and he will watch it for an hour. Good luck getting your workout in today. I've really got to buckle down on my diet as well, Hawaii is only a few months away (bitting nails)

Hope everyone had a good weekend?

The weather was beautiful so we were outside the majority of the day. Cole really enjoys being outdoors!

Here are a couple of pics!

Daddy and Cole hanging outside:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/princesscj81/Cole079.jpg

Cole and his rolls:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/princesscj81/Cole078.jpg

And Finally a Smile on Camera!!!!!
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/princesscj81/Cole076.jpg

[bombera77]

MMMM! He is so adorable Candice! I love him... The more rolls the better as far as I am concerned. We will have to hunt down Danea and come up with a good time. :)

[rancherswife]

9 weeks today!!!

Just a fly by....Landon's had a 103.2 temp that we CAN NOT get to break for the life of us, since yesterday evening...Great! We had a horrid night w/ him. Of course, Reece slept from 9:30-4a.m....Not good times. He's miserable and all he wants is to be held, not easy w/ a newborn! I'm in for a loooong day. Just waiting for the dr.'s office to open so I can get him in. I feel like I LIVE at the ped.! Reece has his 2 mo. wbv on Thursday, and we were just there LAST Tues. for the ped. to check out his face. :)

princess: I love Cole's rolls. Reece's are quite similar! :)

[aloha]

Sorry to hear about the fever and bad night Ranchers.

Our guess is that Samuel is going through an early 3 month growth spurt. He's been waking more at night after having a consistent routine for several weeks. He's quite angry hungry when he wakes up even with frequent feedings. He's also been wanting to be held all the time while napping during the day. I hope he gets through this quickly!

I NEED to work on finding housecleaning help now that I'm working again! I'd rather spend our time together doing fun stuff.

[rancherswife]

Landon's got a virus. Blisters on his throat and all! It's going around...yay! Even better, Reece can get it. Just perfect!:rolleyes: Just what I want my 9 week old to have to deal with. It's bad enough with Landon....ughh! Crossing my fingers Reece gets lucky and doesn't get it! Landon hasn't gotten out of our bed since we've been home from the ped. and he's been asleep most of the day. Seems wierd that I'm not chasing him around...;)

aloha: Could be an early 3 mo. growth spurt. But w/ newborns...they change up their "routine" so much, just when mommy and daddy are getting to know the current one, they decide to change it up! I hope Samuel starts sleeping better very soon, for you! :)

[lady1297]

Hi all! Just checking in!

aloha: It's amazing how they change things up isn't it?!

Princess: LOVE the rolls! He's so adorable! John is just 3 days younger and he's still working on getting his :( We weighed him tonight and he's 9 3/4 lbs. We're getting there, day by day!!

rancherswife: Sorry to hear about Landon. I hope it passes soon.

[Aug2002Bride]

Candice LOVE the rolls! I was just telling DH the other night "why do we always have skinny babies! I want the little thighs with the "sections" of rolls!

Ranchers Hope Landon feels better soon and that Reece doesnt end up with it.

Jenna is getting better these days with the fussiness. She seems to be much happier now that she has been on the Prevacid for awhile. She weighed in at 9lbs 7oz at her 2 month checkup. Lauren has been so awesome with her and always wants to talk to her or hold her..but We had our first sibling "fight" the other night...Lauren wanted her doll to be in the baby swing instead of baby sister, so she was forcing the doll in on top of Jenna which didnt go over too well with Jenna. Not even really a fight but it was the first time Lauren has really shown anger or frustration towards her.

[boilermaker]

I just love coming on here and seeing the pictures!!

ranchers, that really sucks that Landon has a virus. I hope he feels better soon and Reese manages to stay clear of it. And Reese is such a cutie!!!

Candice, Cole is adorable as well. It must be nice and hot in Texas huh? Thanks for the info on the daycare and schedules. I have poor Payton all messed up right now. Hopefully I'll be able to gt her back to normal before I go back to work.

LABride, glad to hear the transition to work is going well. That pouch looks neat. i tried a sling a P hated it, so I only have the Bjorn right now...may have to look into that pouch as the bjorn does get heavy after awhile.

aug2002, the first fight huh? I imagine there will be more to come but hopefully they will be best friends before too long.

aloha, P is going through a clingy stage as well. I hope it passes quickly for you. I also need to get around to finding a housecleaner before I go back to work...so much to do, so little time to do it all!

michelle, that is great that Zoey takes such good naps. I hope I can get that lucky with P in another month or two.

So, things are a little rough here. My dad had a heart attack last week, which really shook me up emotionally and Payton's life got all turned upside down. With being in a strange house, me being at the hospital all day, having a very stressful day where I had practically no milk supply, and then enduring the 6 hour drive home, she was a mess yesterday. I didn't help her any today as she had her 2 month WBV and got her shots. She is sleeping now after I broke down and gave her tylenol. Hopefully she'll be back to normal before too long, though we are flying back to my parents this Sunday to stay for a week and help out again. Then we will be home for a week and a half before I start back at work on the 24th. I've got to figure out a plan to transition her to day care then.

But I do have a few pictures..
Here is my chunky monkey (13 pounds at her dr appt today)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/480123409_fa36f62df1.jpg?v=0

Her beautiful smile
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/189/480147663_e337b6f939.jpg?v=0

And what happens when I eat almonds (at least that is my thought right now).
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/480123431_de65a242ba.jpg?v=1178039391

I did finally start adding dairy back into my diet yesterday. We'll see how that goes, but she hasn't seemed to have any problems yet today.

2 month stats
Height - 24 in
Weight - 13 lbs!!

[stars]

Just wanted to say your babes are so darn cute.

boilermaker Definitely looks like an allergic reaction to me. My DD has the same rash from Soy formula. Sorry to read about your dad, hope he is doing better. Payton is a CUTIE!

[Aug2002Bride]

Carrie She is so adorable! I love that outfit too...its very cute!

Here are some pics of my girls..

Jenna at the park
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h147/jkpeterson99/100_0468.jpg


Matching outfits!
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h147/jkpeterson99/100_0450.jpg

[rancherswife]

Thanks everyone, for the well wishes for Landon. He's back...and in FULL FORCE!!! ;) He proved the ped. wrong with the prediction of 3-5 days, he was only down for a little over 24 hours! And let me tell you, the kid was well rested, he never stopped all.freakin'.day! Obviously, it's been a busy day for me.

boiler: Payton is absolutely adorable!!! I love her chub!!! You're doing great. :) The rash looks like a reaction to something to me too. Poor baby. :(

aug2002: Your girls are too cute. I love the matching outfits. Landon and Reece have one matching outfit so far, I can't wait to get more.

stars: I have to agree with you. All of our babes are just so damn cute! :D

Well, I better go hop into bed, so I can be well rested to chase Landon tomorrow. :cool: Someone else in my May/June thread mentioned that their newborn only takes up about 10% of their time, while the toddler takes up 90%, I couldn't agree more!

[dpangel33]

Sorry I haven't posted in a while but I've been reading along and keeping up!

Everyones pictures are so adorable!!

Candice - Cole looks like a miniature man, he's so cute!!

Aug2002Bride - OMG look at that hair, she's so precious!!

Carrie - Looks like we both have chunky monkeys on our hands!! Sorry about the allergy, hopefully dairy won't bother her again!!


We had our 2 month WBV today and she got her shots. She took them like a champ and didn't start crying until the third one was administered. She slept and ate all day so hopefully we'll get a full nights sleep!

stats:
weight - 12 lbs 10 oz
height - 23.5 inches
head cir - 34.75 cm

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/470522523_fa2a8181a1.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/480991530_f8da3f29dd.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/480991532_828aedef31.jpg?v=0

[lady1297]

I keep meaning to say, if any of you are on LJ, let me know and I'll add you. I have the same user name there, lady1297. I post pics of J and E there, I'm to paranoid to post them here! My journal is friends locked, so let me know if you want added, I always like to add friends!


Need to vent:

Every where I go I'm hearing comments of "How small!" when it comes to John. I'm getting really upset and depressed about it. John isn't even 10 pounds and he's 11 weeks old. I feed him on demand and sneak in a feeding if it's been awhile. He's peeing up a storm. His poops are normal looking and quite plentiful when he goes every 3 days or so. I feel like people look at him and are saying I'm doing something wrong. I don't want to do formula and breastfeeding and beastfeeding seems to be going quite well by the 'signs of a well fed baby" except he doesn't gain weight as quickly as everyone elses baby. I just don't know what to think or do. I don't want to sound bitter when someone comments on his size when I know what they really mean is "How sweet, a baby!" not "Feed your kid, lady!" But that's how I take it. I just want to scoop him up and hid with him until he's huge. But what if he never is? What if he never gains 'enough' weight for the doctor? Am I doing the wrong thing by not giving formula when there doesn't seem to be an indication for it other than he is a slow gainer? I keep forcing myself to go out with him because DS1 needs to be out and about, but everytime we go somewhere I feel like running away in retreat. We were at MOPS yesterday and I couldn't wait to leave because all the other babies there is age were chubby and rolly. And then there is my little bean pole. :( Sorry, but I just had to let it out somewhere. Thanks.

[PrincessCJ81]

Morning ladies!

It's good to hear from some of you who have been gone!

Kim- I am glad to hear L is feeling better and so far R hasn't caught it!!!!

Carrie- Bless your heart, I am sorry you are having to go through your dad's illness right now. I'm sending your dad well wishes! On a happier note, P is adorable! She is just too precious. I would guess her reaction is to almonds, since it is such a common allergy in children. I hope she is a little angel when you guys go back up to visit your dad.

Augbride- How cute is J's hair, OMG it is so sweet. She looks like a little woman already :) L might not know it now, but down the road she will be so happy to have a sister ( I know I am!!)

Danea- Wow, H looks just like you..... I love her little sweater in the 3rd pic, super cute! How are things?

