October 2006 Babies Working Towards Our First Birthdays

[MidwesternGal]

Pictures--Our digi camera just bit the dust and I can't afford a new one for about a month. Granted, we still have our 35mm, but it's definitely slowed down our picture taking. As I organize my scrapbook, I'm regretting not taking a picture in the same position in the same spot every month on the 14th (his bdate). grrr.

Grass--Not a big fan here, either. But he likes to grab dandelions!

AF--Been back since 6w pp.
____________________
So two things to report. One thing is that I think I have/had a plugged duct. I have a huge lump about an inch diamater near my nipple. I read to heat it, then I ended up pumping because I don't want mastisis. I only got about 1/4 oz out, so hopefully I don't regret it. The lump is gone now--I hope it stays away!!

The other thing is--I went up to get DS when he woke up from his afternoon nap and---he was sitting up!!!!! I have no idea how the heck he managed to do that--he can't pull himself up from his back yet. I think maybe he was trying to crawl around and instead of going forward, ended up going backwards?? I couldn't believe it though. It was so weird to see him sitting up in his crib!!!

Oh, and we officially moved into all 6m and 6-9 month onsies. He ripped the seams of a 3-6m onsie, so my skinny boy is going to be swimming in the bigger sizes until he puts on some weight!

[TaterBaby]

Ok, totally random...but does anyone ever get a twitch in their stomach that feels *exactly* like a kick or other movement their DC used to make in utero? This happens to me quite often and sometimes it's so pronounced, I have to assure myself I'm not preggo. :rolleyes:

[MichelleRenee]

Ok, totally random...but does anyone ever get a twitch in their stomach that feels *exactly* like a kick or other movement their DC used to make in utero? This happens to me quite often and sometimes it's so pronounced, I have to assure myself I'm not preggo.

Yep!

[mimieliza]

Phantom Kicks - All the time. It makes me miss being pregnant.

[Nigellas]

Ericka - Any water submerging (even baths) is to be avoided after a cerclage to reduce risk of infection. Sorry for the bum news.

[AmyS]

Swimming: We went in March in AZ at MIL's house. AJ loved it. I want to take him to a mom/tot swim, but I can't seem to find one around here.

Grass: AJ will let his feet touch the grass, but as soon as any other part of his body touches the grass he throws a fit.

[maplekitty]

Phantom Kicks - All the time. It makes me miss being pregnant.


is that what they are called?!?! LOL yep, I get those! I just figure it's my uterus still shrinking?? is that possible?

[Mrs-Mac]

Very funny about the kicks. It happened for the first time just a few days ago. It was strange, but it did feel just like a baby kicking.

[Rippy1010]

Thank god someone asked about the phantom kicks!!! I thought I was going crazy! This was happening to me alot right around the 3-5 month mark, and I was getting freaked out!!! LOL!

What causes that?!

[jbemommy]

midwesterngal DS can get to partially sitting by rolling to his side and then starting to push up into the crawling position.

Grass We let DS touch the grass the other day and he had that whole body shudder thing like he does when we give him a new food. It was hilarious.

Baby book This is one thing I'm proud of myself for doing--I've kept their baby books up to date. I don't do scrapbooking, just a regular baby book that documents milestones, teething, weights, etc. I also have picture albums for each of them that are kept current--I try to download and order prints every month.

Steven got another tooth a week after he got the first one, and he is just now recovering from the experience! He was not a happy camper for several days after the second one finally broke through. Yesterday he was pretty much back to his usual self.

[Michelle]

AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, I just had to get that out! I am so tired! My sleeping baby is no longer sleeping. My husband and I are exhausted because Madison is waking up constantly at night now. What to do? I know that this is a huge developmental stage right now and is fairly normal but I'm tired! Will this just work itself out eventually?

I just needed to get that out. I feel better now! :)

[TaterBaby]

Thank god someone asked about the phantom kicks!!! I thought I was going crazy! This was happening to me alot right around the 3-5 month mark, and I was getting freaked out!!! LOL!


I was the OP about the phantom kicks and thank goodness you all know what I'm talking about! I hestitated to post because I thought if no one else had a clue, you all were going to think I had a lot of gas or GI problems! ha!

teeth: Anyone else with a toothless baby? DD was 7 months Monday and we have NONE, nor does it feel like we're close. I'm not worried, just curious.

[Rippy1010]

Hang in there, Michelle. It WILL work itself out on its own. It doesn't seem like it when you're dealing with it, but it does go back to normal. My DS was waking up 5-6 times a night, and I was completely insane ... he's STTN again on his own without any intervention by me. It was so hard ... but hang in there!

[MidwesternGal]

My DS too, has been having trouble sleeping lately. Not toooo bad, but man, I was starting to get used to those 2 hour naps. And then he went and took them away from me!! Auuughh!! And, he was up at 5 am today. This from a boy who usually sleeps until 8 or even 9 on occasion!!!!

Question: Did you put your crib bumper in yet? Because DS rolls all over and somehow, he gets his arms and legs out between the crib rails. So then when he moves again, he wakes up. However, I am reluctant to put it in because he tends to sleep with his head against the rails, so I don't want him to smother himself. I even had it in one night, but then got all paranoid and took it out at 1 a.m. (yes, I'm a nut job) And, what about a small blanket or "lovey?" The doc told me I could, so I have a lightweight small thermal blanket in there, and a small bear head attached to a blanket. DS usually curls up holding one or both of them. But should I take them away?

[Rippy1010]

MWGal ~ I've actually had the bumper in the crib since the day we brought him home. :o And, I also have used a blanket since the day we brought him home :o ... because it used to get sooo super cold in our apartment at night and I was being neurotic about him getting sick. LOL.

[MichelleRenee]

MWGal: yeah, we put the bumper in before he was even born. As far as a "lovey": Tristan has always liked to have some sort of blankie to cling to. I read a scary story about a baby who had a blankie and rolled over so much it wrapped around him and it almost suffocated him. Luckily the mom found him before it was too late. After reading that I switched from a small blankie to a small burp cloth or baby wash cloth. He likes to hold it and pull it over his eyes as he falls asleep so I don't want it to be too big.

Michelle: we're in the same boat. Hang in there. I know how much it sucks. I can barely keep my eyes open as I type this. But everyone keeps assuring me it will get better and I guess all I can do is hope it gets better SOON.

[AmyS]

Lovey: AJ sleeps with a burp cloth. Like Michelle said, AJ likes to put it over his eyes as he falls asleep. He likes to cuddle with it as well. DH freaks if he has it too close to his face. DH will try to pull it out of AJ's arms waking up AJ in the process. I tell him then he has to deal with him waking up. ;)

Bumper: We have a breathable bumper that has been on the crib since day 1. I got it at Babies R Us but I have also seen them at Target.

Teeth: AJ turned 7 months yesterday and still no teeth. He's drooling like a faucet and really fussy at night so I know they're around somewhere!!

[nic]

Bumpers: I took them out because DS was getting his head caught between the bumper and the crib:eek:

Blanket/Lovey- We used a crocheted blanket from the day he was born until about two months ago. No lovey here, well except for his pacifier

Teeth None here, I swear this kid has been teething forever but has nothing to show for it.

SleepDS had a rough week last week but seems to be doing better. He's woken up a few times through the night this week but it's nothing the binky can't fix.

I'm sorry to all of you who are going through sleep issues, I know it can be overwhelming.

What's everyone doing for Mother's Day? We're going to a cookout at my MIl's.

[Rippy1010]

Mother's Day ~ Absolutely nothing. DH works all day. And my mother will be away for the weekend. Maybe the little man and I will go out for lunch somwhere ... LOL.

Sleep ~ Well, I think we may be entering in to the next milestone sleep regression at our house. Last night DS got up only once, but was pretty restless the whole night. When I went in to see him (the one time he really really woke and needed me) he was sort of half-awake, half-asleep ... up on his hands and knees, rocking back and forth to beat the band. Sheesh. I guess I should buck up for the next slew of sleepless nights. LOL.

[jbemommy]

bumper We have a breathable bumper also. No blankets or anything else in the crib.

Teeth Steven got his first tooth at 7 months, 1 week and the next one a week later. I don't think there's any significance about getting teeth late.

[Bubeleh]

Bedding We've also used a bumper since day one. Now its a source of entertainment for him since it has 3-d animals on it. He also has a "lovey", a giraffe head with a small blanket attached. Ofcourse its totally interchangable with brup clothes (cloth diapers) which he will snuggle with.

Sleep We had sleep regression with his teeth, and now a little bit with movement. He's pulling himself up, sitting up and crawling so all those things are very exciting and he must practice them at night!

Teeth Two so far which he has had for about a month or so. I think he is working on the next couple but I can't feel them yet. He is knawing on everything in site which is what he did right before the first two came in.

Mother's Day We are meeting family at the beach and will have lunch then walk around the west coast's version of a boardwalk.

Time for DS breakfast, have a great day!

[MidwesternGal]

Mother's Day: Probably nothing. DH might have gotten me a card. I'm actually feeling a little sad, because I know he had extra spending money this week. He went to the store the other day on a mysterious mission (woudln't tell me what he was buying). I was hoping it was a little MDay trinket. Nope, he came home with the entire amount in motorcycle parts. Needless to say, I'm a bit annoyed. We don't have a ton of money, but seriously, he had extra and chose to spend it on his own wants. Maybe for Father's Day I'll go get my hair done. :(

ETA: I hope that didn't sound spoiled. But it would be nice to have a little fuss made over me!! Hopefully he has something else planned, like breakfast in bed. That'd be cool.

[Rippy1010]

MW Gal ~ I don't think it sounded selfish at all. It's just a matter of consideration, respect, and appreciation. Hopefully he'll surprise you ... :(

Bubeleh ~ You're DS is showing us up with all of his development! Little overacheiver! Ha, ha! That's so great that he is doing all of that ... I can see how the nights might be a little restless. LOL.

[MichelleRenee]

Maybe for Father's Day I'll go get my hair done.

Good idea. Go for a manicure too!!

Mother's Day: we are going to my mom's house. I know that DH and DS bought me a gift, and I know it is jewelry. DH also told me it isn't either of the two things I wanted. (An opal ring or a pendant with DS's footprint engraved on it) I am just hoping it isn't some random piece of jewelry. I really prefer things with meaning behind them and not something that he thought just "looked pretty." I am the type of mom who will prefer a hand-made macaroni necklace over diamonds any day!!

I have said this so many times but I think T's first tooth is going to pop in any day now. He won't even let me touch his gums right now. Before yesterday he loved to chew on my finger. I am so anxious for that first one to just come in already.

[Rippy1010]

Quick question for y'all ...

Do any of you have this travel high chair?

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-2789178reg.jpg

Thoughts on it? Likes, dislikes, etc?

Thanks in advance!

