June 2007 Mommies ~ Enjoying Mommyhood!

[Smittenk]

OK Ladies....there is a June 2008 thread!! :eek: How is that possible when I don't even have a three month old yet?! Wow

[micd]

stevesbabygirl - Wow, you nurse a lot too! :) Sometimes I feel like I am the only one who spends most of my day nursing, especially among my friends. When she is sleeping is the only time she will ever go for three or more hourse between a feeding. I am lucky if I can push it to two.

GA_GAL - Just wondering, with your schedule that you have her on, do you just do any errands you need to do during her awake/activity time and then be sure to be home by her naptime? Just curious how you do it.

Ugh, I had a horrible morning yesterday. Lots of tears on my part. :) Sara is just a horrrible napper. I have tried lots of different things. I've read a bunch of different books. She just does not want to nap. She's has always been like this. She was awake for 4 1/2 hours before I could get her to sleep, and by that time I know she was overtired. I tried putting her down so many times, but she would wake right up and cry. I am not willing to let her really cry it out, though I will let her fuss for short periods of time (like at 4:30 this morning after I had fed her). One of the books I read did say that babies can be trickier to sleep at this age because they have become very social and they would prefer to be with you. My saving grace is that she does sleep pretty well at night. My mom has told me that I was a horrible napper too...haha...I guess I had it coming. Please tell me that someone else is having this problem and that I am not the only one. :(

Besides the napping, and lots of nursing, everything is going pretty well. She's around 12 1/2 - 13 pounds and just such a smiley active baby. She's also equally angry sometimes...haha. Just an extreme baby.

I do not let her watch TV purposely, but she is always so drawn to it. I'll have her laying on the floor and she will crane her head all the way around to try and watch it...haha...and then it is like zombie eyes. :p

[micd]

Wow, June 2008!!! That is so crazy. Time really does fly!!

[stevesbabygirl]

June 2008 already?!

[magrat]

Guess it's too late for us to have two babies within a year now! ;)

[StacieLady]

Ugh, I had a horrible morning yesterday. Lots of tears on my part. :) Sara is just a horrrible napper. I have tried lots of different things. I've read a bunch of different books. She just does not want to nap. ... Please tell me that someone else is having this problem and that I am not the only one. :(

Ooo, ooo, me too, me too! It is killer, but I just can't make him nap. Lately he won't even nap for more than 15-20 on my chest! It makes him (and me) so cranky! I have been trying everything, but nothing seems to really work. The said part is that I think it is really beginning to affect his night sleep too. He had started to STTN at the beginning of September, but now we are back to getting up at least twice a night. Luckily, he will eat and go right back to sleep. But it is starting to wear me out! (no offense to all you wonderful Mommies who have been having trouble at night!) I would kill to get more than 6 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period!

[Irish Elf]

stevesbabygirl
I do not let her watch TV purposely, but she is always so drawn to it. I'll have her laying on the floor and she will crane her head all the way around to try and watch it...haha...and then it is like zombie eyes. :p

E does the zombie eyes too. I laugh that she is a couch potato - all she does is lie around and eat. :p Though there is one good thing that has come of it. She now rolls to her side to get a better view. She was on her playmat, I was cross-stitching and CNN was in the background. I look over and she is on her side looking at the TV. Thank goodness I wasn't watching something like NipTuck or Weeds. Just what I need her first words to be - "Light me one up, Mom"

E went from sleeping 6 hours at a stretch to almost 9-10. It's good in that I get sleep; it's bad in that after feeding every 2-3 hours she then goes for so long. Ouch. I suppose I could get up at 4 and pump but then there goes me sleeping through the night. Luckily when I get her up she wants to eat immediately. I was reading that babies at this age wke frequently and will make noises as if they are hungry. E does this and will suck her finger. I used to get up and feed her but I read that the sucking is more for comfort and they will put themselves back to sleep if they aren't really hungry. After trying this for a few nights I realized she wasn't really hungry. Her cue that she is hungry and really awake is that she will lift both legs up and then bring them down making a rather loud and annoying bang. No way you can sleep through that. Then when you get up she looks at you with this really cute smile as if to say "Oh, you're awake, could I eat now?"

Funny story to make y'all laugh. Last night she didn't want to sleep so I nursed her and then held her facing out for quite a while. I finally had her asleep on my chest, DH is in the bed next to me asleep and the phone rings. (She is still asleep). I hear "Do possums bite?" My mom had a possum in her laundry room. She's rather freaked out and asking me to ask DH questions. Now I still have E in my arms and she is still asleep at this point.

Mom: Do possums bite?
Me, repeating DH: They can. Tell her they also jump.
Mom: They jump? Oh great." I'm giggling as I have this mental image of a possum on a trampoline.
Me: Ok mom you need to put on long pants and shoes so it can't scratch you. Also put on shoes." (Dh is in the background yelling put on you special possum shoes. I'm not sure why this is funny but now he is giggling.)
At this point my mom gets off the phone to battle the possum. I try to hand E to DH but she poops and the rule is whoever is touching her has to change her.

Mom calls me back to report that the possum just hissed and hissed at her and finally left. After a bit of prodding she tells me the possum was the size of her dog - a miniature Yorkie. So my mom was terrorized by a baby possum. Then the phone cuts off. DH says the possum probably cut the phone lines. Dh can't leave this so he calls her back from his blackberry as if he is with the possum union and says her act of aggression will be met with an equal show of force. At this point I have my face buried in the bed and am opening laughing. E is awake and just smiling away. As I put her in the PNP by the bed she looks at me as if to say that was fun mommy, do it again.

So tonight's entertainment is...Grandma vs the squirrel. An act in 3 parts.

[steelcitymama]

i'm here to chime in w/ the napping issues! mairin used to nap frequently throughout the day for short periods of time..but lately, when it comes time for her to nap (at least as far as i can tell from her yawning and thumbsucking which will escalate to crying if she doesn't fall asleep), she fusses, but is hard to get to sleep. she used to be so easy! she'd yawn, i'd put her down, and she's drift off to sleep herself.

the weird thing is though, at her caregivers house 3 days/week, she naps much easier. she sleeps longer there and less frequently and seems to go down without any trouble. i wonder if it's because things are still new there and very exciting and she stays up as long as she can before she just kind of passes out?? the friend who watches her has an 8 mos old son and mairin is just fascinated with him.

anyway, i don't know....it seems like here at home, she is clinging to her old napping schedule (which is fine) and is cranky and has a hard time going down. but at her caregiver's, it seems like she stays up for much longer periods of time with less crankiness!

[StacieLady]

i wonder if it's because things are still new there and very exciting and she stays up as long as she can before she just kind of passes out??

DS will nap much better for my mom when she is taking care of him than for me. (She comes to my house so the setting is the same) I prefer to think it is because he loves mommy so much he doesn't want to miss a moment of time with me!:D

[GA_GAL]

steelcitymama: Glad that dreamfeed worked for you. I guess I'm just afraid that if I get her up she won't go back to sleep.

stevesbabygirl : Best of luck selling and buying a new home. Moving really stinks and doing it with a baby is so much harder! Hopefully you'll have lots of help.

micd: Usually I wait until she wakes up from a nap, feed her and then get in the car to go run errands. Often times if I'm out for longer than her awake time, she'll fuss a little, but then fall asleep in the stroller or in the car when her normal nap time would be. Then I try to make it home before time to feed her again or I'll feed her while I'm out if I need to be gone for longer than that. She is becoming so much more aware and seems to like looking all around at the stuff and people while I'm grocery shopping, or doing whatever else I need to do.

irishelf: Funny story about your mom!

TV: Handley will arch her back and turn 180 degrees to see it if she knows it is on so I keep it off during the day except when I put on her video.

napping: I'm so glad that everyone else is having the same issues. Handley is still napping 3 times a day, but it is such a battle to get her down. She fights going to sleep and will just cry, cry, cry. I used to rock her and lay her down and she was out. Now even if I'm holding/rocking her she will cry. I tried letting her CIO starting on Sunday a few times and the first time she only fussed for 4 mins., the second only 11 mins. That I could handle. I don't feel so guilty because she cries even if I'm holding her. However, now everything has changed. First of all she can roll over from her back to stomach. The first thing she does when I lay her down is flip to her stomach. She can't get back to her back and that frustrates her so the crying only gets worse and she can't get to sleep. It freaks me out because even if I keep flipping her onto her back, she ends up on her stomach at some point in the night/nap. My ped. said there isn't much you can do after they start rolling around. I'm thinking about getting the Fisher Price Aquarium soother. I read a lot of reviews about it online and so many moms say it is great with helping baby get to sleep. My thinking is that she will watch the lights/bubbles, etc. and not roll over so she will be able to get to sleep easier. On top of all this, she has come down with a bad cold. I think that has also messed with her sleeping and is causing her to wake up more frequently at night.

[Irish Elf]

Today's funny story:

Last night I am talking with my sister who has a 3 year old. He is the cutest think and went from barely talking to full on sentences. Last night we are trying to have an adult conversation (Remember those? Conversations that don't have the words poo, poop or any variation?) So here we are chatting and suddenly I hear him yelling and she starts laughing. He is jumping on the bed yelling "I want pie" over and over. And he is buck naked. Here is this 3 year old naked child screaming for pie while jumping on the bed like a trampoline. There is no pie in the house, there hasn't been pie in the house for a while. I'm not sure he has ever had pie. But by golly, he wants pie. At this point I am crying I'm laughing so hard.

Next weekend they are coming to visit and you can bet I'll have a pie for him.

[micd]

Okay ladies, I am flying this weekend, by myself! :eek:

I've read some of the travel thread, but was wondering if any of you have tips related to the age of our babies? I'm still trying to decide if I should carry her in the Bjorn through the airport and check the carseat and stroller, or gate check it all. I know it might be easier on me to have the stroller to roll her in, but then I know I have to fold it up and put it through the x-ray machine.

Any thoughts from those of your who have traveled.

By the way, she'll be sitting on my lap.

[daphne]

micd DS was older the 1st time I traveled w/him (6 months), but I liked having the stroller to put him in. I just need to put my dc *down* sometimes, you know? That's the only thought I had about not bringing the stroller

[steelcitymama]

hi, ladies!

just wanted to pop in quickly to say hello & drop off a few recent pictures.

work has been totally crazy recently, as have our weekends. everything is going well though, and we are having a blast with mairin. i hope everyone is doing well!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/P9100051.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/P9150084-1.jpg

[stevesbabygirl]

Her cue that she is hungry and really awake is that she will lift both legs up and then bring them down making a rather loud and annoying bang. No way you can sleep through that. Then when you get up she looks at you with this really cute smile as if to say "Oh, you're awake, could I eat now?"


Hahahahaha, Owen does this same thing in his PNP in the morning!

