May 2007 ~ Enjoying our May Flowers!

[May 2007 Mommies]

Our May Babies have Arrived!

Our Baby Girls=12
Amy_6405, bellabonga, chicksinger, clzj, Feisty, foxyboo751, Giry76, Hawaii2sj, KeliAnn, Maniach, Melody, Sunshine


Our Baby Boys=14
cgriffin, CMW02, emilyln, Erin16nj, gf&js, jessmaine, Kiki'sMommy, LILRTL, MAYMAY, Rico'sAlice, suzfuzsunflower, txfish, ummserious, Yolanda

~~~
If you are new here, congratulations! We hope you will consider joining us. We look forward to sharing this amazing journey together! Please posts all updates in RED. Also, when posting, please put in the subject line how far along you are (week/day)!

Please list your stats in RED in your first post.

CC Name:
Me: Name, age
DH: Name, age
Married: Date
TTC: Date
BFP: Date
EDD: Date
Any other children:

The threadmistress is gf&js feel free to PM her or May 2007 Mommies if you have any questions/comments regarding the thread.

Our previous threads are here...
The 1st Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24036)
The 2nd Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25882)
The 3rd Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29468)
Babies Arriving (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32441)

[May 2007 Mommies]

Amy_6405
Me: 26
DH: 25
Married: 06/04/05
TTC: 07/06
BFP: 09/17/06
EDD: 05/25/07
Any other children: none

bellabonga
Me: 34
DH: 36
Married: October 2nd, 2002
TTC: July 2006
BFP: September 11th, 2006
EDD: May 23rd, 2007
Any other children: Maya Allison (born February 14th, 2003) and Olivia Nathanielle (m/c because of Trisomy 21 on May 23rd, 2006)

cgriffin
Me: Caitlin, 22
DH: Josh, 22
Married: 7-24-04
TTC: weren't trying to concieve or prevent
BFP: 8-27-06
EDD: 5-5-07
Any other children: a 7 month old Baby Girl, Claire Ryann

Chicksinger
Me: Murphy, 37
DH: Bryan, 37
Married: April 26, 2003
TTC: June 2006
BFP: Sept. 15, 2006
EDD: May 30, 2006
Gender Prediction: Boy?
Actual Gender: Girl!
Any other children: DS Zachary, Oct. 7, 2004

clzj
my name: Lynn
DH: Charles
wedding date: 6/2/02
edd: 5/18/07 (will be c-section so it will probably be 5/11/07)
BFP:9/11/06
Other Children: DSS Zachary 6/30/95, DS Isaiah 4/24/03, Angel Baby 10/26/06 (lost to a cord accident at 36w 3 days)

CMW02
Me: Cindy, 34
DH: Cory, 33
Married: Aug 17, 2002
TTC: Aug 06
BFP: Aug 28, 06
EDD: May 5, 07
Gender Prediction: BOY?
Actual Gender: BOY!!!
Any other children: DD Simone will be 2yrs old on 11/12

emilyln
Me: Ellen, 29
DH: Tony 27
Married: October 31, 2002
TTC: not crazy trying but not trying not to
BFP: September 20. 2006
EDD: May 25, 2007
Gender Prediction: whatever we're blessed with
Actual Gender: BOY!
Any other children: Perfect, Beautiful 10 month-old Abby

erin16nj
Me: Erin , age 37
DH: Mark, age 33
Married: Date 10-12-2002
TTC: 08-06
BFP: 8/30/2006
EDD: 5/12/2007
Any other children- DS Cole Anthony 12-12-2004

Feisty, 27
DH: 28
Married: June 01
TTC: Aug 06
BFP: 9/04/2006
EDD: 5/16/2007

foxyboo751
Me: Sarah, 25
DH: Will, 26
Married: September 1, 2001
TTC: 06/2006
BFP: 09/09/2006
EDD: May 18, 2007
Gender Prediction: doesn't matter
Actual gender: Girl!
Any other children: 2 cats and a puppy

gf&js
Me: Glynis, 32
DH: Joe, 30
Married: May 25, 2002
TTC: Aug 2006
BFP: Aug 28, 2006
EDD: May 7, 2006
Gender Prediction: put me on the green team
Any other children: DD - Kyra - Oct 15, 2004

Giry76
Me: Colleen, 30
DH: Troy, 30
Married: September 25, 2004
TTC: December, 2005
BFP: August 21, 2006
EDD: May 4, 2007
Any other children: This is our first

Hawaii2sj
Me: 29
DH: 29
Married: 01/24/04
TTC: not exactly
BFP: 08/31/06
EDD: 05/05/07
Gender Prediction: fingers crossed for a GIRL
Actual Gender: GIRL!!!
Any other children: Aiden 10 months and fur-baby Pug Sasha

jessmaine
Me: Jessica 36
DH: Tom 33
Married: 9/8/01
TTC: 12/03
BFP: 9/23
EDD: 5/30
Gender Prediction: Girl
Actual Gender: BOY!
Any other children: Paige almost 4

KeliAnn
Me: Keli, 29
DH: Ken, 38
Married: 4/29/06
TTC: 7/06
BFP: 9/5/06 (doc confirmation 9/7)
EDD: 5/17/07
Gender Prediction: Boy
Actual Gender: Girl!
Any other children: three spoiled dogs

Kiki'sMommy
Me: Amanda, 28
DH: Lance, 35
Married: 9/14/02
TTC: Not trying, not preventing
BFP: 9/3/06
EDD: 5/15/07
Gender Prediction: boy (But wants a girl!)
Actual Gender: Boy!
Any other children: A beautiful DD who is 19 months old.

LILRTL
Me: Lora, 24
DH: Rusty, 26
Married: May 8, 2004
TTC: August 2006
BFP: September 10, 2006
EDD: May 20, 2007
Gender prediction:
Actual gender: Boy
Any other children: DS, Zach 8.4.05

Maniach
Me: Jen, 30
DH: Chris, 33
Married: 06/10/06 (but we've been together 9 years)
TTC: since the wedding, I guess... haven't really tried or not tried
BFP: 08/30/06
EDD: 4/28/07
Gender Prediction:Girl I hope
Actual Gender: GIRL!!!
Any other children:None

MAYMAY
Me: Meagan, 23
DH: Brad,28
Married: Aug. 2005
TTC:Jan. 2006
BFP: Aug. 29, 2007
EDD: May 7, 2007
Any other children: DSD, Aug. 26, 2003

Melody
Me: Melody, 27
DH: Dave, 27
Married: 04.24.04
TTC: July 2006
BFP: 08.23.06
EDD: 5.5.07 (Cinco de Mayo)
Any other children: 2 dogs- Minnie & Penne

Rico'sAlice
Me: Alice, 26
DH: Enrico, 28
Married: 12/21/2002
TTC: Were not trying
BFP: 9/6
EDD: 5/14
Gender Prediction: By O/BD dates a boy is more likely, but I can only think about girl names
Actual Gender:
Any other children: Nope. (Except three dogs)

Sunshine
Me: 27
DH: 30
Married: August 27, 2005
TTC: May 9, 2006
BFP: August 22, 2006
EDD: May 2, 2007
Gender Prediction: Girl
Actual Gender:

Suzfuzsunflower
Me: 24
DH: 24
Married: 08/09/03
TTC: 03/05
BFP: 09/19/06
EDD: 05/29/06
Gender Prediction: Boy
Actual Gender: Boy!
Any other children: my kitty

txfish
me: Rebecca, 28
dh: William, 36
EDD: 5/20/07
TTC: let's just say, we're still in shock lol
other kids: Caroline, 5 and Whitney, 13 months
gender prediction: I'm thinking boy
Actual Gender:
put me on team: Green (now let's see if I cave!)

Ummserious
Me: Emily, 32
DH: Michael, 31
Married: 7/4/02
TTC: 9/1/06
BFP: 9/20/06
EDD: 5/27/07
Actual gender: Boy!
Any other children: nope, just our trusty dog Mason

Yolanda
Me: Yolanda
DH: Brian
Married: 8/28/04
TCC: 4/2005
BFP: 9/1/06
EDD: 5/6/07
Gender prediction:
Actual gender: Boy
No other children, except our dogs.

[May 2007 Mommies]

April 24
Melody
It's a GIRL! ~ Hamilton Rebekah
at 38w 2d
3:35 am
6 lbs 10oz
19.5 inches
http://www.daveappel.com/first%20smile.jpg

April 26
Yolanda
It's a BOY! ~ Caleb
at 38w 4d
3:42pm
7 lbs 9oz
19 3/4 inches

April 29
LILRTL
It's a BOY! ~ Evan
at 37w
8:51pm
7lbs 3oz
20" long
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y88/lrlynch04/101_1555.jpg

April 30
erin16nj
It's a BOY! ~ Chase Aiden
at 38w 2d via c-section
8lbs 5oz
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y162/erin616/Picture202.jpg

CMW02
It's a BOY! ~ Gavin Elliott W.
at 39w2d via c-section
8:26am
8lbs 7.5oz
19.5" long
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/cmw02/GavinElliott016.jpg?t=1178176294

cgriffin
It's a BOY! ~ Joshua Ryan Jr.
at 39w2d
5:44pm
7lbs 2oz
20" long

[May 2007 Mommies]

May 2
giry76
It's a GIRL! ~ Mirei Fury Root
at 39w5d via c-section
6:39am
http://a299.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/5/m_a4379aafc332ea8fa3930b4be2b8ef3a.jpg

May 4
Kiki'sMommy
It's a BOY! ~ Karsten Grant
at 38w3d via c-section
8lbs 10oz

May 4
bellabonga
It's a GIRL! ~ Milla Olivia
8:57am via c-section
7.28lbs; 19.7"
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/bellabonga/DSC04817.jpg

May 7
maniach
It's a GIRL! ~ Chloe Paige
10:00pm via c-section
8lb 2oz; 21"

May 8
clzj
It's a GIRL! ~ Anastasia Elizabeth
8:42 PM
19 inches
6 pounds 13 oz

May 11
gf&js
It's a BOY! ~ Liam Joseph
9:26 pm
8lbs 9oz and 22 inches

May 12
Sunshine
It's a GIRL! ~ Allison Rose Mary
4:04am via c-section
8lbs 6.8oz ; 20"

May 13
Hawaii2SJ
It's a GIRL! ~ Kayla Lilinoe
1:17am
7lbs 13.8oz
19.5 inches

MAYMAY
It's a BOY! ~ Cannon
http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z257/mhooker7/cannonsbday014.jpg?t=1181778299

May 16
KeliAnn
It's a GIRL! ~ Emma Grace
5:59am
7lbs 4oz; 20.5"
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/503788012_98ebf0de52.jpg

suzfuzsunflower
It's a BOY! ~ Benjamin Matthew
Born on May 16th at 12:54 p.m.
7 pounds, 15.8 ounces
19 inches long
Born at 38 weeks, 1 day

[May 2007 Mommies]

May 17
foxyboo751
It's a GIRL!
5:30 EST
8lbs 10oz, 21 inches
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j153/sarah082281/felicity2.jpg

Amy_6405
It's a GIRL! ~ Kierstin Lynn
5.57pm
6lbs 15 oz, 19.5 inches
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v149/amhall01/DSC02169.jpg

May 20
Rico'sAlice
It's a BOY! ~ Johannes Edward
12:24 pm
6lb8.4oz. 21"

May 21
jessmaine
It's a BOY! ~ Thomas Reid
12.23
7.8 lbs
19 1/4 inches
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/jessmaine_2007/100_1467.jpg

May 23
txfish
It's a BOY! ~ William Fisher
12:11am
8 lb 4oz
21.5 inches

May 26
Feisty
It's a GIRL! ~ Sonja
11lbs
http://i7.tinypic.com/508be3b.jpg

[May 2007 Mommies]

May 29
Ummserious
It's a BOY! ~ Benjamin Reuben
4:44pm
7lbs 15oz
20.5" long
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/ummserious/ben2.jpg

May 30
Chicksinger
It's a GIRL! ~ Katelynne Elizabeth
11:44 a.m
8 lbs/8 oz
20" in length
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/chicksinger/KatiePink1.jpg

emilyln
It's a BOY! ~ Will
5:07 am
8 lbs 15 ounces, 21 inches long

[May 2007 Mommies]

Welcome, Mamas!

Please take a moment to look over the first few posts and make sure your information is correct! Let us know in red if anything needs to be updated/changed.

[LILRTL]

Subscribing! Hope to update this weekend! :D

[clzj]

subscribing

[KeliAnn]

Thank you for starting the new thread, Sunshine! Looking forward to continuing to get to know the May mommies and babies even better! :D

[Amy_6405]

subscribing! Thanks for the new thread :)

[emilyln]

subscribing! Woo hoo for the new thread!

[maniach]

Subscribing!

[gf&js]

Hee Hee, it's so weird to be going to a new spot to find our group! :D Now let's get the remaining babies here!

[suzfuzsunflower]

Subscribing. Yay for the new thread!

[Sunshine]

I LOVE seeing everyones new avatars:D We all have such beautiful babies...wouldnt you agree? :D


~~~
PP Bleeding~Well, mine has finally stopped at 3 weeks! YAY!!!!!

