June 2007 Mommies ~ Enjoying Mommyhood!

[June2007Mommies]

JUNE 2007 MOMMIES...

Enjoying motherhood!!!


22 babies have arrived, including two sets of twins!


http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/Struck_Blue.gif: (10)
Our boys: DnJ2002, Jenean (x2!) , L&D Nurse, MexicoBride'05, Sarah6690, Smittenk, StacieLady, stevesbabygirl, SuzetteW

http://lafemmebonita.com/blinkies//Pregnancy%20and%20Babies/Struck_Pink.gif: (12)
Our girls: Cosmogirl , Daphne, elissa, em1126, GA_GAL, Irish Elf, LoveBeingAMommy (x2!), magrat, micd, risa00, steelcitymama


Need updates from: almostthere, eldub, firedancr41


If you are new here, congratulations! It's never too late to join and we hope you will consider joining us. We look forward to sharing this amazing experience together! Please posts all updates in RED. Also, when posting, please put in the subject line how old your baby is - you can do this by clicking "go advanced".

Please list your stats in RED in your first post:

CC Name:
Me: Name, age
DH: Name, age
Married: Date
DC: Name
EDD: Date
ADD: Date
Gender Prediction:
Actual Gender:
Any other children:


Your threadmistresses are Jenean and L&D Nurse. Feel free to PM them if you have any questions or comments regarding the thread.


Previous thread links:
Our First Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25424)
Our Second Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27181)
Our Third Trimester (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30737)
Welcoming Our Babies! ( http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33065)

[June2007Mommies]

Proud Mommies:

Cosmogirl - SURPRISE!
Me: Val 29
DH: Fred 33
Married: 08.21.2004
DC: Mathilde Zoe
EDD: 06.26.2007
ADD: 06.22.2007
Gender Prediction: Girl
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children:a son born 07.22.2005

Daphne - GIRL!
Me: 33
DH: 33
Married: August 2003
DC: Amelia Pearson
EDD: 6/1/07
ADD: 6/4/07
Gender Prediction: boy
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children: DS 12/04

DnJ2002 - SURPRISE!
Me: Jess, 31
DH: D, 39
Married: July 6, 2002
DC: Jacob Daniel
EDD: June 16, 2007
ADD: June 22, 2007
Gender Prediction: not sure yet...DH thinks boy
Actual Gender: boy
Any other children: Arabella Hope, 8-17-2005

elissa - GIRL!
Me: Elissa, 30
DH: Chris, 31
Married: October 1, 2005
DC: Avery Helene
EDD: June 18, 2007
ADD: June 13, 2007
Gender Prediction: boy
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children: none

em1126 - GIRL!
Me: Emily, 28
DH: Mike, 27
Married: 10/11/03
DC: Aubrey Noelle
EDD: 6/3/07
ADD: 5/26/07
Gender Prediction: Boy
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children: Nope

GA_GAL - GIRL!
Me: 26
DH: 26
Married: 12/03
DC: Handley Isabelle
EDD: June 16
ADD: June 17, 2007
Gender Prediction: girl
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children:this is our first!

Irish Elf - GIRL!
DC: Baby Girl
EDD: 6/14/07
ADD: 6/14/07

Jenean - TWIN SURPRISES!
Me: Jenean, 30
DH: Seth, 31
Married: 6/22/03
DC: Simon Aron & Miles Logan
EDD: June 12, 2007
ADD: May 19, 2007
Gender Prediction: boy and girl
Actual Gender: two boys!
Any other children: Trevor the turtle, Purrcy the terror-kitty, Kojak the weenie-dog

L&D Nurse - BOY!
Me: Nurse, 30
DH: Professor, 30
Married: July 2003
DC: Thomas
EDD: June 3, 2007
ADD: May 18, 2007
Gender Prediction: girl
Actual Gender: Boy
Any other children: this is our first!

LoveBeingAMommy - TWIN GIRLS!
Me: 32
DH: 31
Married: November 2002
DC: McKinley Claire & Taylor Grace
EDD: June 15, 2007
ADD: June 6, 2007
Gender Prediction: ??
Actual Gender: 2 Girls
Any other children: DD 5/04

magrat - SURPRISE!
Me: Sarah, 27
DH: Benjamin, 27
Married: 3/1/03
DC: Eve Eleanor
EDD: June 16th
ADD: June 5, 2007
Actual Gender: Girl

MexicoBride'05 - BOY!
Me: Farah, 29
DH: Dallas, 28
Married: November 18, 2005
DC: Jayden Michael
EDD: June 19, 2007
ADD: June 6, 2007
Gender Prediction: No idea!
Actual Gender: Boy
Any other children:Just our little pug Marley ;)

micd - GIRL!
Me: M, 25
DH: D, 28
DC: Sara Grace
Married: 05/03
EDD: 06/21/07
ADD: 06/15/07
Gender Prediction: Girl
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children: none

risa00 - SURPRISE!
Me: Lisa, 28
DH: Sean, 34
Married: July 12, 2003
DC: Ava Rose
EDD: June 13, 2007
ADD: May 28, 2007
Gender Prediction: boy but would like girl
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children: none

Sarah6690 - BOY!
Me: Sarah, 25
DH: Eric, 29
Married: June 11, 2005
DC: Sawyer Lee
EDD: May 29, 2007
ADD: May 23, 2007
Gender Prediction: hoping for a girl
Actual Gender: Boy
Any other children: DS Kayden 12-06-01

Smittenk - SURPRISE!
Me: Ali, 30
DH: M, 38
Married: April 3rd, 2004
DC: Connor Hale
EDD: 6/25/2007
ADD: 6/27/2007
Gender Prediction: Don't mind as long as it is healthy
Actual Gender: Boy
Any other children: Furbaby, Barley 08/05

StacieLady - BOY!
Me: 26
DH: 33
Married: Feb 14, 2004
DC: Jacob Wesley
EDD: June 9, 2007
ADD: May 14, 2007
Gender Prediction: I don't know...Girl?
Actual Gender: Boy
Any other children: no, just a dog!

stevesbabygirl - BOY!
Me: Heather, 28
DH: Steve, 29
Married: August 31, 2003
DC: Owen Nathaniel
EDD: June 17, 2007 though I think it's later
ADD: June 25, 2007
Gender Prediction: DH thinks girl but I think boy
Actual Gender: Boy
Any other children: 3 cats and an iguana

steelcitymama - SURPRISE!
Me: Kristin, 28
DH: Doug, 30
Married: July 24 04
DC: Mairin Maeve
EDD: June 7 07
ADD: 6/19/07
Gender Prediction: i think it's a boy, but we didn't find out.
Actual Gender: Girl
Any other children: nope, this is our first!

SuzetteW - BOY!
Me: Suzette, 29
DH: Jay, 29
Married: 8/4/01
DC: Jacob Diedrich
EDD: 6/14/07
ADD: 6/6/07
Gender Prediction: girl
Actual Gender: Boy
Any other children: DS - Jackson - 10/2/03

Please Update Us:

almostthere - SURPRISE!
Me: Sarah, 28 (29 when baby is born)
DH: Andy, 32
Married: June 2, 2001
TTC: Sept 2005
EDD: June 14, 2007 (will be section earlier)
Gender Prediction: just want a healthy one
Any other children: Hailey 3 years old

eldub - SURPRISE!
Me:32
DH: 33
Married: November 2003
TTC: August 2006
BFP: October 7, 2006
EDD: June 12, 2007 (used a due date calculator, so just a guess!)
Gender Prediction: no clue!
Any other children: DD 6/05

firedancr41 - SURPRISE!
Me: Amy, 28
DH: Chris, 26
Married: 7/2/06
TTC: 8/1/06
BFP: 10/20/06
EDD: 6/13/07
Gender Prediction: Boy
Any other children: no


Always in our thoughts and prayers:
Happy1, lorbo, prentiss

[June2007Mommies]

Our Babies 1

May 14, 2007
StacieLady
Jacob Wesley
Born at 36w1d - 7 lbs 6 oz, 20.5 inches
http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/7697/1000567of8.jpg

May 18, 2007
L&D Nurse
Thomas
Born at 37w5d - 6 lbs 15 oz, 20 inches
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1397/661992292_199ef729e7.jpg

May 19, 2007
Jenean
Simon Aron & Miles Logan
Born via c/s at 36w4d - 5 lbs 2 oz, 17.5 inches and 5 lbs 8 oz, 19 inches
(Miles on the left and Simon on the right)
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/Momscamera003.jpg

May 23, 2007
Sarah6690
Sawyer Lee
Born via repeat c/s at 39w1d - 6 lbs 10 oz, 18.5 inches
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Sawyer019.jpg

May 26, 2007
em1126
Aubrey Noelle
Born via c/s at 38w6d - 7 lbs 1 oz, 19.25 inches

May 28, 2007
risa00
Ava Rose
Born at 37w5d - 4 lbs 14 oz, 18 inches
http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1pYdx6vzOlLc_jFWLyIi-XS5yuZryQiHfVi6DCKrCqpb89EXTdbUPSkqkIKU1AZxA9

[June2007Mommies]

Our Babies 2

June 4, 2007
Daphne
Amelia Pearson
Born at 40w3d via VBAC - 9 lbs 6 oz, 21 inches

June 5, 2007
magrat
Eve Eleanor
Born at 38w3d - 6 lbs 8 oz, 19 inches
http://lh3.google.com/image/BenjaminKitt/Rmn5MOTR2kI/AAAAAAAAAZc/NDOr7ytREHc/Eve%20takes%20a%20nap.jpg?imgmax=400

June 6, 2007
LoveBeingAMommy
McKinley Claire & Taylor Grace
Born at 38w5d via c/s - 6 lbs 6 oz, 19.25 inches and 6 lbs 5 oz, 19.25 inches
(McKinley on the left and Taylor on the right)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/DSCN4747.jpg

June 6, 2007
MexicoBride'05
Jayden Michael
Born at 38w1d - 7 lbs 4 oz, 20 inches
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/DSC02164.jpg?t=1181960788

June 6, 2007
SuzetteW
Jacob Diedrich
Born at 38w6d - 7 lbs 13 oz, 20.5 inches
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i259/sweiner/100_0714.jpg

June 13, 2007
elissa
Avery Helene
Born at 39w2d via c/s - 8 lbs 3 oz, 20 inches
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a44/elissab/057.jpg

[June2007Mommies]

Our Babies 3

June 14, 2007
Irish Elf
Baby Girl
Born at 40w via c/s - 7 lbs 4 oz, 20 inches

June 15, 2007
micd
Sara Grace
Born at 39w1d - 6 lbs 13 oz, 19 inches

June 17, 2007
GA_GAL
Handley Isabelle
Born at 40w1d - 7 lbs 4 oz, 20 inches

June 19, 2007
steelcitymama
Mairin Maeve
Born at 41w5d - 7 lbs 9 oz, 19.5 inches

June 22, 2007
DnJ2002
Jacob Daniel
Born at 40w6d - 8 lbs 5 oz

[June2007Mommies]

Our Babies 4

June 22, 2007
Cosmogirl
Mathilde Zoe
Born at 39w3d - 6 lbs 12 oz, 20.5 inches
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d172/Cosmochick/Mathilde0221.jpg

June 25, 2007
stevesbabygirl
Owen Nathaniel
Born at 41w1d - 8 lbs 9 oz, 20.5 inches
http://a530.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/91/l_b65f241fc6e40bed8282c7ab99767299.jpg

June 27, 2007
Smittenk
Connor Hale
Born at 40w2d - 7 lbs 10 oz, 20.5 inches
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/ConnorHaleisborn039.jpg

[June2007Mommies]

Cool Links

Tickers:
Baby's First Site (http://www.babysfirstsite.com/) * Baby Gaga (http://www.baby-gaga.com/) * La Femme Bonita (http://lafemmebonita.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi) * Lilypie (http://www.lilypie.com/) * One In The Oven (http://www.oneintheoven.net/) * SnugglePie (http://www.snugglepie.com/) * Ticker Central (http://www.tickercentral.com/) * Ticker Factory (http://www.tickerfactory.com/)

Baby Shopping Sites:
Baby Age (http://www.babyage.com/) * Baby Ant (http://www.babyant.com/) * Baby Bazaar (http://www. babybazaar.com/) * Baby Box (http://www.babybox.com/) * Baby Center’s Store (http://store.babycenter.com/) * Baby Depot (http://www.babydepot.com/) * Baby Dilly (http://www.babydilly.com/) * Baby Dream (http://www.babydreams.com/) * Babies ‘R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com/) * BabyStyle (http://www.babystyle.com/) * Baby Universe (http://www.babyuniverse.com/) * Carousel Designs (http://www.carouseldesigns.com/) * Dimples and Dandelions (http://www.dimplesanddandelions.com/) * Dreamtime Baby (http://www.dreamtimebaby.com/) * Elegant Baby (http://www.elegantbabygifts.com/) * Fisher Price (http://www.fisher-price.com/) * Gap (http://www.gap.com/) * Graco (http://www.gracobaby.com/) * Gymboree (http://www.gymboree.com/) * In The Treetop (http://www.inthetreetop.com/) * JC Penney (http://www.jcpenney.com/) * Land of Nod (http://www.landofnod.com/) * Little Showoffs (http://www.littleshowoffs.com/) * Net Kidswear (http://www.netkidswear.com/) * Nursery Depot (http://www.nurserydepot.com/) * Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/) * One of a Kind (http://www.oneofakindkid.com/) * One Step Ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com/) * Pokkadots (http://www.pokkadots.com/) * Pottery Barn Kids (http://www.potterybarnkids.com/) * Signature Baby (http://www.signaturebaby.com/) * Target (http://www.target.com/) * The Baby Marketplace (http://www.thebabymarketplace.com/) * The Children’s Place (http://www.childrensplace.com/) * Tutti Bella (http://www.tuttibella.com/) * Wendy Bellissimo (http://www.wendybellissimo.com/) * Overview Baby Skin Products (http://www.cosmeticscop.com/learn/article.asp?PAGETYPE=ART&REFER=SKIN&ID=14 /)

Breastfeeding:
Ameda (http://www.ameda.com/) * Breastfeeding (http://www.breastfeeding.com/) * Boppy (http://www.boppy.com/) * KellyMom (http://www.kellymom.com/) * La Leche League (http://www.lalecheleague.org/) * Maternal Concepts (http://www.maternalconcepts.com/) * Medela (http://www.medela.com/) * Mothering (http://www.mothering.com/) * ProMoM (http://www.promom.org/) * Whisper Wear (http://www.whisperwear.com/)

Formula Feeding:
Bright Beginnings (http://www.brightbeginnings.com/) * Enfamil (http://www.enfamil.com/) * Similac (http://www.similac.com/) * Very Best Baby (Nestle Good Start) (http://www.verybestbaby.com/)

Diapering Info: (some have coupons & contests)
Cloth Diapering (http://www.borntolove.com/404page.html) * Huggies (http://www.huggies.com/) * Luvs (http://www.luvs.com/) * Pampers (http://www.pampers.com/)

Slings:
The Hip Hugger (http://www.thehiphugger.com/) * About Babies Inc. (http://www. aboutbabiesinc.com/) * Maya Wrap (http://www.mayawrap.com/) * New Native Baby (http://www.newnativebaby.com/) * Prenatal Cradle (http://www.prenatalcradle.com/) * Baby Bjorn (http://www.babybjorn.com/) * Baby Wearer (http://www.babywearer.com/)

Invitations/Announcements:
2Peas1Pod (http://www.2peas1pod.com/) * 5StarBaby (http://www.5starbaby.com/) * BabyGrams (http://www.babygrams.com/) * Baby J Cards (http://www.babyjcards.com/) * Bella Baby (http://www.bellababy.com/) * Busy Bee Announcments (http://www.busybeeannouncements.com/) * Celebration Cottage (http://www.celebrationcottage.com/) * Classic Card (http://www.classiccard.com/) * inababycarriage (http://www.inababycarriage.com/) * InvitationBox (http://www.invitationbox.com/) * Inviting Smiles (http://www.invitingsmiles.com/) * MetroBaby Cards (http://www.metrobabycards.com/) * Mommy’s Miracles (http://www.mommysmiracles.com/) * My Gatsby (http://www.mygatsby.com/) * Naptime Cards (http://www.naptimecards.com/) * PhotoStamps (http://www.photo.stamps.com/) * PurpleStork (http://www.purplestork.com/) * Simply To Impess (http://www.simplytoimpress.com/) * Stork Avenue (http://www.storkavenue.com/) * Stork Grams (http://www.shopbirthannouncements.com/) * Tiny Prints (http://www.tinyprints.com/)

Fun Stuff:
Jewel Kids (http://www.jewelkids.com/) * Lifetime Mothers (http://www.lifetimemothers.com/) * ExpectNet (have friends and family compete in a baby pool!) (http://www.expectnet.com/)

[June2007Mommies]

Books for Moms

Baby Stuff:
The Girlfriends' Guide to Baby Gear: What to Buy, What to Borrow, and What to Blow Off!
Vicki Iovine, Peg Rosen

Baby Bargains: Secrets to Saving 20% to 50% on Baby Furniture, Equipment, Clothes, Toys, Maternity Wear and Much, Much More! May 2005 Edition
By Alan and Denise Fields

Breastfeeding:
So THAT'S What They're For! The Definitive Breastfeeding Guide
By Janet Tamaro

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding
By La Leche League International

The First Year(s):
What No One Tells the Mom: Surviving the Early Years of Parenthood with Your Sanity, Your Sex Life and Your Sense of Humor Intact
By Marg Stark

Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
Tracy Hogg

The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer
By Harvey Karp (also on DVD)

Happy Child Presents Tips for New Parents – DVD

Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom
By Stefanie Wilder-Taylor

Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for Your Baby’s First Year
By Ari Brown and Denise Fields

Baby Laughs: The Naked Truth about the First Year of Mommyhood
By Jenny McCarthy

The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know about Your Baby from Birth to Age Two
The Sears Library

Baby's First Year Journal: A Day-to-Day Guide to Your Baby's Development during the First Twelve Months
By A. Christine Harris

Fun Baby Books:
The Inappropriate Baby Book: Gross And Embarrassing Memories from Baby's First Year
By Jennifer Stinson

Baby's First Tattoo: A Memory Book for Modern Parents
By Jim Mullen

[June2007Mommies]

Welcome Mommies!

Please take a moment to look over your information in the first few posts to make sure it is correct. Please feel free to make any suggestions to make our thread better!


Thanks to the previous mommies’ threads for all the ideas and inspirations for the June 2007 ladies!

http://www.transformingdragons.com/images/cradled-baby.jpg

Congrats to us all for making it this far! Now enjoy those little bundles of joy!!!

[Smittenk]

Yey a new thread! I just realized that my little guy is the baby of the group:)

[micd]

Thanks for the new thread!!!

steelcitymama - I just wanted to chime in on the pacifier too. I really did not want her to have a paifier either, but when she was in the NICU they gave it to her without asking me :mad:. The LC said it was really not a big deal and she should be fine. I ended up taking the paci home and give it to her only when necessary, like if she's fussing in the car and she has no problems with nipple confusion. She's also had bottles many times for other reasons and actually prefers the boob. I understand that every baby is different though.

Does anyone else have a baby who is not content to be put down??? How do you deal with it? I love holding her, and I do put her in the sling sometimes, but it does make things a little bit harder.I feel like I'm the only one :o, though I know I'm not.

[Smittenk]

Does anyone else have a baby who is not content to be put down??? How do you deal with it? I love holding her, and I do put her in the sling sometimes, but it does make things a little bit harder.I feel like I'm the only one :o, though I know I'm not.

yep me too! It just started yesterday and I am finding it pretty difficult. I have been putting him in my Babyhawk carrier so he feels close and sleeps and I have two hands and can move around...that is the only thing that has worked for me. He is fine at night though :confused: Please let that continue...I can deal with it during the day but at night...no thankyou

[StacieLady]

Does anyone else have a baby who is not content to be put down??? How do you deal with it?

Jacob is content to be put down for about 20 min in the morning, which is when I steal time for my shower, but other than that it is usually a no go. Sometimes DH and I get another 20 min around dinner time. Even if he is asleep and I put him down he usually wakes up in 15 min or so. We are at 7 weeks, and I would say it is getting better. But he spends a lot of time in the BabyBjorn. That way he is held, but I can use my hands (like now!)

[StacieLady]

Jacob is still having trouble with spitting up thorough his nose. It has definitely gotten much better since he started his medicine, but it is still a bit of a problem. We are constantly having to suction out his nose, which of course he loves!:rolleyes: And he also sneezes all the time. I am convinced that his first words are going to be "bless you" because we say it so often!

In happier news, his eyes are starting to change color. When he was first born there was little difference between the color of his iris and the pupil. Now they are starting to lighten around the centers and they are gorgeous...Especially now that he has started looking us in the eye when we are face to face! We are still not to the cooing and smiling stage, but I can tell we are getting close! I am SOOO ready for that!!:D

I am starting to work on pumping more often but it isn't easy. During the day it is really hard to find a time when I have my hands free. I am going back to work 2 days a week starting August 14th and I am terrified that I will never be able to pump enough to feed him! I know it should be okay. I have a few more weeks to work it out!

[L&D Nurse]

I had my 6-week post-partum appt. today. I had a weigh-in (still up about 11 lbs from pre-pg after gaining 28 during the pg) and b/p check, and a quick pelvic exam. Apparently all is well "down there" and I am cleared to DTD (which is very timely as today is our anniversary!;)) The dr. mentioned that because estrogen levels are typically lower when you are BF'ing, dryness is an issue and to use a water-based lubricant - I thought that might be a helpful hint for those of you coming up on the 6 week pp mark!! BBL with s/o's.

[daphne]

Hooray for a new thread - thank you threadmistresses!!

l&dnurse What did you dr say about exercising? i'm having my 6-wk appt over a week late & am curious about what they'll tell me about working out...

count me in as one who can't put down for long. It's soooo hard to have to carry her & care for my DS....

more later!

[L&D Nurse]

daphne~ I didn't ask about exercising (since I don't do it:p) but I would assume after the 6-week mark you are lifted of any restrictions.

steelcitymama~ I wanted to chime in the pacifier issue. I struggled with this right around the 3 week mark and ended up introducing it to Thomas then. He loves it and it hasn't affected BF at all.

[GA_GAL]

Thanks for the new thread!

pacifiers: Handley has taken one since we were in the hospital. It really soothes her when she's fussy and I know that she's full. It's been no problem with breastfeeding. Like jenean said, I'd love to wean her from it asap because I don't want her to become dependent on it. However, for now it's a big help.

L&D Nurse: Glad your apt. went well. Happy anniversary!

StacieLady: What color are his eyes changing to? Handley's have started to get lighter, but I can't wait to see what they end up. I also can't wait for a smile.

daphne: I'm wondering the same thing about working out. I feel fine, but know that I should wait until that 6 week mark. I have started walking this week though, so hopefully that will ease me back into things.

I'm having a hard time today. It is my first day alone (my mom left and DH is out of town for work) and Handley has been more fussy than usual. I can tell she's more gassy than normal, but I have no idea what I've eaten that would be causing it. Also, she's been in a great 2 1/2 - 3 hour routine of eating/awake/napping and now all of the sudden she seems to want to eat much more frequently. I know the 3 week growth spurt could be a reason (she's 2 weeks 4 days today), but as she's fussing and acting hungry she's also acting tired (yawning, etc.). It's taking so long to try and get her to sleep that she ends up staying awake until it's time for her to eat again so she misses that sleep. How can I tell if she's overly tired and crying because of that or just hungry?

I really want to start now with creating good sleep habits. What are you all doing to get them down for naps or at night? I'm trying to rock her until she gets that really drowsy, almost asleep look and then put her down when she's still a little bit awake. Sometimes it works and she goes to sleep and other times she startles and wakes up. A pacifier also helps her, but I really don't want to get into that habit.

[StacieLady]

It's taking so long to try and get her to sleep that she ends up staying awake until it's time for her to eat again so she misses that sleep. How can I tell if she's overly tired and crying because of that or just hungry?

I totally have this problem too. Jacob doesn't like to nap! Often times he will just sit quietly in the babybjorn and stare at me! (My mom said I was the same so maybe he got it from me.) But it is hard, sometimes I know he has to be sleepy, but he won't have any of it. And if I do get him to nap, I don't dare put him down because I know he will sleep longer if I hold him. Its hard!

And DH and I both have blue eyes, so I am assuming Jacob's will be blue too...I am looking forward to slowly watching them lighten to their final color.

We use a pacifier too. It hasn't hurt BFing at all, and sucking really soothes him. I have also read that putting your baby to bed with one helps decrease the chance of SIDs, but we don't do it. I will give him one if he wakes up in the night and it shouldn't be time for him to eat yet. However, if that doesn't put him back to sleep I assume he really is hungry! :)

[magrat]

I tried to give Eve a pacifier a few times yesterday since she was fussy but not hungry (I know she's crying because of hunger when she mouths a lot, sucks on her hand, or roots) and she looked at me like I was crazy. Had no idea what it was and got angry. She would suck on my pinky her first week, but after that she wouldn't. I don't think she has a big desire to suck.

I can't put her down very much, but at night it's getting easier. When she's sleepy and swaddled, she'll usually go to sleep in her co sleeper, and sometimes her swing. I don't try to get her to nap, she still sleeps most of the time. She is having more quiet alert time, but it's still pretty minimal. I tried the mei tai today for the first time and it worked really well, so I'm confident I'll be able to get a lot more done. I was alone today for the first time too, and I pretty much hung out in my glider and bed and took advantage of some of the rest I missed out on immediately postpartum. Since my MIL is here and I felt more confident about going out, we've been going out almost every day, for many hours at a time. It got to the point where I was crying from exhaustion and feeling overwhelmed yesterday morning, and I'm definitely going to cut back now. She and DH went to the Mall of America all day today and I am *so* glad I didn't go. I want to do stuff, and please other people, but when I'm out and about and Eve starts crying and I need to figure out how to comfort her, feed her, change her in public...it's hard. Plus I was starting to feel like I wasn't feeding or changing her frequently enough because it was so much harder in public, and the stroller and carseat keeps her asleep, so I was feeling like a bad mom too. So that's the end of that, no more rushing around, or at least not two days in a row.

I'm so glad to hear I'm normal when it comes to my weight. I'll stop worrying about it now, I guess it was unrealistic to expect I'd be back to normal by now. I think my concern was aggravated by the amount we were going out, I wouldn't want to wear my yoga pants and an old oversized t-shirt for going out, and most of my normal clothes weren't fitting. I guess I should be happy any of them do!

I have learned a few things by all my going out. The stroller we got (Britax Vigour) works really well, very convenient. The slings are harder to use, and less convenient than I envisioned. I still want to master them, but she does get very heavy in the pouch and the wrap is really hot and takes a long time to get her in it. By the time I get her in it comfortably she wants to eat and I haven't been able to nurse while wearing her yet. I think the mei tai is going to be a real improvement. I've learned how to pack a diaper bag and that it is *very* important not to forget anything. I'm getting good at nursing in public. I either use a big blanket or even better, that Momono (http://www.mayalena.com/) I posted about a while ago. I keep it in the diaper bag and when I want to nurse I put it on. It covers my back when I lift my shirt up, and I can adjust the fabric so it keeps me covered. I hate the name of, look of, and idea of "hooter hiders" so I'm really glad I found an alternative. I also learned it isn't as difficult going out as I might have imagined. My girl who normally wants to be held all the time is very content in the stroller as long as it's moving. And baby stores sometimes have "changing rooms", like normal dressing rooms, only with changing tables and a bench to nurse in privacy if you need to. Huge thumbs up to those. Thought my experiences might be a little useful or at least reassuring to those of you who haven't ventured out much yet.