[Irish Elf]

We took E for her 4 month checkup yesterday. being the bad mom I am I forgot to give er Tylenol before I left and the drs office was out. She got her oral vax and was 3/4 of the way through it when she realized "Oh crap, I know what comes next." You could see the wheels turning in her head. She only cried for about 2 minutes after the shots, and it was more if a mad cry. It was as if she was pissed that someone dare to hurt *her*!!! (Yes, she has great self esteem:p) As we were leaving I saw 2 mothers with 8 wk olds and both were crying. i reassured them that it was ok and that I cried then as well as now.

As y'all know E hasn't really liked tummy time. Well, recently she has taken to it like a champ. When the dr put her on her tummy E lifted up on her elbows, then straightened her arms so her whole tummy was off the table. You go girl. I tried to act like "Yeah, she does this all the time,' but the doctor wasn't fooled - I think my jaw around my knees may have given me away.

Last night was so sad. All E wanted to do was nurse and be held. She wasn't cranky so much as just wanted to be comforted by us. At one point I felt like a bug being sucked dry as she nursed and nursed and nursed. But it made her feel better so all is well.

She's very sleepy today as expected. It's cloudy so we are having a laze around the house day. Laundry, reading and cross-stitching are the only tasks I hope to accomplish. Well, that and changing pooey diapers.;)

[magrat]

What a busy day! We had a photo session with a local photographer at noon. It went really well and I'm sure she got some really cute pictures (she posted one in her blog: http://spiritgrove.blogspot.com/ ) but the prices are so high, I don't know if we'll get any. We're getting a baby panel which was a special deal, four pictures, one at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months for $40. But even 1 8x10 is like $80 (I think). It doesn't seem like there is much middle ground between JC Penney's and private photographers. Have the rest of you been getting portraits taken?

Then at 3:30 we had ECFE (baby class) and at 7 I went to LLL. This week Eve mastered grabbing things and pulling them to her. A week ago she wasn't really doing it at all, but then she suddenly figured it out. I think it helped that I gave her more time by herself on a blanket so she could figure out her world a little better.

Picked out a Halloween costume too. She's going to be a bat:

http://ii.babycenter.com/images/en_US//local/products/detail/6613.jpg

Should be cute in Halloween themed photos.

I also picked a stroller to take to Europe, we're getting a Maclaren Quest. Our other stroller is big and heavy and great for walks outside, but not so good for the mall, so I can't wait to get the Maclaren. It'll be easy to lift out of the car and it's so small. I was very tempted by the Peg Aria, but in the end decided to go with the smaller size, even though the Aria was lighter. DH really liked the fact that Maclaren's are English and made by people who make racecars :)

[Irish Elf]

DH and I were just talking about pictures last night. i really want some good ones with E in her costume. Then I realized hey, I have a digital camera and usually can get some really good ones of her. As for backgrounds, DH has already scoped out sights. He is so excited a nearby church has their pumpkin patch already up. My mom knows of a great photographer in her town that takes great shots. She's not professional but does great work. We may go that route.

We're looking for costumes today. My MIL took it upon herself to pick out E's costume and brought it up Tuesday. Needless to say I was miffed and told her thanks, but picking out E's costume was something DH and I were doing together. So she gave me the receipt to take the costume back. yeah b/c I have so much free time and it's real easy to take E in for a quick exchange. here's a thought, you take it back yourself since you past by the place on your way home!!!

So, I spend and hour looking at costumes online last night. My dad is about to retire as a pilot and I found this really cute aviator's costume and one of the Red Baron. But DH is liking all the animal ones so we'll see what we end up with. But can you imagine the pictures of E in a pilot's uniform on a mantle next to her Grandpa in his uniform? More importantly, what would it take to sway DH to my thinking....;) (mental note, find babysitter for an hour or two)

E is also reaching for things and putting them into her mouth. I'm waiting until she grabs the cat and tries to put him in her mouth. That should be fun. :p

Hope everyone is doing well.

[Irish Elf]

I ordered her costume. DD will be the Red Baron. Now I'm off to find someone with a plane so I can take pictures. :D

Keep the travel tips coming. My dad is retiring form flying soon and I have never flown with him in the cockpit. I want to take DD with me so she can fly with her Grandpa. It will be a short trip, basically just flying a couple of legs with him (cheer for buddie passes). I'll be breastfeeding her during takeoff and landings but what should I take to keep her entertained. I mean besides all the flight attendants who will want to hold her because she's so cute.;)

How is everyone doing this week?

[magrat]

We went to JC Penney for portraits today, and oh boy, Eve was not happy. She had a bad night last night and wouldn't nap this morning, so she was pretty cranky by our appointment. We got some nudie pics taken, but after changing her into her outfit she would not stop crying so I had to give up. I got some decent pics anyway, but I think I'm going to have to get some from the expensive photographer because they're just so much better. She was happier and better posed and everything I think. Oddly enough, the photographer didn't have any toys or anything to distract her with, so I ended up using my car keys. I thought that was pretty strange.

Sleep is pretty bad. I really want to transition her to her crib and stop swaddling, and I definitely shouldn't be relying on the swing so much, but all resolution flies out the window at 3 am when I'm up for the 3rd time. She's four months now, I really thought by now things would be better, but they actually seem to be worse than they were at 1 1/2 months. I think we might go to B&N this evening to buy the No Cry Sleep Solution. I should be making dinner now but I'm just so tired...

[daphne]

Let's see if this works!

[daphne]

Hooray! I actually posted a pic! Only a fly-by, but magrat I feel your pain. A's sleep has been horrible for the past week or so. it seems to be getting worse - i have to do some reading, too...yawn! be grateful that you don't have a toddler in the mix. hello caffeine!

[Smittenk]

Cute pic Daphne!!

Boy am I happy to hear I am not the only one with sleep issues right now...is it a growth spurt or the beginning of teething or something??!!

Connor got over his jetlag and was wonderful for about 2 days and then this new "thing" happened and he is up every 3-4 hours again :(:mad:

I really cannot handle this sleep thing...I also am tired of having to rock him to sleep most of the time...he is getting heavy!

[StacieLady]

Our problem is not that he won't stay asleep, it is that he won't go to sleep. I know they say that sleep begets sleep, and the more your kid naps the better he will sleep. Well, unless I have totally missed the boat, that is not the case with my dear babe.

He napped well yesterday. He even took a monster nap or almost 2 hours (unheard of in my house), so how were we rewarded? He was up until after 10!

Oh well. My mom said he gets it from me. I was always a night owl. I wouldn't fuss, just not sleep. However, if that is true that isn't a good sign for him. I have vivid memories of being a poor sleeper. I totally gave up napping when I was around 3.5 or 4, and I didn't really LEARN to go to sleep easily at night until I was in high school. Hummm...I could be in for it!

[steelcitymama]

oh. my. god.

i need to come back here and read more carefully and post myself, but i am totally having sleep issues too! this is such a relief/comfort to hear that several of you are experiencing the same thing.

it must be something about the age???

more later---daphne, love the pic!

[Irish Elf]

E actually took a nap longer than 45 minutes yesterday. Of course today her nap has only lasted 30 minutes (she just woke up as a matter of fact.) This was after her waking up at 4 this morning and nursing just short enough for her to fall back asleep when she was done, but long enough to make it difficult for me to do the same. She has started alternating on how she wakes me up. Sometimes it's giggling which is way too cute. Other times she talks - loudly- until I wake up. But she'll pause between "sentences" - maybe talking with our resident ghost? I don't want to get her up if she's barely awake, so I sit there and let her talk until I realize she's up and hungry. Even if she falls back asleep I'm still awake then.

So fret not, we all seem to be in the same boat with sleep issues.

DH started teething early and I am eagerly awaiting that milestone. Sortof. Ok, not really. I know it has to happen, I mean kids get teeth. But how I wish they would just appear and she would know not to bit the breast than feeds her. :D

On to solids: E watches very intently when we eat and mimics our mouths moving. Yesterday she reached out to DH's glass of tea (ah, such a southern girl:p). Our pediatrician says we can start her on cereal if we want - any tips in advance other than be in a room that can be hosed down? So far I am leaning toward waiting longer. Even if I start sooner, I will be mixing the rice with breast milk.

PS - They don't have pumpkins that cute at the pumpkin patch up the road.

[StacieLady]

We started Jacob on cereal a couple weeks ago and it has gone really well! He seems to love it. We mix it with EBM and aside from wanting to put his fists in his mouth too, it has gone really well! The doc suggested (like the box) to start with a 1:4 ratio of cereal to milk. We did that but it was way too thin for him. So the next time I went full strength 1:1. I think that if they are worried about not getting too much cereal to quickly, I would add less liquid and not less cereal. Of course that is assuming that your DC takes well to it.

Everything seems to be going well. We haven't started doing it every day. We are closer to every other day. But it it has been a lot of fun. :D We haven't noticed any difference in his poop, which is something I was worried about.

[GA_GAL]

Hi Ladies-

Gosh it has been way too long since I've been on here. We've been busy with the house search and finally found one. We put in our offer today and area waiting to hear back. It's a new house in a great neighborhood. There are lots of young families with little kids, and the neighborhood has lots of walking trails throughout, a playground, pool, etc. I'm very excited.

I'm glad to hear everyone else is having sleep issues too. Handley is no longer sleeping through the night. She usually is up once during the night and it can happen anytime between 1:30 and 4:30. After I feed her she goes right back to bed. It's hard after she'd been sleeping through the night for a while, but what can I do.

She's still napping well once she finally gets to sleep. I tried a few different methods, but she is just one of those kids that fights going to sleep. She will cry, cry, cry. It doesn't matter if I'm holding her, if she's swinging, if we're in the car, or if she is in the crib. I started just laying her down and letting her work it out. I don't feel so guilty because even if I'm rocking her she still cries. Once she's asleep (which happens after 5-10 mins. of crying/fussing) she'll usually stay asleep for 1-2 hours. It's been great. Her naps have been getting longer and longer so I think she's getting ready to transition into 2 naps a day soon.

She started refusing a bottle last week. I keep trying every few days, but she still has no interest and just wants to nurse. It's been hard because I can't go anywhere for very long without her. Any suggestions? When can babies start using a sippy cup?

Are y'all just loving the age our babies are right now? I have so much fun watching her and all the new things she is doing each day...rolling over, holding toys, putting EVERYTHING in her mouth, talking up a storm, and "flirting" with everyone.

Daphne and Steelcitymama: Cute pictures!! Magrat: loved your pro shots of Eve. I love to see how all the babies are growing. I need to post some soon.

[magrat]

solids I'm not doing any until 6 months and will probably be starting with avocado or something, not cereal. I haven't read anything that says it's good for babies to start solids younger than six months, and a ton that says waiting is best. No rush!

sleep I'm too tired even to write about the sleep hell I'm experiencing now. I have been trying to transition her to her crib, but that means neither of us sleep. Plus I went to a moms meetup today and the consensus was that she won't get used to the crib no matter how long we keep trying, nor will her sleep get any better as she gets older. Oh joy.

[stevesbabygirl]

I have a night owl too. Owen didn't go to bed tonight until after 10:30! Luckily though, he's still sleeping through the night. He gets up at around 7:30 these days, eats, then goes back to sleep until 10 or 11. Since sleep is one of my guilty pleasures, I just lay him down on my chest, and we fall asleep :).