Sleeping and Awake Patterns~How is everyone's little ones doing and changing? Mine seems to be staying awake longer during the day and sleeping more at night. She gets a good 4 hour stretch every night, altho we have had a few 5 hour and even a 7 hour stretch!
She is still sleeping in a bassinet in our room but I want to start putting her in her crib at night starting 1 month, which is So soon! I cant believe it!
She is changing more and more every day too. Its amazing how quickly they grow up and learn things:D
I just love my baby girl more and more every day:D

Feeding~Well, I am slowly giving up on breastfeeding...I am trying, which is all I can do, but I find myself grabbing for a bottle more and more rather than breastfeeding.
When she does feed on the bottle she is drinking up to 4oz at a time now! Where is everyone on that who is bottle feeding????

Hope everyone is having a great weekend:D

[KeliAnn]

PP Bleeding: Mine has slowed considerably -- I'm just using panty liners now vs big ole pads. Woohoo!!

Sleeping: Unfortunately, we seem to be going backwards. Last night, she woke up to eat 6 times! But she's not eating well at all. I'm fixing 2-3oz bottles, and she'll only eat an ounce before she konks out or spits the bottle nipple out. Then, she'll wake up 1.5 hrs later to eat another ounce. So forth and so on. I'm hoping it's just a growth spurt or something because I take all of the feedings at night during the week since DH works, and I don't know if I'll be able to stay sane with this kind of schedule. :rolleyes:

I've been swaddling her pretty tightly with the Swaddle Me blankets, but the feet area is loose, so she kicks herself awake. I ordered a Miracle Blanket yesterday, so I'm hoping that will help keep her asleep longer.

Feeding: She's currently eating around 2.5 - 3oz during a good session. I'm so tired of pumping, and my supply has quickly diminished because I cannot keep up with her, so I don't think I'll make it to the 4- to 6-week mark like I planned. I've got enough in the freezer to make it to a little over 3 weeks with some EBM every day, but then we'll have to make the switch to full-time formula. I kept trying and hoping she'd get it, but she's a biter, and my nipples just can't take it anymore.

Formula: What kind are all of you using? We're currently using Enfamil Lipil w/ Iron because that's what the hospital sent us home with, and it's working okay for her. But she did have a spit up episode this morning, and it smelled SO bad! Like metallic. Ugh. Her poops have also cut down from 4+ to more like one or two a day, but that was even when she was getting mostly EBM. She's also extremely gassy, but the farts don't seem to bother her. She just does it ALL the time. It's quite funny, actually. :p

Now that she's becoming more aware and wide-eyed, we're enjoying her so much! She looks like a little girl now ... not an old, wrinkly man. ;)

[Amy_6405]

PP Bleeding - Mine is slowing down quite a bit, still wearing pads but only because I bought too many.

Sleeping - She is doing pretty good, we get 3-4 hour stretches, but our problem is that once she is up and eats she is up for at least 45 minutes, and a lot of that is because she will not burp! As far as amounts go we are feeding her anywhere from 3-4, usualy she eats 3oz at a time, sometimes on a bad night only 2.

Formula - We are using the Members Mark brand from Sams Club, it's the same as Enfamil with Lipil and she is taking it really well. And it's only $19.38 for a huge can so that helps :) Kierstin isn't really gassy but it takes her forever to burp, and thats when she burps sometimes she doesn't burp at all. Thats something i'm going to as the Ped tomorrow at our appointment.

We are trying to keep her awake more during the day so she sleeps more at night but man it's hard keeping a 2 week old awake *lol* :) I want to let her sleep but I also want to know if she will sleep better at night. We still swaddle her at night and that helps a lot.

[Sunshine]

Formula~We use Alimentum. It is a Similac brand, no soy no milk formula. Its about $7 for 32 oz. The pediatrician in the hospital puts all babies on this brand "just in case". If she didnt do so well on it I would want to switch her b/c of the cost...but it isnt worth it, in case she does have some sort of reaction to another brand.

I'm so ready to switch to formula full time...but I feel like DH wants me to keep trying. I dont know if he really knows how much feeding hurts.

KeliAnn~Alli is a biter too....It hurts SO BADLY when she latches on, and then every time she sucks, but I KNOW she is latched on right. She has such a powerful suck and powerful gums...I'm surprised I have held on this long...
I admire you for pumping so much. I tried to pump and it was so much work, I hate to say I gave up on it:(

[bellabonga]

Wow, I can´t believe how time flies again already! Today Milla is already one month old. In no time she´ll be four years old and be huge like Maya is. :(

PP bleeding: I rarely had PPB and it was gone after three weeks. In fact I´m a bit worried if that was really okay. I have had some weird pain near my right ovary for some days now and I´m thinking about going to my obgyn today in the afternoon to get checked. Someone on my German message board said that her cervix closed too early and that the blood stayed inside the uterus and caused an infection. I hope I don´t have that too.

Sleeping: Right now she is driving me nuts! She is cranky in the mornings, sleeps all day from lunch on except for feedings and is up and cranky late evenings until 3.30am. :mad: This night I slept from 1am to 2.15am and then again from 5am until 6.40am when Maya came over. And since then Milla has been cranky again.

Formula: Just like Maya, Milla could eat all day! She is already eating too much, just like Maya did. I really don´t want to feed her that much because Maya was overweight from too much formula and although she isn´t overweight anymore, she is certainly far from skinny. Right now Milla is drinking 5oz which is okay for being one month old. But she should only drink 5 bottles a day according to the package. And she wants to have about 8 bottles a day. I try to feed her every four hours because if she eats more often, her stomach aches more and she spits more milk. But she wakes up after 2hrs and 15min every time and is cranky. Then I have to soothe her until she falls back asleep and keep her on my arm until the next feeding time. So I rarely have time for myself and I lack sleep and get cranky myself. I´m exhausted and I can´t stand all this screaming, especially when she´s just had a bottle two hours ago! :mad:

[suzfuzsunflower]

PP Bleeding - Is very light and almost gone. Hurray!

Sleeping - He wakes up every 2.5 or 3 hours during the night to eat, although last night he woke up 6 times to eat by 6 a.m.! I really hope that we do not have any more of those nights. I'm glad that many of your babies seem to be sleeping well.

Eating - Still trying to breastfeed. He's not biting/guming as much anymore, so it's going much better than at first. I've tried pumping and giving him bottles, but he doesn't seem to know what to do with the nipple.

[CMW02]

maniach--- I live in Seattle! :) Do you have family here?
8 hrs? are you driving? I hope you get some good weather! Its been really hot here until today but should be around 70's next week.

Feeding: Still exclusively BF'ing. Going pretty well although it seems he wants to nurse ALL The time! We are probably at an average of every 1.5-2.5 hours..depends on his sleep schedule.

And speaking of Sleep: He usually sleeps in the AM from about 9-11a or so and then will be up for an hour or 2 or even 3. Then he naps until 5-6pm and up again until 9p. The fussy hours are generally between 11pm and 2AM which drained me at first, but now I'm used to it, so I try to rest up at 9pm to avoid being so overly tired. He refuses to sleep in his bassinett at night which sucks, but he will nap fairly well in his crib during the day and sometimes he will sleep in his bouncer chair.
HATES the swing unless he is totally exhausted but if awake, he just wants me to hold him.
We are using our Baby Bjorn a lot which helps free my hands for doing other things, while still making little Gavin happy. :)

Ppd bleeding.. mostly gone but some days have light spotting.

DTD: not yet but I'm also dying to!
what a good idea to take BCP right away. Wish my OB or I had thought about that. I p[ersonally hate condoms and the thought of getting pg again OR NOT DTD soon bums me out. LOL! Dont know what the solution now is. Drat.

While at his 2wk WBV, Dr asked us about tummy time. I totally had not done any of it, so she turnd him over and watched him hold his head up slightly. She said "oh he is fine". So since that day, I've tried to work on tummy time a little everyday, even if just a minute or two.
Well, I KNEW he was strong..b/c my insides took a beating while I was pregnant, but check out THIS picture. I swear I didnt prop him up and he must have held this position for at least 20 seconds, b/c I was able to find my camera, take a few pictures AND then take 10 seconds of video before he got tired out.
Aw my little strong man....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/cmw02/IMG_4752.jpg

[jessmaine]

Subscribing

[bellabonga]

CMW02, wow, Gavin can really hold his head up very well! :cool: What a cutie! It must be great to live in Seattle! I have always wanted to go there. It always looks so beautiful and I love the scenery in Grey´s Anatomy. :D


Maya couldn´t hold her head up at all for the first three months or so and as I was worried that Milla might have problems with it too, I got this playmat:
http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-3413053dt.jpg
It´s really cute although Milla certainly is still too young to play with the toys. But so far Milla can already hold up her head quite well and so I think we´ll use the mat more often soon.

[jessmaine]

Sorry I am so late in saying this but
Congratulations ummserious
Congrats Emily
and Congrats Chicksinger!


PPBleeding: Ok, we are at two weeks PP and i am still bleeding BAD! Clots and all.. Is this at all normal or should I call the dr..... I know they are going ot say that I need to take it easy, but we are opening the new store tommorrow and I have been working almost every day since Reid was born. I don't really have a choice :(((

Sleeping: Reid has no sleep pattern. It seems like he sleeps most of the time. He hardly ever has his eyes open. We went to the dr today and he was fine. he has gained alot of weight back. He dropped to 6.8 from 7.8 but now he is back to 7.4. He gets up at night about every 3 hours. I stay up late and feed him about 11pm, then about 1 or 2 my DH gives him a bottle of BM. then I get up around 5 ish. It seems to work ok. Last night he was up alot. I think something I ate bothered him.

Feeding: the BF is going good now. We are in a rythym and it does not hurt as bad. I give him formula from time to time, I have been out alot for work.

Today was VERY hard though. i had to take him to get circumsised. I know it is late but his dr. was out becasue his house burned down so today was the earlist he could do it. Reid SCREAMED.. I could hear him and I was way down the hall. He dr came back in and I could tell he was flustered. He said it was complicated because his skin was tight. They brought Reid back in and he just screamed for 45 minutes. This is a kid they never cries. I was so upset. He is crashed now.... I sent Paige away for the day....

Summer Vacation: School for Paige is over on Thursday.. UGGGG.... i am not looking forward to having them all the time. I wish we could afford a mothers helper.

Bella: I love that play mat....