[Smittenk]

What did you dr say about exercising? i'm having my 6-wk appt over a week late & am curious about what they'll tell me about working out...more later!

daphne, I was told that no aerobic exercise until my 6 week check and I am given the all clear but they said that I can start abdominal exercise at 2 weeks since I had a vaginal birth.

[L&D Nurse]

DH and I got our first smiles this morning :D:D:D

GA_GAL~ sorry you had a rough day yesterday. I also didn't want to get into the "habit" of relying on the paci, but it really helps to calm T right now. I am planning on weaning him from it at 4 months or so (as Happiest Baby on the Block recommends). Also, I have found that Thomas is staying awake a lot more during the day between the feedings, it started about 2.5-3 weeks. I can't count on a nap between feedings anymore... :rolleyes: However, in the last week or so, I am finding it easier to read his cues for when he is ready to go in his bed. I'm sure it is different for every baby, but T makes an fake-cry repeated "ahh" sound and it gets hard for him to hold his head up. I put him in his bed and either he falls right asleep or he fusses and I give him the paci and he falls asleep within a minute or two.

[risa00]

Thanks for the new thread!!

I read over everyone's posts and I could probably have picked items from each of them and called them my own. :) We have experienced the same things that everyone else is going through as well so it's good to know it's all normal.

L&D Nurse - That's so exciting about him smiling! Was he smiling because he saw you or your DH? We get a smile every once in a while but it's because she has gas. lol. It's still so cute to see but I am looking forward to her smiling because she thinks we're goofy. :)

Well if I can finish pumping here I'm off to the movies. Ava and I went yesterday and watched Ocean's 13. It really was a lot of fun if you were thinking of trying it. Honestly the movie I was at, the babies pretty muched slept the whole time. You never would have known they were in there. I'm hoping to catch Live Free or Die Hard. We'll see if we make it.

[stevesbabygirl]

Popping in to post my birth story!

I didn't sleep at all Sunday night, knowing that I was going to be induced and meeting my baby boy the next day. When I finally did start to get sleepy, the alarm went off, bright and early, at 2:55am. The induction was scheduled for 4am, and we had to call an hour ahead of time to make sure there were beds available. I ate a huge bowl of Cheerios while Steve loaded up the car, and then we were off!

We got to the hospital at 4:15, and sat in the lobby for about 30-45 minutes while they got my paperwork all together. They finally called me back and we got settled in room 7. The first order of business was changing into a gown, and getting hooked up to an IV, fetal monitor, and contraction monitor. Since I tested positive for Group B strep, I was also put on penicillin.

The pitocin started at around 6 or 6:30am, and I was relieved to discover that it really wasn't bad. I was checked at that time, and I was 3cm dilated. The nurses told me that the doctor would be coming over at 7:30 to break my water, and at 7:30, with no sign of the doctor, my water decided to break on its own. The doctor showed up about 15 minutes later, checked me, and told me I was at 4cm, giving me the go ahead for the epidural whenever I needed it. I was still relatively comfortable, so I decided to hold out as long as I could. In the meantime, I kept myself busy by getting on the Nintendo and updating you ladies from the hospital. I'm glad you all enjoyed them!

Contractions started getting harder, and I really had to breathe through them. Steve was instrumental in reminding me to breathe, so I'm glad that he was there. At one point, I had a really strong contraction and said "that's it." I was ready for my epidural. I've heard horror stories of women having to wait an hour for an anesthesiologist to come in, but I was lucky to have mine show up about 5 minutes later. What a godsend he was! I totally flinched when they gave me the numbing medicine, which is so unlike me, but once the catheter was inserted, I felt a shock down my right leg, and then it felt really warm. My left leg soon followed, and I felt so much better. I was checked again, and was at 6cm, so I'm glad I was able to hold out as long as I did, yay me!

There were some scary moments with Owen during contractions, because he would have some late decelerations, so I had to change positions a lot. A few times, his heart rate went into the 90's, and it kinda freaked me out a little. It always picked back up though, so we were good to keep going.

Contractions continued on, and at the next check a short while later, I was at 7cm. At that point, Steve went out to the waiting room to tell the parents what was going on. I was still feeling pretty good, thanks to the epidural, and I continued to play on the Nintendo. Soon, I started feeling these awful pains in my bottom area, which were really strange. They got really intense really fast, and I was anxiously waiting for Steve to return so that he could help me through them. Half an hour went by and there was no sign of Steve, and I was getting pissed. I was in a lot of pain at that point, and I was all alone in the room. He finally showed up, and I ripped him a new one, yelling at him for abandoning me. I started crying and he apologized.

The nurse came by to check me, and I was 10cm, it was go time! All of that pain must've been the transition, because I went from 7cm to 10cm really quickly. I was a little upset that I was feeling so much pain, but I figured that's just what happens. I wasn't sure if the epidural wasn't working, or if it just wouldn't work on that pain. Regardless, I wasn't having a good time at that point.

Since I was fully dilated, the nurse had me start pushing. I think it took me a while to get the hang of it, because I felt like I was going to have a cerebral aneurysm everytime I pushed. The doctor would come in every now and then to check on the pushing, and then go back to the office, which was literally a 3-minute walk from the hospital. Because of the late decels Owen was having, they had me push every other contraction, which was torture. I kept wretching because I was trying not to make my body push, but I couldn't help it.

I pushed for about an hour and a half, and at 4:09pm, Owen Nathaniel was born! Steve cried and I didn't, of course. The reason it took so long for him to come out was because he was sunny side up, and lodged against my pelvic bone, which is also the reason for the hematoma on his head. The cord was wrapped loosely around his neck, but that didn't seem to affect anything. Steve got to cut the cord, and he did so well! We were both afraid he would pass out, but that wasn't the case.

Owen and I both got cleaned up, and I got stitched up, as I had a partial third-degree tear, ouch! They handed Owen back to me, and we just looked at each other. After a little while, we attempted breastfeeding. He latched on, so the experience went pretty well, though he didn't seem too interested once he was there. He was then weighed, and we found out we had a big boy on our hands, at 8lbs 9oz!

After the cleanup, the parents started coming in. First, the grandmas came in, and they totally fell in love with him, of course :). Lots of doting. Then the grandpas came in, and Steve finally got to hold him to show him off. My dad was completely enamored, and Steve's dad didn't really react. He's not into babies, so I didn't take it personally.

When everyone got a good look, they were sent out of the room so that I could be transferred to the postpartum area. I got settled in the wheelchair, with my completely dead right leg, and off we went! We weren't able to get a private room, but they try to stagger the rooms so that you spend as much time along as possible before they bring in a roommate. Luckily for us, we only had a roommate for about the first hour we were there, and then we didn't have anyone else the entire time. Because of that, Steve was able to stay with me the whole time, though he had to sleep across 3 chairs at night, as they wouldn't let him sleep in the other bed.

Recovery in the hospital was a little tough, but not too bad. I had a hard time getting out of bed, so Steve took care of all the diaper changes those first nights. He was so wonderful in the hospital, I don't know what I would've done without him. We stayed two days, and went home Wednesday afternoon. We left the hospital at 3:30, and they were getting the other bed ready for someone. On the way home, we hit Steve's work so that he could add Owen to our insurance, and then we parked over by his office so that people could come out and look if they wanted. After his office, we went to CVS to fill my prescriptions, and then we hit Taco Bell to grab something to eat really quickly.

And then we were home!

[stevesbabygirl]

Everything seems to be going well over here! Owen sleeps pretty well at night, usually in 3-4 hour stretches, gets up to eat, and then goes back down pretty easily. During the day, he will go through these periods where he will eat every hour or hour and a half, but only for 10-15 minutes. Is this normal?

[L&D Nurse]

risa00~ you are brave taking an infant to a movie! Yes, the :D:D were in response to DH's and my silly voices and faces. We were playing "Where's the baby? ... There's the baby!" DH says its from Ice Age. T has been "smiling" since he was a few days old, but only as he was falling asleep. This is the first time it has been directed at us!

stevesbabygirl~ great birth story! You held out on the epid. for so long... you go girl! I was 2 cm ;) It was heaven though, huh?! Yes, Owen's eating pattern sounds very normal. Expect it to change several times over the next few weeks. It seems like as soon as you start getting into a pattern it changes. Welcome to life with a baby!!!

[daphne]

risa00 I'm soo jealous of your movie-going adventures! DS was always too fussy & now there's no way I could go w/a newborn & a toddler!!

stevesbabygirl Great birth story!! Aren't epidurals the best???

smittenk Oh man! I could have been doing ab exercises for the past 2 weeks? I wish I didn't know that b/c I am SO not motivated to get going w/those.....;)

We had Amelia's 1-month WBV yesterday. At her 2-wk check, she weighed 10lbs, 1oz and yesterday she tipped the scales at 12lbs, 4 1/2 oz!! :eek: I knew she was eating a lot, but still!! She's 22 1/2 inches long, btw.

As much as she likes to be held, she is a MUCH easier baby than DS was, so I am beyond grateful. knock on wood. Speaking of DS, gotta run - he's climbing the barstools...

[GA_GAL]

It's so reassuring to know other people have gone or are going through the same things. Last night I could not get her to go to sleep. Usually at night she goes right down, but she was in such pain from the gas that she was crying/screaming. This is the first time she's really cried since we've been home. DH called from out of town and I started crying too. Finally I was holding her on her stomach and she passed gas about 5 times. I felt so bad for her, but after that she went right down.

Today she's been better, but this afternoon I could tell she was uncomfortable again. I got some Mylicon at Target today to see if that will help. Has anyone else used it?

magrat: Glad you were able to get more rest the past few days. Thanks for sharing your "going out" experience. I had my first alone going out experience today and it went great.

L&D Nurse: I'm hoping to wean her off the paci at 3-4 months too. We'll see if that happens. :-)

risa00: Hope you had fun at the movies. I think it's great you're able to get out and go.

stevesbabygirl: Great birth story...thanks for sharing. As far as Owen's eating patterns, they sound similar to Handley's. She'll go longer during the day, but in the evenings she is ready much more frequently. She usually always eats between 5-15 mins.

daphne: Great weight gain on your little one!

I had a much better day today. I think a lot of it was just getting out of the house. I went to a mom and baby breastfeeding tea offered by our hospital and also went to Target and then lunch with a friend (who has a 3 month old baby). Handley did great out and about and i felt very confident handling her by myself.

DH is home now, so I'm looking forward to the weekend.

[risa00]

stevesbabygirl - Great birth story!

daphne - That's great that your 2nd one seems to be easier.. I must admit I started laughing when I read your toddler was climbing on the bar stools.. I bet it's a huge task to take care of 2 of them because it's a big task to take care of just 1 newborn.

GA GAL - How long was she upset about gas? Ava gets that way too but she's able to get it all out within 5-10 minutes or so. Definitely get out of the house because it does help. Let me know if you ever want to meet up since I believe you're in the Seattle area. Oh, and Evergreen Hospital has free classes for babies (up to 3 months) and their moms if you wanted to get out once a week and talk with other people that are going through the same thing.

Well my DH took off of work to go to the movies and we rushed down to the theater to find out they ended up cancelling it today because it's 4th of July week. Then why didn't they update their website??? Oh well.. next week.

[magrat]

I have two success stories today! Eve took a pacifier (I noticed her sucking her thumb - sooo cute! - and stuck the paci in instead). It calmed her down and then she spit it out when she was done and that was it.

My even bigger success was that she took a bottle! I pumped 1 oz as a trial (didn't want to go through all the trouble of pumping more when I wasn't sure she'd take it) and when she got up from a nap I got my MIL to give it to her. She fought it only briefly and then sucked the whole thing down! Yay! I was worried it was be more traumatic, or I'd have to go buy lots of different nipple types. So now I have more motivation to pump more, and to figure out how to do it more efficiently. It took me 15 minutes to pump that and 1 minute for her to drink it :rolleyes:

[GA_GAL]

risa00: She was pretty fussy all afternoon yesterday, but the real crying lasted for about 30 mins. (although it felt like much longer!). I actually live in FL which is too bad though...I'd love to be able to get together. Too bad about the movies.

magrat: Woo hoo! That's great that Eve took the paci and a bottle. Which type of bottles did you buy? One of my friends who breast and bottle feeds uses Advent and says her DD has no trouble switching back and forth. I'm going to try to pump and give a bottle next week.

[magrat]

GA_GAL I used an avent bottle too! It came with my isis breastpump. Her latch looked just like it does when she breastfeeds.

[steelcitymama]

hi everyone! so i'm a total moron and just thought it had been SUPER quiet here---didn't realize we had the thread, so i just had a lot of catching up to do!

like risa said, there are bits & pieces of what everyone is posting about that sound like they came straight out of our life. it's good to know that you guys are experiencing similar things.

best thing that's been happening recently: longer & longer stretches of sleep at night for mairin! right from the start she was sleeping 3 hrs @ a stretch and we were really pleased. but then two nights ago she had a 4.5 hr stretch and another 4.5 hr stretch the next night. then last night she slept for 6 hrs!!!! i couldn't believe it!! here's my question though---my breasts were hard, sore, and leaking by the time she woke up. and it was really difficult to get her to latch on to my left boob (which i've been having some pblms doing for the past few days anyway). so my question is: how will the breastmilk regulate itself when she eats pretty much every 2 hrs during the day but waits much longer at night??? i think i'll post in the BF forum too.

she's pretty good about going to sleep without much coaxing and is napping less during the day. some days she'll be awake for hours at a time, one day she was awake almost all day---from 11 AM until the early evening. she would take a quick catnap on me here or there, but that's it. yesterday she napped a bit more, but still had lots of awake time.

thanks so you all for your pacifier feedback---i talked to her ped about it on thurs, too. they said it shouldn't be a problem and can be very soothing. i end up giving it to her maybe once a day..normally if she's been awake for a very long time and is getting fussy, but seems sleepy and is having problems drifting off to sleep. we've never had any issues with her sleeping at night and haven't used it then ever.

so we're going to DH's family reunion today..just for an hour or so. i'm still leery about BFing in public and mainly the germ situation. the reunion is huge and there are tons of kids running around, etc. i think i'll put her in the hotsling and just leave her in there.

i know at least 2 of you have mei tais---are they hard to use by yourself? i still need to try mine out, i'm looking forward to it. magrat, you mentioned that the slings are less convenient than you expected. i'm finding that to be true with the hotsling---i love it once she's in, but i can't get her in or out (especially out) by myself. it seems impossible to get a newborn out of there alone! any suggestions anyone??

i'll be back later for SOs---going to shower now while mairin is napping.

[daphne]

steelcitymama good questions about bf'ing. i'm sure the bfing gurus will be able to help you out in that thread. as for the hotsling, DD doesn't like it very much, so I've been getting her out of it a lot :p I have to sit down to do it, though. I sort of brace her on with my legs, as if she's sitting on my lap, get my hands under her arms & sort of wriggle her out. It's not easy, but it can be done

oops she's up - gotta go

[Cosmogirl]

Hey ladies, just saw about the new thread! Thanks for that threadmistress!

Things are going good here. Mathilde sleeps rather well at night, with a big 5 hour stretch, so needless to say, it is heavenly! she nurses quite well, although since I have a very fast let down, she has this tendency to keep her mouth small, and she is sometimes pinching me a little. SO we need to be working very hard on that.
She has lost her umbilical stump on the 4rth, so I guess she isn't much of a newborn anymore...
I'm now trying to transition to cloth, but she is so tiny, that she has blowouts, because the diaper are too big LOL. So we are currently part cloth diapering.

nipple shields I saw that a couple of you uses them. Just a word of caution. I also had to use one with my son, and these can be very detrimental to your milk production. If you DO use them, make sure you stimulate your breast with the pump, otherwise, you might loose your production. I almost did. Maybe you guys already know all of this, but just in case!;)

BabywearingI was seeing that some of you ladies have a harder time then you thought with your slings. I really really LOVE ring sling over pouches for NB. They are easier to adjust, and most of all, easier on and off. If you have questions or anything about babywearing, go the www.thebabywearer.com. It is a wealth of information about baby wearing. The ladies over there are amazing. :D I LOVE this place so much!

Steel just a quick word for you, it will regulate. Your body will follow your baby's need, even if she drink more during the day then at night. It will take a little time to adjust, and you'll get some engorgment episode while it does, but you'll get there. Granted, when Mairin will sleep longer stretches then usual, you'll get engorgement again. I can talk to you about the first time DS slept for 10 hours. Yikes, that was painful! :p

go to go, Mathilde is calling...:p

[magrat]

cosmogirl That was a great breastfeeding question - I was wondering that this morning because I was so full. I actually got up at 6am and pumped because I hoped I'd be able to get more than usual. Good to know it won't always be that bad. What CDs are you using that are causing blow outs? I haven't had a problem with that at all and I used them from the first week.

steelcitymama How is CDing going for you? As far as the pouch goes, I am able to get her in and out by myself, but it takes a while and I rarely feel like she is in there very comfortably. The mei tai is much easier and I can't imagine anyone having trouble doing it by themselves. I follow these instructions, though mine isn't a baby hawk. http://babyhawk.com/pages/infantfrontcarry.php I don't do the crossover of both straps at the same time though. I bring one strap around while holding her with the other arm, then switch, so it feels really safe. And I tie it in a pretty bow in front instead of a knot :)

[GA_GAL]

I'm really concerned with Handley's bowel movements. She was having about 6 per day, but since Thursday it has only been 3, then 2 on Friday and only 1 yesterday. I read somewhere the during a growth spurt the bowel movements can really slow down because they are using up all the good milk. She's still seems to be eating really well and having wet diapers. She's eating a little more frequently, but her patterns have been pretty much the same. Any help? I'm going to call her ped. first thing in the morning.

Also, since Thursday she's been really gassy. I don't know if this could be related?

[L&D Nurse]

GA_GAL~ my ped says it is normal for BF infants to have anywhere from 10 bm/day to 1 bm/10 days. I would definitely call your ped if you are concerned, however.

I have my own poop story to share (not my OWN poop, but you get the picture)... Last night I got into the bathtub while DH put Thomas to bed. I could hear T fussing, so I said to DH "why don't you two come get into the tub?" So we were all in the tub and Thomas loved it! He was kicking around on his tummy and back for about 15 minutes. Then he got fussy again so DH got out to get T's towel and p.j.'s ready... see where this is going? I decided to feed T while we waited for DH. Well, about 10 seconds after I started feeding him, he let out a huge poop right in the tub. It's my own fault, really. Thomas usually poops during or right after he eats, so I knew it was a possibility :o We rinsed him under the tub faucet and then I cleaned out the tub and took a shower. So that's how my relaxing bath turned out :p

[StacieLady]

We have been cloth diapering since day one. We had planned on starting later but we found out in the hospital that DS was having an allergic reaction to either the diapers or the wipes, so we jumped right in. We have had a little trouble because we didn't plan to start right away and so we only had small covers and not newborn. DS doesn't have very chubby thighs and it is tough to get a good fit there. We actually used a lot of our disposables we got as gifts as our covers at first! :o

We did get a bumgenius 2.0 from a friend as a gift and it has changed my life! The best thing ever! We just broke down and bought a big pack of them because we were getting so frustrated with having to change wet onesies! We never had any trouble with blow outs, but we have a lot of wicking! I know the bumgenius are expensive, but I I would recommend giving them a try. I had planned on just buying 3-4 and using them at night and for outings, but DH decided we should just suck it up and buy enough to using them as our primary diapers. We still use our prowraps and our one bummis whisper wrap, and they are starting to work a little better.

[StacieLady]

L&D Nurse That is great to know that Thomas loved the water. I am looking forward to introducing Jacob to it for the first time! I hadn't thought about it being in the bath. That is great to know. My only problem will be that Jacob is almost constantly pooping! I have heard you can take them in the shower too...but I am worried he will be to slippery!

[steelcitymama]

hi ladies!

thanks to everyone for the feedback on the BFing questions and the hotsling & mei tai input, too. i still really need to try her in the mei tai, i'm really looking forward to it. this weekend was pretty busy and we didn't get a chance. soon enough, i'm sure.

magrat~the CDing is going really well...we love it. like you, stacielady, we didn't buy any newborn sizes since we were waiting a bit to start. she fits well in her happy heinys, swaddlebees, and dream-eze. we have 4 of the bumgenius 2.0s that's she's still a bit too small for, but i'm happy to hear that you love them so much. i've heard great things! magrat~we're still waiting for the shipment w/ the prefolds & snugglebottoms. i'm eager to try them out and also to just get more CDs. right now we don't have enough to do them all the time and DH and washing them constantly. we love them though---they're so soft and her little bum has been so much less irritated. i also love using a spray bottle and washclothes instead of wipes---i think that helped reduce the irritation a ton, too.

L&D Nurse~your story about thomas in the tub is so funny & cute! that's great that he liked the water so much!

GA GAL~any word from the ped re: handley's BMs?

hope you're all doing well!

[GA_GAL]

I think we're going through a growth spurt. Yesterday Handley wanted to eat every hour, which only gave me a few minutes in between each feeding. She also got very upset (screaming/crying) in the evenings. I just didn't know what to do to calm her down because it seemed like nothing worked. Thankfully DH took her and helped out. He's going to be gone all week though, so I'm nervous about how this week will go. She has been so easy to please up until the past few days...she's like a different baby. She did sleep well last night though, so I'm very grateful for that.

I talked to the pediatrician's office this morning about the bowel movements and they said if she hasn't pooped by Wed. to call back, but that she is probably using all the milk for growth and that's why there is no waste. Also said around this time is when gas gets going and more uncomfortable (colic like symptoms). They said wearing her in a carrier (I have a moby wrap I need to figure out how to use) might help because they like to be close to you and upright.

So far today she's done better, but still wanting to eat more frequently. I feel tied to the couch. Has anyone else seen a growth spurt in their babies? How long did it last for?

[StacieLady]

i also love using a spray bottle and washclothes instead of wipes---i think that helped reduce the irritation a ton, too.

Do you keep a spray bottle of water to spray the washcloths? I have been racking my brain about how to wet the washcloths with out having to go to the bathroom first (I am never thinking that far in advance). Do you just use plain water, or do you use some sort of soap too?

[StacieLady]

They said wearing her in a carrier (I have a moby wrap I need to figure out how to use) might help because they like to be close to you and upright.

We carry Jacob in his carrier when ever he is upset and it has worked wonders. It definitely helps his reflux by being upright, and he definitely likes the snuggle aspect (In fact we were able to take him to the movies this weekend and he slept in his carrier almost the whole time. I just had to give him a quick snack in the middle.)

Do you have an exercise ball? We have found that ours works like black magic. If ever Jacob is in a foul mood that nothing else will fit, a nice bounce will calm him almost instantly, especially if he is in his carrier.

[steelcitymama]

stacielady~yup--that's exactly what we do: we have a spray bottle that we keep on the changing table. i spray her bum with it and i also spray the little washclothes, too. we just keep a pile of them in a basket on the changing table. i was just going to use plain water in the bottle, but one of the places where i ordered CDs from included two little ball-like things (looked like small shapes of glycerin soap) that could be dissolved in your spray bottle. it contained some things that i promptly forgot---some essential oils and maybe some jojoba or something? it all seemed very natural and not funky, so i tossed one of them in. it was supposed to be soothing & a bit moisturizing. on a separate topic, how funny that you should mention the exercise ball! one of my closest friends was over today and she had her 5 mo old baby with her. she mentioned that her exercise ball is the one sure-fire thing that will calm her DD down when she's fussy.

GA GAL~ re: the growth spurt...i can't remember, but i think i might have posted awhile back that i was concerned when mairin was about a week old. she suddenly wanted to eat every hour. it was exhausting and draining for me and i was worried b/c she would fuss in between and just generally seemed cranky. the ped chalked it up to a growth spurt and said it could last just one day or maybe several. that time, it was just one day for us. however, i think she might be having another one now...it doesn't seem as dramatic this time, though. but she's always slept at least 3 hrs at a stretch during the night and this past week was amazing---each night she slept for increasingly longer amts of time---4 hrs, 5, 6. then last night, she did something she'd never done before: she woke up every 2 hrs during the night to eat. like clockwork!!! i couldn't believe it. she's wake up, chug, and then pass out again. today she's still eating every 2 hrs or so, but that's very typical of her daytime pattern anyway. i guess we'll just have to see what happens tonight, too. i know what you mean about feeling tied to the couch--and the baby...it's so mentally & physically draining when they want to nurse constantly. and i'm sorry that she seems so different & unlike herself. i bet this will pass and she's just needing a lot of food & attention now. i hope the moby wrap and exercise ball suggestions help some!

M will be 3 wks tomorrow...and i've noticed that the way she's nursing is different now. she can eat from both breasts in a total of 20-30 min now...she used to be a lot slower. she still seems very satisfied and full after eating and continues to have lots of wet & dirty diapers. has anyone else noticed their babies getting more efficient with nursing?

[micd]

Exercise ball - I actually use mine quite often to bounce Sara and she LOVES it!!

Nursing - Not efficient yet, still takes a while, but I also use a nipple shield so that could be part of it. She nurses pretty often. She only goes for three hour stretches when she is taking her one long nap of the day. Nights are pretty much every two hours, though often more. It's really hard to get her to sleep on her own, though I am seeing a pattern of one long nap (2-3 hours) in the evening and several short naps during the day.

Where does you baby nap during the day, and for how long?

[daphne]

naps DD naps wherever I can get her to - bouncy seats, swing, bassinet...her naps last anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours.

growth spurts DD definitely had one around 2 weeks. It lasted a couple of days & was brutal b/c she wanted to eat all.the.time. We're coming up to the 6-wk mark (next week) and i'm getting nervous already.

I so need to be hands-free & am jealous of all you mommies whose babes like to be wrapped/carried. DD hates it (i've tried the peanut pouch, hotsling & moby wrap) & screams every time I get her in there. :confused:

[StacieLady]

Where does you baby nap during the day, and for how long?

Anywhere we can get it. He just started napping some in the swing. I can put him in there awake and sometimes he will fall asleep for an hour or two. Other than that he falls asleep in my arms of the baby carrier. If I will consent to hold him he will sleep nap for 2-3 hours. If I put him down he will sleep from 30-60 min tops. We definitely have no schedule!

[StacieLady]

stealcitymamma - What kind of spray bottle is it? Is is more like a trigger spray (kitchen cleanser) or like a pump spray (hairspray). It seems like a pump spray would be better on his bum, but a trigger would be better for wetting a rag.

[steelcitymama]

stacielady~it's more like a kitchen cleanser bottle but it has a spray and a stream setting. i use the gentle spray for her bum and the stream for the rag...though the stream setting works fairly well for getting poop off her bum, too! i actually got it at the dollar store to use for part of training our dog a few years ago! sure is coming in handy now.

re: naps...mairin will sleep pretty much wherever during the day---the swing, a bouncy seat, on me, etc. the only thing she won't do is sleep in her crib during the day. she sleeps really well in the crib at night, but b/c we swaddle her. i def don't want to swaddle her several times during the day, too, so i stopped trying to put her down in the crib. like daphne said, her naps range from a catnap to 2 hrs.

[Jenean]

Ladies, first let me apologize for being such a bad thread buddy. I have so little internet time and always feel so bad when I can't do SO's to all, so I end up just reading and never posting and then I get so far behind that it's daunting to think about trying to catch up..... Anyway, I'm going to just answer a few of the old QOTDs and then pick up from this thread if that's okay.

CONGRATS to DnJ2002 and Cosmogirl and stevesbabygirl and Smittenk!!!