Lady- I'm on LJ w/ the same name, but I don't know what I'm doing so I never use it. I will figure it out one of these days;) Feel free to vent away, I always do. IMHO, I wouldn't add formula into J's diet. It sounds like he is getting plenty of food from you, he's just a slow gainer. My cousin is a registered midwife and a LC, she suggested to me before I had DS that I eat plenty of protein while BF to help DS gain weight. I'm not sure what your diet is like now, but you could try adding some extra protein into your diet to see if it helps. Don't let other people's coments worry you, people tend to not think about how much their words affect us :( I am sure J is growing and developing just the way his body is intended to. ;) You are doing great, I say just keep on doing what you are doing now and he will keep on growing!:D

[aloha]

Lady-Don't be so hard on yourself! It sounds like John is doing great and is just a natural slow gainer. I would just deflect the comments by emphasizing his great head control or something else that he's doing. Samuel is a slow gainer too after starting out at about 9 lbs and then up to 11 lbs at 9 weeks. I'm not on LJ...will get around to signing up one of these days.

[jenjen0713]

lady1297 - I've added you to my LJ friends list. I know exactly what you are going through. DS #1 was the exact same way. Everybody always (and still do) makes comments about what a small boy he is. I also would take offense and think that maybe my milk wasn't enough for him. My mom would continually make comments about how I needed to give him formula to bulk him up since he wasn't getting enough from me (according to her). Finally, I've come to the realization that some kids are going to be small and somebody has to be in the lower percentiles and DS #1 is one of those kids. What has proven to be really difficult now is DS #2 is growing like a weed and I suspect he is going to be taller than DS #1 when they get older. I worry that DS #1 will be self conscious of it if people ask him if he is the younger brother.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I am daniels_kitty on lj.

I wouldn't worry about size. I keep hearing how small Mikey is and he, according to our scale, is 15 or 16 pounds.

I think we will have to pack the bucket seat away. It was such a waste of money.

[rancherswife]

I'm rancherswife01 on LJ and slowly getting the whole LJ thing figured out. ;)

Reece has a nasty conjested cough going on today. Great! At least we go to the ped. for his 2 mo. wbv tomorrow morning, so we'll see what he says.

dpangel: Hailey is a doll. I love the pic. w/ the hat. I love putting hats on the babes. :)

lady: Please do not be so hard on yourself. Alll babies grown and develop at their own pace. It is totally not a reflection on you and your breastmilk. I agree w/ princess completely. He's getting what he needs from you, he'd let you know if he wasn't. He is just taking his time at gaining...Hang in there! ((hugs))

I'll add those who posted their names to my friends list on LJ. :)

[ladybug777]

Lady: I added you to my lj friends list. I have the same username over there. I understand how you're feeling about the size comments. I've had people say the same thing to me, and it bothers me. When I took Sophie for her pictures at 6 weeks, some lady walks by and says, " She's tiny! What is she, 3 weeks old?" Um, no. :rolleyes: Try to ignore what other people are saying. All kids gain weight at different rates. As long as he's pooping and has an adequate number of wet diapers, he's fine.

Daniel's Kitty & Rancherswife: I friended you guys on lj too. I have the same username over there.

Sophie is doing well. After battling yet another horrible diaper rash, we made the decision to switch over to cloth diapers. Can I just say that they are amazing!!! Her rash started clearing up within 24 hours and it pretty much gone by now. Even my DH, who was skeptical at first, swears by them. And I've also noticed that since we made the switch, Sophie is so much less cranky. It's like having a totally different baby.

I took her into my job today (for the 2nd time) and she did great. Last time, she had a complete meltdown, but today, she was an angel.

Dpangel: LOVE those pictures.

Ranchers Wife: Glad to hear that Landon is feeling better. Nothing worse than having a sick kiddo.

[jenjen0713]

I'm jenjen0713 on LJ. I've added everyone who posted their username as well. I post a lot more over on LJ just due to privacy and post pictures of the kids as well.

ladybug - So glad the cloth diapers are helping with the diaper rash.

ranchers - So sorry to hear Reece is congested. That is the worst to hear your poor baby having trouble breathing.

I return to work on Monday and I'm so dreading it and looking forward to it at the same time. I'll miss my boys like crazy, but it will be nice to have adult interaction on a daily basis with someone besides DH and actually doing my hair and makeup each day.

DS#2 is doing well. We are slowly working on getting into a nighttime ritual and it seems to be working. (knock on wood) I only have to get up once during the night and I can handle that.

[Aug2002Bride]

Im also the same name on LJ (even though I dont know how to use it that well) so Ive added everyone that posted their user names.

Princess She does have tons of hair...L had that much hair too and it was actually a tad darker...J's eyebrows and eyelashes you can barely see so Im sure we have another blondie in the works!

[dpangel33]

Lady - I think as long as the Dr says he's okay then I wouldn't worry about what others say.

Ladybug - I've noticed too since using cloth H hasn't had a single diaper rash like she did with the disposables.

Candice - It's kinda scary how much I see myself in her but it only makes sense because I took after my mom. Things have been going so well I enjoyed a girls weekend down in Austin for a bachelorette party and left DH home with H :cool:


I've also added those who posted their LJ's if that's okay!!

[rancherswife]

2 mo. wbv stats:
weight: 13lbs. 50%
height: 24 1/2 inches 75%
head: 41 cm. 50%

Three shots and the roto virus orally...He has a low grade fever tonight, so I ended up giving him tylenol a little bit ago. Other than that, he's just been sleeping pretty much all day. He STTN last night!!! WOOHOO!!! I'm sure it was a fluke though! ;) I'm def. not getting my hopes up, girls. :)

[MrsSki]

Lady - don't be so hard on yourself. You know your babe is getting enough to eat. DD was a tiny girlie girl and her ped always said she was to skinny but to not change her diet. She's perfectly healthy. She's going to be 3 next week and is about 32 pounds and not quite 3 feet tall. Hugs!

ranchers - sorry to hear about the boys being sick. DD is just getting over a cold and DS has been a bit snorty. Leave it to a season change....

Carrie - hugs to you. Hope your dad is getting better every day.

DS is doing great. He's been going down for the night around 10pm and will sleep until 3:30am. That's been pretty consistent now for the last couple weeks. I went back to work today so having this routine works out great for me and one I've adjusted to. My guess, he'll change on Monday and we'll all be suffering from sleep deprivation.

On DH helping.....my DH 'checks out' ALL the time. DD follows him around and he takes her with him alot, but when it comes to DS, nope. I can hardly get DH to hold him. He doesn't take the time to figure out what will calm DS and gets easily aggravated. And DH has not offered to take a nighttime feeding EVER. He was this way with DD. He just assumes that because I'm much more the caregiver and love my time with the kids that I'm OK with getting up. Plus when I hear the kids awake, I automatically wake up and won't go back to sleep until I know they are asleep. He will get up if DS starts to cry before I can get back with a bottle, but then DH will change the boy and by that time DS is FULLY awake and it takes me longer to get him back to sleep. I'm a bad mom who doesn't change DS's diaper until morning. I've never experienced diaper rash with DD and DS is showing to have buns of steel as well.

Relationship with DH.....like other RO's, it was obnoxiously hard after DD was born. I had a meltdown when she was 6 weeks old and was thisclose to throwing DH out. We talked and everything got better. With DS, I had a meltdown at about 3 weeks postpartum. I sat in the bathroom sobbing for 15 minutes before he came to find out what was wrong. He had the nerve to complain that if I wanted dinner tonight I would have to bring it home because he said he wouldn't be able to cook dinner with both kids at home. I told him that I was cooking GOURMET food for him the entire time I was home with both kids under foot. His response "Well, you were home all day". I almost knocked his brains out. He totally aggravates me about childcare, but he's making up for it in other ways and for that I'm grateful. I think infants scare DH and he'll be WAY better when DS gets older. We have gotten one or two afternoons/evenings out without the kids and it was nice.

So great to see all the cutie pie babies. I have to post pictures, but need some quiet time so I can read how to do it.

[Daniel's Kitty]

Daniel has a hard time with the boys too. When one of them gets fussy I get two boys to take care of.

Mikey is getting big. The 6-12 month old navy jeans I have don't really fit around his waist. He went to playgroup wearing a 9 month sweatshirt, 6 month onsie, 6-12 month jeans. He is about 15-16 pounds according to the scale at home.

[ladybug777]

Daniel's Kitty:WOW!! You've got a good sized kiddo there. Good work!

MrsSki: I think we can all relate. It really gets me when DH acts all put out when Sophie cries at night. Um yeah, she's a baby. :rolleyes: Besides, it's not like he's getting up w/ her at night anyway. Hang in there.

Rancher's Wife: Glad your appointment went well. Congrats on him STTN.

DpAngel: CD are really awesome. Which kind are you using? I have the CPF's with Bummis covers and I LOVE them. I bought one of the Kissaluvs countour diapers, but don't like it as much. I feel like Sophie just wets right through it.

[dpangel33]

ladybug777 - I have CPF's with 3 BSWW and 3 Thirsties covers. I love the thirsties covers b/c they have leg gussets unlike the BSWW's. I also have 3 BG AIO's and I LOVE them!! I want to get more but will probably get the BG OS instead so they last longer!! I'm even considering getting some pockets when I have to size up to see if we like those.

[Daniel's Kitty]

Are the cd ing moms using infant prefolds? I was looking into getting a some and I was figuring that would be the best size.

[usafwife]

I don't have time to read through everything because we are dealing with some nasty storms.

Please send prayers to people who were devstated by a tornado very near here. The town is 95% destroyed. Pretty much every building/house has been destroyed/damaged. We are in tornado watch with storms popping up. It's only going to get worse as the day goes on.

We've been through a few tornadoes including an F4. This brings back all those feelings all over again. It never goes away no matter how recently or how long has passed since it.

If anyone would like information about donating, the storm, etc, please let me know. There have been 9 people who lost their lives in the storm.

[ladybug777]

aniel's Kitty: We're using the premiun infant prefolds.

DPANGEL: I'm gonna have to try the BG AIO's. They're so darned expensive though. Was thinking of either getting the OS or waiting until she moves up into the next size.

USAFWife: You guys are in my prayers. Hope these storms pass quickly.

[dpangel33]

Daniel's Kitty - I'm using infant CPF's but I don't know how much longer they're going to last with my chunky monkey b/c they fit up to 15 lbs.

ladybug777 - I only have 3 AIO's right now since I knew she'd grow out of them quickly, but they've been great making outings easy so far. I think even though the OS dipes are expensive they are still cheaper than disposables and will last through many growth spurts :D

usafwife - You guys are are in my thoughts during these nasty storms!!