Quick question: Do your BF babies poop and pee and million times a day?????
i swear the money I save on formula, I am spending on diapers. and DON"T buy walmart newborn diapers. They STINK>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Txfish]

Checking in to subscribe :)

I have not totally gotten the hang of diapering a boy yet LOL He tends to find ways to sneak attack and wakes up wet all the way through everything every other nap it seems. Oh well. Yes, I'm pointing him south! Heehee

Seems like my supply has taken a massive dip the last few days, but I suspect a big part of that is this guy is a lazy eater and is not stimulating enough. And then he's still pulling his refusal to latch business -- but only occasionally, so that it REALLY drives me crazy. Last night was the worst; he got up at 4, I tried to get him to latch on for 30 minutes. Seriously. FInally took him downstairs and handpumped a bottle for him, then fed him, and finally got back to sleep at 5. Sheesh. He gets that tongue all wrenched up, and it's in the way, then his hands are flailing (and in the way), and then finally he seems to latch on, sucks once, then relaxes his mouth and lets my nipple fall out. Ugh. He did that last maneuver about 20 times last night, minimum.

Wow, go Gavin! Fisher has had a pretty strong neck, but he isn't quite THAT advanced yet!!

Jess -- yikes, sorry about Reid's circ. That sounds awful. We got lucky; Fisher slept right through his. (But then we got the 4 minutes of agonizing screams for the bilirubin check.)

[melody]

Great to see a new thread!
I have been lurking, but not posting-CONGRATULATIONS to all the new mamas!

sleeping- this has been pretty good for us. She doesn't sleep for long periods or anything, but I let her sleep with us & it makes it MUCH easier for us. She doesn't even start to cry & I just roll-over & feed her. I also DO NOT look at the clock or count the number of feedings, which I find helps a lot too!

feeding- we are bfing well. I feel blessed that it has been an easy time for us both.

tummy time mat- I also have the mat that bella bought! Hamilton loves it!

http://bp1.blogger.com/_8SmG9eDcgpM/RlT7g5E8CRI/AAAAAAAAABs/jDaBPBB6qF0/s1600/tummy.jpg

smiling- I haven't been able to catch it on camera yet- but what a delight it was to see her first smile this week :D

pp bleeding- mine stopped completely at about 4 weeks. I also started feeling 100% recovered then in terms of lack of pain!


here are a few other photos I have to show-off-
http://a202.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/20/l_a54b81cc17778abd61f35dd9fd3e1bf9.jpg
http://a835.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/40/l_6a17137eec48f2080c026a3e4b846852.jpg

[KeliAnn]

melody: Oh those last 2 pictures are GORGEOUS! Hamilton is so beautiful.

txfish: That's hilarious about your boy peeing everywhere. Seems like lately, Emma either pees or poops while I'm changing her, which is fun. :p Sorry you had a rough night last night -- hope he gets back to eating like a champ soon.

jessmaine: Hmmm, I would call your dr about the bleeding. I'm sure everyone is different, but clotting at 2w doesn't seem right. But you're right -- she's going to tell you to slow down, as I'm sure that's what it is. *tsk, tsk* ;)

bella: Ooh ... I love that mat! I think I'll have to swing over to BRU and pick one of those up. We are way behind on our tummy time, although she does spend a little time every day tummy-to-tummy w/ me.

cmw: Ew, those fussy times don't sound fun at all. Hope things even out for you soon. I cannot even believe he can hold his head up that high! What a strong guy!!

suzfuzsunflower: Glad to hear the feeding is going better. (I'm so jealous)

sunshine: I'm sorry to hear that eating hasn't gotten much better for you and Allison. Unfortunately, Emma *just* bites -- doesn't eat. I wish upon all wishes that she'd at least latch on and get something, but she usually only lasts a few minutes before it become a screamfest, and then I have to give her the bottle. Oh well.

[Amy_6405]

Kierstin had her 2 week appointment yesterday and she is up to 7lbs 9.5oz from the 6lbs 6oz she was when we brought her home! I guess she is getting plenty to eat :) She was also 20.5 inches long up 1 inch from when she was born. We go back in 6 weeks for her 2 month checkup and she gets her shots then too, i'm already dreading that day :(

[maniach]

CMW--My brother lives there. He is getting married at Lake Chelan on 6/23 and I am coming out for that. I am flying, but it is a long flight. I can't get much further across the country from him. Most of the trip will be on the plane but there is a 2.5 hour layover in Atlanta. Plus the 3 hour drive to Chelan once we arrive in Seattle. My mom is getting there around the same time and driving, though, so that's a blessing.

bleeding -- pretty much done with that nastiness

sleep -- she usually sleeps 3-4 hours at night. Last night was difficult, as she wouldn't go to sleep and then was up from 4 AM to 6:30 AM so DH and I didn't get any sleep. I had to keep her awake today... lots of baby situps!


feeding -- we give her 3.5 oz at a time and she usually takes the whole bottle. We are using Similac Advance because that's what they used at the hospital. She doesn't burp all the time either, but I asked the ped and they said sometimes they just don't burp. I will usually try for 2-3 minutes and if she doesn't burp, I give up. I also try to burp her 3-4 times per bottle.

smile -- I think she smiled at me today, but it might have just been gas again. It is a cute smile, though!!

[gf&js]

I have not totally gotten the hang of diapering a boy yet LOL

I'm so with you! I'm still laughing about one of my first nights with him. I'm in the middle of changing Liam, he starts pooping again, I'm half asleep and trying to keep the mess down (which is not a good combo) and he suddenly starts peeing. I was just covered and laughing because I couldn't seem to do anything else! :p

One trick that has helped us with the front leakage - fold the front of the top of the diaper inward - knock on wood - not too many leaks yet. (I know - it's all still coming!)

sleep - I'm actually feeling a bit lucky right now. We are getting some decent stretches at night. We can usually feed him around 10/11 and make it until 3 and then the next run holds us to about 6/7. I shouldn't have said that outloud - I'm now going to be toast tonight!

[foxyboo751]

Well...

feeding~ We are almost exclusively ff now. However, I'm still hand pumping as much as I can because we really want her to get the nutrients. I think my supply is slowly diminishing though because I was not near as engorged this morning as I have been lately. Life has been a lot easier though because DH doesn't get upset, Felicity doesn't get upset, and I don't have to have the fight with her to latch on. (And of course, the times that we do BF now, she latches on perfectly with such a strong suck it has totally destroyed both of my nipples. Oh well.

sleeping~ Formula makes her go into a "drunken" state. So, she sleeps from about 10-2 and then 2:30 to 6. So, I get up for the 2 feeing, but DH does the others since I'm home with her all day. She's up most of the day, so I really don't get to take naps.

I think now that the hormones are starting to go away, I'm back to having migraines. Plus, it's been raining since yesterday, so the pressure doesn't help.
PP bleeding ~ Still at it. Clots and all. But, that's alright. I was told I would most likely have that until at least 4 weeks because I had a lot of clots in my uterus. It seemed like the dr was down there forever at the hospital. if it doesn't stop by next week, I will call the dr.

Oh, my left thigh is still quite numb from the epidural. It's quite an interesting feeling. I'll have to call the dr about that as well.

[Sunshine]

CMW02~I'm so happy I'm not the only one dying to DTD:D LOL!
And I have to admit, I dont think I do as much tummy time as I should be. I think I was told to do it 3 times and I do it maybe 2ce a day...altho when DH holds her he usually puts her on her belly...so I am hoping that counts too:p

Bella~What a CUTE playmat! I want one now too:D

jessmaine~I am so sorry for Reid having such a bad experience with the cicumcision:( And I cant believe that Paige is finished school so soon! WOW!!!!! I cant believe it is that time already!

Quick question: Do your BF babies poop and pee and million times a day?????
I dont know...I thought she would poop and pee alot more than she does. She does enough that the doctors arent worried....but still.

Txfish~Oh no!!! Your little boy just likes to pee:p LOL!
Sorry that your supply seems to be getting worse...

Melody~OMG!!!! Hamilton is Gorgeous!!!!! And OMG, he is over 6 weeks already? Where does time go?

KeliAnn~Its funny b/c some days are better than others for us with breastfeeding...I have continued to formula feed at night tho, b/c I just need a break. My sanity and my nipples:p LOL!
I'm sorry that all Emma does is bite too....

Amy~WOW! Go Kierstin!!!!
I'm not looking forward to the 2 month shots either. We go on July the 12th (I think...)

maniach~AWE! Arent smiles the best? I dont care if they are fart or poop related either....its just too cute to care! LOL!

gf&js~I am the same as you...dont really want to say it outloud, but Allison has been giving me some good stretches as well! She only woke up 1ce last night at 4am to feed! YAY! But I am sure I have also now just jinxed myself...LOL!