[maplekitty]

Hang in there, Michelle. It WILL work itself out on its own. It doesn't seem like it when you're dealing with it, but it does go back to normal. My DS was waking up 5-6 times a night, and I was completely insane ... he's STTN again on his own without any intervention by me. It was so hard ... but hang in there!

I was going to say the same thing! There was a period a few weeks ago that Robyn was up 3 times a night and it was crazy! But she seems to have regulated out again and is STTN again - thank god! Hang in there, it too shall pass!

[maplekitty]

Bumper - we've had the bumper on since day one. Robyn is a pretty stationary sleeper, so we've never woken up to find her anywhere near the crib rails. It's not really a worry for me right now, we'll see when she's a little more mobile and crawling around?

Lovey/Blanket - Robyn sleeps in a sleep sack but sometimes if I find it too cold I'll put a crocheted blanket on her. Some mornings I wake up and its at the opposite end of the crib as her, some mornings I wake up and its completely ontop of her, and she's playing peek-a-boo with it. It has holes, so again I'm not too woried. As for a lovey, if she doesnt fall right to sleep when I put her down, I'll give her her dolly or a small stuffy to play with. I guess I just figure she's old enough now that the whole suffocation thing is not too much of a worry. She knows how to role over, she knows how to pull things off her face, so I just don't worry about those things anymore.

Mother's Day - well, I'm going to tell DH that he's on diaper/bottle duty all night and I want to sleep in, so he has to go get Robyn in the morning, and close our bedroom door and let me sleep! haha I'm probably going to get a card, adn I'm hoping for a little gift - it *is* our first Mother's Day so I'd really like to look back on it fondly and not feel dissapointed! Maybe we'll go out for dinner too, who knows, I'm really hoping DH has something planned and doesnt let me down! :p

Allison - my gf has that hook on high chair and we used it when we were over at their place for dinner. Robyn was pretty comfortable in it and it looked quite sturdy.

[maplekitty]

TM - on the first page, can you please use this picture:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid216/p8e435bf139a9b15e2791b974bcc33c6e/eca483a1.jpg

and then this one:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pfe9f5244a5f1d4759f2e6e08442c700f/e99d84f3.jpg

[Pamela]

DD started crawling last night, so we've got some major babyproofing to do :)

[Maxicat]

First tooth! I am so excited. I was actually jumping up and down. Weird, I know.

Lauren will be 7 months on May 16th. She does not like rolling over to much but she loves standing and chattering.

Every stage so far has been such a blast. It just keeps getting better.

Happy Mothers Day!!

[Lily]

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

I'm not quite sure what we'll be doing today. It's kind of cold and rainy outside, so maybe just brunch and shopping for my Mother's Day gift. DH wants me to pick out somthing that I want, but I would have been just as happy getting flowers and a card. Either way it'll be a great day because I'm able to say that I am a Mother for the first time. :D

[Roxygirl]

Happy Mothers Day Everyone.

[marathongirl]

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Happy belated Mother's Day ladies!!!

I was at my mom's this weekend, got all my stuff sorted that I will put up for my yard sale in a few weeks. (was going to have it this weekend, but they have really nasty black gnat type bugs that are like mosquitos and eat you up)

Teeth : Easton finally cut the long awaited tooth on Mother's Day, the other bottom tooth is coming in too, so we have had a bit of a fussy guy for the last 2 days.

Lovey/Blanket: Easton uses a crocheted blanket he got while in the hospital, it was knit by volunteers for the NICU babies. He loves that blanket and misses it when it's getting washed. He is also a paci baby still. As for other blankets, I have been using regular baby bankets in his bed since he was about 2 months old, never had a problem at all with them, he only cuddles mostly with his crocheted one and the other just keeps him covered up.

travel chair: my mom bought one back for Rebekah. Just by Graco, think it was called the TravelLite travel chair.

bumpers: we have the breathable bumprs as well

Mother's Day: mom and I went to Chinese place for lunch after church. I came home today to find 2 framed pics that Jarett took and a photo card he put together for me. Better than any Hallmark card.

[MichelleRenee]

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!!

[maplekitty]

Mother's Day turned out better than I thought it would be. Curt told me the day before that he had band practice all day, so I was really upset that we couldnt spend the day together as a family. So in the morning he brought me a nice card, and a gc for a spa massage and a zippy hoody from my favourite store. Then he was off, so I got RObyn all ready and we were going to head out shopping when MIL called. I invited her along, and she treated me to lunch and I bought a new pair of crocs. Then that night we dropepd Robyn off with SIL, and Curt and I went to see Spiderman3 (and he even bought me popcorn!) hehe, so, it was actually a nice day :)

[MichelleRenee]

Sounds like you had a good mother's day, maplekitty!!

Mine was a little rough. I found out Friday that Tristan had an ear infection and that one of his eardrums ruptured. Luckily we got him in for a last minute appt with his ped. Saturday night he cried a lot. It was horrible. He was pulling at his ears and just screaming in pain.

Sunday I woke up, and in addition to the sore throat/headache I had been fighting off my entire face was swollen and covered in an itchy red rash. I had a reaction to a new face wash.

I got a card from Tristan and one from Mike and they bought me a beautiful ring.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/AngelyWangely/Tristan%20Michael/DSC01340.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/AngelyWangely/Tristan%20Michael/DSC01341.jpg

Then we went shopping and while we were out Tristan's other eardrum ruptured.

Overall I enjoyed the day but we certainly had some down times as well. Tristan seems to be doing better. He started meds on Friday and is already sleeping much better. (down to 1 waking per night after 3 weeks of 3-5 wakings due to the infection) I felt so bad that he went that long and I didn't even know he had an ear infection. :(

[Michelle]

Sleep - Thanks for the support on the lack of sleep ladies! I'm trying to be patient. I hope she starts sleeping better soon!

Happy Belated Mother's Day everyone!

I had a good Mother's Day. It was kind of a weekend because DH works weekends. Friday the 3 of us went to the Mariner/Yankee game. It was Madisons first game and she loved it! :) And the Mariners won which made it even better! It was great family time though. I love doing things with the 3 of us. Saturday, DH brought me roses. Sunday DH, DD, Dd (dear dog) gave me cards and a necklace. The only thing that sucked was that DH had to work that night. Oh well.

MichelleRenee - Can I just say that Tristan has the cutest smile! How adorable!

[MidwesternGal]

Ericka--I love the photo idea your hubby did! What a great gift!

Maple--Sounds like you had a wonderful day!

MichelleRenee--Oh poor Tristan! What happens if his eardrums rupture? That sounds awful! And you are sick on top of it--no fun. Your ring is gorgeous though!

Well, my Mother's day lived up to my expectations--which were none. DH told me Happy MD and that was it. Later, I asked if he'd grill for supper, so he did, then tried to pass it off as my Mother's Day supper. Um, yeah. . . we grill out about 4 nights a week and I asked him to. . . nice try honey. Whatever.

Yesterday I went to a friend's baby shower. She had twins at 32 weeks! And, she didn't tell me for a suprise, but one got to come home on Sunday, so I got to hold him!!! (He is only 3 weeks old) He was soooooooo tiny!! Only 5 pounds!!! Even the preemie clothes were big on him. It just made my heart melt to hold such a tiny guy--my man was NEVER that little or even close! Their other son comes home today!! Yay! I was so happy for her!

DS is now rocking on his knees, but still splays out to the army crawl. Pamela, did your DD rock? How long until all-out crawling?

That's about it for now. I have other IL stories (the shower was in IL's hometown, so we saw them) but I'm not feeling up to it. Let's just say I am tired of hearing MIL's opinions on raising children. Just nod your head and say "okay" for once!!!

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

[MichelleRenee]

What happens if his eardrums rupture?

Basically so much fluid built up behind the eardrum that it punctured and the fluid came oozing out. The rupturing actually gives them a little bit of relief from the pressure and pain, but I hate that it got that far before I even knew he had an infection!

The hole will heal in a few days so it's not something that causes any permanent damage, but IIRC an eardrum that has ruptured repeatedly can scar and lead to hearing loss.

ETA: Michelle: thank you. He gets it from his daddy!

[Pamela]

Mother's Day was nice. We were away for the weekend, so went to some nice restaraunts and relaxed and enjoyed ourselves. Dh and DD gave me a spa gift certificate, so I'm definately looking forward to that.

MidwesternGal, DD started rocking in her sleep several weeks ago and had been doing it while awake every chance she got for the past two weeks or so. She could rock really hard and slide both knees forward at once but couldn't coordinate anything more than that, so I thought she'd be staying put for a while longer! She thinks this new way of getting around is pretty cool :)

[MidwesternGal]

DS puked this morning. All over himself, me, the chair, everywhere. He doesn't seem to have a temperature though. I called the clinic and talked to someone (a nurse, i think--my doc is off today) and she told me to just give him 1 oz at a time until he can keep it down, and give him water and pedialyte. She kind of made me feel like an arse, because she was like, "he's not using a sippy cup? you don't give him juice?"

Well, neither of those things would keep him from getting sick!!

Anyway, he's in his swing now with his blanky. I hope he falls a sleep and feels better when he wakes. Poor little guy. I feel awful!!

[MichelleRenee]

She kind of made me feel like an arse, because she was like, "he's not using a sippy cup? you don't give him juice?"

I hate when dr's and nurses do that. I hope your little one is feeling better soon!!

Poor Tristan has to go back to the dr today. I called them and let them know about his other eardum rupturing and they said he needs to be seen again.

I am so frustrated with everything right now. A few weeks ago at his WBV our doctor recommended we use CIO to eliminate nighttime feedings. At that time T was waking 3-5 times a night to eat. Now that he is on meds he is down to 1-2 times a night, but is still waking regularly. I feel like I should wait to start CIO until he is 100% better but then I feel like he is never going to be 100% better!

The whole issue is such a roller-coaster for me. I want T to be able to STTN for his own sake and for me and DH. That makes me want to try CIO, simply because so many people have told me that their DC improved so much after only a week or so of CIO.

On the other hand, if he is truly hungry and needs to eat at night I don't want to be teaching him to ignore his hunger. Other than those 1-2 wakings he is a great sleeper. Yeah, it sucks getting out of bed to feed him, but it could be so much worse!

So I am torn between the two. I have no idea which is "right." Last night he woke up at 11 for his first feeding. (he was down by 6:45) I wanted to try to get him to sleep without a bottle so I held him and rocked him. After about 5 minutes of screaming he dozed off. As soon as I put him down he woke up and started screaming again. We never have that problem when we put him down for naps or for the night.

After about an hour of rocking him while he screamed, putting him in bed, and then him crying again within a few minutes I finally just gave him a bottle. He ate and fell right back to sleep for another 4.5 hours before waking up.

So that's our struggle right now. I just want to be sure I am doing the right thing but it is hard to figure out what the right thing is. 50% of the sources out there say CIO and the other 50% say feed him.