BFing - the boys nurse for about 20-30 minutes at a time. They each only get one breast at a time, so I try to let them go as long as they want to make sure they get every drop they can. We basically only tandem nurse anymore; only if they don't wake up together do they eat by themselves. After they nurse, they each get a bottle with 2 oz of formula. They started at a half ounce and as they've grown we've increased the amount of formula to match their appetites. I actually think I might increase them to 2.5 ounces per bottle today. They now go about 3-4 hours between feedings, sometimes as long as 5! We're down to one nighttime feeding, thank goodness. We give them their last feeding before bed around 10-11 and then they wake up around 3 and then again at 7 or so, at which point I say it's morning and we all get up.

Sleeping - I always am wondering if they're sleeping too much or not enough or what. At night, they go about 3-4 hours at a stretch. During the day their naps range anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours. They stay awake between naps anywhere from an hour to 3 hours. I can tell that 3 hours is pushing it because then they are really fussy and obviously so tired and ready to sleep. At night they always spend their first sleep session in the cosleeper. After their middle-of-the-night feeding they both go back in it and usually one or the other gets fussy, at which point I am usually so tired that I just grab him and sleep with him in my arms the rest of the morning. During the day they sleep wherever they are when we put them down. Sometimes in the bouncy, sometimes on the sofa, sometimes in the swing. The swing is great, but we try to not just always put them in there. I tried to keep it to once a day, but now we do about twice a day in the swing. They LOVE to sleep in someone's arms or on someone's chest.

Weight/clothes - I gained 15 lbs during a year of IF treatments and then b/w 45-50 lbs overall during pregnancy. I lost almost 30 in the first two weeks and have been stuck at the exact same weight for the last 5. It's VERY frustrating. I've been basically eating whatever I want b/c I don't eat a lot (prob. not eating enough, actually) and b/c I know that I need the calories for BFing. I'm wearing my maternity shorts and capris and the nursing tops my mom bought for me. I think I'm just about mentally ready to start "dieting" and plan to follow the WW plan for nursing moms. I'm very ready to lose some more weight and start getting back in shape. I hope to be on WW by the end of the week, and will start exercising again, too. I have 40 lbs to lose to get to my pre-IF weight, but will be happy to start with 1 lb and go from there! ;)

Interacting with babies - we put them on their playmats at least 2x a day (or, we try to) and give them tummy time. We have rattles and other small toys we show to them and we also read books to them and show them the pictures as we read. I talk to them all the time, often just narrating what I'm doing ("now we're washing dishes, we put the soap on the sponge and wash the spoon", etc.). But I do also just plop them in a bouncy seat or a swing and let them just look around and entertain themselves.

Pumping - I try to pump as often as I can. I got an article from my LC that said it's best to wait 30 minutes after nursing and then pump for 20-30 minutes or until you can see no more milk is coming out.

Babywearing - the boys love their slings. I had a hotsling, but didn't like it (it seemed that they were too tight in there and I didn't like that it's not adjustable) so we got these basic slings at BRU that they took to very well. I probably wear them each at least once a day.

getting out - oh, I love to get out! I haven't been out alone with both of them yet, but was going out frequently with my mom when she was here and DH and I took them out both days this weekend. I took Simon alone to the grocery store last week (in his sling) and am going to venture out with both boys just to the library tomorrow. If that goes well we might try running a couple of errands, too!

micd, Simon almost always wanted to be held. He's getting a little more independent now, but still prefers someone's arms. Luckily he loves the sling, so I put him in that when I really need both hands for something, or when I'm just tired of actually holding him.

Stacie, Simon has been spitting up a lot through his nose, too. I asked the ped about it after you posted about it in the last thread and told us not to worry. It doesn't seem to hurt him, although when he has a more explosive spit-up it often shocks him - he gets this very surprised look on his face and then wails for a minute or two.

GA GAL, we don't really have a naptime routine during the day, but our nighttime routine is down pat. We give them each a bath, one at a time, around 9-10 pm, then I nurse them and then we give them their bottles, and then we rock them till they're sleepy enough to go down. Sometimes we rock them till they're asleep and sometimes just till they're drowsy. Miles is better at putting himself to sleep than Simon is; Simon usually needs to be picked up at least once and rocked for a few extra minutes before he's really ready to sleep. We offer them their pacifiers but don't force them on them and more often than not they go to sleep without them.


Okay, I started this at 11 this morning and it's 9:30 at night now, so since I'm caught up I'll stop there and come back with an update on us soon! xoxoxo to all!

[Jenean]

Dropping off a few photos.....

One Month pic:
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/OneMonthOld.jpg

Quality time with Daddy:
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/6-30014.jpg

And keeping Mommy on her toes:
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l86/jmk103176/6-30040.jpg

[GA_GAL]

steelcitymama: Waking every two hours like that does sound like a growth spurt. Hopefully she'll go back to letting you have your long stretches soon. Handley was doing really well going 5-6 hours at night, but the past few nights it has been every 3 like clockwork. She's also nursing a lot quicker.

jenean: Glad to see your pictures and hear your boys are doing well. I'm still in amazement of moms with twins...don't know how you do it!

naps: She'll usually sleep in her swing or pack-n-play during the day. Occasionally I'll try to get her down in the crib. Naps last between 30 min. and 1 1/2 hours. I have noticed she gets really fussy right before she'll go to sleep. At that point, I can tell I've waited too long to try and get her down. I didn't really want to get into the habit of letting her fall asleep and nap in her swing, but for now I've given that up and will take the time any way I can get it.

So thankfully yesterday afternoon went much better. I think most of our growth spurt has passed. She's feel right back into her 3 hour routine of eating/awake/sleeping. I'm realizing that she gets a little fussy spell as she is getting tired and then goes to sleep. She did it this afternoon and then again this evening in her swing. She finally pooped (after a few days of nothing) and it was a blow out! It was coming out the sides and top of her diaper. I know she must feel better now.

She's doing so many things now. When she's in her swing or on her bouncy seat she stares at the toys above her which she never did before. Also the past few days when I've done her tummy time she is able to lift her head and turn it from one side to the other. The first time I wasn't sure if she did it on purpose, but then I went behind her and talked to her and she did it again to face my direction. It takes her forever and you can tell she's working so hard. She's also starting to make these little noises and I think it is the beginning of a coo/ahh sound. It is so fun to see the changes each day.

Anyone else ordered birth announcements? I'm getting ready to order some that you put together yourself from Target.com. Now I just have to work on getting a really good photo for them.

[L&D Nurse]

Great to hear from you, Jenean! The boys are adorable and I'm glad to hear everything is going well.

GA_GAL~ yay for poop!

DH and I are going out for date night tonight :) A co-worker of DH's is coming over to watch Thomas so we can go out for a belated anniversary dinner!

[magrat]

cloth wipes We use water. I used a solution I got online at first, but I think it gave her a rash, and the smell started to become associated with dirty dipes in my mind and started smelling gross rather than nice. I use a little jug of water with a cap like on a sports water bottle. I would find a spray bottle too slow, I like to really wet them down.

birth announcements We've given up the idea of doing them. I can't recall any family members ever doing them anyway. Maybe they're more common in some parts of the country than others, dunno.

I am afraid we may already be approaching the 6 week growth spurt already. Last night was rough. She hasn't been crying much at all, but she's not sleeping either. And she ate every hour for a stretch last night, which she hasn't done for a while now. I spend so long in bed but even if I did get 8 hours of sleep, when it's interrupted so often it hardly counts. I don't know how people do this when they have an older child too.

The nap question I can't answer at all. She rarely gets put down for a nap unless I'm napping as well, I'm always holding her. She sleeps lots. No schedule that I can tell (she may have one, but I haven't kept track).

My MIL is in the Caribbean this week. She'll be back Saturday, and then leave for home on Thursday. It's been great having her here. On mornings like this I could just give Eve to her and go back to sleep. Still, yesterday was interesting and kind of exciting from the perspective that it's what my life is going to be like going forward - DH at work, me on my own trying to clean and take care of Eve at the same time. Of course, I did have help. My parents stopped by and I've started a really sweet arrangement with a friend from work. We live on the way to work for her, and not very far. She's single and loves babies (she took care of her aunt's triplets when she was younger!) and so she's going to stop by after work one or two times a week and take care of Eve while I clean or make dinner or whatever. She can just hang out and watch TV or take her for a walk or anything. Yesterday I cleaned the bathroom and put away laundry while she was here. It's great to have the help, and even greater to have a set time when I need to get things done. I am a serious procrastinator when it comes to cleaning, and this is just what I needed. I figure she'll often stay over for dinner and sometimes we can go for walks together (she's on WW so is always looking for exercise, and I really need to get some myself). It'll be great in another way too - I am an only child and DH's only sister lives in England, so it'll be kind of like an aunt for Eve. I have tons of aunts and uncles and it's hard for me to imagine what it will be like for her not having a big family. I just need to replace family with friends.

[Sarah6690]

Hi ladies! Well, I'm back! The only bad news is that means I'm also back at work. I started back on Monday and it hasn't been much fun. Sawyer seems to be doing well with it though. Still trying to get caught up at work, but I will be back later for an update.

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen had his 2 week well-baby visit this morning, and I'm happy to say that everything looks great!

Weight: 8lbs 12oz (he was born at 8lbs 9oz, and was 7lbs 12oz when we left the hospital)
Height: 21 1/2 inches (born at 20 1/2 inches)
Head circumference: 37cm

The pediatrician said he's in the 75th percentile for everything. I've got quite the growing boy!

[Jenean]

GA GAL, lol, sometimes I don't know how I do it either! Yikes to that big poop! Miles did that once on DH and it went all the way through his onesie and was all over DH's shirt. Ick! I've been "working on" birth announcements for weeks. I just have to get the photo done and printed and then put them together. I got DIY ones from Target, too.

L&D Nurse, thanks! I hope you had a great night out!

magrat, I'm glad you've enjoyed having your MIL there. Having people come by definitely is a plus. We have a friend like yours, who has to go by us in order to get home, and I plan to invite her to come over at least once a week on her way home so that I can also have an hour or two to actually *do* something around the house.

Sarah, so sorry to hear that you're already back at work. I hope the first few days haven't been too tough!

Heather, glad to hear that Owen's doing great!


So, you guys can prob. get some idea of how things are going from my previous post. Overall, it's pretty good. My parents went home a week ago and so far it hasn't been as scary as I first thought it would be. It helps that DH works from home, although I've been trying not to bother him as much as possible. We aren't into a "routine", but we do have a good pattern going of wake, eat, play, sleep, repeat. I try to nap once a day, usually when they're napping, but it's hard sometimes b/c they don't always nap together. I *should* be napping now since they both are, but when they went down 2 hours ago I figured they'd be up within an hour and have been playing catch-up on the computer, waiting for them to wake, ever since!

Simon is still the fussier of the two, although his fussies aren't as frequent as they were at first. Miles is still more laid-back, but when he gets going, beware! They're both growing so much and I'm guessing are now in the neighborhood of 7.5 - 8 lbs. They feel and look huge to me, and I know that they're just now the "average" size for a newborn! Simon has been holding his head up for weeks now and Miles is catching up and doing it for much longer periods of time. They both follow objects with their eyes and will look to see where a noise is coming from.

There's more to say, but we're now in the midst of a huge thunderstorm so I want to get off the computer for a bit. Have a great evening everyone!

[GA_GAL]

L&D Nurse: Hope you had fun on your date!

magrat: How nice of your friend to offer to come by and help you out a few times a week. That will be great for you and Eve!

Sarah6690: Glad you are back with us, but sorry that means you are back at work. Who's keeping Sawyer?

stevesbabygirl: Glad Owen had a good apt.

Jenean: Sounds like you are doing really well with your parents gone. Your boys also seem to be making a lot of progress. Isn't it fun to see how they change each day?!?! Have you printed your announcements yet? I went on the website that has the templates and it seems pretty easy to do.

We had another great day today. I'm getting a lot better and reading Handley's cues and figuring out what she needs when she gets fussy. I think trying to stick to our routine of eating, awake time, then sleep helps. Before when she was crying I always thought it was because she was gassy or because she was hungry. However, now I realize she gets that way and starts a whiny cry when she is tried.

I pumped for the first time today and got 3 oz. I guess that is pretty good because using the equation on kellymom.com that is about how much she should be eating at a feeding. I gave her the pumped milk in a bottle this afternoon and she took it just fine. I plan to pump once a day to get a little supply going and also plan to give her a bottle every other day or so just to keep her used to the bottle.

[daphne]

GaGal It's sooo frustrating when they fall asleep, you put them down, then they jolt awake. grrr. I've been going through that w/Amelia, so I just start over. I think it's definitely too early to CIO. I did it w/DS & it worked really well, but he was about 6 months old.

Magrat To answer your rhetorical (?) question, you definitely just can't stay in bed til you get your sleep needs met once you have 2 kiddos. the good news is that you get used to the lack of sleep.

Jenean You are such a super-thorough poster!! It sounds like you're doing really well - i'm so impressed w/twinmammas! Miles & Simon are adorable!!!

quick update:
I don't think I posted Amelia's 1-month stats:

She went from 10lbs, 1oz at her 2-wk visit to
12lbs, 4 1/2 oz :eek: at her 1 month visit!
She's 22 1/2 inches tall. Didn't ask about head circ.

Overall, she's still a pretty easy baby to manage, though she doesn't like to be in her carseat, stroller, or pouch/sling, which can be tiresome. I'm actually going to cut this short (again) to get some sleep before she's up again....

[L&D Nurse]

So much I want to write about... Sorry if this is long.

First of all, Thomas slept for a 5-hour stretch last night! Yipee! But after that, he was up every 1.5-2 hours to eat, but hooray for small victories :p.

Second, DH left this morning for a 2-day business trip. It will be so strange to be alone with T for 48 hours straight. Nighttime will be interesting for several reasons. I actually might get a little more sleep because when DH is here I always feel like we should spend some "couple time" together after we put down Thomas, which is nice but also cuts into that first long stretch of sleep. Also, I am so careful to get Thomas up as soon as he stirs in the night so he doesn't cry and wake up DH (this doesn't always work, however ;)). So I can try some other things with Thomas like the paci, changing his position, holding him, rather than just feeding him every 1.5 hours when he wakes up.

Third, I am contemplating taking a week-long trip with Thomas to Oregon for my mom's 60th birthday the first week of August. I was totally excited about it yesterday, reserved the airplane ticket, and was feeling very positive about it... until I talked to DH about it. DH said, "I have an idea, why don't you try to sit on the couch with Thomas for 4 hours straight and see how it goes first." Ugh. Part of the reason I chose that time to go was that DH has another 2-day business trip, but that also means he can't go with us, so I would be on my own for 2 two-legged flights, one 30 minutes and one 4 hours. Flights are over $600, so I decided it would be better to buy just one ticket and carry Thomas in the Baby Bjorn. Am I crazy to consider traveling solo with a 2 month old? Am I crazy not to buy a second seat?

Sorry for the rambling, thanks for reading :)

[Sarah6690]

Jenean These first few days have been extremely tiring. The good news is that I'm too busy trying to catch up that I haven't had much of a chance to get upset about missing Sawyer. The first day was the worst, I cried all the way here. It sounds like the twins are doing so well. I've been trying to read some of the old thread and those pics where one is sucking on the other ones head cracked me up! It was too cute.

GaGal DH's grandma is watching both of the boys. So far, so good. She is going to watch him for a few months and then we'll see how it goes. I might have to put him in daycare after that. It sounds like Handley is doing great. It was so nice to be home with Sawyer, we were just getting into a routine and I could read his cues... now it's a lot more difficult.

daphne I hope you were able to get some sleep. Sounds like Amelia is growing fast!

L&D Nurse No, it's not crazy. Just bring a pack of earplugs for all of the people sitting around you. :p

I can't wait for this week to be over. Being back at work is really hard. I'm glad that I'm busy so I don't have as much time to miss Sawyer, but I am completely exhausted. It's so hard to try to function normally on almost no sleep.

[magrat]

L&D Nurse I don't think it sounds crazy at all, I sit with Eve on my lap most of the day. I almost always have her laying on my lap on a regular bed pillow and we're both very comfortable. The white noise of the plane will probably help keep him knocked out, and just feed him every time he starts to stir. We're going to England for Christmas, now *that's* crazy :)

For weeks now I've been thinking smiles are on their way, but I think I've given up :) It's clear she will never smile. Bummer.

Last night was better. And this morning DH got up with her at 8:15 and I went back to sleep until 11! Fantastic. It's so great that he can work from home Tuesdays and Thursdays. As long as she's relatively peaceful, it doesn't disturb his work to watch her while I sleep.

[DnJ2002]

Sorry I've been MIA...its hard to find time to write (or even read for that matter) with two. But, other than that, things are going really well here. Jacob eats good and sleeps good - getting him to sleep can be difficult but we're getting to know his cues better so hopefully it will improve. No time for SO's (or more updates from me) as my DD is on my lap drawing on my hands (instead of the paper in front of her)...:rolleyes:

Just wanted to say to L&D Nurse-you're not crazy for flying with a 2-month old. We took my DD to AZ when she was 3 months (about 3 hour flight) and she was great. I had her on my lap and nursed her on and off throughout the trip. It was pretty easy. I flew solo with her two more times (7 mos and 14 mos) and we did fine all of those trips. And actually I was just thinking recently how much easier she was at that age ...not looking forward to our next flight now that she's a toddler and definitely wouldn't sit for too long, even with her own seat. My advice, take advantage of it now - it won't get much easier!:D

Okay, off to wash the ink of my hands

[L&D Nurse]

Sarah6690~ sorry you are having a rough week. I can't imagine being back to work with the major sleep deprivation I am dealing with. Great idea about the earplugs ;)

GA_GAL~ I'm glad you had a great day with Handley!

daphne~ great BIG baby you have there!!

magrat~ the smiles will come, I promise :D:D

DnJ2002~ thank you for sharing your experience with traveling with a baby. I think I have decided to go for it because, as you said, it won't get any easier!

[Jenean]

GA GAL, it's amazing to watch them change. Even though we're around them constantly, I can still notice all the little things. I love it! I haven't printed the announcements yet, but have started to work on it. So far, so good. That is a fantastic amount to get from pumping! Was that after nursing?

daphne, thanks! I'm glad that Amelia is relatively easy (did I mention to you how much I love her name?) and I hope that she learns to like sitting in one of those soon!

L&D Nurse, woohoo, that's fabulous! We've experienced a few long stretches like that and they are just terrific! I hope that your first hours all on your own are going well. My DH is going away next week, but thankfully my mom will arrive the day after he leaves so I won't be alone too long - I'm a little nervous! I don't think you're nuts for traveling. We're flying with the boys in August and plan to each hold one in a Baby Bjorn on the plane.

Sarah, thanks, we love that pic. I'm glad that you're staying busy, I'm sure that helps so much. I hope you can catch up on some sleep this weekend!

magrat, yay for extra sleep!

DnJ, glad to hear all is going well!


DH had his first afternoon with both boys today (he had his mom come over for "backup", lol) and I got to go to the mall by myself! I bought another pair of shorts and 4 nursing tops and managed to NOT buy anything for the boys. I must take a pic of their closet so you guys can see the ridiculous amount of clothes they already have. DH and I are actually watching a DVD now while the boys snooze in ou arms. Life really doesn't get much better than this. :D

[Sarah6690]

Jenean yay for getting out by yourself. That must have been nice to have some "me" time. After being at work all day, I feel like I can't have any time to myself since I was away for so long.

L&D Nurse I'm still not sure how I managed not to fall asleep at my desk this week. I'm so very tired. How are the nights going?

Dnj Glad to hear that Jacob is doing good. I'm having a hard time dealing with 2 also, I can't imagine if one was a toddler.

magrat I'm glad you're able to get some extra sleep when DH is home. I'm waiting for the day that I go pick Sawyer up and get a smile when he sees me. One of these days...

Just had to share, I'm so impressed. I just pumped 8oz at lunch!:D I thought that it would go the other way, but every day I've been getting more than the day before. I'm not getting very much in the mornings but that is right after I nurse him. I'm wondering if I should add another pumping session in. He goes through all that I pump the next day, but I have a pretty good freezer stash. Oh well, maybe I will once we have to start dipping into that. I'm so glad that it is Friday. I feel like a zombie. Anyone have any tips for me. I just can't seem to nurse him while laying down. I have to be sitting up to do it. I would really like to figure out how to do this, so I don't have to get out of bed in the middle of the night.

[Sarah6690]

Here are a couple of pictures

I finally caught a smile this morning
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Picture084.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Picture075.jpg

This was his first bath
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/Sarah6690/Picture041.jpg

[L&D Nurse]

Sarah~ wow, 8 oz!!! That's great!!! Very cute pics, I love your new avatar! Sorry you are so tired, I can't nurse lying down either so I can't help you there. I did side-lying once and I woke up with my arm over Thomas's head and face... it scared me so much I didn't try it again. Can you sit up in bed and feed him?

Me... So, I decided to take the plane trip with Thomas. Thanks for your encouragement, ladies! We also had another 9p-2a stretch of sleep last night - woo-hoo!!! Funny thing, I talked to DH this morning and asked how his first full night of uninterrupted sleep without us was, and he said he was up at 2:30a and couldn't go back to sleep for an hour. Go figure ;)

[StacieLady]

Sarah - I love love love the bathtub picture! Too cute!

[LoveBeingAMommy]

We got our birth announcements today, so I wanted to share on here:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/Casselsshopper/McKinleyTaylorBirthAnnouncementWeb.jpg

[magrat]

nursing on my side I do this once in a while. But I have big breasts so maybe that makes it easier (I just ordered an new nursing bra in size 34H :eek: ). I prop myself up on my elbow with the hand on that side under her head. I direct her latch and then very carefully slide my hand out and lie down with my arm under my pillow. I still need the light on to do that, and I don't sleep well on my side, so I'm usually awake, I just do it until she's limp again and I can put her back in the arm's reach.

[magrat]

Some new pics:

DH *insisted* we wear our matching tops on the 4th of July. I resisted because it looks like I'm well on my way to mommy lameness, but oh well, here we are, two dorks :)
http://lh4.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RphbkdaeGhI/AAAAAAAAAkU/YFJcLxqGVlo/Stripey%20Eve%20and%20Mom%20%281%29.jpg?imgmax=512

You can see she takes after her dad, not me:
http://lh3.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RphbyNaeGiI/AAAAAAAAAkc/HSRCTpOQ0qY/Eve%20and%20her%20Dad.jpg?imgmax=720

http://lh6.google.com/BenjaminKitt/Rphf79aeGxI/AAAAAAAAAmU/Wmgg6DCE8D4/Eve%20in%20her%20activity%20center%20%282%29.jpg?i mgmax=720

The latest bunny pic:
http://lh4.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RphgXdaeGzI/AAAAAAAAAmk/2T2_Nkk86Ss/Eve%20with%20her%20bunny%20%281%29.jpg?imgmax=512

[micd]

I am loving all of the pictures!

Magrat - the pic of Eve on her belly on the pillow is ADORABLE!!! I love nursing on my side. This is how I feed her at night.

I cannot believe that Sara will be one month tomorrow! Everyone says it goes fast and boy are they right!

Unfortunately, we have had some problems with weight gain. My poor baby girl only gained one ounce last week. :( I felt like such a terrible mom. I have had some problems with a low milk supply (yes, I have a nipple shield and I pump). So the LC has had me start taking fenugreek, which has helped tremendously, and I am feeding her everything that I pump. She also had me do a "breastfeeding vacation" where all I did for three days was pump and nurse all day. I have also given her a bottle of formula here and there to pump her up. I really think I would have given up on breastfeeding a long time ago if it wasn't for the LC support I have been getting. So my baby seems much happier and is sleeping more during the day now. Its so horrible for me to think that she was just always hungry (she was nursing constantly too).

I don't really have time for SO's, except to say that Jenean you blow me away! How on earth do you have time to post on here when you have TWO!? Also, I am so impressed that you are nursing those boys! :)

[em1126]

Sorry for no SO's - typing one-handed! Things have been going really well for us here. We have had 2 nights in a row where Aubrey has slept 6-7 hrs. I cannot tell you how awesome that has been. I keep telling myself it can't last, but I can hope.

I know a while back there was some discussion about pumping. I am exclusively pumping for Aubrey since she is unable to BF d/t her cleft palate, so I thought I'd share some of my experiences. It is hard work! I have had supply issues and am currently taking fenugreek, which has helped some. For me, I think the most important thing has been frequency of pumping sessions. I really have to try to do at least 8 pumping sessions a day. So far, we're hanging in there although I do occasionally have to supplement with formula. Aubrey is up to almost 9 lbs., though, so she's gaining well.

Last thing - did anyone get a linea nigra (dark line down the middle of your belly) during PG? I did and it still hasn't gone away. Has anyone else's gone away? I hope it will eventually.

Attempting to post photos:
http://http://picasaweb.google.com/MikeandEmKubiak/AubreyJuly07/photo#5085920739014861714

http://http://picasaweb.google.com/MikeandEmKubiak/AubreyJuly07/photo#5085921555058648226

ETA: I don't think my photos are showing up. What hosting websites can I use?

[steelcitymama]

hi everyone! it's been awhile since i've been able to post...we've been really busy with lots of outings & activities, which has been really fun! to summarize, everything is going really well here. mairin is still sleeping really well...her first stretch of nighttime sleep is 5 hrs each night (she's like a little clock, i swear) and then she goes back for another 3.5 until around 6/630ish and then usually goes back for another 2/2.5 hrs. she naps on and off throughout the day is generally very alert for at least a few hrs in the late afternoon/evening. i still haven't nursed her in public, but will be attempting it tomorrow at a birthday party @ a restaurant for my grandfather. should be interesting! i'm so reliant on my "My Brest Friend" pillow since she's so small. I can do it without when we're at home (by using different pillows), but when we're out & about, I'll definitely need it, which is a total pain.

The only bad/odd thing is that my breasts have become really itchy. ???? Not my nipples/areola, but my actual breasts. When I go bra-less at night, they're fine, but during the day when I put a bra on, they get really itchy. I stopped using the Lansinoh pads I was using b/c someone in the BF thread suggested that may be causing it. At first I thought I was allergic to a new bra, but that doesn't seem to be it either (as a bra I've had for awhile is making me itchy too). It doesn't seem to be the Lansinoh cream either. Any thoughts? Anyone else experiencing this??

micd~i can't believe mairin will be a month old on tuesday either! it blows my mind. it honestly just doesn't seem like it's been a month. that's great that you're able to nurse on your side. i really want to learn how to do that, maybe we'll give it a shot this weekend. i'm so sorry to hear about sara's weight gain problems. :( it sounds like you're getting amazing support though and that things are on the right track. i agree that LC support is so critical! i've found that breastfeeding is definitely a very emotional & stressful aspect of babycare, even when it's going well. talking to you guys, my friends, and the LC has been really helpful for me. even though it's been going really well for us, i find that i'm always questioning myself, her, the state of my boobs, etc! i keep thinking "when will my boobs stop being the only thing i think about?!" :)

magrat~adorable pictures! i need to figure out how to post pics on here, we have some great ones of the little lady. BTW---i think we're finally ready to start using our snugglebottoms & prefolds (i got the unbleached). re: the prefolds---do you just fold them into thirds and lay them in a cover or do you actually fold them up to make a diaper-looking shape? i know there are a ton of ways to do it; we'll have to experiment.

lovebeingamommy~great birth announcement!

oh, someone's squawking for food!

[StacieLady]

did anyone get a linea nigra (dark line down the middle of your belly) during PG? I did and it still hasn't gone away. Has anyone else's gone away? I hope it will eventually.

I didn't have a visible one while I was pregnant, but I have one now! I was not happy about it. :) I have read it can take up to a year to completely disappear.

PS - Try photobucket for posting pictures. I know a lot of people who like it.