foxyboo~Its frustrating for me b/c I thought my bleeding had stopped, but it has kind of come back. ugh....
I am almost at 4 weeks..so I hope mine stops by then!
And formula makes Alli go into a "drunken" state too! LOL! So I feed her formula in the evening to help us get some sleep! LMAO!

~~~~
Still breastfeeding during the day and formula feeding at night....I have good days and bad. Today my nipples are sore again, so I dont know.
We went out and bought a bunch more bottles...so now I have 18 bottles! YAY! No more cleaning bottles every day...LOL! It will be more like every 2! LMAO! She only has about 4 bottles a day tho...but it will be nice to have all the extras!

DH is out of town today but will be home around 6 or 7...he WILL have to go out of town on the 25th or 26th overnight....I have my 6 week check up on the 25th tho so I am hoping it will be the 26th then I can go with him. I'm a little worried to be by myself all day and night with Alli. I'm sure we will be fine, but still...

Anyways, What are you all doing for Father's Day?I ordered a mug with a pic of DH holding Alli, and then on the back it says "Happy Father's Day Daddy!". And I also got him a visor for the car that says "Worlds best Daddy"...kind of cheesy but I thin he will like it.
DH's birthday is also the day before fathers day so I also got him a mousepad for work with a pic of Alli on it...He has mentioned he wanted one, so hopefully he will like it. I had to order them online b/c I am not suposed ot drive until my 6 week checkup...I hope they turn out good!

[gf&js]

Father's Day - well - it's probably going to be over shadowed because we are having Liam baptized that day. Our church is huge and only does baptism's once a month during a special mass so it will be us and probably 20 other families. I still need to find something special to do for Joe though since I couldn't do this all without him!

[ummserious]

Hi guys, just checking in. Our first week with the baby was a real whirlwind, I think its been the fastest week of my life. ;) Today was the first day that the 3 of us were at home without any visitors or any appts and it really helped to settle down.

As of Monday Ben was back up to 7lbs 13 oz (the birth weight was 7 15)

I'll throw out my quick L&D story here because its been taking me forever to write up all the details I want to remember. I'll probably just post that one on LJ.

On my due date 5/27 I started feeling mild contractions in the late afternoon which because steadier around 8pm. These turned in back labor contractions which lasted all night and all of Memorial without getting close enough to go anywhere. Around 11pm we felt they were close enough to go in to the hospital, had to wait in triage for 3/4 hours because 4 other people from my dr's office showed up at the same time. I was only 3 cm dilated after all that painful laboring at home so I guess I ranked LAST in priority. :rolleyes: By the time we got to a labor room at 4am I was asking for the epidural-- I figured if I had a chance to rest while I finished dilated then I'd be better off. This worked and eventually everything opened up. They kept asking me to wait longer to push. Apparently there were 2 main reasons: the baby never descended past -1 and also my contractions never made it to the regular steady and hard rhythm that helps a woman push during labor. So with that combined with him being face up they were a little skeptical. Finally they let me try. I ended up pushing for 2 and a half hours and every 3-5 minutes which was thoroughly exhausting. I had made enough progress in the beginning that the OB said it was worth it for me to keep pushing. In the last 45 minutes my husband said I was passing out in between the pushes.

Finally his head came out...and then an arm. Apparently when this happens it is a priority for the OB to make sure the baby comes out the right way rather than suction for air. Because of this, the baby had to go right to the warming table, all these doctors rushed in and after 50 seconds we heard him cry finally. (it felt like a really long time)

Anyway, so none of that was fun. They told me that I must have a lot of endurance so all of my exercise and pilates paid off. Or I'm just stubborn, not sure. I think both Benjamin and I were stunned afterwards and we all passed out. Its amazing but I had very few tears, all internal. I was doing those ball exercises so perhaps they work. My recovery has been relatively easy, the bleeding is very under control, and in general all is good. So I guess I took all the hard stuff at one time.

feeding I've been exclusively BFing and I realize that a lot of this is luck. I had to have some patience in the first few days because the little guy likes to have his hands next to his mouth, he was also really tired for the first few days so I had to keep instigating him to suck. For a while I was wondering if I'd need assistance forever with someone else holding them out of the way. But because the latch seemed to go well, I think all other issues we encountered so far were easy to solve.

I feel bad its been hard for so many of you but I also learned in this first week that such a strong feeling of "what is right" comes with being a mother so I'm sure everyone will make great decisions for their families.

sleeping I wasn't sleeping so well at the end of the pregnancy anyway so this hasn't been the worst for me. Except for one night when he was up every hour and another where he was up every two there has been at least one stretch of 4 hours in between feedings. I'm trying to do whatever I can to keep this and maybe get a second one next to it. I'm sure we'll hit growth spurts and other obstacles...time will tell.

[MAYMAY]

Hey girls....
Just wanting to know if I could join the group....someone told me of constant chatter and I joined back in August when I got pregnant and would read every now and then but didn't have a lot of time with work and school. Anyway since our little guy arrived (May 13 on mother's day!!!) I'm going to be a SAHM and have more time...(Have been reading along since we got home..esp about the feeding issues everyone else was having...I tried BF and it wasn't working out and I got so upset about it...so reading that I wasn't the only one with issues made me feel better!!) Anyway would love to get to know you girls better and the lil ones too of course!!!
~Meagan

[KeliAnn]

Father's Day: DH is getting a new wedding band. His first one was titanium, which can't be resized, but he tore a ligament in his ring finger playing basketball, and now it won't fit.

He's also getting a canvas portrait of our oldest dog, who we had to put to sleep due to cancer 2 days after we got home from the hospital. :(

And his Emma-oriented gift will be a plaster of her hands and feet. I'm planning on doing it next Wednesday when she's a month old.

[erin16nj]

I lost a big post Argh but I will try again....

I know Im far behind...

Catching up:

PP Bleeding Stopped last week though I still have spotting and have to wear pantyliners...lasted about 5 wks long.

Eating I am still BFing and at night DH gives him one bottle of formula of 4oz which I guess I could pump but its not a big deal. I get to go to bed and Dh gets to spend alone time. I know alot of you are having a hard time BFing and I did with DS1 who ended up on formula after a week or two. DS1 is a smart healthy boy with a great immune system so boo to anyone who gives you a hard time (dumb? I cant believe people say that) I say happy mommy = happy baby and we do whats right for us and dont worry about others.

Sleeping Pretty good a few bad nights. If he eats around 10-11 he can go to 3 or 4 eat and go back for at least 2 hours. The middle of the night feeding can take up to an hour to eat burp and get him back down...He is doing the long stretc swaddled in the miracle blanket and in the bouncy seat. The shorter stretch is in my arms with me...which I would like to work on but sometimes im tired and would rather just sleep than try and put him back down.

QOTD What playmat do you have and do you like it? We need a new one. Of course whenever I put him down Cole is right on top of him...still very jealous.

[Sunshine]

Could there be a reason why Alli would spit up my breastmilk but not formula?
It seems as tho everytime I breastfeed her, after a few minutes or so, she spits up alot of my breastmilk. It isnt forceful so I dont think she is throwing up....but it is really making me wonder why she does it with breast and not bottle.
DH says she will do that every once and awhile, but I'm not so sure she has done it with formula..........

[bellabonga]

Jess, that must have been horrible with the circumcision! Poor Reid and poor you! :( I hope it is healing without complications.

Melody, those pictures of Hamilton are adorable! She is too cute with all that hair! :)

Amy, that´s great that BF is going so well that Kierstin has gained already so much weight. Don´t be so afraid of the shots. Maya has had shots where she did not even cry.

Foxyboo, a numb thigh definetely does not sound right. I hope it is nothing bad and goes away soon!

Sunshine, you have 18 bottles?! I want that too! ;) I only have 5 that I use and have to clean them twice a day. But I´m too cheap to buy some more because I had bought already 8 from a different brand and then discovered that they were crap and decided not to use them.
Maybe Allison spits up the breastmilk because of something you ate? But that´s just a guess, I really have no clue.

ummserious, yikes, your birth experience sounds really exhausting and a bit scary!

KeliAnn, I´m sorry about your dog! :( Was that the dog you took some belly pics with?

Father´s Day: It´s already over in Germany as it was on May 17th this year. Just as usual, I did not get DH anything because he is not my father. I told Maya to draw him something but she wasn´t in the mood. Oh well, that´s life. :p I did not get anything for Mother´s Day either.

Playmat: Apart from the tummy playmat I already posted, I have a playtunnel left from Maya that she loved and that I´ll use again for Milla. It does have a slightly different design than this one because I bought it 4 years ago but this one is definitely the 2007 edition of the tunnel I have:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NNKVG678L._SS384_.jpg


Today Milla is already five weeks old! Time really flies. She has gained a lot of weight but I don´t know how much. Next week she has her first doctor check up. But she has grown out of the 0-1mths clothes already. In fact she eats so much that I was already worried that she could gain too much weight like Maya did. She also threw up a lot and so I cut back her milk intake from 5oz a bottle to 4oz. She is fine with that and still wants her milk every 2.5-4 hours.

And surprise, surprise, guess what happened yesterday? AF came for the first time PP! After Maya it also came 5 weeks PP but I think this time it was even a couple of days earlier. Boohoo!

[Amy_6405]

Hey girls....
Just wanting to know if I could join the group....someone told me of constant chatter and I joined back in August when I got pregnant and would read every now and then but didn't have a lot of time with work and school. Anyway since our little guy arrived (May 13 on mother's day!!!) I'm going to be a SAHM and have more time...(Have been reading along since we got home..esp about the feeding issues everyone else was having...I tried BF and it wasn't working out and I got so upset about it...so reading that I wasn't the only one with issues made me feel better!!) Anyway would love to get to know you girls better and the lil ones too of course!!!
~Meagan

Sorry I missed your post yesterday! Welcome to the group, congratulations on your little boy!

Bella - I'm actually not BFing, after a week of being frusterated every feeding we decided to go to full time FFing, :)

[jessmaine]

We finally finshed the new shop. i am so happy with it. UGGG It was a labor of love. Just picture a old auto garage with the lifts ect. It was a mess, had no heat ect....

Here are a few pictures.....
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/jessmaine_2007/100_1520.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/jessmaine_2007/100_1523.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/jessmaine_2007/100_1519.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/jessmaine_2007/100_1517.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/jessmaine_2007/100_1518.jpg
http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u272/jessmaine_2007/100_1516.jpg

[Chicksinger]

jessmaine The store is beautiful!! What a triumph!

[KeliAnn]

jess: Wow - it looks fantastic!!! Great job! Now, try to take it easy for a couple of days, okay? ;)

[Chicksinger]

I never actually updated, did I? Just in LJ, I guess.

Brief birth story Had to have a c/s in the end. Water broke at 6 on Tuesday night, left for hospital at 8 pm, contrax were 2 min. apart. Stayed 2 minutes apart all night and next morning, but never dilated past 4 cm. Baby's head never touched my cervix. Turns out my uterus did something really weird--it contracted into the shape of an hourglass (instead of an upside down pear), with the baby's head down, ready to come out, but never pressing down any further. Baby's bottom was up in the "upper" hourglass area, while shoulders were trapped in the skinny middle part. She wasn't going anywhere!

C/S was on Wednesday, so Katelynne Elizabeth (Katie) was born on May 30, at 11:44 AM.
8 pounds, 8.4 ounces
20" long

She went down to 8 pounds, 5 ounces, then 8 pounds, 3 ounces, then back up to 8 pounds, 5 ounces by Friday. Milk came in fast, so she's had no problem nursing. No jaundice, bilirubin was really low, like a 4.

Emotions I hate recovering from this darn c/s, and I feel really sad when I think about how this was my last chance for a VBAC, but the baby is so darling, I can perk up pretty quickly. I cried in the shower today--part c/s sadness, part baby blues, I guess.

Breastfeeding Had a really rocky start, despite BF with Zach, too. Katie started out great, then started chomping and shallowing out. I got bad blisters on both sides, but thanks to help from a lactation consultant and a Lactation group meeting (and some neosporin!), things are finally improving. Still BF exclusively and my supply is AWESOME! Katie is already up to 9 lbs, and I'm going to start pumping and freezing this week so that Bryan can give a nightly bottle when we hit 3 weeks.

Finally, some pix (Tried to resize these 3 times. Hope they update soon, sorry they seem so huge now):