Here are some recent pictures:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2236/1517927346_daac69a0e4.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2015/1517955792_1dba1ea97f.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2267/1517120613_61641c7980.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2216/1529967544_2b0a5ae8a8.jpg?v=0

[steelcitymama]

ok, i seem to have solved mairin's mystery nighttime sleeping issues. THANK GOD! last week, she started waking up after 20 min of sleeping in her crib at night. she would be crying inconsolably,which is really atypical. she'll fuss if she's hungry or tired, but not for no reason...and normally she'll just kind of fuss, not SOB or freak out. once we settled her, she would go back to sleep and then wake up 20 min or so later and do it all over again. aorund 8/830 we'd finally get her to sleep for real and then she'd STTN. anyway, long story short, fast foward 6 days of this same thing but getting worse....so i finally figured out that i'd been nursing her too frequently during the evening hours and it was upsetting her stomach. the clue was each time we'd pick her up after one of thse crying spells, she'd fart or burp. plus she was pooping way more often than usual. so 2 nights ago i fed her on her regular daytime schedule and she was totally back to her old self! same with last night! phew. i'm so relieved b/c i just knew something wasn't right---she just wasn't acting like herself at all at night. i'd starting feeding more frequently in the evenings once i went back to work b/c she'd gone from sleeping 12 hrs at night to waking once at 430 AM to eat (but going right back to sleep). so i wasn't complaining about that, just not sure why it was happening...so i starting tanking her up in the evenings. and for awhile that seemed to be working well....but apparently not so much anymore!

RE: naps...i work from home 2 days a week and my mom comes to watch mairin while i work. she gives my mom a REALLY hard time with naps. she loves to play with her grandma, but won't sleep for her unless it's in the stroller. she naps super well for her caregiver on M, W, F (her caregiver seems to have the magic touch) and pretty well for DH and i, though she will sometimes fight it and cry. the surefire thing that works for me is putting her in her front carrier (i have a babyhawk) and throwing a blanket over her head. sounds kinda mean, but it really settles her down and shuts out the stimulation that she sometimes can't remove herself from.

GA GAL--congrats on finding a house in a neighborhood that you guys love. i hope your offer is accepted! i do totally love the age they're at now...so much fun. all the smiles and talking and grabbing at things. still no rolling over here for m, but she's been *this* close for weeks!

SBG--cute pics of owen!

stacielady--that's fun that you started solids with jacob and that he's taking to them so well. i'm SO looking forward to that stage. we probably won't start for awhile, esp b/c she doesn't even seem remotely interested in food. we plan on making a lot of her food, so i bought a bunch of fresh plums and fresh nectarines at the end of the summer when they were still in season her and made some batches of those to freeze. by the time we start solids in nov/dec i knew there'd be no fresh fruits in season, so i thought i'd better get on it! :) it was really fun to do that but it blows my mind that she'll actually be eating real foods in a few months!! crazy!!

does anyone have a jogging stroller that they're using yet? i think our says she needs to be 6 mos. but her neck strength is really good. ??? any thoughts?

i bought m one of those sweet peapod costumes for halloween. :)

also, i know a lot of us are BFing--thought you might like this link. i'm not so much into slogan t-shirts in general, but i really liked a lot of these: http://www.cafepress.com/buy/breastfeeding/-/go_1

[StacieLady]

steelcitymama - That is so cool that you thought ahead enough to buy fruit! You are so smart! :) Jacob will be 5 months old on Sunday, so we are a bit ahead on our food time line. He had started taking an interest in what we were doing at the dinner table and had started "chewing" a lot so we thought he might be interested in a little "food". We couldn't have been more right. He LOVES it. :) The best thing has been how much fun he and DH have doing it. It has been a real bonding time for them.

----

Jacob is wearing his 9 month clothes now! It is crazy! I can't believe he is almost 5 months old and weighs over 18 pounds! Where did my little baby go! He is still working on rolling over. He can go from back to front with the slightest bit of help. I know he could do it on his own if he had any desire...but he has NONE. I can't entice him with any thing. He just lays on his back and uses his feet to spin him self in the direction he wants to be. We are no where near rolling from front to back. He doen't have a clue what to do with his arms. Oh well...we will get there.

He is getting so good at using his hands. He loves his crinkle books and will "read" them in his high chair while we eat dinner. He is also started to work on sitting. If we prop him up he will play with things that are between his feet and lean forward to get to them. He has terrible balance of course, but if I hold his ankles so he doesn't tip over to the right or left he can sit up for a little while.

I took him with me to work today. My mom usually keeps him on Thursdays, but she was out of town. Everyone was in love with him. One of the Polish women in our lab who has a granddaughter about 3 weeks older than Jacob kept telling me how polite he was. That was too cute!

[steelcitymama]

stacie---that's great that jacob is doing so well with this food! and even if you're a bit ahead on that, it sounds like you guys were able to read his signals really well and do what works best for the three of you, which is the most important thing! re: me thinking ahead for the fruit...i'm trying to be organized with this kid! we'll see how long it lasts before i slip back to my old ways.. :) that's so much fun that you brought him to work with you---i bet that was a blast!

[Irish Elf]

Baby E has been showing all the signs of wanting people food as well. After consulting with our pediatrician we decided to try some cereal last night. I covered everything with a sheet, got the food ready, had the camera standing by and...nothing. She took a few bites and then decided nope, not really interested. I thought maybe it was the taste so I tried a bite. And then realized oh crap, I used breastmilk. So here I am trying not to make a face while E is watching and then DH decides he wants to know what she is tasting so he takes a bite. And then realizes oh crap it's made with breastmilk. Yes, I know breast is best but I won't be adding it to my coffee any time soon. And we will hold off on the solids a little longer.

Off topic - did anyone watch South Park this week? Bono want the biddy? Don't hurt the biddy.

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen has a tooth! He's only 3 1/2 months old! I found it last night when we were in our new house with some really bright lights shining on it. Wow!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2046/1554613004_4e516e9056.jpg?v=0

[StacieLady]

Heather - Congratulations and good luck to your boobs! I am worried about that!

[magrat]

The evening of the day I posted about my sleep hell I had a great night! We figured it out at the same time as steelcitymama, or I should say DH figured it out! He took Eve and wouldn't let me at her to nurse her before bed and just rocked and burped her for ages until she calmed down and then she slept for 5 hours! She hasn't slept that long for months. When she woke at 4 I got up and fed her off two very full sides and then burped her lots rather than worrying about waking her too much, and she slept for another couple hours. All this was in her crib too, which we only just started using. At 6:30 she woke and was too restless to go back in the crib, so I took her into bed with us and we all slept together for the first time and didn't get up until 9. It was a miracle. Obviously it was gas that was waking her. I just borrowed the No Cry Sleep Solution and am reading that and hoping we can make nights even better, I finally have the energy to implement a plan to actually improve things.

I've made some baby food already too - applesauce. I was making applesauce for myself and decided to leave some plain and freeze it into ice cubes for Eve.

Eve has been laughing, it's the most wonderful sound in the world. And even funnier is what always triggers it - coughing! Whenever DH or I cough in front of her she starts giggling.

She had her 4 month WBV yesterday. I think last time they measured her wrong or something, because according to their records she has grown less than an inch in two months (and 5 inches in her first two months). Anyway, was was 25" (75%) and 13lbs 8 oz (50%), her head 15 3/4" (25%). She had her shots and has been feverish and cranky just like last time. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

[steelcitymama]

congrats on figuring out the sleeping issues, magrat!!! sounds like we figured it out at the same time and it was essentially the same problem. :)

mairin has her 4 mo WBV in 2 wks and will be getting her first set of shots (we delayed)...i'm nervous about them. i'm sure it'll be fine, though.

anyone using a jogging strooer yet???

sbg---congrats on owen's tooth!!!! crazy.

[GA_GAL]

stevesbabygirl: I love those pictures of Owen, especially the one of him sitting up in bed. Too cute. I can't believe he has a tooth already! Has he been fussy and showing typical "teething signs"?

steelcitymama: It's great that you figured out Mairin's sleeping issue. Hooray for better sleep! Do you plan to make all of her baby food. I've gone back and forth with it and am trying to decide. I know it is *easier* to buy store food, but probably better to make it myself.

StacieLady: How fun that Jacob is eating food and loving it. I can't wait to feed Handley. Sounds like he is quite a growing little boy to be in 9 month clothes already. I'm sure you enjoyed showing him off at work last week. Handley loves "reading" her books too. It keeps her entertained while I'm running errands.

magrat: Hopefully Eve will feel better tomorrow. I know you are loving her laughs. Handley has done a few giggles, but not a full-out laugh quite yet. Glad you figured out the sleep issues. I know that is making your life easier!

Jogging stroller: I know steel asked about a jogging stroller. I've just been using my regular stroller and power walking, but my b-day is in a few weeks and DH is getting me a jogging stroller. Most of the ones I've looked at say 6 months for the age recommendation. I'm thinking as long as they have good neck/head control and the stroller is reclined, it should be fine, but I'm planning to ask the pediatrician next week.

solids: Does cereal count as solids? I know like Magrat said that I've read it is best to wait until 6 months, but didn't know if cereal falls into that category. Handley is showing signs of being interested in our food and drinks so I'm curious how she'll do when we start feeding her other things.

We got our house and are scheduled to close in 2 weeks!!! I'm so excited and can't wait to feel settled. Now I'm ready to start decorating and looking for fabric to make curtains.

Today we went to a popular farm in North GA that has a huge pumpkin patch. We got a ton of great pictures. Here are a few...it's so much more fun celebrating these holidays with children.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_2046.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_2071.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_2117.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_2105.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_2084.jpg

[daphne]

GA_Gal Cereal definitely counts as solids. The pics are adorable - Handley is precious!! Outings get even more fun as the babies get older - just wait!! :)

stevesbabygirl Hooray for a tooth!!! How cute!!

I'm so jealous of you ladies who have figured out the sleeping issues. I think I just have to starting teaching Amelia how to soothe herself, but I struggle with this...

We had A's 4-mo wbv last week. She weighed in at 17lbs, 5oz & 26 inches tall. big girl! She got her DTaP vax, which is the only one I agreed to for that visit. We're skipping hep b (for now) & rotateq, then spacing the others. i'll re-eval as i go, i guess.

I let A sample a banana yesterday & she *loved* it! so much for holding out til 6 months! :p

[magrat]

Those of you interested in making your own baby food might be interested in this website:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

Even if you don't want to make all your own food, it has suggestions for easy things you can make. I mean, no one buys jarred bananas :)

GA_GAL Handley is so cute! I can't wait to take Eve to the pumpkin patch! You're right about holidays being so much more fun now. I can't wait until Christmas!

We haven't heard from Jenean for a while, I wonder how the twins are doing.