[TaterBaby]

Speaking of juice and sippy cups... We've introduced the sippy, but with water. She doesn't really have the hang of it too much. When I weaned at 6 months, so many people told me to transition to the sippy for her formula rather than a bottle. Yeah right. I have read that cups with straws are easier for some babies though. Anyone tried that?

MichelleRenee, I think I would wait until Tristan's ears are better for sure. I would think that is contributing to some of the night wakings. Also, how many ounces does he take during the day? Is it within the range he needs? I think I would use that as my gauge to determine whether he truly needs to eat so much at night. Also maybe do more solids at dinner? Just a thought. Hope it gets better for you!

[Michelle]

Juice and Sippy Cup - Nope, we have not introduced juice yet. We are using a sippy cup, but we just put some formula in it. When is it normal to introduce juice?

[Rippy1010]

Re: Juice and Sippy Cups
Logan has had juice once a day pretty much since we started non-cereal solids.

As for the sippy cups ... GRRRR! We keep trying to have him use a sippy cup ... and try, and try, and try. He hates it. We are now the proud owners of 5 different styles of sippy cup and he hates all of them. But ... he likes drinking water out of OUR glass. :rolleyes: I've been getting concerned about it (because I'm borderline neurotic ... LOL!) because he no longer tries to hold his own bottle, either.

What do you guys think? Worry, or don't worry? :o

[MidwesternGal]

Well, DS took a short nap and is keeping down 2 oz right now. He hated the pedialyte.

MichelleRenee--Does Tristan go down for naps/to bed right after eating? Perhaps he can't self-soothe back to sleep if he associates sleeping with eating. I'd find out from your sitter if he gets put down immediately after a bottle. Because then, he would drink it at night, but it was because he *needed* to in order to sleep-- not for hunger. If this is the case, maybe you can start having the sitter keep him up for about 15 minutes, then move to 30 minutes, after he eats, so he goes to sleep w/o having to have a bottle. Just a thought!! You could use a paci to help the transition.

Sippy cups--We have one, but all DS does is throw it around the room. I'm going to pick up a different kind tomorrow and see if it works better.

Juice--Doctor told me she is fine if I don't ever use juice (unless in a dehydration setting). I think most people intro it around the time of solids.

[bunnybeth]

It's been busy at work and home for me, crazy. I've now skimmed over the past couple of weeks of posts. Cute new pictures everyone!

Simon's been doing well overall. He's now "standing up" on his hands and knees. It's like he's doing baby push-ups. :D We've been dealing with eye infections though. He got it in his left eye a couple of weeks ago, we gave him drops (in both eyes) and it cleared up. Then last weekend he got the infection back in his right eye, more drops and now it's clearing up again. Hopefully this will be it!

I plan on starting solids this weekend. I bought some organic sweet potatoes yesterday and will be making my own puree, it just sounded fun and easy.

baby signs I really want to start doing more now that Simon is over 6 months old. So far, I've been doing "kitty" and "bunny" with an occational "more" but I have to do them more consistently and get DH in on the action.

swimming Our first class is in a month. Around here, it's not consistently warm enough for the pool yet.

sunscreen We got some Banana Boat, it said it was tear-free on the tube. In a related note, does anyone know if it's ok to use bug spray on 6 month olds? The ped just gave us the ok at 6 months for sunscreen, but didn't say anything about bug spray and now daycare is asking me to sign a form if they can use it.

Mother's day Nothing really. My only "gift" was the nursing necklace I picked out and ordered myself. Not even a card. DHs excuse? I'm not his mom. grrrrrr....

[Rippy1010]

DHs excuse? I'm not his mom. grrrrrr....

Why does every man say this?! Sorry to go off on a tangent, but it really annoys me. We only take care of their spawn for god's sake! Grrr. It really irks me. Every man that said that this past weekend should get absolutely nothing for Father's Day. Seriously.

[Ericka_Jarett]

bug spray - (babycenter.com) When choosing products, avoid anything that contains both sunscreen and insect repellent, and any repellent containing more than 10 percent of the chemical DEET (check the label). Products containing DEET may be linked to certain health problems. Skintastic, made by Off, is the favorite of many pediatricians. The bath oil Skin-So-Soft (from Avon), is also recommended for older babies and toddlers but not for babies under 6 months.

We got a DEET free spray for use for me when pregnancy with Easton and it's safe to use on babies it says. It's Repel® Lemon Eucalyptus. Just remember to keep it off her hands and away from her eyes and mouth.

[jbemommy]

Mother's Day I had a great day. We went out to lunch and both DC were very well-behaved, then I got a nap! DH gave me a necklace with 2 pearls for our 2 DC. If my DH didn't do anything for mother's day, I'd definitely not be doing anything for father's day for him!

Juice/sippy cups Steven loves to play with the sippy cup, and he chews on it but doesn't really get anything out. We aren't doing juice for him yet. IMO, juice is kind-of like soda--it's very sugary. Real fruit is better for kids, juice often tends to fill them up so they don't eat real food. DD gets some, but we water it down pretty much.

MichelleRenee We did let our DC both CIO--but when we could tell they were fighting sleep and were miserable anyway. I do think it's important for a child to be able to put themselves to sleep, so I'd try to make sure he's able to do that--does he have to be sound asleep when you put him down, or can he just be sleepy and then go to sleep on his own. We did CIO with DD so she'd learn to go to sleep in the beginning of the night, but I still got up and BF her during the night (she woke up once per night till she was weaned at 13 months). It really did only take a couple of nights of CIO for both of them.

[Mrs-Mac]

I had a nice 1st Mother's Day. DH a really nice card for DD to give me. And he me a Magnolia tree/bush. I have said for a long time that I wanted to plant a magnolia tree when I have a baby. Then take pictures every year as the tree and the baby grow. So he got it for Mothers Day instead. I LOVE magnolias, it was pretty sweet of him. Luckily, my DH is a pretty thoughtful guy.

In other news, we are getting ready for me to go back to work (I start PT in June and FT in July). I am so dreading it. We are trying to find child care, which is so stressful. My SIL is watching DD 2 days a week, and I will be home 1 day a week. So we need someone for 2 days. We are looking into in-home child care "centers". Its so hard. I went to one today and it was HORRIBLE. I left feeling sick. I could NEVER leave my child her this women's care. I just hope we find someone we trust and feel comfortable with.

Sippy Cups/Juice - Have tried two kinds of cups so far. She seems interested, but not really getting the hang of it yet. I did try watered down apple juice yesterday to see if that helped, but not really. I may try the straw-like cups, since she seems to be able to drink water from my cup with a regular straw.

Michelle Renee - So sorry to hear about Tristen's troubles. Don't feel like a bad mom, you're learning everything for the first time too. The same thing happened to my SIL...her ds was cranky, not sleeping, etc. She thought he was just teething, but he had an ear infection also. You've learned and will be faster to react in the future. And I agree with TaterBaby, I would wait to do any sleep training until his ears are all better. And then, maybe work slowly, elimate one feeding at a time (vs all at once). At this age, he shouldn't be that hungery at his first waking. Maybe you could try more solids at dinner also? Either just sooth for a little while or let him CIO, but no bottle. Then feed at the next waking. I would guess it would be a easier transistion for him. FWIW, we are now letting DD CIO. She wakes up around 4-5. She cries anywhere between 5 -40 minutes. Its hard, but she's sleeping well. I feel comfortable doing this knowing she isn't starving to death because some night she will sleep right until 6 or 7.

Midwestern - Hope you ds is feeling better!!! Poor guy!

[marathongirl]

We've got teeth! Well, tooth anyway. DS's 1st tooth broke through yesterday. I actually wasn't expecting it for a while since DD was almost 11 months old before she got her first tooth.

sleeping issues - ladies, I really feel for you. DD was 18 months old before she STTN. DS has given me 5 consecutive hours exactly three (yes 3) times in 7 months. I've learned to get by on subhuman amounts of rest :( .

Hope all is well with everyone!

[Pamela]

sippy cups, DD will drink water out of a sippy, but she often spits it back out and just plays with it. I haven't given her juice yet.

[TaterBaby]

Pamela, Pampers Swaddlers are the ONLY diaper we can use, which doesn't help since you say she's allergic. I love the size 1-2, but I have so much trouble finding them and usually just have to buy size 2 instead. We had the same loose leg problem with Luvs and also with Huggies. Is there anything else other than store brands? Good luck.

[nic]

Sippy cup We started usng one a couple of weeks ago. We just give water in it right now and it's going ok. He does get holding onto the handles and putting it in his mouth but he ends up sitting about hald of what he drinks. He's definetely becoming more aware of what we are eating and drinking and gets mad when we don't share.

Rippy I wouldn't worry too much. Try the stray cup, Logan might love it. Have you tried a Nuby? I know some people have have good luck with them when nothing else works.
DS doesn't hold his own bottle although I know he can. When I try to have him hold it himself he doesn't tilt it back far enough and ends up sucking air so I always end up holding it for him because I know he'll spit up from sucking that much air.

Pamela I'm sorry, I don't think any other brands carry the 1-2 size diapers. Have you tried these? The website (1800diapers.com) states they run small.

http://www.1800diapers.com/ProductImages/4554_LargeImage2.jpg

Juice- DS has been constipated a few times so I've mixed a little bit of juice with water to help things out. Other than that, I don't plan on giving him any as there's nutrional value.

[Pamela]

Taterbaby, I wish we could still use the Pampers swaddlers, the 1-2's fit just perfectly.

[Rippy1010]

Have you tried a Nuby?
Oh yes. He absolutely despises the nipple on the Nuby. It's kind of humorous to watch, actually. I'll have to look for a cup with a straw in the next few days. But, I'm with you, I'm not going to worry too much. He DOES love to drink out of regular glasses and cups without lids ... he just gets more all over himself than his actual mouth. LOL! So, I know eventually it will happen. Ha, ha!

[Pamela]

Nic, I think I was posting at the same time you were. Thank you for that website and that suggestion! I'll go look at those.

[MidwesternGal]

Pamela--My DS has extremely long skinny legs. (He went from short and chubby to looong and skinny). The regular Huggies (the ones with the mostly white package and Mickey on them) and Luvs leg openings are all too big. I had been using Pampers, but I think they stink when wet and bunch up in the crotch. So I went on a search to find a better one--and I did!! I found that the Huggies Supreme Nautral Fit (the more expensive ones in the all red bag/box with Winnie the Pooh) fit perfectly. Perhaps you could try those in a size 2? I don't know which "version" of Huggies you tried before.

Rippy--Are you going to see my man Kenny in concert? It'd be a good one--we saw him and Keith Urban on tour w/D. Bentley about 3 years ago.

Sippy Cups--Bought a couple new Gerber ones today. We'll try them out tomorrow.