[lady1297]

Are the cd ing moms using infant prefolds

I am! :) I use infant CPF's until about 6 months or so then switch to regular (or where they toddler, I can't remember). LOVE them! :) I did make fitteds for my girlfriend's baby. But honestly, I prefer my prefolds. ;)

[jenjen0713]

usafwife - The storms we have had the last few nights have been nasty, haven't they? I use to drive through Greensburg all the time when I lived down in that area. It is amazing the tornado was over 1 1/2 miles wide and that 95% of the town is destroyed. A tornado touched down about 10 miles north of us and destroyed the home of our babysitter's son. She said he took cover in a closet and when he came out the only part of his house still standing was that closet. We got over 6 inches of rain in 4 hours and schools were cancelled all around here due to flooding. I hope your part of state faired better than mine.

Well, I returned to work today. It actually wasn't too bad and the babysitter said he was good and drank the majority of his bottles. I was so worried about the bottles because at times it has been hit and miss with him taking them.

[rancherswife]

KS girls: So glad you are all ok, I'm thinking of those affected by these horrible storms. Hang in there and be safe. Thanks for checking in.

[bombera77]

Whew, I am finally caught up. I didn't realize how long it had been since I had posted. I missed you guys.

I don't know anything about this Live Journal thing, but maybe I will have to check it out... :)

Daniels- you may want to get the premium prefolds since Mickey is getting so big!

USAFwife- take care and we are praying for your safety and all those affected by the storms.

JenJen- I am glad your first day back went well. That must be a relief, huh?

Ranchers- Sorry Reece isn't feeling well. Praying for a speedy recovery!

CD's- We use infant CPF's with Bummis and proraps. I didn't like the Bummis until I started using the bikini twist (http://www.dy-dee.com/html/bikini_twist.html) with snappis (although I am still using the infant CFP's not the toddler dipes like this link says). Before we were just folding them in thirds and laying them in the covers and for that I liked the proraps best, but now that we are using the snappi, I think I like the bummis better... Hmmm. I also have some Bumkins and they are great as well. Recently I have made some poo pockets. I use either cover on them since they have gussets themselves. I modified the pattern to turn them into pocket dipes (although you still need a cover) and I stuff them with microfiber cloths that I bought at Sams for $11 for 25! Someone gave us some used receiving blankets and I have been making them out of those. They work really well and are easy to make too! The other nice thing about the poo pockets is they are one size dipes. We are folding them down right now, but they will fit her for a long time! Yippee.

Diaper Rash- We still have had some diaper rash issues, even with cloth. I had to ditch the butt paste, and switch to Desitin. It works much better for us. The Dr. even had me using Lotrimin (antifungal foot cream!) on her for a few days because she was developing a yeast infection in her little fat rolls! That worked great and now our changing ritual always involves the blow dryer (which Zoey loves) to get her nice and dry and then the Desitin. That has been working so great for us!

Sleeping- Not to brag but, Zoey sleeps really well. She never gets up more than once and about twice a week she sleeps through the night. Can't complain here. We don't always get our marathon afternoon nap (4+ hours) but when we do, both mom and baby are very happy about it! She is just so good when that happens and I get so much done! I feel like super mom. When she doesn't get it, we are both pulling our hair out!

Size- I constantly compare my child to other babies and she is quite a bit smaller (12 lbs at 14 weeks) but she seems to be doing well. I wish she had more chub, but alas, the Dr. doesn't seem to mind and says she is doing well, so I am not going to worry, right? I actually had one lady tell me that she was "really big for 13 weeks!" Umm, no she is kind of on the small side but whatever! I think people just don't have any idea how big or small babies should be. As long as our children are happy and our Dr's don't have a problem, I say screw everyone else! :)

Tornados- We have been spared around here, but it doesn't look like things will be letting up any time soon. We had a severe storm last Wednesday that knocked out our power for 8 hours or so. I was paranoid about losing all my frozen breast milk! We didn't open the freezer, so it was fine. Thank goodness! All of you in the path of the storms are in my prayers. I must say hearing the tornado sirens does make my skin crawl...

DH's- My DH has really risen to the occasion lately. Zoey is "talking" and he really likes that. She is also able to sit in her bumbo seat, so he is fine with watching her now that she can do more. Monday night she was cranky and I was suffering from a monster headache. We had been pacing around the house for 3 hours when DH got home and I handed her off. I finished up dinner and went to bed. He is great at getting her to sleep and I am SO thankful for that. I crashed and actually got 7.5 hours of sleep! I felt wonderful the next day. He really has been a great help lately. I don't know what I would do without him. We did have to talk about it though and since then, he has really stepped up!

I love all the baby pictures. So cute! Keep them coming. I post the majority of mine at www.dropshots.com/bombera77 if anyone wants to check them out! We love dropshots- they even let you post video. Very fun.

[PrincessCJ81]

USAF- I hope all is well and the storms have died down, check-in and let us know you are okay!

Ranchers- Hope the boys are feeling better.

JenJen- Glad to hear your first day back went well. I know it was an emotional day for me, but after 6 weeks our routine has been established and we are doing well!

Michelle-I love the pics of Z, she is adorable. Glad you found something to wear to the wedding, you look great. Yeah for Kate, standing up on her own, what a big girl! I love the pic of Gibson kissing Zoey. Cole has received a lot of puppy kisses as well. He is so entertained by the dogs these days! I love the Bumbo chair as well!! As long as Cole can see me or the TV he will sit in it for 15-20 minutes =) I'm glad to hear that DD is sleeping well through the night. My life has become so much easier since DS started STTN.

What a day, DH turned the alarm off this morning so we were both running super late. He had a meeting in S. Dallas so he had to leave and couldn't stay to help me get DS ready. I had to feed DS while pumping and then get myself ready while carryingDS around, well in the rush of the morning I forgot to pack bottles for my pump =( I didn't realize I had forgot them until I went to pump so I had to make a run to the store and buy some new bottles. What a day it's been. Anyways, Happy hump day to everyone.

Anyone have big Mother's Day plans?

[Daniel's Kitty]

I started my stash of cd's other than the few I already had. I bought 12 baby prefolds (15-30 pounds) 2 thirsties covers and a thirsties hemp prefold. I got the ocean and melon covers. I am so excited about starting this again. I picked stuff that will be big for a little while, but he is growing so fast that I am not worried. If any body is looking for a place to buy stuff babycottonbottoms.com is great, I did local pick-up but I am really happy with it.

[aloha]

Question: I always encounter other parents of similarily aged babies around town and they ask me what his age is, etc. I can never think quick enough to say something that conveys my interest/empathy. Like today I was at the post office and someone with a 9 week old asked his age and my stupid response was about the size of her babies head. I need a stock response to these questions so my PP brain doesn't have to think. How would you want someone to respond?

Cloth Diapering: We've been CDing as well with a combo of infant CPF's, imse vimse/bummis covers, BumGenius 2.0 and a variety of fitteds. We're going to primarily stick with BG 2.0 and CPF's/covers for the next size up. We particularly like the hemp CPF's. I like the convenience of fitteds but they take too long to dry and aren't as absorbent.

Mother's Day: I'm a mother's day child so I'll be sharing the holiday this year. We're going out for brunch at a nice restaurant to celebrate (along with everyone else in town I'm sure). The one place I called for reservations only had a 7:30 AM avail...I said no thanks!

We've been having serious gas issues here now that he's stretching the time between BM's to 2-4 days. I think that's what was happening when I thought it was a growth spurt. On the night before the big one, he's been getting up much more frequently, arching his back and screeching....argh!

Thinking of those of you in KS!

[ladybug777]

Aloha: After we get the whole age discussion out of the way, I usually ask how their baby is sleeping, if they're breast/bottle feeding, if they have other children, etc. If it's close to home, I'll ask where they had their baby or who their pediatrician is. Those are the same questions that other mom's usually ask me.

Daniels' Kitty: I never realized how exciting buying CD would be. It's getting kinda addicting actually.

Princess: We're going to brunch for Mother's Day.

Bombera: I also have the Bummis wraps. I've been scared to do the bikini wrap. Does it do well at keeping everything in ? As for diaper rash, the only thing that works for DD is the Desitin. It's a great barrier cream. Much better than the butt paste.

Sleeping: Am I the only one whos baby isn't sleeping long stretches or sleeping through the night? I usually put her down for bed around 7 and she'll sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours. Then she's up around 1, then again around 3 and then up for the day at 5. As of late, some of the time she wakes up crying and when I pick her up, she's back asleep within a few minutes without even eating. For a while, she was going 3-4 hours between feedings at night, but now we've reverted back to this. It's killing me!

[ladybug777]

Bombera: Since you're using the Desitin, are you having a problem w/ smells? I've noticed that since I started using it, my diapers smell a little fishy. I've tried using baking soda and vinegar, and it helps, but I HATE that smell.

[Daniel's Kitty]

The fish oil can be a permanent problem in some cases. If you strip them or boil the prefolds you may get rid of some of it. That is why they say not to use it, but you can lay a cloth wipe or something like that in to protect your diapers.

[ladybug777]

How do I go about stripping them? I bought some inserts and that seems to have cut down on the problem. I have to use the Desitin as nothing else works for Sophie.

[Daniel's Kitty]

I will try to find directions.

[ladybug777]

Can you update my stats please:
Me: 28
DH: 31

[Daniel's Kitty]

Here are ways to strip the Bum Genius pockets, but most people use variations on this with Dawn for other diapers.



I have some BG 2.0 pockets. I strip using Dawn in a hot wash. Sometimes I get the diapers wet in hot water in the sink, then squirt with Dawn and rub in with my hands. Then I wash on hot, then run about 3 hot washes with no detergent. I watch for suds to make sure they are rinsing out.
or
I've had a similar problem with my 2.0s and they're only three weeks old. I just talked to Cotton Babies and they thought that there might be leftover stuff from the production process. They recommeded stripping this way:

Get diapers damp and using a toothbrush or soft nail brush, scrub with dawn. Do a hot wash (under 150 degrees) and then several cold rinses until the suds are gone.

I've just finished scrubbing mine and in the hot wash. Hopefully this will do the trick!
You could also try to wash them with baking soda in the wash and vinegar in the rinse.
I found the colored portions on mothering.com in diapering. That is how you get build-up out so maybe the desitin build-up and staining could be reduced that way.