[StacieLady]

i think we're finally ready to start using our snugglebottoms & prefolds (i got the unbleached). re: the prefolds---do you just fold them into thirds and lay them in a cover or do you actually fold them up to make a diaper-looking shape? i know there are a ton of ways to do it; we'll have to experiment.

You should totally try just laying the prefolds in the cover. That is what we did (and still do) the majority of the time. (We have pocket diapers we use a lot now for night and going out) I have only now started using my snappi. I wouldn't try doing something more complicated unless you find the easier way doesn't work for you.

[Smittenk]

Last thing - did anyone get a linea nigra (dark line down the middle of your belly) during PG? I did and it still hasn't gone away. Has anyone else's gone away? I hope it will eventually.



I didn't have one but I got one after he was born...sweet :(

[Smittenk]

Sorry for no SO's - typing one-handed! Things have been going really well for us here. We have had 2 nights in a row where Aubrey has slept 6-7 hrs. I cannot tell you how awesome that has been. I keep telling myself it can't last, but I can hope.




em1126, do you have Aubrey on a napping schedule during the day or are you doing one of the sleep "programs" out there?

I am trying to figure out which of these sleep training books out there is the best for us. Everyone has differing opinions...some say Healthy sleep habits happy baby and some say babywise etc.

[micd]

steelcitymama - my boobs itch too! But only when I am nursing and only on the boob that she is sucking on...weird

Smittenk - I am trying to figure out the sleep stuff too. I have read two books and have tried different things in each book, but to no avail. I'm sure I just need to pick something and stick with it for a while, but I don't know what to pick. My baby is just not a great sleeper. I think she still has the day/night confusion...She was up every hour last night.:rolleyes: I'm so jealous of all the people who are saying that there babies are sleeping for 5-6 hour stretches at night. :)

This mommy thing sure is hard! :p My milk supply has increased a lot thanks to the fenugreek and more pumping, but she will still nurse for an hour and be hungry afterward. I am giving her everything I'm pumping as well. We've even given formula two or three times to fill her up. I just don't know what is up. DH thinks that the nipple shield is keeping her from nursing more efficiently. Are those of you who are using a NS having any of these issues?? I am trying very slowly to get her off of it, but I think it's going to take a while.

Also, she is not sleeping well at night...often up every hour. I was going to do sleep training, but then decided to wing it on my own, and now I'm thinking I need more of a regimen. The big problem is that she usually cries when I put her down to sleep. I've tried putting her down when she is sleepy but not sleeping and that doesn't work. I've also tried putting her down when she is in a deep sleep, and that doesn't always work either. She's just such a sweet little pumpkin and wants to sleep in my arms all the time (which is fine during the day, but not at night)

[StacieLady]

Question about tummy time - Jacob is really strong. He can hold his head up easily when he is on my chest. And he is really starting to gain control of it when being held upright. However, we have a problem with tummy time because his legs are too strong. As soon as we lay him on his belly, either flat or on the boppy, he starts pushing with his legs, which instantly forces his face firmly into the ground. It is making it very hard for me to help him learn to hold up his head! Any suggestions?

[magrat]

prefolds I used a snappi, I felt it would hold in poo much better. I don't know how people avoid getting the cover dirty if they just lay it in? Snappis really aren't that hard to use. The only problem I'm having with prefolds at the moment is that the newborns are too small, the infants have too high a rise so I need to fold them over, so I haven't been bothering with them.

sleep ::sigh:: I am very jealous of the babies sleeping more than 3 hours at a time. 3 hours is rare and fabulous here. I haven't done anything remotely sleep trainy, or even try to get her on a schedule. But tonight I'm going to try. I'm going to give her a bath at 7, change, feed and swaddle her, then try to put her down. I won't be trying to sleep myself that early, so I'll just sit there and if she starts to cry I'll pick her up and comfort her and put her down again until she gets it. We'll see how it goes. I think she definitely needs an earlier bed time than she's been having, and so do I!!

tummy time I haven't been good about setting aside specific tummy time, but I hold her lots in different positions including upright, so she has to use head control then. She's definitely not left in the swing or car seat for long periods of time, so I'm not too worried. I mainly am concerned that her head stay round, I'm not worried she'll have a floppy neck when she's 18 ;)

She is just getting *so* big. Her legs and arms dangle so long now, it's an amazing transformation. My dad weighed her yesterday and said she was 10.5 lbs! That's up from 6.8 lb birthweight less than 6 weeks ago.

[GA_GAL]

L&D Nurse : Yea for long stretches of sleep! That's great. I think flying with Thomas will be fine...as long as you are confident about it.

Sarah6690: Sorry being back at work has been hard. I can't imagine having to get up and function at a job all day. Hope you got some good rest this weekend.

Jenean: Yes, the 3 oz. was about an hour after nursing. I also pumped once in the afternoon at got the same amount. I'm hoping DH can give her a bottle tonight, just because he hasn't gotten to feed her yet since I've been breastfeeding. Should be fun for him.

LoveBeingAMommy: I love your birth announcement.

magrat: Great pics! I feel the same way about Handley and the fact that she's getting really big. Her legs are so cubby and cute!

micd: I'm glad your LC has really been able to help you out. Sounds like things are starting to turn around for you!

steelcitymama: I enjoyed reading your update. I hope the nursing in public when well. Do you have any kind of cover, or were you just using a blanket?

StacieLady: Maybe you could try propping his chest up on a small boppy or rolled up towel/blanket.

sleep training: I read a lot of sleep books while I was pregnant and I'm loosely following Baby Wise and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. I'm trying to have her follow a routine of eating, waketime, then naps. It was hard at first because she was so sleepy all the time, but now that she's more alert she's fallen into a very predictable 3 hour routine (although today has been quite different so go figure). The one thing I'm not doing too well is putting her down awake. I usually rock her to sleep. Often times she'll wake up when I put her down tough, so I'm working on getting better and putting her down before she's asleep so she can learn to sooth herself to sleep. We've also started a bedtime routine of a bath, massage, pj's, books, nursing and sleep. She usually goes 5 hours the first stretch of the night and then anywhere from 2-4 hours the rest of the night.

linea nigra : Mine is still there...hope it starts to fade soon though. Although I doubt I'll be sporting a bikini anytime soon, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

Baby Acne: : Has anyone else's baby gotten baby acne? I read it was very common in newborns and is caused by the hormones left over in their bodies from pregnancy. Handley's face is all broken out and I hope it goes away soon.

I can't believe she's one month old today! Seems like it was just last week that we were bringing her home from the hospital. She's getting really big and filling out now too. A lot of the clothes that were way too big are starting to fit which makes me excited because I love dressing her up.

[steelcitymama]

hi, ladies!

loved all the updates....

micd~funny about your itchy boob too! mine are getting better so i think it may have been a reaction to the nursing pads i was using? oh, re: nipple shields---i may be totally wrong, but didn't cosmogirl say something about NS causing milk supply issues? i feel like she may have said she had a problem with a dwindling supply after using NS with her first child. i could be totally wrong though!

stacielady~thanks for the prefold info. we gave it a whirl and so far so good, but she was just wet. i'm sure the next one will be poopy, so we'll see how that goes.

GA GAL~i read the same thing about newborn acne and little mairin has some now too. :( i'm sure it'll clear up soon. she also has a lot of dry skin, which the ped said is very common as well. way to go on the pumping quantities! i really hate pumping and so far i'm only doing it a touch during the night since i'm too full to latch her on properly.

as for sleeping, we're not doing anything special, but she seems to have gotten herself on a good routine that is working for us now. throughout the day we never let her nap longer than 2 hrs (she normally wakes up herself before then anyway). sometimes she has a few hrs of alert tie during the day, but other times it's just 20 min or so. the one thing that's consistent is that she's awake for several hrs in the evening. normally from 6 until 830/9. i feed her and then DH swaddles her and puts her down in her crib for the night. she wakes up 5 hrs after we put her down (between 2AM and 3 AM) and then i feed her again and she goes back to sleep for another 3-4 hrs. i generally feed her again around 6A/7A and then she goes back to sleep for another 2 hrs or so. then we get up for the day. so it's working well for us now. i imagine we'll want to start putting her to bed earlier eventually, but this seems to be good for the time being.

my linea nigra is still present too. oh well.

alright, i think we're going to head out for a short stroll.

[Sarah6690]

steelcitymama glad the itchy boob thing is starting to go away. I was going to ask if maybe you were leaking and the wetness was irritating? That was my only thought. sounds like you guys are on a pretty good sleep schedule.

GAGal Sawyer had a little bit of baby acne at first, but it's pretty much gone now. He had a lot of dry skin more than anything though.

magrat I had to laught at your floppy neck comment. We don't do a lot of tummy time either. For one thing, it gets pretty mad most of the time and I don't like putting him on the floor with the dogs. Even if I'm sitting right next to them, they make me nervous that someone will come to the door and they will take off running.

Stacielady re: tummy time. Sawyer tends to do this too when I put him down. I don't really do anything though. A couple of times he's managed to roll himself over because he pushes so hard with his legs.

micd re: nipple shield, I talked to my LC in the beginning about using one, and she had said that it can lower your supply. I decided to not use one, but it sure made things a lot harder.

Sorry if I missed anyone... I need to get some work done :( I was so excited yesterday. Sawyer started smiling every time I talked to him. He was even trying to laugh. That was the sweetest sound in the world. Didn't get a whole lot of sleep this weekend. We had a family thing for DH's work at the racetrack on Saturday. And a birthday party on Sunday. It was a fun weekend, but we didn't get much done that needed to be done. Oh well, there's always next weekend. Hope everyone has a good Monday.

[stevesbabygirl]

Hello ladies, sorry for the absence!

I'm impressed with those of you who have your babies on a sleep schedule already! We don't put our little man down to sleep until we go to bed ourselves, usually around 10:30 or so, and then he'll sleep until about 2:30-3, and then again until anywhere between 4-6. Last night was a little rough, but I think he's going through his 3-week growth spurt right now. He wants to eat all the time. He is a cluster feeder anyway, but it seems to be even more so yesterday and today.

I picked up Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, but haven't dived into it yet. I figure I'd let him dictate his own schedule for a little while longer. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to get into the sleep training.

[L&D Nurse]

stevesbabygirl ~ I'm looking forward to see what you think of Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.

GA_GAL ~ Thomas had baby acne for about a week. I was worried it was excema or a reaction to something I was eating and almost called the ped, but it has cleared up on its own. I washed it with water and a washcloth twice a day and applied non-fragrance Aveeno Baby lotion 2 or 3 times.

StacieLady ~ I don't know what to tell you about tummy time, Thomas loves it and often screams when we put him on his back :o.

Smittenk ~ we aren't following any sleep training programs, just following Thomas's cues. I am interested in hearing if you find something that works for you!

em1126 ~ I got a fairly light linea negra during pregnancy, and it is still there now, but it is fading.

Our 48 hours alone went really well! Actually, a lot of self-imposed pressure was "off" while DH was gone. I didn't feel the need to keep the house perfectly clean or have dinner ready by 6 pm. I also went to sleep with Thomas at 9 pm instead of feeling like I should stay up to have "couple time" with DH. Mornings went well, too, because we stayed in bed til 9:30-10 am, instead of getting up at 7:30-8 to spend time with him before work. I guess it was easier to read Thomas's cues and make our own schedule. However, I missed having a break to shower or lay down for 20 minutes or whatever without being 100% responsible for Thomas. I was also constantly taking pictures and sending them to DH so he wouldn't miss anything (smiles, cute outfits, etc.). Interesting range of feelings and emotions...

[GA_GAL]

Sarah6690: How exciting that Sawyer was smiling so much. I can't wait for Handley to smile!

L&D Nurse: I can totally relate to how you are felt with your DH gone. My DH travels A TON for work. He was gone all last week (Mon.-Fri.) and is gone again this week (Mon.-Thurs.). I feel like I'm rushing around like a mad woman while Handley is asleep so I can get a few things done (like shower, laundry, etc.), but her routine seems better and easier for me to follow when it's just us. I do miss DH a lot when he's gone, but I know he misses us even more...

We're heading to Atlanta on Thursday and will be gone for 12 days! I'm really excited because all of our friends there will get to meet Handley for the first time. I'm hoping the 6 week growth spurt isn't as bad as the 3 week one though because it will make for a rough day or two while we're there. I've already started a list of all the baby "stuff" we're going to have to bring. I know our car will be loaded down!

[GA_GAL]

Hair question...Handley's hair has fallen out on the top of her head, but the sides and back are still there. DH jokes that she has a mullet. Anyone know how long it will take for it to grow back?

I kept meaning to post a picture...sorry they are so big. I don't know how to make them smaller.

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1471.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o265/carriebethposener/IMG_1375.jpg

[StacieLady]

lovebeingamommy I love your birth announcement!

Tummy time - Thanks for all the suggestions. Some of my other friends also suggested giving him something exciting to look at that might make him less likely to start stomping around. I am going to have to give it all a try! :)

L&D Nurse - I remember you saying that your DS liked sleeping on his tummy. My niece was that way too. I guess to each their own!

We had his two month doctor visit yesterday morning. Boy has he grown! He weighs 13lbs 5oz (75%)!!!! He gained 4 pounds in a month. He measured 22.25 inches (25%) which would put him up one inch, but I know he is longer than that, we just couldn't get him to stretch out. I felt like we had him on the rack as it was! His head was 16in (50%) which was and inch and a half larger! He is definitely growing! The nurses were impressed.

It is so sad to see a little baby get shots. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. The nurse was really fast, and he fell asleep almost instantly afterwards. In fact, he has been asleep most of the day. I hope that doesn't ruin his night time sleep!

Jacob has also started smiling a little. It has been a lot of fun. He is not too generous with them yet, but I definitely think they are purposeful. He also has a little laugh sometimes resembles a giggle only lower and more of a huh, huh, huh. It cracks me up! :D

[Cosmogirl]

may be totally wrong, but didn't cosmogirl say something about NS causing milk supply issues? i feel like she may have said she had a problem with a dwindling supply after using NS with her first child. i could be totally wrong though!


COming by REAl fast as I have family and all, but I just wanted to say that you are right, NS can lower and even make you loose your milk suplly, so it has to be used cautiously. You HAve to pump when using a shield to keep your milk up.


Hope you are all doing good mamas, Be back when things calm down here!

[risa00]

I've been MIA from this thread. :( I skimmed the whole thing looking at everyone's pictures and they are super cute! I can't believe how fast our babies are growing.

I was coming in here because I know we have several mommies in here in the Seattle area. If any of you are interested in getting together to go to the movies, mall, park, etc, PM me. Also, I just discovered that Seattle Premium Outlet now carries Gymboree so I'm going to have to make a trip up there!

A few pictures of Ava as well.

http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1pV1gNpCz24vvogmu3oFkHpMQLSW5jyu6w4eti0GrTjqkPU5V to10cSTdkgYsjdnjWMUDDuuMixiI http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1pV1gNpCz24vtS0RlP6fXJowKSyjFSe95TxRIhlYwEFSzbLCa gq1zBrt9-DBjDdAZM-247PJCoZAo

And for those that don't know about Baby Legs, I just love them!

http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1pV1gNpCz24vsJ4lcfUuzZpqeB9-kwsf8GdL05ZGg6TKAQ6pa9iPC5m6Qc_Jh48GMl_s312zc2930 http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1pV1gNpCz24vuXV80O61CiiNv7wokO5g3b4OyB6yE1LhCkx2X 7YYsDyRXj749j7LpLjHtkEaa_vcs

[magrat]

I had my 6 week postpartum check up today. She gave me a prescription for suppositories :o because we think I have a fissure that makes BMs very painful ( risa I think you had this issue too, how are you doing now?). I also asked what the odds were that I would go faster than 5 1/2 hours next time, and she got a big grin on her face and said "excellent" :) Should be interesting.

We are getting a little smile now and then, had a few this morning. They aren't quite right yet, but they're different than any other expression we've seen from her, so we're pretty sure that's what they are. She's still not sleeping very long at a time, but she's fairly easy to put back down again after I feed her, so I felt much better this morning. I'm hoping I'll start getting more sleep soon, I would be so much more productive during the day.

I love seeing all the baby pictures! Ava and Handley are so pretty! I used to think all babies look the same, but I can really tell the differences now. Eve has so much hair, and it hasn't fallen out like I thought it would.

risa You should look for moms groups on meetup.com. I have joined a few and went out for tea with some a few days ago!

I went shopping and bought some new clothes for myself a couple days ago. I ended up getting some casual skirts since I couldn't find any shorts I liked or that fit. There are some great sales on at the moment - got a pair of dark brown linen pants at Banana Republic for $23, down from $88! All the summer stuff in on sale, which is great, because that's what I need now.

[micd]

magrat - I'm having the same BM issues as well...not so fun.:rolleyes:

Risa - Yep, I am a Seattle mom...well not really...I'm about an hour south. Love the baby legs! Where did you get those?

Great news...Sara gained SOO much weight last week. She was 7 lbs .2 ounces the week before and then this week she was 7 lbs 14 ounces!!! She gained almost 14 ounces in one week! :D I couldn't believe it, but am so happy because we were worried about her weight gain. Now she is finally starting to get teeny little rolls on her thighs that I love! The fenugreek has really helped with my milk supply.

Also, I don't know what is up, but all of a sudden she is sleeping well for the past three nights. Last night she did a 4 hour stretch and the other two nights before she did a 5 hour stretch!:eek: Mommy is lovin it! I'm hoping it lasts.:)

[stevesbabygirl]

Just dropping off some pictures of Owen!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1406/847773372_4d313fc37f.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1014/847773298_83dfd42608.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/847773268_0b8667d72f.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1261/847773240_71bb78a8f4.jpg?v=0

[elissa]

Risa I've been meaning to email you about getting together! Are you on LJ? There are some moms on there, PM me or email me!

[risa00]

magrat - Didn't even think of that. Thank you! For some reason the new moms class that I'm in, never does anything together. We all just sit in class and that's it. I'll see if there is anything over on meetup.

micd - I got them from babylegs.net. They were having buy one get one free with a coupon. I'm not sure if it's still valid anymore but you might want to search online and see if you can find a valid coupon. I used BOGO as the code.

elissa - I just sent you a PM. :)

[Smittenk]

Risa, LOVE Babylegs too! Connor has a few pairs and needs more :p

Magrat, I also have a fissure and small hemi (they are almost gone now though) and here is what I have done this week...
I started taking flax seed oil capsules (one a day) and upped my fibre (I found granola bars with 3 grams of fibre in each bar and I eat about 3 a day) and I drink about 2-3 litres of water a day. I had results within 24 hours of taking the flaxseed oil and things are absolutely 100% better and I have no pain now--yey!! :D ooh Also I put vaseline on the area a few times which helped the healing and the itching.

Connor has the beginnings of a cold :( 3 weeks old and already sick...I thought my BM was suppose to help protect him from that. Anyone else's little one had a cold yet? What did you give them? I am going to call the nurses line today to see what they suggest.

[Sarah6690]

smitten Sawyer had a cold at about 3 weeks too. DH and I were both pretty sick. He ended up with just a stuffy nose and a little cough. His ped told us to get some saline nose drops and give them to him a couple of times a day. We let it sit for a minute and then sucked it out. It really helped clean everything out. I hope Connor feels better soon.

stevesbabygirl Owen is adorable! Great pictures!

micd That's great that the fenugreek helped. I'm thinking I may have to go get some too. Yay for more sleep.

Risa Ava is a little doll!

I am so incredibly tired. Sawyer was up about every 2 hours last night. And not just for a quick snack either. It was a long drawn out affair everytime. At least it's Friday. I don't think I could have made it to work today had it been any other day. :o I have my 6 week (oops, it's been over 8 weeks) postpartum checkup today. That should be lots of fun!

[steelcitymama]

hi, ladies!

i love all the pictures of the babies---they're all so adorable!

risa~loved the babylegs so much that i ordered 2 pair for mairin + 1 for a friend who's having a little boy this fall. :)

micd~that's so wonderful that sara is growing so much and that the fenugreek helped.you guys must be thrilled! and also really great about her sleeping patterns at night.

magrat~i'm sorry that eve isn't doing a whole lot of sleeping at night. i'm sure she'll get the hang of it soon. i need to go shopping for some new clothes too. just a few things would be helpful even. i weighed myself again and thankfully don't have that much more to lose. though even once i lose it all, i'm sure my body will still be different, so who knows how old things will fit??

sarah~i'm sorry to hear that sawyer was up so much last night and that you have to be at work today! YUCK. but like you said...TGIF, right??

smitten~i've been meaning to ask you---i know you got a babyhawk too--how are you liking yours? i am completely in love with mine and DH really likes it too! it's so comfy and easy to use by myself. i had a lot of problems with the hotsling--getting her in & out was nearly impossibly myself and i didn't think it was all that comfy. once she bigger and i can use it in different positions i'll try it again, but i just love the BH! and it's like magic--if she's fussy, i just pop her in there and she settles right down.

everything is going well here...these past 2 weeks have been really great---i've been feeling totally 'normal' (as in not sleep deprived or hormonal or like i was having an out of body experience). we've been going out and about a lot and doing things, which has been a lot of fun. tonight we're going to a Pirates game, which i'm looking forward to. i'm sure mairin will sleep the whole time in her babyhawk.

we had her 1 mo WBV yesterday and she's doing great! she's up to 9 lbs 2 oz now. i can't believe how many things are changing either---her neck is geting so strong and on her tummy she can turn her head so easily now rather than it seeming like a huge effort. she's also doing lots of leg kicking and arm moving. i love it!

she's still sleeping like a champ. generally 5-6 hrs for the first stretch of sleep and then back down for another 5 hrs until morning. she's also gotten to be very good at being on her own. when she's awake, i obviously want to interact with her and play with her, but i make sure to leave her on her own for at least a few minutes each day and she seems very content now to entertain herself for awhile. she's also gotten a lot better at soothing herself. as long as we allow her to have a paci at night when she goes to sleep, we can put her down awake and she's able to relax and fall asleep herself now. that wasn't the case before---not sure if it was because she was younger or b/c we weren't giving her a pacifier. that's one thing--she definitely is a child who has a high need for sucking. we only use the paci at night and she ends up spitting it out, but she really seems to need to suck for comfort. i've found that a lot of times i have to let her suck on my pinky for a few minutes to kind of transition her from breastfeeding to another activity during the day.

the only annoying thing is still my itchy boob issue. i'm actually going in to see the midwives today about it. i thought i might be allergic to something so i cut out the disposable breast pads and the lanolin. i've been putting on aveeno unscented and making sure to stay moisturized.i don't know.

alright, i'm going to wake up sleeping beauty! hope you guys all have a good weekend!

[MexicoBride'05]

Hi Ladies!

I have been MIA once again. I just can't find the time to get on here as much anymore with Jayden being here. When he does go down for a nap during the day I'm doing the dishes or laundry or something else around the house.

I'll be back later tonight once he's sleeping for more of an update on us but wanted to post the birth annoucement I just ordered!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/fardal/jaydenmichael.jpg?t=1185150703

[StacieLady]

Anyone else's little one had a cold yet? What did you give them?

Jacob had a cold a couple weeks ago. My pediatrician suggested that we use Pediacare Infant Decongestant Drops. However, NO ONE around here carried them. SO, I went online and the active ingredient is Phenylephrine HCl (and we were told to take 0.4 ml of the 1.25/0.8 ml soln). The only medicine I could find that fit the bill was the new infant Tylenol Cold. That is the "new decongestant" they are using. However, you might be able to find something that only had the decongestant and not the pain reliever.

The good news was the the recommended dosage in the Tynenol cold was correct for both drugs. And when I caught his cold from him I had a sore throat so he probably needed the pain relief.

[StacieLady]

I am trying to post a video...not sure if it will work. (I think I am just going to have to link to it)

I went to my parents house on Friday, and we took Jacob for a swim in the hot tub. Don't worry my parents don't keep it hot in the summer time. It felt like nice warm bathwater.

He loved it. I looked absolutely mellowed out. I may have never seen him so relaxed! We will definitely be doing that again soon. The Bummis Super Whisper Wrap seemed to make a good swim diaper. We weren't worried about the pee, and we didn't have a poop though, so maybe it might not work as well next time!

http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/brattonstaciem/?action=view&current=f4f780fb.flv

PS - My dad made the video over my shoulder, and I didn't know. Please ignore my boob rearranging. :)

[magrat]

stacielady Cute! DH really has to get some of our video uploaded.

Eve had two good nights in a row! She slept for a 5 hour stretch from 10 to 3 both nights! It's fantastic :) I'm not counting on it continuing, but hope it is at least part of a trend.

[Smittenk]

Thanks for the cold advice ladies! Luckily it seems to have passed on its own surprisingly so maybe it was just newborn congestion I'm not sure. I did call the nurse and she suggested putting saline drops in his nose and sunction it and also to have him sleep in his car seat so he was upright.

StacieLady, that is the cutest video! I can't wait to take Connor swimming since he absolutely loves the bath.

[StacieLady]

Cold Remedy - Of course we tried the saline drops first, but he had a pretty serious cold and he was miserable! I was so worried about him because when he would nurse he would have to "come up for air". It was so sad.

[Smittenk]

Cold Remedy - Of course we tried the saline drops first, but he had a pretty serious cold and he was miserable! I was so worried about him because when he would nurse he would have to "come up for air". It was so sad.

I hated that when he nursed...I felt like I just wish he could blow his little nose. Then he would cough and then have to start nursing over again :(

[magrat]

I finally posted my birth story in the un-medicated birth thread (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3836&page=9). It's embarrassingly long, but I didn't want to leave anything out!

[Sarah6690]

magrat great birth story! and quick too! I'm really impressed with anyone who can go through natural childbirth!

stacielady what a cute video! It looks like he was having fun.

mexico great birth announcements! I love the pictures of his hand and feet! It's really sweet.

steelcity how is the itchy boob thing going? did the midwives have any idea what would be causing that?

Last night it took 3 of us to change one of Sawyer's diapers! It was pretty funny though. I was upstair helping DS1 clean his room and Sawyer was laying on his bed. He started getting fussy, so I picked him up and saw that his back was soaked. It looked like really dark urine with the color that he had on. I carried him downstairs and told DH that I didn't think his urine should be that dark and I was worried he was dehydrated or something. DH looked at him for a minute and then looked at me and said he didn't think that was pee. It finally clicked for me (see what happens when I don't get enough sleep?) So I held him in the air since I couldn't really lay him down anywhere. DS held open a plastic grocery bad to throw the wipes in and DH wiped him down. It was pretty amusing!

[stevesbabygirl]

Too funny Sarah! Owen seems to be blowing out of a couple of his diapers too, but it seeps out the sides. I think he needs to move up to the next size, but we're using up the rest of our newborn size first.

My little man will be a month old tomorrow, where does the time go?!

[magrat]

I went to a new moms meetup today and there were 4 or 5 other babies about the same age as ours. I finally really grasped why everyone keeps commenting on Eve's hair. Hers was more than twice as long as all the other babies'! I hope that means she'll have thick hair when she's older. It would be cruel irony if this is the only time she has luxurious locks ;) Probably doesn't mean anything though (except that it is always tickling my nose :) ).

http://lh5.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RphfqtaeGwI/AAAAAAAAAmM/4PLT89NwtZU/Eve%20in%20her%20activity%20center%20%281%29.jpg?i mgmax=720

[L&D Nurse]

Thomas had a ped. appt. this morning and he weighs 12#, 8oz. (75th %ile), is 24” long (90th %ile), and his head circ. is in the 50th %ile (can't remember the exact measurement). He also had 3 shots :( I pre-medicated him with Tylenol about 45 minutes before his appointment and have been giving it to him every 4 hours since then. He has been sleepier and fussier than usual, but his injection sites look ok, not red or hot.