First meeting
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/chicksinger/IMG_1903.jpg

Zach comes to the hospital
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/chicksinger/IMG_1923.jpg

The family
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/chicksinger/IMG_1926.jpg

2 favorite pix
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/chicksinger/KatiePink2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v510/chicksinger/KatiePink1.jpg

[maniach]

Chick -- She is adorable!!

MayMay -- Welcome to the board, we are glad to have you!!

[Amy_6405]

Jess - The new shop looks great, you must be proud of your hard work :) Time to get some rest now I bet!

Chicksinger - Katelynne is adorable! I love that last picture :)

[May 2007 Mommies]

MAYMAY~Welcome to the group! Post your stats:
CC Name:
Me: Name, age
DH: Name, age
Married: Date
TTC: Date
BFP: Date
EDD: Date
Any other children:
And we will add your info to the front page:)


Updated to Here!:)

[Sunshine]

Well, Alli is now 4w1d today! I cant believe it! She changes every day!
She is still spitting up, but she spit up formula for DH yesterday, so it Must be the way she is eating, and I mustnt be burping her enough. I am going to bring it up to our doc tomorrow tho.

DH was so sweet last night. He let me sleep from 9pm-3am:) And then woke me up to go to bed. He fed Alli 2ce, and then Alli and I woke up at 6am this morning, I fed her once, and fell asleep on the couch. DH came into the livingroom and fed her and letme sleep again!
I LOVE that about formula....but I AM still trying to breastfeed as muchas I can.

Makes me wonder when AF will show up...prob sooner b/c I am not exclusively breastfeeding.

Bella~YUP! I have 18 bottles and I LOVE IT! They are only 5oz bottles tho so eventually I will either need to buy bigger ones, or feed her more than 1 bottle at a time.
That stinks that AF showed up already:(
And I didnt realize that fathers day was on a different day than Canada and the US...

jessmaine~*WOW*! Its beautiful!!! Great Job:D

Chicksinger~OMG she is BEAUTIFUL:D I'm sorry you cried in the shower also...I did a little of the c-sec crying too....but I know it was what had to happen to have her safely. You tried!!!!!! And that is SO IMPORTANT, and I know you think that too!!!

[gf&js]

Sunshine - it's hard to say when AF will show up - I was only pumping last time and not full time (at the end it was once a day and only getting 2 ounces or so) but pumped until 8 months and didn't get AF until after I finished pumping. I was pretty surprised and can't say that I missed AF!

chicksinger - dang you - another gorgeous woman right after delivery! And I'm not just talking about Katie! Crazy about your uterus - I learn something new every time I log onto CC.

jessmaine - your hard work has paid off beautifully! I hope you can get a little bit of rest now!

KeliAnn - I had to take a double take on your last post. We also need to buy a new wedding band for DH because of titanium. His issue is more that we ordered it a smig too big and now it is falling off.

And I'm so sorry to hear about your dog - that is a very tough thing to do and especially with all the emotions of bringing a new family member home to only have to say goodbye to another. When Kyra was 7 weeks old, we also had to put our dog to sleep. Granted to the dog was nearly as old as dirt (only 6 weeks away from turning 18), it is never easy. Very cool about the canvas - I hope it captures the memories well.

Welcome MAYMAY!

[MAYMAY]

CC Name: Maymay
Me: Meagan, 23
DH: Brad,28
Married: Aug. 2005
TTC:Jan. 2006
BFP: Aug. 29, 2007
EDD: May 7, 2007
Any other children: DSD, Aug. 26, 2003

Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome, will post a pic of my lil guy later...he's hungry and he's the boss!

[bellabonga]

Maymay, somehow I totally missed your first post. Welcome and congratulations! :)

Amy, whoops, I´m sorry that I confused that! However, it´s great that Kierstin is growing so well. :)

Jess, your store looks beautiful! So elegant. I love the chandeliers, the flowers and that it´s all so light and airy!

Chicksinger, I´m so sorry that your planned VBAC did not happen! :( I haven´t ever heard of the condition you describe - seems like the possibilities what can go wrong are endless! I remember pretty well how you must feel right now from my first c-section. Hope you´ll recover soon, both physically and emotionally. At least you already look very good on the pictures. And Katie is such a sweetie! Well done! :D

Sunshine, you have 18 bottles and a husband who lets you sleep and feeds Alli?! Now I´m really jealous! :p Unfortunately DH and I are having a very rough time because even on the weekends he does not feed Milla at night. He still hasn´t prepared a single bottle and he doesn´t lift a finger to help me with the housework as well. Can you tell I´m tired, frustrated and angry? :(

[bellabonga]

I have tons of new pictures of Milla and wan t to share at least a few.

This is the one we used for our thank-you-notes (she is 18 days old on this pic). It is so Milla! She is the queen of funny faces.
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/bellabonga/DSC04952.jpg

4w5d and on her playmat:
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/bellabonga/DSC04993.jpg

Milla´s first trip to the zoo (4w6d):
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/bellabonga/DSC04997.jpg

http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/bellabonga/DSC05008.jpg

http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/bellabonga/DSC05009.jpg

With Maya´s Willow and Katie (5w):
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i101/bellabonga/DSC05018.jpg

[Sunshine]

Allison is 1 month already tomorrow! She had her 1 month check up today and is 10lb8oz!!!!!!! Only 2 weeks ago she was 9lbs3oz! I have a chunky monkey on my hands:p
My doc wants to see her again in 2 weeks to make sure she continues to gain weight, b/c we asked him about her spitting up...but he is sure she is fine!

My incision was kind of bleeding this morning too. sigh. So I had him look at it and he said it looks like it is healing fine too, and that sometimes it can happen. EWE. It looks good except in 1 spot it looks gross. Most of the tape stitches have fallen off too. Only 2 more weeks until my 6 week check up, and then DH will finally let me drive again:p

Bella~Oh no.....that was pretty well the First time he did that! I am the one that feeds Alli......he is pretty good tho at letting me sleep:p But he wakes me up if I dont get up when she cries for food:p
AWE!!!! Milla is Beautiful!!!!!!!!!

gf&js~Oooo! I Would LOVE THAT!!!! I am So Not missing AF right now...altho I am still spotting and can not WAIT for that to go away! LOL!

MAYMAY~Welcome again! Can I ask when you got married? We got married Aug 27, 2005!!!
Cant wait to see pics of your little guy!

[KeliAnn]

Sunshine: Oh hon, you're not able to drive, yet? I'd go crazy if I couldn't take my trips to the grocery store or Target or to meet DH for lunch!

MayMay: Welcome to the group!! Let us know if you have any questions about posting. :)

Bella: Sorry to hear things are rough with DH. Me and DH have been fighting more than usual lately -- I'm sure it's just the hormones (me) and stress (him), but it sucks. :(

gf&js: Thanks for the condolences. It was very sad that we lost her, but she was 14 and had been struggling for quite a while. Come to find out, she had cancer, so her quality of life was very poor -- she ended up not being able to breathe w/o a ventilator, so we had no choice but to have her put to sleep. We did have her cremated, though, so she will be with us forever.

Whoever asked (I can't remember) - the dog we had to put down was not the dog that was in all of my belly shots.

It was our oldest dog, Mollie.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/218/493049857_e8994fc8a5.jpg

The dog in all of my belly shots is Macey. She was my dog before I met DH, and she's the baby of the family at only 5 years old. We have one more dog who is 10 years old named Jessie. Very full household.

++++++++++++

So I bought Emma the cute little tummy time mat that Bella and Melody mentioned, and here's what happened the first time I put her down on it.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1311/541758565_d3c6ea72f8.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1320/541757925_d14bd8a344.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1107/541759303_20d205401e.jpg

I put her down wide awake, too -- she konked out after about a minute. LOL!

[melody]

maymay-welcome!!!

chick, bella, & kelli- I am loving all of the photos! Our little ones are too cute.


Ladies keep the photos coming :)

[Sunshine]

My baby is 1 month old today:D:D

KeliAnn~Yah....b/c the nurse and doc told me not to drive, DH is making sure I dont.ITSUCKS!!!!! I Have been getting in alot of walks....but now it is SO HOT here, I dont want to take her out for too long:(
I have to laugh at the tummy time pics...here is some of what happened when I put Alli on tummy time the other day...
ETA: CRAP....I HATE that I cant use snapfish here....I'll try to upload to photobucket later on...

[Sunshine]

How is everyone today?
Allison slept for 7 hours AGAIN last night:D Altho I have to say, after waking up after 7 hours of sleep, I still could have used more:p

[Amy_6405]

Sunshine - you are so lucky Allison sleeps for 7 hours! Kierstin still wakes up every 3 even though we give her 4oz of formula at a time.

Kierstin has been going through what I hope is just a phase, at her 2am feeding she stays awake for atleast 2 hours after! Last night she was awake until atleast 5:30!! After that I have no clue if she was asleep b/c we put her in her swing and I fell asleep on the couch until DH left for work at 6:30 and she was awake, I left her there and went back to sleep until she start fussing at 7:45. She has also been really gassy and fussy lately, she hates to be put down, she will fall asleep fine when we hold her but the minute we put her in her crib she wakes up and screams, I have no clue what to do it's so frusterating. I don't know if it's the formula, I bought some Enfamil Gentlease and am going to try that to see if it helps with her gas and fussiness.

[Txfish]

Amy, it's so funny I'm saying this as there's a huge ad for it 2 posts up -- but gripe water. I swear by it. Calms the kiddo down, gets rid of hiccups and mild stomach pains, and if necessary I throw the mylicon drops at him, too. I have had the same problem -- sleeps great while on me, but won't stay down in bed. So I do the gripe water, get him nice and warm and solidly asleep, and then tuck into bed... I've been getting reasonable stetches out of him, and even starting to develop a regular daytime nap schedule.

And I have defeated the 4:15-6am awake period, too. Last night I even nursed him (instead of the quicker bottle) and had him back in bed within about 40 minutes. I call it a success LOL

Fisher is doing pretty well, all in all -- he is 3 weeks today, has been to 2 swim meets, has only caught a block to the head once (courtesy of his 1 year old sister) and falls asleep when I vacuum. Nursing is going pretty well, although sometimes he goofs his latch up and I end up with boob-attacked-by-piranha.

Gorgeous pics everyone!!

Welcome MayMay!

[suzfuzsunflower]

Sunshine, I'm also jealous of Allison sleeping for 7 hours at night. Benjamin usually goes to sleep around 9:30 or 10, is awake at 12 or 12:30, up again at 2 or 2:30, up at 4:30, 6:00, and then around 7:30 or 8 a.m. He wants to eat every 2-2.5 hours. It's very exhausting. He's nursing, and my supply seems fine....is he just not eating enough at every feeding? Or maybe he just needs to eat this often? He does this during the day as well.

Sleeping - doesn't really seem to have an established day time schedule. Sometimes he naps in the morning, and sometimes he sleeps all afternoon long. DH is home this afternoon, and Benjamin is sleeping on his chest right now.

Benjamin is also very gassy and can be very fussy when he is. I've tried the mylicon drops, but I'm not sure that they are helping.

[Amy_6405]

Txfish - thanks! I'll give the gripe water a try. I've used the mylicon drops and they seem to help a little but not with her fussiness.

[Chicksinger]

Aaaaaarrrghghhhh!!!!!!!! I sent out 92 birth announcements with the wrong date!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad: Katie was born on the 30th, and they all said "27". Totally my fault. I was *designing* them on the 27th. Ugh, this totally sucks. I could just bawl! :( :( :(

recovery I can't drive yet, either, and my incision isn't healing right. It's not infected, but I developed an allergy to the tape that the OB used. Only 60% of the incision is closed. I'm so sick of this. :(

[Sunshine]

....wait....gripe water gets rid of HICCUPS???????? Allison gets them ALL.THE.TIME! I usually plop her on the boob for a minute or 2 to get rid of them...

Amy_6405~Oh, she doesnt do that all the time! Believe me!
Alli has started to fuss in the evenings too, and I dont know if it is gas or what....some days I also have the same problem putting her in her bassinet. As soon as I put her down, she wakes up. (In fact, I am holding her right now, b/c even tho she is sleepy, she wont sleep anywhere right now but in my arms:p)
We have also started to give Allison 4oz at a time too!

Txfish~I LOVE that! We call that pirahna kisses:p LOL!

suzfuzsunflower~Benjamin is probably going through a growth spurt right now...about a week ago all Allison wanted to do was eat. And that was when I started giving her more bottles b/c I just couldnt keep up with her anymore. And Alli doesnt sleep for 7 hours everynight...Her average is eating around 9ish, and then 1ish, and then 5ish. And then she is up around 6:30-7 when DH gets up for work. She ALWAYS seems to be up around 5ish and 6:30ish tho. She woke up at 4:30 for her feeding last night and then 6:30 just b/c.
But I would say if he is doing it during the day as well, he is going through a growth spurt! I'm no expert tho:p

[Sunshine]

Chicksinger~OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Where did you get them printed out of curiosity?
And I am so happy to hear I am not the only one who cant drive. I feel trapped right now.
I hope that your incision starts to heal soon.

[MAYMAY]