[E'sprincess]

I have alot of catching up to do...but I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/205/495530209_0cfda50df0.jpg?v=0

[ladybug777]

Daniel's Kitty: THANK YOU!!!!


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!

[lady1297]

ladybug- Desitin makes a 'creamy' version without the fish oil. Maybe try that to see if it works as well. I love Burts Bees Diaper Cream and as much success with it as with any other kind, and DS1 was known for killer diaper rash!

[E'sprincess]

Just wanted to share Madilyn's 3 Month pictures...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/495554953_c646ba9e2a.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/219/495554951_1cc1c56556.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/495554947_6972d453e5.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/495554935_e152fce817.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/214/495554933_95808ee64c.jpg?v=0

[aloha]

Happy Mother's Day!!! Hope you have a relaxing day.

I'm NAK so we can go out for brunch. Lots to celebrate today---Samuel is 3 months today, my birthday and 1st mother's day :p .

[rancherswife]

Stopping in to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day!!!

I hope you all enjoy your (some of you first) Mother's Day with your families. Have a wonderful day!!! You deserve it. :)

e'sprincess: Madi is adorable!!! :)

aloha:Happy Birthday!!! Double happy day for you!!! :) Oh and happy 3 mos. to Samuel!!! :)

[usafwife]

Not much time as I'm having to do things that were suppose to get done yesterday. But we had something else come up unexpectedly that had to be taken care of. We had a new baby colt arrive late, late Friday evening. DH noticed him yesterday while mowing. So we had to stop doing that and go get a few things for him (momma has had a few issues in the past with producing enough milk so we bought some milk replacement, bottle and a few more t-posts so we could move them in an area just to themselves). Going to be interesting this week as we already had something else going on that we can't get out of.

Here are some new pictures of the little guy.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/horses%20-%20may%202007/IMG_0975.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/horses%20-%20may%202007/IMG_0978.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/usafwife7503/horses%20-%20may%202007/littleone.jpg


HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!

I will try and get to the updates this week (if you could repost them in red or tell me what page/post # it would help - I don't get much online time right now). If one of the other mods wants to update them that's fine. Or if someone else would like to be a co-mod for the group, please either PM me, PM the group ID or send a email to the address on the first page of the thread.

[PrincessCJ81]

Happy Mother's Day to everyone!!!!!

I hope everyone is having a great day!

E's- Madi is adorable!!!
USAF- Your newest baby is precious!!!

[boilermaker]

A big Happy Mother's Day to everyone!!!!

Meri, I'll get the updates tomorrow. Don't you worry about it.

[Aug2002Bride]

Jen-Where do you get the hairbows? Love them!!! I want some for Jenna.

[PrincessCJ81]

I hope everyone had a great mother's day. Here are a couple of pics:

Cole is starting to smile and giggle a lot more these days and I never seem to have the camera ready, but I did get this smile:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/princesscj81/099.jpg

Bailey and Cole:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/princesscj81/097.jpg

My babies refuse to take a picture together, this is the closest I've been able to get:

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/princesscj81/098.jpg

And my future OU linebacker: (look at how serious he is:D )
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/princesscj81/ColeSchool.jpg

[bombera77]

E's- love that beautiful baby girl of yours!

USAFwife- OMG! The colt is precious. How exciting. You must totally have your hands full! Sending energy vibes your way!

Candice- Oh that little man is so cute! I love the dog pictures. Gibson doesn't really cooperate well unless Zoey smells yummy! :)

Desitin and Diapers- I haven't noticed the funny smell yet, but thanks for the stripping tips Daniel's. I have heard some of them, but I haven't tried them yet. I got some new cream at my mommy and me class today made with the Bach Flower Essences (anyone heard of them?) so I am going to try that out. I am skeptical, but it was free :) she said it works great for diaper rash. We'll see...

[rancherswife]

princess: Can I just say I LOOOOVE that chubby little man of yours. A-FREAKIN' DORABLE! :)

[February2007Mommies]

UPDATED TO HERE.

[usafwife]

usafwife - The storms we have had the last few nights have been nasty, haven't they? I use to drive through Greensburg all the time when I lived down in that area. It is amazing the tornado was over 1 1/2 miles wide and that 95% of the town is destroyed. A tornado touched down about 10 miles north of us and destroyed the home of our babysitter's son. She said he took cover in a closet and when he came out the only part of his house still standing was that closet. We got over 6 inches of rain in 4 hours and schools were cancelled all around here due to flooding. I hope your part of state faired better than mine.

Well, I returned to work today. It actually wasn't too bad and the babysitter said he was good and drank the majority of his bottles. I was so worried about the bottles because at times it has been hit and miss with him taking them.

Jen ~ Yes, they've been rather nasty lately. Having gone through what we did seven years ago has taught me that I'll never live anywhere that doesn't have a basement or storm shelter. And I've also started putting pictures on CDs (as well as other important papers, scanning the pages of albums and then putting them on CDs as well) and putting them in our safe. That way should anything happen to the originals we have a way of making future copies. So sorry to hear about your babysitter's son losing his house. My thoughts and prayers are with him.

I don't remember the offical total of rainfall but we had enough to cause a lot of flooding. We had a river in our pasture last week. There was also other flood warnings. We were pretty much under a flood warning and/or flash flood warning all week long.

We had some nasty storms move through again today. Very heavy rainfall and nasty lightning. We came very close on Sunday to being in a tornado (we were order to a shelter on base due to the approaching tornado).

Glad to hear that your first day back to work wasn't too bad. I hope that he's getting better at taking the bottles. It DS a while to drink from the bottles as well. He actually still wants to nurse but there's no milk left.

ladybug, dpangel, ranchers, bombera, Princess, and aloha ~ Thank you.

E'sPrincess ~ Madi is so cute!

aloha ~ Happy Belated Birthday!!

Princess and bombera ~ Thanks. He is work but it's a good kind of work. It will be more work if we have bottle feed him but we'll cross that bridge when we need to. This little guy is extremely tall for a colt. He's all legs! A friend of ours who saw him yesterday said she's never seen a colt that tall before. We did have to work on some fence on Saturday (and more fence will need to done over this coming weekend) to seperate mommas and babies.

Carrie ~ Thanks for doing the updates.

Princess ~ What an expression in that last picture.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to everyone!!!!!!!! Hope your day was fun and relaxing.

Reflux ~ The med we first tried worked for a little while and then stopped. So we will see what they want to try next. Preemie still fits him best (as long as it isn't one piece because those are getting too short) but I'm putting him in more newborn things. The pants/shorts are still preemie size (and they have a lot room still in them). Who knew at nearly 4 months he'd still be wearing preemie size. The size 1 diapers are big on him (almost look like they are going to swallow him up) but it seemed that he needed more length than the newborn size was giving.

I'm tired right now and wish I could go back to bed (been up since 4 am and didn't get to go to bed til 11:30ish. I feel like I haven't slept in days.

[usafwife]

Horse/foal update ~ Little guy is doing good but his momma isn't. It's touch and go right now for her. Send all the prayers and good thoughts you can. We think he's draining more off her from nursing. He isn't looking so skinny now.

[Elenna]

usafwife: I'll keep the foal's mommy in my thoughts. I really hope she gets better.

[boilermaker]

usafwife, I hoep the momma gets better too. That is so sad :(

Ladies, do you all realize that within a week, the Feb 2008 moms to be will be getting their BFPs??? Can you believe it has been a year already!!!!

[aloha]

Boilermaker..I can hardly believe that it's been a whole year.

Usafwife..Thinking about your horse. Can you imagine giving birth to something that large...maybe better not to imagine!

[stars]

Oh Man, I miss posting here. Sorry I've been MIA but I do read your posts as often as I can. All is well here but having 2 under 3 is kickin my butt! Missin you guys!

[rancherswife]

boiler: seriously, i was thinking the same thing. makes me sad how fast time goes. :( it seems like i just got my bfp!!!

[boilermaker]

And speaking of BFPs....I saw in the infant loss thread that Jenah is expecting a singleton. Due in Dec. I am sooo happy for her!

[MrsSki]

Just a quick fly-by...

JENAH - If you are still lurking here, congratulations!!!!!!!

usafwife I hope everything is OK with your horses. That foal is a pretty one.

stars I feel your pain. DD just turned 3 and we are potty training. DH finally figured out that we need some help around the house. I've been saying that for 6 months!!!

WBV Stats at 12 week appt:

14 3/4 lbs
24 in long
16in head circumference

We had a bought of projectile vomitting, so we switched Ben back to Goodstart to see if that fixed it. For a couple days and then it was back to being extremely fussy due to gas and vomitting. My sitter, whom I love with all my heart, tried a different bottle with the soy formula. Oh yeah. A total 180. I was using the Soothie bottles as the nipples are just like Ben's binky. My sitter tried a Dr. Brown's bottle and worked like a charm. Today is the third full day of soy formula and spit up has been a little dot on his chin, gas had reduced to being just barely (and this was a kid that farted like a grown man :eek: ). He's all kinds of smiles and is very relaxed. He sleeps like a teenager. Goes down for the night about 9pm. If he wakes up, it's about 4am. Takes 6 oz. and then passes right back out. During the weekend, he'll sleep until 8-9am. During the week, he stays awake long enough for me to change him, get a few smiles and some semblance of a laugh and then he goes right back to sleep in his carseat.

Not much else to report. We bought a new car on Saturday. A 2005 Ford Freestyle Limited. All black with black leather interior. I was allowed to drive it 3 miles and that was after I pitched a fit worthy of a toddler in the restaurant parking lot. DH thought it was absolutely hysterical and then decided to milk it by telling me I was driving to fast and I was following to closely to the car ahead of me and that if I clipped the curb, I was never allowed to drive the car ever again. By the time we got home, I stormed out of the car and told him to kiss my big white butt. Of course I was laughing the entire time and told him I'd get more than the $250 he got for his Explorer trade-in when I get ready to get rid of my POS. That kept him quiet. I feel like a millionaire with this car. I know it's silly, but we've been driving old rust-buckets for the last 7 years and have struggled severely to get where we are. And what's even nicer is that we were able to pay cash for 50% of the car. Thank god for DH's military bonus!!!