I love all the pics (and videos!) of the babies. Here is one of Thomas in his swing from last week:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1206/899412701_2f28494c14_m.jpg

He rolled from his front to his back and he smiles and coos all the time. It is so fun to actually interact with him, he has such a sweet little personality.

[Smittenk]

Loving the updates ladies!! Sorry I haven't really been around lately...I am having a difficult time finding time to get on here.

I know we have talked about schedules and sleeping before but I was wondering for those of you that have their babies on somehwta of a schedule during the day (or night), how does it go? I really get frustrated during the day when Connor is sleepy but won't sleep and just wants to eat even though he is just comfort eating cuz he ate 45 minutes earlier.

I just started reading the Baby Whisperer so hopefully I can gain some insight from that too. Alot of people with older babies have been telling me to start even a little bit of a routine right away so last night I did try to do the bath time and then feeding him, changing him and then sleep but forget it...he was not having it at all. :(

Any help or suggestions on where to start?? Or books that you found really helpful??

TIA!

Ooh and here is a new pic of Connor just to add to the baby pic fun!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/Connoriscanadian011.jpg

[Sarah6690]

Sawyer slept through the night last night! He got up at 5:00, instead of when my alarm goes off at 5:30, but that wasn't so bad since he didn't nurse during the night it took him twice as long this morning. I actually feel slightly human today!

magrat, l&d nurse, & smitten Great pictures! What a bunch of cuties.

So, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react to this. I don't know if anyone remembers during my pregnancy how horrible my sister-in-law was to me. She has been going through IV, and can't get pregnant. Now I was as sympathetic as I could be, but she hasn't spoken to me in close to a year. Anyway, apparently she talked to my mom yesterday and told her she has been going to a support group and she is now ready to see Sawyer. I do feel bad for her, and I will be nice (I'm not capable of holding a grudge) but I'm kind of upset about the way she treated me. I just don't know how to act around her.

On another note: Sawyer hasn't pooped in almost 3 days. Should I be worried? He's been really gassy, but is able to get it out pretty well.

[em1126]

Love all the baby pics!
magrat I can't believe Eve's hair - it's adorable!

L&D Nurse Sounds like a good appt. I didn't even think about pre-medicating Aubrey :( for her appt. Isn't is fun to start seeing their personalities come out?

Smittenk I don't know if this will help or not, but this is what we do with Aubrey and she usually sleeps 6-7 hrs. We feed her in our/her room with the lights low and her "Sleep, Baby, Sleep" CD on. Then, after she's done eating, we give her a pacifier and swaddle her and hold her until she's pretty drowsy and then we put her down in her Pack N Play. Like I said, I don't know if that will help, but I hope your sleep struggles are easing!

Sarah6690 Hooray for sleeping through the night!

Aubrey had her 2-month WBV today. She weighs 9lbs, 8oz (50th percentile) and is 20.5' long (25th percentile). I'm so thrilled about her weight considering the feeding struggles we had initially. She also got 3 shots :(, which was hard, but she seems to be doing OK. I'm going to try the picture thing again . . . :)

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z91/kubiakee/P7190124.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z91/kubiakee/P7190127.jpg

[L&D Nurse]

magrat~ love that hair! We get lots of comments on Thomas's hair, too... it is bright red (neither DH nor I are redheads)! It is a little of my Scottish heritage coming through ;)

Sarah6690~ congrats on STTN!!! I am SO jealous. On the poop issue, my ped said starting around 8-10 weeks, their poops start to change in frequency and not to worry until its over 10 days w/out a BM.

em1126~ look at that little smile in the second picture... so cute! I have yet to catch Thomas's smile in a pic :rolleyes:

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen had his 1 month well baby visit yesterday! Here are his stats:

Weight - 10lbs 5oz (up from 8lbs 12oz two weeks ago)
Height - 22 inches (up from 21 1/2 inches)
Head circumference - 38cm (up from 37cm)

Hooray, he's growing!

At one month, Owen

* Loves the boob
* Enjoys his baths but doesn't like having his head washed
* Wakes up about twice a night to eat
* Likes the sound of crinkling paper/crinkly toys
* Hates being strapped into his car seat, but is fine once he gets settled
* Will sit in his bouncer long enough to let me take a shower
* Doesn't seem to like his swing
* Stares at the color red
* Fusses a lot at night
* Will fall asleep in my arms but wake up the second I put him down
* Has great head and neck strength, but poor control

[steelcitymama]

just a quick post to reply to smitten & say i love all the pics! love eve's hair, magrat, mairin's is pretty similar!

smitten~we started following mairin's cues and just kind of let her take the lead in determining a schedule early on that seems to be working well for all of us. during the day she eats about every 2 hrs (she's like a clock, i swear). she'll generall play for at least a while after she eats before she gets sleepy and takes a little nap. she follows that pattern until late afternoon/early evening when she is generally very alert and awake for several hours. then, like em does with aubrey, for her last feeding, we dim the lights, have quiet time, swaddle her and put her down in her crib. we've found that at least for her, swaddling her tightly is critical for nighttime sleeping! as is a pacifier. she definitely seems to need to suck a lot...i know you said connor seems to want to be sucking all the time, even if he's not hungry. have you tried a paci? we were really reluctant early on; i was nervous for nipple confusion, dependency, etc. but it relaxes her an amazing amount, it's ridiculous. she uses it to help her go down for naps (not so much at night though??) and sometimes to help her kind of "transition" from breastfeeding. i've finally learned when she's just hanging out on the boob vs. actually eating. sometimes she'll fuss when i take her off even though she's not hungry...so if i give her a paci for a minute or two while i transition her to another activity, she is totally fine and i can take it away without an issue.

she sleeps really well in her crib at night when she's swaddled, but won't sleep in there for naps unswaddled. i think it's just too open and big for her. so during the day she generally naps in a papasan style chair or her swing (even without swinging). she just seems to want to be more confined.

anyway, these are all things that have worked well for us, so maybe connor might respond well to some of them??

have to run, more later~

[elissa]

I have not been around here much, but have been reading along. Wanted to share some pictures of Avery that were taken at 3 1/2 weeks. She is 6 weeks and 2 days today.

Visit www.juliehoyt.com, click on proofing and enter Avery. Not sure how long these are up for, but I think they turned out just great!

[Jenean]

Hi ladies, long time no chat! I'm so sorry I haven't been around, I miss you guys! It's been busy here and whenever I get online I just try to catch up on email. I am happy to report that today I finally responded to the last email I'd been saving from the week the babies were born. :rolleyes: The beauty of remote internet access - I'm posting from the front seat of our new car as we drive to Boston to visit our brand new nephew.

Anyway, things are going well over here. The boys are doing amazing! Happy and alert and smiley and "talking" up a storm! Simon is still my little observer, while Miles just grins at everything and last night he laughed for the first time! That was the best thing I'd ever heard!!!

So, 2 month WBV results (yesterday):

Simon = 9 lbs 12 oz (5th percentile) and 22 inches (25th percentile)
Miles = 10 lbs!! (10th percentile) and 22.5 inches (50th percentile)

They're finally on the growth charts! They gained 4 lbs in 5 weeks, thanks to all that formula, and now we have to cut back a little on the formula so they don't keep gaining so much and end up overweight. I'm still BFing and supplementing and it's going well. The boys are happy, so I'm happy.

What else? So much, more than you guys probably want to read in one post. I'll just say that we're having a lot of fun with them and that everything's going really well and will try to ease my way back into posting. I'm going to try to catch up on reading this weekend and hopefully will be posting much more regularly now!

Hugs to all....

[Sarah6690]

elissa those pictures are absolutely beautiful!

Jenean Welcome back! We've missed you! Sounds like the boys are doing great! Aren't the smiles, talking, and laughing so much fun? I swear I get nothing done most of the time, because all I want to do is sit and play with Sawyer.

stevesbabygirl I like your list of what Owen does! Doesn't it seem like they are just growing too fast?

L&D Nurse Thanks for the poop info :p I had no idea they could go that long. DS1 was on formula by this time.

Em Eve is adorable! I love the smile in the second picture.

This weekend was a complete waste. We had a garage sale Saturday and Sunday. We had maybe 10 people stop all weekend. Apparently our neighborhood is not a good place to have them. We had a ton of toys and stuff and that is usually what people will stop for. We're trying to decide if we want to try again at MIL's house or just donate the rest. We were planning on donating it anyway, but I didn't think we'd have almost everything still left.

I still haven't seen my SIL yet. I just don't know how to act around her when I do. But according to my mom, she is all of a sudden a completely different person and can't wait to see Sawyer. I'm just worried that seeing him will set her off again or something.

[GA_GAL]

Sarah6690: Hope seeing your SIL goes well. I went through fertility and can understand what she's going through, but also, I know she'll probably be very happy to see you and Sawyer. Handley went through a few days when she didn't poop either. I was worried, but the ped. said it was fine. Like Saywer, she was passing gas, but no pooping. When she finally went it was SO much and got everywhere. I know she must have felt better though.

Jenean: Glad to her things are going so well for you and the boys!

elissa: Great pictures!

stevesbabygirl: Yea for a great checkup. I like the way you are documenting things Owen does, likes and dislikes. You'll love looking back at that.

em1126: Cute pictures of Aubrey. I love the one of her smile.

Smittenk: I'm really happy I started out trying to get Handley on a schedule. She's done awesome, but I know it's because of all the hard work up front. I read baby whisperer and loved it. I hope it helps you out. I keep Handley awake after feeding her and she has her alert time, then she goes down for a nap. Sometimes she gets really fussy and it's harder to get her to sleep, but I know she is tried and she is just fighting going to sleep. I swaddle her, rock her, and give her a paci to help get her calm down and get ready for sleep. Then she'll wake up and we do it all over again. That routine goes on all day every 3 hours or so. Sometimes usually in the mornings and late afternoons she'll take shorter naps and sometimes I'll let her sleep in her swing or bouncy chair. She usually takes a really long nap starting around 12:30, and I get her in the crib for that one. At night I started a bedtime routine that seems to calm her down and get her ready. She gets a bath, massage, books (if she's not fussing yet), nursing and then sleep. After the bath we take her back to her room for the massage and rest of the routine. During the massage I turn on soft music and dim the lights. Then after she's dressed I turn off the lights (except a night light) and feed her. She was sleeping about 5 hours the first stretch and then 3-5 the second stretch, but recently she's been going about 7 the first stretch and then 3. I would suggest not changing him after you feed him at night. I change her after eating during the day, but at night it would wake her up too much. Sometimes she'll nurse to sleep at night, but other times I'll do the same thing I do for naps, swaddle, rock, sing to her to get her sleepy.

L&D Nurse: How exciting that he rolled over! I can't wait for Handley to do that.

Sorry I've been away for a while. We've been out of town and I've just not had a lot of free time to get on here. We're still doing great though. Handley is a good little traveler. On our drive up here she slept the whole way except when I fed her, so that was great. I've really been working to keep her on her routine and it's going great. She keeps stretching out her nights. The past few days she's slept 7 hours the first stretch and then back down for 3-4 hours. She did have two nights that she slept 9 hours. We took her up to our lake house this weekend and she went on her very first boat ride. She loved it! I tried to keep her snuggled in my moby wrap, but she kept trying to stretch up to look around and feel the wind on her face. It was really cute. She's also started smiling more and "talking" a lot (cooing/ahhing).

She did have a rough evening last week where she screamed inconsolably for a few hours. It was awful, but thankfully we were at my in-laws so my MIL was very helpful. Handley was very gassy and hadn't pooped in a few days so I think that was the cause. It was right around her 6 week growth spurt and the same thing happened around her 3 week growth spurt. Thankfully it was only one night. She's such a laid back and happy baby, it breaks my heart to hear her so upset.

Are you all still swaddling your babies to sleep? It really helps her sleep well, but I'm not sure at what point I should stop swaddling her?

[Sarah6690]

GA_Gal Thanks for your feedback on my SIL. My only concern is that she has seen him once, but it was at a party so she was able to completely ignore us, except for all the dirty looks I got. :(

swaddling we haven't done that since the first few weeks... but Sawyer didn't seem to really like it and sleeps just fine without being swaddled.

[em1126]

Are you all still swaddling your babies to sleep? It really helps her sleep well, but I'm not sure at what point I should stop swaddling her?

We still swaddle Aubrey to sleep. I think we'll probably gradually try to get her out of that habit between 3 and 4 months. At this point, it's just SO comforting to her, though.

GA_Gal I'd love to hear more about traveling with baby. I'm planning on taking a 2-day car trip (about 8 1/2 hrs of driving per day) when Aubrey's about 4 months old. I will not be by myself, but I am kind of dreading it, so any advice or tips you have, or anyone else has, would be great.

[GA_GAL]

Sarah6690: I can understand her bitterness towards you, but I hope she will also put herself in your shoes and realize that she should be happy for you. When my SIL told us she was pregnant and were still trying, it was tough and I didn't want to be around them or talk to them about it. I was just so jealous. After I finally got pregnant though, I felt bad about it.

em1126: Our drive from Orlando to Atlanta usually takes about 7 1/2 hours. At first I wanted to drive at night so that she would sleep the whole time and we wouldn't have to stop so much, but I was riding with my MIL instead of DH because he was working so she didn't want to do that. Handley almost always falls asleep in the car, but the furthest we'd ever driven with her was about 30 mins or so. I fed her right before we left and she did sleep almost the entire time except when we stopped so I could feed her. She usually eats about every 3 hours during the day. Sometimes she would wake up herself or sometimes I'd wake her up when we stopped. When we stopped I would feed her and keep her awake for just a little while before getting back in the car so that she had a little bit of wake time. When I strapped her back in the carseat she wasn't very happy, but after just a few minutes on the road she'd be back asleep. I really thought she'd be up all night that evening when we finally got there. I kept her up later than normal and put her to bed about 10:30, but she slept 8 1/2 hours that night! I bet you'll be fine on your trip, just try to stop and have her out of the carseat for a little while every few hours. I'm planning another trip to see my parents in NC in a month. It's a 10 hour drive from Orlando and I am more nervous about that one. My mom is flying down to drive up with me though.

[steelcitymama]

hey ladies~

it's nice to hear what everyone has been up to; it sounds like everyone is doing really well. i thought i'd jump online while DD is taking a little catnap on DH's chest--too cute.

L&D Nurse~so exciting abut the rolling over!

SBG~i loved the list of things owen is doing/liking/disliking.

GA GAL~we still swaddle mairin for nighttime sleeping, she definitely likes it and it helps her sleep really well. it was good to hear about your long car ride experience b/c we're driving to the beach this weekend and ive been curious about how it will go and nervous that it will throw her off a bit. she sleeps whenever she's in her carseat, so i've been anxious that she'll sleep all day and be up all night. she's on such a great routine and sleeps really well at night and i don't want it to get screwed up. but like you said, i'll just have to make sure to keep her awake for at least a bit after i feed her and put her back in the carseat.

jenean~i'm happy to hear things are going so well with both of the boys!

sarah~i hope everything goes smoothly with your SIL. i can see why you'd be anxious about seeing her.

everything is going really well here..nothing too crazy or exciting to report. mairin has increased her first stretch of nighttime sleep from 5 hrs to a consistent 6, but the occasional 7 and one time 8! she goes back down for another 3 until early morning. during the day she has lots of alert time after eating and we've been having a lot of fun. this week is going to be kind of busy with normal activities but also preparing for our trip to the beach, which we're sooo excited for.

in other exciting news, we are officially dorks---we bought our minivan late last week! :) i know we talked a bit about minivans awhile back, so i thought i'd mention it. we ended up going with a toyota sienna and it's so nice! we both love it. it feels enormous compared to our teeny civic, though, so that's taking some getting used to.

alright, i'm going to take care of a few things before nursing mairin and putting her down for the night.

[StacieLady]

Holy Bottle Rejection, Batman!

I go back to work 2 days a week soon (in two weeks) and Jacob just decided he doesn't want anything to do with a bottle! And practice is hard because when he gets frustrated and cries DH just can't handle it! I know he won't starve if he doesn't eat for 8 hours two days a week. But I imagine it will make his days pretty crappy!!

[stevesbabygirl]

I wouldn't worry too much about him starving. If he's hungry, he'll take it when he figures out there's no other option ;).

[Smittenk]

Thanks so much GA_GAL and steelcitymama!

I am slowly starting to read Connor's cues at night...and I am integrating a few of the things that you both mentioned (we have a bear that plays heartbeat sounds and I am dimming the lights...works so far!). He can't sleep without being swaddled though..even for naps. I have a friend who said she swaddled her daughter until she was 4 months old so I guess you can go as long as they want to.

I can't believe the differences I have been noticing in Connor these passed couple of days! He is reaching for things now and he is cooing and smiling too! I love it!

I go for my 6 week appointment this Friday (even though it will only have been 5 Weeks and 2 days). Anything I should be prepared for??

[steelcitymama]

stacielady~bummer about the bottle rejection! i bet that's stressful for him (and you guys!) when he's clearly hungry but getting so frustrated. i agree though, that he'll come to figure it out and won't starve in the meantime. and maybe he'll even get the hang of things before you start back.

smitten~how fun about connor starting to reach for things and smiling! i love all that fun stuff too...and it did happen so quickly! it was like overnight she was smiling and moving around and all kinds of fun things. i'm glad the nights are improving for you guys. oh, and re: swaddling, one of my best friends has a 5 1/2 mo daughter and they just recently stopped swaddling her at night.

[L&D Nurse]

I originally came into CC today update my stats on the first page (I turned the big 3-0 yesterday!). We had a nice day... DH took Thomas for 2 hours in the morning so I could sleep in, then he had coffee and an omelette ready for me when I woke up. Thomas took a nice nap in the morning while I took a shower and got ready. Then we went to lunch with DH at his work, and when we got home I put Thomas in the Baby Bjorn and he slept for 2 hours (doesn't happen often, he usually takes 30 minute catnaps during the day) while I read the new Harry Potter book. DH brought home flowers, a cake, and Olive Garden for dinner - yum! Then we had a "family bath" and all went to bed about 8:30. It was a wonderful, laid back birthday.

Thomas and I leave for Oregon tomorrow, I am really excited. I think I have everything ready for the plane - I packed a large diaper bag with everything I could possible need (diapers, wipes, disposable changing
pads, plastic bags, change of clothes, infant Tylenol, blanket, burp cloths, extra pacifier, and all of my gear - money, credit cards, ID, cell phone/charger, sunglasses) and I will pump a bottle in the morning. Now I just need to pack for myself! I found a large duffel bag that the car seat fits in and I can also pack in some of my clothes. In another bag I have Thomas's Snuggle Nest, clothes, and I will put my toiletries and make-up in there.


I got a call from work last week asking me if I am ready to come back yet. I thought about it all weekend and I think I will start back slowly
in September. Maybe by then Thomas will be sleeping a little longer at night and I won't feel like such a zombie during the day. I am really lucky in that I can make my own schedule, so I am going to do some weekend
hours so DH can be home with him. I think I'll start with 4-6 hours and see how that goes.

Sarah6690~ good luck with your SIL, that is a tough situation to be in.

GA_GAL~ you have a great sleeper on your hands! Lucky you! We've only gotten 5 hours 3-4 times, usually is 1.5-3 hour stretches. We don't swaddle Thomas, he hates it and screams when I try it. He loves having his hands up by his face. But I think you can do it for as long as it is working for you both.

steelcitymama ~ congrats on the minivan :)

StacieLady ~ have you tried different nipples?

Smittenk ~ My 6w pp appt consisted of checking weight, blood pressure, and a quick vaginal exam. We also talked about birth control options. Good luck!

[StacieLady]

Thanks for all the bottle support. :)

L&D Nurse - the different nipples will be the next step. We have the Avent now, and it worked in the beginning, so I don't know if that is the problem or not. Personally is seems like the nipple sticks really far down his throat! He seems to choke...but I try not to get to close to the action and be distracting so I am not exactly sure what is going on.

What bottles are you guys having success with?

[Smittenk]

Happy Birthday L&D Nurse!

Guess I should do the same thing because I turned 30 a couple of weeks ago :)

Threadmistress please change my age to 30 and DH to 38, Thankyou!

[Smittenk]

What bottles are you guys having success with?

We use the Avent 4oz glass bottles with avent silicone nipples (slow flow)

[June2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[L&D Nurse]

bottles~ we use the Playtex Nursers. They work great for us, and it is really nice because my pump attaches right to the bottle so I can put it in the fridge or let DH feed him right away.

http://ii.babycenter.com/images/en_US//local/products/detail/3879.jpg?Badge5

Smittenk~ thanks:) You, too (belated)!

[GA_GAL]

Smittenk: How fun that he's reaching for things and cooing now. Handley started doing that too. I think it just gets better everyday. I'm glad to hear someone else swaddles their baby for naps too. She seems to like to sleep with her arms above her head because sometimes when I got to get her up in the mornings she has wiggled them free and has them above her head. I still wrap her tight though because she goes to sleep and stays asleep much better.

StacieLady: Sorry about the bottle rejection. Hopefully he'll get back on track before you do have to go back to work. How often to you give him a bottle?

L&D Nurse: Happy b-day. Best of luck on your trip. It sounds like you are very prepared so I'm sure things will probably go very smoothly for you. I can't wait to hear how it goes.

What time do you all put your baby to bed at night?
I had been starting Handley's bedtime routine around 8:45 or 9, but by the time she nursed and got to sleep it was between 9:30-10:00. She was fussing a lot and wasn't nursing very well so I thought that was too late and that she was probably getting over tired. Tonight I tried staring around 8:00 and she was asleep by 8:45. We'll see how tonight goes and if it makes any difference in her night.

[steelcitymama]

happy belated b-day to L&D Nurse & Smitten! and thanks for reminding me to update my age, too. threadmistress, can you please update my age to 29 and DH's to 31? thank you!

GA GAL~interesting about the bedtime situation because i've been contemplating this, too. i normally nurse mairin for the last time between 9 and 930 and then put her down. she's normally wide awake from the late afternoon/early evening until bedtime, but the past 2 nights she took a catnap around 8, so i'm wondering if i should start putting her down earlier? maybe i'll see how things go tonight. i guess if she consistenly gets tired earlier now, i'll just move her bedtime up. how did it go last night for handley??

ok, i should finish getting ready for my 6 week appt! back later..

[StacieLady]

Good bottle news! I think I freaked out over nothing. I was able to get Jacob to take a bottle yesterday...I think it was just too cold before! DH was in a hurry to start the feeding because DS was getting a little fussy, so I jumped the gun and gave it to him before it really got warm. Oops!

[Smittenk]

Good bottle news! I think I freaked out over nothing. I was able to get Jacob to take a bottle yesterday...I think it was just too cold before! DH was in a hurry to start the feeding because DS was getting a little fussy, so I jumped the gun and gave it to him before it really got warm. Oops!

Hurray!!! That's great news!


Thanks Steelcitymama! Thankfully I was too busy to think about turning 30 ;)

[GA_GAL]

steelcitymama: The past two nights I've started her bedtime routine around 8 and she's gotten to sleep by 8:45 or 9 pm. Both nights she did great and actually added on an hour to her total sleep time (an extra hour to the second chunck of sleep. I think I'm going to try and stick to the earlier bedtime because it lets me have a little more time in the evenings before feeling like I should rush off to bed.

smittenk: I wanted to let you know one other thing I do with Handley at betime. I nurse her on one side, burp her, then swaddle her and nurse her on the other side. I think it helps her to get comfy and sleepy. Sometimes she'll fall asleep nursing and other times she's just very drowsy. It makes transitioning into the crib a little easier since she's already swaddled.

stacielady: Glad everything is OK with the bottle situation.

[magrat]

Ugh, horrible night last night. We decided to go to a movie so we drove to my parents to drop off Eve. We went north on 35W and wondered where all the emergency vehicles were heading on the other side of the highway, including a police SUV pulling a boat! My parents told us about the bridge when we got there, so we spent the next few hours watching the coverage about the collapse. Finally we decided to go to a movie anyway so we went to see The Simpsons Movie. Got back really late. Eve had slept like a baby (ha!) all evening for my parents which she never does for us, so she obviously got all the sleep she needed much earlier than usual and slept poorly the rest of the night. That's why I'm afraid of moving her bedtime any earlier. My mom said when I was a baby she'd keep me up until 11 so she'd get a good stretch in the middle of the night.

In better news, Eve is finally smiling! She is doing it several times a day now, usually when she first wakes up. We're planning a trip for the beginning of September. Aug. 28th is my golden birthday but we're waiting until just after labor day. We're going with my parents to Wisconsin Dells and staying at a hotel with a big waterpark inside. They can watch Evie while we're on the slides. It should be interesting. It's about a 3 1/2 hour drive I think, and we'll have a king sized bed so we'll put her in the Snuggle nest we never used. I'm not too enthused about the whole bathing suit thing, but I did find one - it's size 14W! I am not a big person but it's the only one that would accommodate my ginormous chest. I'm going on walks every day now so hopefully that will help some of the weight come off, but I'm thinking right after labor day all the kiddies will be back in school and it'll be pretty quiet there. I kind of feel this is finally payback for when I was 13. We went to WI Dells for the first (and last) time and I was so excited to go on the waterslides and ended up getting my first period and didn't get to go to the waterparks at all (no one had explained tampons to me yet). Now I'll just have leaky nipples, but no one will be able to tell because I'll be all wet :p

[steelcitymama]

GA GAL~good news on the earlier bedtime working out well! big score on the extra hour to that second chunk of sleep.

magrat~how great the eve is smiling! mairin is too and i seem to notice it a lot when she wakes up too--how funny! there is also this one toy that she consistently smiles at also. and she's absolutely mesmerized by her mobile. and lights of all kinds.

stacielady~good news about the bottle!

speaking of bottles...we are leaving tomorrow for vacation and driving the majority of the way. then we're staying overnight and driving the last 2 hrs or so on saturday morning. do you guys think that if i keep some bags of frozen breastmilk on ice in a cooler they'll stay frozen?? at least for 6 hrs or so until we get to the hotel and can get more ice??? i don't want them to start to thaw since then i'll have to use it within 3 days. i totally hate pumping and CAN do it at the beach, but would prefer to just use what i brought for the evenings DH and i go to dinner and someone else watches mairin.

so the past 2 days mairin has barely been napping at all during the day. she's always had intermittent very alert periods during the day, but definitely took some good naps in the morning and afternoon and spent the evenings awake. but yesterday and today she's just been taking teeny catnaps and has generally been awake the vast majority of the time. anyone else experiencing this? she doesn't seem fussy or unhappy at all. also, does anyone else baby make tons of noise when going to sleep sometimes??? sometimes she's quiet and just drifts off, but other times she grunts and huffs and puffs for a fairly long time and then BANG--she's out.

[StacieLady]

do you guys think that if i keep some bags of frozen breastmilk on ice in a cooler they'll stay frozen?? at least for 6 hrs or so until we get to the hotel and can get more ice???

Have you given any thought to getting some dry ice? I know you can get it a some grocery stores. It would definitely keep your stash frozen for 6 hours. You could place a towel between the dry ice and your bottles/bags to keep them from coming into direct contact and possibly damaging the containers.


does anyone else baby make tons of noise when going to sleep sometimes??? sometimes she's quiet and just drifts off, but other times she grunts and huffs and puffs for a fairly long time and then BANG--she's out.

Definitely! My Jacob is a serious grunter! He doesn't do it as often when we are trying to get him to sleep. (But I am bad and nurse him to sleep, so he is only just barely awake if any when I put him down). But in the early mornings, he will grunt and grunt. I used to go check on him thinking he was ready to wake up, but now if just just leave him alone he will go back to sleep no problem.