Sunshine We were married just the weekend before you! Aug. 20..And your baby is sleeping 7 hours in a row!!! Lucky you, my DS wakes up every three hours like clock work during the night to eat, but I guess I'm lucky in that it only takes 15 mins for him to eat and get a new dipe on and then I put him in his crib and he grunts himself to sleep in about 30 secs!

Chicksinger That's really a bummer about the announcements...soooo sorry, I would be really upset too!

Oh my gosh do we have a case of the afternoon fussies over here too! Every day around 6 when DH is getting home from work, DS loses it, so I'm not sure if it has something to do with DH or if baby is really just fussy at that time!!!
Oh and I will post pics...was reading about it earlier and I guess I need to go to photobucket....I'll have to figure it all out tonight when DH is home, also going through the, if you put me down (even in a deep sleep!) I'm going to wake up and scream at you phase...he's in my lap right now!

[MAYMAY]

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z257/mhooker7/cannonsbday020.jpg?t=1181778201

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z257/mhooker7/cannonsbday014.jpg?t=1181778299

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z257/mhooker7/designall.jpg?t=1181778443

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z257/mhooker7/thelilguy016.jpg?t=1181778555

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z257/mhooker7/Photo_060607_005.jpg?t=1181778588

[KeliAnn]

MayMay: Oh he is so cute!! I love those skinny little legs. :)

Sunshine: Count me in as another one who is jealous of Alli's sleeping schedule. Emma's still waking up every 3 hours like clockwork. :yawn:

chicksinger: NOOOOO! Oh how awful! I bet most of the people who get them won't even notice, though. But can I just say that I'm so impressed -- I just designed ours today, and Emma was born 2 weeks before your Katie!

suzfuzsunflower: If I'm not mistaken, BF babies eat more frequently than FF babies, so that's probably why he's still waking up more throughout the night. It sucks for you, though. I've also been using the mylicon drops for about a week now, and I haven't noticed a difference. If anything, she's less gassy but more fussy. :shrug:

Txfish: Where do you get this gripe water? I looked all over Target tonight but couldn't find it anywhere!?! Emma is starting to get really fussy and her eating schedule is so whacked out -- she's only eating small amounts but a whole lot more often. Seems like she's crying/rooting/gnawing at her fist ALL the time now. :confused:

Amy: Ugh, sorry! I read that most babies go through a fussy period from weeks 4 through 7, because it's like they just now realize that they're in the world and they're overstimulated by everything around them. I don't know how true that is, but Emma turned 4w today -- and like clockwork, she is like a different baby. And I don't mean that in a good way. :rolleyes:

Today was the first day I had to call DH at work (crying, mind you) and ask him when he was coming home. We bumped Emma up to 3oz a few nights ago, but then I realized that she was polishing off every bottle. I read that if she's eating every bit of every bottle, it means she needs more. So I tried bumping her up to 4oz today, but now she won't eat more than 2oz at a time! She just quits eating. Period. Then, she'll fall asleep for about an hour and wake up screaming until I feed her again. I know she's gassy because she pulls her legs up to her chest, and I try to burp her all the time - even when she hasn't eaten. I can usually get one or two burps out of her, but sometimes she just falls asleep. Her tummy's not hard or anything, and the mylicon drops don't seem to be helping at all. She just had a huge poop right before bed, so maybe that will help. I feel so bad for her, because I can tell she's not comfortable. :(

Also, after she eats, her breathing is really raspy. It sounds like she has a bunch of gunk in her throat. She doesn't spit up at all, so I don't think it's acid reflux. Sometimes, it sounds like she's really having difficulty breathing - but it's only right after she eats, and she doesn't cry or anything. I read on my pediatricians website that "throat clearing (or gurgling sounds)" is totally normal for the first 2-3 months, but should I call them anyway? Is anyone else experiencing this?

[foxyboo751]

throat raspiness- OMG! Felicity has this all the time. Especially after a tantrum.

pooping problems anyone?? Felicity has not pooped on her own since Sunday. On Monday night DH and I helped her with a thermometer because she was straining so hard. We tried again last night, but nothing. Her ped says that all pooping is different, but she cries hysterically all the time if she's not eating or being rocked, and is ALWAYS rooting for something. I feel bad because I can't help her at all, and of course the crying all day isn't easy for me either! We've tried everything! She's BFing during the day now, unless I'm out somewhere, and we've changed her night formula to the Enfamil gentlease to see if that helps. But the crying is always! Even now as I'm typing!

Lately, if I've just fed her and changed her, I've been letting her cry herself to sleep. I know that sounds awful, but it's the only way she'll sleep, and stop crying.

Here's Felicity with my BF's daughter Addison
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j153/sarah082281/BestFriends.jpg

She found her thumb!!
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j153/sarah082281/Thumb.jpg

Sitting up (against the couch)
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j153/sarah082281/SittingUp.jpg

Taking a nap...
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j153/sarah082281/NapTime.jpg

Even with all the crying, I love motherhood soooo much!

[CMW02]

Hi girls!
We are finally back home after our trip to Salt Lake to see my sister and her family.
We had a great time, even though my sis got sick one day which meant that I had to babysit SIX kids! 4 kids ages 2-12, and TWO NEWBORNS! I was freaking out and hoping that they both didnt cry at the same time. Luckily they were both on their best behaviour for me. LOL

We got home yesterday, and wouldnt you know it, my sister got sick again and ended up in Emergency and today is in surgery (right now in fact) to have her gallbladder removed. :(
I'm so sad that I went home now. I wish I were still there to help her. Luckily our mom is flying down today to be with her which makes me feel better. How awful...and her little baby is only 3 weeks old and REALLY a mama's girl... my poor sis!

Anyhow. I cant believe how gorgeous all the babies are! Seriously, our little group produced some beauties!!

Keli: I'm sorry to hear about your doggy. I hope the baby brings you lots of comfort!

foxy: love the pics of the babies! they are so cute!!!

maymay: welcome..welcome!! :) Love the pics of your little guy.

sunshine: lucky lady!! What a good sleeper your little girl is!!!

chick: Katie is GORGEOUS! and wow you look SO GREAT too!! I'm sorry to hear about the wrong date...that is such a new mom thing to do..we have SO MUCH on our minds eh?? :)

my GAVIN is doing great. Cant believe he is SIX WEEKS old already!
He is SOOOOOOOO BIG too. Really chuncked up in the past 2 weeks and is really solid! lol
Next to my sis's 3wk TINY girl, he is a chunky monkey. lol. My DD was the same..grew really fast and never got the chubby baby rolls or anything, but they both got chunky cheeks and solid little bodies. I'll dl my pics later and post them. I have to take my mom to the airport soon, but when I get back I'll post some recent ones. He is so cute and his hair has lightened up so much in the sun..it almost looks red! haha

TTYL
Cindy

[Chicksinger]

KeliAnn Could be acid reflux, or it could just be, uh, "baby reflux". My ped says that all babies spit up from time to time and can sound a bit "snurgly" with milk in their throats. If her spitup smells like sour acid (and not just "milk"), and spitting up seems painful, then true reflux is more likely. (Zach had that and took Zantac for 3 months.) Otherwise, just giggle with your snurgly baby and tell her she'll be better at swallowing soon!

[KeliAnn]

chicksinger: Well, she doesn't spit up at all. She's only spit up once since she was born, and that was because she ate too much. I don't think it's reflux -- so I'm sure it's just that she can't swallow all that well, yet. :)

cmw02: I'm sorry to hear about your sister, but I'm glad you made it out there and back without any problems. Can't wait to see new pics!

foxyboo: Glad to hear Emma's not the only one with throat raspiness. Sometimes it worries me, but it doesn't seem to bother her, so I guess she's okay. I'm so sorry to hear about Felicity's problems. Poor thing. :( Emma hasn't had any problems pooping, yet - she does seem to strain a lot and sometimes cries, but she's still producing at least one poop a day. I'm assuming Felicity is peeing a lot so you know she's getting enough food!?

++++++++++++++

Today has been SO MUCH BETTER! I don't know if she just had a rough day yesterday or what, but she finally ate a good bit around 9:30pm, we put her to bed at 10pm, and then she slept until 2:30! I actually woke DH up and said, "Look what time it is!!" He didn't appreciate it as much as I did. :p She ate 4oz and then went right back to sleep and woke up at 5:30 - same thing and woke up at 8:45. Oh my goodness it was wonderful. Today, she's been asleep pretty much all day except for about an hour of alert awake time this morning and another hour this afternoon. She's been eating from 4 to 4.5oz all day - except her last feeding where she only ate 2.5oz.

When I'm heating up her bottle (we do this in a small crockpot that sits on the counter), I pop her in the swing and vaccum -- that keeps her from crying. Plus, our living room floor has never been cleaner! ;)

I roughly weighed her yesterday (I held her on the scale and subtracted my weight not holding her) and it was 9 1/2 lbs. It's just a rough estimate, but she's definitely putting on the l.b.'s!

My parents are coming up from Georgia tomorrow to spend the day. My dad's going to watch Emma while Mom and I get some stuff done around the house. We just got a new guest bedroom set, so we need to take some crap to Goodwill and make room for it. I also need to get some major cleaning done while I have someone to keep an eye on her. I'm pretty sure my dad won't mind. ;)

[suzfuzsunflower]

Foxyboo - I'm sorry to hear about your little one's pooping problems. My little guy poops a few times a day, and cries and cries before he does. It really seems to hurt him tummy. Also, the pictures are so cute!

MayMay - Welcome! Your son is so cute. Thanks for sharing pictures!

Benjamin did really well last night. Only woke up twice (1 a.m. and 4 a.m.) instead of the usual 4-5 times! The sleep was so nice. :) I hope that he can repeat that again tonight.

[suzfuzsunflower]

Yay, Benjamin slept well again last night. Only up 2 times again - 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., and then slept until about 7 a.m. I am one happy Mommy today.

He has been nursing frequently in the mornings and evenings, so maybe he's filling up to make up for the night/fill up before the night...? Also, he's been nursing for longer periods of time....maybe his stomach has grown? I don't care why he's sleeping better, I'm just glad that he is. But now that I've said all of this, he'll be up every hour tonight. Isn't that how it always works?

I never commented about Father's Day: We have no huge plans. My siblings are going on a short canoe trip tomorrow morning with my Dad. Mom, baby, and me are fixing lunch. We're celebrating with DH's parents on Monday by going out to eat. DH, Benjamin, and I will be celebrating alone on Father's Day. Not sure what we're doing about food. Present - DH had mentioned a few times that we really needed to take B to get professional photos taken, so I took Benjamin to get his 1 month pictures taken at the Picture People. They turned out so cute! I had some of them framed for his office.

Here are a few of his pictures (I don't know how to resize...sorry they are so large!)

http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/rlv/isapi/designall.dll?action=getimage&max_dim=500&bg_pattern=checker&rotation_angle=0&id=058d3d41-de00-4ed1-b124-fc73c488a8bc

http://smilestore.picturepeople.com/rlv/isapi/designall.dll?action=getimage&max_dim=500&bg_pattern=checker&rotation_angle=0&id=cb456814-55a6-4054-bae9-71009fb69c8bhttp://smilestore.picturepeople.com/rlv/isapi/designall.dll?action=getimage&max_dim=500&bg_pattern=checker&rotation_angle=0&id=d5fb80dc-996b-4965-94d7-d0efd81f3ce6

Question for everyone: How is your baby's head control? Can anyone's baby hold their head up when they are sitting upright? Mine cannot yet - really has a floppy head. He's good at picking up his head on my chest or while laying on his tummy. Just wondering.

[Amy_6405]

Chicksinger - That sucks about the announcements :( I would be soo mad!

Maymay - What a cutie you have!

Keli - Kierstin has throat raspiness too when she eats but it goes away after a while i've noticed.

Foxy - Felicity is a doll :) No pooping problems here, hopefully Felicity works it out soon for you.

CMW02 - sorry to hear about your sister, I hope she makes a full/quick recovery, that would be so hard to have major surgery and a 3 week old!


Suz - Benjamin is a cutie, glad to hear he is sleeping better for you!
ETA: Head Control - Kierstin can pick her head up off my shoulder very well but is still a pretty floppy if sitting upright, and if I lay her on her tummy she can only lift her head enough to move it from side to side.

----
us - Kierstin woke up twice last night as usual but she let me sleep 3.5 hours between waking up! I was so happy :) She also went back to sleep fairly quickly after her 2:00 feeding, it only took an hour from start to finish. Now we just have to work on getting her to sleep at night better. She hasn't been falling asleep until almost 11 on most nights even though we try to start getting her ready for bed at 9ish. I know it will come in time and she is only 4 weeks old so i'm not worried about it too much right now.

[KeliAnn]

Today is a good day for sleeping all around, I guess!

We put Emma to bed at 10:30 and she woke up at 2:30, 5:00, and now it's 9:00 and she's still sleeping!! :D

Head Control: She's still pretty floppy (and our kids share the same b'day, Suz). She can lift it pretty well off of my shoulder or the mini Boppy, but slams it back down if I don't watch her closely. But when she's flat on her tummy, she still can't lift it very well at all. And when she's sitting up or if I'm holding her upright, it flops all over the place.