[Rippy1010]

Rippy--Are you going to see my man Kenny in concert? It'd be a good one--we saw him and Keith Urban on tour w/D. Bentley about 3 years ago.
YES! Woo hoo! It's going to be a great one! The whole lineup of the Flip Flop Tour is Kenny Chesney, Brooks & Dunn, Sugarland, Sara Evans, and Pat Green! I can't wait! Are you going to a venue near you?!

But ... :o ... lol ... I'm sad that I have to leave DS for an entire Saturday. :o

[MidwesternGal]

Rippy--Nope, we're not going to see them again. We've seen Brooks n Dunn, too, about 4 years ago. Money is a little tight for us right now, so no fun concerts!! (We'd have to pay a babysitter for all day (on top of tix and gas), since our families are 2-3 hours away). Have a BLAST though!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Only Pampers make the 1-2, you can always find the big boxes of them at Target.

We use the Huggies Natural Fit and they seem to fit better than the Pampers do now. I hated them for the newborn size but tried the size 1 and 2 and they fit much better than the newborn ones ever did. We are now in size 3, although Easton is only 17lbs, he just wasn't fitting right in the size 2 anymore.

[AmyS]

Am I the only one who has a horse of a kid in Size 4 diapers???? AJ has been in them for almost a month now. We use Pampers. Has anyone tried the Kirkland brand from Costco? I've heard they're pretty good, but I am hesitant about buying a whole case and not liking them.

Sippy Cups: We've tried the Nubby and a Playtex. AJ just doesn't get the whole put your head back idea. I BF but lately when he does get a bottle he is starting to hold it by himself. He holds the sippy by himself, but won't tip it back. I have a few friends who are speech pathologists and they said it's ok to give him a sippy that has a straw. It will strengthen his mouth muscles. I haven't tried it yet, but I might.

Sleep: I hate posting about sleep because then we always have a regression. *sigh* AJ suddenly has become wonderful about going to bed. He might cry and fusst for 10-15 minutes, but then he is usually down for the night. He usually sleeps 8p-5a without waking. Now tonight because I posted this he will be up every hour.

Teeth: The first tooth started to pop Monday afternoon. AJ kept sticking his tongue out over and over again Wednesday. It took me forever to figure out he is playing with his tooth. He just rubs his tongue over and over and over his tooth.

MIL will be here Tuesday for the summer. They stay 9-10 weeks with BIL, not us thankfully. Oh yeah, BIL lives 8 houses away so it's like they live with us anyways. Lord give me the strength to deal with this woman!

[Rippy1010]

Am I the only one who has a horse of a kid in Size 4 diapers????

NO! Logan is gargantuan. LMAO. J/K. But, he has been wearing Size 4 Pamper Cruisers for about a month and a half. :) He was 23 lbs 3 oz at his 6m WBV. :o

Logan does all kinds of crazy things with his tongue now that he has teeth, too. It's hysterical!

[nic]

Christian's is size 3 diapers. I'm lucky I guess, he can wear most diaper brands without any problems.

AmyS Good luck with your MIL, that's a reallllllly long visit.

I'm using the Gerber Take 'n Toss sippy cups but I'll have to pick up a straw cup over the weekend and see how that goes.

[bunnybeth]

Ericka Thanks for the tip on the bug spray. I'll look for something without DEET. (I didn't know you were supposed to avoid that while pregnant, but I only used it a few times, oh well.)

Mrs-Mac Good luck with your childcare search. Finding the right place will make you feel a lot better about going back to work, hopefully it'll turn up soon.

Pamela Simon has a skinny build and we've found Pampers or Walgreens brand fit him the best. I think Pampers is the only one that makes the 1-2 size around here, never seen them in a different brand. Oh, and we just opened the Huggies Supreme Natural Fit diapers yesterday that MidwesternGal mentioned and so far they seem to be fitting him well. (2 dirty diapers contained thus far.)

[nutter13]

Hi Everyone,

Always reading along, glad to hear everyone's doing well...

Pamela-I read your post about the diaper rash...DS has had a bad rash about a month and a half now, but it almost looks like he has a sunburn in that whole area, not really a bumpy rash, can you tell me what the rash looked like? I wonder if he could be allergic to the pampers we're using, how can they be OK with them for the first few months and then become allergic, did your doctor have any explanation? I think I may try some new diapers...TIA

[MidwesternGal]

Okay, so I think that my husband is just daft. Seriously. Does anyone else sometimes wonder if their DH's have learned ANYTHING regarding child-rearing since you had your DCs?? AAAUURRRGGHHH!!!

I feel better now. :p

[Pamela]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, I'll definately be doing some diaper shopping this weekend.

[AmyS]

I just tried a regular drinking straw at lunch in a glass of water, AJ got it right away! After his nap we're heading out to buy a sippy with a straw.

[Rippy1010]

I just tried a regular drinking straw at lunch in a glass of water, AJ got it right away! After his nap we're heading out to buy a sippy with a straw.

Good to know! I'll definitely have to try it.

[Michelle]

Okay, so I think that my husband is just daft. Seriously. Does anyone else sometimes wonder if their DH's have learned ANYTHING regarding child-rearing since you had your DCs?? AAAUURRRGGHHH!!!

I feel better now. :p

I can so relate, believe me! Your timing on posting this is perfect for me! You're not alone, I promise! :)

[Roxygirl]

Diapers. I used to swear by the pampers. But now that DD is wearing size three we've switched to Costco's Kirkland brand and we LOVE THEM!!!

[AmyS]

Roxy- That's good to know. Maybe I'll pick up a box the next time we're there.

[kate's mom]

Diapers I may have to try the Costco brand. We have Meg in pampers cruisers size 3, but i think we may move her up to 4's. She currently wears size 4 at night and they just seem to fit her better. She is chunky around the legs!:)

Sippy Cups DD will drink out of it if I hold it up for her. She can grab it but hasn't figured out how to tip it. We are also working on the straw cup.

AmyS WOW I give you a lot of credit for having your MIL around for that long. I can barely handle mine being in our house for 1 hour. Luckily she lives pretty far away.

Has anyone started finger foods? If yes, what??
We have been giving Meg puffs and Kix cereal for a while. She loves them both.

[MidwesternGal]

Finger Foods--Nope, not here. I'm still giving him Stage 1 foods--moving to Stage 2 after this last round. The two teeth that poked through a touch--they ended up going back up so we're still toothless.

Okay, so in addition to my vent about DH above. . . All I have to say is AmyS, you are a better person than me. We have just had our 2nd visit with ILs in less than 1 week and the phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is definitely true. While this visit was much more pleasant than the last, it's still a lot when you're used to maybe once a month!

[AmyS]

It's not really my choice to have them around so long. They moved to Arizona because it was "too cold" in Chicago. Yet they come back here every summer because it is "too hot" in Arizona. :rolleyes: I dread her wanting to babysit AJ. I just do not trust her alone with him. DH is starting to realize that she just doesn't do well with him. We're hoping to fill her need to babysit by letting her come over every Tuesday night after AJ is asleep so I can go watch DH play softball and hang out with them at the pizza place afterwards. How much can she do while he's sleeping, right? ;)

Sippy with straw: I finally got around to BRU to get a Nuby sippy with a straw. I filled it up and AJ promptlu sucked it down. DH is thrilled. He was starting to get upset because AJ wasn't getting the whole tip your head back thing. He was afraid he wouldn't learn how to drink from a cup. I told him not to worry about it.

Finger foods: I'm interested in hearing what others say. So far AJ has only had a pretzel to gnaw on. My nextdoor neighbor's MIL gave it to him at a BBQ the other day while I ran home to grab his food. She said he was hungry and she gave it to him to tide him over. :rolleyes:

[Rippy1010]

Finger Foods
We tried a Gerber Biter Biscuit on Thursday or Friday. He wasn't in to it at all. So, I took a little bite (which, BTW, they are really good. LOL!) to show him what it was for. Then, put it down to his mouth. He opened up, and closed down on it ... then made a horrid face and left it on his highchair tray. LOL. All in due time, I guess. Ha, ha!

[Jenzen01]

Just lurking along ... busy here ...

Finger foods - I've done quite a bit already. Ada is really good at picking up Cherrios and Gerber fruit puffs. I just started giving her a little table food ... some banana pieces ... some apple pieces ... cooked veggies .... a little bread. Nothing substantial ... just something for her to experiment with.

[Rippy1010]

Jenzen ~ when you give pieces of fruit and cooked veggies, what sizes are the pices? Do you dice them up, or is it a big slice? How do you prepare the veggies ... just boil it up?

Sorry for all of the questions, I just wanted to try a few things but didn't want to do anything "wrong". LOL!

[Jenzen01]

Hey Rippy,

I don't think you can really do anything wrong. I say this because I just had a conversation with my 94-year-old grandma who told me she gave her babies orange juice at 6-weeks-old, and instead of forumla, she boiled cow's milk, which they got right after they were born. :)

I've been letting Ada be my guide. With the bananas, I slice them and then cut the slice into about eighths. If the piece is too big, she'll stick it in her mouth and it'll come right back out because she doesn't know what to do with it.

Stick with soft, mushy things for now ... the apple pieces I gave her were pretty small and they were from a mushier variety (like Macintosh or something). I gave her some corn kernels, but those can come out the other end rather undigested. Just pick something off your plate, cut it up a little, and see what happens.

Boiling or steaming or whatever is fine for the veggies. With Gabe, I keep frozen veggies in the freezer (like a mix of carrots, peas and beans) and then put some in a cup of water and microwave it for 30 seconds or so. That way, I don't make too much. For a while, you're going to have to cut things up small enough for him to eat yet large enough for him to pick up. You'll just have to experiment.

Don't be too afraid of trying things ... just use your best judgment and let your baby guide you. He'll tell you when he's ready.

Jen

[Nigellas]

Rippy - Avocado is a great self feeding food- It's really mushy when ripe and it has lots of that good fat that babies need. I just give DS big chunks that he can grab in his fist and he mushes off pieces in his mouth.

[Pamela]

AmyS, Wow thats a long visit!

[MidwesternGal]

Well, fun news around here today--DS has discovered his penis. Recently he has been kind of smiling when I clean poop off him but generally doesn't get his hands in there--until tonight. He reached down and grabbed it today while I was changing his diaper. He squeezed/tugged really hard (looked painful to me!!) but then started giggling! :rolleyes: Ahhh, the joys of having a boy! LOL. Now I'll have to be strapping him down onto the changing table for two reasons: 1--so that he can't roll mid-change and 2--so his hands don't get into dirty diapers!

Pamela--Sorry you are sick!! I hope you get better soon!

[MichelleRenee]

Am I the only mommy still waiting on a first tooth?

[Roxygirl]

Nope, no teeth here yet either.

[Michelle]

Nope, no teeth here yet either.

No teeth for Madison yet either. There's one tooth that's teasing us but still nothing.