[GA_GAL]

magrat: When I turned on the news this morning and saw the coverage of the bridge collapsing I was in shock. At least you still got to go to the movies and have a night out. I'm feeling you on the bathing suit issue. I'm going to visit my family at the beach in a few weeks and am trying to decide what bathing suit to wear (if any).


steelcitymama: Sorry I can't be of any help on the ice situation...I'm not sure about all the "rules" of freezing/thawing breastmilk. Have fun at the beach. I'm going in a few weeks and can't wait!

noisy sleepers: Handley definitely makes a lot of noise (grunting, huffing, puffing) when going to sleep for naps and at night (if I haven't nursed her to sleep). When waking up in the mornings she'll go on for 30 min. to an hour before she is really good and awake. Like you, Stacielady, I used to make the mistake of going in there right away, but now I know that I have a little more time before she's really awake.

[magrat]

I have a question. Have any of you been grocery shopping by yourself with the baby? How do you do it? Do all infant car seats fit on all grocery carts? I saw a woman at the store recently with a brand new baby in a car seat on the child seat of the cart, but it was a different brand. Will mine fit?

[micd]

magrat - I always put her car seat inside the cart, instead of in the basket part, so she is always surrounded by eggs and milk.:) I'm just too nervous about putting it up there, but I see people do it all the time.

[Smittenk]

I have a question. Have any of you been grocery shopping by yourself with the baby? How do you do it? Do all infant car seats fit on all grocery carts? I saw a woman at the store recently with a brand new baby in a car seat on the child seat of the cart, but it was a different brand. Will mine fit?

Wierd...I posted yesterday but it isn't showing up...I have only gone by myself and it isn't so bad. I put his infant seat in the child seat part. I have a graco safeseat which is a bit bigger than the snugride so I put it lengthways in the seat part. When I have a cart that doesn't have a seat in it then I put his seat in the cart like micd said she does.

[daphne]

I put the carseat in the top part/child seat. That way, I can put my toddler in the main compartment ;)

I haven't been here in ages! Amelia is growing like crazy - she's already outgrowing her 3/6 month clothes! I had to actually run out to the store to buy her some 6/9 month clothes to get her through the rest of the summer!

I'm still trying to figure out what works w/her for sleeeping. She tends to take 1 or 2 long naps during the day, then some shorter ones. She'll go down for the night anywhere between 6:30 and 10, so it's really unpredictable, still.
She wakes in the middle of the night anywhere from 2-4 times, but luckily goes right back down most times. Fingers crossed that we're headed in the right direction with sleep.

She's a completely different baby than her brother (she likes the bouncy seat, but hates the swing - her brother was the opposite), so i've found that i've needed to buy some new toys/equipment to keep her happy & to have somewhere to put her! didn't expect that!

Ok - time to grab some coffee b/c ds's tv show is almost over & i need to wake up!

[StacieLady]

I have a question. Have any of you been grocery shopping by yourself with the baby? How do you do it? Do all infant car seats fit on all grocery carts? I saw a woman at the store recently with a brand new baby in a car seat on the child seat of the cart, but it was a different brand. Will mine fit?

I have gone to Target with our SnugRide and it fit in the child seat well. But he usually gets fussy after about 10-15 min. When I go grocery shopping I wear him in our carrier. It makes shopping so easy! He usually falls asleep and is a perfect angel!


Amelia is growing like crazy - she's already outgrowing her 3/6 month clothes! I had to actually run out to the store to buy her some 6/9 month clothes to get her through the rest of the summer!

Wow! She really is growing! How much does she weigh!? We are about to have to pull out the 3/6 and I thought my little man was big! :) You don't have to worry about her being healthy! Good job momma! :D

[steelcitymama]

hi ladies~

quick post from the beach (which is great!)--magrat, i put mairin in the babyhawk when grocery shopping & it works out really well for us.

the night before we left for our trip, mairin slept through the night! very exciting...we put her down at 930 and she slept until 630 AM!! the next night was a little screwy b/c we'd been in the car all day traveling to the beach and she slept the entire time. last night she was pretty much back to her normal schedule of waking once during the night @ 4/430 to eat. but instead of sleeping until 7 or so, she slept until 8, which was great.

it sounds like everything is going really well with everyone!
:)

[Sarah6690]

quick post about Sawyer's 2 month WBV. We were a little late on it, since I had to take DS1 for his kindergarten physical and had to wait to be able to get them both in.
He weighed 11lbs 2oz
and is 23 1/2"
I felt so bad for him getting his shots. He was so fussy all weekend because of them. Hopefully things will get back to normal.

I started taking fenugreek on Friday. Okay, seriously... I'm making myself hungry. I smell like syrup. DH thinks it's pretty funny. Everytime I walk past him he's like... "mmmm... pancakes" :rolleyes:

We went to a wedding reception on Saturday. It was fun, but I definately wanted to leave right after dinner. I didn't like being the sober one, when I hardly knew anyone. I just wanted to get back to Sawyer. I finally told DH that by boobs were leaking (they weren't) :p so that we could go. We are planning on going camping this weekend, depending on the weather. I'm not sure how that is going to go. But we're only going about 15-20 mins away so if it doesn't go well, I can always take Sawyer home. Anyone have any ideas about taking him out there?

[micd]

Sara slep 7 1/2 hours last night! :eek: I was so happy considering that the previous night was yucky.

steelcitymama - That is so great about the sleep!!! Wow! You must be one happy momma!

Sarah6690 - I've been taking fenugreek for about 3 weeks now so I am right there with you on smelling like maple syrup :D

We are still on the nipple shield, but luckily, I am getting her to nurse without it a little bit everyday. She goes on pretty well, as long as she is calm. But if she is fussy a little bit, forget it. When I see that red face it makes me wonder what she'll be like as a teenage...haha. :p

Did any of you give your DC something to help with the pain before getting shots? I know I read a while back that someone did but I can't remember who.

Also, she is sounding congested. I feel like I can never get anything out with the bulb syringe either so I wonder if I'm being to gentle or something. Any suggestions for congestion??

Hope everyone is doing great!!!

[magrat]

Thanks for the suggestions regarding grocery shopping! I'll try her in the sling first. After carrying her a short distance in the car seat the other day, I'm not sure I even want to carry it as far as the cart corral at the store!

My daughter is a genius. She hasn't had a poopy diaper in two weeks, and since everything I read said to call your doctor if baby goes more than 10 days, I called her ped today. Got a call back an hour later and she said to buy glycerin suppositories, cut them in half the long way, and...well...you know. Well, Eve must have heard me say "suppositories" because less than five minutes after getting off the phone with the doctor, produced a beautifully poopy diaper! Smart baby.

stuffy noses She's usually stuffy in the morning, especially if the fan was on during the night. I try to use the bulb to get some out, but it doesn't work very well. I think just being awake and a bit upright is what clears out her nose, but I have heard of people squirting breastmilk up there. Sounds a bit unpleasant though. Her stuffiness isn't serious enough to warrant drastic measures.

I had a couple bad nights in a row and all weekend I felt pretty awful, at my limits. Sometimes I feel like everything I do requires me to go beyond my reserves and yet I can't "turn off" enough to even nap. I guess adults get so overtired they can't sleep too. Anyway, had a much better night last night. Even though I was up the usual number of times, she slept a lot longer in the morning - I put her in the swing rather than getting up with her when she reached the point she does every morning where she won't stop grunting and squirming, and she settled down immediately and slept a couple more hours. I actually got up before she did! I feel I'm constantly learning little things like that which can help me get more sleep. It's great when DH gets up early for work too, because then I can really stretch out and that helps me get that valuable morning sleep that's a bit harder to achieve. Missing out on my morning sleep (sleep from about 6-8am or later) seems to hit me a lot harder than any other stretch. She slept 5 1/2 hours straight (longest so far) the other night, yet because it ended up being a bad morning, I counted it as a bad night.

Me and Eve a couple weeks ago:
http://lh3.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RrZl79exK1I/AAAAAAAAApA/a2tEzDGBrwg/Eve%20and%20Mom%20by%20Lake%20Calhoun.jpg?imgmax=7 20

Here's a good example of how big she's gotten - this was yesterday, two months exactly, being held by my cousin's wife:
http://lh3.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RraVi9exLBI/AAAAAAAAAq4/hEAs0-nUX70/Eve%20and%20Shawna.jpg?imgmax=512

For comparison, here she was at a week old:
http://lh4.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RnFrIeTR3AI/AAAAAAAAAdo/EKaRuUTU8uY/Grannie%20and%20Eve%20%281%29.jpg?imgmax=512

[steelcitymama]

sarah~i hope sawyer is feeling better from his shots. i'm not looking forward to that appointment. :(

micd~that's great that sara slept so well last night! very exciting!

magrat~those pictures of eve are too cute. seems like she's on the right track for sleeping at night, too, though i'm sorry to hear that you're so exhausted. being a mom is definitely draining, that is for sure! i'm with you on the carseat--those things are so heavy and awkward, there's no way i'm carrying it from the car to the store entrance! the babyhawk works really well for me.

so mairin slept through the night again last night..i'm hoping this is a pattern! we even put her down earlier than usual---she was sound asleep by 830P and woke up at 615A! she fussed a lot around the time when she generally gets up to eat (430A). but i looked at her and watched her a few minutes---she was just grunting and being noisy, but wasn't awake. she quieted down after a few minutes and fell back into a deep sleep. i felt kind of guilty not feeding her since she was kind of fussing, but i figured that she must not be TOO hungry or she would have actually woken up and asked for food like she has every night for the past month, right???

[Smittenk]

quick post from the beach (which is great!)--magrat, i put mairin in the babyhawk when grocery shopping & it works out really well for us.



Wow Congrats on the sleep lucky girl!!

And what an awesome idea about taking the BabyHawk!! Why didn't I think of that? Mine just sits here...I've only used it twice. Definitely trying it next time

[GA_GAL]

grocery shopping: I've also only been by myself and put her carrier on the top part. It actually clips onto the back, but I still hold on tight when I'm shopping. Using a carrier is a great idea...never thought of that, but Handley always falls asleep in the car, so I hate to disturb her to get her out of the car seat.

daphne : Glad you guys are doing well. Everyone has always told me that no two babies are the same and that sounds true for your DD and DS. Hope you'll get some longer stretches of sleep soon!

steelcitymama: Hope you are enjoying your beach vacation. Hooray for Mairin sleeping through the night! That is wonderful. Hopefully your trip won't throw her off and she'll keep that up. Don't feel bad about not feeding her at 4:30 AM. I've done that once before too. If she was really hungry, she wouldn't have kept sleeping. By the way, what did you end up doing about transporting the frozen breastmilk?

Sarah6690 : Sounds like Sawyer had a great apt. I can't wait for ours in a few weeks to see how much she has grown. Does taking fenugreek make you smell like syrup? That's so weird. As far as camping goes, my SIL and BIL take their son camping all the time. He's about 5 months now, but they started when he was 2-3 months. They have the same fold-up travel bouncy seat I have (Summer brand) and take that with them so he'll have somewhere to hang out and sit without having to be held the entire time.

micd: Yea for good sleep! I don't have any suggestions for the congestion except to say that Handley has been the same way the past few days.

magrat: Hope you are able to keep getting some good quality sleep. It makes all the difference in the world! I love seeing the pictures of Eve and how she's grown...it's amazing isn't it?!?

So we finally got back home yesterday after being gone for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm glad to be here for a little while. I tried really hard to keep Handley on her routine while we were gone and she did great, but it was hard when we were coming and going all the time. She traveled great again and slept most of the way.

I had my post partum check-up today and it would have been great, except that I had to wait forever. Handley did very well, but then started getting fussy because she was tried and kept fighting to stay awake. When I finally saw the midwife it was very rushed. At least it is over though.

I'm so ready to get back in shape. I've lost about 25 lbs. so far, but want to fit back into my clothes and feel good about myself. I'd like to loose about 15-20 more to get back to where I was pre-fertility drugs. Everyone keeps telling me how wonderful I look, but clothes hide a lot. My only problem is that I can't get to the gym. DH travels almost every week all week and I'm not ready to leave Handley in the day care there. I can walk and do stuff with my hand weights at home and for now that will have to do. I'm afraid to restrict too many calories because I don't want it to affect my milk supply.

Has anyone taken their baby "swimming" yet? Handley loves to splash around in her bath and I want to take her in our pool (just to hang out on the steps or something), but am not sure how the chemicals would affect her?

[daphne]

First of all, I'm sooo jealous of you ladies who have babies who are letting you sleep for more than 3-4 hrs at a time!! I am really looking forward to getting a solid 6hrs of sleep!

StacieLady I'm not sure how much Amelia weighs. She was 12lbs, 4oz at her 1 month appt, so I'm guessing she's somewhere around 14lbs. She's really tall & wide in the belly, though, so she's too long for most of her 3/6 month clothes. When I snap the bottom, it's too tight around her neck, so it can't be comfy...

magrat The 1st pic of you & Eve is gorgeous! What sort of camera do you have? What setting do you use?

I think I have the only baby who hates her carriers. Again, sooo jealous. I'm hoping Amelia will grow into hers.

[Sarah6690]

Don't know how much time I'm going to have to post, so I'll try to make this quick.

grocery shopping I leave him in his carrier on the top part. Mine also snaps onto the back of the cart. He loves sitting there. I usually go to Walmart or something, so it has really high ceilings and he likes looking at the lights.

GA_Gal Yes, fenugreek makes you smell like syrup. I think it's kind of funny though. It could be worse. It could be some horrible odor. I don't know if I will ever be able to eat pancakes again though. :p I just bought something similar to the fold up bouncy seat. I doesn't move or anything though and it has a canapy you can zip up over it. Got it at a garage sale for $10!

steelcitymama I wouldn't worry about not getting up to feed mairin at 4:30. She definately would have woken up all the way if she was really hungry.

magrat That's hilarious about Eve pooping after talking to the dr. When I first read this.
My daughter is a genius. I was worried. I have a friend who thinks her child is the smartest baby that ever lived. I thought you were going to tell a similar story. ;) Oh, she drives me crazy! Cute pictures!

micd I didn't give DS anything before taking him for his shots. I never did it with DS1 either. Maybe I should, but it doesn't seem to be the pain that bothers him. It's more the fussiness that sets in the next few days. As far as the congestion goes. Sawyer was pretty stuffy awhile ago, and his ped told us to use some saline nose drops. We put them in and let them sit for a few minutes, then sucked them out. It worked really well, since the drops broke up everything that was in there.

Well, I should get some work done. I'm so behind at work!

[steelcitymama]

oh, magrat~funny story about eve & the pooping! i meant to ask you, when eve doesn't poop for that long, does she ever seem to get gassy & uncomfortable?? mairin goes a few days in between pooping now and after 2 or 3 days she seems to get kind of gassy. in fact, the day we arrived at the beach, i was nursing her and she was flipping out. she was screaming when i would lay her down to nurse her, which is super uncharacteristic of her. but when i held her upright ,she would stop screaming and then try to desperately latch on to my shoulder. i finally got her into a nursing position where she seemed semi-comfortable and then she let loose with THE most explosive poop ever. seriously, it went everywhere---all over her, me, the pillow she was on, the bedspread, etc.

GA GAL~good question about the swimming. i'm kinda concerned about the chemicals too. was thinking about getting a little baby pool for the backyard? mairin just recently started liking her baths, so i thought it might be fun to try.

smittenk~i don't know if this is the case with you, but i was kind of intimidated by my babyhawk at first. but once i used it a time or two, i totally loved it and has made things like grocery shopping so much more convenient! i hope it works out well for you.

daphne~it sounds like amelia is so tall! how long is she?

so i've had a lot of time to tool around online since we're at the beach. it's so nice to not have a million things to do around the house so that when mairin is snoozing, i can relax! it's been super hot so DH and i have been trading off beach time since it's way too hot for the little one.

tonight we're having a professional picture taken of all the grandkids, on the beach. mairin is the 7th on DH's side of family. it's supposed to be like 97 degrees today and is super humid. the picture is on the beach at 6 PM, i'm praying it's quick. should be interesting with 7 kids under the age of 9...frankly, i'm dreading it. one of our nephews is going to hold mairin, which i'm sure will be fine (but still makes me uneasy), but i keep thinking of sand blowing around on the beach, the sun beating down, and uncooperative toddlers causing this to be a big debacle. we'll see...fingers crossed!

[daphne]

micd I missed your question - yes, I usually gave DS tylenol before his shots. I figured it couldn't hurt to nip the discomfort in the bud a bit. I'll do the same w/DD if I can remember! I'm even less organized that usual now that I have 2 kiddos!

steelcitymama I"m not sure how long Amelia is. I have her 2-mo appt next week, so I'll let you all know! She does seem really long to me, but it's understandable b/c I'm 5'8" and DH is 6'7". Watch, she'll only be 5' when she's all grown up:p!

[magrat]

When I first read this. I was worried. I have a friend who thinks her child is the smartest baby that ever lived. I thought you were going to tell a similar story.

Heh, no, definitely not :) Though definitely a genius pooper...

steelcitymama No, the two weeks between BMs didn't seem to bother her at all. It was plenty loose when it finally came out. I've heard it is quite common among exclusively breastfed babies. I'm certainly not complaining, less mess for me! :)

daphne I checked with DH, and our camera is a Canon Digital Rebel XT. The lens we use most is a Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8 (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-50mm-1-8-Camera-Lens/dp/B00007E7JU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-3043833-6141618?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186585638&sr=8-1). It's great for portraits because it's fixed depth(?), it blurs out the background, and I don't need to fiddle with settings I don't understand at all. It makes me look like a real photographer, but all I'm doing is pointing and shooting. He also has another more complicated one I haven't learned to use yet (and am not sure I ever will).

Some smilings pics (finally!!):

http://lh3.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RrinUdexLgI/AAAAAAAAAvo/PSvjzxwQPPE/Eve%20in%20Great%20Grannie%27s%20dress%20%281%29.j pg?imgmax=720
http://lh4.google.com/BenjaminKitt/RrinItexLfI/AAAAAAAAAvg/0TqNgipVgdU/Eve%20in%20Great%20Grannie%27s%20dress%20%282%29.j pg?imgmax=720
http://lh5.google.com/BenjaminKitt/Rrimi9exLcI/AAAAAAAAAvI/HuORanPFpV8/Eve%20on%20the%20glider.jpg?imgmax=720

She does the same one eye more closed thing my husband has always done, even in his baby pictures! So I guess that means it wasn't caused by brain damage like I thought... :p Yet another way she takes after him instead of me.

[StacieLady]

As I post, my DS is taking a nap! Woo hoo! He has been asleep for almost 2.5 hours! Now, if I could only get him to do it in his crib! :)

I am going back to work on Tuesday. :( It is only for two days a week, but I am still dreading it. *sigh* We will live...And I am sure it will make me appreciate my time with him more!

He is growing so quickly!!! I have a few pictures to share.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/brattonstaciem/IMG_0953.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb9/brattonstaciem/IMG_0958.jpg

[stevesbabygirl]

magrat,
I LOVE that dress Eve is wearing!

Stacie,
Looks how cute and big your little man is!

Here are a few pictures of Owen!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1193/1054178592_47e3aeabcf.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1400/1054178624_cb28bff104.jpg?v=0

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1160/1054178734_82071bbbf7.jpg?v=0

[StacieLady]

magrat - That dress Eve is wearing is so precious!

Heather - Owen is getting big too. I love the face he is making in the first one! I can't believe that Jacob is twice his age! Time flies!

[GA_GAL]

steelcitymama: I hope the big family photo went OK. Even if it was a pain, I'm sure you'll all look back and be happy you had it taken.

Magrat, Stevesbabygirl, Stacielady: Love the photos. Everyone's babies are getting big!

Handley rolled over from her tummy to her back yesterday. I had her on her tummy in the middle of our bed while I used the restroom. I could see her from where I was. I must have looked away for two seconds and when I looked back she was lying on her back. I could have sworn my mind was playing tricks on me because I knew she had started off on her tummy. I rolled her back over and she did it again. I was amazed. She hasn't done it again and I think being on the bed helped. Still I was very excited.

My parents got here this afternoon and are already having so much fun with her. They're going to watch her tomorrow while I get my hair done. It's so nice to have someone around to help since my DH is always traveling during the week.

[Sarah6690]

Love the pictures everyone! Quick post... we had a big storm here on Monday night. My basement flooded. :( We were lucky, both of our neighbors had a least a foot of standing water in theirs, but our basement is finished. And people on the other side of the city, their houses are completely wrecked. It has been a nightmare. We are trying to get the carpet dry before it starts to mold. We're having to pull the carpet up, and suck all of the water out of the padding. But we can't do it all at once, because we don't have anywhere to put the furniture that's down there. So, there will be no camping trip this weekend... and on top of all of that, there's something wrong with DH's car. Not a good week. Hope everyone else is having more luck than we are.

[steelcitymama]

everyone's pictures are SOO cute! i promised myself i was going to post some of mairin once we get home from the beach.

GA GAL~crazy about Handley rolling over! i can't believe it! how exciting. that's really nice that your parents are a good visit and you get some help.

so the big family photo went well...it was actually hilarious, the adults were howling. my SILs went yesterday to view the proofs and we'll be picking up the pictures today. i'm eager to see them.

mairin slept through the night again--third time now. from 830 to 615! she seems to be doing it every other or every second night now. on the nights that she doesn't sleep right through, she just wakes once around 5, so i'm still not complaining!

DH and i went out for a leisurely, delicious dinner last night while all the ILs watched mairin. it was so nice and relaxing, we had a great time. it was also really fun to just shower and put on real clothes and go somewhere nice! we're going out for a big family dinner tonight--7 kids and 5 couples. oh boy!

[magrat]

Sarah Oh no, that's so awful! I would just die if our basement flooded after all the work we put into finishing it! Do you have any help cleaning up the mess?

Eve had great fun on her playmat yesterday, so DH uploaded a video. I thought it was so funny when she was kicking around and said it looked like she was tap dancing, so he titled it Happy Feet :)
http://picasaweb.google.com/BenjaminKitt/Video/photo#5096890534764555842

[daphne]

All of your babies are such cuties!! I need to figure out how to post pics here. I just don't have the patience right now...

magrat Your DH sounds like quite a photographer!! I love the way the lens takes pictures. We have a Nikon D50, but I havent' figured out which settings take the best pics...

sarah6690 I'm so sorry to hear about your basement! :( Ours isnt' finished, but it flooded twice over the past year & it's such a pain!

steelcitymama any chance you'll post some of the beach pictures?

argh - I can hear DS jumping in his room while he should be napping. gotta go be strict. more later!

[daphne]

Whoa!! I'm posting twice, back to back??? That's a record! :p

I have a couple of questions for you ladies...

How are your babes doing w/tummy time? Amelia started off w/really good neck strength, relative to her age, but Ive slacked w/tummy time & now I think she's fallen behind. For the past couple of days, when I put her on her tummy, she holds her head up for only several seconds. Mostly she just cries.

Second: Do your babies ever gnaw on your shoulders or collarbones? It's not a rooting reflex, it's more as if she's a pit bull, chewing on me as if i were a tasty bone. It actually hurt this morning when she chomped down. I'm wondering if she's teethign really early. DH got his 1st tooth at 3 months, so i guess it's possible...

[em1126]

Sarah6690 Hope the basement situation is better!

steelcitymama Hooray for sleeping through the night and a nice leisurely dinner - that sounds so nice . . . :)

How are your babes doing w/tummy time? Aubrey generally tends to hate tummy time, but she does pretty well with it. She holds her head up and occasionally will roll over on to her side. I have to admit that I am a tummy time slacker, too, mostly because she hates it so much. I try to do it at least once a day, but that doesn't always happen.

Do your babies ever gnaw on your shoulders or collarbones? I wouldn't exactly say Aubrey gnaws on my shoulders/collarbone, but she definitely drools all over them! With her, it's more like she's wiping her mouth on me!

Things are still going well here. We had a busy week last week and Aubrey surprised me with how well she did on our outings. It's getting a littleeasier to go out with her now.

[StacieLady]

How are your babes doing w/tummy time? Aubrey generally tends to hate tummy time, but she does pretty well with it. She holds her head up and occasionally will roll over on to her side. I have to admit that I am a tummy time slacker, too, mostly because she hates it so much. I try to do it at least once a day, but that doesn't always happen.

Jacob hates it too. So I am really bad about not doing it. And because of that he has no rolling skills. :) He is really strong in every other way so I feel a little bit guilty for neglecting it, but I know he will learn eventually so I don't worry too much. I have actually read that there is a school of thought that says babies don't really need tummy time until they are able to roll on to their tummies on their own. So, I guess compared to that I am ahead! :)


Do your babies ever gnaw on your shoulders or collarbones? I wouldn't exactly say Aubrey gnaws on my shoulders/collarbone, but she definitely drools all over them! With her, it's more like she's wiping her mouth on me!

Jacob tries to eat my shoulder any time I have him near it. :) His little tongue comes out and he starts to really drool. I don't know if it is just him beginning to explore his world with his mouth or what, but he seems to really like it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We took Jacob to Sears to get his 3 month pictures made today and were there for 3 hours! And I am not exaggerating when I say it was 80 degrees in there! Needless to say we didn't get many good pictures, but we bought a few. We got family shots too and there was only one of me that I liked and in that one DH was making an awful face! However, his birthday is September 6th so I think I might sneak back with just Jacob and I and see if we can get some nicer ones for his birthday.

[Irish Elf]

Ok, I'm actually breaking my lurker status to come in and get in on the tummy time discussion. DD was born with hip dysplasia and was in a brace 24/7 for the first 6 weeks. Now she only wears it at night. She hates tummy time. We didn't really start it until recently. She will lift her head and push back when on my chest but I put her on her tummy and she will turn her head and lift slightly but ma.inly just cries. I asked her ped. and she said she'll catch up but still...

Any ideas on how to make tummy time fun?

She's hitting the markers or exceeding them on many other things so we aren't worried.

As for the chewing/licking, DD does this b/c she's tasting the world. One of the ways babies learn this early is taste (you know the whole if it's in their hands it's going in the mouth). Basically our children are tasting us. Tasting, not basting though sometimes I do thing she is wondering what it would be like to chomp down. :p

[steelcitymama]

hi, everyone! we're back from the beach--made the trek home yesterday. of course mairin slept all day and i was worrying about her nighttime sleep. it ended up not being bad at all, but i was kinda anxious about it all day. today we're going with friends to a nearby farm just outside the city to get a bunch of produce. it's beautiful out, so it should be fun.

sarah~how's the basement situation??

irishelf~glad you broke your lurker status, hope you'll join us!

gnawing on the collarbone/other body parts---no, mairin isn't doing that, though she has most definitely found her own hand and spends lots of time sucking on it. sometimes it's practically her whole fist and other times she gets just her thumb. normally it's her thumb & pointer finger--very cute.

tummy time--mairin doesn't seem to mind it too much. she'll hold her head up for at least 2-3 solid minutes before it slowly starts lowering and then she'll hang out like that for another few min before she starts making some squawks & fussing sounds. it's not her favorite thing, but she seems to tolerate it. it's amazing how hard it makes her work though---when i pick her up afterwards, she's always breathing pretty heavily. re: ways to make it fun...before mairin could hold her head up for any length of time, i'd put her on her tummy & then place a few toys on either side of her head. i'd sit with her and either talk or sing quietly and she'd just turn her head from side to side to look at me/toys and hold her head up a bit. for those whose babies aren't liking it---i'm sure it's no big deal & i wouldn't worry about it.

okay, i seriously need to sit down and figure out how to post pictures. i opened a photobucket account awhile ago for this very purpose, so i should get on it! but first i need to shower..