[rancherswife]

jenah: CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am SOOOOOO happy for you!!! :)

mrs.ski: Congrats on the new car!!!

drool: So, is anyone else's DC already starting to drool? Reece has really started this to where I've been putting a bib on him in the last couple of days. Landon was a drool MONSTER for months, and got teeth pretty early. I wonder if Reece will be the same way? The drool is crazy!!! I don't remember Landon drooling this early.

I can't believe my baby is 12 weeks today. I know I keep saying this, but MAN the time is flying. He'll be 3 mos. on Saturday. :( Hasn't rolled over yet, but is becoming more and more vocal each day. I love it. :)

Anyone have any fun plans for the holiday weekend? We're going up to our friends cabin at a lake for the weekend. Should be fun. They have a 2.5 year old and a baby girl 6 days older than Reece (she's the one that was due the same day as me).

Hope everyone's doing well!!! :)

[jenjen0713]

drool - Not yet. DS #1 didn't get his first tooth until he was almost a year old so we didn't deal with drool until later on.

holiday plans - DH is working on Saturday and I have a bridal shower to go to on Sunday. Otherwise, I'm hoping the boys will allow me to sleep in at least one day.

MrsSki - Congrats on the new car!

usafwife - Glad you survived the storms. Too funny you are putting pictures on disk and papers in the safe. We are doing the same thing and putting our safe down in the basement. We figured if a tornado did get us, at least we would still have the important stuff like SS cards, marriage license, a little cash and our pictures.

Anyone else been experiencing hair loss? The last week I've been losing TONS of hair. Everytime I look down at my shirt, there are a couple hairs there. Don't even get me started on how nasty our bathroom countertop looks after I brush my hair.

[PrincessCJ81]

Time for a quick post b/f I go pump.

Jenah- YEAH!!!! I am so excited for you!

USAF- Hope all is well with your newest addition!

JenJen- I was just telling DH that I am losing hair like crazy lately. It is everywhere, including DS's mouth (YUCK). Between me and the dogs we could make a blanket of hair everyday.

Mrsski- It sounds like DS is an angel, Lucky you!! I'm glad the new bottles worked so well! I'm so happy for you on the new car! It feels great to drive something so new doesn't it ;)

Holiday plans- We are headed out to DS's parent's ranch to brand cattle (lucky me). DS will meet his aunts and cousins on dad's side for the first time! My SIL and BIL refuse to help brand so they are going to watch DS while I brand. This is my 6th year helping!!

Stars- We miss you too! Glad to hear things are well.

Boiler- I can't believe it's been a year either, time has flown.

QOTD- Anyone else miss being pregnant? I actually kinda miss it. My mom asked me the other day if I've changed my mind about wanting another baby and I told her absolutley not if anything I think I want 3 kids!!!!!

OKay got go pump!!! BBL!

[rancherswife]

jenjen: I hope your boys let you sleep in this weekend. I don't even wish for that around here, Landon's quite the early riser, and always has been. :rolleyes:

princess:Ohh..a branding, fun way to spend the holiday weekend. ;) We've spent many a holiday weekends doing that. I'm impressed that you get in there and help! I never do, I usually provide lunch for all the workers. That's my job. But, it's quite the process, and I would feel like I'm in the way, there are sooo many cattle and men and crap around, it's just really not my thing. :cool: ;) Have fun though!

qotd: Oh yes, I totally miss being pg. I was the same way after having Landon too. I absolutely LOVE being pg. I miss feeling him inside me, I miss the anticipation of what was to come, etc. I want 3 and dh wants 4 kids, so we'll see who wins that battle. I'm not opposed to 4, but DAMN that seems like a lot of freakin' kids. Like 3's not! :p

[ladybug777]

Sophie turned 3 months on monday. I can't believe how fast time is flying. She's growing by the day!!!

As for the holiday, we have a 1st b-day party to attend on sunday. No real plans for Monday though.

QOTD-Teething: YEP! Sophie has been drooling since about 2 months but it's really picked up in the last few weeks. And the last few days, she's been a nightmare to get to sleep, has been really clingy and wants to be on the boob 24-7. I'm thinking (and hoping) that teeth are just around the corner. Rancher'swife- How old was Landon when his teeth finally started coming in?

QOTD-hairloss: OMG. YES! Strand after strand is coming out. I'm finding hair EVERYWHERE! Yesterday I found some on Sophie's pacifier and in her hand. :rolleyes:

QOTD- pregnancy: Hmmm. Yes and no. The last month of my pg was REALLY uncomfortable and kind of painful, so no, I don't miss that part. But I do miss having my little preggo belly. And I miss how connected I felt to my DH when he's put his hands on my belly. And the anticipation that comes along w/ your first baby. I guess maybe I miss being pg more than I'd realized.

[rancherswife]

ladybug777: Landon got his first tooth around 4.5 mos., once that one popped through, they started popping through like wildfire. It was insane. The kid had 13 teeth by the time he was like 10 mos. old!!!

nursing 24/7: Glad to hear Reece isn't the only one wanting to be on the boob around the clock. WTF??? I remember Landon doing this too, but it's still not fun! Seriously, he's on the boob like every hour, it's crazy! Could be growth spurts too.

hair loss: I had CRAZY hair loss around 3-9 mos. PP with Landon and when I read jenjen's post about it yesterday, I thought, "hm, I haven't noticed anything yet." Hello...woke up this morning and there was a TON of my hair in Reece's co-sleeper and all over the bed. Funny! It's such a pain in the a$$, it gets all.over.the.place!!! Then, once it's done falling out, you get all this new growth that looks ridiculous until it finally grows out far enough to where you can't really tell anymore.

[jenjen0713]

Then, once it's done falling out, you get all this new growth that looks ridiculous until it finally grows out far enough to where you can't really tell anymore.
LMAO...I totally forgot about this part. I looked lovely when new hair started to come in, particularly around my face. :rolleyes:

ranchers :eek: Wow, 13 teeth by 10 months. Here we are at 19 months of age, and DS #1 only has 8. It's crazy how different each kid is with teeth.

nursing/eating 24/7 - I am still waiting for the 3 month growth spurt. So far he hasn't wanted to do this lately. I just remember the 6 month growth spurt being the worst for us.

pregnancy - YES, YES, YES...I miss being pregnant. I miss the complete shock and excitement of seeing a pregnancy test come up positive, of feeling the movements, being able to eat what I wanted without a lot of guilt, the anticipation, the first u/s, hearing the heartbeat.

[babae07]

Just coming in for a quick update...

Please update my age to 31

usafwife - Your new addition is so cute. Hoping mama is doing better.

drool - DS has been drooling for over a month now. The last few weeks it looks like he's chewing gum. The last couple days he's been sticking his tongue out. And just yesterday he began making popping noises with his mouth. It's so weird how new things can happen every few days.

hair loss - I've been losing hair like crazy this past month too. I always find an infinite number of hairs on DS. DS has also been losing a lot of hair too.

holiday - This is the first 3 day weekend my DH has had in a long time (they schedule him on those weekends everytime). I'm hoping my mom can watch DS on one of those days so we can have an all day date. DH's idea btw! Hopefully we'll be able to catch a movie and grab a bite in a real restaurant (not take out or a mall food court).

pregnancy - I do miss the belly and feeling the baby move around but I don't miss the morning sickness. Regardless, I'm willing to do this all over again at least one more time.

I'm finally going back to work next Friday. I'm dreading leaving DS but sort of look forward to being around adults again. Fortunately, I'll start working part-time and gradually move up to full-time over the next 2 months. It'll give me a chance to adjust to leaving DS, adjust to work and help my mom adjust to watching DS for longer periods of time.

[rancherswife]

jenjen: Everything you posted about missing pgcy, I could've typed myself. The things I left out, you mentioned, and I totally agree on all accounts! :) You would think women like you and I (who've spent the majority of the last three years, pg, would be tired of it, but heck no! If it weren't so hard to give each child individual attention, we'd have like 6, but I'll be cool with 3! maybe 4. dh is one of 5 and holidays are crayz, fun...but crazy! I'm an only child.

[lady1297]

QOTD:

Hair: I've noticed a ton in the drain in the tub...crazy!

Drooling: DS is drooling like a mad cow! DS1 NEVER drooled like this. I have to pull the bibs tomorrow. I hope it isnt teeth. I want to hold on to the gummy smile awhile longer.

Pregnancy: I miss the end of it. With J being 3 weeks early, I feel like I got denied a bit of it. I wasn't uncomfy yet. I was tired, but not tired of being pregnant. I had an easy overall pregnancy and can see getting pregnant again. I don't know when, but someday...maybe!

[phillytiger]

Hi ladies!!! I TOTALLY fell off the planet - clearly :-) But I MISS you guys, so I'm back! I can't even begin to catch up, but I'll scroll back a little & get back in the loop.

hairloss - yes, mine started falling out about 2 weeks ago - fistfulls in the shower!

drooling - Nathan's been drooling for at least a month, and while I have no idea when we'll actually see teeth, he's definitely having some gum pain

pregnancy - I have to admit, I don't really miss it - I miss knowing he's in there and feeling him wiggle, but I was so miserable by the end and I really don't miss that - besides, I LOVE having him out here with me :-)!!! I haven't had a single second of wishing he was back inside!

A basic update on us - I'm BF'ing, and it's going well - we had a difficult 2 weeks about 2 weeks ago when Nathan wasn't eating well, stopped sleeping, etc and it turned out the mini-pill had wiped out my milk supply :eek: so I stopped it again & my milk is totally back!

Technically I started working part-time again a few weeks ago, but I haven't really had any projects, so haven't really done anything. I have, however, decided to start up a tutoring business from home - and hopefully will be able to officially leave my "real" job by the end of the year - I used to be a math tutor for the Princeton Review, and am going to start tutoring math SAT prep in addition to general math tutoring. I'm really excited about it!

holiday - we're flying out tonight for the long weekend - heading to my family's place in SE Wisconsin - it'll be the first time we've been there since my mom passed away which will be hard, but I'm excited to take Nathan there for the first time. And it will be our first flight with him - hopefully it all goes well! :rolleyes:

Hope you're all doing well - we're all great - I cant' believe Nathan's going to be 4 months next week!!!!!!! Here are a couple recent pics...