[Rippy1010]

MWGal ~ Oh yes! Isn't that fun once they discover the penis?! DS "found" his really early on ... now it's a major pain in the arse to change a dirty diaper. Ugh! I'm constantly pulling his hands away from himself. Also, sometimes when he's tired he will sit and scratch his penis mindlessly (from the outside of his diaper, I mean) .... usually it's still his ear he scratches at, but sometimes his penis. I roll my eyes and think "oh, the things I have to look forward to with THIS one!". LOL!

Jenzen & Nigellas ~ Thanks for the info on the finger foods! Do you guys know if there is any "rule" (ha ha ha) about giving them the pre-diced fruit peices that you would get out of a little Dole fruit cup type of thing? I think it's mostly water and light syrup in there, right? Probably should be okay, I would think.

[MidwesternGal]

Teeth--Had a couple corners peek through, then they disappeared. I think at least one is working its way back down though--DS has swollen cheeks and has been making weird noises/sucking on gums, etc.

Rippy--MIL said that my youngest BIL wouldn't take naps when he was little, but he would "rest"--and while he rested, he would play with his penis the whole time!! It didnt' matter where they were at, he would always do that around afternoon rest time! Fun stuff, right?

Roxygirl--Your little girl's pic in the avatar is just adorable!! OMG.

[Jenzen01]

No teeth here, either.

Pamela - I love the mesh feeder, but banana is the one thing I won't do in it because it mashes too much, and it's really hard to clean the mesh bag out. (I wrecked one because I put bananas in it.) Give some melon a try ... that's always been a big hit with my kids.

Rippy - The only thing I don't like about he canned fruits for right now is the added sugar. There are so many good fresh fruits coming in season that you'd probably get better nutrients that way. Oh, and some of the canned fruits do have hard chunks, so be careful.

[Pamela]

MichelleRenee, my dd doesn't have any teeth yet either (she's 8 months now).

[nic]

MichelleR, You're not the only one, DS doesn't have any teeth either.

Speaking of milestones, DS still doesn't sit independently for more than 30 seconds. We practice everyday but he either tips over of gets mad because he usually wants to stand up. I'm nervous about this one. Anyone else have a baby that doesn't like to it?

We always use the changing table unless we're out or at someone else's house.

[Roxygirl]

Teeth--Had a couple corners peek through, then they disappeared. I think at least one is working its way back down though--DS has swollen cheeks and has been making weird noises/sucking on gums, etc.

Rippy--MIL said that my youngest BIL wouldn't take naps when he was little, but he would "rest"--and while he rested, he would play with his penis the whole time!! It didnt' matter where they were at, he would always do that around afternoon rest time! Fun stuff, right?

Roxygirl--Your little girl's pic in the avatar is just adorable!! OMG.


Thank You.

[MichelleRenee]

nic: I am not really sure when you should start worrying when it comes to sitting. Tristan was the same way until a couple of weeks ago. He could sit just fine, but he just moved and squirmed and tried to stand up so much that within 30-45 seconds he would fall. We had to make sitting fun for him. Our current set-up is on a blankie on the floor, with a boppy behind him and a toy in front of him:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v498/AngelyWangely/Tristan%20Michael/DSC01370.jpg?t=1179921967

The toy keeps him entertained and the boppy is there just in case he falls backwards. It seems to help him not get restless which means more "practice" time each day.

[nic]

MichelleR, Thanks for the reply. I'm trying not to worry too much. I'm just going to keep practicing as much as I can.

The last 5 mornings DS has decided to wake up at 5:30 a.m. for a bottle. He'll go back to sleep afterwards but I wish he'd go back to sleeping through until 7-7:30. I'm tired........

Pamela- I found Huggies size 1/2 at 1800diapers.com

http://www.1800diapers.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=3&From=

[Rippy1010]

OMG ... nic that's so my DS right now. For exactly 5 mornings now, DS has gotten up at 5:45 a.m. WHY?! That's such a bad time, too, because it's right at the time I need to start getting ready for work. We can't do the whole bottle and bed bit because I'm running around trying to get ready ... plus, he would have to get up again in an hour to 1-1/2 hours anyway. GRRRR!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Had my procedure done on Monday and the babies looked great before and after. Will have the anatomy scan in 4-5 weeks. Hopefully we have cooperation with these 2 and they show the goods. :)

Easton has tooth number 2 coming in now. He tries to crawl but only goes backwards. Sits up well in his bathtub and holds balance pretty well when sitting, then will topple over sideways usually after a while or when he has just had enough. He also tries to pull himself into a sitting position from his back, he is really working on that.

Easton will be 9 months old on the 5th, time sure is flying.

[Bubeleh]

Quick post: We have been using Costco diapers for a couple months and they are great. I just bought two more cases of size 4's today. Their wipes are really good too.

[maplekitty]

Quick post: We have been using Costco diapers for a couple months and they are great. I just bought two more cases of size 4's today. Their wipes are really good too.


Yup we use Costco dipes and wipes too and I think they are great! :)

**************

Robyn has started crawling, doing teh backwards push crawl. She also goes around adn around in circles, so with those moves combined she is very mobile!
I set her down on her playmat in the LR and went into the kitchen, I came back out and she was across the room and under the coffee table, and just started smiling at me! LOL I was like "how on earth did you get over there!!??"
Uh oh! Now I have to go baby proof everything and put up the baby gate at the stairs!!!

[Rippy1010]

LOL ... re: mobile babies.

I came out of the bathroom this morning and Logan was pulling himself up by my jewelry armoire (which is only a small piece of furniture that could tip fairly easily). I was like ... :eek: Holy crap, What are you doing?! :eek: . He ended up only being able to get himself to his knees, couldn't figure out how to bring his foot out from underneath himself. But, apparently it's only a matter of time. YIKES!

[maplekitty]

LOL ... re: mobile babies.

I came out of the bathroom this morning and Logan was pulling himself up by my jewelry armoire (which is only a small piece of furniture that could tip fairly easily). I was like ... :eek: Holy crap, What are you doing?! :eek: . He ended up only being able to get himself to his knees, couldn't figure out how to bring his foot out from underneath himself. But, apparently it's only a matter of time. YIKES!

oh man!! he's pulling himself up on things??
Where did our babies go?? I dont think I'm ready for this!! LOL

[Rippy1010]

maplekitty ~ I know! What happened? I don't want him to grow up ... then he won't need me anymore. In a moment's flash I'll just be "mom the chauffeur". :(

[MidwesternGal]

Pulling Up--I was JUST coming to post about this!!! It seems like my guy may skip "real" crawling (he is army crawling, with legs splayed out) because what he does is rock back and forth on his knees, but then fall onto his butt onto his legs (in a kneeling position) THEN, he pulls himself on whatever is closest. I hate using the walker a lot (it's staionary) but I cannot hold my kid by his fingers all day long!!!! He now screams bloody murder if I try to put him in a sitting or crawling position after he's been "standing" by himself. Rippy, does Logan get mad about sitting now, too?

We got a new digi camera today, I'm having loads of fun w/it, I'll post some pics soon!!

[Rippy1010]

MWGal ~ Yes! He walks very well (with support of course) because he has a walker (on wheels) at both my parents house and our house. So, he really takes off when we are holding his hands ... he practically runs! So, when I try to sit him down he locks his knees/legs so that he can't sit. Then, once I finally get him down, he gets REALLY upset. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: I get to a point, though, where it starts to hurt my back because I'm bending over holding his hands while he walks. Maybe I'll have to invest in one of those waist band things that has the loops for the DCs to hold on to. LOL.

[bunnybeth]

We started solids over the weekend, I made up some sweet potato puree. Simon's face was a cross between confused and mad when it got in his mouth, we were laughing the whole time! The first couple of days were SO messy, I ended up stripping him down to the diaper for the 3rd day. But yesterday I was over at my parents for dinner and my dad offered to feed him, saying he was great at feeding babies. I was like "It's been a long time since we were babies!" but dang, my dad is the expert baby-feeder. There was barely anything that even got on his bib, and Simon's face was only half orange when done. Plus, he ate the whole bowl (about a tablespoon) when I'd only gotten him to have about half. It's been 4 days of sweet potato, so I think tonight we'll move on to banana.

changing table I prefer to use it, actually. Then I can strap Simon down. His favorite thing now is to flip over to his belly and scoot whenever his back touches ground.

No teeth yet here, either. He's been chewing and drooling for ages though.

Ericka Glad to hear the procedure went well. Hopefully the kiddos will cooperate more with gender-viewing then Easton did. :D Did you mention before if the twins are fraternal or identical?

maplekitty Oh, the around in circles is one of Simon's favorite moves. I call it "spin the baby." LOL

[Ericka_Jarett]

bunnybeth - the twins are fraternal, each having their own sac and placenta. Which is a relief actually, no issues with twin-twin transfusion this way.

Easton was rocking most of the day yesterday, moving about 1/4 forward when he did that. He scoots all over the floor and has learned to go to the bookcase and get his toys off the bottom shelf. It's so cute, can't believe how big he is getting.

[Bubeleh]

Changing Table I recently moved his changing area to the bed. On the table he flips the second he's on it before I could even strap him down and he shook it like crazy! So I moved everything to the bed where atleast there he can only fall a couple inches.

8 Months Where did the time go! Unofficial growth check 25lbs and 30". Yep I've got a big boy!

[MichelleRenee]

We are still struggling a bit this week. Tristan is still crying and pulling on his ears a lot so I am going to take him to the doctor this week instead of waiting until June 14. We just had 2 straight days of total fussiness and refusing to eat. Except at night. He will wake up 2-4 times at night to eat. DH and I are just exhausted from this. I even asked MIL if she'd take him overnight tonight, but she declined, only to offer to take our 1yo nephew and 9yo neice overnight instead. Ouch.

We have tried quite a few things to get him to STTN. Before bed I try to get him to take as much formula as possible. Then about 3 hours after he is asleep and right before I go to bed I try to give him another bottle in his sleep. It works as far as him actually taking the bottle and eating it, but he still wakes up later on to eat once or twice. Last night it was every 2-3 hours.

While we love our ped's office, they are totally useless on this one. Their only suggestion is CIO. They seem to be convinced that that is the solution for every single baby. I am not going to force my hungry baby, who is in pain, to cry himself into exhaustion.

I am mostly just frustrated and tired and need to vent.

[Ericka_Jarett]

MichelleRenee- Easton wakes up 2-3 times a night, I only get up to feed him 1 time sometimes 2 if really needed. I let him lay in his crib and play or talk to his toys. He usually falls asleep 30 mins later. Maybe Tristan really is not hungry just wakes up to get some attention. I don't really let Easton CIO, he just cried for a min if he needs his paci and can't find it. I will sometimes just go in and turn on his music and make sure he has a paci and he will drift off to sleep 10 mins or so later. He just needed the familiar noise of his music.