[GA_GAL]

Sarah6690: I'm so sorry to hear about your basement. I hope you all were able to get things dried out and cleaned up this weekend.

steelcitymama: Glad you had fun on your trip and that the night time sleep wasn't interrupted by the sleeping in the car. I have a question for you. When Mairin wakes up around 6 or so, does she go back to sleep or stay up? Handley's been sleeping until about 6, but goes back to sleep until about 8:30 AM. I'm wondering if I should keep her up at 6 and then put her down for a longer morning nap. Can't wait to see pictures from your trip.

magrat: Great video. It really sounds like she is tapping.

daphne: If Handley's mouth is near my shoulder when I'm holding her she will mouth around on it.

em1126: Glad your outings are getting easier!

StacieLady: I can't believe your pictures took that long! That is just ridiculous. Hopefully you'll get some better shots in a few weeks when you go back.

tummy time: Handley really seems to enjoy tummy time (for short periods of time) and I've found that lying on the floor with her helps. That way she can see me when she lifts up her head and I can encourage her face to face. Also, like steelcitymama said, I put colorful toys (some with lights and mirrors) around her and she seems to be interested in those too.

My parents left this morning and I was sad, but I'll be going to NC to visit them in just a week and 1/2, so it wasn't too bad seeing them go. Handley has been a lot of fun this weekend. I think she just discovered her tongue because she sticks it out all the time now and loves to copy when other people stick theirs out. Also, her smiles are getting bigger and bigger. Before it was like she was trying to figure out how to smile, but now her whole face lights up...it just melts my heart!

Has anyone else gotten their period yet? I'm pretty sure that's what is going on with me (my PP bleeding stopped several weeks ago). I just thought that bfing exclusively would keep it away for some time. I also just started the mini-pill this past week. Wonder if that could have anything to do with it?

[Sarah6690]

Once again, I only have a few minutes. Work has just been so busy lately. We did get the basement cleaned up. We ended up having to rip all the carpet and padding out since it was starting to smell and wasn't drying at all. DH is really bummed, since it was pretty much his space. But at least it's done. We ended up going camping this weekend. It was a lot of fun! Sawyer loved being outside so much. The only problem was that it stormed really bad Saturday night. They weren't calling for any rain all weekend, so it really caught us off guard. At about 2 in the morning, DH and I were running around trying to pick up everything in the rain. They he had to go help his brother put the rain cover on his tent. So I was sitting in our tent with the two boys listening to all the rain, wind, thunder, and lightning. It was pretty scary. My only thought was that a tree was going to fall on the tent. I thought about taking them to the car, but it was raining SO hard, I didn't want to take them out. We came home pretty early Sunday, since everything was soaked and we couldn't get a fire started. Sorry, no time for SO's, I'll try to get back later to do them.

[steelcitymama]

GA GAL~ mairin normally goes right back to sleep when she wakes up at 6. she normally eats & passes right out again and i can't even keep her up if i try! i guess to her it's still an extension of her nighttime sleep. in fact she's sleeping now, which is kinda odd...she slept from 830P to 615A, i fed her and she went back to sleep until 815A, which is typical. but normally then she's up for awhile. but this morning she only stayed up and played for about 15 min before she fell asleep after eating! so she's been sleeping again since 9A and it's now 10:10. i guess she's particularly sleepy today?? i know just what you mean about handley's smile lighting up her whole face. isn't it the best!? i haven't gotten my period yet, though i've had some intermittent super light AF light pains in my stomach over the past week or so. ?? but nothing more than that. i wonder if it is the mini pill???

stacielady~what a bummer about the pictures taking forever! i can't believe that. you must have been so frustrated.

sarah~i'm so sorry to hear all the carpeting had to go. :( i can't believe your camping trip got rained out! i would have been scared in the tent with a terrible storm too, that's for sure!

[StacieLady]

Jacob just rolled over! :) We were kind of cheating because he was on the bed and we have a memory foam topper. Once he started rolling a little his shoulder sunk in and made it very easy, but still! :)

I just happened to have laid him on the bed so I could put new batteries in the charger from the camera so I had the camera in my hand and was able to record it. :D

[magrat]

Eve had her two month well baby doctor appointment today. She weighed 11lb 8oz (though she had a cloth diaper on, so that wasn't quite accurate) which is 75th percentile, and was 24 1/4" which is 95th percentile!! At her last appointment she was 25% for both. I guess I wasn't crazy thinking she was getting really long! Her head circumference was 30th percentile, so I guess she got my small head rather than her dad's huge one :)

She also got her shots, poor baby. I ended up deciding to skip the hepatitis shot and the rotavirus, but it turned out her pediatrician doesn't even give rotavirus! So we were in agreement there. I decided to go ahead with the other ones because I don't feel I have enough knowledge about them to go against medical advice. We're also going to be traveling on an airplane at Christmas and I always get sick on flights so I figured there was a risk factor there... Anyway, it was a tough decision because I do like doing things the natural way. She did not like the shots at all. I tried to nurse her through them, but she was so upset she couldn't stay latched on. I didn't cry though :)

Then we went to the passport office and renewed mine and got one for her. Not easy getting a good photo, but easier than the 1 year old who got his after her.

[Smittenk]

We're also going to be traveling on an airplane at Christmas and I always get sick on flights so I figured there was a risk factor there...

good thing you posted that magrat! we are taking two long trips...one next month and again in october and I was going to delay some of the vaccines at Connor's 2 month appt. I don't think I will now though...I get sick after flying too and I don't want to risk that.


Happy 3 months to Jacob, Stacielady!! I can't believe your little guy is 3 months and I am celebrating 7 weeks today with Connor :)

[Irish Elf]

I cried when DD got her shots. Our ped. said she wouldn't remember past the door but she cried till we were almost at the car. I was crying and everyone kept looking at us until they spied her bright bandaids. Then they realized it was OK and I wasn't a bad parent. :o She ran a slight fever and was sleepy but other than that she's fine. Now I don't feel so paranoid when she has her orthopedic visits (we were going every week). Until she got her shots I would cringe everytime we had to wait. I could just see the germs creeping toward her.

I hesitate to use her name b/c then people could figure out who I am and then it's all over when MIL finds out what I've said about her ;)...but ok, for y'all...Eleanor Grace is finally getting the hang of tummy time. I have to time it right but yesterday she didn't howl. Of course once she got her head in the position she liked she decided she was done and stared at the imaginary elves playing on the wall. But for 3 minutes she did "do" tummy time.

Sunday we had our first swim. I was worried b/c she's not fond of her baths, but as long as I was holding her she was content. I hope to take her alot before it gets too cold so she is used to the water. My sister started out really early and was an incredible swimmer; here's hoping Ellie Grace got her swim genes.

[magrat]

Eve had a very bad afternoon today :( Most of the day she was either nursing, crying or sleeping, no happy awake time. But around 4:30 she had a complete meltdown, I have never heard her scream and cry so loud and inconsolably, like I was torturing her. She couldn't even latch on she was crying so hard. So my friend who was visiting at the time rushed out to by infant tylenol and we gave that to her. I was afraid she wouldn't swallow it, but she loved it! It was grape flavor and sweet, and the first thing she tasted other than breast milk. Those were the only smiles of the day. She had another meltdown a half hour ago, but not *quite* as bad as the first one. My poor baby :( She had such a good day the day before her shots. I felt so bad that I was going to screw everything up by giving her shots when it was going so well, and that's what happened. I hope she doesn't have too bad a night and feels better tomorrow.

[em1126]

magrat Hope Eve's doing better. Aubrey has one of those days every now and then, too. They're hard!

It's been quiet in this thread lately! Not too much going on here . . . I took Aubrey to my old office today to visit some of my former co-workers. This is the first time they've seen her when she hasn't been fussy. She even managed to crank out a few smiles for them! I think all the adoration wore her out, though - she's pretty much been sleeping since we got home. Aubrey got her first professional pictures taken at Target a couple weeks ago and I get to go pick them up this afternoon, so I'm really excited about that. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

[stevesbabygirl]

Hello ladies! I've been such a slacker in here lately, I'm sorry!

Owen is doing awesome! He's smiling a ton and starting to coo as well. I just love it! He has his two month appointment on August 29th, and I am so dreading it. I used to think it was ridiculous for moms to cry when their babies got shots, but when he got his hepatitis shot in the hospital, I was bawling. I'm hoping that was just some baby blues, and that I won't cry at his appointment.

[GA_GAL]

Sarah6690: Sorry your camping trip was cut short because of the rain...hopefully the situation with your basement is getting under control.

steelcitymama: Thanks for the info on the sleeping. When Handley wakes around 6 she goes back to sleep too and I was just wondering if that was normal or if you started your day at that time.

StacieLady: Yea for Jacob rolling over on the bed! Handley did that a few weeks ago, but hasn't done it again since. Hopefully he'll keep it up.

magrat: Sorry Eve had a bad day...hopefully she's better now.

Irish Elf: Glad that she "did" tummy time. Every little bit is probably good for her. Also, it's great that she liked her swim. I've been wanting to take Handley in our pool, but wanted to wait until I talked to her ped. first. Her 2 month apt. is next week, so I guess I'll talk to him then.

em1126: How fun that your co-workers got to visit with Aubrey. I bet she loved it. Hope your pictures turned out good. I'm getting some of Handley done in a few weeks and can't wait. What did you have Aubrey wear for her photos? I'm still trying to decide.

stevesbabygirl: Glad Owen is doing some fun things now...I love listening to Handley "talk" to us.

It has been quiet around here this week. We've had a good week. I had a lunch play date at my house on Tuesday with some friends and we had such a good time. The babies seemed to enjoy seeing one another and the moms really had a good time.

Handley has been sleeping great this week. The past two nights she's slept 11 hours...from 8:30 to 7:30. She's usually very fussy in the evenings because she's tired. I could probably put her to sleep at 6:30 or 7pm, but don't want her bedtime to be that early (DH would never see her). I've tired to let her take a little mini-nap around 6:30 just to stretch out her bedtime.

Today I used a store credit I had at USA BABY and got the Bebe Pod with the tray and also a high chair (the kind that just sits on one of your kitchen chairs). I can't wait for her to use her bebe pod. She has pretty good head/neck control right now, so I think she'll probably use it in the next few weeks.

Also, I had some clothes that we'd gotten as gifts that I wanted to exchange at the mall. I was able to get some really cute dresses for next summer that were on sale.

I can't believe she's 2 months today!!! Time is flying. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

[StacieLady]

GA_GAL - Jacob hasn't come close to rolling over again, so I think maybe it was a fluke. :) We got out our bumbo the other day and Jacob has sat in it a little. I don't think he is quite ready. He has good head control if he is vertical, but in the seat he tends to lean back a little and that is just a little too much for his neck. :) It is fun to see him sit though!

Heather - I hope the shots go well. Our nurse was really quick which made it so much easier. She had all her syringes ready before she started, so she was able to do all 4 in less than 10 seconds. That way, it was only a matter of seconds before I could grab him and start to soothe him. That seemed to make a big difference (mostly for me I am sure). Give him some Tylenol before you go. That will help too.

[steelcitymama]

hi, ladies!

just a quick post to drop off some pics (or attempt to, at least) and say hello. sounds like everyone is doing well..this week has been going well and has had lots of activity---friends in from out of town, sing along @ the library, a few baby & me yoga classes, a baseball game, etc. i'll be back tomorrow for SOs and to write more. have a good weekend!

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/P8100053.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/P8080034.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/P8050009.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/P7260040.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w176/kmmckechnie/P8100058.jpg

ETA---sorry these are huge--i have no idea how to re-size them!

[StacieLady]

sorry these are huge--i have no idea how to re-size them!

It is really easy. When you open the picture in photobucket just above the picture over the left corner there is a "resize" button. Then you can just choose the size you want.

[GA_GAL]

stacielady: I think I might go get the bebe pod out now to see how she likes it. :-)

steelcitymama: Love your photos from the beach. Mairin is beautiful and looks so cute in all her clothes. I have to know where you found that bathing suit. We're going to visit my parents at the beach next week and I've been searching for a small bathing suit. The only ones I've found have been 9-12 month sizes.

[steelcitymama]

GA GAL~ thanks so much for the compliments--we think she's pretty cute! :P
i found the bathing suit at the gap, but it was back in may...a bunch of their cute summer things were on sale (oddly, since it was spring??). i bought a pair of trunks and a bathing suit since we didn't know what we were having!

[GA_GAL]

Thanks for the info steelcitymama. I looked on their website and couldn't find them, so I doubt they have anymore. I think I'll probably just put her in a onesie to go for a "swim." Did you get Mairin in the pool while you were at the beach? If so, did you use a swim diaper?

[L&D Nurse]

Hi All!

Well, our 4-day trip to see my family on the west coast turned into an 18-day trip! Thomas and I were having a great time and DH was super busy at work, so I kept pushing back our return trip. We finally came home Saturday night. The plane trips were OK, not horrible, but not super easy. It will definitely be a while before I attempt that again by myself. I'll be back later with a recap and some updates. Good to see that everyone is doing well.

[magrat]

GA_GAL I know Baby Gap came out with a new swim suit (it was brown with flowers, but different from Mairin's) at the beginning of August, so I would check the store if I were you.

L&D I'd love to hear any advice you have regarding flying with an infant.

Eve ended up having two really bad days following her shots, and one moderately bad day. Now she's back to normal, but it was pretty rough.

She's really grown out of a lot of clothes. Not surprising I guess, but it is amazing nonetheless. She has grown so much. She's 75% for weight, but she really doesn't have a big belly or thighs, so I think it's probably just that she's so tall, there's just more of her! I think it's great that she's growing so well, but I already miss my little 19 incher. She was certainly easier to carry around then anyway!

[magrat]

I know there is already a thread about halloween costumes, but it is a bit different for our little babies - anyone pick out one yet?

[em1126]

I just wanted to pop in really quick to say Aubrey passed her f/u for her newborn hearing screening - hooray! :) I was so stressed about this and I'm so glad it's over and she passed.


I know there is already a thread about halloween costumes, but it is a bit different for out little babies - anyone pick out one yet?

I haven't even thought about it yet, but I definitely am going to dress her up. I'm looking forward to hearing about everyone else's ideas.

L&D Nurse Welcome back!

[LoveBeingAMommy]

Magrat, I would really like the twins to be Thing 1 and Thing 2 and have Reagan dress up as the Cat in the Hat. She has other ideas and wants to be a tiger, so we may have a lion, a tiger, and a bear...Oh my!

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen is going to be a giraffe for Halloween; we found this cute costume at BRU :).

Stacie,
Ooh, I hope our nurse is that fast, I want to get them done and over with as quickly as possible.

Owen is still in newborn stuff, and can wear some 3 month stuff, which I find so odd because he's not a tiny baby!

[GA_GAL]

L&D Nurse: Glad you were able to extend your trip...sounds like you all had a lot of fun. I too would like to hear about air travel with a little one. We'll be flying in Dec.

magrat: I'll have to check out Baby Gap...thanks for that tip. Glad Eve is back to her normal self again. We have our shots tomorrow and I'm not too excited about it. :-(

em1126: Glad Aubrey passed her test...I know you are happy about that.

stevesbabygirl: I think all of the sizing on baby clothes is weird. Handley is just now wearing her 3 month clothes. Even though she'd outgrown the weight ranges for some of her newborn clothes, they still fit her until recently. She's still wearing the carters newborn onesies though.

I had another fun play date today. Some of my friends and I met at this indoor a/c playground place. Obviously Handley was too little to enjoy the slides and swings, but it was fun to be there with the other moms and kids. We went to lunch after which was fun too. I'm starting to realize I'm really going to miss my friends here when we move.

Her 2 month check-up is tomorrow. Although I'm excited about seeing how much she's grown and talking with her dr., I'm not looking forward to the shots. I'm driving to NC (9-10 hour drive) to visit my parents on Thursday, so I'm hoping she'll still sleep a lot in the car.

I've thought about Halloween costumes, but haven't decided on anything yet...this site has a lot of baby costumes.
http://www.anniescostumes.com/chnewtod.htm

and I think these are cute...
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/31W2MF3CR7L._AA280_.jpg

http://anniescostumes.com/ru885352sm.jpg

http://anniescostumes.com/ms28119.jpg

And these just make me laugh...

http://anniescostumes.com/for59157.jpg


http://anniescostumes.com/for59156.jpg

[Smittenk]

Steelcitymama Mairin is beautiful!! Love her little bathing suit. We just bought Connor a little swim diaper and a pair of babybanz...Can't wait for him to wear them!

Halloween costume - We got one from Gymboree in the sales in January!! It is a bunting bag and looks like a beaver.

[Sarah6690]

Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. We've had so much go wrong lately, that it's beginning to get to me. So I already told you that our basement flooded. Well, that same day, DH's car broke down. He's a mechanic so he is fixing it himself. However he's doing it at home and it pretty much hasn't stopped raining for 2 weeks. Then, this last Sunday... our basement floods AGAIN! :mad: This time, it was just pouring out of the floor drain. In about 10 minutes, we had 3" of water in there. Come to find out, down the road in one of the main pipes, there was a clog. So it took them 2 hours to fix that and then the water started going away. In the meantime, we've hooked up 3 pumps to try to get rid of the water, but they weren't fast enough. So now, after losing our carpet from the time before, most of our furniture is ruined. Oh wait, I've got one more thing... on top of all of this... DS was supposed to start Kindergarten today, but the teachers went on strike! :eek: This is the second time in 3 years. Now, I completely agree with the teachers in this case. They took a wage freeze 3 years ago when the school district had no money. Now they do, and don't want to give them a fair raise. It is one of the better school systems in the area, with the lowest paid teachers. Anyway, sorry I'm done complaining now. I'll try to get back later for SO's.

[micd]

Sarah6690 - Sorry to hear about all the craziness in your life right now. I hope everything settles down for you soon :)

I love all of the baby pictures! I want to post some pictures from snapfish, but they are really small.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I'll try to do a quick update!

Sara had her 2 month appt yesterday. She is now 10 lbs 8 oz, 22 inches, and head is 39 cm. She's 50th percentile for everything, which is great considering she was 10 percentile at 2 weeks. So now she is pretty much an average size baby. :D

Shots were not as bad as I thought! She cried, but didn't scream red-faced like I thought she would. I didn't cry myself, so that is good. :p

She is really starting to sleep well at night (which is a total breath of fresh air for me considering the beginning was rough). She usuall does about 5-6 hours before waking. She is still sleeping right now which puts her at almost 11 hours of sleep, with one night waking to eat. Two nights ago, she did 10 1/2 hours with no waking at all!! I was worried when I woke up before she did that morning! ;)

Naps are another story. She usually does one long nap of about 3 hours everyday, but that's pretty much it. I really need to work on implimenting a little more structure with naps, since there is none right now.

Breastfeeding is going so much better. We are pretty much off the nipple shield, except for occassional freak-outs! My milk supply was still low, so I am still taking fenugreek and pumping, but also have a prescription for Reglan. It has helped a little. I think that I am realizing that she is gaining weight well and having lots of diapers so I need to stop worrying about whether or not I am producing enough.

That is about it! I do check in here often to keep up with everyone, but just don't seem to always have time to post (I know you all know what I mean!)

Take care!!!

[daphne]

sarah6690You are sooo due for some good news! I'm sorry to hear of all the crappy things happening to you!

micd I'm glad that everything is going well!!

Halloween Costume Don't know yet. I've been checking out the costumes at ON, Target, & C'sP, but haven't found anything yet that I love. DS is going to be a pink elephant :o, so I might try to coordinate with that.

We had Amelia's 2-month appt today (about a week and 1/2 late). She weighs 15lbs 8oz, and is 24 1/2 inches tall. I actually thought she'd weigh a little more, but I'm not complaining! I didn't do any shots today - I think I'm going to delay/space some of them, but hadn't done enough research to make a proper decision yet.

[steelcitymama]

thanks for the compliments on mairin, smitten!

sarah, i'm so sorry to hear about your string of bad luck. i hope things are looking up. :)

micd~so great that BFing is going so well---sounds like sara is growing a ton and definitely getting lots of great milk from you. i bet you're happy to be off the nipple shield too. and her sleeping sounds great!

mairin's 2 mo WBV was rescheduled for the week after next. the dr she was going to see was really sick so we rescheduled. i'm so curious to see how much she's grown, but i was happy to put off the immunizations...though i know it's just postponing the inevitable.

everything is going well here...mairin is still sleeping 11 hrs/night for which i am super grateful! she takes little naps throughout the day, but nothing significant. i have noticed that on thursdays she normally does take a longer nap in the afternoon, which is interesting b/c thurs AMs are really busy for us. we go to yoga and then straight to the library for a baby sing along and then somtimes out to lunch. i think it's so much stimulation that she comes home and crashes! normally our days are MUCH more laid back.

poor kid has a cold. :( she got pretty congested yesterday and late this afternoon she started feeling warm/looking kinda flushed. i took her temp and she had a low fever. she was super tired so we put her to bed early.

stacielady~i know we both posted in the BF thread re: pumping when returning to work. how is it going for you???

speaking of returning to work...is anyone who is returning soon completely dreading it or am i the only one?? and for those of you who are back already, how is it going? i'm 100% dreading it. :( thankfully i'll be able to work from home 2 days a week, so i'm really happy about that aspect of it.

alright, hope everyone is doing well!

[micd]

daphne - I'd be really interested to read your thoughts on delaying/spacing vaccines. I was thinking about it myself, but haven't done any research either.

[steelcitymama]

i would be too, daphne!

[Smittenk]

everything is going well here...mairin is still sleeping 11 hrs/night for which i am super grateful! she takes little naps throughout the day, but nothing significant. i have noticed that on thursdays she normally does take a longer nap in the afternoon, which is interesting b/c thurs AMs are really busy for us. we go to yoga and then straight to the library for a baby sing along and then somtimes out to lunch. i think it's so much stimulation that she comes home and crashes! normally our days are MUCH more laid back.

Sorry Mairin is under the weather...hopefully she will sleep it off. It is so funny how different babies are. If I kept Connor up longer than 2 hours he would be a total cranky pants and not fun to be around at all. I took him to his first Baby Yoga class on Wednesday and by the end of it he was completely wiped. It can be frustrating when I am trying to get things done and run errands so I am hoping he sorts out his schedule soon.

Delaying Vaccinations
I was recommended This Book (http://www.amazon.com/What-Doctor-About-Childrens-Vaccinations/dp/0446677078/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3528258-4407807?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187707879&sr=8-1) by a friend. I haven't had a chance to read it yet though.

[steelcitymama]

smitten~ oh, mairin definitely catnaps during our outings! like connor, she will be totally cranky if she doesn't. however, it is definitely harder for her to fall asleep when we're out & about. thanks for the link to that book-i'm going to check it out.

[Smittenk]

smitten~ oh, mairin definitely catnaps during our outings! like connor, she will be totally cranky if she doesn't. however, it is definitely harder for her to fall asleep when we're out & about. thanks for the link to that book-i'm going to check it out.

You're welcome! aahhh..I was beginning to think your daughter was made of steel!...or my son was a sleepy, grumpy pants, LOL!

[GA_GAL]

Sarah6690: So sorry to hear about your run of bad luck...hopefully things will turn around for you soon.

micd: So glad to hear that all things are going well for you and Sara. I know you must be enjoying your sleep!

daphne: Glad her apt. went well. She is a growing girl!!!

steelcitymama: Sorry you are dreading going back to work. I would be the same way if I was getting ready to go back. Who will keep Mairin when you are working? Hope she gets over her cold soon.

Delaying Vaccinations: I don't feel like I've got enough information to make an educated decision about not getting the shots. Don't most school systems require proof of immunizations before they will let kids start Kindergarten?

Handley's 2 mo. check up was on Wed. She weighs 11 lbs. 9 oz. and 23 1/2 inches long. Up 4 lbs and 3 inches since birth. She got her shots and I'd never seen her scream the way she did...it was so sad for me to watch. She was a little fussy the rest of that day, but not as bad as I was expecting. We came up to NC to visit my parents on Thursday and she slept almost the entire time (10 hour drive) except when we stopped so I could feed her. She did well sleeping that night when we got here, but yesterday her nappping schedule was all wacky. Today she seems to be back on track...thank goodness! She is so fussy if she doesn't get her good naps during the day.

She's still sleeping around 9-11 hours at night, which has been great. I've started pumping before going to bed so that I'm not so uncomfortable in the morning and so that I can build up a freezer supply to mix with cereal when she starts that.

Yesterday I took her in the pool for the first time and she really seemed to like it. I can't wait to go again!

[daphne]

delaying vax I read/own the book that smittenk posted. I've heard that it's a good intro book on the topic, but I've yet to delve deeper. I've been reading the posts on the mothering website about vaxing & it's really interesting. I try to not get too caught up, but it's hard not to, once you start researching. Just an fyi. DS was vaxed on schedule, except he hasn't received his MMR yet, so i was pretty mainstream w/him. DD didn't receive her hep b at the hospital b/c i didn't feel she was high risk enough to warrant it at such a young age. I'll most likely start vaxing at her 4-mo appt, but selectively. I just haven't decided where to begin. Unfortunately, her ped only offers the pediarix vax (which is a 5-in-one. ugh). I'm sure the risks are very low in vaxing, in terms of reactions, etc..I just didn't feel compelled to start giving her vaxes right away.

[steelcitymama]

thanks for the info, daphne, very interesting.

i'm eager to read the book that you & smitten recommended. i barely know anything about vaxing but i believe that the ones with thimerisol are the combination ones, correct? like the MMR and other combos...from the little i've read, they still put the mercury in as a preservative for those combination shots.

[daphne]

There can be thimerisol in the flu shots, too. It's such a complicated, controversial topic - you girls are inspiring me to keep researching!

[StacieLady]

steelcitymama - Thank you for asking! It has gone pretty well so far. He eats 12 oz and day and I have been able to pump 12 oz a day. :) I am not building up a stash...but I am not loosing ground either. :)

[steelcitymama]

stacielady~great news! sounds like you're able to keep up with him really well. how much does he generally eat at one time? just curious how much jacob (and all the other babies!) roughly eat at once, if they're being bottle fed. according to the kellymom estimator, my best guess is that mairin is eating a little over 3 oz at a time. i know it obviously varies from feeding to feeding, but i've been freezing in 3 oz quantities so far.

GA GAL~so sad that handley screamed so badly! but i guess i'd rather have that and just a slightly fussy baby than the other way around. :) as for the situation when i go back to work---i'll work from home 2 days a week (thank god) and be in the office 3 days. a friend's sister is an elem ed teacher who has a 7 mos old baby and is taking the next school year off. she is going to watch mairin 2 days a week, which is wonderful. i feel totally comfortable and won't have to worry about the care she is getting. then on fridays, my mom & my MIL will switch off watching her. so all in all, i'm really pleased with the way it will work out, but i'm still dreading it. :(

[StacieLady]

steelcitymama - Jacob gets three 4oz bottles a day. I checked the Kellymom site and it said 3.25-4.25 so I figured I would aim at 4 to be safe. (He is about 17 lbs now so I know he eats well!) I only have a single pump since I am at work 2 days a week. I only feed Jacob from one side at each feeding, so when I pump them both at once at work they average different amounts. It took me a while to work out getting the storage bags all evenly filled at work. I can usually get 4.5-5 from one and 3.5-4 from the other at lunch. So, I ended up getting a cheep 9 oz bottle that fits my pump and then I pour out into the bags what I need. And then I pump one more time during the day just enough to make it to 12oz. I have been pretty pleased so far. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to keep up, but I have done pretty well! :)

[stevesbabygirl]

Owen had his 2-month well-baby visit today! Here are his stats:

Weight - 12lb 14oz (up from 10lb 5oz)
Height - 23 1/2 inches (up from 22 inches)
Head circumference - 40cm (up from 38cm)

He's growing by leaps and bounds, yay! He got 3 shots today (one of the shots is a combo, so he only needed 3 instead of 4), and despite the fact that he screamed at first, it only lasted a minute or two, and then he was fine. What a champ! I'm happy to say that I made it through without crying, yay me! He fell asleep in the car on the way home, which was only about a 5 minute drive.