[StacieLady]

Magrat - Thanks for the link. I am definitely planning to make my own baby food. I am sure I will cheat a little, but like you said, there are some foods that are just too easy not to do yourself.

daphne - I am glad you have cheated a little on the food. I totally want to share things with Jacob all the time. I am looking forward to introducing him to the wonderful world of food! I am also glad that your DD is growing so well. She is just about where Jacob was at 4 months. Everyone is amazed at how big he is. I am glad that there are some other babies out there his size!

GA_GAL - I love the picture of Handley with the little pumpkin. She is such a cutie!

[daphne]

Stacielady DS was 19lbs, 2 oz at 4mo, so I'm glad to have a *slightly* smaller db this time! ;) A is the same size as 8 month old twins we know, though, which is a little odd.

Can you ladies share your (rough?) sleep timelines for your babes? I'm having a hard time timing the last nap & bedtime, so i'm wondering what all of your babies are up to....thanks!

[steelcitymama]

GA Gal~ love the pictures of Handley in the pumpkin patch! too cute. we can't wait to go with mairin, but unforutnately won't be able to do it until oct 27th. i hope it's not too cold then!

magrat~i'd been thinking about jenean, too. i hope they're all doing well!

SBG--can't believe it about the tooth! i can see mairin's 2 bottom front teeth underneath her gums, but nothing has popped through yet.

for those of you interested in making your own baby food, the Super Baby Food Book by Ruth Yaron is supposed to be wonderful. i have heard great things about it and liked it myself when i gave it a quick read about a month or so ago. it's kind of cheesy/reads a bit like an infomercial, but i think it had great info and tons of recipes for food.

as for sleeping schedules-- mairin seems to be in between napping schedules right now--it's like half the time she's on her old schedule of being awake for an hour and a half and then taking a little catnap and the other half the time she's on her newer "big girl schedule" where she's awake for several hours at a time and then takes a longer nap. she does super well on her new (self-imposed) schedule at her caregiver's house on M, W, F but can't seem to stay up as long when she's with us. ??? not sure why?? 9 AM is the one time of the day when she will consistently nap, though.

nighttime is very regular---between 6 & 615 she gets tired, i nurse her and put her to bed around 630 and she sleeps until 630 AM. for about a month she was waking once @ 430 AM to eat, but hasn't done that now for several weeks.

[daphne]

steelcity hmmm....i'm thinking i might need to put A to bed earlier. i've been having her follow DS's bedtime routine, but it doesn't get her to bed until about 7:30/8pm....something to think about.

[Jenean]

magrat, lol, I just came on to finally post an update and saw your post! I'm going back to read and will be back soon with more... :)

[Jenean]

Hi ladies! I am finally, finally back online! After my parents left in July I was always so busy and my online time was always eaten up by trying to keep up with emails, so I really neglected my LJ and CC buddies. I just figured I'd get back into posting once I was back to work. And now here I am, a month into working again, caught up on LJ, and finally on CC!

There's so much to write and I just don't know where to begin. The boys are absolutely amazing and we both feel so lucky to have them. They're so freakin' cute it hurts! I posted a couple of updates on them in my LJ, so feel free to check over there. In short, Simon is still our fussier one, but his fits are much fewer and further between. We're pretty good at reading him these days and can predict what he'll want and try to give it to him before he freaks out. He is the little thinker and you can see the wheels turning in his head when you look into his eyes. He has caught up to Miles in size and is now actually much bigger! Miles is still Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky and has a big grin ready just about all the time. Both are little talkers and Miles is also a giggler. We have a great video of him cracking up while playing Peekaboo with my mom. I watch it at least a half a dozen times a day!

We are pretty certain both boys are teething now. We live in Drool City (population: a dozen bibs per day) and both boys gnaw on their fists and just about anything else they can get their hands on, whether or not it fits in their mouthg! Plus, for the last 2 weeks they've both been waking up at night again (taking turns, of course, so we can't ever get just one night of good sleep!) and are very hard to quiet down. Miles will usually settle with a little bit of rocking and occasionally a little nursing, but Simon takes much longer. He's not quite awake, but he's squirming all over and is definitely not truly asleep. Nursing won't work, rocking takes forever if it does work... the only surefire solution is to bring him into bed with us, but we don't like doing that nightly and definitely not as early as 2 am! For the last few days we've been adding a couple of teaspoons of rice cereal to their last bottle (they still get supplemental bottles after nursing) and are also using a homeopathic teething remedy on their gums. We had two decent nights and then on Saturday I was out and DH forgot to use the teething stuff and we had an awful night. Last night was marginally better and hopefully we'll see a turnaround soon. We're both incredibly sleep deprived and that is not fun! We had hoped we were past this when they started sleeping so well back in August...

We haven't started solids yet, but I think we will in about 3 weeks. The boys will be 5 months on Friday and we want to try and wait till closer to 6 months. (I don't count the cereal in their bottles as solids since it's just a little and they drink it.) I have some apples we picked last weekend that I plan to make into applesauce and a couple of mixed fruit purees. I'm excited to be making their food and, surprisingly, so is DH! I checked out a bunch of books from our library and decided to buy these two by Annabel Karmel for now:

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/13740000/13741727.JPG http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/13740000/13741672.JPG

Simon is a champ at rolling from his tummy to his back and Miles will do it, but not as easily or frequently. He had stronger legs, but a weaker neck, and we're still working on getting him up to that 90-degree angle when he's on his belly. A big mirror in front of him and the mini-Boppy pillow help with that. Simon is close to rolling from his back to his front, but his arm always gets in the way at the very end. :p Very soon, though. Both want to sit up and when they're reclining will pull their heads forward into what our ped calls a "baby crunch". They do great in their Bumbos and I can see that they'll be sitting up on their own soon!

There's probably so much more I'm forgetting I want to mention, but now that I'm back in the swing of things I'm sure it will all catch up sooner or later. I'm glad to be back online again and chatting with you ladies!

Here's the boys' latest monthly pic (from 9/19):

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/9-23108.jpg

And a couple of fun ones:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/9-23095.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/10-7089.jpg

[GA_GAL]

magrat: Thanks for that website link. I looked around a bit last night and there is a lot of great info on it.

Jenean: Great to hear from you and I'm so happy to know that your family is doing great. The pictures of your boys are adorable! Handley does the "baby crunch" too.

sleep schedules: I keep thinking that Handley is switching over to two naps a day, because her morning nap has gotten really long. However, during the rest of the day, she still does short (45 min.-1 hour) naps instead of one long one. She wakes up around 7:15 and goes down for her morning nap from 9-11. Then I usually get her dressed for the day and we head out to run errands. She will fall asleep around 1-2 and then from about 4-5. After that she's up until bedtime. I give her a bath at 7pm, and she's asleep by 7:45. She's still waking once at night around 4AM.

Anyone planning on signing with their baby? If so what age do you plan to start?

[magrat]

jenean Thanks for the update! The boys look so big and healthy!

sleep schedules I've recently realized I've been a bad mom when it comes to sleep and naps. I haven't paid any attention to schedules or specifically putting her down for naps. I realized how important that was when I read the No Cry Sleep Solution. So for the past few days I've been trying to put her down for naps, but she still kind of sleeps when and where she feels like it. I don't think she's been getting enough sleep for a while now, so I'm really trying to work on that.

baby signing Oh, definitely. I have Baby Signs and I forget when it says to start, I don't think until 9 months or later. It says if you start earlier you can just get frustrated because the baby doesn't seem to be learning anything.

[stevesbabygirl]

I'm almost embarrassed to talk about Owen's sleep! He just went down for the night at 11pm! The other night, it was 12:30! Granted, we moved this weekend, so he probably didn't want to miss any of the excitement. He usually wakes at around 7:30am, eats, then goes back to sleep until 10 or 11.

[steelcitymama]

quick fly-by post---jenean, what homeopathic teething stuff are you using on the boys??
i think mairin's gums are bothering her and would like to try something out.

back later!

[em1126]

We just got back from a 3 1/2 week road trip to Ohio. Overall, it went better than expected. DH was gone for work for 5 weeks in Alabama, so Aubrey and I went up to my parents' for 3 1/2 weeks. My dad flew down and drove up with me, Aubrey, and my dog. We did the drive over 2 days. Right before we left, Aubrey had been diagnosed with an ear infection and was still recovering. That, plus her daddy leaving plus the traveling plus a growth spurt combined to make the perfect storm of a sleep nightmare. She was simply refusing to go to sleep until about 1 a.m. and screaming/fussing the whole time. Lucikily, that only lasted about a week and now she's doing great again
We had a really nice time at my parents'. I don't know what I would have done being all my myself with Aubrey and my crazy dog for 5 weeks.
Since we've been back, Aubrey's been to see her plastic surgeon and is scheduled for surgery to repair her palate on Nov. 27, which, naturally, I'm dreading. We hope to get as much Christmas stuff as possible done before then. Her doc also suggested holding off on any solids other than rice cereal until after the surgery, so I'll definitely do that. She also had her 4-month WBV yesterday. She's 13 1/2 lbs. and 23" (a shorty, apparently!) Aubrey still isn't rolling over, so the doctor suggested doing more tummy time. I hope she gets it soon.

Sleeping Aubrey isn't really on a schedule, per se. She usually takes a 1-2 hr nap sometime in the morning and a shorter one, or several shorter ones in the afternoon/evening. She has her last bottle around 10-10:30 and sleeps until I wake her for her first morning feeding at about 7-7:30. We finally moved her to her crib last night (she had been in her PNP in our room). It was really sad, but we were all ready and she did great.

jenean So good to hear from you! The boys look great. We are in Drool City, too, but I don't feel or see any teeth yet.

Here's a photo of Aubrey from last month. We have some pumpkin patch ones, too, but I haven't gotten them off the camera yet.
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z91/kubiakee/P9190326.jpg[/IMG]

[Jenean]

steelcitymama, I have Humphrey's teething tablets. A friend also recommended Hyland's teething tablets. I think they're basically the same thing.

[GA_GAL]

em1126: 3 1/2 weeks is a long time to be gone from home. I bet it was nice visiting with your parents though, even if you had a lot of things going on with Miss Aubrey. I love that picture of her...such pretty blue eyes. Handley has that same little sleeper.

Today was Handley's 4 month dr. apt. She weighs 14 lbs. 2 oz. and was 25 inches long. That was 75% for both height and weight. She didn't cry quite as much for her shots, but still was pretty upset. I got a flu shot while I was there too. The dr. was nice, but not like her other pediatrician in FL. Oh well. I'm going to probably end up going to their other office because it will be closer to our new house. This dr. doesn't go to that office, so I may try someone else in the practice.

MIL was able to get Handley to take about an ounce from the bottle the other day. She had her totally distracted in her play gym and watching TV. She didn't even really realize she was drinking the bottle. However, we tried again yesterday with no luck. I asked the dr. about it and he told me I should try giving her one everyday around the same time and in 3 weeks she'll probably learn to take it again. I guess that is what I'll try.