Just a thought. Know it will improve though, hopefully soon for you.

Does Tristan take a pacifier? Do you play music for him to get to sleep?

[lawgirl4]

michelle, I haven't been in the Oct 2006 mommies thread in *ages,* but I saw your most recent post and I felt compelled to respond - I know how tough & draining it can be when baby wakes up constantly, seemingly hungry... My daughter was still waking up 3-5 times a night until a month ago (around her 6mo bday). I was exclusively breastfeeding and while her weight gain has been perfect according to her growth curve percentiles, I was always worried that she wasn't getting enough since I couldn't measure how much she was getting at each feeding. So, each time she woke up, I would breastfeed her - 3 to 5 times a night! But it was beyond exhausting...

So - I checked out Ferber's "solve your child's sleep problems" from the library and it has worked wonders. I thought Ferber's approach was a strict CIO but it's not - it's really a "check and console" approach. I found his book to be very well written, well organized, and his approach is easy to modify to your comfort level (for example, he says not to give your baby a pacifier since his idea is to get them to self-soothe - but our DD does well with a paci, so we use it, and she's down to 1-2 wakeups per night).

just wanted to offer another option. :) I hope things improve soon - I know how hard it can be!

[MidwesternGal]

MichelleRenee--Will Tristan refuse solids and formula? Or just one or the other? How are his ears; have they cleared up from the infections yet? I'm wondering if maybe he has been up so much at night due to eating and then the infection that perhaps he has gotten his days and nights mixed up. I know that's usually something that happens around 3-12 weeks, but if he has been sick and hard to put down, he could have gotten a little confused. You could try the whole super psycho bright indoor bulbs at day and super dark at night to help (we had to take Ben's nightlight out when we did the modified CIO). And like Ericka mentioned, try a pacifier if you don't all ready. Maybe try some orajel right before bed if you think his gums are bothering him?

lawgirl--Good to see you! Feel free to stop by anytime!!

____________
Okay, MichelleRenee's post regarding a June appt (which I assume is an 8m check up). . . my ped/office told us we didn't have to come back until 1 year! She said we *could* come around 9m for a well baby check but then the nurse and desk nurse said they'd see us in October. Are you all seeing the docs at 8 and 10 months, or do they cut you off at 6m until DC hits 1 yr?

So we have developed some solid food/eating issues over the weekend and I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts. Every.single.time I give DS a bite, he then will stick his thumb into his mouth and suck on it before he swallows. It's super annoying, not to mention, I don't want him to choke since he hasn't swallowed. I also don't want him to develop some strange habit, either. . . . . the other issue is that he will sit and SCREAM (not whine, not cry, like blood-curdling scream!!) in his chair, turning maroon even. And for no reason at all! I'll have just given him a bite/offering one, so it's not like he's waiting for me??? And it's all foods he likes! I'm at a loss. I have had a massive headache all weekend long due to this.

[maplekitty]

MichelleRenne - I'm so sorry to ehar about Tristan's sleep problems. I think you've got some great advice. I also think it's probably still due to his ear infection and I'm hoping things will turn around for you guys soon! Momma needs her sleep!!!

WBV - yup, we have a 9 month check up scheduled and then I think not again until 1 yr.

MidwesternGal

crying in the highchair - HHhhhmmmm.....well, I've noticed that Robyn gets really antsy when she's strapped into anything. She wants to be mobile and reach for things and explore. I often give her toys to play with on her tray until I feed her. Also, does your DS have any teeth yet? Have you started giving him Gerber Puffs to eat? Robyn loves her Puffs, they melt in the mouth almost instantly, so even if DC doesnt have any teeth, they can gum at them. It's gives her something to do, and she can concentrate on picking things up with her pincher grab, and hand eye coordination for putting it in her mouth.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Our Ped sees children at 9 months, we actually have an appt on the 4th for Easton's appt. Then he will not go back until his 12 month and then again at 15 months, then again at 18 months, 24 months and then I believe it's yearly after that.

[MichelleRenee]

Well, when he wakes up it is 100% hunger. There is no fussing or just "talking to himself." It is his hungry cry (scream) from the start. We have tried every other soothing method possible but all he wants is to eat. And it has to be a full 6 ounces or more. We tried just giving him 3-4 to get him to sleep, but he screams until he gets more. But during the day we can't get him to eat 6 ounces from a single bottle. He is taking more formula at night than during the day. He will take a pacifier at night, but only after a bottle. And yes, we do play music.

I think the ear infection did cause him to get days and nights mixed up. It just threw off his schedule. The hard part is that I don't think the infection is gone. Our June appt is a follow-up for his ears... NOT a WBV. I would like to move it up to this week though. Why should he suffer 2 more weeks?

Our ped's office nurse said our only option is CIO. After a couple nights of hunger his schedule will be fixed.

Obviously, since it is 1:30am, I am up because he was crying. He is sleeping again now (after 7 ounces of formula). I am exhausted but so frustrated I can't sleep. And today is our 2nd anniversary. Way to celebrate.

[Rippy1010]

WBVs~ Our ped's do 6m, 9m, and then 1y.

Highchair Woes ~ Logan will sometimes put his hand in his mouth just after food goes in, too. And, I agree ... it is terribly annoying. But, I just let it go a lot of the time ... :o ... because we do the big wipe down with a wash cloth after every meal anyway. LOL. He mostly does it when he's (1) getting tired, or (2) has had some teething pain, or (3) when a new tooth has popped through. AND ... OH BOY! Do I get some screaming time in the highchair ... I know what you mean by that scream. Logan will do it when he (1) is tired of being in the highchair and doesn't really want to finish his meal (this especially happens when daddy is home and being distracting), or (2) when he is tired in general.

[AmyS]

MichelleRenee: My neighbor just had the same problem with her 12 month old daughter. She was waking up 5-6 times and night and screaming until my neighbor gave her a bottle. She was taking 40-48 ounces of milk a night, but then wouldn't eat anything during the day. At her 12M WBV the doctor told her to try putting 2 ounces of water in the bottle instead of milk. One sip of the water, she tossed the bottle out of bed and went back to sleep. She woke up 3 times the first night, once the second and SSTN for the first time ever the 3rd. The doctor told her she wasn't eating anything during the day because she was too full from the night.

WBV: We also have a 9 month visit.

Teething: It has kicked in full force. AJ has 1/4 of a tooth. He is up screaming for 2-3 hours a night. We've tried Tylenol, Mortin, Hyland's Teething Tablets, Oragel. Nothing seems to help. I just don't know what to do to make my poor baby feed better. Last night I just laid in bed and cried right along with him. Having my MIL here stressing me out isn't helping any at all either.

[Jenzen01]

Hi all,

Just a quick check-in. I haven't read everything because I've been on vacation since last Thursday.

Anyway, we, too, are having some sleep issues. Ada's not the greatest sleeper at night ... I can count on one hand the number of times she's STTN. But, she usually only gets up once or possibly twice a night. The past two nights were bad, which makes me suspect she's teething. She has yet to pop a tooth, so it's gotta be coming soon. She's been uber cranky since Sunday.

Oh, and I am not beyond giving her meds when she's not sleeping well. I'll either give her a dose of Tylenonl or Motrin if she's been cranky all day, and it usually helps a bit with sleeping at night.

Her latest accomplishment: clapping. It's really cute. She's also finally figured out how to roll both ways, so she's been rolling all over the floor. She's starting to think about crawling, but we still have a long way to go. She does the half-turn thing when on her belly, and she gets her legs up under herself a bit.

Latest finger foods: corn and peas, bits of watermelon, avacado

Oh, and we do have a 9-month WBV. After that, it's 12 months, 15, 18 and then 24.

[kate's mom]

Anyone on a napping schedule with their baby? If yes at what time and for how long do they nap??

Thanks- more later

[MidwesternGal]

MichelleRenee--Yeah, it sounds like your little guy thinks nighttime is eating time and daytime isn't. I have no idea how to get him to switch back though. Amy's idea of the water sounds good, but you probably will have a little crying with it, since you'll have to let him get a little hungry in order to get him to eat more during the day. Maybe offer 5 oz then 4 oz then 3 oz and slowly drop it down over a series of nights for formula offered at night to get him to take more during the day?

Napping Schedule--Sort of. We don't have a "set" time, but instead, I put him down for his morning nap around 2 hours after he's gotten up (somewhere between 1.5-2.5 hours of being awake). For his afternoon nap, I put him down around 3 hours after being up from his morning nap. This system seems to work pretty well, although days he gets up super early, he tends to be fussy before bedtime due to his pm nap being so early. ETA: He naps about an hour in the morning and anywhere between 1.5 and 2 hours in the afternoon.
________________________________
Okay, so I have weaned about 1.5 months ago, and my period is still screwy and my face is still breaking out and hair is still falling out. I thought maybe this would all get resolved once my BFing hormones were back to normal. Arrrg. Makes me want to bump up TTC#2 just so I have good hair and skin! LOL, I know, bad reason, hehehe.

ETA: Photos

Here are some photos of my little stinker getting into my computer accessories box. I have a "wall" built around the computer and cords because he is always getting into them (I WAH PT and am usually in the office with him.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/midwesterngal03/003.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/midwesterngal03/004.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q168/midwesterngal03/005.jpg


Jenzen, I really wish DS would learn to wave! That's sooooo cute! He just stares blankly at me. But, he can fake cough. What a goofy guy. I have a video, but it wouldn't load right. Oh well, maybe later!

[Rippy1010]

kate's mom ~ DS gets up around 6 or 6:30. He eats around 8am. The goes down for his first nap at about 8:45 - 9:15. He'll nap for about an hour to an 1.5 hours (sometimes he'll nap for 2 though ... he likes to keep us on our toes). Sometimes, if he's really cranky, he'll have a nap around 1:00 for 40 mins or so (but if his morning nap was bad, he's been known to sleep for about 2 hours at this nap). Lunch at 2ish. Then, if he hasn't had a good nap yet, and whenever he's getting cranky, he could have a little catnap around 3:30ish.

Jenzen ~ We have clapping, too. It is REALLY cute, isn't it?! If you sing the first line of "If you're happy and you know it" he will clap at the appropriate time. But, he won't do the rest of the song. Can't keep his attention that long. LOL!

MWGal ~ We have a little fake cougher, too. It's the game he plays with his daddy. Even though I've asked DH not to encourage it. LOL.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New stuff at our house ...

We play the "where's _____" game at the house now. Hee hee hee. So, he definitely understands the word "daddy" and "kitty cat". He also understands "juice", "bottle", "more", "nap", "do you want this" and "come on" (like to call him to come to you). He's not too keen on the understanding of "mommy", though. Grrrr.