Amy: I definitely wouldn't worry about getting her to bed early. She'll probably be confused about her days and nights until 6 weeks or so -- I wouldn't concern myself over a "bedtime" until then. Sounds like she's doing great!!

Suz: Oh those are CUTE pictures!!! I think we're going to try to take Emma to Picture People next week. Or I might just see if I can get in today while my mom's here -- that would be a good Father's Day surprise.

[Chicksinger]

Katie is a champ, eating great and gaining well. She's up a pound since birth; she was 9# 8oz. yesterday. Sleeping well, too. Goes down at 11 pm, up at 3:30, down until 7:30 or so. She's just fine.

I, however, am not. The c/s incision is still not closed! It's an actual *wound* now. Not infected, not bleeding, but wet and oozing every day. I have to pack it with this gauze tape and clean it with hydrogen peroxide! :eek: I never felt depressed with DS, but this whole second experience has really thrown me. I cry everyday, feeling sorry for myself. It's ridiculous, it's not like I have major injuries, like a broken back. I can walk around, you know? I just can't believe that it's 2 weeks now and I'm not allowed to take a freakin' shower so that I can wash my hair!! Sorry to go off like this--I just keep hoping that Ill get it out of my system and be able to buck up.

[maniach]

Haven't been here in a while, and am mostly caught up, I think.

KeliAnn, so sorry to hear about your dog. DH and I thought we might have to put our cat down about a month before Chloe was born, but she pulled through. It was so difficult, I kept thinking "if I can't keep the CAT alive, how will I possibly deal with a baby?!"

head control -- Chloe can hold her head up pretty well. I've actually been wearing her face forward in the Baby Bjorn and she likes that a lot. She still has some trouble, though, so I have to be really careful with her.

Chick -- I'm sorry you feel so down! I hope you feel better soon.

Gripe Water -- I second this. I have some from Colic Ease. Supposedly you want to get it without Sodium Bicarbonate because their stomachs may not be acidic, but actually basic, and the Sodium Bicarbonate would make that worse. I tried to get some at the health food store but it all had the sodium bicarbonate in it. The stuff from colic ease either works GREAT or she just grew out of it. I am not even about to test it though.

Sleeping -- Chloe is actually really good about it. Since I've had her home, I think she's only not slept 3 times. Knock on wood. And now she is starting to get in a really good schedule so I can really figure out when she will be up during the day and I'm starting to tell the difference in her cries, too. I like the new improved Chloe!

Hope everyone is doing well and that all your trials and tribulations get better.

[Txfish]

sorry to post and run, I'll try to come back and do responses later -- by which I mean, in several days I'm sure! :p

Keli -- I've found gripe water 2 places; the "Little Remedies" brand -- LIttle Tummies Gripe Water, at Babies R Us with the rest of their baby meds. And Wellements brand, my husband found at the grocery store -- I'm pretty sure he said with the formula/ baby toothbrushes/ etc. What you were describing about Emma's frequent feedings -- I've been there (with all 3 kids now), and it stinks because the only thing that comforts them is eating again but if it's an upset tummy, eating more just makes it harder for them to digest it well and it compounds the problem. We like to use a creepy voice and refer to it as "the gripe", as if baby has some medieval disease, which keeps us laughing until it works, at which point we call it "magic juice". Good luck -- hope Emma gets some relief (although it sounds like she already pulled out of some of it!)

Yep, deep in the 3 week growth spurt here also... but we only had one really intensive nursing day (where he ate basically every 2 hours instead of every 3) and the last 2 days has just focused on nighttime cluster feeds. He definitely heard the rumor about babies needing to be fussy at 5pm though -- whew! Neither of the girls did this. Well, I correct. My oldest didn't get fussy at 5pm, she stayed that way all damn day long. LOL

Head holding: not too great yet. He does very well when upright on my chest, but that's about it -- he can turn his head from ne side to another on his tummy, but mostly he doesn't bother. And he's a very tired, little old man when sitting upright. LOL But let me think; although my oldest held her head very early -- like around 2-3 wks, my second was also verry floppy-headed for a long time. I don't think she got good reliable head control until she was 6-7 wks old.

Fisher peed on his own face today, and while I felt for the kid in all his confused outrage, I had to laugh. It was quite a sight LOL

OK, have to go and pump.

[Amy_6405]

What is everybody doing for birth announcements? I decided to design my own using Photoshop and a idea that I got from one of my SIL's scrapbooking magazines, (it was a do it yourself idea so I know I didn't steal it) :) I did a digital scrapbook type design using papers from www.shabbyprincess.com. I just got them printed off at Walmart, they turned out really good I think.
Here it is.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v149/amhall01/announcement2.jpg

[maniach]

I ordered my birth announcements from Shutterfly... I was very pleased and I didn't have to do a whole lot of work for them. I didn't figure it would be something I would want to spend a lot of time on after the baby was born.

[KeliAnn]

What is everybody doing for birth announcements? I decided to design my own using Photoshop and a idea that I got from one of my SIL's scrapbooking magazines, (it was a do it yourself idea so I know I didn't steal it) :) I did a digital scrapbook type design using papers from www.shabbyprincess.com. I just got them printed off at Walmart, they turned out really good I think.


Great minds think alike, Amy. I did the same thing! I've been into this digital scrapbooking thing lately, and that website is awesome.

Here's ours --- a link since it has our last name on it (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1437/549831465_3f6438d881.jpg), and I don't want it out there for everyone to see. :)

Yours turned out GREAT!!

[ummserious]

Sorry Ladies, I let myself get further and further behind in here...anyway

welcome MayMay!

KeliAnn I'm glad everything is getting easier for you guys. I wanted to tell you that a friend of mine who is a mom of 2 and a nurse has told me that acid reflux is quite common with infants, she guesses that it was just underdiagnosed until recently. I think its usually more about spitting than raspiness but I'm definitely not an expert. The scrapbook page looks really great!

Foxyboo Did you figure out the not pooping yet? I hope everything worked out there.

CMW02 I'm glad you had a great trip and that Gavin is doing well. :)

Suzfuz Your Benjamin is so cute! (I have to say it that way because we ended up with a Benjamin too) His sleeping habits sound wonderful!

Amy You sound like you are doing great! I would like to design my own announcements as well, we have a printer that can emulate real photographs so I need to figure out what I want to do.

Chicksinger That sounds terrible with the incision work, I hope that it heals asap. I think the not showering would make me feel the same way, do you know when you'll be able to?

Txfish Ah yes, we've had a "pee on our own face" event here as well. Fun!

Lets see what I missed...
Gas Benjamin has a ton of gas. He farts all the time and he sometimes wakes himself up grunting and then I hear him work it out. I read that sometimes newborns have gas through the first 3 months because they are eating so much and the intestines are working all the time?

Head Control He has a really strong neck. When he was born he had to lay under the heat lamps for a little bit, when they placed him on his stomach he was already lifting his head. I think he enjoys tummy time as well so we've been trying to give it to him a lot.

Sleeping We had a couple of off nights and I think we've found a good way to deal with it as well as possibly getting some longer stretches from him. Right now I decided to go to bed after an early evening feeding which ends up being around 7 or 8 at night. My husband then stays up if the baby is up and he does it again at the next one-- this has been around 10:30/11. Its really because the baby doesn't always want to go to sleep at this point. Then there is usually a 1am feeding and I take over after that so he can get enough sleep for work. (he can usually get Benjamin to sleep by midnight) Last night worked out well because he feel asleep at 2 and didn't wake up until 5, then fell asleep pretty fast after eating and woke up at 8:00. It is funny but I feel really well rested right now! I guess we'll see how long that lasts...:rolleyes:

[ummserious]

I forgot to ask if anyone's baby is grunting a lot?

also, I keep forgetting to post a photo of my son!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/ummserious/ben2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/ummserious/ben_bathtime.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v369/ummserious/ben1.jpg

[foxyboo751]

Well...It seems like it's been forever since I've been in here.

peeing~ Felicity pees almost the instant I change her into a new clean diaper. She's BFing during the day every 2-3 hours for almost an hour, and FFing at night 3 times 4 oz each time. So, I'm pretty sure she's getting enough to eat :) But, I am still keeping watch just in case.

pooping~ Still having problems here. We helped her out with a thermometer every other day last week, but now are not doing that anymore as babies can get used to having the help and then not poop at all by themselves. Today, I took her to the dr. I now have to stick my gloved pinky in her rear-end once a day until Wednesday to help "artificially dialate" her sphinkter (sp?). Ughh. I'm dreading having to do this. The dr did it today. Dr will call on Wednesday, and then we will go from there. She's still having major gas. I don't know what else to do to help the poor thing. Although, my mother informed me that I was like this as a child, and still go almost a week without movement (sorry for the TMI), so maybe she just inherited my bowels. Who knows?

head control~Felicity has been holding her head up almost since day 1 as well. When I hold her in a sitting up position, I do not have to hold her head up (except that I still do just in case she decides to relax her muscles).

pets~ What is up with the pets this month? My dog had to have a cyst removed the week after Felicity came home from the hospital. Then, he destroyed his stiches and has been on "house arrest" for 2 weeks. I've been stuck home with him since DH works, and I couldn't leave him alone in his kennel. I finally got out on Friday to have Felicity's picture taken at Picture People for father's day.

sleep~ I feel like no matter how well she sleeps at night or how many naps during the day, I never get enough sleep. Whoever said motherhood isn't a full time job, should be shot! I'm FFing at night, so her last feeding is between 10-11, she sleeps til 3/4 and then again til 6. DH does the 10 & 6 feedings, and I do the middle of the night one (I thought since he is working I would give him a break :) ).

Other than her pooping problem, we have definitely hit the growing stage. Felicity is 9 lbs 12 oz, only 2 lbs 4 oz less than her 6 month old cousin! Speaking of which, my niece, brother and wife are all coming down in July! I can't wait to meet my niece, and have her and Felicity together for the first time. Felicity has starting cooing and smiling and laughing! She will react to people randomly (no set smiles yet, but definitely reactions and not just gas), and looks intently at you when you speak to her as if understanding everything you are saying. I am sooo in love!

[Sunshine]

my computer seems to be broken:( im on hubbys laptop ight now.

just wanted to ask all of those who made their own announcements, as i have been playing in photoshop as well...did you make them 4x6 if you took them to walmart etc?
or what size did you do?

[Amy_6405]

Sunshine - I did a 4x6 but the actual image is only 4x5.5 I had to add white space on a seperate layer then flatten the image. After printing I plan on cutting off the white space to fit them into the envelope. Unless somebody knows where I can find 4x6 envelopes, I can't seem to find them anywhere.

[bellabonga]

Our computer was totally messed up and so I did not make it here for quite some time. Now I have a sleeping Milla on my chest and so it´s not really comfy to type. Therefore: great pictures, you all! :) I love your announcements, Amy! I already regret that ours were just plain pink cards with a picture glued to them but I did not have time or the nerves for more.

I have a question for you all: Will you vaccinate your babies against rotavirus? My ped advised me to do it because Milla has to come with me to Maya´s preschool daily. Only that my ped told me that this rotavirus vaccination would be used for more than 10 years in the USA which is not true. I googled it and found out at Wikipedia and other websites that there was a vaccination taken from the market in 1999(?) and that the new one was only approved in 2006. But I don´t remember if I´ve read that it is a standard vaccination everyone does in the USA or if it is something optional. Here I would have to pay 170 Euros (~$210) by myself.

Milla had her check up last Tuesday and it turned out that she will be a huge girl just like her sister was and is. In only 4.5 weeks she has gained 4lbs and has grown 4 inches! :eek: She is still eating a lot and spitting a lot, too. Yesterday we had our first baby massage class and Milla loved it! :) I really enjoyed it to get out of the house without Maya, DH and the dog in tow. There were six other moms who all seemed to be quite nice. Next week I´m also finally starting my postnatal gymnstics class. Alone! :D

Oh, and Milla has some really good head control right now. I will show you that another time.

[bellabonga]

Oh, and another question for you all: Does anyone know by chance if I am allowed to use my lateral thigh stepper already again? In case you don´t know what that is, here is a picture and part of the description:

http://americanfitness.net/ProductImages/LTSMain.jpg