EVERYTHING goes into the mouth these days :)
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/lauraege/Nathan_20070511-5.jpg

A big Mother's Day smile!
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l42/lauraege/Nathan_20070513_15.jpg

[Elenna]

hairloss: I'm so glad to hear that the hair grows back. For the past month I've been shedding hair like an animal. It really is gross the amt of hair that comes out in the shower and when I brush my hair and still comes out throughout the day (on the couch cushions, in DS's hands, on my clothes, etc).

teething: I think DS is teething. The pediatrician said DS's gums are firm, but doesn't expect him to push out a tooth soon. He's been drooling like a rabid madman for a couple of weeks now. And everything goes in his mouth.

pregnancy: I miss being pregnant. Ditto to everything everyone else said they missed about it. Though I am scared about getting pregnant again. I really don't want another c-section, but my OB doesn't allow VBACs.

My body gave me a wonderful:rolleyes: Mother's Day gift on Mother's Day. I got my first pp af. Joy.

[rancherswife]

welcome back philly, good to hear from you, sounds like everything is going great. Nathan is a doll! :)

elenna: Good to hear from you too. What a fabulous mother's day gift, you lucky girl. ;)

[jenjen0713]

You would think women like you and I (who've spent the majority of the last three years, pg, would be tired of it, but heck no! If it weren't so hard to give each child individual attention, we'd have like 6, but I'll be cool with 3! maybe 4. dh is one of 5 and holidays are crayz, fun...but crazy! I'm an only child.


ITA!!! Yeah, I whine that I'm tired and frazzled, but at the end of the day I'm so grateful for the two little miracles I have in my life. If money was no object, I would keep having kids until I couldn't have anymore. I want 4 kids, DH wants 2, so we are compromising with 3. My DH is the oldest of 9 kids, so I hear you about the holidays being crazy, fun and LOUD!!

[rancherswife]

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend with their families!!! :)

Reece will be 3 mos. tomorrow...:( So sad! Where does the time go???

[E'sprincess]

Jenah – YEAH so happy for you…

USAF – How’s the fowl’s mommy doing?

Losing hair… Not really no more the usual…but I did “straighten” my hair, which I shouldn’t have done, now it’s really dried out and frizzy.

Mrsski… everything you mentioned was the same with Madi, I finally took her in and they told me she had GERD, so now, she’s on Zantac, plus were using Soy and she’s a much happier baby. Congrats on the new car. I’m thinking I would like the edge. But I don’t think we’re LOOKING just yet.

Holiday plans… just a wedding on Sunday. I’m so afraid of taking Madi and having her get sick on me.. lol nice dress, people everywhere and a baby who spits up everywhere.. BAD Combo… lol But on the other hand there is NO way I could go 8 hours with out feeding her. Just can’t happen.. lol

Stars, glad to here thing are going good…

I had a dream last night that I was pregnant again… Madi is only 4 months old… I think I would have to shoot myself. Lol

I def. miss everything after the first tri. I was soooo sick, but I did lose 12 lbs.. that was nice. But I miss the kicking and feeling her inside me. It was over so quickly, one moment she wasn;t here and the next BAM she’s here and growning everyday

4 Month Checkup. My chunker is 14#10oz. and 26 inches long. Shoe size is Still a 1 if that.. lol and she’s in size 2 diapers. Lol

I bought a pump, Medula advance pump, so I guess I was spoiled with the ones for the hospital because this HURTS. Really bad.. I wasn’t prepared for that… lol the one’s from the hospital would only hurt in the beginning, this hurt the whole 15 minutes of pure torture.

Have a Wonderful and Safe holiday weekend.

[usafwife]

ITA!!! Yeah, I whine that I'm tired and frazzled, but at the end of the day I'm so grateful for the two little miracles I have in my life. If money was no object, I would keep having kids until I couldn't have anymore. I want 4 kids, DH wants 2, so we are compromising with 3. My DH is the oldest of 9 kids, so I hear you about the holidays being crazy, fun and LOUD!!

I'm tired and frazzled most days as well. There are days that I'd like to have another little one when DS was around 2 but then there are the ones in which I'm quite happy with having 2. I worry about what another pregnancy would be like. Given everything that happened with DS' I'm just not sure I can go through all of that again. If I do I/we want him to be around 3. But then it means adding on to our house (moving isn't an option due to the animals) and me not really being able to stay home unless DH makes a lot more $$. I grew up an only child so I know how you feel ranchers. And my dad is one of 12 (yes, you read that correctly) so I know all too well about the holidays being very crazy, having more than a few disagreements when everyone got together, etc. And now that everyone else has their families getting together to see everyone is something that happens very rarely.

hairloss ~ Majorly! Not sure if it's mad worse due to my thyroid problem or not but it's falling out like crazy. It happened after DD's birth as well. I wish it wouldn't fall out so easily though. My hair is very thick (meaning I have a bunch anyways) and fine (hold a piece between your fingers and you can't hardly see it) so losing it isn't all that bad but it's everywhere!

drooling ~ Definitely. It's been going on for a while. He also loves to chew on his hands. A friend of ours thinks he's teething but I remember DD starting to drool a bunch around this same time and she didn't get her first tooth until she was 6 (or 7) months. She chewed on her hands for a while before the first tooth ever came through.

pregnancy ~ There are times that I miss being pregnant. But there are definitely things that I don't miss. I don't miss being so sick. And I don't miss the worry I had. And most definitely I don't miss how I felt at the end. I was miserable beyond belief and in a lot of discomfort/pain. I never felt that way with DD's pregnancy, even at 40w4d. I miss feeling him inside. But I love being able to see him, watch him grow (what little he does do), and being able to hold him in my arms.

phillytiger ~ So good to hear from you. Love the pictures of Nathan! That smile is just too precious and adorable for words.

Elenna ~ Sorry about the Mother's Day gift.

Jenah ~ Congratulations!! My fingers are crossed for a healthy and uneventful 9 months for you.

E'sprincess ~ DS is also on soy and has reflux. We tried one med only to find it didn't work. I had to cry when I threw away the unused portion of the med (which was most of it considering he only got 2.5mL) in 30 days from when we got it. It was basically money down the drain because it didn't work. We will be trying another med when we go for his 4 month WBV. We go through several outfits a day (both him and me). It's so much fun to have him all dressed up for something and even before we get there he's thrown up/spit it. Some people are okay with it when it happens and others just freak the heck out. It's almost like they think I make him do it. If only that were true. I don't get any enjoyment out of it at all.
Madi sounds like she's growing well. DS is around 11lbs (fingers crossed that he's made it to 11lbs now). Size 1 diapers are huge on him (he'd still be in newborn but he needs the length of the size 1s). And if I could find him some sandles I'd be happy (so far we haven't been able to find even a 1 in anything summer). He does have some newborn shoes that he wears with nice outfits.

Colt update ~ Thanks ladies. Momma horse is doing better but it's just going to take some time before she's back to her old self. Nursing is taking a lot of her as well so we are adjusting her feed to help her gain more. Now that little one is starting to eat some grain and hay will also help.

Baby Colt #2 ~ We have a new little one. He arrived early, early Friday morning. He looks like his mommy but he's got some of his daddy's markings (our other little one is definitely all mommy). We weren't sure how she was going to do since this was her first colt but she (apparently) had no problems. We were hoping to be home when it happened but we'd gone to visit some friends who are back for the holiday weekend and when we got home we found a little baby waiting for us.

[dpangel33]

drool - Yup it's started, she soaks at least 2-3 bibs a day.

holiday plans - Just hanging out and watching DH play hockey. It's supposed to rain off and on all weekend so no outdoor activities planned.

missing pgcy? - Yup and it's even worse b/c now I see more pg women around than I did when I was pg and it makes me miss my belly!

hairloss - can't say I've noticed any loss, but it sure is growing much faster than normal!

PPAF - I think having the IUD inserted caused AF to visit a lot sooner and for a really long time, but there's the possibility she might never come back so it might not be so bad!!

sleeping - She's been more than wonderful at STTN! We get at least 6 hours if not 8 of straight sleep before she wakes up to eat and then will sleep another 2 hours before being up for the day.

It's so crazy how fast she's growing up! I would guess she weighs about 15 lbs already and is filling out some 6 month clothes when she'll only be 3 months next weekend!!

[rancherswife]

Back from a very relaxing weekend get away with our friends to their cabin. Landon had a blast playing with Jack who's 9 mos. older than him and Reece and his "girlfriend" Paige (6 days older than him) just hung out and were perfect angels. So relaxing and much needed.

af: You know, I swore I got AF back at 6 weeks pp ( I wasn't too shocked because I did get it back at 8 weeks with Landon. But, I guess it was just the last of the pp bleeding because she has not been back. I'm surprised, I figured I'd get af back just like last time.

diapers: Reece "graduated" to swaddlers size 2's this weekend. My big boy!!! :)

Ok...I need to get to bed, Landon is spending the night with my parents (he didn't want to leave after we had dinner there tonight) so maybe I can go back to sleep with Reece, after he wakes up to eat tomorrow morning....keeping my fingers crossed for that one!!! :)

[PrincessCJ81]

Good Morning Mommies!

Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Mine was eventful to say the least. DS did awesome in the car (8.5 hrs each way) I was really proud of him. The whole family came up to see him so the MIL's house was packed. It was so nice to come back home on Sunday!

Philly- I was just thinking that we hadn't heard from you in awhile, I'm glad you stopped in to update us. Glad things are going well for you!

Elenna- Sorry about AF, I'm on the mini-pill so no AF for me (YEAH)

Ranchers & JenJen- I'm glad I'm not the only one who misses being preggos!

Ranchers- I ended up not helping brand, my SIL can't handle her 2 kids and DH didn't feel comfortable w/her watching DS. We brought lunch to all the men so they were happy, but then it started hailing and we all had to take cover (it was fun!!!)

E's- Glad to hear Madi is growing so well! Sorry to hear about the reflux.

USAF- I'm sorry to hear Alex is still not growing =( Maybe he is just a late bloomer and will take off like a weed soon!

Boiler- Are you starting back to work this week? I can't remember. Let us know how things are going.

babae- Such a cute avator!