He inched FORWARD this weekend. He has been crawling backwards and getting frustrated that he's not reaching his target destination. He doesn't go forward completely. He'll inch, then mess around, then inch, then mess around, etc, etc. So ... pretty soon we will be completely mobile. LOL.

He still likes walking the best, though. He zooms around his house in the walker. And if I hold his hands, he will practically run anywhere.

Now, he will stand for extended periods of time (unsupported) as long as he's holding on to something. We like him doing it in the playpen the best, because if he tumbles, there isn't anything to hurt him. :-)

He still doesn't understand finger foods and isn't all that interested in trying to feed himself. Why bother if mommy will do it? LOL. So, I guess that'll be our goal.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Nap - Easton usually goes down 10:30-11 and will sleep usually 3 hours. He will usually start to get sleepy 3-4 hours later and take about 30-60 min nap and then up the rest of the evening until bedtime.

[Nigellas]

MichelleRenee - Honestly, I'd consider switching Peds if he is so pushy about CIO - *especially* since your DS is still recovering from an ear infection.

[MichelleRenee]

Thank you all so much for your support and advice. We saw the ped today and Tristan's ears are almost 100% cleared up. There is a tiny bit of fluid which may feel itchy or tingly to him, but no infection.

I had a long talk with my ped about CIO and he was really sensitive to my discomfort with the idea. He did offer alternatives, but unfortunately they are all thigns we tried. He did convince me to give CIO a try, which I am not thrilled about, but I do feel better knowing he isn't in physical pain because of his ears.

We have set some "guidelines" for ourselves but I know this will still be hard. My fingers are crossed. We, as a family, need for this to work.

[MichelleRenee]

x-posted from journal:

It is 3:45 and I had to come in and post. Tristan woke up at 3:25 crying. At 3:40 I wanted to check on him to make sure he didn't have a full diaper. (he has been pooping in the middle of the night lately.) When I checked on him I gave him a 1/2 ounce of water. He hadn't even finished that when I took the bottle out of his mouth and put the pacifier in. And he fel back asleep!!!!! I am trying not to get too excited since this is just the first night, but woohoo!!

(lol, he fell asleep. I can finally get some rest but I am too excited so I came online.)

[Rippy1010]

MichelleRenee ~ That's a great start. I hope it goes well for you!

[TaterBaby]

Hi all! I've been out of town too so I'm a little behind in here...

I did want to post that DD started saying "mama" last week!!! It's not in relation to me yet, she just figured out how to make the "M" sound, but it's SO cute! She'll babble "mama" throughout the day. DH would never admit it, but I think he got his feelings a little hurt because everyone had told us that she'd say "dada" first because "D"s are easier.

Oh, and no teeth here yet either.

[MichelleRenee]

TaterBaby: that is exactly what Tristan does! He has been saying "mamama" for months but has recently started saying it more when he upset. (I don't know if that means he is saying it in relation to me but it sure sounds like it!)

This past weekend he added on "dada" and "lala." When he says "lala" it is so cute because he sticks his little tongue out.

[AmyS]

MichelleRenee: I'm so excited for you!!! I hope it keeps working (and I hope that I didn't jynx you by saying that!!)


Eating: After going on the BeechNut and Gerber web sites, I seriously feel like I am starving my son. DH assures me if AJ were starving he'd be crying all the time. But seriously, according to their food guides, AJ is eating almost nothing. I make his food. In the morning he gets between 1/4-1/2 cup cereal and 2 food cubes. At dinner he gets 2-3 food cubes. The Gerber/Beechnut sites say he should be eating like 14-16 ounces of food a day! I'm feeding him, what, 7-9 ounces maybe? I didn't start until 6 months so maybe he's jsut 2 months behind according to the food schedules, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong.

How much does your DC eat a day?

[MichelleRenee]

14-16 ounces of food a day

:eek:

That is between 5.5 and 6.5 jars of food per day!

We do 3 meals a day, which totals 7.5 ounces offered but he usually eats more like 6.5 ounces per day. I stopped doing cereal with every meal but I'd say he still gets about 3-5 ounces of cereal per day. I wonder if that Gerber/Beechnut number includes cereal?

Ugh. It is too early for math.

Thank you, AmyS. You didn't jinx us at all!

Tristan just fell asleep 100% on his own after 30 minutes of crying.

[Rippy1010]

How much does your DC eat a day?

Breakfast: 1/2 cup of cereal + 1/2 of a 3.5oz jar of fruit
Lunch: 1 full 3.5 oz jar of veggie
Dinner: 1/2 cup of cereal + 1 full 3.5 oz jar of veggie

So ... let me add up ... I think by my calculation that is right around 16.75 oz a day. Wow. I've never added it up before. My little guideline thing just said "strive for 5" ... as in 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day. And 5 servings is 2-1/2 containers (of 3.5 ozs). But, I give him a serving of mixed grain at b-fast and a serving of rice at dinner in addition to the fruits and veggies because (1) he's a huge boy, and seems really really hungry, and (2) it gets in extra formula that he won't take from a bottle. :) If I don't count cereal oz, then it's 8-3/4 oz a day.

[MidwesternGal]

Holy cow! I don't feed DS anything close to that.

Brunch--about 1/2 cup of cereal and 1/2 container of baby food.

Supper--1 whole baby food serving and the rest of the other food.

He seems perfectly fine with that!

MichelleRenee--Yay for your accomplishment the other night!! That must make you feel good!

I have news to report, but I'm so upset right now (MIL related). You can read about it in this thread:
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1366181#post1366181

If anyone has any advice or can just commiserate with me, please do so. I'm really upset right now.

Thanks!

[TaterBaby]

How much does your DC eat a day?

We're currently at two "meals" per day - one 3.5 oz fruit at breakfast and one 3.5 oz veggie for dinner. So, AmyS, we're right there with you. Our ped said by 9 months to have DD on 3 meals per day so I think we'll start a lunch time jar next week at 8 months. Still, we're only talking 10.5 oz total though. The baby food companies want your child to eat more so you buy more of their products, KWIM? I'd venture to say their estimates are on the generous side.

[Jenzen01]

Food ... I just changed Ada's schedule. She decreased her milk intake because of the increased solids.

6:30-7ish - nurse
8:30ish - breakfast (fruit and cereal). This morning, she had a 4 oz serving and some fruit puffs.
11 - nurse (or bottle at daycare)
2ish - lunch - 4 oz veggie, some finger foods, maybe some cereal
afternoon - nurse (or bottle at daycare)
5-6ish - supper (last night she had a 5.5 ounce No. 3 dinner plus some banana chunks and Cheerios and a sippy cup with water)
7:30 - final nursing of the day

She also gets up once at night to nurse.

So, she's getting a lot of solids and quite a bit of finger foods already. She's only been getting about 10 oz of milk at daycare this week.

[kate's mom]

How much food?
My DD is a piggie!
6:30a.m. 6oz bottle
8ish 1 jar of food and a little cereal
11 5 oz bottle
12ish 1-2 jars of food
3ish 5-6 oz bottle
5 1-2 jars of food
6:30 4-6 oz bottle
She also gets puffs, kix or other finger foods on her tray when she
is eating.
She is STTN from 7-6:30 so no eating at night for her.

[AmyS]

MidwesternGal: I haven't had the chance to read your MIL post yet, but anyone with MIL issues gets a GREAT BIG HUG from me. I have such issues with mine; especially when she comes in for the summer.

Food: I'm glad that others are feeding the same amount I am. I didn't think he was starving, but after reading that stuff it really crossed my mind. My mom said the same thing about it coming from the food manufacturer. "Of course they want you to think you baby has to eat that much. They're trying to sell their product!" DH and I talked about it today and I'm going to slowly start increasing his food- start with lunch next week at 8 months and increase the morning/evening meal a little bit. I think I'm also going to cut back from 5 to 4 nursing sessions a day. AJ only eats for a few minutes at #3 and #4 so maybe if I combine them he won't fight me so much.

[Mrs-Mac]

I think I finally decided on our daycare provider. Its a group home day care center. Group home means up to 12 kids (and 2 people). Its been a very difficult decision. I've come to realize that I'm not going to actually find one I like. Its more like finding the one that I dislike the least. In my mind, no one is good enough for my DD. I'm sure everyone feels that way. I start part-time work on Tuesday. I'm feeling sick over the whole thing. I cry almost everyday. I can't even imagine what a mess I'm going to be like on Tuesday. Luckily, my dd will be with my SIL, so that helps.

Food - we are now doing 3 meals a day and nursing 4 times. I also make my baby food and dd was getting 6 cubes a meal. She's a complete piggy. So that would be around 15 oz (a cube is just under 1 oz). I've read that babies won't over eat, they will start to refuse it, so we just add a cube or have "dessert" after the veggies (applesauce) if she still seems hungry.

Teeth - none yet, but drooling and chewing on everything.

Naps - trying to move to a 2 nap schedule. It works some days, other days, not so much.
Wakes up - 6:00
Nap #1 - 8:30 or 9:00 - sleep 1 - 1.5 hours
Nap #2 - 1:00 sleeps 1 -2 hours
Bedtime - between 6:00 - 7:00 (depending on how long she napped)
She's finally STTN again, after a 1-2 month period of waking up at night.

Michelle - hope things continue to improve in regards to sleep. I really like the idea of water in the bottle.

[nic]

MichelleRenee- I really hope Tristan's sleep continue's to improve.

AmyS- That seems like a pretty steep estimate to me. Christian eats between 6-8 ounces of food per day, I doubt if he'd eat much more than that at this point. As long as your DS is gaining weight consistantly, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I swear everytime I write about a concern I have in this thread, it seems to get better. Last week I was worried that DS wasn't sitting long unassisted but he's really improved the last few days.

So, I decided to try giving DS some avacado yesterday and boy, was it hilarious! He's not a fussy eater so I figured he'd love it ....not so much. He did the whole body shudder and then gagged and spit it out. It probably had something to do with the lemon juice I squirted on top of it;)

We also tried to bring him in the baby pool thinking he'd love it, again, not so much. He cried everytime we'd put his feet in even though the water was leak warm. He likes baths so I'm not sure what his aversion to the pool is.

[MichelleRenee]

We've got some good eaters! I am still trying to figure out Tristan's schedule, but here is the basic setup:

7:30 am: fruit and cereal
8:30 am: 6 ounce bottle
12:00: fruit or veg
1:00 pm: 6 ounce bottle
4:00 pm: 6 ounce bottle
5:30 pm: veg and cereal
6:30 pm: 6 ounce bottle

[Rippy1010]

MichelleRenee ~ That's almost our exact schedule! Cool! :)

nic ~ were you in the pool too, or just your DS? Do you still use the infant/toddler bath tub? If you do, maybe he was a little fearful that it was more water than he's used to.