...The Lateral Thigh Stepper features a unique bi-directional skating design which actually moves you in two different directions - at the same time! When you're moving up & down, the Lateral Thigh Stepper targets and tones your glutes. And when you move your legs together and apart, you'll be firming and leaning your inner and outer thighs, abs and obliques...

I finally have my post-cs appointment with my obgyn next week but I can´t wait that long. I am so fat I could cry! :( My belly still looks like 20 weeks and nothing fits me. :( So: would you do it or do you think it could do any harm?

[gf&js]

bellabonga - for working out - I was told that basically once you have stopped bleeding - you should be fine to start working out. But I didn't have a c-section so I don't if that rule applies for you also. Anyone else?

Yikes - I just realized that I'm going for my 6 wk pp check this week! Where did that time go?

Hope everyone had a good day celebrating Father's Day. We survived the baptism. I don't know if our church recently added air (it's nearly 100 years old and huge - not an easy thing to do) or if we have never been able to notice it before but it wasn't nearly as hot as we expected. It was well over 90 outside but we were nice and comfy inside. :)

vaccinations - we will basically do them all. I'll have to find out about the rotovirus one though. I know our doc mentioned that some of the vacs have changed since Kyra had her shots and I think this was one that he mentioned. That reminds me that I need to make Liam's 2 month well baby visit appt!

[erin16nj]

Catching up while Chase naps...

Welcome MayMay and Congratulations on your Baby!

KeliAnn - DS1 had reflux but it was more silent. He wouldnt spit up but you would hear it come up and then go back down and he would scream. We used mylanta for a few months until it went away. Your announcements are soo cute, I am impressed you designed them yourself.

Amy - Your announcements are soo adoreable. I love the pic on the bottom left she is soo alert and wideeyed.

Foxyboo - Sorry about the constipation, that poor girl, which formula are you using is their one that might help her poop better? Yay for the smiling and cooing makes the no sleep worthwhile.

Umm - He is gorgeous. You got some great shots of him.

Bella - I had my 6wk checkup and was cleared but I have been walking anyway since 3wks. I would thin that stepper would be fine but you could always call your Dr and just ask.

Gas - Not soo bad the gas drops seem to help almost within minutes. Though last week I mist of ate something he didnt like as he was miserable for a few hours.

Head Control - seems good but he hates tummy time. I keep trying every day but he last minutes before crying.

Sleeping - Getting Better. Trying the last feeding around 9:30 -10 and then getting him down by 10:30 11 he will sleep till 3ish. Last night we was up at 3 but then slept till 7ish. I must be used to no sleep since I feel ok during the day. I go to bed early as possible 9:30 10ish as DH does the last feeding. That way I get the good strecth before the 3am wake up.

Announcements - Got them yesterday - ordered from www.inababycarriage.com and I love them. Amber does great work. Now I just have to get them in the mail.

Vaccinations - We vax on scheduled with DS1 and will do the same with Chase. Interesting about the Roto Vax being pulled I had one neice who was in the window of not getting the Roto Vax (born in 2000) and she ended up in the hospital with it from Dehydration. She was like 3 the poor kid. At the time my sister didnt realize they had stopped the Roto Vax since her older DD had recieved it in 1998, until she looked it up.... Weird.

[foxyboo751]

vaccinations~ Felicity will have all the scheduled vax. I'm a teacher, and ended up with the rotovirus myself 2 years ago. It is NOT fun! And, since I will be with 8/9 year olds all the time, I am sure to be bringing home unwanted germs. So, she will have the roto vax.

Is anyone else really looking forward to their pp appt for the having sex reason?? I haven't had any GOOD sex since January, and I can't wait! I'll be 6 weeks pp next week and the following week we'll be on vacation! I'm looking very forward to being given the go ahead!! :):):D

So, Felicity still hasn't pooped, which means I'm going to have to stick my pinky in her rear-end, poor girl. I feel so bad for her.

breastfeeding ??~ Does anyone else have a child who will "play" with your nipple? Felicity will be sucking and then she'll pull away with my nipple in her mouth. It's very uncomfortable. Or, she'll drop off then bite down hard again to get it back. She's feeding for over an hour and then acting like she's still hungry. And she doesn't fall asleep from it anymore. As soon as I move her away from the breast, she starts to cry. I think it might have to do with her stomach issuse, but it's really almost annoying! She used to sleep for 2-3 hours after feeding for 1. Hmmph. :rolleyes::confused:

[Sunshine]

I will have to catch up now that my internet is working...but wanted to say quickly...

Bella~I was told NOT to do anything exercise-wise after my c-section until my 6 week appointment EXCEPT walking and walking up stairs if I have stairs in my house etc..not to exercise on stairs...
But that was my doctors opinion and advice to me...

foxy~OMG YES! Alli plays with my nipple ALL THE TIME!

Gripe water~Okay, b/c of all the discussions about this stuff I went out and bought some today. Allison had the hiccups as soon as I got home so I tried it out, and OMG did it work like a charm!
I didnt even give her half of what it recommended but it worked:D

Sleep~I almost hate to post this...but Alli slept for 8 hours last night! :eek: She WAS super fussy all day long tho so I think she just really tired herself out. She def doesnt do this every night. I feel so lucky tho that I have had 3 7 hour and 1 8 hour stretch!

Baby Shower~I know alot of you had your showers before baby came...but I am finally having my shower this Saturday! I am so excited:D

[gf&js]

Holy crap - Liam just rolled over 3 ties from his belly to his back - twice to the right and once to the left! He's too young to be doing this! I didn't think rolling was supposed to happen for a few months - not at 5 1/2 weeks! Could it be just a reflex? If it's not - I'm in for it. :eek:

[CMW02]

Wow! Liam is strong!!
However, I have read in my "what to expect the 1st year" book that around the 2nd month (meaning weeks 4-8) that some babies can start rolling one way...but it certainly is still early. :)
You have a strong little one for sure!

sunshine: I'm jealous of your sleeping 8 hours!

My back is killing me today, and I'm mentally exhausted b/c Gavin decided that he did not want to sleep at all today. He only wants to sleep in my arms, and each time I put him down, he is screaming at the top of his lungs about 10 minutes later. I'm about to lose my mind! LOL Its already 8p and I am thinking about taking a walk w/him to get us both some fresh air. Fresh air often helps him sleep better, which will in turn help me. :D

[Chicksinger]

rolling Zach did that-rolling really early-but only once and then he didn't roll again until 5 months. I think he just had his legs up right and when they tipped over they turned him, too.

roto vax If our ped recommends it, I think we will do it. (We definitely follow all scheduled vax.) Zach had rotovirus and it was AWFUL. Constant diarrhea for 2 weeks.

c/s healing My incision is bleeding again. :( I had to go back in yesterday (been to see the OB 2x/week since nothing is working) and things weren't healing right. They actually separated some edges that were joining wrong. Plus, I was packing the woulnd with some iodized tape, and I seem to be too sensitive to it. Have to change to plain gauze. AND I may have a fungal infection, so I have to put some ointment on the surrounding area, and if that doesn't help, I have to take diflucan next week. I'm so sick of this. The OB doesn't even seem to know what to do with me; it's like she's just throwing meds at me, guessing at what to try next.

CMW02 I had one of *those* days on Monday! MIL and SIL went home (SIL had been holding Katie ALL WEEK), and I was the only one here to hold Katie. My elbow and wrist were killing me, and Katie wouldn't go in the ring sling all day. I hope the walk helped!

[CMW02]

Just dropping off a picture of my little ones...
Simone and Gavin:
deleted
It still amazes me how much they look alike, in coloring anyways...we sorta expected Gavin to look more like DH and I...(rule of averages ya know? ;p )
This is what WE look like...
deleted
So, to get two blondies/red heads w/blue eyes, cracks us up! Guess our "ethnic" (black/hispanic/afr.amer) genes were overruled by our caucasian ones. :D

[erin16nj]

GF Go Liam!!! Thats awesome...I guess he is telling you he hates tummy time and will do what it takes to get out of it. :D

Chick Damn, that really sucks about your incision...what a pain in the butt and it does sound like your Dr doesnt know what to do with you.

CMW SImone and Gavin look soo much alike esp in the eyes. I also think Simone looks alot like you. Its funny my DH is very dark and Cole is blonde/blue eyed. Chase looks like he may follow we thought one would have brown eyes like thier Daddy...but 3 of the grandparents are fair with blue eyes. Anyway your kids are gorgeous!

[KeliAnn]

CMW: OMG! That is unreal! I would have assumed your DH was blonde and blue-eyed from looking at your kids. :) They are SO cute, btw.

Emma looks *just like* her daddy -- I think the only quality of me she has is my mouth / overbite and the blue eyes, but even those could change colors in the next few months. Poor thing is destined to have braces.

roto vax: Yeah, we'll just go with whatever our doctor recommends. Even though Emma won't be in daycare, I do plan on getting her involved in playgroups eventually.

sleeping: Emma is doing pretty good. She goes down at 10:30 and then eats at 2:30, 5:30 and wakes up for the day around 8:30. She eats 4oz at each nighttime feeding, but she's still only eating 2-3oz every 2 hours during the day.

Napping is a different story -- she will not sleep more than 15 minutes during the day unless I'm holding her. I put her in her crib for the first time today, and she made it about 20 minutes. But then she cried, so I put her in my lap, and she's been out for a while. She's still young, so I'm not concerned, but I really hope she grows out of it. ;)

Is anyone planning on sleep-training? If so, when do you plan on starting? I'm trying to get her into routines, but I'm not super strict about it, and I'm not letting her cry or anything.

[suzfuzsunflower]

Quick post while Benjamin naps (Keliann, my son is another baby who doesn't like to nap during the day...although, if I hold him he will sleep for longer periods of time).

Just wanted to ask if anyone is having bleeding similar to mine. Two days ago it turned from brown to red, and has gotten much heavier. I also have AF kind of cramps and pain. Called the dr. and was told that it could be normal, or I could have gotten my period. I am BF, but dr. said that it isn't unheard of to get your period (although unlikely) while BF, even this early on. Kind of doubting that it is AF b/c I did not get a period on my own for years, and had to take medicine to induce it. But anyway...just wanted to see if anyone else is experiencing this (or did). I am 5 weeks PP.

[suzfuzsunflower]

I wanted to ask another question:
CLOTHING: What size clothes is everyone's baby wearing. At 5 weeks old, DS has grown out of just about all of his 0-3 month stuff, and has even outgrown a lot of his 3 month clothes. We are in 3 month and a few 3-6 month. The problem is that he is very long (at 2 weeks 95% for height), but skinny. So he has growing room in the gut, but everything just becomes too short for him. I'm just interested in seeing what everyone's else's kid is wearing.

[Amy_6405]

Keli - your announcements are beautiful! Isn’t the shabbyprincess site cool?! I don't know how much I’ll be doing but I love the idea of it :)

Foxy - sorry to hear Felicity is still having pooping issues, hopefully they will clear up soon that would be frustrating!

gf&js - wow Liam is superbaby! Kierstin sometimes will get herself up on her side just from kicking but that’s it.

roto vax - we plan on getting what our ped recommends, if she doesn't suggest the roto vax I might ask about it because I don't want Kierstin to have to go through the rotavirus :(

Chicksinger - ouch! sorry to hear about your c/s incision not healing :( that sounds so painful!

CMW - your kids are too cute, they look a lot alike! And I think they look like you too :) It's amazing how they both have blue eyes, especially since brown is supposed to be the dominate color, my sister has blue eyes and I have green even though my dad has brown.

Sleep training - we'll probably do some sort of sleep training, I don't even know when to start. Sometimes Kierstin will cry herself to sleep but it's not because I’m trying to get her to do it. She will just cry for a few minutes and fall asleep before I can get to her.

Bleeding - right before my bleeding went away I had a day of heavier red blood then it lightened up again and went away. Maybe that’s what's happening to you?

[KeliAnn]

Sunshine - I did a 4x6 but the actual image is only 4x5.5 I had to add white space on a seperate layer then flatten the image. After printing I plan on cutting off the white space to fit them into the envelope. Unless somebody knows where I can find 4x6 envelopes, I can't seem to find them anywhere.
Amy: I got mine off of eBay. Here's the seller's link (http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZdevadance_arts_suppliesQQhtZ-1).

I'll BBL with replies ... but here's how I get Emma to sleep during the day:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1258/576698735_73d7430f8e.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1177/576702011_d5fcf8153c.jpg

Added bonus - I can sit at my desk and actually get stuff done!

[foxyboo751]

Yeah!!!!! Felicity finally pooped last night! We went to go look at cars (I'm driving a mustang currently and it's killing my back and legs being squished in the back seat while DH drives). We got so frustrated being pushed by the finance guy, I thought my night would never get better. Felicity was pushing real hard while we were there, then when we got home it was like Mount Vesuvius! She was backed up for 4 days! But, I was that way when I was a baby, so, I guess that's just how her bowels are.

bleeding~ My bleeding kept coming back re