I asked the doctor about Owen's wandering eyes and he said that as long as the light shines on the same place in each eye, he's fine. It tends to happen after naps, so maybe he's just too sleepy still. Owen also has a mild umbilical hernia, so we'll be keeping an eye on that.

[magrat]

Threadmistress, you can update my age to 28.

Eve is starting school Sept 14th :sniff: they grow up so fast ;) I just signed up for ECFE (early childhood family education). We go every Friday and play with toys, sing songs, and the parents have a discussion. It sounds so fun, I'm really looking forward to it. It's a 0-6 months class, so we'll be right in the middle.

daphne If your ds is going as a pink elephant, your dd must go as a peanut! http://www.buycostumes.com/Category/0/Product/31035/ProductDetail.aspx?REF=AFC-datafeed&AID=10273928&PID=2100672&SID=NAT449422-sc2443179

[daphne]

magrat That costume is adorable! I just showed it to DH & got the thumbs up. I might just do it, though I'm drawn to the idea of something a little girlier. I could just put pink tights on her or something....
Have fun at school! I miss those sweet new baby groups where all the mommies can sit around & chat. It's a whole 'nother story w/a toddler in tow. :rolleyes:

[Smittenk]

Connor had his 2 month well baby appointment today!

He checked out well and did ok with the vax. He did cry out in pain which was really hard for me to hear but I comforted him and he was ok a minute later. I didn't cry but I did feel a little ill about it.

He is now 11lbs 1oz (50th percentile) and 23.5" long (75th percentile).

He is going to be making his first trip soon...we are leaving in a week to see our families in Canada and then house hunting in DC (we are moving there in October). Our outbound flight is brutal...with the connections it will be 20 hours :eek: but thankfully we bought Connor a seat so we will be bringing his Marathon....I just hope he sleeps...and I hope I will be relaxed enough to nurse him (I am a terrible flyer).

I'll let you know how it goes when we get back.

OOh and can you think some good thoughts for Mexicobride....her puppy, Marley, died this week. :(

[magrat]

I've been so busy lately. The State Fair has been going on and I went 4 times this year! We live a mile away and I love it, but a couple times it was kind of hard to get up the energy to go, even though I knew I'd enjoy it once I was there. At least I can say I got my fill of it this year! On Wednesday we're leaving for WI Dells, so things aren't really going to slow down until after we get back. It hasn't helped that dd is going through a growth spurt and has been waking up every few hours at night again. It must be a growth spurt because she's getting so long, I measured her this morning and she seemed to be around 26 1/2"! She's going to outgrow her 0-6 month Zutano sleepers really soon. She's recently started disliking being held by DH. She'll be very happy and I'll take the opportunity to pass her to DH for some father/daughter time, and she'll immediately start crying. It's sad, but I know it's just a phase.

[steelcitymama]

hey, ladies!

sounds like everyone is doing well and all the babes are growing. i know a couple of the other june mommies have posted about this in the BF thread, but mairin definitely seems to be going through some sort of growth spurt. also, she has a cold. she had one and it seemed to be on its way out, but it came back full force and she's really stuffy again. :( at any rate, she's been getting up once @ night to eat again, which she hasn't done in several weeks. last night, we actually had a really hard time gettng her to go back down after she got up around 4 AM to eat. she has always just passed out after a midnight feeding. we ended up having to resurrect the swaddle which we haven't used in about a month.

we've been on the move this past week quite a bit..lots of activity each day--more than either of us was used to, i think! she took it in stride and did really well. one day she was up for *hours* while we were out & about and she had a bit of a meltdown in the afternoon which was quite atypical.

we have her 2 mo WBV this thurs (ha, she'll be a few days shy of 3 mos--the appt had to be rescheduled), i'm curious to see what she weighs.

smittenk~glad that connor's appt went so well and that he took his vaccinations in stride.

magrat~sounds like you guys have been keeping busy & that eve is growing quite a bit.

[em1126]

steelcitymama Hope Mairin's cold goes away soon!

magrat That's interesting about the State Fair. I have some friends who just recently moved to Minnesota and they were just telling me how big the State Fair is there. I'm from the Midwest and I really miss that kind of stuff - it's not so big down here!

Smittenk Hope your trip goes/went well and please give my condolences to Mexicobride.

Aubrey has been doing really well with holding her head up, tummy time, etc., but feedings have been somewhat of a nightmare for about the past week. She typically takes 6 4-oz bottles of EBM a day, but recently she has just flat-out refused at least part of 1-2 bottles a day. She is still getting almost the full amount I think she should have, but it's been a struggle. She'll usually take 2-2.5 oz. and then just start screaming, arching her back, writhing, etc. and won't calm down for a while (~an hour). Teething? Acid reflux? Ear infection? I have no idea, but I think I'll call the ped on Tuesday if it continues to be a problem. Hope everyone's having a good weekend.

[magrat]

em1126 We're passionate about our State Fair here. DH uploaded a few pics.

http://kitt.smugmug.com/photos/191010063-M.jpg

http://kitt.smugmug.com/photos/191012218-M.jpg

http://kitt.smugmug.com/photos/191015600-M.jpg

For some reason he never gets pics of me holding her, though I spend practically all day doing that. He almost cropped me out of the sheep pic before I stopped him - he obviously was trying not to get me in the shot at all when he took it, kind of hard when I'm wearing her :rolleyes: I'm starting to get insulted :p

I just bought a bumbo seat today. My mom talked me out of registering for one because it was expensive and she didn't see the point, but I've been increasingly worried about Eve getting a flat head, so it's a place to put her that doesn't require her to lie down. Plus she is enjoying being sat upright more and more. She can only stand it a couple minutes right now before she gets tired and wants out, but I think it's going to do wonders for her upper body strength. I just wish it would help her arm strength, she's really not able to push herself up at all, although she has great neck control. How are the other 3 month olds doing?

What else is new....She's liking the pacifier less and less, it may be a good time to stop, though it does work in calming her occasionally. I just ordered the cutest board books from Amazon so I can start reading to her more - Ollie, Gossie, Hippos Go Bersek, and Pajama Time, as well as Baby Signs so I can start doing that. She has made a huge regression in sleep. I was thrilled when she started edging towards 6-7 hours straight over a week ago, but now she's back down to three hour or less stretches :( It's not doing me any good and it has stopped any idea I had of weaning her from swaddling or transitioning her to the crib (I hadn't done those things, so that's not the cause). It's been too long now to really blame a growth spurt, and she's not eating any more during the day than usual.

So what's new with everyone else?

[GA_GAL]

steelcitymama: It sounds like the woman who will be keeping Mairin is very qualified. When do you start back? Is Mairin still waking in the night? Handley is still getting up to eat around 4 or 5.

stevesbabygirl: Glad Owen had a great apt. He certainly is growing!!!

magrat: The class you signed Eve up for sounds like fun. As soon as we get moved I want to find something like that for us to go to. I love your pictures...looks like you all enjoyed the fair. Handley sort of weaned herself from the paci. She will only take it when she is very tired and ready for sleep. It helps her fall asleep so that is the only time I'm using it. Which baby signs book did you get. When do you plan on starting? I've read that around 4-5 months is a good time and really want to do it with Handley.

Smittenk: Good luck with that long flight. When do you all leave? Hopefully he'll do great and you will be so focused on him that you will be calm too.

em1126: Sorry I can't be of any help with the eating situation for Aubrey. I'd love to hear what your ped. says though. It's weird that she would eat part of it and then get so upset. Let us know what they say.

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. I was up in Wilmington NC visiting my family. It was such a nice visit and I loved getting to introduce Handley to all of my relatives. She also got to visit the beach for the first time and swim in the pool. The beach was too bright for her little eyes. I need to start putting her sunglasses on her more so that she'll be able to stand wearing them. I had a hat on her, but that didn't block all the bright sun. She really seemed to like the pool and I can't wait to take her in ours here at home.

It was a long drive (10 hours) but on our drive home we left around 6 pm. We only had to stop once around 9 for her to eat and she slept the rest of the way which was nice.

We *think* we've sold our house and are so excited. We're just waiting to hear back from the buyers on the last counter offer. The closing would be less than a month away so I've got to get busy to hire movers, find us a new house in Atlanta, etc.

Handley is doing so many fun things now and I'm loving the age she's at. She smiles and talks to us all the time and is constantly wanting to look around and see everything. I've been reading to her from day one, but she seems very interested in the books and pictures now. She will smile and coo at the animals, etc.

I have been putting her in the Bebe pod the past few days and she really seems to like it. Like Magrat said, she had been wanting to sit upright more and more. When I prop her up in a reclining position on the couch or on my knees, she pulls her neck forward to try to sit upright. She even does it in her bath tub and car seat. I got the seat with the tray attachment and she really likes looking at and playing with the toy on the tray.

She was sleeping through the night 8:30-6:30 for a while now, but just this past week started waking around 4 AM to eat. I guess it might be a little growth spurt, but I'm not sure. The past two mornings that I went to get her from the crib, she had her thumb in her mouth. She seemed to be trying to get it in there for a month or so now, but finally figure it out.

Handley used to love riding in the stroller, but the past few days she's been crying on our walks. I'm not quite sure why, but she's got to get over it because that is my main form of exercise right now.

[steelcitymama]

hey everyone...i've been wanting to post for the past few days, but have been so busy! it sounds like everyone else has been too.

em~how is the eating situation going w/ aubrey??

GA GAL~i hope everything works out with the house sale! that is fantastic news. i can't believe you're doing all that--selling, buying, packing, etc, on top of being a mom! sounds like your trip to visit family was fun.

magrat~i just pulled out our bumbo seat yesterday and mairin really likes it too. like you & GA GAL commented, she's really liking to be upright and has great neck strength. oh---i think you mentioned that eve didn't love tummy time...one fun way that might make her more receptive is to lay her on your belly/chest. that way she's on you & can look at you, but still uses her arms and neck to hold herself up. just a thought?

so we had her 2 mo WBV yesterday (though she's a few days shy of 12 weeks!) and she weighs 11 lbs 12 oz. her head had grown 2 inches and so had her body. she's found her thumb and generally uses that if she needs help to fall asleep so we rarely use the paci anymore. she's also doing TONS of pushing off of things with her feet these days. about a week ago she figured out she could do that and it's her new favorite activity. :)

oh, magrat's talk of books made me think to recommend some really cool ones to you guys! do any of you have the board books that incorporate famous artists' paintings into the story?? they're by julie merberg & someone bober. one of them is called 'sharing w/ renoir' and there are ones for van gogh, monet, matisse, seurat and a few other artists. they're beautiful books and it's neat how they create a story around the paintings. we got a few as a gift and i really like them!

also, esp for you dog lovers, i recommend the 'carl' books by alexandra day. they're picture books and the illustrations are all about this dog (carl) taking care of the family baby. i think they're totally hilarious and kinda quirky.

everything is great here, aside from my looming return to work next weds....the other thing is that mairin's sleeping schedule seems to be changing and i haven't quite figured it out yet. i know GA GAL and magrat and i discussed a bit in the BF thread but mairin started getting up once again at night to eat. so, no big deal, i figured she was just hungry or going through a growth spurt. but for the past few nights when she's gotten up, i've had a hard time putting her back down and she's just wide awake---cooing and wanting to play. so i think she's sleeping too often during the day. she never sleeps for very long, but takes catnaps all day, at about the same time each day. she started resisting her naps a few days ago, so i just don't think she needs as many....which is totally fine, we've just got to get the new routine figured out. she didn't nap all morning yesterday but then had a complete, exhausted meltdown at yoga! sigh. it's a work in progress, i guess!

[magrat]

We're back from WI Dells! DH and I had a great time, not so sure about Eve. She was mostly okay, but just didn't seem as happy as normal, and as soon as we got home she just started smiling like crazy. Guess she remembered it! She really hated the car ride. Normally she's great in the car, but it took us forever to get home because she kept screaming inconsolably in her carseat and we couldn't stand it so we'd have to stop. She did get to experience the pool and the hot tub though, and didn't hate it. She didn't smile much, but seemed to be taking it all in so I think it was a good sensory experience for her. We shared a suite with my parents and it was wonderful having them take her in the morning. They're early risers and even so could hardly wait to get their hands back on her.

steelcitymama Thanks for the book recommendations, I've added the painter ones to my amazon wishlist! I just wish they had Manet, my favorite :) Of course, some of his subjects may not really be appropriate.

[em1126]

Let me tell you . . . I have a new respect for single parents and DH. He left this a.m. for a 5-wk business trip. Luckily, Aubrey and I will be heading to my parents' this Weds., but it's really hard doing all this by myself and it's only been one day. :rolleyes:

Aubrey ended up having an ear infection, which is what was making the feeding difficult (it hurt her ear to swallow), but she is on an antibiotic now and seems to be improving some.

Sorry no SOs, but I just wanted to say, magrat, I have that same shirt you're wearing in the State Fair pics. :) Looks like fun, BTW.

[Irish Elf]

I just wish it would help her arm strength, she's really not able to push herself up at all, although she has great neck control. How are the other 3 month olds doing?

Ellie Grace is able to lift her head up and has great neck control. If she is sitting in our arms she will push back so she is basically sitting up by herslef. her arm control, not so much. It doesn't matter where I do tummy time she is much more interested in whatever is going on in the direction she looks. She can do it; just doesn't really want too.

She has made a huge regression in sleep. I was thrilled when she started edging towards 6-7 hours straight over a week ago, but now she's back down to three hour or less stretches It's not doing me any good and it has stopped any idea I had of weaning her from swaddling or transitioning her to the crib (I hadn't done those things, so that's not the cause). It's been too long now to really blame a growth spurt, and she's not eating any more during the day than usual.
I am so glas I read this. Ellie sleeps 6-8 hours, wakes up to eat and then goes back down for another 2-3 hours. Until 2 nights ago when she woke up every 3 hours...and then did it last night. It has to be a growth spurt but my gosh sleep longer sweet child.

Sorry haven't kept up with this thread. Now that the heat wave has broken here I have been taking Ellie out more. Tried to teach her the finer points of shoe shopping (look, a sale) and she showed no interest. But she did help me pick out a skirt.

DH's work had a company picnic at the zoo this past weekend. Off we go with camera in hand. Dh's pushing the stroller and I am armed for great photo ops. I'm pointing out all the animals (lions, tigers and bears oh my) and Ellie is...well, she's napping. Won't nap during the day at boring home but get her to a place with new sights and smells and it's lights out. So DH and I had a day at the zoo and Ellie was a perfect angel. I have tones of pictures of animals and 2 of Ellie. I would have taken more but heh, how many sleeping pictures do you really want?;)

[stevesbabygirl]

I think I need to invest in a Bumbo seat too. Owen loves either facing out when you hold him, or he loves standing up. He's not a big fan of lying down flat, unless I put him on his playmat. I've been slacking big time on doing tummy time, but I do bring him into bed with us every morning, so he's not lying on his head for a few hours while he sleeps. He also sleeps in his swing when he naps, so he's not flat on his head there either. Even without much tummy time, I see his head and neck control improving all the time. I think it's because I've been a bad mom and haven't really supported his head much, so he's figured out how to do it on his own :p.

[magrat]

I think it's because I've been a bad mom and haven't really supported his head much, so he's figured out how to do it on his own :p.

Heh, that's us too! I don't think it's bad though if it has a good outcome :)

Here's Eve in her bumbo, exactly 3 months old:

http://kitt.smugmug.com/photos/193285893-L.jpg

It's amazing really, the first few times I put her in it she could only stand it about a minute and was pretty floppy. Now a week later she's much more content in it and has a lot more control.

[Irish Elf]

Ellie has been sick yesterday and today. I called the doctor and had to take her temperature the "old fashioned way". :( She's much better now but I am still sad for her. My cousin who is my go to mom when I have questions stopped by to help. Her son was absolutely horrified to see us take Ellie's temperature this way, and even more horrified to know it was the norm with small babies. I could see the wheels turning in his head when he realized he had his temp taken this way at one time. He was so traumatized I gave him my Stewie head (from Family Guy) football. Then my cousin was traumatized to know her 8 year old son knew what Family Guy was. :p

Magrat - I just love the look on your DC's face.

[micd]

I am wanting a Bumbo so bad! I love that picture! I put Sara Grace in my friend's Bumbo and she looked so darn cute, like a grown up baby (we took a gazillion pics). This same friend just had her baby girl yesterday. It made me a little sad to see how much my baby has grown compared to a newborn. :( Though I do love all the smiles and cooing that come with her age right now!

[StacieLady]

Jacob is 4 months old today, and he has been to see the doctor. Here are the stats!

Weight: 17 lbs 7 oz (92%)
Height: 26 in (88%)
Head: 17 1/8 in (76%)

Not bad for a baby who was born 4 weeks early! :)

He took his shots like a champ and is sleeping them off now. I felt so bad because he was in a terrific mood today, it seemed such a shame to rain on his parade. Hopefully they won't bring him down too badly.

He now has doctor prescribed tummy time. :) Oops! :) She said he was fine but that we HAD to make him spend more time on his tummy...even if he screamed the whole time. Let the fun begin!

[Smittenk]

Hey ladies...just a quick post from our trip to Vancouver (and next on to DC)!

Connor did so awesome on the flights (we had two connections)...better than me in fact! He only fussed once and it was because he was tired...otherwise he slept or watched movies :)

Here are some pics:

Watching the movie from London to DC
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/VancouverDCTripSeptember2007021.jpg

Him and I on the bumpy flight from DC to Denver
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/VancouverDCTripSeptember2007024.jpg

Yey! Finally landing in Vancouver
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/Smittenk/VancouverDCTripSeptember2007030.jpg

[StacieLady]

Smitten - his eyes are beautiful!

[magrat]

smitten What a cutie! I'm glad the flight wasn't too bad!

I'm so excited, I just saw our neighbors (and friends) leave for the hospital to have their baby. Eve has a little friend on the way! Can't wait to find out the gender :)

[Smittenk]

Thanks ladies!!

[magrat]

Our neighbors had a girl! Yay!

Eve has a cold :( She picked it up at a mom's meetup I went to the other day. She has a stuffy/runny nose and is sleeping even worse (hard to believe that's possible...). She doesn't seem too unhappy though.

We also got our first laughs yesterday. I got some out of her in the morning and DH in the evening. She kept doing it so definitely not a fluke. Very nice to hear, especially since I know she isn't feeling well. I feel like she should be holding her sickness against me but she doesn't, she still smiles big when she sees me, even if I've just been torturing her with the squeezey bulb thing.

[Irish Elf]

Oh the squeezy thing...E sounded stopped up so I took out that torture device, stuck it up her nose and ... nothing came out. My child had the nerve to laugh. I'm afraid I'm going to suck out her brain and she's thinking it's all a joke. Why can't she understand the seriousness of these medical interventions? Must she mock me with that smile and giggle?

[GA_GAL]

Glad to hear everyone is doing well. So much has happened the past week or so with us. Our hosue did sell and we have our closing tomorrow. It's been a stressful being back and forth to Atlanta trying to find another house, get bills switched over, etc. Packers were here today and the movers come Friday. We put an offer in on a house in Atlanta yesterday and now are just waiting to hear back. Fingers crossed that we get it.

I really think all of the back and forth travel is starting to get to Handley. She was on such a great routine and it has totally gone out the window. She is not napping well anymore and is waking frequently at night. I can't wait for us to get settled so she can get back on track.

Handley just started rolling over from her back to her tummy and started giving us some little laughs too. I love it!

Does anyone let there babies watch Baby Einstein videos? I've been keeping her away from TV (even though she'll try to watch it). However, with all of the stuff that I've had to do to get us ready to move, I've let her watch one video (30 mins.) a day. I just don't want to be a bad mom by letting her watch TV. It's been hard to get everything done around here and also to feel like a good mom. It doesn't help that DH is still traveling or working extremely long hours so I'm left to do it all by myself.

magrat: Eve looks so cute sitting in her seat.

steelcitymama: Hope your first days at work went smoothly.

smitten: I love the photos of Connor on the plane...especially the one of him with the headphones on. Too cute!

[Sarah6690]

Hi everyone! I swear I'm still here. I read everyone's post, but I've been too busy to write my own. DS1 (5yrs old) started kindergarten. He is also having his tonsils and adnoids out on the 28th. Plus, everyone in our house has been sick. I finally just got it about 2 days ago. Needless to say, we haven't been having much fun. Sawyer has been sleeping great at night, usually only waking once. But from the time I get home from work until about 8:30-9:00, he is not so great. I can't set him down anywhere or he SCREAMS!!! We've been co-sleeping a lot more now, almost every night. DH isn't thrilled and I can't seem to convince him that it won't turn him into a dependant mamma's boy. :rolleyes:

GA_Gal yes, Sawyer does watch Baby Einstein. I let him watch it no more than once a day. It is the only way that I have been able to get anything done around the house. I don't think you're a bad mom if you use that... sometimes you just need a little time to yourself, and if that is the only thing that works, then so be it!

[steelcitymama]

hi there! i'm happy to hear that everyone is doing well...it's been an adjustment going back to work, that is for sure.

GA GAL~i'm keeping my fingers crossed for you guys getting the house. good news that you sold yours already! i can't imagine how busy you must be with all the travel, packing, selling & buying, esp w/ DH working a lot. yikes!

sarah~sorry that everyone has been sick at your house. mairin got one cold right after the other, so i can kind of relate. good news that sawyer has been sleeping well at night.

magrat & smitten~love the pictures! i hope to post some soon.

being back at work is okay, i guess. as well as can be expected...thank god i can work from home 2 days/week or i don't think i could do it. my mom comes over when i work from home to watch mairin. but i spend a few hrs with her in the AM and get to feed her all day and play with her as often as i can.

so...curious to get opinions...mairin had been sleeping from 8P - 7A from the time she was 6 wks old until about 11 wks or so. then she started falling asleep a little earlier---between 7and 730 and getting up around 6 or so. but for the past 2 wks or so, she's been waking up once a night again. not sure why??? i feed her and she always goes back to sleep...normally she passes right out, but sometimes she'll lay in bed and kind of play for several minutes and seems to be very awake. but like i said, she does always go back to sleep. i'm just not sure why she's doing this? she is hungry and definitely eats a lot when she wakes in the middle of the night...but she went so long without needing to eat then, so i'm not sure why she'd need to start doing that again?? and it's been long enough that a growth spurt doesn't seem to be likely. she started doing this shortly before i went back to work, so i can't attribute it to that change, though i'm sure it's not helping. any thoughts???

[em1126]

Count me in for sleep issues, too, although I think Aubrey's are in response to some big changes recently. I think I posted that she had an ear infection. It's better now, but it's like she's making up for lost time with eating - she's voracious! Plus, DH left for a 5-week business trip (or TDY, in military lingo) and he was always the one to put her to bed. AND, since DH is gone, Aubrey and I are at my parents' house (which was a 2-day road trip to get here) for 3 1/2 weeks. Lots of changes for a little baby, but the last two nights she's basically not sleeping at all. She's killing me! :) Along those same lines, do you have nap schedules? If so, what are they? I haven't tried to put Aubrey on a schedule yet and probably won't until we're back at home, but I'm curious.

steelcitymama Sorry, I have no guesses as to why Mairin's sleep schedule has changed. I'll be curious to hear if others are having sleep issues. I hope things regulate soon!

Sarah6690 Hope your household is feeling better soon!

GA_Gal Wow, sounds like you're busy! I hope things settle for you soon and you're able to get back in to a routine with Handley.

[Irish Elf]

E has 2 Baby Einstein videos - Baby Bach and Baby Beethoven. She loves them. Because of her acid reflux I can't put her down flat right after a big meal and she can only sit in her chair staring outside so long. So after breakfast she gets her "music lessons". She'll sing along - well, her version of singing. The funny thing is she hates to watch it more than once through. DH and I try not to let her watch TV but if she's in the room and we have it on sometimes she will look at the screen. But so far she's just "watched" football with us. So I guess I can be added to the list of bad mothers.

Actually I don't think it's bad to let her watch. I don't see how is it different than her being in her crib and watching her aquarium She's looking at objects and listening to music. We don't have the older children videos though, just the music ones. And I will point out what is on the screen occasionally. I think the problem comes in when parents constantly use the videos in place of interaction with their children.

[GA_GAL]

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who lets my baby watch Baby Einstein. I do try to talk with her and point out the animals, etc. on the screen so I guess that is good. She just LOVES to watch the TV and is so fascinated by the colors, lights, music, etc.

sarah: Sorry everyone has been sick at your house and that poor Sawyer screams all evening. Do you think he could just be too tired? Handley screams like that when she is over tired. I started putting her to bed earlier and it stopped the crying in the evenings.

steelcitymama: I saw your post in the bfing thread. I could have written it myself and I know we've talked about it here a little bit. Handley is still waking in the night too after being able to sleep through the night early on like Mairin. Not sure what is going on. With all of our travel and back and forth that has been going on lately, I think that might have something to do with it, but who knows.

em1126: As far as sleep goes, I think some of Handley's issues are also a result of being out of our regular routine. We've been so back and forth from Atlanta to FL recently that I believe that is starting to get to her.

naps: I follow the babywise schedule (eat, awake, sleep). She usually wakes for the day around 8AM , eats and is awake for a while, naps from 10-11, eats, plays, naps from 12:30-2, eats, plays, naps from 4-5, eats, plays and then we start her bedtime routine with a bath between 7-7:30. She was like clockwork, but again I think all of the back and forth travel has made staying on track harder for her. I'm curious as to when babies go down to two naps a day. Anyone know? I think it is around 4 months, but I'm not sure.

I'm also curious how your babies are nurisng? Handley seems interested in almost everything except wanting to eat. I've tried quiet places, but she'll still look around, pull off, and act like she isn't hungry. She normally eats every 3 hours and I don't mind stretching it to 3 1/2 hours, but I'm concerned about my supply dropping if she isn't really nursing like she usually does.

[steelcitymama]

quick note for GA GAL---i tried the "dream feed" last night and mairin slept through the night again for the first time in weeks!

i nursed her around 7 and put her to bed as usual. then i nursed her around 10:30 without really waking her and she woke up this morning! :) yay. hope it wasn't a fluke...i'm definitely going to continue doing it!

[Irish Elf]

Speaking of Baby Einstein, E feel asleep during the video and it went to the Play screen where it repeats the same tune over and over and over. i don't want to turn it off (and wake her) so I keep hearing the same tune over...and over...and over.

Tonight we are taking E to her first high school football game. We are meeting some friends so it should be fun. And I don't have to worry about dinner - hot dogs, nachos and fountain cokes. Hmm, between this and the thread on TP'ing a house I'm feeling nostalgic for high school.

Last night I put E down at 8, and nursed her when she woke up at 9.30. She slept until 7 this morning. DH had to change her b/c I was afraid if I moved I would spring a leak. She is sleeping all night about 2-3 times a week and the other times she does a dream feed.

[stevesbabygirl]

I've only put Baby Einstein on for Owen once, and he didn't like it :p. I'll have to try it again with him at a later time. I do keep the TV on for most of the day, so put me in the horrible mother category. That said though, I am still interacting a lot with him, holding him, playing on the floor with him, etc. Plus, since he eats every hour, he gets lots of attention from me :D.

He's a pretty awesome sleeper! He usually goes down at around 9 or 10, and sleeps until about 6:30, then eats, falls back asleep again until 8 or so, eats, and falls asleep one more time until 10 or 11. Since I'm a horrible sleeper and love to sleep in, I just bring him into bed with me after the 8am feeding, and we both get to sleep, with him lying on my chest.

We're in the process of buying a new house and selling our current one too, so I'm looking forward to that nightmare :rolleyes:.