[nic]

Rippy~ We tried putting him the pool a few different ways. First I stood at the edge and put his feet in and then DH sat down in the pool with DS in between his legs, he cried no matter what. We still use the infact tub although he really is too big so it. We have one of the those inflatable tubs that you put into the regular bathtub but we haven't gotten around to blowing it up yet.

DS and I are really suffering with allergies this week. I'll have to cathe ped today and find out if there's anything you can give a baby for allergies.

[bunnybeth]

It looks like we're going to be switching daycare centers, as a spot has opened up for Simon at my on-site daycare at work. So, this means I'll get to see Simon during the day, I'm very excited! I'll go over there for lunch and breaks. Still haven't figured out if I'll be able to nurse him and ditch pumping, or if I should just continue pumping and bottles. (Nursing would be tricky for my work schedule...)

Food He only started solids less than 2 weeks ago, so we're still only on 1 cube (about 1 oz) a day. Yesterday, he only took 2 spoonfuls before refusing any more though, but he did nurse a lot. I was going to start having them give him a solid lunch at daycare next week, but now with switching centers, I think we'll hold off on daytime solids until he is settled into the new place.

Mrs-Mac Enjoy your time together with DD now, try not to think about Tues too much. (If you can!) The first day back stinks, but it does get better.

[Nigellas]

AmyS - I'd take that food advice with a whole shaker of salt - Gerber obviously wants you to feed more so you will buy more, you know?

I still BF on demand and feed solids *maybe* once a day - Nothing big, I'll give him some tiny banana chunks or some avocado to play with. He's getting all of the nutrition that he needs from BM right now.

B.Beth- That is Fabulous news about the opening at center at your work. :)

[MichelleRenee]

Looks like Tristan has a stomach bug. He threw up a few times this afternoon and it was pretty bad. (gagging and choking)

I have a HUGE fear of throwing up... seeing it, hearing it... anything that has to do with it. I have known all along that this would be my biggest challenge as a mom.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Solids - Easton has been eating food since he was 6 months. He eats probably close to 4-5 TBS of cereal with bananas and 2-4oz of fruit. If he gets lunch it's usually a 4oz veggie and dinner is a meat/veggie or meat/fruit combo jar of 4oz and either a veggie or fruit jar that is 2-4oz. Sometimes he finishes a whole 4oz jar, other times he just wants half of it or so. He gets a bottle between all the feedings and pretty much is still on demand with bottles.

We have his 9 month appt today. This weekend he taught himself to sit up from a laying position. Learned how to open my mom's cabinets and let them bang shut. To go forward in his walker at her house. He is getting better at crawling, got a bit forward, definately has backwards down though. He is cutting his 2 top teeth as well now.

We are going to take his 9 month pics this weekend most likely. We are temped to set up the camera in his room to watch him in his crib at night. I walked past his room last night and he was sitting up proud as day in there. Today I am going to lower his crib a notch or 2.

[Rippy1010]

Logan's progressions in the last 2 weeks ...

We've had a productive two weeks! I sometimes think I'm missing new stuff ... he learns to do so many new things at one time that I sit there thinking "is that the first time he did that, or has he been doing that and I wasn't paying attention?"

- sits up from a laying position
- pulls himself to a stand from a laying position
- Walker! Forgetaboutit ... backwards, forward, spins, makes turns ... he's a nut in that thing! He's actually RUNNING in that thing! The cats run and hide as soon as he's in it because he chases them. LOL! :eek:
- Crawling ... he is now completely mobile going forward and back.


He totally doesn't understand what the deal is with finger food. If it's something he has to hold and put in his mouth, he is totally perplexed. He also doesn't understand that you have to chew something. I tried to give him one of those Fruit Puffs in banana flavor. I thought it would be okay since it says that it "melts" (dissolves) in babies mouth. Yeah, wasn't really working for us ... he was choking and gagging on it. Instead of chewing and gnawing on it, he just moved it to the back of his throat and tried to swallow it whole. Am I missing something? How come so many other babies at the same age are getting the entire concept of finger foods?


New QOTD ~ Does anyone know GENERALLY how many teeth babies get before there's a break?

Logan has two top and two bottom. I figured we would get a break after those four. However, this weekend I could tell that his mouth was really bothering him like he's cutting yet another tooth!

[MidwesternGal]

Mrs. Mac--Good luck tomorrow! I'm sure it will be hard.

bunnybeth--Awesome about the daycare center! yay!

MichelleRenee--I hope little Tristan is feeling better!

Ericka--I desperately want to get some pics of DS sleeping, too! He curls right up with his little bear and it's soooo cute! Or, he will move so much into the weirdest positions (like butt in the air and face smashed in the mattress). However, my guy wakes up if the blinds creak, so I think I'm out of luck.

Rippy--Holy cow, 4 teeth!! That is a ton!!

QOTD: I think normally it's only 2 or so (if IIRC from my babysitting years), but it sounds like Logan is an overachiever! LOL.
________________________________
DS new thing is to hold his mouth open like he's going to talk, and then curl his tongue all weird outside his mouth. He also gets a strange facial expression. He'll "hold" this look for several minutes at a time. Frankly, he looks like he's doped up when he does this. Should I be worried, or is this just another part of teething?

Let's see. . . . not too much to report around here. DS is fascinated with standing up now that he pulls up. The blinds are esp. fun, so I am constantly checking after him for that.

His new favorite "game" is for me or DH to lightly and gently "toss" him onto the couch from him standing and us giving him a quick boost on the butt. He just about dies giggling. It's hilarious.

Oh. And he now screams at the TOP of his lungs for attention (think 10 year old girl going down rollercoaster for the first time!!). If Mommy is busy and lets him play by himself too long, he will let me know!!!! Yikes. Days I have a lot to do, I have a masssssive headache at the end. Anyone know how to break him of this habit??

[Rippy1010]

MWGal ~ My DS did (sometimes still does) the tongue contortion thing when he first started having his teeth pop through. Oh, and re: the screaming. Lordy, my DS does that, too. He has progressed to doing it to strangers now in stores ... :o :rolleyes: It's like he's saying "hello, baby in the room! You are supposed to be cooing over me!" :rolleyes: It gets embarrassing :o . Other than shushing him, I don't know how to really break the habit.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Just got in from Easton's appt. He is now 17lbs, 4oz (15%) and 28 1/2" long (30%) Doctor said he is doing great, he gained 2lbs 4oz in the last 3 months and grew 2". He got his heel pricked today and that level came back great for his iron level, so no need to worry about that. He also got his last Hep B shot. We don't go back until the 6th of September now.

Just this morning after my earlier post, Easton pulled himself to standing in his crib, so his crib being lowered today is for sure a definate. He got all the way across the room and was sitting at the stairs, so the baby gate will be going up as well.

The doctor said I can move him to Stage 3 food for the texture and give him more finger foods. She said his legs are really strong and it will only be about a month or two most likely until he will be walking.

[Rippy1010]

Ericka ~ Is the heel prick a normal thing for 9 months, or something specific for Easton? Sounds like Easton is doing great! Can you believe he is going to be WALKING soon?! OMG!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Rippy - apparently it's a normal test done, it's to check the levels of iron and I think something else. I know the level was 11.4 and the dr said it was perfect.

She also told me to try and feed him more during the day so that he will not need to eat at night, she said at this time he shouldn't need to eat and should be able to just sleep through the night. I told her that it's usually a snack that it seems he wants (2-3 oz) and that I do leave him in his crib to play or talk and don't go in unless he starts to cry even after a paci and little back patting (since we are in an apt, can't leave him crying for a few mins) She said that I was doing the right thing. The more solids he gets into him, the better he will sleep as he will be full. I told her he eats bottles pretty much on demand still, between 6-8oz depending on how he did with solids (with him cutting teeth sometimes he just wants nothing to do with solids and instead of fighting with him, just go to a bottle, she said it was ok to do that)

[MichelleRenee]

Oh... that tongue thing is a teething thing? Tristan just started doing that over the weekend. He is always sticking it out now, which means he has added a new sound to his "vocabulary": lalalala! Super cute!

He was much better yesterday. He didn't throw up anymore but he did sleep a lot. He also didn't eat much. He is making up for it today though.

I am hoping to resume sleep training full-force tonight. Last night I let him cry the first time he woke, but since he was sick I decided to go to him and give him some water. The second time he just wasn't having it so I gave him formula. I hope tonight goes better!

[Ericka_Jarett]

tongue tricks - Easton started clicking his tongue this weekend at my moms, now he does it all the time. Definitely a teething thing, I think. He loves feeling his teeth now.

[jbemommy]

I am amazed at the difference 2 weeks has made! Steven is now pulling himself up and doing a little cruising along furniture. He is getting better at getting back down on the floor without falling, so there's less crying. He's crawling all over. He copies sounds we make, has started clapping, and plays peek-a-boo! (Remember that he is 8.5 months old, so older than most of the other babies on here).

I'm impressed with those of you who have an eating schedule with actual times! Steven eats 1 or 2 4-oz things of food 3 times a day, but I'm still mostly guessing when he's ready for solids.

And there's no sleep schedule yet, either. DD was pretty regular with her nap times by now, but not Steven. The only schedule we have is that he's usually ready for a nap about 2 hours after he last woke up, but it can be anywhere from 1.5 hours to 3 hours. And the time he gets up is variable--we had about 2 weeks where he woke up at exactly 5:50 every morning, the last few mornings he's woken up earlier than that but gone back to sleep.

[Sept&Oct06Moms]

Updated to Here

[Ericka_Jarett]

Easton is 9 months today!!!!!!!

[Michelle]

Ericka - Happy 9 months to Easton!

So does anybody have any advice on traveling with DC? I leave for Hawaii on Friday and have been researching like crazy things to do when traveling. I'm nervous for the flight but I know that Madison will be happy as long as I'm holding her and she has a bottle during take off and landing. If anybody has any other advice, I'll take it!

Hope everybody is doing well!

[MichelleRenee]

Michelle:

I don't have any advice, but good luck! We are also going on our first big trip in 10 days and I am going nuts trying to prepare us. We aren't flying, but we will be driving 18 hours so I am really nervous about how Tristan will do in the car.

[Rippy1010]

We'll be taking our first "with baby" vacation in August ... so I'd also be grateful to any advice.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Traveling - Easton has now been on a plane 2 times (cross country to Vegas and to FL) and will be going again in July (cross country with a layover). He has been on at least 4 road trips that are at least 5 hours long, during the holidays it was much longer like 10 hours.

-If you are going to have a layover that is the best time for diaper changes and feedings. If you have no layover, check to see if the airline has a changing table in the bathroom to us, otherwise it could be tricky to do a change.
-Have some favorite toys with you, have Tylenol and Orajel if you have a teether on your hands.
-Just be patient with yourself and the baby.
-Don't worry about what others think, you may get looks if your little one gets fussy.
-Make sure to have a pacifier (and an extra one or 2 in case it gets lost) if you child takes one, for in case they don't want a