He said I could start cereal if Handley seems hungry and not satisfied from nursing, but that she won't *need* solids until 6 months, so I'm just going to play it by ear and see. I'm in no hurry and will probably try to wait until 6 months.

jogging stroller: I know steelcitymama was asking about when it is OK to use a jogging stroller and I asked the pediatrician today. He told me that as long as their head/neck control is pretty good it is fine. The reason most recommend 6 months is because by that point most all babies have good head/neck control.

Any fun weekend plans? We're throwing a stock the bar shower for some friends of ours who are getting married so that will take up most the day tomorrow. Sunday I hope to go pick out paint colors for some rooms in our new house!

[magrat]

I've had a really bad few days. After thinking we figured out the crib thing that one night, it got bad again pretty much right away. I was getting so incredibly stressed out getting up with her and having to spend so long getting her to sleep again each time, knowing as soon as I got back to bed she might start crying again, and then having to take care of a cranky baby (because she slept badly) all day. I think I came close to a nervous breakdown, I was ready to put her on the sidewalk with a free sign. So two nights ago I asked my parents to stay the night and take care of her, especially since I had just come down with a cold. I closed the door to our room, turned on the fan to block out any noise, and proceeded to lie there unable to sleep from 9:15 to 1 am. I slept about an hour and a half at that point, waking at 2:30 completely wired. So much for my theory that if I could just get to sleep it would be easy to sleep the rest of the night. I got up at 3:30 and sat in the nursey hoping she'd wake up and I could nurse her to release some of those sleep hormones, which I did at 4 am. Then I downed some tylenol PM and managed to sleep until 9 or so, though I still felt like a zombie. So I asked my parents to come back another night and I took the tylenol PM before bed and was only awake for 2 hours before falling asleep that night :rolleyes: Still, I felt a bit better in the morning. Last night I decided I couldn't do the crib anymore so put her back in the bedside cosleeper, but ended up with her in bed next to me most of the night. It was so much better, even though I don't sleep well on my side. Not having to get up and fight with her was so great. If I had let her sleep beside me the whole night I don't think she would have cried at all. She slept in until 9:30 this morning too! I don't think she has gotten enough sleep for a long time now, so maybe she'll be a happier baby now. It's funny, when I was pregnant I had hoped we'd be able to cosleep, but I didn't think it would work for us once she was here. I guess I wasn't desperate enough last time I tried :rolleyes:

Evie still isn't rolling over, but she's standing so well! She can stand for over a minute with me just holding her hands. She loves it too! I held her upside down yesterday and she just cracked up. I'll do anything these days for a baby laugh :) I had a muffin in a ziplock bag that I handed her yesterday and she had a great time "eating" it. She also loves her plastic keys.

[Irish Elf]

We had an exhausting weekend. Saturday we drove down to DH's parents - which is usually stressing enough - and DD was cranky the.entire.time. She wouldn't eat before we left so I tried as soon as we got there. but MIL and FIl kept trying to distract her, the house was hot and then I got stressed which made things worse and E got stressed. Repeat cycle. I was so engorged and leaking like crazy and didn't have my pump. SO here I am in tears, E is in tears and MIL is standing right next to me with her arms outstretched going "Give her to me, I'll made her happy." I just stood there repeating "No, she's hungry. I have to calm her down so she will eat." MIL kept standing there like a midget T Rex with these arms to her sides but stretched forward. Ugh.

Yesterday E did the same thing. After reading every thread I could find on teething we figured out that's what's wrong. She has all the classic signs, though as a poster once said the only way to know it's teething is to see a tooth. :D We tried orajel last night and within 15 minutes E was nursing like there was nothing wrong. Same cycle today.

Here's hoping she cuts her tooth fast...and soon.

[Irish Elf]

So it isn't teething causing all the problems. E has ear infections in both ears.:(
I have her on Tylenol and an antibiotic. I spoke with our ped about building resistance, etc (love the Superbug and Vax threads). Since E has been feeling this way for longer than the 3 day window, our ped felt it was time to try the antibiotics. I believed her when she used the words "puss in both ears." Eww and Oww. Of course she could be teething as well... but I won't know until I see teeth.

She is actually smiling for the first time in a while and looks like she's starting to feel better. I got to put her down for longer than a pee break without her crying.

Ok, remember how bad liquid antibiotics used to taste (or am I dating myself)? Her medicine smells like bubblegum.

Off to love on E.

[StacieLady]

"puss in both ears."

Ouch! Hope she is back to normal soon!

[Irish Elf]

Getting her to sleep tonight was hard, but the medicine should kick in and this will be the last of her pain. Even DH was almost in tears b/c he couldn't help her get comfortable. :(

[Jenean]

GA GAL, Handley sounds like she's doing great! I hope that the bottle-ing gets better and that she gets used to it soon. My doc told me the same thing about solids at 4 months, but we want to wait till they hit 6 months. I have noticed that they're paying attention to me when I eat in front of them and Simon starts smacking his lips now, so I'm getting excited to start with them and see how they do!

magrat, oh, I am so sorry to read that. I feel some of your pain, although our sleep troubles haven't been quite that bad, except for one or two nights. Have you talked to your doc or anyone about it? I hope you can get some relief soon!

Irish Elf, aww, poor baby! I hope she's feeling better soon.

We've had some sleep issues of our own, but we're hoping that it's getting better. After 2 weeks of just giving up around 5 am and bringing them into our bed, we started sleep training last week. We're loosely following the Sleep Lady plan and I think maybe, knock on wood, we're seeing some progress. We put them down while they're still awake now and for 2 nights in a row, Simon has looked around, sighed, rolled onto his side, and gone to sleep on his own. Miles fidgets a bit, but usually goes down quickly, too. Yay! They're still waking us at night, but once we put a pacifier into their mouths, they go right back to sleep. Unfortunately, it's sometimes just for a half hour or so, and of course, they wake at different times! But we haven't brought them into bed in a week now and they're going about 11 hours without eating, so that's progress. Twice this week I had to go in and wake THEM up to eat in the morning! After another week or so of this, we hope to try getting them off their pacifier addiction, at least for sleep. Then we'll tackle naps after that. We've been moving bedtime earlier, and I'm not sure if that's helping or not, but it doesn't seem to be hurting and DH and I love having our evenings back!

Simon is a roly-poly now and as soon as we put him on his belly he either scoots forward (not quite crawling, sort of creeping I guess) or rolls over. Miles is SO MUCH better on his tummy now and can hold his head up for much longer. He'll do it for a while and then he just sighs and puts his head down to rest on the blanket. It's so cute. Miles also holds his own bottle now - he doesn't want us to do it, and Simon will hold his if we put his hands in place for him. Yesterday Miles finished his bottle and then reached over and tried to take Simon's! :eek:

I have new pics but haven't put them on Photobucket yet. I will try that tonight and will post soon!

[steelcitymama]

hi, ladies~

GA GAL--sounds like handley is doing really well! has the bottle situation improved?

magrat~i am so sorry to hear about your sleeping problems...how is it going? were you able to catch any sleep yourself with your parents' help??

irish elf~poor babe! i hope she's feeling better.

jenean~love the update on the boys! too cute. that's great that the sleep training is going well.

speaking of sleep....i'm headed to the library today to get some books on sleep. some people really like healthy sleep habits happy child...but i'm really not comfortable with CIO at all, so i'm not sure how that'll work out for us since i'm not willing to do that element of it. her nighttime sleep is still great---6 to 6/630, but she's not the best at going down for naps. i think mainly it's b/c she gets overly tired. she goes from smiling to crying in no time flat sometimes and i know i've missed the window! i'm going to try to get her on more of a napping schedule/routine. she does take one nap consistently---her first morning nap, around 830/9. i think i'm going to try to establish a naptime routine to help set the stage for sleeping and let her know what to expect. we're good about doing that at night, but not for naps. so we'll work on that. and i think i'm going to try to put her down for a nap 2 hrs after she woke up from the previous one. we'll see how it goes. :)

things are really good with us...we just have such fun with her and she's so pleasant and getting to be so interactive. she's really chatty and interested in everything these days....her head is moving non-stop when we're out & about, she just swivels it around--checking everything out.

still no rolling over...i think i said this last time i posted, but i feel like she's been on the verge of it for ages now! i think it'll be pretty crazy once she starts moving around like that. she loves standing. her bottom front teeth have definitely not broken through yet, but we can feel them and partially see them under there, which is kinda nutty.

like jenean, i have a bunch of new pics, i need to get them off the camera today.

i'm taking tomorrow & friday off from work, which i'm excited about. mairin's 4 mo WBV is tomorrow and she'll be getting her first set of shots, since we delayed vaxing. i'm nervous.

[GA_GAL]

magrat: Sorry to hear about your sleep troubles. Hopefully having your parents there helped you to get some rest. Handley loves standing too!

Irishelf: How's E feeling now that she's on antibiotics? Maybe it will pass quickly.

Jenean: Can't wait to see the new pics of your boys. Glad to hear the sleep training is working for you and helping your little guys to get good rest. I'm also excited to introduce Handley to foods.

steelcitymama: Hope you found some good info in some sleep books. I didn't think I'd be able to do the CIO method, but it is working for us. At night she goes down no problem, but during the day, she will fuss for just a little bit before going to sleep. I try to follow the 2 hour thing and it works for us. She's taking 3 naps a day. Usually a long morning nap (1.5-2 hours) a shorter mid-day nap (30-45 mins.) and then a long afternoon nap (1+ hour). She will often be so interested in playing or whatever we are doing, that she goes from smiling to crying too. Hope her apt. goes well and that her shots aren't too bad. Just remember the next time you'll be more prepared for how she will react.

We've had a good week, but I've been super busy trying to get everything ready for our closing on Friday. I'm SO excited and ready to get moved into our own space. Living with the inlaws has been tough. The one nice thing though is that I've had help during the day and been able to get more done since MIL is always willing to play with Handley.

She's still kind of off and on about the bottle thing. MIL has been giving her one everyday (only an ounce because I don't want to waste any milk). Today it took a while, but she took most of it. Hopefully over the next few weeks she'll get better.

Like everyone has said, I'm loving all the fun things Handley is doing now. My parents haven't seen her in almost 2 months and my mom is about to go crazy. We have an out of town wedding next weekend and they are coming to keep her. I'm so excited for them to see how she's changed. After that my mom is going to come stay for a week to help me unpack and get settled in our new house.

[Smittenk]

I didn't think I'd be able to do the CIO method, but it is working for us. At night she goes down no problem, but during the day, she will fuss for just a little bit before going to sleep.

How long did Handley CIO for the first time? A few weeks ago I did see if Connor would settle himself but after 10 minutes of crying he had worked himself into a tizzy and was sobbing...absolutely no way would he have been able to settle down and fall asleep. Needless to say, I am not comfortable with the CIO method yet...still trying other ways but at the moment I still have to rock or nurse him to sleep.

[GA_GAL]

I hope you all don't think I'm a horrible mom for letting her CIO. When she is really worked up (if I've waited to long to get her down) I don't just lay her down and let her cry...I'll try to sooth her any way I can.