QOTD-Okay ladies I really need your advice. DH and I have an all expense paid trip to Hawaii in September and DH and I have been trying to decide if we should take DS or leave him w/ my MIL (at our house). It is an 8 hour direct flight to Honolulu and we will be there 6 nights. DS will be 7 months when we leave. At 3.5 months DS did fine in the car for 8.5 hours, but by 7 months he will be more active and it might be hard for him to sit still so long (of course there is always tylenol or benedryl ;). I just can't imagine being gone from him for so long. What do you ladies think, should I take him or leave him?

[MrsSki]

WBV Stats from 5/16 appt at 3m 3d

14 lbs 10oz
24 in long
16 in h/c

e'sprincess I spoke to Ben's ped at the last visit and told him about what was going on. He said to keep an eye on it, but didn't mention anything about GERD or reflux. His spitting up is better, but we can't have rags to far away and he's forever smelling like spit up and his clothes/bibs are always wet and dirty. I feel like a bad mom because some days I'll just leave him in his jammies all day with the forever ring of formula spit around the neck. I went from doing laundry once a week to about three times a week. Of course this is because my fatty is totally into 3-6 month clothes and I have VERY few summer things. And Ben has the total frog belly so most 3mth shirts ride up over his tummy. How was Madi at the wedding?

Size 2 diapers....yeah, we've been in those for about 6 weeks.

usafwife Glad to hear horse Mommy #1 is doing better and congrats on colt #2!

drooling None hear, but his fists are always in his mouth. ALWAYS.

dpangel I see you had an IUD inserted. What brand and are you having problems with it? I ask because I had the Mirena inserted 8 weeks ago and while I've had one actual period PP, I've been spotting constantly. And I have these weird pains and pokes like the IUD is poking me. I go back to my OB next week so he can check for the strings, but I'm thinking this thing is not inserted the right way or my body is telling me to take it out. I hate to have to do that since insurance covered it 100% and they won't cover birth control pills/patch/shot.

Princess If it were me, I'd take DS. Yes, he will be older and more active, but if you take favorite toys, some new toys, new snacks, etc, he'll be just fine. Plus, you may get super lucky and he'll sleep for half of the trip. If it feasible, take a mini-dvd player and a few Baby Einstein movies for some entertainment. I think seeing Hawaii through a babies eyes would be amazing. Plus if it's his first time near the water and sand, it's that much more special. And not to mention you'd miss him like crazy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So I joined the gym yesterday and signed up for a year of personal training. Since my job covers 50% of fees, I figured I had better take advantage. My intentions are to go at 5am since I'm up around 4:15 to feed Ben. Today was my first morning. I didn't make it there. Ben woke up at 3:30 to eat and I just couldn't start my day at that time. SO, I'm leaving work a little early so I can go to the gym and still be home at my normal time. I was told that my Madi can't wear a bikini until I wear one. And Madi looks frickin adorable in a bikini. Plus I have this smoking hot white top and white linen pants that I want to wear on the girly evening out with my girlfriends. We are going downtown Chicago for dinner and then to a show at the Baton Club. And hopefully some clubbing/bar hopping. This isn't until late July, so I've got time to hopefully loose a few pounds and maybe a half inch or so.

[jenjen0713]

Princess - If it was me, I would take him. I personally loved the age of 6 months-9months with DS #1. He was sitting up on his own, not yet crawling and was easily entertained by ANYTHING. He loved new things and new sights.

Last night DH and I weighed DS#2 and it is saying he is 16 pounds. :eek: He is currently in size 2 diapers, but they are starting to look like little bikinis on him, so I thought it might be time to move up a size. Guess once we use this bag up, we'll move on to size 3.

[njnewyearsbride]

size 2 diapers? norths been in size 3's for a couple of weeks now! i guess thats what happens when you're born at 10lbs. :) i got on the scale with him yesterday and i think hes close to 18lbs... we need to go out and get him a convertible carseat this weekend! yikes!

missing pgcy? - nope not one bit!

hair loss - so gross - its shedding EVERYWHERE! dh commented that we have to start buying drano again

[dpangel33]

MrsSki - Have you checked your strings at all b/c maybe that's what's poking you; the Dr can fix it by trimming them at your appt.

I had the Mirena inserted about 3 weeks ago. I never had any cramps but experienced some poking the first week or so which was very uncomfortable and kinda freaked me out. When I finally got the guts to investigate I learned it was b/c the strings are really long (they were practically hanging out but have receded back up). I've also been bleeding/spotting for the past 3 weeks which I've heard can be normal for the first year :eek: . Some days it gets heavy but then the next it's nearly nothing. I've heard some people say AF goes away after a year for them, so I'm hoping I'm one of those ;)

[MrsSki]

dpangel I actually go back to my OB next week to have him check the strings. That might be the problem as I don't recall him trimming anything after he put it in. Andy my spotting is much like yours. But the whole year thing.....yikes!!! I don't mind AF, as to me, it's telling me my body is functioning properly. Inconvenient as it may be.

hairloss Not so much as with DD. I would literally have to clean out the drain every time I'd shower as I'd have handfuls. I'm due for a serious haircut as my hair has finally passed my bra strap in the back and I'm not sure that I want to keep it that long. Although, one gal I work with keeps commenting on the fact that I have supermodel hair, so I may just keep it but spruce up the color.

eating OK, so my son is now eating between 6-8oz's every three hours. The ped said that formula would be sufficient until 6 months of age, which is all well and good. With DD, he had us start cereal with her at 4 months. She didn't get it every day, but we introduced it to her. Ben watches us like a hawk when we eat and smacks his lips. It's absolutely hysterical. And when we get ready to give him a bottle, he starts to drool and wiggles all over. You'd think he only got fed once a day. I'm hoping this is a growth spurt and he'll slow back down. One good thing....he did sleep through the night last night. Normally he goes down between 8-10pm and sleeps until 4:15am.

[la_bride_2004]

(19 weeks)

Hi ladies!


I realized his 4.5 month appointment was 1 week ago and I hadn't updated here! Oops!

4.5 months
Weight: 15lbs, 11 oz (50%)
Height: 25 inches (50%)
Head: 25% ( I forgot the measurement!)


Drooling yup, M is drooling quite a bit. He's also figured out he has individual fingers, so he will poke them in there one by one; it's pretty funny.

USAWife I have a very cute pair of Old Navy khaki-colored sandals that I'm sad M just grew out of. :( They are size 0-3. I'd be happy to mail them. I love seeing the colt pictures- gorgeous!

hairloss I'm so glad you ladies posted about this! Yes, I'm having quite a bit- I hope I don't end up bald!

Princess I would take him, but Hawaii is only 5 hours from here. I know a few friends who have flown long distances with babies that young and it went just fine.

eating Our ped said no food until 7 months at the earliest, since M is already allergic to dairy. I did some reading and I agree with her- it seems if there is a family history of allergies it's good to wait.

Having another I LOVE my little man with a passion I've never known, and it would be wonderful to have another, but I can't see it. I know my doctors are hoping I don't! LOL. I've definitely been given the lecture. .


M update He's doing well! He has a loud screechy laugh- it's truly heart-melting. He's a mild and easy going little guy and is a big flirt- he likes to bat his lashes and coo.

Health-wise he's doing well. I am still pumping; I feel duty-bound since he's allergic to dairy so the ped is encouraging me to keep it up as long as possible. His hip dysplasia has resolved and he's out of the brace, which is wonderful. Downside is that since the brace held him immobile for more than 7 weeks, he now has plagicephaly, or a flattening of the skull. We go to the specialist for that later in the month- he will probably have to wear a helmet for a bit. Oh well, he probably won't remember any of these torturous treatments, right ? ; )

New pic!

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p302/rosarian01/Malcolm/JCP27.jpg

[jenjen0713]

labride - Oh my, what a cutie! I can see where he would be a flirt. I've noticed my DS's back of his head seems flatten, so I'm going to talk to our doctor at the 4 month appointment. My nephew had to wear a helmet from 6 months-1 yr and it did amazing things for him.

QOTD - Since many of us mentioned we are missing being pregnant, has anyone thought about TTC their next one (if there will be another one)? DH and I are thinking we will start TTC #3 late in the fall/early winter.

[boilermaker]

I am sooo behind. So I'm going to do a generic shout-out to everyone. I did read all the posts, so I hope I remember who said what :)

I love the pictures. Everyone's babies are just soo cute. I need to get pro ones done of Payton but I think we will wait until 6 months. So that means I need to take the time one of these days to do some cute posed shots of her at home.

Hairloss...nothing that I have noticed. My hair is still fuller than before since I am still taking my prenatals.

AF..thankfully has not yet returned. I thought she was coming back last month, but never did show up. Fine with me.

Missing pg..not really. I didn't mind being pg, but I didn't love it. I prefer her out here.

Drooling..definitely a drooler. She wears a bib non-stop. But I don't see any sign of teeth yet.

Diapers..she's been in size 2 for awhile now. Also been in 3-6 month clothes for at least a month (and she'll be 3 months on Sat). So she's a big one :)

Eating..I have noticed she is going longer between feedings, but I still give her 4 oz bottles at daycare. I should ask them about increasing to 5-6 oz. I'm not planning to do anything on food until around 6 months. Just don't see the point and BF/pumping is going well for me.

Someone posted about pumping hurting a lot. Jen maybe? I don't think that is supposed to be the case. Have you posted in the mom's w/ pumps thread? I found on my PIS, I had to turn the vacuum down quite a bit for it to be comfortable.

Someone also posted about a new car. I think it was MrsSki. Congrats on that! I bet you are loving it. I got a new car as well, the Ford Edge and it is so much better than my old car.

TTC #2..We'll start trying mid next year. I'd like them to be at least 22 months apart, so that is when we will start. Though if I'm not careful, it may be way sooner as I am not doing very well remembering to take my pill.

Work..I've been back a week and I miss Payton terribly. I have some leads on part time positions, so hopefully they will pan out. But we are making do. It has definitely disrupted her sleeping and eating habits, so I hope those get figured out. She used to be a great sleeper but the past few nights have been rough!

And now the fun part of work..off to a meeting.

[boilermaker]

Oh, and the Feb 2008 thread is up and running :) A year already!!!