The first time I tried she cried for 10 minutes and then I caved and went in to get her. I had told myself I'd wait 10 min. and that is what I did. The next day for a nap I tried again and told myself I'd wait 15 mins. and she only fussed for 11 minutes before falling asleep. Later that week it was anywhere from 10-25 minutes. However, she wasn't sobbing. It was more of a whine/fuss and it was off and on. Now for naps she will usually fuss for around 10-15 minutes (sometimes less, sometimes more). I find leaving the monitor off for a few minutes helps me to not sit there and listen to her and also looking at the clock and picking a time (15 mins., 20 mins. 25 mins.) helped me to not go get her before the time I had said I would.

The reason I decided to try it was because she would cry even if I was holding/rocking/soothing her to sleep. I had gotten to the point where she was fighting sleep so bad and I would just hold her while she cried herself to sleep. I thought I had missed the opportunity and that she was overtired, but even when I tried putting her back down for a nap an hour and 1/2 after waking she would cry. I think she's just one of those babies that needs to work out the extra energy before sleeping. My ped. said that eventually she'll stop the crying, but for now I've just learned that it is how she gets to sleep.

[Smittenk]

I hope you all don't think I'm a horrible mom for letting her CIO. When she is really worked up (if I've waited to long to get her down) I don't just lay her down and let her cry...I'll try to sooth her any way I can.


Not at all! Whatever works for you and your child, I say. Connor just doesn't lay there and fuss...well he does for two minutes and then it just elevates into sobbing so I don't think it will work for him, unfortunately. He is getting heavier by the day so I know that we need to wean him from rocking to sleep soon. I am reading the Sleep Lady book and also The No-Cry Sleep Solution which I am really enjoying.

[steelcitymama]

ga gal--i completely agree with smitten---whatever works for you & your kiddo is what's best!

and also like smitten, m will sometimes elevate to all out sobbing (if she's over-tired), so i don't think it will work for us either. it's funny---she's pretty good at self soothing for the most part, but if she's too tired she seriously freaks and absolutely cannot calm herself down.

i just put her down for a nap and it was very easy---her AM naps seem to be fine, but she has a harder time winding down in the afternoon, i think.

i'm working on establishing more of a naptime 'routine' as best we can (since it was nonexistent before, frankly). i've decided that we'll only use the glider in her room to sit on/relax before sleep. for now we'll find other places to read books, etc. i drew the shades, turned off the lights, rocked her for about 2 min and she was out. so we'll see if we can keep it up throughout the afternoon!

i'm going to pick up healthy sleep habits, happy child today and will also check out the no cry sleep solution.

mairin's 4 mo WBV yesterday went very well! 13 lbs on the dot & 25" long. i was expecting her to be a total wreck during the appt b/c it was during naptime & she was due to eat. but she just fell asleep happily on DH while we were chatting w/ the ped and even when the dr woke her to do the exam, she just kinda fussed a few times but didn't even seem that upset to be woken up, which was a pleasant surprise. she cried for the shots, but stopped as soon as DH picked her up and then i nursed her since it was time to eat anyway. she seemed sleepier yesterday than usual, but that's it.

oh--and her teeth. i think i mentioned that her bottom front teeth seem like they're going to make an appearance soon? well, i thought it might be another month or two before they actually cut through since what the heck do i know about how long it takes. but yesterday the ped said she thought they'd be in any day now! i was floored. i can't believe my baby will have teeth soon!!!

[LoveBeingAMommy]

We took the girls for a very brief visit to the local pumpkin patch. Reagan was scared of the bugs, so we only stayed long enough to snap a couple of pictures for next year;s calendar.

McKinley on the left, Taylor on the right
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/IMG_0843MLTR.jpg

Reagan sitting still long enough to snap a picture.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/IMG_0845.jpg

The girls had their 4 month WBV two weeks ago. Both were 23 inches long. McKinley weighed in at 13 lbs, 1.5 oz, and Taylor weighed in at 13 lbs, 10 oz (she was up to 14 lbs, 12 oz on Friday). Their pediatrician said we could start them on solids, but we're waiting until they're six months old. Next month I'm going to start making and freezing baby food. I don't have as much free time as I did with Reagan, so I want to try and stay on top of it.

[stevesbabygirl]

Luckily, Owen goes down pretty easily at night (late at night though!), but during the day, he's all over the place. I know it's my fault for not implementing any type of schedule whatsoever, so that's what I get. Some days, he'll take one or two 30-minute naps, and other days, he'll pretty much nap all day. I really should move his bedtime up, because right now, he's going to be at around 10:30pm every night. Since we just moved and started putting him in his crib (in our bedroom), he's been waking up again at night, but last night, he slept in until 7:30am. He felt like getting up at that point, then played on his playmat for a half-hour or so. He yelled and by the time I turned my head, he was asleep :D.

[steelcitymama]

cute pictures, Love Being a Mommy!

SBG~ how did the move go?

mairin had her 4 mo WBV on thursday. she weighed 13 lbs exactly and is 25" long. :)

[steelcitymama]

just wanted to drop off a few recent pics of mairin:

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/mairin_hat.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/m_bed.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/m-exersaucer.jpg

[GA_GAL]

Hi Ladies-

Just a quick post before I go to bed. We closed on our house Friday and spent the weekend painting and doing some other projects. All of our things were delivered yesterday and we've been trying to get stuff unpacked and put away. It's a really big project and because I'm totally type A I'm having a hard time not staying up all night to get it done. The good news is my mom is coming for an entire week next week to help with Handley while I get things done.

I met a girl that lives down the street today. She has a baby girl who is 5 weeks old and is going to be a stay-at-home mom so I've already got anther mom friend in the neighborhood!

steelcitymama: Can't believe she almost has teeth! Have they popped through yet? I love the new pictures of her...she's adorable. When did you start using the exersauser? I want to get Handley's out and set it up soon.

LoveBeingAMommy: Adorable pictures!!! You're girls are cuties.

steve'sbabygirl: How are you doing with the move and unpacking. I'm trying to not stress out! An earlier bedtime is great because it gives you a chance to have some down time and get things done around the house.

[stevesbabygirl]

Our move went pretty well. Luckily, we had tons of time, and we were only moving a mile and a half away, so we could bring stuff over at our leisure, though we did knock most of it out in one weekend. We've been in the house for 2 weeks, and it's coming together pretty well. My parents and DH's parents helped out a lot, so my main responsibility was taking care of Owen. However, I was left to deal with a lot of the unpacking.

Here are some pictures of the house!

Dining area (those two boxes are our medicine cabinets):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/1801195722_4b7841c44d.jpg?v=0

Living room (See DS on the couch?):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/1801195730_bcbdfd13d5.jpg?v=0

Kitchen:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2297/1801195736_80c017f656.jpg?v=0

Guest room:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2194/1801195754_608f2a7f9c.jpg?v=0

Master bedroom (sorry for the mess!):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2249/1800367221_5e36b2c710.jpg?v=0

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen's room:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2206/1800367193_b269323402.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2114/1800367215_b7a25f4bf2.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2236/1800367211_eb389b9884.jpg?v=0

Our office:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2250/1800367231_ad0501f778.jpg?v=0

NO we do not let him sit in the Bumbo up there!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/1800367237_25dc0a7477.jpg?v=0

[stevesbabygirl]

And for good measure, some pictures of Owen!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2363/1800871228_bb6e72c7b1.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2028/1800871218_e1de0de470.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2182/1800016579_0e76bbae21.jpg?v=0

Two teeth!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/1800016567_49079eeba8.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2334/1800016557_33abe7803b.jpg?v=0
He has his 4 month WBV tomorrow, fun!

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen had his 4-month well-baby visit today! Here are his stats:

Weight - 18lb 11oz (up from 12lb 14oz at 2 months)
Height - 26 1/4 inches (up from 23 1/2 inches)
Head circumference - 42cm (up from 40cm)

Wow, what a growing boy! He got a bunch of shots today, and so far, he's doing great! He's playing on his playmat right now, happy as usual. We got the okay to start him on cereal, but I plan to wait a little while.

[Jenean]

steelcitymama, it is so much fun to watch them watch the world! I hope that naps get better for you. Great news about the appointment and WOW to teeth! She is beautiful!

GA GAL, I think it's great that you found a method that works. Every baby is different and as long as Handley knows that you're there for her and will always be there for her (as you obviously are!), then whatever works, works! Congrats on the closing and good luck getting everything done.

LoveBeingAMommy, the girls look great!

Heather, the house looks great, as does Owen!


Simon and Miles had their 5 month checkup last week. Simon is 15 lbs 5 oz and 25.5" and Miles is 14 lbs 9 oz and 26"! They are doing wonderfully. I just posted a huge update on them in my LJ (I stole Heather's idea of listing what they're into now, thanks Heather!).

We're still working on sleep issues. They sleep just fine in their cribs now, from about 8-6:30, but wake up numerous times during the night and aren't able to put themselves back to sleep. We have to go in there and plug someone in and shhhhh him for a minute. It doesn't take long, but when you have to do it upwards of 10 times a night, it adds up. We're both exhausted. DH finally accepts that we need to stop with the pacifiers for sleep, so next week when he gets back from his next business trip we're going to fully implement the Sleep Lady plan. I dread it, but I hope it works so we can start sleeping like adults again!

Halloween:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/10-31082.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/10-31079.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/10-31078.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/11-1052.jpg


And here's Simon, SITTING UP ALL BY HIMSELF!!!

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/11-1063.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/11-1064.jpg

[stevesbabygirl]

Too cute Jenean!

[magrat]

Love seeing all the pics! Congratulations on all the new houses, I can't imagine moving now, you're very brave!

My dad is so anxious to feed Evie, so when someone at my La Leche meeting that they started with breastmilk on a spoon, just to get their baby used to it, I decided to let my dad try that. He was soooo excited. I was really impressed with how Eve did too - she didn't mind it at all and didn't even dribble, just swallowed it all down. He was spooning it from a bottle and when he got to the last little bit he just held it to her lips like a glass and she drank out of it. So I think when we start solids in another month it won't be difficult at all. She has never been fussy about how she eats though - she never fussed over what kind of bottle nipple she got even though she only gets one very rarely, and will latch on any which way, laying down, laying on her stomach across me, etc. And yet she won't take a pacifier even though we've tried four different kinds. Most recently I bought some Gerber natural flex ones, they're very cool, and the few sucks she made with it were adorable because you can see her lips through the plastic in a little O. Not interested though, so I guess I will continue to perform that function, except for the rare occasion when she is too exhausted to care.

She's sleeping in bed with me now and DH is in the other room (poor guy, but it's the only way any of us will get any sleep). She's waking up approximately every two hours and most of the time cries quite a bit until I give up and nurse her back to sleep. I'm sure it's giving her gas and making her wake up again so soon, but I just don't know what else to do. I can't get up and walk her around to get her to calm down or I'll have another nervous breakdown from lack of sleep.

She's still not rolling over, but she stands really well. She can hold onto my fingers and hold herself up in a standing position or lean over the sofa and stand that way. She would be standing pretty much all the time if I let her. She sat up by herself in the tripod position for several minutes a few days ago, it sort of came out of nowhere so I was very excited.

MIL is going to be arriving for another visit in less than a week. To me it seems like she was just here, but Eve has grown so much I'm sure MIL will hardly recognize her!

[steelcitymama]

magrat---just a quick thought that might be a helpful alternative to the frequent nighttime nursing (since you said it's causing eve gas & then poor sleeping). i know you have a mei tai....i don't know if eve likes it, but mairin LOVES the mei tai and if she's ever freaking out, i put her in there and drop a receiving blanket over her head. she immediately calms down and passes out. just a thought??? might be able to get her back to sleep that way and then transfer her out of it once she's snoozing??

[magrat]

steelcitymama Thanks for the idea, I'll have to try that tonight because last night was pretty bad again. I really want to avoid getting out of bed, but I usually end up getting up anyway. I also need to nurse more during the day I think - yesterday in particular she only ate a few times.

[steelcitymama]

let me know if it helps!

re: nursing frequency during the day, i still feed mairin every 2 hrs or so. i know some people think that's really often, but it works out to only about 6 feedings, since she sleeps for 12 hrs at night. i contemplated trying to space it out, but figured i shouldn't mess w/ a good thing.

now if someone could help me improve her napping skills, i'd be golden! ;) she's goes down for her naps just fine, but wakes way too early and i have the hardest time getting her to go back down again. SIGH.

[Jenean]

Heather, thanks!

magrat, that's great that your dad got to participate! I can't wait to see what the boys will do with a spoon. I'm so sorry you're having to sleep apart from DH right now. I wish I had some words of advice. We stopped picking the boys up to get them back to sleep about 2 weeks ago and they quickly got used to that, but now we have to constantly replace their pacifiers when they wake. It sucks.

steelcitymama, if you figure out the nap thing, let me know! I think that's part of the boys' nighttime problem - they only nap for about 30-45 minutes at a time during the day.


Not much new here. Still dealing with sleep stuff. The boys are so much fun, though. They are so much more interactive with each other now, really watching each other and looking around to see where the other is. Simon rolled over from back to front yesterday (he's been rolling from front to back for a while). Miles still doesn't show much interest in rolling, but I'm sure he'll get there eventually. :)

[Smittenk]

steelcitymama, if you figure out the nap thing, let me know! I think that's part of the boys' nighttime problem - they only nap for about 30-45 minutes at a time during the day.


Not much new here. Still dealing with sleep stuff. :)


So happy to hear I am not alone!! The nap thing..yeah Connor doesn't want to nap longer than 30-40 minutes and wakes up ticked off that he isn't still sleeping..grrr. I have tried white noise, music, silence, darker room, the dryer...nothing seems to extend his sleep during the day.


So bringing in the rear, Connor had his 4 month well baby visit today!! We are following Dr Sears' delayed vaccination schedule so he only had his rotavirus and DTap...we are not getting Polio or HepB.

His weight is now 12lbs and 26" long...yep looong and lean! No wonder it is hard to find clothes that fit him properly! He has gained less than 1lb since his 2 month wb visit..yikes!

[steelcitymama]

smitten---i'm interested in the dr sears delayed vax schedule...will have to check that out. at her 4 mo wbv, she just had DTaP & one of the menengitis vax (i forget which). we're going in this week to get the other menengitis vax.

like you guys, i'm happy i'm not alone with the short napping kiddo! i am reading healthy sleep habits, happy child and think i'm going to incorporate some of that. we'll see. i feel like i'm already doing most of those things, though, so i'm not sure how revolutionary it will be for us. i'm going to be picking up the no cry sleep solution later this week, hopefully. maybe that will have some insight

smitten---how are the new digs? feel weird to be in the US now after awhile in the UK?

[Smittenk]

smitten---i'm interested in the dr sears delayed vax schedule...will have to check that out. at her 4 mo wbv, she just had DTaP & one of the menengitis vax (i forget which). we're going in this week to get the other menengitis vax.


I highly recommend the Dr Sears new Vaccination Book!! It is excellent!! It explains exactly what is in each vaccination, the possible side effects, how important it is, research etc. You will shudder to find out what makes up the vaccinations (fetal lung cells, monkey and other animal products). I loved that is is unbiased and so informative so I felt comfortable and confident telling the pediatrician exactly what we wanted. She actually took a huge interest in the book so I was happy she was so open to it. It also talks about the theory about the link between the MMR vaccine and autism...I was particularly interested in that. In his recommeded delayed schedule, you do not give the MMR vaccine.


smitten---how are the new digs? feel weird to be in the US now after awhile in the UK?

Awesome!! We are living in a pretty empty house at the moment since we are awaiting our household goods shipment but we LOVE it here! Virginia is beautiful and the shopping--WOW! We do miss the UK and we have such great memories...Connor was obviously the biggest thing about England but we went there as newlyweds and left there as a family so it's like starting a new life here. It already feels like home so now I just need to get out and meet people! I am going to my first mommy group meetup tomorrow and Connor and I will start Gymboree, swimming and yoga classes in January!

Thanks for asking!

I have HSH,HC and I do like it but I felt like I was already incorporating it. The biggest thing I guess I started from that book was an early bedtime..however he doesn't sleep right through...he is still getting up once a night to eat.

[daphne]

I'm awful about posting in here, but I wanted to chime in as another one w/a crappy napper. Amelia naps 3-4x/day, usually for only about 40-50 minutes. today she napped 1 1/2hrs in her carseat & I was over the moon. It sounds like most of our babes are only sleeping through one sleep cycle (they apparently last about 45mins) then wake up. Can't wait til they can sleep through 2 cycles! Amelia is up a couple of times a night, still, which is getting old. Miles didnt' sleep thru til about 9 months, so anything sooner than taht would be great!

[Irish Elf]

We're working on getting E to take longer naps. Right now she sleeps so much at night that she really isn't that tired. She cat naps but will sleep longer if I'm out running errands.

She's not a big fan of rice cereal; she'll eat it but you can tell it isn't her favorite (as if she has favorites yet). Now, carrots? - those she loves. She does better when she sees us eating so DH will eat while I feed her. She sees him eating and wants to do the same. After she's done I eat. It works out well because then DH has clean up duty.:p And the youngest cat is starting to see what's great about small children. Small children = food in fun places. As I was feeding her the cat staked out the are around her to see what got dropped. Hmm, maybe DH is the only one with cleanup duty.

We went to visit my mom this past weekend. With a child it takes about 7 hours. 5.5 hours into the trip she gets restless and starts crying, regardless of when she ate or had a diaper change. Then she falls asleep. You can almost set your watch to it. She also has a new trick she likes to pull on car trips. We usually stop at rest stops so we can stretch our legs, change diapers and feed her. This past time she was too involved in all the lights and cars and people. I got this idea that if I shifted her so she was facing me even more she couldn't see out the windows. Well, it worked...until she completed her "roll" and wound up on her stomach in my arms. Oh, a new perspective on tummy time. :D

She did roll over this weekend - from back to front- but I was the only witness. When she is on her tummy and loses balance instead of rolling over she shifts her weight until she is balanced again. I've tried telling her it's OK to roll over but now that she likes tummy time I can't get her onto her back. My child is turning out to be quite the imp I was. My mom was right. Our children are paybacks for what we did as kids. :D

[Irish Elf]

So it turns out my older cat likes pureed carrots as well. As in she was right there throughout dinner just waiting for the leftovers. I don't think E has seen her that close when the cat wasn't sleeping. And I didn't think the cat could move that quickly. Who knew?! :p

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen finally started rolling over this week :D! On Sunday, he rolled from back to belly, and on Tuesday, he rolled from belly to back. Of course, the little stinker hasn't done either of them since :p.

[GA_GAL]

jenean: I love the photos of your little guys in their Halloween costumes. They are adorable.

Magrat: How fun that your dad got to feed Eve milk with a spoon. I bet he loved that. Hope the sleeping is going a little better for her.

Smittenk: Conner is long and lean. What size clothes is he in now?

Irish Elf and stevesbabygirl: yea for rolling over. Handley has been going from back to stomach for a while now, but just started doing front to back in the past week or so.

Stevesbabygirl: How's the rest of the unpacking going?

My mom was here last week to help me get unpacked and settled. She was such a big help. She actually watched Handley most of the day while I did stuff around the house. My dad came later in the week to put up paneling in the nursery and help DH with stuff. I'll post pictures soon.

Handley has still be refusing the bottle so last week I tried giving her a sippy cup to see what she did. She LOVED it. I've tried a few different kinds, but so far the Nuby ones seem to do best. She loves holding the handles of the cup and "helping" to drink it. It's funny for me to see her drinking out of it because I associate sippy cups with toddlers. I'm just happy to have a way to feed her when I need to be away from her during a feeding.

[Smittenk]

Smittenk: Conner is long and lean. What size clothes is he in now?




It is difficult to find clothes that fit him well but so far he is still in 3-6 months...just depends on the store. Most things from Carter don't fit him...too wide and not long enough...but Gap and Gymboree are good and anything with an adjustable waist is great!

[Jenean]

Smitten, I think that's just about exactly what the boys weighed at their 4 month visit. Glad that he's doing well! Thanks for recommending the vaccine book. I requested it from the library, but will probably end up buying it. Does it cover just infant stuff or all the vaccines through childhood? When will all your belongings arrive? I bet it will feel great to have your stuff with you again.

steelcitymama, I never got around to reading Healthy Sleep Habits - is there anything in there you can recommend? I'll try to put together some hints from the books I have about napping.

daphne, did Miles just start sleeping through all of a sudden? I've heard that from other people.

Irish Elf, she sounds like such a little cutie in personality, too! What else have you been feeding her? How often do you give her solids and how much? We're just starting (see below) and I have so many questions about it all!

Heather, woohoo!

GA GAL, thanks! I'm glad you had help so you could work on the house. That's great that she's taking a sippy cup. Post a pic of that - I bet it's adorable! We're going to give the boys their cups next week (another first I want my folks to be able to witness) and I can't wait to see what they do with them.


We started solids this weekend! We were going to wait till next week when they turn 6 months, but with the nighttime sleep issues I figured a week early couldn't hurt them and might help us. They've only had rice cereal so far, but tomorrow we're going to introduce apples and then carrots in a few days, and sweet potatoes on TG next week. It's so exciting! And confusing! Starting was easy, but now I'm trying to figure out how much to give and how often and when and what variety... I have a few books and have been reading on here and am sure we'll figure it out as we go. For now, I think we're more excited about it than they are. Simon took to it, but obviously does NOT like the cereal. Miles seems ambivalent about it, but is happy eating from a spoon and wants to hold it himself. He knew right away which end goes into his mouth, but can't quite maneuver it there (we know that won't come for a while yet). I have pictures I'll upload soon!

Not much else going on. The sleep is so-so. When one has a good night, the other is up a lot. Sigh. Hopefully the solids and the turning-6-months will help.