[rancherswife]

Holy Hell girls....Don't look now, but there's a Feb. 2008 thread!!! WOW! :)

ttc #3: We haven't really discussed much beyond that we want another and we want them about 2 years apart, that said, we'll start trying when Reece turns 1. :)

I'm in the midst of chaos (what's new? ;)) with getting ready for Landon's big b-day bash this weekend! I can't believe my (first) baby will be 2 on Monday. Talk about sad! :( These last two years have been the best of my life, but they've gone by waaaaayyyyy to fast. Girls, enjoy this time with your babes because it flies by and in the blink of an eye, you'll be in a dead sweat chasing a wild ass toddler! ;)

[jenjen0713]

Girls, enjoy this time with your babes because it flies by and in the blink of an eye, you'll be in a dead sweat chasing a wild ass toddler! ;)

So true, so true. Not only was I chasing a wild ass toddler last night, but he was a buck naked wild ass toddler who got away from me after I lifted him out of the tub. You just got to laugh when you are running after a streaker!

[rancherswife]

but he was a buck naked wild ass toddler who got away from me after I lifted him out of the tub. You just got to laugh when you are running after a streaker!

LOL! On any day, one might think we live on a nudest colony! ;) Good times.

What is it with the streakers? It's like all at once, he decided he needed to be "free!"

[aloha]

I'm so excited to have a new nephew as of yesterday!!

Wow..a Feb 2008 thread. Time sure has flown.

LOL on the streaking toddlers. I can just imagine that Samuel will be a handful as a toddler considering he's already a stubborn & rough little guy.

Drool: Lots of it. We've had him wearing bibs and he loves to chew on toys, fingers and anything else he can get in his mouth.

Hair loss: I think this is just starting.

TTC: We haven't thought about it yet. If we decide to have another, I think we'll wait a little while.

Eating: We'll stick with breastmilk only until 6 mos or he's showing signs of being really interested in food, etc.

Missing Pregnancy: I can't say I do. I did enjoy the anticipation and just the amazingness of what our bodies can do.

ETA: I forgot to mention that Samuel rolled over from tummy to back about a week and a half ago. He didn't do it again for a week and then did it once the last two days. The great thing is that he is now so much more into tummy time although it frustrates him when he tries to roll over and doesn't have quite enough force to make it happen.

[boilermaker]

aloha, I can't believe that he rolling over already!

I thought I would drop off some pics..
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/237/522326413_ddb20089d5.jpg?v=0

Her first parade on Mem Day
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/522392865_33921f3bea.jpg?v=0

[rancherswife]

boiler: Ok I'm a total brain these days! I just realized by looking at your sig. that Payton was born on your five year anniversary! Wow, how special!!! :) Darling pics. by the way! She's a doll!

[PrincessCJ81]

TTC #2- I am planning to get off the pill at the end of December and hopefully, by the time DS is 1 I will be regulated enough to start trying!!!

Carrie- P is so cute!!! You look like you've lost all the pregnancy weight!~ Glad to hear work is good.


Labride- M is adorable! DS has a pretty flat head too. Hopefully, we can get our boy's head rounded out so they don't have to wear a helment. Congrats on making it 4.5 months of pumping! You are doing so great! Have you impressed yourself with how long you've been able to keep it up? I'm impressed b/c I personally know what a PITA it is =)

[MrsSki]

Hey Moms-

Just a quick fly by----

Such cutie babies!!!

Can you ladies PLEASE do me a huge favor. I just found out about 30 minutes ago that my niece, who will be 2 in August, is being admitted to Children's Memorial here in Chicago for testing due to a brain tumor they've just found. She has been sick on and off for a while and it was always around the time she had shots or flu season, so nobody ever thought anything of it. Well, the last few weeks, she was becoming more clumsy and walking like a child that is just learning how to walk and was vomitting a lot.

I'm just sick to my stomach about this as I don't really get along that well with my brother-in-law and his wife and there are issues between them and the rest of the family. In any case, my husband's parent's and his sister are looking past these issues and we are pulling in tight to give them all the support and comfort they need. I can relate somewhat to what they are going through as we almost lost my sister when she was 11 due to unexpected kidney problems and my brother was killed almost 8 years ago in a car accident.

Thanks ladies.

[boilermaker]

Kim, yeah, it was the best anniversary present I could have ever hoped for.

Candace, maybe we'll end up in a TTC #2 thread together.

MrsSki, your family will be in my thoughts and prayers. If there is anything I can do, let me know. I have a lot of family in the Chicago area (we'll be there next weekend), so anything you might need, I could probably help arrange.

[rancherswife]

mrs.ski: Oh....that is terrible, i will keep your niece and the rest of your family in my thoughts and prayers. how awful! please keep us updated.

[MrsSki]

Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers. I just left the hospital about 45 minutes ago and she was being prepped for surgery. She has a golf ball sized tumor near her cerebellum. It is operable and thankfully not wrapped around anything. The surgery is expected to take about 6 hours but the nurse said that they would update them about 2 hours into the surgery. With all luck, they'll know up to 90% accuracy whether it's benign or not before they are completely finished with the surgery.

I'll keep you posted.

[usafwife]

Accident ~ We had a wreck (hit a deer) this weekend. For the most part we are injury free. DH has burns/scrapes from when the air bag deployed, I hit my head on something so it has a knot and is bruised, and my arm is in a brace. I guess I didn't get the burns from the air bag since my seat was just a bit further back from DH's and I had it reclined just a bit. The kids were both asleep when it happened and took a while to calm down afterwards. They think the SUV is totaled so are waiting to hear from the insurance company. We are thankful that we weren't hurt worse, that there wasn't another car involved, or didn't lose control after hitting the deer. Things definitely could have been worse since we were on the highway and going about 70 when it happened.

DD has become attached to DH. She won't let him out of her sight. After we got home she wouldn't him be in another room and wanted to be held.


Candice ~ I think it's in part due to his reflux. It's totally understandable not to gain weight when you spit around half of what you ate back up each time you eat. It took DH a long time to grow as well. He was still small as a freshman in high school. He didn't have his major growth spurt until between sophmore and junior years. I think he's going to be a lot like DH in growth and weight.

I would take your son, if it were me. He'll be older it's doable with toys. Besides what baby wouldn't like to see Hawaii (heck, I'm almost 30 and I still haven't been there). I missed my DD like crazy when I was in the hospital when DS was born (and that was just 2 days). And she was only about an hour away. DD loved seeing things and entertained by the simplest things.

MrsSki ~ DS is always smelling like spit up as well. Some days I lose count in how many outfits he goes through. Thanks.

Jenjen ~ Wow, size 3's already! :eek: We just recently went to size 1s and they are just a tad big on him.

nj ~ Yeah, my cousin's son was 10lbs (almost 11lbs) when he was born. He was huge compared to DD. I hope you were able to find a comvertible seat.

la_bride ~ Thank you. If you don't mind parting with the sandals I'd love to have them. I can give them back once he's outgrown them. I'll send you a message. Yeah for pumping! That is so wonderful you've been able to continue to do it. I know it can't be easy. I'm glad that his hip problem has resolved and he no longer has to wear the brace. Hope he doesn't have to wear the helmet and if he does it isn't for too long. He's a cutie!!

QOTD - ttc Not sure there is going to be another. If (and that's a big if) it won't be until DS is around 2.

Carrie ~ Congrats on getting a new car! We wanted DD and #2 to be about 22/23 months apart but it didn't work out that way. I hope the work situation works out.

ranchers ~ I can relate to your first baby being/turning 2. I'm amazed that Sarah will turn 2 later this month. I can't believe that 2 years ago I was still pregnant with her and wondering when the big day would happen. If I'd be able to determine that I was actually in labor, how it would start, how long it would last, what it would actually be like, how it would all go, what she looked like, etc. I agree with you in just how quickly it changes and you no longer have a baby who you can hold, will sit on your lap, want to rock. Instead they will want to do what they want to do when they want to. But at the same time I love how she's able to do more things on her own, that she is talking up a storm (and we are able to understand pretty much most of it), etc.

aloha ~ Congrats on Samuel rolling!! Alex did that a few weeks ago (I have the exact date wrote down...I know it was a Sunday morning when we were getting ready to go to church. It was in April).

Carrie ~ She's adorable! And you look fantastic!!

Candice ~ That's what we were planning to do (start trying just after DD's first birthday). I came off the pill in early May and by the end of the month we had the bfp. So just be prepared that it may not take very long at all. And we were told it would take about 3 months.

MrsSki ~ I'm so sorry to hear about your niece. My thoughts and prayers are with her entire family. Please keep us updated on her and how she's doing. When my aunt had her brain tumor operated on they kept us updated about every 45 minutes to an hour for the duration of the surgery.

Feb 2008 thread ~ I got my BFP a year ago on the 1st (and again on the 2nd). So I knew it would be starting up very soon.

[aloha]

MrsSki...Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you and your family today. My nephew had 10 hours of surgery a few weeks after birth and it was definitely scary, especially the waiting.

[ladybug777]

MrsSki: Your family is in my prayers.

[boilermaker]

usaf, I'm glad you are all ok considering. Take a few days to rest up! Hitting a deer is rather scary!

I was so excited last night...Paty rolled over. I put her on her stomach for some tummy time and she was having none of that. So she rolled herself over to her back. She did it twice, but wouldn't do it for DH when he got home.

[Daniel's Kitty]

Glad to hear you are safe after your accident.

[Daniel's Kitty]

Double post. I am getting distracted by the toddler running after cats with a broom.

[boilermaker]

Double post. I am getting distracted by the toddler running after cats with a broom.


Ok, that is funny :)

[usafwife]

Thanks ladies. We found out a couple of days ago that they decided to total our SUV (bad thing it wasn't the amount of the damage that did it but the cost of the air bags and sensor that they had a problem with). So now we have to find another vehicle. I posted a thread on the car board. I'd rather stay with a Mountaineer but we are considering a couple of others (Explorer and a couple of mini vans). If any one of you have those please let me know your opinions of them. One thing I'm concerned about with the van is getting down our road in the winter...especially when compared to this past winter. I love my 4-wheel drive/all wheel drive capability.

[PrincessCJ81]

Drive by to post 4 month WBV stats:

weight: 15 pds 8 oz
length: 25.5 inches
head: 40

Cole is growing like a weed. The ped suggested I add some cereal in