I have three best friends now who are pregnant. I am SO VERY excited for all of them and just can't contain my happiness. I only had a couple of friends who have kids up to now so I am triply thrilled that so many of my closest friends will have kids close in age to mine. They're all due within 3 weeks of each other next May/June, so it will be an exciting summer for us! :D

[steelcitymama]

hi, everyone! sounds like everyone is doing really well.

GA GAL---that's great that the move went well and that you've gotten so much done in the new place. how nice that your mom has been able to help out so much with handley. and i'd love to see sippy cup pics, too!

irish elf--very exciting about the solids. sounds like you guys are having fun.

jenean---that's so exciting about starting solids! i'm very excited to start in the next few weeks, but like you, have a million questions. there's actually a solids thread on CC that i've been browsing---i thought it was really helpful, so reading through that might be good? i also got the Super Baby Food Book by Ruth Yaron from the library and skimmed it awile back. I'll need to check it out again or buy it now that we're getting closer to 6 mos. HSHHC was kind of helpful---nothing earth-shattering. one thing that was at least a consolation for me was that he says some kids are just naturally 'short nappers' and you can only lay the foundation for getting good rest, you can't MAKE them stay asleep. :) he also notes that most people put their children to bed too late, esp working parents who want to spend time with their kids in the late afternoon/evening.

smitten~ sounds like you're enjoying the new location, which is great! i bet it was a difficult transition to make, especially with a baby.

so, we've got two teeth here! bottom front. they just cut through a few days ago--can't believe it!

her napping has been MUCH improved for the past several days..not sure if it was the teething that was causing the issues or not, but she's going down WAY easier and waking up much for pleasant. PHEW. it was exhausting and stressful to have all of those napping struggles. oddly (and thankfully), her nighttime sleep remained great throughout the crappy napping.

like some of you, we're planning on introducing a sippy cup very soon. i would have never considered it before GA GAL mentioned it, b/c i thought she was too young. and frankly, i'm not sure how much drinking she'll actually be able to do...but i think she'll have a blast experimenting/playing with it. she is fascinated by all things cup/water bottle related, so i think she'll enjoy having one of her own. my body doesn't seem to relate super well to the pump so i don't have tons of spare EBM laying around...do you think i should just put in a bit of water for her to play with? i'll continue to have her caregivers on M,W,and F use a bottle for feeding purposes. any thoughts?


still no rolling over! well, she did roll over twice from front to back, but that's it. she is 'talking' all.the.time. seriously. she's always been pretty vocal, but now it's constant! so cute---it cracks me up. she's even babbling on my boob when she's nursing. :)

one of her new favorite relaxing activities to bathe with me. she likes her baths in her little tub, but getting in the big tub with me is pretty new and she loves it! she floats with me holding her torso and kicks and seems super relaxed.

speaking of sippy cups---thought i'd post this in case anyone is interested:
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/09/04/bpa-free-safe-sippy-cups/

[Smittenk]

speaking of sippy cups---thought i'd post this in case anyone is interested:
http://www.naturemoms.com/blog/2007/09/04/bpa-free-safe-sippy-cups/

Awesome link steelcitymama!! We have the kleen kanteen with the sippy adaptor so I am thrilled to see the person gave it an A!!

[steelcitymama]

oh, glad you liked the link, smitten! i have a Sigg water bottle that Mairin is obsessed with looking at. can't wait til she's big enough for the kiddie versions. they don't have sippy tops though, so it'll be awhile. have you tried the KK w/ connor yet?

[Smittenk]

oh, glad you liked the link, smitten! i have a Sigg water bottle that Mairin is obsessed with looking at. can't wait til she's big enough for the kiddie versions. they don't have sippy tops though, so it'll be awhile. have you tried the KK w/ connor yet?

Nope we haven't tried it yet but I think we might try it soon. He is grabbing our cups when we hold him and are drinking so I think he is trying to tell us to include him!

[steelcitymama]

that's just what M does, too. not as interested in food yet, but LOVES cups and is always grabbing for them. amused herself for quite some time playing with my mom's empty travel mug this AM. :)

[Irish Elf]

We tried bananas one night and it was a no go. Could be that when I smelled them I gagged and she saw me:p. She's also had applesauce which was a hit. We don't feed her a whole portion and stop as soon as she turns away which is anywhere from 10 bites to 2. We started her early because she had all the signs of wanted to try it out. I make sure it's more for "practice" and she still gets her food from me.

I've thought about seeing how she does with a sippy cup. She is fascinated by adult cups and even acts like she knows what to do. But I'm afraid that if she's given a cup she will proceed to wear the milk instead of actually drinking it.

Her personality is showing and she's going to be such a flirt. When people say hi to her she will turn her head to the side, shrug her shoulders and smile at them. I've seen grumpy men melt when she does this.

She's discovered her feet and tries to suck on her toes. If there's a sock in the way she grabs it with her mouth and pulls it off. Then it's toes for hours.

One thing I have tried with her sleeping is to put her down awake and let her play (usually with her toes) for a few minutes. if she's amiable to that I will walk away and she often drifts off. We've also started a modified CIO method when we let her grumble for a few minutes. If she starts an all out wail we do pick her up but I don't nurse her back to sleep. This has worked most of the time since we started. It's hard though because I can tell the difference between a sleepy noise and the no way I'm sleeping noise, but DH isn't there yet. I have to stop DH sometimes from going to get her. I've noticed that when he works later than her bedtime she goes down easier. When he's home she wants to stay up. I think it's b/c he will let her watch Spongebob when I'm not looking.;) She does like her yellows.

[stevesbabygirl]

I bought a Nuby soft spout sippy cup, and he seems to really have fun with it. of course, he chews on it more than anything, and when he actually drinks from it, he spills it everywhere, but he's having a good time :).

He is now a pro at rolling from belly to back! He'll only roll in one direction though, it's so funny!

[steelcitymama]

heather---are you putting milk in the sippy? or water? just curious. i nurse when i'm with her and she uses bottles when i'm in the office 3 days/wk. i don't want to waste my precious EBM in the sippys...what do you do?

[stevesbabygirl]

I'm just putting water in it right now. Considering most of it ends up on his shirt, I'm glad I went with water and not EBM :).

[Jenean]

steelcitymama, I've been skimming through that thread and it definitely does have good hints! I also googled "baby food solids" or something like that and found a few good sites, including a government-sponsored one that had good charts with examples of how much food babies should be eating at each stage (ex., 1 tbsp of this, 2 of that, etc.). I have that book by Ruth Yaron on reserve at the library, and I also picked up Superfoods for Babies and Children (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780743275224&itm=3) by Annabel Karmel last weekend. I'm using her recipes for now. I've also read that about kids needing to go to sleep early. We are making sure they stay on their schedule, even though it means we get no playtime with them on days when I'm in the city. I get home at 6:15 and we go right into their dinner/bath/nursing/bed routine. Thank goodness that's only 3 days a week! I'm glad your napping has improved, and that you're hearing so much talk from her these days. I love listening to the boys!

Irish Elf, I love reading your observations about your daughter. I can just picture her flirting away! We do something similar when they fuss and are always hoping it's just a sleep whimper rather than a come-and-save-me-mommy kind of cry!


Apples last night were not a big hit. Simon made an awful face:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/11-14066.jpg

Simon made the same face with cereal the first time, and then ate a whole bowl each night after that, so I'm hoping tonight he'll be happier about the fruit.

Miles again tried to take the spoon and managed to get it into his mouth last night:

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/11-14070.jpg

He's surprisingly good at aiming small items into his mouth. He gets his pacifier in there all the time and did great with the spoon. It's fun to watch him try!

We're going to try some formula or water in a sippy cup next week. We got these (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2382279) Avent ones. They were listed as safe on the blog that ran through all the bottles and cups that have BPA in them.

Last night the boys let us sleep for 5 1/2 hours straight! Yay! And then we just had a couple of resettlings b/w 4-5, and then slept till 6. Yay!

[StacieLady]

Hey ladies. The oldest baby in the bunch just turned 6th months old on Wednesday! Hurray!

We had his WBV yesterday and here are our stats:
Weight: 20lbs 5oz 90%
Height 27.5 inches 90%
Head Circ: 17 7/8 inches 90%

I was only surprised by the head measure because his head has always been lower...but I am pretty sure they just estimate the percentages at the office. :)

We are doing well on all our milestones. He no longer hates tummy time, but has only rolled over on his own a handful of times. I am totally convinced it is due to a lack of desire and not a lack of ability.

Our list of solid foods is as follows: Applesauce, Bananas, Squash, Peas (made by me!), and now prunes. (His poop output had begun to be just 2 giant poops a week, and we are hoping the prunes will help even that out a little!) He seems to like anything you spoon into his mouth, so this has been fun.

He is wearing 9 and 12 month clothes now, and is Jacob is just on the verge of sitting. His longest run has been about a minute unassisted, but he can sit for a long time with a little help. He has now graduated to his inflatable baby tub and will sit and splash it up. It makes bath time a lot more fun. Bring on the bath toys!

Our biggest news is that we chose his 6 month b-day to be his first CIO night. It was a struggle, but it only took him 40 minutes to fall asleep and last night it only took 30. I know it is important for him to get a good night sleep so I think the minor suffering (for both him and us) will be worth it. Once we get the night sleep in line, then we will tackle the naps!

Hopefully, if we can get his sleep regulated I will be able to do a better job keeping up on here. I just don't have a lot of free time to do it now! I have been reading along in here and everyone seems to be doing so well!

Last but not least I will share a few pictures!

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/brattonstaciem/IMG_1090.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/brattonstaciem/IMG_1137.jpg

[risa00]

It has been FOREVER since I've been here, but I just wanted to pop in and see how everyone is doing. I was hoping to see pictures of the recent babies on the first page, but it looks the same as when I left. :) Please post pictures because I would love to see what they all look like now.

[magrat]

stacielady They had a water mat like that at ECFE (school) and Eve really liked it, where did you get it? Do you know what they're called?

risa DH is way behind on posting photos or I would :) Our neighbor posted this one of their baby Lillian with Eve.

http://lh5.google.com/keitelj/RylZdmmVCPI/AAAAAAAAAtQ/0xJ_-SUIzpw/PA311813.JPG?imgmax=512

We went to the doctor the other day because Eve has a bad cold that it seems like she has had forever. She's fine of course, but I wanted to make sure. She's 5 1/2 months now and weighed 15 lbs.

She rolled over front to back on a flat surface for the first time on the 15th, and the next day she sat up for about a minute without using her hands to prop her up (she started doing that a couple weeks ago). She is *so* close to rolling over back to front and I thought I'd be able to get her to do that the 15th too, but she wouldn't. She gets all the way over on her side and back bent way back but no rolling.

Holiday gifts What are you getting for your babies this holiday season?

[Smittenk]

Happy 6 months to Jacob!!!!

Here are some new pics of Connor! He will be 5 months soon!

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/OldTownAlexandria007.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/various006.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/ChillyNovember012.jpg

[StacieLady]

Magrat - The duck mat is by Infantino. (http://www.infantino.com/Toys/Toys6/150-2063.html). I don't know where you can buy it though. My mom got it